This review may contain spoilers
A well told story impeccably acted, beautifully directed and with unusually good cinematography
Tackling the difficult subject of gays in Korea, Sweet Munchies starts with the unusual premise of a talented chef (Jung Il-Woo) pretending to be gay to earn the money he needs for his father's medical bills and to keep his restaurant. When a young contract PD (Kang Ji-Young), a regular customer at his bistro, says she needs a gay chef, the chef agrees thinking it would be a one time way to earn money. His affection for the PD leads him to continue when the show is successful, leading to several misunderstandings which are given their full due as all the characters explore their own identities and in the end their reaction when all is revealed. The acting is stellar and enhanced by the use of beautifully filmed closeups that linger on the actors' expressions. The soundtrack fits perfectly with the rhythm of the drama and its unfolding of the story. When the Chef and the PD have their kiss, the sounds of distant jazz make this powerful and passionate moment even more memorable. So are the moments of long silence. My guess is that this drama will reveal even more on repeated viewing. Bravo to the cast, writer, director, and cameramen.Was this review helpful to you?
Gave it seven stars because it had so much potential to deliver a great message and strength.
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Underrated!
I wasn't sure about the plot at the beginning, but i changed my mind after a while: with my surprise, I found it quite refreshing and interesting.What really got me, is that there are some heartwarming scenes that really touched my heart, with deep meaning and wise life lessons.
I'm still amazed by the beautiful way they portrayed delicate topics in some scenes... Insecurity, discovering one true self, accepting it, fighting for your dream, facing obstacles, fear, courage...
Also, I was so excited about watching a drama that talked about homosexuality, which is still a topic rarely shown in Korea.
I think the caracters were very realistic, with complicated emotions and flaws, not perfect characters, but normal humans. The more episodes i watched, the more i grew fond of them. I really enjoyed the slow relationships formed between them.
Episode 5 was a little gem, just saying.
I think the directing was unique and beautiful, and the music was very pleasant and on point.
Almost every character grew and matured in different ways.
I loved the acting of the main ones.
Jung Il Woo: i already knew and appreciated him, and i think he showed great acting in this drama too. But i have to say, a character that i really loved was Kang Tae Wan, both for the personality and the actor, who did an amazing job.
Even though in my heart i was ready to ship the male lead with another character (you'll figure it out), i know it's still something portrayed quite recently in Korea, so i accepted it and understood that it was not meant to be.
The 2 protagonists clicked anyway and were really cute together (i actually quite liked her).
I was drawn to how their feelings for each other grew slowly, but inevitably (some scenes made my heart beat faster, thanks to the dialogues, the camera work and the choice of music, applause for that).
*LITTLE SPOILER*
Even though the main protagonist made a mistake by pretending to be gay (also, for too much time), i don't wholly condemn him for that: it showed clearly that it was because he wanted desperately to help his family, and later on he wanted to confess the truth, but couldn't because he wanted to help Ah Jin. It was a problem, but he didnt want to hurt anybody.
He was well aware of his wrong doings, and later on he started to hate himself because of them.
I think telling the truth knowing you will hurt those you care about, is one of the hardest things to do in life.
*END OF SPOILER*
In this drama the fact that the protagonist put himself in complicated situations, making the wrong decisions, just showed what a mess life is sometimes, and i liked that. The different developments were good to see.
Another thing i wanted to say is: the main lead defending gay rights at the beginning with emphasis was because of his gay brother, he spoke also having him in mind: he certainly loved him and cared for him, that's why he sounded so passionate at the beginning, at least i think this way.
Overall, it's a nice, well made, interesting drama.
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Too Dragging
I really found this drama to drag out, it was like there were struggling to get there point across, and for me there was too much wasted screen time and unnecessary plots and twists ... " Sweet Munchies " was a frustrating drama.And that is mainly due to the two main characters that were annoying, each one in their own way. For the girl, she was way too naïve, forgiving, and positive to be even considered cute. the most irritating was the chef. Sure, he had his reasons in the beginning for doing what he did, but he just kept lying, and acting selfishly throughout the whole drama. He was just unlikeable, the rest of crew were there just for added space I would assume. The story for me was really not worth exploring, I mean was it really necessary to have a gay chef, who actually wasn't gay to begin with, I think for me that was the ultimate let down. There were some funny moments in this drama, but not enough to keep me invested in the whole drama, this could have been shortened or made into a movie cuz 12 episodes of literally pointless plot and an hour long of watching was just to much for this drama.
There were some episodes I skipped just to get to the end of this drama, and believe it or not you literally don't miss anything that is how slow it was.
Definitely a NO for me.
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This review may contain spoilers
A drama I wish I did not watch
If I do not enjoy a drama series I generally give it a rating I think is appropriate and move on. I tend not to waste anymore time on it. But this one was so infuriating that I had to find time to write about it.Positives:
The character Kang Tae Wan. His was the only character that had growth, grace and could make me, as a viewer, empathise with it.
One of the OSTs was pleasant also.
Negatives:
The story, the script, the pace was terrible. I am alright seeing flawed characters on screen, but I also want to see the redemption of those characters. The half baked redemption efforts in the series were not enough and also not plausible. A major act of fraud will have legal repurcussions, but there was none shown!!! Everyone was defending the fraudulant act at the end, this does not happen even in La La Land!
The Main male lead character was extremely selfish and only cared about the feelings of one person (the female lead). He is the only one who did not suffer any real consequences for his actions. Everyone else did! He requested his little brother to not start his career because of his lie!!! He also exploited the emotions of Kang Tae Wan and finally said to him, be happy, come out etc. etc,
The female lead character was written as one dimensional. Her character was naive, foolish, prying and unreal. She kept on defending the Main Lead through his lies because she was touched by how much he loves and cares for her!!!!!!
I found the premise to be borderline homophobic. They made a straight character claim that it was gay and then gave that character scenes where it was defending 'homosexual' behaviour. The homosexual character at one point said, I am responsible for my own pain, as I have lied to myself and did not acknowledge who I was!!!!! Seriously?????!!!!!!
I am sorry for my harsh words but this was really a drama done wrong.
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It's all good as long as 2 heteros find love in the end
I know Koreans are hella homophobe, which is probably why they are so careful not to offend straghties by saying things like "we're not supporting any groups" or "it's ok to hate" (which is f'ed up) while having a story with third lead gay character it just makes it pointless.The love story is as basic as it gets, clueless tactless ambitious girl met a troubled skilful boy and they live happy ever after, with a side of gay. If there are any Korean tv people reading this and thinking of making another romcom with a side of spicy topics, since y'all can't really grasp the concept of bigotry, imagine that this is a Chinese drama and the main chef is posing to be Korean cause i know how much ya'll hate Chinese.
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Dissapointing
With good k-dramas in netflix along side with this drama, I was dissapointed that I have picked this one up. I purposely didn’t read any reviews before watching this drama because it usually influence my watching experience but after 4 episodes I started to question myself if it is worth the time to continue it. At first, the only reason I decided to give it a chance is because of JIW, the rest of the cast was unfamiliar for me and I just realize later on that the FL is a former member of KARA. Usually, I can watch drama even if there is only one actor I am familiar with even if it’s bad just as long as it has redeeming value, whether it is a character, a story line or music. With this drama I do like the music, I like the character of the SL and I also wanted to try a drama with BL on it but boy it is a big mistake. I have never watched any BL drama but I feel offended with the way the lead characters intoduce LGBTQ here and how the story progress. I feel uneasy watching the first 2 episodes and continue watching it with a lot of skips while thinking why did I choose this drama when I know there is a lot of BL drama that can properly introduce me to the genre. The FL is frustratingly naive, she has no motivation or plan to change her status within her company aside from her initial outburst. It is unrealistic that she have not try to use situations to her advantage and the scene with the homophobes was too much. She thought of the idea to produce the show but she was later seen explaining that she has no intention to side in any sexual orientation. I thought the purpose of the show is to show that the gay community is not different from straight people? Isn’t it considered that you are supporting the LGTBQ community so that people accept them? Actually that was my limit, that scene shows that there is no reason to continue that show as I got confuse what is the reason of the show. The only redeeming quality of the drama is suprisingly not JIW but the second lead. I like that he was not potray as a typical homo with ‘girly attitude’ or the typical closet gay that struggle to hide his mannerism with bravado.Was this review helpful to you?
A Mouthwatering Treat
For South Korean drama industry, this is a huge leap. Where drama project like "Where Your Eyes Linger," is bloom, "Sweet Munchies" has captured the mainstream media. That was a good play!One of my celebrity crush Jung Ill Woo being part of the main lead sucked me into the hype and secondly, my love for BL themed dramas sealed the deal. I am sold to the idea they served!
The drama is presented as a light scooping off the cream on top of a bigger issue with homosexuality being the base and other everyday life issues layering the cake. The arrangement of the series is a masterpiece - serving BL as the main course with a love triangle as an appetizer. Of course, that was needed to offset few raising eyebrows and I am cool with it.
I'm rooting for Park Ji Sung x Kang Tae Wan no matter how weak the chemistry is shown. Their first meet made me shout at the top of my lungs digging my face in the pillow. I am definitely keeping a track of the number of sweet nothings shared by these two characters.
I can't reveal much in this review but no matter whichever ship you support, you won't be disappointed. It's going to be a tasteful season!
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I tried, I really did
Ok, I started watching this show for Jung Il Woo despite reading a few reviews. I liked Il Woo in Cinderella and 4 knights and wanted see another drama of his. Going in, I was sceptical and had low expectations because of the reviews I read. I couldn't make it past 20 minutes of the first episode. Why? Because of the FL -- oh my god, it's such bad acting! Was she trying to act cute and adorable? It came off as if she's high on something. Not even Il Woo's charisma, hotness, and the promise of display of chef skills & mouthwatering food can make me suffer through this eyesore that is the FL's acting. Maybe I am being harsh. Maybe, one day, after mustering more patience, I might give this drama another chance. But not now, not today.Was this review helpful to you?
