Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

A Sanctuary

The beautiful seaside village of Gongjin, with its picturesque landscape, sandy beaches, rustic homes and a quaint red lighthouse that overlooks the vast openness of the ocean. It is the perfect sanctuary for weary travellers and those who seek refuge in its peaceful, idyllic setting. All visitors from near and far are warmly received by its friendly inhabitants with wide smiles, open arms and fresh seafood. Welcome to Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (where the only thing that’s perhaps missing is a dental clinic).

This fictional village truly exists but goes by a different name in real life - it is actually the coastal town of Pohang in South Korea’s east coast. HomeCha is a remake of the 2004 film, Mr Hong, which in turn is based on the original screenplay written by Kang Seok Beom and Shin Jung Goo. The 2021 iteration is helmed by Yoo Je Won (The King: Eternal Monarch and Hi Bye, Mama!) and adapted into the 16-episode drama format by Shin Ha Eun (The Crowned Clown and Argon). Im Ha Young (Oh My Ghost and Search: WWW) serves as music director.

As it was in the movie, Homecha is a rom-com about a girl from the big city who moves to the quiet little village where she meets and falls in love with a local boy. Sounds like the typical fish out of water character in an opposites attract love story except there’s more than meets the eye. In addition to the romance and comedy, this is a healing drama that explores slice of life aspects, from the mundane to the extraordinary, amidst a backdrop of myriad colourful characters and mysterious backstories.

I haven’t watched nearly enough K-drama romcoms to qualify as an expert in this subject but I’m well aware of the associated tropes that are usually present in the genre. This drama is no exception and features a number of such cliches and plot devices in the storytelling, which I don’t really mind because for the most part, they are generally well executed and not OTT. Despite the plot being rather straightforward, it has to be said, it does start off brightly and remains steadily engaging along with a multitude of story arcs and sub-plots involving certain side characters, mainly the residents of the seaside village. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, however, due to the inclusion of angst and tragic circumstances in the overarching story.

The production is of high quality and the scenic location of the principal photography affords the drama some utterly breathtaking panoramic vistas, largely attributed to the excellent all-round cinematography. The well-rendered night shots particularly at the waterfront and pier deserve praise as well as the art direction and overall interior set designs of the traditional village homes. The action sequences are minimal but the special effects for a significant event in episode 15 are very well executed.

As far as the cast is concerned, Kim Seon Ho shines the brightest as the affable and down-to-earth Hong Du Shik aka Chief Hong. He certainly fits the role to the tee and rounds off his performance with a powerfully emotional delivery towards the closing stages of the drama that is heart-wrenching to witness. Shin Min Ah portrays the FL Yoon Hye Jin who eventually falls in love with Chief Hong. I find the character somewhat lacking in depth and infuriating at times, while her interpretation of the role is merely adequate. She is certainly capable of more dramatic range but seems to be constrained by the limitations of the script. Nonetheless, both Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min Ah do complement each other visually and the chemistry that they share appears convincingly developed. It’s worth mentioning that the production takes full advantage of their similar facial features for viewers to assign the moniker of “dimple couple” to the leads.

Among the supporting cast, Lee Bong Ryun and Kim Young Ok impressed me the most, as Yeo Hwa Jeong and Kim Gam Ri respectively. These two veterans certainly showcased their nuanced portrayals throughout. Despite her limited screen time, Kim Ji Hyun is memorable in her guest role of Seon A, a testament to her stage experience indeed. The child actors are also deserving of praise, especially Ki Eun Yoo as Jang Yi Jun.

The drama features 8 OSTs, the most prominent being its upbeat main theme, Beautiful Sunday which reflects the overall tone of the production. The rest of the soundtrack consists of slow-tempo love ballads.

로맨틱 선데이 Romantic Sunday by Car the Garden 카더가든
어느 햇살 좋은 날 One Sunny Day by Kassy 케이시
My Romance by CHEEZE 치즈
바람 Wish by Choi Yu Ree 최유리
빛이 되어줘 Be the Light by Kim Jae Hwan 김재환
내 기억 속에 남아 있는 그대 모습은 The Image of You (Remains in My Memory) by Sandeul 산들 of B1A4
Here Always by Seungmin 승민 of Stray Kids
행복했으면 좋겠어 I Hope You're Happy by Lee Sang Yi 이상이

HomeCha is generally an easy and relaxing watch that provides sufficient heartwarming and entertaining moments to fill the weekend and in between more serious or darker dramas in the watch list, which was exactly what I did. The story did take a brief detour through a slightly melodramatic and angsty arc, but eventually everything worked out to deliver a much needed HEA ending for everyone involved.

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Beautiful, good at times, bad most of the time and annoying as...

This one is soooo hard to rate,almost as hard as it was to complete it...

I would say that the characters where about 65% highly annoying and 30% amazing, great and 5% ok then highly annoying followed by ok than highly annoying again (the Female Lead) all due to writing not acting the acting was fina most of it at least not much worse than other stuff, but what was extra troubling was that the awesome characters kept interacting with the highly annoying ones, making it hard to skip if you wanted to see the awesome characters but also hard to watch because of the annoying characters. Such a SHAME and here is why:

The cinematography was beautiful, the scenery was mmmmmmm.... the faces were beautiful, the abs where not bad either... The second couple was adorable ans well so was the second male lead was just the cutest guy ever The umbrella here was such a star and it was used soooo beautifully! really enough to bring up the score. The dimple couple did look good together but their interactions where 50% annoying 40% cringe 10% cute and fun. Making my love for him fade because he liked her...

Kim Young Ok is an international treasure may she live long and prosper! the kids acting AND characters were great and one of the shows most honest lines was delivered by one of the most annoying characters.... yes it did have a bunch of good lines here and there I will give them that, but it was ruined by all the cringe.

Back to the bad, the way they make suicide sound easily avoided bugs the hell out of me, people who are close to people who have commited suicide ten to have enough what ifs as it is, making it seem like a person can hinder an attempt if they just call is just mean. And so are a bunch of other parts of this drama... cringe, superficial, highly predictable, very highly predictable in a bad way sais I who loves cliches but honestly about 80% of the twists where soooo predictable it was as if they were trying to throw us off but it was so clumsy made that any one who has seen a few dramas would guess it. Also great use of product placement as well as village feel and the found family trope thumbs up there!

Story as a whole is 8-9
Character writing 1-10
Dialog 1-10 stars
Bingebilaty 5
Extra points for some well done stuff are unfortunately less than the stuff done bad...

It is not the cast acting (most of it) that is bad it is the writing! I will probably try avoid that writer in the future...

So in conclusion if you like cringe and grownups acting like stereotypical children (an insult to children out there), or just love Kim Seon Ho enough to put yourself thru this than all the power to you enjoy! Me I am happy it is over...

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Lala lala la lala la la wawa summer!

Midtown chachacha is a slice of life show.

Thus, it is boring as shit. There is no plot. Any random small problem was resolved pretty quickly. The characters were kinda annoying sometimes.
Besides like one random couple there is barely any character development. There were many missed opportunities and the main character was honestly abit of a bitch. For a relatively grounded show, the relationships were pretty fucked up. Like the main character straight up commits domestic violence but its funny because women hit man haha you must laugh now. There were 2 interesting plot points throughout the show, which failed to deliver (especially over such a long run time). The show could have been a 2 hour film honestly. It would have been signfiicantly better as one 2 hour film, instead of 20 ish hours of mid.

The acting is fine. But I just don't care about any of the characters. Except maybe that one boy that will 100% be abused by his wife in the future. The villagers yap too much. Watching at 1.5x speed turns them into animal crossing characters, which does increase the watchability of the show by fixing the slow ass pacing.

Besides the opening lalala song that they spammed the shit out of, there was one other good song. Which they severely underused. The clarinet meme song. They could have used this song much more effectively. The show did not deliver. I should not have watched this drama for shits and giggles. It was boring. It honestly kinda ruined the meme song for me.

I don't think I can rewatch this or recommend watching this unless you really just enjoy meaningless drama with 0 stakes. I guess it is boring and comfortable and cheesy and thats up to others preferences. But that shit aint for me bruh.

The peak ending would have been if Du sik had a family in the 5 year void. And on his daughter's deathbed, she says some shit like, when I grow up, I want to be an electrician, engineer or all the random ass jobs that Du sik learns. So that it actually explains why Du sik learns a million skills. Shit would have made the show somewhat worth it, after all the random fluff.

This show gave me indigestion

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Soothing to Your eyes...!!! For Sure.

In this era of all dark theme kdramas, this drama will sooth your eyes. This is one hell of a refreshing drama💚.
About the plot I thought it would be slow paced but I was wrong, it is not slow at all and evolves beautifully.💙
And the casting is just so perfect.Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min Ah did their job perfectly and put a lot of efforts.Their visuals are out of this world.Their chemistry is just adorable.Kim Seon Ho showing his perfect body in some shot are 🔥🙈.
There are many charecters, and they all have their own stories in life.
The people around them are so relatable like we all have these kind of people in our lifes.

In short the best healing drama of 2021.💚💙

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Oh man, I must be missing something

I really don't get it. I must be missing something or watching an entirely different drama than this because I don't understand the rave reviews on this drama. I was so excited to watch this but waited until all the episodes came out because I hate waiting for the next episodes. When it was finally finished, I was so excited to watch it alongside my friend but it just seemed so boring and slow paced. We ended up dropping it at episode 7. Fast forward, some months later, and my friend said he picked it up again and that it's such a good healing drama. So due to my curiosity, I decided to give it another shot. Now I'm on episode 12/16, and I'm just struggling through the rest of this drama. I already have it at 1.5x speed since I restarted because it's just way too slow for me otherwise. And honestly, if I could put it at 2x speed I would but Netflix only lets us go up to 1.5x speed. The main couple is finally together at this point and even though they are cute sometimes, they just seem so cringy on top of it. I must really be missing something because I don't find this refreshing at all. I just want to get to the end at this point. I'm hoping the last 4 episodes will save the rest of the drama for me, but right now, it's not looking too good.

Updated Review:
I enjoyed the last 2 episodes and that's basically what I watched the entire series for. It was a struggle getting there but I'm glad I watched all the way to the end. The two episodes were sad and heartbreaking but we ended with wholesomeness and warm, fuzzy, feel good feelings. However, I guess this drama was just not my cup of tea, it was too boring and slow paced for me. I get that village life is much simpler and slow paced complete with nosy and rowdy neighbors which Hometown portrayed beautifully. But I guess I just couldn't get into it that much which is sad because I wish I could have loved this drama just like how so many others did. Oh well, onto the next one I suppose.

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Unpopular opinion - This drama doesn't deserve the hype it's getting.

First of all, I've been a fan of Shin Min Ah for years and I love her acting a lot.

But I personally think this drama doesn't deserve the hype it's getting. The story is pretty lukewarm, nothing that keeps you hooked up to the story. This story reminds me of those 100+ episode weekend dramas, except they squeezed it into 16 episodes.

The story is laid-back, portraying the daily life of a rural village, and the string of events that takes place when a woman from the city comes to live in it.

The story is okay. The acting is better with a good cast. But it doesn't deserve all the hype it's getting.

I personally had a hard time watching it because it was too boring. I even skipped most parts and managed to finish one-hour episodes in 20 minutes. I didn't even feel like watching it at the end, but I did because I hate to do things half-ass and I was hoping things would get better but NO!! It doesn't!! It's boring until the very end.

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Disappointing :/

I was really disappointed
This is not what I expected at all
The story was too ordinary till the limit of being boring
Too detailed without no need
Many side stories which turned this drama to be like the 50 eps family drama
I took A deep breath when I finished it
For the first time I didn't enjoy a drama for shin min ah
This is not her level of stories at all

Shin min ah fashion style was bad for the first time
The make up and the light was bad, made them looked old many times

The story was too predictable
Light but just to watch once which was frustrating

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Swoon marathon - wholesome it its simplicity; deficient in its variety.

First off, the earlier episodes are much better than the rest of the show. Up to the seventh episode I was certain that this show might pocket all upcoming awards, but the episodes thereafter are - not necessarily bad - but a little letdown compared to the earlier eps.

The biggest plus of this show are the characters and their relationships, the slow pace as well as the chemistry of the lead couple and the scenery. But at the same time these aspects are somehow also the downfall of this drama. For example, some characters are left unexplored or just briefly touched upon, while other characters and their relationships are of primarily focus, being addressed again and again, but just don't move you, to be blatantly honest, do not intrigue you at all. I cannot put my finger on it, but even though some dialogues between the characters are extremely emotional and poignant, the relationships lack depth. 'Where the Camellia Blooms' had done a better job here.
The slow paced plot line which worked in favor of the leads in the earlier episodes as we got plenty of witty verbal exchanges, stealing glances and gestures, meaningful moments and heart fluttering push and pull scenes, helped to build their relationship and let the viewer be part of not only their growing attraction but also attachment and comfort to and with each other. However, after a while these lengthy conversations and moments of togetherness were not leading anywhere and felt repetitive and I do not dare to say boring, but sort of tedious and wearisome. The scenery is no exemption. It is picturesque and beautiful and a feast for the eyes but seeing the same spots (and costumes) over and over again reminded me of a sitcom where we have two main 'stages', the story switches between.
The lack of deeper analysis and exploration of characters goes for Dushik's (Kim Seon Ho) "story", his past, too. There was this HUUUUUGE secret around his past which ends up being a serious issue, but it is only explored more in depth in the last episodes, which is too short and rushed. Especially topics of greater severity should be dealt with caution, patience and pace and it is really frustrating as the episodes 11-14 felt more like fillers and definitely had room for a deeper analysis of Dushik's story, whereas, let me warn you without giving away too much, episode 15 was a sheer overdose off heavy emotions.
Also, I would like to regretfully mention that there were some unbearable ridiculous moments in the show, e. g. some slapstick comedy or a delivery scene as in childbirth, which - and I'm not a medical expert, by no means, but even I could tell - was so blatantly far from reality, that I could not focus on the rest of said episode.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the drama a lot. There are many lessons to take away from Hometown Cha Cha Cha:
- "Don't judge a book by its cover."
- "Give 100% not only at work but also as you rest (e.g. no emails checking on vacation) "
- "No occupation or lifestyle is superior to another."
-"You can find happiness anywhere, if you are willing to open up and appreciate the small and simple things in life."
- And a lot more...

The greatest strength as mentioned above are the leads and their chemistry. Shining Kim Seon Ho and shimmering Shin Min Ah carried the whole show and successfully so, as the ratings reveal. While most people are understandably in awe of KSH, his natural acting and the worthy successor of good boy Han Ji Pyong, the even greater man Hong Du Shik, I personally was mesmerized by Shin Min Ah. She was so natural and instinctive as Yoon Hye-Jin.
Be it her reluctance upon meeting and engaging with people she barely knows, her little frownings when confronted with uncomfortable critique, her contrasting cheesy lovey-dovey side when in a relationship, Shin Min Ah played Hye Jin in such a realistic way, that it would not come as a surprise if there was a Hye Jin in real life running her dental practice somewhere in Gongjin.
Since Hye Jin and Du Shik have different views on life and seem like total opposites of each other, it's entertaining whenever they interact. In general their interactions are adorable and natural. There was for example a scene in which Du Shik mocks Hye Jin by mimicking her and it didn't feel like acting at all, maybe it was an ad lib. And as funny and cute their little bickerings are, their not so lighthearted and heartfelt conversations are smililarly serious and emotional, especially the latter ones make you cry rivers.
As stated above, since it is a slow paced drama with main focus on the lead's relationship you can see how they grow more and more fond of each other, rely on each other, complement each other. With each episode you can witness their bond steadily grow and become something magical; you accompany Dushik and Hyejin through their journey of love, support and character development and witness firsthand how their innocent mutual infatuation turns into a mature, healthy companionship, which makes this show all the more special.
There is another couple that is likewise adorable, but fails to outshine dimple couple.

All in all, Hometown Cha Cha Cha is an enjoyable ride with a great lead, greater emotions and undeniable chemistry, that make you swoon more than once. But frankly, it could have been better.

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Comforting but a little boring

I think this drama would be good for people who enjoyed Run On, Because This Is My First Life, and Racket Boys — all dramas that were pretty mellow and comforting, where any romance was pretty simple, straightforward, and honestly a little distant. I do love good communication between characters and I also loved seeing strangers get to know each other but I felt like I never really felt giddy or that invested in them. The relationship is almost too mellow for me (as someone who just wants a little more playfulness and casual banter).

There are also some cliches in the plot that felt a little out of place for 2021, and the pacing was a little weird with not focusing on the male lead at all until near the last few episodes.

I'm also pretty on the fence about the side stories — there are some scenes that were very touching and heart-warming but overall I definitely wasn't that invested in their stories as much and I even found them a little annoying at times.

I know 6.5 might seem like a low rating but it's not and it's really more out of indifference than dislike; I've watched worse dramas that made me feel more.

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