A cliché story that could have been made 20 years ago

It's very cliché. ALL the tired old tropes of k-drama and c-drama mashed together.
- Clumsy female lead who makes a fool of herself. She tells lies or pretends to be something and is exposed; she drinks too much and makes a disgraceful scene; she misunderstands and jumps to conclusions; she adopts a whiny voice and childish demeanour/behaviour to be cute and obtain what she wants; her wardrobe a sorry mess of clownish clothes much too big for her; . CHECK
- Aloof and seemingly cold male lead with childhood trauma. CHECK
- Male and female lead who start off badly but become next-door neighbours by chance and, also by chance, have to work together. CHECK
- drunk scene of the female who vomits all over the main lead, and this is portrayed as funny and cute and doesn't impact at all the ML's opinion of her or his crush on her - on the contrary, it serves to bring them together. CHECK
- Jerk ex-boyfriend who comes again to claim FL. CHECK
- Group of friends with a dream of making a successful online game company but struggle at first until finding success. CHECK
- Second lead couple is the funny one, their romance is the comic relief. CHECK
- The group of friends is made of stock characters: the quiet girl, the fashion-conscious girl, the very shy guy, the fat guy. And there is also a non-descript guy (the programmer). They all have no character ark, their characteristics are shown in all scenes, and each one has only characteristic defining him or her. CHECK.

The male lead is promising, for a newcomer to acting: he's not embarrassing, but surely he's inexperienced and it shows, especially in the beginning of the show. I must say though that his interpretation, while it won't certainly blow you away, gets better and better as the episodes go on, and by the end of the show he shows great improvement, to the point that you wouldn't think he's a newbie. I think he has potential, and a lovely voice too.
And don't tell me that in the beginning he's so wooden because he plays an introvert. It's a misunderstanding that playing an aloof and introvert character doesn't require acting. It's actually a trap for rookie actors, and they fall into it head first. Acting is not about big dramatic gestures, laughing and crying etc. Even when playing a "mysterious and cold" character, one has to show the little details that the other characters in the show might not catch but the audience will notice, to convey what is behind the aloofness. Aloof people are good at conceiling their true feelings, so it's actually MORE difficult to act those characters, because it's all about subtlety.
The female lead is okay but nothing to write home about. She is exactly like all the other Chinese actresses out there, and not in the league of the outstanding ones. Of course her character is also like all the other Chinese female leads. Although she's supposed to be a "driven entrepreneur", and she's shown as very competent at her job, she still does things like banging her legs on the bed and squealing in delight, and in her personal life she's totally childlike and immature.
This show might have been made ten years ago and - apart from the fashion and the technology shown - you wouldn't know it. It's lighthearted and sweet, you don't hate it, but it's like a zillion others we've already seen, it brings nothing fresh. I would change the title to "Sweet Dreams", because I used it to relax before sleep, and it worked like magic, taking the stress of the day away. But this doesn't mean it's a good drama, does it?
The OST was good, the clothing department really, really sucked. I couldn't believe how they dressed the characters! And... do really Chinese people go to meetings with prospective business partners dressed in beachwear, overlarge shirts or T-shirts over shorts?)
If you haven't watched more than ten or twenty Chinese or Korean dramas in your life, you might enjoy this more. Otherwise, it will soon be buried in the heap, and after a while you won't even remember what it was about, the remembrance will be blurry, seeing how it's so similar to so many others that you've watched.

Read More

Hilarious!

That was hilarious! It totally feels like a folk story, a legend of those whispered around the village fire when the children have gone to sleep. It could also be a daydream of a Korean living in a foreign country who has been taunted by locals for his... ehm... size.
The costumes, the behaviour, everything... don't expect historical accuracy. People, it's fantasy, let's not forget that. So don't wonder why skirts are short and why a Joseon-time girl dances classical ballet half-naked near a village pond, or why the village men perform an Esther Williams number in the said pond. Yes, it's over-the-top, but that was its whole point! And yet it still manages to celebrate empathy and solidarity and even romantic love.
Thoroughly recommended if you want to chase away any stress or sadness. But not to people who take satire seriously, who get offended easily and who are champions of political correctness.

Read More

The drama is all over the place

I really regret having spent all these hours watching this silly, badly made drama.
The way the relationship between the two leads start is infuriating. He's pushing, stalking and more, the well-meaning but insufferably meddlesome family is also pushing, she is resisting very weakly, you want to slap her into reason.
There is no rhyme or reason on why people communicate or not communicate, and the miscommunication is achieved by people not saying what they want right away, only to lose the chance to speak because someone or something interrupts them. Such a cheap trick, which gets stale very quickly. The editing is choppy and scene changes very abrupt, the music is completely unsuitable for the mood. The male lead is robotic and expressionless, a very bad actor. The female lead, one of the prettiest and sweetest Japanese actresses I've seen, is not bad, but over-compensates by doing too much.
The side characters are quirky and some of them a bit unusual, which is good, but their storylines don't get you really invested.
As for the finale, it is incomprehensible. What will these people do, how will they reconcile their different dreams and lifestyles? It remains unsolved - maybe the writers couldn't find a solution, so they just left it hanging. And it can't even be called an "open ending" where you, the viewer, can choose whichever outcome or solution you want, because there's really no solution to reconcile these two life plans, they are just opposite.
Waste of time, not recommended.

Read More

Very simple but delightful

I found this series delightful. The stories were very, very simple and understated, and sometimes you expected what would happen next. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, it wasn't especially poetic and it wasn't great art. That doesn't take away its endearing quality, its homely feeling, deep humanity and the smile it will bring to your face. Especially in our times of isolation nowadays, it's greatly comforting to focus on what connects us rather than what separates us. The connecting thread of the delivery girl was a nice touch, I like how we were briefly updated on all the previous stories as well and I greatly appreciate that they didn't go the tragic route when there was an opportunity, but resolved everything sweetly.

Read More

Very sweet and enjoyable drama. Although we all knew how it was going to end, the process was well-written and natural, and it kept you guessing how they will actually get there.
I liked how all the characters were written, and the fine details of their changing relationships. I liked her honesty, how she was always trying to do the right thing, to be a mature, responsible adult, doing her very best for what she had committed to. I liked how they handled all of the exes. Both the men in her workplace. How she came to have a friendly relationship with them, how she developed a healthy relationship with her ex's new wife because of the classy way she handled it. The relationship with the pushy girl who was Ren's girlfriend for a while, how it developed, with no resentment. Even the Ryuhei character was realistic and well-rounded, not a hero but not a villain. The "bad" things about him were not evil, he just had a different agenda and he wanted her to be as he pictured her, not accepting her as she really was. Which is bad, yes, but it's human, people can be like that, especially in patriarchal societys like Japan. He wasn't portrayed as a monster, he really loved her, in his own way. And all the relationships with the families were really great too, not the usual slapstick, no stereotyped figures - except for the entomologist brother's character, who was drawn in wider brushstrokes and didn't feel that real.
The ups and lows of married life and motherhood shown through her friend/classmate. Even the school bullies were given a chance to redeem themselves and played an important role at the last moment.
So, kudos for character writing, and kudos for all the actors. Both leads were adorable and it was so refreshing to see that the actress did not feel the need to re-do her teeth, nor the male nead redo his nose. They were perfect just as they were and a treat to watch. They also had great chemistry.
However, I do have a gripe: I feel that the director should have shown a changed, romantic and sexy vibe between them after they became a couple. They acted EXACTLY like before. I understand about the force of habit, but still! What’s the point of dating if nothing changes? Aaaand... they waited for a full year before getting intimate? Really? That's complete nonsense and it took away from the realism of a drama which otherwise tried hard to be relatable and real-life-y.

Read More

What happened to the promises to ourselves?

This was the best Korean film from the dozens I've seen so far. It explores the then and the now, and how sometimes our original dreams and promises to ourselves and to others get sidetracked by the situations of life. In this case, the reunion of the school friends, and the memories that it brings back, on one side showcases the difference between the hopes and dreams and what the women really achieved, but slowly the gap between the past and the present gets smaller and smaller, and in a very subtle and beautiful way their past selves help bring back the vitality, self-confidence and hope, changing the present as well. A film about friendship and solidarity, about challenges and growth, but also much more than that. It is a film that will make many of us who are adults reflect on where we are going, whether we've lost our direction and how to get it back somehow. The writer and the director sensitively balance between laughter and tears, but even the tears are tears with a smile. One of the most sweetly heartbreaking scenes is the now mature main lead's visit to the man who was her first love and how she hugs her younger self at the station. The actresses, younger and older, are all top notch. A film that you may want to see again and again, and that you're not likely to forget.

Read More

One of the very best!

This drama was awesome. The script was clever, profound and gripping and raising a multitude of issues! Corporate greed vs. human lives is one, but it touches on so much more. Work ethics, personal ethics, ideals versus reality, viable compromise, ways to survive without losing one's humanity. Friendship, sacrifice, brotherly love, personal dignity, trust. Even mental illness as a coping mechanism.
I don't know why and how, but on reading the synopsis one might think that the subject matter is dry and potentially boring, but in reality it's more gripping than a wild West adventure and you can't wait to see how it's going to unfold. There's never a dull moment, or a slackening of pace, even in the introspective moments with interior monologue which are possibly the weakest, but still play their role.
The two (three? four?) love stories are organic to the plot, they are not an afterthought, and they even help the plot go forward and the characters evolve.
The characters are all flawed, there isn't one perfectly "good guy" without any weaknesses, there isn't one bad guy (except for one) that doesn't have a good side to him/her. Every character richly detailed and developed with plenty of nuance. Even the chauffeur or a nurse we only see occasionally, all characters have been taken care of. This is so rare in k-drama.
The direction brought every detail of this masterful script to life, with the help of a group of extremely talented actors, each and every one of them on top of his/her game, down to the last role.
A special mention goes to the main lead - who is Cho Seung Woo, not Lee Dong Wook. He really makes the difference in this drama, shining bright.

It's not a drama to watch in a leisurely, distracted way while doing something else, or when you're sleepy. Maybe also not if you are under 18. I think that I wouldn't have enjoyed it when I was a teenager, but then today's teenagers might be different. It does require concentration, because so much is going on all the time. But you'll be amply rewarded for your attention, it's so enjoyable! And yes, it does have a happy ending - or as happy as possible, which will leave you smiling and satisfied.

Read More

The cream of cliché, with good music

This drama was very uneven. The first couple of episodes were terrible and I almost dropped it, but I finally kept watching and it got better. Then the last two were also very bad and the ending sucked.
The worst thing was the writing. The story was like dozens we've already seen, nothing new there. Totally cliché situations, you knew exactly what would happen, the kind of sub-plots that would be explored given the setting.
The male lead was serious and sincere, I liked his acting a lot, he never overacted. He was manly and believable. The female lead was very exaggerated in the beginning, but got better, although most of the time she oscillated a bubbly enthusiastic face or a sad self-pitying one. But she's pretty and overall likeable, although the character's choices are sometimes incomprehensible.
Secondary characters were just "types", the usual types one finds in such movies. Each one had almost nothing else than what could be their main description. They did have a back story, but that didn't add any depth/nuance to their character.
What was something of a saving grace was the music. All the songs were unexpectedly high quality, and well-executed. That's the only thing that one would want to rewatch out of this silly story.

Read More

Very realistic depiction of young love

I liked it. It was a comedy, but also realistic. It shows four immature youngsters who do very immature things. (Big surprise!) You often want to smack them. No one is a villain here, they take turns being infuriating. She is often manipulating, trying to "train" her lover to be as she would like him to be, but also consistent in her feelings and goals and ultimately most of what she does is to help him too. He, on the other side, is kind-hearted, pure and sincere, but also extremely childish! He's often blind to things clear to everyone else and his lack of self-confidence makes him distrustful and makes him act like a total idiot and a jerk.
But then you understand that yes, inexperienced youngsters can and will behave like this in real life. And they gradually learn their lessons and grow up. But it will take time.
The secondary couple's relationship is also very endeering.
I think that this drama is a useful watch for young people, very educational: it might make them think about how they conduct their own lives and love affairs and maybe, just maybe, avoid some of the pitfalls that the drama characters fall into.

Read More

All over the place!

The whole time I was asking myself: "What am I watching?" and then "Why am I still watching it"? But I don't like dropping stuff, I mean, it's only a movie. It will end up making sense at some point, right? Ehm, no. It didn't. The script, the direction, the editing, is all over the place. Scenes follow one another without rhyme or reason jumping randomly and abruptly like a monkey on drugs. The characters do things completely opposite to what their character has been so far without any reason given for their change of mind, important conversations start happening and then... nothing has changed, nothing gets explained, no real development of that storyline, everything left hanging. The two main leads are very sweet and can actually act a little, the other are stock caricatures (the fat friend, the gay friend, the cocky friend, the mean girl, the bullies, the insensitive teacher and so on...) The music and dances are all exactly the same style, you cannot distinguish them from one another. Big words are spoken, cheap wisdom is served on a platter. And the ending? What about the competition? What about the relationship of the outcast with her suddenly changed classmates? What about the love story? Who knows what happened? Not me, although I did watch it till the bitter end (I deeply regret wasting almost two hours on my life on it) What a noisy yawn fest!

Read More

Good as a cooking show, the love story was meh

The concept was very good and the story was well-done, more or less, and Kim Rae Won was adorable. So was his father, old Chef Oh, one of the most delightful characters in the show.
1. The romance department was more than lame. Especially the romance between the main leads. It seemed as an after-thought, the restaurant problems being the main concern for everyone. There were no heart-fluttering moments - let alone a proper kiss. We never felt he's really in love with her.
2. The female main lead was terrible. Both the actress (plain, boring, overacting) and the role (clueless and helpless idiot). Her part was barely relevant to the plot - except for that one article, that could have been written by anybody else.
3. The music was too on-your-face, over-dramatic, you thought it was a historical epic. It seriously bothered me at times.
4. Too many cooking competitions, in the end it got old.
5. The cooking part, which was the main thing, sometimes showed extremely disgusting things, I had to turn my eyes away.
6. The second female lead's love story was disappointing. This drama had one of the coolest female second leads I’ve seen. But Yun Ju Hi was too self-sacrificing and noble, didn’t fight for her love, or let's say she was too wishy-washy, not bold enough. In fact both she and the one whom she loved had to compromise and ended up with their second choice of partners. This wasn’t satisfying, especially for him, given how much of an insignificant woman was the one he ultimately got with and how much more suitable was Ju Hi for him.
7. The negative characters were pardoned too easily, with no consequences.
Still it was a solid drama.

Read More

Twenty years after the "happy ending"

I really loved this drama special. It was a slice of life. What happens to the cute couple at the end of the rom com. They get married and live happily ever after? Think again. Jump to 20 years later, both feel as losers and both feel the other person is to blame.
Really refreshing after all the fakeness of kdrama. Yes, it was at some point difficult to watch, but you do understand a lot of things as the film goes on. And yes, it ends on an optimistic note. I couldn't get it out of my mind for days, I did rewatch it once and even now when I think of it, I say "wow". It sure takes guts to make this kind of film.

Read More

Childish and disappointing

Childish comedy about an extremely fat, kind-hearted but also very stupid woman who decides to marry a man she loves without thinking that he is not in love with her. When she realizes the situation, she decides to shed weight and puts on a brave effort. But the ending will leave you seething with anger and disappointment. Not that the rest of it, full of silliness and cringe-worthy slapstick, is anything worth spending one hour of your precious life for. I sincerely regret it: cleaning behind the refrigerator would have been much more enjoyable, and it would have left me with a sweet sense of achievement, whereas this has left me grumpy and irritable for having wasted my time. Ugh!

Read More

Sneaky and manipulative gender propaganda

Do you think that Korea accepts gay people just because it produces BL dramas and movies? Wrong. They just make them because they are popular, and the audience is young girls anyway, who have two handsome male leads to drool over - or whatever may be those girls' reason for liking this content. I don't get it so I won't try to guess, although it's interesting from a sociological point of view.
But they wanted to target the more mainstream audience here, without the BL tag that would maybe drive away many viewers. So what did they do? A story of two gay boys liking each other wouldn't be acceptable, so they "magically" turned one of them into a girl, so it would be okay for them to date and be together, because they would be "straight". If that isn't homophobic as h***, I don't know what is. But of course a transgender lead would also not be accepted very easily, so... instead of hormones and butchery (oops, sorry, gender reassignment surgery), we have a super-handsome and kind fairy, who turns the boy into a girl overnight, without his knowledge or consent, just because of a mistake. How very convenient! And they went to great lengths to point out that the boy was desperate about this, he suffered, he didn't want it, it took him quite a while to accept it (so it wasn't a case of gender dysphoria before, thinking he was a girl in a boy's body or anything like that). That puts conservative minds to rest, so that they trustingly gulp down what follows.
I found it very manipulative, trying to sneakily push an agenda to traditionally minded viewers who are led to accept this sweet love story, so that then the makers of the drama can tell them "See? If you are okay with someone who turned into a girl by magic, why can't you be okay with it when it's done through the person's will and great effort? Isn't it the same thing? What's the difference?"
This apart, the screenplay makes water from everywhere. The deal the sister/agent makes with the athlete to come back to Korea, the girl who makes her whole family move to Korea to cling to her one-sided crush, the fact that neither family friends nor family (except for that one cousin: is she an orphan?) know or suspect anything about the sex change, the fairy's mistake (what was he trying to achieve with the spell anyway?) etc. Of course, what do you expect from a webtoon-based web drama? Ingmar Bergman?
This said, the actors were all likeable, good-looking and capable, you didn't cringe with their acting, as often happens with web dramas, they are to be commended. The whole quality was higher than of most web-dramas, that seem home-made and amateurish. They did put some serious effort here.
It was a short watch, but frankly I wouldn't recommend it.

Read More