Casting a Spell to You

How fast can a Drama go downhill?

This is my first review, so bear with me.
I enjoyed the first episodes, the characters were mostly complex, they had a goal and the leads had chemistry.

I would say everything went downhill when he colored his hair brown (Why is that such a common trope? Could the leads please keep their colored hair, they always look so good. Nvm). Even in the first ep. he had abusive tendencies and there I already knew that my rating wouldnt go above 9, but sometimes they have such a good chemistry that I will watch it even though I mostly despise these scenes. And ohh man they had chemistry, The first 4 to 5 episodes they had so much skin ship and banter that i was ready and happy for more in the later episodes, but suddenly it stopped and with it their chemistry.
Suddenly all they did was scream at each other and be jealous little kids. Especially his screams and anger tantrums were extreme and I hated them so much.
The lead actors and the sfl were all very good actors and they potrayed emotions very well but in the later half the script didnt do them justice. The rest were mediocre to even bad, especially Kangnam (As if there are not enough thai actors or even idols that could act better, but understandably if no one wanted to play this stereotypical character.) did an incredibly bad job.
The rl was so intriguing in the first ep. and the sfl had an enough likable character for the typical 2010s sfl, but suddenly everyone changed for the worst, no one had goals anymore. Why doesnt he want to go to finland anymore, why doesnt she want to cook anymore?
And where went the skin ship? Like the accidentally touched in the first 4 episodes more than in the rest of the episodes combined. Also there were so many characters and scenes that were totally unrelated to character or plot development.
I will add more when I thought about it more, but in conclusion: This is a disappointment that went downhill the farther we got into the series.

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Romance with side characters with deep dark flaws

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 (well filmed mostly 2017 but not aired until 2021) South Korean Romantic drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. Also known under the title “Mojito”.

First I write a synopsis then review

Synopsis

A tragic event led Chin Ji Woo (Sung Joon) to literally run from his past. But the money he had as a chaebol heir is running dry and he returns home anticipating a piece of inheritance from his recently deceased grandfather. In the course of being a rich play boy, he encounters So Joong Hee (also known as Soju; Im Ji Yeon) whom he discovers will do many things for the right amount of money. He is fascinated by this person that lives so differently than he does and decides to play with her. While Ji Woo did not inherit a lot of money he did get an old building filled with books. Since his family has cut him off (partially to keep him from leaving) Ji Woo comes up with the ipunique idea of having a day drinking bar which he calls Siesta. Joong Hee becomes his part timer to pay off a debt she wounded up having to him. Her dream is to study culinary art in Paris but since she was swindled out of her money working with Ji Woo is currently her best option. As the two get closer, Seo Yi Ji (Kim Yoon Hye) the sister of Ji Woo’ s deceased friend whom he feels responsible for appears. Ji Woo has so much guilt over past events that Yi Ji is able to bully him into being her boyfriend. Joon Hee’s best friend Kim Yeong Kang (Baek Sung Hyun) has thought of her as more than a friend for quite some time but has yet to confess. Will two people from such different backgrounds find love? What is the tragedy from Ji Woo’s life that had him running from emotional pain? Will Siesta flourish or fail?

Review

I think a huge determining factor in whether you like this drama or not is if you are okay with characters who have deep flaws or if you watch dramas to escape the ugly side of reality. The central romance itself is believable and cute but so nany of the characters around them have serious emotional problems. It is good, you can definitely tell it was filmed in 2017 as it has this darker style and just has the cultural essence of that time period. It is good and I would recommend it for those that like romances. I will not likely rewatch it so it is not a top favorite but still worth a watch.

Spoilers
Ji Woo is so cruel, at times to Soju that it is really hard to understand what she sees in him when there is a guy that is so sweet and caring to her in the form of her bestie. However, there is this scene when the two seconds ask each other what they see in the lead couple and their answers are telling. They basically provide a list of bad qualities and then say but I love them anyway. Ji Woo acts very cool and uncaring on the exterior but actually winds up taking care of all those in need who cross his path. He is fun and interesting and it is that charisma that draws people to him. Soju is very caring. She cannot pass someone in need without helping. She makes food she thinks others will like and is a hard worker. Which, I think, is the reason Ji Woo and Soju are better suited than the two people who like them. The fact that they see and bring out these positive qualities is what makes for a good relationship. There was a point when I thought Yi Ji might have undergone some character growth and might become likable but then she does the most selfish and despicable things and I think never mind. Harming yourself and threatening suicide to get someone to be with you is emotional abuse. The fact that she could observe what her selfish behavior was doing to him and still carry on, even when his mother implored her to let him go, showed she was a selfish and cruel person to her core. They tried to give her a redemption arch but the way she “let him go” was narcissistic and she basically blamed him for allowing her to use him. The girl needed serious mental help as she was emotionally abusive. Soju’s brother was just a straight up mooch. He did finally find a job that suited him and turn things around but it was so close to the end there was no time for it to feel redemptive. I wanted Ji woo’s mother to tell Yi Jo’s mother off. How dare she emotionally traumatize her son when the entire situation was that family’s fault. Who goes up to a grieving teenager who just lost their best friend and tells them they are going to hell? The son was upset and ran off because his mother was cheating on his dying father. Ji Woo goes after him and, when he is too hurt, he leaves him by a tree to go get help. And the guy crawls off? He was horrible too, he knew his friend was following him but he was busy throwing a fit. I found that whole family just horrible, None of that was his fault. The fact that no one told him that before her was disgraceful of all the adults in his life. The mother saying she needed someone to blame as if that was an acceptable justification for her emotionally abusive behavior was frustrating. But the Apple did not fall far from the emotional abuser tree as her daughter tried to justify her horrendous behavior toward him because she needed someone to lean on and that telling him it wasn’t his fault may have made him leave her side. I was a little disappointed that Ji Woo never apologized for choosing to protect manipulative Ji Yi‘s feelings and was willing to break Soju’s heart. When you hurt someone you live that deeply, even if it is because you are being manipulated and abused, acknowledging and apologizing is something you should do to heal as a couple.

#CastingASpellToYou
#Mojito
#SungJoon
#ImJiYeon

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Una commedia senza pretese...in tutti i sensi.

Le commedie leggere e senza troppe pretese possono essere piacevoli e apprezzabili? Assolutamente sì. Una serie spensierata non deve essere necessariamente sinonimo di senza senso. Purtroppo, invece, è quanto avvenuto con questo drama.
La trama non regge. Può aver avuto senso l'idea di base, ma il suo sviluppo ha portato a una sceneggiatura che sembra abbia giocato a "unisci i puntini", con dei "punti" chiari da raggiungere - scene ad effetto, dove poter dire "io ho ucciso una persona" - ma senza badare troppo alla credibilità della linea che collega questi punti. La storia, davvero, fa acqua un po' da tutte le parti. Vogliamo un protagonista afflitto dal tormento di un evento passato, così segnato profondamente da aver influenzato tutte le sue - pessime - scelte di vita, ma se poi pensiamo alla fatidica notte, ci chiediamo: e dunque? dove sta il problema? L'amico si ferisce inavvertitamente, senza responsabilità di nessuno, il nostro protagonista lo soccorre, lo trascina al riparo e va - con tanto di buonsenso - a cercare aiuto. Da lì al "ho ucciso una persona" e il riferimento al fatto che nessuno abbia mai detto il contrario, rasentiamo un po' l'assurdo: un dramma dove il dramma non c'è. La storia, sostanzialmente, è tutta così. L'ex russa, tanto aggressiva da rincorrerlo con una pistola e disposta a dargli la caccia fino dall'altro capo del mondo...ma che si arrende dopo una banale sfida all'ultimo shot. Ma quando mai? Anche qui, l'impressione di un mero link riempitivo per portare la storia a una scena-obiettivo già programmata. Chi ha scritto il copione non si è sforzato minimamente, insomma.
Sul fronte degli attori, buona la prova del protagonista, soprattutto nella seconda parte (capisco la superficialità voluta del personaggio nella prima parte, per poter mostrarne poi l'evoluzione, ma nei primi episodi era davvero eccessivo, al di là dei capelli osceni e davvero inguardabili). La protagonista invece la boccio su tutta la linea: empatia, zero. Simpatia, sotto lo zero. Delle due, l'una: o la recitazione non è davvero il suo forte, o il personaggio che doveva interpretare era tratteggiato in modo davvero pessimo. Difficilmente la protagonista di una serie mi ha infastidita come in questo caso: starnazzante come un'oca (non discute, più che altro grida) e con un'espressione perenne da triglia lessa. Nessun personaggio secondario degno di nota.
Concludendo, la serie strappa a malapena la sufficienza. Il consiglio: se volete distrarvi con una serie spensierata che valga la pena guardare, rivolgetevi altrove.

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Non è da molto che l'ho finito eppure non lo ricordo troppo chiaramente, quindi abbiate pietà per questa mia recensione. Il drama in sè non cerca di essere nulla più che una storiella romcom e ci riesce abbastanza bene, ma le cose che ho apprezzato maggiormente è il fattore crescita personale e il rapporto con il lavoro. In verità l'unica crescita che mi è è piaciuta è stata quella di ML che da ragazzino viziato è diventato maturo e ha capito cosa deve fare per valorizzare la propria vita. Per la protagonista ho provato spesso pietà ed imbarazzo, non so se effettivamente sia molto positivo XD Cmq, il fattore lavoro mi è piaciuto perchè non troppo spesso viene trattato come se fosse parte integrante del drama e qui ci sono riusciti discretamente bene. Il rapporto che le persone hanno con esso può rivelarci molto a volte.
Nel complesso è una storia carina, giusto per passare il tempo. Non aspettatevi troppo, ecco.

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