Witch's Romance (2014)

She is 45, he is 26. There's actually 19-year age gap between them but perhaps the producers thought that too much. Still, she's got full-blown hysterical attack finding out he's 14 years younger, LOL. But I tried to imagine myself in her place. It would be 15 years in my case. I woudn't be very keen on it, either:D It's like admitting you hit the middle-age crisis.

The harder it is when the guy in question is not only handsome, hot... Also has a decent personality, sensitive, funny, no coward... He is really nice! Is there a woman who can resist all that? For how long?

Truth is, they both already had their boyfriend/girlfriend whom they loved. And what I liked was, that unlike most "romance" dramas, this was not about them now having to fight or somehow win over that previous boyfriend/girlfriend (be it just ex or dead one). They both supported the other, offered understanding instead of jealousy. I thought that way more romantic. For once, the old loved ones didn't have to be proven bad people or worse people than the current couple. We didn't have to watch long and tiring plotting of someone against someone. That's what I definitely appreciated about this drama. Everyone has a past, but the whole show is not revolving around annoying love-rivals.

Actually the writers were smart in making such an age gap romance to work. They first made the two of them really close. They made each other laugh so often. It was also funny in some situations where she came to act as his "guardian":) Actually he should have mom and dad, but luckilly we don't see them (he would really seem too young with them around). They emphasise her mother, not his mother.

But! Then they decided to bring one of those ex lovers (of course not the dead one) back. As I previously praised the sparse use of this character, I was kinda dubious. If they were really getting back together, I would accept it (she WAS a bit old for guy in his twenties, though she looked best she possibly could and seemed compatible with him, so I was not against their age gap romance) but as a plot device it got tiresome already. Watching episode 10, I wanted to go back to episode 1. I remembered the ending of epi 2, that was soooo funny!:) Where did all that go?

I went back to watch first 3 episodes again. This show had a whole different kick of a dynamics before the tragic dead ex or returning ex came to play. I understand that more actors need to be employed by the industry, nevertheless I would enjoy this show way better if we just concentrated on the main two, her being a bitch at work (they could just fill the runtime with work cases), him being her too young assistant of clashing opposite personality and ideals (whom she totally went for when she got drunk... their bed scene was so hot:) and and that could have lasted for way more episodes, ideally for a majority. Instead it went on too fast, too quickly gone. Then the general mood got dominated by the side-characters that should have stayed only in flashbacks.

We got exactly to that stage I previously appreciated we did not. And I was really sick of watching Yoon Dong Ha crying and hurting. How could his "witch" allow it? This is something I never like in a "romance"... They try to stretch the "drama" for more episodes by making the woman act like a c**t. I just wanted her to admit her feelings. It would be so refreshing. Should the situation been reversed and HIS former partner returned (from being dead), he would also hardly tell her to pi** off, right? It's nothing new loving 2 people. Still one can face it with integrity, or... not. Then she changes her mind... Wait. He no longer waits. Then "he" changes his mind... Now she's the one crying. Geez, it all overall lost the drive. And direction, LOL. I considered dropping the drama by 13th episode. Seriously, there was NO FUN left. Even romance-wise, I got tired. I would guess this drama's viewers won't be able to enjoy even sweet happyend after all the bitter taste in their mouth? But 3 (hour long) episodes still remained...

So, the last 3 episodes? After it exhausted the painful triangle times over, it was like the script did not know what else to deal with. So, NOW that the series is nearing its end, it deals with the work cases (he's back at her office), LOL. Also the cute atmosphere kinda returned... Perhaps epis 7 - 13 should be SKIPPED. Luckilly the show returned to its roots, but it could have used the filler episodes WAY better. Potential of these two character's dynamics was endless.

The ending could have been sweet if not for all the things we had to go through in between. Everything I previously praised during first episodes has turned upside down, and spoiled the flow. It's difficult to rate a show so good at the beginning and then so bad later. I was not able to thoroughly appreciate the sweetness of them being finally together, I had seen too much of things I didn't enjoy, while I missed seeing the progress of their relationship to that sweet point. As if they realized this last minute, they literally repeated the same "beer seduction scene", probably to remind the audience where they were last left off, or smth.

There is a scene in the episode right before last where her mother asks him what is his age. Like during the whole series, when they dealt with so serious drama she never noticed it before? It's literally like the last 3 episodes could be placed right after the first 3 episodes, because it looks like completely different writer was responsible for all the stuff in between. But, k-drama producers don't want the drama to have 6 episodes. They want it to have 16. The result might be as weird as we see here. Filling the huge screentime is probably not as easy as people think. I admit I love dramas, but always make my own shorter, edited versions of them to keep:) Even in not such extreme cases as this.

Note: So, so annoying how he kept calling her "team leader" even in private moments and long after he quit being her colleague at work!:D Not that this is uncommon in k-dramas, I know.

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