Natenel

Merry Berry Love — Am I watching a different drama? 😂

Honestly, I wasn't even planning to write a comment, but @Leo you've practically inspired me to do so. 😭

First, let me say that I'm genuinely enjoying this drama. Is it perfect? No. Are there things that could have been handled better? Absolutely. But some of the complaints I'm seeing here are making me wonder whether we're watching the same show.

Let me explain why I'm enjoying it.

1. The casting and the chemistry

I've been a fan of Imada Mio for a while now. I love the way she acts, especially her facial expressions. I'm the kind of viewer who appreciates actors whose expressions actually change with what they're feeling. You can watch their faces and understand what's going on without needing them to explain everything through dialogue. And yes, I find her very attractive. 😂 Maybe that contributes to my enjoyment of her performances, but at least I'm honest about it.

I'm also familiar with Ji Chang-wook's work. I haven't watched everything he's been in, but I've seen quite a number of his dramas.

Now, here's something about my taste in romance dramas that might explain why I'm enjoying this particular pairing so much.

Usually, when I watch a romance drama, I'm more invested in the female lead than the male lead. I'm interested in seeing her fall in love, seeing her reactions, and watching how she experiences the relationship. The male lead matters, of course, but he's often secondary to me.

With Merry Berry Love, however, I actually want to see BOTH of them fall in love. I want to see them kiss. I want to see how their relationship develops. 😂

I can't even fully explain why, but there's something about these two characters together that makes me want to see them become a couple.

They're different from each other. They don't feel like two people whose similarities make their eventual romance obvious from the beginning. Instead, I'm curious about how two people who are so different will gradually fall for each other. That's part of the appeal for me.

2. The story didn't take the predictable route I expected.

When the drama introduced Ji Chang-wook's character as a rich CEO, I thought, "Oh, here we go. Another CEO romance."

Then he lost everything in the first episode. 😂

I also expected the usual plot where the male lead secretly approaches the female lead, manipulates her into signing away her land, and eventually falls in love with her. Then comes the guilt, the misunderstanding, the heartbreak, and the inevitable revelation.

But the drama has already established that the property he initially wanted isn't even her land. His interest in her land develops after he returns to Korea and learns how acquiring it could increase the value of his own property.

And so far, he hasn't resorted to the kind of manipulation I expected.

I like that.

Of course, the drama is still ongoing, so I'm not going to declare it free of every cliché before it finishes airing. But I'm enjoying the fact that, at this point, it hasn't relied on the predictable tricks I expected from the premise.

Also, the female lead doesn't come across as someone who's simply waiting to be manipulated or rescued. I appreciate that, too.

3. I like the way they're handling the language barrier.

One thing I appreciate is that the drama doesn't pretend the language barrier doesn't exist.

They're Korean and Japanese characters. They speak their respective languages and have to find ways to communicate with each other. They're not magically fluent in each other's languages just because the plot needs them to have a conversation.

The phone translation scenes are an interesting way of handling this.

I have noticed something about the directing, though. Sometimes, a character speaks into the phone, shows the translated text to the other person, and the other person continues the conversation without appearing to read the translation properly.

I don't know whether the director intended to imply that the character had already read it, or whether those moments could have been edited better. Either way, I think showing the other character actually reading the translation would make some of those exchanges feel more natural.

That's a legitimate criticism. I can enjoy a drama and still notice things that could be improved.

4. The cinematography looking like an advertisement isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Leo, you said the cinematography is so glossy and artificial that the whole show looks lifeless, with the lighting making everything feel like an advertisement.

I understand that the visual style might not appeal to you. Everyone has their preferences.

But I don't understand why a glossy visual style automatically makes a drama lifeless.

It's a drama. It's a visual production. The lighting, cinematography, colour grading, and framing are all deliberate creative choices. Commercials and dramas are both filmed and directed, but they don't necessarily have the same purpose or storytelling approach.

Personally, I don't mind the polished look of this drama. I think it suits the production and allows the actors' visuals to stand out. And when you've got Imada Mio and Ji Chang-wook in the same frame, I can understand why the production might want to make the most of that. 😂

You don't have to like the lighting. But saying that everything looks artificial and lifeless as though that's an objective flaw is a different matter.

5. Does Ji Chang-wook have a fetish for playing weak characters?

This is another comment I don't quite understand.

What exactly do you mean by weak?

A character can be defeated, traumatised, emotionally exhausted, vulnerable, or struggling with life without necessarily being weak. And an actor portraying those emotions convincingly isn't evidence of some strange fetish.

If anything, I appreciate actors who can communicate those feelings through their expressions. Not every male character has to be stoic, intimidating, invincible, or perpetually confident to be interesting.

Sometimes, a character's vulnerability is precisely what makes the character worth watching.

And if Ji Chang-wook frequently takes on characters who are struggling with something, that's a pattern in his roles that you can discuss. But why frame it as though portraying vulnerable characters is inherently a bad thing?

6. And about the complaints in general...

I've seen people complaining about Japanese dramas and their tendency to give main characters illnesses. Personally, I associate that trope more strongly with Korean dramas. How many Korean romances have we watched where a character is secretly suffering from some terminal illness?

Both industries have their tropes. Neither is above criticism.

But what I don't understand is watching a drama you clearly dislike and repeatedly posting variations of the same complaints. You don't like the lighting. The show looks fake. Everything feels lifeless. The cinematography looks like an advertisement.

Okay. We get it. You don't like the visual style.

You can make your point without repeating it in different comments.

And to be clear, I'm not saying people shouldn't criticise Merry Berry Love. I'm not saying everyone has to enjoy it because I do. If the story isn't working for you, say so. If the writing is weak, explain why. If you think the characters lack depth, tell us what you think is missing.

That's discussion. That's what a comment section is for.

But there's a difference between criticising something and repeatedly expressing your dislike without adding anything new to the conversation.

My final point?

I'm enjoying Merry Berry Love. I'm interested in the characters, I like the casting, I appreciate the attempt to bridge the Korean and Japanese language barriers, and I'm genuinely curious to see how these two people fall in love.

Does the drama have flaws? Yes. I've already mentioned one of them.

But I'm not going to pretend I dislike a show just because other people in the comments do.

And honestly, having to wait a whole week for the next episode is already enough suffering. 😭 Let me enjoy my drama in peace!

I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes. Hopefully, it continues to develop the relationship without falling back on all the predictable tricks I've seen in countless other romance dramas.

Exactly! 😂 I felt the same way.

When he started throwing those paper planes into her room, I was just thinking, "No... please close the door." 😭

I actually saved my original comment before continuing because I knew people were going to come for me. There are always diehard fans who defend the ML no matter what. But for me, this has nothing to do with the actor. I'm a huge Tian Shiwei fan myself, so I'm definitely not being biased against the ML because of who's playing him.

My issue is with the writing. No amount of good acting can fix a plot decision that doesn't make sense. I really dislike when a male lead does something that hurts the female lead, never properly apologizes, then does one nice gesture and suddenly we're supposed to move on as if everything is fine.

Honestly, it would've been much more refreshing if she hadn't forgiven him so quickly. Let him actually earn her trust back. That would've been far more satisfying.

Also, I loved the competition at first, but it ended up feeling like only two teams existed. The other contestants were basically mannequins—we barely got to know them. Even if they were only there for that arc, giving them more personality would've made the competition feel so much bigger and more intense.

And honestly, the second male lead calling to check on her after the competition felt more touching to me than the paper planes.

I know I’m only at episode 6, so maybe my opinion will change later, but I have to say I’m already starting to dislike the male lead’s actions.

I understand that he wanted to compete against the female lead fairly. I understand wanting to prove yourself against someone talented instead of just being seen as her “genius teammate.” But the way he went about it completely contradicts that idea.

He joined the team of the girl who already had a problem with the female lead and the teammate who betrayed her. How is that fair competition? If he truly wanted to compete on equal ground, he could have created his own team or simply refused to join a group that was formed because of the conflict surrounding her.

What bothers me even more is how they won. He basically predicted that the female lead would trust her own abilities and focus on her own strategy, then used that knowledge against her. Was that really winning fairly, or was he just taking advantage of the fact that he understood her personality?

I can see what the writer was trying to show: even geniuses can lose, and believing too much in your own ability can sometimes become a weakness. That message is fine. The problem is the execution. The team that won did not feel like the stronger or more deserving team; it felt like they won because they used personal knowledge about the female lead against her.

Then after everything, he comforts her at the end. But I honestly struggled with that scene. He already knew how much it hurt her when people ignored her, spoke badly about her, or refused to work with her. He knew she valued her teammates and her abilities. So joining the people who hurt her made his actions feel worse.

Yes, he defended her when that guy bullied her, and I appreciate that. But that does not erase everything else. Protecting someone in one moment does not automatically make your other choices okay.

Maybe the story will explain his actions better later, but at this point, I feel like the male lead’s intentions and his methods do not match. He wanted a fair competition, but his choices made the competition feel unfair.

Review: Tastefully Yours (2025) — Beautiful Food, Nonsense Story

Honestly, this drama was nonsense. The cooking part? Amazing. The food looked beautiful, mouthwatering, alive on screen. That should have been the heart of the drama: showing how creativity, authenticity, and passion in food can overcome corporate greed. And at times, you could feel that message. Even without a big restaurant, you can still create food that touches people everywhere. That theme could have carried the entire show.

But instead, every time the writers had a chance to prove it, they dropped the ball.

Take the cooking competitions. The trial rounds. Yeon-joo and her team obviously had the better dishes, the passion, the originality. Everyone watching knew it. And yet—somehow—they were cheated out of it without much explanation. It was treated as if corporate money and sponsorship automatically makes a win legitimate. In this day and age, where online voting and transparency are normal, are we supposed to believe it’s that easy to rig such a contest without question? The logic just doesn’t hold up.

Then there’s the core betrayal: recipes stolen, restaurants burned, betrayals piling up. And yet… the consequences never matched the crimes. No real public exposure. No professional fallout. Just soft apologies, vague excuses, and a “we’re still family” ending. That’s not storytelling. That’s cowardice.

The mother’s years of dirty business practices? Brushed off with some humanizing scenes.

The male lead’s thefts for his mother? Explained away because he wanted love.

The female lead’s suffering? Minimized, trivialized, explained away as anger she should “get past.”


It all boils down to this: Tastefully Yours prioritized a fake, feel-good reconciliation over justice, accountability, or even basic narrative sense. The food deserved better. The audience deserved better.

Please could you send me the link