It doesn't have the best script in the world, and sometimes the relationships were an absolute jumble of confused push and pull, but the actors managed to always bring some light and smiles.
Every episode made me want another, simply for the beautiful scenery and the delightful acting. Each actor was so talented and I cannot wait to see what they do next. To put it simply, Warm and Cozy was a fun simple romantic delight.
P.S. It's a nice break from super heavy melodramas
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This drama can best be compared to Full House. Their resemblance at times was eery. Both dramas have a bickering couple, cuteness, a killer OST and a lot of repetitiveness. It's basically the whole back and forth of will-they-wont-they. The thing is you already know the answer and if you are not patient or if you don't have a lot of time on your hands you'd just want to give up.
I wish this drama could have remained the way it was introduced. A bit random but fresh with a lot of appeal. I won't say the freshness died or anything because come on, it is set in JEJU frickkin island. The cinematography was killer and the lead pair is endlessly soothing to look at. I really enjoyed the old school Kdrama style it followed at times but during others it made me want to tear my hair out.
I didn't have the will to rate it higher than a 8 nor did I have the heart to rate it lower. The second leads are terrible in the drama. The other couple (hyung and the diver lady) were the funniest till their relationship had nothing left anymore.
I want to mention the little attempt the drama makes at encouraging people to try living in Jeju- including foreigners. I liked how they have little programs for people to adjust to the lifestyle there. Plus they showed a really nice relationship of the people living there. The mayor was shown as a sweetheart to all the people and the way he went around in his bicycle was adorable. <3
Baek Geon Woo was a cutie at times and a jerk at others. I wish Lee Jung Joo could be a bit hard at times but she was too soft-hearted. A classic Kdrama heroine in short. Think of Full House and the characters are almost a replica at times. I dunno if anyone else felt that way or not but I did.
Anyway, I had a lot of issues with the drama but couldn't get to rate it any lower. Like Dramabeans says, how much I enjoyed it v/s how much it deserves- I'd say an 8 v/s 6. That's it. Now decide for yourself whether you wanna watch it or not.
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Geon Woo, to me, always felt like a coward. He was always going in with what he wanted to say but then changed his mind and backed out. Jung Joo, to me, was somewhat weak rather and never really put her foot down when it came to Geon Woo. All in all their acting was ok.
The music was ok. I don't really remember what was really being played really but I remember it being ok.
The second lead couple were fantastic honestly in my opinion. Their relationship was fast and moving and the scenes between the two were really cute. They had a lot of chemistry and I really loved their scenes.
Overall this drama makes me want to give it a 5/6 because of how slow it went between the main leads. It was slow and agonizing and how they always bickered just made me want to pull my hair out. had to skip some parts because I wanted to hurriedly finish this drama. This is something that I would only watch once and forget about in the end. I don't think I'll ever watch this again with how fustrated I was with the script and the characters overall.
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Also, the second leads' romance is endearing and funny as shallow as it might seem. Jejudo seems to be a magical place indeed.
It was also sad and funny watching the mayor get holes in his hopes as he tentatively approached her. My heart was breaking while I was laughing at the poor thing and never once did I suffer second lead syndrome with this one, I'm sorry, mayor! :( There were no loose ends and I wasn't left feeling like there was something missing like many other dramas made me feel.
I can't really say much that hasn't already been said but... I was really sick while watching this and it made me feel better? It's a good drama for when you're in a bad mood and want some distraction to ease up your heart and worries, I'd say. Yep. I'll make that list later. But for now I just wanted to come here and give this underrated drama a thumbs up... no. Two thumbs up! Because people have to stop rating a drama based on their generic standards and give each one a chance to accomplish its very own concept instead.
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The character development was excellent, the writing was witty and the romance was delightful. The two main actors did a great job. The male lead was able to show how a spoiled and potential jerk was endearing and charming at the same time.
The setting was beautiful and the music added in setting the mood. The simple story added to the charm by not going for cheap overly dramatic tricks. It didn't go for obvious drama cliches and the surprise element was funny and enjoyable.
The side and at times quirky characters added to the feel of Jeju island as an enchanting and magical place. A hidden jewel in the midst of modernity. The romance of the second couple was very enjoyable.
The misunderstandings (frustrating at times) were necessary to keep the tension alive. The ending was completely satisfying, cute but not sappy. Thank you Hong sisters for the many hours of pleasure and enjoyment.
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Story:
The entire premise is lovely, and definitely works as a rom-com. However, there are a few small problems here. There are hilarious misunderstandings everywhere, yes, but also a few very frustrating ones. Some serious writing sins are committed here as well. For example, for the cliffhanger ending for one particular episode, one of the myriad misunderstandings between two of the main characters gets cleared up, which will change the nature of the relationship between the two. As a result, at the episode cliffhanger, one of the characters makes what amounts to a heavily-implied confession, speaking a couple of the most overtly romantic and affectionate lines in the entire script. At the start of the next episode, the two characters are nonchalantly acting like it never happened, with no explanation, and no in-dialogue reference back to it is ever made ever again. Unforgivable. However, this is really the only "unforgivable" sin the show makes, which means it comes off cleaner than most dramas in the Story department.
There is at least one big Impossible Coincidence cliché. Also, don't let this show's promotional pictures fool you: there's almost none of that kind of sweet relationship stuff in this show, so don't go in expecting it. In the romance department, this is a massive 16-hour tease. But as teases go, this one is a lot of fun. The romantic tension between the two main characters never really gets old or stale, despite the constant teasing, misunderstanding, and generally idiotic behavior. And to add to that, there's a secondary romance plot here that is one of the sweetest and cutest romance stories in all of drama. So if you love cute romance, you won't want to miss that.
The comedy here is gold, as well. It's probably the most legitimately funny drama I have seen since You Who Came From The Star or Fated To Love You. While most of the laughs predictably come from misunderstandings, the showrunners here got creative with some comedy, using some special effects and some parody at random times that send the show into the realm of the "absurd". None of these moments feel gratuitous or cheap, though, and the touches of silliness keep everything fun.
Acting/Cast:
Is there anyone more beautiful in all of Korea than Kang So Ra? I have no shame admitting that I came to this drama just for her, but I fell in love with the rest of the cast as well. Kang So Ra and Yoo Yoon Seok are really quite adorable together. So Ra's heartfelt earnestness will command your attention here and she continues to be perhaps THE most believable actress in drama. She can act the most absurd and unrealistic scenes and still come out feeling genuinely human. This believability works to greatest effect when she's crying. I first fell in love with her in Doctor Stranger when she cried, and her tears in this role destroyed my heart as well. She's the best part of any drama she's in.
Yoo Yoon Seok is kind of a "love or hate" actor, but his unique looks work perfectly for this role. The puppy eyes and pouty lips are used to maximum effect, so if that's your thing, prepare to get wrecked. If you find that annoying, he may still win you over in the end, as he did me. He plays a character that is oddly easy to root for.
Jung Jin Young is adorable as heck here. Dude's face is irritatingly perfect and his character here is one of the best. Written as kind of a "stand in" for the audience, you'll always love everything his character does. If you're a fan of Jin Young, Warm and Cozy is a must-watch.
Seo Yi Ahn has quite a talent for playing a villainess. She is the most "hateable" person I have ever seen in any drama. She is seriously awful here, which is perfect. Props to her for acting the crap out of this role.
Kim Sung Oh is an absolute revelation in his role as Town Mayor. The first time you see his character, you won't think anything of him. His quick transformation from "random weird-looking dude" to "wow I really like this guy" is one of the best parts of this drama. I first saw Sung Oh in Midas (which I dropped) and didn't even recognize him here. Based on Midas, I would never have guessed he had this kind of memorable performance in him. I defy anyone to watch this and not totally embrace his character by the end.
You'll also want to get to know Kim Hee Jung and Lee Sung Jae. Together, they're maybe the best and most memorable part of the show. Hee Jung may be well into her 40s, but she could almost rival So Ra in beauty. Ignore her terrible MDL headshot, she's seriously attractive in this drama. As for Lee Sung Jae, his character's looks and mannerisms are so cool and awesome he can even make a confident and secure guy like myself feel inadequate. You'll want to see these two act together as often as possible.
Music:
I'm hardly a music expert, but I know what sounds good and I know what's memorable. The vocal themes in Warm and Cozy are quite strong, particularly "A Little Closer" and "Butterfly". However, the non-vocal music was even more memorable, in my book. They got truly creative with a few of the themes, particularly with "(Lala Theme)" and the Mayor's Theme, both of which I found myself humming every time they came on. Also, if you love acoustic guitar and you want a treat, check out "Funning Guitar" and "I Missing You" from this soundtrack.
NOTE: A few months after I originally wrote this review, I went back and bumped the score on the Music category from a 9.5 to a 10. Amongst its kdrama peers, this show simply soars above them in this category. No other drama I have ever seen uses Music as effectively as Warm & Cozy to get across mood and emotion. I originally left it at a 9.5 because I am always hesitant to give out 10s, but over time it has become apparent to me that if this show isn't worthy of a 10 in Music, no show is.
Rewatch Value:
While not exactly chock full of amazing sequences that you just have to go back and see, this drama still has rewatch value for the mood it sets. If you want something simple and heartwarming, any random episode of this show will achieve that feeling for you. Not only that, but a lot of the humor is worth seeing multiple times. Especially do sequences like "the arm wrestling competition" and "the Mayor's identical siblings" stand out in my mind as things I'd like to go back and see. However, the constant teasing of the main pairing here hurts the rewatch value, as the two characters too often act like morons, which is frustrating enough to see just the once.
To wrap-up, this a sweet and cute rom-com that has plenty of value to make it worth watching. If you don't like rom-com, this won't convert you, but if you do, then you have no reason whatsoever to skip this one. Grab some hot tea or a snack and start the first episode. You won't regret it.
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I think this drama is very underrated. It has that easygoing flow combined with funny and serious scenes that you can't help but to be drawn to watching it. I like the OST very much too, especially the song Hyorin sings, Hyorin's voice and feeling of the song fits this drama perfectly.
Overall, this is the best drama I've watched in a while. It rised up directly to my most favorite dramas of all time. If you want to be left with 'warm and cozy' feel and miss all the characters at the end, I recommend this.
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P.S: The music was soooo goood! So warm and cozy! ^^~ In fact, I downloaded some of the songs~ (Thank You by K.Will, Without You by Jubi and SunnyHill)
Watch this drama! You won't regret it!
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It starts off well and establishes it's setting/direction within the first episode where our two main leads are introduced. I feel in the middle it trails off somewhat and gets a bit tedious before picking up near the end. That might be more to do with its rather simple story line, however stick with it! It's a really sweet, light and fluffy drama, with great music, thats not too demanding to watch.
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