A beautiful, minimalist love story. One Spring Night (OSN) tells a tale of two people who fell in love despite the whole world telling them not to. They tugged at my heartstrings with their beautiful relationship that not only had to bear the weight of internal struggles but also had to face the societal pressures that came along with being Korean.
First and foremost, let me just get this out off the way; I have been in the mood for slow-romance and I appreciate the one without the usual K-Drama Troupes ; like Memory Loss , Unreasonable Breakups , Misunderstanding and Jealous-Evil Second Leads ; and OSN fits perfectly in this category
One Spring Night is a take on modern Korea where the youth have to face the older generation, but not with guns or lawsuits, it's all about dialogue.
It's as much a social drama as it is a romance story, so please go into it keeping that in mind. The cultural differences will make some decisions hard to understand but all of them make perfect sense, regardless. Jeong In and Ji Ho's slow burn romance coupled with extremely lovable side characters, realistic and fleshed out "antagonists" (though I'm not sure if I want to call them that because they weren't inherently evil, just handicapped by their circumstances, upbringing and morals).
All in all, OSN offers what most dramas tend to lack these days: authenticity. It makes you feel like you're there with the characters and you grow fond of them.
One Spring Night is (once again) about growth, and I believe that the best score you can give to a drama is "I want to watch whatever this writer and director are doing next". Well, this drama is not perfect. It has its problems but that's what growth is. It's not a straight line to success and that you won't get annoying sometimes. But the acting, damn, the acting.....
I don't like to compare performances because I like to believe that actors can't only do so much if the script isn't good. But what an amazing performance by everyone.
Jung Hae-In and Han Ji Min were both superb in their roles as the couple deeply in love despite their 'flaws'. Their chemistry was electrifying, similar to Jung Hae-In's performance with Chase Soo-bin in "A Piece of Your Mind"
That's not to say that the side characters weren't also quintessential to the story. Unlike many of the other dramas, the side characters in OSN are seamlessly natural in their performance and appropriately impactful on the main characters. They aren't caricatures or plot devices used to fuel the story, but rather, they have their own lives and accompanying struggles.
The FL’s sisters were also great and their acting really conveyed how their characters were shaped by their shared upbringing. The mother is not a saint ; although she is from the old generation she understood and stood by her children.
If there are two people I would hate it would be the Father (Tae-hak) ; greedy old guard with self-interest and the wife-beater Nam Shi-Hoon ; these kind of men are a disgrace to Manhood . Ki-Seok is an acceptable character who just destroyed himself due to pride and not love.
The music in OSN was also flawless and appropriate to the story. It boasts the ensemble of Rachael Yamagata as well as a song from Oscar Dunbar and Carla Bruni. These songs aren't just great for their addictive repetitions on your phone, but they seamlessly blend into the settings of OSN. One song in particular, Spring Waltz by Carla Bruni. My lord, that song was perfect for OSN and an absolute delight to listen to. Even if you don't watch this drama, which I highly doubt by now given how much you must've read of this review by now, you should google that song and play it on repeat.
Overall, OSN has ranked definitively in my favorite Korean dramas of all time. It's needless to say at this point in the review, but the casting choices, music and directing styles were all impeccable. OSN showcases a captivating love from one to another with endearing characters from varying social backgrounds. It's truly a romance that will keep you engaged in the show from all their ups and down. There is this faith between the main characters that persists throughout the show, and it's a faith I have for the romantic dramas to come from director Ahn Pan-seok and writer Kim Eun
When I started it i thought it had 32 Episodes and I wasn't rushing through to continues which helped me to enjoy it more. Binge watch it, watch two episodes a week, whatever works for you. If possible, watch it on a Spring Night with your partner.
