Cooldaysinthesun
Divided Halves
This is my first review. ...
**I did not complete this drama. I dropped it at Episode 20 and there is a very slim chance i will actually finish it**
First Half (Episodes 1 - 12):
In the first half of the drama, I quite enjoyed it. I thought it was hilarious and entertaining. The leads acting was very fluid and even though at times it was over the top it kept me engaged. I liked all the characters present. The main reason why I chose to watch this was because of the title, "Dating in the Kitchen." I love a great cooking drama, and this sure started as one. The Female lead, Sheng Nan being the chef and paving her way through a typically male dominated career was nice... even though it was from the help of a rich CEO, but it still was nice to see some female power in a Chinese drama. Her best friend, Zhao di, however, did not shine. I found her character to be quite unlikeable and not much of a friend. During this half, I really felt the chemistry between the leads, the age gap didn't feel so present and watching their romance bloom was fun and exciting.
Second Half (12- 24):
Even though I couldn't finish the last four episodes I think I have a pretty good idea of how they would've went. Boring, irrelevant, business chaos. I truly love business dramas and I don't mind issues sprouting up in one that is primarily set in a desk job office setting. However, the viewer is following Sheng Nan, she's the main main character, we are with her the most, we know all her friends and background from the beginning. This begs the question: why are we now following Lu Jin and his CEO antics? It's called "Dating in the Kitchen", but at a certain point cooking scenes stop, the kitchen is barely showed, why is Sheng Nan now following Lu Jin around all the time when I thought she would be busy in her field. It was incredibly disappointing to see the once-strong Sheng Nan turn into a puppy following its owner aimlessly. The business drama was boring and uninteresting, the cliche in-law hating felt drawn out and redundant. I honestly wished this drama ended early instead of dragging in and stuffing this show with filler. This half of the drama made the actors once bubbly chemistry vanish. It instead started to feel like more of a questionable Father-Daughter relationship. What I mean by this is that you could really feel the gap between these characters at two different stages in life. One freshly starting her youth and career and the other drained by his career. In the business drama you feel more of his age, and his once youthful glow and innocent in the first half has vanished.
Should You Watch This?
Well maybe. I really loved the first half. However, I would recommend you watch the movie "This is Not What I Expected" instead. I feel as if they acting was better, I felt the age gap didn't feel so large due to their appearances, and the premise is exactly the same just concise and not packed with useless filler that was only added to get to the 24 episode mark. They tried making this a good drama, but like most Chinese dramas, they all fizzle out with a lackluster ending and you are left feeling disappointed that they tarnished a good start.
Thank You.
**I did not complete this drama. I dropped it at Episode 20 and there is a very slim chance i will actually finish it**
First Half (Episodes 1 - 12):
In the first half of the drama, I quite enjoyed it. I thought it was hilarious and entertaining. The leads acting was very fluid and even though at times it was over the top it kept me engaged. I liked all the characters present. The main reason why I chose to watch this was because of the title, "Dating in the Kitchen." I love a great cooking drama, and this sure started as one. The Female lead, Sheng Nan being the chef and paving her way through a typically male dominated career was nice... even though it was from the help of a rich CEO, but it still was nice to see some female power in a Chinese drama. Her best friend, Zhao di, however, did not shine. I found her character to be quite unlikeable and not much of a friend. During this half, I really felt the chemistry between the leads, the age gap didn't feel so present and watching their romance bloom was fun and exciting.
Second Half (12- 24):
Even though I couldn't finish the last four episodes I think I have a pretty good idea of how they would've went. Boring, irrelevant, business chaos. I truly love business dramas and I don't mind issues sprouting up in one that is primarily set in a desk job office setting. However, the viewer is following Sheng Nan, she's the main main character, we are with her the most, we know all her friends and background from the beginning. This begs the question: why are we now following Lu Jin and his CEO antics? It's called "Dating in the Kitchen", but at a certain point cooking scenes stop, the kitchen is barely showed, why is Sheng Nan now following Lu Jin around all the time when I thought she would be busy in her field. It was incredibly disappointing to see the once-strong Sheng Nan turn into a puppy following its owner aimlessly. The business drama was boring and uninteresting, the cliche in-law hating felt drawn out and redundant. I honestly wished this drama ended early instead of dragging in and stuffing this show with filler. This half of the drama made the actors once bubbly chemistry vanish. It instead started to feel like more of a questionable Father-Daughter relationship. What I mean by this is that you could really feel the gap between these characters at two different stages in life. One freshly starting her youth and career and the other drained by his career. In the business drama you feel more of his age, and his once youthful glow and innocent in the first half has vanished.
Should You Watch This?
Well maybe. I really loved the first half. However, I would recommend you watch the movie "This is Not What I Expected" instead. I feel as if they acting was better, I felt the age gap didn't feel so large due to their appearances, and the premise is exactly the same just concise and not packed with useless filler that was only added to get to the 24 episode mark. They tried making this a good drama, but like most Chinese dramas, they all fizzle out with a lackluster ending and you are left feeling disappointed that they tarnished a good start.
Thank You.
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