Heartstrings

Other title: You've fallen for me

Korean title: 넌 내게 반했어

Aired on MBC - Summer 2011- 15 episodes

Main cast:

Jung Yong Hwa as Lee Shin

Park Shin Hye as Lee Kyu Won

Song Chang Ui as Kim Suk Hyun

So Yi Hyun as Jung Yoon Soo

Woo Ri as Han Hee Joo

Kang Min Hyuk as Yeo Joon Hee

Lee Hyun Jun as Hyun Ki Young

Im Se Mi as Cha Bo Woon

Review:  -/+

Title: Makes sense :"You've fallen for me" is the name of a song featured and "Heartstrings", well, there are romance and music.

Girl: She's kind, talented. She starts "amazing"(+) then unfortunately becomes "annoying"(-). It's ironic because the main supporting female character starts "annoying" then becomes great.

Boy(s): I want him! Them. The male leads are handsome (yes, I know it's not a surprise) and have a pretty voice. Despite some inconsistency in how Lee Shin is portrayed, he is basically perfect. And Kim Suk Hyun is just awesome. Awesome.

Relationship: The falling in/out of love wasn't very well-handled (-) but some very common cliches were avoided which was great and original (+).

Other characters: There are A LOT of other characters. Most of them are interesting (+) but they get backstories in a way that made me keep waiting for when this will get important in the plot and it never happens. So it feels like a waste of time (-).

Also (-) for the bad guy. He has a backstory and is good at hindering the main characters but something doesn't work with him. In the end, he's just not compelling. He's pathetic and it's not even tragic.

Music: Gimme the OST. (+) Bonus: Korean traditional instruments. Their sound is beautiful.

Funny factor? It's funnier than most "comedy/romance" dramas. I actually laugh several times. There are many good comical characters and also some recurring jokes that work. (+)

Bottom line: This drama had so much potential: The characters are interesting and mostly cleverly developed, it's funny, it's original and I love the musical set-up storyline BUT besides the issues I already mentioned, there is a late development that is so unnecessary that it feels like it was a blatant way to fill another episode (so annoying) and I wish the set-up of the musical was more prominent.

It's not a drama I couldn't stop watching but at least I finished it. Also episode 7 is a drag. If you watch this drama, I think you'll like it and laugh and swoon but don't expect too much and be prepared to be mildly annoyed by the plot and the characters.

 

After the jump, there is a review for people who have watched it.