Story: Prepare for an emotional ride. From the first episode, I just can't let go. A real makjang drama at its finest, it made me shed tears by episode 3. The story will tell you about a guy with painful past, lost family, with nowhere to run, with absolutely nothing at his hand strives to find himself, his dreams and his newly-found family through the world of baking. The childhood part for me was greatly done, it's the family history that made me invest deep emotions; for the 2nd half of the drama were flashbacks has to be made, sad emotions run down and I cried. I lost count how many times I cried in this drama. Most of the lines coming from the teacher were really inspiring and will let you ponder about life in actuality.
The romance is unconventional. It's not I-know-already-who-end-up-who typical love story. It all ends up to a matter of choices. I did like the ending, it's open yet satisfying and will leave you a resting feeling.
Cast/ Acting: The child actors were definitely amazing in conveying heavy-toned drama in the first episodes. Yoon Shi Yoon maintained the well built TakGu character. He was very convincing and his expressions will make you understand what hardships he's going through that seeing them makes it painful. When he cried, I can't help but cry too. Shin Yu Kyung's character is complex and yes, she's also believable. I initially watched this because of Joo Won and I can say, he's also very good in here, the shifting from bad to good was portrayed well, I also did cry for him at the end. The two main antagonists were not a letdown, it seemed nothing can stop them in doing what they want at all cost until the very end.
Music: It simply matches the scenes it has to give enhancements of, and it has a lively yet inspiring feeling as well.
Rewatch Value: It's a heavy drama for me so I will find it hard to rewatch it for sure.
Overall: A great inspiring drama that will max-out your emotions( it is for me anyway) but in a good way! It will make you sad yet satisfied, this is one of those dramas that is hard to forget. :)
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Story - Overall, it was pretty interesting. There were things that kept you wanting to know what happened even though the romance element was predictable at times. It wasn't draggy at all and that was a great thing for this drama. The pace wasn't too slow but not too fast either. Most of the twists in the drama were also well done, the fantasy was what wasn't predictable at all, I didn't see those twists coming. There were definitely some parts that felt out of place in the drama, like the beginning of the last episode was a little too surprising for me... can't spoil it though. ;D
Acting/Cast - When I first started this drama, I wasn't expecting much out of Lee Hong Ki. I thought it was odd he was playing a 29 year old man when he looked so young that I couldn't believe he was even 24! But I'm glad to say, it played out pretty well. A haircut and a change of makeup can do wonders to enhance your age! His acting was impressive and it exceeded my expectations by far. Yang Jin Sung was great too, before this drama, I had never heard of her before. I was surprised that this was her first leading role. The difference in personality was so clearly shown with Yi Kyung and Doo Rim. Not once (except maybe the ending) did I confuse them even though they were being played by the same actress. Lee Hong Ki and her had tons of chemistry, they did good kiss scenes LOL. Everyone else played their role well as well, I didn't see any flaws in the acting. (:
Characters - Kang Ju, who seemed cold and rude in the beginning naturally became softer and more understandable. I loved Doo Rim so much at first, I adore strong female leads. I like how at first she disliked Kang Ju but naturally began understanding him and liking him rather than clinging onto him annoyingly from the start without considering how he treated her. Doo Rim remained true to her character until she fell head over heels for Kang Ju... honestly, this is like the one of the things I really disliked about this drama and it bothered me a lot. Like, all of a sudden she was crazy about him and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. The development felt unnatural to me. How the relationship started wasn't that realistic but after a while you forget about it and just enjoy the cute moments. After she admitted to her feelings, her tough character didn't show as much as the previous episodes which kind of disappointed me. At first I really hated how horrible the antagonists were. The very people she trusted were lying and deceiving her for their own gain and she was completely oblivious to it all. When she finally did find out, she hardly even cared. It was a good thing that the antagonists end up becoming better people and admitting their wrongs. Another thing that bothered me was Yi Hyun. It's weird how he falls for Doo Rim, who looks exactly like his half sister, Yi Kyung. I don't remember this ever being explained though... Roo Mi, who was initially the usual evil second lead actress, became so much better naturally. It wasn't at the very end where they go on about how they reflected on their actions but it was pretty early in the drama when she changed for the better. My favorite characters were the ghost and Doo Rim's grandmother. The ghost was a important part of the story and added mystery to the drama. I loved Doo Rim's grandmother because she was so adorable and so funny xD
Music - I loved the music in this drama. I never got tired of it and there was a nice variety. Lee Hong Ki has a really nice voice, I really liked the OST he sang for the drama ~
While there were some flaws in this drama, I liked it overall. I'm glad they didn't try to extend the drama because the fact that it's not draggy is really enjoyable. There are so many cute moments that will make you laugh too. A good length for this drama and if you want to watch it, I'd definitely recommend it.
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Within a male dominated spectacularly exclusive golden Jaebeol-Cage women stand up for their rights
The (fictional) Hyowon Group's extended family is among the richest one percent in the country. This clan is analyzed in detail with their personal stories and their dynamics among themselves. It quickly becomes clear that despite all the wealth, nobody is happy here. They are prisoners in a golden cage of their own greed. The peacock cage in the park of the estate is a beautiful allegory for this.If they were just satisfied with what is, they might be better off. But it always has to be more. "Mine... Mine... I want it... I want more... I don't want to give it away..." Communication is replaced by competition, love and comfort by money and luxury. The price has to be payed by suffering souls. Having lost their grounding in trust, sympathy and kindness, they somehow blindly fight for a substitute. "Mine" thus illustrates their sandbox games including mud fight. Maybe with designer sand - the architecture and furnishings are spectacularly exclusive down to the last detail. You don't have to like that, but it is supposed to impress - and it does.
Still, mud is just mud... And it is disgusting to deal with.
The Jaebeol orbit traditionally is a man´s world. In this respect the KDrama "Mine" choses a unique and inspiring approach: Here concentrated, intelligent and courageous women's power is fighting for liberation from the golden cage. This is possible in South Korea in 2021. Also that one of the female protagonists is in love with a woman. Can women set themselves free from male dominated power structures and constraints? There are some truly beautiful, touching, powerful moments of sisterhood and women's power. Sometimes offensive, sometimes subtle.
If you like, "Mine" is also a contemporary social criticism, quietly hidden behind the curtain of an exclusive and alien world of feudal arrogance. The orbit of the Jaebeol may be far far away from the rest of the world, but with all the interpersonal and inner-psychic dynamics (actually quite ordinary and human) that are in focus here, it comes very close to the themes of 'normal' (South Korean) society - with its social constraints, its strict hierarchical structures and their prejudices that put chains on people of almost every social class. The audience is thus free to choose who from the Hyowon clan household they want to identify with. And whether they want to dare to break free, too, and take a different path (together with one or the other protagonist).
--------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Jaebeol and their different topics among second and third generation heirs ---
The rise of the founding Jaebeol, like the growth of their companies, was shaped by strong patriarchal hands. Hardworking hands, too. However, this first generation patriarchs are slowly dying out... this being accompanied by creeping processes of change. The founding fathers knew where they came from. Plus, from the very first hour, they had long-standing, loyal relationships with their assistants, secretaries, drivers, foremen that had grown over time (even if they were characterized by dependency)... and over time they have built up a systematic network that takes care of their interests wherever they wish.
Their offspring however is already born "with the golden spoon in their mouth", spoiled by wealth and far away from the ordinary people who work for them and their living environment. These Jaebeol are increasingly preoccupied with their ego, family dynamics, scandals and inheritance disputes. They lack ´brothers in arms´, who shed their blood, sweat and tears - thus they lack someone they can trust. The principle of bribery may still work, yet the reins are now in several, increasingly fractious hands. By now many Jaebeol-Clans have already begun to dismantle their power structures by themselves. And if not, their past machinations are increasingly catching up.
"Mine" documents quite vividly how the Jaebeol families dismantle themselves... how the heirs identify with their (still young!) identity as Jaebeol as if they were feudal old noble blue blood... They haven't really had to prove themselves yet and by their arrogance are already failing in the second and third generation. Additionally, the youngest generation increasingly is no longer interested in the corporate empire, let alone their management...
In this respect "Mine" also represents a new variety of topics within the Jaebeol-Genre in KDramas for the 2020s. ´Competition´, ´cabal´ and ´revenge´ as leading subjects have already been processed back and forth since the early hour of KDrama. ´Justice´ was an increasing topic during the last decade. ´Breaking free´ as a Jaebeol-topic however so far is rather new and rare, yet it might increase in the future...
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Very dark, very painful but exceptional acting from the whole cast!
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS MOVIE CAN BE TRIGGERING AS IT DEALS WITH VERY DARK TOPICS SO WATCH WITH CAUTION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO!I really don't know how to critique or review a story/plot that was so deeply disturbing and uncomfortable for me. Was it good? I don't know. Was it bad? I don't know. All I know is my heart ached for these characters (specifically the twins and their friend) and loathed everyone else. I suppose in a way that makes it a great story because I was soooo immersed in it; every dark turn made me physically sick.
And that was kind of the problem. There were many parts of the story I hated but did I hate it because of the triggering nature of those scenes? Or is there something to critique about the plot itself? It's hard to distinguish for me. I do think the story flows well. The way they showed the present with the flashbacks of Wolwoo is done really, really well. There wasn't ever a point in the movie where I thought "huh this is jarring". Like I said, I was genuinely, intensely immersed.
I went to watch for Jinyoung. As a fan of his since Got7, I've followed his career pretty much from the beginning, and this was truly something special. He was phenomenal as both Ilwoo and Wolwoo. I forgot he was Jinyoung. I forgot everything and just wanted to jump into the screen and protect these boys. His heartbreak, pain and trauma were more than just believable, like I said, it made me really uncomfortable (due to the nature of the topics).
The whole cast was phenomenal.
So that's why I'm giving it a 10 solely for the acting.
I really can't say more about the plot than this because... there's a reason why the synopsis is so vague. Let's just say that.
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you are a fan of Jinyoung or any of these young actors. Or if you're a fan of dark, intense movies about vengeance.
Would I rewatch it? Absolutely not. I'm so sorry, Jinyoung, but once is enough. My heart can't take more.
Anyway, I don't know... Good luck if you do watch haha.
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I watched it because I was curious when all my friends were talking about how good it was.
It's a really cute rom-com movie. I find myself fan-girling over the Male MC whenever he smirks.
Lots of laughs throughout but there were really sad moments near the end of the movie. It's a fun watch!
I'd recommend this to everyone. xD
Story - A few clichés here and there, but overall it was good. It was a typical plot of how they wanted to break the relationship of their crush by working together.
Character development was well done and I liked how they slowly naturally became friends.
Acting - There was no awkward acting. I thought their heartbroken expressions was well executed.
Poor Vivian Sung had to fall multiple times in the movie since her character was a clumsy one, but all the falls was very natural I believe.
Music - Suitable inserts for scenes and the theme song by Hebe Tian is just awesome!
I'm definitely watching this again!
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Slow, steady, but confusing
All the reviews rate this drama between 9-10 and I feel bad being the first one giving it a low rating in comparison, however it's how I honestly feel about it.The main story is nice, I really enjoyed watching how the leads became close despite of being polar opposites. But it didn't make me feel anything at all. It already happened the same to me with "Where Your Eyes Linger", and right before writing this review I realized that both dramas have the same director (since that's a common denominator, I guess the problem here is the director). I don't remember much of WYEL because it didn't leave a memorable impression, so I would have to rewatch it in order to remember why I didn't enjoy it.
In the case of "To My Star", the problem that I have is that they tried to include many sub-plots with not enough time... which ended up leaving more questions than answers.
What exactly happened to Ji Woo's family? How did he end up running a restaurant with Hyung Ki? How did they ended up being friends/drinking buddies with Yoon Seoul? Why Seo Jun hyperventilates when hearing something break? What exactly happened at the bar that night? How did Yoon Seoul obtain that video of the fight? Where did that english speaking reporter come from? What's her relationship with Hyung Ki? How did she ended up at Ji Woo and Seo Jun's home? What was the place where Ji Woo went after leaving his house? Why did the intern leave and come back? What's the awkward "I studied abroad" sub-plot about?
And I could keep going on and on. They tried to include so many things without giving a proper explanation, that they ended up messing up a drama with great potential. So as I've said, the only thing enjoyable was the main story (aka how the leads meet and fall in love). The rest... a waste of time.
The actors did a good job though. I liked the chemistry between the leads, and the rest of the cast was okay.
So if you are wondering about watching this drama or not... give it a try. My recommendation is that you must focus only on the leads' love story and ignore everything else. Just focus on how they meet and their time together, and just ignore the other stuff.
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It is hard to pick only one thing that I like about this. I liked almost everything.
If you enjoy a good amount of romance and comedy, adding to it time travel, a "dont you dare mess with me" female lead, a hot/sweet male lead plus beautiful scenarios and clothes; then there is a high chance you will like this. There is also fantasy, specially in the second half.
I kept checking everyday for new episodes. Usually I dont start a drama till it finishes airing, but I did the "mistake" of watching the first episode and then couldn’t help but watch the new episodes as soon as they came out.
Although I liked it, I felt the ending was a little rushed and the fantasy part made me cringe a little since I am not a big fan of the genre.
For me it’s a 9/10. The only other drama that I gave such a high rating was Empress Ki.
I will definitely rewatch this. Actually I watched some of the episodes 2 times already since I watched first alone and then with my sister.
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This review may contain spoilers
Disclaimer: Spoilers for the drama and novel ahead but I will try to minimise them as much as possible. I watched the cut version of the drama (56 episodes in total btw) but did watch some scenes from the DVD version that were cut; I also read the Chinese novel and I will be comparing both in one of the major points below.I felt so strongly about this drama that I specially created an account to review it. It had the potential to become one of my favourite dramas ever but ended up being an incredibly flawed drama even if Lu Zhao Yao and Li Chen Lan are one of my favourite couples ever. They honestly deserved better. Let me point out what is so flawed about this drama while listing a few good points:
1. The editing of the scenes and the transitions between scenes
This was really just a mess, where random important scenes were cut here and there [I am looking at you ep 19 and 21] and for the last 6 episodes it just felt like random scenes were tacked together (not in chronological order). Nevertheless, I did enjoy the prologue at the start of each episode as it felt like a foreshadowing of what was to come. Also, the rampant use of '5 years later' felt out of place and over-used. Honestly, it didn't seem realistic at all that Lu Zhao Yao established Wan Lu Men and sealed Jin Xian in only 5 years.
2. Random plot holes/bad CGI/random mistakes
The CGI was bad but was quite typical for a Chinese drama. However, I did notice various mistakes in the Chinese subtitles, as well as some mistakes in some of the lines delivered by the characters e.g. they referred to other characters by the wrong names. Some of the scenes didn't make sense too, for example in some scenes it felt like simply using teleporting will have resolved a major conflict in the drama, but the character in question chose not to do so for some unknown reason. The props moved about randomly as well probably due to poor editing.
3. Changes from the novel [major major spoilers in this section]
The drama decided to change the whole 'possession' aspect of the novel, which is acceptable if they had explained properly why Zhao Yao had the same face as Qin Zhi Yan and how she got her face back later. I don't see how cleansing herself in the pool to purge herself of everything she ate in Qi Zhi Di would have helped to get her face back.
They added a lot of scenes for other characters to lengthen the drama as the novel was not very long. This was done well sometimes, when some side couples were covered more and their relationships explored in greater depth. However, this felt rather pointless as none of the side couples ended up with each other; they even killed off one of the side characters when the guy totally survived in the novel. Sigh, why will you make us care about the couple and then kill that character off unexpectedly?
As for the antagonists, I immensely disliked how they got a lot more scenes. No one cares about the nth scene of Liu Su Ruo moping about Jin Xian or the nth scene of Lin Zhi Yu moping about Li Chen Lan or the nth scene of some random antagonistic character plotting. Although Jiang Wu was portrayed a lot more sympathetically towards the end, I didn't like how he was essentially just a gigantic lightbulb in the OTP's relationship.
Honestly, if you wanted to make the drama longer, you should have included some of the scenes that were cut from the novel of the OTP or just included the long epilogue from the novel. I did however like the proposal and wedding scenes for the OTP that were not inside the novel.
They also made the OTP much weaker both in personality and powers. Li Chen Lan was practically invincible in the novel and Zhao Yao was always a strong badass female character. In the last 20 episodes, they became so weak that it almost felt as though they were not the same characters anymore.
4. The ending [also major spoilers]
Like I mentioned earlier, the last 6 episodes were just a mess and totally not in chronological order. It was kind of a happy ending, but I was really confused about how they resolved the whole conflict and whether the scene where Zhao Yao 'killed' Li Chen Lan was a cop out or not. Also, I thought it was weird that they used the same actor and actress to portray their children because I had to imagine them as siblings instead of a couple??? It would have been much sweeter using child actors with the couple...
So then, you all may be wondering why this drama is rated a 7.0 despite all my criticisms above. It's basically because of Li Chen Lan and Zhao Yao in episodes 5-41, as well as the general good acting across the board. This couple was the best with such good chemistry that I really felt as though they were in love. They really deserved the ending in the novel instead. The comedy was also pretty good and was one of the few things consistent about this drama.
Sigh this was such a major disappointment in the end...
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This review may contain spoilers
My review is a personal opinion on the drama. This is not meant to be a review that sways anyone. If you are unsure about watching the drama, don't look to reviews to help you make that decision as we all have our own personal likes and preferences. How do you completely ruin a drama that started off strong?
Answer:
By giving us characters that had more chemistry when they were "fake dating" than when they were truly dating. By using women as plot devices to create drama and jealousy. By giving us a couple that doesn't communicate and understands that there will be times when their relationship will be tested, but that they can overcome that. By dedicating more time on the development of the side stories (Mil's crush on Tine, the fights that had little to do with the couple, Wat's Alphaness)
Lack of real intimacy between a couple that is supposed to be "in love"...
I have stated before and I will stated it again (especially since I am an ACE) I don't care for the kisses or the sex , but these two characters behave more like brothers than a couple. Depicting a couple in love doesn't mean having them do sexual things. It can be shown through different forms such as, both couples cooking together and talking about their day, doing something that creates a mood but doesn't mean they jump each other's bones. Comforting one another when one is feeling down (which reminds me, Sarawat not comforting Tine and actually turning his back on him and going to sleep, came across as a man who is tried of the relationship they are in. That was so weird). Instead, we have Sarawat just "patting" Tine on the head. I get it different cultures have different forms of expression when it comes to love, but that patting on the head is akin to an adult infantilizing another adult or it comes across as condescending "oh there there." It is bizarre how these two had more of a couple chemistry when they were fake dating than when they got together. What an amazing feat! [sarc]
And I will repeat this again....the fact that we have had a rinse and repeat story line the minute that Tine and Sarawat got together (Mil chasing Tine, Wat now with Pam) is lazy script.
This drama had a lazy script, had characters that de-evolved instead of evolving (Tine taking on more female characteristics "ukeness", Wat becoming some spineless idiot by not putting Pan in her place right way) The story was choppy due to editing in many episodes and it just didn't flow well.
I really liked the first five episodes, I thought the story was promising and while it did have some flaws specially in the editing, the drama just got worse. It's a shame really cause it could have been so nice.
Music was great though...and Gunsmile is always a great comedic character (saving grace in most episodes LOL)
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DRAMA OF THE YEAR 2021? YESSS!
Life is not all about pain and regrets, but about the experiences and learnings. The best thing about life is that it keeps moving forward. No matter what happens in our lives at one point, it keeps going on while letting us learn from it. This is my interpretation about the entire drama.갯마을 차차차, literally, "Seashore Village Cha-Cha-Cha, truly is a story living upto it's title, giving justice to its essence while capturing millions of hearts worldwide. It is a combination of coming of age chapters and healthy, warm as well as healing RomCom, accompanied with numerous life lessons, portrayed in the form of various relationships that also throws light upon uncountable shades of life, love and living. So what does it become? A PERFECT SLICE-OF-LIFE KOREAN DRAMA.
Plot is simple as you know. Oh Hye Jin, a capable and righteous dentists resigns from work and unable to find another clinic decides to open her own in the seashore village of Gongjin, which she had gone to visit on her mother's birthday. There she meets Hong Du Shik, an talented yet unemployed man who willfully does all kinds of odd jobs to help out the villagers and wish to continue his simple life. As they encounter each other multiple times and find each other's presence during respective critical times, the bond between them grows closer making them fall in love. All these happens in the premise where lives of the villagers go on parallely, accompanying continuous build-up, growth, healing giving away love & care, as a community which is more like an extended or chosen second family.
This shit is indeed hell of refreshing because of the scenario the drama has choosen as it's set, i. e. the fictional city of "Gongjin" which in real is the seaside village near Daegu-Gyeongbuk of Pohang, a South Korean city located in North Gyeongsang Province. The seaside milieu, the village settings, the city architecture and the awfully ecstatic frame of nature are the elements that undeniably attracted a lot of people to it. And what made it even more eye-catching is the cinematography skills of the production; brownie points please.
What also makes this drama stand out is the method of execution and the very natural way of diegesis (plot narrative). Relationships, regardless of it's type, are unquestionably complicated but life becomes a lil easier when we put efforts make it simple, this also is an underlying message of this drama. It's so natural that i felt I have been there with those people. Obviously, melo is an important element of any show of any genre, which is here too, but events should be as simple as a glass of water that makes it realistic in order to be appealing and relatable to the audience. I feel the drama successfully achieved that outcome.
Another thing that made me go awe was the fashion sense of the characters, please give the stylists bonus, okay? T T. Not just the young and adult characters, the kids and the oldies wore beautiful clothes of different kinds all the times, no matter how simple or flashy they were. I loved the florals that Hongbajang wore and sometimes the loose fit shirts. Hye Jin's one piece long skirts made her look so beautiful. The 3 old women in their usual outfits looked cute. Village chief Young Guk's simple yet loose fit big shirts and pants oof. Hwa Jung and Nam Sook's country-side dotted tops and pants looked nice. Chun Jae ahjussi and his half pant outfit plus scarf, my goodness. Geum Chul's entite country bumpkin style outfit and hairstyle. Bora's peach creamy hair and I Jun's decent clothes toooo. Eun Chul in both police uniform and civil clothes (soooo hot) and Mi Seon in her different kinda outfits. Sorry for the terms Idk bcs of my lack of fashion sense TT.
One of the most notable things about the drama should be all the female characters who made us see various sides of life and learn from it. Potential & stupendous female characters is nothing new for Kdrama industry but this drama should stand out in this regard for perfectly creating and nourishing such beautiful-hearted women. Different women trying their best for people around them and struggling for them isn't something new but these women, from young to the old, understood it better, I felt. Extra points for that for sure.
Since it's a slice of life story where day-to-day happenings are portrayed, drawing a definite plot development in overall is difficult. So, what we can witness are 2 kinds of developments. First the relationship between the leads along with others and secondly the individual character development. Let's talk about that...
Relationship Development of Lead Couple:--
Well, healing romance troupe has become a common factor nowadays but this surely is unique and let me explain how. Not bragging or saying I predicted it but I sure had assumed the way the chemistry between Hong Du Shik & Oh Hye Jin will develop, which happened for real making me so happy. Both of them obviously cared for each other and had liking as persons despite all the bitter encounters but until the point they fell for each in their conscious, the romance was very subtle. It was like they grew onto each other unknowingly and that feelings were piling up bit by bit over time. One day the the sac of love got so heavier, it burst open into an love relationship bonding, that was meant to last for eternity. They were definitely opening up to each other lil by lil and healing the other's pain gradually in the process but in their subconscious, it was love that was blooming up inside their hearts which one day led to prosperity and nostalgic emotions of happiness.
What made me happy how they proposed to each other at the perfect point of the story and even after officially getting into a relationship, the story showed us the following development. This was a gesture that, our lives and stories don't come to an end when we become each other's life because we have a long way to travel together, parallelly healing each other while helping both individual and coupled growth. Tbh, I was worried their relationship will turn typical following the proposal but guess what? They made me and in fact all of us, learn an important lesson of life, i. e. continuity. Obviously, there were many fluff moment's but the way of executing everything through the storytelling method abd screenplay techniques made it maintain own's naturality.
We're at a point where we have run out of new ides about events and stuffs to showcase in a relationship but what matters is how they're showed to us, how natural & relatable they feel and how realistic the outcome becomes. I am cent percent sure, this drama gave off that vibes.
NOTE: HONG DU SHIK & OH HYE JIN, uri ShikHye or dimple couple are one of the best Kdrama couples with one of the best chemistry development and a healing romance.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT :--
This is probably the best thing about the drama. Not just the individual development, the buildup plus nourishment of different kinda relationships were also well drawn. The character arcs of different roles came out so well, making us relate and learnt. Let's talk about them now...
# Hong Du Shik (Kim Seon Ho) aka uri Hong-bajang, the definition of "Jack of all trades, master o̶f̶ ̶n̶o̶n̶e̶ at
all". Talented yet no proper job carrying numerous small job certificates can help fix any kind of situations of the villagers. Loved by all yet orpahned and loner with thanatophobia (fear of losing someone close), he doesn't let anyone into his heart easily. Cares a great deal about the villagers tho.
# Oh Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah), the perfectionist dentist and very righteous at workplace who is also very calculative about her life. A dating rookie and doesn't want to be easygoing abd never gives in to people easily. A definite development as she changes into a warm women who admired everyone and got love in return. Very sensitive to her life decisions and helps Hong bajang in the end in healing his heart.
# Ji Sung Hyun (Lee Sang Yi), a variety show PD and Hye Jin's university senior who comes to Gongjin to shoot his show. He really went from romancing with Da Shik (Da Hee) in Once again (2020) to bromancing with Du Shik in this drama, haha. I can't say he's a potential 2nd ML affecting the lead couple's storyline but ge surely helped them in his subconscious. Very simple and decent character he had.
# Kim Gam Ri (Kim Young Ok) halmeoni, village supervisor and Du Shik's closest who have fed and cared for him since a young age. Very stubborn because of old age. Doesn't like spending money but fond of trying different dishes. Loves Du Shik the most and liked spending time with him.
# Lee Ma Ji (Lee Yong Yi) and Park Sook Ja (Shin Shin Ae) ..wish these halmione-deul had some more story for themselves but they were basically used as sidekick of Ga Rim-ssi. Regardless, very cheerful and cute. Their annoying and active faces plus the halmeoni trio made me cry outta happiness even when they were just fighting, that was so cute uwu.
# Yeo Hwa Jung (Rang Bo Ryun), the zone chief, restaurant owner and owner to both the places used by Hye Jin. Divorced for reasons known only to her and a single mother. Very sane, humble and understanding person she was though a lil insecure about his ex-husband and has hidden stories to tell. Loved the way she walked in here hahaha.
# Jang Young Guk (In Gyo Jin), village chief and Hwa Jung's ex husband, a lone man living alone and a loving father to his son. Irresponsible and indecisive at times. Not knowing the actual reason of divorce he deviates from his path for a while but eventually finds himself back in the same spot.
# Oh Chun Bae (Jo Han Chul), a failed singer, coffee shop owner, a widower and single loving father to his daughter. Still brags about his past achievement and wants recognition tho still a tender-hearted person who cares for his daughter to a great deal and misses his wife.
# Cho Nam Suk (Cha Chung Hwa), Chinese restaurant owner, loner who misses her deceased daughter. She loves to gossip and is the most definitite source of all the rumours that revolves around in the village. Very lively and cheerful as person. Loved her nasal accent and acting.
# Choi Geum Chul (Yoon Suk Hyun), Du Shik's only friend and hardware store owner. Married with a girl child and another to come. Somewhat naive and stupid but loves his family so much.
# Ham Yun Kyung (Kim Joo Yun), Geum Chul's wife and Bora supermarket owner. Very cheerful and mature for her age. Loves and cares for her family a lot and continuously nags her husband to do better job.
# Pyo Mi Sun (Gong Min Jung), Hye Jin's BeFe and the dentist nurse. Very clever and straightforward yet falls for guys instantly. Her chemistry development with constable Eun Chul was surely a sweet thing to watch.
# Choi Eun Chul (Kang Hyung Suk), Police substation constable and Geum Chul's younger brother who's very determined at job but stupid when comes to dating. Mi Sun helps her learn about relationship and they form the cutest couple of the show.
# Oh Ju Ri (Kim Min Seo), Chun Bae's daughter, a high-schooler and diehard fan of the boy group DOS (fandom Hacker). Misses her mother whom she lost right after birth. Can be stubborn and annoying at times still loves her father. A wannabe stylist.
# Choi Bo Ra (Go Do Yun), Yun Kyung & Geum Chul's daughter who's good at studies but have hidden talents. Loves Taekwondo and a lil aggressive. Adored by the villagers.
# Jang Yi Jun (Yi Eun Yoo), Hwa Jung & Young Guk's son who's the definition of genius. Too humble, polite and rationale for his age haha. BeFe with Bora and is always with her. As thoughtful as Hwa Jung.
Other than these major characters are some other actors who justified their decent roles and are indeed notable; Yu Cho Hui (Oh Ji Hee), Ban Young Hoon (Kim Sung Bum), Kang Do Ha (Lee Suk Hyung), Wang Ji Won (Park Ye Young), JUN (Byun Sang Tae), Yoon Tae Hwa (Seo Sang Won), Lee Myung Shin (Woo Mi Hwa), etc.
OSTS:
"Romantic Sunday" by "Car, the Garden" is undoubtedly the best OST of this drama which is the remake of a 2007 hit by "JISLAND". I love all the other OSTs so muxh as well. The lyrics are all so beautiful and were relatable as well suitable for various moods of the drama. "One Sunny Day" by Kassy, "My Romance" by Cheeze, "Wish" by Choi Yu Ree, "Be the Light" by Kim Jae Hwan,
"The Image of You" by Sandeul, "Here Always" by Skz Seungmin are all good. Some of them are romantic and others are soft soulful ones.
Both the writer and director have done a very good job, individually and as partners. It didn't feel like the writer doesn't have enough experience. I mean the number of work she's done is less but who'd say so after watching this drama? The PDnim obviously have enough experience, in fact one of the best drama PDs in Korea and that shows. Cinematography, sound production, screenplay editing are also very well done. Kudos to the entire crew for this amazing outcome. Thank you so much.
Technically, I love the various colour palettes used to showcase the beauty and aesthetics. The subtle presentation of props to connect and relay the storylines are quite alluring. Story progression is smooth and relaxing with multiple peaks as perfect points. Not a single thing felt exaggerated or boring. No twisted and complicated factor except for Hongbajang's mystery; very simple. The 1st ep is basically the introduction so stick to it in case you think it's not good. The childhood and teenage encounter and destined-to-be-together trope might have become a cliché but it's fine as long as the present story is well painted and HomeCha successfully built-up a unique love story.
Let me also add important things included in the drama: mental health issues, loneliness, lgbt+ inclusion & acceptance, gender & clasa equality, dreams and determination to fulfill it, negligence to old parents as well as kids, ways of parenting & parental love, a kid's expectation from parents as well their hidden feelings, mutual understanding, overcoming past trauma, essence of aging and importance of old age, meaning of death, the art of healing other's pain, the difficulties of pregnancy, the urge of marriage, the hopes from your partner, community life & it's importance, self-love and it's vitality, process of opening up to your closest ones, learning to seek help from others, acknowledging the help and care you receive, understanding the gestures, facing life problems & tackling them, essence of independence, appreciating life, respecting other's efforts and their urge to do well, holding on to life, bringing out the best of you..... And many more that will cost me a notebook to mention.
NOTE: The last 3 episodes are the peaks of the episode where you might have to cry continuously, so make sure to take care of yourself if you're highly sensitive and very overwhelming to cry over small things.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha is definitely very realistic, refreshing and relatable with all the elements of a perfect slice of life Kdrama. I repeat, this is the best Kdrama year for 2021. Not only the healing romance of the lead couples, other side storylines that ran parallelly left us with lessons that we seek in our everyday life. Setting the rewatch value at 10/10 bcs this is something that can be easily watched as many as times you wish, even for random watch. PLEASE GO AHEAD WITH IT IF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. THIS IS DEFINITELY WORTH ALL YOUR TIME AND INVESTED ENERGY PLUS EMOTIONS. *cries under blanket*. In fact been crying throughout while writing this review.
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A Great Watch
I finished this drama even without the subs in the last 4 eps and that says a lot as a watcher: I loved this drama!Why do I like it? Primarily, I'm a sucker for love stories and this show has a beautiful one. Defying the stereotype of big age gap, maybe 15 years, they made it a non issue as he was just totally smitten and treasured her as she adored him. Their chemistry was off the hook; so many tender scenes, he standing up for her in awkward moments, etc. I enjoyed her cooking, and his pleasure of eating. I was also happy that there wasn't a crazy evil antagonist; pretty mild when compared to many other dramas.
What I wasn't too thrilled about: the side stories didn't latch on. They were more irritating to me than being cute. The plot of adding younger brother as an opponent i felt was added too late that when drama about to wrap.
Overall, I would watch again with skips to the main leads. The story was creative, acting especially by main leads was very good. The accompanying song was good. It had a great ending made to have a second season..Haha! I really loved this cdrama and extending my visits to this group besides kdramas.
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1Not Your Typical BL
My thoughts on this show are below:STORY: I truly feel like this is one of the most well written BL stories I have ever had the pleasure of watching. For most of my viewing, I felt that the writing style was purposeful, captivating, and effective. I felt like the story was well thought out overall and compared to most other BL’s I have seen… it didn’t have as many moments that left me confused when it came to the writing aspect. I will say though that I had to give the story portion a 7.5 objectively because as the series came closer to the end… there started to be some plot holes regarding certain characters and some minor hiccups in terms of when you compare how certain characters and situations were in the beginning to how they were closer to the end. Some of the story aspects felt just a little disjointed in the last few episodes if I am being completely honest. Also, the finale left something to be desired as well. Even though I may say that… I still think that overall the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to this show. I loved that the story also revolved around serious topics such as politics and social issues. It isn’t your typical BL story at all. I could understand why more serious topics for a BL might turn some people off, but I feel like you would be missing out on a good story if you decided to skip this one.
ACTING/CAST: I MUST shoutout the king Gun Atthaphan for playing two roles with such grace. He got the nuisances of Black and White’s characters down perfectly. You could tell the distinct differences in the characters very well. It must be hard playing two roles, but Gun always impresses me with his acting. He knocks it out of the park every time. When it comes to Off Jumpol, I was equally impressed. His acting just keeps improving from project to project. I am proud of him!!! As for the rest of the cast, I believe that they all brought their A game for this show. A standout character for me was Mond Tanutchai who played Gram. I loved his fiery and determined yet balanced personality. On the surface, he may seem tough and assertive but underneath he had a heart of gold and I love characters like that. I also loved that this show explored morally grey characters even more because it really got the viewer to debate on the ethics of the characters actions to a greater degree. The female characters actually had substance to them as well which I loved. Usually, female characters in BL shows are reduced to being nuisances to the main characters... so it was refreshing to see strong women who had their passions. There was not anyone that made me question there acting abilities. There was no cringiness or awkwardness. It was honestly like I was watching multiple award-winning actors on screen. Oh, and one more thing that I wanted to point out was that I LOVED the characterization of each person in this series. You didn't get one-note characters. You got people with depth and meaning. I also loved seeing the backstories of characters. When a character is fleshed out like how these characters were, I feel it really takes the show to the next level. THEY ALL DID WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE!!!
MUSIC: THE MUSIC IN THIS SHOW IS SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!! This is one of those shows that had me looking up the music being played on Spotify so I could add it to my library. Music is very important to me so when a production does it right… I am elated!!! Not Me’s soundtrack really added to the mood and tone of the scenes taking place. Sometimes the music can either make or break a scene and the music turned Not Me from a good show into a great one. Here’s a link to music that appeared in Not Me: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0wln5IkDmnp5fGCf0LWws8?si=48f09b1643224ac7
REWATCH VALUE: I think this show is one that you can rewatch over and over and not get bored because there are many details that you can pick up on through repeated viewing. I was already rewatching episodes over again as it was airing right after they came out, so I think that tells you all that you need to know lmao.
PRODUCTION/CINEMATOGRAPHY: WOW the production on the is show is TOP NOTCH!!! I haven’t seen many BL’s that look this crisp and clean. Everything from the camera angles, to the shots used, to the use of minimal makeup, to the clothing choices, to the locations, to the coloring of the scenes, to the voiceovers. I literally could go on and on. You can tell that a lot of detail was put into the pre and postproduction of Not Me and it shows heavily. It honestly looked like I was watching a high budget movie and to be honest, it looked better than some high budget movies I have seen. The production crew and cinematographer deserve ALL of the awards in the world for their work on this show.
In conclusion, Not Me is one of the BEST shows I have seen lately and I hope it continues to receive all of the love in the world because it’s well deserved!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Women on the ball. Delighting, enraging, inspiring, concerning. Excellent script. High-end KDrama.
"Agency" has it all. Viewership has skyrocketed, as have ratings. "Agency" is the hit. Cool freshness, fashion, speed, one or the other rivalry as well as all categories of human manners, even the lowest, underline the handpicked lifestyle ambience. This all guarantees a lot of fun, seriously...The topic hits the South Korean nerve of the time. The nerve of women in particular, I should add. What may appear to Western eyes as an entertaining office drama with catfights has a completely different explosiveness in the eyes of Asian, especially South Korean viewers: The deeply hidden, rousing topic of the time, which affects everyone, is ´population decline´. The critical nerve bubbling on the surface revolves around ´sexism´ and ´misogyny´. The incumbent President Yoon proclaimed that these topics could be shut into history books, but "Agency" gives him the lie, right on. The KDrama clearly demonstrates how up-to-date it is. More than one South Korean woman in this story, no matter what position – down to the generation of the mothers of those mothers in the series - will find themselves here. And more than one man as well...
It is pleasing to see how razor-sharp and competent the female protagonist proves herself in this man's world. Also pleasantly refreshing side effect here and there: alternative model approaches for female vs. male management styles. And then there is the extravagantly privileged and insolent Jaebeol of the youngest generation who eventually is inspired to break free from her heavy chains of family-clan expectations. Besides their punching power, both lead ladies are palpable, too. Watching the series is a pleasure, even if the topics touched on may also arouse rather different feelings as well... A colorful bouquet of thematically critical, plot-relevant threads is dramaturgically subtly intertwined. In addition to the two female leads, there are also diverting (women´s lib) moving stories about Go Ah-in's employees and colleagues.
Stellar, good-humoured actors. Excellent script. A wonderfully balanced mixture of fun and seriousness, of pace and depth. The coherent details were undeterred on a differentiated, complex overall picture of the current business world. High-end KDrama-'pleasure' – delighting, enraging, inspiring and concerning. And while we are at it, "Agency" is innocently, smilingly, prettily and yet cleverly and valiantly placing a feminism-sting, too.
---------------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE: --- Misogyny and population decline in South Korean society ---
Without women it won´t do. But South Korean President Yoon has now officially messed with them. There was an enormous wave of protests when he announced that he wanted to abolish the ministry, which had been set up around 20 years ago to support women against sexual assaults and for equal rights, arguing the issue was no longer an issue. Immediately, around 800 organizations formed and stood up. President Yoon, who is promoted and sponsored by a strong conservative, patriarchal current, has blown a hornet's nest. His world – that of macho men – is obviously different from that of contemporary South Korean women.
It is a given fact, that misogyny in South Korea characterizes everyday life throughout all classes. Neither an entrenched, male-dominated business world from the bottom up to the boardrooms, nor professional disadvantage and discrimination of women in the workplace, belong to history yet. In the contrary, recently it has even been fuelled by the election of the current President Yoon. Fortunately, there are opposing movements and criticism. The KDrama "Agency" uses a socially critical magnifying glass here. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go, although a drastic reflection is desperately needed, in order to be redirect economic development towards a positive light.
The current demographic trend is closely linked to the economic and social situation, which is shaped by antiquated patriarchal beliefs. Those old (apparently always happy to be taken off the socio-cultural shelf, dusted off, polished to a high gloss and then put back again) convictions stand in stark contradiction to the high pace of the high-tech modernity of everyday life in South Korea. This tense paradox is already having a negative impact (not just on women's attitudes towards life, but also) on the country´s economy. The official statistics on population development from August 2022 show declining numbers for the first time. Actually, the country's birth rate is the lowest in the world. There is no trend reversal in sight. The population will continue to shrink. And that is already and will even more so affect the economy. The proportion of women in the working population (at 55.1 percent) could certainly be increased. Although South Korean women are very well educated on average, only a little more than half of them actually bring their skills into business life. Among men, on the other hand, 73.7 percent are employed. This is due not least to the misogynist attitude in all areas. The difference in pay between women and men is estimated at 31.1 percent. Nowhere else in the 38 OECD countries is it THAT bad. Added to this is the disadvantage on the career path. Work-life balance is in its infancy, because the motto is: woman to the stove. Executive suites are for men only. Women are rarely seen here. And if so, then often only for ornament or to fill the image of an empty marketing shell (similar to "Agency").
It's high time that the many misogynists among South Korean men (including their president) arrived in the present. In the long run, a trend reversal can only succeed jointly – at eye level.
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A drama about Healing & Character Growth - not Fangirling or Crime Investigation
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25To fully enjoy “Idol I”, it’s important to set your expectations and know what type of drama this is. Otherwise, you might be disappointed.
What type of drama is “Idol I”?
** To me, it’s a drama about character growth and development, healing and closure for our main leads.
What “Idol I” is not -
- Murder mystery or Crime investigation drama
- Law drama
- Idol or Fangirling drama
These elements are presented in the drama, but they serve as a plot device for us to get to know our leads and to follow their journey to happiness.
What I Like:
1. Do Ra Ik (ML) - It’s nice to see male lead who is not afraid to show his emotions (the good, bad, and ugly). Oftentimes, softer MLs are depicted as naive and innocent and just weak. But Do Ik isn’t like that. He just can’t hide his feelings. Once he’s off the stage, he will show his emotions honestly to everyone. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s played by the very handsome and charismatic Kim Jae Yeong. His acting is fabulous and when he’s suffering, I felt his pain. He might have cried a little too much in the first few episodes, but for good reasons.
2. Acting - Not only is Kim Jae Yeong breaking my heart and making me smile, Choi Soo Young performed equally well. Without their excellent performance, I probably would not have rated this drama as high. The supporting cast is just as impressive. I wanted to see more of Jung Jae Kwang (Prosecutor Kwak) and Choi Hee Jin also did well as the ex-gf. Of course, we have veterans such as Kim Won Hae who never disappoint.
3. Romance - The romance might not be front and center, and there aren’t many cute and fluffy scenes compared to a normal rom-com, but the chemistry is evident. Even though romance doesn’t start till later, there are plenty of scenes of the leads together for them to get to know each other. The romance feels naturally developed and though few, the kisses are fabulous. I won’t lie, I wish there are more hot kisses and a few more cute scenes. But I am satisfied.
4. OST - I love all the songs in the drama. I don’t really have much to say, but whenever a song played, I thought to myself, “this song is lovely”. I’m happy to see that Kim Jae Young actually sang the song “It’s Me”. It has a very Japanese feel to it and his voice is nice. I also like the title song “Echoes of You”. It’s the perfect song to be sung in concerts with fans singing along. It’s a happy, fangirling song. There are a few slower, beautiful ballads as well, such as “Stay Closely”.
What I have Mixed Feelings:
1. Plot - Despite liking the healing and character growth of the drama, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that the law/crime investigation storylines are not integrated well into the drama. I wanted to see more bickering and trash talking between the two attorneys, FL and Prosecutor Kwak. I was hoping for some court scenes and see them fight, because they have really good chemistry with the few scenes together. The drama also didn’t do much in the crime investigation either. The last episode is unable to really tie all the loose ends. The drama tries, but it feels rushed and incomplete, especially in regards to the real murderer, the management company and ML’s mother.
2. Murderer - On the one hand, I was surprised to find out who the murderer is. So, that’s a positive for me. Unfortunately, the real reason for the murder is very anti-climatic. The aftermath was glossed over because it has nothing to do with ML anymore. With such a big part focusing on the death of the team member, this feels like a let down.
3. Re-trial - The pursuit of the re-trial is going to happen, and I have no doubt about. That is a big part of FL’s story. However, how it was presented and executed did not make it seem important at all. I would have liked to see the drama slowly integrate elements of FL’s father story, instead of just a few flashbacks of him claiming innocence. Maybe I was asking for too much, since as I said, the focus of the drama is not crime investigation.
Despite my criticisms, I had a great time binging the drama. I really enjoy watching the leads growth story and healing of each other. I like their acting, their characters and their journeys. This is the primary reason why I am rating it an 8.25 and not less than 8.0. If I am a serious investigation/crime fanatic, this would be an absolute disappointment.
Completed: 2/6/2026 Review #665
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This review may contain spoilers
Good :)
What a ride!I must admit I had high expectations for this, and at the end I was a bit disappointed.
The story flows well and the acting is good, but I guess there are some parts that are a bit lacking.
I enjoyed most of the show, but didn't really get attached to TopMew's couple, even though I liked how they ended the story.
Story is obviously filled with toxic characters, but there is a lot of development.
In this sense, I think Khaotung (Ray) has done a tremendous job. If I have to make a note, I think that they skipped a little the mother's complex, in favor of Ray's choice to make everything better for Sand.
I want to be totally honest: I watched the series for Khaotung and First, and for Mark, and I couldn't stop because I wanted to see more of them.
That said, I think that some parts are just not necessary (the whole Boeing's plan and its liaisons with Sand and Top - I just got annoyed although I wanted to watch more of Mond's) and the overall story got a bit slowed down from episode 9 onwards.
I liked a lot the fact that they didn't force BostonNick, and that Nick finally chose to be by himself. It was great to see a happy ending. Nick was my favourite character overall, because he was always so pure and honest, yet caring. He was not trying to change Boston, but realized he was just faking the whole boyfriend thing and "I've changed, now I only see you" thing.
That was my favourite part.
I screamed when I saw Mix at the end, but it was unnecessary to the story xD
At first I thought they would've proposed a new version of Boston, but I'm glad they didn't.
Overall, it's an enjoyable story, "spicier" than usual for GMMTV and I guess a little bit more realistic than the average GMM series.
It's not a masterpiece, but you can watch it without thinking "oh gawd, I wasted a lot of time".
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