Cinderella at 2 AM (2024)

good writing, smart & funny telling of the usual age gap/wage gap office romance

Ha Yoonseo is a well respected department manager at a credit card company who left an abusive home at a young age with her younger brother. She fought to put herself through school and rise up in her career while taking care of her little brother. Seo Joowon is the youngest scion of the chaebol famiy that owns the company, but begins his destiny by entering anonymously into a lower level position, under the direct supervision of Yoonseo. Not until a year and a half of them dating does she discover his true identity & this is where the story begins.

At 10 episodes, Cinderella at 2 AM is a shorter series but it's just right. C2AM is an age gap/wage gap romance that turns out to be a more refreshingly honest look at the relationship & the forces, both internal & external, working against it. In the process, however, the age gap never becomes an issue, either in the story or the acting. After seeing a lot of disastrous chemistry between jie/di casting in other shows, the 2 leads of C2AM, separated by 14 yrs, do the best job I've seen of making their interactions seem more natural, not only in supervisor/subordinate roles which they alternate, but also as lovers.

The cast delivers with good comic timing and the 2nd leads provide a good contrasting relationship of an arranged business marriage between 2 people who agree to live their separate lives as soon as they leave the altar. In spite of the usual tropes of love triangles & jealously set ups, there were no cringe moments. Instead there were a lot of very funny moments, as well as heart felt drama, which is a strength of the writing for this show. Infused is the Cinderella fairy tale, as Yoonseo struggles with the effort to build up what she believes is her fantasy of being strong, capable, & deserving of happiness, while fearing that it will all disappear after midnight if Joowon & his family discover her difficult past.

So while I was expecting another silly w/age gap romance with awkward leads, I was suprised to find myself really enjoying this show. The dialogue was mature, with each character reflecting on their behaviors, on how their desires/beliefs conflicted & affected others. Even the evil mother-in-law comes around. As all relationships involve push & pull, gains & loss; how you view something as a sacrifice vs a benefit depends on how you see. Straight up emotions transcend socio-economic status.

All in all, C2AM was a great little show, and easily bingeable.

Lire davantage

-Quizás la realidad podría ser incluso mas hermosa que el cuento de hadas

Siento que tuvo de todo pero aun asi algo me dice que pudo haber sido mejor, es una historia digamos normalita (una madre que no acepta la pareja de su hijo, su hijo tomando distancia y tratando de recuperar a la chica etc.) nomas con esta novedad de que ella acepta romper con el y asi, digamos que como hasta el cap 5-6 yo sentía que era la misma formula, ella diciéndole que terminaran el no aceptándolo (a veces si) pero que al final terminaban involucrados nuevamente y tenían que hacer el proceso de terminar/alejarse de cada uno de nuevo y asi y la vd que llego un momento en el que yo creo que me sentía mas frustrado yo que los protagonistas pero que después de ciertas cosas ya la serie va en escalada y que al final me termino gustando.

Ha Yun Seo y Seo Ju Won ambos me cayeron bien, un poco mas Yun Seo en algunos aspectos si se veía como que ella estaba mas aterrizada a las cosas, tmb ambos me estresaron bastante y es que me estresaba que Ju Won fuera de que es que no puedo terminar contigo pero haciendo retrospectiva pues básicamente era porque no podía dejar ir al amor de su vida y al final es algo que me gusto, que el en ningún momento pensó en salir con alguien mas o asi, el siempre tuvo claro que tenia que ser ella y ps es casi lo mismo con ella y es que al principio me la plantearon muy empoderada y dijo todavía lo fue a lo largo de la serie pero siento que bajo un poco pero se entiendo pq es lo mismo el es el amor de su vida.

Seo Si Won y Lee Mi Jin como pareja secundaria siento que en los últimos caps están muy igualados con los protagonistas y es que su historia es mas "chistosa" o se desenvuelve de esa manera pero terminaron siendo super carismáticos y los acercamientos/atenciones que van teniendo le va agregando mucho ya una vez que se plantean el que ya no sea tanto como un matrimonio arreglado pq ya se están enamorando es de mis cosas favoritas, me hubiera gustado ver mas escenas de ellos 4 o de Lee Mi Jin y Ha Yun Seo pq estoy de acuerdo en que se llevarían muy bien.

Como secundarios
-Ha Ji Suk el hermano menor de Ha Yun Seo y algo que no mencione mas arriba ps el toda esta parte del pasado de ambos que para mi fue lo mas interesante y que si nos hayan dicho que onda con sus padres lo hizo mas real por asi decirlo, en gran parte porque te ayuda a entender a Ha Yun Seo, siento que me falto ver mas de su relación como hermanos pero tengo que decir que llore cuando Ha Ji Suk le dice que ella ha sido su mamá y su papá tienen momentos bonitos pero me falto, esta parte de Ha Ji Suk cuando esta en este "problema" y que nos dan esa primera escena es muy wow, tmb cuando se nos dice que Ha Yun Seo nunca llora pero ya por todas las emociones no resiste y se rompe me calo.
-Lee Seong Min sin duda mi personaje favorito en esta serie que para mi si la pareja secundaria sentia que opacaba a los protas el tmb lo hacia para mi y es que a mi desde el primer momento me cayo demasiado bien, su actitud super relajada y tmb que hasta el mismo se dijo que el pensaba que era el príncipe pero que termino siendo el hada madrina, obvio tambien nos muestran su pasado y el como Ha Yun Seo influyo demasiado en su vida a partir de la llamada por accidente, agradezco que no hicieran con el esto de dos hombres pelean por la prota que mas o menos fue pero siento que fue mas por parte de el para volver a juntar a los protas y al final termino siendo super buen amigo de ambos creo que si es de mis momentos favoritos cuando se hace amigo de Seo Ju Won tmb estuvo chistoso cuando le dijo que estaba interesado en ambos, tiene tantas cosas este personaje que para mi fue mi protegido.
-Kim Son Ju la Mamá de Seo Si Won y Seo Ju Won, la vd que no se que decir de ella, siento que tmb empezó como que muy empoderada de que yo controlo todo y asi se la paso la mayor parte de la serie y no es hasta que pasan ciertas cosas que decide aceptar a Ha Yun Seo para mi este personaje termino en nada litera.
-Bae Jang Hui, No Ye Yeong, Kim I Rae y Lee Jae Ha pongo a los cuatro juntos aunque los primeros 2 son como amigos del trabajo y los otros 2 de su vida personal pero ambos son un poco de lo mismo, te caen bien, unos son chistosos sus interacciones (los primeros 2) y los otros son como los consejeros y el apoyo al que recure Ha Yun Seo (los últimos 2) pero en general cumplen.

Una serie mas o menos corta considerando que la mayoría de k-dramas los hacen de 12 - 16 capítulos pero chistosa y bonita de ver, siento que es de esas series que puedes poner cuando no sabes que ver pq en general te deja satisfecho.
La frase del titulo es del cap. 10.
Otra posible frase que pude haber puesto fue "Adelante y vive como una autentica cenicienta" pero idk cual quede mejor.

Lire davantage

a realistic cinderella story with a bit of fairytale

honestly this drama is so up my alley i will eat it up every time. i always like it when the male lead is a bit more clingier than the female lead. and they did it so well here. moon sang-min is made for roles like this.
they made the rich guy poor girl trope as realistic as possible, with a unique twist of the girl actually taking the money. it was refreshing to see something different. there isn't much plot after that, just fluff.
the female lead was a good character with a great backstory. her journey with her struggles from her childhood and how it shaped her to be the logical and caring adult she is. the plot line with her brother was also done well.
i did not like the mother but they truly did give her a good character arc with it being as realistic as possible while also having a fairytale ending.
i did not like the brother and his wife's relationship. it felt a bit forced for me. the brother was supposed to the comedic relief so that affected the romance for me. still they were cute.
THE OSTS OF THE DRAMA???? so good!! it fit the vibes so well and are generally good songs, they are on repeat in my playlists.
definitely enjoyed this one, so if u are someone who wants a quick series to swoon over, this is it.

Lire davantage

Nice one

I didn't like the first episode because it had a kind of dull start. However, as the story progressed, it kept me captivated. I liked the relationship between the siblings on both sides, the male and female protagonists. There were a few light moments too, though the drama was a kind of melodrama. By light moments, I mean a kind of funniness in them. I liked the elder brother's role and the way he supported his younger brother. It was a good, cute, and light love story. The acting was good. Both the first and second leads were fantastic.

All the songs were good. Especially, I am your boyfriend.

Lire davantage

Modern K-inderella story.

Modern Kinderella
This was a bit bumpy to start, in establishing the FL and ML and controlling mom / chairwoman charater / plots in the first 2 episodes. But our established team of sibbling supports continued to grow and enrich the show with every episode. I truly found myself replaying many scenes through out the series for both laughs and cries. Especially the antics of the Cheibol brothers. *Love the older brother & Sister-In_Law.

I love that our Cheibol (ML) stayed true to his charater, love and dream for her & him.
I found it enjoyable to see our Cinderella (FL) discovers her self-value and pushes ahead towards her Love... (eventualy).
She does have a lot of past trauma to heal from... but thankful to how the director & Screen writer delt with that part for her charater. Not as much PTSD to destroy the key charaters.

Definietly worth a watch or binge if you have time for 10 episodes.
Love the supporting siblings and sibling rivalry mixed in too! <3

Lire davantage

A pure rom-com

As a romantic comedy this drama does the job; it's funny and light-hearted overall, but touching when it counts, and it manages to use common kdrama tropes without making them feel tired or too dramatic.

The first few episodes are done extremely well, setting up the story and giving the characters a good starting point. The leads are very convincing as exes, and I loved seeing how cute they were in the flashbacks of their relationship. The second lead couple has a slower start, but it's promising and it's fun once it gets started. Individually the ML and especially the FL are given really touching backstories, and I love that the drama paid just as much attention to the family theme as it did the romance.

As the drama goes on, however, it feels like it doesn't go much deeper than the initial set up. The push and pull between the leads continues in the same way without revealing much more depth to their relationship beyond them enjoying spending time together in their vacuum. The second ship is still fun though, which is all I really asked of them.

Ultimately, it's a fun drama, but even though it's just 12 episodes it still feels longer than necessary.

Lire davantage

mid way review

I'm writing this while watching episode 6... the long break up (several episodes) was excruciating to watch. the back and forth of the relationship and trying to see both sides of it... the ML is obsessed, but I can understand him. The FL has her reasons for the breakup but she doesn't make a clean break of it and makes it agonizingly slow to watch.

there are moments when I just wish she'd quit... or either character would refuse to put up with a stupid scene forcing them to interact.

oh no they have to eat together... NO... just leave the restaurant. or go sit alone.

in episode 6 wr get a breath of fresh air as the other couple in the show (the older brother and his arranged marriage wife) starts up. man I wish they brought the wife I. way earlier. she's a favorite actress of mine a d more of her would be better.

but the biggest problem with the show, especially in episode 6... is the ARTIST. What an annoying character. he's introduced as a total creep and he just keeps being a creep. first as a man blindly texting our FL with a weird and creepy smile on his face. later when he's calling her a d being intrusive. annoying.

then they have to work with him and he just insinuated himself everywhere. and of course the FL can't see he's hitting on her. that he's playing with the characters breakup and that he's a creep.

in a real world his phone # would have been blocked, and he'd have been punched in the face when he for ed himself into the MLs car.

I'm going to finish this show on fast forward. I seriously thought a 10 episode show wouldn't have all the unnecessary bullsh@! but I can't stand the artist.

Lire davantage

Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Cinderella at 2 AM '' tries to reverse the trope of the evil mother in law who gives money to the girl in order to prevent an upcoming marriage. However, the drama fails to utilize it. Instead, it ends up being a classic melodrama.

The drama starts off nicely and it does a good job blending a fun and light love story with a cute male lead with darker themes, like domestic abuse. Also, the second couple was adorable as well and they kept things fresh when the main love story got stale.

In addition, there were some episodes that had too many fillers and it was obvious that the drama needed to be shorter. Yet, it was enjoyable.

Finally, every actor and actress in the cast did a good job with their performance.

So, overall, six out of ten.

Lire davantage