The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)

Uneven but the earlier episodes are incredible

So if this was set in America she 100% would have been shot in the first episode at the police station. Roll credits!

Here is a simple fact about this series: Most if not all of the good and hilarious stuff happens in the early episodes! Comical, quirky, unpredictable, and with romantic undertones, right up my alley. Jun Ji-hyun is so adorable, it's her at her highest levels of cutesy buffoonery and dorkiness.

After a number of episodes though, her character loses a lot of agency and it just goes back to average quality.

Quite unfortunate as the writing quality plummets pretty hard in the last episodes, it's like nothing makes sense anymore. This really should have ended after around 14 episodes, not 20.

Would I recommend this show? Yes, at the very least the early episodes are a strong recommend from me. I will absolutely rewatch those at some point. The rest, not so sure. The highs are really high, but the lows are quite low. This show goes from like a 10/10 in the beginning to a 6/10 at best for me by the end.

The OST stood out to me as never being annoying but actually varied and great. Male lead Lee Min Ho was also refreshingly quite younger than his love interest.

So basically this confirms that even when she's thrown in a cheesy drama filled with redundant flashbacks that overstay their welcome, and writing that takes a nose dive in quality in the back half, Jun Ji-hyun really can do no wrong. We don't talk about Blood: the Last Vampire.

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When I say that this was perfect. I mean that this was absolutely perfect.

I don't write reviews. It's hard. They're usually long and I'm sure all my thoughts have already been expressed before so I've never really seen a point, but after finishing this I just HAD to get my thoughts written down. The story is great. Mermaid-loving a human, clearly it's been done before but this was done oh so right. No details were overlooked. Everything connected and flowed. I am great when it comes to guessing "who done it" and predicting what will happen next but this drama was not predictable at all. The acting was oh so good. The entire cast had amazing chemistry. ML and FL were so stinking amazing. The character and relationship development are seriously some of the best I've ever seen. I've never seen anything with Jun Ji Hyun but I'm excited to check out her other projects. Her voice in this was like melted butter on pancakes. So gosh darn yummy. The costumes, the environments. every last detail made this such an enjoyable experience, i regret waiting so long to pick this one up. I just finished this and I'm already thinking about when I can rewatch it.

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Okay this review is about 4 years late! This quarantine made me binge watch kdramas! So here I go with LOTBS review.
First of all one of the best story lines ever! Park Ji-un knows how to write some feel good drama! this fairy tale turn modern twist story will keep you on the hook from the very beginning to end! Lee min ho as Prince Charming and Jun Ji hyun as the mermaid that fell in love with a human.
Lee Min ho is truly a great actor. He embodied his character really well. From a high elite Dam Ryung of the Joseon era to Jun Jae of the modern time, he knew how to keep us love both characters on their own way.
Jun Ji hyun as mermaid is phenomenal! I can’t think of anyone else that can portray that character better than her. She has the right physical appearance and she has the right approach to the character. Her comedic performance will keep you literally laughing out loud ! she did very well!
Their chemistry is soooo good! I’ve been following The Eternal King of lee min ho and I tell ya, his chemistry with Ji hyun is way better than his co star in that show. It’s so good that you would wish they are a true couple. With that said they both acted really well on this.
The story is one of a kind. Yes I know most kdrama is all about destiny and fate kinda thing, but man oh man this one I have never seen before. the story from the past is bound to repeat itself. now it’s up to our lead actors to change it. For the sake of the drama it did! They managed to change their fate into a beautiful happy ending. Ahhh!!! I cried of happy tears! 😊😭
So this drama has it all! Comedy, romance, suspense, history, Love for the family, test of friendships and a whole lot more! Go watch it! You will not be disappointed! I promise! jun Jae and sim cheong forever!!! 😍

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I'm just fall in love with this drama.This is one of my favourite drama. ????????
Best fantasy drama I have ever seen. Such a good story with perfect ending.❤️
The chemistry between Sim cheong and heo joon jea is cute yet strong ...every character has done justice with their roles...Lee min ho's acting is damn superb.
The times when Lee min ho, Nam doo & Tae-ho plays as the con-man is eye catching.????
Sometimes it seems real because of their acting!!!There is no any single scenes that makes u bore. This drama is full of entertainment, comedy, tregedy, suspense,romance ,everything.& Its music is awesome ????
Thank u everyone who made this drama sooo wonderful.????
If you have not watched it yet, go and watch it. You will never regret!!????✨

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This drama...wow. just wow. The story line was incredible. I loved the parallels from the past and the present. I loved how one minute it's intense, the next I'm crying and the next I'm laughing my head off. This drama series was the one that made me like the actor Lee Min Ho even more than I did when I watched Heirs. Its one of his best roles.

Upon completing the drama, I was walking around in shock. I wanted to watch another drama and there have been a few I had in mind before, but this one just had me so in awe that I felt anything else I watched would be a disappointment. I will rewatch for sure. Wish there was a continuation.

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So, Legend of the blue sea.
At first I wasn't warmed up to the idea that is this drama, for mostly the exact same reasons why everybody was looking forward to it and dying to watch it.
To rely on a popular drama and sell another one that's neither a sequel/prequel, remake or either a spin-off, by advertising it has a similar feel and story to it + share the same director and main female lead, hmmm to me that doesn't make any sense.
But I put all that aside and gave the first episode a try. Good thing I only did that after the drama had finished airing completely, for boy! was I hooked.
I loved the bad boy lead! loved the quirky comedy, the past & present story lines intermingling, but above all simply enjoyed watching the characters interactions to pieces. I found Lee MIn Ho (strangely) delivering a very strong performance, and (as expected) Jun Ji-Hyun who was just perfect as a cute, curious & lovable mermaid. I liked the story too and how it unfolded, especially appreciated that the method used to build and maintain a connection between the two leads was believable and not so reeking of drama-script-made-up encounters and unbelievable coincidences like many Kdramas fall prey of.
I also loved the overall pace of the drama, and rarely felt bored with the story (though sometimes I was bored with some characters portrayal or interactions esp. the villains). Also appreciated that the Joseon story unfolded early on, leaving well-deserved space to focus on the present seoul story.
I have to admit that certain characters' past actions portrayal felt a bit rushed and insufficiently accounted for, in a way that really didn't help flesh them out and invest me in their drama (the father). Some other characters' actions were a bit ill-written, and seemed a bit contradicting with the eventual portrayal of their strong and independent personality that it was difficult to relate to them let alone sympathize with (the mother). But still, the drama somehow succeeded in getting me invested in not only the fantasy and romance which are the main two lines of the drama, but also the family drama and friendship, I was crying in scenes involving both the two above mentioned characters so I can't say that my deeper considerations of their not-free-of-flaws script, or the gripes I have against how they were written, prevented me from enjoying the angst and drama intended overall.

Liked the music, the camerawork and direction. And LOVED the scenario.
Just admitting that after I had completed the drama that I was compelled to rewatch the thing over again (though of course with a lot of fast-forwarding and skipping all the scenes that don't involve the leads) is enough proof how I enjoyed it.

I totally recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys a bit of fantasy mixed up with comedy, and a little spice of drama and thriller.

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Another drama that was so hyped it never really reached my expectations. For me, it was a reversed version of My Love from the Star that is less entertaining, less convincing and is kind of disappointing. Both dramas was almost similar you can't just stop comparing both of them. Both have fictional leads that fell in love with humans. Both have leads that is entangled to a family problem. Both have Jun Ji Hyun as main leads. But, one was just much better than the other and that is the first one and it was My Love from the Star.

Characters were well introduced. They have actors that could really up this drama. The premise was promising but the flow and the plot has nothing really new, Ost was forgettable. Cinematography was awesome. The whole drama was just forgetful.

Overall, I had high expectations for this drama because of its promising plot and very bankable leads, but it just turns out to be another drama that I watched and just seems to forget anything about it. It's up to you if you want to watch this one.

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Wow! What a total surprise that I liked this so much better than Goblin. I came to this not having much expectations at all because many reviews were not favourable to this drama, and I just realised that only by watching it can I form my own opinion that is: I LOVED IT TO BITS!

Some people say it dragged in the middle but even when I was around ep. 14-19 I couldn't find where it dragged really (I mean sure some scenes dragged but it didn't feel like the entirety of a couple of episodes could have been better taken out). perhaps I was just really enjoying Tae Oh and his cuteness that I didn't think it dragged in whatever shape or form LOL.

It's like Waikiki where they extended from 16 to 20 episodes, and you feel nothing but grateful that you can stay with the characters much longer. It's also not as draggy as Suspicious Partner or Fated to Love You, and the final episode just truly served the purpose of concluding things so nicely instead of being a useless one.

I just love this drama in entirety. There is so many angst in this drama, but through the evil characters, you also get to learn valuable life lessons because karma is indeed a bitch. And the writer's creativity to play around the fantasy genre has given us some of the best epilogues I have seen in kdramaland; I am going to remember this for a long time.

All of the scenes when they shot underwater are absolutely gorgeous and I could not think of an actress who would suit a mermaid-comedy-beauty character more than Jun Ji Hyun.

It was also a surprise for me coming into this drama receiving a crosssover between I Hear Your Voice and Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, literally.

Definitely a very rewatchable drama. I just feel sorry for the many people who seemed to not share what a gem this drama is. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

TMI: when they kissed in bed in episode 20 I think, I definitely saw a tongue from him, so Seo Kang Joon in Entourage was literally not the only one who did, HAHAHAHA. You can check it if you missed that. Okay bye.

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I only recommend the first 6 episodes

A con-artist Joon Jae meets a Shim Chung and he tries to steal her beautiful jade bracelet. However, they ended up crossing paths from then on and had to face a lurking danger. Can Shim Chung survive the human world while keeping Joon Jae safe?

I enjoy the beginning the most for the many memorable and laugh-out-loud funny moments. Thanks to Jun Ji Hyun for portraying her characters as a literal fish-out-of-water meeting a con-artist and learning everything about human world. Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun is a great match together when they're bickering but not as lover. From the beginning I see them as strangers to friends and can never see them as lovers.

When the plot thickens, they showed mysterious and repetitive flashbacks that I found very predictable but drags for many episodes, that by the time it is revealed, there is no surprise anymore. I remember being more interested in the supporting cast scenes more than the leads because the main plot is just not emotional and feels so underwhelming.

After I paused watching it for many months right after the reveal, I ended up finishing it just for the closure. The ending is decent but fail to bring back the excitement I had in the beginning. I only recommend the first 6 episodes, the part where most of the comedies are landing perfectly. They really could benefit had they wrap up everything quicker.

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So good that I’ve rewatched and I’m rewatching

This drama has got to go down in K drama history as one of the best K dramas out there.
I came to this drama late but well, better late than never.
I highly recommend this drama to all drama lovers!

Watch because:
- female lead is goddamn pretty ( I’m a fan of the female lead )
- chemistry between male lead and female lead is awesome and natural
- there are many sweet moments
- there are many cute moments
- there are many suspenseful parts
- everything is explained very nicely and the whole plot ties up well
- the supporting cast acts well - many characters are cute and adorable especially, the character Tae Oh
- I liked the link between the past and the present - well played / well done
- story is well-written and very interesting
- rewatch value is high

I don’t have reasons for u not to watch.
It’s really one of the best K dramas and perhaps at this point in time, can be sort of considered a Classic Must Watch.

Lovely!

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Good Story with an Unsatisfying Ending..

I have been watching this drama for a few days and was enjoying it quite well until the last episode. I have just stopped watching it in the middle of the last episode because I was very disappointed with how they turned the plot upside down. I was not expecting that kind of a plot change which literally made me feel like I watched all 19 episodes for nothing. I could give spoilers if anyone asks me why I think this way but I can say that it is not worth spending 20 hours watching all the episodes for such an unsatisfying ending. I cannot say that it was a bad ending but it was also not something anyone would want or even imagine to be an ending to such a good story. All the good, bad, exciting, heartwarming etc moments, events, feelings that have occured in all 19 episodes went down the drain with such a totally disappointing ending.

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