Benvenuti a Samdal-ri (2023)

A wholesome sometimes chaotic drama that shows the values of having family and friends

A good wholesome heartwarming story that shows you can withstand everything when your family is by your side.
A girl who loses everything in an instant unwillingly goes back to her hometown and slowly gains back her confidence and rises up again to face the world. In the process old scars are healed, broken relationships are fixed, the love that was once lost blooms up again.

Shin Hye Sun nails it again just like she has done in every drama she has starred in. Be it portraying a strong and ambitious photographer Eun Hye or the girl behind that strong persona who is just trying to run away from her painful past. She manages to show all the emotions spot on.

Ji Chang Wook is one hell of a versatile actor. From portraying a monstrous grey character in "The Worst Of Evil" to the sweet yet chaotic guy next door in this show, he shines brightly. Him as Yong Pil is one big green flag of a guy who is always there for his loved ones and is ready to sacrifice anytime for their happiness.

The chemistry between the leads as two childhood sweethearts turned ex is amazing. Be it their childish banter or making up for regrets, everything is done beautifully. It isn't just the leads but also the side characters that make it even more fun to watch. Each and every character is placed well in the story and are quite enjoyable to watch.

The show has plenty of cute, funny, chaotic, emotional and uplifting moments making it a really good watch and worth your time.

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This is it. This is my comfort drama.

This is it. I found my comfort drama. Whenever people would say that "this was their comfort drama", I never understood what that meant. Sure, I had dramas that I loved, dramas that I would rewatch, and dramas that I thought were absolute masterpieces. But this is the only drama where I definitely felt "this is my comfort drama". This was such a feel good, slice of life, realistic drama. I absolutely loved it and I know I'll be coming back to watch this time and time again.
I don't think I have much else to say, sure the drama may have its flaws but this was such a heartwarming ride that I really don't mind. It was still such a beautiful portrayal of life, friendship, and family.

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Worth Getting Past The First Few Episodes

I really felt like the story picked up much more around halfway through, and it has been the most enjoyable ride ever since. Incredible acting and just a great comfort watch in general. all the characters are so cute, I don’t feel the need to skip through anything. It was hard for me to like the female lead in the beginning but once the story starting picking up pace, and we got to see her motivations and empathetic character come forward more it was a lot easier to enjoy the FL story and plight more. All of the characters are adorable in this show, and it was very cathartic with a wholesome & happy ending.

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sheer joy

It was such a nice drama, i loved it.
Refreshing, satisfying and so lovely
made me laugh so much and some time it made me cry
every actors were amazing
Shin hye sun and ji chang wook is my all time favorite actors so i have a special love for this drama.
As a person who watched most of the completed k dramas out there i am really amused by recent dramas.
There was a time i thought i want be able to find nice dramas anymore but dramas i watched recently were all amazing.
I am such a simp for feel good dramas
anyone who want to have a peaceful and refreshing time amidst this tiresome life ,i assure you that this series will be a great choice.
And the ost guyzzzz it was the bestt....
the song brings a nostalgic and happy feel to the whole drama that fills our heart with sheer bliss. This drama introduced me to this great song which is going to be one of my all time favorite korean song.

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SENSATIONAL STORY AND PHENOMENAL ACTING

I could go on and on about this drama, and I will. But for now, all I want to say is that THIS IS MY COMFORT DRAMA. Yong Pil and Sam Dal's chemistry was so outstanding. Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang work are two of the most impressive and versatile actors I have ever known, and they did justice to Yong-Dal relationship dynamic.

Both Yong Pil and Sam Dal's character individually are just as impressive as the couple. Yong Pil is such a green flag, I love how Sam Dal could always count on Yong Pil and how he never left her alone. This is true love right here.

As for Sam Dal, she's truly iconic. A woman who possessed great talents, worked hard to make her dreams come true and yet she had to find herself in order to heal her heart. She is unstoppable.

I also loved the slight contrast between their characters that, in my opinion, made them understand each other better. Their personalities fit together so perfectly, they truly redefined soulmatism.

The story is comforting and uplifting. It's all about healing and finding yourself. It's about being able to spread your wings and flying high, knowing that there are people who have your back and they will always catch you when you fall. This drama truly taught me so many things.

I could go on and on, but I need everybody to watch it!!

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Something special about this drama.

I've seen 70+ kdramas and started countless others, and rarely does a drama stick with me like this. But this one, gosh. I finished this a few days ago and I'm still not over it. I can't start anything new because nothing else compares. I feel like I'm trying to get over an ex lol.
Anyways, Ji Chang Wook just has these eyes that look so full of love I can't stop thinking about that look. And Shin Hye Sun is just such a talented actress. And their love, aghhhh. How can I ever watch a drama that's not about them??@?@??
Also, Ko Mi Ja's story and the sweetness of the town and its people, and the soundtrack, all stand out to me.
The story and reasoning of characters is sometimes a bit off, but overall the writing was good and the plotlines came together well overall.
This one's going down as one of my all time favorites.

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An outstanding and invigorating series.

From start to finish, both characters encapsulated the essence, making me feel like I was truly in my homeland, spending quality time with my family. This show earnestly endeavors to depict the emotions inherent in every relationship—be it with parents, siblings, or friends. It highlights the idea that even when we hit rock bottom in our lives, there is always someone from our neighborhood or circle of friends standing behind us, ready to offer support. Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun delivered exceptional performances, showcasing incredible chemistry both as lovers and childhood friends. It's been a while since I've seen Ji Chang Wook make such a remarkable comeback, and he looked handsome in every scene. Finally, I love the whole friends' gang Power Rangers they were the best!!!!!

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I'M GLAD I STAYED TIL THE END

This drama started a little slow. I couldn't watch the first few episodes continuously.

BUT it gets better midway. While most of the most hyped dramas' plots drop midway, this drama gets more interesting in the second half which is very rare.

I love how they reveal everything in every episode.

We also get to know the story of the other characters in the drama apart from the main leads' drama.

There was a doubt on the chemistry between the leads at first, but in the end, they became one of the chemistry in kdrama. They don't need those unnecessary make out scenes, their gazes and cuddles were enough already.

I love the ending. The people from the hometown that she refused to go back, the people who she thought would badmouth her for becoming a failure in Seoul were actually the same people who truly cared and loved her.

I also love how they did not stretch out the whole revenge plot on Bang Eun Ju because it was not worth it.

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Underwhelming

I think this is really down to preference. I guess there was no promise of revenge from the start and the drama is meant to focus on Samdal’s self discovery, heading back to her roots. But I was expecting a little bit more drama to be honest.

They created this pretty nonchalant character at the beginning when Samdal was so cool about her ex-boyfriend cheating on her. Then they also built up a story about how bitter and just jealous this Bang Eun Joo was. And it stops there. The rest of drama, we witness all the back and forths between Samdal and Yong Pil in which till this day the break up was still a little stupid to me.

We spent a good amount of time digging way back to why the couple broke up and then got back together; seeing the sub-plots between the other two sisters and their partners; making sense out of why Yong Pil’s dad hated the family. With a lot of draggy built ups and fillers, we’ve finally reached the part where the drama comes to a close. At this point, I had given up hope of seeing any drama comeback from Samdal, the big revenge or karma on Eun Ju and this big mystery of why Samdal couldn’t go back to her hometown and breaking up with Yong Pil. Spoiler alert, none of them was interesting.

This drama is probably nice to watch if you are looking for something to play in the background - uneventful, peaceful and non-dramatic.

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