I have no idea where to start to review this long, slow and extremely painful drama. I have to confess that I found myself begging for it to be finished. That is, for the sake of my patience and all the character’s lives. It is really hard to keep on without losing interest in everything that happens. Believe me, Angel Eyes is just too much.
Such an intricate story would have been way better to follow if it wasn’t so slow. Of course by the middle of it got way better. But pacing was a constant during the twenty episodes. Just allow me to clarify that it isn’t a bad story at all. And it is really well performed and directed, but the rhythm just isn’t for me. I love melodramas that don’t add slowness to the tragedy just because maybe it might be felt differently by the audience.
Unnecessary long scenes with the characters almost frozen in one expression, oh, please let it be over!
Synopsis of Angel Eyes
A high school student falls in love with a girl without knowing she lost her sight in an accident. The same accident where his father and the girl’s mother lost their lives.
When he finds out about the girl’s situation he feels this urge to protect her. He decides to introduce her into his family of three. A sick little sister and a really nice mother. The girl starts falling for him and for his family. Being motherless and with a not very present genius doctor father, she spends her time at their home. She learns how to cook with recorded voice tapes that are made for her by the boy’s mother and making lovely memories.
The time passes and all this happiness can’t do anything but be ended by tragedy. Because, you know…this is a drama after all. The lovely mother gets hit by a car. When she’s at the hospital, she is murdered by the girl’s father. This, in order to transplant the woman’s corneas into his daughter’s eyes.
The boy wouldn’t know what this man did and thanks the doctor for his job trying to save his mother. In exchange, this man will send both kids to US, the older brother to study medicine and the little girl to be treated.
They come back to Korea. She is now grown up woman working as a paramedic in a fire department. And he’s a well known doctor. He has changed his name so nobody would relate him to the kid that left a long time ago. This is an advantage, that he will use on his behalf. Because the lady he was in love with all his life now has a boyfriend.
Starring Angel Eyes Korean Drama
Ku Hye Sun
Boys Over Flowers, The Musical, Strongest Chil Woo
Is Yoon Soo Wan, this cheerful woman that now has the ability to see and tries to live her life like an ordinary emergency worker but has never forgotten about her first love. She knew tragedy in an early age and her life was really hard except for the time she spend with Park Dong Joo and his lovable family. But in the end she tends to be really childish and whimsical, putting her emotions above everyone else’s.
Lee Sang Yoon
Goddess of Fire, The Duo, No Limit
Is Dylan Park or Park Dong Joo, an excellent young doctor that came back to look for his first love to find out she didn’t wait for him. He decides to leave at first, but then when he finds out some tiny bits of truth, he decides to stay as close to her as possible and finally confessing who he was. There are some situations that show his personality to be too nice, to the point that it becomes unbelievable.
Kim Ji Suk
Cheongdam Dong Alice, I Need Romance 2, Wonderful Mama
Is Dr. Kang Ji Woon, he was the first face that Soo Wan sees when she gets the corneas transplant. He’s in love with her and would do anything to be with her all the time. Another great performance from this actor that should have a main lead in a drama!
Jung Jin Young
Love Rain, Miracle in Cell No. 7, Brain
Is Doctor Yoon Jae Beom, Soo Wan’s father and the link between all the dark stories. He was not a bad man until the opportunity to change her daughter’s life appears. He will deeply regret what he did but it won’t be enough when all the secrets see the light many years later.
Also starring in Angel Eyes
Jung Ae Ri, Kong Hyung Jin, Seung Ri, Juan, Kim Yeo Jin, Seo Tae Hwa, Kim Min Chan, Seo Dong Won, Park Jin Joo, Lee Seung Hyeong, Lim Seung Dae, Kwon Hae Hyo, Kim Seung Wook, Sung Chang Hoon, Lee Ha Yul, Yoon Ye Joo and many more.
I would go further with the synopsis but I wouldn’t like to spoil this continuum of situations that will be getting darker and darker. This ill fated relationship knows no happiness at all, and whenever they seem to be finding the light at the end of the tunnel a new series of unfortunate events will crush their hearts (and ours) again.
There’s no room to breath in this story, and you will love it if you like melodramas that will press your chest constantly, dragging situations to the upmost extend not in explanations but in mental images and long scenes in slow motion, with even slower music.