This review may contain spoilers
Such a disappointment! Don't bother.
I loved the original, so I was really looking forward to this, but I basically wasted 2 hours of my life. 😩The characters were so bland, and it felt like I was reading one of those super cliché isekai novels. I wish I’d never watched it because it literally has nothing I liked from NGNL. Even with the constraints they had for this series, the story could have been written in so many ways to make it enjoyable and more empowering.
I was especially annoyed by the female lead and the author. She gets repeatedly treated like garbage but still goes, "Kyaa, oppa >
One example: her boyfriend breaks up with her (after cheating on her, which she caught him doing) because apparently, she’s “boring” and doesn’t spend enough time with him. This happened because she had to work overtime on some ridiculous demand from her boss, the male lead. And her reaction? She gets drunk and blames the boss, thinking that if she hadn’t had to work overtime, she could’ve been a better girlfriend and maybe her boyfriend wouldn’t have cheated on her. Like, what?! Girl, are you even hearing yourself?
Who the heck writes such messed-up, misogynistic lines? The boyfriend was a bastard from the beginning—why not have her cut her losses, get revenge or write a more empowering arc? Instead, we get this?!
I was so pissed off at that point I should’ve stopped watching, but I kept thinking, maybe that’s just how the character in the novel was written. Maybe when the FL (the author) enters the picture, she’ll have more guts or self-esteem. But nope. I was wrong. Just ugh, girl, seriously???
There’s even a “joke” about locking her up made by the doctor. Ew.
Honestly, it felt like a Wattpad story written by a 12-year-old. I don’t get the point of why this was written at all. NGNL felt so fresh, funny, and touching, and this is just… an unorganized, bland mess sprinkled with a few overdone toxic tropes. I would definitely skip it, but again, that’s up to the discretion of each individual. I’m just sharing my personal opinion on it
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This review may contain spoilers
The leads carried the drama all by themselves
They really got chemistry. And they carried the drama all by themselves. The plot is weak and, once again, it is carried solely by the leads. The fact that Ja-yeon has some intimate scenes with the secretary kinda bothered me. And that scene where the president catches her in the air was too much for me. But, like I said, they have chemistry so I endured.However, this drama is empty and it brings nothing new. Basically she ends up inside her webnovel, as the FL, but the ML is not her teenage crush but the guy she's sueing for hate. In the beginning, the president doesn't believe her and the drama plays this for laughs, making her run away from him. Then, she convinces him of what's happening to her, he gets sad bc his life is fake and, suddenly, she falls for him. Seriously, it's like from one moment to another. After this, they get to spend some good moments together, until he gets in an accident, he confesses how much he loves her, and she wakes up from her dream. Then she just forgives him and that's it. End of story. The drama wasn't even that spicy, she barely has any hot scenes with Lee Sangyi.
I know this is a just a 2-ep drama. But I expected more. But seeing that No Gain No Love's ending was disappointing, this one couldn't be no different.
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This is how spin-offs should be done
An enjoyable fantasy spin-off with the fan-favourite second couple of no gain no love. It's really enjoyable and sits at a particular moment in no gain no love which connects the 2 dramas really well.The story is as wild as her novel 😂 and sets itself apart from other dramas. Kissing scenes are wild and comedy is hillarious
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My Secret Romance meets Extraordinary You
This little spin off is definitely cute and ads a little spice to the original, giving us the viewers more of these two in a lovely display of cliches and things I have seen before... Which I assume is intentional.An easy watch, short to the point rom com CEO webtoon parody, at ist most neutral. There to compensate us viewers who made it though No Gain No Love wishing these other two where the leads.
I am however not truly satisfied and wish they would have gotten their own series to begin with instead of being stuk as side kicks to the first drama.
But since it is to late for that I guess this will do....
Fun fact: My Secret Romance is a drama that I once started re watching by mistake...one that took me 2 episodes to realise that I had seen it before... So pretty much as forgettable as No Gain No Love...
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watch for fun!!
Honestly for this spin-off you cannot go in expecting an insane plot etc. This drama is meant more for the casual fun perspective without much deep meaning. I went in just expecting some romance between the second leads but i was actually shocked there was a story inside.It felt like i was watching a Mini-W series (W-two worlds). I also felt like there were alot of adlibs in the show. The way he kept emphasizing her name "SEO Yeon Seo" and the sudden superman moments. This show was really for a light comedy romance between the second leads.
Will re-watch because their chemistry is so good...!
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Lighthearted Fantasy Meets Romance in Spice Up Our Love: A Fun, Quick Rom-Com Adventure
Spice Up Our Love delivers a light, playful twist on typical K-drama romance, making it an enjoyable but brief experience. This two-episode spin-off of "No Gain No Love" gives us a unique setup: Nam Ja-yeon, a web novel writer, is suddenly thrust into her own story, taking the place of her protagonist. This premise leads to plenty of comedic and awkward moments as Ja-yeon navigates her fictional world, especially in her interactions with the male lead, Kang Ha-Jun.While the plot doesn't dive deep into character development, it maintains a lighthearted tone and fast pace, which works well given its short format. The drama blends fantasy with romance, and the interactions between Ja-yeon and Ha-jun are both fun and relatable, making the drama a sweet escape for viewers. However, being just two episodes long, it might leave you wanting more in terms of plot depth and resolution.
Overall, "Spice Up Our Love" is a delightful snack-sized rom-com, perfect for fans of the original series or anyone looking for a short, refreshing drama. Rating: 7.5/10.
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This review may contain spoilers
cutie!
YAYYY!!!! i loved these two in no gain no love so ofc when i heard they're having a spin off, I HAD TO WATCH!!! this was rly cutiee, lowkey hoping for more scenes of what actually happened in the novel LOL but so cutie. i dont rly like how ha jun and the hater guy switched places. mad weird. but otherwise was rly cutie, but chemistry could've been better, the guy was mostly just desperate for her and not rly a main lead. UGHH i wanna read the novel myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also rewarched NGNL, theres a few changes in the lines!! I wonder if juyeon rly remembers what happened in her "dream" and thats what led to her falling in love with the hater guy IRL. anywho, cutieWas this review helpful to you?
GIVE ME HER NOVEL " CEOS MENU " because I was a little too invested in those 18 minutes of it.....
I'll start by saying..if watch an entire drama of just her actual novel plot... nutritionist and CEO romance like hell yah Iam so in...but in just 18 minutes I was so invested in the plot and storyline I sort of wished it lasted longer....the FL and real hajun had amazing chemistry....hope to see them in something else in the future!!!Then onto the rest of the series..it's no doubt Lee Sang Yi and Han juhyun have amazing chemistry so I enjoyed watching them in addition to the comedy scenes that were actually funny and we'll written..it was overall a great watch..light funny cute and then really funny.
all that being said I'd like to express my interest in watching an adaptation of her actual novel starting her and the actor who plays real hajun....please🤭
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short crazy story!
finished 8.5/10 ✨Overall I liked it, it had very funny scenes and its theme seemed similar to extraordinary you in terms of the change of scenes and scripts... if I'm honest I like Nam Ja Yeom personality that of the protagonist of the spinoff I also like the personality of like gyu hyun that of the protagonist of the spinoff but it was excellent to pass the while.
I hope Lee Sangyi and Han Jihyun have another drama together in the future where they can shine more because they have great chemistry 💯
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There are many hidden gems in this hidden gem.
Spice Up Our Love (2024) is a wonderful farce of a Korean Drama. You really got to get in tune with the creativity of its writer.Spice Up Our Love is your Kdrama ticket to a special Kdrama game. In each story arc in episode one, there is a homage paid to various beloved Korean dramas and Korean Drama Actors. See how many of each you can identify as the storyline goes forth. I will get you started.
To do this however, I need to give away small details which will occurs in the action only in the first episode. So they really are not spoilers. Some may want to try to identify all the great K-Drama homages and tributes to former Korean Dramas and Stars on their own. These persons can bail out of this write-up now. You can always save the write-up in Bookmarks and revisit this article after viewing the first episode of Spice Up Our Love. If you want a little help, I will give you what I have recognized so far. This game was a lot of fun. Spice Up Our Love is a Korean drama which has Korean dramas hidden all through the storyline in episode one.
Spice Up Our Love is a spin-off from No Gain No Love (2024). The Male Lead is Lee Sang-Yi (Bloodhounds). It stars Female Lead Han Ji-Hyun (Penthouse) as a Spicy Fantasy Writer, and there is a transfer character and love interest Lee You-Jin (Do You Like Brahms?). All three are prominent characters in No Gain No Love as well. Spice Up Our Love has uniques story embeds. This will be similar to the the short guest appearance of Song Jong Ki in Queen of Tears and his five Korean dramas and movies paid homage to in the action of his arc. I may miss some. If you catch one I missed, let me know. Spice Up Our Love is spicy and sometimes a little too much so. There is occasional foul language as well. Here we go.
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🌟The opening arc in Spice Up Our Love is clearly an homage to My Secret Romance (2017). The drunken rendezvous of the female lead with the guy who turns out to be her new boss makes this evident. She is even the nutritionist in the cafeteria of the Company in the storyline, as was the case in My Secret Romance. Within the story arc you also get an homage to No Gain No Love, where the CEO said that he never ate in the Company cafeteria before, but would start doing so.
In addition, to satisfy her boss, the nutritionist has to make the same dish over and over and the dish keeps getting rejected. That is Business Proposal. Even the Company Badges are the same as those in Business Proposal.
🌟Can anyone think of the Korean drama of the guy who was looking for the nostalgic taste of food he had as a Kid? I can’t remember that one. It was mentioned in this arc. Okay, I think it was the Korean Drama Chocolate.
🌟Seeing her Boyfriend at a restaurant with another woman and then he suggests that they break up, could this be Something in the Rain?
🌟The Male Secretary in the fantasy was named Kim Do Gyeom. Gyeom (겸) in Korean means something or someone who can act as two different things at the same time. The transfer character that the fantasy writer in the story had a crush on in No Gain No was a Secretary. The Secretary in Spice Up Our Love is named Secretary Kim. They may or may not be tapping into What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
🌟The fantasy writer in Spice Up Our Love gets sucked into the story she is writing. This is W: Two Worlds.
🌟Suddenly, everything around the fantasy writer morphs into the man from whom she is running away.
🌟An homage is made to Song Joong Ki on a billboard, as the writer makes her way home. It is a Korean drama thing now to have Song Joong Ki make a quest appearance in your Korean Drama. It is a little ironic that the Song Joong Ki turns into the male lead in a Korean drama which gives homage in a story arcs to memorable Korean Dramas? Is this not what Queen of Tears did for Song Joong Ki?
🌟Homage is paid to Cha Eun Woo (pronounced Ta Eun Nu) from True Beauty.
🌟The Ghada Chocolate is made by the modern day rich Chaebol Family Lotte. Lotte buildings are prominent everywhere in South Korea. This is a major Chaebol Family.
Also the owner of the Convenience store in No Gain No Love keeps popping up in Spice Up Our Love, as a Doctor, a Bus Driver, and taxi driver.
🌟The Korean Drama where the Webtoon characters had no control over their bodies or action for period of time. This is Extraordinary You.
🌟The purposeful “Leap From The Roof and being saved by your savior” scene reminded me of Tale of the Nine-Tailed.
This is all I found. End of Episode 1. What did you find?
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This review may contain spoilers
what a mess!
Granted, I didn't love NGNL, except for the second couple. I was kind of excited for this, but it felt to me like they just threw a bunch of ideas together. It was too fast and chaotic for me. Fantasy, reality, back to fantasy, or was it reality?The ending though - he has an absolutely wonderful voice!
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Worth to watch
Eventho I expected more out of it it was very good ( except 1st 10 minutes od episode 1 that was overstretched and lil bit boring ).Sad that it ended ( both Spice Up Our Love & No Pain, No Love ) but both were very good watch.
Love the ending & don't miss extra scene after credits.
Since I don't want write any spoilers I'll stop here.
Have a great day everyone 🌻
I miss 134 letters to submit review so here's flowers
⚜️🌷🌸🌹🌺🌼🏵️💐💠💮🥀🪷🪻⚜️
⚜️🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻⚜️
⚜️🪻🪷🥀💮💠💐🏵️🌼🌺🌹🌸🌷⚜️
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