Summary of review : I feel very strongly that this beloved K-drama turned into anime has something different to offer. Something unique to anime in general, something refreshing in its art style and a bit more mature in its presentation when compared to the television counterpart. I would happily recommend people who are fans of dramas and anime to get your hands on this one.
Okay so before beginning the review I have to address the crazy low ratings. Winter Sonata is based on the beloved K-drama of the same name. It's not your traditional anime as everything from the pacing, the setting and even the voice acting is inspired from and for the Korean television of the 2000s. The one review I've read saying the episodes are long isn't considering the fact that K-dramas are normally 1-ish hour long. So, if you can't deal with slow paced dramas, then this isn't your cup of team. As you can tell from my rating, I love shows taken in a slow and relaxing pace.
Coming to my review of the anime, I really loved it. Maybe I am a biased fan of the original K-drama but I think this drama has aged very well. Some would say it's a cliche story and I would agree to a certain extent but it's not just about the story.
1. The show is set in the 2000s and if you like nostalgic trips of your youth, you're gonna love this. (Notice how students interacted with each other instead of their mobile phones?).
2. Now, can we talk about the art ? After all, it's what makes the anime different from the original show. The style in which they present different timelines (as students vs as adults) is amazing. The team did a great job to make past moments feel nostalgic without explicitly reminding the viewer the scenes in the past. There's an episode 0 (OVA) which showcases this perfectly. Interestingly, the drama is not just limited to Korea. The overseas scenes are all done great and I could rewatch the overseas episodes multiple times just to enjoy the beautiful animation.
3. Okay last but definitely not the least, the music! The anime uses the same music which was prepared for the 2002 show and why wouldn't you, that soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal. Everything from the chosen tracks and the prepared instrumentals remain stuck to my head even after weeks of completing the series.
I think it's a nice watch which general anime fans will enjoy and k-drama fans will love.
