Flat out, this drama is a big waste of time. It’s been almost a year since I watched this drama, and to this day, whenever someone mentions “Heartstrings,” I am reminded of the 22.5 hours of my life that I can never have back (yes, I calculated it). I’m being harsh. But my point is that there are a lot of good dramas to dedicate your time to. Hell, there are even some bad ones that are so funny that they’re more worth your time than this! Heartstrings presents itself as a “feel-good,” light-hearted romantic comedy. And within the first few episodes, it absolutely seems fun and cute! The two leads are very cute, the music is upbeat and catchy, and the settings are cool, hip and visually appealing. But the more you actually learn about the two leads and the storyline develops, the less appealing everything and everyone becomes and the drama takes a significant nosedive into mediocrity. Park Shin Hye makes a series of obnoxious choices, making her character change from the cute yet naive “girl next door,” to a vapid, slightly idiotic doormat. Jung Yong Hwa is the typical popular guy that everyone in town loves and/or desires, but for no apparent reason other than being physically attractive. The man has the personality and charisma of an ice cube. He also spends much of his time walking around with a chip on his shoulder and being unkind to the people around him. Oooh, so attractive...But not really. I also didn't care for the way the writers handled the issue of an eating disorder with one of the characters. It was casually referenced periodically, but the writers never took any responsibility or stance on the topic. That was pretty unacceptable to me considering the audience for this drama is primarily young women. Since they brought it up, they could have at least made an impactful statement on the issue, but alas. And don’t get me wrong, not all dramas have to be profound, political, thought-provoking or mind-blowing. Some dramas are meant to be taken in like yummy junk food--fun and enjoyable in the moment, where you don’t need to think too deeply about the plotline. Guilty pleasures, if you will. But even as a fun, junk-food drama, Heartstrings fails. I can’t think of anything worse than eating unsatisfying junk food. It’s already bad for you, and in the end, it doesn’t taste good either! If you’re looking for a good “junk-food” genre drama, go with Mary Stayed Out All Night or Switch Girl. Those dramas succeed in their genre and won’t leave you pulling out a calculator to estimate how much time you wasted on them...Like I did watching Heartstrings... 22.5 hours...That’s almost an entire day...