Ga Doo Ri’s Sushi Restaurant (2020)

Suspend all expectations and appreciate it as short duration fluff and it is ok

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean romantic comedy series with 12, relatively short, 11 to 20 minute episodes. Also known under the title “Gaduri Restaurant”

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Ga Doo Ri (Lee Joo bin)’s life was on track when she was dating the man she thought she would wind up marrying. She was the college campus “Goddess” and was used to people assuming she was given things due to her beauty. As an adult she went to work as an assistant producer at an entertainment company where she was bullied by co workers who assumed she was able to bring in big names in the industry by using her looks rather than her talent. After a scandal created by those who were incredibly jealous, Doori abandons her successful endeavors in the entertainment industry to set out on her own. She opens a Sushi bar which becomes very popular for uniquely combining excellent food with a center for dating advice. Her business is under some apartments where she lives and also is neighbors with a very unusual and seemingly socially awkward neighbor, Cha Woo bin (Hyuk; Han Sang Hyuk). To disguise that he is a highly successful CEO of an undergarment company, Woobin dresses up in heavy framed glasses and track suits. Doori’s heart was completely shattered in the past when her long term boyfriend and best friend have become romantically involved and is not very trustful of men so she does not first see Woobin as a romantic possibility even though he steps in several times to pretend to be her boyfriend to keep her from getting bullied. Will two such different individuals find lasting love with each other?

Review

I would have liked this I think if it had been developed into a more standard length series. All of the elements for a good story were there but with such short episodes, none of the plot elements were able to progress at a pace that was believable. I would recommend this for those that are able to suspend their expectations of a well developed plot and characters with depth. If you are just looking for a quick piece of fluff to fit in while waiting for another series to become available, this might be it. I would not rewatch it, there just isn’t enough substance to merit rewatching for me.

Spoilers

Woobin wears a track suit and nerdy looking glasses and I surmised he was doing it to disguise his identity as a handsome young CEO that likely has some celebrity. But they never fully explain or clarify why he chooses to present himself in such an unbecoming manner.

From the descriptions, reviews and synopsis in various sites, Doori is supposed to be some super star dating and relationship consult but that doesn’t come through very strong in the short series. There is one main case where she helps the girl identify her boyfriend is cheating but it didn’t seem like her involvement in that was very outstanding. It wasn’t too hard to figure out the friend was the cheater just based on the way she was acting.

I think what makes this worth a watch despite all the comedic moments around Mo Tae Kyung (Woo Bin's secretary; Jung Jin hwan). His overly dramatic response to everything was hilarious.When he hung out with Doori he seemed like the type of fun to be around character that many people would enjoy hanging out with. I would have liked having more time with that character and that would have happened if the series were longer.

Everything felt rushed. What you were just mad at the guy and now you are madly in love with him? What you just agreed to date and now you are passionately kissing? You just encountered your bully who pushed you around for years and pushes you around in the first scenes but you suddenly are standing up?

In short this was a mini series that would have been much better had it been developed to a full length series. All of the aspects that fell short of the mark were due to how abbreviated it was and that made them unable to fully pursue plot lines and develop the characters.



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