2011/SBS When it comes to TV ratings, there are a few different explanations for why a show can have high or low ratings. High ratings or low ratings do not necessarily correlate 1 to 1 with the quality of a show, but there are some connections that can be made. I like to place the most obvious options in these categories; High Ratings - Good show! (1) The high ratings are due to excellent and innovative script writing, good acting, quality production/soundtrack, not necessarily shying away from taboos, proper advertising in advance, etc. (Examples; My Name Is Kim Sam-soon, The Wire, Fawlty Towers) - Bad show! (2)The ratings are high due to excellent advertising, the use of teen idols, (ab)using taboos and sexuality, innovative production and/or script, etc. (Examples; Full House, Big Brother, Beverly Hills 90210) Low Ratings - Bad show! (3) The low ratings are due to the lack of quality with regards to just about all the aforementioned variables. As a deserved result, the ratings for these shows will be very low. (There are countless of examples for this, most of them you will never have heard about, and most likely never will) - Good show! (4) The low ratings for these shows are not due to the lack of quality, but have another issue. Usually this is either inferior advertising, crossing genres or addressing taboos, but there can be other culture related issues. These shows are rare but do exist. (Examples; Firefly) If you imagine many shades and bridges of gradations between these categories, you can pretty much fit in any TV show. This MBC drama is notable for its mediocre/bad ratings, possibly the worst ratings of any Korean drama I have seen so far. Unfortunately for Heartstrings, it does not fit into category 4. It's neither innovative, nor taboo breaking. In just about every respect, this drama is mediocre at best. The script is mostly just what you'd expect. No twist really comes as a surprise, and for the instances that it was not expected, it's inexplicable and illogical. I will give the writers credit for the fusion music element though, that's quite daring. Unfortunately the transition from the script to the screen doesn't really work out so well. The separate musical performances are alright (CNBLUE is certainly not without talent) and the main track You've Fallen For Me is quite catchy even. However, the actual fusion music is uninspiring and not very well composed. When you're picking up an alternative element for the main plot (fusion music/musicals), I personally believe you're obliged as the production team to put more than enough effort into the compositions. Failing this is critical in my opinion. The rest of the story and plots on the side are not very original either, nothing that we haven't already seen 20 times before (and done a lot better). The cast of Heartstrings is limited in its size, but also in its abilities. CNBLUE's Jung Yong-Hwa is spectacularly lacking as male lead Lee Shin except when he is lip syncing a prerecorded version of one of the drama's tracks. More acting experience is needed before anything positive can be written about his abilities on screen. I'll not go into his or CNBLUE's music, that's best left in /r/kpop. Park Shin-Hye as female lead is alright. Both played together in You're Beautiful but Shin-Hye's performance is not enough to make me want to see more than the 1 & 1/2 episode that it took me to give up on that show. She has her cute moments, but it's not really noteworthy when there are so many other shows with better actresses. I'm usually more generous about the performances of actors and actresses above the age of 25-30, which is why the secondary leads So E-Hyun and Song Chang-Ui work better for me than the rest of the cast. Their relationship develops at a much more tranquil pace and they manage to come across as warm, reflective of their roles as teachers (director Kim Suk-Hyun also acts a bit as a teacher). Particularly So E-Hyun's character Professor Jung Yun-Soo is a relief to watch compared to the rest of the cast, because she's not so easily deceived and has the common sense that every single other character in Korean drama land seems to miss. I would like to have seen some more of her ballet dancing but unfortunately that got phased out after the first few episodes. The third couple consisting of President's daughter Hee-Joo (Woo Ri) and drummer Joon-Hee (CNBLUE's drummer Kang Min-Hyuk progresses with unnatural and implausible developments. Neither is able enough to portray their character without becoming too extreme. Kang Min-Hyuk is also responsible for providing most of the comedy in this drama, but his trick wears of after the first few episodes and ceases being interesting for the following 12 episodes. The rest of the supporting cast is not special (Shin Goo as Kyu-Won's father, Im Se-Mi as Kyu-Won's best friend) or just bad (Lee Jeong-Heon as antogonist and Department Head Im Tae-Joon and the three girls that don't like Kyu-Won). Heartstrings is exemplary of a drama where a lot of focus is set on teen idols and not so much effort is put into the rest of the drama. As a result, it's simply a mediocre drama that I wouldn't recommend spending your time on. There are plenty of other dramas out there that deserve your attention more than this does. If you like any particular member of the cast, then you should still see this. It's not all bad, but don't expect a quality drama. 5/10 http://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/n8vbr/heartstringsyouve_fallen_for_me?_??_???_2011mbc/