From Five to Nine

I don't give a damn what anyone wants to say about this drama- I LOVED IT!
You say it's cheesy?
Well guess what- this is some of that White Stilton Gold cheese
I'm not crazy about romance dramas but this one... this was was right up my alley.
It had one of the best love profession scenes (gotta wait til the end) I've ever seen in a drama.
The comedy also made this really enjoyable. The mains always being interrupted before they kiss, Momoe and her obsession of boy love (I need a bff like her in my life) manga, and lets not forget the dad and his Olympic hemorrhoids X-D
Yea, the story is cliched but its so cute and fun that it's hard to not just sit back and enjoy it.
I laughed, I cried, I fangirled like a mother at Yamapi shirtless standing under a waterfall O_O

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Flawed Love Chaotic Ride and a Frustrating Grandma

If you are tired of perfect, green flag leads and flawless couples, this drama might be for you. Both the male lead and female lead are deeply flawed, and whether you enjoy the story depends on how much you can tolerate that.

The male lead starts off quite strange and even uncomfortable to watch, leaning into obsessive behavior that can feel off putting. However, his character shows strong growth over time and eventually becomes endearing. The female lead is a refreshing change from the typical naive heroine. She is mature, has realistic dreams, and knows what she wants, although her inability to set firm boundaries can be frustrating.

The drama leans more into rom com than pure romance, with the comedy often overshadowing the love story. The central relationship feels like an emotional rollercoaster. One moment you are laughing at them, the next you are annoyed, then somehow rooting for them again. This constant back and forth continues throughout the series.

The plot itself is quite typical. A male lead who falls in love at first sight and pursues the female lead in a way that can feel like stalking, multiple love rivals, and a stretched will they or will they not dynamic. It becomes repetitive toward the end, and the pacing drags even though the outcome feels obvious halfway through.

The side characters are a mix of entertaining and questionable. The workplace setting feels more like a café where people come and go freely rather than a professional environment, but it still manages to stay lively and engaging. However, the biggest issue comes from the grandmother. She spends almost the entire drama trying to separate the leads for reasons that only get explained in the very last episode. Instead of adding depth, her actions feel unnecessarily frustrating and push her straight into the worst guardian category. She constantly interferes without thinking ahead, making her more exhausting than impactful.

Performance wise, Satomi Ishihara delivers a strong and believable performance, balancing both emotional and comedic scenes effortlessly. Tomohisa Yamashita plays the robotic and emotionally restrained male lead very well, managing to convey a lot through subtle expressions.

There are also technical drawbacks. The English dialogue can feel awkward, especially for native speakers, as the accents and delivery do not always land naturally. While the drama includes some cute and enjoyable clichés, the chemistry between the leads may not work for everyone.

In the end, the drama delivers a cheesy but warm conclusion, even if it may not feel fully earned after all the conflict. It is entertaining overall, though frustrating and repetitive at times, and while it is enjoyable to watch once, it may not be something worth revisiting.

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Meh

TBH it’s slow and boring and weird. I mean I cried a little bit when they were going through their breakup in the last few episodes, which was unexpected. Honestly, I’m surprised I got past the first episode since he was so stalkery and pushy which is a huge red flag. So I wouldn’t recommend. Though her family was really cute and I enjoyed them. But the fact that every man was in love with her was blah and the grandma was annoying as heck and the office side characters were not that interesting and yes the monk without his shirt in the waterfall was nice but what was the reason? So yeah. . . not worth it for me. I skipped through most of it to be completely honest. It was just so boring and slow.

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Watchable rom-com that can test the patience of the Buddha sometimes

I enjoyed this show but it can be exasperating as well.
I liked how dorky, serious and sweet the ML can be but he can be overbearing. Don't even get me started on the grandma, she is the classic smiling assassin who ruled her clan with silk lined iron fists.
My one big gripe with the ML is that I wish he would grow some backbone. He was totally under the grandma's thumb. The whole breakup to spare the FL more pain is the worst trope in my book. I would have much prefer the ML to stood up to the grandma and give her both barrels for ruining his brother's and now his life. Is he that wedded to the temple? He could get another job and just live happily with the FL in the suburbs.
While his brother was a sly character, at least he knew who was to blame for his sufferings and he also gave the grandma a serve which she deserved. I mean after all the pain she inflicted on the FL she was finally swayed by one goodbye letter from the FL to the ML? I just feel that she need to get some kind of comeuppance.
There is definitely a second lead syndrome happening which is rare with newer dramas which tends to demonise the SML. It was good that the love triangle(s) weren't serious but that poor man (the boss) deserved better and largely came down to a string of miscommunications or failure to communicate and there are lots of communication problems in this show, too many in my opinion.
I also wish there is more substance to the 2OTP (Mr Arthur). It could have been a lot sweeter but it was a caricature for the bulk of the show. The CP actually has a lot of potential and chemistry. There is a 3OTP (age gap love) which was even more perfunctory.
On the whole, it was a watchable but tropey rom-com with so much overacting (the FL's parents need to take some chill pills LOL). I'm not as engaged with the story as I'd have liked. I'm alternately swooning and facepalming. It can feel contrived and forced at times. The writer-nim employed a number of tropes and clichés which were initially effective but they kept repeating them and they ended up being laboured and tiresome.
There are not a lot of skinship (until the end) and this show must hold the record for the number of times a kiss can be interrupted. Even the Show made fun of it in the end but it was a forced smile with clenched teeth.
It was the idea of a monk (being allowed to) fall in love and getting married that hooked me and kept me watching but there are times when it did get frustrating.

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I saw that there are people think that the male lead is somehow a stalker type but not actually that very severe.

I find the male lead do this because he has been an emotionless person before she met the female lead who is very very beautiful.

This review will be very short and here's what I can share to everyone.

Pros:
- No chaebol/CEO guy.
- Male lead is a monk (which makes it unique)
- Female lead is not a damsel in distress type of woman.
- Female lead is sooooo beautiful! ?
- Male lead chases the female lead.
- Funny, simple and heartwarming story.

Cons:
- Uber delayed kiss ?
- Other Supporting male lead did not develop throughout the series.
- Male lead is not that handsome (for me) so don't expect.

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If the creator of the show is crazy enough to make a sequel, then sign me up real quick.

Used to watch horror films and Anime as a kid, seen a few RomCom too but this is the first ever JDrama that made my heart sigh, made me wanna laugh, cry then laugh again. Sometimes wanna do both at the same time.

Story wise, it's not that complicated. It's the typical girl meets boy by chance or fate. ML was a straight laced guy that wouldn't know fun even if it hit him on the face. He met FL and fall for her sweet smile and bubbly persona. She's a sweet girl with a loving family. A hard worker driven by her dreams. ML pursued her relentlessly, sometimes a bit creepy but it was just his unique way of doing things.

He's really unique in a way, he has his dominant ways that were never cruel unlike some other typical shows. His way maybe a bit weird but it's sweet and pure.

FL maybe sweet but has steel for a core. She's honest about her dream, about her feelings. Her dream was clear even from the beginning. Back when she didn't like the ML yet, she told it to his face. And when she decided to love, she gave her all, no half measures.

Actors did a good job, good chemistry. Entertaining supporting roles. Short but sweet backstory. And the most important thing, everybody has their own happy ending. If the creator of this show is crazy enough to make a sequel, then sign me up real quick.

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Story (6/10):
I have not read the original manga that this is based on, so I can only speak for the drama. The overall story line is fairly lighthearted and comical, but it does have a few emotional moments towards the end (I only went through like, one box of tissues... nbd).

The good:
The story progressed at a decent pace, where every episode had a purpose. While I wasn't too impressed with the plot, I thoroughly enjoyed the every one of the comical moments, many of which were unexpected. Aside from the comedy, my favorite parts of the drama were the sub stories of the supporting characters. They were all adorable and added so much fun and liveliness to the drama, and I would have loved to see more of them!

The not so good:
The story itself is pretty one dimensional. There was only one predominant obstacle throughout the entire series. Aside from the idea of a monk determinedly chasing after the female protagonist, there wasn't much else that made this drama unique. Furthermore, the plot development was uneven.Some parts of the story line were dragged on a bit longer than necessary, while other parts weren't explored enough. I felt like the drama started out a bit repetitive and slow for the first half of the series, but made a quick turnaround for the second half.

Characters (8/10)
The characters made the show for me. There were moments when I felt that the acting was a little lacking or the lines were too cheesy, but it didn't take too much away from the story . Each person had their little quirk or unique personality trait that made them interesting. Altogether, they created and fun and inviting atmosphere that made me wish that I could be a part of that community. There aren't any true villains in this drama, only misunderstood individuals who need to learn how to communicate. By the end of the drama, I pretty much loved everyone and was sad to say goodbye. Keep in mind, though I get attached to people very easily D:.

Music:
I didn't particularly pay attention to the music, but I got no complaints!

Overall
This isn't a drama I'd plan on re-watching, but it's definitely a drama to watch if you're looking for something fun and light. It's also a fairly short drama, so there's no long time or emotional commitment! :P

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