Grumpy Witch

At the beginning of the show, the drama was relatable because of the terrible father the female main lead, and her siblings, had. I thought, despite being interested in the story, it would be difficult to watch. However, I was able to put my own experiences to the side and fully immerse myself in the story unfolding before my eyes. The drama does an amazing job at bringing to life one of my favorites tropes: two broken souls finding and being able to comfort each other despite the darkness of their past traumas.

The acting was phenomenal. Kim Young Kwang’s portrayal of Han Dong Jin, an empathetic soul who touches and crosses the line into loser territory, had my whole heart. Meanwhile, Lee Sung Kyung as Sim Woo Joo, a jaded and sometimes bitter soul who still manages to find compassion resonated with me deeply. Her apparent apathy for life and others, sometimes mirrored my own feelings. There were times, to my own surprise, that I found myself crying because of the excellent portrayal of the main leads. The supporting cast were not left behind as they also had their own stories and their own trauma to address. And there were some truly hateful characters, which speaks to how well these actors portrayed their characters. For a moment, I thought one of my most hated tropes, the obsessive second male lead, would rear its ugly head, but, thankfully, these were unfounded fears. It was really an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end.

The drama had a great script, performances, and cinematography accompanied by a moving and fitting OST.