The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)

Nothing overly original, but amusing on it's own way.

The Legend Of The Blue is that kind of drama you first watch and think: "I think I've seen something similar to that". After all this 'supernatural being meets everyday person' theme can be easily found anywhere, from eastern to western TV and movies. Also, it wasn't the first time the writer touched this subject, actually she did something similar with You Who Came From The Stars.

But even if not original, I liked it anyway. The Little Mermaid feels are strong on this one, and it's done on a very cute and emotional fashion. I also like the fact they basically told two stories at the same time and as the story progressed you could feel the links and similarities. The Joseon Era bits in the beginning gave a melodic, if not overtly fantastic feel for this show.

Ji Hyun once again amazes me with her acting. She's not afraid of being silly, not afraid of looking ugly or like a fool. The way she builds her character is genius. You can see that she's a naive, almost childlike mermaid who is totally new to everything, but being naive doesn't mean she's dumb, because she has her moments of quick thinking and overal awesomeness that gots you cheering and saying "you go girl". Also, it's funny to see her being the supernatural one this time, and starting to experience all kind of human emotions and feels.

Lee Min Ho is also really good here. I don't remember liking him this much in a drama since City Hunter. He makes a good character that is clearly sneaky and not trustworthy, that at the same time has a good heart and a cheery behaviour, he's not like those cold, emotionless peers we see left and right, which is refreshing. Other perfomances were also well done, I particularly liked Lee Hee Joon on this one, mostly because althought he looked perfectly normal and even cheerful on the outside, you never really knew what he was up to or which side he was really in.

Music is not really this drama strong point, but I liked it anyway.

I don't like to compare dramas at all, but I've noticed that the writer is not really good with handling villains. The one in The Legend of The Blue Sea and also the one from You Who Came From The Stars are...unidimmensional to say the least. They have no apparent reasons for being that, except for being "evil". And just being evil for the heck of it can be amusing, like in YWCFTS, but annoying like in TLOTBS.

Overall it's an interesting ride. Not as glorious as it tries to be, but still amusing on it's own right. Is it rewatchable? Yes, but not the kind you'll want to

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FIRST MERMAID DRAMA

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW, THIS IS FOR MY NOTES

( while writing this only 12 episodes in )In grades 9 and 10 wanted to watch it but never got the change or I watch a few seconds of it then gave up. After two years during the COVID 19 pandemic. I love this drama its been a day since I watch it and I only have 7 more episodes left. :(( Why didn't I watch it early because it is soooo cute and good. I didn't skip much maybe some like where it talks about the mother, father, evil, scary part but some. I have a feeling that I like the start away from home as well since I put it down for two years as well. This is my first mermaid drama I think. While watching this, I started to speak Random Korean which means that I love this drama. Only a few episodes in I already rate it as a dam 9.0 starts already and it has not gone up or down( might change when I finish or later ) I had to remind myself while watching this is only a fairy tale and yeah so I don't get too attached to it or else I would skip some scenes.

I just finished watching the extraordinary you three days ago and this drama is like the fucking same thing, where it talks about the past life and how everything in the past report again and now I starting to think did someone else had the same life as me. I think this show got me crazy. For the last half of the drama, the anticipate is killing me so I half so I had to skip because my heart feels so fucking tik. When they said all the evil characters are evil they are all evil. Finally, when he meets his mother, I guess I could watch it peaceful it is all because of the mother that what got me stress but the crime odes did not bother me much. ( watching 16 as writing this down )

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Splendid kdrama

It just took me 1 week to watch all 20 episodes of this drama... The basic concept might be similar to various mermaid fairy tales yet it has another side too which differentiate it as the mysterious relation between the memories of Dam Ryoung and heo jin jea and how almost every character exists in contemporary time as well to help the fate to be repeated....
The first thing which catches our eyes is definitely Lee min ho playing a conman...Gosh!!! He isn't just handsome folks but yes he know how to act...
The chemistry between Sim cheong and heo jin jea is cute yet strong ...every character has done justice with their roles...
This drama Also shows how our society has corrupted just to gain fame and money...it hurts yet its true...
I found the end a bit confusing honestly when Sim cheong erases the memories of some characters but how come others didn't remember her as well and what about the news coverage which took place when she was shot while saving her love heo jin jea? ...
Anyways if anyone searching a drama with good actors,fairytale concept and beautiful locations this is for you ... You won't get disappointed folks ... Let me know after watching weather you agree with my review or not !!!

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Brief: I enjoyed this one, but it's slow and quite predictable. That doesn't make it bad at all, but 16 more tightly produced episodes would have been better I think. Cha Shi Ah and Tae Oh however, I thought were brilliant :)

Detailed:
Picked this one up because of Jun Ji Hyun whom I first watched in You Who came from the Stars (by the same writer) and wanted to see her in something different. The mermaid tale is an interesting topic that i've not seen in a KDrama before so that made it more interesting too, and then seeing it had Shin Hye Sun - well, sold.

On the whole I enjoyed it and I didn't have any doubts about continuing to watch it to completion - but - I had some issues with it...

I'm still trying to work out how well the two leads chemistry worked... some times there were sparks, other times not, it just wasn't consistent.

I really liked the links back and forth between the past lives and the current ones, it provided some interesting insights and background and a variety of settings to see the characters in, both in terms of the parallels and differences.

I really wished that the FL had some kind of other goal in mind, but as it was, she comes to the surface and is completely naive and inexperienced which leads to some funny scenes - but sets the scene for the ML to refer to her as his "dummy" the entire story. Now, there are many things that happen in the show that could be seen as just "hey thats fine, it's cute" or not - so there's a lot of interpretation to be had on the "strength" of the FL but i'm gonna go and just say - I don't think she was very strong at all! - constantly chasing around after the guy working out what to do to get the guy - I dunno, didn't feel like the best message. It's a relatively minor itch for me on the overall show (which, as I said, I enjoyed) but an itch never the less.

Now... Shin Hye Sun's character Cha Shi Ah was really good - your understanding of Shi-Ah changes and develops through the story and her oddball relationship with Tae-Oh is brilliant I honestly was looking out for the scenes with these two more than anything else some times.

There's baddies too, in the shape of the "Wicked Stepmother" which I guess has to be there and was ok, but wasn't that exciting for me really.

Sound track was good, really liked some of the tracks that are now ear-worms.

It's a good story but I don't rate it up there with some of the other works by this screenwriter, which include Crash Landing on You and You Who Came from the Stars, two of my favourite dramas. It's just "normal" good :)

The little girl that she meets early on and meets up again with numerous times... wish they'd tied that one up in a nice bow at the end, felt it just needed a moment "more", just as she did with the fashion-lady.

FYI On Viki, this shows up as:
Episode 0 - which is the special, DONT watch this first even though its the first thing they dish up.
Episodes 1-20 - this is the drama, watch this.
Episodes 21 and 22 - these are directors cuts of episodes 1 and 2. Watch these after if you wish :)

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i personally feel like people that have reviews on this app had expected way too much out of an drama, and end up being disappointed so it’s usually bad. so, on this drama overall is amazing. it turns out extremely interesting, and mostly funny, and the i felt the love. the plot gets a little predictable but it doesn’t stop you from wanting to watch it, the comedy just spices. it’s soo funny, and refreshing. i literally die, and can’t stop rewatching it. it makes me feel relaxed. it’s simple, yet cute but funny on top. the fantasy makes it even better. i think anyone that loves more of relaxing calm funny dramas would enjoy this. everyone in the cast in wonderful, and the pieces add every time. overall the most funny show ever.

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The acting of the actors was very good

The acting of the actors was very good, both the main and supporting actors. Was there a very good chemistry between the two main actors? I was one of those who did not like Lee Min Ho's acting and I was just curious why he has so many fans and because of this curiosity I watched his series and became more fascinated by his partner's acting and continued them, of course after watching the Iman series to some extent I changed my opinion, but after seeing this series, my opinion changed completely, and in my opinion, this actor gave his best performance in this series, to the extent that I enjoyed his performance as much as his partner. About the acting of dear Jun Ji Hyun, who is the kind and honest mermaid, there is really nothing left to say, they were excellent. Both the first parts, which have more humor, and the last parts, which are more serious.The script is very good and meaningful and gives very good lessons, just with it

Spoiler
The part where Dam Ryung (Ho Joon Jae in the old days) came and warned his future self, I have a problem and I think it was very ridiculous and meaningless and he could have given this warning much better and more logically instead of them meeting in one place. and tell him
But overall, it had a good script and a satisfying ending, and like many other series, I have no problem with its ending.
He has a very good sense of humor, he tried not to lose his sense of humor until the end, although the first parts are much more humorous.I won't say more about the romance of this series, there was pure and pure love between them, and the mood of the series and their relationship was very sweet and warm, and they had pleasant romantic scenes, so that when I saw it, I would smile unconsciously and my eyes would become a heart??
In the end, I am not a 10-16-year-old teenager, but I really like this series and I am very happy to see it, so don't limit watching this series by age, everyone can enjoy watching this series at any age, it's just necessary. Let it be according to your taste, that's all:)

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As a fan of Lee Min Ho I can say all his charms were perfectly squeezed together into the character Heo Joon Jae.

The story was interesting but as it progressed it felt unnecessarily long and drawn out. The whole “I’m a conman” was used to pick up the story whenever it got a bit slow so it soon lost all credibility and potential. In all this drama does a lot... too much. There are so many elements from different genres it looses itself and becomes your typical crime drama.

It upset me how the fact she’s (sorry I forgot her name haha!) a mermaid just gets forgotten by the end. It’s never really explored after the first half despite being one of the main plot points. The only reason it’s there is to add even more tragedy to Joon Jaes life which at that point is old news.

The OST isn’t that memorable but does it’s job by setting the tone, but sometimes it’s a bit distracting.

Despite all of that however, i always come back! This makes it sound terrible but I always put this on when I’m going to sleep. The whole tone and atmosphere is addicting added with the direction and cinematography that gives it the mystical vibe. The story as a whole was trying to achieve too much but what came out as a result is a refreshing drama that is entertaining to watch purely for entertainment. If you want a drama that you can dissect I really wouldn’t recommend this to you but it’s definitly worth a watch nonetheless.

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A very pleasant drama , which does not experience a crisis of boredom in the middle of the series.

The main characters are very interesting. This is the first drama in which I saw Lee Min Ho and I must admit that I liked his acting very much. His look expresses a lot of emotions. You might also be satisfied with Jeon Ji Hyun's actress. Between them you can feel romance and love. It was very pleasant to look at them.

I liked the "work" of the cheaters very much. It held a little bit of tension, it had a little fun and above all made Heo Jun Jea attractive in my eyes.

I like the fact that the main characters quite often get physically close to each other (of course not going beyond the limits of decency, so much emphasized in dramas). This makes the drama pleasant and funny.

As for the fantasy theme, it is not presented here in an original way. It's hard to believe that sirens would swim in a costume covering their chest. I shouldn't pay attention to this,. After all, there are age limits here. Well, I like authenticity, reality even in film or series productions that deal with supernatural phenomena (that's why this issue bothered me a little).

Despite the nice feeling after watching the whole drama in 3 days, I would like to briefly point out its disadvantages. First of all, the character of the main character's brother (played by Lee Ji Joon) is illogical here. I miss a clear reason why he changed his attitude towards the problems he was facing so suddenly.

What's more, I also missed a shot of Heo Jun Jae's brotherly friendship. The younger hacker was treated as a meaningless character, and that's a pity, because I think the three of them had an interesting potential.

The drama replicates a recurring pattern, typical of romantic comedies - "if something bad is happening, I won't tell you about it". This is not how relationships should function. If we show some ideal world (their love is perfect), let's at least show how important is honesty in a relationship. It's no harm to be honest about what our lovely mermaid had to do. Really, such a melodramatic ending is not very convincing, especially when we shout out loud "why couldn't you tell him about it?". Her behavior made no sense.

However, I think that drama is recommendable, especially for those who want to rest and relax after a hard day.

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A Fated Love

This is an easy watch, great visual quality and evenly paced. I enjoyed it. The destiny, fate aspect is well thought out with explanatory flashbacks at the beginning of each episode. The story bears a striking resemblance to You Who Came From The Stars and I suppose that's because it's written by the same screenwriter.

Jun Ji Hyun is fantastic as always in the lead role, her comedic bent is so natural and never overdone. Lee Min Ho was surprisingly good, although his delivery seemed forced in the emotional scenes. The two of them together have passable chemistry but Lee Min Ho doesn't seem able to take emotional and poignant scenes beyond a certain point, many of them came off as playful and bantery, if that makes sense.
Jun Ji Hyun is far and away a superior actor and there is a definite imbalance, I got too much superficial humour from him and a mature, emotional resonance from her, hence the mismatch.

The supporting cast is good, villains are weak and the secondary loveline is barely perceptible. I did enjoy the backstory and it was well exposed.

This is a good drama with all the elements required to make it a blockbuster, but overall for me it lacked punch and didn't grab me enough to give it a higher rating.
Still worth a watch.
Music is good, although not memorable for me.

Overall score 7.5

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The only thing that truly gets a 10/10 for this is the OST, which was just so calming and emotional for me. It really added to the "fairy tale" feeling of the drama, and with the cinematography, it just made the aesthetic of the drama that much more immersive.

I definitely didn't really treat this as a contemporary romance while I was watching it, because of how unrealistic it really is—I thought of it more as a fairy tale retelling, and suspending your disbelief is a skill that will definitely come in useful when watching this. As a retelling, though, I really liked seeing how the historical scenes translated into the modern ones. I was definitely not as interested in the historical plot as I was in the modern one, so it helped that there were less historical scenes as the drama went on.

I was honestly disappointed with the last episode. It felt like it was a little unnecessary to add another bout of amnesia and memory erasure so late in the drama, and I didn't like how it meant that the only person who remembered Sim Cheong was Heo Joon Jae. Once again—that goes along with the unrealistic parts of this story.

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it starts out great and it continues this way until the end. it is a must watch drama and the main lead are two of the most famous korean actors. you will enjoy every moment and it has a clear ending ( something that a personaly realy admire since i hate spending that mach time in a drama and not seeing the end of the story). the main cople has great cemistry and I aslo liked the supporting couple.it is funny without ruining the dramatics. i watched the first time while it was ongoing and at the end of every episode i just couldn't wait for the next to come up ( i have watched it 4 time since then )

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