cascayew
This review may contain spoilers
TL;DR - If this had been cut down, I would've enjoyed it more. The plot stops (imo) around when Lisa and Don get together and it depends if you're into the OTP enough to enjoy the rest of the lakorn (I wasn't). If you like rom-coms or the lead actors, then you might like this.
Honestly if this only consisted of the first 11 episodes I would’ve given this a solid 9. Unfortunately the remaining episodes left little to be desired and were a major struggle to get through, due to the tacky editing and lack of interesting plot.
I really do like our leads, Don and Lisa, and their cute antics together. I liked how sassy Lisa is and how she’s not afraid to stand up for herself or for others. Don took a bit of warming up to which was understandable given his backstory, and I really liked that he was smart enough to suspect Ratree (evil b) and the villain in this story. Both made a great duo together and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. However, I was not as invested into them as I would’ve liked - a major thing that bothered me was the lack of closure on my end regarding Don’s ex-fiancée. I mean sure, Don can certainly resolve issues on his own, but then why make it such a big deal for him for him to fall in love; why build it up that Don absolutely can't get over his ex, feels guilt about her death and go through this major reluctance to get married only for it to end with a resolve that happens off camera? I honestly felt robbed of that closure myself and it would’ve been more touching to see how he got over it and how Lisa helps him move on with her love and support. This lack of closure was a signal of things to come later.
As much as I was happy that Lisa and Don were able to get together about 11 episodes in, I was also worried because it meant losing that "will they, won't they" tension that usually carries these kinds of lakorns, thus they would have to fill the rest of the lakorn with other plot points. And they did...but it was not only predictable, but also filled with tacky drama.
This is where I have huge gripes with the editing, something I would never think to comment on, but time and time again it would just pull me out and make me feel insulted. What I mean by this is that we would be at this slow pace with seemingly nothing going on, then all of a sudden cut into a very dramatic and intense scene. But the way it was edited not only doesn't build up/prepare the viewer of what to expect (which makes me have to adjust my emotions to match the scene) but any veteran drama viewer paying attention to the lakorn will know that the supposed dramatic scene is actually not to be taken seriously. I'll give you an example. Lisa and Don are having issues with Ratree and both know that she's a snake. Then it cuts to Ratree telling a secret to Lisa that would make her want to leave Don. Then it cuts to a drama filled scene of Lisa leaving Don and everyone is upset. Then later it turns out that they were faking it to deceive Ratree and everyone is surprised. I mean, I would've been too if Lisa or Don had trust issues with each other but based on their characters/previous actions, I know that Lisa wouldn't just go and do that for no reason, and everyone in the drama knows how untrustworthy Ratree is. So why does the drama itself think that we would believe Lisa would leave after hearing what Ratree has to say?? It's cheap drama for cheap thrills. There are so many times that this happens in the drama that just continually kept me less invested in the story, and by the end I was pretty much checked out.
Another complaint I have with the editing is the pacing. I think a lot of the plot could have been condensed to max 12 episodes. I think part of it was because the storyline also became predictable, so there was a lack of patience on my end to sit and watch the drama in normal pacing when I knew what was going to happen (I ended up fast forwarding from ep 12 onwards). I think if you really liked the leads, you would've enjoyed the filler. Nothing new was introduced after our leads got together other than the existing villain plot line, which they milked for way too long. Some may mention the development of Rin and Mor's relationship, but I think that was also done poorly - you literally have Rin confess to Mor, he rejects her and only thinks of her as a sister, then next episode he realizes he loves her and gets possessive?? Rin honestly deserved better.
I will say, I really appreciate that the show didn't compromise the characters and kept them consistent throughout the show. I enjoyed the employee antics, and the character development of Pit and his mother. Lisa's parents were also pretty great, esp her dad. None of the characters were a waste and served their purpose.
I liked the theme song a lot, and the music and sound effects were placed appropriately here. I think if you are just starting with watching lakorns, if you like the lead actors or if you want a superficial rom-com and don't take things seriously like I do, you might enjoy this. Otherwise it's a forgettable drama for me and not something I would re-watch.
Honestly if this only consisted of the first 11 episodes I would’ve given this a solid 9. Unfortunately the remaining episodes left little to be desired and were a major struggle to get through, due to the tacky editing and lack of interesting plot.
I really do like our leads, Don and Lisa, and their cute antics together. I liked how sassy Lisa is and how she’s not afraid to stand up for herself or for others. Don took a bit of warming up to which was understandable given his backstory, and I really liked that he was smart enough to suspect Ratree (evil b) and the villain in this story. Both made a great duo together and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. However, I was not as invested into them as I would’ve liked - a major thing that bothered me was the lack of closure on my end regarding Don’s ex-fiancée. I mean sure, Don can certainly resolve issues on his own, but then why make it such a big deal for him for him to fall in love; why build it up that Don absolutely can't get over his ex, feels guilt about her death and go through this major reluctance to get married only for it to end with a resolve that happens off camera? I honestly felt robbed of that closure myself and it would’ve been more touching to see how he got over it and how Lisa helps him move on with her love and support. This lack of closure was a signal of things to come later.
As much as I was happy that Lisa and Don were able to get together about 11 episodes in, I was also worried because it meant losing that "will they, won't they" tension that usually carries these kinds of lakorns, thus they would have to fill the rest of the lakorn with other plot points. And they did...but it was not only predictable, but also filled with tacky drama.
This is where I have huge gripes with the editing, something I would never think to comment on, but time and time again it would just pull me out and make me feel insulted. What I mean by this is that we would be at this slow pace with seemingly nothing going on, then all of a sudden cut into a very dramatic and intense scene. But the way it was edited not only doesn't build up/prepare the viewer of what to expect (which makes me have to adjust my emotions to match the scene) but any veteran drama viewer paying attention to the lakorn will know that the supposed dramatic scene is actually not to be taken seriously. I'll give you an example. Lisa and Don are having issues with Ratree and both know that she's a snake. Then it cuts to Ratree telling a secret to Lisa that would make her want to leave Don. Then it cuts to a drama filled scene of Lisa leaving Don and everyone is upset. Then later it turns out that they were faking it to deceive Ratree and everyone is surprised. I mean, I would've been too if Lisa or Don had trust issues with each other but based on their characters/previous actions, I know that Lisa wouldn't just go and do that for no reason, and everyone in the drama knows how untrustworthy Ratree is. So why does the drama itself think that we would believe Lisa would leave after hearing what Ratree has to say?? It's cheap drama for cheap thrills. There are so many times that this happens in the drama that just continually kept me less invested in the story, and by the end I was pretty much checked out.
Another complaint I have with the editing is the pacing. I think a lot of the plot could have been condensed to max 12 episodes. I think part of it was because the storyline also became predictable, so there was a lack of patience on my end to sit and watch the drama in normal pacing when I knew what was going to happen (I ended up fast forwarding from ep 12 onwards). I think if you really liked the leads, you would've enjoyed the filler. Nothing new was introduced after our leads got together other than the existing villain plot line, which they milked for way too long. Some may mention the development of Rin and Mor's relationship, but I think that was also done poorly - you literally have Rin confess to Mor, he rejects her and only thinks of her as a sister, then next episode he realizes he loves her and gets possessive?? Rin honestly deserved better.
I will say, I really appreciate that the show didn't compromise the characters and kept them consistent throughout the show. I enjoyed the employee antics, and the character development of Pit and his mother. Lisa's parents were also pretty great, esp her dad. None of the characters were a waste and served their purpose.
I liked the theme song a lot, and the music and sound effects were placed appropriately here. I think if you are just starting with watching lakorns, if you like the lead actors or if you want a superficial rom-com and don't take things seriously like I do, you might enjoy this. Otherwise it's a forgettable drama for me and not something I would re-watch.
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