Another drama review and this one’s a real treat!
Title: 시크릿 가든 / Sikeurit Gadeun / Secret Garden
Chinese Title : 秘密花園
Genre: Melodrama, fantasy, romance
Episodes: 20
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2010-Nov-13 to 2011-Jan-16
Air time: Saturday & Sunday 21:45
Synopsis: The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), a seemingly perfect man yet with certain arrogance and childishness in him, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy of top actresses. One day they went deep into the mountains and entered a strange house. A strange grandmother offered them chocolate to eat. The next day they found themselves changing bodies.
My Review: “Secret Garden” takes the typical 'poor girl and rich guy fall in love despite opposition of the guy’s family’ plot and gives it a fun, magical twist! What if, in addition to dealing with all of the usual issues that arise with any new relationship—getting to know one another, admitting feelings, fighting, making up etc etc, you also had to deal with the occasional soul-swap whenever it rained? That’s what the love story of Gil Ra Im and Kim Joo Won is about.
It gets even better. Joo Woo is a the young president of a huge chain of department stores. He’s arrogant, eccentric, immature (at least with Ra Im) and claustrophobic. Ra Im is—get this—a stuntwoman. How cool is that?! Ra Im and Joo Won’s sweet love blooms each time she kicks him in the shin, or flips him over her shoulder. And kinky Joo Won thinks she’s pretty when angry, so it works for them both.
There are also the supporting characters: Joo Won’s cousin Oska, whose a Hallyu star and his first love, turned enemy, turned love again Yoon Seul. You cannot help, but love Oska, cause he’s just so damn full of himself, but in a totally playful, adorable way! And though at first you hate Yoon Seul, you begin to like her quite a lot towards the end.
Throughout the story, Joon Woo and Ra Im come against many obstacles in their love—Joon Woo’s evil mother, the two love birds themselves and a secret that’s been linking the two of them for 13 years.
“Secret Garden” is a drama that’s sometimes funny
, sometimes silly
, sometimes hot and heavy, 
sometimes sad and touching
, but always full of a ton of ton between the characters
.
Now, to make this a fair and “objective” review, I’d have to mention one not-so-awesome aspect of the series. *drum roll* And, the winner is…the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, the songs were pretty good and put quite nicely where they were put it. I just think a bigger selection was needed for a drama of this length (20 eps), to avoid sounding repetitious. I sometimes found myself fast forwarding or muting, especially in the last few episodes.
Overall, “Secret Garden” is a definite must watch. It’s a new Looney Express favorite!
So, go watch it, or I’ll “turn your vertebrae number five to number 6”!
Download here!
Watch here!
Chinese Title : 秘密花園
Genre: Melodrama, fantasy, romance
Episodes: 20
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2010-Nov-13 to 2011-Jan-16
Air time: Saturday & Sunday 21:45
Synopsis: The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), a seemingly perfect man yet with certain arrogance and childishness in him, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy of top actresses. One day they went deep into the mountains and entered a strange house. A strange grandmother offered them chocolate to eat. The next day they found themselves changing bodies.
My Review: “Secret Garden” takes the typical 'poor girl and rich guy fall in love despite opposition of the guy’s family’ plot and gives it a fun, magical twist! What if, in addition to dealing with all of the usual issues that arise with any new relationship—getting to know one another, admitting feelings, fighting, making up etc etc, you also had to deal with the occasional soul-swap whenever it rained? That’s what the love story of Gil Ra Im and Kim Joo Won is about.
It gets even better. Joo Woo is a the young president of a huge chain of department stores. He’s arrogant, eccentric, immature (at least with Ra Im) and claustrophobic. Ra Im is—get this—a stuntwoman. How cool is that?! Ra Im and Joo Won’s sweet love blooms each time she kicks him in the shin, or flips him over her shoulder. And kinky Joo Won thinks she’s pretty when angry, so it works for them both.
There are also the supporting characters: Joo Won’s cousin Oska, whose a Hallyu star and his first love, turned enemy, turned love again Yoon Seul. You cannot help, but love Oska, cause he’s just so damn full of himself, but in a totally playful, adorable way! And though at first you hate Yoon Seul, you begin to like her quite a lot towards the end.
Throughout the story, Joon Woo and Ra Im come against many obstacles in their love—Joon Woo’s evil mother, the two love birds themselves and a secret that’s been linking the two of them for 13 years.
“Secret Garden” is a drama that’s sometimes funny
, sometimes silly, sometimes hot and heavy, sometimes sad and touching, but always full of a ton of ton between the characters. Now, to make this a fair and “objective” review, I’d have to mention one not-so-awesome aspect of the series. *drum roll* And, the winner is…the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, the songs were pretty good and put quite nicely where they were put it. I just think a bigger selection was needed for a drama of this length (20 eps), to avoid sounding repetitious. I sometimes found myself fast forwarding or muting, especially in the last few episodes.
Overall, “Secret Garden” is a definite must watch. It’s a new Looney Express favorite!
So, go watch it, or I’ll “turn your vertebrae number five to number 6”!
Download here!
Watch here!
