Simple Slice-of-Life Drama with Romance as a focus - Not much happens
“Once Upon a Small Town” is a very light, slice-of life drama set in a rural setting. I can’t help but compare it to “Summer Strike”. Both dramas have the main lead moving from Seoul to a rural village for different reasons, needing to learn to integrate into their new communities and along the way meeting someone they like.Not much really goes on in “Once Upon a Small Town”. If you are into a simple drama with a romance-centric plot, then this is for you. Similar to many stories about small town living, you can’t get away from having loud and nosy villagers as the supporting cast. Even though the villagers don’t really show up too much in the drama, when they do, they are really boisterous and annoying. “Summer Strike” does not have this problem, but it has a different plot that disrupts the quiet rural life. If you want a stronger romance plot, then “Once Upon a Small Town” is better than “Summer Strike”. “Summer Strike’s” romance has a more mature and quiet feel to it. The romance in this drama is more slow-burn, innocent and sweet. It’s also cuter and fluffier when the leads finally get together.
The acting is decent and the chemistry is OK. It’s interesting to have a story about a vet but unfortunately, it doesn’t go into detail about the profession. I would have loved to see more animal cases and how he treats the animals. This is not a medical drama, like “Forest”, so the focus is mainly on the two main leads.
I have an easy time watching it. I will only recommend this if you are really looking for a simple slice-of-life drama. Do not expect plot twists or anything unpredictable.
Completed: 7/7/2023 - Review #329
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Cute
There is nothing deep to analyse or fuss about here. I didn't expect to like it this much when I started watching it but it turned out I couldn't wait for the next episodes. Do I care about veterinary technicality in this show? Of course not. I just watch and turn off my brain and giggle.This drama is to binge on a weekend and enjoy without worrying much about anything. The music is cute, the story is cute, the actors are cute, the dogs are cute, the greeneries are refreshing. Life is good.
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huge let down was nothing like the webtoon series...
They changed the story so much it might as well been a completely different series then it was originally, and made it awkward and cringey. They changed the characters personalities, and rushed the storyline, both coming out flat. (no fault to the actors, I liked the cast), the series started okay, but then around ep 6 or 7 it grew past 'okay cringyness' (I know I made up that word there), and every scene grew worse, I couldn't bring myself to watch the last episode. I may finish the last ep in the future, but I don't really see that happening lol. Anyway, it was a huge letdown from the webtoon series that I enjoyed.Was this review helpful to you?
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watched weekly as it came out
lets ignore this review is a week late oops - first, i was surprised to see how short this drama was with only 35 mins each but i happy to know it was 3x a week! from the beginning i knew this was going to be a light drama with beautiful cinematography (plus a good ost). ive never watched a drama starring the main leads but i definitely want to check them out after this one (joy's character is so cute and loveable i love her). the drama is not exactly life changing and has crazy plot twists like many dramas this year but im glad it exists because we need some more light dramas with good visuals and osts this year AND a happy ending! if you loved my liberation notes or my blues or any other drama for the pretty countryside visuals, you should check OUAST - plus it has cute animals! the storyline is pretty simple to follow and not too many characters, so it doesn't feel overwhelming and clique tropes but that didn't bother me. there is a special place in my heart for dramas like this perfect for the summer season or when we just need comfort!Was this review helpful to you?
A very cute and fresh story
If you're looking for a nice drama, without any pressure and without those often over-constructed twists, 'Once Upon a Small Town' is the show for you. The number of episodes and duration are reduced compared to usual dramas, but the story is not affected.Sometimes some scenes can be a little over the top and it's curious to have a police officer who seems to do everything except the police officer, but this helps the script to create gimmicks and new stories.
Joy and Choo Young Woo are very nice together. Joy's character in particular is very sweet and positive, and her smile lights up the series
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Cute and simple
At first I didn't wanted to actually watch the drama bc i thought it was going to be extremely boring and bc of that it took me like two months JUST to finish the first episode ?? Then i got a purpose to actually finish the show and I rlly liked it. The romance was CUTE, maybe i got kinda frustrated bc joy was so sweet and the ml was humiliating her in the 4 firsts eps ?? but then it just got better idk, What im saying is that the chemistry is incredible and every scene they were into i always enjoy it. Also, i add more points bc of the CUTE animals. Yep, watch the show, it's worth it.Was this review helpful to you?
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Cute
I mean, I don't know how else to describe this drama. The romance is cute, the village dynamic is fun, the actors are good. It's just so cute. It's not anything absolutely ground breaking, in fact it's got quite a few kdrama romance clichés(they knew each other as kids, male best friend is the second lead, etc) but it was cute and I didn't really mind it. I think this is a great drama for beginners or for anyone who loves cute romances. Also if you liked Hometown Cha Cha Cha then you will probably like this as well. Overall I highly recommend you watch it, it's a mood booster and a fun watchWas this review helpful to you?
What a sweet show!
This is a darling show if you are looking for no angst, cuteness overload, sweet and quirky characters. I'll say right now, to get it over with, that I did end up scoring down slightly due to the introduction of the ex-girlfriend. I'll tell you why - I absolutely hate how writers always bring in the woman that broke the guy's heart and then comes back years later, sees that he's interested in someone else, but still does everything she can to get him back. I was especially irritated in this show, because it was going on so well, just being driven by the characters in the small town. The small-town feel, everyone knows everyone else and is all up in everyone else's business. Some of the characters seem a hamburger short of a Happy Meal, which adds to the charm. The pace is purposely slow, letting you get involved in their lives. Here, too, is where the writing let me down. The ML going on about how much he had loved the ex-girlfriend and she broke his heart and he never thought he'd love again. Just my opinion, but to me that truly decreases the romance value, like the way he felt about the FL wasn't that special. Again, just my opinion.I could expound for days on how cute the ML and FL were together. Any scenes they were in were bright and lovely. And once they finally admitted they liked each other, well, let me just say that my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. I would potentially watch this show again just to see the progression of their relationship. One bad kiss, but they definitely improved on that. The ending was a tad rushed, as tends to be the norm in Asian dramas.
The kid "couple" was a treat - it was kind of like watching a parallel relationship alongside the leads. They didn't see the similarities, but we, as the audience, got to see and enjoy that.
The music was beautiful and added to the almost ethereal mood of the town and its people. This was truly a wonderful show.
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Watch And Relax
This reminds us that sometimes taking it a littler slower and taking a break from social media is not bad. I am much older and remember does day. I like the importance to help our neighbors and thinking of the food we eat and what does it contain. I enjoy the cute romance and the love triangle. I did not like the 2 episode that bring in and ex-girlfriend and that she is obsess with making the lead male actor hers all of the sudden. I do not know ay women who break up with an ex and moves on. believing that she can come back and force him to make a relationship start again. I do like the story and the actors performance was really good. nice one to watch with friends.Was this review helpful to you?
a simple and wholesome drama, with lots of animals!
This was such a cute drama! It's really wholesome and it makes you get your mind off of things. It's perfect for animal lovers.But it's also not the best drama out there! It's a simple, mid one. The FL was a really cute cop and the actress did a great job. Can't say the same about the ML. I guess he didn't have much experience cause he looked really stiff and awkward but i could also be just wrong and maybe thats how his character was supposed to be. They also didn't have much chemistry and i found many moments where they were simply just awkward.
Would i recommend it? Definitely. But I definitely saw better ones and there definitely exist better ones out there. If the acting was a little bit better and if there was something memorable in this drama, I'd have given it an 8 or even an 8.5.
But overall, it wasn't bad and i would rewatch it if i wanted to watch something light and happy!
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lovely
it's so simple and cute and wholesome even the second lead was so nice and respectful and didn't cause much drama. the only problem here is that they copied the overall plot of hometown cha cha cha it lacks originality in this point which makes the whole show meh because I could watch htccc it's the same idea, better acting, more budget, and better story overall. other than that I think it's a sweet non cringey clichés that you'd love after a long day. it's nothing deep though so don't expect muchWas this review helpful to you?
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if the word "mid" had a drama, it'd be once upon a small town.
the story was kinda bland and the characters didn't really have much depth. yeah, both main characters are orphans but the script didn't go into it with any depth at all so it just felt like a failed plot point. like jinyuls parent's death was brought up a lot but it was just surface level which sucked soo bad. didn't get to see or learn much about the second male lead he was kinda just there most of the time. sooyoungs acting has improved tremendously but i do wish that her company would stop choosing to cast her in dramas with a shallow script. she has so much potential which is being wasted and its honestly so hard to watch knowing how hard she works her ass off. in conclusion it wasn't the worst thing in the world but i also wouldnt give it an academy awardWas this review helpful to you?
