Bun-venit în Samdal-ri (2023)

What was the point of this drama??

My intent is not to underplay anyone's hard work here.

So purely from a global viewer's perspective, I struggled with this drama.
Could not find a theme, goal or intent here.
Forget looking for romance and chemistry - it was like a cloud that flitted away before you knew it appeared in the sky.

Comedy - what where when??

Story was crafted for a certain demographic of folks who reminisce about Jeju island, the small town mentality and unity and friendships. But haven't we seen this over a dozen times already??

The love triangle was outdated and honestly both leads were too old for their characters - as much as I adore them both.
The bad girl story drags through to the last episode.

I've been waiting for one classic romcom all through 2024 - nothing through April.
And there seems to be a very dim light at the end of the years tunnel 😳

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Welcome to a little bit of everything

This is a sweet drama combining parts of Our Beloved Summer, Reply 1988 and with something more... i am not really sure what that is is could be hometown cha cha cha (without the leads regressing in character) it could be som idol drama... maybe parts of Our Blues. Whatever it is I am sure I have seen most of this drama before most of which was really enjoyable but highly predictable. Which was fine until the cringe came along with voices speaking together as one and some trope that jus got on my nerves lowering the score.

Both leads in this drama are absolutely phenomenal, I had forgotten how good Ji Chan Wook is at being sweet, and while it did feel a bit odd to see him as just a regular guy not trying to kill anyone and fully dressed all the time, he definitely has this amazing charm and is indeed capable of captivating the audience.

Shin Hye Sun was also very well casted as she is probably the queen of hot, cold and vulnerable all put in to one

The scenery here is lovely, and the drama is pretty much a commercial to visit Jeju Island while minding the crowds at the popular tourist spots. The use of water and umbrellas is great and I am pretty sure there is a referens in there to the umbrella scene in Something in the Rain with a twist. Other things that had me baffeld was the amount of alcohol the people in this dram could consume without ending up at a hospital or dead.

I love the friendships, the sisterhood, the kid, the families the blasts to the past and learning about the weather. I could do without the actual reasons for the drama in this show as they where not very relatable and lacked depth beyond the depth of the sea... Other things that bothered me where over the top characters with the typical over the top imbedded moments of not that again that many other drama watchers love but just get on my nerves. That said this is an enjoyable watch, an easy binge and couple that is a pure joy to watch.

Healing is kind of my nemesis I knew that going in to this so I will leave it at a it could have been a lot worse, but it was still there to take away from my personal experience. For those of you who love watching healing dramas and do not mind moments of over the top, maybe you even love the moment of over the top then this is defiantly a must watch. For those who can appreciate a mature romance this is also a pretty decent place to find. it.


P.s. this drama was probably also part of the find a deep connection challenge among the writers of Korea, and while it seems to have only lasted one life time I would say it may not be as twisted as some of the other drams with this theme it goes deeper under water than some of the multiple lifetime themed onec out there.

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Cho Sam dal's homecoming to Samdal-ri

This drama serves us a delicate narrative by the concept of "Isn't it nice to have a place to return back to?"

Cho Eun Hye, the famous photographer who hits rock bottom in her career has to return to Samdal-ri, her own sweet hometown where she spend her childhood... Samdal-ri situated in the coastals of Jeju is a friendly neighborhood where people live an unembellished life away from the bustling rush of a big city like Seoul.

Eun Hye (originally called Cho Sam Dal) returns back to Samdal-ri and comes across all the people she used to cherish, spent her teenage with, had bittersweet entanglements with eventually finds herself in the process.

This, this particular concept of healing after a big downfall in life, I love such stories and that took me to watch this drama... The setting in itself is very comforting, we have the beautiful riverside locations and some sunset shots you can stare for hours at, that countryside homely feeling with all kinds of clumsy, gossipy characters that bring cartoon-ish comedy ( I know its unrealistically dramatic at times but ngl it usually worked )

Their warm bonds of friendship and regrets of past heartbreaks with actors like Ji Chang Wook, Shin Hye Sun it made me weep a few times too. "Emotionally" Welcome to Samdal-ri stood out strong...!! and how can we not talk about their chemistry. Its "CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS TO EX TO REUNION TROPE" Sounds interesting right!? XD It was so natural and cute! I wanted more of their dating era lol.

Tbh this is not only her story but it is also about her two sisters, her mother and their family overall, I liked the down to earth healthy dynamics of their family... the thought provoking lines in every ep like "are you okay?"... "you're not alone"... were like cherry on the top for an emotional script.


What still takes away that 1.5 ★ star rating from Welcome to Samdal-ri is —

• some typical worn out tropes like a love traingle

• the slow pacing (it was okay for an airing watcher like me but for binge, people are going to find it draggy at some point)

• less screen time to some supporting characters story (the dolphin lovers family - their story was so adorable, I wish they gave it more depth and maybe a proper closure)


Overall, a decent, emotive drama with great acting and amazing Jeju visuals!

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OVERRATED DRAMA OF 2023

Why it is overrated??
Because it doesn't deserve to be 8.4 rating. My brother recommended this and said one of the best of 2023. But it doesn't. For me, the least likable drama of this year.

Here are my complains.....

we watch slice of life dramas because of realistic and relatable characters , character developments, refreshing moments. But the makers offer us the unrealistic, poorly acted , poorly written characters. There is nothing refreshing...

The drama had a good 1st episode.but FL comes to village. Everyone in the village, starts gossip about FL. I know... In the village setup it is natural. But this is too much. Not just villagers ...The ML friends only care about FL and FL 's problem. And they don't care about their life also. There is nothing happening. .. their flashback romance scenes are so immature, over the top , some scenes are so cringe.. especially the FL acting is very bad... FL is such a great actress .. I have watched lot of dramas of her. But in this drama her potential got wasted by her characterisation. There is hardly few moments..few scenes standout of the first 8 episodes. At some point ...you don't care who break up first in the past, you don't root them for their romance.. you want to watch the side characters more than the leads. And then , they add the love triangle also....

The problem of this drama is ......
• Dislikable FL character
• Poorly written ML character
• FL acting is very poor
• Unrealistic, over the top acting in the flashback
• Poorly written side characters..

My main Dislikable part is their younger version in flashback . You don't have to act so immature, childish just because of few years younger. That makes the scenes so cringe..

The only likeable characters are fl's sisters and the child character.. but they are just used as female leads puppets....Their romance part shows only after 5 episodes... That too hardly 4 or 5 mins per episode..

Similar village backdrop dramas are :
HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA
THE GOOD BAD MOTHER
When you watch welcome to samdal ri after watching these two G.O.A.T dramas, you will definitely disappointed.

Verdict:
Is this a terrible drama?? Decently no..
Will I recommend?? No...
Girls/women will like this drama more than boys/men
For me.. strictly average . Just overrated drama

(Sorry... If my English is bad)

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An epic story of healing

Sam Dal a damsel in distress is healed by her white knight, brother from another mother, lifetime lover Yong Pil.

Sounds epic, doesn't it?

Beware though, this is drama land. Don't expect plausible character behavior or a coherent plot.

On the other side, there are plenty of asian dramas that manage to be plausible and coherent. So should we really be that lenient with the ones that aren't?

Alas, I can't.

PS: There are some decent support characters and side stories and also some totally pointless ones too, like Sang Do, a total waste of screen time.

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A great summer comfort :)

I was a in a k-drama withdrawal for months so I needed something to take me back, and a comfort drama set in a cozy village with local best boy Ji Chang Wook? I was SAT.

I'm not the biggest fan of the trope "childhood friends to lovers" BUT I think it's done quite well here, I find it really interesting how close their moms were and how Yong-Pil and Sam-Dal were born on the same day and basically grew up attached to the hip.
Sam-Dal and Yong-Pil have a really cute relationship, they know each other well but can also be completely oblivious about some things. I know the "strong independent woman who needs no one" trope is a must in these kdramas, but sometimes it really felt like Yong-Pil was much more into in than Sam-Dal , or at least I got that impression; at the very first hiccup she was ready to hit him and run away, while he fought and chased her over and over.

In general I would've liked to see Sam-Dal stand up more for herself, especially with the scandal with her assistant. That woman stole your boyfriend, your projects, your career and your reputation from you, you have the evidence to prove she's lying and you just do nothing? Come on!! I get that Sam-Dal didn't want to go through the revenge route (plus it's difficult to deal with the media in these situations) but anytime someone insulted her it was always her family or her close friends defending her, and it's also thanks to them that in the end the assistant got what she deserved. In that regard, she didn't grow at all.

What I really loved about this is the people. I love love LOVE the relationships in this drama, the sisters are really close and always 100% supportive of each other, and the Power Rangers?? I wish I had a group of friends like that.

The side characters are also super interesting and I actually enjoyed all their storylines and adventures. Jin-Dal was definitely my favourite, but Hae-dal and Hae-yul are adorable together and their newfound dolphin dad was very sweet!

Honestly, the only exception is Yongpil's dad, oh how I hated that man. I'm sorry, you can be in all the pain of the world and that still doesn't give you the right to treat your own son like shit , his girlfriend or Ko MI-Ja's family. I can understand not wanting to interact with them and blaming them, but come on, he threw away anything Ko MI-Ja cooked him and SPAT in front of her? that's disgusting and rude. I don't even care he got a redempion arc in the last two episodes, it was WAY TOO sudden and honestly felt a little fake but, oh well.

To wrap this up, I want to say I really liked this drama. It was genuinely funny and made me laught a lot in some parts, but it also made me cry a lot, especially in some stories like the story of the two Mi-jas or the final exhibition. All the townies are super funny and sweet and they really help you get into the story

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Had potential but sadly not for me

What I liked:
- Smalltown setting > gives good vibes and beautiful landscapes
- The two sister’s romance plotlines
- Depicted family dynamics, daughters worrying about a stubborn mother with health issues > Many people can probably relate to that
- Youngest sister and her daughter -> Their relationship was just heartwarming. The daughter is so mature for her age… you could even think her behavior is more mature than the ML’s 😊
- Everyone knows everyone feels like an realistic depiction of a smalltown setting
- How everyone in town stood up for samdalri and protected her
- The fight between the two towns and the ahjummas on their vehicles (I have been contemplating for over 15 minutes about how the vehicles are called… but I just can’t remember. I feel a bit dumbfoundet. But yeah if I remember I will edit it) were genuinely funny scenes
- Kyung Tae and his romance plotline (which sadly fell very short)

Now what I disliked:
- 2 guys waiting for a woman over 8 years without progressing and expressing their feelings was too much for my taste
- Again, what a boring SML, what a boring way to execute a love triangle, unrealistic and upsetting
- Poorly executed/written flashbacks: I don’t dislike flashbacks in general. But you should do them do well otherwise it seems like poor writing. It’s super boring to include flashbacks in a romance storyline. Either be confident in your romance story and let us viewers start the story where the flashbacks begin or keep them simple. There were so many flashbacks in the romance story. At least in the beginning. The flashbacks in this drama room away for progression, story, and character development. At least it felt like the drama was going on and on without moving forward… instead relying on flashback love mystery that even turned out to be a letdown.
- The grudge of ML father was getting on my nerves. Combined with the miscommunication of the two leads. They were adults but acted childish.
- I couldn’t connect to the main characters and their romance was boring. Shin Hye Sun is an amazing actress and belongs to my favorites. I know this woman can act! I loved and absolutely adored Mr. Queen and Shin Hye Sun in it. That show gave her room to shine. Welcome to Samdalri on the other hand appeared to not be able to use her talent. The way her character was written/edited/portrayed was not my taste. I’m mean I can still respect her work and her acting and I am able to differentiate between her as a person and her different characters. Writing-wise See you in my 19th life and Welcome to Samdalri were disappointing in my eyes. Didn’t help that the chemistry between the leads as their characters was missing. Take a look at how Shin Hye Sun shines in a drama with intriguing characters and good production/writing, like in Mr. Queen. Still think her acting and chemistry with Kim Jung Hyun is unmatched. I also loved Thirty but Seventeen and Angels last mission: Love (even though I’m not sure about the quality of the plot in the last one… I loved it when it aired though). I always wonder why some dramas click and others don’t – Well one thing is for sure… it can’t be Shin Hye Sun acting.
- The drinking scenes > They used excessive drinking as a device to move forward with the plot. This was quite poorly done and overused in this drama. I’m familiar with Korean drinking culture. And I am aware that alcohol can be a big part of a culture (I’m german). Nevertheless, I wish they would sometimes take a more serious approach and see the drinking habits of the characters through a more critical lens. In this drama they even ran in circles with their plot progression because of their drunk scenes.
- I want to be honest- After being half-way through the drama I started to skip the scenes I wasn’t interested in

I can understand why someone would love this show. I can respect if others rate this drama differently. In the end taste is subjective 😊 This was just my experience with the drama.

If you are wondering where this rating stands in my rating system:
9, 9.5, 10 : Personal Favourite / 8, 8.5: Great / 7, 7.5: Really Good/ 6, 6.5 Good/ 4.5, 5, 5.5: OK / 3, 3.5, 4: Bad/ 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 : Horrible

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It is ok if you don’t like it

Final review (even tho it is not finished).

I want to say, as the top review says, it is one of fhe drama that you need to see it for yourself to “rate it”. And still, it is one of the kdrama that will be hard to judge as it will take a lot of subjective thoughts (more than other dramas) to say it is good or not.

So my opinion isn’t necessary. But here is what I can tell you. This is not a revenge drama, this is a healing drama. Weirdly enough, not healing for you but for the characters. And this is where it is hard to understand, because we usually make contents for others (viewers) but it feels like it was made for its creator. Like a self letter.

Romance is not the main arc of the drama.

Characters are not meant to be flawless, on the opposite. And this can be extremely irritating, frustrating, want to throw out your screen off the wall sometimes. They are also meant to be disliked. I believe there is a reason but it is too much out of my own speculation to be taken seriously..

Even after knowing all these and pounder everything it is not the best drama or the year and won’t be. Neither will it be the best performances of the whole cast. BUT we appreciate a lot their acting because it is actually a sort of acting demonstration here from everyone.

Now watch it and make your own judgement. Do not let comments influence you. You might love it and if you drop out it is fine too. It is not made for everyone.

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Realistically Wholesome

Slice of life kdramas are my favorite genre to watch. It embraces everyday life stories and events. There's no fantasy, no chaebol family drama, no serial killings or murder, just real life situations and welcome to samdalri served that well.

Away from the busy and bustling city of Seoul, a successful photographer (Cho Sam Dal) who has experienced a fall from grace and has become a topic for ridicule due to betrayal from her assistant relocates to her hometown, jeju. There, she reunites with her old love (Cho Yong Pil) and childhood friends. Adding more liveliness and stimulating tourist instinct is a peek into the life of jeju inhabitants and beautiful parts of jeju island. That is the story of welcome to Samdalri.

The storyline is simple, lightweight and very relatable.The drama portrays the fact that hatred, envy and jealousy mostly doesn't live far. It comes from our circle and people close to us. Who would've thought that Samdal's assistant who wanted to debute as a photographer at all cost would be the same person Samdal's boyfriend cheated on her with.

One likeable thing about this drama is that it focuses more on self-growth than revenge, that's on Sam Dal's part. She could have decided to get back at her former assistant for what she did and expose her but instead, she focused on herself, embraced and discovered other parts of herself and ones she has forgotten and grew through the process bearing in mind that her talent could not be taken away from her. Thus, she came back stronger. This show is a classical example of "people can try to imitate you as much as they want but they can never truly be you". Also, Yong Pil's father let go of the grudge he was holding against Sam Dal's family for a long time and allowed her to be happy with his son.

Additionally, the romance in the drama is subtle. It is not too intense and it is not too dull and that complements the drama well.

The entire drama gives off a warm, healing and peaceful vibe and captures realism in the most beautiful way. I loved it.

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