This review may contain spoilers
oof… where to begin. The premise of the show is borderline offensive. The scene where a guy pretending to be gay lectures, actual gay man on gay rights and coming out made me want to dig a hole and bury myself alive.It’s obviously a straight story, but they were pushing the “gay love line” so bad. The scenes between ML and SL were more romantic and shot in a more “typical for romance” way than the ones between the actual main couple. As if they wanted brownie points for being “progressive”, but they were not willing to actually give us a gay couple, just bait us with stuff like we had here.
So, let’s talk about the characters, because there is quite a lot to unpack.
Park Jin Sung is a disaster of a character. I love me some flawed ones, but he had no redeeming qualities. While I can empathize with his initial decision to join the pilot episode of the show to get money for his dad’s surgery, the fact he kept going with this lie later on was laughable. Why? His reasoning for not dropping the show was: it will hurt my crush. What was in the brain of that dude? He became so amazingly preachy, I wanted to teleport myself into a drama and slap him at least a few times. This whole mess happened, because he did not think about anyone else except what Ah Jin thought and felt. What’s even more frustrating? He didn’t really lose anything in the end. He got his happy ending and we didn't see that much backlash happen directed at him. None of the characters were even that angry with him. Karma ain’t real here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kim Ah Jin… well. I like to think there are two types of naive female leads - nice naive and dumb naive. She is the latter one. When people questioned her on the reasons for the “gay chef” show, she had no real answer. She said she wanted to show how gay people are normal and not different than others, but that’s dumb, since the main focus of the show and it’s promotion was that it’s a GAY chef as if this was the most important description of him as a human being. She had NO IDEA what she was producing. It shows when she gets so amazingly shocked about these 3 people protesting and asking for the cancellation of the show. “Their eyes were full of hatred” YES HONEY, THERE ARE HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE.
As someone who was willing to make a whole show focused on the fact your host is gay, you should do some research to know what you are getting yourself and said person into. So you can prepare. So when homophobes show up, no one needs to protect you and make you feel better. It’s you who should stand strong and defend your host and the program you are creating. Her whole character was so amazingly useless and no true development happened.
Luckily we were graced with Kang Tae Wan, the true star of the show. First, I want to say Lee Hak Joo is an amazing actor and I believed every line he delivered. When he was happy, I was giggling like an idiot, when he was sad I wanted to fight whomever made him sad. Thanks to that awesome performance I was able to engage in his part of the story more. I also appreciate that they avoided going with stereotypes and making the gay character “less manly” with over exaggerated movements, way of speaking and fashion. Tae Wan was none of that. I loved to watch his emotional journey and how he slowly learned how to smile and get close to people around him. I loved the closure he was given and his scene with the dad in the last episode.
The plot had so much potential and could have offered us so much, but for some strange reason they decided to not do it. Why did they give us the typical side couple? They could use that time to explore Park Jin Woo’s character more. Deliver more scenes of Park Jin Sung cooking while they film the show, with some nice messages and calming mood. Dive deep into the struggles of LGBT community. Let Jin Sung taste it a bit, so when he finds out Tae Wan is actually gay, it would truly hit him how much of a bullshit what he did was. Truth to be told, the whole 12 episodes felt like a beginning of the drama, just an introduction. What happened to the characters’ development? We only got Tae Wan opening to people a bit and Gyu Jang being slightly less of an asshole. That’s it.
Not to mention the random journalist which was used in the show two times, when the plot needed it. They should simply incorporate him more into the plot. Otherwise, him being so invested when we saw him only twice makes no sense. Then there is the last episode. They legit got the main couple to break up 20 minutes before the ending, then we jumped to the future and the last scene they met again… wow. hOw oRiGiNaL! In the last scene, I was hoping we will get all three main characters live their lives and move on, taking different paths and not seeing each other anymore. With that I would consider giving it 7.
That said, I might have disliked the story, but I truly liked the directing. How at times the camera focused on smaller details and not the faces of the actors as they were talking about emotional topics. Or when the screen turned to black as the important lines were delivered. This allowed me to truly focus on what was being said and how it was being said. How the whole drama was not overly produced and had this cozy feel to it. Not to mention that bop of ost. Need it all on my laptop asap.
Overall, I would truly not recommend watching. Sure, Tae Wan was amazing, but the amount of frustration I had to deal with as I was watching the rest of the characters was unimaginable. If you decide to watch it, don’t get invested in any character in hopes of seeing them improve and have some nice development - it ain’t gonna happen.
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Not Good Enough
" Sweet Munchies " was a frustrating drama.And that is mainly due to the two main characters that were annoying, each one in their own way. For the girl, she was way too naive, forgiving, and positive to be even considered cute. She was beyond redemption, as it was proven in the last episode and her reaction to the whole revelation. But, the most irritating was the chef. Sure, he had his reasons in the beginning for doing what he did, but he just kept lying, and acting selfishly throughout the whole drama. He was just unlikeable and he didn't make it easy to root for him. The second lead, however, did have a solid character and story and the actor did an amazing job with his expressions and emotions. As for the rest of the cast, they were there when they were needed, but hardly explored.
And now, time for the story. The main idea was ridiculous to begin with. There was no real reason why the show had to have a gay chef other than prompt the story. The reactions and actions of the characters were ridiculous as well and unreasonable really.
And, finally, the ending. The drama kind of wrapped things up for the three main characters, but left the rest out. Not to mention that everyone suffered the consequences of the chef's decision expect from him.
So, overall, three out of ten.
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this wasn't sweet at all. hella salty.
the title sounds cutesy so why? what was the point of this drama? why would you make me want to eject myself into the sun? i'm a masochist but gosh darn it this was so frustrating to watch.this is just another straight drama with frustrating main leads.
i don't see anything extraordinary about the fl and it honestly makes me question why she's the fl.... the scene of her not being able to back herself up when facing those homophobes demanding her program to be cancelled..... for once i wanted her to have some courage to stand up and tell them why she made her program and that there's absolutely no reason for her program to be cancelled
when things were going haywire with her program and her boss quit, she was asking "who will help me with this?" like ????
the ml was so annoying ohmygod... i get that at the beginning he was desperate for money because of his dad needing surgery but then he continued burying himself with lies after another which made him a very selfish character
a straight dude pretending to be gay then leading a gay dude???? and y'know who he thinks about? the fl !!!
this guy straight up talks to kang tae wan about how he might hurt ah jin if he told the truth but hasn't he thought about how it hurts kang tae wan? how he misled everyone to believe he's gay? how there are actual gay people having difficult time to come out???? he was receiving all sorts of support but he didn't do anything.... he waited for shit to hit the fan.... how irresponsible can one be???
kang tae wan is the only character that was decently written
it's honestly a shame that this character has limited screen time because i could care less about anyone else lol
in conclusion, i'm in the process of lowering my expectations
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★★ Lee Hak Joo is the saving grace for this show and the only reason why I finished it.
Where to start with this hot mess. There is nothing sweet about this drama.PROS
• Lee Hak Joo
• Jung Il Woo's cooking skills
• there are some delicious dishes made throughout the show
• only 12 episodes and not any more
Park Jin Sung and Kim Ah Jin are two horrible, oblivious people who deserve each other. And Kang Tae Wan and Park Jin Woo deserved much better.
The soundtrack was not memorable as I can't remember a single song or melody. What was memorable was the storyline, the characters and the writing..
The storyline was all over the place and the parts that did make sense suffered from a lack of focus. What this drama was supposed to be about is hard to say: the ins and outs of getting a show on TV; how difficult it is for contract workers to get recognition; that it's okay to use homosexuality is a gimmick to sell a show; that's it's okay to pretend to be gay, deceive everyone and lie for money? Honestly, I thought it was supposed to be about a chef who touched his customer's lives through his little bistro by listening to their troubles and serving them the best food based off their drink selection.
The writing was poor; so, I'm unsure if it is a case of Kang Ji Young being miscast--as this is the first thing I've seen her in, or just poor acting. As it's my first time seeing her, I'll cut her some slack as Jung Il Woo did the best he could with what he was given and this was not his best, by far. What was most problematic for me was Park Jin Sung and Kim Ah Jin's lack of character growth and lacking consequences for their actions.
As I write this, I wonder if production was cut short because of COVID and what was supposed to be 16 episodes was condensed into 12, resulting in rushed writing and a quick-fix ending where things magically resolve themselves, no harm no foul. However, maybe 16 episodes would have prolonged the pain and we should be thankful it's only 12--thank goodness!
STARS
★ One for Lee Hak Joo
★ One for Jung Il Woo cooking
Watch if you like Lee Hak Joo. Watch if you haven't see anything of Lee Hak Joo's. Watch if you want to see Jung Il Woo show off some cooking skills.
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Not what I expected
Likes:1. Jung Ilwoo playing a chef. He looked so good during all the cooking scenes that i can watch him cook for the entire 12 episodes even without a plot.
2. The food looked so good. The advices and lessons spoken by Jinsung and the 2 seniors were really comforting, even to me.
3. The wonderful performance of Lee Hakjoo as Kang Taewan. I loved his longing stares, cried for him when his heart broke, and cheered him on when he finally took courage to come out, to JS and to his father.
4. The electric chemistry between Kang Taewan and Jinsung from the very first episode when they bumped into each other all the way to their bittersweet ending.
5. The ending didnt go too extreme and kept the mellow pace. Not everyone came out happy but thats the point of the story. When something bad happens, we can cry, but we also get back up, and move forward. and there's always a new beginning and a chance to be better.
Dislikes:
1. That i actually liked the Taewan-Jinsung couple more than the Ajin-Jinsung is why i feel the show failed for me. I liked Ajin as friend of Jinsung but not as a girlfriend.
2. The whole premise of the show was pretty bad. A guy pretending to be gay on tv was good start, but then he kept on lying and everyone was dumb enough not to notice was unbelieveable. Even people not realizing Taewan is gay is also unbelieveable to me.
3. That Ajin was bullied by that annoying Gyu Jang, and the lady head director was so evil at the start, forcing Ajin to find a gay chef within a day, and even dangling a permanent position just to get ahead. Her only saving factor was taking responsibility for her actions and for the team.
3. I was expecting a show within a show type of drama where we get to see a lot of cooking and episodic guests but the story mostly happened offcam.
4. That Jinwoo and his dad had very few scenes esp towards the end. We didnt even get to see Jinsung talk to his family after he did the interview!
Rating: 6/10
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Disappointed but not surprised
Starting this drama you should know clearly to not put high hope and to know the character that will get hurt the most.. story simply about chif who lie and say he is gay to get money from appearing in TV show. but they took this and go down hell, it start well with how they met and why he have to lie this big lie and the met between Jin sung and tae won aka best character) and i loved loved the way the focus on food and film the dishes beautifully but then as the story go they even stop doing that. and the drama go on big boring mess like love triangle while the lead still lying to everyone.Acting was okay from male leads but the female was lost some times can find the right expression but not bad her hair annoy me.
music was good level
i usually didn't spoil but this one get me angry so i want to talk freely
in the start i liked JinSung character i can see his charm but as time go it turned to big fake character i hated it , he is so selfish, coward and stupid.. you lied to everyone just for one girl to be happy how childish is this, my crash will cry if she didn't make her program so okay lets lie and end her career, he don't have brain?!! how can you be stupid like that?? coward >> i waited him to say the truth all the show but he was so coward to say one word when he have 100 chance. selfish >> he try to stop his brother from starting his career because he was afraid to be caught. and if he didn't get caught he would still lie or run away he want to run away in the end.
I don't have a feeling to Ah Jin from the start she was like side character i don't see her charm and think she is stupid like how you believe he is gay after he kiss you? and the final make me see she have no character too lmao. He end her career but she go to him to see 'OMG you did that for me' what the F and don't want him to face any backlash and then the drama show people who comment badly as the bad people while they are in fault if that happen in real i would totally swear on them... should i see that as happy ending and what company will took someone like her again lets be real.
Tae Won was the best thing in this drama i think everyone watch will love him the most. and it angry me that JinSung use him until the end... he is so lovely from the start to the end
i don't give 6.5 to any drama in 2020 i think !! maybe 1? i hope Jung Il Woo come back with better drama because i love him, same go to Lee HakJoo.
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This is maximum underrated!
I really can't understand why everyone is so upset with Jung Il Woo's character. I mean, it's not like he feels good about, who he acts to be.Aside to the well-done story, I'm totally in love with the cast. I love Jung Il Woo only since Cinderella and the Four Knights, but he's already one of the most sympathetic actors for me. Also unsympathetic actors did a very good job in Sweet Munchies. Respect!
When it comes to the OST's... Maybe this is the best part of this drama. Every emotional moment, felt even more emotionally, thanks to these amazing soundtracks.
So, if you ask me: I totally recommend this to you! I hope you'll enjoy this drama the same way, I did.
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LITTLE CONFUSED, BUT IT'S GOT THE SPIRIT
PLOTWatch it if you like mediocre romantic comedies with good editing, scenography and actors, cute relationships and interactions. Downside is that main character is really annoying all the time except for when it comes to his amazing cooking skills.
The drama does contribute to the overall conversation about gay representation, it's not the main focus of the story but it's there and it's good.
Contrary to that it's a shame that while the main conflict revolves around being gay the main characters' viewpoints are from a painfully straight perspective. The stupidity of the main couple's unpleasant and bad situation overshadows all the efforts the drama makes to show the struggles gay people are experiencing.
Overall I think it's fun to watch to pass time but I hate the fact that yet again producers couldn't dare to do the gay love interest properly and made struggles of being gay a side plot in a straight love story.
First half legit felt like a wattpad BL. One of those extremely cringe stories that you binge, it's interesting, you ship the fuck out of everything and it makes you read more but also really annoying. So if you enjoy that with big doses of cringe like me I'd gladly tell you to watch but again for the comic relief, not if you're expecting any gay action. If you're here only here for the gay character, it's maybe not for you because most parts are annoying or sad and there is no real gay romance going on.
CAST
I think all the actors did a great job, especially Lee Hak Joo and I think all of the characters' flaws are due to some bad writing.
MUSIC
I absolutely loved what songs and beats they chose, the soundtrack does feel fresh and modern which is what they were going for I suppose. Some songs are memorable and really cute
As for rewatch value, I really don't rewatch anything ever but I think it wouldn't be too bad to rewatch it because
1)cringe moments would be equally as cringe if not worse the second time (I really enjoy all cringey scenes that keep you on edge) and
2)the cast and scenes and music are all cute super cute no matter the bad plot parts
+++Analysis and rants ahead, all basically spoilers+++
When I first decided to watch it, it was because of the chef who guesses what dishes you like plot (which was sadly just a magical thing he could do? without any explanation? i still love that part tho) and I expected that love triangle would be two straight guys and a girl. I was really pleasantly surprised to see there will be a gay character and I thought MC will be this really cool lovable bi dude (please someone make this. Or even better, make a lesbian-bi girl-straight guy love triangle without the 'I won't lose you to a man' lesbian insecurity thing.) but nooo he just had to be really really straight.
As other comments said romantic scenes with the two of them were shot to be better than jinsung and ajin romance and every and each one of them was infuriating because after few episodes of hoping MC will magically fall in love with the designer, it became obvious he absolutely won't and how painfully oblivious he is. First I didn't realise the designer was closeted so it later made a little more sense why MC did not catch onto him being gay but even then him being oblivious and jumping to wrong conclusions that much was excessively pushed by the writers. And when it comes to jinsung-ajin scenes I thought they were cute but also kind of a plot hole-jinsung knew he was supposed to pretend he's gay, especially around her and HE LET GO AND LET HIS EMOTIONS SHOW so fucking much-it doesn't make sense that both of them acted so stupid and pretended they are not legit flirting all the time. Thank gods later Ajin caught on to everything mostly by replaying all the things that happened between them but it was pretty late to suddenly become smart. The only excuse for this would be they were blind because they were in love and they were insecure but that doesn't make them any less slow and stupid.
I know people have problem with the variety show concept itself being homophobic and I think that was done on purpose because in the beginning the gay character calls it out himself. Ajin wanted that concept because 'gay man would be able to look at things more objectively' which is obviously prejudice and bullshit, and as far as I can tell the other reasons could be that she knew a show like that would sell considering 'women want a gay best friend' and it just seemed fresh and progressive to her. So her intentions weren't bad from her perspective but yes it was a wrong thing to do in the first place and the kdrama itself points this out a few times-Taewan called her out on it right away and obviously-there were no gay chefs who would actually do such stupid show (except that one guy who I assume also wanted to do it for the money maybe?). Also the fact that it was a borderline homophobic idea for a show is what made MC be the only one who is willing to do it-it contributes to the plot.
Jinwoo is really sane and I love him for actually representing what gay people think of shows and dramas like this. I do dislike the feminized fashion icon gay character trope but I think it worked really good with him, it was really cute, and his relationship with family is explained great and I think he is a good whole character. It's sad that we didn't get more of him.
Jinsung is in some parts victimized to the point you forget and/or forgive him for the wrong things he did and it throws me off a little.
I agree that character development was shitty (even this colleague guy who suddenly became nice to everyone-it's really bad) and I think Taewan deserved more.
People getting motivated to be proud of who they are because of the fake gay host is a nice thing that happened, but I think the kdrama failed to really show how easy was for MC to say everyone can be who they are and he is okay with being openly gay because not only was he supportive and accepting of his gay brother but also was their father. He never experienced homophobia except in that one scene in his restaurant which was added to portray homophobia and what gay people in Korea actually experience. However I think it was too weak, as well as taewan's you have to get married parent trope, brief flashback where Taewan's classmate is being bullied(?). People screaming in front of the company building was spot on.
One more thing that terribly bugs me-the gay character and MC really ended up hurt from the whole situation with each other while the main couple ONLY HAD A REALLY STUPID LIE AND THEIR STUPIDITY KEEPING THEM FROM EACH OTHER and the conflict is shallower.
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Too much prejudices and a wasted potential good storyline
The first episodes were understandable : they were creating the plot, the atmosphere and so on. They were really good, captivating. But there were too much prejudices about gay people, even by people who think they were open-minded (just listen to what the main female lead said...). And after these few episodes, the story line was completely messed up.I mean, the whole thing was about the heterosexual romance, there were just a few moments with "potential gay love". I think the drama could be better if they really developed the plot around the lie of being gay : Park would maybe developed feelings for Kang ; I'm not saying that they should end up as a couple, I'm just saying that the main plot wasn't even developed... Just too focused on heterosexual romance and it was way disapointing. I really regreted to watch it until the end, I really should have dropped it when I saw there were not really a real thing about gay romance/feelings.
What's more... The actual heterosexual romance was a big mess. The girl was a regular at the bistro but Park never had thought too much of her or anything. He even never asked for her name until she brags about her job. And since then, he started to have a crush on her ? The thing that was really stupid too, it's making Park always talk about her, like when he buys food in the beach or when he chooses something. It's really stupid cuz the character never hides the fact that he has a crush on her, it's too much clear.
The acting was okay, Kang was a really great actor, I really was feeling his character. The OST were really good too, to be honest, the main theme was really enjoyable and I really like to listen to it.
I rate it 5/10 cuz I enjoyed the first episodes and the acting of Kang and some moments of this drama, but I will never rewatch it ; but I have to at least put 1 to the rewatch value, I can't put 0, it makes an error pop-up. Also, I don't really recommend it.
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This drama isn't right!
Wtf this drama is a mess! My first time writing a review here bcs this infuriates me!I only had the chance to watch this now, but damn this isn't right. They're pushing the gay story so much it's not even supposed to be like this at all. The fact that jinsung's brother is gay and had to hide bcs of his brother who is faking his gay identity got me mad. I mean, what did he do to suffer? Jinsung is really self-centered. And the fact that taehwan didn't even confess even though he had so many chances ugh! What is wrong with him?
In conclusion, i couldn't exactly say that i regret watching (i actually kinda do), but this drama isn't supposed to be aired in tne first place. Nothing's right here. I only stayed bcs of the taehwan-jinsung bit. But the story had to hurt me so bad. I wish taehwan could just be friends with jinwoo instead and be happy. At least they understand each other the most.
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A well told story impeccably acted, beautifully directed and with unusually good cinematography
Tackling the difficult subject of gays in Korea, Sweet Munchies starts with the unusual premise of a talented chef (Jung Il-Woo) pretending to be gay to earn the money he needs for his father's medical bills and to keep his restaurant. When a young contract PD (Kang Ji-Young), a regular customer at his bistro, says she needs a gay chef, the chef agrees thinking it would be a one time way to earn money. His affection for the PD leads him to continue when the show is successful, leading to several misunderstandings which are given their full due as all the characters explore their own identities and in the end their reaction when all is revealed. The acting is stellar and enhanced by the use of beautifully filmed closeups that linger on the actors' expressions. The soundtrack fits perfectly with the rhythm of the drama and its unfolding of the story. When the Chef and the PD have their kiss, the sounds of distant jazz make this powerful and passionate moment even more memorable. So are the moments of long silence. My guess is that this drama will reveal even more on repeated viewing. Bravo to the cast, writer, director, and cameramen.Was this review helpful to you?
Meh Munchies
The premise sounded just like another queer-bait story, but i gave it a chance. This could have been so great. If anything you should watch it for Lee Hak-joo, he did a bloody good job of portraying Kang Tae won and carried the show. This had a lot of potential and I can tell it is coming from a good place, however it still falls short...wasted opportunity for lgbtq representation tbh. It is visually stunning and overall It’s a cute story with problematic aspects but watchable in that regard. It low-key feels like they were tip toeing or walking on eggshells to tell the story. The ML character was not written in in a way you could empathize with or root for. His relationship with the FL producer was not believable either and the love triangle aspect was not any better(I would have loved if the twist was that the ML was actually gay pretending to straight but actually gay or something). I applaud how they handled Kang Tae won's character development, literally the saving grace of the show .Was this review helpful to you?
