Heartstrings (2011)

Amazing OST, Story

I read a review of this before going into it, from a person saying that they ended up dropping this because the villains were too conniving and it was too frustrating, so, as someone who gets attached and emotional easily, I was ready to feel the same amount of fury. BUT IT NEVER CAME. The so-called villains were surprisingly three-dimensional and characters who I thought I'd hate ended up with a conscience and even contributed to the humor.

I ended up loving this drama a lot more than I expected, especially the romance aspect. The other parts of the story definitely were not built upon as much, like the backstory of the parents, and I wish that we saw the friends play a bigger role.

I'm also usually not a fan of time jumps, but this one pulled it off surprisingly well, and it pushed me to tears. There's definitely an argument for it being cliche, but I personally enjoyed it nonetheless.

And how could I forget the OST? The music for this is SO GOOD. It'll be stuck in my head forever.

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I was a bit afraid of watching this drama because of Park Shin Hye. After You're beautiful I promised I would never see a drama with Park Shin Hye again but this time I though I should give her a chance and I decided to watch this drama. After her role in You’re Beautiful I was really disapointed with her because I hated her performance and I though it was her fault. After seeing Heartstrings I really changed my mind! There are some things about her that didn’t change like her facial expressions and the clumsyness but this time she played the role of a feminine grown up girl who’s in college and who plays gayageum (traditional music). She is shy in an adult way. Because of that I liked her role very much.

However I didn’t like the romance scenes. I know that they are young actors but I think that they sould be more realistic.

In this drama Jung Yong Hwa proved that he is actually a good actor. He looks a bit cold hearted and because of that he lacks emotion but deep inside he is really sweet.

As this is also a drama for young adults we can see the characters going through a growing process. This is really good because we realize that people around us influence us and that we must let ourselves grow along with the changes around us. We must look at a relationship with a mature look and be honest with the ones we love. Mostly we shouldn’t let little things ruin our relationship and we should work on it to make it right.

If you like music this drama is great for you! If you never watched a drama before this one is probably the best to start with. The story is really light, easy to watch. It’s not a must watch drama but it’s a nice one. Somehow I feel that it's something missing in the drama. That's why I say it isn't the best drama ever. It's an average one.

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It started off... good. I admit it, I only watched this for two reasons:
1. Yong Hwa
2. I wanted to see Park Shin Hye and Yong Hwa end up together... especially after You're Beautiful
However, after just a few episodes, it got bland. The two main characters were also quite whimpy and weak... and dumb. Well not exactly dumb, but they had some moments in which I was just like :/. And sometimes they even rubbed off as annoying. However, Shin Hye's friend, Im Se Mi's character, was a really good addition to the show. I liked her so much that I wish to see her in more dramas, in fact. Min Hyuk was also quite cute. I admit it, at first, I just wanted to whack some sense into him with a pan. But I began warming up to him in later episodes. And he's quite good-looking, too. The teacher... I forgot her name, so let's call her the female dance teacher. At first I hated her. But then I saw she had common sense, and I really liked her. Props for those characters, the music, and Yong Hwa's and Shin Hye's chemistry!

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Well, I love Park Shin Hye and when i knew that Yonghwa was going to be in the drama i was like a crazy person but the argument is okay, i was very excited but i was REALLY DISAPPOINTED because lead actors had such a good chemistry.
The story was okay, but it was very predictable so...
I loved the cast, well ShinHye and Yonghwa were very good, sometimes i found ShinHye very annoying but it was fine, Yonghwa have improved a lot since you're beautiful and his tearing scenes were very good!
Music, was the only reason that i liked this drama, the ost is fuck*** amazing, i loved it and it fitted the moments.
If you want to watch the drama, only for the chemistry and if you're bored okay. The drama it's fine since 7 chapter, before i hated with all my strength because Shin is a jerk!
Overall, only for music and chemistry i give this drama 5/10

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I saw this almost two times, because I wanted to be sure about the 'bad' and 'good' things this drama has, and then I decided to make a review.

As for YAB, I think this drama is seriously over rated sometimes, and I think it is because of the cast. (I am not complaining actors, I like them too, but I think this wasn't their best work.)

Firstly, speaking of the plot, I found it good. The story was good, and I liked how it was told. Nothing seemed bad, everything develops naturally in the script. Anyway, maybe because of this 'everyday life' plot, some episodes are boring, because you feel like nothing happens. This is not a big problem anyway, every drama has the 'bad' episodes.

The characters were nice and they had their own personalities. Anyway, I felt like sometimes the 'side' characters were better than the main ones. It is something that makes me think about the acting.
So, about the casting, I liked every actor/actress, but in fact, I felt like the main actors were lacking, I don't know why.
I mean, sometimes it seems like YongHwa is not that 'sure' about what he has to do, I felt like he was unconfortable with Shin Hye and the same with her. I am not sure if it was something in the script, but actually I couldn't feel the chemistry between them at all.
I like Yonghwa and Shinhye, but I cannot say this is their best work. Speaking in terms of personal taste, I don't like Shin Hye in this kind of 'only romantic' roles, she is not that good in making the girly-and-always-thinking-of-him girl, so this is a 'bad' point I found.

About the music, the OST was good. I also have some songs on my phone, and I am happy I was able to discover something about CNBlue, as their first album with english version of the HeartStrings songs.

Overall, I think is a good drama, but ABSOLUTELY not the best or one of the best I have ever seen.

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I'm re-watching this drama as I have forgotten what happened in the story. I've reached episode 7 and have to say the love story between Shin Hae and Young Hwa only starts here. Or at least in my opinion gets better at this episode.
Another reason I'm re-watching is because the music is AMAZING! Pretty much all the songs in this are good, except maybe the song 'The Stupid' play when they are first introduced.
[B]Update:[/B]
I've reached episode 10 and I must say the drama has improved! I wish there were more songs introduced, but that's not a problem. The love story between the two grows and makes me wish I was back in college again!
Full review to follow..

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Heartstrings is a drama that I return to time after time. I watched Heartstrings after You're Beautiful as a way to combat my second lead syndrome, making Heartstrings the second drama I have watched. I fell in love with the breezy plot and mood this drama brings to the plate, making it a fun, easy watch, with minimal angst.
I have to say the music in this drama was also phenomenal, as the songs particularly You've Fallen for Me stayed in my head long after the drama ended.
I totally recommend this drama to anyone looking for a fun drama that will, surprisingly stay with you for a long, long time.

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Story- It was a little confusing in the beginning, but it explained things quickly. In some ways it reminded me a little of Glee with musical theme. I thought the execution of the plot was done well.

Casting- I loved all of the cast members. I also had a huge crush on CN Blue's drummer by the end. His character is just adorable. I don't think any of them really hindered the development of the plot.

Music- The music was very good. I considered buying the soundtrack after I finished it, but I didn't. If the music had sucked in this drama, the drama would have failed since that's the main focus.

Rewatch- I might eventually rewatch this, but not right now. There are just too many dramas I haven't watched yet. :)

Overall I thought this was a good music related drama.

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This drama tickled my curiosity because I recognized Park Shin Hye and Lee Yong Hwa (both also co- stared in You're Beautiful)I though it would be a fair bargain because I liked their chemistry in the previous show unfortunately they didn't end up with each other on the said drama.

Now back to Heartstrings, Let's see Plus Points? I liked the set, the location of each scene was nice, I liked the fact that musical instruments were involved, and that they highlighted skill in playing. The cast was likeable, I think they played their parts well enough to satisfy viewers, those who should play instrument knew what they were doing which is a biggie on plus factors. I also liked the fact that all the main characters have their own partners so nobody gets really bummed in the end :D and the best was the OST, I have to say I liked the songs that they played in this drama even the instrumentals, I wasn't disappointed at all in that aspect.

Low Downs? There are handful of low downs as of this story, The story line for me it wasn't all so well made, the beginning was slow but it gets better by episodes 4 or 5 if I remember it right. But the story focused too much on the the production they were doing the centennial celebration, that I think it's too long for a certain undertaking. The story would've already showed other developments if it wasn't for that. And by approaching the end episodes it got too fast and the ending is weak for me, it wasn't the optimum resolution for the characters, I think it was particularly unfair for Lee Sin, watch it for you to understand. I also think Gyu Won abandoning the gayageum was sad, after being an advocate for traditional music. I also didn't like the potrayal of the bulimic girl (she's bulimic, binge eating then, guilt in eating that much so she purges all that she ate, THAT'S BULIMIA ALRIGHT) she needs certain type of intervention for her to get well ,they kind of sent the message that it's superficial thing, which is a no no! It sends misconception to viewers, that's sad :(


All in all I think one will enjoy watching this especially if you're musically inclined and into idols of some sort because it gives a light feeling. It'll still get you hooked at some point :)Especially the development of Lee Sin and Gyu Won's love story. That made me stick until the end haha Because I like their love team so much!


I hope I was helpful enough for you. Thanks!

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