enapeters
This review may contain spoilers
Like eating a whole carton of ice cream by yourself
Watching this classic kdrama (which I’ve now done 3 times) is like eating a whole carton of ice cream by yourself in one sitting. In the moment, it’s so delicious and addictive, but when you’re done and the tummy ache sets in, you really start to question your life choices.
The Bad
1. Like in a lot of old kdramas, the male lead isn’t just cold but actually treats the female lead like garbage. He is either cruel to her, messes with her because he thinks it’s funny, or manhandles her. In one scene, he punches the wall next to her head. He also confesses to Sam Soon before he has broken up with his girlfriend (aka cheating), and he never takes no for an answer. This behavior creates an addictive plot with a lot of sexual tension (see The Good below), but let’s not pretend that it’s a healthy example of a romantic relationship.
2. The basic premise is that an “overweight” baker attracts an incredibly handsome younger man. Kim Sun Ah did gain weight for this role, so Sam Soon may be “overweight” compared to the actress’s norm, but there’s no way anyone could claim that she’s overweight. In fact, she looks like she’s a pretty healthy normal weight. Watching a show where the characters say over and over again that a normal weight woman is fat is so harmful to girl’s self image, so a show that has a supposedly empowering premise ends up being really damaging.
The Good
1. The enemies to lovers sexual tension here is sooooo good. And it’s not just the flirty, innocent, romantic tension of a lot of kdramas. It’s actual sizzling sexual tension. If you want to skip this drama, I would still suggest looking up some of the iconic scenes on YouTube because they are really worth watching.
2. I typically don’t find kdrama humor funny at all, but I laugh all the way through this. Sam Soon’s loud brashness can be grating, but she also says the funniest things. The banter between the two main leads is also funny if you overlook how problematic it is (see The Bad above). Yes, some of the humor is potty humor, which usually doesn’t work for me in kdramas, but it’s done here in a way that makes it fresh and entertaining.
This kdrama is best viewed more than once so you can binge eat the delicious parts and fast forward through every stupid scene with Hee Jin, who is just simply the worst.
The Bad
1. Like in a lot of old kdramas, the male lead isn’t just cold but actually treats the female lead like garbage. He is either cruel to her, messes with her because he thinks it’s funny, or manhandles her. In one scene, he punches the wall next to her head. He also confesses to Sam Soon before he has broken up with his girlfriend (aka cheating), and he never takes no for an answer. This behavior creates an addictive plot with a lot of sexual tension (see The Good below), but let’s not pretend that it’s a healthy example of a romantic relationship.
2. The basic premise is that an “overweight” baker attracts an incredibly handsome younger man. Kim Sun Ah did gain weight for this role, so Sam Soon may be “overweight” compared to the actress’s norm, but there’s no way anyone could claim that she’s overweight. In fact, she looks like she’s a pretty healthy normal weight. Watching a show where the characters say over and over again that a normal weight woman is fat is so harmful to girl’s self image, so a show that has a supposedly empowering premise ends up being really damaging.
The Good
1. The enemies to lovers sexual tension here is sooooo good. And it’s not just the flirty, innocent, romantic tension of a lot of kdramas. It’s actual sizzling sexual tension. If you want to skip this drama, I would still suggest looking up some of the iconic scenes on YouTube because they are really worth watching.
2. I typically don’t find kdrama humor funny at all, but I laugh all the way through this. Sam Soon’s loud brashness can be grating, but she also says the funniest things. The banter between the two main leads is also funny if you overlook how problematic it is (see The Bad above). Yes, some of the humor is potty humor, which usually doesn’t work for me in kdramas, but it’s done here in a way that makes it fresh and entertaining.
This kdrama is best viewed more than once so you can binge eat the delicious parts and fast forward through every stupid scene with Hee Jin, who is just simply the worst.
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