Just awhile back I finished a really lovely drama: Warm and Cozy (맨도롱 또똣). Had rather high hopes for it considering that it's a Hong Sisters drama and that they produced one of my favourite romcoms of all time -- Master's Sun. I really like the name as well, it just rolls off the tongue! It being a Jeju-do slang also ties with the drama.
Warm and Cozy has a really simple premise; two people brought together by an almost incestuous plot (which was very thankfully glossed over by the first episode) and various situations/misunderstandings that led them to become closer over time. The vibe of the show reminds me a lot of Full House; slow but sweet in it's own way. The entire show also acts very successfully as a PR for Jeju-do, what with the beautiful scenic spots and helicam scenes.
The show is not without it's plot holes, and I can see it rubbing people the wrong way. I had very little emotional investments with the later plot complication, and I had a full on hate for the 2nd love interest who can neither act nor has an interesting character. For real though -- please remind me never to watch a drama with Seo Yian in. Her tone, her deadass eyes and her demeanour no way pulled off the haughty character. I was also let down by the constant use of "misunderstandings" and "information leaks by unimportant characters" because they often mark me as lazy writing and very family drama where in order to drag on 100 odd episodes, they never reveal anything. Smells of an almost makjang drama to me, truthfully, with the serious family complications that were very easily skipped over that served neither to move on the plot nor to enhance the characters!
Thankfully, Kang Sora and Yoo Yeonsuk had great chemistry and pulled off their characters in a manner that I can appreciate. Yoo Yeonsuk as Baek Gunwoo, a young and frankly shallow and selfish rich son, and Kang Sora as Lee Jungjoo, a down-to-earth and relatable poorer lead. They gave the rather 2D characters a bit more depth and growth, I felt. I actually appreciated the usages of metaphors and wordplays, as characteristic of Hong Sisters' dramas, in this case because they acted as a signal for the growth of the characters. There were also various comedic moments that I enjoyed. A quick shoutout to Jinyoung (an idol on his initial acting endeavour) who acted really naturally and believably!
Overall, I still did enjoy it. It was in no way a quality drama I'll highly recommend, but if you're in a mood for something simple, sweet and romantic (with really good OST), go ahead and give this a go. It won't disappoint.
