The Gist: Kongpob (Singto) is now in his third year at college, and is reforming the SOTUS system as the head hazer. His long-term boyfriend, Arthit (Krist), is beginning his post-college career at the company of his choice, but in the procurement department instead of his preferred production department. Kongpob and Arthit navigate how to maintain this next phase of their relationship while dealing with new friendships and interactions in their separate environments.
Additionally, M finally pursues a relationship with May and Tew grapples with a new freshman to try to get him involved.
My thoughts:
So, I have lots of feelings about this show. The first season was almost perfect in my opinion. Many of the same things I enjoyed about that season, I also really liked about this one. The representation is great and the romance is sweet (if not extremely slow burning - like extremely, get to episode 9 my darlings).
With that said, I think the central relationship loses some of relatable situations with its time jump. Arthit is clearly grappling still with announcing that he is dating a man to those who aren’t close friends. Even Kongpob has been keeping this a secret from his family over this time. With that said, Arthit still seems so uncomfortable in his relationship with Kongpob. If this had picked up right after Kong’s freshman year, I would have bought it. But how many people are dating for two years and don’t kiss each other good-bye in the morning? I love that they casually stay over at each others’ places, that is very college life to me, but at 7 episodes into the show, I was still waiting for a kiss ( again, get to ep 9!). For this relationship to be this longstanding, Kong shouldn’t be begging for a kiss here and there. I understand with the stigma that Arthit wants to keep it low key, but when they’re alone, we should see them closer. As Arthit was the one who took more time to adjust being in a homosexual relationship, it makes sense that he’s the one lagging, but after two years, to me, it just doesn’t seem believable that he’s still like this.
Speaking of slow going, dear lord my little M and May. How have you both not figured it out yet. May is clearly long over Kong and they’ve gotten so close, it just defies all logic that they aren’t dating at the beginning of this show. It seems that the writers slowed their relationship down a lot so that the viewers could see the confession scene. Yet, the buildup for that wasn’t intense, so it’s harder still for me to think that they’d gone two full years without having that conversation.
Jumping back to Kong, my sweet angel of a confused boy, he really messes up in the middle of this season. It is one thing to want to be close to your boyfriend, it is another to intern at his job and move next door in the same day without asking him how he feels about it. What really grinds me about this is that there’s not really a believable reason for him not to talk to Arthit about it. Once he explains it, Arthit understands, so there’s no point in having that conversation afterwards rather than before. It seemed uncharacteristic for Kong and somewhat like manufactured drama. I will at least concede that this is a really new situation for all of them and with Kong not getting the closeness of the relationship he’s looking for, it kind of makes sense that he overcompensates. With that said, I’m glad Arthit gets mad about it because that is not a healthy way to interact with your significant other and is somewhat manipulative by backing them into a corner. Since we know Kong’s intentions aren’t so sour, I’m willing to forgive it, but I would be extraordinarily unhappy in Arthit’s shoes.
In short, the central theme of this season is Arthit becoming comfortable in being who he is. This is such an important story to tell because anyone in a non-traditional (aka straight) relationship has to keep coming out to everyone they meet ever. Coming out is not a one-and-done. There will always be more people to tell, more reactions to anticipate. So, even after two years, Arthit is facing the same crisis he did in the first season: is he confident enough in his feelings for Kong to tell everyone about it. As in the first season, the answer was always going to be yes, but it was important for them to get to this point. In one of my favorite Japanese dramas, Mischievous Kiss, there is this one scene I adore where the wife has to finally break down and say that she's the only one who is chasing after her husband, he never comes after her. This unbalanced love is what's been happening to poor, sweet Kong and he finally has to give Arthit the ultimatum. Kong can't always just be the one chasing and by the end of this series, their relationship is more balanced.
I am going to talk about the side characters for a bit. Earth is my favorite. She comes off cold at first but is a great ally for Arthit. I was so worried about a love triangle between her and Arthit, but she catches onto his feelings for Kong immediately and that's what makes her a great friend. She supports them, but lets him come out to her in his own time. I also love her relationship with Tod, which builds slow, but is very cute.
Yong and Nai are probably my favorite side couple. Yong has that same great longing that Kong is always able to portray. You can just tell how happy he is being near Nai and how preoccupied he is with Nai when they're apart. I think these two had fabulous chemistry and I really wished for slightly more concrete resolution between them.
Tew really gets a chance to shine in this in his relationship with Day. The progression is a bit odd, Day really flips from super not interested to totally sweet, but they work hard to get to know one another. Again, I was waiting for a blunt confession, but it goes a little under the radar.
Also, my favorite Prae gets a hot girlfriend. It's a quick scene, but I appreciate the world letting me know she is loved because she deserves everything!
So... I think this show had a less clear trajectory than season 1, but the great chemistry between Kong and Arthit continues to carry this show. Kong is so bold its like he is a lion hunting down a wounded Arthit. Arthit doesn't stand a chance. Arthit continues to be shy and adorable.
I will also say the flashbacks to their intervening school years are a true delight. It's great to see how they got comfortable in their relationship. I love it when Kong can't concentrate on his studies because he is so obsessed with Arthit and when Arthit carries Kong on his back.
My biggest gripe about this season is that the show takes the time to get Kong's father to like Arthit, but they never come out to his family. Kong is so close to his family and this is such an important step for queer youth, but they never tackle that hurdle together. By the end of this, they are still lying. This is totally understandable and again, very relatable for these types of experiences, but I would have liked to see that resolved before the end of the show.
So...
So, I felt a little like the show ended too quickly and then I discovered Episode 5 of Our Skyy. Our Skyy is a BL (Boy's Love) anthology that does a special episode for many BL couples. This is truly where I feel like we get the closure. Spoilers and please do yourself a favor and find this episode for yourself to finish up watching this. Kong gets accepted to his study abroad program in China. The two are finally living the way you'd expect, lovingly and in sync. This is clearly a huge hurdle for them to tackle and while Arthit wants Kong to follow his dream, it makes sense that this is a painful time for them both. I love that the show finally gets Arthit to deal with being shy and kiss Kong in public when it matters. When Kong pulls out those rings I nearly died. More importantly, I don't have to worry about my boys because they get through the separation and are together again. I truly feel at the end of this episode that my boys can conquer anything.
Speaking of my boys, I didn't watch the special episode at the end of season 1, so I went back to watch it at the end. Oh boy, what a delight! Singto and Krist are clearly very close, even in real life. You can tell that they took the time to get comfortable with each other and now like working together. All of the cast members talk about how there is no space between them and that is a real treat for the fans. I read lots of reviews saying that the chemistry between these two is one of the best. I haven't watched too many BL dramas (although now that I know it is a thing, I definitely will!), but I believe it. They worked really hard to bring this romance to life and I feel a little empty now that it is over.
Final Grade: A-
Reviews for all the things we love (and hate) about Japanese and Korean Dramas
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Friday, June 14, 2019
SOTUS the Series: Thai Drama Review
The Gist: When Kongpob (Prachaya Ruangroj) enters college in the faculty of engineering, he also has to undergo the hazing system at the school: SOTUS. The system is run by a group of third year students, lead by head-hazer Arthit (Perawat Sangpotirat). Kongpob immediately clashes with Arthit in defense of fellow freshman and the two start a longterm stand-off during their hazing session. Yet, Kongpob becomes attached to and concerned for Arthit, despite Arthit’s constant berating, as he begins to see that Arthit does have a good heart and has good intentions towards his cohort. Yet, does Kongpob have any hope that Arthit will return his feelings?
Love:
1. Kongpob
I am in awe of Kongpob as a character and of Prachaya Ruangroj as an actor. I was so excited to watch a drama with a queer romance. When every drama heroine is the same (poor, plucky, you know), Kongpob was a constant surprise and delight for me. He looked at Arthit with persistent longing that it was actually almost painful to watch, which is important for a show with rather low levels of skinship. The piece that really set him apart for me was the way he would come out and say the most outrageous things to Arthit with so much confidence, while clearly being so unsure of his relationship with him. The whole thing had me thinking, Kongpob is smooth as freaking silk!
Scene - Arthit gets a haircut
Arthit: How does it look?
Kong: You look perfect.
Arthit: You don't have to sweet talk me. This is serious.
Kong: It's so bad.
Arthit: What? Really?
Kong: Me. I'm so badly stunned.
Me: O.O I am also badly stunned.
I want to talk about the confession scenes because I think that Prachaya Ruangroj really shone in all of them with small but extremely effective choices.
Spoilers from this point on…
The first, when Arthit is staying in Kongpob’s room, Kongpob waits until he thinks Arthit is asleep and just pours his heart out to him. Prachaya Ruangroj does a great job of imbuing all of the pain, confusion, and hope when Kongpob is trying to explain this. This scene felt exactly like every first love confession, with just the raw emotion of fear but not being able to hide it all inside.
The second, when he’s on the balcony and Arthit finally calls him, Kongpob is squeezing his fist so tight, that you can tell it is actually physically paining him to get the words out. It was expertly done and when Arthit panics and hangs up the call, and all Kongpob’s worst fears come true, I was just broken inside.
Finally, when we get that long awaited kiss, Kongpob smiles so hard mid-kiss. The chemistry between these two just pops. Arthit does this little pleased, pensive v-shaped smile when he gets embarrassed around Kongpob. It’s all a great treat, but very relatable.
2. The Side Characters
I'm going to take a moment to love on Prae (Ployshompoo Supasap). She's a gorgeous, strong woman and as Kongpob is going through his whole love situation, she has the great courage to come out to her friends. I really think the nuance of this show's treatment of Prae allows this to normalize queer people for Kongpob. Not every girl within eyesight of Kong wants him. Prae has her own goals and is confident in herself and who she is. I have mad love for Prae.
M (Thitipoom Techaapaikhun) and May's (Neen Suwanamas) romance is also skillfully portrayed. May pining after Kong and M pining after May is just a circle of pain waiting to happen. Still Kong gives her a respectful if but firm no and M handles it perfectly. He is there to comfort her, let her know he's interested, but gives her the space to make her own decisions. It's all very healthy and still sweet. My only complaint about this pairing is that we don't really get to see them together. In fact, most of the girls are written off the end of the show. Still, it was great to see M overcome his shy side to make an effort for May.
Waad(Teerapat Lohanan)/Prem(Chanagun Arpornsutinan). After getting off on the wrong foot, Prem comes to Waad's rescue. They are so sweet to each other afterwords. I love the way their interactions change, however, it seemed to me a bit like they were flirting and the show never fully explores that. That really is the great thing about watching a queer romance: anything is possible. This is another thing that never gets explored much beyond surface-level, but was still a delight.
Knot (Ittikorn Kraicharoen) is the mature one of the group. He is a little underwritten early on, but is just a rock for Arthit while he figures out his romance. Knot doesn't let Arthit stew and in multiple scenes lets him know that he can talk to him about anything. And he means it! When Arthit finally takes him up on it, he is supportive and serious. He takes Arthit's problem sincerely and gives him excellent advice, the same way he would about a girl problem. Representation is so important in media and as it is in important for the gay teens specifically to see themselves represented, it is also so important to have representation on how to be an ally. People can't sort through life alone and it was great to see Arthit have someone he can lean on while he sorts out what loving Kongpob truly means for him.
3. Healthy Handling of Rejection
I will continue to sing Konpob's praises. As an avid drama watcher (obviously), I am used to the characters undergoing rejection to stop eating, fainting, making themselves sick, not taking no for an answer, and a whole other lineup of very unhealthy behaviors. When Arthit pulls back from Kong, he takes some time to cry it out and be depressed, before deciding that he needs to find a way to move on and respect Arthit's decision. But he also takes the time to respect himself. When Arthit comes back to him, Kong sets the boundary that they can't just be casual friends without giving Kong too much hope. I was so proud of him because handling heartache at that age is almost impossible (or you know, any age) and he was able to be respectful of his needs and Arthit's.
So...
I only have on real complaint about this show. It's that in the ending episodes when M tells Kong he didn't know that Kong liked men, he says he doesn't, he only likes Arthit. I feel a little like this is doing the characters a disservice. Bi characters don't really get the visibility they should and it seems that both Kong and Arthit are likely bi and I would have liked to see that more fully embraced. With that said, I bet this is a very real experience for some bisexual people, when they have their first realization that they are interested in someone in particular.
In short, I simply adored this show. It was somehow short and also a bit of a slow-burn romance. This is the type of show you can easily watch in one sitting. The chemistry between Arthit and Kongpob was beautiful, sweet, and relatable and Kongpob was the best kind of protagonist. Looking forward to re-watching this and diving into the second season soon!
Final Grade: A++
Thursday, May 30, 2019
CDrama Review: Well-Intended Love
The Gist: Young, aspiring actress Xia Lin (Simona Wang) is mortified when she is diagnosed with leukemia. Determined to not let this diagnosis prove fatal, she tracks down her only matching bone-marrow donor, CEO Ling Yizhou (Xu Kai Cheng) to save her life. He agrees, with one stipulation: she has to agree to marry him for two years. With no other options, she agrees. Although she tries to convince herself it’s only an arrangement, she starts to fall for Yizhou and the fairy-tale life he offers her.
OK. Spoiler time..
The Real Gist: Insane psychopath becomes obsessed with a girl who is nice to him one time, stalks her for several years, forges her medical documents to trap her in a marriage with him.
Yeah. Really. Which is beyond a shame because I actually enjoyed this show for the most part until this reveal. However, the depth of this deception totally undoes all the kindness he shows her. All of the rules he places on her, the contract he makes her sign, the loyalty of his friends, all suddenly seems sinister. I don’t mind a good psychopath, but let’s call it what it is. Ling Yizhou doesn’t just have some quirks, he has no real understanding of anyone but himself.
To Xia Lin’s credit, she does not take this lying down. She freaks out and calls him out for every insane thing he has led her to believe and he traps her inside their home! He truly does not care for how she feels, only that he gets to keep her. I am so proud of her for standing up to him and not letting her feelings get in the way of the abuse he’s put her through.
Because that is what it is. Ling Yizhou stalks her and then gaslights her for her entire marriage. I was waiting for him to show some remorse, but he says he didn’t think through how this would affect her and then proceeds to tell her that he would do it over again given the chance. To me, this shows that Yizhou is a literal psychopath because he lacks the basic empathy to think from another person’s perspective (especially someone he claims to love). No one with any sense of empathy or compassion would be able to do this cruel chess game.
There is a huge issue here with consent and agency. Yizhou does not give Xia Lin any chance to make a choice with him. And the crazy part is, he didn’t even try to give her one. He is capable of kindness, and he’s good-looking, and rich and can even help with her career, but instead of earning her trust, building a relationship, and asking her out like a normal person, he forces her hand. It’s taking the hate-to-love relationship SO far. He doesn’t want to put in the effort to date her on her terms, so he plays house with her until she normalizes it.
All the sacrifices you think he’s making for her just aren’t real. All the teasing he puts her through is really just him controlling her. Honestly, this is the first time I am fully on the side of the villain. I am not going to watch this show long enough to figure out what his deal is, but he was in the right to let Xia Lin know that Ling Yizhou is not being honest with her with something as serious as her health.
Also, can we talk for a quick minute about how she bites him to get him to let her go AND HE DOESN’T. I think the writers were trying to make this seem romantic in that he would stay by her no matter what. But when it’s in the confines of her being held hostage, it’s honestly just scary. She is physically fighting against him and he does not let her go.
I don’t think all drama romances are healthy. Many leads behave irresponsibly and unkindly and childishly. However, this is beyond anything I have witnessed before and I just can’t personally forgive a character who is so morally reprehensible. Everything I thought I liked about him just seems distressing now. I’d prefer to finish this show thinking that she just left him because she deserves better.
Finally, he had a chance to come clean with her. That wouldn’t have really made it better, but it would have at least shown some ounce of self-reflection. If he eventually gets to that point in the show, I don’t need it. There are better shows out there with less toxic overtones.
And to think - I was actually worried about the amnesia plot. Ugh. No Bueno.
Final Grade: F
OK. Spoiler time..
The Real Gist: Insane psychopath becomes obsessed with a girl who is nice to him one time, stalks her for several years, forges her medical documents to trap her in a marriage with him.
Yeah. Really. Which is beyond a shame because I actually enjoyed this show for the most part until this reveal. However, the depth of this deception totally undoes all the kindness he shows her. All of the rules he places on her, the contract he makes her sign, the loyalty of his friends, all suddenly seems sinister. I don’t mind a good psychopath, but let’s call it what it is. Ling Yizhou doesn’t just have some quirks, he has no real understanding of anyone but himself.
To Xia Lin’s credit, she does not take this lying down. She freaks out and calls him out for every insane thing he has led her to believe and he traps her inside their home! He truly does not care for how she feels, only that he gets to keep her. I am so proud of her for standing up to him and not letting her feelings get in the way of the abuse he’s put her through.
Because that is what it is. Ling Yizhou stalks her and then gaslights her for her entire marriage. I was waiting for him to show some remorse, but he says he didn’t think through how this would affect her and then proceeds to tell her that he would do it over again given the chance. To me, this shows that Yizhou is a literal psychopath because he lacks the basic empathy to think from another person’s perspective (especially someone he claims to love). No one with any sense of empathy or compassion would be able to do this cruel chess game.
There is a huge issue here with consent and agency. Yizhou does not give Xia Lin any chance to make a choice with him. And the crazy part is, he didn’t even try to give her one. He is capable of kindness, and he’s good-looking, and rich and can even help with her career, but instead of earning her trust, building a relationship, and asking her out like a normal person, he forces her hand. It’s taking the hate-to-love relationship SO far. He doesn’t want to put in the effort to date her on her terms, so he plays house with her until she normalizes it.
All the sacrifices you think he’s making for her just aren’t real. All the teasing he puts her through is really just him controlling her. Honestly, this is the first time I am fully on the side of the villain. I am not going to watch this show long enough to figure out what his deal is, but he was in the right to let Xia Lin know that Ling Yizhou is not being honest with her with something as serious as her health.
Also, can we talk for a quick minute about how she bites him to get him to let her go AND HE DOESN’T. I think the writers were trying to make this seem romantic in that he would stay by her no matter what. But when it’s in the confines of her being held hostage, it’s honestly just scary. She is physically fighting against him and he does not let her go.
I don’t think all drama romances are healthy. Many leads behave irresponsibly and unkindly and childishly. However, this is beyond anything I have witnessed before and I just can’t personally forgive a character who is so morally reprehensible. Everything I thought I liked about him just seems distressing now. I’d prefer to finish this show thinking that she just left him because she deserves better.
Finally, he had a chance to come clean with her. That wouldn’t have really made it better, but it would have at least shown some ounce of self-reflection. If he eventually gets to that point in the show, I don’t need it. There are better shows out there with less toxic overtones.
And to think - I was actually worried about the amnesia plot. Ugh. No Bueno.
Final Grade: F
Friday, January 18, 2019
KDrama Review: Cheese in the Trap
The Gist: Poor college student Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) just wants to live her college life under the radar when she makes a startling discovery: popular senior student Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin) is faking some of his emotions and is causing discord between students behind the scenes. Unfortunately, Yoo Jung catches Seol watching him and sets his sights on making life difficult for her and when she can’t take anymore, she takes a leave of absence from school. However, when Seol returns to school, Yoo Jung seems determined to be nice to her (much to her terror). Can she trust that his change of heart may be genuine?
I am going to start this review by saying I am incredibly biased. I have a huge reserved space in my heart for Park Hae Jin. Besides being so gorgeous it’s distracting, I think he is an incredibly talented actor. I was impressed with his character in Bad Guys, as a psychopath you actually feel rather bad for. When I found out the lead in this show was a sociopath and it was played by Park Hae Jin, I knew that he could lend the complexity that this kind of character requires (prideful, victim, damaged, hurt, caring, and bold all at once). For this reason, I was always going to root for Yoo Jung, even when things got dicey.
In short, I am not a fan of Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon). I think there are legitimate arguments to be made from people who prefer to In Ho to Yoo Jung, as he is a much more typical drama lead and a more normal person. But, really, I disliked In Ho a lot so I’m going to start my review there.
I am also going to say that you have to spoil the ending of this show for yourself if you are going to have any hope of enjoying it. So, don’t worry about spoilers and let’s go.
Hate:
In Ha/In Ho
There is barely anything worth mentioning about In Ha. Growing up with her would make anyone a sociopath. She is totally despicable and even when she has glimmers of humanity, she is so selfish and out of touch and reliant on others, that it is impossible to find anything even quasi positive about her.
So, let’s focus on In Ho. The siblings have a complicated relationship with Yoo Jung, but In Ho just straight up pissed me off. I feel like there was a double standard with how this show treated In Ho and Yoo Jung.
While Seol ultimately forgives Yoo Jung for the one time he gets violent, In Ho handles all of his problems with his fists. Somehow Yoo Jung is painted as some psycho for beating up someone who threw Seol down stairs, but In Ho is just a scamp for trying to beat up her stalker? Not to mention, In Ho is the one who begins a fist fight with Yoo Jung. Yoo Jung shows incredible self-control around In Ho and In Ho just does whatever he feels like.
Second, the way he has this tell it like it is attitude, that is actually just him being an enormous jerk. Yeah, Yoo Jung isn’t always honest, but In Ho is off-handedly hurtful without even trying. When you finally find out the reason Yoo Jung is made at him all these years, my heart just broke. For someone In Ho ostensibly sees as a brother, he bad mouths him without even trying. Worse than that, I’d have to think of how In Ha would be if In Ho didn’t degrade her constantly. From their youth to adulthood, In Ho tells her she isn’t talented, while he’s a genius, and that she has no prospects in life. Of course she is a dependent psycho, he doesn’t care about her at all. And then he just leaves her! Yes, I get him not wanting to stay in the house after his accident, but he doesn’t give a passing though to what that would do to In Ha. Of course she’s attached to Yoo Jung - he has to defend her to In Ho and is not outright cruel to her. Honestly, In Ho managed to seriously damage both Yoo Jung and In Ha, without being able to process FOR YEARS, why they might be angry with him. Don’t get me wrong, Yoo Jung has problems, but he at least understands why In Ho is angry, he just doesn’t think he’s right.
What really was the nail in the coffin for In Ho in my esteem is the piano stuff. I had some measure of sympathy for In Ho after learning about his accident because I thought that’s why he wasn’t playing piano… and then in the middle of the show, he just decides to play again. WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? So, instead of taking the time to heal and get back to what he cares about, he sulks for years and picks it back up when it suits him, while blaming Yoo Jung all this time. At some point, at least, he realizes he’s been wasting years he could have been pursuing this, but I’m with Yoo Jung on this one, he is drawing out something bad that happened to him and using victim mentality to prevent him from doing something he cares about. That lost him all credibility for me. I’m not saying what he went through wasn’t bad, but I thought he was robbed of piano playing forever and he wasn’t. Then, to satisfying his own feelings, he beats up Yoo Jung even though it damages his hand. I mean, how thick can you be?
Let’s also not forget about the way he clings to Seol. Yes, he is allowed to have friends. But seriously, in the whole wide world, he has to cling to her? After he figures out Seol is Yoo Jung, he is again, not mindful of hurtful things he says about either of them and their relationship. He knows this is going to put her in an awkward position, but doesn’t ever leave her alone, after it’s clear that she is not leaving Yoo Jung (not that that should have mattered). She’s a big girl, she can make her own decisions. They should have had a passing wave at most. But he sticks around until she considers him a friend, going as far to work at her parents restaurant (seriously? I mean, I know he needs money, but that seemed so tasteless to me. Go work at your enemy’s girlfriend’s place. Classy). And he has some audacity to feel bad when he starts to like her, even though she made her feelings clear long ago. It really validates how uncomfortable Yoo Jung is about him hanging around Seol. In Ho really does just feel entitled everything that Yoo Jung has. It’s gross.
At the end of the day, I was just bored with In Ho. I found Yoo Jung to be a unique and complex character and In Ho was just so… ordinary. Once we got into his piano stuff, I just started skipping his scenes and the drama didn’t suffer from it at all. Again, I know I’m biased because I love Park Hae Jin, but I didn’t even feel conflicted between the two of them. Thumbs down from me for In Ho.
Love:
Yoo Jung and Hong Seol
I think these two were perfectly cast and played their characters beautifully. I love that Seol is so appropriately wary of Yoo Jung at first (smart girl), but she really works hard to understand him. I like the moment where he stays over and they actually kind of see each other for the first time. Yoo Jung needs an incredibly understanding and forgiving girlfriend and she is that for him.
More than that though, I feel like he supports her in a way that others don’t. One of my favorite embodiments of this is when she overhears her parents saying they’re going to take her tuition to pay for her brother’s school when he doesn’t want it and she runs out, and even though they’re fighting, Yoo Jung is waiting there for her to take care of her and understand what she’s going through.
Let’s talk about Yoo Jung. I was really wary about starting this drama after reading the reviews, but when I decided to, I imagined that Yoo Jung was going to be more…evil. Really, I feel that You Jung is a mirror. He is ruthless, but he doles out what has been dealt to him. He never attacks innocents (now whether or not he is attacking at the level they deserve is an interesting question), but always sees people for what they do. Which is why Seol is a good match for him, she is like a sponge. She never hits back (until she learns when she needs to). He helps her stand up for herself and she helps him absorb more. But really, the big thing is there is just nothing for him to lash back at her about. She is a truly kind person and on some level, they both recognize in each other that they are constantly bending over to keep others happy (family, fellow students, even friends) and that makes them kindred spirits, so that they don’t just have to bottle up how they feel anymore.
Honestly, what gets me most about this romance is just that it is bizarre. I love that they are overcoming unusual problems. Do sociopaths not deserve love? Even when they feel bad about it and are trying?
I’m going to say that, yes, he way crossed a line with the stalker situation. That was upfront just despicable what he put Seol through sicking that guy on her. But I appreciate that she really corners him about it and makes him face what he’s done to her. In that Yoo Jung is a mirror, him caring about Seol, actually gives him a real chance to confront himself.
And on some level, that is why the ending works at all. He realizes that he is putting way to much on Seol and while he needs her, she can help motivate him to change. There is something really amazing about the growth he works towards in this show. When he realizes that he is still pulling the same shit and Seol will stand by him, he knows he has to take responsibility. I really admire that he recognizes his own victim mentality.
While we are talking about the ending…
Mixed Feelings:
Again, I do not think you can truly enjoy this show if you don’t know where it’s going. If you’re an In Ho fan, you should know now that it can’t be him. If you’re a Yoo Jung fan, the ending is going to feel a little unsatisfactory. I think he was right to break up with her, but I have two problems with the ending.
First, is that she just seems like she’s miserable and has been for years without him. Yes, she has some friends, but even In Ha gets her love story and Seol is just waiting. Is it good to Yoo Jung to change? Yes. Is Seol happier with him changing without her, leaving her alone, than she would be if he worked through it with her? I don’t think so and in that the breakup suddenly doesn’t make as much sense. I think he leaves her alone for too long. Now, he does sometimes do things to help her that are at the expense of others and he needs to knock that off, but I think this show made a good argument for the two of them together and yet he leaves and In Ha stays??? It’s so bizarre.
Second, they don’t show him coming back!!! AH. I would have even taken a Goblin-style starting at each other ending (although a kiss would have been better). While, I like that they hint that he’s coming back to her, after three years, he needed to get his rear in gear and go get her.
Actually, I also have a beef with the ending that isn’t about Jung and Seol. I can’t believe after all of that In Ho just leaves. Like he hangs around long enough to just make it impossible for everyone and then he finally does the right thing and bails. I feel like at that point, he should have made some sort of effort with Jung and In Ha. If he was just going to leave again, he should have just done that to begin with. I know then it wouldn’t be a show, but I just am so over In Ho.
I think if you’re prepared for this ending, you can appreciate it for what it’s trying to do. It’s an unusual ending for an unusual romance. I think if I hadn’t known it was coming, I would have been DEVASTATED.
So…
So, I think this drama was worth watching. I think In Ho and the ending are both kind of so/so (though many watchers appear to really like In Ho, which may also make you feel mixed about this show), but I think that Hae Jin and Go Eun have spectacular chemistry and I like them both so much. I really found myself rooting for their romance, even when things got complicated. It was funny to watch this show right after Love 020. It’s like this show was making up for Love 020’s total lack of conflict, but having SO MUCH CONFLICT. I will also say that this show has a very engaging and strange pilot/first episode. I loved it. It’s not perfect, but I am glad I watched Cheese in the Trap.
Final Grade: B
I am going to start this review by saying I am incredibly biased. I have a huge reserved space in my heart for Park Hae Jin. Besides being so gorgeous it’s distracting, I think he is an incredibly talented actor. I was impressed with his character in Bad Guys, as a psychopath you actually feel rather bad for. When I found out the lead in this show was a sociopath and it was played by Park Hae Jin, I knew that he could lend the complexity that this kind of character requires (prideful, victim, damaged, hurt, caring, and bold all at once). For this reason, I was always going to root for Yoo Jung, even when things got dicey.
In short, I am not a fan of Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon). I think there are legitimate arguments to be made from people who prefer to In Ho to Yoo Jung, as he is a much more typical drama lead and a more normal person. But, really, I disliked In Ho a lot so I’m going to start my review there.
I am also going to say that you have to spoil the ending of this show for yourself if you are going to have any hope of enjoying it. So, don’t worry about spoilers and let’s go.
Hate:
In Ha/In Ho
There is barely anything worth mentioning about In Ha. Growing up with her would make anyone a sociopath. She is totally despicable and even when she has glimmers of humanity, she is so selfish and out of touch and reliant on others, that it is impossible to find anything even quasi positive about her.
So, let’s focus on In Ho. The siblings have a complicated relationship with Yoo Jung, but In Ho just straight up pissed me off. I feel like there was a double standard with how this show treated In Ho and Yoo Jung.
While Seol ultimately forgives Yoo Jung for the one time he gets violent, In Ho handles all of his problems with his fists. Somehow Yoo Jung is painted as some psycho for beating up someone who threw Seol down stairs, but In Ho is just a scamp for trying to beat up her stalker? Not to mention, In Ho is the one who begins a fist fight with Yoo Jung. Yoo Jung shows incredible self-control around In Ho and In Ho just does whatever he feels like.
Second, the way he has this tell it like it is attitude, that is actually just him being an enormous jerk. Yeah, Yoo Jung isn’t always honest, but In Ho is off-handedly hurtful without even trying. When you finally find out the reason Yoo Jung is made at him all these years, my heart just broke. For someone In Ho ostensibly sees as a brother, he bad mouths him without even trying. Worse than that, I’d have to think of how In Ha would be if In Ho didn’t degrade her constantly. From their youth to adulthood, In Ho tells her she isn’t talented, while he’s a genius, and that she has no prospects in life. Of course she is a dependent psycho, he doesn’t care about her at all. And then he just leaves her! Yes, I get him not wanting to stay in the house after his accident, but he doesn’t give a passing though to what that would do to In Ha. Of course she’s attached to Yoo Jung - he has to defend her to In Ho and is not outright cruel to her. Honestly, In Ho managed to seriously damage both Yoo Jung and In Ha, without being able to process FOR YEARS, why they might be angry with him. Don’t get me wrong, Yoo Jung has problems, but he at least understands why In Ho is angry, he just doesn’t think he’s right.
What really was the nail in the coffin for In Ho in my esteem is the piano stuff. I had some measure of sympathy for In Ho after learning about his accident because I thought that’s why he wasn’t playing piano… and then in the middle of the show, he just decides to play again. WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? So, instead of taking the time to heal and get back to what he cares about, he sulks for years and picks it back up when it suits him, while blaming Yoo Jung all this time. At some point, at least, he realizes he’s been wasting years he could have been pursuing this, but I’m with Yoo Jung on this one, he is drawing out something bad that happened to him and using victim mentality to prevent him from doing something he cares about. That lost him all credibility for me. I’m not saying what he went through wasn’t bad, but I thought he was robbed of piano playing forever and he wasn’t. Then, to satisfying his own feelings, he beats up Yoo Jung even though it damages his hand. I mean, how thick can you be?
Let’s also not forget about the way he clings to Seol. Yes, he is allowed to have friends. But seriously, in the whole wide world, he has to cling to her? After he figures out Seol is Yoo Jung, he is again, not mindful of hurtful things he says about either of them and their relationship. He knows this is going to put her in an awkward position, but doesn’t ever leave her alone, after it’s clear that she is not leaving Yoo Jung (not that that should have mattered). She’s a big girl, she can make her own decisions. They should have had a passing wave at most. But he sticks around until she considers him a friend, going as far to work at her parents restaurant (seriously? I mean, I know he needs money, but that seemed so tasteless to me. Go work at your enemy’s girlfriend’s place. Classy). And he has some audacity to feel bad when he starts to like her, even though she made her feelings clear long ago. It really validates how uncomfortable Yoo Jung is about him hanging around Seol. In Ho really does just feel entitled everything that Yoo Jung has. It’s gross.
At the end of the day, I was just bored with In Ho. I found Yoo Jung to be a unique and complex character and In Ho was just so… ordinary. Once we got into his piano stuff, I just started skipping his scenes and the drama didn’t suffer from it at all. Again, I know I’m biased because I love Park Hae Jin, but I didn’t even feel conflicted between the two of them. Thumbs down from me for In Ho.
Love:
Yoo Jung and Hong Seol
I think these two were perfectly cast and played their characters beautifully. I love that Seol is so appropriately wary of Yoo Jung at first (smart girl), but she really works hard to understand him. I like the moment where he stays over and they actually kind of see each other for the first time. Yoo Jung needs an incredibly understanding and forgiving girlfriend and she is that for him.
More than that though, I feel like he supports her in a way that others don’t. One of my favorite embodiments of this is when she overhears her parents saying they’re going to take her tuition to pay for her brother’s school when he doesn’t want it and she runs out, and even though they’re fighting, Yoo Jung is waiting there for her to take care of her and understand what she’s going through.
Let’s talk about Yoo Jung. I was really wary about starting this drama after reading the reviews, but when I decided to, I imagined that Yoo Jung was going to be more…evil. Really, I feel that You Jung is a mirror. He is ruthless, but he doles out what has been dealt to him. He never attacks innocents (now whether or not he is attacking at the level they deserve is an interesting question), but always sees people for what they do. Which is why Seol is a good match for him, she is like a sponge. She never hits back (until she learns when she needs to). He helps her stand up for herself and she helps him absorb more. But really, the big thing is there is just nothing for him to lash back at her about. She is a truly kind person and on some level, they both recognize in each other that they are constantly bending over to keep others happy (family, fellow students, even friends) and that makes them kindred spirits, so that they don’t just have to bottle up how they feel anymore.
Honestly, what gets me most about this romance is just that it is bizarre. I love that they are overcoming unusual problems. Do sociopaths not deserve love? Even when they feel bad about it and are trying?
I’m going to say that, yes, he way crossed a line with the stalker situation. That was upfront just despicable what he put Seol through sicking that guy on her. But I appreciate that she really corners him about it and makes him face what he’s done to her. In that Yoo Jung is a mirror, him caring about Seol, actually gives him a real chance to confront himself.
And on some level, that is why the ending works at all. He realizes that he is putting way to much on Seol and while he needs her, she can help motivate him to change. There is something really amazing about the growth he works towards in this show. When he realizes that he is still pulling the same shit and Seol will stand by him, he knows he has to take responsibility. I really admire that he recognizes his own victim mentality.
While we are talking about the ending…
Mixed Feelings:
Again, I do not think you can truly enjoy this show if you don’t know where it’s going. If you’re an In Ho fan, you should know now that it can’t be him. If you’re a Yoo Jung fan, the ending is going to feel a little unsatisfactory. I think he was right to break up with her, but I have two problems with the ending.
First, is that she just seems like she’s miserable and has been for years without him. Yes, she has some friends, but even In Ha gets her love story and Seol is just waiting. Is it good to Yoo Jung to change? Yes. Is Seol happier with him changing without her, leaving her alone, than she would be if he worked through it with her? I don’t think so and in that the breakup suddenly doesn’t make as much sense. I think he leaves her alone for too long. Now, he does sometimes do things to help her that are at the expense of others and he needs to knock that off, but I think this show made a good argument for the two of them together and yet he leaves and In Ha stays??? It’s so bizarre.
Second, they don’t show him coming back!!! AH. I would have even taken a Goblin-style starting at each other ending (although a kiss would have been better). While, I like that they hint that he’s coming back to her, after three years, he needed to get his rear in gear and go get her.
Actually, I also have a beef with the ending that isn’t about Jung and Seol. I can’t believe after all of that In Ho just leaves. Like he hangs around long enough to just make it impossible for everyone and then he finally does the right thing and bails. I feel like at that point, he should have made some sort of effort with Jung and In Ha. If he was just going to leave again, he should have just done that to begin with. I know then it wouldn’t be a show, but I just am so over In Ho.
I think if you’re prepared for this ending, you can appreciate it for what it’s trying to do. It’s an unusual ending for an unusual romance. I think if I hadn’t known it was coming, I would have been DEVASTATED.
So…
So, I think this drama was worth watching. I think In Ho and the ending are both kind of so/so (though many watchers appear to really like In Ho, which may also make you feel mixed about this show), but I think that Hae Jin and Go Eun have spectacular chemistry and I like them both so much. I really found myself rooting for their romance, even when things got complicated. It was funny to watch this show right after Love 020. It’s like this show was making up for Love 020’s total lack of conflict, but having SO MUCH CONFLICT. I will also say that this show has a very engaging and strange pilot/first episode. I loved it. It’s not perfect, but I am glad I watched Cheese in the Trap.
Final Grade: B