Love Rain starts out set in the 1970’s as we follow the innocent yet complicated love story of college students Seo In Ha (Jang Geun Suk) and Kim Yoon Hee (Yoona). Problems arise when In Ha’s best friend Dong Wook (Kim Shi Hoo) professes his love for Yoon Hee. Because In Ha valued their friendship, he tried his best to let him have Yoon Hee. But his and Yoon Hee’s love was too strong, and they couldn’t stay away from each other. This created many problems within their group of friends, and eventually our lovers were forced to separate.
I keep asking myself, “Where was this gem of a drama hiding for me to have waited this long to watch it?” Actually, it has been on my plan to watch list since the first month I started watching kdramas, but you know how it is, sometimes certain dramas fall to the wayside. But I’m so glad I finally watched Love Rain!
The first four episodes of the drama set in the 1970’s were amazing. The simple love story was so sweet and pure with all of those adorable awkward moments. I really felt like I was there as I was swept into the beautiful cinematography. And what do I say about the music? Breathtaking! It set such an amazing mood. I didn’t want to leave!
Despite all of the relationship drama, I thoroughly enjoyed the main group of friends which included In Ha, Yoon Hee, Dong Wook, Chang Mo (Seo In Guk), In Sook (Hwang Bo Ra), and Hye Jung (Son Eun So).
Kim Shi Hoo was a new face for me as Lee Dong Wook . His fate was to unknowingly like the girl his best friend was in love with. He was a fun character to be sure. Then we add in Hye Jung, the girl who likes In ha, so of course she dislikes Yoon Hee.
It actually took me a minute to recognize Seo In Guk with the hair and glasses. I also adore Hwang Bo Ra. She is absolutely hilarious, and I wish she was in more of the drama.
After things end pretty rocky for our group of friends, we fast forward to the present day. Jang Geun Suk now portrays In Ha’s son, Seo Joon, and Yoona portrays Yoon Hee’s daughter, Jung Ha Na. I actually transitioned between the settings and characters pretty easily.
The kids are quite different from their parents. Seo Jun is cocky and rude while Ha Na is sweet, but quite spirited. Unlike their parents who so quickly fell in love, these two dislike each other from the get go. Thankfully, I found Seo Joon and Ha Na’s bickering quite hilarious. Of course, Seo Joon and Ha Na soon fall for each other, and their love story is also quite adorable. I’m also a sucker for watching the rude guy fall for a girl and trying to come to terms with it. It’s just fun.
The love story of In Ha and Yoon Hee also continues in the present day. They have been apart for most of their lives, and of course coming back together and sorting out their baggage brings challenges. It was also sad to watch their children’s relationship become complicated because of problems stemming from their parents. I just wanted both couples to be happy!
I should also point out how impressed I was with Jang Geun Suk. While I enjoyed his performance in the classic kdrama You’re Beautiful, he just didn’t grab my attention. But I felt that in Love Rain he got more of a chance to display his acting range. He has a wonderful ability to communicate emotion through very subtle changes in his facial expression. If you’re not looking closely, you might miss it. He thoroughly moved me in this drama.
Yoona was pleasant to watch as Yoon Hee/Ha Na. She may not have the emotional depth as Jang Geun Suk, but I thought she did quite well with her characters.
Kim Shi Hoo pops back up as the son of Dong Wook. He now takes on the role of the sweet and supporting second male lead. Also, Seo In Guk makes another appearance in the comical role of Chang Mo’s nephew.
Be forewarned, there are some things a lot of people dislike in this drama. There is a huge of lack of communication between the characters and a lot of unnecessary sacrificing of one’s happiness for the sake of others. This pretty much goes on throughout the entire drama. If those things bother you, stay far away.
Also, the present day Hye Jung is a classic problem causing mother in law type figure. Her troublesome antics are far reaching in this drama, especially considering she causes trouble for both of our couples! She certainly is a difficult character.
But I wouldn’t let these things deter you. Despite using some classic kdrama tropes, Love Rain executes them perfectly with a new sense of added depth that I found fresh.
So how do I describe Love Rain? It’s like a traditional rom-com/melodrama fused together with the epic love of My Love Eun Dong. In Ha and Yoon Hee’s timeless love story carries a feeling of grandeur throughout the drama. I think it was a nice touch to use the same actors to portray their children. The characters of Joon and Ha Na were different enough to separate them from their parents love story, but simply seeing the familiar faces and also noticing the minor similarities between both sets of characters helped me to stay completely connected to the original love story.
It took me way to long to watch this beautiful drama, and I’m so glad I finally did. I want to give a big thanks to kfangurl of The Fangirl Verdict for giving me the final push to watch Love Rain. One of the best recommendations ever! I seriously need more kdramas like this, so other recommendations are welcome!
This is one of those dramas that may look very flawed and clichéd on paper, but oh my did I fall in love with it! It swept me into its little world, and I didn’t want to leave. The music and cinematography was gorgeous all the way through. I was so in tune with each of the characters and fully involved in their amazing love stories. This drama just made me happy, plain and simple. If you don’t mind some melodrama and enjoy romantic star crossed lovers, Love Rain is for you!
My Rating: 10/10
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