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Thursday 17 November 2011

K-drama: 49 days (Pure Love)

I've just finished watching this drama called 49 days ^^ This must be the most interesting drama I've watched after quite a while.  It has the best story plot that I've ever seen in any drama up till now.  I was initially watching the drama 'Flower boy ramyun shop', a comedy and romance drama in which the actor Jung Il Woo plays but the drama is currently airing so I have to wait for new episodes, there are only 6 episodes broadcasted currently.  Meanwhile I looked up dramas in which Jung Il Woo stars in and I came across this drama called 49 days.  This drama has a brilliant plot and I think it is worthy of winning the best drama storyline for year 2011 ^^ (dunno if their is an award for best drama story).


The summary of the drama tells us this much:  Shin Ji Hyun was enjoying absolute bliss as she was about to marry her fiancĂ©, Kang Min Ho, but her perfect life is shattered when she gets into a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She is given a second chance at life by a reaper, but it comes with a condition: she has to find three people outside of her family who would cry genuine tears for her. In order to do this, she borrows the body of Yi Kyung, a part-time employee at a convenience store for 49 days.

When I read the summary, the drama instantly appealed to me.  In the 1st episode it takes quite a longtime before anything significant happens, but I guess the producer was just introducing the characters in the story to the viewers.  There are several things in the drama that I find quite realistic although it is a fantasy genre drama, I guess it's the outlook on human feelings portrayed in the drama that seems quite true.  As the story unfolds, viewers can't help but become attached to the character of Shin Ji Hyun although in the first episode she just gave the impression of being another airhead that we usually see in many k-dramas.  At first, Shin Ji Hyun thought she could easily collect 3 sincere tears because she thought there were atleast 3 persons (excluding her family) who loved her.  But as she wanders around unseen by the living she discovers the cruel truth that the ones she trusted the most were deceiving her.  As Shin Ji Hyun realises the harsh reality, she starts losing hope on finding even a single sincere tear meant for her.  I don't blame Shin Ji Hyun for losing hope because it is true that finding a person who can shed a sincere tear for you is very difficult.  However, Han Kang the person that Shin Ji Hyun always thought hated her actually loves her the most. 
Starting from the left, the first character is Shin In Jung (Shin Ji Hyun's best friend), the scheduler (angel of death who guides and helps Ji Hyun), Song Yi Kyung (the person possessed by Sin Ji Hyun), Han Kang ( Ji Hyun's highschool friend), Shin Ji Hyun and the last person is Kang Min Ho ( Ji Hyun's fiancee).

Another thing which strikes me in this drama is the fact that they talk about the time of death as something decided by fate and although this a fact which is hard to accept, eventually Shin Ji Hyun, Song Yi Soo and the other characters close to them learn to accept this fact. 
There's one part of the drama when the scheduler says those words which might seem cold but are definitely realistic.

The Scheduler said: Human beings' hearts change, that's their speciality.  There's no such thing as everlasting. Love, then hate.  Hot, then cold.  Upset, then grateful.  Full of resentment, then understanding.  And others and so on.
In that situation, these words seemed harsh and made Shin Ji Hyun lose hope.  But in another context, the fact that 'people's heart change and nothing is everlasting' can also bring hope to Shin Ji Hyun that things can get better, that hate can change to love.
I would really recommend this drama to people who like k-dramas and are looking for something new on the other hand 'Flower boy ramyun shop' is also a nice and refreshing drama.