Witch 39;s Love Drama

[Siiri]

For an explanation of the phrase Hidden Koreaboo, please read my previous blog. For an explanation why this is Biased, please refer to this blog. There is also an expanded explanation of Biased Review here.

As the story progressed, we find out that Ji Yeon became the witch after she was stood up by her fianc, the famous war photographer Noh Shi Hoon (Han Jae Suk), on her wedding day. He simply did not show up, and she never heard a word for the past 10 years.

When Noh Shi Hoon finds out that Ji Yeon was torn between two lovers, he makes the choice for her. He decides to leave Ji Yeon and let Dong Ha have her. While most people probably are fine with this, this is the part that I was not happy about in the drama. It would have been better if she saw for herself who she really loved and made the choice. Then Shi Hoon can accept the decision and leave. (But this is only if it were up to me.)

The lesson of the blossom is that the dead flower has to be removed for the plant to bud again. In refusing to let go of the dead flower, he could not see the new blossom. The blossom actually represented his heart, and only when he learned to let go of his old love, represented by the dead blossom, can he ever experience fully how to love again, represented by the new blossom.

I decided on a whim to give Witch's Romance a go and I finished it in 4 days! (thank God for the business trips :))) )
I just finished reading your review as well and I have to say that I wasn't so strict with this one, like you were, for some reason. Maybe it's because it's my first drama after a long break, or maybe it's because I've learned how the whole adjusting the lens works. Who knows :)))?

Anyway, I must say that I quite enjoyed this one, despite not being a big fan of noona romances (maybe because I was raised thinking that older men are better, or just because I've dated younger and older and I just think that younger men are so immature), but I Hear Your Voice and Secret Love Affair were to awesome and I thought this one might be as well.

Now, there are a lot more things I liked, but I'll try commenting a bit on your review as well.
I think Ji Yeon's relationship with Na Rae went waaay back in highschool, which is why it was so easy for her to reconnect.

I don't think Dong Ha's dad changed much since appearing in the show. And now let me explain. It was Dong Ha who blamed his father for killing his girlfriend (forgot her name) and I think Dad just let him think that as a means to deal with his pain. Even Dong Ha admitted being wrong in believing that all this time. I think Dad just started making more appearences in Dong Ha's life because he saw an opportunity in reconciling with his son. It was abrupt, yes, but not completely unreal.

I will have to agree with you that Shi Hoon was only a necessary evil in the plot. Han Jae Sook's performance was at most ok (going for underwhelming and flat were also choices of words in describing his performance). The plot in his case had sooooo many holes. Too many if you ask me. But as you said, I'm glad he didn't take up too much of our screen time.
Now, as to Ji Yeon's choice, I understand it and it would have felt unnatural to choose Dong Ha in that situation. I think she would've only chosen Dong Ha then to spite Shi Hoon. And let me explain. She had a 10 year history with Shi Hoon and no closure whatsoever. When Shi Hoon appeared, the attraction between Ji Yeon and Dong Ha was obvious but that's where it stopped. No relationship, no I love you, no nothing. The only thing she would have to balance against those 10 years was Dong Ha's confession at the ladies' meeting, which she first thought of as a joke. So the choice, for me at least, was justified, I mean, she was still suffering after six years of absence. And I think Show did a good thing with Shi Hoon's appearance (as badly written as it was) because if she would've started a relationship with Dong Ha in those circumstances, her failed relationship would've probably hung over theirs. Like he had some kind of closure with the flower, she needed one as well.

If you're in the mood for fluffy cute rom-coms, then Princess' Man is SO not it!! ? You're definitely making the right choice to shelve it for now. Have you tried Marriage Not Dating? I liked it a lot, and if you're in the mood for some campy fun with a lot of heart, that could possibly hit the spot. Another rom-com I enjoyed a lot is Pinocchio. I haven't got a review on it on the site, but that's only because I'm backlogged on it. If you haven't checked it out, it's well worth a watch. It's not super fluffy, but it's well-written and has a lot of heart and sweet. Of course, if you're in the mood for nonsensical fluff, TW drama Just You might hit the spot too. I hope that helps, and that you're still having fun with your drama journey!!

I haven't tried Marriage Not Dating yet, but I do remember reading your review on it. If you think it feels my unicorns now, sure, I'll start with it right away (or right after Pinocchio anyway :))) )

You're right, not all secondary characters are interesting, and so often, writers reach for cookie-cutter types to fill the secondary roles. You might also want to check out She Was Pretty.. Not a noona romance, but Park Seo Joon stars.

Gosh in any case it's always a pleasure to read your review. Your writing style is so smooth and agreable to read! (and so detailed! you've seen and analysed so many little things compare to me) It makes me realise how much I still have to improve. You have the power to make me want to re re watch the drama everytime I read you!

Lol I was disappointed when winter came around in Chuno too, cineclique!! XD I mean, the shirtlessness in the earlier episodes is of such a glorious level that it leaves all other kdramas trailing in its abtastic dust! XD On my second watch, though, I had calmed down enough to realize that, yes, Jang Hyuk is wonderful and full of substance & nuance and HOT with or without his shirt! XD

To me, PSJ is the breakout noob of this year. He has so much potential and imho, he is already better than many of the other younglings, many of whom tend to be over hyped. That unmistakble warmth is so endearing. ?

A middle-aged woman is disliked by her coworkers due to her rude manners. When she's humiliated by them in public one day, a young man comes to her rescue and helps her save face. The two are thrown together in work and life, and are deeply attracted to each other despite their age difference.

Na-rae helps Ji-yeon clean her apartment and invites her to stay with her and her husband for a while, but Ji-yeon declines. Dong-ha barges in, upset that Ji-yeon has again gone off without telling him, after he instructed her to stay at his place.

Eun-chae dejectedly takes her flowers away, but Dong-ha stops her and asks for the flowers loudly and pointedly while shooting eye-daggers at Ji-yeon. He keeps glaring while making loud comments about how pretty the flowers are, obviously trying to teach Ji-yeon a lesson about being a nice person, but she just ignores him.

Eun-chae enters, dressed exactly like Ji-yeon (to support her) and Dong-ha again points out how very pretty she is, earning a glare from Ji-yeon. Eun-chae passes out snacks, but Ji-yeon leaves and orders Dong-ha to follow her (and he looks pretty happy to obey).

Thank you for the recap. I'm enjoying this, but can't help comparing it to My Queen, with Cheryl Yang and Ethan Ruan. It's probably better for the viewer not to see the original. I think MQ was a lot better (but too long and went a little crazy with the plot) and the age difference is too great in this drama. I decided to give this a good try, tho', since I'm a fan of UJH.

Yea, I agree that though My Queen is better, it dragged out too long at the end. I also feel that the age difference is too great in this drama. She's almost old enough to be his mother! Gasp! Nonetheless, seeing how the original script was pretty well written(for the first 10 episodes anyway), I am not surprised to find this drama enjoyable too.

I agree. Cheryl Yang in MQ looks younger and match well with Ethan Ruan better. The director should cast someone who looks younger. Ji-yeon had too much plastic surgery and it makes her looks older than 39 years old even though she looks pretty but she looks too much older than Yong Ha. This reminds me of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher age difference. Still I like this story line better because of the fast pace.

I wish I could be in the recappers' shoes since they haven't seen My Queen yet. That fresh perspective would be enough for me to enjoy this but alas. My Queen was amazing despite its flaws and this drama is really nothing compared to it.

Where Lollypip praised Uhm Jung-hwa, I can only criticize her simply because she turned Cheryl Yang's beloved Wu Shuang and made a mellower, softer, gentler, cuter version of it which completely lessens the impact of what the whole series was about. How can a witch be so cute?? She's supposed to be abrasive and justify her coworkers' aggravation towards her cutting attitude; not make them look unreasonable in their attempts to belittle her. She's supposed to be a seemingly impenetrable fortress of her own, not letting a "kid" take care of her finger wounds like the damsels in distress that she denounces. The whole point of My Queen was this woman who grew a tough outer shell after a heartbreak that fends off everyone except those who happened to glimpse the cracks in her armor and saw the soft underbelly. But if we already have a cute, practically harmless Ban Ji Yeon, then where's that storyline and character growth that delighted me so? Wu Shuang was truly THE Queen, exuding authority and power while reigning over puppy hearts. Ban Ji Yeon, unfortunately, does not justify her title of a witch. She's like a princess pretending half-heartedly to be one. Where's the fun in that?

Anyways, this will be my last ranty comparison between the two dramas. It's a little unfair to constantly be spoiling the mood for those who enjoy Witch's Romance so I will also give it a rest. ;) I just had to let this out of my system before I completely adjusted my expectations and feelings so I could join in the fun of squeeing over an OTP.

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