A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023)

Curse, Kisses and Canine Transformations

Weird yet intriguing concept: Female protagonist transforming into a dog after kissing men and a guy with a fear of dogs. The story kicks off when the female protagonist kisses him, leading to an entertaining, funny and heartwarming journey.

The show is set in a school premise but the lead characters are not students; they are teachers. This is what makes this show very interesting for me. Its very rare to see teachers as lead characters in romance dramas.
The show expertly blends romance, comedy and fantasy, seamlessly transitioning from a lighthearted romantic comedy in the first half to a more serious tone in the second.

The characters were pretty interesting. Han Haena is a bubbly female protagonist whose family carries the curse of becoming dogs after kissing another person. Jin Seowon is an introverted, shy Math teacher who has been secretly in love with Han Haena for a long time but couldnt express it. He also carries some past trauma because of which he has a fear of dogs. Lee Bogyeom is a mysterious history teacher who carries deep resentment toward both leads.
I personally understand his pain and why he carried resentment toward the leads. Many will say he was stupid and whatnot but in my opinion he was not wrong at all when the female lead's past self was responsible for a big tragedy. I sympathize with him and also understand his longing and pain.
The show deviates from the webtoon but honestly, I found a few changes quite logical and a few were unnecessary. Still the drama pretty much does justice to the webtoon.

Acting wise, Park Gyu Young simply nailed the role of Han Haena with her dog like charm. Cha Eun Woo has really improved from his previous school/college dramas; here in sad scenes, he emotes really well. He was doing justice to his role. Lee Hyunwoo was perfect for the role of Lee Bogyeom; he really carried the required mysterious vibes in this drama.

The chemistry between the leads is outstanding, balancing adorability with sensational moments. Kiss scenes stand out as some of the best in kdramas.

One of my favourite character aside from the leads is Yul, cute highschool student who aids Haena in breaking the curse. His crush on Haena is handled with maturity considering the student-teacher dynamic.

The music was pretty okay. Although there were not many memorable OSTs, i loved the intro OST.

In conclusion i will say this was a pretty fun fantasy romcom. I will definitely remember it for a long time as its quite close to my heart.


Note: One thing that ruined the experience of watching the drama for many is the horrible weekly schedule. It definitely worked against the drama; many got bored and dropped it midway.

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cute funny rom com

I will be honest i didnt expect to like this drama as the story sounded so crazy. But its really cute light and frothyAll the characters are great you know fl sister will end up with her bf the vet. the ml and fl are çerfectly cast although fl does look older than the ml. the introduction of the ml nephew in episode 2 has just added more spice tp the drama. i cant wait to watch the next episode. Just gutted its only one episode a week. the little dog is so cute i couldnt work out whether it was real ir cgi this drama will be a superhit i would be very surprised if it isnt and not just because the ml is cha eun woo from Astro

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Okay!… but a little disappointed

Cha Eunwoo is one of my favourite celebrities, and I was no doubt excited for this drama ever since it was announced. However, as a reader of the original webtoon, there are a few issues I had with the drama.

I’ll firstly start off with the many things I enjoyed about this drama:

The first few episodes were genuinely interesting and executed the story in a fun, witty manner. The production quality was top notch and the mix of CGI and real life action for Haena’s dog form was hilarious! The pacing for the series was engaging and I even rewatched the first few episodes while I waited for new episodes.

While people like to complain about Eunwoo being typecasted, he played his character very well and it remained true to the original character depicted in the Webtoon. Actually, I was surprised how he managed to make Seowon cuter! But I guess that is very possible when played by Cha Eunwoo hehe. And don’t get me started on those kissing scenes !! Hoyyy do you want me dead, Eunwoo!?!!?

Park Gyuyoung has become one of my favourite actresses after this series! She was very funny. It was a bit of a 180 compared to the last time I saw her in Celebrity. But she looked so warm and amiable in her light brown hair!


Now… while I did enjoy the series for the most part, I must now complain.
As I had been anticipating this drama for over a year before its release, I was not happy to hear that it would only have 14 episodes. And even worse, they were going to air once a week.
Um… Okay. Can’t be that bad right? Wrong.
I can imagine it would be much more enjoyable to binge this series, however, watching it while airing was exhausting considering the first few minutes of each episode would be a recap of the last. Like thanks! I totally forgot what happened during the single episode you gave me last week.

And to make matters worse, there was the repetition of the typical Kdrama MONTAGE! That’s right. They did it almost every episode to remind you that indeed the main characters looked at eachother 4 episodes ago. And yes.. they KISSED 2 episodes ago… Oh and remmeber that time they went to the park!??.. SUCH A WASTE OF SCREENTIME. It is just such lazy storytelling.

In the Webtoon, we got more insight to Seowon’s family, yet in the drama we literally don’t know anything about him. No, seriously. Instead we got almost 2 whole episodes of the most BORING historical backstory flashback in the history of fantasy Kdramas. The romance was cute between their past lives.. But I can’t believe they decided to change Bogyeom’s character that much… He was so irritating here.

The last 4 episodes of this drama were a snooze feast. I literally used to rush to watch this every Wednesday night as soon as it was released but there came a point where I dreaded it because I do not wanna know about some petty God’s tragic love story…

Basically. If you’re gonna make a Kdrama adapted from a Webtoon, don’t make it worse than the original?! There were SO many opportunities to make it better, instead we got the same montage over and over.. ITS TIRING.

If I wasn’t a Webtoon reader I’d probably be okay with this drama. However, having the original plot in mind I had the bar set higher but the drama was just too much of a disgrace for me.

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Modern Day > Historical

I’m trying to review this without taking into account the horrible airing schedule this drama got, but it’s hard. So just to get it out of the way, I just want to say that the one-episode-a-week format (plus some skipped weeks) definitely did not do this drama any favors.

With that being said, while the airing schedule didn’t help, I think I fell out of love with this drama as it went on for several other reasons as well.

I think there was a really strong start and I was really invested in the story when it first started; the tension between Haena and Seowon was great as they cycled through the different relationship dynamics: unrequited love, Haena having to hide her secret, growing feelings, etc.

When the drama started covering the backstory behind Haena’s dog curse, I unfortunately realized that I just didn’t really care for the saeguk/historical subplot. The characters felt really distant and disconnected from our modern day characters, I felt no emotional connection to the “past lives” theme, and the reason for the curse itself was kind of anti-climactic (and yes, I felt the same way when I read the webtoon). Overall, I just enjoyed the more grounded, modern day plot better, and I didn’t really care for the side characters who were related to the backstory either.

As a result, I found the overall plot with the second lead intriguing until the actual reveal and watching it play out. I enjoyed the tension better than actually seeing what happened.

In terms of the amnesia arc, I don’t think it was super frustrating and I didn’t hate it, but amnesia is still one of my least favorite tropes simply because it feels random — we already know the story is never going to end with it, and the logistics of it very rarely make sense anyways.

Even with a few angsty arcs, on the subject of acting, I enjoyed many of these actors in other things but I don't really think this drama showcased any of their acting chops well enough, in part due to the feeling of low stakes, and in part due to the rom-com nature of the show.

Ultimately, I think you can say that this drama was paced well. Unlike many dramas, it doesn’t fall into the trap of leaving too many things unsolved at the last minute. Unfortunately, it seems to have the opposite issue where the last episode feels just like a filler episode because the main plot is already wrapped up, but overall it’s still a light-hearted, decent watch.

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Weirdly interesting

I hesitated so many times before starting this drama because the storyline was weird. A girl turning into a dog but a huge turn off for me. But being a fan of the main leads, I finally started. Still, I find it weird but I like how events are unfolding. It's that kind of drama that would make you laugh or smile all through. I like how romantic feelings between Seo Won and Hae Na isn't rushed. Things are happening at a slow pace as they spend sweet little moments together.
The little suspense around Hae Na's attempt to break the curse really does it for me. I keep wondering if she'd be able to do it. Also, till now, I still don't know whose side Bo Gyeom is truly on and I hope to see in the subsequent episodes.

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Cute but struggled with balancing the genres

I said it before: The award for the worst airing schedule goes to ... A good day to be a dog
Firstly, before I started the drama I thought the synopsis sounds really ridiculous. Or I thought there was no way to execute this on TV without making it seem ridiculous. Something like this would better left as a webtoon. Surprisingly, it was way better than I thought.

Things I Liked:
- The story sounds silly, but they executed it quite well. It was cute.
- The characters were likeable and the main couple was enjoyable
- I like the mountain god. I know he is hated. But the story was getting a little bit boring. It might just be that I started to be a fan of Lee Hyun Woo. His acting is excellent and I love his expressive eyes. I hope he gets a new main-role soon. His love story in the drama was quite enjoyable.
- At times it was actually hilarious and it was entertaining
- Btw... Eunwoo's acting has gotten better, and his delivery felt more naturally. I still think there is still a long way to go. But his acting does not pull you out of the story

What I disliked:
- The airing schedule! One of the worst enemies this drama could have was its own airing schedule. What was that? Just horrible. Especially the beginning, where the episode were released one every two weeks. But I have to say I kept on watching, so I must have been invested in the drama. Who knows... maybe I would have ditched the drama earlier if I watched it in one go.
- The recaps every episode. Because of the airing schedule, they added long recaps at the beginning of each episode
- The drama had trouble balancing all the genres it wanted to convey. It was a romcom only, then it was fantasy drama only and the last episode was happy romcom again. They could have integrated more of the fantasy-story earlier on, without focusing whole episodes on that. The tone-shift felt very bad made. I personally like the Mountain gods' story, but objectively viewed it was badly handled. Just like the whole dog-story was suddenly done.
- The last episode felt unreal. After all the drama, it suddenly shifted to romcom and fillers. Instead of nicely ending the story of the mountain god and the girl, their ending felt somewhat fabricated and unreal.
- Characters disappeared for some time and suddenly showed up again, after I didn't care for them any more

Objectively speaking, I can understand if someone rates this drama lower than a 7/10. But for me personally, even after knowing the flaws... it was quite enjoyable for a romcom-fantasy mix. Shout out for Lee Hyun Woo, who's acting I really enjoyed. It's still entertaining, and usually I easily lose interest in romcom's. So it is still a 7/10 for me. May change my mind later on and give it a 6.5... but right now that's how I feel about it.

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At least this show is not a dog . . . technically

Ok, it pains me to say this but this review will sound like I'm damning it with faint praises.

On the positive column, I wrote handsome OTP, nice chemistry and a decent amount of skinship that doesn't look fake. Some swoon-y moments. Cute dogs.

On the other hand, the A-plot is tropey, same-y. There are awkward and cringey moments and its fair share of plot holes.

However, overshadowing all that is the stretching of the main plot to its limits. When you consider once the OTP comes together, the writer-nim gave us one ep of fan service then parachutes in the old amnesia trope for our edification. It totally killed any forward momentum.

If that is not enough, we also get a couple of eps of historical reenactment, Joseon Style. This is on top of a decent sprinkling of recaps throughout the Show. It is like a trail of breadcrumbs. There were minor twists in the final cut, but they are not shocking. To be honest, you probably have already foreseen it if you know your dramas.

So, we have Fate, sacrifices and an ancient curse, what I'd like to call the three horsemen of k-dramas. It is serviceable but it walks a well-worn path.

The show can still be lifted with a strong finish. Alas, the Show delivered something that is, once again, agreeable but hardly inspiring. Ergo, the curse was lifted with minimal fanfare. The antagonist just disappears without so much as a "Oops, my bad". Oh, the pain suffered by generations of the FL's family. The injustice of it all!

The last ep is total fan service but it doesn't quite stick the landing either. The HEA ending is never in doubt. Everyone gets something, Oprah style. It is cute how they retold the OTP romantic journey in a different context but once you see past the gloss, it is just a storyboard with a highlight reel. Changing the wrapping doesn’t make it a new gift.

Acting is serviceable (where is my thesaurus?) The comedy side is well handled by the cadre of experienced actors in support. The OTP managed the light and fluffy stuff just fine but when the going gets heavy, they can be found wanting. It is par for the course though. BTW, maybe it is just me, but the FL's Joseon character just doesn't feel natural.

This Show is a light and fluffy cloud with a dark lining. It is watchable, undemanding and will occupy your time. A pair of rose tinted glasses will help as well. A one-time watch for me. Peace out.

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Inconsistant day to be a dog...

Is it really a good day to be a dog? I do not think so as this show teaches us that being a dog can be really scary, being a human by day dog by night can get you in to a whole lot of trouble... not to mention mess things up for a bunch of people...

This drama has some good parts some cringe, some annoying elements, some fun, some more or less predictable twist or should I say side stories within the story with the side stories that are messed up... but at timed interestingly intwined...

The selling points of this drama are the eye candy and fluff!

Our male lead Cha Eun Woo is probably one of dreamlands sweetest, best looking and the over all most interesting personalities and whose use of lip gloss can only be beat by Park Hyung Sik in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Though there are parts that are a bit odd... He was a pleasure to watch thruout the show.

The female lead Park Gyu Young (and her sister) had a few to many moments of oh come on, oh the cringe, baby voice... Luckily they dd not last long enough to completely ruin the show but where enough to drag down the score by a bunch of points. To be honest she is actually 80% adorable, with great acting both as a dog and human however those 20% where so bad I almost dropped the show, and had it not been for Chae Eun Woos (well everything) I probably would have...

The villain and side characters also range between oh my please stop the cringe/annoying parts to great amazing, lovable, I want to adopt that kid... sometimes in the same person, same lifetime, different lifetimes.. As this is another one of those drams where the writers figured most of the childhood connections where already done and could not be beaten so they had to add the past life connection to show the depth of the connection between the cast.

Other perks with this show are the huge amount of fluffy, sweet, slightly mean, cute dogs, with or without transformation. So to sum it up, the drama is messy, inconsistent, annoying at times cute most of the time and extremely fluffy


So: Story as a whole 8,5 ⭐️
Male lead: 12 stars (out of 10) ⭐️
Deduction for annoying elements: -4 stars ?
Fluff: 10 stars ⭐️

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Please, for the love of all that is holy, pick a genre and stick with it!

I'll start with what I liked:
-the kisses. Let's call them for what they were, "fire"! After watching multiple shows with open-eyed, slack arms, dead fish kisses, these were exactly on point. These are the scenes that I rewatched, and the only reason I actually gave this a rating of 5.
-the acting was good, for what it was. I loved Park Gu Young in Dali and the Cocky Prince, and I liked her in this as well, though I didn't really love her character that much. When she kept trying to get him drunk (I'm so tired of drunk scenes), I found her to be irritating. Cha Eun Woo was basically like he's been in everything I've seen him in. Quiet whispery voice, serious. You could play this show and True Beauty side by side and get what I mean. Everyone else did an okay job.
-family and friendships
-happy ending

Then the stuff that I didn't like.
-Thankfully, I waited for all the episodes to be released before I tried watching this. If I hadn't, I would have given up early on. I think the programmers did a disservice to this show by making it so long to be finished, between an episode once a week, to pre-empted episodes. That being said, this show was entirely TOOOOO long and very repetitive. My Viki showed it as having episodes 0-15. Episode 0 and episode 15 were the same, basically a recap of what the show was about. After watching episode 0, I kept having feelings of Deja vu while watching episodes 1-4. Then there was the recap at the beginning of every episode, and the mini recaps throughout to remind us of what has been going on.
-This show shifted and lost its footing halfway through. Started out as a comedy, with the potential to be cute and quirky. Then it shifted to bullying and its effects, then it went to revenge melodrama with the mountain god. It should have been either a comedy or a melodrama but should not have tried to mix the two. I don't think it was successful.
-The whole mountain god storyline was completely unnecessary. It seemed so over the top melo after watching funny scenes. This storyline took up a lot of screen time, and I didn't enjoy it, especially since he had cursed this family and done terrible things and there were no consequences for him. That REALLY irritated me!
-This scene really stuck out to me, and I had a hard time getting past it - whenever the woman turns into a dog, her clothes drop and she has to have friends get her clothes to her because she's naked when she turns human again. In the scene where he kisses her and lifts the curse, she turns human and is completely dressed. Why?! This would have been a great opportunity to throw in some comedy by having her be naked as usual.

Normally, if I like a show less than others, I'm usually in the minority and say give it a try, you might like it. I have reservations here, unless you make the FF button your friend. I can't remember the last time I watched a show that was so repetitive.

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Boring

Just 2 first episode was good but the rest was boring. Nothing intersting happen. Never make me waiting for the rest. I watched just bc I had read couple of episodes of this webtone and dropped it so was curious how they will end it but after of couple of ep it became a boring kdrama with auwful casting especialy the ML. The time of airibg?? Just 1 ep per week?? I thunk they don't have anyplans to how to end it. They were confued too. I really don't recommand it. It is just a waste of time. How could a kdrama could be this boring!!! I watched it bc of the FL after the celebrity kdrama but I wonder how she chosed this? Never have any hope for the ML.

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