The Greatest Love (2011)

There are a few kdramas out there that reach a level in quality far above others for smart writing, snappy dialog, rich plot and character development. Add the spice of comedy and the satisfying element of a very well told dramatic story and The Greatest Love is in this top tier. It is a Great story.

Cha Seung Won and Gong Hyo Jin: They are both amazing actors. They are perfectly cast and it shows through every goofy moment and every scene that pulls at your heart.

This story is set in the entertainment world and probably sheds a glaring spotlight on the trappings and "traps" of fame. Each character is fame's satelite planet spinning in orbit around it's shiny tempting sun.

Dokko Jin is a man with a lot of hits under his belt. His image is stellar and it wins him the best CF's and shields him from getting laid low when a movie release isn't quite up to par. He can play the press like a finely tuned piano. He understands his world and he's comfortable there...on top. Everything is image...even love. Gu Ae Jung is a woman who had a taste of fleeting fame in her young 20's and knows exactly what it feels like when you are knocked from that pedestal. She has learned how to work her bad reputation to make a living. She knows what to do, how to act and dress and she's comfortable at the bottom so long as she can keep working. When they meet it throws their perspective worlds into chaos. It is a chaos neither of them are ready for.

Dokko Jin doesn't know what to do with the feelings he has outside of and in spite of, the image he has cultivated. He has lived so long in his fame bubble he is emotionally stunted. What he has come to expect is completely different than what the real world will hand him. We get to watch him open his eyes, watch his dumbfounded, drunken baby steps toward the light. ...And it's funny! It's clumsy and awkward. It's so completely tender and heart wrenching as well.

Gu Ae Jung doesn't know how to handle this mess of a man; who invades her life, pulls her into his bubble and goes after her with all the grace and finesse of a bull in a china shop. She has lived so long understanding that one word taken out of context can flay her and one mistaken step can shove her down to the bottom and cause pain. She knows she has to be careful in this world that drags her into a light which seems warm and friendly at first only to burn her when she dares to step to close. She knows better.

...and yet when the heart starts beating of its own accord and the petals strewn across the path lead to someone you can't stop loving, you have to be brave and make choices.

Gu Ae Jung is our everywoman in this story. She is the one we identify with and root for. She is the reluctant hero. Dokko Jin is our damsel in distress. The charm of this show is that it is so well written and entertaining you don't realize at first and when you do, you realize its genius!

The second leads and side characters are written smartly as well. They aren't just comic relief or one dimensional characters built as foils for the OTP. They have good reasons to be in our main character's lives. Best friends, brothers, agents and managers etc... They serve the narrative of the story rather than break us apart from it as if we need some sort of forced breather from the action or story filler. Smart Hong Sisters!

Yoon Pil Joo: Best second lead ever! I fell in love with him falling in love. Yoon Kye Sang is amazing. Time to go find every other thing he's ever acted in and watch it.

I found this show sublime. 'Crack me up' hilarious and 'Wrench my heart, why don't you?' emotional. Don't miss it. It is extraordinary.

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Curiosity... curiosity led me to watch this drama. Wondering why does everybody give it the highest rating? There's no question about the story because for me, it was the best plus it is humorous and romantic at the same time. Well, regarding about the characters, I was quite unaware of them except for that Manager Jang who is also a North Korean soldier in the K2H. Who are these lead characters? I first researched about them. Woah, the main guy is 42y/o??? How come he's gotten so so HOT!!! HAHAHA. As for the lead girl, never really knew her. So I gave it a try.
Likes:

1. CSW's perfect delivery of lines
2. Funny acts
3. OSTs (totally love Du Geun2x)
4. the potato
5. Dingdong kid
6. CSW's extremely HOOOOOOT body!
7. plot
8. ending message of CSW (my first time to watch a drama with an ending msg from one of the characters)
9. sneakers
10. their love for each other

Dislikes:





NONE!!!!!!!!!




SCORE: 10/10

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What made me watch this drama in the first place was the amount of positive reviews for it. I had no idea what to expect, and I didn't bother to read the synopsis. After finishing the first episode, I honestly didn't get what the big deal was. The characters seemed ok enough, but the story seemed pretty standard (with some cute special effects thrown in). Once I started to watch the 2nd episode, all of the high reviews started to make sense.

Cha Seung Won and Gong Hyo Jin's chemistry was palpable. I loved the hilariously charming arrogance of Dokko Jin, and that Gu Ae Jung was a secure female lead. I felt my heart flutter, and break with them throughout. I guess there is nothing really new about their relationship scenario, but it still felt fresh, and was exciting to watch.

I also have to say that Yoon Kye Sang, was one of my favorite second leads ever. He was so great as Yoon Pil Joo (aka "Mr. Perfect"), that I felt myself starting to root for him [team pil-line!]. My only complaint is that Dr. Perfect started to seem a little too repetitive towards the end. It seemed like the hong sisters just didn't know what to do with him after a while.

Speaking of the Hong Sisters, I think they did a great job making this drama fun. The music played a large role in setting the mood, and the cast was great, but it's the script that played the biggest role in what worked (and what didn't). Even though I knew how things would generally turn out, there were many rewatchable moments, moments that made me swoon, moments that caught me off guard, moments that brought unexpected tears, and moments that made me laugh out loud.

I also have to mention little "Ding Dong" who was so cute. The bromance between him & Dokko Jin were some of my favorite moments.

I'll admit I didn't have much interest in the girl group backstory, though I do think It was funny watching them mask the fact that Gong Hyo Jin is not the greatest singer. The fact that such small things could cause such huge scandals for Hallyu stars felt exaggerated to me, so It was hard for me to get too invested in that part of the drama. I think that has a lot to do with my cultural differences than anything at fault with the drama itself. It still swayed my overall opinion of this drama, and made me lean more towards 8 than 9.

Although it sometimes reminded me of other dramas (and not just because of the shiny tracksuits), I think "The Greatest Love" still holds it's own. I can easily see why it is high on so many people's favorites list, and I certainly never expected to love "The Greatest Love" as much as I did. Add me to the bunch of people who highly recommend this Rom-Com. If the romance in this one doesn't get to you at all, you might want to check to see if you still have a pulse.

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I was SO wrong about this drama! Initially I was not interested in this. Although I kept hearing how good this was, it just didn't look good to me (I'll fully admit to judging a drama by its cover a lot...and being wrong a lot!). I finally decided that I was going to take the plunge and see what the big deal was all about.

If you enjoyed Fated to Love You or Master's Sun (2 of my favorite dramas), I think you will enjoy this show also. Dok Go Jin reminded me of both Lee Gun and Joo Joong Won - like he was a mashup of both these characters. He starts off as arrogant and self-centered and he can't imagine why he's having feelings for Gu Ae Jung who is not on his "level". And he can also be childish and petty. A character that I was not remotely interested in at ALL became a very beloved character to me throughout this show. And Ae Jung is a sympathetic character - the one who gives and gives.

I would have given this a perfect 10, but the story was really just a simple fluffy romance. But it was a romance story that warmed my heart anyway. It had some flaws in the story, but they did not take away from my enjoyment in any major way. Dok Go Jin's love for Gu Ae Jung was unstoppable. There were cute moments, funny moments, teary moments, frustrating moments...The Hong Sisters really know how to illicit emotion. It may not have been a groundbreaking story, but it was enjoyable and full of heart and I know that I will watch this again. I thought the chemistry between the leads was good, and I enjoyed the secondary characters for the most part. I especially loved "Ding Dong".

I may be over-rating this for some, but I truly enjoyed it despite its flaws. And ratings are entirely subjective. ;) I also loved the way the ending was done. I'm a fan of epilogue moments, and I feel like this story was wrapped up very well with a very satisfying ending.

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Where do I begin?
I started watching this drama because it was the holiday season and I desired a good romance comedy, and I followed a friends recommendation and started watching this. I can't say that I instantly fell in love with this drama, but I did like this drama from the beginning.

Story:
Overall, I enjoyed the story immensely. So why did I give it a 9 instead of a 10? It's because you know who ends up with who. It's not going to shock you in anyway if you've watched any korean romance comedies. Other than that though.

Cast/Acting:
Perfection. It couldn't have been better. The only thing that was somewhat "different" was Dok Go Jin's voice. His voice is "different". In the end it becomes the most soothing voice though.

Music:
The music did its job very well.

Rewatch Value:
I'm not much of a rewatcher, but I probably will not rewatch this like most other dramas and movies.

Overall:
Overall, I enjoyed this drama so so so much. It's a great drama that'll have you laughing and crying in no time. It's one of the best Romance Comedies out there. Oh and the ending was just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
So go and watch it! You'll enjoy it!

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Need a break from melodramas? And in search of a short drama? Watch this romantic comedy!

Seriously, I enjoyed watching this drama from beginning to end. There wasn't an episode where I didn't laugh like a crazy lady. I watched this after watching Master's Sun because I really enjoyed Gong Hyo Jin performance there and though she was also great in this drama and the two leads had great chemistry too, truth be told, I feel anyone could have played her role. Her performance here didn't fascinate me as it did in Master's Sun. The real star of this drama, and first time watching him perform, is Cha Seung Won.

Cha Seung Won's character came to mind as the most GIF-able character ever! His antics and overall mannerism never once bored me when he appeared on scene. His sad scenes even blew me away on how touching they were. Such a great actor! He makes you want you to watch more and more. And such an eyecandy he is.

Music was so crazy but so enjoyable. The lack of cohesion worked in this drama. I loved all the tunes.

Great drama, you wont be sorry to watch this hilarious drama.

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I saw the first episode of this drama when it came out, but I simply didn't like it, I don't know why.

But, a few days ago I finished a drama and I said to myself well if everyone is talking about it and it's getting so much recognition then it must have something good. And, as soon as I started watching it, I fell in love.



Story-It's really interesting because, as in Dream High, it gives you a chance to see a little of the inside world of Hallyu. Besides it doesn't get tiring at any time and it moves really fast, without losing any time. I specially loved that unlike most dramas, he was the one who fell in love first, and isn't afraid to admit it.



Acting-I was really impressed, specially with the main lead. I have to admit that at first I had my reservations because he was so OLD. But then I started noticing his acting and he's REALLY good. He is so much better than the female lead and is always setting the mood for the scene. The supporting actors were also very good and funny.



Music-It is great, there is always a great song accompanying each scene, completely according to the mood. I specially liked the suspense music because it made the scenes funnier. And of course I loved "Bum bum"! It is so catchy that I find myself humming it at times!



Rewatch value-I'd completely rewatch this drama, and probably will in vacations.



overall-so 10

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First time,I was unsure to watch this drama..
I know Gong Hyo Jin because a lot of rom-comedy drama that she had.
However, she didn't leave me so much impression about her.
But, I didn't have any idea who Cha Seung Won was..
And I found that the two main leads weren't attractive for me..
So, I didn't interested to watch..
Then, I accidentally read some comments that showing it deserved to be watched. Finally, I decided to watch!!!!
OMG!! Although, the story about celebrity's life wasn't new for me..
The plot is great!! Every character was portraying their role so well..
What I can't forget about this drama is the sexiness of Dok Go Jin's voice.. "Ding Dong" >.<
Now, I'm loving them both lol.. :)
The ost songs are so sweet and enjoyable..
I don't recommend this drama for everyone who looking for attractive main leads.. But, I recommend this one for everyone who looking for drama that worth to watch.. Don't miss it!!!

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I hesitated to watch this drama a lot, mainly because at the time the summary didn't intrigue me. After a while, however, I finally decided to give this a shot! I don't regret watching this, it was quite entertaining and hilarious, but I don't think it deserves the large quantity of praise it has received (a lot of 10s lol).
What I liked:
-Dok Go Jin: Seriously, his portrayal has been one of my favorites. I'm not a huge fan of over-exaggerating, but when it's done as funny as Cha Seung Won did, then I'm not gonna complain. He was one of the reasons why I laughed so hard watching this. He is honestly the highlight of the show! "Oh-kaaaay!" "Perfaaaact!" "Paaaaantaaay!" I'll never, ever be able to listen to those words without remembering him :P
-The melodies: OMG some were so random, but they had me laughing. Honestly. Especially whenever they played when Dok Go Jin did something. There was this "suspenseful" one that had me ROFLing. Like Dok Go Jin would say, there were peeerfaact!
What I didn't like:
-The fact that it wasn't able to suck me in like most dramas I've watched. Don't get me wrong, this was good. And I watched the first 5 epis on the same day, no breaks in between. But there was a moment in the middle that I nearly dropped this drama (which I'm glad I didn't). It wasn't slow... but it just didn't pull me in as much.
-Gu Ae Jong: At first I loved her. Then she annoyed me. Then I disliked her. And then I didn't hate her. Some of the decisions she pulled off weren't my cup of tea, but I still rooted for her (thankfully).
At the end of the day, this drama was far from bad, but it didn't reach the sky-high expectations that had been set out for me. However, I do recommend this to people who are fond of the jerky-more-like-adorable main male leads :)

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