Kelekat

ARGH! I made it to ep 4 and that whole way the FL handled the ex trying to force himself on her just turned me off of her so badly that I'm struggling with wanting to watch this anymore, especially knowing she makes a whole bunch of shitty decisions later on in the drama too. Maybe I'll come back and finish it later but for now I'm going to find something else to watch.

Sooo I've made it to episode 4 and I'm glad I choose to watch it again because the things that drove me super crazy before aren't that overbearing this time around. HOWEVER, I've watched so many dramas since I first watched this and have a much better understanding now about the culture, and I feel like so much of the drama in the story could have easily been avoided...so far...I'm only on ep. 4. I accepted the culture difference as being the reason why the FL still lived at home at her age but, quite frankly, now I don't. I've seen too many kdramas where women with stable careers like the FL has live on their own. Even the SFL lives on her own. In fact, it seems like the FL is the odd man out. She doesn't want her mom all up in her shit all the time, why doesn't she move out? Also, the ML has his own place but his sister comes and goes as she sees fit. Ummm, what if he's busy with a girl when she just barges in??? WTH?!

Anyway, so now a new issue is developing for me as I watch this - it's with the credibility of the story. It's difficult to really enjoy a story when the entire time you're thinking...ummmm, why? Had she had her own place, even the issue with the ML's sister would go out the window. I'm not saying it would solve all the issues of the drama but the story would have been written more realistically. Like with One Spring Night. I've always thought I liked this more than I did One Spring Night but now I'm starting to have doubts. I rewatched OSN a few weeks back and fell even more in love with it. Yet, rewatching this now though is making me have my doubts. DANG IT! I don't want to love this less in the end!

So many issues could have been solved/avoided had she just moved out and lived on her own. I'm rewatching this now for the first time in a long time and even though it's still really early on in the drama that thought keeps running through my mind. I get that for the culture it's not that strange for a woman to still live at home with her parents into her 30s but usually once they have at least a stable career (which she does) they move out, at least by their early 30s. She's 35! Did she plan to live with her parents forever if she never married?? Especially with a mother like that, why didn't she want her own bit of independence?

Also, the ML has his own place but his sister comes and goes as she sees fit. Ummm, what if he's busy with a girl when she just barges in??? WTH?! He's well-known for having a rather active social life so what's up with the lack of boundaries???

UGHHHHH! The FL's best friend (the ML's sister) just pissed me off when she met with the FL's ex after he showed up at her cafe. Like why was she even trying to explain to him that the FL hadn't been cheating too? Why was she entertaining any sort of conversation with him at all?! She's the one who was so adamant about the FL needing to tell him off yet when she's given the opportunity to do so herself she doesn't? Really?? UGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad I decided to watch this again (at least so far I am) because the things that really frustrated me before haven't been infuriating me nearly as much as they did the first time (thankfully...so far), and I'm finding new things about it that actually irk me more (while coincidentally boosting my support of the FL's actions). I'd also forgotten that the FL's brother had picked up a lot of bad habits from their mother in terms of how he treated his sister. I'd forgotten those details.

Also now the ML's jealousy is really making him behave like a jerk. I get why at first he was upset with the FL for not handling things better with her ex especially since his knowledge of their situation had been coming from info passed on by his sister. At first his frustration was somewhat justified. But then he just kept making assumptions based on glimpses or bits and pieces of information he'd get here and there and then he'd treat her like he had the full picture and was justified in his anger.

So I decided to go ahead and finally watch it again. t's the drama that solidly got me sucked into the world of asian dramas years ago but I believe it's the only one of my favorites I've never been able to watch again. I'm determined to see if I still like it as much as I did then. Problem is I still remember how much this made me cry - hard. Even that's not what's warding me off though. It's all the other bs that comes with the story that I'd totally forgotten about - the office politics, the sickeningly status-hungry mother, the sexism and such.

Ughhhhh! Let's see how this goes...

It's been a really long time since I watched this and I only just started watching it again for the first time since. This has long since been one of my all-time favorite dramas so I'm definitely not trying to bash the show in any way. However, I would like to point out that you've definitely beautified the FL's handling of the situation with her ex. I understand wanting to defend her but your recollection of her actions is inaccurate. I'm literally watching this now.

I think some of what people may be mistaking for weakness is her constant biting her tongue and bearing with bs; something clearly long engrained in her, having grown up with a mother like hers.

However, the picture you paint of the way she's handled her ex thus far isn't as clear cut as you make it. She's not the one who got the ML to pretend to be her BF to make her ex leave her alone. She was standing there arguing with him in front of their office building when the ML took the initiative to step in and put on that pretense himself. She doesn't get credit for him doing that. She also didn't explain anything to her family right away. Not at all. She kept avoiding telling them they'd broken up. Even when she found out he'd been cheating and she did all that to make him get caught by the woman he was cheating with, she still never told her mother they'd broken up despite her mother constantly being on her ass to invite him over. She kept avoiding the situation like it would just go away on it's own. Had she just sat her parents down and explained what happened...nah, I'm not even going to try to sell that like it would have worked on her status-obsessed mother (because one thing I remember is how sickening that woman was). But still, the confrontation that occurred (when her parents invited her ex over) because she avoided dealing with the situation properly with her parents could have been avoided.

Just like the ML says when he starts getting irritated upon hearing his sister ranting about the FL meeting with the ex again - she kept giving the guy openings. He wouldn't have kept showing up in front of her had she been firm with him in the first place. Why was she even meeting him or giving him the time of day? The man cheated on her, long-term, and had even been taking his other woman to all the dating places she'd recommended to him - yet she agrees to meet with him "to try to end things with fond memories"? Really?! She KNOWS the only reason he's even trying to get back with her now is because he was dumped. Why would anyone try to see a peaceful closure in those circumstances? How she handled thing with him when her parents invited him over behind her back was AWESOME (just like the setup she put into play to get him dumped by the other woman) but her tendency to avoid situations was problematic.

She had a tendency to give in/avoid when she should fight. The ML knew it. Even her best friend knew it. Why do you think she kept getting so angry at the FL for how she WASN'T handling things? It's because she knew her well enough to know that she would let herself get trampled on. The ML did too. She was the same with her male superiors. The way she lived was honestly pathetic ESPECIALLY SINCE THAT WASN'T HER TRUE NATURE. Her actions when she actually stood up for herself showed there was a badass in her. When she was young and confident she must have definitely been a force to be reckoned with. But she'd lost herself somewhere along the way.

It's why the ML was so good for her. Her experience with him is what helped her grow so much throughout the drama. It's what helped her stop being a doormat and find her inner strength again. That aspect of the story played as big a role as the romance did. That backbone that was always present and that could never be completely beaten out of her was brought back to life in her through her relationship with the ML and everything that transpired during their time together - be it in regards to her ex, her family, or her workplace.

Based on the second review above the romance is very slow-burn. How slow are we talking? When do they get together? Or, at least, when do the feelings for one another start kicking in??

That's because the story isn't about them getting together it's about them working through all the obstacles to STAY together.

Sounds like you and I are opposites in terms of preferences. Neither is a flaw, of course, just different.

It sounds like you enjoy the build up; the push and pull and working through obstacles before a couple finally comes together. The getting to know one another aspect before they fall in love. Once they get there that's good enough for you. Kind of like the happy-ever-after syndrome??

Others like myself, on the other hand, like dramas that show a couple hitting it off pretty quickly (especially when they have previous history) and the story focuses more on their love deepening and them overcoming the challenges they face together after they become a couple. It's why this is one of my favorites.

I admit, however, that your preference seems to be predominant as it's a lot harder to find dramas which satisfy my cravings than there are yours. Dramas when the couple only gets together at the end annoy the heck out of me since that's just the beginning of the couple's story, for me at least.

What I dislike even more though, are dramas that show a couple getting together about midway in the drama, only to for the romance to fall off and become lackluster from there on - which I do see a lot. Dramas like You Are My Glory are my favorite. The romance is cute and sweet even after they get together (in fact, it's more so). I love seeing a couple's relationship develop and advance (both internally and when dealing with external factors).

One thing I absolutely HATE, with a passion, is watching a couple make it through thick and thin together only to end up giving up in the end after all they'd already gone through to be together and stay together. That's my one issue with this particular drama. After everything, the ending was handled poorly. Yes, we got our happy ending but...

It's been so long since I watched it but I'm going to try to describe how I remember feeling while watching this:

Their love and their story was like this magically beautiful balloon that was being steadily blown up. The more inflated the balloon was, the more details on it you could see, making it even more beautiful and magical than anticipated. At times it would seem like we'd run out of air so the balloon would only get so full or there'd be barriers to getting it the air it needed, but then it would continue past that point, becoming more and more beautiful. Darts thrown at it would bounce right off. Then, when it was full and dazzlingly beautiful it was tied off and set free. Only, as it's floating off into the sky a leaf lightly brushes by it and suddenly it bursts (with just that light touch). The scattered pieces of the burst balloon are found on the ground and eventually taped back together but it's uncertain whether it'll ever be full again. Somehow the taped up balloon is filled back up again. THE END.

Like seriously. That's how that felt.

I'm debating now on whether or not I should watch this again. I've never been able to after that first time years ago. I've watched One Spring Night more than once and still love that one. I remember how emotional this made me. I remember hating the FL's mother with a passion. I want to watch this again but I just don't know...

I just posted this somewhere else on here but I'm copying and pasting here again because I think it may address your concern about the game-play aspect. I remember reading something somewhere a long time back that this was supposed to be an esports drama (like Falling Into Your Smile) but at the time of filming due to some censorship/regulatory government involvement, that was changed mid-production to be cyber-security instead. There was only so much they could do to adapt to the mandatory changes they needed to make and still stay within budget and meet the show's deadlines. Things like completely revamping the competition setup and even going back and changing how the players played were too complicated to do. The script too would have needed a complete overhaul.

So basically they did the best they could with what they had to work with. It's the typical Chinese regulatory party's involvement messing with things again. It's kind of like when they force the dramas to explain away stories involving gender-swapping of characters to all be due to a dream or a story in novel in the end. Their regulators tend to mess up their stories a lot.

LOL! I remember reading something somewhere a long time back that this was supposed to be an esports drama (like Falling Into Your Smile) but at the time of filming due to some censorship/regulatory government involvement, that was changed mid-production to be cyber-security instead. There was only so much they could do to adapt to the mandatory changes they needed to make and still stay within budget and meet the show's deadlines. Things like completely revamping the competition setup and even going back and changing how the players played were too complicated to do. The script too would have needed a complete overhaul.

So basically they did the best they could with what they had to work with. It's the typical Chinese regulatory party's involvement messing with things again. It's kind of like when they force the dramas to explain away stories involving gender-swapping of characters to all be due to a dream or a story in novel in the end. Their regulators tend to mess up their stories a lot.

I'm considering rewatching this now but can't remember anything other than how much I really enjoyed watching this before, no details....OH!!! The AUNT!!!! I remember! The glass-stealing one, right?! LMAO! Can't believe I forgot about her.

LMAOOOOOO! I LOVE this reason for not being able to get into this. Don't get me wrong, I loved the drama. But your comment is to die for! I'm dead!

Nope. Finished it. CGI and special effects sucked throughout.

This is reminiscent of the Sharknado movies. It was so bad it was funny but there were parts that were legitimately hilarious as well.

Some of it was also extremely violent and graphic though. Big trigger warnings!

Maybe I just haven't gotten to the "good CGI" parts yet but there's been A LOT of CGI used thus far and it's all been deplorable. However, while the effects themselves have so far been really cheap and low-quality, what prompted my use of as strong a word as 'deplorable' is the high expectation set by some of the comments here.

Jesus. The first review above said, "The effects are so astonishing that you can compare it to the hollywood movies." I waited until I was at least 20 mins into this before coming back here to say something about it because it made me so angry that someone would say something so absolutely ludicrous on here. Had they said something like the special effects and CGI were comparable to a 1970's Bruce Lee Hollywood movie then okay, I'd let it slide, but they didn't.

I'm so angry about that comment being such absolute horseshit I want to report it. That statement was 100% misleading, which really pisses me off.

I've even stopped and checked several times just to be sure I'm watching the correct movie but the lead actors are correct so I'm sure it's the right now.

Is the movie entertaining? Yes! It's funny and dumb and absolutely terrible so far but still watchable.

It's not a movie but my all-time favorite action romance drama continues to he Healer to this day. If, by some miracle, you haven't watched it yet you should definitely (definitely!) check it out.

Same! Dating in the Kitchen continues to be one of my favorite dramas (or at least the romance between the leads is) so I guess I had high hopes for this too. Since it's a movie I figured they'd do away with all the excess side-story baggage, and I'm super thankful and happy to find that I was right in that regard. However, the sweetness between the leads wasn't there in this version. It's not terrible. Don't get me wrong. What I feel is disappointment.

I never disliked the ML or the way the ML treated the FL in Dating in the Kitchen, however, I hated how the ML treated the FL here once his personal chef returned (both how he treated her privately and how he handled things with the hotel/restaurant).

Furthermore, his self-realization and awakening of his feelings came too late and their reconciliation after came too easily. In fact, I'd have been fine if they didn't work out in the end and I'm a hardcore happy-ending kinda gal. They needed to make him really put in some effort to win her over. The way it played out just felt empty and underwhelming.

Also/Actually, they never really let the romance develop in the first place. It felt more like a kinship over food and development friendship/camaraderie than anything romantic between the leads. Even when the FL was so angry and hurt by him eating another woman's cooking it didn't come across so much as jealousy. It was more of a betrayal. I don't know if I'm explaining this well. Maybe if I say it like this. If the FL had been a guy (straight) and the ML had fallen in love with his cooking and they developed the kind of bond the leads did, he too would have felt betrayed when the ML suddenly disappeared only to find out later he'd returned to his original personal chef. That hurt would have still been present without any romantic spin to it. Does that make sense?

They were cute and sweet and funny and fun though so they still get points and I can't say I especially disliked it.

I think I would have liked this more had I not previously watched Dating in the Kitchen. It's really not all that bad when weighed on it's own.

It was easier to get through that last bit of messiness this time. The ugliness was tolerable and didn't last long so I'm already through it and on my way to the finish line! Yay!

Another thing. Most national level athletes don't try to sabotage their closest competitors. In fact, they want to prove themselves to be better. Competing at an event when your biggest threat isn't there doesn't feel like a real achievement.

Don't get me wrong. Athletes are still human beings which means there are lots of assholes mixed in there who don't have a true sportsman-like mentality; who are cowards and weak-minded individuals...like that doping asshole. Man, was he a grade A piece of shit! However, he wasn't a national-level athlete. He had neither the talent nor the drive to get there.

Getting to the top weeds out the losers and weak-minded individuals...for the most part (there are those who push themselves so hard that the pressure flips them around and they do dumb shit as a part of a mental breakdown). Anyway, so the way they wrote that other decathlete, his mentality, it didn't sit right with me. It's not realistic. At that level we use new and upcoming challengers to push ourselves further. A win by getting rid of our biggest threat would make us feel like shit. There's no value in that win.