When a Man Loves

No wonder it flopped. It is the same writer as "Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me". Would have been better if this was a movie. The problem isn't with the story but with how it was executed. It was done in the worst possible way. If you look into it, she never loved ML even at the end. It was just a combination of affection, attraction and greed.

Despite suffering from dozens of problems, this could have been saved (to some degree) if they re-wrote the last 4-5 episodes but they were determined to drag it down till the end.

A lot of story and a fast moving plot keep this series enjoyable from start to finish. You've got everything to keep you entertained for 20 episodes. Some gangster action then comedy romance lots of love triangles birth secrets passion betrayal jealousy forgiveness. The hero and heroine and all the supporting characters are flawed but in a human way. So it isn't unbelievable or unrealistic like many earlier shows are. Totally involving, it will leave you shouting at the screen and laughing sometimes.

The cast is well suited to their roles. Song Seung Hon does a great job as the gangster turned businessman with a temper. Shin Se Kyung has a complex role as a young girl with a lot to learn. The supporting cast are great. Lovely Chae Jung An and Yeon Woo Jin are just right as the secondary leads. Appreciated the insightful contrast between the relationships of the heroine with the older man and the younger man. Because this is a 2013 show it doesn't have an irritating end like those pre 2009 shows.

One of the more enjoyable K dramas.

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret Garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

11. The Great Doctor

When a Man Loves is a heart wrenching love story involving the main Boy and Girl, and outside others trying to intervene, split them up and then take each one for themselves. There are some powerfully impacting emotional moments in keeping with the superb production, musical accompaniment,and acting skill of some of these South Korean TV series products.

Surprisingly well written drama without too many loop holes. Events even if sometimes a bit exaggerated very well develop the main plot of how complex the feelings are. The main male lead very likable and very realistic with his great heart and flaws of character at the same time. I felt related to his character. One of these series that I didn't expect very much at the beginning but it drawn me in more and more with each episode. I love the quotes on the blackboard and the fact that almost every protagonist has its good and bad sides as in real life and can change its perception with more knowledge of what actually has taken place. Overall a highly recommended drama.

Flawed but nevertheless engrossing drama of a man and woman's reformation into grown up human beings. Song Seung Hun gives a brilliant and unforgettable performance as a former gangster - loan shark trying to live a decent life after falling in love with Shin Se Kyung's feisty but often childish and girlish character, the daughter of a poor bookstore owner. The secondary characters will probably drive you a bit nuts during this series but stick with it anyway. All the fears and joys of an older man slavishly in love with a young girl are expertly displayed in a very intimate and interesting script.

This probably won't be in many people's Top Ten Dramas List because much of it is depressing - it's in the melodrama category, after all - but it's still worthy enough to be enjoyed. I marathon-ed it, so that should tell you something!