5 Reasons to watch “Crash Landing on you!” | Ratings 9/10

There is no better way to begin this with the following quote by Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok, “I got on the wrong train and that very train brought me here. It brought me to the place I’ve yearned to come every morning and night. It brought me to my destination.”

The aforementioned quote is what I would certainly relate to my journey to be drifted by ‘Hallyu’. I don’t even know what came to my mind to try on one of these Korean Dramas. Nevertheless, this was one of the most fascinating journeys of my life. Being said that, let us crash straight to the cult Korean drama, “Crash Landing on You!”

Synopsis: CLOY is a romantic drama with comedy elements. The story revolves around a chaebol heiress, Yoon Se-ri, who accidentally lands up in North Korea while paragliding (due to a tornado), where she meets the protagonist of the series, Ri Jeong-hyeok. A captain with Korean People’s Army, stationed alongside the Demilitarized-zone (DMZ), also who happens to be a son of ‘Director of the General Political Bureau’ and vice-marshal of Korean People’s Arm. They both fall in love eventually. The question is, will she be able to go back to South Korea, her homeland? For that I would recommend you to check with this once in a lifetime series on Netflix, “Crash Landing on You!”.

By the way, who cut those damn onions?

My Five Reasons:

1. Presentation: Everything from hairstyles to clothes of the town/village residents, food, roads and houses are almost exactly as most of the North-Korean defectors have suggested. Even though, few defectors have suggested that even though this series shows fancy colored attire for the elite, in reality, it isn’t possible, however, based on what limited information one has for this isolated nation, we can certainly give an exception to this one. Not just the presented relevant to the show, but also general life for North Koreans, i.e. no one can really travel to other town or city without authorized pass, gangs in North-Korea, smuggled items such as cosmetics, film DVDs, electronics, appliances etc. from, South Korean and from other countries.
   
2. The fantastic four: Captain Ri’s trust worthy crew really adds that secret spice of comedy to this series. Be it their accent, aspiration, hate for their enemies or love for K-Drama, everything about them is cute. This doesn’t only gives us a filler to fill during an ongoing lengthy love saga, but also develops their characters that sure every viewer of CLOY has at-least one favorite among them. You simply cannot get enough of them.
   
3. The Elites: We know, all we have is internet, news and few videos on North Korea to understand how that mysterious nation works. However, this gives us a different insight of how elite lives really. It is certain that the makers of the show have done an extensive research before putting them across. Be it a vehicle with ‘729’ registration, lifestyle of top military families, education of student (as well as foreign education) and access in big city such as Pyongyang. Moreover, there is actual fear of high ranking officers among the ones with lower rankings. Of course with an exception to one of the phenomenal antagonists of Korean dramas (and global dramas) Cho Cheol-gang.
   
4. Sub Stories and Support Cast: Story of Dan and Alberto doesn’t only fulfills the empty parts, but stays with you even after the show is over. You can certainly relate the story of Dan to that of Lee Hee-kyung (Park Hae-jin) from “My love from the Star”, who did nothing other than being nice and sacrificing her life. The chemistry between Dan and Alberto can be seen from the moment they first meet. I wished to see some more romantic and funny moments with both of them being the center of attention. Not just their stories, but also the side stories of both Ri and Se-ri’s families have been equally interesting. Both families belonging to the top of their own leagues, adds a possibility to the conclusion in the real life scenario. This doesn’t just ends here, there is more. The residents of officer’s village are so adorable that anyone will want to meet them if they would have existed in real world.
   
5. The ending: What one can get better than this? Everything about this series was at par and researched. Unfortunately, for a normal North Korean Citizen, this wouldn’t have been possible the way this series concludes, however, based on the families of both characters, it is certainly possible. Or maybe we need to study more about the Korean reunification and the diplomatic relations between both nations closely. Whatever it is or if we even call this a piece of fiction, in my heart, I am more than satisfied to believe the conclusion was well defined and executed. A show well made.

How many among you cried, be honest, alright? Let me know about your experience in the comments section below. Stay tuned for more! 🙂