Fated to Love You (2014)

All three versions were enjoyable. The original was the 2009 Taiwanese story listed as” You’re My Destiny” but I found the Eng. sub version under “Fated to Love You”. The Second repeat was the Korean drama in 2014 titled ”Fated to Love You”. Lastly, the Thai version called “You’re my Destiny”.

Far too often in many of these dramas, scriptwriters seem to think more is better. It really isn’t. A well-crafted drama will carry the story without having to include multiple romances and numerous disasters. I know they want to put everything in the story to bring a wide and varying audience but like soup, if you add too many ingredients it becomes inedible.

Of the three, I found the Thai version to be the best. The story is much more realistic and flows naturally. You can see even from the beginning the Male leads internal conflict. He senses a connection to the FL but tries to logically push it away due to his constant love for his girlfriend who is off chasing her dream. His love slowly dwindles each time SF breaks her promises and he begins to love the FL because of her caring loving nature.

The first physical connection between the two main characters is probably the highlight of the original Taiwanese version. You can actually feel that sexual tension whereas the other two versions do the normal see them head under sheets wake up the next morning.

The 2014 Korean version I believe has the best acting although the ML can sometimes take his querpy persona a bit too far. Jang Hyuk is one of Korea's talent marvels in nearly all he had appeared in and Jang Na Ra plays her part well delivering a enjoyable performance. I love Ester Supreelee and Bie Sukrit Wiserkaew in this Thai drama. The roles were almost picked for them. Ester has the insecure shy Nid down to a T and Bie plays his hard working business persona yet caring gentleman the best of the three actors.

The secondary actors are good as well but their story line varies from version to version. Their connection to the leads also differs due to the scripts intention. In the Thai version, I found the ML girlfriend to be more realistic in loving him but her focus was on dancing. Dancing is very rough physically on the body. The time a dancer can actually reach their peak is short so I can see this being believable. In all three versions, she is self-focused but more so in the Taiwanese drama to the point she will actually do something immoral to try to keep the ML.

The Secondary male lead on the other hand is selfless and giving. So many times I wanted to scream, “forget the lead and go for this guy! “ He is gorgeous and sweet…will do anything for the FL yet that spark just never flares to life. The Taiwanese SL is the most stern and is more like her teacher than a lover. The Korean SL is probably my favorite. The actor makes you really feel how much he loves her yet just wants her happiness.

China is making a new version. https://mydramalist.com/31762-you-are-my-destiny If I were to give my advice, would be to keep that original oops love scene!! Do not throw so much into the story. Having more episodes is not a recipe for success. Stick to that which makes your viewers really feel a connection. Make the Lead strong enough to know when he is no longer in love with his girlfriend and move on not let it linger.

Highlights: Taiwanese: Opening love scene; ending scene. Could keep bad checkup results that seemed a different twist that was original yet touching. Please, do not add that grandma has a kid or the guys winding up in bed together…sigh. Everyone in your story having a partner is not necessary. Keep the story real unless you choose to make it a total comedy.

Korean: Acting is a highlight. Male lead strange behavior was a bit over the top but the story line behind the father leaving and the so-called second son…awesome. More background of the male lead made the story richer. While the ML takes longer to warm up to the female lead you understand because his love for his girlfriend has been has been since they were teens thus the deeper connection. This version hurts at certain points to the point of crying or screaming in frustration so get ready for a roller coaster ride but the ending is fantastic. I wish the Thai version had ended like this one.

Thai : Acting was great, story was believable . It was shorter than the other two but I felt great after watching it. There were painful moments but not to the point of that gut wrenching sadness. The main part I would change would be to skip the return to that fate childhood moment and add a moment with a child they had from their wedding night.


Music: Overall the Korean Fated to Love You Ost is by far the best. Fantastic songs that are haunting and beautiful. The Taiwan series has that comic style background music most of the time. The Thai version has Bie singing of course and is pretty good.

If you haven’t tried the Thai and Taiwanese version give I them a try…they are definitely worth it!!

Thanks for reading!! ☺

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Fun and sweet romance

Oldie but goodie! This show just revived my long buried love for Jang Hyuk! ? I watched the TW version years ago but it wasn't as fun as this remake!

Likes
1. The Snail Couple ? was so fun! Loved Lee Geon and Miyeong as a couple and Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara as the leads! Even though they were only together for 3 months, they just have this beautiful connection that even Sera, who has been with Geon for 6 years couldnt shake. And even after Snail Couple broke up and Miyeong left with Daniel for 3 years, Daniel wasnt able to capture her heart.
2. I also loved Lee Geon and Miyeong as separate characters. Some were put off by Geon's maniacal laughter and eccentric ways but i thought he must be a very fun husband to be with! He is good with kids, attentive, and charming. On the other hand, Miyeong may look meek and unassuming but once you get to know her, she is an amazing person. She just needed to be more confident with herself. But once she did, she just shined even brighter.
3. The side characters were also funny like Mr Tak and Yong (Dragon). I also loved Miyeong's mom even though Geon is so rude to her (but utterly charming). And Grandma Wang is one of the nicest chaebol grandma i've seen!! ?

Dislikes
1. This would have been better if the length was just 16 episodes (max 18 if you just want more Snail couple cuteness). The second half was so sad compared to the lighter tone of the first half. I didnt like wimpy broody Lee Geon. Someone should have told Miyeong earlier so she could slap him out of his funk.
2. Didnt like Sera, even at the end. She was sorry not sorry to Miyeong all the time.
3. Yong's mom didnt fully apologize for trying take down Geon when she never had the right in the first place. Again you just know Geon is a great person when he was able to forgive her despite the lies and almost ruining his life.

Rating: 8.5/10

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I am new to Kdrama started watching them due to the Covid19 home confinement in my city. I am hooked and have watched many of them. I keep coming back to this one title and have viewed it around 5 times in a very short period.

Some of the acting is a bit over the top and the male lead's laugh initially is quite grating however as the story progresses it just fits into his personality in the drama.

The chemistry between Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara is some of the best I have seen. The romance is cute and the longing for each other is very realistic . The camera stays on the face of the actors for just the right amount of time so that facial expressions can convey the emotions in addition to the vocalisation.

If you want to be entertained and enjoy a great love story then this is the Kdrama for you. Just the best!

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TLDR; Don't judge the first episode, you'll regret it

This one... Now, i almost dropped this title after the first scene with our lovely ML. However, a review on this site made me reconsider, and man what a good advice that was. This series was a rollercoaster, and though i think it was a bit too drawn out in the latter half, i still think the ML and FL's chemistry is so amazing that you shouldn't miss it.
Don't be too put off by our ML, his strange laugh and overbearing personality soon became very dear to me as a viewer, and now i'm gonna feel a piece missing every time i see a cool ML in another title.
Please do watch it :)

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Bon j'ai apprécier ce Drama même si ils ont jouer sur l'amnésie ce qui nous a fait passer trois ans d'un coup.

Le jeux des acteurs est plutôt bien, on voit bien l'alchimie entre les deux protagonistes cela a rendu la série beaucoup plus intéressent.

Les personnages secondaires était la mais sans trop rivaliser avec les personnage principaux, ou du moins il ne persister quand il comprennes que leur amour est que dans leur sens.

La musique était bien.

Dans l'ensemble un bon Drama sans trop de prise de tète, avec quelques clichées.
Je le conseillerais sans hésiter.

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Hama hamaa

It's a story of two halves. I fell in love with the first part which was stronger. The ML always shows up when you want him to and protects FL, this is the most endearing part of the story that he loves her no matter what. It's highly doubtful this would happen in real life. There are a lot of inconsistencies, where at one moment it feels that if you are a woman and choose to prioritise your career you'll be dumped but if you act like a passive snail you'll be loved, but then it changes again in the second half, so that she's even more attractive now that she's a career woman! Poor Sera, she doesn't even get another love interest just her long lost bro, who is so underused! And what's up with the continuity, first noticed when she was wearing slippers in the hotel corridor and then he's pointing to her bare feet! It feels very disjointed, but the ML's performance is strong enough to pull it through.

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vergonha alheia, mas não muito

Tinha medo de assistir por achava que ia ser muito vergonha alheia.
E foi.
Mas não foi aquela vergonha alheia difícil de assistir, foi um misto de boas emoções.
Pra mim, foram dois pontos que minaram um pouco a minha experiência com o drama, o primeiro foi o protagonista Lee Gun. Foi muito difícil ver o Lee Gun rir daquela forma e fazer aquele bico estranho, nem vou entrar no mérito do cabelo, pois era mais comum naquela época. Enfim, o Lee Gun acabou sendo um personagem muito caricato e esse exagero acabou sendo uma experiência muito ruim pra mim. Segundo foi aquela doença sem explicação e a amnésia, pra mim esse é o pior plot que existe, felizmente não durou muitos episódios.
Minha experiência, no geral, foi bem positiva já que a história foi muito boa e não ficava muito de enrolação.

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the drama I've seen the most

The first time I saw it, it did not attract the attention at all, I decided to see it again a second time and I was super hooked with the whole story.

Each episode is wonderful, it is a drama where I cry a lot for certain situations.
The protagonist loved her attitude to the loss of her baby, paying homage to her and trying to improve herself was something nice for me, she could see that she did not have much confidence in what she could achieve and her empowerment was something too admirable.
Jang Na Ra is one of my favorite actresses since that drama, her acting fills me a lot
clichéd events despite seeing them over and over again still cause me feelings
The truth is a drama that I highly recommend, you definitely have to see it

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I know watching a 2014 drama in 2020 is a bit challenging as the trend will be a bit outdated. This drama is just a watchable flick if you can compromise the cliches . Rich man poor girl is commonly used in kdrama platform and this drama isn't something new. Along with that a second lead can give the director a few more episodes to shoot . Jang Nara is okay but I hate the powerless poor portrayal of women in kdrama.
The only thing that kept me going was Jang Hyuk. Oh,man! What an actor. The character he portrayed was a bit awkward in every manner. From a comic person to a emotional one in just a matter of seconds... He pulled it off with ease in his own manner. He just didn't care about his status as a person and the let the actor take over. There we scenes in which most of the actors would give an awkward performance but he just made it so easy.
If it wasn't for Hyuk, would've dropped it midway.

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oldie but goodie

Overall:
From the synopsis, I was sure that I would hate this drama, especially when its also very old. Kdrama ages relatively quickly. Most stories are outdated after 3-5 years and the cinematography also ages. Particularly, having spent my teenage in the late 90s and early 00s, I had watched enough Cinderella-type dramas to know all the motifs of the genre like the back of my hand, which may have been appealing to a dreamy teenage girl me, but as I grew up, I also grew out of its annoying stupidity. I decided to watch it anyway, as I was in the mood for some feel good romcom after finishing my assignments and exams for the year and I had covid so i was off work as well. Plus I figured its a remake, why would they have remade something dumb, right? And I was surprised by how watchable it is, although I must admit the 2010s fashion and hairstyle are hideous looking from the 2022 perspective. Also like all K drama, make sure you turn your brain off at all the illogical coincidences, inconsistency and discontinuity and just have a good laugh at the cuteness of the central couple.

Plot:
Yes, the story has all the elements of the genre. You name it, rich chaebol ML, poor pushover FL, perfect yet hopelessly friend zone second ML, clingy conniving ex, interfering relatives, amnesia, noble idiocy, time skip etc. It's so cliche that I know how it starts and ends without having to watch it. But it is executed well enough to compel me to finish it albeit with skipping the most if not all of the second half. I finished it, which is an attestment on its own to its story telling. Full disclosure, I drop most shows i start, including similar stories like Secret Garden, What's wrong with secretary Kim, Dont dare to dream, Oh my ghost etc. Indeed, I almost dropped this show after the first few minutes because of the over-the-top (ott) advertisement scene and the ear grating laugh of the ML. If you can manage to pull off the first 10 minutes, you will enjoy the next 10 episodes. There are a lot of funny moments and true-to-the-genre drooling sweetness. I guess I kept on watching because I needed that dose of ott romantic prince charm to escape from the harsh reality of my nonexistent love life. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill pretty quickly after that once the amnesisa kicks in. I feel that the story can end at episode 12 when the amnesia is resolved. But it drags on with noble idiocy where the ML's stupidity is on full mode for another almost unbearable 5 epsisodes. While I agree that had I have some sort of heritable disease, getting married and reproducing would definitely and totally be out of my consideration. However its only applicable when there's no child on the way. In this case, the FL is already pregnant by accident from the very beginning. To me, speaking as a mother myself, it is extremely irresponsible and selfish to not inform her of the risk of an incurable disease to her unborn child. That should have saved us from the infuriating noble idicy and the FL could have whacked some sense into the ML way before episde 18. Luckily, the reunion scene is on fire and worth skipping to. I've watched it like a hundred times. The last few episodes are literally just scene filler with no plotline although not unbearably frustrating like episdoes 13-17. The only bonus point of the second half is that ML is given a haircut, and man, he IS super hot. In general, it is an old cliche drama but done well.

Characters/Acting:
Initially, I thought Jang Hyuk's face is a bit too old for this type of drama, especially with his ridiculous hairstyle. But he plays it out well. His character is down right crazy and does take some time to get used to, not the few odd eccentric traits that are usually seen in this type of character but full on mania. But unlike other similar characters of the same era, the ML is not the annoying type "boy mistreats girl because he likes her". In contrast, he never belittles the FL and gives her nothing but encouragement. Yes, they do do the push and pull thing typical of the genre, and he's two timing but it is justifiable by the circumstance that they meet and their chemistry is so good that Im willingly turning a blind eye. He is controlling like this type of character defines him to be but from a different angle, he is manly and decisive, yet also humble and down to earth, not absurdly arrogant and obnoxious like Hyun Bin's character in "Secret Garden" or Park Seo Joon's character in "What's wrong with secretary Kim". The biggest complaint from me for the ML is the noble idiocy and the lack of communication mentioned above. Overall, its a likeable character, though im not sure its because its written well or executed well by Jang Hyuk or both.
As for the FL, I dont think I ever liked a weak FL but Jang Nara's character makes me want to cheer on for her rather than punching the screen. She is just simply pure and kind to a fault but not portrayed as stupid. She carries a silent strength that makes her transformation believable (personality wise not career wise though). The first half of the show brings us a timid adorable girl while the end delivers a courageous and confident woman but keeping true to her core. Watching her growth in how she faces the press at the beginning and at the end is gratifying. Jang Nara brightens every scene she's in and her smiles warm my heart. I do secretly wish they had actually cut the noble idiocy short and extended their courtship to make her more visibly pregnant with more comical scenes along the pregnancy though. Anyway, another likeable, well written and/or well executed lead character. And together their chemistry is phenonmenal. All the passionate kiss scenes are heart melting, especially at the reunion scene, their gaze at each other really shows how much they long for each other.
With regards to the second ML and FL, they are just standard characters of the genre that leave no impression in me. The same goes for the supporting casts, with the exception of the FL's mother, the ML's grandma and surprisingly the second FL's mother, The scene where the FL's mother stands up for her daughter when everyone is pressuring the FL into marriage is one the deciding factors for me to keep on watching. She is protective and has her daughter's best interest in mind however, she's also very respectful and supportive when the FL says no. The grandma is probably the most welcoming chaebol family in K dramaland. Some of her lines are hilarious. And to my amazement, the second FL's adoptive mother 'also capture my attention with her no nonsense attitude despite appearing for only a few seconds. She is the most sensible character in the show. I'll forever remember her line "stop your self-pity and you will be happier that way."
All in all, a very likeable ensemble with no overly annoying characters.

Music:
I dont think I've ever come across any K dramas with bad music and this one is no exception.

Recommendation/Rewatch:
If you are a sucker for ott comical romance like me, then knock yourself out with the first 10 episodes but feel free to drop when the angst gets too tiresome after that.

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