a female gazing
USA
"It Is What It Is."
If I were to review this drama more critically, the rating would be far lower than 7/10. But I went into this knowing, for the most part, what kind of ride I was in for: I wanted something on the lighthearted side, full of wild neighborhood shenanigans and a pretty couple whose relationship is so cute it made my eyes water. My expectations for Jinxed At First did not exceed this list. I'm a realist. So, no regrets here.
Did everything go off the rails around episode 10? Absolutely. Did I almost wish I had stopped watching around episode 6? Sort of. I think this drama would have greatly benefitted from shorter episode times, perhaps as a bite-sized webtoon a la Go's Starry Night. As it stands, with 16 full-hour episodes, it got draggy, repetitive and convoluted. It couldn't decide what genre it wanted to be. It felt a little like watching a TV show having an identity crisis. I was like, baby, what is you doin? It tried to go in depth with too many characters and thus many of the arcs fell totally flat or didn't feel properly resolved or earned. I had the feeling by the finale that a lot of the ending was revised during reshoots.
But, that being said, the first 6 or so episodes were UTTERLY divine. Syrupy, heart-swooping, butterfly-inducing romance that made me clutch my pillow like a teenager. Seohyun has never wowed me before, and this character is the Born-Sexy-Yesterday trope personified, but she did well here and her performance felt genuine enough that it didn't veer into what could have been Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory. Na In Woo was such a delight, though. He's relatively new on the scene but I have a good feeling about his career. He has great comedic timing and delivery, and DAMN, this man's look of yearning and despair is unparalleled. Every time he gazed at Seul Bi with tearful eyes my heart shuddered in my chest. He is very charismatic on screen and I'm looking forward to see what he does next, but his chemistry with Seohyun was strong and their love story delightfully adorable (until it got bogged down by plot devices).
If you're willing to skip through some slog later on, this one is a worthwhile escapist fantasy. Just keep your finger near the fast-forward button.
Did everything go off the rails around episode 10? Absolutely. Did I almost wish I had stopped watching around episode 6? Sort of. I think this drama would have greatly benefitted from shorter episode times, perhaps as a bite-sized webtoon a la Go's Starry Night. As it stands, with 16 full-hour episodes, it got draggy, repetitive and convoluted. It couldn't decide what genre it wanted to be. It felt a little like watching a TV show having an identity crisis. I was like, baby, what is you doin? It tried to go in depth with too many characters and thus many of the arcs fell totally flat or didn't feel properly resolved or earned. I had the feeling by the finale that a lot of the ending was revised during reshoots.
But, that being said, the first 6 or so episodes were UTTERLY divine. Syrupy, heart-swooping, butterfly-inducing romance that made me clutch my pillow like a teenager. Seohyun has never wowed me before, and this character is the Born-Sexy-Yesterday trope personified, but she did well here and her performance felt genuine enough that it didn't veer into what could have been Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory. Na In Woo was such a delight, though. He's relatively new on the scene but I have a good feeling about his career. He has great comedic timing and delivery, and DAMN, this man's look of yearning and despair is unparalleled. Every time he gazed at Seul Bi with tearful eyes my heart shuddered in my chest. He is very charismatic on screen and I'm looking forward to see what he does next, but his chemistry with Seohyun was strong and their love story delightfully adorable (until it got bogged down by plot devices).
If you're willing to skip through some slog later on, this one is a worthwhile escapist fantasy. Just keep your finger near the fast-forward button.
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