DramaChef
This review may contain spoilers
Great idea, poor execution
I love the story pitch but disliked the execution. They should have just told the story in a liner fashion with only a few flashbacks for exposition.The director tried to hard to be artistic, jumping back and forth between the present and the past making it difficult to follow, and he did not use any technique to let we the audience know which was the present and the past. To a directors out there not everyone is a Christopher Nolan.
I was so excited after reading the synopsis, trepidation set in once I saw the title card “one year later” that always signals doom for the clarity in storytelling.
I wish they had focused on situations that displayed his so called quick wit and fighting skills with a dash of romance to enhance the flavor.
The right ingredients where there, the kitchen/production-value was decent, restaurant/actors very good, but the chef/director & sous-chef/script-writer failed the diners.
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This review may contain spoilers
Perfection For The Romantic In You.
Where do I start, a truly timeless love story that will stand the test off time.My one tiny gripe is I wanted more of the first couple, that should have been 2 episodes at least.
The second couple the male actor was a little lacking in visuals.
The director as usual struggled a bit in the 3rd act which is par for the course.
I would have loved to see a wedding or pictures at least.
Maybe a few episodes the couple and son trying to reconstitute their family and the struggles they probably will face.
Overall everything was excellent, The three female actors were perfection in casting, the male lead’s sister was gorgeous.
I loved that the director and script writer kept it simple and linear with no new fangled techniques.
The ingredients/story-idea a 10
The kitchen/script a 10
The restaurant /production-value a 10
The service/waiters/actors a 10+
The chef/director a 10
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Good different.
I have to say this oddly turned out to be one of favorite Japanese dramas.Japanese dramas tend to start off nice and normal then they veer off into some highfalutin pretentious concepts, in my opinion going for “trying to be different” pathway, that inevitably turns into jumbled up mess (I’ve dropped more JDramas than I have watched)
This show on the other hand takes that inevitable turn that most JDramas do and some how manages to pull it off.
It’s simple and old fashioned, but modern and edgy at the same time. It’s not something I’ve quite seen before.
In summary I recommend this because it actually manages to do different well.
Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(10)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(7)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe/Costume-Design/ Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(7)
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Nice and crisp, girl power without toxicity.
Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(8)Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(10)
Chef= Director ~(10)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(10)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(10)
Starter/1st Act ~(10)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(8)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(9)
Lee Bo Young delivers and shows why Korean actress should just be given all roles in all dramas worldwide, I’m purposely being hyperbolic.
The secondary romance plot was an unexpected and welcome surprise.
The 16 episodes go by pretty quickly.
Nice show but no rewatch.
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Modern Fairytale
Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(6)Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(9)
Starter/1st Act ~(9)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(9)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(10)
The concept was very simplistic and has been done before, but the script writer was given simple tasty ingredients and managed to flesh out a script that avoided to many cliches, and stuck with the simple straightforward theme. The script avoided the biggest mistake that plagues a lot of writers, trying to put an overly realistic spin on the story and trying to be different. The classic are that for a reason nothing wrong with “tried, true and tested”.
The director did a good job of staying out off his own way and let the story flow naturally.
The actors overall did a nice job and avoided overacting which generally plagues Makjangs, making this one of the few off this genre I can watch.
Sets where okay, no great emphasis on production value, the wardrobe was good with minimal emphasis on costume design, everyone’s wardrobe reflected their character, which showed that thought and planning went into them.
The product placement was not over the top and intrusive like you see a lot of the time.
Pacing was good and crisp, no lagging.
1st and 2nd act were smooth like freshly churned butter in french country side boulangerie. And thank goodness there were not crazy breakups in the 3rd and we got revenge served with a great heaping helping off the warm and fuzzies.
I’ve rewatched twice already, enough said.
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A Great Show, But Stumbles A Bit In The 3rd Act
Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(10)Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(10)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(8)
Starter/1st Act ~(10)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(10)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(8)
Ever wandered what a middle class “Batman” with shades of “Superman” & a pinch of “Spiderman” would be like? Well then this is the show for you.
Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young delivers, with great chemistry and a believable romance arc.
The action was not overbearing.
The quasi superhero bent serves as a backdrop for a sweet and endearing romance.
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All Time Favorite Long Drama
Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(9)Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(10)
Chef= Director ~(10)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(8)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(10)
Starter/1st Act ~(8)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(10)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(10)
My favorite and probably only long drama, I stumbled on this purely by luck, because I avoid long dramas like the plague.
I’ve concluded that Shin Hye Sun being on the cast almost always guarantees a drama.
I’m surprised more women don’t like this drama, as it essentially a modern day fairytale for divorced women who were mistreated by their ex spouses. My best guess is because it portrays the female lead as ultimately feminine who appreciated and submitted to the male lead.
For such a big cast the drama gave every character it’s moments to shine even the youngest daughter.
The toxicity was minimal and thankfully the alcoholism was also kept to a minimum.
I bought one of the soundtracks on iTunes.
I’ve rewatched twice already, which is shocking considering its over 50 episodes.
If you want a sweet but realistic drama that has something for almost everyone, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
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This review may contain spoilers
I Wanted To Like It.
Where do I start,1) Worst ML casting I’ve ever seen, is he really an actor? Or was this a parachute hire? Did he detest “Seol In Ah” in real life? Did she detest him? I don’t know what happened but ML and FL had negative chemistry, I suspect the script was changed to reduce their interactions. Whatever it was it ruined the show.
2) I wanted to like this because of Seol In Ah, but because of what I mentioned above her role was cut back, even the main plot line didn’t involve her and male lead till the last 2 episodes, and it was minimal. In the last few episodes the inevitable scene where ML has to comfort FL was awkward at best and cringe worthy, she reluctantly let him give her the worst consoling hug I’ve ever seen on screen.
3) Resolving the main plot point didn’t happen until the last 5 episodes or so, and I suspect that had something to do with the ML & FL problem and rewriting the script.
I could never rewatch this, if you like Seol In Ah, watch Business Proposal or Twinkling Watermelon.
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Seol Hyun Shines
It took me 1 1/2 years to complete this drama, because1)Slow beginning
2)Fl’s drunk episode
3)ML mumbling
4)FL started out a tad bit unlikeable
But once I got past episode (6) it’s actually a decent drama.
No other actress could have pulled off the leading lady role, Seol Hyun’s fresh faced beauty, her flowing locks, her infectious smile…. I put her in the top (5) of all Korean Actresses.
The other actors all did a good job.
Bom grows on you over time, the other characters have decent growth arcs.
***Slight Spoiler Warning***
The antagonists, there’s more than one are well written and surprising.
I would have given this a higher rating if not for the use of the ubiquitous KDrama “drunken plot device”
Please KDrama use this a bit more judiciously, I employ you.
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Skip to episode 11
Story idea/concept (8)The idea is not groundbreaking, but the shopping concept is interesting.
Script (5)
The writer for some unfathomable reason stretched out the setup over 10 episodes, and then had to hurriedly wrap up the show.
Directing (8)
Was ok
Pacing (7)
Was weakened by the script writers choices
Acting (8)
Male lead always has the same facial expressions in every show I’ve seen him in, with limited range, but the other actors carried the drama.
Wardrobe (8)
Was well done and ok overall.
Sets/Locations (8)
Typical of Kdramas, thank goodness the product placement was not irritating as they can sometimes be in Kdramas
Skip to episode 11, in my opinion that’s when the show finally finds direction. Everything that happens prior is rehashed in subsequent episodes anyway so you don’t really miss much, because the male lead is highly irritating in the early episodes.
Episodes 1 to 10 should have been covered in 3 episodes, episodes 11 to 16 should have been spread out to 13 episodes.
Rewatch Value (2)
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Convoluted Mess
Menu= Concept/Outline ~(10)Ingredients/Recipe= Script/Writer ~(4)
Chef= Director/Pacing/Editing ~(5)
Flavor/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(8)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe/Production-Value ~(3)
Waiter/Service= Cinematography ~(9)
Starter/1st Act ~(10)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(7)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(2)
The story idea is great, but the script was convoluted, it started out great but spiraled into a schizophrenic mess. The ML’s character was portrayed childish in an effort to force forcefully inject comedy/humor into the show, I think humor/comedy through dialogue beats slapstick situations any day.
Because of the childishness and incompetence of ML’s character the romance was unbelievable, forced with little chemistry.
The FL’s character was great and required a competent assertive ML to make her growth arc believable, e.g. “taming of the shrew”.
The wardrobe as a tool to convey each character’s personality was used half heartedly with everyone expect the main leads.
The ML’s wardrobe was childish from start to finish and in no way vibed with the FL’s.
The directing was good, but with a weak script? Well….
1st act was actually riveting and had me glued to the screen, but by the 2nd act you couldn’t tell what the drama was supposed to be. By the 3rd act you could tell the show didn’t know how to wrap things up.
Romance fell flat.
Intrigue was nonexistent.
Humor yeah right.
What are rules for Angels in this drama’s world? Even the characters didn’t know let alone the audience.
The main antagonist was clearly halfheartedly put in by the writer, evidenced by the lack of a clear motivation. It seemed like someone reminded the writer to add villain half into the script.
Finally the breakups, smh, to many and unnecessarily so and all using the same stupid justification trope!!!
I don’t understand the high rating for this show.
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Pure and wonderful escapism.
Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(8)Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(10)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Cinematography ~(10)
Starter/1st Act ~(9)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(10)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(8)
Pure escapism, warm and fuzzy. The lead actress where beautiful coupled with great acting.
I personally prefer simple straightforward storytelling, injecting over the top conflict for conflict’s sake is overrated.
Talking pictures are for unwinding after dealing with reality.
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