It probably is one of the best K-dramas I’ve watched. No, Crash Landing On You wasn’t just a drama for me, it was a great story. I was hooked and watched it till the end, all within 24 hours. It was the Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin chemistry that I loved the most.
I guess their romance felt genuine, and their characters, Ri Jeong-hyeok and Yoon Se-ri, were pretty well crafted. Se-ri, initially portrayed as a somewhat self-absorbed heiress, undergoes a significant transformation after she accidentally enters North Korea. That initial scene when she first arrived in the village and was completely shocked when there was a cow carriage walking passed by her and the entire village’s ambience looked more off than in South Korea, was interesting to watch. But the best moment for me was when Se-ri was hospitalised after a gunshot. Ri Jeong-hyeok was there next to her almost all the time comforting her so that she didn’t feel alone.
The supporting characters were fantastic too. The two groups I loved the most were the ever-funny Ri’s squad members and the village ahjummas. They truly brought so many funny moments, making the entire drama alive. They’re neutralising some sad and serious scenes with their antics, which I think was damn crucial to making the whole drama interesting to watch. I will forever remember the scene where Ri’s team members were listening in to the conversations happening in Se-ri’s hospital room from a device slash receiver where they secretly put a small voice recorder under Se-ri’s bed. The entire scene was too funny to forget, really.
The person I sympathised with the most in this drama is definitely Seo Dan. She was Ri’s girlfriend or fiancé, who, despite her initial coldness, ultimately demonstrated patience and hope knowing that she was slowly losing Ri to Se-ri.
What I liked is that Crash Landing On You offered me a rare glimpse of what North Korean life looked like. I guess the production team took a lot of time to prepare the creativity part making everything look so freaking real. It portrayed the stark contrast between the capitalist South and the communist North, highlighting the restrictions and hardships faced by ordinary North Koreans. Yet, amidst these challenges, the universality of human emotions and love supersedes ideological differences.
The background songs and music were spectacular I must say. The soundtrack chosen was absolutely beautiful and perfectly complemented the emotional tone of the drama. Guess what, Yerin Baek’s “Here I Am Again” song is now on my Spotify playlist. The music played a huge role in making certain scenes even more memorable. One scene that particularly I loved the most was the long train travelling from Ri’s place to Pyongyang which took them 10 to 12 hours to reach. This scene, with its beautiful hilly views, and cinematography combining it with the song was absolutely perfect for me.
Did you know that Crash Landing On You wasn’t just a popular drama, but also a crazy phenomenon in Southeast Asia and Switzerland? It consistently ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 list in the US, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines too. It garnered rave reviews, boasting an impressive 9.1/10 rating on IMDb and a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes too. Even that Switzerland’s by-the-lake small town, where the shooting took place, is now a tourist attraction.
What say me? Highly recommend it. Consider checking it out this weekend.
Image—Netflix
