Reviews

Never believe in the dramas / movies set in the 80s and 90s

The plot is somewhat typical, a story about first love and friendships in adolescence, at first I felt that it was a bit slow but then it improved, really what is most striking is that you do not expect the ending and the fact that the love story from Bora and WooHon it ends before it started it hurts, at least they would have had another kiss
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The performances were good, Kim Yoo jung and Byun Woo suk in the train scene where they say goodbye will always be a memorable scene, it was impossible not to cry and Han Hyo Joo in the last scene where she sees the tape... Damn she didn't even have to speak so that I would be destroyed
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The best movie of 2022 and here the phrase that destroyed us all "I want to see you, Bora of the 21st century"

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A review. My fingers were tingling.

Different doesn't always have to be good, but in this case it's exceeded that level.

I may speak on behalf of a lot of people when I say "Of all those years of watching kdramas It's the first time I'm coming across a show such as this."

We may have seen similar story lines, but what makes Heartless City a "masterpiece" is they created their own element and flow throughout every episode. Their own personal amazing touch to it.

This doesn't even have to be your genre of liking and you'll still be pulled in. It alone is praiseworthy that it's different from the usual kdrama.

I can't even focus one main point that makes this show so good because there's a ton of things that contribute to making Heartless City what it is. There's never a dull moment. This is the first drama that has kept it's momentum. It never breaks the seriousness. It doesn't drag. As you progress one episode after another your addiction sky rockets.

The dark noir feeling. Boy, do they deliver or what and sometimes you just want it to even go darker and grittier. There will be scenes that will give you the chills then they'll be scenes that mess with your mind.

There's not much light scenes to this show which I love because it's consist and stays true to the noir theme.

The action is top notch. I love it. The action alone gives you so many vibes. I fangirl when the action starts! They make it look so effortless and classy.

The music. The music flows in perfectly with this show. It was designed for this show. The music represents the depth and emotions of the scenes going on. It's addicting.

The acting. The cast is genius. The relationships. The complications. The character development. You're invested in every character whether it be a supporting role or a character that is barely there.

I can't get over how amazing the cast is. Every character is thought out and brilliant. This show has introduced me to an amazing actor Jung Kyung Ho. That's a name I won't be forgetting. I somewhat have a girl crush on Nam Gyu Ri at this point.

This drama shows you a lot of time and effort went into making it. Doc Son is a brilliant invention. I don't know how they came up with such a character, but this is a character that pulls you in so hard and how hard you try to understand him you won't be able to.

Heartless City 2013 is yours.

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Intriguing plot, fantastic acting and high quality production

I generally reserve my thoughts and write a review after watching all the episodes however I just couldn't wait this time to share my initial impression so that people who discover this drama and come here will be interested in watching it.

Dramas that play with the element of time (time travel or time loop) are tricky to get right. There are more chances of plot holes and incoherent storytelling than other dramas. Also, it's important to grab viewers attention in the first episode itself without perplexing the audience. Reset excels in this and the first episode sets up the drama nicely and kept me on the edge of my seat. I am hooked!

Moving onto actors, most of us know Bai Jing Ting after his stellar performance in You Are My Hero and he certainly lives up to good standard in this as well but the real show stealer for me is Zhao Jin Mai. The actress from 'A Little Thing Called First Love' fame delivers impressive performance as Li Shi Qing. I was mesmerized by her. She is pulling off difficult to show emotions such as anxiety, fright and delirium with ease.

Cinematography and edits are also crucial for such a drama and they have nailed those aspects of filmmaking along with good background score. You can feel the tension. The overall production quality is top notch as is the script and you can see that they have paid attention to the details. Additionally, no voice dubbing which is a rarity in C-drama world.

Ending felt a bit forced but it doesn't take away anything. This drama is sheer quality.

Start watching, it's well worth your time and only 15 episodes long. Enjoy!

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The most fun fated lovers have finding missing dragon parts - Xianxia evolution!

Indulge in the rom-com aspects of Back from the Brink, from the interactions of the lead couple (both inhabit their respective characters with charm, wit, and delicacy!), the side characters, not to mention the cute and fluffy CGI creatures, and then there are the kiddies! Naive yet tongue-in-cheek feel at the beginning, and at the same time all deadly serious if our eye-candy Heroes (Yan Hui and Tan Yiao) are to succeed on their Quest (rescuing not only themselves, but their supporting cast). A light-hearted identity misunderstanding begins their journey (through different lands), but our romancing couple soon sort out who is who (and who's boss!) and work to help each other (with a bit of assistance from a relationship-testing character obliged to help while hindering!) in life-threatening situations. They have some well-intentioned friends to support them, some arch villains to thwart them, and some unexpected obstacles to try their resolve and commitment to each other (which they have in buckets!). All of which are intertwined as they progress from xian to human to demon realms and back (with some enchanted side trips for good measure).

Early costuming is entirely appropriate to their wandering-in-search-of situation, together with a penchant for steamed buns and gambling away the money that's made (although no shortage of means to make more - they are resourceful, after all!). Their costumes become more gorgeous as their circumstances improve, black has a special meaning, as does bathing in moonlight and cold water! Music is very much in sync with the slightly gamed feel to many scenes in drama; elements of RPG run rampant in very charming ways, but as the angst ups, more orchestral melodies can be heard and the game aspect tones down. The OST is one of the most refreshing and appropriate to be paired with a drama recently.

It's Xianxia, there is heart-wrenching angst, there are knife-edge decisions being made, there are multiple sacrifices (this couple ooze a deep heart connection) and much misdirection...if all goes according to their entangled fate, despite overwhelming odds Tian Yao and Yan Hui will win through to their happy ever after.

Spoiler ALERT!!! - Keep reading only if you are willing to be spoiled!

The drama is NOT the same as the novel . . . scriptwriters have added in very different subplots and motivations and depowered Yan Hui at the commencement of the drama. Still recognisable from a personality perspective but from a power perspective - entirely dependent on the other males to help "activate" or "rescue" or whatever verb you want to use when a female has her agency removed, as the means to kick-start the action. A pity because the novel really has a tightly knit structure with internal consistency in both motive and plot devices - neither overpower the other, and all characters don't require particularly much suspension of disbelief to agree with their actions. The drama on the other hand starts out with some shaky premises and then veers into some very la la land motives, reactions, consequences. If you come to this after having read the novel, it's fun, the leads are ever so easy on the eyes, and Yan Hui eventually becomes a powerful force of nature (although you may gnash your teeth until she does), but the novel has been dismembered more or less like TY and his body bitz, without the redeeming arc and journey. The other characters are less characters and more caricatures of the novel originals, to their detriment.

JLFX (novel author) was ostensibly involved with the script for the drama. It's not unusual for an author to want a second bite at the cherry and her presence legitimises changes. The variations of the drama from the original novel rely heavily on some worn out tropes, but when this drama stays true to the novel it shines (in no small part to the two leads sensitively inhabiting their characters, despite the dialogue and out-field plot development). But the online reactions that have occurred to various episodes suggest that Youku/producers/pursestrings in the background were always aiming at maximum notoriety - and by the time the drama was one third through they achieved that aim spectacularly: heat indexes, weibo, tik tok, twitter charts/comments/whatevs stratospheric with activity. It's entertainment, so engagement with viewers is a sign of success, but the sense of cynical manipulation suggests the plot twists and turns, the deviation from the novel, the speedy reaction to online uproar, were all a calculated effort to keep this drama in the glare of the spotlight, not because of storytelling excellence and the integrity of the original material, but as a vehicle of sheer obeisance at the temple of advertising revenue. For this novel reader, Back from the Brink wasn't so much an adaptation as a compromised adoption of misinterpreted aspects of Hu Xin. Oh for what might have been.....

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A Drama That Goes Nowhere

This show is the textbook definition of wasted potential. From start to finish, it’s a flat, lifeless experience with no real story to tell. The pacing is sluggish, the plot is practically nonexistent & not a single character leaves an impression. Most actors weren't particularly charming either (but it could be just to do with the screenplay & unintriguing story).

Sehun character, as one of the male leads, is especially underwhelming. With the entire narrative supposedly built around his character, you’d expect some level of depth or charisma but sadly he brings zero presence & painfully disengaged throughout which makes you feel super annoyed as a viewer.

The rest of the cast doesn’t do much to elevate things either. Plenty of moments with unwarranted over the top acting. There’s not much chemistry anywhere, no standout performance, & definitely no reason to care about what’s happening on screen.

Releasing all episodes at once was the only mercy as you have the option to FF. Go for it, if you have time to kill but to me, not worth the time.

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“My Stubborn” – A Drama Full of Denial, Tension & Unexpected Softness ?‍??

Let me just say — My Stubborn had no business pulling me in this deep! From Episode 1 to 12, it was pure chaos, tension, and soft moments that hit harder than I expected 😩💅

At first, I thought P’ Sorn would act mature — you know, older, wiser? But noooo 😭 From the beginning, he was the real problem. The way he kept saying, “I don’t follow kids,” while clearly giving Jun all his attention? Be serious 😭

And Jun? That boy is so easy to mess with! P’ Sorn barely does anything and Jun is already falling apart 😭 Their dynamic was full of denial, but the tension?? It was tensioning HARD 🔥

Honestly, I didn’t expect to be this hooked, but every episode kept me invested. The story was cute, playful, dramatic — and the chemistry? Real. Even the side characters gave life to the series. It never felt slow or boring.

10/10, I would definitely rewatch just to feel chaotic and in love all over again 😌🫶

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OVERRATED

I was really looking forward to watching this drama especially when I heard Kim Soo Hyun was playing the male lead, however unfortunately I was extremely disappointed.
I suspect it also has to do with my high expectations of this drama but honestly not only was the storyline average but also the soundtrack and character development wasn't intriguing.
I feel like it got so much attention because of the good looks of the main characters but I felt that their chemistry wasn't amazing and their relationship was overly complicated.
I didn't feel moved at all watching this and the ending wasn't satisfying. It has an interesting concept however lacked thematic value.
Overall it was an alright drama and there were some heartwarming moments however definitely did not deserve the praise that it had received.

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This show really started with potential but shot in all kinds of direction. To give you a background the male lead is a street lawyer the female lead is a fashion designer. Throughout the story there are three storylines running in the story.
You can skip this drama if you think there will be romance. There is romance but hardly between the female and male lead.
1) first story line revolves around Sheng Xia ( female lead) she has her own fashion boutique in NYC. She is working hard to try to achieve her dream as being a more well known fashion designer. Through her journey she has mostly bumps which require the male lead for help in court cases.
2) second story line revolves around the male lead trying to become a laywer ( he's currently just a street lawyer). At the same time he is trying to re- investigate/find evidence for a case that has caused his defendant to get murdered.
3) The third story line revolves around Sheng Xia ( female lead's) childhood friend. She is also into design ,but back in Beijing. Basically it talks about how she went from selling clothes on the streets to getting hired and working as a designer. ( i totally just skipped that storyline)
4) technically there is four storyline. This is the female lead's boyfriend and the female lead best friend. They end up falling for each other. To keep it short the boyfriend never respected Sheng Xia's dream and only wanted to make Sheng xia his wife. Sheng xia felt really insecure about him and didnt like that he kept pressuring her to get married. The second female lead ( her best friend) works with her at her boutique. He sees how caring the bf is to Sheng xia. The second female lead take cares of the bf when he is not feeling well .... so you know what happens...


What was kind of annoying was how they showed three storyline at once....
They tried to pack too many things into one... I definitely would not rewatch.

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The journey of two brilliant enemies towards forgiveness, trust, peace and LOVE❣️❣️

This drama is not only bingeworthy and brilliant but also highly rewatchable. Its very hard for a drama to be both! Its going in my list of all time favorites.

Plot -
The plot is your enemy families entering a truce via marriage alliance. So it involves two people highly suspicious of each other playing games to secure the position of their people. The male lead has an upper hand in this alliance in the beginning but the female lead is sharp enough to turn the tide many times. How they are able to preserve their loyalty and principles while moving forward to a new direction with their alliance is the most interesting part of the show that will have you DYING IN ANTICIPATION. To what extent will they side with each other ? How close will the new challenge end up making them? Will they be torn apart due to their duties? Who will outwit whom? Which allies will join them? This drama is an adrenaline adventure. Yet, it is beautifully paced to make it deep enough to leave you with some thought provoking LIFE LESSONS.

Humor -
The humor is an underrated and underappreciated part of the drama. They have done a brilliant 👏 job with balancing it with the political tension.

Romance -
Natural, slow paced, believable and magnetic 🧲 . Every smile, every touch, little act of kindness and development gives you butterflies 🦋 🦋 in the stomach. None of the characters have an "immediate" or unbelievable change of heart. None of them broke the consistency of their character during the romantic development phase which makes them the most detailed and well written main characters in cdramaland. You empathise with both and you end up rooting for both of them.

Acting and characters - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Both characters are quite mature . Its refreshing!
The Male lead has beautifully expressed the ruthlessness of a general, traumas of a son, cynicism and hatred of an enemy and tenderness of a lover.

The female lead is just a treat to watch. She's the water that exhausts the fire and the sea that is calming but has the ability to bring a hurricane. She plays a peacemaker and a strategist that has been sent to the husband TO STOP WAR or at least create circumstances to make sure that the war doesn't immediately break out. Its pretty obvious to the ML's clan but not many of his advisors hate her for it because her untimate goal is peace and prosperity of people. She's very responsible and rational minded with her goals.👸
The actress effortlessly played this intelligent woman but also SHOWED HER VULNERABILITY with much grace and brilliance. Sometimes, they make characters like her too perfect taking away their "human" nature and making them Gods. That isn't the case with this drama. She's imperfect and vulnerable at many times

Both sides have troublemakers and peacemakers.
The villains are so realistic that they will remind you of actual historical characters or people in your own life. A lot of them are grey as well and you are able to see things from their perspective.

The bonds between the ML and his brothers has a special place in my heart. The same goes for the "sister alliance" of the FL.

THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS THE LAST 4 EPISODES.. Hated the last 4 episodes.

All in all, its one of the most memorable dramas I have seen in my life if I exclude the last 4 episodes

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finally, a real bl from China, and so beautifully intimate

Oh how I loved this show. I've seen so many mixed reviews and while I understand the complaints, this story was an absolute gem.

In an attempt to avoid censorship by airing this as a webseries outside of China, they started off strong by pushing out the first 4 episodes on iqiyi, but of course the censorship gods got to the series so they had to take a long pause and figure out how to get this back on air. Eventually we got it back on Gagaoolala (which is great bc no one is more suitable to air this show than a Queer Taiwanese streaming platform), and I'm so proud of this Chinese team for fighting so hard to get here.

The story-- Qi Lu is a rich student artist desperate to get out from underneath his father's abusive thumb, one day he coincidentally meets his muse, a poor student artist Qin Xiao who's rough around the edges. After some back and forth they end up becoming close and deeper feelings start to form. The friendships and family dynamics are messy and realistic, but the restless romance between our leads is sweet, exciting, and wholesome. Their story plays out almost like a slice of life bromance that naturally develops into a romance, and its absolutely beautifully done.

What I love about this show is how effortlessly intimate it is. When their skin touches, you feel a warm buzz rush through you and the tension of the scene is a tight knot in your throat.

The actors-- they do such a great job making you fall in love with the characters, no over the top acting or cringe dramatics from our main leads. Full transparency, I skipped over almost all of the second couple romance, their story was a major miss for me. Initially I liked that there was deaf representation and they seemed cute enough, but to be honest their story is a bit of a toxic mess and the chemistry just isn't there.

My only other complaint in the story is the end, while I'd say it's a happy ending, it felt rushed and didn't leave you feeling quite satisfied. I do wonder how much of that was within their control, and its possible they ran out of budget, support, or other essentials mid filming.

The production-- honestly it was great, you can tell that this show didn't have an endless budget, but that didn't stop them from making it beautiful.

Overall I may have rated this higher than most people, but I have to follow my heart here. I loved these two, my recommendation is to skip the second side couple storyline and just fall in love with our main couple's beautiful intimate chemistry.

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Some cute moments but annoying teenager, superficial and inconsistent characters and a plain story.

Had this show started when FL was already in university it would have a bit of a higher rating on my part, I found from that point onwards it was more entertaining, not great by any means, but better. From the beginning up to that point I almost quit several times solely on the fact that the FL was EXTREMELY annoying.
I'm not familiar with the actors in this show nor I generally care who is in what. There are actors I like, but I won't watch something only based on that. I say this because I don't know if the acting of Zhao Lu Si is her or it's the director and direction that pushed her to do that (and in that case not sure why they would be happy with that result). It was extremely annoying how she was acting as a 17 year old like she was 7. She was shown as more mature at age 14 in her way of speaking and mannerisms (although physically that actress was clearly younger so it was also very jarring).
I think at this point after two cdramas watched being set in high school I should avoid cdramas set in high school. It feels at times like I'm watching a video on morality and good manners directed at high schoolers, like the civil education videos I had to watch when I was around 12-14 years old. It's also so forced how they try at some point or another say some grandiose moral quote like they're talking to me directly instead of the character.
Also, for the love of all things dear, how was she so dumb and childish when technically she had good grades in school? It makes no sense at all.
They want to show later in university that she's more of a grown up but there are so many things in her way of doing and especially her voice that she still seems so childish. On the other hand ML changes completely of character once he's starting to be interested in her, he's all of a sudden super cocky and flirty, it was very out of character. From that point onwards it's like they're trying to keep reminding me that she's a girly girl and he's a boyish boy.... MEH.
I still don't understand fully how or when Jiaxu started having feelings for her, it's kind of sudden.
I didn't care they didn't show much of the drama involving his father because I had zero interest really, it seemed kind of typical and like it was not going to add much to the story other than some cliché trauma, but I didn't understand either why introducing that daughter of the family affected, she was very annoying and contributed nothing to the story either. I'm guessing she was only there so FL could show her more "mature" side but it's very weak.

There are some cute moments, but overall I was not so sure of why they liked each other, I'm not even sure why she liked him in the beginning to be honest, just because he was handsome and nice to her? not sure, I'm not shown at any point in the first or second half that they share anything when it comes to personality or likes or hobbies, they barely share even that many special moments. It's also very weird because he goes from calling her "sister" to 5 minutes later being interested in her, I couldn't shake that feeling of uneasiness, and it brings me to the fact that the sister thing was way overdone. It would have been so much better had he just been the brother's friend and kept that relationship of friend than making it so far as to his feeling of her as a sister, I felt that put a big barrier on there that I couldn't see a way of it being broken and so I was not surprised when it was just done suddenly and didn't work for me at all. It's also quite annoying when she's already in uni and she keeps saying he's old and they keep mentioning the 5 year gap, what is not a big one by any means.

As it happens in the other cdrama I watched recently (When I Fly Towards You), everything is shown in perfect stages, high school is the time for little crushes but ultimately focusing solely in studies, university ok for relationships, and as soon as you finish uni then get a great job straight away and save to quickly buy a house and start a family. It's very unrealistic, and after this being the second one with the same idea I'm starting to think that they're trying to precisely sell me an idea here more than a story. It was equally unrealistic his career, how he's able to achieve all that at his age, no problems in anything, same with her really, nothing of much importance. It's also the fact they feel the need to include in the story the whole process instead of only one part of it, it gives it even more that feeling of someone showing "how it's done" to me so I take it as an example.
Characters are also generally always kept superficially and secondary ones are pretty non existant.
I found the brother quite annoying at times as well, why was he ten times more patriarchal than the father? I know maybe he just has the older brother complex but seems so weird when it doesn't seem they have that dynamic in the family. Her parents were all right but I didn't really understand why they let the son be that way with her or take more charge of her than them, it was weird some times.

The ending is... well... the cherry on top I suppose. It was quite shocking she would be proposed on the same day of her graduation, like chill man!! Another cdrama that pushes the marry young idea, but I mean, considering they got everything else at unrealistic young ages no wonder by 22-23 they're bored of their lives and they need to marry or something 😂 (I know he's older but still applies, it's not like he had to do it like he has an expiration date and as far as we know he was not being pushed to do it by anyone either).

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Press Play Immediately!

***DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion. We don’t have to agree and I’m not here to argue with anyone.***

Tropes: enemies to lovers, dystopian society, grumpy sunshine, childhood friends to lovers, forbidden love etc.

This was honestly so much fun to watch. I was smiling, giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. I can’t explain how much of a serotonin boost this drama gave me. Ahhh I’ve been in the biggest kdrama slump since Marry My Husband ended and I couldn’t find any airing dramas that piqued my interest but this — THIS DID IT FOR ME!!!

OVERVIEW:

Picture a dystopian world where the population of women to men is 9:1. Boys are essentially harvested (rounded up) and brought to a place called the farm where they are raised until they are of age and eligible to take a wife. Except this doesn’t happen organically it happens by way of a game show. So picture hunger games meets Barbie princess charm school (lotto system) meets a dating / game show. Basically 5 civilian girls are picked to join in on this exclusive game show “Ready, Set, Love” to vie for any of these chosen “gentlemen’s” hearts. Our protagonist Day wants nothing to do with this “stupid” game show as she’s quite content living her life and taking care of her sick sister. But what she doesn’t anticipate is that her sister has been buying “moo milk” and entering her name in the lottery religiously. It’s no surprise (to us viewers) when Day’s name is called as one of the contestants but Day has no idea and is totally shocked (her reaction was priceless) Initially she is upset and doesn’t intend to go as she doesn’t care for the lottery and has to take care of her sister. Out of curiosity she eventually goes under the ruse that she’s going to get Son’s autograph for her sister. She meets all the girls and guys and she’s not impressed in the slightest as she’s more focused on eating the food provided. Then she gets a phone call that her sister has gone under and is in the ER for her illness. She immediately wants to drop out but Ms. Jenny convinces her to stay as the ultimate chance of winning the game or even getting to pick a gentleman and live on the farm where she would be able to get medical care for her sister is far greater than what she’d be able to do on her own. In a turn of events, she decides to stay and give the games her best shot.

GENERAL REMARKS:

The chemistry between the leads was so damn good. Like ahhh you could feel the tension / angst through the screen and I just ate it up. I loved all the other gentlemen too… I still can’t get over how silly their names were lol (Paper and Almond especially threw me off) But other than that they were all likable characters. The second couple I loved and rooted for since the beginning was Max and Chanel. They were so cute and I’m glad she chose him in the end. I also liked the side stories of Ms Jenny and her wife as well as Jin and Chun.

I have to say though, When Son and Day were in their enemies to lovers era I lowkey started to root for Almond (Al) and Day to get together because he seemed like green flag. When I tell you I was so disappointed and heartbroken to find out he was the invisible witch / real enemy hidden in sheep’s clothing, like it cut so deep. I want to say I always suspected him but his behavior towards the rest of his friends changed my mind. He really played everyone for a fool. He betrayed his friends and played as a double agent of sorts even though he kept saying he was only trying to help them. I felt bad because Valentine risked everything to find him for her mom and in the end even when he found out she was his sister and had the opportunity to leave with all of them he was a coward and said he couldn’t. In my opinion he was far too brainwashed by the Farm and thought he was better off inside that glass house / glass world than on the outside. I understand he’s afraid of change etc. but he would’ve had his friends and his family. Plus now that he decided to stay he’s basically a prisoner and they are trying to get information out of him even though he’s feigning innocence.

I loved the ending. It calls for a season 2. I can’t help but think Chanel’s mom is plotting something and that the man in the photograph (the leader of City Ground resistance ie. Son's dad) is the man she fell in love with when she was younger? I feel like there's some connection between them. Also I don't understand why he wouldn't have returned to Son by now? Wouldn't Son recognize him? I need answers and I need to see more of his backstory and how he escaped. I’m so excited to see this storyline continue.

Although Day and Son + the rest of the gang were not able to achieve freedom for all civilians I feel like this was a step in the right direction. Given a few more years I believe more people will grow tired of the capitals games, manipulation / control and resist / start an uprising. Nevertheless, I am so happy that Day, Son and their child are safe and they can live in harmony. It warms my heart to see them raising their little family.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall I think this drama was very enjoyable. Yes I agree that the drama lacked in some areas in the sense that parts of it were slow and other parts were skipped / glossed over. However, for 6 episodes I think they did a pretty good job. Maybe if it was any longer I would’ve lost interest and gotten bored. Plus, this was my first ever Thai drama and it made me so excited to check out more.

If you’re deciding to watch this you definitely should. I promise you won’t be disappointed especially if you have no clue what to watch or you are currently in a drama slump like I was.

With all of that said I give this drama a an 8.5/10.

Ready, Set, Love is a light hearted rom-com you can’t miss.

Thanks for reading and happy watching!

❤️

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Weak writing and surface-level characterizations

I enjoy deep, meaningful slice of life interactions such as those in When The Camellia Blooms, Hospital Playlist, and Because This Is My First Life. In comparison, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was a failed attempt. The script was written without the use of metaphors or stories, only direct, curt lines that are delivered as if spoken by an immature teen. There is zero wit, description, or complexity, which is the whole point of character-driven dramas. The only breath of fresh air was the backdrop of the beautiful seaside town of Pohang, which provided a light, airy feeling to each camera shot.

The directing and writing suffers from flawed execution. Either the cheese factor is overdone and cringey, or an unnatural indifference washes over the characters. For instance, when someone is in tears and pain, the other character just watches them in silence for five seconds before any kind of touch happens and even then, it's the type of pat you give someone who dropped their ice cream, not when there is actual trauma. Characters respond with trivial lines that sound something like, "It will be OK," and that's it. There are no further connections, words of wisdom, or stories shared in those meaningful moments. Characters are robbed of the chance to show how they are feeling, how they have grown, or how they are affected by what is going on. We are left to wonder what else they are thinking in their heads.

The lack of characterization also affects the story itself. The plot challenges in the first 3/4 of the show feel trivial because of the lack of follow-through on character growth and reflection. Even serious issues are glossed over and cut short. It isn't until the last few episodes that the writer suddenly decides to explore dramatic back stories and character development. The time in the first part of the show is wasted.

The actors try hard, but I bet even they were cringing at the script. Shin Min Ah plays Hye Jin as your classic cool-but-conceited woman, which could have worked had we actually been shown her inner thoughts and transformations. However, I like that in this role and others, she plays a smart person as opposed to a damsel in distress. Kim Seon Ho as Doo Shik comes across as overly breezy, hollow, and idealistic for far too much of the story, until the end bits. When we finally learn about his past, the weak script and characterization lets us down once again with more meaningless, "It will be OK,"*pat*pat* lines. I enjoyed Lee Sang Yi as the TV producer. He brought charisma and energy to his flat character. I liked that both male leads were good people. Finally, a shout-out goes to supporting actors In Gyo Jin as the bumbling District Head, and his strong, kind ex-wife played by Lee Bong Ryun. Of all the characters, they had the greatest number of heartfelt, meaningful interactions. The rest of the townspeople were one dimensional or just plain annoying. What a shame that this was the case.

In the end, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha paints with hollow, cringey, sepia-sweet colors to create nothing more than a postcard with no message. Although the actors tried to deliver, the writing, directing, and lack of characterization ruined its potential.

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