Devilish Joy (2018)

This is one of the clearest, cutest dramas I've seen this year. And it's already October :)

I guess you can say that I'm thrilled and charmed by the simplicity of the drama. There isn't much new to the plot, in general, but you see a lot of freshness in how they approach the subject. Either Jin Hyuk found a drama that appears to ideally fit to his own character, or they changed it a bit to fit him, because he is superb in it.

Jin Hyuk has an ability to play characters, that seems simple and lighthearted, at the same time, being incredibly deep and sophisticated. I think this is the main charm in this drama. He plays his role perfectly and at the same time gives depth to the plot, writers have given him to play.

I do believe that either people see this drama and can't get enough of it, or they will dismiss it for being too simple and easy. But at a closer look, you love it more than (almost) any other.

Also have to give production crew a thumbs up. The choice of actors is pretty darn good and as I am usually pretty negative in my reviews about female leads, which usually appears in me not posting about them at all.. :) But this time I have to say.. I'm impressed.

Ha Yoon is at her strongest in here. In 'Fight for my way', she made an impression as a great actress, who could really play a part I'd enjoy, in an emotional drama. I was right, she's perfect for this, in this. She makes me smile and she frustrates me.. and she makes me feel her emotions, and relate to her life..

Everyone, the writers, producers, the actors. Have done a great job on this project(will do). Can't wait to watch it until to the end. Hope to feel surprised a bit, but whichever way the plot goes, I'm sure I'm gonna love it until it ends.

(BTW) Not sure about this remark.. But I really do like Hoya only, when he's dancing.. I've seen some, or a lot of his acting. But somehow.. his character, wherever he plays.. has not gotten a lot of recognition from me. He plays well, but I don't like him as an actor. As a dancer, sure.. I could watch him for a long time :D

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Devilish Joy was a whirlwind of a drama. It had an endearing and powerful start that slowly threw all logic aside as it plowed through its plot, finally settling down with quite the train wreck of a finale.

I’m not saying it was a bad drama—at least, not in the sense that I did not enjoy it because I feel like it was worth my time. However, enjoyment aside, the writing and directing were really a mess. At its heart, Devilish Joy had some great characters and I think that’s what ultimately made it so watchable but the story line itself felt…immature. It was seasoned with a plethora of cliché (CLICHÉ!!!) mishaps and coincidences. My favorite phrase to mutter while watching this was “How~ convenient~.” To be honest I think it ultimately did not accomplish what its premise set it out to do (ie answer the question: “Could you fall in love with someone you forget every morning?”). They did not play on the amnesia plot device quite like I expected them to and that was a little disappointing because it was too unrealistic and kind of defeated the purpose (at least until the last episode, where it was played out much more how I expected the whole drama to have been).

It is cute and it is sweet. There are so…many…kisses (yey)! However, while I’ve seen some people raving about the chemistry in this, I just didn’t feel it. It’s not that Choi Jin Hyuk and Song Ha Yoon had no chemistry at all, I just didn’t think it was anything special (apart from the first episode, they never really made my heart race or anything). I’m not going to lie though and say I did not fully enjoy every second we got to see Choi Jin Hyuk in all his tall, deep-voiced glory (swooning a little).
Overall this was a relatively easy watch and surprisingly “breezy” given the topic at hand. I would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a little melodrama and a lot of romance.

Warning: the gum-smacking courtesy of our resident baddie is rage-inducing and capable of awakening dark thoughts you did not know you were capable of. Keep the sound on during his scenes with caution.

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