Script, vibes and acting.
I'll keep this short.Cafe Minamdang is probably one of my most rewatched K-dramas yet.
A summary:
9/10 chemistry between the majority of the characters.
10/10 script.
10/10 cinematography.
10/10 humour.
10/10 vibes.
Although this drama is a long one, the length in no way is a hindrance. Each episode feels amazing.
I also love detailed profile-type criminal cases to follow (like Criminal Minds; this is just funnier with a dash of fraud). Also, the ML actor and his entourage clearly were enjoying themselves making this drama, and I like it when actors bring their 'A game' and also love what they do; it makes the whole experience so much fun to watch. The script makes sense and the writing doesn't slack off towards the end, but brings the whole drama to a satisfying close.
One thing: FML.
But everything else is such a 10 out of 10 that I keep coming back... Probably a yearly watch for me.
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An enemies to lovers story into a political slice of life drama.
This drama is part of the influx of well-made Cdramas within recent years. This script, cinematography, and chemistry between all the actors are incredible to witness, so much so that when I finished it the first time, I had to take some time to think about what about it affected me so much... And then rewatch again and again. This is one of my most rewatched Cdramas yet.As someone in this day and age, I managed to sit through each episode at a time WITHOUT skipping.
Somehow I understood who these individuals were on a fundamental level within the first few episodes.
Of course, that didn't mean I could predict what would happen.
It pulled me in slowly with its incredible storytelling.
It is a concept that has been done many times in the past, and there will be many more to come: the concept of a general and a lady. They felt complex, layered and real to me, as both of them were strong and weak, as they were both emotionally complicated, but incredibly smart and capable, in their own ways, but they balanced each other out. The way this relationship is shown, their stories are told, their history, individual personalities, motivations, aspirations and their promises felt real. With a deep bond being formed between these characters. Experiencing the events unfold with them, the raw emotions, even the way they spoke left me intrigued; almost like every single word and its meaning mattered, they didn't lie, but they did scheme.
The most intriguing thing about this story was how it set up certain expectations and clichés and then flipped the script in multiple ways, sometimes subtly or directly, but all believably and understandably, as most clichés and tropes exist purely because it is a historical drama, but the way the script handled these clichés is admirable, and in turn, so is the way the two main characters handle them. This story, for me, isn't about the "villains" and "stupid side characters". It's about the relationships and the development of them; what each values individually and how agency works within relationships.
A story I watch come back to over and over again because it is a comfort show, a slice of life, growing together in love.
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