I recently managed to finally watch Tamra the Island with the director's cut, which means I got to watch the original 21 episodes of awesome instead of just 16. No need to say that after finishing my little marathon, my Tamra the Island feels are higher than ever. And this, my friend, is the perfect time to write a review.
STORY: Let's be honest, the first few minutes of this drama were (and will be) for many a turn off and even cringeworthy but what follows is oh so totally worth the pain! I can't add anything more for fear of inadvertently spoiling the whole story but let's just say that the story in itself has everything you could hope for in a drama.
ACTING/CAST: I could dwell for hours about Im Joo Hwan's brilliant acting and I'm definitely not the only one (Team Park Kyu!). No one could have portrayed Park Kyu better than him. Same goes for his female counterpart. I know not everyone will agree with me but I actually love Seo Woo's portraying of Beo Jin. She gives her character this childish innocence that makes you forgive all her "brainless actions" even if she tends to cry and not see the pain she causes others. I'm not gonna lie, Im Joo Hwan and Seo Woo's chemistry gives me butterflies and just for that the casting director has all my love and then some more. The acting is also very strong from Kim Mi Kyun's part because even tho she may play a secondary character, she gives BeoJin's mother such "raw depth" that you cannot not end up loving her character. The rest of the cast didn't stand out as much but it was good nonetheless....except for the "non-Korean" actors. Watching this drama makes you feel like Korea doesn't have a lot of foreigners and definitely none of them are decent actors. Pierre Deporte's acting (well the fact that it's a French portraying an Englishman with blonde-dyed hair doesn't help) was the most painful thing to watch for me. As a character, I actually like William a lot but Pierre Deporte just doesn't fit the part. Thankfully the pain gets somewhat numbened throughout the drama though I'm not sure if it's because his acting gets better or if it's just because you get used to it.
MUSIC: The whole soundtrack is pretty strong. You can enjoy the whole ost without having to watch Tamra the Island but both of them blend so well that it would be a shame not to enjoy its use on the show. Especially "Your Tears" (main theme), which makes me want to drown in an ocean of feels.
REWATCH VALUE: As I said earlier, the foreigners of this show make me want to punch myself in the face. This drama has some flaws but my real problem will always be the foreigners and especially William. However, this show is (thank god) not focused on him. In a way this drama is a tribute to Tamra (actual Jeju) and its inhabitants. You get attached to all these characters and in the end even your aversion to William's character can't overpower that. 16 or 21-episode long doesn't matter. Everything is Tamra the Island and nothing hurts.
OVERALL: Yes Tamra the Island has flaws but everything the drama stands for and how it is handled offset it. It's a little gem and like most of them, it's not very popular because many people don't feel like looking past the cover and miss an opportunity. Don't be one of them, watch it! And if for some unknown reason you end up disliking this drama, well at least you would have learned some history thanks to it.
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