REVIEW: Secret Garden Kdrama
Secret Garden Kdrama is a classic you should not miss!!
| Title | Secret Garden |
| Male Lead | Hyun Bin as Kim Joo-Won |
| Female Lead | Ha Ji-Won as Gil Ra-Im |
| Writer | Kim Eun-sook |
| Episodes | 20 Episodes | 60 Minutes per Episode |
| Release | 13 November 2010 – 16 January 2011 |
| Genre | Romance Comedy Fantasy |
| Language | Korean |
| Country of Origin | South Korea |
Storyline
Secret Garden is a Romantic Comedy Fantasy series starring Ha Ji-won as Gil Ra-Im and Hyun Bin as Kim Joo-won. It is one of the earlier works of hit-maker Kim Eun-sook who also wrote The Inheritors, Descendants of the Sun, Guardian: The Lonely and the Great God, Mr. Sunshine, and The King: Eternal Monarch. It is a Cinderella story of a rich CEO and a stunt woman who happened to have their lives intertwined by fate.
Ha Ji-won as the Boyish Stuntwoman Gil Ra-Im
Gil Ra-Im is a stuntwoman who works in the film industry. She is part of a production house that specializes in action scenes. She is very serious about her craft and trains relentlessly to perfect it. In projects that she books, she is often the stunt double of the lead actress who does all the fight scenes, jumping off buildings, and car chases.
Hyun Bin as Kim Joo-Won the Chaebol CEO
Meanwhile, Kim Joo-Won is the CEO of a retail company. His family owns department stores and lives in as much luxury as money can buy. He is within the marrying age and he understands that with his stature it is expected of him to find a suitable wife for his status in society.
He allows his family to set up blind dates for him in the hopes of finding the perfect partner. Somebody who is practical and level-headed and with the same family background as him. Joo-Won is a cousin to Oksa, a top singer who is slowly losing his popularity. He is happy-go-lucky, free-spirited, and has been described as a womanizer in the series.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Oksa was in a bind and had to ask his cousin, Kim Joo-won to help him out of a sticky situation. Park Chae-rin, one of the actresses that he dated was blackmailing him and he needed his help to stall for time and make sure that the actress do not give any derogatory statements about him to the press. The cousins made a deal and Kim Joo-won agreed to help.
He went to the set address given to him by Oksa to get Chae-rin to come with him to a location where she will supposedly meet up with Oska. To Joo-won’s surprise, she willingly went with him. During their conversation, Kim Joo-won realized that the woman he was with was not the one his cousin was hiding from.
The woman with him intrigued him. He was from an affluent background and his instincts and every common sense told him he should not get close to the woman. But for the life of him, he could not do it. He is very close to being obsessed and continued to hang around her inventing fake issues and basically almost to the point of stalking her just to be able to see and talk to her.
The Sudden Twist of Fantasy
On a biking race one day with the three leads, Ra-Im, Oksa, and Joo-Won, Ra-Im got lost and strayed from the trail. Joo-Won was concerned about what had happened to her and looked everywhere for her. When he finally saw where Ra-Im is, they explored deeper into the trail until they came across a restaurant right in the middle of nowhere in a forest.
Gil Ra-Im and Kim Joo-Won Against All Odds
That was the start of a strange and magical thing that happens to the two leads. After a solo drinking session, they both wake up and realize that they have switched bodies. Through this experience, Kim Joo-won and Gil Ra-Im are shown a very different way of life aside from their own through each other’s eyes. They needed to figure out a way how to switch back to their own bodies and through the process, they fall deeply in love with each other.
Binge Star Rating – 8.5 Stars
Secret Garden Kdrama is one of the classic must-watch of the Korean Drama industry. Ha Joo-Won and Hyun Bin had magical chemistry together. The plot of the story is captivating. It is one of the brilliant writings of Kim Eun-Sook. The story explores how love can overcome even the most difficult of obstacles. Just a warning though, don’t expect the series to be realistic because it is anything but that. If you are in the mood for the perfect unusual fantasy love story, then Secret Garden is your next drama to binge.
Re-Watch Value
This drama is in my rotation throughout the years. It never loses its feel-good vibes and is always a joy to watch. After not watching it for a long time, watching it again now will still leave you with that giddy-happy feeling every episode. Especially during the times when both Ra-Im and Joo-Won were still fighting to deny their feelings for each other. This series is definitely re-watch-worthy.
Where to Watch
Watch all twenty episodes of Secret Garden Kdrama on Netflix with full English subtitles. What do you think about the series? Did you like it too? Drop your comments in the comments section below. I’d love to know your views, please let me know what you think!
Secret Garden OST
Secret Garden has a very good soundtrack with beautiful melodies and lyrics fit for the story. It has been on my playlist ever since I watched it many years ago. Here is the male version of the OST as sung by Hyun Bin.
Looking for more K Dramas to watch? Check out KDB’s What to Watch Next for more binge-worthy series you can choose from.
DISCLAIMER: The images and videos used are not my own. They are from promotional materials released by their production company: Hwa & Dam Pictures and Seoul Broadcasting System. These images may be subject to copyright. No copyright infringement intended. This blog is for entertainment purposes only. [Last Update 04252024]
