Dali and the Cocky Prince (2021)

The most pathetic FL of any drama

I am usually a lurker and not a review writer, but I had to write this PSA... if youre the type who gets annoyed by naive, sad, weepy, pathetic FL leads who cannot stand up for themselves then avoid this drama.

She doesn't speak up when a simple statement could clear up an issue, doesn't understand that it takes money to run a business, decides its a great idea to rely on the horrible ex bf that dumped her days before their wedding, and has barely enough air in her lungs to get out her words because she's so saaaad. Also, she doesnt report a major burglary to the apartment owner of the place where she is living, a guy who ie basically her brother and already annoyed with her because she didn't tell him she was assulted, because she doesnt want to burden him??? Its his home!!

I like the actress, I LOVE the ML and most of the side characters. I'm going to keep watching because I dearly hope the confident, pleasant FL from the first episode makes an appearance again. But dear lord is it frustrating. I am glad some people enjoy her character but thats a no for me, dawg.

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Worth watching.

The two leads chemistry is apparent so that kept me hooked. I loved Dali's hair and fashion! Beautiful!

I enjoyed watching the two leads up and down relationship up until the moment they got together. There were some really swoonworthy moments.

The supporting cast, I feel, was not the strongest. I particularly did not enjoy Moo Hak's family's acting - the dad, step mom and son. Its seemed very obvious they were acting.

Also, I wish we'd have seen more of Dali and Moo Hak in the last episode. They overplayed making it look like they had broken up. I actually wish the last two episodes focused more on them, We only got like 3 minutes of their kiss in the last episode coz the writers wanted to trick us. I don't think that was the wisest way to end the drama but hey.

Overall, cute show.

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Lead acting was good

Not a bad watch and Kim Min Jae rarely disappoints.
His character here is arrogant (but I felt this was often a front for feeling inferior), very business savvy, but lacks the social skills, sophistication and knowledge of art to fit in amongst Dali's peers, co-workers and gallery connections. He does, however, have the money.
I am not sure what the drama was trying to be, because it's not a fluffy romance, not quite a detective story (although it would have made a good thriller) and not a true comedy.
Ep1 was amusing and humour is used through the show, but it's needed.
There is bullying, physical and mental abuse by parents, drug addiction, coercion, threat, a huge dose of snobbishness and more than one psychopathic character.
Moo Hak often seemed to revert to gangster behaviour when he felt humiliated or out of his depth. The response to it was...... nothing.
Dali infuriated me at times ~ the character could have been co much more. I think they were going for kind of ethereal, graceful, yet strong, but incredibly patient, demure and sophisticated.
The behaviour of some characters (the worst were all family members) was, frankly, sick inducing at times.
The ending wrapped it all up fairly neatly, but it's definitely not one I'd watch again.

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The race to save Dali & the art museum

From the title and comments I was expecting a very lighthearted romcom. And this drama did have a lot of lighthearted moments that made me laugh a lot. But what I wasn’t expecting was the numerous sad yet poignant moments as the female leads life was turned upside down. Every time things are starting to look better for her she faces bitter setbacks. I couldn’t help but root for her. I went from disliking her tough no nonsense character to being touched seeing her grow and mature. I liked how multifaceted the female lead was. She was scared and vulnerable yet brave and stood up for herself when she needed to. For example, when she was headed to the police station to face the man who had attacked her she was visibly shaking. Yet once she came face to face with him she bravely faced him without flinching even though he was threatening to kill her. Her character was very relatable.

In the beginning the male lead comes off as a shallow money obsessed jerk. But as the drama progresses you start to see more and more of the sweet little puppy that he truly is deep inside. And you learn more about what lead him to become that way. His character becomes more and more charming and endearing as the drama progresses. I was especially touched by his character growth.

The acting was very good, way above average. And you’ll see some familiar faces like the male leads dad or the male leads secretary (loved her in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim). The superb acting is what really stands out in this drama.

So if the characters were so great, the acting was superb, and it has high ratings, why did I not give it a 9 or 10? Well my headline at the top sums it up well. The entire drama consists of watching the female lead being attacked in every way possible, even physically as she struggles to keep her families beloved art museum afloat. And this all happens immediately after her fathers sudden death so she’s still grieving. It was difficult to watch sometimes. But her angst wasn’t the problem. It was because her getting attacked over and over again got a bit too repetitive. At first I found it very interesting but after a while I found myself sighing and groaning when she faced setback after setback. It became predictable. So I deducted one star for the overly repetitive and predictable storyline.

The drama did introduce some side stories to spice things up a bit. There was a bit of a love triangle as the female leads ex fiancé relentlessly pursues her. Then there was the drug dealing business going on behind the scenes at the art museum. I found the issue of how people in Asia view those who are adopted quite interesting and wish it were explored a little better. There was also the whole murder mystery whodunnit scenario as we keep seeing someone confront the female leads father then leave him to die, but the culprits face is never shown. So there were a lot of other side stories going on. But instead of making it more interesting it made the drama more confusing as if it didn’t know where it was heading or what point it was trying to make. If this was a longer drama and more time was spent exploring each issue it would have been perfect. But with only 16 episodes they tried to cram too much into this drama. For this reason I deducted another point.

Now let’s talk about the romance. This is a romcom so the romance is a big part of the show. In the beginning I found myself getting butterflies and feeling very touched. But in the end I felt let down and disappointed. The kissing scenes are great and the main leads had great chemistry. And their little flirtations and cute interactions are adorable but it just doesn’t go much further than that. There were no back hugs, no piggyback rides and not a lot of skinship either. If the drama is a romcom and they put the main leads names together in the title, you expect an epic romance that’s very focused on them, right? And even though the romance was cute, it wasn’t what I would call a passionate romance. It was more of a cute light romance like what you would see in a school drama. Therefore yet another star was taken off.

Overall I would say this is a good drama worth watching. If you’re looking for a great romance with lots of skinship then this isn’t the drama for you. If you’re looking for a riveting storyline that keeps you guessing then this isn’t for you either. But if you want something that’s a short easy watch with lots of cuteness this is definitely your type of drama. Im glad I watched it but I have no interest in rewatching it.

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A slow start

I really love Minjae and I was really excited to watch this drama but I have to admit that even though the storyline was really interesting it started to be good around episode 8. Before that there wasn't much going on apart from Dali and Moo Hak relationship.
I had the feeling that they tried to push the mystery for too long, they could've started showing Tae Jin real intentions way before they did which was around episode 11. they could've built Tae Jin character more instead of making him a background character, I feel like Shi Hyun had more screen time than him and half of the time wasn't making any sense. the way they punished Tae Jin for what he did to Da Li's father wasn't what I was expecting to be honest, but yet it shows how in that world everything is condoned so I can accept it.
The relationship between Moo Hak and Da Li on the other hand was really well structured and I really loved how cute they were with each other. I also enjoyed the end and how Da Li despite what Moo Hak's dad said to her in the hospital decided to stick with him and don't leave him. it was a different ending I appreciated it.
overall it wasn't bad, I liked it but it had a really slow start which kinda bored me but I am happy I finished it in the end.

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This Drama Uses Every Element Deliciously

“Dali” puts every element of itself to good use, and absolutely nothing is wasted. The design of a character’s office or home tells you a lot about who they are and what’s important to them (as befits a show where the significance of art and emotional connections to art are running themes). Subtle shifts in a character’s wardrobe indicate how they’re changing as the story progresses. Some object that seems like a joke or a gag always turns out to be really important later. Most of the characters aren’t as simple as they seem to be when you first meet them, and your opinion of them will completely change by the end of the drama.

There’s also something from the first episode that you might think the scriptwriter totally forgot, but don’t worry, it comes up in the last episode. The attention to detail is just astounding.

This drama also does something fairly unusual with camera work by using split screens instead of cutaways and reaction shots in order to capture the facial expressions and reactions of everyone involved in a scene. So it’s a bit more like a live performance where you can see everything happening at once.

It’s definitely worth a rewatch: it’s so richly layered that you’ll definitely pick up some things on a second viewing that you didn’t notice before.

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Need more of these dramas

I started watching this drama because i stumbled upon on it in my netflix home page, and when i watched the trailer i was immediately attracted to this drama.
The overall story in the drama was good and it matched with the romance story.
Pros
• First of all i ♡ the music in this drama
• i love the fl sm, like her hair and outfits and everything! (I read a comment abt someone criticizing her hair and jm coming for whoever wrote that)
• i also rlly like the ml, hes not like the cold arrogant rich bad boy like the typical ml. He is very quirky and confident (like in the tittle of the drama "cocky prince")
• i ♡ the main couple, surprisingly they're mature and there's no unnecessary breakup or stupid misunderstanding which tend to frustrates me in dramas
• i ♡ the other characters as well especially the ml's assistant in the drama, i kinda fell for her lol

Cons
• I hate the fl's ex bf.

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lighthearted rom com

A pretty cute and lighthearted romantic drama that follows a classic opposites attract type of plot. For once, the over-the-top conspiracies and revelations of the more political and thriller part of the drama didn't feel out of place as the plot is a bit over the top from the beginning. The acting is very solid, adding a lot of uniqueness to each character. I enjoyed the secondary characters the most, as they felt well-developed and rounded.

Recommended for anyone who wants a typical rom-com kdrama with some political conspiracy on the side, but doesn't mind a formulaic plot

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Loving a clingy, hilarious, and romantic male lead

Nov. 14, 2021

I am living and loving for a male lead like this one. He reminds me so much of Park Hyungsik in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. If I am being honest, I was shocked at how funny, hilarious, and interesting this drama is.

Dali and Moo Hak's chemistry is just unbelievable off the roof. I love how even though Dali is kinda portrayed as a Damsel in distress type of FL, she ain't dumb! Also, I am so happy that there is no stupid breakup and time-lapse at the end. Cause I swear to God these writers be throwing that damned plot line every motherfking time. From all the depressing dramas and violent shows I watched, I love how this was like a breather for me. Definitely something I will watch just because of how comedy, romance, kinda crimeish, and art are mixed together into this one heck of a ride series.

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This pair works. Let's watch it again!

I don't know what makes this main couple work so well, because technically, as other reviewers have said, they're so incredibly different. It might be that when it comes to each other they're patient and willing to at least see from the other person's perspective. When I'm watching dramas these days it feels a bit shallow and up in the cloud but something about this was sweet and felt realistic.

I first tried to watch this show in 2021 and again in 2022 or so. I wanted to watch it so badly because I was so impressed by Kim Min Jae (the ML) after watching "Do You Like Brahms?", but I hated the first episode. I tried starting it multiple times because of the great reviews but I couldn't stand his character. He was loud, disrespectful and presumptuous and I think it was supposed to be funny. I don't find that sort of thing funny and I found the first episode unrealistic. He was supposed to be rich but was acting like a child and she was supposed to be smart but was somehow putting up with him. I couldn't understand how this attitude could ever be cute so I gave up on it. But I've been having a hard time lately and needed something funny and easy to watch. I remembered this show that had the slapstick funny first episode that I hated so I tried it again, but this time, I started at episode 2 and skipped 1 (I already finished most of 1 all those times ago anyway).

In episodes 2-5 he's still pretty annoying but to I tried to understand him and understand why the FL wasn't getting mad at him. tbh. I just accepted their dynamic as that really and I don't regret it at all. It only goes up from there- depending on if you will excuse some failings. The worst thing about the ML is the way he speaks to her. He has quite the temper and as I said earlier can be very disrespectful, especially in the beginning when she really didn't need anyone tearing her down unnecessarily like that. He really did berate her. I literally said "Ouch that hurts like a bitch" after something he said and I even thought I would not be able to ever in this world accept their match because he was so mean. Honestly, that scene alone was enough to give the show a 6. I shouldn't gloss over that so easily. So there's that. I guess the reason for my great rating is that I just loved it from the point that their relationship became more solid. I guess his character becomes such a huge support to hers that I just let all that go. After all that, I don't think he will speak to her like that again, for what it's worth.

The story is funny as I had expected and heavy in a way I hadn't expected too but my favourite thing about it is that it's written well. The characters are mostly well done and the story is complex enough that you always want to know what happens next.

The female lead is so beautiful. The number of times I said "God she's so beautiful" is ridiculous. I love shows that have a beating heart with rounded characters and a good and solid story. I usually can't stand obnoxious male leads but he tones it down a bit at some point. There's something about how serious he gets when they're discussing something serious and how relaxed he gets when he's just resting that makes him feel like a real person. This original attitude doesn't exactly change, but sort of fluctuates with the situation just like a real person would. He can also be smart, considerate and sweet and when he loves someone he goes all in 1000%.

When it comes to kdramas I'm a simple person: just give me a good story and characters I can at least understand to some extent. That's why my average rating is so high. It gives me the vibes of older kdramas that I loved in the sense that it managed to balance lightness, deep feelings and a good story without irritating me to death. The ML's secretary also has to be the coolest and most competent secretary I have come across in Dramaland. It also makes him a bit realistic that he isn't 100% perfect.
The female lead is an angel through and through and she's pretty strong. I liked her acting too and all the other actors did a great job. I only spoke about his character the most because I think his character gave the show balance.

I just wish there were a few more minutes in the last episode so I could see more of them. If you're in the mood for a bit of slapstick and can stand an annoying ml for a few episodes I seriously recommend it. I started to wonder again if love like this really exists. Ah, the beauty of a good kdrama and a good story. I want to rewatch it all over again.

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