THE SHORT VERDICT:
Looks cute and attractive with its good-looking leads, bright, youthful color palette and peppy, happy music.
BUT. Requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. Female lead is written as unbelievably naive and tends to behave like a kid rather than a 20-something woman. Not cute.
Also, the story basically turns into makjang-lite with a Disney vibe.
Only if you’re bored and have nothing else to watch.
Or if you just want to ogle Donghae. Or the pretty, pretty cakes. Or both.
THE LONG VERDICT:
I went into this with lowered expectations stemming from the low ratings, the general lukewarm response from the general viewership, and the fact that this was a Channel A drama.
I’d heard how terribly makjang and disappointing Bachelor’s Vegetable Store was, and then there was all the upset viewers who’d been disappointed by Color of Woman. Basically, Channel A doesn’t have a great reputation for dramas.
But still, I also found that there was a select fan base who loved this drama. A LOT. I wanted to see what the fuss was about, and dived in.
I liked the bright happy palette and the cute opening credits. I found the light, tinkly jingle and the good-looking people amid the illustrations appealing. It all looked light and fun.
BUT. Once the opening credits finished rolling and the acting kicked in, I began to get annoyed quite quickly. I found the acting quite exaggerated from several of the actors, and that made the simple act of watching this drama much more painful than it should have been.
First, I can’t really fault Donghae coz he’s not an actor-actor, but an idol-actor, and I usually cut idol-actors some slack coz many of them have never acted before and it’s tough trying to hold your own among actor-actors. Of course, Donghae acted in It’s Ok, Daddy’s Girl in 2010, so this wasn’t his very first drama.
And I have to say that I thought he did quite alright, and I liked him a lot more in this drama than I did Yoon Seung Ah, our female lead. He was really not bad.
He showed a decent amount of range, and I found his Hedgehog likable and fairly natural. Sure, the writing was a bit too Disney for my taste, but I can’t fault him for that.
It didn’t hurt that he’s cute too.
Clearly, they were capitalizing on the cute when he was given a shirtless scene practically right away. Like, 3 minutes into the first episode right away.
With the tantalizing hint of perhaps more to come, I’m pretty sure all the Donghae fangirls were sold on the drama, right there. Ok, fine. The Donghae fangirls AND anyone else who appreciates a buff male lead with good pecs 😉
Alas, Yoon Seung Ah was one of the main sources of my frustration with this drama.
I’d enjoyed Yoon Seung Ah in her supporting roles in Playful Kiss and The Princess’ Man, and I’d been quite excited to see that she’d landed her first leading role.
Her other performances were fairly restrained, particularly in The Princess’ Man, and I liked her as an actress. Which makes this particular outing of hers all the more confounding and frustrating.
Her female lead Pan Da Yang is written as very naive and ditzy, and that’s so cliched. Worse, the character was grossly overacted. I don’t know whether the PD asked her to act that way, or she somehow decided on it herself, but she basically acted like an 8-year-old (is 8 being too generous? Maybe it was more like 5? 6?) instead of a twenty-something adult.
Practically everything about the way she played this character smacked of an immature young child. The pouts, the pout-wiggles, the glares, the stamping of her feet, scratching of the head.. the list goes on.
And then there was the way she spoke. She literally spoke like a child. Sometimes, it was like a pouty child, which made it that much worse. Coming from a young adult who’s clearly left her childhood years behind, this actually made her seem, er, developmentally challenged.
So. Not. Attractive.
But wait! She wasn’t the only one guilty of this.
Cue second lead Choi Jin Hyuk, who plays Choi Won Il.
I’d not had much of an impression of him before this drama. To me, he was just one of the cute chefs in Pasta. There, he’d been serviceable. He hadn’t been good enough to make me remember him, but he hadn’t been bad enough to make me remember him either.
But here, he left a lasting impression, and for all the wrong reasons.
As much as Yoon Seung Ah acted like her character was developmentally-challenged, so did he.
He even had the pout. And then there was frowning, some tantrums, and the talking. He pretty much talked just like her. No wonder their characters were childhood friends.
So. Not. Attractive.
Because of this, I found myself dragging my feet through the entire first episode.
Still, I was curious enough to press on, and went on the finish the drama. Yes. The whole thing.
The supporting cast was serviceable to varying degrees. The good guys were likable enough, and the bad guys were easy to hate, being drawn to cartoonish extremes.
Special shout-out goes to Park Geun Hyung who plays Grandpa.
I’m tickled that he’s basically reprising his role in MBC’s Delicious Proposal (2001).
[SPOILER ALERT]
In both shows, he’s the upright father figure who owns a food-related joint and takes in an abandoned / lost child and brings him up as his own.
Sure, there are differences, like how this is a bakery and that was a Chinese restaurant. And here his adopted grandson went to prison before coming under his wing whereas there the boy was abandoned as a baby. And here he’s a grandpa and there he’s a father.
But still. The similarity between the roles is striking. Even the sleeping arrangements are the same! Too funny.
[END SPOILER]
The plot in this drama is makjang drawn to the extreme, but treated with a Disney touch.
I know. That just sounds weird. But really, that’s what it is.
[MAJOR SPOILER ALERT]
There’s birth secrets, half-siblings, long-lost first loves, revenge, family politics, business politics, and even a secret code between childhood friends that not only acts like a magic encouragement mantra that specializes in cake inspirations, but is also the key that solves the mystery of a missing boy whom everyone has been searching for, for years.
Hedgehog turns out to be the biological son of his sworn enemy, AND he’s also the long-lost friend that Won Il’s been searching for, AND he’s also Panda’s long-lost first-love. Woah. Talk about serving multiple narrative roles.
Some of the plot points require extreme suspension of disbelief.
Like how Won Il is so guilty thinking that he caused his friend to be lost that he becomes physically unable to stomach eating cakes. If he eats cake, he gets sick. That in itself is hard to believe.
Even more unbelievable, is how that is solved. Hedgehog basically makes him a cake that doesn’t look like a cake, and when Won Il eats it without getting sick, presto! Problem solved.
This is what I mean when I say everything in this drama is extreme makjang but with a Disney vibe. Melodrama is thrown into the story to extremes, and everyone is related to everyone, and there’re secrets and problems galore. At the same time, everything gets solved easily and conveniently, almost like magic. Ta-da! Problem solved! Let’s get back to the cute, which is what’s really important here.
[END MAJOR SPOILER]
In terms of the cute, well, it’s basically Donghae-centered, and OTP-centered.
The drama isn’t very clear on how the leads fall for each other. All we know is that they do.
It’s particularly strange how Hedgehog ends up falling for Panda, because he seems to start liking her very abruptly and proceeds to spend A LOT of his savings on helping her overhaul and run her cafe.
Anyway. The point is, there are cute couple moments for our OTP, and that’s part of the icing on this strange confection of makjang-lite cake.
Other than the OTP, there are the pretty, pretty confections to drool over.
Yes, it’s unbelievable that Hedgehog learned to bake like a patissier while in jail. And it’s just as unbelievable that his secret mantra magically gives him inspiration each and every time he’s stuck.
But who cares, when he churns out the prettiest looking macarons and cakes?
Here, have another:
In the end, the show wasn’t anything great, but there were times when I found it somewhat engaging after I started to like the characters. When I say “like” I mean it relatively speaking, of course.
Basically, the writing and execution of the story were bad enough that I almost dropped this drama. It was enough to be a deal-breaker. But Donghae’s cuteness and the pretty cakes and the pretty color palette managed to keep me hanging in there. But just barely.
If I hadn’t been dividing my attention between watching this while doing other stuff, I may never have made it to the finish line.
THE FINAL VERDICT:
For tweens. Or tweens at heart.
FINAL GRADE: C-
MV:
Here’s a short MV which shows you Donghae’s shirtless scene, and some cute OTP moments. There. Maybe now you don’t need to watch this show anymore 😉
I have to agree with your candid assessment. I am a bit disappointed at this lackluster comedy drama for all the reasons you pointed out and though I am on the 8th episode, I will not be watching the rest.
Good on you for dropping this one, Daniel! I didn’t quite know how to drop a drama yet, when I saw this one, and ended up enduring it with gritted teeth, all the way to the bitter end. Silly me! 😂
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Hmm, I may have to let this one cook and simmer on the backburner much longer after reading your review. LOLOL. I sincerely despise pouty, childlike twenty-something female leads with a passion. I wanted to barf with Mary stayed out all night and it turned me off to Moon Geun Young, whom I know is a good actress, but in that she was simply Gizmo. ughhh!! I really don’t like when the female leads are written as overtly naive, loudmouthed, blustering and stupid. There’s enough of those girls in real life. haha. It’s the naivete that really gets to me. Maybe it’s a culture thing. Or I sometimes think, a cynical New Yorker thing for me. :p
Aww, my Choi Jin Hyuk, I really liked him as the elder brother in ‘It’s okay daddy’s girl.’ but if he was annoying in this Panda drama then his turn in Gu Family Book totally redeemed him. He was amazing, hot, smoldering, fans went wild and I think many liked him even more than the Lee Seung Gi. For me It was like the difference between Mufasa and Simba! LOL. So now I can’t wait for his Chaebol turn in ‘Heirs.’ After that he better get a lead role for once!
Um, yeah. On the backburner it should go – indefinitely. Absolutely no loss if you never watch this show. Really. This is a case of curiosity killing the cat. I was curious why other people seemed to love it (not everyone loved it, but there was definitely some love for it), and now I realize that it was probably contextual.
This show aired amid a lot of melos, so some viewers who’d been all melo-ed out found this a breath of fresh, simple, Disney air. I didn’t watch this live, and marathoned it after it’d finished it run, so I was judging it purely on its own merit, not in the context of being different from other shows on the horizon. And it was, well, pretty terrible. Pouty childlike twenty-something female leads are my pet peeve too, and it was absolutely relentless in this show. Plus, seeing a grown man – Choi Jin Hyuk – adopting the same pouty childlike mannerisms and speech patterns made my skin crawl. Like, SO. NOT. HOT. Right?? I blame the PD. Both Yoon Seung Ah and Choi Jin Hyuk are capable of better.
I haven’t seen Gu Family Book coz of its terrible reputation, but I’ve heard how hot Choi Jin Hyuk was as Daddy Gumiho. I might check out his eps sometime, just to see what the huge swooning fuss was about 😉
If you watch it only for his parts in the beginning, then scan through his scenes later, you wouldn’t have missed much. That’s basically what I did. lol. He was so hot (especially when he comes back as the ‘bad’ Gumiho) They should have just made a series about him and then brought him to modern day, etc.
So what’s this about Gu family’s terrible rep? I’m not up on that news.
Gu Family Book.. Basically everyone in the dramaverse hated, hated, like, really, really, REALLY hated how the show turned out. The reasons are really plentiful too. So much upset venting around that show and how it turned out. Even kind, sweet Betsy Hp, who manages to find things to love in a show that I don’t, and who, as a matter of habit, conjures up good reasons to explain weird directions that writers take.. Even sweet Betsy Hp got super upset with this show and wishes she never watched it. That, in a nutshell, is the terrible rep that Gu Family Book has managed to make for itself in the dramaverse! Which is why I haven’t touched it, not even with a ten-foot pole 😛
Wow. And here I thought everyone was loving it from the positive facebook comments and on DF. But then again, everyone hated how they ended CJH’s story arc as daddy Gumiho too. Plus they set it up for a modern day sequel which will probably never get made.
I think people liked it in the beginning. There was lots of positive buzz for the set-up and whole Daddy Gumiho arc. After that, though, there were plot points that made people upset. Stuff about rape, if memory serves. And another big peeve is that Lee Seung Gi’s character goes through no growth whatsoever, so there never seemed to be any point. By the time the show wrapped, there was a whole lotta ragey, angry, ragey, very ragey venting going on in all corners of the dramaverse. Everybody wanted their hours back. And wanted to kick themselves for not jumping ship earlier. Uh-huh. Not pretty. >.<
Everyone was raving on ‘Suzy’ but I think she has a long way to go before she becomes a good K-drama actress. I totally didn’t buy her as a ‘tough’ professional swordswoman at all. And no, he LSG doesn’t go through any growth. He’s like immature Simba. lol.
There is one scene where Suzy meets papa Gumiho in the dark forest and omo, I melted. He threatened her, got all up in her face. I screen capped the beauty of that 3 second smirk he gave her. It was worth the whole series.
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z108/MrsBogg/K-Drama%20Guys/CJH-WolRyung-1.jpg
Really? You heard raves for Suzy? I didn’t! Most comments I came across were about how she was quite meh. She’s not a strong actress, though I find her generally quite likable. In Dream High (which I love!), they actually made her stiff expressionless face a running gag. She’d deadpan, “This IS my happy face” HAHAHA!!
Ok, I can see why people were going all melty over Papa Gumiho.. It’s hard to resist a badass smirk done right, lol!
LOL. It was a perfect smirk. I couldn’t resist. Yeah, Suzy is cute, I guess because she didn’t fit this role her acting didn’t come across as strong. Sometimes I think fans just squee more over the pairing and kisses and romance rather than the acting chops. lol
Girl who wields a sword definitely needs to be fiercer, and stiff-faced with a bit of glare probably just isn’t quite enough, I suspect.. I did think the writers used that quirk of hers to excellent effect in Dream High.
Yes, I think some fans do care more about kisses and romance.. Much as I like those bits myself, though, acting is a big priority of mine.. I love when an actor really BRINGS it, and sucks me in. It’s a gift, I say.
i just read your review i think you just said whats in my heart when i start watching this drama the first 4 episode were okay but then i just get frustrated from the lead female she was so stupid and i think she didn’t match with donghae i only continua to watch the drama because of the cute cupcake and the sexy donghae and i didn’t understand at the final episode why the president of sant want to kill grandpa and donghae is it because of the money or something finally i love your review ^_______^
Aw, thanks rafal!! Considering that I actually know people who loved this show, it’s always great to discover other viewers who felt the same way I did ^^ Yay that we’re not alone! 🙂
I don’t feel bad 🙂 After re-thinking, I think your time would be better spent on Autumn’s Concerto than May Queen… 😀 Where did you download from? I usually watch on Viki, but I found it on DramaFever… I considered buying the box when in Taiwan last year, but I didn’t… ISWAK and TKA subbed versions I bought from Speedy. The quality isn’t as good as iswakfansubs – I find so many mistakes in their translations! But I have that at least hard-copy. I had tons of stuff downloaded a long time ago but my hard drive crashed and months and months of torrent downloads were GONE. (boohoo). I rely solely on YT and other online sources now…
I mostly torrent my stuff, but in the case of Autumn’s Concerto, I downloaded it though a streaming app that I have on my ipad. They are medium quality files, but I figured I wasn’t ready to torrent the entire show, which is available in Xvid.
Xvid. I’ll look it up 😀 When I did torrents before, our DSL got really bad, I think they capped it because I was running them too much. After I stopped for some time and complained it got better. (we have sucky connection anyway because the cables in our neighborhood are old.)
I saw the Xvid version available on Asia Torrents. If you’re not currently a member you’d need an invitation to join. A member would need to have 500 points and be willing to spend those 500 points on inviting you. But they open registration during some festive seasons when they don’t require invitations to register, so you could possibly wait for that.
At the same time, Xvid files aren’t the best quality, and since you love the show so much, I think you might do better getting a box set when you’re able.
Ahh… then I may need to stick with free torrents with hard subs if I can find it 🙂 In the meantime I am fortunate enough that it’s sufficiently well-loved to still be out there in Dramafever 🙂 I’ll keep an eye on Xvid then for later. Thank you 😀
Having a well-loved drama easily available is definitely a bonus.. No rush on getting it for keeps 😉
The danger is only for those dramas which are not loved enough to stay available 10 years later… Online eventually they will probably disappear… and the same in stores. Maybe the next time I’m in Taiwan I’ll buy it if I see it.. or maybe YesAsia or Speedy if necessary…
Well. One more thing to add to your shopping list then! 😉
I know what you mean… thinking back maybe it wasn’t as good as I remember it to be 🙂 At the same time, just with the language skill I’ve gained so far, I can appreciate these dramas that much more. I think that’s one reason why I love ISWAK and TKA so much, they were my first drama love. Watching again the first 10-15 minutes, I realized it is really cute and funny, and the comedy does have some over-acting as part of it, but you can also see the characters’ honesty. I do still recommend Autumn’s Concerto very heartily. Re-watching just a tidbit, I already remember a lot of good scenes. The OST isn’t as lush as a sageuk, but there is a lot of very emotion-grabbing piano and vocals. The chemistry and push and pull in this is really good though, I don’t think I’m mis-remembering 🙂 And although in May Queen the story really got thrown back and forth a good bit, the acting was decent. It made me take notice of Jae Hee and Kim Jae Won and Kim Yoo Jung :). Until I’d happily typed up all my recommendations, I hadn’t thought deeply enough since it’s been so long since I watched it. Now, thinking back I remember it making me moody from being kind of dark and dragging on. It also gets focused on Jae Won more than Jae Hee at some point, but in the end there’s some happy stuff… although the ending wasn’t all I wanted, either LOL. I think if you want to give it a shot, stick with the earlier sections with the child actors and see how you feel. It’s not a horrible drama by any means, although memories are colored sometimes 🙂
Um. Sorry to disappoint, but after all that I’ve heard, and with all the other dramas that I really do want to check out, I really don’t think I have the bandwidth for May Queen. It just doesn’t capture my interest enough, compared to other shows that I genuinely want to check out – trust me, that list is L-O-N-G! >.<
I have found Autumn's Concerto, though, and have downloaded just the first 3 eps to try.. I'll let you know how that goes, when I get to it 🙂
Hm. maybe it’s because the story did drag out… *sigh* but I thought the overall character development was worth it in the end, even if I wouldn’t watch it a second time. It could be also that I was liking Kim Jae Won and Jae Hee enough that it was enjoyable as they got to portray much more.. plus I think I tend to get sucked into the dramas by the great child actors and so with that backstory I am willing to sacrifice to watch it. The adult acting is also good.. it’s a bit of a darker drama, so it pulls the mood down. I think that’s why romantic comedy is more popularized… I have to alternate 🙂
haha on the biolovematch! I’ve found several things like that and they don’t really surprise me as often anymore, I can gauge who and how I will like and usually I’m right. It doesn’t mean I won’t be attracted to an actor or idol because the numbers are low but generally the pull is much higher on the ones I feel like I want to follow their music and dramas.
You know what, I suspect you’re more forgiving than those of us who’ve been watching kdrama for a longer time and are therefore more jaded & grizzled, lol! XD I mean, I lapped up Goong and loved it unreservedly, as my first kdrama ever. But honestly, if I was only watching it now for the first time, I’d also be quick to point out all the flaws in the show. Coz the negative reviews that I’d read for May Queen came from seasoned kdrama veterans, I suspect I would also have less patience with any tropey-ness it might have.
I’d say enjoy this honeymoon season, though. Don’t rush to get more analytical. I do miss the times when I could love a drama more easily than I do now ^^
Thinking back, even though May Queen isn’t one I’d re-watch and it is focused more on Kim Jae Won, Jae Hee’s role is substantial and interesting… did it really get terrible reviews?
As a side note, have you ever checked this out: biolovematch.com? It’s just a measurement of biorhythms of two people – there are standard waves for biorhythms and depending on birthday those waves start at different times so they only cross at certain points. The more in line your biorhythms are with someone, the more chemistry is naturally existent. It’s fun to check it against how you feel about people in your life, former crushes, actors, idols, etc. I’ve found it rather accurate 🙂 Of course there are other reasons to be drawn to people (i.e. talent, common interests, even simple proximity), but this is an interesting piece of the puzzle. See if you match better with the actors you like more or not 🙂 (of course this is for them and not the characters, so it’s more about a chemical, unexplainable draw). I tend to get sucked in by warm smiles, good expressions and style I like and also singing talent. Q – want to move our conversation somewhere other than your comments? I’m getting too-off-topic 😀 Do you have a method for private comments so I can send you my email or FB or something else?
Lol! Yes May Queen had terrible reviews! Which is why your positive recommendation surprised me!
I hadn’t come across the biolovematch thing before you mentioned it – it’s cute! I entered my data with Kim Woo Bin’s just to see what would result, and I pretty much guffawed when the results showed a 99% PHYSICAL compatibility! Bwahaha!! XD
And yes, I got your email!
Cheongdamdong Alice. I wouldn’t bother… The characters become less likeable, the saving grace is that once you like somebody, all the surrounding other stuff can mess with you, but you’ll still want that person regardless of the circumstances. Some of the acting was decent, but some things morality wise are hard to stomach. I wouldn’t watch it again, scandal or not. I didn’t know about the scandal until after I’d finished it though, so fortunately that had no effect. Now though, I’m inclined to avoid things like Prosecutor Princess too (which wasn’t at the top of my list anyways).
Color of Woman, I also put on my to-see list because of Jae Hee but wasn’t sure I really wanted to see it. It wasn’t that good. 🙁 Disconnected storyline, and the premise of the ending was that there was one line Jae Hee said that she didn’t hear, “I don’t want to sleep with you “YET” – she didn’t get the yet cause he was outside the building downstairs and ran away. The chemistry was lacking. I was rooting for the friend instead of the first love due to that lack of chemistry and build-up. Unless you really really like Jae Hee a lot, I’d give it a pass. I even forgot I’d actually seen it. haha!
Can You Hear My Heart – this was an OK drama… there were some cute moments in it. Jung Bo Suk as Bong Woo Ri’s dad did a great job, keeping the family together was a big focus. Hwang Jung Eum was not bad in this although her hair looked like a strange wig and that detracted a bit. The attention to life with deafness was portrayed well, it felt accurate. Kim Jae Won didn’t really have to do much sign language since he was supposedly lip-reading, but he otherwise pulled out a very nice performance and was believable as a deaf person. He had a lot of composure in this character. I came to this drama because I enjoyed his performance in May Queen and was looking for something else to watch. Kim Jae Won has reasonable character development here, showing maturity and cleverness. There are both cute and sad twists. Nam Gung Min is pretty good here as well. I’d give it a B rating, because there are some things that made me groan and some choppiness in some of the storyline. If you don’t like Kim Jae Won, you might appreciate his cuteness and character development here, though 🙂 That was the eye candy for me in this. I haven’t seen his pre-military dramas so I can’t judge against those.
May Queen – Kim Yoo Jung was awesome in this – the first part of the show revolved around her and the other young actors and it was excellent. Her chemistry with Ahn Nae Sang, who played her dad, was excellent, and set the tone for her drive. I actually liked this drama pretty well – it was a nice ensemble cast from the childhood part into the adult roles. I think they worked together to get the characters in line and I appreciated the similarities. There were a lot of struggles in this love triangle and within each of them and the acting was pretty good. The back-story with the older generation is what set the overall tone as darker, but it’s part of what made the story. The three main characters bring light and dark in all these situations and just keep on going despite the push and pull of the circumstances. (Could I be more general about it? I don’t want to ruin it since I’m recommending this one.) I would vote this one a yes. Give it a try. Jae Hee is good in this one. 🙂 Quite some interesting turns with his character 😉
Ooh.. Interesting. I’ve generally heard good things about Can You Hear My Heart, and pretty bad things about May Queen! You’re the first person that’s actually given me a recommendation on May Queen! Considering it’s a melo, and how I am very selective about the melos that I do watch since they’re not quite my fave genre, I may check out the first ep or so casually, to see if it hooks me.
Are there any dramas on my Pinterest that you haven’t yet seen? (as if your to-see list weren’t long enough) I can give you a see or not-see recommendation. I actually am preparing a comment for your profile page, because how much I like a drama is based on the same criteria as you have. I think there’s one review left I haven’t responded to yet (Answer Me 1997) – the rest I’ll wait until I’ve seen them (that could take awhile, there’s many!!). I was on a roll yesterday, responding to all of these 🙂 It’s as fun to squee, review and comment as it is to watch dramas sometimes. (it’s all about making connections online to people with similar thinking 😉 )
Yes, there are a couple of dramas on your Pinterest I haven’t seen.
Cheongdamdong Alice: I was thinking of watching this coz I did used to like Park Shi Hoo. But then I heard less than great things about the show. And then the scandal happened, & I decided to shelve this indefinitely.
Color of Woman – I had planned to check this out for Jae Hee, but heard that the show was extremely disappointing, Also shelved indefinitely.
Can You Hear My Heart – I heard some good things about this one, but I’m generally not a fan of Kim Jae Won, so I’m on the fence about this one. With all the other dramas that I want to check out, I’m not sure I will ever get around to this one!
May Queen – I haven’t seen this one, and was mildly interested becoz Jae Hee’s in it, but heard such terrible things that I’ve dropped the idea of checking it out. Plus, Kim Jae Won’s in it, and I just don’t get his appeal. Maybe I will get it, one day. But not with this show XD
I’m starting to think I will never disagree with you 😀 (which means I can depend on your reviews and opinions on what to see next!!)
Cake and macaroons, YES! Talk about eye candy…
Donghae, just ok. After this, didn’t really want to see Extravagant Challenge (Taiwan, dubbed voice) either. (It didn’t help that the voice dubbed was an actor from another drama I’ve seen so it was weird… I just couldn’t watch that one.) I think that the catch for the nicknames with the panda costume was a nice try… but… storyline, chemistry, believability, just not there. Tender moments, emotional pull, absent. Humor… uhm…
It was entertainment, just not great to watch.
LOL! We are SO on the same page about this show, aren’t we?! XD
There is a group of viewers who really love this show and found it cute and light and adorable. I’m just not one of them. And I’m happy to find another person who feels the same way about this show that I do! All the cutesy felt forced and just didn’t sit well with me, and all the Donghae hot AND all the Donghae cute couldn’t make up for all the glaring flaws this show had! >.<
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