Kdrama and Ramen
For the love of all things KdramaNews and Reviews
This is a full review and contains
Spoilers!
Winter Sonata – Full Review
Welcome to Winter Sonata – Full Review. A young woman is shocked to meet a man who looks exactly like her first love who died 10 years ago. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Winter Sonata
♥ Aired: January 14 – March 19, 2002
♥# of Episodes: 20
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Romantic Drama
♥Starring: Bae Young Joon and Choi Ji Woo
The Story
A high school student falls in love with a new transfer student. But their romance is cut short when he is tragically killed in car accident one night. Although the girl carries on with her life, she never stops missing her first love. Ten years later, as a successful architect, she shows up to work with a new company on a project renovating a ski resort, and is shocked to find that her new boss looks exactly like the boy she had loved so deeply. But he swears he is not the sweet young man she had known. As the couple are drawn together in the present, they begin to unlock shocking secrets from both of their pasts.
The Leads
Bae Yong Joon as Kang Joon Sang/Lee Min Hyung
Kang Joon Sang transfers from Seoul to a small high school in his mother’s hometown in the hopes of finding the father he has never known. On his first day at his new school, he meets Jung Yu Jin, a classmate who is friendly and optimistic. The pair immediately fall for each other. One night, Joon Sang is hit by a car and his friends are all told that he died. But 10 years later, Joon Sang returns to the town as Min Hyung, a successful architect with no memory of his life as Joon Sang or any of his former classmates. As he sees people’s shock at his appearance, he begins to question who he really is and why he looks just like someone who has been dead for 10 years.
While Joon Sang was serious and troubled, Min Hyung is relaxed and sincere. And he begins to understand how he can be both people when he finds out that his mother hired a doctor to use hypnotherapy to replace all of Joon Sang’s unhappy memories with happier ones. Yu Jin helps him find his lost memories and use them to learn to feel emotionally whole again. I really loved Bae Yong Joon in this drama. His character was soft-spoken and kind, and his gentle screen presence was the best part of the series as a whole.
Choi Ji Woo as Jung Yu Jin
Jung Yu Jin grew up in a small town surrounded by friends she had known since childhood. But when she meets a handsome young man on the bus one morning, she never dreams that he will be her new classmate. She is immediately drawn to his quiet temprement and mysterious charm. When he is killed in a car accident, she is broken hearted and refuses to forget him. 10 years later, while she still carries her memories of Joon Sang, she has moved on with her life and is engaged to her childhood family friend, Sang Hyuk. When she walks into a new job site, she is shocked to find her new boss looks exactly like Joon Sang. But Min Hyung assures her that he has never lived in this town and has never met her. Regardless of his assertations, Yu Jin is irresistable attracted to Min Hyung. And when she finds out he really is Joon Sang, her heart feels complete for the first time in years.
Jung Yu Jin loves passionately and without hesitation. And whether he is Joon Sang or Min Hyung, all she really knows is that she loves this man exactly as he is. But the burden of breaking Sang Hyuk’s heart again weighs heavily on her. I didn’t love the character of Yu Jin, but I felt lke Choi Ji Woo played her well as she was written. There were times when her histrionics got a bit old but what is a melodrama without excessive amounts of angst and tears?
Supporting Characters
Park Yong Ha as Kim Sang Hyuk
Kim Sang Hyuk is Yu Jin’s best friend. The pair have been close since they were kids, but Sang Hyuk has always considered Yu Jin his first love. Unfortunately, she doesn’t really felt the same way, as Sang Hyuk learns the hard way when Joon Sang comes on the scene. 10 years later, he has finally convinced Yu Jin to marry him, but when Min Hyung shows up, Sang Hyuk quickly starts to feel his dreams slip away. But he is determined to do everything he can to hang on to Yu Jin.
Park Sol Mi as Oh Che Lin
Oh Che Lin also grew up with Yu Jin and Sang Hyuk. But she is spoiled and selfish. She also falls in love with Joon Sang, but Joon Sang is never interested in her. Years later, she meets Min Hyung in France and begins dating him. She brings him back to meet her friends, knowing how much his appearance will shock them all. But unfortunately for her, her plan backfires and history repeats itself, when Min Hyung starts to show an interest in Yu Jin.
Jung Dong Hwan as Professor Kim Jin Woo
Professor Kim Jin Woo is Sang Hyuk’s dad. He was also Yu Jin’s dad’s best friend, before her father passed away. As the story unfolds, we find out that Jin Woo was involved in a love triangle with Yu Jin’s dad and Joon Sang’s mom. And while we find out that one of them is indeed Joon Sang’s father, we are unsure which one. Joon Sang’s mother tells both Joon Sang and Professor Kim that Yu Jin’s father is also Joon Sang’s father, which is why they can never date. But after Jin Woo has a paternity test performed, we find out that he is the real father.
Things I Liked
♥ Classic Style
Both the story and visuals of this drama are true, classic kdrama. There is a touch of elegance to this drama that I really enjoyed. I feel like we don’t see this kind of style in current melodramas. The OST and the beautiful snowy landscape gave a depth to the story itself that drew me in and made me feel emotionally invested in the characters. And it seems like I’m not the only one to fall in love with Nami Island.
♥ Kim Seonbae
I thought Kim Seonbae was a great character in this drama. His ability to pry while still respecting Min Hyung’s space made him the perfect friend and advisor for Min Hyung. He liked and supported the women that Min Hyung dated without ever picking sides or offering unsolicited advise. And although we didn’t get to see much besides some light flirting, I liked him with Jeong Ah.
♥ Controlled Tailspin
After finishing “Autumn in My Heart” I really wasn’t sure I wanted to put myself through the second installment of this series. But while “Autumn in My Heart” manages to wring any joy out of the story or its ending, this drama keeps the happy and sad emotions in a nice balance that allows you to feel the highs and lows without feeling emotionally gutted. I much prefer this more balanced approach to my emotional roller coasters.
Things I Didn’t Like
Kang Mi Hee
The amount of delusional behavior from Mi Hee was mind-boggling. As if erasing your son’s memories so he can act like the doting child she always wanted wasn’t bad enough, she really convinced herself that Yu Jin’s dad was Joon Sang’s father because she couldn’t get over her obsessioin. And even if I could understand that, since her denial is only hurting herself anyway, I can’t believe that she insisted it was true when she knew it would be devastating for Yu Jin and Joon Sang. Personally, I kind of wish Min Hyung would have broken ties with her entirely, but I’m glad he is a kinder person than me.
Yu Jin’s Sister
In the beginning of the dramas, the writers took the time to show several scenes of Yu Jin with her little sister. They seemed to have a close relationship So I thought it was weird that she all but disappeared after that. Aside from a quick scene at the broadcasting club that made me go, “Oh yeah. She has a sister” we don’t see anything from her, even in passing. All the scenes that take place at Yu Jin’s house and she is never there. I just thought it was strange.
Brothers
Even at the height of their rivalry over Yu Jin, Joon Sang and Sang Hyuk have a grudging respect for each other that I really enjoyed. It’s obvious that if Yu Jin were not involved, the two would have been real friends. So I was disappointed that after finding out that they were brothers, Min Hyung didn’t seem to keep in contact with Sang Hyuk after going to the states. A few more brother-like moments between the two would have been very welcome.
The Ending
It’s a hard fight to a happy ending with this one. Min Hyung decides to keep the truth about his father a secret from Yu Jin and go to the states for surgery. Yu Jin makes plans to go study alone in France. 3 years later, we see Yu Jin and Sang Hyuk with a toddler. Luckily it is Jin Sook and Yong Gook’s. Yu Jin is just back from her study abroad and goes to Polaris to take care of some business. Jeong Ah shows her that someone actually built the house Yu Jin had designed years ago. Yu Jin immediately knows it must be Min Hyung and she rushes to see him. Min Hyung is shown feeling his way along his new home to show us that he is blind now. He goes out to run an errand. Yu Jin wanders in while he is out and sees the puzzle hanging on the wall. Min Hyung comes back and finds her there. The final scene shows the couple in silhouette, sitting on the balcony. They share a kiss as Min Hyung gently touches her face. The end!
Should I Watch
“Winter Sonata” is a classic emotional rollercoaster melodrama. It is the second installment of the popular drama series “Endless Love”. Unlike it’s predecessor, this drama manages to take you through all the feels without dipping into absolute depression. You should expect to spend the 20 episodes of this drama feeling both touched by the characters and extremely frustrated with them. This one is very slow paced and relies on a constant push and pull that may get tedious for some. On the plus side, this series is visually stunning and the lead male, Bae Yong Joon, is really wonderful. I found the story heartwarming and emotionally rewarding. I give “Winter Sonata” an 8 out of 10 ramen.
🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜
See other full reviews here:
Join My
Newsletter!
