A sitcom with potential, perfect for binging
I'm gonna be one of the people who thinks that this drama is good. I do agree with some of the criticisms, especially to the ones which say the comedy is quite over the top or the "haha" sound effects being completely ineffective or badly timed. As a comedy drama, it falls short (though personally I did enjoy most of it in that aspect), but as a short drama overall, it holds potential.
What stood out for me were the characters. I watched this show without any expectations. I was greeted with colorful characters that you usually find in, well, any other sitcoms. While at first their variations as to what they can bring for the overall group dynamic seemed too cliché for me, I ended up loving them. Some more so than the others, specifically Carson, Hyunmin, and Sewan. The show juggles through different topics for each episode, focusing on specific characters or pairs or groups of characters. And although I enjoyed how their situations were presented, I think the show didn't play enough with the character dynamics. This is important for a sitcom or any type of show with this format. Although it presents a steady plot, a large portion of the show's focus should be given to how its characters, with all of their variation, interact with each other. And I think the drama didn't experiment with this aspect that much. Often times the same characters are always together, not giving enough room for other dynamic to shine through. Considering this is quite short though, running only thirty minutes for a total of twelve episodes, I hope the show improves on this aspect if ever they make a second season.
Reading tweets or comments from other people, I found that some of them were not quite pleased with having romance as a subplot, or more accurately on the romance of the leads. Personally, I think this aspect of the show was integrated quite well. If you'd expect a sitcom about a group college kids to have no romance at all, then you're in for a disappointment. Most of the themes explored in the series revolves around romance. And I'm okay with this, really. It was delivered well and it was mostly cute. What I'm quite disappointed, however, was there is literally no part in the show which showed their struggles in school. I'd expect to have some frustrations over school requirements or fitting in and all that, considering they are still students, but the show surprisingly did not explore anything regarding this. This is one of the only two things that I hoped the show would improve on if they continue doing it.
That said, I have to commend the drama for being open. I've noticed most Kdramas now have started to break out from the conservative culture, so I'm not really surprised that this drama would delve into certain topics that are generally frowned upon by the more conservative ones. This drama, however, still managed to keep the show brave and innocent at the same time. I also love it for breaking some Kdrama tropes, especially in the drama part. The way it handled the dating scandal bit, the insecurity of the individuals in a couple, the cheating/moving on bit, it went through that with minimal, if there are any, drama at all. It went through resolving these phases quickly, much better than how many other Kdramas would painfully drag on. Although this quick turnout is mainly because of the show's overall length, it isn't to say they handled it sloppily. Instead it was presented maturely, which would sometimes even surprise you considering these characters have their quirks. The romance may seem a bit fast paced, but overall it's not bad. The show is easy to watch because it leads the viewers well. As the show progresses, you will easily identify which characters will be romantically involved with whom before it even happens. Which is why it surprised me how there are some who complained about the "unnaturalness" of the romantic development between certain couples.
If you're in it for the comedy, and the type that makes you giggle nonstop or ugly laughing, then you'll probably hate this show, especially if you can't stand it being corny every once in a while. Also if you don't like some cutesy romance, steer clear from this. BUT if you like a lighthearted show without too much drama with an easy format and strong-willed characters, then this one might be for you.
Oh yeah, I said I only have two complaints, but I have to agree with many others about the laughing sound effects. It's better if it's not there at all. That makes it three. But it's okay, the show is still enjoyable.
What stood out for me were the characters. I watched this show without any expectations. I was greeted with colorful characters that you usually find in, well, any other sitcoms. While at first their variations as to what they can bring for the overall group dynamic seemed too cliché for me, I ended up loving them. Some more so than the others, specifically Carson, Hyunmin, and Sewan. The show juggles through different topics for each episode, focusing on specific characters or pairs or groups of characters. And although I enjoyed how their situations were presented, I think the show didn't play enough with the character dynamics. This is important for a sitcom or any type of show with this format. Although it presents a steady plot, a large portion of the show's focus should be given to how its characters, with all of their variation, interact with each other. And I think the drama didn't experiment with this aspect that much. Often times the same characters are always together, not giving enough room for other dynamic to shine through. Considering this is quite short though, running only thirty minutes for a total of twelve episodes, I hope the show improves on this aspect if ever they make a second season.
Reading tweets or comments from other people, I found that some of them were not quite pleased with having romance as a subplot, or more accurately on the romance of the leads. Personally, I think this aspect of the show was integrated quite well. If you'd expect a sitcom about a group college kids to have no romance at all, then you're in for a disappointment. Most of the themes explored in the series revolves around romance. And I'm okay with this, really. It was delivered well and it was mostly cute. What I'm quite disappointed, however, was there is literally no part in the show which showed their struggles in school. I'd expect to have some frustrations over school requirements or fitting in and all that, considering they are still students, but the show surprisingly did not explore anything regarding this. This is one of the only two things that I hoped the show would improve on if they continue doing it.
That said, I have to commend the drama for being open. I've noticed most Kdramas now have started to break out from the conservative culture, so I'm not really surprised that this drama would delve into certain topics that are generally frowned upon by the more conservative ones. This drama, however, still managed to keep the show brave and innocent at the same time. I also love it for breaking some Kdrama tropes, especially in the drama part. The way it handled the dating scandal bit, the insecurity of the individuals in a couple, the cheating/moving on bit, it went through that with minimal, if there are any, drama at all. It went through resolving these phases quickly, much better than how many other Kdramas would painfully drag on. Although this quick turnout is mainly because of the show's overall length, it isn't to say they handled it sloppily. Instead it was presented maturely, which would sometimes even surprise you considering these characters have their quirks. The romance may seem a bit fast paced, but overall it's not bad. The show is easy to watch because it leads the viewers well. As the show progresses, you will easily identify which characters will be romantically involved with whom before it even happens. Which is why it surprised me how there are some who complained about the "unnaturalness" of the romantic development between certain couples.
If you're in it for the comedy, and the type that makes you giggle nonstop or ugly laughing, then you'll probably hate this show, especially if you can't stand it being corny every once in a while. Also if you don't like some cutesy romance, steer clear from this. BUT if you like a lighthearted show without too much drama with an easy format and strong-willed characters, then this one might be for you.
Oh yeah, I said I only have two complaints, but I have to agree with many others about the laughing sound effects. It's better if it's not there at all. That makes it three. But it's okay, the show is still enjoyable.
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