bojojoti

I'm surprised the rating isn't higher for Sold Out on You (I generally rate lower than most MDLers). It has everything a likable romcom could have: attractive leads, family relationships, a tightknit village community (with the obligatory adorable grandmother figure), and, of course, a sweet, supportive romance.

The Good:

• Both leads had life-altering, soul-crushing experiences at the same time in their lives and were finding their way out of their personal darkness. The support they gave each other, even secretly, was heart-warming to watch.
• Both Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Bum in a drama? I was instantly interested, even though the harsh reviews concerned me and had me delay watching. That was an error on my part, as not every drama is going to be everyone's cup of tea. I'm a bit puzzled by the claims of "unrealistic" when it comes to watching a romcom. They are notoriously unrealistic—it's one of their defining factors! People don't generally turn into dogs when they kiss, enter contract relationships when looking for an apartment, travel back in time, kidnap their love interest in a misguided show of attention, present themselves as the opposite sex and fall in love, show up as a substitute for a blind date, get caught in a whirlwind and end up in enemy territory, mistakenly marry the wrong person, transform into a llama, body swap with their love, date someone about a 1000 years older than themselves, hide a body only to discover he wasn't dead and therefore dateable, pretend to be a robot, date an alien or mermaid or vampire or gumiho or ghost, become a personal human battery charger, mistakenly sleep with someone during a cruise, or rub a magic lamp to find the love of their life.
• Speaking of Kim Bum, is he drinking from the fountain of youth? It's hard to believe it's been 17 years since he was in Boys over Flowers. I loved "Almost Paradise" played when he made his appearance as the 2ML. Kim Bum was also the 2ML in Tale of the Nine-Tailed where he had a romance. I'm curious how he would do as the lead in a romcom. Here, he was the besotted 2ML, but he was mature and decent enough to realize FL didn't feel the same. It was a small role, but he was outstanding in it.
• As an avid drama watcher, I appreciated all the Easter eggs presented to the viewers: the FL recounting the plotline of a favorite romcom, which happened to be Business Proposal; Melomance playing in the background; and Jinu making a cameo appearance.
• I loved that the ML and FL had a relationship where neither backed down from their convictions. They were willing to argue their points, come to an eventual agreement, and still love one another. It was a very realistic view of relationships in that regard.
• I appreciated that people's evil deeds weren't glossed over. Jobs were lost, people went to jail, and, contrary to most romcoms, not all relationships were healed. Conversely, people who had been misunderstood spoke out and mended bridges. Apologies were made and forgiveness was given. Healing happened.

The Bad:

• Ahn Hyo Seop is a beautiful man, but how I itched to take some scissors to his bangs. He looked disheveled at moments, and not in a cute way.
• Slapstick comedy is not my favorite, and it featured prominently.

Sold Out on You didn't break new ground or push boundaries, but it did what a romcom should: provided an enjoyable experience for the viewer, with attractive people and sets, and touched on universal truths. Recommended for those wanting a cozy, healing drama interspersed with slapstick moments.

I added a half star for no evil love triangles, cute leads, and a drama that didn't make me want to drop it halfway in.