If you are a K-Drama fan and in love with romance, you most likely watched and loved the series Crash Landing on You. This drama is one of the Netflix shows that became popular here in the Philippines. It is also one of the highest-rated series in South Korea. In this post, I will look at what makes this drama so special to the people who have seen it.
Plot
Crash Landing on You tells the story of Yoon Se Ri. She is an entrepreneur who becomes stranded in North Korea. She stumbles upon a soldier/captain named Ri Jung Hyuk who takes her under his protection.
Along with his group of soldiers, he hid her identity as a South Korean while in the North. They did all this as they helped her find her way back home. Despite the risks and futile prior attempts, they managed to smuggle Yoon Se Ri back into South Korea.
Unfortunately for Se Ri, Capt. Ri’s enemy follows her to South Korea. He wants to take revenge on Capt. Ri by hurting Se Ri. Because of how much he loves her, Capt. Ri risks his own life by going to South Korea to protect and save her.
Against all odds, his band of soldiers also follow him to the South to help take him back home. In the end, they manage to save Se Ri from Capt. Ri's enemy.
Sadly, Capt. Ri and his soldiers needed to go back to the North. This leads to a heartbreaking separation at the border between the two Koreas.
Review
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| Image Credit: tvN |
The series is one of the best Korean dramas that I have seen so far. My emotions were all over the place watching everything unfold. I was laughing at the funny scenes and crying at the moving ones. I was so giddy with kilig at the romantic moments of the show.
Before watching Crash Landing on You, I did not have any idea what life in North Korea might be like. All I knew was that people from the North and South never crossed each other’s borders.
Getting a picture of the life of North Koreans from the show made the idea of it more real to me. I cried so much thinking of the loss that the lead characters felt when they were separated. I cried feeling how the friends she made in the North, the people she came to love, became a big loss to her. I cried feeling her sadness knowing that she would never see them again.
I fell in love with all the different relationships shown in the series. It was about family — the ones we are born with and the ones that we make. It was about friends and the bonds we make with the people we least expect. It was about love and how we acknowledge it, fight for it, and make the best of it.
Each type of relationship on the show was different. The dysfunctional relationship of Se Ri and her family due to power struggles is one of them. There was also Capt. Ri’s and the life he built as a soldier, following his father's footsteps.
The bond that Se Ri formed with Captain Ri and his soldiers was a different kind of family. I also loved the family unit she had with her neighbors in North Korea. was also another type of relationship. I did not expect to like the unexpected love story between Seo Dan and Gu Seung Joon. They had an interesting story to tell. These relationships and stories complement each other so well. It was hard for people not to fall in love with them.
If there was one thing about the show that I was not a fan of, it was the ending. I can't say that I'm surprised. Most K-Dramas tend to have such amazing stories but end up falling flat at the end. Crash Landing on You is one of them. The show was lucky that it managed to endear the characters and the story with the fans that it did not matter. People seemed to prefer being happy that the couple found their way back together. It didn't matter how forced the plot of it all could be.
The ending disappointed me because it was all going so well. It was all well-written and it made you feel a roller-coaster of emotions. Then they had that ending that felt like fan service more than anything else. Oh well. It was still a good show despite the ending. I can live with that.
Favorite Moments
One of my favorite parts of the series is the reveal that Se Ri and Capt. Ri was, in a way, destined to be together from the start. They had run into each other in Switzerland on several occasions, way before he became a soldier. A song he wrote and played on the piano while he was in Switzerland was the same song that had been in her mind for years. This is the theme song of the show that I still enjoy listening to long after I’ve finished the show on Netflix. I have even put the music from the show on my Spotify playlist, that is how much I have enjoyed it.
Another memorable part was when Se Ri got lost at the night market. This was when Capt. Ri helped her find her way back by holding up a candle. That symbolism of him being her light in the dark was so moving to me. I found that scene to be very romantic!
I also loved the North Korean neighbors of Capt. Ri. That was one girl group that I fell in love with as the show went on. I still find myself remembering this show whenever I see any of these ladies in other shows. They will always be the beloved Crash Landing on You neighbors to me.
I have seen Hyun Bin (Capt. Ri) in several shows before, but this is different from all the others he has done so far. He always plays this arrogant character, even as a male lead. But with Captain Ri, he is all heart, and he is a good guy through and through. I loved him in this one. His chemistry with co-star Son Ye Jin (Se Ri) is so good. I know a lot of people agreed with that because everyone hoped they get together in real life. Luckily for their fans, they did end up together. The two leads have since gotten married and share a child.
Where are they now?
Hyun Bin (Ri Jyeong Hyeok)
Hyun Bin has not appeared in any other shows since Crash Landing on You. But he has appeared in a couple of movies after the series. He was on Confidential Assignment 2: International with Daniel Henney. He also led the film The Point Men. He is working on the movie Harbin but there is no reported release date as of this post.
Son Ye Jin (Yoon Se Ri)
After appearing in Crash Landing on You, she married Hyun Bin and had a son. She has only appeared in one other series since Crash Landing on You. This was a lead in the series Thirty-Nine.
Seo Ji Hye (Seo Dan)
After playing the girl who was supposed to marry Capt. Ri, Seo Ji Hye moved on to other shows. Of all the recent roles she has played, I loved her in Dinner Mate with Song Seung Hon the most.
Kim Jung Hyun (Gu Seung Jun)
After playing the con man that captured Seo Dan’s heart, I was surprised to see him reunited with Seo Ji Hye. This was on the show Dinner Mate, where he played her ex-boyfriend. I have not seen him in any other shows after this. I read that he has had some issues with his management as well as mental health problems. He has yet to make his comeback.
Crash Landing on You is on my list of all-time Korean drama favorites. In fact, it is at the top of my list. I don't think that any other show has made me have as many feelings as this one. If you are a fan of Korean dramas and you have not seen this one yet, what are you waiting for?
Is anyone out there a fan of the show? What did you think of it and how did it make you feel? Leave your thoughts in the comments section and tell me all about it! I would love to hear from fellow CLOY (Crash Landing on You) fans like me!
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