Wild Chives and Soy Bean Soup: 12 Years Reunion (2014)

This is my first review (don't know how to write it actually~) so I'll just share some of my scattered thoughts.

So.. this drama started really good and the young actors did an absolutely great job. Both story and acting made me feel like I was watching Wednesday-Thursday drama. Almost perfect... but...
My opinion changed as soon as they turned to the current Jang Kook and and Joon Soo... The acting was terrible. Though I watched some of Nam Goong Min's dramas and he seemed like a good actor, this drama made me change my mind...

I don't want to post any spoilers so I can't write anything about the ending.. Though you should keep in mind that as soon as you finish the last episode you'll feel lost - "is this end? where is the next episode". It feels like they just cut off the drama in the middle...

It's a pity that such a potentially good story was made into this... very disappointing....

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Okay so I have to say that I had great... Amazing expectations for this drama even though it was on the lengthy side with about 50 episodes that were promised and then all out of the blue it was significantly cut down to 26 episodes having everything fast forwarded and not even resolving a lot of relationship and questions.


But other than that the plot was a good ones that wasn't quite like many other that I have watched. The acting cast did amazing jobs portraying the character. The younger cast was amazing but I could just believe that because I did not see the adult cast act as much. The music was adequate and even enjoyable at times but I was more focused on the characters and what was going on.


Overall I would have to say that I would not rewatch this because of those last two episode in which it felt like the director(s) and writer(s) just gave up and crammed everything into this pathetic excuses for closing episodes.

The overall value was originally somewhere between a 9.5-10 but was dropped because of all the unanswered crappy-ness of the ending.

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The 2002 was great, but the present...

First of all I would like to apologize in advance. Firstly because even though i've been using Mydramalist for the past 6 years, this is going to be my first time reviewing a drama. Secondly, because English is not my main lenguage, so I want to apologize now for my future mistakes. Finished the apologies, let's get into the review.

I didn't have any reason behind watching this drama. It's been a while since Netflix started to suggest me watching it, and the other day in a very boring evening I decided to start it since I didn't have anything better to do. The drama it's divided in two parts. The first one that takes place in the year 2002, with the Korea-Japan Football World Championship taking place. The second one it's in the 'present' time, 2014.

I really loved the first time. The story wasn't anything new, but I really liked the main characters. I think Yoo So Hee and Lee Won Geun did a really good job portraying Jang Guk and Yoo Junsoo. They had a really good chemistry, and made the relationship between their characters funny, emotional and also very cute. As I said, I was mesmerized with this part that I did an overnight watch to complete it. I have to admit that the side stories were not to my liking, except the one that envolved Junsoo's uncle and little Hamcho. It's not that they were bad, but I really loved the relationship between the teenagers so I was more focused on that.

But for me everything changed when they jump back to the present time. First of all, the actors change. I really hated it. They looked nothing like their counterpart from the past. C'mon Lee Won Geun and Nam Goong Min have nothing to do with each other. I don't want to criticize the casting team, but I think there were way better options. Or just leave the same actors from the beggining. With a little bit of characterization they could play themselves in their thirties. You don't change that much from 19 years old to 31 to be two different persons. At least on my point of view. For me this was a shocking point.
Also the characters themselves weren't the same. Junsoo and Jang Guk were two strong minded characters. They were mature when they had to be it, and a mere teenager when they need it. But for the adults version I found them completly different. They were childish, and the strong personalities that they had were completly faded away. Also, I don't think the chemistry between Nam Goong Min and Lee So Yeon was that good as the one between Yoon So Hee and Lee Won Geun.
In addition, the rythem of the drama slowed down a lot. The plot got stucked and seamed like it were 12 repetitive chapters that could be cut down to 4 and have the same effect. For me 12 episodes were too long, and we only get the resolution of the story at the very last episode, in a very fast and ineffective way.

So for me the present time ruined the drama. I think they could at least save it a little bit not changing the actors. Because with the change of the actors, plus the character change, I felt like I was watching a totally different drama. It felt like when the episode of a drama that you really like ends and starts the next one in the tv that it's just so-so, so you can't stop craving for more of the first one. That was exactly what I felt with this one. I was craving for more of the first part. While the second one I just wanted to finish it quickly.

Also I'm already super pissed off with the parent's in dramas. I hate the acttitud of 'since you are my daughter/son I can decide what to do with your life. I don't care your opinion, neither your feelings. I like it this way, so it's going to be this way'. Stop it please. I think it would be a more interesting story if they were a little bit supportive and see how two 19 year old people deal with the fact that they are going to become parents instead of trying to hide everything and try to separate them. It looks like the parents are always kinda the 'evil one' in Family Dramas, specially the moms. When usually they are the most suporttive figure in a family. But anyway, I don't think we can see this change any time soon.

Till here this review. First half, super nice. Second half, just meh. Because of this, I don't know if I would recommend this drama, since I don't want anyone to feel as bittersweet with it as I did.
I hope you like this review or at least find it usefull, if so please tell me and I'll try to submite more reviews. Thank You! ^^

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I am a new fan of Yoon So Hee loved her in Let's Eat and I loved her in here... made me nearly cry a couple times. I liked that the show was mostly done by (70% of the time) the younger casts, the story has and had really good potential both So Hee and Won Geon were a good-looking pair and acted REALLY well I can say that they were casted well. Also, Hyoyoung made me hate her character so much so I guess she makes a good villain!

As for the adults I am not really a big fan of Nam Goong Min but I gave him and Lee So Yeon a chance, So Yeon is a pretty looking woman, so she was bearable for me. However, I found Nam Goong Min, a bit short compared to his younger actor. In the past he seemed to be pretty tall looking and then 12 years came and made him pretty short compared to his friends who seemed to have grown quite well, additionally, I think his face wasn't too fit for the role, to be honest. I feel like the adult version and young version didn't quite look like each other it's just my opinion! He felt miscast to me.

Then, their acting was just okay to me as for everyone around them they were fine.. Music was good placed in the right places knowing the show was cut short made me immediately turned off and come to the conclusion of a rushed ending due to the cut. However, I ended up watching it til the end.

I have never seen that happen to a 50 episode drama before but 50 would've been too long to support the story anyway so I didn't mind much, just the rushed ending was a problem. (I've come to learn to hate those kind of endings) the planning for the number of episodes could've been planned better so they wouldn't have to result in cutting episodes to start with.

Things I would've changed
The name of the show (had nothing to do with soybean soup or wild chives!
Made this show a 20 episode drama in the beginning instead of 50 (Start small and extend if needed)
Take out the adult versions! make the drama a teen drama instead on teen pregnancy <- (not a spoiler, it was a part of the synopsis!)

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Sometimes, when in a desperate search for that one drama, you can slip and fall down the stairs. And no, I will not cover it up and pretend it didn't hurt and instead just share with you all exactly how hard I fell and how much it hurt. Putting it simple, I fell down the Kdrama stairs and I got really hurt by it. For you that don't get the little symbolism i'm using, I'll just say this. I was looking for a drama that had one special actor. I had to watch a series that satisfied me and didn't make me dislike him more. I thought that I had found that drama, or perhaps a drama that could change my mind. It did however change my mind, sadly not in the way I wanted and not for the better. What may this drama be you may wonder. Its Wild Chives and Soybean Soup.
And why?

Firstly, the story:
I knew for a fact that many people out there watching these dramas have a tendency to not like flashbacks, more often than not, I disagree. To a certain point. When said flashback is ongoing for to long or take over the main story, then I can't help but feel the same as my fellow watchers. But still, even during those times and I still shut up and wait for that flashback to be over. However this time I have to utter my feelings, 'cause the flashback that's used in this little drama doesn't just take over the show and go on for to long, it totally messes up my feelings for the rest of the show. Sure the flashback is essential, kind of, to understand why some characters act the way they do. I personally still feel that they are idiots either way.
What do I mean exactly tho?
The story is just...there. It doesn't feel amazing but it doesn't suck either, it's just there. This feeling does not, however, appear until after we have a 6 episode long flashback of our main characters fate and history. The flashback, that I felt annoyed at in the beginning became somewhat good after a while. Sure I wanted the story to move on so that I could see the reason to why I even watched the show from the start, but I did find the flashback to have a rather good feeling to it. I liked the characters and so on, sadly after a while, some things happened and the snooze fest began. Then it all ended. The main story had arrived. I was excited for approximately 10 minutes into the real thing. After that I started to miss the younger version of the main characters and the setting they where in. The whole thing just fell right on it's face and couldn't stand up again! Everything that happened onscreen ended up going into one ear and out the other, while my eyes forgot what had been shown to them. That is how I would explain my feelings anyway.

Secondly, the cast:
Reason to why I found this drama and the reason to why I watched it was, again and once more, because of the actor Nam Gung Min. Twice I've seen him in a drama, first time I hated his character but believed that I would like him in something else, when he wasn't the love rival. I watched Unemployed Romance, where I found him to be around Meh and Maybe. After blaming these feelings on the bad script and pacing, I started my hunt again. Believing, still, that I would find him likable. I've finally come to understand something. My hunt will end here, the possibility that I will find something I'll like with him as one of the mains is close to zero. I can only say that I tried. When watching him play the character that I already in the flashback found to be just alright, it just came falling down. The whole way he carried the character just .... It was hard to watch. I got so irritated just looking at his smug face and for the majority of the series, I wanted him to stay quiet and out of sight, this sadly can't happen when the aforementioned person is the male lead. The female lead, Lee So Yeon as Jang Kook is ...better but still not good enough. The change from the young version and the adult one is way to drastic. It doesn't feel like the same person. I never found myself convinced that the girl I had watched earlier was the new woman in front of me. When that happens it's anything else than a good thing. The story feels less whole and feels less real then it should. It's just an unattractive thing to have when the person we're talking about is in fact the main female lead. I've only seen her in one other drama, I did love the drama and I liked the her character, but I think that's also the only series with her that I'll like, at least for the time being. If we take a look at all the other characters that is part of this little mess, there can be a lot of things said. The brother of the female lead and the drama around him is the one thing that, after the main story, is the most annoying to fallow. The girl that is in focus in that specific sidestory is one of the worst characters here, for me at least. The mother and the conflicts that arise between her and the grandmother is uninteresting. The other side of the series, meaning the male leads family is not any better. The uncle is likable and one of the few characters that I can stand. And for the first time I have absolutely nothing to say about the love rivals, Mind blown!
Now someone out there is thinking "Oh no! Is there not a single person in this series that actually is a good character?" To answer that, yes there is one character that I felt really attached to. He was, of course, best when in the flashback but he keeps on being the best when moving into the main story. The character I'm talking about is Park Moo Chul! He was enjoyable and felt real. He felt to be in good balance when between the young and older version, and that they could have been the same person. We got enough backstory about him to understand what and how everything in his life played out. His relationship with our mains is rather cute and was the better part of the story. If you ask me he and Jang Dal Rea/ Jang Kook made such a cuter and better couple then the one we got. Sadly that didn't happen. That is it in a nutshell.

I'm not going to say anything about the music, it's not anything magical or special in my point of view. I'm sure that there will be some person out there that will disagree with we, as there always is.

Are you really asking me about the rewatch value? The one and only reason to why I finished it was so that I could review it! So that I could warn people. Yes I liked Moo Chul, but remember I liked him the best in the flashback episodes and therefor disappeared way to long ago.

Overall and lastly. I'm not saying that you won't like this one. I'm sure that some of you will. However I don't and that is what I've presented to you. The show got destroyed by the flashback, if it had not been better than the main story, I would never have seen how bad the story really was. Most of all, this series have finally given me the rest of not looking for more dramas with Nam Gung Min. He's not going to surprise me with a topnotch role as of yet. No more looking for me,however if he comes across a shockingly perfect role for himself, I hope it comes falling into my lap so that I'll be proven wrong, however until then his labeled as an unliked actor.

It's all up to you, dear reader. As I always say, the choice of watching is all up the the person that is going to. If you find it interesting then watch if not then don't. Whom am I to decide that. All I do is say what I think and that's it.


Happy Watching!


Mivaaa!

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I started watching this series and really enjoyed the drama among the teenaged actors. The kids were very engaging and the young man who played the ML had a wonderful smile. They all did a great job standing up to the adult characters. The acting was very good among the adult characters but the moms were too neurotic for me. I have never seen two crazier women in my life.

The transition from teenagers to adults after the passing of 12 years felt disjointed. They didn't seem as invested in the characters as their teen counterparts. I hated that our lead male had turned into the worst kind of player, even though it was a coping mechanism to endure the past 12 years. He wasn't likable. None of the adult actors were. The moms were as crazy as ever and I felt I was losing patience with this drama. It's no wonder then that the show was cancelled and hastily wrapped up. Don't waste your time on this one.

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This show really had such great potential, but unfortunately the show was cut to half the episodes originally scheduled. Because of this, the show had an unsatisfactory ending with a lot of loose ends. It almost felt like they ended it with the hopes of having a second season, but second seasons are pretty much nonexistent for Korean dramas. The show does a good job of drawing you in when it goes through the storyline of the characters' youth at the beginning, but unfortunately the writers had to rush through the later half which really hinders the effect and feel of the overall storyline.

One thing that truly bothered me was the character of the female antagonist. She did something so horrible, but even to the end she doesn't show any real remorse and doesn't try to make amends for what she did. This may be due to the fact the show was cut in half and her character wasn't able to develop as it would have if the show was kept to the original length. In my experience of watching dramas, the antagonist will see the error in their ways and get some sort of punishment or have karma come back to bite them. I was sad to see the show did not allow for this.

Overall, the story had great potential but fell short. The show is good for re-watching select episodes, but I would not sit through watching all 26 episodes again.

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Story in 2 parts

The first part, in their teens or high school years was done very well. There was too much of parental expectation stuff, and of class differences in Korean society.

The second part, which has a reversal of fortunes, was not done too well. For one thing, I don't understand why they had to change the actors. People don't look completely different from when they are 18 and when they are 30. But the initial part of the story was touching and that is what I will remember this story for.

There was also a sad episode where the only reason for their separation was a note that was not delivered. Eventually, both of them thought the other had ditched them, all because of an undelivered note and a misunderstanding. But then, so many dramas are based on minor misunderstandings..

As so often happens, I went to re-watch the drama, and saw it has disappeared from Netflix. I will probably never see it again.

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