An Office Drama First, Food is Complementary.

First and foremost, I think you should know that this is not a food drama. It's an office drama, with the main protagonist being a big foodie and alcohol lover. Drinking is a massive part of Korean culture, especially office culture. So it's no wonder that in some episodes, the alcohol tends to take the stage during meal scenes (while in others, the food does). The alcohol is purely to go with and accentuate the meal though, as we rarely see her ordering more. And I think she only got tipsy/drunk a couple of times. What makes out FL stand out though, is that she often prefers to enjoy her meals (and thus, her alcohol) alone.

But this is pretty in-character for her. She doesn't understand what everyone's fixation is with social events and gossip. In fact, she probably knows the most about everyone, simply from observing, but never gets involved unless asked to or necessary. It's very refreshing.

Because of this, inter-character drama is a minimum. And there is no romance. Instead, this is a story about career success and how there is more to life than career success - through the revelations and experiences of our 30-year-old successful career woman main protagonist.

I will say though that sometimes the office scenarios kicked me out of the story. Some events seem to act as if the editors are the writers of the stories they are publishing. Or will otherwise conflate the different positions within the publishing industry. Nonetheless, it was a rare find to have a drama focus the editors, rather than the writers.

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Romance in the aftermath of a Korean "Dont Say Gay" education

This short film told its story perfectly in the time frame it had. You can easily understand all the dilemmas going through the main character's head about being closeted and the insecurities that her school had instilled in her for being a lesbian (not cool school, not cool - but also incredibly relevant given the Don't Say Gay bill getting traction in the United States). But it still gave us a cute, happy, and compelling romance to root for and smile at.

However, I do still wish some things were more directly said between the characters to really feel as if everything is resolved. And there is definitely room story-wise to make a longer production.

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Understanding the characters is crucial to understanding the ending

I get the disappointment; honestly, I do. It was an ambitious short series. Its primary focus was definitely on character development and interactions, rather than the plot's events. But doing such a thing can be quite tricky, especially in shorter series. It was a task that required more screentime, fewer flashback montages, a little less character background for our MC, and/or adding flashbacks into certain events in which decisions were made. If this had the chance to be a full series, it could have been a masterpiece.

There were several elements that kept reoccurring, thus implying significance - but were never explained, elaborated on, or answered. I believe this was mainly because they tried to develop Yeong Woo's background too much for what the screentime allowed.

But an explanation for the events leading up to the end are actually present in the story (spoiler potential explanations can be seen in one of my comment responses below) - they just require reading between the lines. Conversations, especially reoccurring ones, are CRUCIAL to understanding what happened (because the characters do not outright announce their decisions, nor do we see the moments in which those decisions are made - you need to know what they were thinking leading up to the decisions). For viewers who want to give this series a try, but to whom reading between the lines does not come naturally, a binge watch or re-watch may be beneficial.

But for anyone who doesn't mind a little more analysis when watching - I highly recommend this series. The actors do a great job showing the various nuances to their characters. And I believe the overarching message of dreams, hard work, and confidence is really relevant to viewers. Furthermore, ending analysis aside, its a light, short, and easy watch in which the main plot conflict doesn't feel as heavy as most series (something that I know personally can wear me out). Plus, such heavily character-driven stories, especially ones that ask you, as an audience, to understand the character in order to understand the plot, are not common to come by. It was refreshing.

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Good potential, great actors, disappointing execution.

The actors are very much responsible for carrying this series. The story had potential, but ultimately lacked in execution.

Pros:
- Characters with cute quirks and interesting personalities: Looking at basic descriptions, you would've thought Play would've been the grumpy character that was hard to get along with, when in fact he was very cute. The fact that he's restless and violent in his sleep unless he is cuddling his bear was a great touch that had me laughing. Meanwhile, First showed great ability to pay attention to small details. I think if the script had been better flushed out, these are characters that are easy to fall in love with. And the side characters showed just about equal promise.
- It could've been a great look-inside and critique to the BL film industry. And the forced proximity trope is often very well liked by the romance fandom.

Cons:
- The length of scenes didn't show much logic. In fact, the scenes around the product placements were often longer than the plot-relevant scenes. They should've either implemented the products into the plot better, or found a better balance.
- The relationship seemed to develop more through skinship than actual communication.

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Trailer Misdirection, Pearl is still Pearl

Sometimes trailers are misleading. It's something I frequently say whenever people tell me they know what's going to happen because they watched the trailer. I should've heeded my own words. Because this movie was a prime example. I watched the trailer and found myself legitimately mad. And it wasn't even because it was obviously going to be more explicit than the other Gameboys-verse stories. No. The reason I was upset is because that Pearl was not the Pearl I know. I wondered how loose of a grip or loyalty the writers must have to the character. Pearl would not hurt, dare I say backstab, a friend in that way. Pearl wouldn't be that shameless and carefree. That wasn't Pearl. And the comment section obviously agrees - as many of those Pearl-hating comments came either before the release or before it was available internationally.

The trailer did this movie an extreme disservice. So many people who were initially looking forward to more from Pearl started actively hating this movie without even seeing it. Myself, unfortunately, included. But I can tell you, Pearl is still very much Pearl. The whole situation was a result of ineffective communication and poor timing.

The only thing I can fault Pearl for is the fact that after she and Achilles found out their mutual feelings for Ali, she proposed and participated in a dating competition of compatibility. Did she learn nothing from her exploits in "Pearl Next Door" the year prior? I also think I would've handled the ending differently, but I get why she did what she did. It was a very Pearl-like choice.

I had a lot of fun here. I laughed quite a bit, as there were several different types of humor included here (besides the sexual humor which just isn't my thing). There was a lot of rep here as well: bisexual and gay leads; enby, pan, and gay supporting characters that were both campy and nuanced. They supported each other and really built off each other's energy in the scene.

The person I watched this with even said she liked this better than Pearl Next Door.

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Cute, for a student social media project (I'm assuming)

The very first thing any potential watcher needs to come to terms with is that this is very much done as if it is a student social media project.

Many people complained about the episode lengths and the video being in portrait mode, rather than landscape. I personally did not have a problem with that aspect of this series. Each scene was generally composed of 2 episodes. The image quality was clear and they made good use of the screen space.

My problem however is the acting and the script. Plot conflicts didn't have sufficient time leading into them, and were resolved just as quickly (or even vaguely sometimes). Fortunately, there wasn't a problem with overacting like many other newbie works, but I wasn't convinced of the emotions the characters were supposedly feeling. It was cute, but it didn't feel fulfilling as a viewer. But the couples made sense story-wise. As all the couples were some sort of friends-to-lovers dynamic, it's important to show some sort of new circumstance that serves as a catalyst for the change in dynamic - and they did that well.

The series premiered officially on the GagaOOLala and Artop Media Hit Drama youtube channels.

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First and foremost, my rating is probably lower than it should be, because I am not this show's target audience. Nonetheless, I found aspects of this show thoroughly enjoyable and I do recommend.

As someone on the ace spec, I couldn't really connect with with the driving plot. And some scenes relating to it, especially in the first episode, felt pretty cringy - probably in part due to this fact.

But with complete sincerity, there were plenty of moments that had me giggling, face-palming, and/or cheering. So, I would consider the story an overall success. The characters' chemistry had me rooting for them from the very beginning - I never swayed towards the second lead (although he does deserve happiness as well - they never turned him into a villain (I am so happy about that)). And the duality present in all the characters was intriguing, but felt organic, natural, and not-at-all overdone. As such, the actors did a fantastic job.

The intro sequence music personally annoyed me, it seemed excessively preppy, and was much louder than the rest of the show. But the show does have a good bit of rewatch value, especially when you get the male lead's perspective towards the end of everything that had happened so far.

And for those looking for spicier Asian dramas, this is a pretty good one.

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Romcom with Realism, for good and bad

What I loved and hated most about the film is the healthy dose of realism to this romcom. From the stressful in-laws (on both sides, for different reasons) that weren't overdone, to the getting-used-to-each-other phase of being newlyweds, to the stress of living in a place that isn't your own, and more. It was real but it was funny. And the leads were so cute. And despite Angie being hot-headed and Jed being rather weak-willed, I would dare to say that they were a perfect mesh for each other. They knew how to apologize to each other after a fight, and really wanted the other to be as happy as possible.

But, we also get the other side of that realism: the likelihood of a man cheating on his spouse goes up significantly with pregnancy. For a number of reasons. Loss of attraction. Less bedroom activity. Change in the spouse's attitude. Etc. Etc. And in reality, many spouses will still forgive their partner afterwards with the reassurance that it won't happen again, after a good/sincere apology, and/or on behalf of the baby and their post-partum state.

Even when this plot element was introduced, I still really liked the movie. The way Angie handled it was spectacular. And I expected nothing less from my girl. Even when she's on her last leg of pregnancy, she handled that like a boss. And it looked like she was gonna make Jed work for her forgiveness.

But alas, the film botched the story towards the end. Jed didn't grovel as much as he deserved to. And several characters contributed to this narrative of the infidelity being an easily forgiven transgression - on behalf of him being a man and it not meaning anything. For instance, Jed's mother seemingly shocked but relatively okay when it came to light - because, I mean, what does it matter if your son went against basic loyalty morals since you hate your daughter-in-law? And then Angie's father gave this whole spiel about how "men work different" and "just because we cheat doesn't mean we don't love our wives anymore" speech while comforting her.

And then we have Angie saying she feels bad because she married Jed in the hopes of changing him? That didn't even make sense with the movie! Did me and the scriptwriter watch the same movie? At most, Angie hoped Jed would grow more of a backbone and stand up against his parents wishes/opinions. What does that have ANYTHING to do with his ongoing affair?

This could have been a great movie. And I would have loved to debate the "should she/shouldn't she forgive him" aspect of the story. But the ending just really messed that up. It made the cheating out to be much a smaller dealer than it was, and tried to paint hot-headed pregnant Angie as part of the reason it happened.

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A Powerful Display of Women, But with 2 Very Risky Choices

I loved this drama to bits. Such a great show of female empowerment with a diverse array of female personalities - a lot of which definitely go against the typical view of women, in reality and in dramas. See these women as they move through their careers and their various feelings about morals, ends and means, and relationships was very enjoyable. With a lot of material to spur some nice ethical and societal debates, should viewers decide to

The women were all strong characters. The main characters consisted of a a strategist with a great ability to read situations, a quick-on-her-feet action-taker with strong ethics, and a hard-to-read calculatory businesswoman. There's also a morally grey support character that I adore. You don't really see such types in modern-setting dramas much.

The romantic storylines rarely involved miscommunication or misunderstandings - if at all. It was truly quite novel. There was a lot of really great communication and emotional maturity. The main couple had a lot of inside references/jokes between each other - a personal favorite element of mine in romances. The couples also features some nice role reversals.

The music was exceptionally well-chosen, ranging from vibe-y tunes to emotional melodies. All of which fit into the scenes like magic. The editing and cinematography was gorgeous, poetic, and purposeful. Making me rewind on multiple occasions.

There were 2 major problems with this drama though:

Two of of our three female leads read as quite suicidal for a significant amount of time. And only one of them felt somewhat properly addressed. In fact, the one that wasn't properly addressed even said some insensitive lines to a minor character which displayed such traits as well.

If you made the storyline around the three female leads into a Sapphic love triangle, you wouldn't notice hardly any difference in their interactions with each other. Just about all of the usual cliché romantic tropes and lines were used in scenes revolving around these 3. The sweet romantic background music and rosy filter certainly didn't hide that it was purposeful either. I'm not one that typically calls "queerbait," but this one deserves it.

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Perfect for a light-hearted family movie night. But too predictable for a deeper impact.

It was an adorable family movie where we got a look at the bonds between a grandmother, mother, and daughter as the tension that has been building up for 15 years finally "explodes" (as one of the characters puts it). They were all extremely well acted, and I found myself really wanting to cry right along with Han Chae Young (the mother), and even some scenes with Jin Ji Hee (the daughter).

The problem though, is that none of this felt new per se. It was incredibly predictable, and the stage was all set from the very beginning. Nothing really came as a surprise plot-wise. Same with the characters. Even while editing tags, there wasn't really anything that could be considered a spoiler, because we know it all from the beginning. And the ending felt either uninspired or with insufficient lead-up. And this wasn't a "funny, ha ha" type of comedy, but rather comedic attempts that kept the film from feeling too heavy. Or perhaps it's the simple type of comedy that appeals to kids.

That all being said, I greatly enjoyed the transition from a sister-like bickering to "nagging" mom mode that the film goes through. The teenager - moody, annoying, and a bit brainless - was very realistically written (I say coming from someone with a younger sister), while still remaining sympathizable. And the overall message of the film was wholesome and touching. A great film for a light-hearted watch with the family.

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Knowing all the tags like I do, I really expected this to be quite heavy and depressing. But actually I found it very cute. ALMOST fluffy-like. It only got heavy for about 10 minutes towards the end - but then resolved itself. It was a cute introvert/extrovert romance that really brought home a message of living for yourself. The smiles and laughter of the leads was truly contagious and the romance felt like it went at a natural pace for the characters in question.

However, there was a particularly annoying character that I'm still wondering what her role is. Because we see her a few times, and then she's never really brought up or addressed again. Perhaps I'm supposed to see it as someone who got the hint? But it really didnt feel like it had that finality to it. She didn't even really have much bearing on the plot. So why did I sit through her scenes to begin with?

I also think that one of the overarching topics could have been slightly more explicit during the reveal. It's the only element that made me feel like the drama might be rushing. There were also scenes related to this plot line that could have been more cleverly done, reducing it's watch value for me. But to those who may have less familiarity with it, the rewatch value may be notably higher.

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A fairly decent mindless watch

The story focuses on 4 girls (Ching, Phoenix, Candy, and Sugar) who are all working as promotional girls for products for various reasons. Ching is a poor college student saving up for a graduation trip with her boyfriend who just started the gig and is keeping it a secret from her boyfriend. Phoenix is an ex-prisoner who was framed for her ex's financial crimes and is currently struggling with sales on behalf of her increasing age and hot temper. Candy and Sugar are money-hungry best friends on the look out for sugar daddies, happy to be able to pick if they want to sleep with a customer or not. Ultimately, we see their struggles with love, friendship, and pride as they try to make the best of the hands they are dealt. But perhaps because of the multiple main characters and short run time of the film, I wouldn't consider any of these elements to be genre-level elements.

The characters weren't particularly compelling enough to stick with me after I watched. And while I guess the endings fit the characters' goals in life, I can't help but feel like it made the ending feel only mildly different than the beginning. Almost slice-of-life-y in resolution. Plus, only one of the antagonists ever gets what's coming to them - and it mostly happens off-screen. So it doesn't really feel like my investment as a viewer paid off.

But other than that, it wasn't a BAD movie per se. It makes for a decent mindless watch. Generally the acting wasn't bad - especially from the actresses who played Candy and Sugar. The music never stuck out to me, so I can't really speak on that aspect.

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Perfect after a long, tiring day

This is exactly the kind of drama I need after a long day. Or when going through a period where I can't handle the high emotions of other dramas. It's not fluff. But it's not angst either. Some may wonder how that's possible - and it's largely due to the episodic format. Each episode has it's own plot, focused on one of the regular customers of the midnight diner.

That's another standout feature: The show does not focus on the main character. The resultant nice, wise, and mysterious air that this gives him never detracts from all from the stories being told though. And each of the customers have really compelling stories - many of which are rarely told - that are given the proper attention and tone. Instead, we see all of the customers, denizens of the night life, being treated as whole people instead of a character embroiled in drama. And we see them all develop a peaceful and amicable dynamic with each other in the diner, as if they are family.

There's also a nice focus on food - with the customers each having a favorite dish, usually for a reason, that they will request the diner owner to make. And then at the end of the episode, viewers get a demo/explanation on how to make the dish or tips to keep in mind while doing so.

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