They had such a good premise for what?

THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS AND A BIG RANT SO HEADS UP!


I literally cannot believe this drama ended the way it did. It has a nice premise- was it the most innovative thing ever? No, definitely not. But it was good enough for a few episodes of a well written show.


MAIN CHARACTERS:
I personally enjoyed the chemistry between the two, even though I know a lot of reviewers don't agree.
It wasn't electrifying or overly dramatic but that atmosphere between the two seemed mellow and soft and that's good enough
for me. Eye contact was there.

Now onto the characters themselves: very 1D
There is not really any depth. I get the episodes are short but if you cannot give your main characters good motivations to do what they do then what's the point of the drama in general? Especially Jungwoo. So much talk about his past yet nothing concrete ever. It's so vague it's hard to feel anything for him or his story.
We don't even really know why he cooks in the end. 'Starving' is a big word, but he does nothing that gives us a sense of him actually coming from a poor background.
And he is a terrible person, straight up cruel.

(I don't understand how we're supposed to feel happy for them when they finally go out when a scene before we saw him signing a contract that would get his boyfriend fired. And he knew that and did it anyway.
Like I don't... Why? I didn't feel anything but hatred and sadness for Gun because that was always looming in the back of my head.)

In general: They're cute but bland.


THE SET AND PREMISE:
Now onto the set, a kitchen and a few other sets as expected. I think they should have gone more out on connecting the 'trips' to the dishes they were cooking and less to something Dogun just said- would have worked wonders for the plot and would have connected the characters better while also making them seem less 1D.
Why this ingredient? Why here? What's so special about it? What does that have to say about the character?

They talk about the dishes and the tasting quite often but we don't get the sense that they're really important to the characters. Well except 'I need to make this dish'. Which in itself doesn't mean anything.
Dogun does stuff to find ingredients but we never see any dish really 'getting together' so we automatically don't really care or feel any importance towards the receipt.


TECHNICAL STUFF:
The camera angles are nice, the colours are fine too. I'm personally not a big fan of overly soft lenses or filters so I found the general lighting okay but nothing special. It works for the show.


OTHER CHARACTERS:
The waiter is my spirit animal, that's all I will say and I'll protect him at all costs COME AT ME.
Jaehoon is fine too. I appreciate them having a few minor characters that are at least a little developed.
Laura... Now Laura is a character that could have been interesting if she wouldn't have been made up as the obvious mean villain. I don't see her as a calculated women or business thinking boss of a restaurant. She's just... Stereotypical and meant to be hated, which I definitely do. So they succeed I guess. I think they tried to give her a short redemption at the end but I couldn't care less. She did nothing to deserve it.


THE ENDING: (SPOILERS)
Muddled. I think that's a good word of describing it.
It doesn't make any sense to me either.
Jungwoo starts working as the head chef in the restaurant where he got Dogun willingly fired, knowing that only one of them could work there. And immediately after knowing what he did went on a date with him where they made their relationship official.

That's honestly so narcissistic I don't think I need to elaborate.

They fight but only for two minutes, before any emotional tension can even be reached it's already over.
Then they make up. They just do- no... No real explanation. They missed each other I guess. Maybe it's Stockholm syndrome in Doguns case?

They do the tasting- knowing how it would end, Dogun participated- despite also knowing that. And he leaves and it's suddenly fine now. It just... Happens. Everything just happens. It's all very passive on the characters part.
And Laura gets what she wants with no consequences. She gets rewarded even, because Jungwoo stays. Why? I don't know either.

It's... Terrible. I don't know how else to describe it. It's without a doubt the worst ending the writers could have possibly come up with.
There are so many amazing alternatives but no.


In general the series started sweet, went through okay and crashed itself within the last two episodes.


Thank you for reading kind stranger, I hope you enjoyed my review :)

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What a wasted opportunity, saved by great actors

I loved the premise of the show and even hearing it will only have 8 episodes I was still very hopeful. It may not be a lot and 10 minutes are definitely not a lot per episode but with the right writers it could have still turned out amazing.


MAIN CHARACTERS:
Three in total. They are all kind of... empty as characters. I know the runtime is short but apart from knowing Eunho is mouthy and likes painting, Heon likes painting and is friendly and Geum wants to protect Heon we don't really learn a lot about each of them. Who are they?
They tried with Eunho in the beginning but then kind of stopped after he got to the main place.
We also hear a lot from other characters about how great Heon is as a prince for example, but never really SEE it in the drama except when he is being friendly to Eunho. Just one or two scenes would have helped and made is clear from the get go what kind of person he is.

The actors themselves are great tho and it's obvious they're trying their absolute best to bring the lines to life.

TECHNICAL STUFF:
The camerawork is fine, nothing super special but also not bad. It's solid.
The colours are very pretty, nothing to complain.
The music was nice, also nothing super special but sweet and calm and helped a lot of scenes.

STORYLINE: (I'll try my best not to spoil anything)
The first two episodes were good! It looked like it would be filled with some tension and action and it got me so excited!
The rest wasn't so action filled though. And you immediately see that in episode three. It felt a lot like everything took a ton of time, even with the 10-15 minutes (which already isn't much). A story in general seemed very nonexistend, there were small storybeats, but they never got explored.
Stuff did happen but a cohesive good story didn't happen.
They could have done so much more. I don't understand why the writers didn't. It would have been so easy! And so exciting! There are swords, a contract killer(!) and a family tragedy and jealousy within the royal family, and a gay love story literally happening in the feudal past! But they still managed to make it all boring.

The dialogue was dragging on as well. So much exposition. So little character development.

IN GENERAL:
Not horrible but could have been tons better. They had such an interesting premise and did nothing with it which is very disappointing.


Thank you for reading kind stranger, I hope you enjoyed my review :)

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The Special Edition is the superior Edition!

I already loved the first season a lot and the second season is just as amazing.
Special Edition means here some scenes are longer or added on, I personally feel like all the scenes make the experience of the drama way nicer and more emotional.


MAIN CHARACTERS:
Shu Yi isn't that different from the first season, he is older now but that's mostly it. The work he had put into the swimming team he now puts into work, his illness is also brought back which is nice. A nice change is the fact that he stands up for himself more but in a healthier way then in season one (minus the "plan" ^^ but that's another discussion).
I love that they did with him in episode three. Him questioning Shi De's choice. The story could have gone so stereotypical and toxic but the writers did the right thing. I wished more dramas did that.

Shi De is the same too, also older but that's mostly it. He is being a bit more explored character wise and his guilt and insecurities are big themes. It gets stereotypical ('typical bl wise') at some points but not overly.

I like the storyline of the ShuDe. Definitely not perfect! But still good. The storybeats are strong and they use the screentime wisely, nothing drags on for too and everything fit together very well.
The emotional scenes are fantastic, the actors are doing such an amazing job at portraying the emotions and the chemistry. Also the soft scenes later, it all feels natural.


Zhe Yu and Bing Wei don't get explored much. Their scenes are nice enough, could have needed some more personal moments when it's just the two of them. It's mostly the same dialogue as in s1 which feels off. They're older and have been 'together' in a way for a while now. I would have liked it way more if they were the healthy developed example who help Shu Yi and Shi De.
The thing at the end seems a bit rash and way out of pocket. Just weird.
THE BEST PART ARE THE ALWAYS MATCHING OUTFITS! AMAZING!

Zhen Xuan and Shou Yi get fully explored too. Their story is a little bit confusing, mostly because Shou Yi "illness" is... Really weird. Affective disorders just means it's a disorder that has 'mood' in the centre (like depression, anxiety etc.) it's not a disorder in itself so it doesn't make any sense. Personally I would have liked it more if they went and explored that Shou Yi possibly has Asperger as well. It would make sense giving his non existent emotional abilities and the fact that he has learned what most people do in most situations and how they react but it never comes natural to him.
It would also been way better if they had actually casted someone who has Aspergers. Sure Chih Tian does play the character VERY well but nothing ever comes to close to giving an actual person with Aspergers a chance to shine.

TECHNICAL STUFF:
Camerawork was really good. The angles were definitely thought through and there was a lot of intentional experimental stuff (ep 2) which was real noice!
Colours were also great, a bit cold which fits the atmosphere of most scenes nicely.

STORYLINE (I'll try not to spoil):
The connection to the first season is... weird. I had to watch some scenes multiple times to understand in which timeline we're in. And still got confused. Shi De's trip to America was... In general pretty confusing. Especially because phones and planes for visits exists. It's forced let's say that.
Other than that the storybeats lead nicely into each other and get explored well. It's a bit too much "typical non straight story" at times, but never goes too far.


In general it's a drama which uses it's relative short run time well. Some storybeats are unnecessary or a bit too stereotypical but it develops healthy and explores the main characters well. Would definitely recommend it .

Thank you for reading kind stranger, I hope you enjoyed my review :)

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Such a good drama, muddled with unneeded jealousy

The drama started with such a good premise. It sounded really interesting and... Pretty mature and new.
It started out strong, but then the typical jealousy storyline came in.


MAIN CHARACTERS
Tae is really good in this role, he feels natural. Probably the best out of the main cast. You believe he is a painter and that he is a nature guy, not wanting to follow rules and uncomfortable in strict locations.

Singto however... I like Singto as an actor. However, this role didn't fit him at all. The story requires a strict, naturally intimidating and confident businessman, Singto is... None of these things. Everything feels very forced and over the top, like none of his antics come naturally to him at all. He is simply not scary, so it's hard to feel the anxiety his employees feel when they make a mistake. His 'wrath' looks laughable on screen.
This role was just not for him.
(Maybe they should have switched roles?)

Yacht was good. A very solid performance. You feel with him and can't help but like him immediately.
I also liked his chemistry with Yoon. They play off of each other well, giving the same rounded energy.

Yoon also gave a good performance. You also can't help but like him. He matches Yachts energy well every time they're on screen so there is rarely any weird uncomfortable tension or pure awkwardness. I can't wait to see more of him.

SET
Loads of sets. All made well. The 'company room' where they all work at looks real and I really liked Ne's apartment.
Tae's house looks good too. Definitely the house of a 'free spirit'! It's messy and urban and his studio is pretty and perfectly lit for the scenes.
All in all nothing bad to say.

FASHION
The fashion department worked hard, you can tell. They tried everything in their power to make the characters look polished but not unrealistically so. They did amazing!
Personally I DO SEE what they tried with Maengmum's (Ne's) outfits but... Something about the pieces was always off for me. I can't even tell you what. Nontheless she looked beautiful in every scene she was in.

TECHNICAL STUFF
The camerawork was good and so were the colours.

STORYLINE
Now we're coming to the nitty gritty of it all.
The drama (as I mentioned) started off really strong. The premise of a freelance painter and a businessman having to work together to create art sounded amazing.
They're coming from two different worlds and therefore have loads of good fight scenes and general angry tension. Maze and Phap are learning more from each other the more the story goes on and it's very enjoyable to watch. It doesn't happen immediately but in small steps or gestures.
But as soon as Neung comes fully into the picture it's less about them and more about Phap being jealous and Maze being annoyed.
And that ruins the plot. They turn from mature adults to high school students.
The fact that they already learned a lot about each other and are starting to understand and like each other honestly gets muddled with jealousy from both sides. Especially in the last two/three episodes.
They have the same conversation over and over again but never once take a minute to simply explain their feelings. I get that a little jealousy makes the plot longer but if the whole plot is ONLY held together by that then just make the drama shorter.

It's infuriating how long it takes to get to the crux of the jealousy.

Maze's selfishness is also never properly adressed. Yes, I understand his problems with 'getting left behind' but it's not Pheps job to fix that. It explains some of his actions but it's not an excuse. He is still being an ass.
If he has issues he has to work on them himself and not load everything onto Phep as if it's his responsibility.

IN GENERAL
A strong drama that got ruined by stereotpicalness.


Thank you for reading kind stranger, I hope you enjoyed my review :)

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Just finished the 2nd episode... I have to make some points

PSA: This is all subjective and my personal opinion.


I've tried to like the second episode, I really did but infantilizing an adult woman to the point that she can't even function properly because of her phobia... No. Go to therapy. How the hell did she even get hired in the first place? You can't tell me hasn't done any prior designs with circles. And she has zero coping skills?! To catch herself and her anxiety and push her through adding it to a design?! Unrealistic as hell, especially with such a specific but every day occurring phobia like hers.

And no, it's not 'cute' that she can't look him in the eyes. She's supposed to be over 18 and can't even explain her phobia to him? Or try and tell him she has mental issues and feels physically uncomfortable when she sees circles? Like come on.
And yes I know she did say "the moon triggers me" but... What does that... Mean? Because by Dew bringing an umbrella it looked like he thought the whiteness of the moon triggered her. Which is very far from the actual phobia she has.



And this useless c-plot with her being a werecat... Why? What was the point of that?
It added nothing to the general story, and any tension of him 'finding out' went away after ten minutes because he literally found out on the night where it was risky for her to be out anyway. It would have been way more tension filled if the other dude was the only one seeing her and Dew just saw him running away, wondering why. And then she immediately grabbed the umbrella and was back in human form to help him stand up.
It's disappointing because the idea could be used to create a lot of "he almost finds out then doesn't" scenes.

It also showed her just feeling cursed by the transformation. But what if she... Was very sensitive to smells so she can smell his nervousness when he's with her, or what if she had enhanced hearing and heard her boss and the failed client talk which helped her create the general new logo and then Dew just added the final details with his silly dance.


It would have been interesting if one of Dews hobbies was the study of some uccult beasts. And we was a child these creative and fantastic myths and creatures inspired him to go out create logos for businesses and that's how he got into his job. And then hearing her being triggered by the moon immediately caught his interest. LIKE ANYTHING THAT FITS THE STORY JUST A LITTLE BIT.
But this has zero connection to anything that's going on. Just weird and useless. And it's so sad.


I do like their chemistry, they're very cute. I wish she would have been a bit more... Feisty since she IS a cat after all, but somehow has none of the typical characteristics a typical cat would have. It would have helped us to connect how her cat self and normal self are simply two part of her personality just stronger.



Also also, the way the costumer talked down to Tu and the boss just let him? It's probably because I'm from a different work culture but... That shocked me. I can not imagine anyone allowing him to speak to her like that here. You can of course get your point across clear but in such a whiny, condescending way? No, you're a business owner not a preteen with hormon deficiency.


That was my short review of the second episode, thank you for reading.

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