Reviews

The Great Craftsman is a Republican Era Gem !!!

The series is a great watch for those aficionados of the 1920’s and 1930’s Republican Era of Sina -Asia and the European Colonial influences in the rest of Asia-Pacific. The scenes are wonderfully set in a great backdrop of the Warlord Shanghainese Era with great glorious historical memorabilia of pre-WWII rebuilding in Asia-Pacific. The portrayal of Yang Mi as Fu Han Jun as a gifted architect is of superb Hollywood Caliber (Young Asian Audrey Hepburn), in period costumes, wonderfully worn in historical accuracy. The male lead Wallace Huo as Shen Qi Nan is on top leading man status (akin to a Young Asian Warren Beatty/James Dean) in the series exuding great chemistry with Yang Mi. The genre of the tele-drama is highly and distinctly Asian Sophistication, evoking an era almost comparable to the modern day 1993 film Age of Innocence as lensed by Martin Scorsese. The Series is World Class.

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Will You ‘ Cha Cha Cha’ into watching this drama?

Aside from its questionable title ‘ Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ is a remake of the rom-com’ Mr. Hong’ (2004) updated and directed by Yoo Je-won, the same director behind dramas such as ‘Oh My Ghostess’ and ‘Tomorrow With You’. The storyline isn’t labyrinthine . Cha-Cha-Cha is a straightforward rom-com ( taken from the original movie) of “ city girl moves back to the sticks and falls in love”. However this boils down to the ultimate question for newcomers thinking of picking the series up; “is ‘ Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ actually worth watching? “

Arguably the drama does a really good job at subverting certain cliches and stereotypes beyond the expectations of viewers . Whilst the villagers are sometimes used for stock comedy , they are often more than just filler characters also. Many of them have their own problems which are revealed as the series progresses. For example Oh Cheon-jae (Jo Han-chul) is a cafe owner and a washed-up one hit wonder who despite often ending up as the butt end of the joke, has a more sensitive side by desperately yearning to return back to his brief glory days. There was something oddly heartfelt about each episode taking a moment away in order to focus upon side characters such as the village grandmas who main heroine Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah ) encounters in this small seaside town.

On the other hand this brings us onto one of the biggest elephants in the room surrounding our main female lead Hye Jin. Actress Shin Min Ah is decent enough here. On the other hand her onscreen persona Hye Jin is trickier to address. Hye-Jin is the epitome of the “ carte blanche female lead”; a character who has some necessary plot-driven angst, sweetness and backstory, but rarely has more definitive depth, emotions and realistic flaws.

Adding to the issue of Hye-Jin’s character arc is that whilst she does have “flaws” they’re never really pointed out by director Je-Won more directly . This is because Je-Won tries too hard to present Hye-Jin as a “ loveable and perfect” female heroine without considering that perfection can often be flawed . Of course our MC does have her sob story and angst-ridden moments later on in the series but these scenes rarely enforced more powerful emotions onto viewers as there was little to make Hye-Jin grow or learn from her past mistakes . This was case and point when others such as male lead and main love interest Du Sik( Kim Seon Ho) pointed out Hye-Jin’s mistakes at times as arrogant or rude, the drama rarely gave her the chance to grow or explain herself without either turning the blame on Du Sik for interfering, making Hye-Jin burst into tears or failing to accept her own mistakes sincerely . The problem with Hye Jin is that her character arc runs on pure plot device steam than actual character writing- we never find out what really drives Hye Jin either through her current flaws addressed, her career and future goals ( rather than mere romance) or for the sake of plot.

This moves us onto main lead Du Sik. Similar to costar Shin Min Ah, Kim Seon Ho was delightful as dexterous “all-round-ace” Du Sik- adding his own sweet charm to a character with a surprising amount of profoundness . He’s an extrovert, incredibly talented at everything and good-natured but also shares his own personal troubles as well. On the other hand whilst later episode scenes relished in tackling Du Sik’s past, this did feel slightly rushed than well-paced. We do see Du Sik’s problems build-up in early scenes and it was surprisingly refreshing to see vulnerability against a seemingly “ strong” character such as Du Sik.

Consequently it felt as though the drama could’ve done more to have built-up dramatic tension around Du Sik’s past and character arc. Whilst it is used to present drama and a spanner in the works with his relationship with Hye Jin, it was evidently used to add some tension and dramatic dilemmas rather than feeling gradually built up or allowing to present the profound connection between our leads more sincerely.

This of course leads us to discussing about the romantic setup between our leads which is (unsurprisingly)a rocky road. On a positive note it was heartwarming to see their feelings blossom . Even from the first episode the route of potential romance between our main characters was obvious. Bland chemistry in early episodes was ignited by more cutesy interactions as episodes progressed as well as fire added to the flames with dramatic tension keeping the ball game going between the two characters.

Similar to his previous works, Yoo Je-Won adds his own personal touch of oozy sweetness to the overall production. Pohang City in the province of North Gyeongsang in South Korea sets the perfect location for the fictional Gongjin village. The blue horizons of clear skies and crystal waters, provided an idealistic escape throughout the series.Vivid cinematography accentuates scenes alongside bright lighting, whilst more slapstick comedy from the original movie is replaced by a few farce scenes in order to focus upon more meaningful scenes between its main characters. The ending offers a more bittersweet note for viewers with an ending that was sweet but admittedly expected.

‘ Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ is the epitome of a rudimentary sweet sugary ice cream treat- cutesy fluff and with its own bittersweet edge at times, but it could easily melt under the pressure of its own plot build-up and dramatic tension. Overall it is really dependent on what you’re looking for in a drama- a quick, easy and back-burner romance setup ( which you’ve probably seen a million times already) in order to pass the time? Then definitely.

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A breath of fresh air!!

I can finally breathe after watching the final episode! So full of life and rich characters and story plots. Absolutely love it!! A romantic comedy that is also full of drama! Real life drama! I love it as the themes of love and friendship spans across age and the script confronted well the complex feelings of grief, guilt and regret!

It gives so much hope to the darkness of life and offers the possibility of fate and luck that brings people and life together again!

I will recommend this 1000% and will definitely watch again many more times!!! Well done!

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I'm you and you've become me

I loved it!!!!! Everything about this series is amazing! From the story (though it's a remake of a movie), characters, actors/actress, sceneries, lines, OST, and just plainly camaraderie of everyone involved in making this wonderful series.

Every episodes are relatable, not far-fetched, well-acted, deliveries of lines, character's development and side stories are all heart warming, tear-jerking, sweet, funny, frustrating and just simply what it's claiming, a healing series.

Actors/actress gave their best, delivered their lines, showed us how to react: whether to cry, smile, squel, laugh, get angry, frustrated and just simply enjoy the series. I'm always a fan of Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon-Ho, and was happy with this great pairing.

I will miss my "Shik-Hye" couple and everyone in Gongjin neighborhood. It's like I've become a member of the community and now I'm saying goodbye to them.

Also, I love the OST of this series. I've downloaded it already so I can listen to it whenever I want to.

Anyway, if you haven't watch it yet, you better start it now. Definitely worth the time and effort!

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CSA (Crime Scene Analysts)

The series is an innovative cerebral type of drama ? on crime scene analysts, while on the job. There is an innovative element of storytelling in each scene in this white collar crime investigative enforcement series, as the mystery unravels on the the stoic portrayals of crime scene analysts (CSA). The drama depicts intuitive human side on corporate espionage on trade secrets and the capture of concealments on the inevitable villainous culprits thickening the plot lines. Unique drama ? Great Watch ?for those who prefer attentive watching of dialogues and the intently placed clues in each scene containing the episodic revelations.

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Not the Chinese version remake, light hearted, watchablele

Finished all the episodes today. It was a feel good, light, rom com. Touches thai culture as well, but it feels rushed.
Things are rushed at the end, honestly they could have cancelled on the other unnecessary stuff like the time angle or the ta angle.
Also in ep 19-20 it suddenly feels that Dr. Gu Wei Yi became so important that the ending also didn't have the leads alone.
It could have been better but nevertheless it is a good watch

The show is light hearted, has no breakups, no problematic leads, also touches on thai aspects. Overall you can watch, BUT
Don't compare to the Chinese version, because it is different and new, also the leads are good, especially the FL.

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By far one of the most progressive drama/drama special to date.

By far one of the most progressive Japanese dramas I have watched to date in terms of its portrayal towards women's role in society, gender equality, womanhood in general and parenthood. Whilst both Mikuri's and Hiramasa's personalities are not perfect (as to err is human), what matters most is that they tried their best to understand each other, to be considerate, to ensure that they have an equal standing in their relationship; and were quick to admit, reflect and apologise for their mistakes. I think this drama succeeded in depicting what an ideal relationship should look like which reflects the changing gender roles, particularly the evolution of the roles of a married woman with a career (or more specifically how their husbands should adjust their role in the household with a working wife) during the modern times.

This drama special for me was definitely better than the drama as it addressed more pertinent current issues (aside from being pleasantly enjoyable to watch), but the drama itself is still quite worthwhile to watch too to fully appreciate the character developments of the casts.

Last but not least, wishing Aragaki Yui and Hoshino Gen a happy married life irl!!

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This is mainly praise for the actors and their skills

The first thing i love is the fact that shen yue is the remake shancai and jerry yan is original dao ming si i havent watch any of the meteor gardens yet but i love shen yue she's a great actress and i never dislike her characters and i think she gets really amazing projects ive watched some of them and im planning to watch the others too. this is jerry yans return to acting after like a long time and it just so happens to be with shen yue they have good chemistry and i know about the age gap but jerry yan does not look 40+ and IK! youve seen that pic of jerry yan that went viral and the rest of the cast was ok except miles wei he was excellent here also watch perfect and casual its great its stars miles wei and Ruohan Xu a great newcommer ok back to topic the bad stuff alot of people can guess but this has alot of toxic tropes that gets tiring like how the guy pushes the FL away and is rude to her but thank god they fixed that quick also the the annoying girl here is just so annoying like girl take a hint

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Romantic Sunday

Wonderful story from start to finish. Extremely funny, and that makes you freak out a lot and suffer in the right amount. All characters steal the show, with no exceptions. Their story is beautiful as neighbors who consider themselves family and the individual story of each one is also beautiful. The evolution and maturation of each one of them is very nice to watch.

Now talking about Dusik and his history. He was the one who drew the most attention in all the episodes. He showed what a feeling of guilt can do to a person. Both self-blame and guilt placed by others. And as we suspected from the beginning, nothing that happened was his fault. They were just fatalities that I wasn't and couldn't be in anyone's control. It's good that in the end he and the people involved understood this and forgave each other, taking a burden off his heart and conscience so he could move on without worrying about what happened in the past.

Hyejin and Dusik were a relationship goal couple. A lot of chemistry involved and each one helped the other in the process of maturation and evolution. The plot that they had already met as children, as teenagers and that Hyejin called for help when she saw Dusik on the bridge, made their adult relationship even more special.

And yet the third of the love triangle didn't stay in the friendzone forever. This should be mandatory in all love triangles.

Happy ending is great. But happy ending with marriage is even better!

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A PERFECT ROM-COM drama.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha will make you cry, laugh, scream, crazy, and smile. It's not just a drama, it's an emotion. This drama teaches you the values of life, how special is life, and how you should never give up. If I am ever re-born, I want to be born in this neighborhood. From episodes 1 to 16, I enjoyed every single episode. Must watch! Definitely one of the best 2021 Korean dramas. Such a heart-warming drama. Trust me you won't regret it at all. a perfect, all-kill ROM-COM drama.

The soundtrack, the cinematography, and the writing are so beautiful. I love every single frame of it. Acting from the cast is a masterpiece, not to forget all the child actors and the side characters, great acting. There are so many tear-jerking scenes, the performance from the side characters shines a lot in this drama. Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho, the dimple couples, the chemistry between them is so powerful

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Typical contract type cdrama

First of all with much hesitation I started it as the reviews is so bad it's not as bad as the reviews it's good drama for me don't know about others thought first Luli enter into jianchen company as male programmer as jianchen will not recruit female programmer due to his first love she will be find out eventually nearly 5 or 6 epi I think after ml mom arranged a marriage then begin contract relationship for them as she like her and thought ml is in love with fl but Luli fl will idol ml from her college days then due to intervening of Liman (first love of ml) there will be many misunderstandings when ml start to develop feelings for fl fl will end the contract and will move to other city she will be pregnant already then the intro of second ml will come he s not as toxic he will help in the development of ml and fl relationship to mention the other three couples were too cute zitong and Chen(they will be couples only during last epi) gumo and xiaoqi(too cute and funny ) and yezi and damao also cute the friendship between Luli and xiaoqi is amazing the proposal scene is too cute abd awsome the anime is excellent the ending of all three couples is cute You can try it without regret

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Remake of Novel NOT Drama

FULL DISCLAIMER:
Okay, first of all people need to know that this is a remake based on Zhao Qian Qian’s novel which is also clearly stated in the opening sequence so don’t come watching this thinking it’s gonna be a copy and past version of the Chinese drama. I’ve not read the novel so have no idea how close the drama is. My advise would be to lower your expectations, better still have none and don’t compare cos you will most likely be disappointed.

Secondly, whilst I did try the Chinese version I dropped it after one episode so I was kinda happy when I found out that there would be a Thai version especially one that’s not yet another Korean drama. I do love Thailand for remaking as many Korean dramas as they have but honestly, it’s so darn refreshing that they went with China.

As always, starting with the negatives which for me were the second leads. I tend not to like them if I’m being quite honest and this was no different. I found them both annoying until I didn’t anymore but I also didn’t like Pai’s so called friend Wawa. I found her to be selfish and her scenes always consisted of her moaning which resulted in my skipping most of her scenes unless she was with Pai or Pupaa.

STORY
This is pretty much the usual Cookie Cutter school love story for me, I’m not much of a School drama fan. Nothing really new to bring to the table but I guess for me, I found the fluff of it all refreshing….explained in my final thoughts. Also, whilst I did love the fact that the drama wasn’t just about the romance, I would’ve loved to get more light on the friendship between Ta and Pupaa. One thing I didn’t really like is how Pai always needed someone to come and solve her problems for her. Whilst the drama is made from China origin, I loved how they still managed to incorporate some Thai stuff into it to make it feel a bit more Thai. My favourite parts of the drama were definitely the Special Scenes.

ACTING/CAST
The acting isn’t anything groundbreaking but considering the actress playing Pai is a newbie, I personally think she did rather well. I enjoyed the main couple the most and what little friendship was used, I thought they had nice chemistry and fitted the characters well.

MUSIC
I only noticed the opening song which I loved. Oh and the lyric free background music.

REWATCH VALUE
For me, yes because I’ve probably enjoyed it more than I ever imagined I would.

I’m not usually into the overly fluffy romcoms but as far as Thai productions go, this is possibly the fluffiest I’ve ever seen which is a huge deal for me as most Thai I watch tend to come from Channels 3, 7 and One31 so you know there is a big difference. I didn’t feel out of my comfort zone which is strange as I previously mentioned, I’m not a fan of fluff or school and some scenes you could tell were a bit too cringey but somehow I didn’t cringe as much as I normally would from other countries. It’s been a nice experience watching a drama without fear of someone getting kidnapped, assaulted or stalked by some killer. This is a true romcom and I wish more were like this - danger free!

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Light drama with a surprisingly heavy backstory

I'm out of words. It started as a refreshing, fluffy, and light drama but the unexpected twist at the latter ep would leave you jaw-dropped. *kidding*. Let's say "shocked". Since the beginning, I'm not expecting anything heavy from this drama at all. I thought it'd be slice-of-lifey, kind of like Reply, but mannn I was wrong. Let's jump to the full review based on my point of view.

STORY
This drama defines "every charming-flawless-like guy has their own dark secret" perfectly. Starting smoothly with no major problems, from introducing every cast in the first episode, and then circulating in Chief Hong-Hyejin life. I love that this drama gave every cast a perfect amount of screentime and their own story, so there's a complexity and also a variety of struggles everyone's facing from any background. I'm surprised they also included an LGBT topic here, and it's even an L, how rare. And they even brought up mental health issues... but it doesn't feel as heavy as I think it'd be, just making me cry a lil bit too much and got a headache. In the end, it's not a light drama.

ACTING
I have nothing bad to say, I'm not going to critique any of them, they're ALL great actors. Not only 1 2 or 3 of them but ALL OF THEM are great actors. From the oldest to the youngest did their job really well, they all sure can act. Actually, I was surprised by Bora and I-jun's acting skills, like how could they act so well at such young age?! For Kim Seon Ho, he is incredible, I'm glad his talent is now recognized by the world :( As for Shin Min Ah...as long as I could remember, she could act very well BUT I THINK in this drama there are still lacks here and there. I don't know if that's how she's supposed to act like but somehow for some scenes, I feel it looked too much and a bit unnatural(?) yet still manageable. Honorable mention for Hwa Jeong, Gam Ri, Nam Sook, and Yun Kyung, they're amazing! I won't forget Hwa Jeong's umbrella scene, Gam Ri's telephone scene with her son, Nam Sook's loss, and Yun Kyung's shoelaces scene.

OST
I'm a fan of this drama's ost! Especially the one sung by Sandeul and Seungmin. Dammmnnn those are good song, bruh. Just my style.

OVERALL
This drama is worth the wait. It meets my high expectation. An excellent story delivered by great actors, what's more to ask? Maybe more episodes? That'd be interesting. Am I going to rewatch it? OF COURSE! I will back for Hong Banjangggg~~ 9.5/10 is not overrated I think.

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Glad I didn't miss it

It is in fashion lately, that Chinese dramas cause polarization. I almost didn’t watch this drama, because I’m not a fan of School dramas and also not a particular fan of Zao Lusi and I don’t know other actors. And I’ve heard that viewers are not satisfied.

I was very pleasantly surprised.

First half is very light and hilarious, our ML and FL who have great chemistry, dance happily from ‘I really don’t like you, you are annoying’ to ‘ I love you so much, I can’t live without you’. Both actors did a great job in portraying their characters, I appreciate them very much. Romance is lovely, side character are great, almost everything is fun and optimistic, as youth is. But, we could see dark clouds gathering.

Second part I see as a strike of reality. Our heroes leave school and enter life. Suddenly your mate is a different person now, life is not what you’ve imagined. This is the part many viewers don’t like. Here we can see the rise of a main villain. The character of main villain is, at least in my opinion, written very good and performed brilliantly. He is full of unreasonable hate, because his family was caught and punished for being greedy and dishonorable. So he becomes even more greedy and dishonorable, but also much more careful (except for his weakness), he is hiding behind his charm and wittiness. It is quite a shock how he handles with his weakness.

The story was a little illogical form time to time, but this is practically a standard, so it didn’t bother me.

If you expect only light fun and romance and comedy, this drama probably won’t be for you. Otherwise I highly recommend it. I give it 10, because I really enjoy the contrast between first and second part and the villain plot.

I also really liked opening song, it reminded me of Chinese opera in a very good way, other song didn't catch my ear.

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