What can I say about Crash Landing on You that hasn’t been said already? For starters this drama belongs to the Premier Division of k drama IMO, in line with Secret Garden, You Who Came From the Stars, Legend of the Blue Sea. Not entirely coincidental these dramas were aided by respectively the same actor, Hyun Bin, and the same screen writer, Park Ji Eun. The question remains: what’s so good about it? I think it is the right mix of story, actors & music.

The Story

Crash Landing on You combines many proven genres that capture a worldwide audience from the start: action, romance, comedy, drama, tragedy, business, rags & riches. Moreover it is meticulously written according to the golden rules of screen writing:
1. Use the time of your audience in such a way that they will not feel their time was wasted
2. Give people at least one character to root for
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water
4. Every minute must either reveal more of a character or advance the action
5. Start as close to the end as possible
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet your characters, make awful things happen to them to show what they are made of
7. Don’t try to please the whole world, this only weakens your storyline
8. Give your audience as much information as possible in order to stay hooked.
The storytelling is also rock solid: boy meets girl - they get into trouble - things go from bad to worse - there is a closure but at the same time it keeps us from knowing if new developments are good or bad, hoping for a sequel.

The Actors

Even well written stories are made or broken by the cast. In this case the acting of each and everyone was on point. I can’t imagine any other actor playing the lead than Hyun Bin (the stern and sturdy North Korean army officer Ri Jung Hyuk) and Son Ye Jin (the sophisticated South Korean chaebol heiress Yoon Se Ri). Also the supporting cast did a great job, with honorable mentions for Yang Kyung Won (sergeant Pyo Chi Su who speaks North Korean to a T according to North Korean defector Kang Nara) and Bang Eun Jin playing the emotionally scarred mother of Se Ri.

The Music

So, we've got our story and the right actors, but we can check the box of the soundtrack as well. This one leads the Top 10 of most downloaded OST’s at the moment I'm writing this review.

Rewatch

Sometimes I can forget a story as soon as the clue has been reached, but I think I will rewatch this drama. There are many layers in the episodes that deserve a re-run.

Verdict

Overall, if you haven’t seen this already, go watch it, and learn how k drama earned its reputation.