DO NOT GO INTO THIS DRAMA WITH EXPECTATIONS
I have a lot to say so let's get into this.This drama alone is a breath of fresh air, It's a nice refreshing show to get your head out of intense thriller dramas. HOWEVER the reason I feel a bit disappointed with this drama is because of the expectations I had on it, after hearing everybody talk about how this drama is perfect I set expectations that ended up allowing me to come out of this drama disappointed. THIS DRAMA IS NOT EVERYONE's CUP OF TEA, as much as people promote it that way it really isn't, some parts can be slow in this drama, and often times I found myself considering dropping it. I'M SO GLAD I DIDN'T BECAUSE I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH. I believe the reason this drama has so much hype surrounding it is that I feel like this drama is perfect to watch while it was airing, it in fact isn't a drama to really binge it's a drama that you should watch episode or two a day just to really enjoy.
I honestly was going to score this drama at a 7 but the ending really picked it up for me. To those who are checking the reviews wondering if the drama gets better, YES it does especially towards the end and it is WORTH IT.
Do I recommend this drama? ABSOLUTELY. For anyone who wants something refreshing to watch without any major intense twists, this is perfect.
I LOVED THE ML LEAD AN FL SO MUCH and the rest of the characters now have a special place in my heart. I'm going to miss this drama :')
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The story may not be big but it seems to be enough there that the story never drags it’s legs or or goes into endless circles with the plot. It spends a good time with all the characters and the introspection of those characters that takes place within the drama.
Hometown Cha Cha Cha strikes a pretty good balance between having a story that is constantly moving forward while also capturing this mundane life and the quiet moments as we follow all of these different characters and their lives in this small community where everyone knows everyone.
All the characters we meet on our way through the story are interesting and it’s fun to watch them and their impact on each other’s lives. Everyone has their own burdens and baggage’s in life that the drama manages to explore quite well. Watching people’s walls break down over time and people face their demons without it ever dragging too long or being too dramatic.
We get to see the different sides of most of all the characters and how complex and human they are. Each episode of the drama is more than an hour long, which I usually do moan about, but here I hardly felt it. Because I enjoyed the time with the characters so much.
There is almost this subdued suspense that is there all the way through the story. It never get’s too big, too dramatic or too ahead of itself. It captures this feeling that life can be messy but it’s also just a series of moments that pass and fade over time really well. Some moments are wonderful, warm and calm but some cruel and sad. But life still goes on somehow. The message of the story and the story itself is not much bigger than that, but it works really well.
So much of the romance, but also just the friendship that is going on, is just about the individual’s personal boundaries and the communication between them. Everything about how the romance was built radiated comfort and warmth in my opinion, which I found really sweet and just pleasant to watch. Like everything about the drama was. Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho, as well as all the other actors, fill their characters with life and emotions.
There is also a really good balance between the love stories within the drama and the other stories that deal more with people’s personal lives and their position in life. The love story will never be too sappy, which would not suit this type of story, but rather it seem more human and sensible. Even if misunderstandings occur it is quickly worked out and one can understands the reason why the character act a certain way because they story has worked for it. These people are complex and you get to see them from many angles.
The love story is still a very big part of the story; both when it comes to the main characters and the supporting characters. But even though the story is about them falling in love, it is also so much about these characters learning to love themselves as well as the other characters around them. But the drama also deals with loads of different themes such as loneliness in old age, divorce, there is a lgbt character, and many other things that crop up as we go through the lives of the characters of this small town as this is ultimately a story about the community.
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My favorite kdrama of all time
The story is simple and beautiful. It is about our ordinary life. People now leave their hometown; go and work in coty leaving old people behind. This one shows you how beautiful simple life is. There are always reasons behind each story; something for you to look forwatd too while enjoy those simple stories. The casts are amzing; not only just the main actor and actress; everyone makes each role outstanding and charming in their won way. Soundtracks are wonderful. Some make you laugh while some make you cry while listen to them Recommended to all.Was this review helpful to you?
A Refreshing and Realistic and Remarkable story!
Ever since the start of 2021, there have been an overwhelming amount of kdramas released with the mystery, thriller, psychological genre, so HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA was like a breath of fresh air.The main thing that made this drama worthwhile was the perfect casting of our leads, the whole Gongjin family and of course, the Gongjin village itself! The way they captured the beautiful and mesmerizing sceneries, it will make anyone crave to live there, even if it's for a while.
Next comes our remarkable characters. Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min Ah showed one of the most adorable chemistry, and it was beautiful seeing how their whole journey towards finding and falling for each other evolved in front of our eyes.
The spectacular acting by our cast made this drama worth watching. Kim Seon Ho's famous "eye-acting" was present here too, and made us all cry along and suffer with him, then comes our Gamri Halmeoni who reminded us of our own lovable grandmothers. Moreover, the side stories of our Gongjin residents - Namsook, Hwajeong, Cho Hui, Oh Yoon, the bromance between Dusik and Ji pd was very perfectly executed. The child actors playing Ijun, Bora were exceptional too.
All in all, this drama showed us the perfect bonding and love between people who are not related by blood, but at the end of the day, they are like a huge, loving family, who will do anything and everything for each other.
WHAT AN ENJOYABLE RIDE IT WAS!
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This was it
The very first show that made me fall in love with k-dramas, you're not only fall in love with the story but you actually feel for the characters and that is good acting. I've spent most of my life watching horror movies, the show really made me decide to give other genres a chance amazing plus it helps that the main role is gorgeous 🤔🖤 I mean that never hurts right. But seriously if only life was really like this I guess that's what really got me into this it's every girl's fantasy. If you haven't watched it give it a chance.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Do you that feeling wen you have been waiting to watch a drama for so long and then you finally do watch it and it doesn't disappoint you?? The best feeling in the world. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha actually was a very gentle and soft drama. I think these two words describe the drama perfectly. The male lead was so caring, never getting angry and so cute. It wasn't a cliché where the male lead was over-bearing and rich. his role was so down-to-earth. I am so glad that even in the end they didn't show him becoming rich or going back to his old life. It was a life lesson to be learnt.
The female lead's character was also great. At first I thought she wasn't so nice but I realised her character portrayed a realistic life. You don't always get along with everyone in life. She was honest and voiced her opinions bravely. She managed to become family with everyone else at least.
One thing that annoyed me was when the main leads became a couple, Yoon Hye Jin's character suddenly got a little cringe. Yes I get that people in love go all sweet and lovey-dovey but I found that her acting was too over the top.
Also, I didn't like the fact that she kept on forcing Chief Hong to open up to her. I get that they are together and must share everything but in my opinion, everyone has their own insecurities and secrets they don't wish to easily share. That's something they should have respected. Her telling him once or twice to open up was fine but then it got irritating when she literally forced him.
All-in-all, it was a great drama and one I will never forget. I totally loved it!
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A Good Slice of Life Drama
Hometown cha cha cha ended with a really good note but overall if you look back there were some dragging situations, 16 epi with 1h 20 min duration per Episode is too much i felt. But anyway a drama which filled with so many emotional scenarios and visually beautiful and heartwarming is really interesting to watch.The way it started was really increased my expectations. Its definitely not something we see for the first time. It's full of clichés but if those cliché emotions has the ability to communicate with us is enough to label it as a good slice of life drama . If you are a ragular drama watcher you may feel little tired of some scenes, for me it's some romantic situations, especially Shin Min a acting, she looks really weird in some Episodes. its looks so artificial.
In the middle they dragged it like crazy, some unwanted love triangle caught in the center for a moment i thought of dropping this show. Because some dramas will take that it to the end, but thankfully it was ok after some point. Another interesting factor was the relationship of people of Gongjin and their bonding..❤️ it was lovely, their stories and those emotional moments everything was so good to see.
The unfold mystery and that flashbacks everything related to that was also so touching.. The best episode probably will be E15, that single episode changed the entire mood of the drama, excellent. Finale Episode also took its time which was unnecessary but the happy faces of Gongjin make it really good.
Hometown cha cha cha is a very good slice of life romantic drama experience.. its really a heartwarming slice of life show. I don't know why i feel that it would be a much better drama if they reduce the episode duration or numbers. Anyway if you love these kind of plots you must try this.
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Winning Formula
This series uses a winning formula that's been done several times before because it works. Hometown Cha Cha Cha has a dentist forced to set up her practice in a small coastal town in the rural countryside of Korea where she meets many quirky local characters and finds romance.In an American series - Northern Exposure (1990 - 1995) - a very New York very Jewish young doctor is forced to set up his practice in a remote Alaskan town where he meets many quirky local characters and finds romance.
In a British series - Doc Martin (2004 - 2022) - a very quirky surgeon from London develops a phobia with blood so he's forced to move to a coastal village in Wales where he meets many quirky local characters and has a lot of trouble finding romance.
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I knew how the end of the story will be and the thing that was important to me was the process of the story.
Let me tell you that I enjoyed the chemistry between Kim Seon ho and Shin Min Ah.
Also the cast of this drama, made me feel good and the truth about this drama is that was not just a comedy-romance drama, but it tried to give us some lessons about life.
Of course, as always I exprienced second lead syndrome; but I can stand it because it wasn't as painful as Han Ji Pyung :)
Let's be honest another time, I liked this drama and I'm happy that I gave it a chance.
I wish the best for my Flower Boy, KIM SEON HO <3
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A mature, healthy romance to keep you hooked from start to finish
While waiting for new episodes of King the Land I just picked something from my list on Netflix to watch inbetween, and the summary of this one looked interesting, even though it doesn't seem to be as highly hyped and promoted as some of the other K-dramas on Netflix. Don't let that discourage you from watching this. This is definitely a shiny jewel among k-dramas. I've been binging it now over the last week. It has just the right amount of drama and intrigue without most of the toxic/cliché tropes that are so common in kdramas, with a healthy sort of love triangle and a realistic relationship between mature adults. The acting feels natural and genuine, especially between the two main lead actors.I was absolutely gobsmacked by Kim Seon-ho's performance in this. First drama I've seen him in and yet I'm willing to say he's one of the best Korean actors I've ever seen (and I say that with about 15 years and hundreds of dramas under my belt). I'm sad I haven't discovered him sooner, but now I'll have to catch up one some other of his work.
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Phenomenal acting saved this drama
After reading so many conflicting reviews I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was it touching and sweet? Yes. Was the acting good? I was blown away by the acting skills of this entire cast. Did the main leads have chemistry? Absolutely! So why didn’t I give it a perfect 10? Two reasons: the pacing of the drama and the storyline. (Don’t worry, I’ll be addressing a lot of good stuff about this drama later. But let’s get the bad out of the way first).First, let’s talk about the pacing. Yes, I know it’s a slice of life drama which is typically slow paced, which I expected. I love slice of life dramas and adored You Are My Glory (my all time favorite slice of life drama). But it wasn’t the slow pacing of the drama that bothered me. It was how the drama started out a little slower than normal, then continued at a very relaxed laidback pace, then suddenly out of nowhere it had major drama and angst in the last few episodes. I felt like I was watching a melodrama. I’m not talking about small misunderstandings or love triangles. It got much deeper and darker. Not only does a beloved character die but someone almost committed suicide. It was such a light, fluffy, relaxing drama that I never expected death and suicide to be the main topics of discussion in those last few episodes. If they had paced things better it would have been a far better drama. It was very slow for a good deal of the drama with very little excitement. Then there was too much excitement and angst crammed into the last few episodes. If the excitement and angst had been sprinkled throughout the drama in little bits it would have been perfect. I appreciated all of the various topics that were touched upon. Like death, mental health issues, the effects of divorce on both parents & children, and alternative lifestyles. But most of these issues were hinted at and slowly built up throughout the drama but didn’t really come to light till the last few episodes. So it seemed like everything happened all at once near the end. If each issue had been dealt with separately throughout the drama it would have been more interesting and more evenly paced.
Now let’s address the main problem of this drama, the storyline. I think the reason it felt slower than normal for so long was because of the basic setting of the story. The female lead is a dentist, which is not a very exciting job. Then the male lead doesn’t really have a career, he just fills in wherever he’s needed all around town. Most of his jobs are uninteresting like waiting tables or making coffee at the local coffee shop. And since slice of life dramas mainly focus on the lead characters daily lives, I found it a bit slow and uninteresting at times, especially when it involved their jobs. And since it was set in a laidback quiet little town in the countryside, there wasn’t much excitement. I normally enjoy a laidback drama, I find them relaxing. But this one was just too calm and sedate for my tastes. If the main leads had more interesting careers or had it been set in a more exciting location, the drama would have been much better.
Now for the good stuff: the acting. The acting of the entire cast was far above average. I’ve watched hundreds of dramas and it’s extremely rare for me to like the entire cast. But they acted their butts off. I think that’s why this drama has such great ratings. These amazing actors took a drama with pacing and storyline issues and elevated it to one of the top dramas of the year. I don’t expect it to get drama of the year, but to have everyone talking about the possibility is a testament to their fine acting.
One of the things I always look for in a drama is character growth. And I was thrilled to see lots of that in this drama. All across the board each and every character grew and changed. They learned from their past mistakes and became better people. I enjoyed watching them become better versions of themselves.
With a romance drama the chemistry between the leads is essential and these leads oozed chemistry. They are both gorgeous and seemed very attracted to each other. There’s lots of kisses, flirting, and hand holding. But I wish there had been a little more skinship. And the kisses were too light and delicate. The sweet delicate kisses are more appropriate for youth dramas. When the actors are more mature then steamy kisses are expected and much more realistic. That being said, I still loved their romance and looked forward to their romantic moments. Just don’t expect a real life romance between the two. The female lead is already taken. (Shout out to Kim Woo Bin.)
My favorite thing about this drama and what I think makes everyone like it so much is that it has some deep underlying messages, such as:
First: don’t judge a book by its cover, the image people portray may not be who they really are.
Second: Burying a pain deep inside will only make the pain worse. Just like an impacted wisdom tooth, if you don’t pull it out it will just hurt more.
Third: No occupation or lifestyle is superior to another.
Fourth: Appreciate the small things in life, they are what brings true happiness, not money or fancy careers.
In conclusion, I now understand why the reviews are so varied. Slice of life dramas are not everyone’s cup of tea. You will only like this if you’re into slice of life dramas that are slower paced. Yes this is slower paced than most slice of life dramas but the acting is phenomenal, the leads have chemistry, the side characters are interesting, there’s lots of character growth, and it teaches some valuable lessons. I probably won’t watch it again because it’s a bit too calm and sedate to bring me back a second time. But I loved how fuzzy and warm it made me feel. The ending is so touching and sweet and not cheesy at all. I would definitely recommend it but only for those who like slower paced slice of life type of dramas.
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It made me laugh, cry, get annoyed, be angry. I fell in love with every single one of the characters, and even if I had iffy feelings on one of them, I ended up loving them in the end. It made me wish I lived in a small town where everyone knows and cares for each other. It felt like one huge family, and made me wish I had that close of friends as well.
I loved that every single character mattered and they each had a story and a past that went into an episode. All of their relationships were given so much time, and it helped create a bond with each and every one of them.
If you want a show that can have you laughing, but then also have you crying so hard then def give this show a watch. It's so wholesome, but has moments where you have your head in your hands in embarrassment. You'll be laughing and then crying.
The story flows so well and has many call-backs to things that help give you more answers and insight onto what was happening.
10/10 amazing.
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