Once Upon a Small Town

Once Upon a Small Town is full of cheese and drama tropes, but at the end it felt well worth the watch.. even if I could guess what was going to happen because of it's tropy-ness.

One of my favorite drama plots is moving from a city into a small village and this one is all about that. It gave me Hometown Cha Cha Cha vibes where a smart, city doctor comes in and being in a village is the last thing they want in the world. The town itself is so beautiful and I loved getting to see the scenery with all the cinematography shots they give.

What added to my rating of 9 was I felt that some plots/tropes were added, but not really needed. I still don't really see why they added in his tragic backstory with the town + Officer Ahn other than having that as the mystery.. which didn't really make sense to me seeming he didn't even remember the trauma until the drama was almost over. It could've been fine without it and them just met for the first time when he came then, or just of had him remember earlier into the show rather than drag it out.

Joy's acting is amazing in this and was one of the main reasons that drug me in. She gave such life to Officer Ahn and helped me feel all the butterflies and feelings she was as it was going on. Her chemistry with the male lead as well was so good and I loved seeing the relationship blossom.

Watching the animal stories itself was emotional and I loved seeing all the pets/animals in the village. Some of them even made me cry... It's just a beautiful, cheesy romance story.

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REMARKABLY MEDIOCRE !!!

After watching K-dramas for so many years, it is difficult for audience like me to find a show that can wow us to our core. We have probably seen every trope and cliché repeat and reinvent itself time and again. Once Upon a Small Town (OUST) is a drama from 2015-2016 repackaged with modern production. My review might read harsher than what I scored, but this show is average at best. There is nothing vastly disappointing about it, but I guess its mediocrity is the reason why it failed to garner any kind of attention from the audience who are over fed by exciting content across various platforms. My review contains no spoilers.

POSITIVES OF THE SHOW

1. SETUP: The charm of this show is the place where it’s told. Every k-drama that is being produced these days is set up in the concrete jungle of Seoul. The show does a great job of giving a much-needed break from an urban based story line and visually entices us with sunny landscape, picturesque farmlands, open roads and village life. The simplicity of the village life does a good job of making the viewers nostalgic of their hometowns or simply indulges our desire to escape the hassles of a big city.

2. NO DRAMA: If you are tired of shows that have a lot of drama, angst, betrayal, backstabbing, evil characters etc. then this is a great palette cleanser of a show. After a heavy show I recommend people to watch OUST. The slice of life genre meets rom com does a good job of keeping the story light and fluffy throughout the 12 episodes.

3. MISSING OLD K-DRMAS: If there are people who are missing yesteryear Korean shows that did not have complicated plots or had a straightforward romance with tried and tested tropes then this show is for you. There is nothing remotely complex about OUST and the simplicity of the plot mixed with calming outdoor aesthetic is reminiscent of olden Korean shows.

NEGATIVES OF THE SHOW

1. BORING ROMANCE: There is nothing exciting and capturing about the romance in this show. The writing was very bland & uninspiring, almost as if the script was written for graduation project & not a Netflix show. The leads had no memorable moments or chemistry. I fault the writing more than the actors as the script gave them very less opportunity to showcase genuine connection unfolding between the characters. The characters lacked dimension, genuine motives & authenticity because of which the romance seemed insincere.

2. AVERAGE ACTTORS: Personally, even in the most under budgeted k-drama shows I’ve never seen a “bad” actor. I believe that Koreans are at top of their game, especially when it's about acting. So, when I come across a show that underwhelmed me in this category, I was surprised. Choo Young Woo as Han Ji Yul was okay. He did a decent job, but one could see that he is still young in the business & requires tons of experience. In some scenes he did great and in some he overdid. Joy as Ahn Ja Young was surprisingly appropriate. She has most definitely improved since Tempted. However, one could still feel certain stiffness in her acting. My favorite actor was probably the third lead played by Baek Sung Chul. It was my first time seeing him act and one could tell he has a spark. I look forward to his future projects.

All in all, OUST is a forgettable show. I doubt I will re-watch this in the future. But due to its relaxing story and rural setup, I’m sure many can give this one a shot.

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Simple Slice-of-Life Drama with Romance as a focus - Not much happens

“Once Upon a Small Town” is a very light, slice-of life drama set in a rural setting. I can’t help but compare it to “Summer Strike”. Both dramas have the main lead moving from Seoul to a rural village for different reasons, needing to learn to integrate into their new communities and along the way meeting someone they like.

Not much really goes on in “Once Upon a Small Town”. If you are into a simple drama with a romance-centric plot, then this is for you. Similar to many stories about small town living, you can’t get away from having loud and nosy villagers as the supporting cast. Even though the villagers don’t really show up too much in the drama, when they do, they are really boisterous and annoying. “Summer Strike” does not have this problem, but it has a different plot that disrupts the quiet rural life. If you want a stronger romance plot, then “Once Upon a Small Town” is better than “Summer Strike”. “Summer Strike’s” romance has a more mature and quiet feel to it. The romance in this drama is more slow-burn, innocent and sweet. It’s also cuter and fluffier when the leads finally get together.

The acting is decent and the chemistry is OK. It’s interesting to have a story about a vet but unfortunately, it doesn’t go into detail about the profession. I would have loved to see more animal cases and how he treats the animals. This is not a medical drama, like “Forest”, so the focus is mainly on the two main leads.

I have an easy time watching it. I will only recommend this if you are really looking for a simple slice-of-life drama. Do not expect plot twists or anything unpredictable.



Completed: 7/7/2023 - Review #329

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huge let down was nothing like the webtoon series...

They changed the story so much it might as well been a completely different series then it was originally, and made it awkward and cringey. They changed the characters personalities, and rushed the storyline, both coming out flat. (no fault to the actors, I liked the cast), the series started okay, but then around ep 6 or 7 it grew past 'okay cringyness' (I know I made up that word there), and every scene grew worse, I couldn't bring myself to watch the last episode. I may finish the last ep in the future, but I don't really see that happening lol. Anyway, it was a huge letdown from the webtoon series that I enjoyed.

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Wonderfully Lighthearted, Non Complicated Romance

I don't know why many reviewers are hating on this drama. Does it have tropes - yeah but what drama doesn't? People loved 'A Business Proposal', and there were tropes all over the place. I personally hated 'A Business Proposal' because it was nothing like the webtoon. Netflix took a hatchet job to it and packed it full of ridiculous tropes yet people loved it. Go figure, eh? Once Upon a Small Town was just a lighthearted, non-complicated romance, which is more realistic than Cinderella marrying a chaebol CEO.

The plot: you have a city vet meeting a small village cop, a girl he met as a child but forgot her. I honestly don't know how you forget an entire summer playing with a little girl but apparently, he did, the dope. This plot could happen to anyone, which makes it more relatable. Yes, we have a love triangle. I loved the peach farmer (SML) - he's so no-nonsense and blunt, never have to guess what he's thinking - but SML is very mature about it and accepts it. Maybe that's why people hated this drama - SML was just as good as ML, maybe better since he never forgot anything and didn't have an ex-girlfriend. Sometimes I wish when they have an equally likeable SML, the drama would provide two endings so the viewers can chose which ML they prefer. We also have ML's ex-girlfriend show up, thinking she's going to pick up where she left off with the guy she dumped when she left for the US. The arrogance of this girl is something else - she just thinks ML is waiting around for her to come back like he's hers to pick up or throw away, like a worn out sock or something - but she gives up graciously and departs. That's pretty much the plot - summer friends meet again and love blossoms. I found the town people likeable, especially the little boy and the old guy with the old bull. I especially like how ML ends up taking over his grandfather's vet practice rather than remain in Seoul. I, personally, would much rather live in the countryside than the city.

I also don't know why there's people that hated FL. I didn't find her annoying at all. Other FLs that people complain about, I can understand once I start watching, but this one, I don't get it. Maybe it's because she's a K-pop singer. I don't have a clue.

Just two negatives - they didn't show us the ending for ML's vet friend and the vet nurse and couldn't they have splurged and paid an actor to play the role of Grandpa Vet???

So, overall, I loved it. Maybe I'm just not a connoisseur of dramas. Not every drama I watch needs to be complicated with a bunch of twists and turns. Most of the time, I'm just looking for a lighthearted, non-complicated romance, which is what this is. If that's your style of drama or you're looking for something to help you unwind, please watch and don't listen to the naysayers.

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a veterinarian and a police officer in a small town

finished 7.5/10 ⭐️
i'll be honest: I watched this kdrama because of the lead actor, since I really liked his performance in The Trauma Code and Head Over Heels... I think it was generally good, but it had a lot of script issues... There were also some very unpleasant characters that made it difficult to enjoy the plot as such.

The ex-girlfriend thing, the best friend in love thing, was given too much importance when they could have focused on the romantic growth of the protagonists.

The ending was very meh. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it either; it was too weak... which is a shame because the main couple had a lot of potential.

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watched weekly as it came out

lets ignore this review is a week late oops - first, i was surprised to see how short this drama was with only 35 mins each but i happy to know it was 3x a week! from the beginning i knew this was going to be a light drama with beautiful cinematography (plus a good ost). ive never watched a drama starring the main leads but i definitely want to check them out after this one (joy's character is so cute and loveable i love her). the drama is not exactly life changing and has crazy plot twists like many dramas this year but im glad it exists because we need some more light dramas with good visuals and osts this year AND a happy ending! if you loved my liberation notes or my blues or any other drama for the pretty countryside visuals, you should check OUAST - plus it has cute animals! the storyline is pretty simple to follow and not too many characters, so it doesn't feel overwhelming and clique tropes but that didn't bother me. there is a special place in my heart for dramas like this perfect for the summer season or when we just need comfort!

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A very cute and fresh story

If you're looking for a nice drama, without any pressure and without those often over-constructed twists, 'Once Upon a Small Town' is the show for you. The number of episodes and duration are reduced compared to usual dramas, but the story is not affected.

Sometimes some scenes can be a little over the top and it's curious to have a police officer who seems to do everything except the police officer, but this helps the script to create gimmicks and new stories.

Joy and Choo Young Woo are very nice together. Joy's character in particular is very sweet and positive, and her smile lights up the series

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Cute and simple

At first I didn't wanted to actually watch the drama bc i thought it was going to be extremely boring and bc of that it took me like two months JUST to finish the first episode 😭😭 Then i got a purpose to actually finish the show and I rlly liked it. The romance was CUTE, maybe i got kinda frustrated bc joy was so sweet and the ml was humiliating her in the 4 firsts eps 😭😭 but then it just got better idk, What im saying is that the chemistry is incredible and every scene they were into i always enjoy it. Also, i add more points bc of the CUTE animals. Yep, watch the show, it's worth it.

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