Aired on SBS - Winter 2010/11 - 20 episodes
Main cast:
In supporting parts:
Hello "Bad guy" from Capital Scandal!
Hello "Director's friend" from Heartstrings! :)
[2020 July 18th edit : I just did a rewatch, and I have thoughts. I'll just add them in italics. My perspective have changed in 8 (!) years and I'm less enthused.]
Review: +
Title: I think it refers to the name of a place in a drama but I don't think it matches the drama.
Girl: Kick-a. Like, literally. She's a stuntwoman and it's glorious to watch the action scenes. She also has a cute side and the actress does a great job. I used to not get "girl crush" but now I do :). (+)
Other girl: I like her but I don't really know what to think of her. Is she supposed to be nice or mean? Is she doing everything out of resentment? (-) [Bizarrely, I actually like her more now and I understand her motivations. It's not her fault that she is trapped in a bad storyline.]
Boy: Arrogant and cute. He has his weaknesses and quirks which is sometimes funny and also gives him some personality. (+) [As someone who is now in the workplace and who know people who got severely depressed after being harassed at work, I was uncomfortable with how badly Boy treats his employees. Moreover, he's never really called out on it and never apologise for it or shown to have changed his ways.]
Other boy: As I said in another review, I don't know what is my problem with the actor Yoon Sang Hyun. He's a good actor and everything but... there's just something off. Anyway, back to more objective remarks: his character is interesting. He's funny (like saying cheesy things and being self-aware about it) and non-confident while being a huge star. Also, I really like his relationship with Boy. [I like him less now. I feel that he only has two modes: screaming and moping. It's too bad because his character of an aging Hallyu star, like Girl's, is not common in dramas.]
Relationships: The main couple has an insanely hot chemistry. Just for them, it was almost a Fav. (I think I remember from Sam-Soon that Hyun Bin is good with chemistry.) Anyway, it makes possible to overlook some of the stalkerish and borderline offensive stuff happening because it's obvious that she is sensitive to his courting. Their dynamic is at the same time cute and hot. (+) [This is the biggest change after my rewatch, I felt less chemistry and was more sensitive to the lack of respect for physical boundaries and the possessiveness. I kept thinking: "what if someone behaved that way with me, I would hate it." It only works if you watch it as fairytale like.]
Alas, there is another relationship happening at the same time... and I don't know what to make of this one. It's too melodramatic, it's simultaneously clear and not clear why they broke up and it's devoid of chemistry. I didn't care about them. Also a lot of their story is showed in flash-backs, not in chronological order, so it doesn't help to understand their relationship. (-) [This hasn't changed. This relationship is still a disaster. I forwarded almost all their scenes. I also realised that there is no progress, no evolution whatsoever between them for a good part of the runtime.]
Plot: The plot with the main couple is great. I love it, I love almost everything that happens. I can't really develop because I don't want to spoil and it's a drama for which spoilers should be avoided. (+)
But I didn't like the storyline with the mother. Not only it is a cliché (something I can be OK with if done properly) but it was annoyingly repetitive. (-) [This bothered me less now.]
The storyline with Other boy was okay. But I didn't find it as engaging as the main storyline.
Other characters: Family: I didn't have any interest in his family. As I said, it is one weakness of this drama. Friends: Very good. All of them were funny and nice. Bad guy: There isn't any bad guy per se, but I like the character that is the closest to being one.
Funny factor: Pretty good. Characters and situations and recurring jokes.
Music: It was ok. [On rewatch, I noticed the musical theme associated to the other main relationship and disliked it.]
Bottom line: I so wanted this drama to become one of my Fav! Because I loved the main couple and their story. Unfortunately, a not-so-great B-storyline/couple and an annoying, repetitive plot device with the mother makes it only a Plus. (Which is also good). I would recommend watching it and fast-forward some scenes. ;)
[I still really like this drama !! Its strengths: it's funny, there are strong characters (though some are kinda wasted), there are surprises (I won't reveal any of them though one is spoiled in every synopsis) and the end is satisfying.]
After the jump, a more complete review with spoilers!
Girl: Kick-a. Like, literally. She's a stuntwoman and it's glorious to watch the action scenes. She also has a cute side and the actress does a great job. I used to not get "girl crush" but now I do :). (+)
Other girl: I like her but I don't really know what to think of her. Is she supposed to be nice or mean? Is she doing everything out of resentment? (-) [Bizarrely, I actually like her more now and I understand her motivations. It's not her fault that she is trapped in a bad storyline.]
Boy: Arrogant and cute. He has his weaknesses and quirks which is sometimes funny and also gives him some personality. (+) [As someone who is now in the workplace and who know people who got severely depressed after being harassed at work, I was uncomfortable with how badly Boy treats his employees. Moreover, he's never really called out on it and never apologise for it or shown to have changed his ways.]
Other boy: As I said in another review, I don't know what is my problem with the actor Yoon Sang Hyun. He's a good actor and everything but... there's just something off. Anyway, back to more objective remarks: his character is interesting. He's funny (like saying cheesy things and being self-aware about it) and non-confident while being a huge star. Also, I really like his relationship with Boy. [I like him less now. I feel that he only has two modes: screaming and moping. It's too bad because his character of an aging Hallyu star, like Girl's, is not common in dramas.]
Relationships: The main couple has an insanely hot chemistry. Just for them, it was almost a Fav. (I think I remember from Sam-Soon that Hyun Bin is good with chemistry.) Anyway, it makes possible to overlook some of the stalkerish and borderline offensive stuff happening because it's obvious that she is sensitive to his courting. Their dynamic is at the same time cute and hot. (+) [This is the biggest change after my rewatch, I felt less chemistry and was more sensitive to the lack of respect for physical boundaries and the possessiveness. I kept thinking: "what if someone behaved that way with me, I would hate it." It only works if you watch it as fairytale like.]
Alas, there is another relationship happening at the same time... and I don't know what to make of this one. It's too melodramatic, it's simultaneously clear and not clear why they broke up and it's devoid of chemistry. I didn't care about them. Also a lot of their story is showed in flash-backs, not in chronological order, so it doesn't help to understand their relationship. (-) [This hasn't changed. This relationship is still a disaster. I forwarded almost all their scenes. I also realised that there is no progress, no evolution whatsoever between them for a good part of the runtime.]
Plot: The plot with the main couple is great. I love it, I love almost everything that happens. I can't really develop because I don't want to spoil and it's a drama for which spoilers should be avoided. (+)
But I didn't like the storyline with the mother. Not only it is a cliché (something I can be OK with if done properly) but it was annoyingly repetitive. (-) [This bothered me less now.]
The storyline with Other boy was okay. But I didn't find it as engaging as the main storyline.
Other characters: Family: I didn't have any interest in his family. As I said, it is one weakness of this drama. Friends: Very good. All of them were funny and nice. Bad guy: There isn't any bad guy per se, but I like the character that is the closest to being one.
Funny factor: Pretty good. Characters and situations and recurring jokes.
Music: It was ok. [On rewatch, I noticed the musical theme associated to the other main relationship and disliked it.]
Bottom line: I so wanted this drama to become one of my Fav! Because I loved the main couple and their story. Unfortunately, a not-so-great B-storyline/couple and an annoying, repetitive plot device with the mother makes it only a Plus. (Which is also good). I would recommend watching it and fast-forward some scenes. ;)
[I still really like this drama !! Its strengths: it's funny, there are strong characters (though some are kinda wasted), there are surprises (I won't reveal any of them though one is spoiled in every synopsis) and the end is satisfying.]
After the jump, a more complete review with spoilers!
First, I want to say again how much I love the main couple, their characters and their story. I like Gil Ra Im wanting to be an action actress. I love the revelation about Gil Ra Im's father. It was nicely foreshadowed, deftly plotted and powerful. It also gives an "explanation" for why Kim Joo Won is so quickly obsessed with her since he unconsciously remembered her.
The body-swapping was interesting and well-handled, though a bit creepy. It was funny too, of course. I was a bit surprised by how they didn't even want to try to pretend to act like they were the right person. Even then, it could have been funny since they would have screwed up anyway.
"Why are your legs so short?" and the way Ha Ji Won ran was golden. I cracked up.
More seriously, another thing that bothered me was how neutered Gil Ra Im was in Kim Joo Won's body. She was quite whiny and let Kim Joo Won boss her around in a way she would not have let happen. I have the hypothesis that maybe the body-swapping enhanced some traits since Kim Joo Won was more obsessed with women's body, eyeing breast, a behaviour we don't see from him when he is in his body. But maybe it's just for the comedy.
However, there is another issue: the link between these two elements. If I missed something, please explain it to me, but WHY did her father engineered the body-swapping??? He said "to save my daughter". So did he know she would have that accident and that Kim Joo Won would act like he did? If so, it should have been more clear. If not, what are his motivations? It's important! It feels like the crux is missing.
About the end, the whole accident/sacrifice/dream was fitting for a near-finale but the amnesia was unnecessary. It was cute and but slightly creepy and unconvincing. Seriously, he doesn't care about not remembering more than 10 years of his life?? [Good thing it doesn't last longer. I'd like to commend the drama for taking the time and doing a good job wrapping up in its last episode.]
There's a million of other details in their relationship that mostly work (the mermaid story).
I don't have much to add about the other main relationship. The whole "plagiarism" storyline and handsome songwriter was not as strong as the rest and was disconnected. It seems like two parallel stories and from time to time Oska or Seul would pop up in the main one. [I actually quite like the story and the character of Tae-Ssun and think more could have been done with him, instead of spending so much time on nothing new happening between Oska and Seul.]
I was also frustrated by the whole "Mother is against her" bit. I didn't count how many scenes did we have of Joo Won's mother meeting Ra Im telling her to stop seeing her son. Ra Im agrees then says that he is the one who wants to see her. But she will stop seeing him. Except... she doesn't, the mother is angry, she meets her again, yes, she will stop seeing him, no she doesn't, the mother is angry... you get my point. It felt the same watching it. I've seen it many times already in other dramas (hum... Hana Yori Dango/Boys over Flowers) and it to be hammered repeatedly was annoying and not worthy of this drama. [Again, maybe it's because I haven't watched dramas for some time and wasn't as sick of this very common trope, but this didn't bother me on rewatch.]
I was confused by Joo Won's sister. What's her point? We meet her twice, she seemed like a good character, I was already shipping her with the Director and then she's never heard of again? Did I miss something? [I still agree with myself and will add that it's very weird that we don't even see her when Joo Won is almost dead. Did something happened with the actress ?]
But I like everything and everyone at the action school, Gil Ra Im's friend and Secretary Kim (funny!) and Joo Won's rival (brother of his step-grandmother). At first, he seemed to be evil but then got funny with the whole trying to fake his signature and he was well used for the elevator incident.
It's really a testimony to the strengths of this drama that despite all the criticisms I just dished out, Secret Garden is still a +.
The body-swapping was interesting and well-handled, though a bit creepy. It was funny too, of course. I was a bit surprised by how they didn't even want to try to pretend to act like they were the right person. Even then, it could have been funny since they would have screwed up anyway.
"Why are your legs so short?" and the way Ha Ji Won ran was golden. I cracked up.
More seriously, another thing that bothered me was how neutered Gil Ra Im was in Kim Joo Won's body. She was quite whiny and let Kim Joo Won boss her around in a way she would not have let happen. I have the hypothesis that maybe the body-swapping enhanced some traits since Kim Joo Won was more obsessed with women's body, eyeing breast, a behaviour we don't see from him when he is in his body. But maybe it's just for the comedy.
However, there is another issue: the link between these two elements. If I missed something, please explain it to me, but WHY did her father engineered the body-swapping??? He said "to save my daughter". So did he know she would have that accident and that Kim Joo Won would act like he did? If so, it should have been more clear. If not, what are his motivations? It's important! It feels like the crux is missing.
About the end, the whole accident/sacrifice/dream was fitting for a near-finale but the amnesia was unnecessary. It was cute and but slightly creepy and unconvincing. Seriously, he doesn't care about not remembering more than 10 years of his life?? [Good thing it doesn't last longer. I'd like to commend the drama for taking the time and doing a good job wrapping up in its last episode.]
There's a million of other details in their relationship that mostly work (the mermaid story).
I don't have much to add about the other main relationship. The whole "plagiarism" storyline and handsome songwriter was not as strong as the rest and was disconnected. It seems like two parallel stories and from time to time Oska or Seul would pop up in the main one. [I actually quite like the story and the character of Tae-Ssun and think more could have been done with him, instead of spending so much time on nothing new happening between Oska and Seul.]
I was also frustrated by the whole "Mother is against her" bit. I didn't count how many scenes did we have of Joo Won's mother meeting Ra Im telling her to stop seeing her son. Ra Im agrees then says that he is the one who wants to see her. But she will stop seeing him. Except... she doesn't, the mother is angry, she meets her again, yes, she will stop seeing him, no she doesn't, the mother is angry... you get my point. It felt the same watching it. I've seen it many times already in other dramas (hum... Hana Yori Dango/Boys over Flowers) and it to be hammered repeatedly was annoying and not worthy of this drama. [Again, maybe it's because I haven't watched dramas for some time and wasn't as sick of this very common trope, but this didn't bother me on rewatch.]
I was confused by Joo Won's sister. What's her point? We meet her twice, she seemed like a good character, I was already shipping her with the Director and then she's never heard of again? Did I miss something? [I still agree with myself and will add that it's very weird that we don't even see her when Joo Won is almost dead. Did something happened with the actress ?]
But I like everything and everyone at the action school, Gil Ra Im's friend and Secretary Kim (funny!) and Joo Won's rival (brother of his step-grandmother). At first, he seemed to be evil but then got funny with the whole trying to fake his signature and he was well used for the elevator incident.
It's really a testimony to the strengths of this drama that despite all the criticisms I just dished out, Secret Garden is still a +.
No comments:
Post a Comment