porkman

I also found the writing a bit uneven and am not very fond of the occasional abrupt cutting of scenes (which is more on the director ig). However I think it's a nice and unique setup, which already makes it stand out from most other shows.

This show has lost its spark for me after the time skip. The characters' lives are now pretty much uneventful -- especially Youngrye, who is frustratingly passive in expressing her love and is just stuck being the perfect friend to everyone. It feels like she has been sidelined and is no longer the show's central character. I am also utterly disinterested in whoever the ML ends up with and it's disheartening to see it affect the FLs' friendship. I suspect that the writers never had a direction for the show after removing the bus conductors' backdrop. With 2 episodes left, they are now relying on creating a new villain to push the narrative forward. Only the characters and actors' likeability is carrying it now.

Very solid 2nd episode, I did think it leaned into sentimentality a bit much for my taste (especially that ending with cherry blossoms falling out of nowhere -- felt pretty unnecessary and jarring to me) but I get that it gives the ML the drive that he needs.

First episode was quite slow and the flow of events was predictable (I didn't read the synopsis beforehand), but it's a promising start. The vibes/aesthetic and background music were great.

It feels like the show switched genres after ep 2, and I have to say I preferred the first 2 eps.

Okay, that was way too many coincidences happening in a single episode.

Halfway through episode 4, and I'm putting this on hold. Most of the elements here just don't click at all and 80% of the show feels like filler. The only parts that I genuinely liked were those of the grandma raising the FL during her childhood (which were very brief), and some of the FL's actions that are pretty entertaining. I can't get myself to be bothered with the past lives side plots or most of the side characters. They are simply not engaging or compelling enough. Even the genie's scenes are mostly unfunny. And given that the 2 main characters are unempathetic and busy trying to screw each other up, I cannot foresee myself being even slightly convinced by the upcoming romance.

I thought humans succumbing to moral corruption given the prospect of wishes was an interesting enough topic to expand on, but it is still not kicking off. The test subjects appear to be your run-of-the-mill obnoxious side characters, and I don't see any room for moral complexity or ambiguity. Disappointing that this is KES's standard right after The Glory.

Some that come to mind:
- Mr Queen
- China does a ton of historical fantasy, some that are actually good amongst the generic idol dramas. I liked Eternal Love (multiple timelines) and Scarlet Heart from 2011 (not sure how the korean version fares)
- Splash Splash Love (short and lighthearted)

I don't really find his character to be badly written, but he is quite generic and typical. I would definitely prefer his character to be re-written to be more interesting.

Not sure if I'm loving the timeskip -- I wanted to see Youngrye wandering around exploring her other options and how she ended up in a totally different field (that she didn't seem to be interested in before). I'm also slightly concerned that the bus conductor backdrop seems to be completely gone, since it was the drama's biggest discerning factor overall.

I truly don't wish to be mean, but he is honestly severely miscast in this role. I think he would look perfect as a hooligan/gangster who changes his ways after he falls in love lol.

Other high quality dramas (including similar historical fantasy ones) have proven that it's possible to integrate multiple genres and plotlines smoothly in one show, keeping everything engaging and not leaving loose ends. This one didn't quite live up to that standard, and that's fine -- it was an entertaining watch nonetheless.

The writers clearly didn't bother to think of some explanation to how he traveled to the future, and even shamelessly said they didn't care at the very last scene lol.

Overall, I would say I liked the production values and entertainment aspect of the show. While the cooking competitions became slightly repetitive, they were well-executed. However, the plot was clearly more of an afterthought to the cooking scenes. It felt like events simply happened for the sake of it. The romance was also severely underdeveloped, feeling one-sided for most of the show, which resulted in much of the last episode feeling quite artificial and unconvincing. I rated it 7/10.

The early reviews suggest that it is overly ambitious and suffers from a weak/nonsensical second half. I'll still watch and judge it for myself though.

Several plot points don't even make any sense -- the last competition was pretty nonsensical (a royal competition doesn't need impartial judges?). I think when the show strays away from the cooking, its quality nose dives because the flaws in its narrative become way too apparent.

Ngl, I kinda expected such a reaction when I watched the latest episodes. I personally think this is blown way out of proportion though.

Last 2 episodes were great! I finally see where this story is going -- very bold indeed, and many parts would probably offend some sensitive viewers.

I think the show has pretty much established that it doesn't have much of a plot.

I'm slightly disappointed as I don't find it very engaging so far. The suspense and impact is surprisingly lacking, we see two major events happen but the aftermath is barely being portrayed. That is not to say it's bad -- it isn't, but it also isn't really living up to expectations for me.