Maybe the most underrated gem of the year

Writing this review after having posted many comments on this as i binged on this for 2 days. I kept off this as it aired for 2 reasons -1 )Didnt want to wait as it aired and 2) It was getting terrible comments as it progressed
The rating has reached 7.6 as of writing this review and it may dip further as this show seems a target of MDL commenters lately for negative comments.

Coming back, I found this incredibly entertaining,fast paced,emotional and topical hopeful drama.It deals with costs that come with time travel and is hence quite different than many fantasy dramas that promote this concept. Every episode starts with a quote on time and its importance for lives..

Am a fan of Joo Won esp in intense roles and his turn as Lieutenant Park was like a superb fit..As the show progresses you feel for him a lot..One of the most memorable Kdrama ML characters now for me.
Kim Hee sun ,esp the mom aced this one.I dont remember any other Kdrama showing a mother son bond so beautifully.She basically sacrificed her entire life for her son,had an utterly tough existence and the end she kept getting repeatedly was so unfair.. As Tae Yi,she was a diff character but her fondness for the Lieutenant was beautifully shown..Many people are disgusted with this Otp (Both Mom and Tae Yi have identical faces) but they are fine as per me..She is NOT his mom,period.
Kwak Si Yang as Min Hyeok was another tragic character and while he didnt get the end i felt he should have ,he was superb throughout
All other supporting characters were awesome..
Melodious OSTs,BGM, beautiful cinematography,production are all pluses for this drama.
The PD and writer really made a beautiful show..The ending has plotholes ,but is very serviceable..I was just happy to see Joo Won living a good life and with a hopeful romance to follow..
Maybe the MDL raters would rate this better if it ended with a sad ending ..I love happy endings though.

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Park Bo Young and her dramas have been a revelation of sorts.The first Korean Movie i liked was Speedy Scandal/Scandal Makers and she had a main role in it .While she was good,she looked pretty raw in it and her come back in dramas (Oh my Ghostess and now this show) show a sea change in her acting abilities .She can now lead shows effortlessly and SWDBS will be one landmark female empowerment show!

Pros :

1. Superb Direction :The director never treats this as a TV show and fills in visual after visual of great beauty and marshals his actors so well.I am now committed to watching any show this PD makes (recently watched Miracle we met!)

2. Casting and Performances : PBY was superb and I also found Park Hyung Sik underplayed his character (he was basically the damsel in distress in this one!) It takes guts to take up this kind of a character and he did it with aplomb.Jin goo also acquitted himself quite well.The support cast was awesome too.

3. Story and writing : This was the first tv show to warm me up to the idea of female superheroes and a lot of credit goes to the writer's efforts who made the character of DBS so interesting

4. OST : Some of the songs and their use was awesome in this

5. Excellent comedy : The comedy in this is hillarious and the scenes bring a smile to your face instantaneously

6. OTP : The initial pics never showed a great pair potential but both the leads worked superbly together

7. Great Ending : I have seen many great dramas run out of steam at end.The ending of this show satisfied me while still looking forward to a season 2..

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I stumbled on this show purely by Chance as was browsing Lee Tae Hwan dramas.Started it without any expectations and was totally blown away.

The show starts slowish as all the characters get introduced.Basically,a large family whose patriarch and matriarch have settled their children and are ready to enjoy their last days in peace and quiet.Suddenly,all the children (families in tow) start moving back in the old home and the elderly couple realize they are back to square one-only this time the children claim-I'll take care of you.

Then,the plot picks up steam as a mysterious stranger moves into the neighbourhood.He is polite,courteous and well mannered with the residents of the neighbourhood externally ,but seems to have an axe to grind with the people in the neighbourhood and especially the patriarch of the family mentioned earlier.He is also looking for his long lost brother.

Kim Jae Won really aced it in this role which resembles Edmond Dantes from the count of Monte Cristo.He is bent on revenge but ends up falling in love with the daughter of the family, Lee Soo Kyoung. Their OTP moments are worth cherishing on the show,elevated no doubt by the fact that Lee Soo Kyoung played one of the most sassy characters ever in Kdrama,throwing the revenge seeking hero off balance. Brilliant acting by the pair.

I saw park eun bin for the first time here and she was pretty! LEE Tae Hwan was awesome.The family members stories were also interestingly fleshed.

He show was never boring and I ended up watching the 50 episodes show without skipping a single episode!

ENDING :
If nothing else,watch the show for its superb ending and the way it ties up everything beautifully.One of my fave family kdramas!

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Had held off this for a long time due to the low ratings .Finally, started this as had liked Song Yoon Ah In The K2 (more than the actual female lead!) and gave it a go

You have to see the show to believe it's impact.The Journey of the lead character Jin Sang Pil (played by Jung Jae Young with utmost sincerity) from a welder to a National assembly man is inspirational all the way .You become invested in his struggle to survive in the assembly and all the characters (even the minor ones) leave an impact..Exceptionally well written and moving scenes and beautiful moving speeches from JSP at crucial times make this an utterly memorable show

If you like well written shows with a great underdog story performed with a lot of heart ,go for it..

I have seen Daemul and found it impressive-this moved me a lot more..The story is so good

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Finally done with the show and it was a great experience . It started flat out funny ,grew a heart in the middle if it all and ended as a solid romance drama!
Kang Ji Hwan as Jin Soo and Ham Eun Jung as Seung Yeon were the standouts with excellent support from Park Si Yeon as the long suffering/suffered publishing Company president !

Many unconventional characters and I feel many aspects of their characters seem drawn out from real life.

I was prepared for the final pairing from the comments and frankly,the same felt a right kind of a pairing.

Superb Soundtrack-the songs are on repeat mode -which elevated the show's impact and the show would not have been so good without them ,excellent writing throughout,and solid direction are the highlights too.

A show that teaches up a lot on real life truths,facing your demons and that many externally happy people could be quite broken internally..

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I avoided this show for a long time hearing out the issues people had with the ending but kept coming back to it as it stars 3 of my fave Kdrama stars ,Lee Jun Ki,Park Si Hoo and Han Hyo Joo..Also,the story of a Korean robin hood was interesting. So,decided to give it a go.

Story :

The titular Iljimae becomes a ray of hope for oppressed Koreans as he robs rich noblemen and distributes wealth to the citizens and comes to their aid in various forms, a la robin hood Who is he and why is he doing this and what will happen once he comes face to face with his adversaries forms the crux of the show.in the meantime,he falls in love with the daughter of a corrupt nobleman.

1. The show is one of the best saeguk ever made,in my opinion
2. Action pieces are thrilling and LJK and PSH really blew this one out of the park in terms of their face offs .Great experience overall
3. I was slightly wary of the show till some episodes as we got the backstory of our hero transforming into Iljimae but the drama really takes off when he becomes Iljimae-his cunning plots and outsmarting strong rivals was a joy to watch.Very well written and executed stuff
4.Emotions flew in this one really (it is a saeguk!) and I ended up enjoying all of of the stuff about familial love, bonding and sacrifices made.
5. Romance : Beautiful and understated and fitting to the story.One of the strong OTPs

if you are a LJK or PSH fan or if you like swashbuckling romantic adventures you cannot miss this one. Yes,the ending has issues but if you think about it, the ending is still a good one

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What drove me to write this review ?

Simply it was the other reviews giving this 3 or 4 points.Inam flabbergasted by how underrated this show is ..

Story :
This is a medical spy thriller where a North Korean refugee doctor (Lee Jong suk) who has mad medical skills ends up in S Korea looking for his lost girl friend (Jin se yeon) who he lost while escaping.Also In the mix are the snobbish daughter of a hospital director (Kang So Ra) and a gifted doctor (Park Hae Jin)who may have stuff other than medicine on his mind. What happens when these 4 (or 3) characters come face to face?

What i liked :
1. Fast paced ,almost thriller like story and a superb central character make this an engaging watch.Also loved LJS and PHJ face offs in the operation theatres and outside.

2. The central actors perform admirably and keep you invested in the characters they portray.LJS is the giy who does the heavy lifting but the rest support him excellently. Even the supporting cast were superb in my opinion

3. Direction: Jin Hyuk is one of my fave S Korean PD and it seems he cannot make a bad show.The show is almost movie like in its intensity

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I loved this show !

It starts somewhat weird with a strange main lead but I started enjoying it by EP 1 and then throughout the series.

Why you should watch:
1.CASTING: When are you ever going to get such a group of actors together ? The cast gelled so well together that i liked each one of them in their roles

2. Story : I really liked the historical silla dynasty recreation here along with the hidden king trope.Also,the Hwarang concept was also well used.

3. Production values: simply awesome all the way.The drama is beautiful to look at!

4. Music : The songs and instrumental tracks are superb and continue to be a mainstay for my playlists.

5. Action scenes : While not many,there were Great action sequences in the show

6. Second leads were strong : Really liked the dynamic here

7. Ending : I usually avoided saeguk dramas as they end sadly many times (case in point -Scarlet Heart Ryeo!).This was a show that really ended well.

I think the show suffered in ratings due to Defendant airing in the same slot.If not, it would have done as well as it did online.

Do give the show a chance.You will remember the time spent with the Hwarang Boys fondly!

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