nfabjoy
Somewhere in Africa
One of the best OTPs you will ever see
As are all my drama watching forays - I watch dramas purely because of the synopsis and try my very harderst to not let hype , acclaimed actors etc influence my drama watching however I do admit that my intentions with this drama were not as “pure” in that respect. Why do I say that? Mainly because once upon a time I picked up this drama and watched the first 5 minutes and immediately dropped it after those 5 mins and declared myself not to be in the mood to watch OMV.
Fast forward months later and I hypocritically declared myself in the mood because , *ahem* I wanted to see the fuss about So JiSub nation and this particular drama of his was readily available at my disposal. Sigh.
Now for the review.
These were my first impressions : The title is tacky , plot is unoriginal albeit cliche and my senses were telling me that this was going to be a shallow drama. Perhaps ,in hindsight ,that’s why I initially dropped it. However ,I stand very corrected. All those first impressions actually all have a deeper more profound reasoning over the course of the show which was a gift that kept on giving .
Admittedly slow start but after three episodes: I was fully sold . By the fourth episode I was giddy . I’m fully in Oh My Venus universe . I want to work out , start watching UFC fighting and wear some hoodies with the hood on a la John Kim . Heck , I wanted to sign up for a fitness program and eating plan beacause this show had me feeling got damn HEALTHY !
Moreover there’s chaebol elements ! And I’m a sucker for a chaebol trope.So already 10 out 10 in all facets because this show is undeniably fun. Its actually one of my few binge watches and I don’t binge. So fun is definitely a 10 out of 10 in my book.
So why does the story score a 7 you may ask ? It was ambitious and didn’t follow through. It does look like the writers themselves were trying their hardest to not be cliche and not emphasise the whole losing weight to get back at an ex and that’s fine because this drama was all about self confidence and that being “healthy is sexy”. And they did nail that but in nailing that ,some subsidiary stories were not so fluid . One point gone.In fact they were flat and dragged along a perfectly sound story line and momentum accentuated by the two main leads. It ruined the show in the end because the story got side tracked and then affected the overall ending in my opinion. 2 points now gone.They did so much on the side for the others - that they also added too much salt in the end for the OTP story line. Moreover , continuity factor was not as strong as premised and the editing was a bit suspect especially towards the end specifically after episode 14.To then fully remove 3 points from the 10 out of 10 it had - the plot holes were glaring and plot resolution was curious.One curious example that’s not too much of a spoiler but can illustrate what I mean is when Korean Snake is being pursued by Jan ji In that bordered on harassment and sexual assault but on the juxtaposition , the main character Kang Ju Eun had a stalker issue that was quite serious. I would never have expected more of this show but they offered more and didn’t execute.
But on the flip side - the show touched on some serious important issues like domestic abuse , depression and family. And a big major plus and why it has a solid 7points is because the two romantic leads storyline was absolutely majestic. Such a mature , realistic , communicative and awesome couple. None of that miscommunication and statue kisses polluting KDrama land but super realistic romantic scenes that left me so impressed. The light and fluff of the two was superbly done and their progress was so believable .Plus it’s a very honest relationship , no secrets so no baggage on the viewers on having the onus of knowing a truth and all that dramaland drama.A Seriously perfect OTP of all dramaverse.
As for the acting -SPELL BOUND. Literally - I was bewitched by Shi Min Na and So Ji Sub’s portrayals of their characters . In fact everyone was perfect though they were given inconsistent plot hole glaring storylines. Loved the chemistry between the male friends / housemates and special mention to Jin Kyeong who acted perennially sad , Choi Jin Ho for being the perfect stand in guardian of the chaebol and Jo Eun - Jin for being the best best friend. By the by - where is So Ji Sub nation and where can I apply for citeznship because yesssssss I sooooo get it and I want in. So Ji Sub dramas here we go!!
Music was okay . My favorite song was Tei’s I’ll Be There . I liked the instrumentals too and the Beautiful Lady song was perfectly inserted. I would listen to the songs whilst watching those YouTube fan videos but I genuinely liked like one song.
As for rewatch value - I would probably watch from episodes 6 to 14 on a serious fast forward tip because I would want to see the OTP. I did not particularly care for the last episode to be honest as it was badly edited and just a time filler. Episode 14 felt like a finale in my opinion ...but whatever - the overall overarching storyline is the main focus and that’s what matters. Plus So Ji Sub is the rewatch value ! Swoon.
As for the overall - I give a solid 8. I LOVED watching this show and actually binge watched ( I don’t binge watch by the way) and I think that counts for something in my book. It had one of the best proposal scene I have seen in dramaland and a really moving love declaration scenes. The romantic motifs were soooooo good. And I would really watch any of Shi Min Na and So Ji Sub’s dramas because they were so spectacular in this. I won’t lie that it’s problematic but It’s a great watch and the overarching storyline is really good . Go for it.
Fast forward months later and I hypocritically declared myself in the mood because , *ahem* I wanted to see the fuss about So JiSub nation and this particular drama of his was readily available at my disposal. Sigh.
Now for the review.
These were my first impressions : The title is tacky , plot is unoriginal albeit cliche and my senses were telling me that this was going to be a shallow drama. Perhaps ,in hindsight ,that’s why I initially dropped it. However ,I stand very corrected. All those first impressions actually all have a deeper more profound reasoning over the course of the show which was a gift that kept on giving .
Admittedly slow start but after three episodes: I was fully sold . By the fourth episode I was giddy . I’m fully in Oh My Venus universe . I want to work out , start watching UFC fighting and wear some hoodies with the hood on a la John Kim . Heck , I wanted to sign up for a fitness program and eating plan beacause this show had me feeling got damn HEALTHY !
Moreover there’s chaebol elements ! And I’m a sucker for a chaebol trope.So already 10 out 10 in all facets because this show is undeniably fun. Its actually one of my few binge watches and I don’t binge. So fun is definitely a 10 out of 10 in my book.
So why does the story score a 7 you may ask ? It was ambitious and didn’t follow through. It does look like the writers themselves were trying their hardest to not be cliche and not emphasise the whole losing weight to get back at an ex and that’s fine because this drama was all about self confidence and that being “healthy is sexy”. And they did nail that but in nailing that ,some subsidiary stories were not so fluid . One point gone.In fact they were flat and dragged along a perfectly sound story line and momentum accentuated by the two main leads. It ruined the show in the end because the story got side tracked and then affected the overall ending in my opinion. 2 points now gone.They did so much on the side for the others - that they also added too much salt in the end for the OTP story line. Moreover , continuity factor was not as strong as premised and the editing was a bit suspect especially towards the end specifically after episode 14.To then fully remove 3 points from the 10 out of 10 it had - the plot holes were glaring and plot resolution was curious.One curious example that’s not too much of a spoiler but can illustrate what I mean is when Korean Snake is being pursued by Jan ji In that bordered on harassment and sexual assault but on the juxtaposition , the main character Kang Ju Eun had a stalker issue that was quite serious. I would never have expected more of this show but they offered more and didn’t execute.
But on the flip side - the show touched on some serious important issues like domestic abuse , depression and family. And a big major plus and why it has a solid 7points is because the two romantic leads storyline was absolutely majestic. Such a mature , realistic , communicative and awesome couple. None of that miscommunication and statue kisses polluting KDrama land but super realistic romantic scenes that left me so impressed. The light and fluff of the two was superbly done and their progress was so believable .Plus it’s a very honest relationship , no secrets so no baggage on the viewers on having the onus of knowing a truth and all that dramaland drama.A Seriously perfect OTP of all dramaverse.
As for the acting -SPELL BOUND. Literally - I was bewitched by Shi Min Na and So Ji Sub’s portrayals of their characters . In fact everyone was perfect though they were given inconsistent plot hole glaring storylines. Loved the chemistry between the male friends / housemates and special mention to Jin Kyeong who acted perennially sad , Choi Jin Ho for being the perfect stand in guardian of the chaebol and Jo Eun - Jin for being the best best friend. By the by - where is So Ji Sub nation and where can I apply for citeznship because yesssssss I sooooo get it and I want in. So Ji Sub dramas here we go!!
Music was okay . My favorite song was Tei’s I’ll Be There . I liked the instrumentals too and the Beautiful Lady song was perfectly inserted. I would listen to the songs whilst watching those YouTube fan videos but I genuinely liked like one song.
As for rewatch value - I would probably watch from episodes 6 to 14 on a serious fast forward tip because I would want to see the OTP. I did not particularly care for the last episode to be honest as it was badly edited and just a time filler. Episode 14 felt like a finale in my opinion ...but whatever - the overall overarching storyline is the main focus and that’s what matters. Plus So Ji Sub is the rewatch value ! Swoon.
As for the overall - I give a solid 8. I LOVED watching this show and actually binge watched ( I don’t binge watch by the way) and I think that counts for something in my book. It had one of the best proposal scene I have seen in dramaland and a really moving love declaration scenes. The romantic motifs were soooooo good. And I would really watch any of Shi Min Na and So Ji Sub’s dramas because they were so spectacular in this. I won’t lie that it’s problematic but It’s a great watch and the overarching storyline is really good . Go for it.
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