Secret Garden (2010)

personally, I didn't expect much from this drama, but it definitely exceeded my expectations! Its not my favorite (but then again theres a crap ton of competition out there in dramaland) but its definitely on my top ten list. I liked how there was a lot more romance in it versus other romantic dramas. It didn't take the leads 14 episodes just to even decide they liked each other so that left a lot more room for romantic moments which were amazing.

plot/story: while to me, the drama seemed to be lacking a plot, I could still appreciate the main theme being falling in love and have fate bring you together in an extremely interesting way. I really felt like the two in this drama were destined for eachother and the body switching made their love seem more like the love between destined soul mates then just a simple crush like I've seen in other dramas.

actors: the actors were incredible in this drama! Even when they switched bodies you could definitely tell who was who by their behaviors and mannerisms. I thought the actors did an excellent job in depicting the opposite gender while switched from the way they answered their cell phones to how they sat. That in itself showed some amazing acting skills. Plus I really felt like they were genuinely crying in the sob scenes. I'm serious though, they must have envisioned a mass murder of puppies or something in order to cry like that.

characters: I really enjoyed their characters. The main girl never became a 'flat' character, she remained with a lot of depth and the male lead was the perfect combination of playful and sexy. There were other characters I wished they would have developed more like the director at her stuntman place. I really wish he would have come forth with his feelings or something, instead he just kind of faded away and it would have been nice to have more of a love triangle. However, I can appreciate that maybe they decided against that because I could see how it would take some of the spot light off the main theme which was unconditional love so maybe a lack of love triangle was for the best.

music: the music was good, I liked it. Nothing that memorable and some of it sounded like it came off of other dramas ( I swear there was one song in it that sounded like the one used in Scent of a Woman) but they played the music at good times and the music always related to the scene which was nice.

Other: on another note, I really enjoyed the action too in this! they had some great excerpts from her role as a stuntwoman which were really entertaining to watch. I especially liked the motorcycle scene.

And the ending was definitely one of the best I've ever seen in a drama. Really, thought, absolutely perfect and beautiful ending.

over all, I thought this was a really touching and beautiful drama. I'll probably rewatch it again some time in the future.

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This drama is my all time favorite. Re-watch value is off the charts. There are so many special elements that come together to make a beautiful story. It makes you laugh, cry, cringe (Kim Joo Won did you really just say that) and cheer. There is no way to catch all the layers in one watching. Hyun Bin is perfection as the lead. You love and hate his character often at the same time. He portrays so beautifully what it means to be attracted to someone you didn't expect or want to be attracted to and that you know could mean giving up everything you thought you valued in life. Ha Ji Won is wonderful as Gil Ra Im. I can't imagine another actress in this part. I appreciated how the writer kept coming up with situations that Kim Joo Won's mom catches the couple in that are impossible to explain and that only fuel her hard line that Gil Ra Im is beneath her son and will never be good enough. Also love love love Oska.

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I wanted to like it, but Hyun Bin can't save this drama

I am here to rant because I do not understand why people love this drama. I watched this after watching Crash Landing on You because I think I might actually be in love with Hyun Bin, but then I started this drama in which I spent 14 episodes hating his character. He is degrading and possessive, and he both sexually and emotionally harasses her and for some reason she likes it? I mean to each their own, but why would you fall in love with someone who says things like "she's temporary"? Ugh, in the end I finished it and I'm happy I did if only because Hyun Bin is such a good actor he even plays this narcissistic jerk well. Gil Ra Im is a badass but acts like a punching bag for Kim Joowon so I ended up sorta disliking her. I enjoyed the times when they switched places the most because Hyun Bin was adorable as a girl. I do not believe they share any chemistry and am wondering if I watched the same drama as the people giving this a 10/10? Please, don't ever date someone who treats you like Kim Joowon. On the other hand, the secondary couple are slightly more interesting, and Oska is a freaking gem.

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By far the best drama I have seen to date and I have feeling it'll remain that way for years to come. Hyun Bin plays the lead role so exceptionally well it's hard not to acknowledge his immense talent. In my opinion, this Ha Ji Won's best performance. Actually each character in this drama is just perfect for their role. The storyline is so brilliant and is captured just as flawlessly on screen - It's a complicated story to tell but the behind the camera team did an excellent job drawing out the right emotions in the viewers. If you haven't seen this drama I highly recommend that you do. You won't be disappointed.

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ahhh, what a breath of fresh air this drama, so unlike what Rasheed said.I dont think the end was cliche at all, I was actually expecting a different ending.
This show made me laugh so hard, i actually took a longer time to finish watching it than I had expected because I had to be replaying the scenes as they were so romantic or sooooo funny.I had thought that this show was gonna be lame, but bwoy was I wrong.

A must see

I sooooooooooooooooooo love Hyun Bin, so cute.love the dimples. Ha Ji-won---that girl can act.

This was a fab combo.

would love to see them in aonther drama together as the main cast. anyone knows the director of secret garden, please let him know this.lol.

xoxo

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I absolutely LOVED this drama. Which is funny because the only reason I watched this drama was because of Netflix. I actually saw the first episode a year ago and I don't know what I was thinking but I ended up dropping it; I'm so happy I gave it another shot.

The main protagonists had great chemistry with one another. When they switched bodies, both of them played their role very well and with such humor. I kept laughing throughout the drama. I think this alongside Lie To Me where I laughed so much.

The tracksuits were the star of this drama; I actually ended up really liking the purple one for me, lol.

Unlike other dramas, this one didn't drag with the couples indecisiveness. It was refreshing to see the guy lust over the girl.

In all honestly, I skipped over the scenes of the second couple, the antagonist later in the episodes. Their scenes were "meh."

Beautiful drama, def. recommend.

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This is my first drama with the main couple actors and ever since i love them both. their skill is amazing and she fits her parts so perfectly. this is also my first drama ware the guy is despratly chasing the girl amd also my first fantasy drama. i hesitated in watching it beacuse of the fatasy part and im not normally a fan. but this drama opened ne doors for me. i recomend this drama to anyone beacuse it is just so fantasticly made and it will keep you on the edge of your seat. you really dont expect the things you already know are gonna happen to happen and thats what really draws me to this drama. in short, WATCH IT!!!

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Secret Garden starts off quicker than most dramas and starts rolling around episode 3 or 4. I finished the entire series in 2 days because of all the cliff hangers. Although the rich guy/poor girl or switching bodies plots aren't new (which is why I gave the story a 6), the show was entertaining. Although some parts are very predictable like who she'll end up with from the beginning, it's not as predictable from the beginning as I imagined. Notice how I mention from the beginning, since they do give you clues to different parts of the story. The story is entertaining and keeps you laughing from the beginning to the end, though it does drag on a little at the end and there's a couple parts that go unexplained.

At first, Seul's acting wasn't too great but it gets better to the point where you sympathize and relate to her even though she's the antagonist. The friend, who by the way is played by Yoo In Na (from You Who Came from the Stars) and Secretary Kim are very funny. You want to see these side characters. Mr. creepy stare (you'll know who I'm talking about once you watch it) seemed like a bad actor at first, but now that I see how comedic the entire show was, I think he was doing to to fit in. Hyun Bin is a great singer (that OST was stuck in my head for DAYS) and funny actor, but can't cry. I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone. Also, he's handsome, but not when he smiles. He smiles when he cries by the way, which makes the crying seem comedic at times when it shouldn't be. (I'm still a big fan though, I love when he becomes a girl and screams). He's very endearing.

The only problem I had with the body switching thing is that they didn't try to imitate each others' characters. Hyun bin tried to be really feminine when he was pretending to be Ra Im, but Ra Im was masculine in the beginning of the show and before the switch. Likewise, Ji Won tried to be overly masculine in how she walked and sat when she pretended to be Joo Won, but he carried himself in what seemed to be a more sophisticated type of sitting and walking. He would never do something like checking out girls as a guy, so the switch was sort of unbelievable in that sense. It was also unbelievable that the main girl was poor. Her hair and clothes looked more expensive than his more than half the time. I guess I'm just nit-picking. The show was funny and the romance was cute. I only hated seeing one character which wasn't even shown that often. The romantic climax was moving, but not to the point of tears. I think they could have done more with it. Parts of it did seem like cop outs, where things got solved without any particular reason.

Overall I liked the show and would recommend it for someone who's looking for something funny and romantic in a cute sense. It's not a drama that's heart wrenching, but very fun to watch. The last few episodes were dragged out though. The music was amazing. I love the OST, especially the Hyun Bin version. I don't re-watch shows usually, but I'd watch this because it's funny.

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So there are a few things I want to address:

1. The Romance: The chemistry was admittedly there. I watched countless dramas where, yes, the lead couple was ship worthy and had me swooning over them but it was evident that the actors who played the leads were just great actors. In Secret Garden though, it was difficult for me to say the looks they gave each other was just pure acting skills. Of course, I'm not here to jump into the conclusion that Ha Jiwon and Hyun Bin were actually in love, because obviously they're just close friends, but I'm trying to say that their on screen chemistry was so good that the thought of the romance just being a product of acting never crossed my mind. They made me believe in their love.

But aside from all the good things I have to say about them (which are a lot), I do think that their relationship was a bit confusing. At the start, when all he did was insult her, I was genuinely questioning what the hell was going to happen especially because she seemed to hate him a lot. They would have constant fights surrounding similar issues and I was always just confused with both of their stupidity like really? Was that really necessary? Their fights were so frustrating that it nearly had be stop watching but I pulled through because the story was still interesting. Eventually, these insults and fights and all the things I thought were ridiculous ended up becoming endearing. During the last few episodes, the references to their fights and the way they jokingly insulted each other made me come to love the couple for how different they were from the rest of the K-drama lead couples. Their love was made from a cliche but turned into something unique and cute.

I also have to say that the side couples were great as well. A-yeong and Secretary Kim made me laugh a lot and Oska and Seul were just amazing to say the least. The latter couple had their faults which I won't get into because they seem pretty obvious (like the lack of freaking communication, we aren't in elementary yall) and everyone simply knows.

2. The Acting: Okay, guys, the ACTING. Ha Jiwon and Hyun Bin were literally amazing, I swear on my bank account. I'm a picky person. I won't watch a dramas unless I know there's a good actor - which is perhaps why I never watch new K-dramas unless they have pro actors - and with Secret Garden, I knew that Hyun Bin and Ha Jiwon were great, I knew. But seeing them portray each others characters was honestly such a good experience. The fact that not only did they portray another gender, not only did they portray each other in real life, they portrayed each others FICTIONAL characters and I think that really proves how amazing they are. I've watched multiple projects of Hyun Bin and I promise, his characters are nothing alike. When I watched Crash Landing on you after Hyde, Jekyll, Me and The Negotiation, I could not process how all his characters were played by him. He's great.

Of course, let's not neglect the side characters. Oska and Seul, oh gosh, they were great. I've never seen another project of the actress who played Seul but I absolutely loved her in Secret Garden especially her character development. It was fun to watch. And Yoo In Ah! She's a really gifted actress. Like Hyun Bin, all her characters seem so different from the other that's it's difficult to believe they were played by the same person.

OVERALL: It's something you definitely have to watch but I do warn you that things move pretty slowly. In the end, I think the slow pacing is worth it because once you finish, you'll immediately miss it. The funny banter between the leads and the rest of the characters, the switching, and the build up to the secret reveal. When I say every character in Secret Garden was worth watching, I mean it. All the character development made me emotional.

Also, I just wanna say, the OST of this gives out so much feels.

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OhmyGod I loved this drama so much!! My new favorite! I've been going around recommending this to anyone I know who watches Kdramas. I've been talking about this drama with my mom for days! So much so that my mom has started ignoring me in the hopes that I would go away. And I eventually did. To rant about this drama to you guys!

Story: The story was amazing! It was very different than the other Kdrama stories. Well for one, the guy fell for the girl first instead of the other way around, which is usually the case in Kdramas. The girl wasn't weak, didn't cry all the time, wasn't stupid, wasn't clingy etc. She was strong and independent and I loved that about her! Then there was a little magic and fantasy involved which was a nice change.

It wasn't all different though. There was a mysterious past which connected both characters, love triangles and other stuff which are usually found in kdramas. But they were very well executed in this drama so it didn't seem over-done or the same.

One thing I really really loved about this drama was the pace at which it moved. Usually, I've seen, kdramas move either too slow or too fast or a mix of both which has been a cause of frustration for me with a lot of dramas. But Secret Garden moved at such a good and comfortable pace, I loved that! My mom watches kdramas with me but she doesn't watch each and every episode. She watches one episode then skips 2-3 and I tell her if she missed anything important. Usually I'm OK with that because nothing much, of importance, happens in those 2-3 episodes so I don't have to tell much. She did the same with Secret Garden but so much happened in one episode that I got frustrated and told her to watch it with me if she wants to know what happens as I cannot tell her all that has happened. That doesn't mean that everything happened too fast, it means that it happened neither too fast nor too slow. It happened at just the right pace.

Actors & Characters: The actors were all so amazing! This drama had a great cast! Especially the two leads. Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won did such an amazing job! This is the first time I've seen both of these actors and I was very impressed with their performance.

Hyun Bin!!!!!! OMG I'm in love with this man!! I know he's 13 years older than me but hey, I love Ian Somerhalder and he's 17 years older than me! So age is just a number, it has no importance when it comes to love. Though it is a different matter that in reality a relationship with such a huge age gap would be too weird, at least for me. But this is just imagination so it's fine ;) But HYUN FREAKING BIN OHMYGOD!!!!

This man has got style! He held himself so perfectly and did such an amazing job playing a chaebol! The way he walked, the way he talked, the way he stood, everything screamed "He's a narcissistic, spoiled, rich brat!". But his character was also so sweet and cute and nice!!! He had an innocent side to him, despite being arrogant, and I love him so much! Hyun Bin is such a freaking amazing actor! The way he looked at Ra Im had me convinced he was actually in love with her. That elevator scene, oh my God don't get me started on that elevator scene! His performance was so good! And then when he turned into Ra Im. His acting then was amazing too! This role was a pretty hard one, it had a lot of elements combined and the character was a diverse one but Hyun Bin did such an amazing job! He really did justice to a great character. He's more than just a pretty face, much more.

I loved Gil Ra Im! She was strong, independent and confident and I loved how she fought back. Ha Ji Won played this character so well! Ra Im was bad ass but she also had this teenage girl side to her. I honestly loved her as a character, hers is a character that I'll probably remember for a long time. I haven't really seen many great actresses in the Korean industry. One whom I really admire is Yoon Eun Hye but that as far as my 'favorite Korean actress' list goes. I guess it's still too early to say as this is only my first Ha Ji Won drama but I think she has made it to that list too. She did the fighting scenes splendidly! She was not shy of kissing scenes either. And she did the emotional acting really well too. I loved her performance in the drama!

Oska Oppa! Oska was such a funny and adorable character! I never thought I would call a 35 year old man "adorable" but that's what he was! He was so lovable and (these are my mom's words) really balanced Hyun Bin's character. He really loved Joo Won as a brother and it showed. Their brotherly love was so sweet! And he was so cute with Yoon Seul! He was a playboy who fell in love. I even loved his narcissistic comments, he wouldn't have been Oska without them. I felt that he really liked Ra Im as a younger sister. Their conversations were really cute!

Yoon Seul is so pretty! I guess she would be since she was Miss Korea in 2000. Hers was a character I loved and hated. I felt sorry for her but was frustrated with her too. I'm not going to say much more since I don't want to give out any spoilers but like all the other characters in the drama, I liked her too.

Han Tae Sun was a really mysterious character. I mean they never said who he was, where he had come from and his personality was really mysterious too. Mysterious enough that you'd want to get to know him better. That is why I wish he would've been there a little more, that we had gotten to get to know him a bit better. Anyway, Lee Jong Suk did a good job playing him. The expressions that he made, I really loved those! He was always angry but he looked cute angry. And he acted being gay really well without overdoing it. So an applause for the cute and mysterious Lee Jong Suk as Han Tae Sun!

I loved Secretary Kim & Ra Im's best friend! They were so cute and funny and just adorable! There's not much to say about them, it was evident they cared about their friends, Secretary Kim about Joo Won and Ah Young about Ra Im. They were amazing side characters and I think the actors did a great job playing them!

The other side characters were good too. Joo Won's mom was EVIL! Oska's mom was better, I think. At least she let her son have freedom. I liked Director Im, he cared a lot about Ra Im... it was sweet. And he provided a good rivalry for Joo Won so I liked that too. The guy who was trying to take Joo Won's place, I think he was in love with him! :P No seriously though, he did care about him. And admired him. I guess he was just a bit jealous...

Other Stuff: The humor was really good in this drama! When you've got 2 characters switching bodies there's a lot of potential for comedy. But it wasn't just that. Not only did Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won did a splendid job but the other characters made me laugh out loud too. One of them is Oska, as I've mentioned before. But Secretary Kim, Ah Young, and Ra Im's action school people were really funny too!

Another thing I really loved in the drama was the reality of feelings in it. The misunderstanding between Oska and Yoon Seul was believable. The actions of the characters were natural. Like Oska wanting to save Joo Won instead of Ra Im. Joo Won's mom not accepting Ra Im even at the end. All of them were believable and real. Even if this was a fantasy drama the reality in it was maintained like it is in Harry Potter and I really loved that.

Oh and I loved Ra Im's "Munja Wa Shong" ringtone! It's my sms ringtone right now :D And Joo Won's song with which he distracted himself was so cute. Especially the way Hyun Bin recited that! And Joo Won's lines "Is this the best? Are you sure?" and the thing he says about his tracksuits! And I'll stop the fangirling now :P Now go and watch Secret Garden! Enjoy!

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