DramaChef

Watch at your own risk.

Watch at your own risk.
I suspect the screenwriter, director and a few of the lead actors decided to come together and end their careers. The male lead actor for sure must have been in some sort of scandal or the lead actress sucks at selecting projects at least.
And toxic parent of the century goes to 🥁 “Hong Baek Hee” my new favorite bad guy, she even has 5 goons working for her. SML is really clueless and willfully ignorant going to mom for help, he doesn’t deserve FL.
Clueless chairman award goes to 🥁”Choi Jin Bok”, plus I’m fuzzy on what the company actually does..
The true stars of this drama are the secretaries, and the chairman’s cook/house-lady.

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Another lazy script writer, lack of communication as a plot device.

KDrama sucks at “Comedy of Errors”, if you ain’t Shakespeare or haven’t properly studied him just don’t, for Pete’s sake,
So basically, no one communicates with each other.
Fiancé has no idea where the in-laws live? He brags about her shows ultrasound but never shows her picture?
Another fiancé doesn’t call his sister to go home and watch his newborn?
Mother tells her son nothing happened last night the woman is alive?
A so called chairman doesn’t know what’s happening around him? Also your son asks you a simple yes or no question “did you buy my fiancé’s family house” and you don’t answer?
A family is caring towards a stranger and let’s him move in but they don’t have a single family picture with a dead daughter/sister?
I guess zero communication is this writers go to plot device.

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Good different.

I have to say this oddly turned out to be one of favorite Japanese dramas.
Japanese dramas tend to start off nice and normal then they veer off into some highfalutin pretentious concepts, in my opinion going for “trying to be different” pathway, that inevitably turns into jumbled up mess (I’ve dropped more JDramas than I have watched)

This show on the other hand takes that inevitable turn that most JDramas do and some how manages to pull it off.

It’s simple and old fashioned, but modern and edgy at the same time. It’s not something I’ve quite seen before.

In summary I recommend this because it actually manages to do different well.

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(10)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(7)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe/Costume-Design/ Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(7)

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One Of The Best Vertical Dramas Made To Date.

This is one of the best vertical dramas made to date.

Rebirth & revenge, no prisoners taken, no excess saliva and protracted bullying scenes, best enemies to lovers.
And it's a rebirth/revenge that actually has decent romance

It had alot of the standard tropes, mall shopping bullying, radom bullying, jealous exgirlfriend and stepsister, severing family-ties, spiking drink, framing, and the inevitable kidnapping, but what made this stand out was how it was all handled, all the bad guys got retribution swiftly and appropriately, even some lost their lives and it had the appropriate amount of blood spilled to satisfy viewers.

No antagonist was allowed to hang around unnecessarily, ML clearly & swiftly rejected all green tea females, and they were not allowed to linger irritatingly.

Even when the ML nanny was bullied the resolution was satisfying.

Yao Yu Chen's smile is he icing on cake and Zhou Hang played the most masculine character I've ever seen.

Great rewatch, I’m adding this drama to my all time favorite list along side dramas like, My Love From The Stars, Five Enough, Moving, The Man From Nowhere, Healer, Etc….

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Hard to rate, a 9.5 if you like Yoona.

I don’t know how to rate this drama, if I remove about 75 episodes, I could give it a 9 or 10.
I had to skip a lot of random episodes to enjoy this.

Yoona did a good job carrying the bulk of this drama considering it was her first go as a lead and she was 18 at the time.

The ML had an weird facial expression( he has the same expression in “Tale of Two Sisters”), it takes you out of the scenes he is playing.

The other ML’s anger issues became tiresome after episode 2.

The writing was amateurish/lazy at times, using the “lack of clear communication” plot device to stretch out the story and create tension, drama and comedy. Introducing characters to fill time.

If you focus on the Yoona episodes it’s an enjoyable watch.

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Modern Fairytale

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(6)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(9)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(9)

Starter/1st Act ~(9)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(9)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(10)

The concept was very simplistic and has been done before, but the script writer was given simple tasty ingredients and managed to flesh out a script that avoided to many cliches, and stuck with the simple straightforward theme. The script avoided the biggest mistake that plagues a lot of writers, trying to put an overly realistic spin on the story and trying to be different. The classic are that for a reason nothing wrong with “tried, true and tested”.

The director did a good job of staying out off his own way and let the story flow naturally.

The actors overall did a nice job and avoided overacting which generally plagues Makjangs, making this one of the few off this genre I can watch.

Sets where okay, no great emphasis on production value, the wardrobe was good with minimal emphasis on costume design, everyone’s wardrobe reflected their character, which showed that thought and planning went into them.
The product placement was not over the top and intrusive like you see a lot of the time.

Pacing was good and crisp, no lagging.

1st and 2nd act were smooth like freshly churned butter in french country side boulangerie. And thank goodness there were not crazy breakups in the 3rd and we got revenge served with a great heaping helping off the warm and fuzzies.

I’ve rewatched twice already, enough said.

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A Great Show, But Stumbles A Bit In The 3rd Act

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(10)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(10)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(7)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(8)

Starter/1st Act ~(10)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(10)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(8)


Ever wandered what a middle class “Batman” with shades of “Superman” & a pinch of “Spiderman” would be like? Well then this is the show for you.

Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young delivers, with great chemistry and a believable romance arc.
The action was not overbearing.

The quasi superhero bent serves as a backdrop for a sweet and endearing romance.

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All Time Favorite Long Drama

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(9)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(10)
Chef= Director ~(10)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(8)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Pacing/Cinematography ~(10)

Starter/1st Act ~(8)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(10)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(10)

My favorite and probably only long drama, I stumbled on this purely by luck, because I avoid long dramas like the plague.

I’ve concluded that Shin Hye Sun being on the cast almost always guarantees a drama.

I’m surprised more women don’t like this drama, as it essentially a modern day fairytale for divorced women who were mistreated by their ex spouses. My best guess is because it portrays the female lead as ultimately feminine who appreciated and submitted to the male lead.

For such a big cast the drama gave every character it’s moments to shine even the youngest daughter.

The toxicity was minimal and thankfully the alcoholism was also kept to a minimum.

I bought one of the soundtracks on iTunes.

I’ve rewatched twice already, which is shocking considering its over 50 episodes.

If you want a sweet but realistic drama that has something for almost everyone, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

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Hollywood meets Makjang, a Modern Day Fairytale

Hollywood meets Makjang, a Modern Day Fairytale( which like it or not is what most of us are here for)

Moral of this story women shouldn’t be trusted, because of they are emotional. They won’t stick by you through thick and thin, so men have to take the reins, shoulder the burden and be decisive especially when they recognize a woman who is a good long term bet.

Kudos to the writer for writing a strong male lead, without resorting to grabbing and pulling the female lead’s wrist, being low-key mean etc.., he was decisive but a little unsure sometimes, competent, independent, in-shape and managed his emotions well.

Kudos also for a strong female lead, without resorting to the “kind to everyone no matter how bad they treat you” kdrama trope. She stood up for herself but knew when she needed a man’s help, she was fit, feminine, friendly, and most importantly knew her true feminine strength was being inspirational to those around her.

The screenwriter is a good storyteller, and she accepts the reality of who men and women are. The one on one romantic scenes are more on the realistic side. This is more like a Hollywood modern romance than your typical Kdrama romance that is more prevalent.

If you’re here for romance it doesn’t kick off till about episode 25/30.

Lead actress might not cut out for lead roles(caveat, I have to see her in other lead-roles), but for what the script called for maybe she’s a good choice, but I will have to rewatch to decide. Her expression in her head shot is the same she has 80% of the drama, like she’s just going through the motions, but maybe that’s the direction she got.

Because of the acting choices of the director and lead actress at the start of the drama it’s hard to grow empathy for her character, add to that numerous other characters you start lose focus on and leads, which makes the story disjointed. When you get to the end you start to see what the creatives were going for. That creative choice is certainly up for debate. I think a more emotive actress would have built empathy early and I suspect a lot of viewers were lost in the early stages of the drama.

This show is better suited for watching with a lot of fast forwarding.

Overall I think maybe I see where they were going, the two actresses are technically Co-Leads.

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IU shines.

I have rewatched this twice and it each time the same issues prevent me from rating it higher.
1)The unnecessary lack of communication between characters, even within the FL’s family that the writer portrayed as close.
2)Not enough focus on the ML and FL was a missed opportunity, this one aspect prevented this from being regarded as one of KDrama’s best shows. Because if you look at some of the best all time favorites, like my love from the stars, crash landing, descendants of the sun, it’s ok not to not be okay , flower of evil, extraordinary attorney, queen of tears, alchemy, and on, and on….
Only “Slice Of Life” dramas with strong cast’s can pull off spreading out the focus.

That being said I recommend this because IU’s performance and it factor is a thing of beauty to watch.
And in my opinion this is one Yoo In Na and Jo Jung Suk’s best performances.

Also this show had the most ‘Legs’ of any show I’ve seen, I wonder if the director had a thing?

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I Wanted To Like It.

Where do I start,
1) Worst ML casting I’ve ever seen, is he really an actor? Or was this a parachute hire? Did he detest “Seol In Ah” in real life? Did she detest him? I don’t know what happened but ML and FL had negative chemistry, I suspect the script was changed to reduce their interactions. Whatever it was it ruined the show.

2) I wanted to like this because of Seol In Ah, but because of what I mentioned above her role was cut back, even the main plot line didn’t involve her and male lead till the last 2 episodes, and it was minimal. In the last few episodes the inevitable scene where ML has to comfort FL was awkward at best and cringe worthy, she reluctantly let him give her the worst consoling hug I’ve ever seen on screen.

3) Resolving the main plot point didn’t happen until the last 5 episodes or so, and I suspect that had something to do with the ML & FL problem and rewriting the script.

I could never rewatch this, if you like Seol In Ah, watch Business Proposal or Twinkling Watermelon.

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Seol Hyun Shines

It took me 1 1/2 years to complete this drama, because
1)Slow beginning
2)Fl’s drunk episode
3)ML mumbling
4)FL started out a tad bit unlikeable

But once I got past episode (6) it’s actually a decent drama.
No other actress could have pulled off the leading lady role, Seol Hyun’s fresh faced beauty, her flowing locks, her infectious smile…. I put her in the top (5) of all Korean Actresses.

The other actors all did a good job.
Bom grows on you over time, the other characters have decent growth arcs.

***Slight Spoiler Warning***


The antagonists, there’s more than one are well written and surprising.

I would have given this a higher rating if not for the use of the ubiquitous KDrama “drunken plot device”
Please KDrama use this a bit more judiciously, I employ you.

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Skip to episode 11

Story idea/concept (8)
The idea is not groundbreaking, but the shopping concept is interesting.

Script (5)
The writer for some unfathomable reason stretched out the setup over 10 episodes, and then had to hurriedly wrap up the show.

Directing (8)
Was ok
Pacing (7)
Was weakened by the script writers choices

Acting (8)
Male lead always has the same facial expressions in every show I’ve seen him in, with limited range, but the other actors carried the drama.

Wardrobe (8)
Was well done and ok overall.

Sets/Locations (8)
Typical of Kdramas, thank goodness the product placement was not irritating as they can sometimes be in Kdramas

Skip to episode 11, in my opinion that’s when the show finally finds direction. Everything that happens prior is rehashed in subsequent episodes anyway so you don’t really miss much, because the male lead is highly irritating in the early episodes.

Episodes 1 to 10 should have been covered in 3 episodes, episodes 11 to 16 should have been spread out to 13 episodes.

Rewatch Value (2)

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Convoluted Mess

Menu= Concept/Outline ~(10)
Ingredients/Recipe= Script/Writer ~(4)
Chef= Director/Pacing/Editing ~(5)
Flavor/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(8)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe/Production-Value ~(3)
Waiter/Service= Cinematography ~(9)

Starter/1st Act ~(10)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(7)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(2)

The story idea is great, but the script was convoluted, it started out great but spiraled into a schizophrenic mess. The ML’s character was portrayed childish in an effort to force forcefully inject comedy/humor into the show, I think humor/comedy through dialogue beats slapstick situations any day.
Because of the childishness and incompetence of ML’s character the romance was unbelievable, forced with little chemistry.
The FL’s character was great and required a competent assertive ML to make her growth arc believable, e.g. “taming of the shrew”.

The wardrobe as a tool to convey each character’s personality was used half heartedly with everyone expect the main leads.
The ML’s wardrobe was childish from start to finish and in no way vibed with the FL’s.

The directing was good, but with a weak script? Well….

1st act was actually riveting and had me glued to the screen, but by the 2nd act you couldn’t tell what the drama was supposed to be. By the 3rd act you could tell the show didn’t know how to wrap things up.
Romance fell flat.
Intrigue was nonexistent.
Humor yeah right.
What are rules for Angels in this drama’s world? Even the characters didn’t know let alone the audience.
The main antagonist was clearly halfheartedly put in by the writer, evidenced by the lack of a clear motivation. It seemed like someone reminded the writer to add villain half into the script.
Finally the breakups, smh, to many and unnecessarily so and all using the same stupid justification trope!!!

I don’t understand the high rating for this show.

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Pure and wonderful escapism.

Menu= Synopsis/Concept ~(8)
Ingredients/Recipes= Script Writer ~(9)
Chef= Director ~(9)
Flavors/Taste= Actors/Performances ~(10)
Restaurant/Decor= Wardrobe Production-Value ~(10)
Waiter/Service= Editing/Cinematography ~(10)

Starter/1st Act ~(9)
Main Course /2nd Act ~(10)
Dessert/3rd Act ~(8)

Pure escapism, warm and fuzzy. The lead actress where beautiful coupled with great acting.
I personally prefer simple straightforward storytelling, injecting over the top conflict for conflict’s sake is overrated.

Talking pictures are for unwinding after dealing with reality.

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