Something different

I went in wanting something different and guess I got it. What makes the drama good is the hopelessly confusingly lost in love portrayal of the ML. The FL however cute she was meant to be shown came across as selfish, deceptive, self absorbed and undeserving of the ML's love. The story shows the ML falling in love but not enough of the FL feeling the same. Her disgusting eating habits were extremely off putting.
I couldn't appreciate why for the sake of the FL, the ML is expected to drop all his ambitions, that is considered as romantic, but the minute the FL has some career dreams she is allowed to run off to take care of them and the ML should be totally supportive of that as well.
The FL's sis was a total b*@#₹ and it was pathetic of her boyfriend to put up with her bossing and outright selfish behaviour, it was totally toxic to watch.
All in all this was just a one time watch where I needed to use the FF button often. The only saving grace was how decently homosexual love is portrayed. I totally don't understand the fuss and gushing about this drama.

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Worth the watch despite many negative reviews

This is one of the dramas I binge watched within a few days time. Despite the negative reviews and low ratings I gave this drama a try because I'm a sucker for friends to lovers trope. I got emotionally connected to the drama by the end of the third episode and then it was a compulsive binge watch for me.
What I liked - the flawless complexion of the cast, beautiful ambience, suitable OST, even the costumes of the female lead which made her look elegant and yet simple and sweet. Both ML and SL were so handsome and played their roles well. The friendships among the FL and her besties were quite authentic and the way the various side stories were interwoven kept me invested in their lives as well. One side story was a romcom track by itself and felt cute. The other was too much sadness and the girl was really irritatingly self pitying it felt so frustrating as to why the professor would continue to be in love with her despite how closed off, Secretive and full of pride and selfishness she is. This couple had almost as much storyline as the main couple.
Coming back to the main couple, they had good chemistry at places where they were yet to become a couple. But once they actually became a couple the chemistry felt a bit lacking. I would have expected lot more emotions from the FL for someone who was in love with a person for ten years, and her actual behavior when they became a couple fell short of expectations. The ML is a complete sweetheart once they are a couple and i couldn't understand how such a loving couple who came together after so many years could break up so easily via a phone call. The last 4 episodes were dragged out and full of cliches and yet somehow watchable because by then i had invested interest in all the characters of the show.
Lots of philosophical statements on love and relationships all through. Some relatable and some cliched yet somehow relevant to the tone of the drama.
I also liked that the second ML was good but somehow made not that likeable compared to the ML, so it wasnt really a frustrating love triangle in the real sense and we always know to whom the FL's heart belongs.
What i didnt like
The FL was very open and communicative during the first few episodes about how she felt. But in latter episodes she became closed off and shy in the actual relationship and it felt unnatural. That she would contemplate being the one to initiate a break up felt unreal. The ML has the opposite character development - from zero empathy to becoming a sweetheart over time.
Too many eye rolling cliches in the final few episodes.
Too much Melo for the side characters mom's story - it was just too sad and dragged out.
Overall I would say it was still a good watch for me personally because it got me invested in the lives of all the characters and kept me involved in their world. Yes it was frustrating here and there but then so is real life!

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Looks aesthetic but so boring

I didn't like this one. It started off as a small town healing drama with lovely cozy things like a bookstore and coffee and feelings of warmth and friendship. And it all slowly started going downhill after a few episodes. Both ML and FL have some hidden past traumas. The FL family is highly dysfunctional for good reason. Side characters are nice but ultimately not memorable. Ending was quite disappointing, the ML seems to be at a constant disadvantage in the relationship and it didn't feel healthy at all. Nobody knows what eventually happened to the aunt or mom, whether they found their peace. Very underwhelming and boring for the time invested. Best watched in mute for the aesthetics and nothing else.

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Convoluted Creativity

The initial episodes was very exciting. Original story with webtoon characters coming back to life. But as each episode kept getting fresh twists and turns, it became too convoluted and complicated to relate to. Even the writer must have found it difficult to get out of this maze of their own creation. They should have stopped with 10-12 episodes.
Even the doll-like cuteness of the ML and FL and their acting could not make this story or their romance relatable. There were scenes where the ML / FL was crying and I was just bored and waiting for the story to move on. It took a couple of months for me to force myself to finish watching this series, just to have that sense of completion and to get it over with. The last few episodes were watched at 1.5 speed. I am celebrating my successful completion of this watch by writing a small review as a reminder to myself mostly. Will definitely not choose to rewatch it ever again.
Watch this if you want some fantasy brain twister story where you can never guess what will happen next and stop with episode 10 or 12. I'm sure many people would get sick of the series by then like I did.

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Somehow special

I am a fan of contract marriage trope and my favorite parts of the drama are when one or both leads start falling for the other, is unwilling to admit it to themselves and especially not to the other party. Since the majority of this drama drags out this phase, although there are repetitive scenes where you want to scream "enough already, just confess!", It managed to stay adorable till the end.

The leads share a wonderful chemistry and so naturally at ease in their roles, although the show barely shows more than a couple of fish kisses the entire time it keeps you hooked to the series rooting for them. The ML is adorable when he smiles and acts cute. The FL is simply adorable all the time even when she cries and acts like an idiot. Second leads are eye candy and the SFL is absolutely irritating as is meant to be. The friends are despicable towards the beginning but you somehow get used to them towards the end, possibly this is how the FL also got used to them over time! The father -mother - grandma scenes were cute as well. Would have liked the closure episode to show a future where the FL interacts with them again. The Three bears song was adorable but got absurdly repetitive after a while. And there is a little too much focus on cleaning and eating meals at the table, a little too much repetition of one or the other lead waiting at the entrance of the home for the other, etc. Somehow it was still enjoyable due to the chemistry and i binge watched the series in a few days time.

All in all a great clean contact relationship romcom drama and if you park your brain outside and just indulge in the sweetness of it, it will be a heartwarming treat.

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Sweet and fluffy but no buildup to romance

I am not a fan of sudden love at first sight kind of romances. For them to be believable it has to at least be mutual and the chemistry believable. Here the leads fall in love and are in a relationship within the first episode. At least the ML has seen the FL before but the FL just falls for a handsome face and a kind gesture and decides to accept him as a boyfriend. This supposedly from a totally innocent college girl new to Tokyo.
The ML does his best to save the drama, his affection and feelings translate to the screen. But the FL characterization as a doe eyed virginal college student totally spoils the romance because even after she supposedly falls in love and even sleeps with the ML she remains stiff, shy and immature till the very last episode! There were intimate scenes scattered throughout the drama and they all felt robotic and totally off putting as there was no build up to the romance and no cooperation from the FL. The drama would have worked better with just back hugs from the ML.
All the cliches you expect from a romance are present in this - cold handsome CEO ML mushy in love, pretty innocent poor village girl FL, something like a love triangle (but gets squashed within one episode), parent issue (again gets resolved within one episode), jealous friend, competitive friend who crosses the line (he even kisses the FL forcibly and she is dumb enough to go work at his cafe after that - talk about being brainless). None of them work because it all feels forced, cliched and not an organic buildup to the story.
The only redeeming factor about this one is that it is over in 10 episodes and yet it felt like a waste of time. I felt quite bad for the ML for wasting his potential on this drama where the script and FL characterization were absolutely pathetic.
I have seen many korean dramas where the buildup of the relationship is so masterfully done you root for the couple once they confess their feelings. This is my first Japanese drama and it has put me off so much I doubt I will see another Japanese one. If anyone is reading this review and feel there are actual good Jdrama romcoms out there kindly suggest those to me and change my mind.

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Cute except for the crying!

This was a totally illogical fantasy romance full of plot holes and impossible situations. Nevertheless, all the leads were absolute eye candy, the aesthetics were so pleasing, OST the right kind of cute, melancholic, funny as the situation required. This is not a show i could binge watch, as after half the series almost every episode had a lot of sadness, crying and angst. But even in those episodes there were pockets of cuteness and comedy which made it worthwhile. This is a show to be slowly taken in small doses over time if you want to enjoy it. Binging is next to impossible unless you are into melancholy.
The second lead couple kind of grew on me over time, as did every secondary character. Towards the end you feel part of a warm and loving set of family and friends. I expected more positive interesting things from the Deity character but hers was a sad sad story as well. All in all it was a different kind of drama with more sadness than I expected but the closure was satisfying enough to part with it on good terms.

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Endearing Feel-Good Romcom

Although the premise of this drama felt cliched - a haughty celebrity male lead and doormat female lead, the characters slowly started to grow on me and by the 7th episode I was hooked and ended up helplessly binge watching the rest. Both the characters have amazing chemistry and despite cliched scenes (the accidental kiss was so cringey) their natural bickering rapport and mutual support, growing understanding of each other, gradual decrease in pride and prejudice was heartening to watch. The ML is revealed to be an absolute sweetheart. And when there comes a time for justified misunderstanding and anger towards the FL for something leaked to the press, the drama again surprised me by showing their mutual trust on each other and patience to wait out the circumstances. For this alone the drama is worth the watch.
It has easily become one of my go-to feel good romcoms with high rewatch value, something that brings a smile on the face when reminiscing about.

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Immersive fantasy romcom

I don't write reviews for every series I watch. However I am tempted to write one for this series. Mainly because low ratings and many negative reviews I saw on this site made me think this was going to be boring. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a cute, sweet romcom which somehow managed to merge slice of life human drama with people from a fantasy world. After watching around 50 kdramas I watched this one and still this story hooked me in, got me invested in the love story and made me binge the series in a matter of days. I would also probably rewatch this after a while, as I found it a pleasant feel good drama. Something about the goodness and pure hearts of the main characters makes me like the series a lot.

If you are looking for a total fantasy drama with a lot of supernatural effects and complicated back stories, this one isn't for you. However if you like a cute romcom with some fantasy elements thrown in, you may end up liking it like me. I found the main characters absolute adorable eye candy, and the cinematography and light effects are stunning. There are many heart melting romantic moments scattered throughout the episodes, and although I won't call the chemistry sizzling there was an emotional connect between the leads that made it quite endearing.
I loved the visual effects of the world of Godly beings as well as the special effects shown on Earth. Comedy is not laugh out loud kind but definitely you will find yourself smiling thru so many of the moments.
Side characters were not as adorable but nevertheless added to the story's flow. Overall I give it a 9/10 and if you like romcom I recommend you watch a few episodes of this and make up your mind yourself, don't go by the low ratings or negative reviews of others.

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Chris Wu can kiss. I stumbled across this steamy kiss scene in youtube as one of the best forced kisses and was simply blown away. It is true, it is one of the best I have seen, it happens in episode 9, and it's alright if you skip the entire drama but just watch this scene play out. The actors are so realistic and passionate you cant believe they are doing this in front of the camera.
I wanted to know all about the characters and what transpired to make him kiss her like that. I will not reveal anything more. This was my first Taiwanese drama so the language felt strange to my ears. But the acting skills and cuteness level of the characters and scenes kept me going. 22 episodes is too long for a romcom, it could have ended a lot sooner. But it was a pleasant watch and educational, as both the leads are chefs and they share many interesting tidbits about the ingredients and cooking methods. Side characters are sweet and actually contribute to the story rather than being evil and selfish, which was a plus. This drama is atmospheric and takes you into a different world. There are the usual cliched scenarios which are cringey and over the top, i especially disliked the exaggerated ridiculous sleeping habits of FL, the ML's best friend who tries too hard to be funny, and few other forced-live in incidents where the mothers act really ridiculous.. but there is the feel of a genuine love story underneath it all which makes it worth the watch. I will possibly rewatch this for their sweet chemistry and the smooches! BGM is appropriate and couple of them are catchy. Give this one a try for a glimpse into the Taiwanese world - the close-knit lives of night market food vendors and the pressures and problems faced by the truly wealthy.

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If you are looking for a cutesy eye candy drama with just a little bit of dreamy fantasy and mystery, go for this one. Do not go looking for logic or serious plot lines or you will end up totally disappointed. Han Se Gye and Do Jae look charming by themselves and together they bring kind of a married couple chemistry to the drama. Kang Sa Ra and Eun Ho had a more interesting story line and at times I was watching it mainly for their story than the main characters. The reason? The main pair fell in love predictably quite early in the show and their romance was too sweet to hold interest, there was no tension and therefore no anticipation for the viewer. Kang Sa Ra character was awesome, i loved her confidence and the way her character evolves through the episodes. I love the way their relationship went with her firmly in the driver seat.
All the characters were charismatic on screen and the wardrobe department would have had a ball dressing them up. Even the cute little puppy had adorable costumes all through the show. Music was pleasant and apt, though not really addictive. This show doesn't have nail biting suspense which makes you binge watch it to completion within couple of days. Rather it was so sickly sweet at times that I couldn't digest beyond an episode or half at a time! There are plenty of fluffy filler scenes to satisfy all romantic hearts, especially fans of the main leads. It is a one time slow watch you leave with some pleasant feels but nothing unforgettable down the line.

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I am relatively new to kdramas, so after watching about a dozen of the new ones I wanted to see some older iconic dramas with a well known cast. I found this drama quite engaging and binge watched it to completion in just a couple of days. Yes it has a lot of melodrama, unexpected oscillations between the main leads who were entirely in love one moment and then turn their backs without any heads-up in the next - it felt absolutely weird and unreal. The FL came across as strong and adventurous in the initial episodes and then slowly became a moping crying loser who runs away
and hides things from ML, even abandons him multiple times towards the latter episodes, despite him being kind and honest towards her always. Despite these irritations and nonsensical storyline somehow the drama kept me hooked till the end.
The supporting characters were wonderfully written. The show gave some glimpses into the lives of Chaebol parents with their own unique issues and the pressures and difficulties faced by high school kids who are the next heirs in line. It succeeds in giving the message that being well to do doesn't mean having a happy life by itself, it only brings a different set of problems and troubles for such young adults. There was an interesting dynamic between the mothers of the leads and it led to some of the most funny and heartwarming moments in the show. The FLs mom despite being poor and speech impaired was by no means a doormat and held her own and supported her daughter through all times. The ML and his ex-best friend dynamics were also endearing, I only wished they had an even better ending. Choi Young Do character arc evolves beautifully from absolute bully to endearing friend by the end. Thankfully the FL's male best friend remains just that till the end of the show and this guy's girlfriend character was consistently cute and funny till the end as well. The Rachel character played by Ji Won was tough to digest after seeing her brillant acting in Fight for my Way. Park Shin Hye acted well but she seemed to have trouble in every kissing scene, she could literally be seen cringing away and LMH deserved better lol! Park Hyung Sik was absolutely wasted on this show nevertheless his character was cute and brought some light moments.
Overall the show did have a lot of tropes and Melo but managed to somehow make me invest in every character and watch it through till the end. I plan to rewatch it without all the Melo scenes next time and it it would be a feel good drama. I didn't get the big deal about Lee Min Ho fandom but I started to understand the craze better with this one ?

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Quietly steals your heart

I went in expecting a typical cliched romcom but got pleasantly and wonderfully surprised at how this drama turned out to be. All episodes except for the last two are charming and warm your heart, they contain so many life lessons and musings which strike a chord in sensitive hearts. It was a refreshing change from the jaded and cynical world. Lee Min Ki oozes quiet charm. The soundtrack is endearing and I can't get 'This Life' track out of my head. It perfectly suits the quiet love of this drama.
****Major Spoilers****
The last two episodes were a letdown. Even knowing the reasons of why the FL would behave in such a way - to test their feelings in the long term - it still felt cruel and so unlike her character to leave the ML completely clueless about her thoughts and feelings. After opening up his wounded and tired heart by healing words, and knowing that he had feelings for her already (as plenty shown by actions) she still left because she wanted his room 19 forcibly opened for her selfish emotional validation. I just could not digest her laughter at the face of him expressing his anger to her for the first time- triumph that he is opening up could be there but it felt more malicious and sociopathic of her to laugh at the face of it. And to see her living it up with her friends completely unconcerned about her lover while he is shown sobbing alone in his apartment.. it was heartbreaking and unfair. And why would she let him think she reappeared in his dream, hear his love for her and still act completely clueless about it the next day is beyond me.
**** End of Spoilers****
Ok so maybe I loved Lee Mi Ki's character too much to accept this behaviour :) Nevertheless this is a must watch.
The side stories are quite impressively portrayed as well and very well interlinked with the main story. Even the old girlfriend has a refreshing and dignified contributing role to the drama, not the typical evil girlfriend. This is a story to be enjoyed by adults. It is something I feel I will keep coming back to over the years, it has that something special.

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Heartwarming slice of life drama

If you are in the mood for something light hearted and fluffy, feel good and cute, then go for this. There is nothing really special about the characters but the way their friendships, interactions and feelings are depicted makes you feel included into their world. The ML and side characters are quite charming and funny. The best parts of the show were when all the friends were together celebrating or just hanging out. There wasn't anything special about the FL character, her story felt too melodramatic and pathetic, nevertheless her optimism in the face of it all that everything will still be okay and the future could still turn out better was quite inspiring.
Coming to the negative aspects of it - I didn't feel much of romantic vibes between the main leads but there is a depth of feeling in their friendship which makes it somewhat worthwhile. At no point do they show the FL developing any romantic feelings about the ML. Her choosing the ML over the boyfriend in terms of priority could simply have been explained as loyalty and genuine friendship where the situation required her to absolutely be there for there for her friend the way he was there for her. Maybe that's why their romance is left till the very last episode. The way she quietly left with her boyfriend without a backward glance at Tae after he was there for her on her most difficult day felt cruel and thoughtless, not in line with her character at all. it feels like the FL was too self absorbed to bother to understand all the family issues of her boyfriend who deserved more, or even the feelings of her best friend Tae. It would have been more fun to have some cliched scenes of jealousy and possessiveness between the leads to show their feelings change, rather than just verbal expressions of it towards the end.
I'm happy the second lead didn't go off disgruntled and heartbroken, but was given a somewhat graceful exit saving face. To sum it up, it was a one time pleasant binge watch experience but not so special that I would rewatch it.

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