twiz aka unagibento

This is my absolute #1 kdrama. Makjang is not my usual genre, and there's certainly more outrageous plots out there. The romance is drawn with a light touch, but knowing the main lead's feelings makes each tender scene worth 3x more. What I fell in love with here is the production value, and the gorgeous soundtrack. The ending of each episode was flawless: like the director was filming the episode's cliffhanger ending first, then filling in the rest of the episode to match with perfection. So many endings took my breath away, including the very first, which says a lot. The beginning of the first episode was a bit complex, and I found myself lost in the subtle currents and endless parade of new characters. But they did a wonderful job portraying just what the main lead valued, and what he was sacrificing by the end of episode 1. Wow! So gorgeous and heartbreakingly ruthless. I've never paused a series so many times trying to find a gif of the last beautiful scene I watched. This show really is in a class of its own, and makes a lot of other kdramas feel juvenile in comparison.

All that crack in the first paragraph, I died. I've never been sold on a drama so fast - I started watching it within 2 hours. Great review!

In Let's Eat and Touch Your Heart, I love how he looks at women he likes. You can get full just off his expressions. Hope to see him as a main lead soon.

I absolutely loved the food in this series, but I found the female lead less and less likeable by the show's end. By the end she constantly looked like she was chewing a lemon while smelling poo - her face was so sour and pouty! It spoiled the last episodes for me. This was also the worst I've ever gotten Second Lead Syndrome. Yes, her boss pulled some tricks and he should have worked out his past issues with her sooner, but he also really loved her and it was written all over his face when he watched her eat, I loved his expressions. The main lead, however, while he was a cool character, he never really seemed terribly attached the the female lead, and it felt more about just him having an audience to listen to him - anyone can fill that role.

This was a nice mellow, low investment watch. What I really enjoyed was how there was no attempt to "fix" the loner tendencies of the mains when they went out to eat; enjoying a meal alone is cherished throughout the whole series. It also made me pay more attention to the meals I chose while watching the show, even the drinks. Even months later when I pour a cold beer to accompany a good meal, I smile and try to take a few seconds to appreciate the whole experience.

This was fun, and light. It's a good watch if you're needing a palate cleanser after a heavier drama, and the episodes are short and fast. The leads had great chemistry, though I do wish there'd been just a *tiny* bit more romance or development there. There's a few loose ends that aren't neatly tied up, but it's not a dealbreaker - it just gives it a "..and the adventure continues" kind of feel at the end.

After finally watching this I understand the comments. This has what I'll call 2nd Drama Syndrome - it's two different dramas in one that don't quite mesh well. Many kdramas suffer a little from this, but this case is especially severe. The first half promises (and delivers) an endearing, funny romance, and the second half transforms almost entirely into a revenge melodrama. The romance falls off the map and stagnates, and the female lead becomes a background character. While the second story is also good, it's like having your plate of pasta switched out halfway through dinner with a steak: it's not following through on what the premise, the title, and the first 10 or so eps promise, so it jerks you out of the story. This makes the wrap-up in the last episode especially frustrating - I feel like the tension with the two main leads could have been great if it happened 6 episodes sooner and played out.

It's now on Viki!

Wow. What an amazing drama. I finished 40 episodes in about 3 days..! The main leads conveyed so much emotion for each other in their looks. Their acting was phenomenal. It will ruin you for awhile for other dramas. It made me realize how a lot of other onscreen "romance" in dramas is just really attractive people making faces at each other. :p Zhu Yi Long's double roles were both exceptional - some double roles make me constantly think about the actor playing two roles, but the personalities were so separate that they really seemed like separate people. I'm amazed at how much the writers managed to convey while skirting censorship, so standing ovation to the entire crew.

I found the ending satisfying, if sad. Still, it felt inevitable. By the end I was screaming "Do it!!" in my mind for him to finish the villain, even though I knew it would cost him. Otherwise the villain would have wiggled free again somehow and the kids would never be safe. Her crying at the very end, how she just lost it, made me lose it too, and it was significant: the entire show she'd been the tough cop, holding it together no matter what, and when he died she just lost all control, even with her team and "father" a few feet away. She didn't lose it like that when her old boyfriend died years ago! I think that showed the depth of her loss, and it was very believable, devastating crying. Even Seul Gi's crying in the last ep was sincere and realistic, so I applaud both actresses.

I love jdrama rom-coms, but I'm not a fan of this type of female lead. She basically portrayed the cutesy, over-the-top childlike girl that you see in a lot of anime. It pushed the older woman/younger man premise past credibility because she reacted like a 7 year old in most situations. Otherwise it could have been an enjoyable watch, but watching her exaggerated behavior was like trying to drink pancake syrup. I know not everyone will agree on that assessment, but if this type of female lead is your cup of tea, you do you.

I'm glad it wasn't just me! The ending *traumatized* me deeply, and to date is the only ending that made me want to throw my TV out the window. It wasn't the age/culture gap, but that she seemed to be hiding her genuine self whenever he came around - pretending she was clean, could cook, talking different, etc. She could be her 100% self with Rintaro - laugh, cry, let it all hang out. That's what's truly rare! Ugh, can you imagine her living with Hirotu full-time? She'd have to fake it 24/7 until she trained herself to be a different person.