Our Sticky Love

It's okay... I guess...

It's as shallow as a toddler's swimming pool and as patched together as an old ragdoll.

We have a totally predictable plot, which could have been an easy-to-watch, sweet, pink drama to relax with after a long day. But the screenwriter decided to add some blood and violence. Unfortunately, it was far from well done, since there was nothing particularly impressive about the action scenes, and we already knew who the bad guy was and pretty much what was going to happen.

So it's not really a sweet and idealistic drama, but it's not cool enough to be one of those dramas where badbutt characters fight against some greater evil, either. The attempt to add more comedy wasn't a particularly good one, neither. Then they added yet another plotline about the ML going back to who and where he used to be, while the FL is obviously set up to become this awesome girl who is worth falling in love with.

Well, none of that was particularly deep or touching. Especially after being told what an unpleasant person she had been before the amnesia, she keeps crying and repeating, "How could I have acted like this?" The thing is, she was still acting superficial, disrespectful, and annoying shortly before this conversation. If you think behaving that way is wrong, then why were you acting like that in the first place?

And in general, I couldn't force myself to like her or even feel the tiniest bit of sympathy for her character, even after watching half of the drama.

So, we have several different topics patched together, and none of them is developed well enough. The main characters are simple and flat. It was actually supposed to be a sweet storyline about their love, their previous encounters, and their reunion, but the production team didn't even manage to create enough chemistry or romance between them.

The first few episodes caught my attention, but later I kept wondering: why is this 12 episodes long when it could have been eight or even six? And why am I still watching?

The answer is: to be honest, it got boring. I liked Jung Hae In in other series, and I liked the setting, clothes, camera work, etc. Mostly, though, I just didn't want to bother searching for something new.

Read More

The Romance Was Cute, but the Story Ran Out of Steam

# Review

The start was really strong and addictive, and I’m pretty sure this drama would have worked much better if they had kept it to 8 episodes instead of stretching it to 12.

The chemistry between Tae Ha and Eun Sae was really cute, and their relationship was probably the main reason I kept watching. But once it became clear that they loved each other, their relationship basically stopped developing. There was no more tension, uncertainty, or anything new that could keep me invested in them as a couple.

From that point on, the story started to drag. Watching Tae Ha trying to get out of the gangster world while Eun Sae slowly got her life back just wasn’t interesting enough to carry several more episodes. Those parts felt repetitive and much slower compared to the strong beginning.

It had a really promising setup and a couple I genuinely liked, but the story simply didn’t have enough material for 12 episodes. As a shorter 8-episode drama, I think it could have been much tighter, more engaging, and overall much better.

Read More

From Gangster Trouble to a Heartwarming Romance

Our Sticky Love may not be a drama with major twists or a revolutionary storyline, but that is precisely where its charm lies. Honestly, from the beginning, I never expected this drama to feel like a serious crime drama, even though it has a criminal backdrop. As a rom-com, I actually expected it to have plenty of jokes and entertaining moments. However, I felt that the humor in the early episodes was somewhat lacking. It was only toward the final episodes that I found the comedy more effective and genuinely funny.

Jung Hae-in and Ha Young truly brought their characters to life. Every glance, small touch, and piece of dialogue between them felt natural and sincere. Their chemistry is one of the drama’s biggest strengths and makes their relationship enjoyable to watch.

The village ladies and Tae-ha’s grandmother are also the heart and soul of this drama. They bring plenty of laughter and warmth, which help balance out the darker side of the crime storyline.

The depiction of Candy Village, with its beautiful and cozy atmosphere, is also visually soothing. The simple countryside setting makes the drama feel comfortable and relaxing to watch. The background music also complements the atmosphere well, although I don’t think there was any particularly iconic or memorable soundtrack.

I was somewhat frustrated with Dr. An’s character. At the beginning, as a psychiatrist, I felt that he was too foolish and naive when it came to understanding the situation. He didn’t really understand what his partner wanted and sometimes acted recklessly without considering the patient’s guardian’s consent. Thankfully, as the story progressed, his character developed and he was no longer portrayed as being quite that foolish.

In the middle of the drama, there were several episodes where the pacing felt rather slow. I became a little bored and found myself wanting the story to move on to the main conflict. Fortunately, the final episodes made up for it with a fairly satisfying climax.

Overall, I don’t think Our Sticky Love is a drama filled with iconic scenes or moments that would make me want to immediately rewatch it. However, it is still an enjoyable drama to watch. The story is light, the chemistry between the leads is fun to watch, the comedy becomes more entertaining toward the end, and the warm village setting adds a comforting atmosphere. It may not be a drama that will stay with me for a long time, but it is still a pleasant and enjoyable watch.

Read More

cute romance kdrama

I enjoyed this drama. I’ve been seeing it around and I did want to pick it up, but whatever reason I didn’t watch it live however I did binge it within a few days ..

Overall, the drama was really good and I thought it was quite well paced. I will say by the end of the drama I was getting a bit annoyed by Go Eun-sae’s laugh I felt like it came across quite superficial and fake by the end it was cute to start with but maybe it needed a bit more depth..

I thought it was such a shame the way his dad obviously had issues and the way he found out who his dad was was just so K-trauma I was waiting for that inevitable white truck moment to be honest with that relationship.. I really liked Grandma. I like the actress in anything I watch and I was so so worried that she was gonna have another hometown cha-cha-cha moment thank goodnesssssss she got a happy ever after because I don’t think I could’ve handled if anything had happened to her!

I know that dad was a bad guy, but at the same time, I don’t know whether I would’ve liked him to be the bad guy in prison that got to know his son you know? But I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the storyline personally.

Loved the drama would recommend.

Read More

This Rating is Based on Pure Entertainment Value

While I was excited when the trailer was released, I did not expect to enjoy the drama this much. Contrary to a lot of the reviews, there was not a boring moment for me in the drama. While this is far from perfect, it is definitely an all-round entertainer in my humble opinion.

STORY
The weakest aspect of the drama for sure. Though the emotional, romantic and comedic moments shine the tone of the plot lacks consistency. As some comments have pointed out, the drama tries to be a lot of things at once. While this was not a problem for me I can see why some people might appreciate more consistency. However, the pacing was good without unnecessary drama for the sake of it.

Bonus point for the action sequences (expect quite a lot of them), so well edited and choreographed, and Jung Haein was brilliant in them.

ACTING/CAST
The cast really carried the drama. No matter how silly, unrealistic, cringe or cartoonish a plot point was the actors really gave life to the characters and made whatever was happening that much more believable. Ha Young's acting is slightly wobbly sometimes, she delivers emotional and comedic scenes really well but needs some improvement in other areas. But I loved seeing her as a leading lady and the naturalness of the chemistry between her and Jung Haein was a definite highlight. Must mention Heo Sungtae as Baek Sanggil was stellar. His delivery gave much needed depth to what could have been flat villain character.

Bonus points for the character dynamic between the two main leads. It has been a while since I have watched the calm and quiet guy with the bright and bubbly girl. Jang Taeha's love towards Go Eunsae is shown in actions and gestures rather than spoken out loud and he is a man of few words, but he's not a grumpy silent type of character. Go Eunsae contrasts that beautifully, she loves loudly and unapologetically and it is refreshing to see a female lead like that, reminiscent of Im Sol from Lovely Runner for me.

If the negative reviews are holding you back but you love a good campy Kdrama I suggest you give this one try. It is definitely worth a shot, can always drop it if you are not entertained ;)

Read More

A Slow Start That Grew on Me.

Usually, a drama starts with an interesting opening that gives you an idea of what you’re about to watch. With Our Sticky Love, everything started happening right away, so at first I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
In the beginning, I didn’t feel much chemistry between the leads, and I wasn’t very invested in the story. I mainly continued watching because of Jung Hae-in and the cast. However, as the story progressed, it became much more interesting. I also really liked seeing the characters’ backstories. It gives you a better understanding of how they lived, what they went through, and why they became the people they are.
The chemistry between the leads grew naturally, and I especially liked the character development after the memory loss. She learned from her experiences and became someone who appreciated life more.
I was worried that 12 episodes might have some boring scenes, but surprisingly, the pacing was great. The acting was also one of my favorite parts, especially the facial expressions. You could easily understand what the characters were feeling without them saying much.
Overall, it started slowly for me, but it definitely grew on me. I’m glad I kept watching.

Rating: 8.5/10

Read More

All time terrible show

I truly don't understand how anyone likes this show. The ML literally kidnaps the FL while she has amnesia and gaslights her by pretending to be her husband for eight cringe episodes. Then he forces her to go to Japan at knife point and still doesn't tell her the truth!! It’s so creepy and people call it romantic. The only reason to even keep watching is waiting for the truth to come out and it takes eight full episodes and then when she finally finds out she turns around lies to him. Dropped at episode 9. If you actually like this show just admit that as long as the guy is handsome he can get away with anything.

Oh and the acting is horrible. The crying scenes are really cringy. The leads are very attractive though, there's that.

Read More

They're actual people!

I am probably rom-com's no. 1 hater, especially as I only like two dramas within the genre: this one and Lovestruck in the City, and I'm actually unsure if the latter qualifies as a rom-com. The reason for my distaste is that the characters are never real people and the only thing driving the story are ridiculous plot points getting increasingly more unlikely as the story unfolds. Jung Hae-in is usually really good at picking dramas that don't have those issues, which is the only reason I decided to watch this, and he made a good pick once again (at least in my opinion).


The good:
The characters are real people. While not hyper-realistic, they have flaws, development and actual things hindering their development. The leads are definitely your stereotypical rom-com leads, but they're more realistic and have their own unique charm. Take Tae-ha for example, Jung Hae-in's character, he's your standard "I will protect my love with my life, because that's who I am, and I have obviously never been in love with anyone else before either" but that motto is supported by actual characteristics. He has a horrible memory of people he doesn't really care about, simply can't remember their names; he was forced to give up his life for someone once, which in turn makes it easier to do it again, and also solidifies certain beliefs or thoughts he might've had before, like that he's happy as long as his loved once are; as a result he also struggles to communicate his needs and wishes. And he's very quiet, often communicating with only expressions or nods, which I don't think I've seen in a rom-com before. As for Eun-sae, Ha Young's character, she wants her own way and will let nothing stop her. This never changes about her, even though she has the largest character development between them. We see this characteristic of hers pop up constantly — it drives the plot. I feel like in a lot of characters, they have a certain trait, but then once the situation demands it, they no longer have that trait. The trait is only there in the first episode to prove that they have a personality, and then they're a blank page except the words "I'm in love" throughout the rest of the drama. I'm a sucker for good character design, about the only thing I truly care about, so that is probably why so many people disagree with me in these reviews.

Another thing I really liked, is that whenever typical rom-com stuff I hate with all my being happened, it lasted for a very short period of time (except from the oppa-thing, my god, was basically torturing him). I usually have to stop watching a drama for a little while when something really embarrassing happens, but I only had to stop watching this twice for that reason (which is very impressive, it's usually an immeasurable amount of times).

This is not the funniest drama I have watched, but the humour isn't boring or bad, it's actually pretty good. I also think the chemistry is on point, though I know some people disagree. The action scenes are also some of the best ones I've seen in a rom-com. You see the characters having to prioritise in the fight; he can't fight three at a time, so he pushes the first into a wall, and punches the two others in the face, and then try to deal with the first one, but sometimes the first opponent is quicker and attacks from behind. It makes it feel like the fight is first of all harder to win than we maybe think, and secondly that there's some give and take, some reward and consequence. So while not realistic, at least rooted in reality.

The villain is 100% one of the best villain characters I think I have ever seen. And I mean that. I don't view characters as the antagonists in The Glory or Vincenzo, for example, as "villains", because they're as real and fleshed out as our protagonist. And in D.P. or Extracurricular for example, the antagonists aren't "villains" because is it even their fault? The antagonist in Our Sticky Love is definitely a villain though. But his character design is legitimately good. His reasoning is explained from his own perspective, which forces you to interpret it in your own way. He has depth and feels real even as inhumane as he is — realistic to the story.


The bad:
Keep in mind that my criticisms are mostly due to my distaste for the genre, if you like it then you might like these things.

The plot is unrealistic and ridiculous. Why not pretend to be her brother? Seems way easier and less like a crime. If you think for just a second about what he is actually doing to her, it's honestly quite horrific, I mean he is kidnapping someone and convincing them they're in love with him. There's a lot of hatred towards gangs in the characters, but very little is done to make the audience feel the same way. I also feel like the drama is mentioning "film-noir" a lot to make us associate the drama with the genre — a short-cut to what I just mentioned — but it doesn't work, and the whole gang-plot feels disconnected to the story. I think it would also be natural for Tae-ha to feel more guilt and struggle with self-esteem if he really has just been working in a gang like a machine, which would also help connect the plots. A lot of the gang-activities, the plot-twist and special effects are all quite unrealistic. It doesn't take me out of the story, but could've been better for sure.

I mentioned earlier that I liked that it was quick and went from one thing to the next, and I stand by that. I think I would've struggled had they made it slower or longer, however if they had prioritised differently and focused more on the characters and their relations and cut some of the plot points, I think the drama would've been much more memorable. You would've ended up with something more similar to Prison Playbook, 2521 or Vincenzo, but with a rom-com vibe stronger than in 2521. Or even if they had just lingered a little longer on the moments in which they connect, or if they had just one more episode towards the beginning. But that's mainly my own personal preference for memorable plots and characters speaking — I am aware that a lot of people probably like these dramas that are just a fun ride.


Overall:
I'm glad I've finally found a true rom-com I could like, but I'll probably forget most of the plot in a little while. I'd say you should watch this if you have had some of the same problems I've had with rom-coms, or are just looking for a light and quick watch. I don't have a lot of experience with this genre, so if you're an avid lover, then I don't know if you would like it to be different from the normal or not.

Read More