Splash Splash Love

Splash Splash Love

8/10

Splash Splash Love

Genre:                                Episodes: 2                          Year: 2015

Historical

Romance

Fantasy

Synopsis:

Struggling with school and unaware what to do with her future, Jang Dan Bi worries about sitting her university exam. On the day of the exam, Dan Bi accidentally discovers a portal to another world. Dan Bi chooses this unknown world over her exam and finds herself in the Joseon era. She meets King Lee Do while disguised as a eunuch. 

Cast:

Kim Seul Gi (Jang Dan Bi)

Yoon Doo Joon (King Lee Do)

Ahn Hyo Seop (Park Yeon)

Jin Ki Joo (Queen Soheon)

General Thoughts:

I thought I would get a cute little romance about a high school girl and a young king. What I actually got was a masterful interweaving of past and present in a charming story that is filled with heart.

This whole drama is a dream come true

Only being two episodes long, the drama can get away with a lot of things that longer dramas can’t. Like only having two main characters.

Kim Seul Gi- you are perfect and I will love you forever

Or finishing with a rather bittersweet ending. The writers knew exactly how long they had to tell their story, and the series finished without any unanswered questions or drawn-out moments- yay writing team! Both Kim Seul Gi and Yoon Doo Joon deliver strong performances, providing both great laughs and wonderfully heartfelt moments. I absolutely loved seeing Kim Seul Gi in a leading role (why on Earth doesn’t it happen more often?!) and her chemistry with Yoon Doo Joon was both crackling and adorable. The plot itself was appropriately simple- a few minor twists and complications here and there, but the bulk of the drama focused on our fantastic heroine, her feelings of uncertainty, and her gradually developing relationship with the King. It’s just marvellous. 

What Was Great:

General Flow:

Each scene flowed beautifully into the next for a wonderfully fluid little drama. Each conflict had enough time to swell and be adequately addressed before the drama moved on. The relationship between the King and Dan Bi also flowed beautifully, as it easily progressed from strangers to friends to lovers. Something that even full-length dramas can mess up. Everything moved so nicely together and gave such a complete feeling to the series. 

100% yes

The Ending:

Usually I don’t care for bittersweet endings, but another upside of the drama being so short was that it could pull of bittersweet in such a satisfying way.

Perfect little wrap-up to our perfect little drama

Due to the time travel, you know going in that it’s unlikely that Dan Bi and the King will have a completely happy ending- but the writers still managed to tie it up beautifully. I’m so onboard with Dan Bi choosing to return to her own life rather than staying in the past. The huge impact she had on the King and the confidence she gained from the experience meant that Dan Bi’s trip in time hadn’t been a waste of time or just some randomly fun adventure- but actually meant something. I’m eternally grateful that the writers opted to go for a King doppelgänger in the present rather than a reincarnation. The umbrella story and hidden connection was beyond cute. I seriously think K-Dramas have brainwashed me into believing that umbrellas are the most deeply romantic objects out there. 

What Wasn’t:

Conflict Confusion:

While each conflict did follow smoothly in the series, sometimes I was a little confused as to the whole idea of the conflict. Why was Dan Bi building a water clock? Who’s that guy and why does he want her dead?

Also included a surprising amount of accurate history

In the end these small confusions had no real impact on the show as they were so small and were always drowned out by the beautifully constructed, beautifully developed, beautifully acted romance. 

Re-watch?

100%. I would live in this drama if I could. It is definitely one of my all time favourites, and I love that it’s so short as it means I can watch it again and again, without it taking away too much time from new dramas. Woo!

This drama is love. This drama is life.