In summary: I think this was a 10 stars series until around the middle and a 6.5 stars series for its second half, so I tried to balance it out on my final score.
Now, an some focused points...
First, the good:
1 - Soon-Ae. She was an amazing character and I got involved in her story and her feelings completely. I loved seeing her journey and it was great the way that both actresses were able to create a cohesive character.
2 – Chef’s and Soon-Ae’s (meaning possessed Bong-Sun) relationship pre-falling in love. Their dynamics was just the best. The relationship was a balanced, they complemented each other and didn’t take crap from one another. They had qualities that complemented the other personality and everyone was bringing something to the table.
3 – I cared for the majority of the supporting characters. Granted, they were not the most developed people in the world but, they did have a distinct personality and they works very well for the plot. I especially liked the Seobinggo, Soon-Ae’s father and Seo Joon.
Good with a ‘but’:
1 – Pacing and the whole plot about Soon-Ae’s death. Ok, I won’t be able to say anything here without giving spoilers so, all I will say is that I was curious about what was going to happen and I thought that the drama executed this part well. Yes, there was some weird decisions some characters made and some things that were a bit farfetched, but I was all the way emotionally involved and I think this is the most important part.
2 - Soon-Ae and Bong-Sun. I really liked their dynamics and how they became friends throughout the story. However, I think their relationship was the biggest miss opportunity of the series. They could have such a more complex and interesting story if they talked about anything other than Chef... Like, even thoughboth of them were into the culinary world, they never talked about that or interacted on that manner... Bong-Sun never really talked about herself with Soon-Ae (just about her love for Chef). The two actress and characters had such an amazing chemistry and so many elements in common - the best scenes of them together were the ones that revolved around their conversations about Soon-Ae's family - that it was worth exploring more....
2 – Bong-Sun. I actually liked her character in the beginning and I also liked some changes the character went through in the story. But, I am not so sure if they were convincing (again, I think if hers and Soon-Ae’s relationship revolved around other themes, her evolution would be much more believable).
The downside:
1 – Ok, maybe is just me, but I really don’t get Korean sense of humour… This was not the first time that I absolutely detested the comic relief… I bumped a whole point out of Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon just because of that annoying and ridiculous ‘comic’ subplot. Here the problem was not nearly as bad, still every time Heo Min-Soo appeared on the screen I had to roll my eyes… He was not funny. He was just extremely inconvenient, rude and unprofessional. I couldn't really understand why anyone on that restaurant could like him in the slightest.
2- And finally, the major problem: the representation of love or Chef’s and the real Bong-Sun relationship. Honestly, the way he was suddenly ‘realises’ he has always been in love with her did not help this at all (he was an ass with her in the beginning because he secretly care for her, really? ¬¬)… And I am soooooo sick of jealousy being represented as cute that I won’t even elaborate on that (or this will become a rant). Also, why Korean series need to always say ‘hey, the girl is great but she can’t be ever as great as the guy… he needs to be better than her, so she can admire him (or whatever)’… Why did chef treat Bong-Sun as if she was a child? Why did he feel that he has to make decisions for her? Honestly, I just hated their relationship… I feel that that this last point should have bumped my ranting down a lot more (since this was the main focus of the story) but I am trying to remember how much I enjoyed the beginning of this series...
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Watched this one mainly for female lead actor still worth to see
good drama with good actors ,music, comedy elements ... but weak story.Ghost stories aint anything new if story is weak it needs be saved by acting.. they did good job here.
plot - this story got 2 female leads... one is ghost with lively personality which can possess second female lead.
Second female lead is assistant chef. She is introverted and closed up and she can see ghosts and fears them. Story is mainly about how ghost FL possess chef FL and starts change her life to better.
+romance + trying find past of FL ghost.
genre - romance, comedy, mystery, little of cooking
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A Slight Damper
Delightful drama with Jo In Suk, always acting on point and charming. Fun and entertaining with him falling in love with one of his lady chef who has a ghost possessing her (played by Park Bo Young). Unfortunately, I found the " character" of the Ghost (also played by Park Bo Young) more suited to the ML than the FL! So, that to me was the damper in this, otherwise, quite watchable drama.I liked, however, all the other characters in this drama and the special appearance from Seo In-Guk, did make my day (sigh....).
Cheers and K-drama Forever!
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for me, I didn't get or believe the fact that Kang Seon Woo was in love with Na Bong Soon, I felt like he was in love with her body, not the soul in the end... he actually fell in love with three characters in just a very short time!
I also didn't believe the sudden change in Na Bong Soon character as most of the time, she was unconscious... & the reality that you have to change 180 degrees like this so you can get love is not acceptable by me... you don't have to steal someone's else character to be loved!
We all loved Shin Sun Ae, not Na Bong Soon as Bong role was so minor in the story & her character wasn't highlighted enough... Shin Sun Ae felt like the heroine in all the ways, she drove the whole story around her... she was actually the sun in the series.
But the acting was amazing... Park Bo Young get my respect as an amazing actress, she actually made you feel that she is two characters even in the ending; where she became more open, she still made you feel she is Na Bong Soon not Shin Sun Ae even though she is acting like her.
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This review may contain spoilers
Comedy and cooking with romance
I enjoyed the friendship and interaction between all the characters in this drama. The chemistry between the ML and FL is charming, but get a bit too much when the ghost is trying to get the ML to sleep with her. Too pushy and too aggressive at times.The FL transformation is a little bit confusing and the storyline does not really explain it. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the kitchen crews, happy and cracking jokes all the time. Loved Jun Seo character🥰. Officer Choi is really good too. His split second facial expression transformation is quite impressive.
I would recommend this drama if you are into light heartfelt comedy, romance and a bit of mystery thrown in. Be prepared to question the story line though. Episode 14 and 15 is definitely rewatchable!
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Wooww..!! Worth Watching..!!
LOVED IT. 10/10This drama topped my All Time Favorite List. Regretting for not watching this gem sooner.
PLOT- Writer wrote an amazing story. Each episode kept me hooked to the screen. A light watch with super satisfying ending.Chemistry between the leads was the best. They became my favorite on screen couple.
CAST- All the actors aced their respective character. Especially Park Bo Young as Bong Suk (timid, clumsy and gloomy) and as Soon Ae( Brave, Confident and Super cute.) I didn't like Bong Suk at first, since all she does was apologizing. I liked her more as Song Ae. But she changes in further episodes and becomes more confident and brave. Jung Suk was too good as Seon Wook. In the initial episodes he was rude and cold to Bong Suk. He had his own valid reasons. But later shows his warm side and gets naturally drawn to her (basically to Soon Ae at first but later realizes that he liked Bong Suk even before she was possessed). The team was too funny. I laughed so hard whenever they try to have serious conversations. Though they curse the Sous Chef behind his back but secretly cared for him too. Eun Hee was soo pure and kind , who loved her husband wholeheartedly. Shaman was too supportive. I loved her and Song Ae's father.
OST- All the OSTs were so pleasing to hear. "Close My Eyes" and "leave" are my favorites among them. When an episode end with these osts, it fills my heart with so many emotions.
Overall, its worth watching. Highly recommended.
Re-watch Value- I did rewatch few scenes since the interactions between the leads was soo cute. I could watch them non stop.
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This review may contain spoilers
Slightly disappointed to be honest after all of the love that my fellow Kdrama bingers have given this drama. I was introduced to this by my friends, and based on the many positive reviews, I decided to give it a go. I felt like the series was all over the place: with many storylines, I feel like the directors and screenwriters had to think out of the box for this drama. Don't get me wrong, the story was nothing like I've ever seen before. The problem is that I didn't feel a strong connection with the characters or even the OST. I'm a fan of some of the actors and their other well-known dramas and movies, but I felt like they didn't live up to their characters. For example, the ghost, the chef and the shy girl love triangle was a bit awkward, not gonna lie. Plus, they didn't seem to have any chemistry at all. Overall, this drama didn't keep me watching on the edge of my seat. I think I'm being generous for giving it a 7, but the main storyline was a lot different than what I've seen in Kdrama world. So if you enjoy supernatural themes, a bit of thriller and rom-com, you'll definitely love this. Was this review helpful to you?
It has incredible romance, bromance, chilling suspense and a fresh script that will grip you till the end.
The deceitful ways of the characters, whether innocent or outright demonic, was so spectacularly carried out, every drama I watched after Oh My Ghost seemed bland.
Jo Jung Suk's dimples alone were enough to carry me through this show ;)
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This review may contain spoilers
I've never been interested in this drama till I've seen Jo Jung Suk, Kang Ki Young, and Im Joo Hwan as their casts. As expected from a drama with this casts, it was really interesting from the beginning till the end.Though I find Park Bo Young pretty in "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon", she was exquisitely beautiful in this drama. I actually can't believe that it was her. Her acting skill is a match. She was so cute when she is timid and even when she's bold. Even when she switched her personality, her acting was never awkward in neither one of them.
Kang Ki Young was quite annoying in this drama, but still his humor made it lively. However, I love it that in this drama, the humor not only came from Kang Ki Young, but also with Choi Min Chul and Oi Eui Shik. Their tandem made the story more fun to watch.
I don't think Kwak Shi Yang belong to their group. I think the role suppresses his talent. I just think that his personality does not belong to their group and should have taken a much bigger role.
I'm so happy to see Shin Hye Sun in this drama. As expected from her, her act is so flawless.
As expected from Jo Jung Suk, this drama has the right balance of seriousness and humor, all thanks to him. I was always amazed of his acting skills, and have always loved watching his dramas.
I actually have just finished watching "The Game: Towards Zero" and left awed by Im Joo Hwan. I never expected that he would have the same role here in this drama. Though his physical feature is quite different (I think he's a bit thinner here than in "The Game.."), his talent in acting is really something to watch.
Overall, I love this drama. It was very interesting from beginning till the end. No boring episode, and the story itself is very unique. The casts are very great that they have made this drama very entertaining. What I love the most is the ending. I love how things ended up to every character - from the leads to the villain.
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But there are a few things that majorly bugged me. Bong Soen is such a doormat that it’s painful to watch and I don’t want to cheer her on. She’s so spineless, it’s hard to care about the main character and it’s hard to want a happy ending for her since she doesn’t necessarily deserve it.
The comedy also gets a little too broad sometimes, but that’s my own personal preference. I found funny moments, but some of the loud, boisterous moments went on too long for me.
Also, in the #metoo era, there are cringeworthy moments as the leading lady tries to seduce the main guy. Harassment works both ways and this goes over the top for laughs, but it wouldn’t be funny in real life.
Anyway, some major drawbacks, but overall I really enjoyed this one.
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