Sassy Go Go

Sassy Go Go

8.5/10

Sassy Go Go

Genre: Episodes: 12 Year: 2015

School

Romance

Synopsis:

After their street dance club is abolished, the bottom ranked students at Sevit High School are forced into a cheerleading club in order to create better credentials for the top students.

Cast:

Jung Eun Ji (Kang Yeon Doo)

Lee Won Geun (Kim Yeol)

Chae Soo Bin (Kwon Soo Ah)

Ji Soo (Seo Ha Joon)

Kim Ji Suk (Yang Tae Bum)

N (Ha Dong Jae)

Kim Min Ho (Min Hyo Shik)

Park Hae Mi (Choi Gyung Ran)

In Gyo Jin (Im Soo Yong)

Lee Mi Do (Nam Jung Ah)

General Thoughts:

This was such a fun little drama. I feel that advertising it as a cheerleading show is a bit of a lie though- I think they had about two scenes of it in the whole drama.

Fun, but definitely not the main draw of the show

I was in the mood for a drama that was light and happy, and while I thoroughly enjoyed his one, it is a tad meatier and a bit darker than it would lead you to believe. I always find that I enjoy dramas that are character focused rather than purely plot driven-

I love Jang Eun Ji playing high school heroines

as it’s easier to overlook lulls in momentum or small plot holes when you’re so invested in the characters, their reactions and their relationships. ‘Sassy’ was definitely a drama that was character driven, and it had a whole world of beautifully developed characters to hold our attention while the story was unveiled. I honestly thought that this was one of the most perfectly cast dramas I’ve seen in a good long while. Good casting isn’t just about who the better actor is (as I’d argue that the second leads were probably the better actors in this equation), but it’s about how well the characters match the actor, and the actors’ chemistry with each other. Despite not being as objectively good at acting as Chae Soo Bin, I absolutely adored Jung Eun Ji as our heroine. She has a beautifully innocent energy that makes her perfect for high school roles. She played a similar character here to her character in ‘Reply 1997’ and it suit her to a tee. Jung Eun Ji has such a magical draw to her that makes you want to know her, which suited the character Yeon Doo perfectly. Her innocence and mischievousness mixed together to give us a character that was flirtatious but unprovocative.

She's so bubbly and fun- I just adore her

 I feel like I’ve been stalking Lee Won Geun with my drama watching lately (‘Mystery Queen’, ‘Jugglers’), and I’m not mad about it at all.

Oh my Geun

That boy is delightful. Again, he suited his character excellently. His sweet face and playful nature downplayed his character’s arrogance and made him seem up himself, but not unapproachable. And boy did he have good chemistry with Jung Eun Ji. The two had a lighthearted, flirty chemistry that matched well with their teenage characters. Ji Soo was an obvious choice for the marshmallow with a tough exterior. Why would you go for anyone else? While his character’s story was heartbreaking all on its own, Ji Soo has a way of really making viewers’ hearts bleed. Especially when he’s playing a high school kid. Chae Soo Bin has only come on my radar quite recently despite being in quite a few big name dramas. ‘Sassy’ was one of her earlier works, but boy she is just as good here as she has been in her newer dramas. Soo Ah was one of the most hateful characters I’ve ever come across in K-Dramaland, and yet Chae Soo Bin was able to maintain a level of pitifulness that made Soo Ah seem like an unfortunate character rather than a horrible one. Though she could be pretty horrible. 

She was fun to hate

While there were times (quite a few times) that I found myself wanting this nasty girl’s brutal downfall, towards the end Chae Soo Bin was able to pull me back from those feelings, and generated sympathy for her character.

This show's casting was just so spot on

Vixx’s N is someone I’m not sure of as an actor (I’ve only seen him in ‘Tunnel’ and his character was mostly just dead there), but he pulled a pretty respectable performance here. While nothing dynamic, he gave Dong Jae a cute naiveness when the character could have very easily come across as stupid. While there was a lot more in the character that could have been explored, the story tended to delegate Dong Jae to the sidelines. I do think it’s a pity that Dong Jae’s character didn’t get explored as much as he could have been, but I was also glad that N wasn't pushed out of his comfort zone. We got a sweet and happy character that was a nice break from some of the heavier moments in the drama. I always appreciate high school dramas that include one or two teachers as main characters, as I find it tends to elevate the show as a whole to a more mature level, and makes the drama more accessible to adults rather than simply catering to teens. Teacher Yang was a character that I really enjoyed watching, and was a character that really warmed your heart.

I am mildly in love with Teacher Yang. And by mildly I mean definitely.

His unwavering dedication to do what was best for the students was admirable and endearing, and he was the type of teacher that everyone wishes they had in school. Kim Ji Suk was delightful in character and he gave off a tremendous amount of warmth. Even before we knew just how invested he was in protecting his students and giving them a safe environment to grow in,

I am also in love with Kim Ji Suk

it was obvious that this was a man who truly cared for his students. Kim Ji Suk played the character with a great gentleness that never undermined his authority, and even in moments when his character was downtrodden he could always maintain a wonderful tenderness in his expressions that conveyed his love and dedication to the kids. It was a many layered character, and Kim Ji Suk did a marvellous job at peeling those layers back to expose more of what motivated Teacher Yang and the lengths he was willing to go to. One thing I noticed in particular is that he was very good at having warm and loving chemistry with the students without it coming across as creepy or inappropriate. Even throughout the sexual harassment scandal, Kim Ji Suk (and Jung Eun Ji also) showed a clear understanding of the boundaries of the teacher-student relationship. It was a relationship that was very close and extremely loving, but was very obviously parental, which was an important distinction to make.

Like happy parents watching over their kids

Teacher Yang’s arc to me is something that made ‘Sassy’ go from a entertaining school drama, to an entertaining drama without the school limitation. The drama didn’t downplay the importance of adults in children’s lives, and showed how important it is for kids to have at least one adult they can admire.

Instructor Nam don't take sh*t from no one

Instructor Nam had a similar role to Teacher Yang, but was less pronounced. Her addition in the story was refreshing due to her willingness to stand up to the controlling parents and teachers. While Teacher Yang was there to be a source of comfort, protection and love for the students, Instructor Nam was there to be a support to Teacher Yang and show that not everyone can be intimidated by money and power. One downside of this character is that the initial jokes made about her facial appearance were a bit distasteful- especially when Lee Mi Do isn’t exactly an unattractive woman. The writing of this drama was pretty brilliant, knowing exactly how to build situations and relationships. When you look back on the earlier episodes of the drama the issues faced were problematic, but not all that extreme. Our kids started with their club being unjustly disbanded, but as the story progressed, far deeper issues started to unfold such as bribery, parental pressure, and child abuse. Much more intense than kids struggling to get their dance club back. The way the relationships developed was also an extremely satisfying thing to watch.

These kids had the perfect level of flirty chemistry

Yeon Doo and Yeol had chemistry fairly early, but it was fun to see that chemistry go from antagonistic to flirtatious. Obviously Yeon Doo had a big effect on both Yeol and Ha Joon, as she showed them the benefits of loyal and loving friendship.

Cute lil' twinsies

I usually find characters like Yeon Doo a bit too perfectly good, but what made Yeon Doo stand out from other classically too-good-to-be-real heroines is that it was shown where Yeon Doo drew her strengths from. A heroine with a horrible family and terrible situation who is sugar and sunshine is always a bit unbelievable, but Yeon Doo’s loving and warm relationship with her Mum showed where Yeon Doo learned to be loyal, kind, compassionate, and also stand up against injustice. I always appreciated when the show commented on how Yeon Doo was similar to her Mum, as it gave cause for her to be the way she was. She wasn’t just an unbelievably sweet girl- these were values she had learned from her mother the same way Jin Ah learned that success was everything from hers. Due to her mother’s warm and loving upbringing, Yeon Doo was able to be a warm and loving presence in the more troubled kids’ lives, and it was wonderful to see that warmth spread from student to student, as each of them impacted each other. 

What Was Great:

The Kids:

The characters are definitely the draw in this drama. There was something just so inherently entertaining about two groups of kids from opposite walks of life learning to trust and love each other.

High school dramas done well can be so rewarding and satisfying

The problems these kids faced never felt blown out of proportion, and it was always enjoyable to watch how they worked together to solve their issues- especially when their teamwork was originally so begrudging.

This friendship is so precious

Yeon Doo and Yeol are definitely the stars of the show- they’re both so cute and delightful, but have enough substance that they make the show more intellectually engaging rather than just pure, fluffy fun. Ha Joon was also a character that you couldn’t help but love, and I was endlessly glad that the love-triangle didn’t destroy the boys’ friendship the way it usually does. When the end of the drama came around, I was glad to see that Yeon Doo, Yeol and Ha Joon were all still close friends, and that they were able to laugh about the past situation. Ha Joon’s simple ‘if he cheats on you come to me' line made the ending completely satisfying as it showed that he was able to express his love and gratitude to Yeon Doo, but also move past his romantic feelings so that he could remain friends without any awkwardness. I liked that his friendship with Yeon Doo existed outside of his friendship with Yeol, as it made it plausible that he could return to just being friends. It made Ha Joon’s relationship with Yeon Doo that much more believable (and a little bit more heartbreaking) when the writers gave him a few scenes that are typically given to the lead- such as Ha Joon being the first to find and comfort Yeon Doo when she was lost.

Two years later and we're still waiting for Ji Soo to star in his own romance drama

All the different relationships between the kids were unique and entertaining, and made for a very addictive show. Even the characters with smaller roles felt like very fleshed out characters with their own insecurities and issues, and no one felt like one-dimensional classmate characters that most high school dramas tend to have. 

What Wasn’t:

Saving Soo Ah:

Look it’s not like I totally hated the idea of Soo Ah getting a redemption arc (people’s lives aren’t decided in high school after all), but I wasn’t completely sold on it.

All those sympathetic scenes defiantly means redemption

What softened the blow a bit was that it was insanely obvious that Soo Ah was getting a redemption- it didn’t come as a smack out of the blue. Although I was a little miffed to think that this horrible girl was going to get forgiven, the show did give me a long time to come to terms with it. Yeon Doo’s complete and utter unwillingness to cut Soo Ah out of her life (annoying as that could be) was a big redemption arc flag. The occasional shows of sympathy or pity coming from other students pretty much guaranteed that our final plot move would be to bring Soo Ah into the circle of friends. The biggest alert that this was coming was how frequently we were shown the pressures coming from Soo Ah’s Mum, and her totally twisted ideology that she was passing onto her child. What I didn’t love about this redemption is that I’m not quite sure Soo Ah deserved it. Yeah, yeah, I know that forgiveness isn’t something you earn or deserve, I just didn’t buy Soo Ah’s switch up. All drama long Soo Ah has been doing horrible, horrible things. I mean, she used Ha Joon’s self-harm as blackmail in order to get her own way.

This is not a situation you try and use for your own benefit

Even when she knew that revealing this fact would put Ha Joon in a precarious situation with his physically abusive father. Like, dog move man. There was really no saving her in my books after that. And all series long Soo Ah felt no remorse for her actions.

I'd be more on board if she'd sown a bit more remorse

The only time we see her freaking out and cracking under the pressure, it’s because she’s scared she’s going to get caught. In the moment, Soo Ah has no qualms with pushing someone under the bus, and she’s completely unfazed in the aftermath until it looks like someone is catching on to her. In my mind, Soo Ah never really regretted her awful and destructive (and often potentially dangerous) actions, she only regretted getting found out. Which for me made her sudden remorse and love for her classmates feel…well…a tad unbelievable. It wasn’t the redemption as a whole I was against- I liked the idea of Soo Ah getting a second chance and learning what friendship is about- and I certainly didn’t want her to be driven to suicide, I just wished the show had presented her as a bit more conflicted about her actions- not just freaking out over the consequences of those actions. One thing I am glad of is that Soo Ah’s mother didn’t get a redemption. Her daughter’s attempt at suicide changed nothing in her, and that matched pretty well with how her character had been constructed. 

Your Mum is a Grade A psycho, but that still doesn't excuse your actions

Parent Love-Line:

Interesting side story as it was, it was still one I think this drama could have done with out. While I appreciated the extra screen time for Yeon Doo’s Mum (as it also helped us get a better understanding of the environment that shaped Yeon Doo), I just didn’t think this particular plot point added much to the story.

Interesting plot point, but at this point all I'm interested in is seeing Yeol and Yeon Doo be happy together

It’s an interesting problem to look at for sure- what do you do when the man you want to marry turns out to be your daughter’s high school sweetheart’s father? It’s just that the timing didn’t exactly work here.

That's better

While the show was presenting this issue, it was also in the middle of Soo Ah’s redemption arc. Which took up way more screen time, thus delegating the parental love line to a rather small corner. The conclusion is also brushed under the rug while both couples continue dating. It’s casually thrown out that Yeol is trying to get his name switched to his Mum’s registry (which coming from a country without legal family registers means little to me anyway), and apparently that makes the whole situation a lot less weird. Apparently. To be honest, if they weren’t going to put in the time and effort to resolve an issue such as this one, I think I would have preferred if the show just didn’t even go there to begin with.

Recommend?

If you’re a fan of high school or youth dramas this is definitely one of the better ones around. I’d also recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good slice-of-life story with beautifully flawed characters.

Go go watch this drama

EXO Next Door

EXO Next Door

6/10

EXO Next Door

Genre:                                 Episodes: 16                         Year: 2015

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Ji Yeon Hee is a shy girl with zero dating experience. One day, four members of her favourite boy band EXO move in next door, looking for some time out of the public eye. 

Chanyeol (Chanyeol)

D.O (D.O)

Baekhyun (Baekhyun)

Sehun (Sehun)

Moon Ga Young (Ji Yeon Hee)

Jang Yoo Sang (Ji Kwang Soo)

General Thoughts:

Complete and utter fan-service, but if you didn’t know that already I’d be completely surprised. There’s enough story in the show that it’s not painful to watch, but let’s be real- we all know why you’re here.

This is what you came for

At first the story is quite cringe-inducing, and the second-hand embarrassment was through the roof. However, as I kept watching, I found I got more and more used to the tone of the drama, and found I could just relax and appreciate the gorgeousness on my screen. Let’s not kid ourselves- most of the boys aren’t great actors.

This show is full of warm and fuzzies

They’re acting as themselves and even then they sometimes had trouble- but the whole thing was just so darn cute that I didn’t really care. I wasn’t expecting brilliant acting or a dramatic storyline- I wanted EXO, and that’s what I got. It’s not to say that the boys were outrageously bad actors- the writers actually did a pretty good job matching each member with a role that complimented their acting ability. D.O being the most experienced actor (having previously been in ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love') had the role that required the biggest and most difficult emotional range. Chanyeol was the lead, but his character had a smaller range of emotions that he needed to express, so he could play the character believably without ever feeling too outdone by D.O. Sehun was there mainly for comedic effect, and his sweetly innocent face was enough to get by. Baekhyun was…wait, Baekhyun was in this drama? Seriously though, he didn’t do much, and I honestly think he got about as much screen time as the other EXO cameos. But what great cameos. While my bias was one of the members included as a main character, I appreciated that the show had little snippets of all of the EXO boys so that no fans were left out.

Kai, don't go!

I found Kai’s cameo particularly hilarious, and it actually made me wish that his character had been written in as one of the main members. I adored that he was well aware of the love-triangle and completely ready to stir things up.

What life without a bit of B.L?

Moon Ga Young was delightful as the heroine, and I appreciated that she put in some effort in making her character have a bit of depth. In the other idol web-dramas I’ve seen, the girls have kind of ben non-entities, likely because the whole point is the boys from the band. Instead, Yeon Hee felt like one of the main characters of the show, rather than simply being there because you can’t have a drama with just boys. Well, I mean you could. But it’s unlikely to happen. The episodes themselves just seemed to zip by, and never dragged out the minimal story. The drama used what it had to its advantage and never tried to be more than it was. There was enough plot in the story that it was worth watching over other EXO related media. While it’s fun to see the members interact in real life, there’s something uniquely fun about watching them act out a story. While the whole childhood-friend scenario was a little random, the fact that it fanned the flames in the love-triangle was wonderful. I guess I do wish that the love triangle had actually been concluded though.

Feels kinda like no one got the girl...or the girl got no one...

While it was clear that Chanyeol and Yeon Hee were having a ‘some’ relationship, I still kind of wanted a little confirmation, as opposed to EXO leaving and only coming back many months later. Many months of Chanyeol NOT CONTACTING Yeon Hee, I might add. 

What Was Great:

It’s EXO:

The boys are really funny and did a pretty good job. Their chemistry was adorable to watch, and I honestly could have watched a fair few more episodes of it.

You're all gorgeous

I preferred Chanyeol as the teasing friend rather than the grumpy idol, and I think he felt more comfortable acting that way too. The other boys were all hilarious, particularly Sehun and his friendship with Yeon Hee’s brother. Of course, I enjoyed my bias most. D.O was just plain delightful. I could fangirl for days about him, and I’ve taken more screenshots of D.O’s face than I could ever hope to fit into one review. Or one hundred. 

A Kyung Soo for every mood

What Wasn’t:

Poor Sad D.O:

I really enjoyed this little show and have very little to criticise about it. I did feel a bit bad that D.O was so sad for so much of the time though. Granted, it’s probably because he’s the only actor that could have pulled off those heartbreaking smiles and sad puppy expressions, so I think we all ended up with a pretty serious case of second-lead syndrome. I just wanted D.O to get the girl. But then seeing him sad about it was cute in its own way I guess.

Recommend?

For EXO fans or anyone with a fangirl heart- this show was made for you.

Universal stars indeed

Let's Eat 2

Let’s Eat 2

6/10

Let's Eat 2

Genre:                                 Episodes: 18                         Year: 2015

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Gu Dae Young moves to a new town. One of his new neighbours is Baek Soo Ji, a girl he was friends with in elementary school who now holds a grudge against him. In order to sell insurance to the civil servants Soo Ji works with, Dae Young promises to help her get married to Lee Sang Woo, a man Soo Ji has liked for a long time who doesn’t even remember her name.

Cast:

Yoon Doo Joon (Gu Dae Young)

Seo Hyun Jin (Baek Soo Ji)

Kwon Yul (Lee Sang Woo)

Hwang Seung Eon (Hwang Hye Rim)

Lee Joo Seung (Lee Joo Seung)

Kim Hee Won (In Taek Soo)

Jo Eun Ji (Hong In Ah)

Kim Ji Young (Lee Jeom Yi)

General Thoughts:

I liked it but didn’t love it. It’s easy and mostly uncomplicated, but did kind of lack the airy cute feel that breezy dramas tend to need. It’s not that this drama wasn’t fun, but it did spend a lot of time focusing on a relationship that wasn’t going to last.

Yeeaaaahh...this won't last long

It’s pretty obvious that our main man Dae Young is going to be involved in some sort of romance, or the writers wouldn’t have mentioned his breakup with the girl from Season 1. That was basically a big green light for a second romance. And yet, even knowing this, for about 16 of the 18 episodes our heroine was either pining for or actually dating another guy. So that’s the reason there was minimal amounts of cute.

Cute, but not overwhelmingly so

Sure, there were some cute moments between Sang Woo and Soo Ji, but these were always marred by the fact that it was highly likely that they would break up once Soo Ji realised she liked Dae Young. And then there were cute moments between Dae Young and Soo Ji, but these were always marred by the fact that Soo Ji was dating a different guy. The rest of the characters were okay, but beyond the main three leads I didn’t really care much about the others. Grandma could be cute at times but she could also come across as nosey and obtrusive- particularly where Joo Seung was concerned. The landlady and her son just seemed money hungry and rude and it was difficult to find either of them cute. Joo Seung was far too busy being constructed as a red herring for the mystery to actually get any real development of his own, which left him in limbo as far as likability went- you didn’t want to become too attached incase he was a criminal, but you didn’t really hate him because there was no concrete proof. In Ah could be sympathised with, but her constant attempts at subtly putting Soo Ji down became grating the longer they went on.

Office scenes were rarely entertaining

The friendship that formed between the two was nice overall, but it was hard to really like In Ah after so many episodes of her snarky comments. Hye Rim and Taek Soo were really the only side characters that I had any affection for. Taek Soo was so pitiful and his loneliness and constant desire to be with someone made him easy to sympathise with. His clingy attitude towards Dae Young was funny more often than it was annoying, and most importantly the character never overstayed his welcome.

Hye Rim was the lightness this drama needed

He was present when he needed to be, but didn’t grab too much screen time. His appearances were spread out nicely and hit just the right balance of humour and sadness. Taek Soo wasn’t just comic relief, nor was he a constant downer, but sat nicely in the middle. Hye Rim was the youth that the series needed. At the start the characters were feeling a bit old- and while there's nothing wrong with that it did run the risk of losing the interest of the younger viewership. Hye Rim wasn’t an important character but her bubbly attitude and charm were refreshing in a series that had a surprising amount of angst (resulting from the love-triangle). Hye Rim’s relationship with Joo Seung, while not riveting was interesting enough, and balanced out the hardships Dae Young was going through. There were nice enough relationships between all the characters, but they never really drew together as a family the way I was expecting them to. In fact, a lot of the relationships felt like they were being maintained in order to gain something rather than simply because the two people liked each other.

Friends or no?

Dae Young and Grandma had a sweet relationship, but Grandma never seemed to warm up to Soo Ji the way she did with the boys that lived in the building. The landlady was so money focused that none of her relationships with her tenants felt like they would survive if any of the tenants moved out. Hye Rim seemed to only be pretending to like Grandma so that she could stay with her, and at times it even felt like Dae Young was pretending to be friends with Sang Woo just so he could help Soo Ji in her romantic endeavours.

Yoon Doo Joon is Dae Young- no one could fill his place

Dae Young never seemed relaxed around Sang Woo the way he was around Taek Soo, and while no two relationships are the same, it would have been nice to see him really relax into the friendship so that we knew he liked Sang Woo (which I’m sure is what the writers were aiming for). The acting was all okay. There was nothing exceptional, but there was no one that was glaringly bad either. Yoon Doo Joon once more made Dae Young come alive and settles into character well. He delivers both humour and heart and makes Dae Young a really loveable hero. Also, it’s weirdly fun watching Yoon Doo Joon eat, which is a total bonus. Soo Ji was a significantly less annoying heroine than last season (though I will admit that her inability to handle her finances drove me slightly insane), and Seo Hyun Jin gave a fair performance. She didn’t add anything dramatic to the chaacter that wasn’t already on paper, but she made Soo Ji cute and likeable enough. Her chemistry with Yoon Doo Joon was sweet and the two sold the friends-to-lovers dynamic extremely well.

Omg just don't spend money on stupid sh*t- it's not hard.

This was probably the most likeable I’ve ever found Kwon Yul- probably owing to the fact that he got to act a character that had a shred of personality. Kwon Yul nailed both the personalities of Sang Woo (the cool, calm worker and the playful, swearing kid), and made one hell of a second lead.

I'm glad neither had to suffer for the other's development

It was nice that Sang Woo was a character that was able to remain likeable to the end, and yet he never took away from Dae Young. K-Dramas can tend to let the character of the second male lead suffer in order to enhance the good qualities of the lead, but instead ‘Let’s Eat 2’ simply showed that Dae Young was a better fit for our heroine. There was nothing wrong with Sang Woo so it was enjoyable that the writers never felt the need to make him clingy, short tempered or rude just to explain why the heroine would choose another guy over him. As expected there was copious amounts of food porn, but the show focused a lot less on eating than it did last time. While the characters still obviously enjoyed eating and spent a good deal of time doing it, it didn’t feel as though 70% of every episode was watching people eat (the way Season 1 sometimes felt). Season 2 also seemed to explore a wider range of food than Season 1. The characters did go to restaurants, but the show also showcased takeaway Korean food, homemade Korean food and Korean convenience store food.

Yes, please, and thank you

There were also occasions where the show focused on international foods as well. It was interesting to see a Korean take on Thai or Mexican (it looked very different to the Thai and Mexican we get here in Australia). I will say this though, boiling that octopus alive was super off-putting. Please don't do that again. Ever.

What Was Great:

Love Swap:

I really enjoyed the romance of this drama, even if I do wish we’d gotten there a little quicker. The whole situation was so different from what we had in Season 1, which is a total relief, otherwise it could have felt too same-same. Rather than having two girls fall for our main man, we had the more standard rom-com triangle of two guys in love with the same girl.

Though for a time it did seem like they were fighting over Dae Young- which isn't bad either

It was a nice switch up as it meant we got to see different sides to Dae Young. This fit in nicely with the direction of Season 2- in the first season, Dae Young always remained a bit of an enigma with no one really knowing what was real and what was just salesman persona. Watching Dae Young discover his feelings for Soo Ji felt like we were getting to know him in a different, more in depth way than last time.

It felt like they actually liked each other (unlike last season)

Dae Young didn’t want to let his feelings show, so when they did we knew they were genuine. Dae Young also got to remain the cool guy in Season 1 where he could take his pick from the girls fawning over him, but this time around he showed a much more uncool, more relatable side of himself as he was pining for his friend’s girl- who he set up together no less. While it might not have been necessary to have Soo Ji and Sang Woo date for so very long, it was a direction the story needed to take. Soo Ji would never have learned that comfort and happiness were more important than looks and credentials if she hadn’t spent that time with Sang Woo. Realising that dating Sang Woo wasn’t enjoyable or comfortable was the exact ‘aha’ moment Soo Ji needed to be able to see Dae Young in a romantic light. It always felt natural between Soo Ji and Dae Young, whereas she could never be herself in front of Sang Woo for fear of disappointing him- and that’s a type of relationship that could never last. I do wish the writers had made it a tad more obvious that Soo Ji wasn’t actually having a good time dating Sang Woo, as occasionally it did seem as though the two were getting closer and more relaxed- such as when they would swear in the car together.

Ooooooo such angst 

Ultimately Soo Ji’s switch in romantic interests was very understandable and believable, but it could have done with being hinted at earlier. It's always a bit tricky to have characters from the main love-line be involved with someone else during the drama’s run, but thankfully ‘Let’s Eat 2’ handled the situation nicely, with both Soo Ji and Sang Woo coming to terms with the end of their relationship in their own way.

What Wasn’t:

Fake Mystery:

I think I was part of the minority that actually enjoyed the mystery of the first season, but the added mystery element in the second season felt forced and fake. While the first season mystery was more a question of who rather than what, the second season gave the answer of who but danced around what the what really was.

This guy reeks of red herring

Which isn’t an awesome set up for a mystery- particularly when the mystery isn’t the central idea of the drama. Rather than being intrigued by the character of Joo Seung, I just became annoyed whenever he was on screen. It was hard to gain an understanding of him as a character and thus hard to connect to him due to the writers purposely withholding information. As nothing bad was actually happening it was easy to dismiss all Joo Seung’s odd behaviours as red herrings- which they mostly ended up being. Because while Joo Seung’s actions were odd and suspicious, they didn’t actually hurt anybody, thus reducing any tension the drama was aiming for. Not having a phone, hiding a suitcase of cash and using someone else’s ID are strange behaviours, but they’re certainly not behaviours that cannot be explained into a less suspicious situation- which is ultimately what happened. Sadly, the mystery in the second season lacked any sense of threat, and didn’t add much to the series at all.

5 Minutes of Romance:

I was so onboard this romance that I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when we got so little of it. The execution of Soo Ji’s feelings transitioning from Sang Woo to Dae Young was brilliant, but it all happened a bit late.

This show focused a lot more on Sang Woo than on the friends-to-lovers thing

You’d think that a 2 episode extension would give our lovers more time to, you know, be lovers, but that was not the case. Instead the breakdown of Sang Woo and Soo Ji’s relationship was streeeeeetched out. And then no one told Dae Young that the girl he’s been crushing on is finally single again?

And then the series ended

Lame. While the angsty conflict was enjoyable for a time, it was slightly marred by the fact that I could see the end of this drama fast approaching and the leads still weren’t together. Understandably Soo Ji needed time before she was ready to be in another relationship, but that doesn’t change the fact that the writers could have ended the Sang Woo-Soo Ji line a few episodes earlier and given us more time on the Soo Ji-Dae Young line. The last few moments of the final episode were really sweet, and I won’t deny wishing that I could have seen more on how Dae Young and Soo Ji’s new relationship went- I’m positive there would have been loads of laughs and entertainment there. At the end of the day, I just felt a bit robbed that after 18 episodes of cheering on Dae Young’s feelings for Soo Ji, we only got to see 5 minutes (or less) of their happiness together on screen. 

Recommend?

Uhhhh, this is a tricky one. If you liked the first ‘Let’s Eat’, you’ll probably like this one BUT you have to be mentally prepared to let go of the first season’s love-line. If you didn’t like the first season, then chances are you won’t like this one either. If you haven’t seen the first season it really doesn’t matter- you can go straight into season 2.

More Yoon Doo Joon as Dae Young is never a bad thing