Dreaming of Freaking Fairytale (2024)

WHY ROM-COMS ARE HATED

I wanted to start off strong by saying This type of drama is the reason why people hate ROM-COM genres.

ROM-COM are by no Doubt one of my fav genre in Kdramas with strong woman do bong setting the standard so high with a grand balance of comedy, romance and plot in an exceptional manner, This drama on the other hand.....Is a Pure Joke and an insult to this genre.

With it being tagged ROM-COM, I was Excited for this. Like really really. But with the 1st few minutes of EP 1..my jaws kept falling and falling without any hope of getting up. And why you may wonder, well let's get into that.
Pro.
I think the only pro this drama has is the styling and CGI? Yeah. It's nice. Made the leads look nice on Screen and the setting of the drama is also nice although felt.... limited? Idk. But that was the Only good thing about this show ..tbh.
Let's get to the Bad sides.
Cons.
Plot; It has a plot. Trust me, I saw the plot and it's basically all ROM-COM plot I love. Rich , mostly narcissistic, rude male lead who always don't believe in love. And the typical plot FL who came to work for the guy. And trust me, we always know what happens next ( and I have no problems with it because I EAT UP THESE TROPES LIKE ALWAYS!) but here....sigh.
The plot execution was TERRIBLE. like It was cringe terrible. You wished to make a Modern version of Cinderella ( I didn't say that..the drama literally advertised itself as such) But the execution of a concrete Modern classic Cinderella was BAD. I'd say other ROM-COMs did it better even without advertising themselves as Such.
Like how FL got the job? How they supposedly met indirectly? ( did Bollywood write that Scene?? The handkerchief?) The opening scene of how she even became an orphan or something idk was so BAD. And the follow-up didn't help matters.

Characters: well..idk how to say this ..But I think the Only fun character here were...male lead ( and 2nd lead of course and let's say even the second girl?) The FL character sorry... you're bad and Hella cringe. I liked her in Blooming Youth and thought oh, she'd do good in comedy maybe? And here...The character she was given was BAD. Her execution in the Comedy line Felt so Cringe and hard to watch that I wished she'd get only serious lines and stop forcing on comedy. Maybe the writing of her was bad? Because was never funny. No one was. The male lead I said was rather a fun character but I for one never laughed lol. His character had potential and could be written better. Second guy and even second girl were ok.

Comedy. Ok this is the WORSE ASPECT OF THIS DRAMA. it's downfall. It has the Worse comedy I've seen in like forever now. The way I kept staring at them whenever they make those supposedly funny scenes. I was in shock.

Some might defend and be like, Oh the drama is aiming to be silly and fun and all...No it's not. I know silly FUNNY shows when I see one. And this one is just Stupid. Silly shows aren't funny because people do silly things,Something else is needed. the plot and character needs to contribute to that COMEDY. The situation where the comedy aspect springs up from and the characters has to convey that Comedy as well. But here....No. honestly the characters, I didn't find them funny. Neither do I find most situations funny. The so-called comedy is done badly and rather ended up cringe.

And NOT TO MENTION the random pop up effects and flying up and down that seems cartoonish? suddenly someone is flying suddenly they're running fast.... wait is this supposed to be fantasy as well?? ? it's not funny. It's cringe jeez! How is someone suppose to take this as comedy. (note, comedy also needs to be taken seriously as COMEDY for someone to laugh.)
A comparison to other good romcom Would make this even more terrible in terms of comedy.

Well if you find this comedy funny...have fun then.

Romance? Well the banter for me is already bad so I don't know what to say about the romance even if it comes. The bickering duo...I don't find them funny and fascinating. They just bickering almost for no reason. Felt soo scripted and not natural. Just like the rest of the show ...not natural.

ROM-COM is a Tricky genre to make in my opinion. It's either it goes extremely well , or mediocre or BAD like this and some out there. And honestly this could have been done better if MORE attention was put into professional angles of it's story writing and execution.

If the plot was toned down from it's cringe "Fantasy" aspects and they seek to make it actually FUNNY and not randomly throwing situations they presume would be funny. Because a Modern retelling of Cinderella would actually be funny and fascinating to see. And good execution of storytelling and character would nail the comedy fr. Because this drama was making similarities with the story with the names of Cinderella and prince charming in a Korean setup. That was great but the effort to make that SMART, WITTY AND FUNNY, was failed.

It's ok if you like the drama and enjoy it. But YOU enjoying it doesn't make the drama a gem. ( I've been there because there are badly done dramas that I end up liking but still acknowledge their flaws) I'm just making a general analysis of the drama. You can skip the review if you wish and like I always like to say. You can always try it out to see if it's to your taste.

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Be Your Own Prince Charming & Follow Your Joy!

Cinderella tropes are nothing new but what sets this drama apart is the depiction of the known characters in a different light.

Our FL Cinderella from the start is proclaiming herself as a sort of gold-digger, the Prince Charming ML is distrustful for those who proclaim love to him assuming they are in for his money - and this drama is a journey on how they both realize that what they are looking for is something within themselves and each other. Supporting them strongly are roles of the step-mother & sisters, who are not mean like in the fairytale but have their own way of supporting their Cinderella sister. The villains are funny more than evil. the SML momentarily seems mysterious only to become a catalyst in Cinderella's journey to find her calling.

Best Parts:
> The acting of the ML is worth investing time in this drama. He can be childish, rich spoiled brat but when need be he can be the most manly charming male lead that can make men/women around him swoon. And boy can fight!
> The entire retelling: seeing the age old story in a new light was a fresh perspective; the good have some flaws and the evil are not truly evil. Something that sets well in modern times, and the message of the drama is strong and apt: "Follow Your Joy" and be your own Prince Charming i.e. you yourself are the ones who can make/break your happily ever after.
> The illustrations in the start, background narration, comedic effects and cross over from Taxi Driver was a cherry on top that sweetened the deal.
> Short, well paced drama of 10 episodes

Weakness:
> Personal Opinion: The latter half of the drama did not arrest or hold my attention. I even watched some parts by fast forwarding. I was invested to finish the drama and know what happens in the end, but these parts could have been done better.
> The villains were there just for comedic effect - their actions in order to break the main couple as needed in a kdrama, was lacking. Again two ways to see it: it did not frustrate me but then it made me question what was their role? It felt half-baked to some extent

Overall:
Watch it cause of its short, well paced retelling of the Cinderella trope and for ML, Lee Jun Young's acting.

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