Over The Rainbow is a 16 episode drama that talks about the ups and downs of young dancers who strive to become singers, starring Hwanhee, Ji Hyun Woo, Seo Ji Hye and Kim Ok Bin.
Hotheaded schoolboy Hyuk Joo (Ji Hyun Woo) is inspired to become a dancer and one day meets Hee Soo (Kim Ok Bin) who happens to be a dancer herself but wants to become a singer. After much encouragement by Hee Soo that he has dancing potential Hyuk Joo joins his new companion on the road to becoming an idol and encounters superstar Rex (Hwanhee) who wants to start his own label and break from Pride Entertainment. Adding to this equation is awkward but kind-hearted Sung Mi (Seo Ji Hye) who is a huge fan of Rex but also wants to find her own dream to stardom.
The Good
* Fly To The Sky‘s Hwanhee shows he has the capability to sing and dance. I really like his song Tomorrow.
* The insight to the struggles and accomplishments of becoming a star is quite realistic in this drama. There is no bad guy or good guy. People would do anything to become famous, even if it means betraying their close ones.
* Hyuk Joo (he could be Rain’s twin brother here!!) and Hee Soo’s dancing skills are amazing. They have chemistry when they dance together, as do Hee Soo and Rex.
* The various dynamics between Hyuk Joo, Hee Soo, Rex and Sung Mi prove very interesting. You see how different the characters interact from the beginning with one another and over time they change a lot.
* I liked Rex’s backstory. It shows he is not perfect and that he has a great deal of insecurities from the past which he hides from the public eye.
* When Hee Soo was upset she got cut out of Rex’s MV and Rex made it up to her by showing her the original footage.
* Hyuk Joo cheering Sung Mi up when she couldn’t keep up with the dancers.
The Bad
* Sung Mi’s older sister means well and she cares for her younger sibling but how she judges men for their job and car make is cringeworthy.
* No clear indication on time lapses or a jump to a few years later. You have to work out how many years have passed from the dialogue.
* Hwanhee’s talent in singing and dancing is evident but his acting could prove debatable. He comes off as overly smug in most of the scenes.
* The drama started very slowly but when it came to the start of the road to fame the story picked up and the emotions got deeper.
* An eventual relationship took its time working things out till the end of the drama. So much holding back. You might find yourself saying, “Oh just kiss already.”
Overall: If you want a drama that talks about the dark side to becoming an idol then I recommend Over the Rainbow. It shows that getting famous is not an easy task. There are many obstacles before you and that anyone would do crazy stunts just to get to the top. Of course along with the predicaments, the road to fame has its happy days too. The songs and dancing are entertaining in this drama, as is the character growth.
