I don’t know what else to say about the current weekend drama Angel Eyes other than – it’s really really good so don’t be scared and watch it! The first two episodes actually aired last weekend but it was primarily the teenage section of the story with Kang Ha Neul and Nam Ji Hyun ably hitting it out of the park in terms of acting for their own characters as well as couple chemistry. They were delightful and the whole thing reeked of Will it Snow For Christmas teenage portion vibes. But my Gu Hye Sun allergy is strong and Lee Sang Yoon dropped a notch for me with his last dull performance in Goddess of Fire. I was wary to commit before those two adult leads showed up just in case even a decent story is rendered hard to watch by either acting or chemistry. I can safely declare Angel Eyes a landmine-free zone now that I’ve spent all of episode 3 with adult Dong Joo and Soo Wan. The chemistry between Gu Hye Sun and Lee Sang Yoon is as lovely as it was with Nam Ji Hyun and Kang Ha Neul, and in fact I don’t remember a teenage counterpart casting that fits this seamlessly with the adult actors. The two guys look and act alike in character as do the two ladies, and a bit disconcerting because it’s such a rare treat. I like the two lead characters of Dong Woo and Soo Wan more than I like the story, and in fact the thing works better as a character and emotional piece rather than expecting a tautly written quality script. So far the drama is much better than all the recent SBS weekend dramas before it and a nice diversion for for on the weekends now that Bride of the Century has finished.
Lee Sang Yoon and Kang Ha Neul are both very good actors so I can’t tell if Kang Ha Neul originated the performance and now Lee Sang Yoon is continuing it, so they discussed beforehand and both agreed to portray Dong Woo so sweet and warm with a side of bleeding heart. Dong Joo (Dylan Park) is a leading man that is immediately lovable and keeps getting better whether through adversity or success. Nam Ji Hyun and Gu Hye Sun are less immediately recognizable as playing the same character at different ages but it’s really Gu Hye Sun’s shockingly watchable performance that probably makes her acting seem even more nice to watch. There is none of her affected acting, no trying to be cute, and she actually has chemistry with Lee Sang Yoon! I know, I can’t believe I’m praising Gu Hye Sun in a drama. I guess after the rebirth of actresses Lee Yeon Hee, Yoona, and Go Ara, it’s now time for Gu Hye Sun to get a soak in the magic water. She and Lee Sang Yoon are both the most gorgeous I have ever seen either of them onscreen. Fantastic hair and color on each and a great cinematographer does wonders.
I’m less keen on the story mainly because of the central premise – teenager lovers face adversity when the girl goes blind after a car accident, but the coincidental illness of the boy’s mother and her decision to donate her cornea to the girl if she doesn’t survive only makes the inevitable “girl gets boy’s dead mom’s cornea” all that more makjang to behold. Toss in girl’s surgeon dad maybe having a hand in sick mom going to the afterlife faster than expected so his daughter gets the cornea, you have the recipe for future tears to fill a canyon. I also find the EMT side of the story really corny while the ER doctor and medical cases also so perfunctory as to feel superficial. It’s like the professions of the two leads are mainly to give them reason to keep running into each other, plus it’s also professions that are constantly debating life and death and danger. What works is that this drama is wonderfully acted and filmed so the individual lacking story elements are patched over by the visually appealing stuff.
Kim Ji Suk also shows up as another doctor who happens to be Soo Wan’s fiancee after she’s moved on since Dong Joo disappeared. He seems nice but nothing memorable to write about, other than there is a 50-50 chance he’ll turn bad once Soo Wan goes back to Dong Joo.
Angel Eyes Official OST “Run to You” by Lasse Lindh:
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Hmm... I don't know. Maybe I'll give this drama a chance one day. I'll see how it wraps up before I commit. Gu Hye Sun has burned me one too many times! I still have scars from the musical and take care of the captain. Please keep us posted on how it turns out!
No, watch it. I mean seriously, its super good with term of melo. The pairing is cute, either the younger or the older version. A potential OTP of the year, I may say. So far, GHS did a good job in here,,opps I mean super gOod. Fyi, I never loved her works either
me too. never a fan of GHS works but somehow lee sAng yoon and his dimples won me over. Their chemistry was awesome too!
Gu Hye Sun is a wall I can't possibly climb over. Sometimes actors manage to prove me completely wrong (e.g Lee Yeon Hee in Miss Korea), but most of the time once I am allergic to someone it stays this way. From the clip you've posted I see that her circle lenses are back, again. Since she refuses to take acting seriously I refuse to aknowledge her as an actress.
She doesn't need an acknowledgement from a close minded person like you anyway
I see a glimmer of improvement but it's not consistent. She doesn't overact as much but there is still something amiss with her acting and I don't see the chemistry between them. Her co-star, who I like, is not doing too well in this drama either imo. The kids were far, far better.
I am so touched while watching this drama. I keep repeating the otp scenes. The emergency scenes are also exciting. Lee Sang Yoon is so cute. His acting is so good. He really redeem himself from Goddess of Fire.
Aww... I am so glad you are watching this too, Ms Koala. I was looking for another drama to ease my withdrawal from BOTC and so glad I found this, the OTP are just so gorgeous. DJ with his moony eyes and dimples just slay me, can't believe I have never watched his drama before, he is such a cutie. GHS's character is likeable and she looks lovely with longer hair, her acting is natural too. Thanks for your recommendation.
Ms Koala, I'm so happy to see your article about Angel Eyes. I fell in love with this drama and with Lee Sang Yoon :) I hope you will recap this drama.
I really couldn't recognize Gu Hye Sun readily. She has changed a lot. I do like the premise of this story and I am excited about watching this especially since Bride of the Century has ended.
Overrated. I like both child actors I thought I'm gonna glue to the screen for them but I didn't. Something wrong some where and I don't know what. In this drama I can't wait to see the adult cast. Where as in 12years reunion, I don't mind watching the childhood portion. And in Wonderful Days, I'm looking forward and hoping that the writer would be kind enough to keep them in the story as long as possible. But then again maybe it's just me.
I think Gu Hye Sun is a good actress, but the problem is that she does not choose a good drama in the past. I really love her acting here in Angels Eyes. She really improve a lot. But I hope she will continue it until the end of the end of the drama.
Ehrr... I beg to differ in opinion on Gu Hye Sun, I admit to being completely smitten with the teenage characters and their adorable chemistry, goofy smiles and stolen moments. I wished that the teenage years didn't end so soon, but having watched ep 3 & 4 I'm sceptical and hesistant to jump on team Gu Hye Sun just yet. I think the judge and jurry are still out to make a decision.
I am SOOOO with you on this.I loved the actors that played the teen part and felt with them all their sadness.I cried so hard in the end of 2 episode after what happened to his mom.
I said to myself to overlook my dislike for Gu Hye Sun and give her a chance cause the drama looked so promising.The Adult male was ok ,but Gu Hye Sun? I can not see any similarity between her character now and the way she plays it and then when it was played by the young actress.
In the whole 3 episode I saw an annoying chick who tries to be tough but the way she plays her role makes her seem unbearable.Hmm too bad ...another drama too drop...
That's because the writer wants to depict Soo wan as a character whose personality changed from introvert to extrovert after regaining her vision. If you read Soo wan character descriptions (like in Soompi first page), you will see that it actually matches how GHS brings this character.
I really enjoyed the first two episodes and hope that the next two keep up the momentum.
Just watched episodes 3 and 4 and really liked them. I was worried there would be too much medical action, but it was nicely balanced with just enough to have the characters reacting to what happened on that side of the drama/