Realistically Wholesome
Slice of life kdramas are my favorite genre to watch. It embraces everyday life stories and events. There's no fantasy, no chaebol family drama, no serial killings or murder, just real life situations and welcome to samdalri served that well.Away from the busy and bustling city of Seoul, a successful photographer (Cho Sam Dal) who has experienced a fall from grace and has become a topic for ridicule due to betrayal from her assistant relocates to her hometown, jeju. There, she reunites with her old love (Cho Yong Pil) and childhood friends. Adding more liveliness and stimulating tourist instinct is a peek into the life of jeju inhabitants and beautiful parts of jeju island. That is the story of welcome to Samdalri.
The storyline is simple, lightweight and very relatable.The drama portrays the fact that hatred, envy and jealousy mostly doesn't live far. It comes from our circle and people close to us. Who would've thought that Samdal's assistant who wanted to debute as a photographer at all cost would be the same person Samdal's boyfriend cheated on her with.
One likeable thing about this drama is that it focuses more on self-growth than revenge, that's on Sam Dal's part. She could have decided to get back at her former assistant for what she did and expose her but instead, she focused on herself, embraced and discovered other parts of herself and ones she has forgotten and grew through the process bearing in mind that her talent could not be taken away from her. Thus, she came back stronger. This show is a classical example of "people can try to imitate you as much as they want but they can never truly be you". Also, Yong Pil's father let go of the grudge he was holding against Sam Dal's family for a long time and allowed her to be happy with his son.
Additionally, the romance in the drama is subtle. It is not too intense and it is not too dull and that complements the drama well.
The entire drama gives off a warm, healing and peaceful vibe and captures realism in the most beautiful way. I loved it.
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Must watch this drama....Love You Wooki
As I am writing this review, four episodes of this drama have ended... and these four episodes that I have watched are very good and if you are also wondering whether I should watch this drama or not, I must say that you must watch this drama without any problemAnd I hope you guys will enjoy watching this drama. And as this drama is progressing it is becoming very good and we hope that when the 16 episodes of this drama will be over then we will understand that this drama is a master piece
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This review may contain spoilers
The drama isn't peaceful or wholesome but rather weird and frustrating at times
Before anyone says i like ml a lot , i loved fl in "see you in 19th life stillhere things aren't working for meThe cast is great no doubt
But it seems they couldn't put everything together , the drama is scattered here and there
They wanted to show comedy but did too much with their anger , frustration especially gossip
I mean why would they thought lead actors or even the side ones being angry and frustrating will make viewers think it's fun ,
Also the gossip part , they showed too much gossip from town which leads to think there is no warmth which everyone is talking about
The drama isn't really wholesome or warming ...
If you have watched hometown cha cha cha and came thinking it would be like that it's a big no , they showed the location of countryside but couldn't really show the beauty apart from few seconds of sea .
The three girls are too much for the mother , they are shown as if they are naive , i mean why would anyone in their late 30s would be this clueless about their mother , none is shown caring in nature , again in order to show their funny side it is irritating
I think they just could shown them in their late 20s or around 31 but 38 is too much , neither they look nor their behavior that way
And ml character is not really detailed , his life is all around fl , which i can understand but it feels the drama revolves around her only , he is there to accompany her
The first ep is good but then things go downhill till 6th episode as i thought now it would be better , they popped the love triangle , it was okayish but still bit irritating till ep 11 , it was okay thenwards but .... didn't really satisfied me
The love triangle was so unnecessary, it sucks
The way 2nd lead says he let the ml have her ot gave up on her was just too irritating and destroyed the story too badly
There wasn't really sweet moments shown from their pas or even present which is unsatisfying
I skipped a lot of drama and watched at 2x still seemed too much for me .
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More of a healing drama
I don’t like storylines where a person is falsely accused of some misdeed or misconduct, and the public suddenly turns against them so fast without concrete evidence and without knowing the full story, quick to judge. And the victim has no way to vindicate herself- I which I find incredulous it being 2024 with all its advance tech etc…Anyhow, so ya. That’s how the story goes for our FL to run away back to her hometown. It’s very much a healing drama, so there will be lots of crying. I would say the main underlying ripple here would be the issue of unforgiveness, which involves not only the main leads but the families as well. The comedy and supporting cast are not too bad, I was able to watch without ff too much ;)
The romance and chemistry is not so evident. So if you’re looking for that then you will be disappointed. Both actors did a great job though, and I’ve like Ji Chang Wook since Healer, but his other dramas after were not so promising.
All in all this was a pretty good watch. Just get ready those tissues!
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Great cast and acting
A pleasant show with a mainly interesting storyline. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most was the cast and their exceptionally skilled acting. They managed to portray their characters and emotions in a genuine and heartfelt way - while the chemistry between the leads was definitely also on par. The setting and supporting cast were really good, too. The downside is the fact that it is yet another plot where the inability to communicate or be truthful, is what causes their issues and suffering. As such, the plot core drama-storyline seems more juvenile than challenging and makes for a deflated climax during the second half of the episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
Draggy love story, immature characters, meandering plot, saving grace is humor and scenery
The love story is uninteresting and the only thing that is drawing the audience from watching is whether the ML and FL will get together, and the reason why they broke up. Other plots serves as fillers most of the time. Otherwise, most of the time the ML and FL are hanging around having conversations like teenagers and the FL is always acting like an immature teenager girl. The drama keeps having flashbacks of them as teenagers, and although the drama also tells of stories of friendship, the other supporting characters do not quite have good character development.The upside of the drama really is the depiction of the relationship of the FL’s mother and her family, and the scenery around Jeju.
I cannot find myself being engrossed with the ML or the FL. The ML is too passive, and only took action in episode 11. The FL is too incongruent, whiny, behaved like a teenager and awkward to be very likeable. I understand it is a character setup but for kdramas to always setup female leads that way, and have relationships only work out towards the last few episodes does not work well for me.
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Disappointed
So disappointed with this series after only 3 episodes. Shrill, unsustainable storyline, an incomplete compilation of series by the director. Watched only because Ji Chang Wook, who is otherwise a very good actor, was in it. Waste of time and money.So disappointed with this series after only 3 episodes. Shrill, unsustainable storyline, an incomplete compilation of series by the director. Watched only because Ji Chang Wook, who is otherwise a very good actor, was in it. Waste of time and money.
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first try one episode out of every drama you plan to watch.
the main leads drew my attention to this amazing drama and as they are collaborating for the first time, their screen chemistry is great.I really enjoyed the fee episodes have watched so far from 1to 8 and I can tell you it's a go.
from the successful life of a photographer to the lady who grew firm SamDal to start all over there in Jeju.
a whole lot have happened and trust me, if you don't start now... you're missing out.
a must recommended...
one thing I like the drama for, is the perfect display of real life family...and its daily dose of drama.
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A delightful rom-com with a colorful small-town backdrop!
This rom-com is a contemporary take on classic romantic tropes set in a charming town on Jeju Island. The two charismatic leads, Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun, carry this story, owning every moment they're on screen.For Korean drama buffs, the themes are familiar. They are soulmates born within minutes of each other (à la The Good Bad Mother) who break up although they still have feelings (Our Beloved Summer). They reunite in the setting of heartwarming friends and endearing locals in a beautiful small town (Hometown Cha Cha Cha; Our Blues). Those who love these themes are likely to find this show delightful as well!
For less familiar audiences, the exaggerated problems and crises that punctuate the storyline could be viewed as flaws. It's helpful to keep in mind that Korea has an especially harsh cancel culture. It's not unheard of for baseless accusations to stymie careers (Tablo of Epik High comes to mind).
Enjoy this journey of two inseparable friends rekindling love, supporting each other, and helping each other grow!
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This show has EVERYTHING
I haven't loved a drama this much in a while. I love me a drama that hits on all of my emotions and this is it. Think Hometown Cha Cha Cha with a lil bit of Good Bad Mother, but still different enough from other titles that it feel refreshing.I typically watch dramas while I do cardio at the gym and let me tell you, I felt foolish to be laughing and then crying a few minutes later. But I wasnt about to stop watching 🤣 It's funny and touching and romantic etc. My favorite aspects are the familial and friendship love and loyalty expressed in the show.
It's really a great watch, I'd suggest it to anyone.
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This review may contain spoilers
a corny mess !
It was so bad I had to make a review. the only reason its rated this good is because everyone with taste stopped watching after the second episode and forgot about it for self preservation (also the jcw stan giving it a 10).So how did I finish it ? ... hate. the first two episodes made me hate that assistant girlie so much I had to see her suffer. but this drama is so disappointing it didn't even gave me that. literally so corny how ONE single article comes out about her and boom she's over and done. we don't even get to see her cry like I'm pissed I really wanted to see her jump off that *redacted. anyway at least the mother (the only real b**** in this show btw) threw vinegar at her or whatever.
Every writing decision was corny. her not defending herself and being so passive was corny. her acting like a baby even though she is close to 40 was corny. yong pil never getting over after 10 years was corny. Yong Pil not respecting personal space or boundaries was corny. the second ML being a 40 yo virgin was corny and not attractive at all. the sisters were corny. the parents were corny. that one ex husband corny. like it was so cringe all the way through because everybody was so damn childish.
Why was Shin Hye Sun acting like that ? at some point I realised that she talks in baby voice 90% of the time when she is Samdalri and I lost it lol. had to skip her to not die from cringe. I hate the weird infantilisation of women in kdrama and its probably my number 1 pet peeve/ thing I hate the most. In this she is a 38 yo super successfull woman but she acts like a shy teen girl like EWWWWWW please give this grown woman a backbone please. all she did was whine and hide for 14 episodes.
She talks in baby voice and pouts and that's basically it, thats her acting in this but everyone in these comment compliments her like this was a masterclass in acting like what ??? Literally cannot stand her and will probably never watch anything with her in it ever again because of this.
random things that pissed me off too :
the oldest sister getting back/ sleeping with her ex husband
Yong Pil not giving a care about his fathers feelings
Samdal working with her ex (that cheated and tried to end her career too) at the end
the Indian actor turning out to be an arab prince that was super rich ??? like they purposely put that in to piss me off. like what was the reason ???
this was a horrible watch ! so slow ! nothing happens ! and the same thing happens over and over until the last episode !
posting this review as the first step in my healing process !
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This review may contain spoilers
The story and characters are terrible. The actors are great though and some scenes are good.
So basically the story centers around a narcistic female lead with a terrible personality and a pathetic ML who can't move on past his first love even though she did. There is not 1 redeeming quality that the FL has but all these guys are obsessed with her? I'm sorry but there is nothing romantic about a guy who can't get over his ex for 8 years even though she moved on. They make the ML this nice guy who helps everyone and is a genius weather forecaster, but ultimately he is just a pathetic guy that was hung up on his ex for 8 years which the entire town knows about. The story is very focused/centered on the FL and the ML is basically a side character.Do not get me started on the ridiculous love triangle that makes the ML even more pathetic. I wish they made these love triangles more organic than forced. Like they always show these sad scenes of the 3rd wheel being sad that the leads are together. Cmon now. Do the writers think it's romantic that 2 guys stay single and hold onto love for their childhood friend for decades into their mid 30's? At least the ML and FL have history, but the 3rd wheel has always just had a platonic relationship with the FL. One pathetic character pining over the FL was not enough they had to add another side character that was even worse. The amount of screen time the SML got one-sideingly chasing after the FL was ridiculous. Like he sees them kiss and hug and everybody in the village knows they like each other and in his crazy head still thinks he has a chance? No matter how much sad background music you play, it will not be sad...it is just pathetic and weird. By episode 5, I could tell where this story was going and had to skim through the rest and the story goes exactly how you would expect.
I really enjoyed the first few episodes but man does the show go downhill. The actors are great though, their characters and the plot are just poorly done.
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