The moment I set my eyes on this movie and its synopsis, I knew I wanted to watch it, and soon.
An underdog story about an epic friendship between two individuals who complement each other’s weaknesses with their own strengths? And with Shin Ha Kyun and Lee Kwang Soo starring, no less?
YES PLEASE, SIGN ME UP! 🤩
Gosh, how had I even managed to let this one fly under my radar?
Psst: Links to watch are at the end of the review!
Ordinarily, I’d be the first to agree with the age-old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” – or, as the case may be, “Don’t judge a drama by its promos.”
After all, sometimes, the watch experience of a show really doesn’t jive with its promo material.
Some shows have uninteresting promo material but turn out to be excellent watches (I mean, just think about the old-fashioned, ugly poster that belongs to the fantastic Healer), while other shows have amazing promos but turn out to be duds in the watching (Joseon Gunman comes to mind, among many others).
In this instance, though, I really should’ve paid (much more) heed to this show’s low-rent bad wigs and cheesy posters.
On hindsight, I think they were trying to warn me that this show wouldn’t be worth spending hours of my life on, and – silly, foolish me – I didn’t listen.
Which is how I ended up wasting 13 hours of my life trying to make the best of this show, before I realized that Show’s best really, really wasn’t doing it for me.
In the last little while, something rather interesting happened.
Basically, in all the various ways that you guys could get in touch with me, y’all were reaching out, and asking for the Exact Same Thing.
Over Facebook, Instagram, and even over email, I received a number of hopeful, enthusiastic, rather ardent requests for Song Joong Ki to get some lovin’ on this site. Talk about being adorably united, you guys. 😉
Being the compassionate and helpful fangirl that I am (heh), I promptly dived into some appropriately.. intent (and rather glorious) research. My own growing fascination with Song Joong Ki didn’t hurt, of course.
And now, by popular request, I hereby present to you the loving Pure Pretty spotlight on Song Joong Ki. I hope you guys find it worth the wait. 🙂
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Breezy, light, and just a little bit quirky, Dating Agency Cyrano is a fun little show for when you’re in the mood for a bit of mindless fluff.
Plot logic regularly requires some suspension of disbelief, but there are enough plus points in this show to still make it an enjoyable watch.
More than the overarching story, and more than the cases of the day, it’s the characters and their warmth that wormed their way into my heart, then resonated and lingered with me.
Far from cracktastic, but still a good dose of fun.
If there’s one thing that everyone seems to be able to agree on, it’s that time is flying. Like, seriously. Where has 2014 gone?
I can hardly believe that 2015 is almost here, promising/threatening gifts of dramas chock-full of vampires, multiple personalities, and other psychological disorders goodies.
Before 2014 makes her exit, though, I wanted to come out and give credit where it’s due. Coz as much as so many of my friends in dramaland have been talking about a meh drama year, I feel like I had a pretty good drama year, actually.
I know. How did that happen, right?
THE SHORT VERDICT:
A quirky confection that is as sweet as it is strange, It’s Okay serves up an oddball-flavored 3-in-1 love package exploring romance, friendship and family, with a big dose of dysfunction and dramaland psychiatry on the side.
Show is not always big on the logic nor on the medical accuracy, but its characters and relationships are consistently delivered with heart and nuance, helping us to buy into and believe in its world, no matter how surreal things sometimes get.
Excellent performances by our leads as well as many of the secondary characters, together with some very sparky OTP chemistry, help to sweeten the deal.
At its heart, It’s Okay’s charm is that it’s an imperfect show peopled by imperfect characters, to appeal to an imperfect audience.