I know I am very late to join the bandwagon, but I finally had the chance to watch Crash Landing on You a couple of weeks ago! I was religiously watching Korean dramas until 2018. I took a break because of my very crazy schedule. I watched 2 KDramas last year – My ID is Gangnam Beauty and Romance Is a Bonus Book. I didn’t even get to do a review of the latter. Huhu. CLOY became a hit early this year, and it became even bigger because everybody was watching Netflix during ECQ. I went through hell at the beginning of ECQ, so I didn’t even have the time to breathe, much more spend time watching KDramas. (Someday, I promise to write about it.) It was only a couple of weeks ago when I had the time to use Netflix. At muli na naman po akong nilamon ng sistema. Siyempre nagpaliwanag na naman ako. As if naman may nagbabasa ng mga reviews ko! :p Anyway, here it is!
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Yoon Se-Ri (Son Ye-Jin) is a rich, famous and controversial businesswoman in South Korea. I think everybody has already seen this KDrama, and we all know that she was led to North Korea because of a paragliding accident. That’s where her life intertwined with Ri Jeong-Hyeok (Hyun-Bin).
I think apart from my very busy schedule, another reason I held back on joining the bandwagon early on was the North Korea premise. I got so invested and somehow traumatized after watching Doctor Stranger. I thought the plot would be as heavy. Thanks to another office mate who assured me that it’s actually light and to Zayne for accidentally playing the first episode of CLOY on Netflix, I finally learned what the buzz was all about.
Watching too many Korean dramas and judging from the first episode, I already knew how CLOY would end. I guess the storytelling was so engaging that I didn’t mind the predictable ending and just enjoyed the roller coaster ride of emotions that CLOY gave me. I’ll have to thank the picturesque Switzerland and Son Ye-Jin’s OOTDs for keeping me glued during the first few episodes.
The chemistry of Hyun-Bin and Son Ye-Jin is undeniably burning. Everybody kept on gushing about how handsome Captain Ri is. It became so common in social media, that I actually felt irritated because… NASAAN KAYO NOONG MAG-ISA AKONG KINIKILIG KAY HYUN-BIN NOONG 2005 SA MY NAME IS KIM SAM-SOON?! NASAAN KAYO?! WALA! WALA! WALA!
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Surprisingly, I got more invested on the story of Seo Dan and Alberto. I said “surprisingly” because I initially felt like the characters of Seo Ji-Hye and Kim Jung-Hyun were the typical second leads slash antagonists. Again, I predicted earlier on what would happen to these two, but I never realized that I would be that affected in the end. I really liked how the writers ended Seo Dan’s story. The message was really empowering – that women have all the rights to live their lives without minding what the society dictates. Sa totoo lang, mas affected ako sa story niya kahit qiqil ako sa kanya sa umpisa. Hahahaha! And, I think I now have a new girl crush!
I think there are two other things which helped me get hooked to this drama despite the predictable plot. First was the North Korean villagers, lalo na ang mga ajumma! They all started off as the irritating mga echoserang frog na tsismosang neighbors, but they provided not only comic relief but also a lot of heart-tugging moments! I really liked how their friendships developed. Second was Captain Ri’s soldier friends. I laughed so hard watching their misadventures on episode 12. Pyo Chi-Su and Se-Ri’s bickering was so hilarious. Ju-Meok’s fascination with KDramas also entertained me a lot. OG KDrama fans can totally relate to his love for an old KDrama. Ansaya-saya ng puso ko with that specific cameo! Pero maiba lang ako. Puro kayo Captain Ri. Wala bang nakapansin sa inyo na cutie pie si Park Kwang-Beom?! :p
I liked how the drama sort of had an ending in the middle. It’s like watching a mid-season finale of a series. There was the climax in the middle which would give the viewers the impression that the end would be near. But then it was only a prelude to a more extreme ride. Parang roller coaster lang talaga. Hehe. Maygahd, sarap kutusan ni Cheol-Gang at ng mag-asawang mukhang pera! Hahaha!
CLOY isn’t perfect, but it was able to capitalize on its strengths – the chemistry of Hyun-Bin and Son Ye-Jin, the beautiful scenery of Switzerland, the mystery of North Korea, great acting from the cast, funny moments given by the group of North Korean ajumma and Captain Ri’s friends, the conflicts portrayed by the antagonists, the story of strong friendships, Seo Dan and Alberto’s story, the heartwarming moments from the parents, and the surprising cameo appearances. (I’m pretty sure that My Love From the Star fans were surprised!) I’d like to think that it also became successful because it tried to cater to everybody’s taste. It has love story, action, comedy, drama, fashion and even travel! Hihi! Again, I still enjoyed watching it despite the predictable ending. It’s like eating your grandmother’s adobo which everybody from the family liked. You all know what it tastes like, but you still eat it and enjoy every single bite of it. :)
Agree ako na sakto lang sya. Pero perfect sa nagsisimula sa KDrama. Also, kasama ako sa kinikilig kay Hyun Bin nung Kim Sam Soon at Secret Garden. Hahahaha!
ReplyDeleteDi ba? 2005 pa lang mahal na natin siya. Hahahaha!
Delete@ReigningStill: jan rin ako kinilig kay Hyun Bin!!! Hahaha naaalala ko pa ung scene sa Secret Garden nila Joowon and Oska. Dito na rin may appearance si LJS 🥰
ReplyDelete@Je: Eto na ata pinaka-short na comment ko and im being unfair. Hinde ko (pa) tinuloy panoorin ang CLOY but Im happy the other cast shone well in the drama. Dito ko na-enjoy mga comrades ni Capt. Ri.
Ituloy mo na, Mitch! Kailangan natin magbalik-loob sa KDrama! :p
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