Retour à Samdal-ri (2023)

Enjoyable.

I honestly enjoyed this k-drama, I liked it. I felt like the time went by fast watching it, so I didn't feel bored nor did I feel it was too long (something I thought would happen but it didn't).

The truth is that watching Welcome to Samdal-ri made me think more about something I already knew: how normalized excessive drinking is in Korea. I don't think there wasn't an episode where one of the characters wasn't drinking some alcoholic beverage, or even worse, getting drunk until they lost consciousness. It was quite curious really, I don't think I've seen this shown so much in other series I've seen, so it caught my attention. This is a bit moralistic, but it's a bit worrying to see how they don't label this as something to watch out for, alcoholism is a serious problem. And leaving this aside, I do think that the use of alcohol (a common cliché) to get the characters to come clean or to give continuity to the plot was excessive.

But that's okay, I'll let that slide because again, I found the drama enjoyable. The chemistry between the leads is quite believable (I love you Ji Chang Wook) and the side stories didn't bore me as they usually do..

I don't have much to complain about, it was ok, to watch in the evenings and have a quiet and relaxing time. The plot was not the most exceptional, but it holds up, so it's ok, you manage to connect with the story. The unbelievable thing was how the biggest problem was solved so easily after 20 years when there was no hope, but ok.

I was amused by the twist they gave to Man-Su's character, but only because I wondered "Why?".

And well, would I recommend it? Yeah, probably.

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A surprisingly realistic and family friendly drama, with great acting and cast.

My review for Welcome to Samdal-ri, starting off with the cast:

The cast for Welcome to Samdal-ri was great. Shin Hae-sun did an incredible job as always, and the chemistry between her and Ji Chang-wook was pretty good, though not overly special. A supporting actor I really enjoyed in this drama was Lee Jae-won, playing the support role of Gyeong-tae. He has been amazing in every drama I've seen him in, and the character he played in Welcome to Samdal-ri was hilarious!

Another one of my favourite characters in this drama was Yong-pil's father, Sang-tae. I really liked his character throughout the whole drama, and his character development near the end was incredible. He reminds me a lot of my own father, and looks kind of similar too!

The storyline is surprisingly realistic compared to other dramas. No fantasy or supernatural stuff, and no incredible coincidences that would be completely unfeasible in real life. Everything in this drama are things that could actually happen in the real world. It makes the snap back to reality much less jarring once you finish watching. The drama also features a lot of side stories, which take up a lot of the storyline. I typically prefer having less characters and more focus on a main storyline, but Welcome to Samdal-ri does a good job of combining them all together.

There were still a few disappointing things with this drama, however. Firstly, there wasn't much intimacy between Samdal and Yong-pil throughout the drama. I was waiting for something to happen the entire time, but there wasn't really anything of note. This does have the upside of keeping the drama quite family friendly, despite many drinking scenes.

Another thing that disappointed me was the ending. Not going to spoil too much, but I think it would have been so much better if Samdal and Yong-pil had stayed together in Jeju instead of leaving for different places. And, the antagonist never gets punished in the end!

Overall, I enjoyed this drama, though I think it would be best if watched with family or friends. I watched it on my own, where I was left wanting a bit more. The ending could be better, but it's not a bad ending by any means, and I would still highly recommend Welcome to Samdal-ri to anyone considering it.

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An uninspiring,dull, piece of boredom

I don't usually write Reviews about dramas but for some reason I feel compelled to do so for this one,

I will not write a long review, trying to rate every aspect of it, but I will Simply state my opinion about it,

Initially I came to watch this drama after watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha, because both of these dramas have similar setting, A small town, FL Moves from the exciting big city to the small town, ML without any drive or ambition, and of course some sprinkle of trauma here and there,
Another that makes them similar is thier supporting cast, you know some old people, some children and they all seem like best friends with each other,
Which I find extremely annoying and cringy,
So I thought If I liked a drama with all these things then it's possible I'll like another drame with all these things, Turns out that's not how it works

I watched about 9 episodes of this drama and In the beginning I was liking it, but not as a romance melodrama, they introduced a successful character who worked so hard to get where she is and then she's brutally cheated out of her deserving position and what does she do? Absolutely nothing.

Every time she just accept her situation and do nothing I keep asking myself why don't she fight back, she had evidence of her cheating with the boyfriend and also evidence for stealing, she do many things in that situation but what she did was go back to the hometown and play romance with the guy she knew for past 38 years, does it make sense? I don't think so,

And speaking of ML, what's with these dull, boring, ambition less and drive less guys in these dramas, they have no life, no hobbies, and all their live revolve around FL, She's been his female friend for 30 years and then they date for some time and now she's his ex for 8 years, like come on dude, you've known only one girl your whole life, what about other 4 billion women in the world, and not only that there is another 2nd guy in love with her for past 30 years or something, You know sometimes it becomes so annoying when dramas do this, Imagine if she didn't had that scripted misfortune and didn't lost everything, what was their plan then, are they gonna spend their whole lives with status quo,
And the whole romance plot, I couldn't feel it, it felt forced and fake, The same thought keep coming to my mind whenever main leads were together,that why are they together, why is she wasting her time with this useless guy who can't bring any value to the table, at this time she should be fighting for what she lost, not having this boring romance with some country bumpkin

Anyway I can rant a bit more but I feel like this is enough for someone who didn't finished the drama overall I'll give it a score of 7.5 and it's possible that in different mood or setting I may like this drama but I feel really fatigued after watching bunch of the same kind of dramas over and over again

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Go for it

If you are skeptical or doubting yourself on whether or not to watch this series, just go for it. It has a very beautiful village atmosphere and the vibe gives out a perfect village feels with all the people and gossiping. The actors have done a great job. The characters that are supposed to be irritating are truly irritating. The friends gang is great. Even though there are a lot of things that they need to bring solution to, or conclusion to, I am confident that they will do a good job.

Male Lead: great job as usual. Those who have watched his other works like Healer, K2,Suspicious partner know what I'm talking about
Female Lead: Since I haven't watched her other works, I can not compare it. But, she did complete justice to the character
Ajumma(female lead's mother): My favorite supporting actor who has acted in a lot of kdrama. she is just apt for this role
ML's father: he is the villain I would say, but he has his reasons.

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Pensavo narrasse altro

Ho iniziato questo drama con l'errata convinzione che fosse il classico drama con una protagonista che scappa dalla città per rifugiarsi nel suo villaggio di origine o cmq in un piccolo villaggio fuori da tutto. Per certi versi è così ma quelli a cui sono abituata io danno voce e spessore agli abitanti del villaggio di turno mentre qui non hanno prevalenza, anzi sono molto da contorno. Non ho avvertito quel senso di famiglia tipico dei drama di questo genere. A parte ciò, perchè posso essere io stupida ad aver capito fischi per fiaschi, la storia non era partita male. Infatti i primi 4 episodi mi sono piaciuti assai, ma da lì a poco me ne sono un po' pentita: quello che dovrebbe essere il trauma che porta FL a trasferirsi si "risolve" in poco tempo e nemmeno troppo bene. La chiusura l'ho trovata fin troppo affrettata, così che gli antagonisti rimangono come un palo, poco più che comparse. Le sorelle di FL, anche loro con delle storie interessanti, rimangono per la maggiore da parte e non vengono più di tanto coinvolte. Il "terzo" non ho capito perchè c'è, a che serve. Un codardo di prima categoria che a sto punto poteva rimanere zitto e muto poichè non ha un impatto su nulla e nessuno. Insomma, tutto sto robo è incentrato sulla minestra riscaldata tra FL e ML, qui interpretato da un signor attore che purtroppo però ne sembra imprigionato, quasi castigato. Personaggio molle e senza spina dorsale come tutto il drama. Lei poi non mi ha mai conquistata quindi... Beh, non ho motivi per continuarne la visione.

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Just a small story - one time watch

I would like to start with saying female lead was not perfect for this role. They should have casted someone else for this role(This is just my personal opinion). Writers try to include most aspect of one persons life in this drama which was nice. They tried to show us friendship and love. There was some unwanted storyline in this series which was dragging.
Jo Yoon Seo did a exceptional job. The way she acted as Bang Eun Joo, she was not acting, she was actually living the role. When she appeared on screen we will feel like going and kicking her.

Scenic beauty of the place that have shown in this dram is damn good.

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Refreshing lovable new drama

I was getting a little tired of the typical story lines in kdrama and I was kind of stuck with other dramas nothing excited me until this came out. Love it from begging to end. It felt refreshing to watch.
The focus on the FL trip and the ML alongside the hardships they had to go through and the time they missed together yet no was ever enough to destroy their love felt so warm-hearted for me.
If I would ask something from those drama is a more extended happy ending cause I really love those, I'll just have to imagine it all by myself.
if you got the chance watch it it's totally worthy. I cry, laugh and love alongside the characters and story, gonna truly miss it.

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Bad plot!

Crafting a true-to-life female protagonist involves avoiding stereotypes. Strength should be portrayed authentically, including vulnerability and growth. A diverse background adds depth, and navigating everyday challenges contributes to a nuanced narrative. Emphasizing the protagonist's support system showcases interconnectedness, challenging the notion of solitary strength. Instead of portraying her as "useless" in simple problems, highlight growth, learning, and adaptability. Real strength lies in resilience and overcoming challenges, fostering a relatable and authentic character.

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loveline couple lumba lumba terlalu lambat , progesnya stagnan. bahkan loveline dadakan Wang Kyung Tae di episode 15 hanya butuh 2 episode sudah diperlihatkan moment pacarannya
loveline couple lumba lumba terlalu lambat , progesnya stagnan. bahkan loveline dadakan Wang Kyung Tae di episode 15 hanya butuh 2 episode sudah diperlihatkan moment pacarannya
loveline couple lumba lumba terlalu lambat , progesnya stagnan. bahkan loveline dadakan Wang Kyung Tae di episode 15 hanya butuh 2 episode sudah diperlihatkan moment pacarannya
loveline couple lumba lumba terlalu lambat , progesnya stagnan. bahkan loveline dadakan Wang Kyung Tae di episode 15 hanya butuh 2 episode sudah diperlihatkan moment pacarannya
loveline couple lumba lumba terlalu lambat , progesnya stagnan. bahkan loveline dadakan Wang Kyung Tae di episode 15 hanya butuh 2 episode sudah diperlihatkan moment pacarannya

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