Gaeul donghwa

Like many love songs, Gaeul donghwa is trite and over dramatic. But if you can allow yourself to be vulnerable and accept the story, you will be treated to many emotional evenings. The series unfolds like a modern fairy tale (donghwa stands for fairy tale).

In contrast to American soap operas, Gaeul donghwa was planned as an 18-episode soap opera. Some of the plot twists are dramatic and unexpected, but all essential to the plot and serve to enrich the characters.

That said, the series could've been trimmed by a couple of episodes or so, as it is filled with countless flashbacks and several moments of "come on, not that again!"

Still, rest of the series is so powerful that I suspect even the most jaded and macho viewers will surrender their ego and bring their eyes to tears.

What is the message? I like to paraphrase my review of my all-time favorite film, Breaking the Waves. It paints each facet of love (e.g., mother-to-daughter, friendship, romance) with palette of honesty and beauty.

And what beauty.... The series is very beautifully shot, like the "yellow umbrella" scene where one of the lead characters sees the other character for the first time in many years. And acting is superb throughout, including the children.

Highly recommended!

i just love the girl... that's all :-)

The plot is not really unique, stories like that is very common here... although i still commend it for its thorough simplicity and no-twist plots. The actresses are very much reserved. From the beginning till the end of the series, you wont see anything from them except their face and hands unlike those from Mexican telenovelas. I guess some of Korea's culture and traits are notably and surprisingly similar with us. But the most astonishing thing about the story is its super simple plot. I can't help thinking 'is it the first time Korean's made such love stories'. In this modern story tellings, most dramas would contain so many add ons to complicate things for a series... mostly leads to ruining the entire plot... well well...

but i still love the girl...

This drama by Suk-ho Yoon was a hit not only in Korea, but throughout Asia. It was the center of the Korean Wave(a cultural craze for Korean TV, music and movies in East Asia) attracting many tourists to Korea as well as Korean actors to Taiwan and other countries.

It's not uncommon to see attractive young heroines in tragic situations, and tangled love situations, but it's more than that. It's about family, strength, and love that just cannot be. The ending is somewhat abrupt, but up to that part, it's mostly good.

Hye-gyo Song's lines such as "I forgive your sins," became a great hit, and the theme music "romance de amor," a Spanish folkmusic that appeared in the movie "Jeux Interdits" breaks your heart whenever it comes out.

The scenery, which takes mainly in the Kang-Won province in the mountainous eastern part of Korea, is wonderful - a trait of Yoon's dramas.

As the first part of the three season-themed dramas, the first part "Gaeul dong hwa" is the best and most original. Personally, the child actors should be highly acclaimed for their acting.

. . .to fast-forward through the countless flashbacks and slow (if beautiful) establishing shots. Expect a lot of repetition in themes and even plot events. There's heavy foreshadowing, and the final two episodes still come to a fantastically melodramatic finish.

The basic premise concerns two girls switched at birth, one being from a rich household, the other from a struggling, poor one. They're in grade school before the truth is discovered. In Korea blood-ties are extremely important, so despite the pain each family experiences, the girls are restored to their "rightful" places. Years later, the older brother from the rich family searches for the sister he knew as a child-- and the drama ensues from there.

The cast is extraordinarily attractive, and the acting is-- all right. Won Bin apparently made quite a name for himself with his part as a jaded-player-with-a-heart-of-gold.

I was dying to watch this series... ever since I read about it...and the moment I read about it... I somehow searched for it... i will seed it for my life time... I am obliged... I went crazy and really emotional... I literally cried...cried a lot... Being from a strong Indian family...I cried a lot a lot a lot a lot... I got so attached to the characters … I watched it again and again and again... I cried with every scene... I missed them so much when the episode got over… Story telling is an art and scripting is another art… writing a script and making the audience follow the script and live with the characters and mind blowing art … this story has made a great effort in making their audience live the characters… I lived yoon Joon suh… choi eun suh... Han Tae-sukh... I loved the characters played by yumi… joon suh's mom and eun suh's mom... mind blowing... simply awesome... how do I explain... watch it... and u will understand