The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

I’m going to start this post by just saying that this drama literally just made me cry a lot, and that I really like when films or dramas make me cry. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have started watching the last episode while waiting for my tea, because my food went cold and slightly soggy as I sobbed my heart out during the last 5 mins.

I don’t even think I want to do a normal review post.

It’s difficult because the first half of the series felt very different to the end - even half the cast seemed to just vanish. It starts out with Moo Young, the main guy, his brewery friends, Jin Kang, the main girl, her friend and her overpowering boyfriend, her brother, Jin Kook and all of his police buddies, one of whom becomes Jin Kang’s boyfriend. But by around half way through, we don’t really see any of them again apart from the main three, which felt a little weird. I get that we needed the start to show Moo Young’s cold and calculating side, to get unnerved by him, and to see how this changes with his relationship with Jin Kang, but it did divide the series for me a little too obviously.

Despite this, I did like this series a lot. Seo In Guk as Moo Young was worlds apart from the adorableness of Shopping King Louis. I wasn’t familiar with Park Sung Woong, who played Jin Kook, but very familiar with Jung So Mi, who played Jin Kang. Some bits were funny, some bits were sweet, some bits were shocking and some bits were sad. Viki did spoil a lot of it for me, but that didn’t stop me from getting caught up in the twists and turns. It was beautifully shot too - the cinematography was stunning, and the whole thing was presented in wide screen, which gave it a real film like feel.

Towards the end, I was thinking - you can tell this is a Japanese story. Korean writers seem to like to leave you on a happy ending, to give a glimmer of hope no matter what. Take Train to Busan. Practically everyone dies, there is a heartbreaking scene between the Dad and his daughter, but they end it with the pregnant lady and the daughter getting to safety. Not Japanese writers through. It’s like Koizora, in that the ending leaves you with nothing but a broken heart. No resolution, no indication of what happens next, just the end.

I just watched the end again because I’m a masochist.

Tl;Dr
It’s a proper drama drama
Watch it if you like being sad
I wouldn’t not watch it again

Next up I’ve decided to finally bite the bullet and watch Reply 1988. In fact, I stopped half way through the first episode to write this post. So far, Go Kyung Po is making me want to rewatch Chicago Typewriter, but other than that, it’s a bit weird.