Nel mio lungo elenco dei drama visti o che sto vedendo spicca Cheese in the trap, tratto dall’omonimo webtoon non concluso di Soonkki disponibile su Naver in coreano e su Webtoons in inglese (sono indietro con le stagioni).
Sono tanti i fattori per cui inizio a guardare un drama e decido di spendere almeno sedici ore della mia vita.
Inizialmente fa da calamita la scelta del cast. Scorrendo alcuni post fra vari forum e blog, ho letto la lunga diatriba (internazionale) su chi potevano essere adatti a ricoprire i personaggi tanto amati dai lettori del webtoon. La discussione era incentrata per lo più sul personaggio femminile principale, Hong Seol, quale attrice poteva meglio rappresentare un personaggio così divertente, forte, non bellissima ma nemmeno brutta, rovinare l’immaginario del lettore del webtoon. La scelta è caduta poi sull’attrice emergente e camaleontica, Kim Go Eun. Famosa per lo più in ambito cinematografico (Eungyo, Monster, Coinlocker Girl, Memories of the Sword… un curriculum invidiabile costruito in pochi anni), CITT è il suo debutto nel piccolo schermo. Per me è stata una fantastica scoperta e che continuerò a seguire, disponibilità in inglese dei suoi progetti permettendo, per lo più film appunto.
Da persona profonda e riflessiva quale sono io, sono stata invece attirata dall’attore principale, Park Hae Jin, che ha una trentina di anni e ricopre il ruolo dell’universitario. Per me è credibile, questi attori coreani non invecchiano mai. Scherzi a parte, non cambierei nulla della scelta del casting, ogni attore ha fatto il suo dovere, mi sono divertita a vederli e mi hanno convinta. Bravissimi i principali. Ma anche i secondari meritano. I secondari “odiosi” poi riescano a rubare la scena agli attori principali in alcuni momenti. Ricorderò sempre Sang Chul, Young Gun, Min Soo. Sono detestabili ma ispirano anche pietà in scene apparentemente innocue.
Mi piacerebbe dire che il merito non sia solo degli attori ma anche della regia di Lee Yoon Jung, già regista di alcuni drama che ho adorato (Coffee Prince, Heart to Heart). Dirige il cast in maniera stupenda. Gli attori non sembrano recitare. Nelle sue mani i personaggi sembrano vivere.
Per questo drama, la trama è pressoché basilare e già vista: una ragazza e un ragazzo si incontrano e si innamorano. Semplice. Ciò che lo rende diverso dagli altri sono la rappresentazione dei suoi personaggi sia principali che secondari. Il fascino di CITT è proprio nei personaggi complessi (e complessati) in cui possiamo (a volte) riconoscerci…. oddio a parte alcuni personaggi come Young Gon lo stalker e Min Soo intendo dire, lo stesso personaggio principale non rientra nei canoni “dramosi”.
La scelta dell’OST che accompagna l’intero drama si discosta dalla solita kpop commerciale ma è davvero azzeccata (detto da una persona che non capisce il coreano, mi fa capire quanto la musica sia davvero un linguaggio universale che va al di là delle barriere linguistiche quando si tratta di trasmettere emozioni).
CITT rientra nei drama che posso ritenere belli nonostante i suoi difetti e le polemiche di cui è stato investito (e che continuano nonostante la messa in onda dell’ultima puntata).
Prima ancora della messa in onda, la polemica verteva sulla scelta dell’attrice, che non fosse somigliante abbastanza alla Hong Seol del webtoon. Polemica poi zittita dalla recitazione della bravissima Kim Go Eun e dai numeri dell’indice di ascolto del drama, dal 3 al 6%, che per una tv via cavo come la Tvn è un buon risultato, tanto che il cast si è meritato già una vacanza premio.
Le successive polemiche riguardano poi la seconda metà del drama, ovvero la scelta della regista o degli autori o dei produttori (o di tutti loro) di diminuire le scene di Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin), il personaggio principale a favore del second lead, Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon). È una scelta strana che potrebbe coincidere in parte alla terza stagione di CITT nella sua versione webtoon, in cui, a quanto pare ci sono poche vignette che riguardano il protagonista. Scelta assurda però in un drama in cui i sedici episodi dovrebbero poter dipanare tutte le matasse aggrovigliate create dal trama e dalle digressioni scelte dagli autori. Tagliare scene importanti per la comprensione del personaggio principale (lo stesso Park Hae Jin ha parlato di scene girate ma mai andate in onda, scene dell’infanzia del protagonista e dialoghi con suo padre), privilegiando il second lead è stata una scelta frustrante per gli spettatori e i fan, per un po’ mi ha fatto odiare In Ho e mi ha reso ancora più perplessa per Yu Jung. Dall’editing che è stato fatto e dalla messa in onda delle ultime puntate, non credo di essere riuscita a comprendere appieno il personaggio principale. Hong Seol, all’ennesimo “comportamento deviante”/ manipulazione di Yu Jung, lo abbraccia e lo consola dicendo che lo capisce e che questo non la farà scappare (è un drama). Io avrei voluto fare lo stesso, avrei voluto abbracciare ad occhi chiusi anch’io una certa spiegazione dei fatti, dei comportamenti e delle scene ma il drama non me lo ha permesso. Non mi ha dato modo di poter capire questi fatti, questi comportamenti e queste scene perché non ci sono, sono state tagliate.
Anche l’autrice del webtoon, Soonkki, ha espresso il suo sconcerto per il fatto che il team di produzione del drama non abbia rispettato la sua richiesta di creare nuovi personaggi all’interno del campus universitario e di creare un finale diverso dal webtoon, che è tuttora in corso.
Il team di produzione di CITT ha liquidato velocemente le polemiche postando una scusa. Si scusano con i fan sia del drama che del webtoon, si scusano con l’autrice Soonkki per non averla preso in considerazione (erano occupati a girare, ad editare e a trasmette gli episodi) e con l’intero cast (non a Park Hae Jin nello specifico).
Se decontestualizzo CITT, togliendo le polemiche, togliendo il confronto con il webtoon, per me rimane un buon drama (ripeto, con i suoi difetti). Un drama che parla di amore e della vita universitaria, può essere anche introspettivo e profondo. È uno sguardo non solo nella varietà umana ma anche della società coreana, qui sono rappresentati lo stress e la competitività nel mondo scolastico/lavorativo, il rispetto per i genitori (c’è quella scena in cui Sang Chul parla al telefono con sua madre inventandosi uno scenario roseo davanti al suo più modesto bibimbap per non farla preoccupare; Seol e Jung che sopportano in modo stoico/esasperante le richieste/i capricci dei loro genitori), i formalismi per la gerarchia/anzianità (il rispetto verso i sunbae da parte degli hoobae).
Il finale aperto può essere visto come pigrizia nella scrittura ma allo stesso tempo è un margine creativo concesso a noi spettatori di vederlo come lo vogliamo. Il finale è uno spiraglio si speranza per un lieto fine. Se Jung e Seol sono fatti per stare insieme, si incontreranno ancora e si ri-innamoreranno di nuovo. In CITT , che secondo me non è proprio scritto male ma è certamente editato male -nella seconda parte-, diciamo che è un contentino (non so se sia dovuto alle polemiche, non saprò mai se l’hanno rieditato dopo le polemiche e la pressione degli spettatori). La mia finale ce l’ho già. La mail di risposta e la voce fuoricampo di Yu Jung che chiama Seol come nei primi episodi mi fa ben sperare.
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This review may contain spoilers
So are we just pretending that this drama sucks? What's with the low ratings?
I believe this drama is underrated on MyDramaList.com!I am currently on episode 5, and I am wondering if it is it just me or the male lead character isn't in the wrong, but everyone else is? The only thing the male lead character has been doing for the last 5 episodes is holding people accountable for their actions. I used to be the exact opposite of him, as I'd empathize with people to the point where I didn't hold them accountable, and it did nothing but aid them to continue to be the horrible people they already were. Accountability and integrity doesn't always feel good at the moment, but it does yield long term beneficial results. I don't know whether or not the script writer wanted to make the male lead character seem like a bad guy by having the supporting characters call him aloof and cold, but the supporting characters were the bad ones (e.g. one stole from his wallet, one wanted to live off of his dad and be a spoiled rich party girl, one tried to rape the girl he liked, another tried to ruin his relationship because she wanted to be with him). The only con that I have for the male lead character's personality is the fact that the eye for eye, tooth for tooth methodology is not always the best route, even if he's justified in his actions, which he was. Oh yeah, the female lead character believed everyone but the person she was in a relationship with. She's another person that basically did the male lead wrong. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone like her, who would trust a random stranger (e.g. the second male lead) over the person she agreed to date. Ehhhhhhhh
BTW, they both disliked one another in the first 2 episodes. They both made assumptions about one another and as you watch the first 6 episodes things are cleared up and they both agree to start a new but the female lead keeps remembering the past and doesn't actually start a new.
By episode 7, I just get annoyed with the female lead character behavior. Her boyfriend literally went out his way to find the guy who tried to assault her, and she's upset with him because he's defending him and her (she has a flashback about what her boyfriend ex-friend whom she did not know at the time, told her)....If a guy snuck into my room to rape me or assault me, I would want my boyfriend/husband to beat him up and hold him hostage until the police get there. I don't get why she would have this much compassion for a serial-harasser. The best thing she could do is to allow him to get locked up, so he can get treatment for any mental illness he may have. While this drama is good, I think I am going to drop it because it's a repetition of stupidity from the female lead character.
I am on episode 8! IF YOU WANT TO SEE A TOXIC FEMALE LEAD CHARACTER, WATCH THIS DRAMA! This is a prime example of how "innocent looking people, or people who say they are well intended (like the female lead)," are able to justify their bad behavior by playing the victim, against someone who is outspoken and not as innocent looking (like the male lead). Also, you start to understand that the second male lead plays the victim a lot too. He blames the male lead for career failure.The reason why he didn't play the piano for 5 years, is largely due to him. All of sudden, we see him playing the piano. Everyone mentioned how poor the second male lead attitude was and is. Who in real life would want to deal with someone (with unresolved childhood traumas) that refuse to grow up?
Okay, so I decided to drop this drama after episode 9 because it's the same story of the female lead not trusting the male lead, while doing shady things to him. Like believing everyone else, hanging around his friendenemy although he told her that he didn't feel comfortable with that. She's horrible, and I hope the male lead character finds someone who will love him for him, and who is mature and knows how to communicate.
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This slice of life drama may stick to many of the usual stereotypes (love triangle, school based, crazy second female) but for all that there was something that just really worked.
Well scripted, well directed, well acted.
Not sure I will watch it again, to much drama, but I am glad I watched it.
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I love the main characters and the music effect is really good!!
but the story is not that strong....
however i enjoyed it very much and i probably gonna rewatch it again <3
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This review may contain spoilers
I dropped this drama just before episode ten. I'd heard about all of the controversy and how they went totally off script in the second half, so I did a bad thing I always tell myself not to do and then do anyway, and I went and looked up some spoilers. Mainly for the last episode.And I was just not down for that ending.
I'm giving this a ten, because what I watched was phenomenal, and if there hadn't ended up being such a big controversy, I probably would have finished this drama. Heck, part of me still really wants to go back and finish it, but the other part knows I'll get to the end and just be filled with rage by the ending.
If you know about the controversy and the ending and still want to give this drama a shot, please do. Because it really has a lot to commend itself.
Just prepare yourself for this train to fly fully off the rails and down a canyon halfway through.
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cheesy but nice cast
Just one more time Cinderella story... A poor but pretty college student - our FL - meets a rich handsome strong Prince Charming and they keep clearing misunderstandings and fall in love more and more. The FL is always in distress and needs to be saved, but the ML or his childhood friend - who accidentally bumped into the FL out of all - are always there ready to oblige. The ML gave a bad boy vibe at first, but sadly the idea got dropped later.The movie is full of tropes, but well executed, to the point you end up not noticing them. You can tell where the drama is headed from the start, so it gets kinda boring, though the slow flow is quite nice and realistic.
I reached half of the drama and nothing really happens, except for college life scenes.
I dont know why im watching this, i really miss a good lakorn full of drama in every episode.
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The reason that this drama does not get a 10 from me is the ending. The ending just frustrates me because of how the events playout for the main couple, mainly for the girl. I'm okay with not having a happy ending, that's life, but the ending just upsets me, to a point where I want another season to continue and see what will happen next. This is just one of those dramas where, in that one scene, you wonder what she will do?
But overall, I recommend it because it has a good story, great actors, and it will surprise you and anger you at times.
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Rewatch Ready: A Captivating K-Drama with Heart
Picture this: you're diving headfirst into the chaotic world of university life, where every corner hides a new surprise, and every person has a story to tell. Sounds exciting, right? Well, that's just the beginning!First off, let's talk about our main characters. You've got Hong Seol, who's like your best friend that you can't help but root for. She's not your typical damsel in distress; nah, she's got spunk, brains, and a heart of gold. Then there's Yoo Jung, the enigmatic and slightly mysterious guy who's got layers upon layers. You're never quite sure what he's thinking, but boy, is he intriguing!
But wait, it doesn't stop there! We've got a whole cast of characters that'll make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. From the lovable goofball Eun Taek to the sassy and unpredictable Baek In Ha, there's never a dull moment in this drama.
Now, let's talk romance. Oh boy, get ready for some heart-fluttering moments and maybe even a little second lead syndrome! The chemistry between our leads is off the charts, and you'll find yourself shipping them from the get-go. But hey, no spoilers here—you'll just have to watch and see for yourself!
As for the storyline, it's like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll scream at your screen in frustration (in the best way possible, of course). And the best part? It's all so relatable! Whether you're navigating friendships, love triangles, or just trying to figure out life, you'll find something to connect with in this drama.
And let's not forget about the soundtrack—it's like the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae. Every song fits the mood perfectly, enhancing those epic moments and tugging at your heartstrings when you least expect it.
Now, would I rewatch this drama? Absolutely! In fact, I've already found myself coming back to it time and time again. It's like catching up with old friends.
So, if you're looking for a drama that will stay with you long after the credits roll, "Cheese in the Trap" is definitely worth adding to your watchlist. Just be prepared to fall in love with a group of unforgettable characters, and maybe even shed a tear or two (or ten) along the way.
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This review may contain spoilers
I had gone into this drama expecting a load of crap tbh, all of the reviews I had heard said this was the worst drama they've seen or that it had really shit characters or that they didn't like the love triangle or that it had no story. While I slightly agree with some of them such as the no story, I felt as if the characters were well developed and realistic in many ways, I felt as if this made up for the lack of plot as it was more of a "let's explore these people" sort of drama, and I liked that, I honestly didn't know I needed to watch one of those, it's nice being set apart from a really dramatic and harsh storyline.
I've not read most of the webtoon due to the bad translations it had but I know it's still an on going one so I won't judge the writers for such a shitty ending lmao.
I personally wasn't satisfied with the conclusion that they both made in the end, In Ho was such a well built and reliable character it was a shame she gave that up for a man who showed so many red flags lmao, maybe I'm just being biased because In Ho was basically my dream guy though lmao. But yeah, I thought it was cheap to just have them both say 'I understand you' after 3 years, it took away from the realistic feeling I had with this drama which was sad lmao.
The acting was really good though, I love allllll the actors so much and I teared up quite a few times because either I'm just really tired or they're able to convey the emotions so well.
So yeah to anyone who stuck around till the end, I reccomend for a light watch, but not too light, make sure you don't get attached to characters easily and also don'tind shitty endings lmao. But there's nice fluff lmao.
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At first it was details and mysteries around Yoo Jung that caught my interest, but eventually I found myself getting more and more hooked on supporting main roles whose personalities had so much to offer. I was basically having very busy time falling in love with every single main role: They all had their own cute features and flaws and yet surprisingly addictive mysteries and secrets.
In all, the acting was superb (I'm having a serious arising Seo Kang Joon problem) soundtrack was beautiful, clothing was on point (Kim Go Eun could wear a garbage bag and look fashionable), humor was on point and was on a good balance with drama and the story line had way more to give than I expected!
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