Having watched several of Park Shin Hye’s dramas, I realized that I had left out one of her supposed hit dramas which aired in 2011, 2 years after You’re Beautiful was aired. Right from the start, the shadow of Shin Woo ( Yonghwa’s role in You’re Beautiful) kept haunting me and even up till the final scene, I felt that Heartstrings merely served as an epilogue from You’re Beautiful.
Plot:
Disappointment is the word. Predictable is the reason. The opening scene wasn’t a BOOM straight away but the writer did attempt in inserting subtle hints regarding the personalities of the main characters. Lee Kyu Won having a trot song as her ringtone, Lee Shin’s relaxed yet poker face, in fact I thought that the mood was comfortable enough. Sadly, such careful writing trailed off towards the end, leading to nothing but a lazy and predictable plot.
Disappointment was up to the point where I was able to predict the lines of the actors/ actresses. This truly isn’t the way for a drama to receive high ratings. Though I thought the pace was pretty good right from the beginning, it started dwindling down from episode 7 onwards. Many a times, relationships often took a turn at wrong times/ scenes. It felt abrupt, nonsensical and seemingly superficial.
Ending:
The overall ending was actually pretty good (though predictable) except for the final kiss scene. Unlike The Heirs, the writer for Heartstrings had a good grasp over all characters and gave them a relatively good wrap up. However, the final kiss scene seriously ruined the whole episode.
It was so stiff it felt like it was 2 friends kissing each other, let to say how uncomfortable it is to watch. Mind you, it’s 2 lovers finally acknowledging their need and love for each other after 1 year of breakup. Major major sigh. To add on, the attempt to let history repeat itself (halfway this time) at the ending sums up to one word— cliche.
Apart from that, I thought that the walk down the memory lane between Shin and Kyu Won was heartwarming though classic. The writer sure did keep the mood consistent throughout the drama. Cudos to that! ^^
OST:
Honestly, I think the best part of Heartstrings is the OST. From the insertion of appropriate songs into specific scenes to the songs prepared for the centennial performance, this is really one of the best OST I’ve heard. While it is probably my first time hearing Kang Min Hyuk (CN BLUE drummer) sing, he sure didn’t disappoint fans and viewers!
Characters:
From the hesitant guy when it comes to love in You’re Beautiful to the seemingly cold and arrogant Shin in Heartstrings, he sure did loosen up quite a bit. There was obvious improvement in his acting but nevertheless I felt myself trapped between Shin and Shin Woo to and fro several times in Heartstrings.
That being said, I thought Yong Hwa did a pretty good job in uncovering the layers of his character. The scene where he rushed to the hospital upon receiving the news of his sister’s hospitalisation and his constant heartwarming visits to his dying fathershowed a completely different side of him. From a cool guitarist on stage to a devoted and warm person to the people he deeply cares about, Yong Hwa executed these sides of Shin without a sweat.
Similar to Yong Hwa, it seems like Park Shin Hye had yet to get over her role of Go Mi Nyu/Nam. Unveiling her layers are pretty much obvious the moment she toned down her cuteness to a more serious Kyu Won who became much more passionate in musicals and practices. Her expressions in such scenes truly live up to her title “Queen of Romance Comedy”.
Though Kang Min Hyuk took upon the role of Yeo Joon Hee as a supporting character, he sure plays a crucial role in maintaining the light-heartedness of the drama. With his naiveness as well as his never-ending ball of energy and faith, I found myself smiling at scenes featuring him.
Song Chang Eui played the role of Kim Suk Hyun, a director who returned from Broadway just in time to direct the centennial performance. As much as I love his character, I found myself confused many a times, especially when it comes to his feelings and attitude to Kyu Won. Is his biasness solely because he saw a rare talent in Kyu Won or that he might have romantic feelings for her? The clarification was only made clear in the 2nd last episode. Though the writer did clarify, I wish it was said much earlier for the focus of the drama shifted quite a bit due to that.
final say:
If you’re looking for a drama to kill your time, spazz about CN BLUE and occasional appearances of hot guys, or simply want to watch a typical romance comedy, this is the drama for you. That being said, it’s kinda sad to say that I wasn’t really hooked onto the drama ultimately.
Comes and Goes 