Stream Classics to Latest K-Movies & Shows at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Sound of Your Heart" Episodes 1-8

The very first scene in the very first episode of "The Sound of Your Heart" is a weird meta-joke, and comic writer Seok (played by Lee Kwang-soo) relishes the opportunity to laugh at us for having expected anything less from the live-action adaptation of his famed long-running webtoon. Seok in general seems to be a big fan of petty childish pranks, which backfire as often as not. Fortunately they also tend to be exceptionally funny.

Advertisement

While "The Sound of Your Heart" is a famous enough webtoon the huge backlog coupled with the generally hideous art has always been a disincentive for me to try and read it. The production team behind the web drama version themselves actually seem to acknowledge this, as the final two episodes in this sequence are a ridiculous parody of the "Answer" dramas which take advantage of how Seok's art style doesn't really show any clear physical traits aside from hair style. The ultimate closing to that sequence, too, is suitably ominous, though I'm sure fans of the webtoon will not be surprised.

You don't really need to know anything about "The Sound of Your Heart" to like this drama, though. Likewise, while the constant parodies might get to be a bit over-the-top, the tone is so transparent that it's all too easy to figure out what's going on. When potty humor is the core element, it's also easy to focus on questions like, wow, how did they even do that with the apartment lighting? Did everyone synchronize their watches?

"The Sound of Your Heart" also benefits a lot from having a very strong cast. Joon (played by Kim Dae-myung) is Seok's idiot brother, while Cheol-wong (played by Kim Byung-ok) is Seok's idiot father and Jeong-kwon (played by Kim Mi-kyung) is Seok's idiot mother. This is the best cast money can buy- in the sense that "The Sound of Your Heart" is a bit of a cheap production and these actors are undervalued relative to their talent. Chances are good you'll recognize their faces if not their names.

Beyond that the drama is strong simply for managing to take so many obvious jokes and really just sell them. The sheer ludicrousness of episodes five and six with the tablet are a stand-out quality, and yet there's also the little stuff, like Cheol-wong demonstrating the amazing things people can do with smart phones these days. "The Sound of Your Heart" is consistently laugh out loud funny, and deserving of a wider audience.

Review by William Schwartz

"The Sound of Your Heart" is directed by Ha Byeong-hoo, written by Kim Yeon-ji, Kwon Hye-jo, Lee Byeong-hoon-II and features Lee Kwang-soo, Kim Dae-myung, Jung So-min, Kim Byung-ok and Kim Mi-kyung.

❎ Try Ad-free