“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” Episode 1 And 2 Review

Published Categorized as Kdrama Reviews
https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

Ever since it was announced that there will be a Korean remake of the Japanese drama with that plot, I was excited and when I saw the cast I was soooo happy, I couldn’t believe that Seo In Guk was coming back with a new drama, I have missed him so much.

For transparency sake I must admit that I am a huge Seo In Guk fan, I have been his fan since I started watching kdramas. I watched all his movies and dramas and listened to all his songs.





Seo In Guk picks good projects so I was anticipating his return. Despite his military exemption controversy, I still wanted to see him back with a new drama, I hope the Korean public goes easy on him, its not his fault that he’s sick.

The plot seems interesting and usually cable channels push the boundaries more with their scripts so I was happy the drama was picked by tvN not a public channel.

As expected, I loved the premiere. It was amazing guys, I can talk about this drama for days it was so good and so different. I loved it.

For someone who often complains about clichés in kdramas, I was waiting for something that was slightly different and this drama does the trick for me.





I feel like I am going to cry a lot watching the performances. I also have a feeling that this drama won’t end on a happy note and I am already preparing my heart for this… Note: the preparations aren’t going as well as you’d expect them.

I have no particular complaints about the drama because it was executed so well.

Let’s talk about each section of the drama

The casting choice

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

God bless whoever did the casting for this drama because they did an amazing job.

Seo In Guk is the perfect mixture of sexy and creepy. He pulls off his role so well and he makes it look like a piece of cake.





He plays the role of Moo Young, someone who could either be a psychopath or a sociopath. The comment section of the drama is arguing which one of those he really is but my guess is that he’s neither.

A psychopath’s brain operates entirely differently, seeing that he is treating a cat well and showing compassion as well as seeing how irritated he got because of her burning scar sort of eliminates the psychopath narrative. (Trust me I know about psychopaths that’s all I watch, documentaries about them)

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

Also, I think they wouldn’t portray him as a psychopath simply because these people can’t change, its not that its an acquired behavior but something you’re just born with, there is no treatment for that. According to the plot, he finds his humanity after he meets Jung So Min’s character, so I doubt he’s a psychpath (unless the plot-twist lies there).

Psychopaths (those who seek help because they can’t control themselves) try to understand logically why other normal humans think certain things are wrong and right and also learn about the implications it’ll have on others’ lives.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

I think something very bad happened to him in the past and it made him like this, he has a past with the brother and the sister. He might be plotting revenge against them because my guess is the brother did something bad to him… I don’t know I am not sure.

He seems like someone who has given up on life, he has the tendency to toy around with people because he finds everything boring (because he’s a genius). He can lie so well and manipulate greatly as well.





What I liked about this drama is that the male lead is not rich. He is creepy and despite being hot will freak you out when he opens his mouth, I wouldn’t ever want to meet someone like him in real life.

I also liked Jung So Min’s character, Jin Kang.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

She is on the better side of life compared to Moo Young. She has a family, friends, and a paying job. She is happy.

She is not easy to deal with but nice. I liked that she wasn’t either of extremes; she wasn’t that happy-go-lucky female protagonist we usually see in kdramas.

Jin Kook played by Park Sung Woong who is also one of my favorite actors ever. He is amazing and chooses great projects; he is active in movies and dramas and does so well every time.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

I was honestly most surprised by detective Jin Kook, I thought that I would see this hot-headed detective with a bad temper and disregard to others because he’s the ace of his team but that wasn’t the case. You don’t know how happy I was when I found out he wasn’t that.

He was like a man who did something so bad and his spirit was broken as a result. This is my guess he was cast aside and assigned petty tasks despite his wit because he did something so wrong but people pitied him and kept him around to do smaller tasks.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

I also liked his friend Tak So Jung, they suit each other so well and share great chemistry. I also love how quirky her character is, she is not very typical either but she’s very likable.

I also liked the clumsy sweet youngest detective on the scene, god he is so adorable and such a cute actor, I was shocked to find out he was born in 1986. I have seen him in kdramas before but this is the first time he’s given a major supporting role he can shine in. I expect this actor will be big one day.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

Seo Eun Su’s character (the youngest of the main cast) is also special and such a sweetie. I liked how innocent she was and how forward she is, Seung Ah is an interesting character that will suffer a lot because she fell in love with Moo Young.

The rest of the cast is also amazing. I just like the casting choice of everything.

The plot

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

It’s amazing, simple.

The plot is different and so is the way the main characters are written. For people who also watch Japanese dramas this might be typical but to me who only watch kdramas this plot sounds different and stands out from the rest.

A lot of cliché and stereotypes I am used to hasn’t been applied yet in this drama, I hope it stays like that. Different!

Its creepy, I especially liked the dialogues the cast has and how Moo Young can suddenly change the atmosphere around him because of a creepy question.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

He is a charming character that is difficult to play; I can’t wait to see how he changes throughout the drama runtime.

The 1st and 2nd episodes were amazing because the progress of them was great.

Also, I must praise the way the characters were introduced. I don’t think many kdrama fans pay attention to that but kdramas usually have this pattern in which they introduce their main characters and its usually a voiceover explaining how amazing the leads are.

If not a voiceover, its usually a random character that just explains everything you basically need to know about everyone, check the recently aired “The Beauty Inside” drama for example.





It followed that narrative to the tea, now take a look at “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,” there are almost no characters introductions masked as voiceover and you get introduced to them and guided through their daily routines and that’s how you learn information about them.

This tactic was used (I think) deliberately since the drama is supposed to come off creepy and mysterious.

I also liked the pacing of the story.

I liked that Seung A and Moo Young started dating before episode one was over and the progress of it wasn’t rushed in any way. They just liked each other (one of them in reality) and knew that, they didn’t dwell on the consequences.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

The way Moo Young acts hot then cold is amazing, I rarely see manipulative kdrama male leads and this was so refreshing to see, someone who is actually wrong in the head not just cocky.

I loved how they charged towards that and still, it doesn’t feel forced. I actually ship Seung A and Moo Young; I think they suit each other well.

The relationship between Jin Kook and Jin Kang is simply amazing and I love how they interact with each other and how close they are as well.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

There seem to be many loose ends and many people who carry secrets, I love how every character has a hint of mystery in them. No character is ‘nice-nice’ they’re all flawed and some of them are downright scary and dangerous.

I am so happy but also trying to calm down because I don’t want to be disappointed again. There have been kdramas in 2018 that started off so well and then fizzled into basically nothing.

I would like the drama plot to follow the Japanese plot. This plot pays close attention to the details of the surroundings which will play a crucial role later on.





This is why “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” is like a movie that you need to watch twice to fully understand, the first time you enjoy it and feel immersed and the second time you look over the clues and find out why the revelations make sense.

Making such movies/dramas is a very difficult thing to do. I write as well and I am working on my first novel, in an attempt to make every scene count I struggle.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

Its not easy to fill a 16 episode kdrama with only important parts. tvN’s “My Ahjussi” was one of those dramas that had almost no filler scenes so I hope this drama will do the same.

Just because kdramas usually follow a pattern I hope that they don’t do the same this time. If the plot is that detailed (as a lot of people are saying) I hope they follow the Japanese drama so they don’t ruin their remake.





There are plots you can change and there are plots you can’t toy around with because each detail is so important and integral to the overall plot.

I hope that the kdrama writer won’t feel the need to give us a happy ending. I already know the drama will have a devastating ending but I don’t know why, yet. (I need to stop reading comments)

The chemistry

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

The chemistry between the cast makes the drama so much better.

I especially liked Seung A and Moo Young chemistry. Its like she really fell in love with him not pretending. They also kissed a couple of times in episode 1 and 2 but it was so sweet and not awkward at all.

She is like a spoiled baby who is too innocent and easy to fool, she is so cute.

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

The tension between Moo Young and ‘Manager’ Jin Kook is off the roof. I just love how scared and tense Jin Kook feels around Moo Young. Moo Young has that special skill to give you mixed feelings you like him then you’re scared of him.

Everything works so well because the casting choice was simply amazing.

Conclusion

https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg https://www.jazminemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Smile-Has-Left-Your-Eyes-review.jpg

I am a bit upset at myself because I was so impatient. Now I have to suffer for a month and a half as each episode comes out.

I haven’t seen the Japanese version so I am blind to what will happen next but I heard the ending will be heartbreaking and there is a plot twist, a major plot twist that will explain everything.

A twitter user talked about the drama and said that it would be a ballsy move from the Korean director and writer if they decided to follow the Japanese plot. I would like to see something ballsy because kdrama usually avoid doing anything above the ordinary.

tvN dramas do so from time to time, OCN dramas do it a lot (pushing boundaries) but usually public channel dramas are pretty tame.

This is what I thought about the premiere, what about you guys? Did you like the premiere?

Whats your reaction to this article?
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0

By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

5 comments

  1. i wish lily tomlin wa soffed moremovie roles simllier to this iwish lily tomil had won ten oscer
    awars i wish lily tomlin would hav edonbealot
    more mmoves with bette midler they both verytaleted in their own ways bettmeidelr is avery good brodway pop singe r wind beth my
    wings makesme cry ican tlsitren to any music to sad m nbowa days i need hapopy bubble gum music forlidfes diffcult and very nast
    vilont nast y rude inconsterart epoele

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.