Drama Digest
When Geun-Yeong loses her job after a particularly eventful night during which she had witnessed superstar Hoo Joon’s smooth star persona slip off in private and subsequently vomited on him, she becomes his biggest “anti-fan.” When a capitalizing producer casts the two for a reality tv-show, the two set out to give each other the most difficult time possible while on the program. What will happen next? Will sparks fly between the two, or the possible burgeoning romance that occurs when two enemies cohabit go down the drain? Watch the series to enjoy their spunky chemistry and find out more.
The Feel-Good Part
If you are a fan of old-school Korean dramas with slow-burn romance and cutesy clichés, this one is for you. There are several squeal-inducing moments with the lead couple being adorable, and who doesn’t love a promising enemies-to-lovers pipeline? The second lead couple’s story is quite intriguing as a parallel to the main leads’. It quite surprisingly contrasts the lead couple’s amusing dynamic with an unexpected intensity. The screenwriting is clever, and you are left smiling at the smoothly written dialogues.
The Disappointing Factor
Something that let me down was the overuse of quintessential k-drama tropes to such an extent that the entire series turned highly predictable. The series relies on the typical friends-who-turned-enemies subplot, wherein the ex-girlfriend is responsible for the icy contention, the rude male lead, who meets a woman who sets things straight and resulting in the former starting to behave decently storyline, etc. Hoo-Joon’s demeanor is a little off-putting, and it almost feels like Geun-Yeong, who is supposed to be a strong female lead who places importance on her autonomy, exists just as a plot device – the perfect push Hoo Joon needs to become the ideal k-drama male lead. It almost felt like a throwback to early 2000s k-drama relationships when we were supposed to laugh off borderline abusive behavior as something negligible.
In-Depth Analysis
The series is based on the South-Korean novel of the same name by Kim Eun-Jung, a previous adaptation of which is the Chinese movie starring Park Chan-Yeol, which has gone on to be a cult classic of sorts. This series improves on that, with screenwriting that keeps you hooked and is cute but not corny. The actors pack a punch, with Choi Soo-Young, Choi Tae-Joon, Hwang Chan-Sung, and Han Ji-An delivering performances that give the series half of its sheen. There is the nostalgia of older k-dramas with the endearing dialogues and the delightful declarations of love.
However, with all its promises of being a mood-lifter, the series does have a lot of features that count as red flags. One of them is how the story treats its women. Geun-Yeong and In-Hyung are both employed as catalysts to forward the story by the screenwriters. While Hoo-Joon has impressive character development, Geun-Yeong is barely given the chance to process her own feelings towards the former. Furthermore, there is the toxic textbook relationship between Jae-Joon and In-Hyung.
Star Power
If you are a Girls Generation stan, you will be happy to know that Choi Soo-Young is finally getting the spotlight she deserves. Her performance in this series was quite commendable, and so was Choi Tae-Joon’s.
Overall Opinion
This is something you can binge-watch over a weekend when you are feeling a little blue, and are willing to overlook a few things for the sake of some serotonin.
