Dynamite Kiss

Cliches overload - the whole system crashed.

There is nothing wrong with cliches, I love them. If they are well placed and executed in a proper manner they elevate the drama to new heights. Here it felt like they started throwing everything in the second half hoping something would stick - most did not.

Dynamite Kiss had a phenomenal start. The right amount of cliches, with a perfect ratio of little twists and changes to make it refreshing. Ji Hyeok was technically this “cold rich male lead”, but he was also extremely goofy with a puppy heart. Ko Da Rim was technically this good hearted and pure female lead, but she was also surprisingly assertive and witty. I was able to enjoy the cliche plots with fun characters that are so loveable it’s hard to look away.

The first half gave me nice characters, great comedy, butterflies inducing moments, pinning and well structured internal and external conflicts. The second half just gave me a lot of stupidity and I’m annoyed it mostly affected the female lead - at least make everyone equally dumb.

About Da Rim… It went beyond being naive, she was simply stupid. The disrespect the writer shows towards her character in the second half is embarrassing. To ruin the lead just to push forward a mediocre plot is never a good choice. I started the show loving how unapologetically good she was, to get disappointed when they turned that goodness into dumb naivety. What they did was make her strength into her weakness - which, with good writing, could be a great character development, but the writing here was simply not that good.

While Ji Hyeon was not as infuriating, he was equally disappointing by the end. The drama opened with a solid internal conflict he had about his feelings towards who he thought was a married woman, to make him somehow the most stagnant character with little to no growth or development. Why? Because he did not really need it - he was a good guy with smarts, drive and loyalty to his people - that’s boring, that’s bad writing.

Truth to be told, I think there was far more nuance in writing for both second leads compared to the mail pair. I liked how they gave us a nice presentation of different priorities people have, and how someone with and without a child sees the same situation in a completely different light. There are things you can do and situations you can jump into with not much consideration when you do not have a child, but you need to be far more conscious when you are a parent.

Yoo Ha Yeong was probably my favorite character. At first she might seem like a spoiled princess, but she is hardworking, driven, honest and nice. And I love how she was not without flaws - being way too pushy and getting herself involved way too much into other people’s lives. While it created many heartwarming moments, it also gave me a bit of a discomfort at the back of my mind.

Putting aside separate characters, what I truly adored about the drama was the mother’s team which was the best part hands down. I like how they were not from the start showed as this savvy workers who were just overlooked by society - they were in fact not that interested in working hard at the office and at times felt entitled, but with good leadership from Da Rim every one of them changed for the better and was able to understand they are more than just mothers and appreciate each other for who they are outside of that life role. Sometimes we are so focused on who we are expected to be, we do not appreciate who we can become.

I do believe the writing for the positive things was nice, but a failure in terms of the villains so my question is: why even bother including them? Why did we even get that plotline when the shorter drama without it would be so much better? Ji Hyeok's father, sister and Tae Yeong were just stock characters with no value. The villain's arc was neither set up nor developed well. It was laughably bad and useless. Waste of screen time.

If they kept the conflict more concentrated on Ji Hyeok's family dynamics between him, his father and his mother and how it impacts his relationship with Da Rim, his work life, life choices - what a good story it would be. But no, we need some typical business shenanigans because why not. I truly wish Ji Hyeok's mother had more presence in the drama. As much as her story was heartbreaking, I also enjoyed her journey the most out of all the characters.

For the core of the drama - the romance. I loved the initial "misunderstanding" between the leads and how some people were in on it and some were completely clueless - many different interesting dynamics came out of it.
The relationship was fine, but I do feel the best part was actually the part where they were not together.

For the production, I will start with an extremely random note - I both loved and hated the styling for Ahn Eun Jin. She looked stunning. All the outfits were pretty and highlighted her beauty. Did the majority of these outfits belong to the office setting for a woman who pretends to be a mother of a kindergarten kid? No. I am sorry, but no big office would be like: ah yes wear that mini skirt and crop top to the office, that’s completely appropriate. Still, she did look amazing so I’m only half mad.

The show is pretty, like any other kdrama - they are all pretty in the exact same way. I understand there are filming and editing trends, but sometimes just following trends is not enough.

The soundtrack though? Perfect for a rom-com. Some of my favorite songs: Weny’s Say You Love Me, Sondia’s Love Is, BBGIRLS’ Don’t Give It Up (the best one if you ask me).

Was the acting good? Yes. Was it good enough to save this drama? No. At the same time, I believe the only thing that could save it is a completely different script for the second half. That said, I am glad it put Jung Ga Hee on my radar, looking forward to seeing her in more, hopefully leading roles.

Overall, Dynamite Kiss gives me a kid who got excited for the new hobby and gave up half way through. The writers need to ask themselves not only: how do we get from point A to point B in the plot, but also - will this journey in that format make any sense?

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call hr

...basically an HR training video disguised as a romcom. The writers took the usual cold lead trope and used it to justify blatant corporate abuse. It is wild that they expect us to find sexual coercion and retaliation romantic. Really, it is just a rich guy throwing a tantrum because a woman walked out of his bedroom with her dignity intact. It is a symphony of ego where arson is sold as extreme home renovation.

The lead claims to hate his father, but I watched him copy-paste the old man’s abusive tactics for the entire second half. He just did it with better skincare.

The blue dress situation was the peak of the rot. The writers expect me to swallow the idea that a man’s history can be wiped, yet his brain sparks back to life because of a fabric color.

t is a special kind of stupid. It isn't about the dress being important. It is that the writers were too lazy to find a human way to reconnect these characters. They chose a wardrobe change over actual development. It turned a reunion into a shallow fashion show where the logic is as thin as the thread holding the dress together.

It did not help that the leads had the collective chemistry of two damp sponges. I did not feel any undeniable force pulling them together. They just looked like coworkers contractually obligated to stare at each other while a ballad played. When there is no heat, the fate and destiny stuff feels like a lie. I did not see a spark. I saw a production schedule.

Watching them navigate the memory loss was like watching a rehearsal where everyone forgot their lines and just decided to pose for a catalog instead. By the end, when the amnesia made him reject her because he reverted to his pre-infatuated self, I actually laughed. It was so bad it was honest. It was a slap in the face to anyone who invested time, but the fourth-wall credits and the supporting cast kept me from totally hating it. The drama is a mess. It has that nostalgic, cliché energy that makes it a decent enough way to kill time between shows that actually have a soul.

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After Ep. 8 I'm starting to consider dropping now... And I dropped it

This drama definitely hooked me in the beginning, but these last episodes feel too drawn out and distasteful for me. I'm surprised it goes on for 14 Episodes.

I really liked the actors but the story just isn't it. I've come to realize that I can deal with not liking the side leads. It's when the main characters become questionable that I consider dropping.

I'll think about pushing until Ep. 9 cause I do like the actors, even though at this point the only characters I like are the Natural Bebe mother team. It'll probably depend on the first few minutes...

-------—

Edit: I was too kind in my first review. I stopped at Ep. 10, thinking that pushing through Ep. 9 would redeem anything. It did not. It's a drama with unending misunderstandings that isn't even written well. I find that the choices of the ML and the FL characters are both questionable for many many reasons. Pretty sure everything that's wrong about this can be seen in Eps. 1-2. Also, the SML just irks me in a way. Everything just feels so wrong and it's also like i'm watching kids stuck in the body of 30 year olds. I'd say or rant more about this drama, but I know it's not worth the time.

HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND! Well unless you're into this thing. Also, i'm sure the actors have better work that you can watch if you're here for them.

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The dynamite kiss blew up the better script.

I'm actually furious! I don't remember when was the last time I was this angry. I hope no one's gonna let this writer every touch anything in this industry, except the trash bag.

If you want to watch this Kdrama, the best thing you can do is ignore the last 2 episodes and after episode 12, you just need to watch the last 15 minute of the finale, maybe.

So, here's my short review.

The first half was good, then I honestly don't remember many things, even tho I started watching it a week ago, but I know, overall it was good. The chemistry between the leads is great, even if our main guy was so freakin' annoying a LOT of times. I mean, I seriously wanted to slap him to wake him up.

As usual, the secondary leads were more interesting, but I'm not even surprised anymore.

One another thing was also surprising. No stupid drama with the chaebol family who hates our main girl, and the secret was handled well. I was expecting much more drama, and then comes the last 2 episodes, and TRUST ME, you need to prepare yourself heavily so you can handle it like a pro without throwing out your TV.

I'm not even joking when I say, the last 2 episodes, and especially the finale was ONE OF THE WORST I'VE EVER SEEN!

Three different lame Kdrama tropes in one single episode. Half of it was spent on this madness, and they gave us 2 time jumps and 30 minutes that felt like a sped up version of 3 episodes.

And I didn't mention the female lead's sister, who just left and never came back. She's basically a ghost.

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!!

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What do you call a romantic makjang comedy?

🔔 I have edited the progressive review into this final version. Enjoy!

I was genuinely excited about this show. Its premise sounds delicious. It is a little bit naughty. That's the special sauce of a good rom-com, right? ;)

In the end, I'm conflicted. There are more lows than highs. I'm sorry that this review will be a bit ranting. I really wanted to like this drama, yet I walked away disappointed.

Like many k-dramas, it starts well. The attraction between our leads is strong. They are motoring along as you do in holiday romances. So far, so swoon-y.

The FL had to lie to get her first decent job. It wasn't a simple white lie either. Heck no! She went from a bachelorette to a married woman with a young son. Snap!

It was audacious, but she is desperate. She needed the money to help her mum so I'll give her a hall pass. It is not the lie that is the core issue here. It is the fallout and the characters interplay that are much more problematic.

The FL is portrayed as a loser from the start. I have no problem cheering on an underdog. Unfortunately, while her work life is forging ahead, her private life is tanking. She is weak and did nothing when she knew her deeds are harming others. A simple mea culpa would have turned the tide and she'll win the handsome guy.

To be fair, this is not helped by the ML falling deeply in love. He is obsessed. He is torn between doing the right thing and going postal. His pain is palatable. It is basically schadenfreude, forget rom-com.

It is a witches brew of cliché subplots by mid show. It is draggy and full of relationship red flags. It doesn't beat around the bush, it is a whole garden maze.

Speaking of red flags, I can't ignore the behaviour of the SML. He is the FL's bestie for 20 years. It is obvious that he has a crush on the FL. When the FL asked him to play her husband at work he took full advantage. He’d sidle up to her and gets all handsy. The FL has no choice but to play along meekly. She looked so uncomfortable. This is messed up.

But wait . . there's more! Here comes the SFL!

She falls for the SML at first sight. She took the effort to get close to his young son and suss out his life story. It was shady but you can roll with it. What is less forgivable is when she starts to blackmail him to go on dates with her to keep his secret. C'est l'amour?

All told, the ML spends several eps close to his breaking point. He wants to protect the FL, yet he wants the "married" woman even more. It was torturous to watch. So many people are hurting. It was a League of Sufferers™.

The ML even plans to drag the SFL into a loveless marriage just so that he can "protect" the FL. When did it ever worked? This triggered his fragile mum as well.

It is all sunshine and unicorns after the truth comes out around ep.9. The tonal shift is dramatic. This only serves to highlight the pointlessness of the preceding eps.

The show is largely on cruise control heading into the home straight. It was borderline sugar overload, but I'll take it after all the makjang shenanigans. That is until the angst train hit us again. We have the whole hit parade of angsty devices plus a break-up with bonus Noble Idiocy. What fun!

No sooner did we get some resolution and let out a collective sigh of relief, did the writer-nim brought forth the Big White Truck of Doom™ . . I mean a big black limo. But wait, there is more! The OG amnesia trope. (Sigh) There is so much going on yet it feels . . formulaic, stale.

The ending is predictable and artificially sweetened. All the threads are tied up with pink bows. I don't want to call it lazy writing . . but if the shoe fits.

The sad fact is that the production quality is not bad, it has potential. The acting is decent in general even though most characters are straight out of central casting. There is a nugget of good idea at its core, it just got workshopped to death over time. Peace.

P.S. the cameo of the $1 Lawyer is a surprise bonus. Is this a hint?

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Oh what a mess

The first episodes where intense and good and the story was decent. But then it started to derail and the last episode was the epitome of comedy.
First of all, the story starts with Da-rim's sister stealing their family's money. Throughout the episodes she's not even mentioned once, and mind you she's the reason the plot exists (Da-rim goes to Jeju because of her wedding, joins Natural Bebe because they don't have money, etc). Finally when the writers decide to acknowledge her existence in the last episode, Da-rim goes to Jeju island to search for her but then somehow forgets she went there to search for her sister. This is a huge plot hole that I cannot ignore, even for a Rom-com.
Second, I strongly disliked the dynamic of the second couple. In the beginning of the drama, Kim Mu-jun's character was very charismatic and likeable, partly because he seemed to be a good father, however the writers messed up on his storyline when they decided to make him Da-rim's love interest. I do understand that human feelings change and someone can develop something stronger when the situation feels threatened (as in, the appearance of Jang Ki-yong's character in their life disrupted their relationship dynamic thus developing jealously), and because of this I will forgive the writers for how they handled it. However, the second female lead storyline was a mess. Starting from the beginning, she'd always beg for Seon-u attention even though he clearly stated numerous times that he didn't want anything with her. But surprise surprise, they end up together in the last episode. You can say that it was implicit after Ha-yeong went to search for his child, however after denying her several times, it just doesn't make any sense for them to have a relationship. And that last scene in the gallery with the foreigner? That was very awkward.
Third, well, let's talk about that last episode. What a mess. The memory loss was really unnecessary, they could've taken more time to develop another part of the story. What happened to Tae-yeong's investigation in the last episode? Was he guilty or not? Why even showing Ji-hye's police statement if that plot was not developed? Did she feel remorse in the end? I guess we will never know. There were things I liked, such as Jang Ki-yong's mother getting the company in the end (sweet revenge) and the TF team member's getting together and having a baby (wholesome and I wish they showed us more about their relationship).
There were too many time jumps in the last episode and too many undeveloped storylines for my taste. They could've easily created an entire second season with that last episode but I guess Netflix didn't give them the green light.

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I'm almost speechless..

Someone in the comment section said this show is so bad that it's good, while I wouldn't quite go that far, the script really does surprise again & again at how bad it is. Even in the last episode where I thought they couldn't possibly make it any worse, I've gotten surprises.

Normally I would bash the writer for this ehm "performance", but upon further thought I don't think it's humanely possible for a professional to write something like this willingly, without external influences. Surely a sponsor of the show or someone similar must've interfered with the writing on a daily basis. For example they've retroactively changed the ending of one of the episodes, live filming or not that is an incredible new low in my kdrama history.

To say something good about this show, it's still better than `Forecasting Love and Weather`. Even though the second ML here is a strong contender with the two leads in that drama, I still think Dynamite Kiss is lacking a bit of an X-factor to become the worst kdrama I have ever finished / not dropped.

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Disappointing

I think the show had a wonderful start. I wil rewatch first two episodes from time to time. (3 starts for those)

And I really liked the cast.

The problem was the story itself. I love every classic trope about a kdrama, but not all at once. It was like watching Boys over flowers in 2025.

Personally, I didn't like main lead characters after first few episodes. Especially, FL drove me crazy. I guess they tried to make her like this innocent, struggling type. Instead, we get this person who is very dense about her surroundings and in need of constant saving. She lies about a husband and a child, but she doesn't even prepare herself for what is to come. Like about answering questions on giving birth or needing to change a diaper. And she doesn't understand why ML is very angry... and why she shouldn't keep going on with the lie.

And the male lead is... well. Not in love but a little bit obsessed. I personally think if we didn't know she wasn't in fact married, then the actions of male lead toward a married woman would be... questionable. She is married... with a kid.? How can you continue yearning? Let's say you can't stop yourself, then how can you say things like ' your body is mine'. Romance is very problematic in this scenario.

I could've look past the all cliches and unnecessary plot points they threw at me, if I liked the main leads. But that wasn't the case, so the rest of it... the kidnapping, the memory loss, the lies, the forced proximity (the job), the friend who has a secret crush. All at once. How could I get pass these when I am not exactly cheering for the main couple?

It starts of great. And it could've go well if executed better. But no. Not for me at all. I am a rom com enjoyer, but this is not it.

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WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL

What i want to understand is how you can go from being practically the best unexpected K drama of 2025 to one of the worst in a matter of 7 episodes????
This show had the strongest first half I've seen in a korean drama for a very long time it had the old school vibes with ur cliche characters who had charm. So how the hell did it manage to go wrong? THE WRITERS THATS WHY

Here are a couple of rewrites that would have made the drama better

First of all there was absolutely no reason for the both male leads to like Go da rim ,Writers need to understand we are comfortable in a world and situation where all the men don't love our female lead i mean it practically made no sense u had 20 years but u didn’t confess until she found someone else HELLLLLLLL TO THE NO, the 2nd male lead should have liked the 2nd female lead and both begin a relationship while still trying to keep Go da rims secret

second of all the whole misunderstanding arc i understand is the basline of the drama but was dragged on too thoughtlessly only for a rather unclimatic reveal, instead the writers should have revealed it during the time he thought the 2nd ml and the 2nd fl we're having an affair. They all should have told him in a funny way they were a couple and him and Da rim would be free to date privately the show would have been 100 percent better if it followed the 4 couples hiding their relationships each pretending to be with the others parthner in public

Third of all
The sister and the chairman and the very uncessary practically useless to the plot brother in law, why were any of these characters given half the screen time??? the completely ruined any potential of character depth with the sister when that BIL was introduced,she truly would have made a perfect addition to his mom and him group to take down the chairman and he would have given her the company without issues???? And honestly that slap the chairman gave Go da rim was completely disgusting and off-putting literally no reason to do that its FKING ASSAULT

Last of all
the whole 2 last episode needed to be thrown out because why are we adding every kind of random uncessary drama cliches known to mankind? i was so baffled i even expected them to add a they met when they were children trope to wrap the huge Christmas present up since they were so keen of destroying any kind of sensible thought process i mean LEAVING THE CITY , YOUR HANDSOME BOYFRIEND WORKS TO WOO YOU BACK,CAR ACCIDENT, AMNESIA they should have made her pregnant instead of her co worker if they knew they wanted to endorse such nonsense

To sum it up
I am truly disappointed in this drama i was in a very big depressing slump this year and the first half of this show really changed that for me it hurts when a drama you know has so much potential just crumbles down due to Lazy writing i mean gather 5 k drama watchers on this app and they could think of a better Second half than this show i know my ideas are probably not the best but in my opinion they are 90 percent better than what we watched on screen it felt like a complete time waste to even invest in such a drama when it all comes burning down. But still kudos to the actors they did an amazing job and kudos to the First episodes writers. I guess we are ending the year with another When the phone rings kind of failure IYKYK.
Merry Christmas people and Happy new fking year

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“Cute Chemistry, Simple Story”

Dynamite Kiss is a pleasant, easy-to-watch romantic comedy that mainly works because of its lead couple’s chemistry. The drama starts strong with playful flirting, stylish visuals, and a modern workplace setting that feels relatable and light. The romantic moments are cute and entertaining, making it good for relaxed viewing.

However, as the story progresses, it becomes very predictable. The plot leans heavily on common K-drama clichés like misunderstandings, coincidences, and delayed confessions. Character development is average, and emotional depth is limited, so the drama doesn’t hit as hard as more intense romances.

Overall, it’s enjoyable but forgettable—perfect for passing time, not for an unforgettable experience.

Best for: rom-com lovers, casual watching
Not ideal for: viewers wanting strong storytelling or deep emotions

⭐ Rating: 6.5 / 10

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Just a generic rom com dud with mediocre chemistry and not worth your time.

Just another drama added to list of cliche generic duds with nothing new to offer. The leads have little to no chemistry and it's funny that for a drama titled "Dynamite Kiss" they literally had leads kissing like dead fishes. I still wonder why they even for the leads actors and what spark they saw in these two.

The latter half of the drama is literally ripped from King The land but only worse plus added that cliche breakup before final episode crap. Even KTL wasn't something new and was generic to say the best but damn the leads had some serious chemistry also a healthy relationship built on trust where both of them chose to deal with issues together instead of breaking up.

The second leads too have almost zero progression when it comes to romance so far and I am sure their plot too will be rushed just to give a happy ending.

I don't even need to waste my time to watch the last 2 eps to know how it will end.

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