Okay here's my go on this show

Overall I like the story line, there are a lot a of great elements that make up this show. The actors did a great job in expressing their characters, even after the transition to the other set of actors doing the older characters, it's stil on point and I really like how the story progresses throughout the entire show.

There are however some things that I don't like and some things that I absolutely can't live with--

(1) In the first 10 to 12 episodes there is a lot of crying. I mean it's a drama, I get it, but for most of the time you're wondering why they are even crying, because most of the time I did not have any feelings of compassion towards character in question. I think they could have done with a little less tears and more talking or something. In fact the first episode, I was even close to dropping the show as the crying kept on going for almost 10 minutes, then the scene transitions and there was even more crying.

(2) Music overlay on Karaoke and performances in cafes/clubs.
At some point there is a karaoke party going on, but we can't actually hear the characters sing or perform their karaoke. Now I'm not a big fan of karaoke but how they did it here is overlay some music that seemed like it had nothing to do with the scene, which distracts you from the show and pulls you out of the zone. It's like watching a movie without sound. Same happened with this girl in the cafe and on some other occasions in the show. I'm not sure why they've done this, maybe it was for legal reasons, they perhaps couldn't put on the actual song or something...

(3) Incomplete and rushed ending.
Everything up to episode 25 was super, apart from a few things that could've been better, as mentioned above. Episode 26 is in my opinion a complete disaster. It looks like the crew ran out of money and rushed the ending, leaving a lot of threads open. For instance, what happens with Kang Ham Cho and Jang Hoon at the end? or what about Joo Chul-soo? Did they (main leads) actually get married? What about their Mothers? What happens between Da Hae and Jun Sung? Or to the father of Da Hae? For a moment I thought there would be a second season but since the show was aired in 2014 I doubt there will ever be one... Maybe I'm looking it at the wrong side. Maybe the creators wanted an open ending?

(4) Music (stolen) or borrowed from Boys Over Flowers (S-Korea 2009)
If you've seen Boys Over Flowers, you'll instantly recognize the song they used in some episodes.