Good Beginnings, Bad Endings
The hype got me to watch the series. The pro of this series is that its a short watch, with only 12 episodes. The con is its ending. Don't get me wrong, it's not an unresolved ending. True to typical kdramas, everything is neatly tied up in a bow and spoonfed to the audience. But my biggest glitch with the ending is its execution.
I could see the writers' fatigue towards the end of the drama. They'd used all their brains in setting the story up, but when it came to a logical resolution, they just lost steam.
This is another one of those typical Kdramas that are extremely trope-y but also addictive because we know what we'll be served. So the joke situations are the same, the hand grabs are endless, and consent is sketchy, to say the least.
What I particularly liked about this series was its attention to detail when it comes to food. And it is very commendable that the makers consulted proper chefs to show very standard Michelin star recipes. The exaggerated visuals while tasting their food is again, not new (Food Wars has done it, Haunted Palace has done it), but they are stupidly funny. If only they could put this much attention to detail to write a better ending to the story, it would've made so much sense. To use a food analogy, the series felt like the writers spent a LOT of time and effort whipping egg whites to make a meringue, only to misuse it towards the end and bake a flat cake out of it. The ending felt as unsatisfactory as a flat cake coming out of the oven.
In terms of acting, Lee Chaemin was quite convincing as the tyrant turned softie sweetheart. Im Yoona also did a good job in her comic parts. But when she was explaining the dishes, it felt like I was watching King The Land again. The other actors also did a good job, but given that its a CJ Ent and Studio Dragon production, I don't expect bad acting at all.
I do wish, however, that they stop the body showing fan service. I get it, we all thirst to see glimpses of the male actors' well built bodies, but being shirtless at random episodes is just meaningless.
The music was quite meh, nothing stood out. The food production and the food photography was top notch though: that was easily the best part of the series. Which is why, even if it didn't have a very dense plot, I wasn't bothered much: the food was enough to make up for it.
This is the 2nd kdrama I've watched recently that features isekai elements (First Night with the Duke is another). And both of them failed the teleportation element so horribly, my opinion of the dramas reduced substantially. Overall, its a fun watch, starts off very strong but becomes tepid at the end.
I could see the writers' fatigue towards the end of the drama. They'd used all their brains in setting the story up, but when it came to a logical resolution, they just lost steam.
This is another one of those typical Kdramas that are extremely trope-y but also addictive because we know what we'll be served. So the joke situations are the same, the hand grabs are endless, and consent is sketchy, to say the least.
What I particularly liked about this series was its attention to detail when it comes to food. And it is very commendable that the makers consulted proper chefs to show very standard Michelin star recipes. The exaggerated visuals while tasting their food is again, not new (Food Wars has done it, Haunted Palace has done it), but they are stupidly funny. If only they could put this much attention to detail to write a better ending to the story, it would've made so much sense. To use a food analogy, the series felt like the writers spent a LOT of time and effort whipping egg whites to make a meringue, only to misuse it towards the end and bake a flat cake out of it. The ending felt as unsatisfactory as a flat cake coming out of the oven.
In terms of acting, Lee Chaemin was quite convincing as the tyrant turned softie sweetheart. Im Yoona also did a good job in her comic parts. But when she was explaining the dishes, it felt like I was watching King The Land again. The other actors also did a good job, but given that its a CJ Ent and Studio Dragon production, I don't expect bad acting at all.
I do wish, however, that they stop the body showing fan service. I get it, we all thirst to see glimpses of the male actors' well built bodies, but being shirtless at random episodes is just meaningless.
The music was quite meh, nothing stood out. The food production and the food photography was top notch though: that was easily the best part of the series. Which is why, even if it didn't have a very dense plot, I wasn't bothered much: the food was enough to make up for it.
This is the 2nd kdrama I've watched recently that features isekai elements (First Night with the Duke is another). And both of them failed the teleportation element so horribly, my opinion of the dramas reduced substantially. Overall, its a fun watch, starts off very strong but becomes tepid at the end.
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