[First Thoughts] Angel Eyes

So, Secret Love Affair got a little boring, and I read that Kang Ha Neul was in Angel Eyes so I decided to give it a try.




So, the first two episodes basically develop the story and the love interest, and feature the two mains when they are younger, experiencing first love. I absolutely loved these two episodes; Kang Ha Neul is an excellent actor and their romance is beautiful and innocent and everything that anyone would want, honestly.

The storyline is unique and it brings them together beautifully, and they complement each other extremely well. I love the fact that Dong Joo's mother becomes a motherly figure for Soo Wan, and I thought it was beautiful that Dong Joo was able to take care of Soo Wan while still letting her do the things she wants such as watch movies or go bungee jumping. I actually thought the bungee jumping scene was incredibly adorable. My heart melted watching these two episodes.

The end of the second episode was tragic and twisted and it made me really excited honestly for what was to come next because it was so intense and dramatic and sad that I couldn't wait to see how their lives ended up in the future, to fix all the wrong from the past. But then, when it shifts gears to the present, suddenly the drama is just kind of lame.

I didn't know the drama would be centered in a hospital, so I was kind of upset because it's not a medical drama, so whatever they do in the hospital is just going to be cliche and very basic, for example the crazy person holding the EMT hostage, the guy saving her, etc. There is only so much you can do in a hospital that viewers will understand. So I was a little put off by the fact that Dylan works in a hospital and that Soo Wan's fiance is the son of someone who works at the hospital...It's all a little cliche and slightly annoying.

Also, I just feel like after the switch in time, everything is a lot less realistic. Their characters don't remind me at all of the characters when they are young, which is understandable, I mean, after 12 years a person changes but there is pretty much no resemblance at all. The "stubbornness" of Soo Wan in the past translates to a "tough" character in the present which to me isn't really what I got from Soo Wan in the past. She wasn't actually very tough, she was scared and didn't want to be pitied or taken advantage of. But she welcomed help when it came from a noble source, and she wasn't afraid of trying new things. She was delicate, but protective of herself. But Soo Wan in the present is more outwardly protective of herself, and keeps the soft side to herself, which to me is kind of a big difference.

I'm not sure what I think of the guy yet; he hasn't shown much character besides being sad about her having someone else in her life. I don't know whether or not I find it pathetic that his whole life revolves around his first love, and it's upsetting that I don't really see any resemblance between him and Park Dong Joo from the past.

I'm still giving it a try, and maybe it will get better, but right now the drama cliches are killing me. They even did a scene where they are caught in a crowded elevator and she is pressed against his chest and listens to his heart. I was cringing.

Right now I'm almost done with episode 5 and I am really hoping that it will improve because the first two episodes really were beautiful.