Flower Boy Ramen Shop (2011)

It's difficult to write a pithy review while avoiding spoilers, but I'll do my best. This drama is quite formulaic (love triangle, rich boy who needs to grow a heart, wrist-grabbing, random illness caused by angst or stress, etc). Anyone who's genre-savvy can instantly tell who the main character ends up with, so it's frustrating to sit through a love triangle that clearly will end in one man's favor, especially when that man is a selfish prick who has no empathy or respect for the woman he supposedly loves.

The ending was dissatisfying and I can't shake the feeling that Eun Bi made the wrong choice.

Now for some good things:
- Lee Ki-woo was endlessly adorable, lovable, and a breath of fresh air.
- all that ramen looked really tasty (and it made me hungry)
- ramen was finally acknowledged for its comforting, soul-soothing properties

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Hot Guys and Hot Ramen

Jeong Il Woo as Cha Chi Soo was the best. I loved him from beginning to end as the entitled, spoiled and obnoxious brat to the man falling in love and being forced to go to the army. I loved the way his clothes fit him so perfectly. The cast was really great together, really good chemistry between everyone. Even though Eun Bi got on my nerves I did like her. I felt like her character really was trying to be herself and not pretending that she didn't have feelings for the rich boy just because he's rich. I was also glad that Cha Chi Soo's father was really only trying to save him from heartache and not saying Eun Bi wasn't good enough for him.

What's terrible about the whole series is episode 16 is horrible. Anti-climatic and no real fantasy ending that I like. It really wasn't even a real romcom ending!!. Park Min Woo as Ba Eul was hysterical and great comic relief. Didn't really understand what he saw in Yoon So Yi!

What I loved is that there were so many insanely funny and ridiculous moments that you can't help but laugh and love this show. Episode 6 in particular hand me on the floor laughing. The first 15 minutes of that episode is pure comedy gold.

Cha Chi Soo was so spoiled he cried about not havening a bidet in the bathroom. JIW was so funny in this series I was living for every scene he was in.

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The plot was a bit so so, but very cute. This had major Second lead syndrome (aka you want the girl to end up with the second lead guy), so the ending was a little dissapointing to me yet on the other hand it was really good. Some of the beginning and middle episodes were a little slow, and this drama really would have been better with fewer episodes, less second lead syndrome, but overal it was ok.

Acting was fine, but a little over the top at some points. Music was fine. I don't think I'll purposely rewatch this unless I'm desperate for something with shorter lengthed episodes to watch.

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Watch for timepass only

The drama was okay overall.
The actors were great. The romance was fine in general, and there was good comedy. The music was good too.
The story, however, was a bit uncomfortable to me. The main protagonist was constantly suffering, especially because of the main male lead, who had a horrible personality and bad character development. He seemingly  didn't respect the protagonist and constantly looked down on her because he was richer and thought he was more intelligent. The chemistry just wasn't too great. The second lead actually respected her and showed her his feelings in a healthier way, while the main lead just acted like the protagonist was stupid and pushed her around. I just felt the transition they made from the main male lead being the "mean guy" to "lover boy" was just messy,, he just seemed like an asshole overall.
But personally it felt like both male leads were just imposing themselves on the protagonist the whole time. Either because of the direction or the acting, it seemed as if the protagonist was generally not having a good time. And in general, it just felt like the main protagonist had bad characterization. She was shallow and didn't think through her feelings-- basically they designed her to be the typical "stupid" female lead.
I guess a lot of problems I have with this drama have to do with it being a bit older, since a lot of these aspects seem to be more common in dramas released in that time, but I don't really recommend this unless you're looking for something fun to kill some time.

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Finally! A'right. The drama is the typical kdrama..rich boy meets poor girl and they live happily ever after. But this one is a lot funnier than all kdramas that I've watched..What I really liked about this drama is that you'll enjoy it more because it's really funny, a comedy drama per se and rather than a love story. The artists have a believable sense of humor specially the father of Cha Chi Soo, I would say. There are 2 things though that I don't like much. 1- The ending is too short and fast. Up to Episode 14 it still made sense, but Ep 15 & 16..it was like, it just came out of the blue..or out of nowhere..The flow of the story is not that smooth. 2- I'm more of Choi Kang Hyuk & Yang Eun Bi to be together in the end than Cha Chi Soo. Enjoy watching.

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I feel like this had a lot of potential for good bromance, backstory, and personal character growth — but the thing they zoned in on was the love triangle. We spent so much time with the guys jostling each other and the girl debating who to pick, we didn't spend time on other topics I were really interested in: the guy who ran away from home, the ramen shop, ML's relationship with his dad, etc...I know tvN's Flower Boy series sort of always goes for that type of subtlety, but it also always seems to fall short of satisfactory closure.

There was also a lot of humor at the start, which I appreciated even though it wasn't my type of comedy and because I felt like the FL was acting so ditzy when she was supposed to be the more mature one. Even as someone who's not a huge fan of age gap romances, I really missed the power dynamic in that I liked how the teacher was in a position of power at school. I'm also a sucker for the school setting and kind of liked that part of the drama the best.

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I must say, this is the typical rom-com scenario dramas. The women fell for the guy, but they guy don't and in the end he will come after her. The story is basically predictable. You can actually catch up with story even if you watch it from the middle. This is because there is no surprising and plot twist in the drama, which is kind of disappointing. This suggests that the story of the drama is basically not very good. The reason for this is because viewers would want something that is jaw breaking romance and comedic story. In contrast, the romance factor of this drama is overloading. There is jealousy, cuteness, envy, crushes, unrequited love and even three way connections. There are a lot of face-to-face moments and of course kissing scenes that gives you thrills. I would say that this is the most anticipated part within the drama. But, assumption is not good with this drama. So, the story of the drama is quite dull, but yet the romance scene is the best part throughout it.

Likewise, the casts chosen are chosen are clearly very good. This is because their acting is very convincing. For example, a very muscular man, but very childish in front of her love. They executed their acting skills perfectly to the drama. I would say that they are no major flaw with it. This is because it keeps the story going. However, the casts might be very good, but if the story is easy to catch on, it is practically useless. There is no anticipation needed for the upcoming scenes of it.

In regard with the use of music, it is very sync to the part. The happy moments with upbeat music and the sad moments with the mellow tones, these are the techniques used to the drama so the viewers can feel the scene. It makes them get the actual thought of the casts on whether they are happy or in a crisis. I would not make anymore comments with the music used in the drama. This is because it very effective, their chose of soundtracks properly match up with the scenes.

In conclusion, I would not recommend watching this again if you want a drama that has good story line. But, if you want lots of cuteness and romance scene, then this is the drama for you. This is because you don’t have to watch every part of the drama to understand where it is headed. The romance factors are basically the most exciting part of the drama. Therefore, this drama is good with romance scene not with twisting its own story line.

Just my opinion, RolieRol

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I started watching this with low expectations but I was hooked since the 1st episode! it was one of the funniest dramas I've ever watched.
The story is so cliché but it was very well done. The show was very funny and the cast did a really good job, the female lead is hilarious and relatable in many ways and the male lead is very cute and funny although annoying sometimes. I didn't like the character of Yoon So Yi and her relationship with her boyfriend.
I got a little bored during the last 2 episodes and I found the ending a little weird and not as happy as I thought it'd be. but overall the show was really good and fun to watch.

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8/10 is my rating. This is a 2011 South Korean drama with 16 episodes. Yang Eun-bi (Lee Chung Ah) is a college student with plans to become a high school teacher. She has a chance encounter with Cha Chi Soo (Jung II Woo) whose family has a food conglomerate.

Spoiler 🚨 If you like series with an anime feel - this would be a good fit. It definitely has some silly moments that break the "4th wall". I really like all the characters and the relationships were very believable. I thought the relationship/romance between the leads was really cute. I rated this a bit low because there were a lot of plot elements that did not make sense to me. The father in this one starts very different than most Korean drama parents but then does a quick reversal and it makes it seem out of character. Some of the past mysteries are not completely answered and some of the plot points are simply dropped. I still thought it was very good and worth the watch but it just doesn't rank up with some of the spectacular dramas I have seen because of some weaknesses in character consistency and follow through with plot points.

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The first of the Flower boy series is kind of cute, but gets seriously boring half way towards the end. Okay, there were some cute moments, but the romance simply drugged too long. It actually finally concluded in the very last episode, after a big cheesy twist that could have been a The Heirs rip off. The girl kind of looked too young for her role, but she was funny and good enough with her acting. The two guys were okay, though the supporting roles were better and more interesting. The romance, finally, lucked chemistry and the story got too complicated to be able to handle itself and in the end it ended up having some very silly scenes and situations. So, 3 out of 10.

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