Lighter version of "Remembrance of Things Past"
Completed - 1/7/2022"Delicious Romance" is a pretty underrated drama, and probably because the cast members are not idols and not as famous. However, it's a heartwarming drama about friendship, love, career and dreams. I feel that it's a lighter and happier version of "Remembrance of Things Past" (which I strongly recommend).
I enjoy the close friendship between the three main leads. They have funny and witty banter, are open and honest with each other, even if they are criticizing each other's decisions. I believe the friendship is what attracted most people to this drama. These ladies are 30 years old and are facing life's challenges as 30-year-old women in China. It's not surprising the following topics/challenges are covered in this drama:
1. Family and Society Prejudice against single, unmarried women.
2. Prejudice of divorced women
3. Sexual harassment and inequality treatment at work
4. Boss and Subordinate vs. romantic partner relationship
5. Stable and steady job vs. following your dream to unchartered territory
6. Income and Status inequality
This is a very short drama, only 20 episodes long at about 30 minutes each. The pace is fast and I was not bored at all. I quite enjoy the comedy inserted in the drama to deal with some of the heavier topics. I feel that the drama does a good job in introducing all three leads and show us their stories and personalities. I like them all and feel for them when they are faced with challenges. They each have their own flaws, but I root for them.
On the other hand, I feel the romance storylines are under-developed. I'd like to see more between Liu Jing and Jiang Shan Mu and how they fall in love, esp. from JSM. I also want to see a little more about the resolution between Xia Meng and Lu Bin at the end. As for Fang Xin and Zhang Ting, I want to see more of them after they get together. Because the drama is quite short, there isn't enough time for all, in addition to the other plots.
I also like:
- Xia Meng critiquing all the tropes and cliches in rom-coms.
- Jiang Shan Mu and his daughter's relationship - she is one smart cookie
- the funny drama shooting scene with the concubines
- first drag show I've seen in C-dramaland
Overall, I enjoy this very binge-able drama. It might not be as good as "Remembrance of Things Past", but it's an easy and enjoyable watch. I recommend this to those who like dramas of women-centric friendship and their life's challenges/decisions.
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At its very core, this lakorn is really the age old story of Romeo and Juliet. Heroine Yanin Jakrawut (aka Nikki), played by Jensen Sririta, returns to Thailand from living in America. As an heir to the Jakrawut fortune, she visits Thailand regularly to see her father even though she feels unloved as the odd one out - the “half-breed” her relatives call her - the only American in a large wealthy family. She meets her opposite number, San or Sanyakorn Rungsarith (played by Wasukraipaisarn Witaya) while traveling as an ordinary student. He’s the very proper son of the wealthy Rungsarith family - her family’s business rival - and Nikki’s half-brother’s cousin. Sparks fly between the two as they get to know each other despite their cultural differences.
Expect as a many twists and turns as an American soap opera or a Korean makjong drama in this story as there are deaths, birth secrets, hidden loves, conflicts between servants and masters, guns, and beatings as well as lots and lots of broken hearts. I was surprised by how addictive this story was and how, despite some pretty coarse language and situations, love wins out for all the surviving characters. Secondary characters Niyomsup Worawut as Bunleu and Yaowananon Pitisak as Kampanart/Raywat have a particularly deep story line. Unlike some of the more slap/kiss lakorns, this show features true loves and a fair amount of un-forced skinship that makes this a very appealing drama. Be prepared for some horrible relatives, though!
Ratings-wise, I gave this lakorn a 7.5 overall for its story, which surprised even me! Its plot involves several generations, love and hate, and appropriate business settings - all aspects that pleased me. There is a lot of almost-gun-violences, however, so that brought my overall score down in my opinion. The cast did a very good job with what they were given. You’ll see a lot of the standard lakorn characters but by the end, the writers did a great job explaining the very complicated motivations.
I don’t often wish a lakorn is longer but this one was so action packed that it really could have been extended by an episode or two. Music-wise, this lakorn was nothing to write home about. Even the theme song did not stick with me. Despite this, it wasn’t annoying or distracting so that is a plus. As a rewatch, well, this lakorn doesn’t call to me. It was actually so complicated that I felt like I gave it my full concentration the first time and it doesn’t need another viewing yet. Despite the 6 for rewatch value and a 7 for music, the plot (plots!) itself keeps my total viewing score higher than I’d expected.
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don't let MDL's rating fool you...
VERY light spoilers, mostly near the end where i talk about characters. skip that if u haven't watched (the rest is safe). it's also lengthy, but i promise you'll want to consider what i talk about before jumping induring this drama's airing, the discussion was either filled with two types of viewers: people who were growing annoyed with it (or hated it) and people who enjoyed it. this drama is very much a love-or-hate drama. personally, i loved it.
does it have its flaws? yes, because every drama does! however, i don't think it deserves the reputation some viewers have given it. before i talk about what i viewed as the drama's flaws, i'll focus on the things i really enjoyed.
people have called it bad, or messy, or manipulative... i don't think that's fair to say. the thing is, it's a mystery drama. suspense is its biggest weapon. what some viewers have labelled as "manipulation" or "messy storytelling" has been.... suspense. this drama plays HEAVY on intentionally misleading the audience - don't go into this drama thinking you'll have answers halfway. you won't know even a smidge of what's going on until past the halfway point... i personally enjoyed that. iit requires patience to watch this drama, which is why i encourage potential watches to consider if they enjoy waiting for answers or rather something fast-paced. the suspense builds up slowly at times, but it kept me on the edge of my seat.
had we gotten answers halfway in, the story could have potentially grew boring. yes, there were some questions left unanswered and things i wish the writers would have elaborated on - but i don't think the solution to that would have been solving the mystery sooner. solving the big mysteries right away would have taken away from the drama. i enjoyed the fact that we only got answers in the finale. every episode left you wanting more. the intentional misleading was VERY well-done, and it was fun to try and figure out if you had actually gotten answers or if the writers were trying to trick you into thinking you had figured something out. it made you think... so if you don't like to think about what you're watching and solve the mystery based on little clues left behind, you probably won't enjoy this.
i didn't mind the pacing, either or the focus on support characters. as i said above - i think the pacing was necessary to keep it interesting and the support characters had their purpose. some had more screentime than the second leads, which i found weird and bothersome. but they had a purpose, and overall were entertaining.
the ACTING... i'm going to give it a 10. all things considered, the acting by the cast (including supporting and guest stars) was REALLY strong. no one could have played kang yeo joo as could as cho ye jeong! she is a seamless actress.
i was not familiar with ko jun before this drama, but he did an amazing job as woo sung... how can someone be so disgusting yet still make you laugh? ko jun had all the right charms to effectively play woo sung. he was funny and had moments that ALMOST made you like him... until you remembered he was disgusting.
the second leads: yeonwoo and youngdae! i was very familiar with both of them prior to this drama and was super excited to see them both. they are both "new"/rising actors that i really love. yeonwoo really impressed me with her role as ko mi rae. i'm going to speak on her character later but - yeonwoo blew me away. if you're not familiar with her, she's mostly been cast as energetic characters. some have been whiney and some have been combative, but in the end - they all were loud and had a lot of energy. this was the first time she played someone quiet and mysterious - and the first time she was given a role where she could TRULY shine. her emotional scenes were truly impressive. she is one to watch.
as for youngdae - again, input on his character will come later. but youngdae's acting was strong. he wasn't given a lot to work with, if i'm being honest. but, as one of the few who didn't *particularly* root or ship soo ho and yeo joo, he managed to give me butterflies with how he interacted with yeo joo. the action scenes were impressive, too. another solid role from youngdae.
soundtrack was amazing. OVER by suran might be one of the best OSTs i've heard in a while! i loved the opening credits and the score that went along with it. the scores in the drama reminded me of a grimms brothers fairytale.
let's talk the flaws.
the BIGGEST flaw to me was the characterization. the best character, when speaking about development and backstory, was kang yeo joo. she was fleshed out and it was easy to understand who she was and why she thought/did certain things - even if it took a while to get there.
however, every other character fell short. we understood woo sung was a cheater, a player - but we didn't know anything else about him. his backstory wasn't fleshed out and we barely knew why or when he started cheating. not that that would EXCUSE his cheating (because there's no excuse for it!), but i just didn't understand who he was? maybe that was intentional, so you didn't like him. if so, that was a smart choice.
for the secondary leads... the writers really didn't give them enough justice. the detectives seemed to have more screentime than the second leads. i understood the detectives better than the second leads, at some points.
ko mi rae: a lot of viewers seemed to hate her character, but i didn't feel that way. i didn't particularly love ko mi rae, but i didn't hate her. she was clearly a very damaged character and, in the end, she didn't act on her temptation. one could argue her calling at the end was to act on her temptation, but she was in the middle of a lawsuit that woo sung was helping her with. her biggest desire seemed to be divorcing her abusive husband, taking his money, and locking him up.
she was a damaged character desperate for love - which i think explains why she attached herself to woo sung so quickly, and was unable to let him go. do i think this excuses her going after a married man? no, of course not. but i don't think she was an innately BAD person. she was damaged... which i think the writers could have expanded more on. they clearly tried to make the audience understand why she was so attached, but they didn't do a good job with it. her husband and the abuse she suffered was introduced too late. if there had been more expansion on her story, i think it would be easier to understand her and less people would consider her to be "bad". yes, she was wrong to go after him but in the end, she just wanted justice for herself. not woo sung.
cha soo ho: we knew NOTHING about him other than the fact he was an agent. i love youngdae and he did a great job with what he was given in this drama, but his character fell short. yes, he was funny and charming. but we didn't KNOW him as a person. i found it difficult to like him and yeo joo together because... his feelings came out of nowhere? when did he start liking her? episodes prior to him liking her, he was annoyed with her and wanted to spray her with beer and he also suspected her of murder. his development was poor. he wasn't a bad character, but he had no development and no backstory. i understood the male detective and the dead baek soo jung more than i understood soo ho. it's a shame.
and finally... the ending. i won't say anything as i don't want to put any major spoilers here, but it didn't disappoint me as it did for some others. remember what yeo joo says in the beginning. it makes sense once you think about it.
overall... it had its flaws. but it was not nearly as bad as some people think it was. rewatch value, i've ranked it 6.5 because it could potentially be fun to rewatch to catch clues you might've missed.
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Just watch it
The story is controversial but the way things are put makes it easy to watch. The actors are amazing, the FL and 2nd ML (joss) have such great chemistry that age gap don’t look awkward at all .The characters are believable even when they take the most unconventional path because it matches their personalities. I started the show thinking i will dislike the characters and judge them for going against moral boundaries but instead i ended up rotting for risa and pong. These two brings happiness and complete each other miserable life.If anyone is hesitating I would suggest to just watch but with the alternative ending. Avoid the original ending at all cost if you don’t want to be depressed.
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The emotions!
It feels a bit choppy at times as there are only two parts, but it gets the story through. It sets the mood for the full series. The amount of raw emotions shown by both main actors is amazing. It's a cry fest though. The fact that it is based on a true story made the whole thing even more painful to watch. I can't even imagine how torturous something like this must have been for the real life Nan (or Phu). There is not really much else to say about it, but I am definitely excited about the full series that is airing in March. I can't wait to see more of Phu and Nan, eventhough I really want to shake some sense into Phu before that.Was this review helpful to you?
I watched this with a friend and we kind of laughed through it, even though some parts weren't meant to be funny. It wasn't a complete flop of a movie that we we're laughing but it did seem kind of silly at times. I don't remembering being that scared through out it.
The story's interesting. Unpredictable things happen. I would absoltuely watch it again but just because I had so much fun watching it. This is sort of a sucky review but basically if you're just up for an interesting story with some scares here and there I'd watch it. However if you want something that's going to make you hide under your blanket in fear I wouldn't suggest this movie~
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Story
The concept of this lovely drama is the fated love between the 2 leads. The fate that you can't escape no matter what is thrown at you because it is written in the stars! The drama gathers all the cliches, archetype/classic lead characters, absurd coinsidences, silly comedy scenes, illnesses, main leads pushing each other away while they love each other, amnesia, time jumps, annoying 2nd leads, unnecessary love triangles ect. However, against all odds, those are what make the drama work. How all the cliches placed next to each other, all the silliness, ridiculousness, absurdity just works out, clicks so perfectly and brings the most wonderful results one can imagine.
Best thing this drama has to offer is the romance. Fated to love you starts as a pure comedy and very quickly it develops to a very funny but heartfelt romance. Soon after though, it sends you to the sky, it drags your pitiful ass down to hell, destroy your feels, and then, in the most fulfilling way, it shines and thrives giving you one of the most profound romances i've watched in kdramaland. It delivers emotionally on so many levels, it has such an exquisite sentimental impact that i believe it will stay indelible in my memory forever. Not many rom coms were able to convey and create such affectionate and passionate atmosphere. I'm really thankful i watched it.
I'm happy to say the drama is fast paced, it barely gets dragged (mostly gets slower around episode 15, but still completely enjoyable) and ends leaving you feeling completely accomplished! The only reason this isn't a 10 is because of all the cliches and the fact that most of the situations were totally ridiculous, but i guess that was this drama's biggest charm.
Acting
The acting was overall impeccable but the shining star of this is definitely Jang Hyuk. He is probably the first and only actor that i prefer in comedy than melodrama but he's amazing in both. His character was a little cringy in the beginning, and his acting could be described as over the top, but he left such a strong, memorable impression with his acting that made me fall for him completely. He made the drama what it is, his acting is one of the best things this drama has to offer along with his chemistry with Jang Na Ra. One of the best chemistries i've watched, a blast to watch them on screen!
Jang Nara along with both the 2nd lead roles and the full supporting cast gave a stunning performance.
Recommend/ Rewatch
This is must watch pretty much for every drama fan out there. Rom-com fans feast your eyes, this is delicious in every way. Melodrama lovers, i hereby promise you, you won't regret watching this. As a meticulous melo fan this was totally up my alley, it conveyed much more feelings than i expected on many levels; you won't be dissapointed believe me. If you can turn a blind eye to the cliches and just go with the absurdity of the whole plot, the drama will thoroughly and generously reward you!
Lastly, If i ever make a list of dramas worth rewatching this will definitely be in it!
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40 episodes was way to long, I mean that they could have easily shorten it down to 16 episodes, it was way to lagging and repetitive.
Half way I stopped counting...
1. the amount of unfairness
2. the amount of times they broke up and get back together
3. the amount of mother-in-law or angry mother fights
4. the unreasonable conflict
5. that every problem is because of one person
6. ETC.
I have watched family dramas this long previously and I known that some parts can be boring or unreasonable but this just reached the top levels... I really wanted to stop after the first 12 episodes but continued as I wanted to know how it finished. I thought it was not worth my time at all.... I mean there were some moments which were cute and romantic, and also thought that was the best part of the drama but there weren't that many which caused my really negative feelings towards this drama.
Basically I was utterly disappointed with it and would certainly not recommend it. The main reason for which I was able to watch till the end might the well chosen cast. I really liked some of the characters so maybe that's why I was able to watch through till the end without dropping it. The music wasn't really catching either nor caught my attention.
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This one was a short but sweet watch. Both the male lead and female lead are lovable characters I could really support and ship together. The one thing that bugged me was the crappy reason behind the male lead's actions, but I guess it was needed as a plot driver :( This is just my selfish shipping getting in the way of an objective commentary for plot line lol. If only we had a season 2 to see more cute fluff.
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While it isn't the kind of thing that would win any awards, KFH is perfect for pure entertainment.
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Half of a really good cupcake
Indeed this is a cupcake for two, a little to little to satisfy you but sweet, pretty and lovely as it has lots and lots of sweet moments (literally) .Had it been a bit longer it may have gotten a 9, the characters are lovable, fun to watch and aware of both issues concerning power relations and consent. That said they do show that awareness of these issues does not always mean actually practicing the awareness... but that is a different story.This very short series, is otherwise a pretty typical office romance with the twist of a mid life crisis, not a lot of drama, some fluffy icing that does a pretty decent job showing the very sad reality that gender conventions hinder men from enjoying most of the good and sweet in the world. But I would have wanted more of everything.Definitely worth a watch, and a show i highly recommend to all rom-com lovers out there, just do not expect to get a full dose of sugar.
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180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us
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180 Degree of a 52-hertz call
This is not your typical BL drama, so i already advice here that if you don't enjoy that theatre type of dialogues or heavy philosophical introspective tones, don't watch it cause this is not a high-teen type of drama at all; and i loved every second of it.What to say about this one? It was unique, heartwrenching with a slow burn that left me with a "void-like" feeling inside of my soul; and yet i enjoyed that feeling.
The story is simple and yet so complex in it's undertones. A boy searches for the pieces of his late father while traveling with his overprotective and overpowering mother and finds a lonely man that is broken by his own decisions and self-imposed guilt.
These are not beautifully rose painted characters. These are just three flawed human beings, each feeling that their own view of what is right or wrong is unjustified by the views of the other; each feeling that they have the rights over their own choices and that they were right on making them.
The world belongs to nobody and yet each of them holds their own "world" in their hands as if they are made of glass, unwilling to part with it or to let anyone with a different view go inside or to let anyone that is unwilling to stay, leave.
180 Degree longitude passes through while a 52-hertz call is made on each side, never able of actually meeting.
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The story reminded me a lot of The Master's Sun although this came out first and was probably the inspiration for the latter. I loved The Master's Sun and I loved this as well. It's not your typical romantic comedy as some horror elements and melodrama were thrown here and there. The mixture of the genres was definitely something new for me but it still had that typical "parting and reuniting" that most romantic Korean movies are known for which is just fine.
Acting/Cast: 9
Going into this movie I did not know who the male lead was but I completely adore Son Ye Jin in The Classic which was the main reason why I picked this up. Son Ye Jin is fantastic as usual and the male lead is definitely someone I'll look into in the future. He has a lot of titles under his belt so that's great. Their chemistry was not the best of the best, but it was there. It was subtle and not forced.
Music: 7
There were no catchy or memorable soundtracks I heard. Mostly, I would hear something and look it up on YouTube and discover another Korean singer but this was not the case. Still giving it a 7 for it's great horror sound effects.
Rewatch Value: 9
Definitely has rewatch value! I know a lot of people can relate to the female lead's dilemma (although not necessarily including the "seeing ghosts" part), but most of us has had times where we were all alone. This movie definitely made me feel better with the thought that someday someone will come into our lives and be there for us. I know I've experienced that scene where she ate half the cake in one sitting. LOL!
Overall: 9
A solid 9 for me. Watch it now!
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Where as Paul has a different personality lol, let's say ugly duckling turns into a swan after swapping places with his twin, it's hard for Paul as a straight man living together being in close skinship with a beautiful woman.
it's quite funny, it has got romance, everything except revenge, slap kiss & rape. :)
The things is the plot is a bit slow.
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