And because I labored over this single episode for 2 days…im going to allow myself to be tortured and watch this first episode regardless of not knowing when the entire english hardsubbed episodes of this series will be done. Because to tell you honestly, I thought it was a lost cause and I was ready to give up, it was a small miracle that i was able to stop myself from doing the merry dance after my successful DL. And at the risk of getting the ire of some people here, I would still give my unsolicited review of the first episode of this drama.
HERE'S THE VERDICT: As expected, the Korean franchise of the Japanese manga is typical of Korean productions. Topnotch production value and I mean the music, the set and cinematography, all eye candy and a feast for the senses. the Chinese resto of Ariel Lin’s dad looks, well … cheap next to the noodles resto of Oh Ha Ni’s dad, I think that’s proof that the Taiwan production budget is only a fraction of the Korean production budget! Im not going to say anything about the script yet, its way tooo early for that. For now im going to focus on the actors. Surprisingly, I did not hate the main leads, I don’t love them yet BUT, that’s a good start since I was preparing myself to hate them because I love Arjoe as a team. I find her cute and fit for the role and him, well you all know he’s not too shabby : ) whether they will have the chemistry that Arjoe had in ISWAK, that remains to be seen in the episodes to come. One actor wo has disappointed me so far is the actor that played Joon Gu, who seems to me like he was trying way too hard to copy Jiro Wang’s portrayal of this role. he better tone down on the overacting ‘coz he’s seriously starting to get on my nerves.
For now, im kinda keeping a watchful eye on the actress that plays Seung Jo’s mom. Its such a crucial role in the story that if she fails to deliver, then I don’t see how that would help the ratings. It doesn’t help that she’s got a pair of huge shoes to fill since Joe’s mom in the Taiwan production is hilarious and her chemistry with Ariel Lin is so real, you would think they’re not even acting! Im also a bit concerned with the dream sequences, hmmm…well… I want to add more about this but since its not too nice, I’ll put it on hold and see if there’s any improvement in the coming episodes. Suffice it to say, I was already breaking into a yawn before the punchline finally arrived, yikes, there ive said it.
In a nutshell I would say, the first half was so-so bordering on the ridiculous and the second half was ... promising. that's all for now.
*update: just saw some parts of the 2nd episode, as far as the main leads are concerned, i think the word "promising" could now be replaced with, "definitely getting better" :)
