Today we are back with a new drama review, ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ is probably one of the most popular dramas of 2019. After watching it, I can tell it deserves that fame.
This drama is definitely in my top 10 and I loved it so much that this time this review will be mainly focused on characteristics of the story that made it so unique, beautiful and different.
A Rom-Com or a Thriller?
One of the first things I loved about this production is that it offers a bit of everything for everyone’s taste. You can’t really pigeonhole it to a genre because it’s a mix of many and several times within the same episode.
You will get a taste of everything: romance, mystery, thriller, comedy and cheesy moments that I absolutely loved. It was a complete emotional whiplash, but I absolutely fell in love with it
The actors did a great job at portraying all of the emotions related with each genre, the acting was beyond fantastic and the child actors were incredible. One of my favourite storylines in the drama is the parenthood shown in this drama. It was real, and it showed the ups and downs that any family can have in real life.
The Actors
Written by Lim Sang-choon and directed by Cha Yeong-hoon; ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ tells the story of Dongbaek (Gong Hyo-Jin) a single mother who owns a bar in Onsang, a well known city for its marinated crab restaurants and its peculiar people, and Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul) a police officer native from the city who falls in love with Dongbaek.
Dongbaek’s son is portrayed by Kim Kang-hoon. A child actor who’s only ten years old. Kang-hoon is a tremendous actor. This is not the first drama I watched with him, he was also in ‘Mr. Sunshine’ and ‘Romance is a Bonus Book’. Make sure to keep an eye on this young artist because I’m sure we will hear a lot from him in the future.
The cast of this drama is incredible. Their portrayal of the characters was so well done that you loved them and were annoyed by them at times. They felt like real people, and there was a group in particular that became my most loved and at the same time hated one, ‘The Ahjummas’.
The Ahjummas
I cannot write about ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ without talking about ‘The Ahjummas’. They are the heart of Onsang, and despite not liking them at the beginning, these women felt just like real people working hard and looking after their loved ones.
Part of my love for this part of the storyline is because Kim So-Young is one of my favorite actresses and she is one of them. She was also in the drama ‘Reply 1988’ and ‘Romance is a bonus book’.
‘The Ahjummas’ despite being sometimes ruthless were also good people, and I like how they show that a person can have good and bad sides. I also thought that the relationship amongst them was hilarious at times, and the actresses are fantastic.
The Love Story
This drama besides providing real stories of real people also gives a bit of romance. The storyline with Dongbaek and Yong-sik was at times adorable but also very mature, and I loved how this relationship was written.
They had heartfelt moments, but you could also see two adults trying to understand and accept each other, it wasn’t excessively romantic and it felt authentic.
Family
One highlight of this drama was the way in which family issues were portrayed. I hadn’t come across a production showing family issues so relatable.
Being a single mother, divorce and difficult childhoods are shown in this drama and the actors did a great job delivering these parts of their roles without being excessively dramatic. The approach was very mature and I loved the message of forgiveness and honesty.
‘When the Camellia Blooms’ is probably one of the best dramas I have watched to date, and if you are up to a mix of everything, make sure to watch it. I am sure it won’t disappoint.
