Legend of the Blue Sea tells the story of a mermaid (Jun Ji Hyun) who goes to Seoul to find the human man (Lee Min Ho) she loves. As she tries to adjust to life on land, the two begin a romantic relationship.
Legend of the Blue Sea was a fantastic drama! It’s a beautiful love story with that twist of fantasy. Romance, humor, and drama along with a gorgeous couple that have many obstacles to overcome on their journey to happiness makes this a wonderful drama.
The drama follows two story lines, one in the modern time and one in the Joseon era. We flash back to the historical portion to learn the back story of our characters. In the past, the love story of the human, Dam Ryung, and the mermaid, Se Hwa, unfolds bit by bit throughout the drama. The main story is set in the present where their modern day selves reunite and begin their romance again.
Jun Ji Hyun plays our mermaid Sim Chung. Sim Chung has a fun innocence to her. Adjusting to life on land is quite hilarious with everything being so new and strange. Jun Ji Hyun was very funny in her portrayal of Sim Chung. I also really enjoyed Sim Chung’s dedication and love for Heo Joon. She loves him plain and simple.
I did have a couple minor issues though. Sometimes I felt like Jun Ji Hyun was trying too hard to be funny which pulled me out of the drama. This wasn’t all of the time though. The other thing was that Sim Chung as a character has such an innocence to her whereas Jun Ji Hyun has a more mature presence as a whole. She just didn’t seem to completely fit that.
But again, these were minor issues. And as the drama progresses, her character matures and becomes more serious which I felt was a better fit. So I ended up really enjoying her character as a whole.
We then have Lee Min Ho as the conman Heo Joon Jae. And I really loved him in this role! Lee Min Ho just has this presence and charisma that makes him shine in dramas. I particularly liked him as Joon Jae since he got show many different sides of himself. He’s very lively and it was so much fun watching him reluctantly fall in love with Sim Chung.
He also gets plenty of opportunities to show off his dramatic side. In the past, he is full of intensity. In the present, he starts off as a somewhat immature, but kindhearted conman. He made me smile so much with his funny expressions and lively personality.
But then he completely drew me in with his emotional portrayal of Joon Jae. Joon Jae faces so many difficult and heartbreaking moments. My heart just went out to him. And Lee Min Ho always has this ability to pull me into his character’s feelings to such a deep degree. I was impressed yet again with this role.
We have Joon Jae’s fellow conman friends Nam Doo (Lee Hee Joon) and Tae Oh (Shin Won Ho). Nam Doo loves money and is always on the lookout for his next big scam. Tae Oh is the quiet one with a talent for all things technology related. He also sports an adorable pouty face.
Lee Ji Hoon plays Joon Jae’s stepbrother Chi Hyun. He’s been at odds with Joon Jae from the beginning, and he’s an interesting character on many levels. I was very pleased with Lee Ji Hoon’s portrayal of him.
Shi Ah (Shin Hye Sun) is the other woman in Joon Jae’s life. She’s been a good friend for a long time, but she wants to be more. Luckily, this is a case where our main lead has zero interest in that sort of thing.
Of course, we have our villains to cause trouble for our lovers. Joon Jae’s stepmother (Hwang Shin Hye) is a force to be reckoned with as is Dae Young (Sung Dong Il) who causes problems for our lovers in both the past and the present.
I really adored the historical portion of the drama. Even though it only got about 10 minutes per episode, the story felt so rich and full. The romance was also very tangible between Dam Ryung and Se Hwa.
I loved Dam Ryung’s passion for Se Hwa. The world always seemed to be against them, and he would stop at nothing to protect her from those who wanted to harm her. Their love story was beautifully tragic with a richness and fullness that had me glued to the screen. I was completely swept up in their romance.
Luckily, their beautiful love story continues in the present. I loved Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun as a couple. They are what make this drama shine. I adored all of their interactions from Joon Jae’s humorous reactions to Chung, his falling for her, and the lovely romance between the two.
What starts as a more humorous relationship blossoms into a dedicated love. I greatly enjoyed watching Joon Jae fall deeper and deeper in love with Chung. Then as their modern day lives begin to parallel their past lives, the stakes get higher between the two, including their devotion to each other.
This couple just made me happy on so many levels. There’s just something about a fated love story such as theirs that hits all the right spots. They are definitely everything I love in a romance drama.
In the first half of the drama, I personally found most of the other parts of the drama to be on the mediocre side. Nothing bad, just not very engaging. I was also pretty neutral towards all of the other characters. The main plot is also pretty slow to get going. Luckily, I enjoyed the developing romance so much that this didn’t really bother me.
But things greatly improve on all fronts in the second half. The plot thickens with the stakes being raised and secrets coming out. I also warmed up to several of the supporting characters which made me more interested in their story lines. The romance also deepens during this time period. All of this comes together to deliver a lot of drama and tension that I just loved.
Legend of the Blue Sea pulled me in with the romance and set it up beautifully. That was enough to carry me through some of the slower parts. Then the drama just gets better and better with every aspect of it improving along the way.
Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun made such a beautiful couple, and I completely enjoyed their past and present love stories that was filled with laughter, heartache, and romance. Legend of the Blue Sea is simply a beautiful love story.
My Rating: 8.5/10
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