This review may contain spoilers
Could've been more tasteful... but it's fine (dining) overall.
SPOILERSIt's basically a comedy with fine dining food thrown in. I knew that from the get-go. I wasn't expecting a meaningful series and that made it delicious enough for me.
Not a binge watch. Nothing major really happens. Not a shocking plot. I slotted in one or two episodes in between other dramas. Worked well.
Go Min Si (Yeon Ju) was lacklustre as the lead and putting her next to Kang Ha Neul, Kim Shin Rok and well, all the rest of the cast (who could act in various degrees), just deflated her balloon even more. She was boring to watch.
So I, ahem, kinda brushed her aside and turned my attention to the food and other characters.
Are you a foodie? I am. I love looking at a feast and often pause the video to admire each dish laid out on the table. Not much pausing was done here as the focus was mostly on that one beef dish popping up every now and then. Still, it made me want to taste it. It fell short on yummy food for the foodie viewer in me.
Some nice info on food prep and raw ingredients. Decorating with garnishes and pretty plates could've been better - it seemed too simply tossed in to be a delightful touch.
What I really like about 'Tastefully Yours' were the friendships that took time to develop and the characters who slowly changed, especially Beom Wu, Chun Seong and Sun Woo.
I'll just talk about Beom Wu.
He was at first an arrogant, pushy, cold-hearted business rat, then a desperate guy and finally a man in love. From a hard-core recipe thief, Beom Wu felt shame and his confidence shaken by guilt when he caused hurt to Yeon Ju and her restaurant. Kang Ha Neul nailed it with his honest acting.
Some actors did go a bit slapstick with the expressions, but was within tolerance. Kim Shin Rok (Myeong Suk) was unpredictable and fun. Oh Min Ae (the mother) held her own with elegance. Bae Yoo Ram (Yu Jin) was a good support between Jung Jae restaurant and Hansang. He connected the two places for a comfortable switch to and fro.
Tropes and cliches abounded; could've been more tasteful... but it's fine (dining) overall.
A very raised-my-brows twist that I didn't see coming was in episode 9 that linked to an earlier scene. Too big a spoiler for me to detail here,, but it was very good.
This is my Number Three review. I hope you enjoyed my article. Thanks for reading it all the way to here :)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Didn't Love it, but Liked it.
SPOILERSI watched it for Yook Sung Jae. He tickled me in 'Guardian: The Lonely and Great God' aka 'Goblin' with his wisecracks and smart aleck expressions and he's as cute and funny doing that here as well. He played two characters in 'Goblin' and he's still pulling two roles in this drama. Effortlessly.
I didn't love the series, but I did like it. The storyline was creative enough for me. Little bit draggy here and there, but pretty engaging for a casual watch. Just let the plot lead the way and wait it out if a character gets too emo or has one too many lines complaining (*points finger at Kim Ji Hoon aka the King). Wore me down a bit.
The pace was alright, as was the editing. The assortment of ghosts and their back stories made things interesting and there were touching moments. Romance-wise I'd say they lost me - only a little sweet chemistry between the leads, but it was too predictable and when they eventually got together, it was just ho-hum to me.
Not much in the costume, special effects or music dept. The direction seems more focused on the script and pretty dependant on getting a lot of people 'possessed' every few episodes. If you plan to watch it with someone and are reading this despite the spoiler tag, you can start betting on who's next on the possession list. It'll be Fun.
I enjoyed the humour. Although, I'm guessing, it was not meant to be part of the comedy, but I couldn't stop myself from LOL each time Kim Sang Ho (Pung San) shot out his high-pitched girly voice. Damn, he was a burst of fireworks whistles!
I would have rated this series higher if not for the delays of long, unnecessary lingering looks and the many, many lines of grumbling '...that evil spirit...' dialogue (*rolls eyes and points finger at Kim Ji Hoon again).
Pardon me for not neatly splitting the pros and cons; I decided it's okay to jumble it up as to whatever came to mind.
That's it for this drama. My second review. Thanks for reading it all the way to here :)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Absolutely A Must-Watch for All
Everyone should watch this drama. A lot of things said will hit you straight in the head, heart and your entire being in a subtle, yet powerful way. This drama is generously peppered with phrases that wowed me. You'll be wowed, too.This is Life. They kept it as Real (as possible) and that kept me watching till the end. The writer did a great job.
It depicts a lot of, I'd say 'useful' situations at home and at work. Useful for anyone's life in general, maybe now, maybe keep it for reference later. Things happen and this will make coping with the unexpected easier.
A lot of emotional hurt builds up because we feel 'only I alone' have such bad experiences, but this drama opens up to reveal that what you may have believed to be happening to just you is often occurring widespread.
SPOILERS!
Park Bo Young shone as the main actress(es). Not easy to play two roles which are not so outrageously different in personality, but she did a magnificent job. I truly felt I was watching two people playing the twins. Bravo! *standing ovation*
Park Jin Young was the right choice as the gentle, strong Ho Su who makes me anticipate his every sensible and supportive reply. I saw Ho Su's strength and maturity within his calm expressions.
Ryung Kyung Soo played my most favourite character to watch. Han Se Jin is brought to life by this very talented actor. I also love his voice. Superb performance!
Kim Sun Young as the sweet, kind and very polite Bun Hong had me wishing I was her next door neighbour. Shy and often a little too careful with interactions, KSY delivers with the way she talks, walks and looks at others. This seasoned actress so awesomely kept in character every step of the way. Yes, I love her!
Now the drama itself. A good healing series it is.
Many lessons to be learnt. Too many to list, of course. Here's one.
Mi Rae's way of thinking differed from Su Yeon. The office was a quiet hellhole for both. Getting on the lousy side of the bosses was bad enough, but to also be totally ostracised and shunned by their colleagues is really common sense time to just leave.
Su Yeon's resigning from work stopped further stress and saved her from suicide perhaps? Which is what happened to Mi Rae who decided to stay put.
We should not go beyond our limits. Quit if necessary. Try and go on to the next. Like what Se Jin said "If you don't let go, you can't grab on to anything else".
My one gripe with the script.
Four people struggled with depression. Mi Ji, Ho Su and Su Yeon were locked in. Mi Rae tried to commit suicide. None of these four were capable of helping themselves.
Luckily, they did have someone who took action. Mi Ji's mother whacked the door knob, Ho Su's mum barged in, Su Yeon's brother infiltrated the office and Mi Ji saved her twin.
And this is where my 'Real (as possible)' comes in - couldn't the writer have explored other possibilities other than repeating all three locking themselves in? Plus they had saviours who succeeded so easily? Well, in the case of Mi Ji she went out when grandma collapsed, but she miraculously recovered after that? C'mon...
*Share, Share*
Now to just share why I so loved watching the character 'Han Se Jin'.
His personality is absolutely delightful and Ryung Kyung Soo played the role with much charm and gusto. He is the rainbow where the rest are getting drenched. He is pure, innocent, cute fun!
Unlike the other characters, this guy has no relatives, no sign of friends (just ex-colleagues), no wife, girlfriend, neighbour or... well, he's just by himself. Only a regret about his grandfather, but no major illness or deep depression, no one depending on him and he's not responsible for anyone either. He's free and easy and very rich (without any airs).
What he has is a great sense of humour, uber optimism and a lot of humility. He is an adult kid, lovable, unpredictable and yes, suddenly he's wearing cool shades standing next to that bright yellow Lamborghini he'd abruptly bought, right smack in the middle of Mi Rae's walk. Like I said, he has oodles of money.
Money that he stopped making to tend to the strawberry farm. He realized, albeit a little late, that people are more important. He didn't crumble with regret. I'm thinking his optimism was what kept him grounded (see if you get this pun of mine). He's overall quite a lucky person to be born with positive qualities, I guess.
That's my review. My first one, in fact. Thanks for reading it all the way to here :}
Was this review helpful to you?
