Zogitt
Australia
This review may contain spoilers
A watchable rom-com that is equal parts swoon-y and trying
To say that this show is tropey is stating the obvious. The countdown watch motif is not new. The contract arrangement between the leads is downright old school. The meet-cute is functional and kind of cute. Of course, with such a short run time, there is not a lot of time to waste but the show still managed to stretch some plots out a bit too far. Such faux pas usually has to do with cliché storylines that was meant to be funny, but it is more like an overnight guest who stayed for a week. It is just as well that the Show never take them to the extreme. Just when you start to groan, it moves on.
Another odd thing about the Show is that most of the romance is actually centred around the 2OTP. They are a CP well before the 1OTP even shows a hint of romance. They did all the swoon-y things that you would rightly expect from the leads. This includes a very elaborate confession scene (which would be fitting as a marriage proposal!) They have good chemistry and a decent amount of skinship. On the other hand, the relationship between the leads is awkward for a long time with all the usual push-pulls and conflicts. They did make up for lost time in the end, but their confession didn’t happen until the second last episode!
Part of the reason for this delay was the SML being parachuted into the show to provide some angst just as the romance between the leads starts to blossom. It was a bit of a rough ride for all concerned but thankfully, the Show did not turn it into a full blown melodrama. Nevertheless, the damage was done, and we wasted more time with pensive scenes and the typical search for their true feelings as the clock ticks on.
The last episode had me baffled. The Show took us down a long, weird garden path only to arrive at the same point again. This heavy handed "explanation" is just outlandish and contrived. I was quite happy with where the Show was heading so why the crazy detour? I can only imagine they have to undo the whole death watch plot without involving the spirit realm. Censorship mayhaps? I'd have prefer the usual sugar coated fan service to round out the show. A wedding or two would have gone down a treat.
Yet it is not that bad. There are genuinely sweet and funny moments scattered throughout the show. In a sense, that is the core issue with this show. While some show starts off good and then goes downhill and vice versa, this show seesaws from moment to moment. Sometimes it works and you start to feel good about the show but then it might introduce a silly plot that make you want to facepalm. Hit and miss is two sides of the same coin for this show.
Acting is decent. The FL has a more demanding role, but the writer did her no favour by muddling her role. One minute she is strong and decisive, next episode she maybe fragile and dithering. The ML is patchy at times but at least he was not wooden like some idol turned actor. Some netizens have commented on his appearance (not being handsome enough) but considering he is supposed to be ordinary and dorky, his visual fitted the role. Their chemistry does improve over time and there are some sweet moments along the way and even a passionate kiss or two by the end of the show. The 2OTP has to pull their weight from the start and they did fine for the most part.
The BGM is patchy. Sometimes it is serviceable but there are times when the soundtrack becomes very loud and start to clip and drown out the dialogue. This show is well suited as a casual watch when you can't spare it your full attention or a filler between bigger shows. I'd be happy to watch a 10 minute cut on YouTube of all the sweet CP moments again.
Another odd thing about the Show is that most of the romance is actually centred around the 2OTP. They are a CP well before the 1OTP even shows a hint of romance. They did all the swoon-y things that you would rightly expect from the leads. This includes a very elaborate confession scene (which would be fitting as a marriage proposal!) They have good chemistry and a decent amount of skinship. On the other hand, the relationship between the leads is awkward for a long time with all the usual push-pulls and conflicts. They did make up for lost time in the end, but their confession didn’t happen until the second last episode!
Part of the reason for this delay was the SML being parachuted into the show to provide some angst just as the romance between the leads starts to blossom. It was a bit of a rough ride for all concerned but thankfully, the Show did not turn it into a full blown melodrama. Nevertheless, the damage was done, and we wasted more time with pensive scenes and the typical search for their true feelings as the clock ticks on.
The last episode had me baffled. The Show took us down a long, weird garden path only to arrive at the same point again. This heavy handed "explanation" is just outlandish and contrived. I was quite happy with where the Show was heading so why the crazy detour? I can only imagine they have to undo the whole death watch plot without involving the spirit realm. Censorship mayhaps? I'd have prefer the usual sugar coated fan service to round out the show. A wedding or two would have gone down a treat.
Yet it is not that bad. There are genuinely sweet and funny moments scattered throughout the show. In a sense, that is the core issue with this show. While some show starts off good and then goes downhill and vice versa, this show seesaws from moment to moment. Sometimes it works and you start to feel good about the show but then it might introduce a silly plot that make you want to facepalm. Hit and miss is two sides of the same coin for this show.
Acting is decent. The FL has a more demanding role, but the writer did her no favour by muddling her role. One minute she is strong and decisive, next episode she maybe fragile and dithering. The ML is patchy at times but at least he was not wooden like some idol turned actor. Some netizens have commented on his appearance (not being handsome enough) but considering he is supposed to be ordinary and dorky, his visual fitted the role. Their chemistry does improve over time and there are some sweet moments along the way and even a passionate kiss or two by the end of the show. The 2OTP has to pull their weight from the start and they did fine for the most part.
The BGM is patchy. Sometimes it is serviceable but there are times when the soundtrack becomes very loud and start to clip and drown out the dialogue. This show is well suited as a casual watch when you can't spare it your full attention or a filler between bigger shows. I'd be happy to watch a 10 minute cut on YouTube of all the sweet CP moments again.
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