The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)

Honestly Loved This Drama More Than MLFTS

I have a confession to make: this is my first LMH drama. I had always known about him and almost watched the kdramas he had been in. But then the reviews or tags would put me off watching them. I'm happy I chose to watch this.

LOTBS doesn't seem to have a lot of praise in the top MDL reviews. However, I have a feeling that's because of how hyped this drama was when it came out and the fact that the two leads are MASSIVE stars. So maybe people had overhyped it to themselves and had higher expectations. For me, I had watched JJH in MLFTS (which everyone compares LOTBS to) but I hadn't watched any LMH dramas. Therefore, I basically had no expectations going into it.

Now let's get into the review.

Story: I REALLY enjoyed the plot and how well executed it was. There were many twists and turns but none of them felt excessive or unnecessary to me. It never once felt draggy to me and I absolutely loved most of the characters and their relationships/friendships. If you've read any of my reviews before, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of found family tropes or just really amazing family/friend dynamics. And this had all of that. It was the perfect mix of comedy, romance, friendship, and mystery for me. Plus, almost everything made sense. Of course, there are some plot holes but they didn't really alter my experience and I just held onto my suspension of belief for some things. ONE MORE THING: This drama had superb villains. The main one legitimately scared me because of how psychotic they were (using these pronouns to avoid revealing the gender for spoiler reasons.) Okay I swear THIS is the last thing for this section: I enjoyed LOTBS more than MLFTS (I gave that an 8/10). I felt more satisfied by the ending of LOTBS. I didn't have as many questions and I actually liked it way more. Plus, I loved JJH in this more too and the relationship dynamics.

Acting/Cast: AMAZING! Well maybe 95% perfect. Don't send the pitchforks but I think LMH had one of the weaker acting performances during certain scenes. But overall, he was really great in this role. His chemistry with JJH (who did a perfect job btw) was adorable and believable. Their on-screen romance was honestly so cute and I was most certainly invested. Now, onto the side characters and their actors. I can't fault any of their performances; they played their roles effectively. Shin Hae Sun was a nice surprise and although most people dislike her character, I didn't at all. I felt bad for her and liked that she was a good friend and didn't interfere all that much with the main pairing. Plus I loved her final pairing. Onto Shin Won Ho's character Tae Oh... AH my favourite. What a cutie omg I just wanted to give him a hug the entire drama. So precious. Lee Hee Joon did amazing as Nam Doo too and I really enjoyed his character because he always kept me guessing. I thought I had him figured out and then he would flip my thoughts onto themselves. The next two actors really outdid themselves when it came to their acting performances; Lee Ji Hoon as Chi Hyun and Hwang Shin Hye as Kang Seo Hee (his mother). Like wow. I don't want to say too much but I will say they played their roles perfectly and incredibly.

Music: This review is getting a little long so I'll keep it nice and short - typical kdrama soundtrack. It was nice and fitting, but nothing outstanding.

Rewatch Value: I would definitely rewatch this but not soon. I really did loved the romance in this and friendship dynamics (plus the comedy was great too) so I would enjoy rewatching it.

Overall: Sure, some aspects of LOTBS was cliche and predictable but I still felt like it was unique. Don't ask me for specifics because I don't think I could really give you any. I just really loved it and recommend giving it a watch.

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Not the usual Legend

This drama depicts a love story that overcame challenges in their relationship. Like many other stories, the characters endured a lot yet decided to keep their love for each other despite being ill-fated. Although the story may seem typical and other fairy tale lends itself to this drama, it still possess it's own unique way of delivering the story. It has a blend of comic relief, romantic element, suspense and intrigue as the past (historical drama) runs parallel with the current story.

The chemistry of the male and female protagonists makes the romantic element of the story fluid and very natural. In general the acting of the actors were all portrayed well and gave justice to the part they played.

The choice of location in this drama gave an added value to the story.

I was never a Lee Min Ho fan, but this is the second drama in his filmography that I have seen....and convinced now that he's quite good in this genre. Suits him in many aspects. A must see if you haven't.

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A common drama with high attraction!!

As a story I don't see a lot of variations from normal romcom, but main characters always gave their hundred precent effort to make the drama a success. I appreciate the main female character who kept the attraction as well as the affection of the viewer towards the drama. She was highly outstanding when comparing to the other characters. Other characters also gave a lot of effort to make the drama a success. Even though story line is like a normal romcom I really like the beginning of the drama because the main male character's profession was unique because in k-dramas they tend to give a wealthy and honorable status to the male lead. But in this that was different, and that point gave a positive push to the success of the drama. I normally hate historical dramas as well as in this drama also historical relation was bit boring because that story line was really common. But when it came with the present comedy situation, that was bit attractive and funny to watch. When it came to the ending it just went as usual happy ending with no regrets and that's why its a common drama like common cold.

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Cute and funny

Adorable and funny and sweet, the FL is so great, I have a massive girl-crush on her. The ML is so cute. The story is great because I love the blend of modern and historical. I really didn't have much to say because I love it and could watch it over and over, but 500 character minimum.

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Time has finally come for me to review this Hit of a K-drama that has been a sizzling force across Asia,starring the great stars Lee Min-ho and Gianna,"Legend of the Blue Sea" is a paranormal romantic drama where Gianna plays a mermaid and Lee Min-ho a charming con-artist. They are reincarnated soulmates that has to overcome obstacles from their past lives and fight against a tragic fate to finally have their happy ending they have so much earned for.

This drama reminded me of another Gianna starrer,which is "You Who came from the Stars" with 20% of the same cast,having paranormal obstacles (while "Blue Sea" takes up mermaids with super powers,"Stars" take up aliens with super powers) and having reincarnation in it. Hundreds of kisses and hugs from me to this gorgeous and epic love-story of Joon Jae and Shin Chung,that i will never forget!

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As someone perpetually trapped in her own childhood obsession with mermaids, let me tell you how much I loved this fairytale of a drama!

It was the perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and comedy. Jun Ji Hyun was, as usual, THE BEST. Her take on the mermaid character Shim Cheong was at once hilarious and ethereal and heartbreaking. Honestly, I'd recommend watching it just for her scenes getting accustomed to life among humans alone. Months later, I still go back and search for scenes from this drama, because they're that funny and enjoyable to watch.

The cinematography is epic and gorgeous, and the soundtrack is one of the few where I listen to the entire score. It really transports you... it's so otherworldly and perfect for a mermaid story.

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Would have done better as a 90-minute historical motion picture for kids on Disney

If you're looking for a riveting and compelling storyline with gripping plot twists, then this drama is anything but. Like many other fantasy dramas, Legend of the Sea is a light-hearted rom-com which tells the love story of a girl and a boy (well in this case, a modern-day mermaid and a talented con-artist).

Characters

Cheong Shim/Se-hwa (played by Jun Ji-hyun) was an absolute cracker of a character; her fearlessness, cheek, wackiness, and great sense of humour won many people's hearts throughout the entire series, including my own. Could the casting director have picked anyone more suitable to play Cheong Shim other than Ms Jun herself? Absolutely not. Jun has this very captivating gaze about her when it comes to rom-com roles, and not to mention, her ability to act funny is both natural and effortless. But insofar as Jun's capabilities go, I have yet to see her act in more serious roles other than in 'My Love from the Star', and this drama itself.

Heo Joon-jae/Dam-ryeong (played by Lee Min-ho) on the other hand was less captivating as the leading male protagonist. Lee Min-ho's prior roles included Gu Jun-pyo in BOF, Jeon Jin-ho in Personal Taste, Lee Yoon-seong in City Hunter, and Kim Tan in the Heirs, and here, it just felt as though he was reprising his prior roles by taking on the same, boring, old personas - cold, callous, egotistic, but also funny, flippant and a huge romantic at times.

The supporting actors weren't any better to be honest, despite the years of experience three quarters of the cast had prior to starring in this drama. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some fantastic acting from quite a handful of the cast members, but their acting here just made me cringe so much. That said, the only person which really stood out to me was Heo Chi-hyun's character (older step-brother of Heo Joon-jae). Unlike Joon-jae, Chi-hyun was a good kid who grew up to be a successful businessman following in his his step-father's footsteps. A rebellious youngJoon-jae was therefore no match for Chi-hyun, yet all Chi-hyun wanted in life was for them to be brothers before anything. Of course the storyline didn't allow for this to happen, but I'm thankful that at least the actor who played Chi-hyun did a fantastic job at it by keeping his character's emotions and performance in check.

Storyline

Despite Park Ji-eun having written the scripts for two of the most commercially successful dramas ((My Love from the Star (2013-14) and Crash Landing on You (2019-20)), this script just couldn't compare in any shape or form, and was more or less the same in terms of dullness as her scriptwriting in the Producers (2015).

Park is no doubt a talented writer, but her ability to develop a unique dialogue really hit a low here (but perhaps not lower than that of the Producers). Needless to say, the effectiveness of the dialogue was watered down by a lot of small talk which failed to capture the essence of crucial moments. The over-use of petty remarks, or fatuous lines which contributed nothing to the plot, or character development was well and truly disappointing.

It's not often I turn my attention away from something I'm watching, but this drama made me feel so drained to the point I had I to figure out what other ways I could still watch it but not give it my full, undivided attention. And that's when it clicked - why not just play this drama in the background when I was doing something else? A drama's dialogue should be engaging from start to finish, but if as a viewer, you feel more determined multi-tasking whilst watching a drama like this on the side, then that's sufficient to say that you've really lost touch with it.

There were also many times where the writer was pushing for suspense, but everything just came across far too easy, cheap and predictable. For suspense to be elicited, the scenes should be gripping and heart-pumping, but what good is it if the stunts and tactics are of a Tom & Jerry kind, but worst?

Come to think of it, this drama would have done better as a 90-minute historical motion picture for kids; Disney style. Instead of going through the 20 episodes to find out what happens (which is basically an overly the top fairy-tale ending between the two leads), this drama could have been easily condensed into a movie using all the Joseon period flashbacks. Se-hwa and Dam-ryeong's poignant love story was already far more compelling and moving than that of their modern-day reincarnations, so for what reason did it need to be dragged on and made into a series? Furthermore, the key themes of fate, tragedy and revenge were heavily centred upon, but very poorly executed.

A couple of scenes which demonstrated this:
1. There's an emergency situation and A's phone is ringing on a bedside table; however A is unaware of this and by the time A picks up their phone to see a missed call from B, it's already all too late;
2. B dies as a result of having their drink poisoned by C and an autopsy is carried out, yet police is still unable to figure out the circumstances of B's death;
3. C pretends to fake mourn over B's death at the mortuary and everyone somehow falls for it;
4. D jumps in front and takes bullet for A only to end up in hospital (mind you there were 10 police officers at the scene, yet D somehow ended up getting shot...).

But, if there two things which I have to give this drama credit for, it would be:
1. the very unlikely noona and dongsaeng romance between Tae-oh and Shi-ah which was far more intense than Shim Cheong and Joon-jae's; and
2. great staged hostage situation by Joon-jae and his sidekicks (reminded me a lot of Signal).

Other than that, one would have hoped that a drama starring an A-class ensemble would without a doubt trump a B-/C+ storyline, yet this could not be helped considering the direction, production and writing was just a big, sloppy mess from the get-go and there was nothing that could salvage it.

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Really enjoyed this drama even though it's the typical mermaid story about growing legs when arriving on land, crying tears of pearl, etc. and some might think its cliché and boring but the lightheartedness, fluff and romance made it enjoyable. Liked how there was a killer involved and going after the ML and FL to add suspense or else the drama would've been boring imo.

What I liked:
- Spain trip in the beginning was a fresh start to the drama and I loved it a lot. Especially the chemistry b/w the leads was really good and just seeing them have a good time made it enjoyable.
- I saw some complaining about the side story or the parallel universe (Joseon Era) snippets were boring but I actually liked how they added that to the plot as it was something new and added substance to the plot
- I've watched Lee Min Ho's other dramas and have to say his acting in this one is the best. I like his character of being a conman having many talents while also being a kind person. He was able to portray the serious side of things while being witty and genuine. I liked how in the beginning of the Spain trip, he didn't withhold the typical "tsundere" character but kind of showed his fun and true self to Sim Cheong

What I didn't like:
- Their chemistry was somewhat lacking near the end, some of the scenes felt a bit like "funny awkward" to me
- Noticed that Jihyun's acting didn't have that spark like it did in the beginning and middle. It could be due to her character and her situation of having to return to the sea but her facial expressions came off a bit bland at the end
- Didn't like the idea of Sim Cheong erasing everyone's memory when having to return to the sea, it just seems hypocritical how she mentioned to Jun Jae that memories with the good people around you should not be erased but to be cherished so in a way it leaves this bittersweet feeling or the unanswered question of whether or not everyone remembered her in the end as it didn't show it at all
- Soon, the flashbacks or snippets of the Joseon era began to feel a bit boring as I expected what would happen next
- On the topic of memory, I personally think the power of erasing memories was flawed. It'd make sense if Sim Cheong erased parts of a characters memory that it'd totally be gone and not some temporary fix for a sticky situation. It irritated me how one would start to remember what was erased which was just a tactic to drag on some issues prolonging it
- Wished that there was at least one scene where Jun Jae actually witnesses her mermaid form in present day just to get like his reaction and everything but it never showed that

Overall, this drama is like True Beauty where the plot is cliché and you can expect the plot twists or events that happen next but they're enjoyable and lighthearted to watch. Also have to mention the writer also being a part of Crash Landing on You and how she did a good job with setting the mood for both CLOY and TLOTBS by incorporating the visually appealing places for us like Spain or Switzerland which really freshens up the dramas a bit and it was one of the factors that made me enjoy both dramas. I always put off TLOTBS but am glad I watched it as it was a good drama and is the best mermaid k-drama so far as I've watched others that were poorly executed.

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Plot + review

Plot: Shim Chung is a mermaid who follows her one true love, a nobleman’s son named Kim Ryung from the Joseon Dynasty, to modern-day Seoul. Ryung’s modern doppelgänger is Heo Joon Jae, a highly skilled scam artist who first becomes interested in Shim Chung because of a jade bracelet worth $6 million that Shim Chung wears. With nowhere to go, Shim Chung is taken in by Joon Jae, who also finds his con partners, Jo Nam Doo and Tae Oh, hiding out in his home from a vengeful past victim of their scams. Shim Chung discovers a rival for Joon Jae’s heart in Cha Shi Ah, a researcher at KAIST who deals with ancient artifacts. When a dangerous killer named Ma Dae Yeong, sent by Joon Jae’s stepmother, who wants to make her own son the heir to Joon Jae’s fortunes.

Main cast: Shim Cheong is a mermaid. She follows Joon-jae to Seoul after developing feelings for him in Spain. He names her Shim Cheong, which means "extremely stupid", as she is highly ignorant about the common things on land. She has super strength and the ability to read and erase one's memories.
Heo Joon-jae is a con-artist who uses his wits and looks to conduct scams on people of the privileged class of the society. He meets Shim Cheong, a mermaid and falls in love with her, he is able to read her thoughts. He wants to change the ill-fate that chases Dam-ryeong and Se-hwa.

Review: It is my first Kdrama and I really enjoyed it. It was a mix of romance, comedy, action and fantasy which I loved. — It was just super fun to watch. Another thing I loved was the chemistry — The two leads were amazing. I never got bored. Every episode was interesting.

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Second Time's the Charm

I started watching this drama when it aired and ended up dropping it after 6 episodes. Not that the acting or the story wasn't good, but this story starts off slow and I couldn't get into it at the time. I just started watching The King: Eternal Monarch while it's airing, and I forgot how much I enjoyed Lee Min Ho's acting style since he'd been on break for a while due to military service. I decided to give LOTBS a go again, since you know, quarantine and all. And I really enjoyed it the second time around. Great drama, well cast, interesting plot. Some bits of everything: humor, romance, melodrama, suspense, etc. I enjoyed binging it and definitely recommend adding it to your plan to watch. Not what I would consider a classic, but still an all around solid drama.

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