[K-DRAMA] The Heirs

warning: may contain spoilers

A drama that involves the lives of Heirs…

Plot:

The Heirs revolves around the lives of young and wealthy heirs. The drama dwells on different kinds of relationships with one another– love, friendship, sibling, parent, etc. Kim Tan is an illegitimate child that was sent to America as a form of exile while his half-brother, Kim Won takes over the business in Korea. Choi Young Do is a former friend of Kim Tan and is also a hotel heir. Yoo Rachel is Kim Tan’s fiancé and is the daughter of the owner of a leading clothing apparel. On the other hand, Kim Tan coincidentally meets Cha Eun Sang who went to America to look for her sister. Back to Korea, Kim Tan realises that he’s falling for Cha Eun Sang and found out that she’s a daughter of their housekeeper. All of them attend the same high school.

Opinions:

I’m the type of person who doesn’t read the plot or synopsis when it comes to dramas, but it mostly depends on the actors or if it’s a popular drama. At first, I really thought that The Heirs was all about literally heirs. I thought that everyone was rich and heirs in their own businesses. I found out that the female lead is actually poor which makes it a typical one. I guess something new would be every character would all be rich and everyone would fight about the best car, the best bag, etc. Basically, everyone would fight about having the best stuff and everyone is equal to begin with. I’m not sure whether this kind of drama has already been done, but I would love to see one.

Many have been saying that The Heirs was similar to Boys Over Flowers. It’s actually very similar on the outside, but when you closely look and actually watch the drama, it’s not similar at all. Right, everyone was rich while female lead was the only poor girl. However, there’s so much more in The Heirs. Kim Tan doesn’t bully Eun Sang but sincerely helped her while Jun Pyo actually bullied and made fun of Jan Di. Aside from these students, the parents were also as important as the students in this drama because they have their own scandals and controversies as well. I guess the older actors who played as parents spiced the heat up and made more things fun in this drama. It’s just that the latter part mostly focused on Kim Tan and Eun Sang’s relationship which I felt was a pity. Going back to the differences, another would be the second lead guy. In Boys Over Flowers, the second lead guy was passive and quiet. In The Heirs, the second lead guy was all active and fighting for his love. I guess these few examples would give you an idea that these two dramas are totally different despite of the same lead actor and same rich guy-poor girl concept.

As I’ve said, The Heirs’s plot is very typical for my liking. Both main leads meet and hated each other. Feelings started to develop. Parents opposed the relationship. Second lead guy comes in. Both guys fight for the girl like they’re fighting for some possession. It’s not my favourite because these subplots have frequently appeared in many Korean dramas. Although there were unique aspects as well such as Kim Tan is not a legitimate child, I guess it wasn’t what I expected the drama to be. I started watching this drama right after it ended because of the major success I heard from other avid viewers and K-pop fans. Apparently, I was expecting much more from this drama so I was left a little sad. For me, the latter parts were easily forgotten and it got draggy during the latter parts. It was a good start, but sadly they weren’t able to maintain it. I wasn’t really looking forward to the rest of the episodes because I somewhat know what’s going to happen next. It’s a really typical drama.

Characters:

Lee Min Ho as Kim Tan — Lee Min Ho once again took a role of a student as Kim Tan. I thought that Lee Min Ho should challenge himself with more difficult and mature roles in the future. I mean, he’s already a level higher than all of his co-stars in this drama with his popularity right now. Nonetheless, it was nice to see a cute side of Lee Min Ho when Kim Tan showed his cuteness or aegyo to Eun Sang. I guess he was much more manly, cuter and more handsome as Kim Tan this time rather than Jun Pyo. Many thought that Lee Min Ho was one of the best-looking man in Korean dramas, but this drama somehow proved to be otherwise. A flock of beautiful and handsome men ready for you to choose in this drama.

Park Shin Hye as Cha Eun Sang — Park Shin Hye has been one of my favourite young actresses in Korea and this is because she is natural and doesn’t look awkward. Her portrayal of Cha Eun Sang was great but there’s nothing really new from her. I love her consistency in acting though and she can really take different kinds of roles. Park Shin Hye is really lucky and blessed to always be constantly surrounded by cute boys. (ex. You’re Beautiful, Flower Boy Next Door,etc.)

Kim Woo Bin as Choi Young Do — I love Kim Woo Bin ever since in A Gentleman’s Dignity when he was casted as Collin’s (CNBLUE’s Jong Hyun) friend. I have been anticipating and following his news since then. There’s some kind of attractiveness and unique look that I find appealing in him. He also appeared in To The Beautiful You and in School 2013. I have to say that this role as Choi Young Do was really his breakthrough performance. I felt that he stole the limelight from Lee Min Ho because of his tough character. His acting and character are well-talked about even up to this day. He was simply perfect for the role of Choi Young Do and I could not think of any other bad-looking actor that could do better than him. I guess I’m one of those secretly shipping Cha Eun Sang – Choi Young Do instead of Eun Sang and Kim Tan.

CNBLUE Kang Min Hyuk as Yoon Chan Young — Chan Young is really the cutest among the crowd. He’s also the most upright and the number 1 when it comes to studies. Kang Min Hyuk has done it again. Since his appearance in Heartstrings, I’m sure that he will become one great actor. Min Hyuk has definitely improved because he’s much more natural and mature now. He’s all being serious but how can he also be cute at the same time? His eyesmiles really made my day. I was sad though that Jung Yong Hwa was casted out of this drama, but then Min Hyuk was casted in instead. I heard that this Chan Young was a new role made for him. He was indeed perfect for the role. His pairing with Krystal was simply super sweet and cute.

F(x) Krystal Jung as Lee Bo Na — Krystal isn’t exactly my favourite F(x) member, maybe because I think she has a princess personality similar with her sister. I came to like her in this drama with her portrayal as Lee Bo Na. Bo Na is really an overprotective girlfriend of Chan Young. During the first few episodes, I felt that her acting was still awkward but as the drama progressed, her acting also progressed. She was also able to show-off her ability in speaking English. She’s really suitable to be part of this cast because she really looks like a rich Korean girl who grew up in America. Again, her pairing with Min Hyuk was a major major plus on her. I’m wondering how did the casting team thought of this pairing since I’ve seen this pair floating around the internet, specifically fan fictions a long long time ago.

Kim Ji Won as Rachel Yoo — I found out that she was also the girl in To The Beautiful You and I didn’t realise this while watching the drama. Am I the only one who’s annoyed with her bangs? She’s much more beautiful with side bangs rather than full bangs. I totally did not recognise her. Anyway, Ji Won did an incredible job to annoy Eun Sang as well as annoy the audience. Her looks with her annoying bangs is really suitable for her to be spoiled Rachel. That controversial kiss with Hyo Shin was least expected but here’s another pairing that I secretly root for.

Choi Jin Hyuk as Kim Won — Ever since his appearance in Gu Family Book, I really became interested in him. I was also happy that he was casted in this drama as Kim Tan’s older brother. Wouldn’t it be a perfect choice as well? Choi Jin Hyuk is really sexually appealing with his voice and his body. I specifically liked his voice among others; I find it really distinct from other people’s voices. Kim Won was cold towards Kim Tan, but he secretly cared for his brother. I simply loved Jin Hyuk’s portrayal. At the same time, I also pity his character because of the pressure given by his father to keep the company going as well as letting go of his love. It’s so painful that he’s the only one with the sad ending.

Kang Ha Neul as Lee Hyo Shin — An actor that I discovered in To The Beautiful You as Min Ho’s rival. Even from that time, I really thought that he was much more handsome than Min Ho. Another actor that I wanted to see gets casted in this drama as well. Kang Ha Neul’s portrayal of Lee Hyo Shin isn’t the best choice in my opinion. I felt that a better role could be given to him since he doesn’t look like a senior to Kim Tan. He looks younger than Lee Min Ho. Nonetheless, I just felt happy to see him once again. A playful character whose mother wants him to be a lawyer but he insists to be a director instead. I applaud him for his tough yet brave choice of going to the army instead. lol

ZE:A Park Hyung Sik as Jo Myung Soo — Hyung Sik is my favourite member in ZE:A. I’m so happy that people are starting to notice him now especially when he’s part of this drama. “Heirs” fits exactly for Hyung Sik as he is known to come from a rich family among his group and among idols. Hyung Sik was a great addition to this drama because his role in this drama is the mood maker. I’m not sure of this but his role seemed different from what he is in real life. I’ve seen him in the Romantic & Idol, and in there he displayed his shy personality. He was totally different as Myung Soo and I’m guessing that he might have gotten acting lessons from his co-member Kwang Hee who’s also known for being a funny man. Anyway, Hyung Sik really surprised me with his role in here, but it just proved that he’s also a star to look forward to.

Ending: (spoilers)

Don’t you think that the ending was a bit rushed? As I watch the last episode, I was a little worried and at the same time curious on how they would wrap up the drama. There wasn’t really anything to look forward to because it was simply a happy ending. There goes Kim Tan and Eun Sang’s relationship and the father tried everything to separate the two. But in the end, the father just simply accepted them. Kim Tan and Young Do also reconciled with each other. The ending lacked a spark or something worth remembering. I guess people were already satisfied with a simple happy ending.

Final Thoughts:

The Heirs is a cute drama but the plot is very ordinary. I didn’t find anything special in it except for the fact that all of them were beautiful and good-looking. If you change all the main actors to those not-so-famous actors, I’m sure that it wouldn’t be as successful as it was. I can’t deny the fact that I was only watching because of most of the actors were the actors that I’m looking forward to see especially Kim Woo Bin and Kang Min Hyuk. The Heirs had a promising start. Filming locations were in the U.S.A. The story kind of messed up in the latter part as well as the ending wasn’t completely satisfying. In conclusion, The Heirs has picked great actors as part of the cast but the writing is just so-so. It’s best to be watched by K-pop fans, and if you are fans of the actors in it. But if you’re looking for something new and thrilling, then this may not be the one for you as it’s a typical Korean rom-com. A big part of the rating comes from the actors. Thanks to them I finished it.

Rating: 8/10