Cinderella at 2 AM (2024)

Boring ending

What started out really interesting, became mundane, repetitive, dragged on and dull at the end. Which is really sad because I like the ML

The FL had serious issues with her acting. Always looking annoyed with the same expression, and just couldn’t carry the role. So sorry to the actress but it was just very flat and no chemistry with the ML. 2nd couple were quite forced as well, no real connection there.

The storyline is the most basic, poor girl rich boy, mother gives her money to break up, which she accepts!! That’s what made it interesting, but the remaining episodes could not live up to any excitement or interest. Was this production on a budget? The friend’s restaurant always had NO customers, and their wedding at the end had no one else attending??!! The final episode was a bore.

Very harsh, so sorry. It could have been so much better. :(

Read More

Cinderella in shining armor for a few seconds

It's a trend nowadays where the age difference is downplayed by either the younger actor playing a lot older or the older actor playing a lot younger so the gap is actually so close it's negligible. The difference here is focused on job status, with the female lead as the team leader and the male lead as initially an intern. It was actually pretty cool to see from his memories how she guided him as the responsible boss, the Cinderella in shining armor. It would have been great to see more of that. Their dating days were also cute and I really liked how the first two episodes had subversions like Yun Seo learning from Ju Won's brother that he didn't like horror movies, but went for her and learned to like something new. It would have also been nice if the rest of the show had them learning more about each other, but it quickly slipped into bog standard romcom cliches with the most odious being the faux love triangle with Ju Won always having a jealousy stand off with the painter guy Seong Min, who almost committed suicide, but then his mental health was magically fine afterwards. Yun Seo's storyline with escaping her abusive household and not buckling to her mother's pressure to take on her father's debts was really powerful. Sometimes the people you need to cut out of your life are your blood relatives and to keep them far away for your own well being. I feel it's especially important for Asian audiences to see that it's okay to do so. I like how Yun Seo wanted to break off the relationship because she knows that Seong Min's family would not be accepting of him. I feel like the show could have better connected the fact that it would be yet another parental figure treating her terribly. Yun Seo and Mi Jin's short friendship at the end was really short, I rather they have started their sisterhood sooner and less of Mi Jin and her husband's shenanigans. Yun Seo deserves more supportive friends and family. It would have been nice for Yun Seo to have one more scene with her mother in law, finally in acceptance and support of her, one big happy family.

Read More

Two cute couples for the price of 1!

Perhaps this show is not for everyone but I loved the concept. The couple was already established but now the FL is being asked to break up with her boyfriend. It was funny from the first episode. I was very curious how they will work through their issues. The FL has a strong head on her shoulders due to her background and can overrationalise things at times but she is a kind and caring person. The ML can be clingy but he is sweet and kind and who wouldn't love that. I also loved the second leads in the story. Maybe slightly more than the leads because their relationship didn't deal with too much workplace distractions.

Though thers ard a few serious moments, the show also makes you laugh and smile. And both couples have cute moments together. Though I wish there were more romance, a little less angst, and if the comedy was even better then I would have rated it a 9 at least.

In a way I am glad the writers didn't drag the background storylines too much. They were not ths point of the story. It was about the couples and some of the problems they dealt with are quife realistic. Even the nicest people have trouble in relationships because you aren't completely sure how to handle the situation.

The one good thing about the breakup trope was also that they didn't show both living separate lives. They continued to work together as they dealt with their emotions. I don't like when they completely remove the leads from each other's lives. So that was a plus for me.

The OST is also quite calming. I hope everyone gives the series a chance.

Read More

Rom-Com or Rom-Don't?

After watching this quirky rom-com, it’s clear that it heavily relies on familiar clichés. If you’re not into the genre, you might want to pass—think of it as the fast-food version of romantic comedies, missing the depth of a well-crafted drama.

The plot is straightforward, featuring the classic tale of a working-class girl meeting her Prince Charming in a modern setting. However, the dialogue falls flat, and the love rivalry between the male lead and the supporting character, who has a one-sided crush, lacks excitement. Plus, those two coworkers can get pretty annoying—how does someone so self-centered and gossipy fit into a PR team at a big company?

The breakup between the leads drags on longer than necessary, and while the female lead starts off as smart and independent, she quickly becomes rather dull. As a viewer, I found myself caring less and less.

Interestingly, the most compelling character is the male lead's brother, who genuinely cares for his sibling and navigates his arranged marriage with a heart of gold. The mother also adds a unique touch; she’s not your typical “evil step-mom” or “evil mother-in-law.” Instead, she's a realistic woman balancing the roles of mom, dad, and a company chair.

With the right expectations, this drama can be an okay watch, even if it’s not one you’ll feel compelled to revisit.

Read More

Modern K-inderella story.

Modern Kinderella
This was a bit bumpy to start, in establishing the FL and ML and controlling mom / chairwoman charater / plots in the first 2 episodes. But our established team of sibbling supports continued to grow and enrich the show with every episode. I truly found myself replaying many scenes through out the series for both laughs and cries. Especially the antics of the Cheibol brothers. *Love the older brother & Sister-In_Law.

I love that our Cheibol (ML) stayed true to his charater, love and dream for her & him.
I found it enjoyable to see our Cinderella (FL) discovers her self-value and pushes ahead towards her Love... (eventualy).
She does have a lot of past trauma to heal from... but thankful to how the director & Screen writer delt with that part for her charater. Not as much PTSD to destroy the key charaters.

Definietly worth a watch or binge if you have time for 10 episodes.
Love the supporting siblings and sibling rivalry mixed in too! <3

Read More

A pure rom-com

As a romantic comedy this drama does the job; it's funny and light-hearted overall, but touching when it counts, and it manages to use common kdrama tropes without making them feel tired or too dramatic.

The first few episodes are done extremely well, setting up the story and giving the characters a good starting point. The leads are very convincing as exes, and I loved seeing how cute they were in the flashbacks of their relationship. The second lead couple has a slower start, but it's promising and it's fun once it gets started. Individually the ML and especially the FL are given really touching backstories, and I love that the drama paid just as much attention to the family theme as it did the romance.

As the drama goes on, however, it feels like it doesn't go much deeper than the initial set up. The push and pull between the leads continues in the same way without revealing much more depth to their relationship beyond them enjoying spending time together in their vacuum. The second ship is still fun though, which is all I really asked of them.

Ultimately, it's a fun drama, but even though it's just 12 episodes it still feels longer than necessary.

Read More

Sweet but clingy rom-com

Cinderella at 2 AM is an office romantic comedy about the struggles of Ha Yoon-seo, a realistic and capable woman who believes that there is no Cinderella in reality and tries to break up with Seo Joo-won, a romanticist who believes that conditions are not important in love and a perfect young chaebol man who only looks at her.

Looking for an easy-breezy K-drama with all kinds of possible cliched tropes? Well, Cinderella at 2 AM could be your pick. Starring Shin Hyun-been and Moon Sang-min in lead roles, the show revolves around a young ordinary woman, Ha Yun Seo [Hyun-been], who doesn't believe in fairy tales until she falls in love with Seo Ju Won [Sang-min], a third-generation chaebol (a Korean term for a person born with a silver spoon, especially a person born into a business family).

Yun Seo is not the one to complicate things. She desires a simple life. So, falling in love with a third-generation chaebol was never on her bingo card. Upon learning about Ju Won’s identity and being pressed to break up by his mother [who also offers her money], she decides to part ways. But our Cinderella has more hurdles to overcome, including convincing Ju-won, who would do anything to protect his love

If you're looking for a cozy rom-com to watch this is not for you cause it only pisses you off with poor writing and off chemistry.

Read More

SO MUCH BETTER THAN the sh!t show that was Wedding Impossible!!!

The writing and his fellow actors allow Moon Sang Min to shine! Acting is somewhat like Tennis; you need a good opponent to play and enjoy it. I had lost hope for him after Wedding Impossible. Jeon Jeong Seo, with her RBF, probably made it hard for him to reciprocate the right emotions, and his acting came off worse. The second lead was no better in that drama. And lets not forget how badly it was written, especially his character. I am glad he get a chance to redeem himself.

Overall, I find the story quite refreshing. I also liked how the SML and his shenanigans have less screen time. he can also act more sensibly than most SMLs, especially when he called ML when the FL was drunk and missing him.

I also liked that the FL and her brother did not forgive their parents. I also liked that when FL cried outside the funeral home, she was honest and raw about why she was sad.

The second lead couple is also cute and refreshing. The SFL is caring and kind, unlike how they show most chaebols as super b!tchy.

The relationships between both pairs of siblings are also warming, and the brothers' are especially refreshing.

Read More