My advice: I think there's a general agreement that the beginning of the drama was strong. Watch it. If you get to the point where you're starting to doubt if you should continue or not, then make your decision and drop it or watch on. There's a reason people are talking, and people are angry. There are various reactions, but they're all strong reactions. Love it or hate it. I think that's the magic. So to new viewers, give it a chance and see where you stand.
To me this drama meant something. I could relate to it on so many levels and became really invested in the story and the characters. It's not the drama you can just watch and feel good about. It makes you think. Who are these people? Why do they act this way? It will make you laugh, cry, squeal, squirm, and rage. It's a slice of life drama, but(!) that's not to say that people who want to escape reality and dream of a happy romance won't be happy.
Again, just watch it. See why it's got everyone riled up, and where you stand. If that's not enough, it's got a kick-ass soundtrack, gorgeous actors and actresses portraying all sorts of personalities, and great wardrobe to inspire your outfits!
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My biggest issue was probably the male lead, Yoo Jung. With regards to the actor playing him, he did a really good job. But he does look a lot older than he should. Yoo Jung is just an unlikable character throughout the show. I'm not sure if the few glimpses of his past was supposed to make me feel sympathy for him, but it only strengthened my disdain for him. He has no redeeming qualities and frustrated me to no end. The Yoo Jung storyline was tiring and disappointing
The relationship between Yoo Jung and the female lead, Hong Seol, made no sense. They have absolutely no chemistry as a couple, it's uncomfortable to watch. It felt unnatural and forced. The way Hong Seol continuously rationalised and accepted Yoo Jung's actions because he did those things for her was upsetting as well, especially towards the end.
Baek In Ha and Baek In Ho were wonderful, I loved them. Honestly, I wish there was more focus on them. Also, Baek In Ho and Hong Seol had such a great relationship / friendship, you could see and feel their natural and effortless connection. They should have been together.
My disdain for Yoo Jung himself and his relationship with Hong Seol aside, this is a good drama. Phenomenal acting, and an okay storyline with compelling supporting characters. The ending wasn't as conclusive as I would have liked, but it wasn't too bad. I wont rewatch this though, I might just die from frustration.
I wouldn't recommend this to you if you're looking for something romantic and lighthearted, because this show is not it. It's also not exactly a dark or sinister show. If you're curious about it, watch a few episodes and see how you feel. And if you want to stop watching it, I won't blame you. You could even skip right to the last episode, you won't have missed out on too much, seeing as the storyline is very predictable.
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Now that we've got that out of the way: Despite unevenness, Cheese in the Trap is a narrative success in my books, for many of the same reasons I've also defended that other 2016 YA drama with a bad reputation, Scarlet Heart: Ryeo. (Speaking of, MLSHR is one of the recs under CITT because it, too, has a "questionably crazy male lead." Hilarity.)
Anyway, k-drama romances tend to fall under two trends:
(1) Zany Disney-esque romcoms where love lifts everyone up where they belong (see: My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, To the Beautiful You, You Who Came From the Stars, etc. etc. etc. etc.).
(2) Toxic and imbalanced relationships that are glorified with undeserved happily-ever-afters (see: Boys Over Flowers, The Heirs, and so on and so forth).
Cheese in the Trap isn't either of those stories. Much like MLSHR, CITT is concerned with one overarching question: Can a person change another person? (Alternatively: Do people change *for* other people?) The show doesn't give a pat answer, and that's to its credit.
In short, this is a slice-of-life that isn't afraid to go dark (and not in an incongruous after-school special way — unlike Age of Youth, the darkness in CITT is fully fleshed out). If you're looking for light, escapist fun that delivers a straightforward message, there are literally hundreds of other dramas for you. If, otoh, you want a complex story about young adults that doesn't idealise its characters — but also, importantly, doesn't descend into nihilism — you might want to give Cheese in the Trap a shot.
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The soundtrack was the best I could hope for, with the main bulk of it being K-Indie, which was absolutely fitting for the atmosphere created by the drama.
A pity that the drama experienced some controversial issues over the directing as well as bad publicity from the original webtoon - this could be attributed to the mishandling of the issue by the PD, plaguing the last few episodes of the production and generating a slew of negative and angry feedback by the viewers. Despite these setbacks, this drama was truly a great reflection of reality - the troubles and setbacks one would face, the workings of the inner mind, the suspicion of other individuals, and a whole lot more. Definitely worth a watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
The female lead started off as a shy, struggling but smart person. In the first episode she sees right through his nice guy façade. As the story progressed her character deteriorated. She is blinded and dumb when it comes to her boyfriend. Later they show she does know what he is like but overlooks his flaws which proves she is twisted in her own way. She learns to stand up for herself when it comes to others but with the male lead she is strangely submissive.
So there is a fine line between dark & mysterious and sociopath. The male lead is borderline sociopath. I believe a guy like him needed some serious psychological help which unfortunately he does not receive. They call him “strange” “weird” but no one pushes this guy to seek professional help. He has no redeeming qualities. Till the end he does not feel guilty for his actions against the second male lead or anyone else for that matter. There is no growth in his character he is completely unlikable
The main couple's relationship makes no sense. She is initially scared of him and very uncomfortable around him, suddenly out of nowhere she is falling for him. Women naturally look for safety. It becomes difficult to fall for a man who scares you makes you uneasy.
At one point I started skipping most scenes and would only watch the second lead. (scene stealer) the only person who shows immense development. He even apologizes to the male lead at the end even though he had been badly wronged. His relationship with the female lead was sweet and fun. He would bring out the best in her. The female lead cared so much about him at one point I was sure she has deeper feelings for him. #BaekInHoDeservedBetter
I like that they broke up at the end but hated the fact that she was still pining over him. She could have had great guy or moved on and stays single but instead she wants the unhealthy toxic relationship. Which was quite pathetic.
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STORY:
For most of the drama, the story and plot lines had me hooked. It was engaging and it didn't drag much, plus, I was pleasantly surprised that there was no amnesia! Though I'm a little disappointed with how rushed and abrupt the drama wrapped up in the last 2 episodes or so, and how the last episode wasn't as satisfying as I would've liked, Cheese in the Trap was still an amazing, memorable drama-watching experience.
CHARACTERS and ACTING:
Usually in drama-land, you fall in love with the male lead instantly, or over a few episodes. However, with Yoo Jung, the male lead, he was extremely mysterious, and his menacing, confusing actions had me on my toes. I love how his personality and motives were slowly revealed throughout the drama, and I ended liking his character despite his flaws. Park Hae Jin played Yoo Jung's complex, mysterious character so, so well, and his acting was phenomenal.
For the female lead, Hong Seol, I found her very easy to relate to. She was awkward and shy, but slowly throughout the drama, she started to stand up for herself. I loved the scenes when she mustered up the courage to stand up for what as right. Towards the end of the drama, I felt that her character was a little passive, but nevertheless, I liked her a lot. Unlike some of the female leads I've seen, I didn't find her character annoying at all. Kim Go Eun was perfect as Hong Seol, and as this is her first drama, I thought she was great. Her acting really moved me (especially the crying scenes), and she has a very adorable smile!
The chemistry between the two main leads was great; they were a very cute couple. It was nice that they slowly opened up to each other and understood each other throughout the drama. Their relationship had many ups and downs, but it was realistic and believable.
I also really loved the second male leadBaek In Ho's character. He was very in tune with Seol and understood her very well. I was completely mesmerized when he played the piano!! I definitely suffered some second lead syndrome in this drama haha ^^ Seo Kang Joon was absolutely great. This is my first drama of his, and can't wait to see more. He's extremely cute!
As for side characters, all actors were fantastic. (e.g. Eun Taek, and props to Lee Sung Kyung who played the crazy, exaggerated Baek In Ha!) Antagonists came and went in this drama, but they were all very well played and easy to hate. (Oh Young Gon, Min Soo) Overall, all actors were great, and the characters as well.
MUSIC:
The OST's in Cheese in the Trap were perfection. They had a very relaxed type of vibe to it, fiit the drama very well and enhanced many of the scenes. My favourite track has to be My Time With You by Vanilla Acoustic. I just couldn't get it out of my head when I first heard it.
OVERALL:
I thoroughly enjoyed every episode of Cheese in the Trap and I'm very sad to let it go. If you want a relatable, slice-of life, romance-thriller drama with few cliches, this is the one for you! Don't get discouraged to watch this drama and just go for it! In general it was worth the watch and an enjoyable ride :)
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When a Psychopath turns his College Sweetheart into his Battered Wife, its Amore!
Let's be honest here, straight quick cut to the core, and admit the elephant in the room.This is NOT a psychological drama.
This is a schoolgirl romance with a psychological hook. Claiming otherwise is simply trying to elevate it from the squishy mess it is into something greater. It also devalues true psychological dramas that honestly explore the dynamics of the human mind and the foibles, toiling, and clogs that come with it.
Do we ever peer into Yoo Jung's (Our Male lead played stoically by Park Hae Jin) mind and deal with the mess it is? No we do not. Instead we get ruminations on his actions from our female lead Seol (Kim Go Eun being as blank as possible) as she tries to decide if he is good or not. Then once she comes to a decision it changes to deciding if she is okay with who he is and rationalizing everything he does so she can love him....because I guess she just decided too.
The series never explains, explores, and makes plausible Seol's switch of thinking the main lead is a duplicitous jerk, to being her secret boyfriend. It just happens and with neck breaking speed. We then spend the rest of the series discovering all the horrible deeds our main lead has done, watch him do more horrible deeds, and become victimized by his horrible deeds and never hold him accountable for any of it.
Yes, thrilling isn't it?
While we move along this trek our Seol becomes quite tainted. She begins to play into his schemes willingly. She learns to become duplicitous and watch as her boyfriend's designed fates terrorize and destroy those around her. She feigns innocence and even helps console victims of his plans all the while knowing who was behind it all. She always, always forgives him for everything he does no matter how severe it is, who it is against, the reason for doing it, and even when it affects her.
Even when we discover he may or may not be behind unleashing a stalker on her that has terrorized her for over a year, taken photos, posted stories online, physically accosted her, and followed her home, as well as gotten other classmates to attack and degrade her and work against her by manipulation......all is good.
She will stand by him always and forever...............never leave...........always will understand him...........it goes on and on.
Saying this is a college romance is a very hard stretch. It is, AT MOST, on the developmental level of high school. Bella Swan and her Edward could replace our leads and the only difference would be White People for Koreans.
Our almost mid 20 something lead Seol is a puritanical virgin who has never been kissed and is so untouched that even holding hands is effectively an X rated affair. She is controlled by every person she comes into contact. Has no self actualization or agency, and though lives on her own, works multiple jobs, wins scholarships, and is a top student, she can't seem to figure out which way is up in any decision of her life.
How much stronger is its ties to high school over college? Well, when she "runs away from home" (Because she JUST moved back and had been living on her own, but whatever) a character comments "What is she going through puberty?" Which to be fair is a question I asked myself. Later, near the end, she receives a pat on the head as a character proudly proclaims "You've matured." This I was willing to go to the mat and argue against, but we were almost done by this point anyway. And when she goes through a break-up you will find her bed ridden for weeks unable to speak like Bella flipping the pages of an empty diary before bay windows.....the links are very strong my friends.
Our male lead, Yoo Jung, is a handsome rich empty vessel for everyone to swoon over. Literally. He spends most of his screen-time staring blankly at people and then smiling at our female lead, or being angry and plotting his deeds with a scowl on his cellphone. That is his character in a nutshell. "But, he is a sociopath, that is how he is drawn," the fans scream. "Leave him alone!!" And I answer, "No he is a psychopath, there is a difference, and yippee for us that is how he is drawn. So exciting."
One cannot help but think of You (Originally on USA Lifetime Network then continued as a Netflix original). While it is western show, yes, it is also a college romance with a psychological hook. There are deep parallels here and one can easily see a female lead who is real, smart, and flawed that falls for a psychopath. Except no one here is an empty vessel. Our psycho Joe is charismatic, sexy, sweet, and funny. Our female is layered, intoxicating, seductive, and mature. It explores the minds of these characters and those around them in deep drilling dives and amasses a unique tapestry that is riveting to move through.
And unlike this tale, no one kids themselves and roots for Becks to end up happily-ever-after with her psycho Joe. No, no. no, no.
Yet here, there are pages of comments swooning over Yoo Jung as a character and how he is an anti-hero, a non- trope character in a refreshingly different story. That the show reduced his screen time too much by the end...etc....showing a demographic, culture, and maturity difference between those that watch CITT and think it great to those that watch You.
Lets also be clear, Yoo Jung is not an anti-hero. Nothing he is doing is more than his petty revenge over being made angry. He lets off rapists, blackmailers, and the like if they are his friends or ask for his forgiveness. He has no remorse for any action he does and can reason that every negative affect from any of his plans are the fault of the victim. There is no justice he is fighting for. No wrong he is trying to right. He is just a soulless man that likes a girl and anyone that messes with him or her he will destroy. Again, that is a psychopath, not an anti-hero.
As far as not being a trope, its laughable. There is an entire genre of manga dedicated to cold, calculating, assholes, as the main lead who terrorizes the female lead before they fall in love with each other. This is just one of those stories on repeat. It is a single big trope and does nothing to move beyond it.
As for the side characters go, the most important are the twins. A brother In Ho and sister In Ha that are almost "adopted" siblings to our male lead. In the past there was a falling out between the male twin In Ho and Yoo Jin, that still brings their blood to boil upon sight. Now I am not going to talk much about these two because they are better drawn than anything else and deserve their own dissection. (Which this isn't the proper place.)
They are the highlight of the series. It is true, and many a comment admit to it. In Ho ends up as our second male lead and (because yes this is one large trope) a point in a love triangle. Although, honestly it is a pointless point, because our female lead never once even eludes to him being anything more than a friend almost on the same level as her own brother. As so many of these shows, the triangle, is a triangle in name only, and not in actual execution.
In ho proves a more interesting character by far than Yoo Jin, and Seo Kang Joon's heartfelt charismatic delivery quickly and effortlessly eclipses our main lead. It isn't Park Hae Jin's fault, his character is just that badly created. It didn't help that yes his screen time does get much shorter the longer we are in the series. Because, again, his character is extremely one note.
This doesn't become a 2nd lead syndrome diagnosis. Never once do I want In Ho with our female lead. NOT FOR A SINGLE A SECOND. The only thing I want for this character is to find a better story to go be in far away from everything else here. He proves himself the MPV, and I already have Kang Joon's MDL page up to find additional dramas with him, as this was my first taste.
By the end of the series you will come across a serial rapist that is never punished and with our friend group to the very end. You will meet 2 misogynistic stalkers. A "Single White Female" life copier of our female lead. A mooching alcoholic senior whose voice is as annoying as his characters constant victimizing of those around him. And a laundry list of extras that are there just to have additional voices to berate and degrade the leads when need be or be victimized by the designs of our male lead.
Soel will lose what little soul she has and be the wettest of blankets. She will end up in life threatening situations but hold-fast to her true love even through he creates the very situations endangering her. Our second male lead will be blamed for everything and anything that happens, no matter what, well because that is what his character is supposed to do. And any respect you might of had for Soel gets sucked dry when she discovers the truth of the 2nd male leads injury to his prodigal piano playing hands. Its incredibly sad that she accepts this and wraps her arms around the male lead and says" how hard it must have been for to have all those emotions and no outlet." Its even worse when the second male lead apologizes by the end for his own hands being crushed while the psychopath walks away somehow as the morally good guy.
How, I dunno, because everyone wants him to be dreamy and the winner even though there is no excuse for what he has done.
5.0/D+, 2 1/2-Stars. Lacking and filled with flaws. Die Hards will likely still love it, just because.
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After some consideration, I finally decided to watch this drama. I was quite happy when they said a drama would be made. I'm a huge fan of the webtoon and this is one of the hardest reviews I've ever done. God, I don't even know where to start. Haha~
STORY~
Even though I knew what would happen in the drama before I watched it, I still wanted to see how things would turn out. Now I understood what some of you guys meant when you thought about whether you had want to continue or not. The drama started out strong but it watered down somehow towards the end. I was not surprised by how it ended. I thought it would bother me, but it didn't. The most interesting thing–to me about this drama, is not the plot or the the romance between the character, but the characters themselves and I think that overrided the story of the entire drama.. well, that how I saw it.
ACTING~
This drama is relatable to some people IRL, myself included seeing that I'm a college student. You're surrounded by a bunch of people you don't know and you don't know whom you can trust and you don't know who will betray your trust. It was like that with the characters, but it was on a whole other level–psychologically. I can't say I hate the drama, because I do like it and I was captured by how they characters were portrayed (even though the vibe is different in the webtoon). Each of them had flaws. They're not perfect and it's what makes them human. The acting was amazing. I've never seen Kim Go Eun before and my first impression of her is spectacular. I love the way she portrayed Seol. Very down to earth but also not perfect with flaws of her own.
The most interesting characters to me were Jung and Seol, mostly Jung and it's not because they were the main characters. Park Hae Jin played his role as Jung really well. I wonder if it was difficult for him to play a role so complex. I think he did good. How Jung responds to his surroundings is quite intriguing. He's very deceptive and calculating, yet I can't seem to blame his actions or think of him as weird. Things he experienced as a child led him to have no empathy. He's also observant and manipulative of others and even though he knew what people's real intentions were when they approached him, he just went with it and used it to his advantage. He was taught to control his anger and hold it in. That can take a toll on one especially as a child. I think being around In Ha (played by Lee Sung Kyung–she was amazing, btw) and In Ho made things worse. He came to trust In Ho but his trust was broken and that made him snap. I can't really blame In Ho still, cos it's who In Ho and his personality is quite rough around the edges which leads him to say things sometimes that might offend others and he could care less. Same could be said about In Ha. All the little things from their past left them with many scars. To be honest, I think Seol is a perfect match for Jung and it's not because I think they're cute as a couple but I think it's Seol who pulls him back when he's standing on the edge and reminds him that if he wants to, he can be different and kind. And he can be. Just look at the way he smiles/laughs when he's around Seol... when he hugs her, when he holds her hands, when she gave him presents–whenever they're together. He seems more sweet and child-like. He even voiced his dislikes and got angry. It's as if as a child he couldn't experience certain things and when he's with Seol, his childish side comes out and it's cute AF! I think Seol and Jung are alike in some aspects and that's one of the reasons why somehow they're drawn to each other. Whenever Jung moves, so does she.
I do loved me some Bora x Eun Taek! (played by Min Ji and Joo Hyuk) OMG! They were cute too.
All the actors did extremely well.
MUSIC~
I liked the OST. Very mellow and soothing to listen to. Some of the songs were just perfect for some of the scenes. ^^
OVERALL~
Overall, it wasn't that bad but this drama is definitely not for everyone. Still, I enjoyed the ride and I'd watch it again but disregard the ending. Lol~ I feel like because the webtoon is still ongoing, they felt like they couldn't exactly end the drama a certain way, so they left it sort of 'realistically' open, but I would have loved to seen something with the main characters. I dunno. This drama feels very rare to me and I wish it ended some other way. I guess it all depends on the person who watches it. You may or may not like it. ~
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This drama left me in confusion.
There was only one thing wrong with this show, that actually made me not like it at all. The male lead. I have not issues against the actor who played but the character is just unlikeable and extremely hard to understand. The ML character had a very weird vibe that later in point I thought there was going to be a plot twist where hes like a creepy stalker or something. The love interest on the other hand I loveeeee. Hes just so perfect in every way that when you dont get the ending you want youre bound to be disappointed .Was this review helpful to you?
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There were two major issues I had with this drama. The first is that I really could not stand Hong Seol. She irritated me, and frustrated me, and made me want to reach through the screen and shake her. Kim Go Eun does a decent job, and I totally believed her as an awkward college student, but there was a charm that was missing for me. Seol is a complicated character emotionally, and I just don't think she pulled that off. She kinda played the role as if the character was on anti-depressant medication. That approach also added to one of the biggest fails in this drama for me - I just never believed that Seol actually liked Yoo Jung. Their chemistry was awkward. Even if both characters are "weird", and she was on guard with him, there should still be a sense that they actually belong together to make the romance work. She had much better chemistry with Seo Kang Joon as In Ho, but still not enough to carry a whole drama.
Speaking of the two leading men, they were my favorite characters. Figuring out the dynamic of their relationship became one of the most interesting parts of the show. Park Hae Jin was great at playing the line between sweet and sinister, so I loved him as Yoo Jung, but I didn't believe he liked Seol very much either. Part of what may have made their dynamic weird is that Park Hae Jin is older, looks older, and behaved as if he were older than the entire cast of students. He could sorta physically pass for a college student (sometimes - from certain flattering angles), but not compared to the other main student characters (except maybe Sang Chul). He seemed more like Seol's older brother, than a love interest. Similar to the dynamic he had with Seo Kang Joon, but the bromance gone wrong story touched me more. In Ho was also a great character, the epitome of the bad boy with a good heart. I definitely look forward to seeing him in more dramas in the future.
The rest of the cast was great. Many of the supporting characters are more campy than realistic, which fits the style of the show. I hated most of the character's traits, and had very little empathy for them, but they were played very well. In particular, Lee Sung Kyung as In Ha was very over the top, and smack-in-the-face-able, but memorable for sure. Eun Taek and Bo Ra were cute together, and I thought they had a better love story than the main characters.
What about the writing? I think it was pretty bad. It was good enough to get me interested, but not good enough to hold that interest. Yoo Jung is almost treated as if he is Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho", when I didn't see anything really wrong with what he did, even at his worst. Maybe that's a cultural thing, or maybe that's because I like movies like "American Psycho", but he just didn't seem bad enough to warrant how people acted towards him. I think they should have made him temper much worse revenge thriller-style, or make the misunderstandings more obvious, but the weird in between just made things confusing for me. Why were his actions seen as unforgivable vs the other characters in the show (who's actions were equally terrible). It seemed like lack of empathy was supposed to be a big theme in this drama, and I don't think that was executed well.
Much of the show is told through vignettes, which matches the webtoon feel, but especially towards the end, the story felt less cohesive. And don't even get me started on the ending, which was terrible. The only reason I wasn't completely dissatisfied with the end, is because I was just ready for it to be over at that point. Maybe it was meant to give you that "sequel pending" feeling, but it seemed more like the writers rushed to finish. Or maybe it's related to the drama surrounding this drama that I didn't care enough to read up on.
Would I watch this again? Nope. I barely made it through the first viewing.
Now that I completed this show, the story still had so much potential for me that I started reading the webtoon. So far, I'm not a fan of it either (super confusing to follow - maybe too much is lost in the translation - but I'm only on #20). Like the show, the concept is interesting enough that I will keep reading hoping to like it more. Characters (certainly Seol), and relationships between them make more sense to me than they did on the show, so I wouldn't even recommend this drama to the webtoon fans.
Overall, I will say this is a drama whose concept, and potential, was much greater than the execution of it. I can't recommend it, unless you really like being frustrated by characters and their choices, but I can see how people could see this as an interesting look at human nature. It just wasn't interesting enough for me.
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