First of all, the drama had a nice feel to it, fluffy, feel good, cute and light (well, at least the first part). And, as it is only five episodes, the drama did a nice job with presenting the story, although they added too many plot lines to be able to complete them all properly. For example, the drama with the father and his relationship with his son, as well as the mystery with the rice secrets were rushly concluded and felt out of the blue. The drama had an odd twist to it as well, with the whole mystery and fantasy part was not that well made, probably needed more time to get properly presented. The romance didn't have time to mature either. But the competition part it was nice and the deserts looked tasty. The performances were good too, though that daughter character was a bit overdoing her mean character.
So, overall, five out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
How Are You Bread is a five-episode web drama following the story of Noh Mi Rae, a struggling writer for a baking show, who must cast genius patissier, Han Do Woo, who wants nothing to do with her or her show. Eventually Han Do Woo agrees, and enters the media world to showcase his baking talents in a competition on tv.Story (2/10)
Unfortunately, the writing for this show misses the mark completely. It is based on a webtoon of the same name, but there are some dramas out there who adapt webtoons far more naturally. This specific production seems as if it were a script meant for a food anime, rather than a drama with real life people. With it being a web drama, How Are You Bread attempts-and unfortunately fails-to tackle several genres at the same time in a limited number of episodes. Let’s start with the mysterious friend of Do Woo who always appears randomly out of nowhere and saying conspicuous things, because apparently he’s a...wizard? Guardian of destiny? They never really clarified who he was or what he was, rather. Along with the evil businessmen plot based on baking-secret-recipe feuds, tense family relations, and the never-ending trope of oh-we-know-each-other-from-before, the web drama overwhelms itself and doesn’t quite deliver at the end.
The subplots and backstories for the support characters were straight forward enough, yet executed far too dramatically to be effective. Yes, this is a four year-old drama, but the writing was simply too anime-esque to be taken seriously (I mean come on, crying every time you take a bite of food, with real tears? Really?), along with the soap-opera filming and editing.
Acting/Cast (7/10)
I think this web drama is a great example of how a show cannot be truly successful without good writing, no matter how great the actors are. Personally, I decided to watch How Are You Bread for Suho, who did great in his role, only to find that he was acting alongside some of the strongest actors in Dramaland as well, such as Lee Se Young, Im Byung Ki, and Moon Ji Yoon. Despite that, their acting couldn’t save the show for me.
Music (9/10)
Suho re-recorded the OST, Sedansogu, as a gift for his fans who’ve supported him through the years and waited for this drama to be released. Needless to say, he delivers the song beautifully with his flawless and much improved vocals. The soundtrack is definitely the best part about the show.
Rewatch Value (1/10)
This show is a great way to pass time if you just want to admire Kim Junmyeon’s visuals, and his voice in the OST. Besides that, I don’t think I would personally revisit this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is actually promising with supernatural genre and intriguing theme: going against fate. Unfortunately, either the original webtoon storytelling is bad (I have not read it) or the script written for live adaptation is bad, the story ends up very confusing. I am sure a good script can fix a bad webtoon story to present it to us the smart viewers, am I not? Because I watched a few dramas adapted from webtoons and they are good. Nothing wrong with the cast or acting, and I am not a fan of EXO or Suho to defend. I have watched several dramas with idol singers who are newcomers in acting in dramas, but they ended up good (for example Dating Class). In this case, a good director can direct even rookies to act well. Some said that actor Suho has acted in 2 dramas and 2 movies after HAYB (that were filmed in 2016) with better acting skill, and actress Lee Se Young's dramas after HAYB are all 8+ rated in MDL so far.
MAJOR SPOILER:
I am writing this part for people who are curious and confused about the story. So basically ML and FL meet 3 times minimum (unless there is any explanation I skipped). But their romance is supposedly not fated. If they insist then one of them will get hurt, according to the fat guy who is the guardian god of destiny who causes shaky camera scenes making us the viewers dizzy. This annoying god actually makes things happen to destroy their relationship too, including amnesia.
However, I actually suspect that the story writer dictates that the couple is fated because they keep meeting again and they always get revelation from their common dreams. By the end, the final scene is actually shown as hopeful and positive.
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Lee Se Young carried this...
Lee Se Young carried 'How are You Bread' for me, and now I truly know the meaning when someone else says 'this [person] carried this drama'. Don't get me wrong, the story definitely wasn't the worst in the world, there have been worse, but feel like I only cared about the story once I was immersed in the performance of the talent that is Lee Se Young. The ML (Suho) by the way did do well in my eyes too, and I did feel like there was chemistry between the two main leads which is always good. One other thing I really liked about this drama was the OST - a bunch of relevant and catchy songs that will be in my YouTube playlist for a while - each song was addictive to listen to!There were definitely parts of the story where I was confused, and I'm not too sure if I'm a fan of the ending, but, again, there have been worse! Some acting was very average in this too, and some dialogue also felt very basic, rushed and forced. If I was to give this an overall of 8, I think I would be a tad too generous. An overall of 7.5 here I think is the best call.
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For the story, I gave 7 because I think the writer could have explained it better so the viewers are not as confused as I was. The storyline was confusing a bit, but overall it was cute. It was definitely different and I think the whole idea of baking with love was touchy.
For acting/cast, I gave 9 because I think the supporting roles could have done better. It was my first Suho drama, so I would not judge him based on this but he was good. However, this was my 2nd Lee Se Young drama and I think she did a great job.
FOR MUSIC, I gave 10 because I absolutely love Suho's voice. Plus, the whole vibe that the song gives is very refreshing. It is sweet and calm. At least for me like this song is for when I am feeling down. It just lights up the mood.
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Interesting Short that falls short
Interesting short just wished it had a happier ending instead of this tragic loop. However, since it's a short it really didn't have time to delve into outwitting fate. Though it’s subtle, the writer/director did drop hints of the weird relationship between Do Woo and his employee but I didn't expect it to have such a fantastical element to the story and it felt a little out of left field.I kept thinking Mi Rae was in some sort of accident that left her without the memories of the Do Woo.
As an aside Lee Se Young really doesn't look good with blond hair.
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It can't be helped though, I really expected soooo much more from this show! It was such a unique story! The acting was amazing.. and no I'm just saying that because of Suho. Mkay, so stop that thought right now. While from like episode two, everything started getting really.... really..... rrrrrrrrreally confusing, it still kept me really hooked, hey that's amazing acting and storyline for you. The problem lies in all the dang confusion!! While I do live for those stories that keep you on the edge of your seat until the end and then wrap it all up nicely with a bow at the end... this... wasn't the case.
It left me with so much... so so so many questions.
I mean, I know it explains why everything happened at the end, but not as much as I had hoped it would? Like... why them? Why are they so special? If they shouldn't, why does it keep happening? Why destiny (?) takes such a interest to these certain people? I just don't know and will probably never know. I do love the last line of the show. It was cute and made me soft. But also made me want to sob my heart out through my eyeballs.
So yes, I loved this show. I wanted to rate it 10 stars but ... the confusion, man! The confusion. Those that have followed me a while KNOW how much I hate being confused. X_X
Would I still recommend?......... Yes. Lol
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This is time that I won't get back.
There was so much wrong with this show. The acting was stiff, awkward and awful; though, that might have a lot to do with the script being so bad. The "special effects" of the moving camera were just cheesy, something from the 1950's. The show was like something a high schooler wrote for a school project and filmed in his garage. I love shows about cooking/baking, so I had high hopes for this and was sorely disappointed. The storyline was absolutely repetitive and ridiculous - meet, fall in love, forget, repeat. Lee Se Young's blond hair was very distracting, it was hard to focus on much of anything else. I think certain parts were supposed to be funny, they weren't. No chemistry between characters. WOW! I can't get over how bad this one was!Was this review helpful to you?
I don't understand the negativity
True it has several minor plot holes but if you think a little bit, everything becomes understandable. It had a little awkwardness and stiffness throughout the drama which I believe would be something to do with budget or production but it was okay. It has a refreshing storyline. People shouldn't ignore the fantasy tag in the description. True it has an out of this world type of fantasy. But its a cute story. If you are looking for some breathing space in kdrama world or looking for a light fluffy story, this is good. It does have some villainy and annoying characters tho. Quite refreshing.Was this review helpful to you?
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long fake discription is irritating
A genius patissier, with talent far beyond his years, Han Do Woo is a chef unparalleled in the world of pastries. The master chef of his own bakery, it’s often been said that if one is lucky enough to enjoy one of Do Woo’s pastries, one’s own wishes are sure to come true. With such rumors floating around, it doesn’t take long for Do Woo’s mysterious bakery to become the talk of the town.In Reality he make shitty pieces of garbage, even starving dog wouldn't eat.
Only Bread 🍞 in this whole drama is found in title.
Ugly lusty women come to eat shit to stare at a minor looking boy gives lolita vibe
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