Oh My Baby (2020)

Not bad, not great.

I always liked Nara, buy I don't remember, if I have ever liked any of her other dramas. (I think I've seen like 4) Oh My Baby is her best drama so far that I've seen, at least It's the least bad of those 5..
Nothing particularly stands out that is wrong with this drama, really. I mean sure from a western viewers standpoint getting bombarded by Korean bias against single parents, sperm donation etc can be pretty annoying, but they sort of dialed that down after the first few episodes, so I could bear with it. There are no annoying parent plots, even the love triangle(rectangle) is unusually tame,, considering. I guess the problem is that I just wasn't all that entertained. The comedy is not that great. The newspaper related happenings are a yawn. At least the romance should've been on point and the leads did in fact have good enough chemistry. Maybe the writer just failed write a believable romance story? I'm not entirely sure to be honest, I just feel that something's off with it. The ending is a bit lacking and it feels a bit rushed too.

Read More

Oh My Baby

ang Ha Ri is the ultimate workaholic. She hasn’t even had a boyfriend in the past decade, long ago decided to forget about looking for love, and instead has thrown her energy into her career.
However, as she works as a senior reporter for a parenting magazine named “The Baby,” she is constantly reminded of the one thing she wants most in life – to have a baby of her own.

She decides to cut to the chase and try for a baby but wants to skip one key stage – and resolves not to marry.
But as she turns her mind to single parenthood, she suddenly realizes that she is surrounded by admirers: freelance photographer Han Yi Sang, super-smart pediatrician Yoon Jae Young, and the office newbie, the doting Choi Kang Eu Ddeum.

This was actually unexpectadly a really good drama.

Read More

From watching the trailers and looking at the posters, at first I thought this drama was going to be corny cheesy as hell with three guys chasing the female lead, but I love how Oh My Baby surprised us and offered us something different. I liked how genuine and meaningful the lines were in addressing common stereotypes. I also liked how the show was an easy watch. The plot was simple, and there was not much conflict, as the struggles of the female lead were enough drama already. The characters were nice and lovable too, which made it an easy watch. They really look close to one another and everyone felt like a friends and family, like they have been working for one another for years.

I ended up appreciating this drama a lot more for its very realistic portrayals of societal stereotypes, women, career, and relationship but most of all I loved it because of the three guys. The doctor was just as cute and sweet for her and Han Yi Sang was just so adorable to look at! Who knew he could be such a cutie, and could pull off a romcom! I want more of him please in cardigan and pastels! ^^

The OSTs were just amazing too, and I think it was able to help provide more emotions into the drama. I particularly loved and highly recommend Raindrops by CHEEZE, 별처럼 (Like a star) by Kwon Jin Ah, and Beautiful by Kim Sunggyu.

Overall, Oh My Baby is a good drama, but honestly, it could have been better so I rate it 8.5. For 16 episodes, the show got draggy in the middle because they have been talking about the same issues over and over again, and was not able to give us more. We could have been given more cute and sweet dating moments from our leads but no we weren't. For some, watching this would be kind of bland and lacking particularly to those people expecting and looking for a really quirky or funny romcom, as this one tackles more of a serious tone, like marriage and childbirth.

Read More

Moai heads - only good thing about the show

The ML collects Moai heads and looks like one himself. It's a great visual joke, and also plays on stereotypes and expectations: he is so macho and virile, but has fertility issues. He appears to be the silent mysterious type, but is actually cute and corny. He also puts the Moai head figurines in a circle and has conversations with them, seeking advice for his love life. It's a great running gag.

The rest of the show is boring and messy, and fails to convince it takes any of its premises seriously: not the fertility issues, and not the romance. Not women's lives in the workforce either. The pediatrician is a terrible character who has no love for anyone, just all around angry and mean spirited. I've seen this trope before: childhood friends who are sort of mean to one another but really like each other. I don't like the dynamic, but have seen it done better. Here it makes no sense. And he's just genuinely not nice to anybody, about anything, ever. It's unfortunate, because I liked the actor in "Because This Is My First Life."

Read More

It was fun at first

Only reason I watched this was to Jang Na Ra. The sorry was interesting at first and I binge watched till the 10th episode. I watched 11th episode and felt like the show began loosing focus and so do I. I would recommend you to give it a try. Cause the story was good for the first 10 episode. I dropped it cause i think 11th 12th and 13th episodes were just way too boring. The cast was good but I didn't like the main actor don't know why but he felt unnatural.

In conclusion idea of the story is good but story getting boring later on. Cast is good. I recommend you to give it a try you might like it more than me.

Read More

Beautiful & breathtaking.

I have been watching one episode each night, and every single episode has been so beautiful. The storyline touches on some serious subjects, but there is also light hearted ness and a cute comedy to the series. The storyline is consistent, and there is always something interesting happening. I find that it isn’t lacking at all and the actors are really, very good. There isn’t one character I don’t like and the supporting actors are so charming and cute. Some scenes are so beautiful, regarding the scenery but also with what is going on with the storyline, between the leads. I’m going to remember this drama for a very long time, and cherish it as one of the most beautiful dramas I have seen. Definitely recommend.

Read More

I've been in the mood for darker dramas lately, but after watching Jang Nara in V.I.P., I decided to give this drama a go. The premise was quite unique and caught my attention. Like most of these types of dramas, the plot was pretty predictable, though that wasn't what detracted me from it. To be honest, I got quite frustrated with most of the side characters as the story progressed. They seemed to add unnecessary ( and not very interesting ) drama to the plot. Eventually, the drama as a whole started to drag a bit ( even watching it in 2x speed ). While I don't regret finishing it up, it wouldn't be a drama that I would instantly recommend or rewatch.

Read More

A take on mature love and relationships for women who are still looking for their path in life

When I watched this Drama, the first few episodes hit me like a trainwreck because it conveys exactly my thoughts as a career woman who is still figuring out what path in life to take.

Tackling motherhood and the balance you want to achieve while having a career is a tricky one. Partly because most paint it as something glamorous superhero style, or as a comedic tragedy of errors. In reality, it's not - a lot of times you will find yourself doubting the path you've taken, and you will be faced with a lot of sacrifices along the way. It's refreshing to see that in this drama it portrays that type of slice-of-life narrative that each person has their own story and struggle in the life they've chosen, including being a mom or being a career-driven woman who wants to be a mom.

The drama isn't without faults though - in the middle, you would find yourself very annoyed in the men in Ha Ri's life because they can't seem to grasp their own realities. They think that they're doing their best for her but ends up in the opposite direction. They eventually have their own fixes, but it might be less conclusive than others would think of.

However, I would highly advise you to stay for Ha Ri and her mother's story. Their relationship seems so complicated, but as you get older and wiser, that truly is how your relationship with your parents unfold. There will be a lot of questions you can get answers to, and a lot of misunderstandings get cleared up. The love they have with each other is so touching, you will want to hug your own parent right after this.

Contrary to a lot of people's expectations, this romance between Ha Ri and her main male lead (which you'll learn more about later on) actually is less of skinship and more affection for each other. Which in reality, is also very true. As you get older, your desire for a more intimate relationship gets more private. It's not to say that your sex drive will dwindle, but more of that your focus would be companionship and being comfortable around your significant other and the people that are important to them. You keep the bedroom private, and that's okay, that doesn't mean you don't love each other just because you're not all over your partner.

Lastly, I appreciate how in this drama they have put significant weight on Ha Ri's career, even at the end. She started as someone who worked day and night at her job, and she climbed her way to the top. It would have been more disappointing if the story just sidetracked what she does when it directly affected why she wanted more to be a mom and continued her burning passion for being one.

My Verdict: Watch, and watch with an open mind. What happens in this story is more closer to life than what you think. Especially for women who are still figuring out if they want to settle down or continue the career they want. Being a mother is harder than it looks, but not being a mom is hard too. Ultimately, we are the sum of the choices we have made in life, and it's with the outlook of each individual on how they live with what they currently have.

Read More

Wonderful story about two single people finding love and happiness

Likes
1. Han Yisang and Go Joon. Yisang's love for maoi statues.
2. The drama wasnt just telling the story of a single lady who wants to get married and have a baby, it also showed that guys also have problems with infertility. And it also showed the different views of people - the struggles of a working mom, and a mom who had to leave the workforce and cant find a job again, to married couple who doesnt want kids. And even fathers who struggle to earn money to fulfill their children's dreams. And mothers who just want the best for her child.
3. The balance between humor and drama. I laughed out loud during the funny scenes and bawled whenever Hari and Yisang cried.
4. The beautiful ost. I wish they release the ost with a photobook!
5. That there are different ways to be happy. And everyone should follow his own path to happiness. It may not be the usual route but we should learn to respect other people's choices without judgment.

Dislikes
1. That they made Jae Young into a selfish annoying second lead. Park Byung Eun deserved better. He could have been the nice childhood friend with a one-sided crush on Hari.
2. The first few episodes when all Hari could think of is to be a mom. That it's her main dream and she wont be happy until she was a mom. I disliked her views on that but the ending when she finally realized she was wrong made it all worth it.

Rating: 9.5/10 (9 for the story plus 0.5 for Yisang )

Read More

A trip to the sperm bank

Let's call things by their name. This is not a romantic comedy. It's barely a romantic drama. The Netflix publicity poster that has three men following a woman like she's a bitch in heat is misleading. It's even less funny than that. There are no hijinks and no hilarious misunderstandings. The supporting cast is led by a mother who pays lip service to supporting her daughter while she channels every social prejudice.

It's nothing more or less than an infertility melodrama. If that's what you were looking for, stay. Otherwise I cannot recommend it.

There are three men involved. One man looks like he lives in eternal sorrow and puts on a happy mask. One man looks like he's having a sad, incestuous fantasy. And one child doesn't even know why he's part of the conversation as we watch another woman pursue him for most of the series. It's not even a love square with three men urgently looking to deposit their seed. It's a meat market with a selection of goods about as appetizing as a Soviet supermarket shelf. In the end she buys whatever's available on any shelf and it's half a pound of ersatz mortadella.

Jang Na-ra did her reputation no harm in this role. She was given little to work with and made it look like a lot. The male leads were given crappy stories and struggled to rise above them. Park Byung-eun demonstrated his uncanny skill for looking pathetic in a role that wasn't good enough for him. The supporting roles were generic and bereft of standouts.

As another reviewer correctly said, I felt catfished.

Read More