After watching the first episode of Goong, I didn't really want to continue it. It looked like a cheesy high school drama that I was too old to watch in my mid-twenties. It actually had little to do with high school, to my relief. The show doesn't start rolling or get entertaining till after episode 3 (thankfully I continued to watch because of the great reviews), but unlike the dramas I've watched so far, the ball continues to roll, twist, and keep you interested for the rest of the 21 episodes (all but a few parts of the last episode during the denouement). It does get a little dragged out towards the end, but it all contributes to the story - there's no unrelated side stories that I hate. I thought I knew what would happen from the get-go based on the plot and all the rags-to-riches stories I've read or watched. I was WRONG. Goong's story deserves a 10 or more if possible. The story is so intricately detailed and woven into the drama from early on. I love comedies, but this is not really a comedy. Every episode will tear your heart up with heart-wrenching line after line, words so deep with meaning that you can't tell right from wrong and you don't know who to side with. The writers really took advantage of everything. I LOVE how the competitor in love doesn't give up so easily like in many triangles, because there's nothing that's more unsuspenseful than a weak competitor. I wanted him to fight more though, but I guess that might have been overkill since the writers already had me in suspense and tears. BUY TISSUES!!! The only criticisms I have, and I'm not sure if this is what happens in all of Eun Yun Hye's dramas or not, is that her character randomly seemed to lose interest in the guy during the last episode to the point that I couldn't tell whether they'd end up together or not. However, it wasn't as bad as in Coffee Prince where it seemed like she just used the guy and changed her personality 180 degrees. In addition, for a couple episodes, they started using the cheap trick of using misunderstandings for the basis of problems. This is just nit-picking though. Like I said, the story is a 10, if not more. The cover of Goong where they're holding up wine glasses doesn't justify the characters. To be honest, that's one of the reasons I didn't want to watch this show at first. Who wants to watch a love story with ugly people? It's a shallow thing to say, but it's hard to believe that the girl is head-over-heels for a guy at first sight if their personality and looks are both lacking. I watched this show because I became a fan of Eun Yoon Hye after watching her on XMan and in Coffee Prince. She's one of the actresses that doesn't seem to get on your nerves in my opinion. I do have to say though that I thought her character was cuter in Coffee Prince. I did like how her character was more honest in this show, but some of the crying seemed like unnecessary pouting at times. She's still my favorite actress, however. Qualities I look for in lead roles are likeability and believability in crying, both of which she has. I also watched for Ji-Hyo after watching her in Running Man. I love how she's not whiny and goo-goo eyed over every guy she sees like other female stars on Running Man. She's cute and comedic. In Goong, I had doubts after seeing her character to begin with - about whether I liked the character or not. In the end, I wanted a little more from her but I did come to respect her character as well. I didn't find the two main guys attractive at first. In fact, I almost wanted to stop watching because of them. They didn't have the instant charm like Gong Yoo had with his wrinkle/dimples in Coffee Prince. They have more subtle qualities like Yul's voice which becomes comforting as time passes. Shin had very nice side and 3/4 views and Yul sometimes looked like Donghae from Super Junior. They weren't bad actors, and I saw each of them cry well at least once, but the guys seemed lacking in their emotional expressions in comparison to the girls. One time, Yul was even crying without tears, and it was a full-on cry, not just a sad/depressed type of soft cry. He does have significantly good moments though, and I do see why they were cast for their roles since Shin doesn't show much emotion and Yul is the caring type. As for the side characters, they were all chosen very well. I think only the sister seemed to not fit in - she was too happy to fit in with the mood. Yul's mother was an AMAZING actress; she's not the main character, and she didn't even have a good character, but I think she was actually the best actress in this show, which is very hard for a side character. She stole the show and the show would not be the same without her, which is a lot for me to say since I hate side characters, ESPECIALLY the parents in the majority of what I watch. They usually give annoying side characters but all of these characters, even Chae-Kyung's parents (who I found too weird in Boys Over Flowers and Playful Kiss), were heartwarming and believable. The friends (including servants) were not the annoying friends that you often see. They had their funny moments too. The drama had a good OST; I'd say a 7. One of the songs (Perhaps Love - Howl and J) was comparable to the OST from Secret Garden in how much I liked it. The placement of the music was only okay in my opinion though. I gave this show a re-watch value of 3. I say this in all my reviews, I don't like re-watching shows unless they're funny. Don't get me wrong, I loved this show and am adding it to my favorites list, but just like how Gladiator and Titanic were great, there's not much re-watch value to them since you know what's gonna happen. Overall, I'd rate this at only an 8 because I'm greedy and wanted a better ending in the last episode (just for reference, there are few stories that meet my expectations for good endings). Though I do like that they didn't just couple everyone off like they always do for a happy ending, but were still mindful of side-characters throughout the story. I also liked the ending of the other guy a lot, and found it touching and very fitting with his character. I didn't think this was as funny as dramas like Secret Garden (maybe because I've been watching Running Man with all the comedians), but I'd recommend this drama for anyone who wants a deep, thoroughly thought out story with no unrelated side stories, and words that will make your heart beat so hard that you have to hug a pillow while watching to keep it in.