Review: When a Snail Falls in Love

Hey all!

I don't usually watch Chinese dramas, but this one seemed a little shorter so I gave it a try when it was new and trending: When a Snail Falls in Love! 

Interesting story because of all the twists and turns, but it definitely felt... lacking.

The romance wasn't all that, sadly! I know that these are the actors in Ode to Joy and have chemistry, which is evident in this show. They seem subtly attracted to each other in a few cute scenes as the show progresses. But the romance isn't the focal point of the show (even though in my opinion it is advertised to be. I mean, A snail falls in love). The characters are all police officers. 

We get to the action pretty soon when someone I thought would be an important character romance-wise gets brutally murdered. 

But my problem was that even the whole murder action plot-line was relatively predictable and not as exciting. The action scenes were alright, but the overall story was not as exciting.

I will say, the story has a lot of twists and turns, and follows one large narrative of the murder plot and all the dirty business that a corporation is trying to cover up in its wake. One thing leads to another, which leads to another, and perhaps that audience is left hoping the whole thing will end.

And at the end it's hinted they want a sequel... On the bright side, watch it while you're bored and doing something else, it's decent if you watch it occasionally as it plays in the background. Harsh? Maybe... :') 

I commend the show for having rather strong female leads. The main character is a tiny cute sociopath who enjoys drawing, played by Wang Ziwen (who really is so small oh my gosh). She is the department's psychological investigator (think Holmes, but not as well played-out).

She acts well! It's a convincing role as XuXu. She's constantly protected by Ji Bai, though, who is this super macho tough "show no emotion" type of bad boy hero with a conscience, the head of that police squad(?). He's a charming guy played by Wang Kai, and I enjoyed looking at his jawline. However, beyond that slope, his character development was left off at high kicks, judo flips, and being the tough guy. 

There are times of the show when the main character and plot really does impress you. Xuxu is the only one who undergoes any character development, from her reserved shell to doing some pretty daring things that end up saving the day. She doesn't whine or cry a lot despite her "cute" archetype, which is a blessing. 

While the female characters are all strong and hold their own, the friendship between them really isn't developed well... I guess this brings me to a vice of this drama. Other than the female lead I didn't see much character development from anyone. The side relationship was a little forced too, even though it was cute as a crush in the beginning of the show. 

The show really advertises the cute drawings aspect of the show (omg it's like a comic book story of a snail falling in love with a lion!) - that's not the case. The romance can get a bit dry and sudden at the end because they don't really build up to a true romantic relationship. It's more of a mentor-mentee relationship, and that wouldn't have been such a bad thing either, but not what was promised, and not what it becomes. 

It's an interesting story, though! All in all, it's a relatively short drama (21 episodes, 30~ minutes each), so it's not a huge waste of time or anything. Can be a been-there-done-that drama. I've never watched Ode to Joy but it seems well-received, so I'd probably rather watch that. 

The action in this show really gets down in the second half, and I almost wish the whole thing was a nicely made movie. Would've been cute! The character relationships could have been better developed, the lead would have still had her spotlight, and the main pairing might have built more momentum and not been so sudden (or one-sided... we had no clue the guy liked her back for a long time there).

To summarize, it's not what it advertises, so you might be disappointed if you're expecting one thing but getting another. But yea! I'd give it a 2.5/5 rating, so watch it if you really just have that much time to spare :') 

Tell me what you thought about it - whether you agree or disagree! All opinions welcome.

Luv and Hugs,

Ritz

Review: Reply 1997/ Answer Me 1997

If you're above a certain age (I mean, old enough to be mature about sex, and understand enough about love and growing up), this drama is a must-watch.

Awesome cast, awesome actors, good fit for their respective roles

Whether you are or aren't into it, this really isn't a school drama (Look for the School kdrama series for that one lol). It deals with growing up, in a nutshell. 
The director skillfully portrayed relationships: romantic, familial, friendships, and the complications that play into it when these relationships get in the way of others, or start blurring. It's about heartache, pangs, frustration, anger, and everything that usually enters the picture when it comes to teenagehood. 

This drama does in fact keep you anticipating, and reveals information little by little through its format of switching between the past and the present. There are many spoilers, so keep watch for the spoiler tags and don't read the spoilers if you seriously want the full experience. 

I loved the job that the actors did. I've never seen anything else in which they were principle actors, but they were such naturals in their roles. Jung Eun-ji played Sung Si-Won and was so natural and relatable and did not try to overdo anything. She was not a delicate flower that needed a man by her side all the time, nor was she fake. Her maturation was well-portrayed and understandable, her emotions raw and believable, and her positivity was contagious. Seo In-Guk played Yoon Yoon-jae, and he basically embodied and defined our inwardly emotional and struggling male lead that has been used in so many dramas and has found few truly capable of the it, and he brought his own twist into it as he portrayed a boy - every schoolgirl's cold but popular crush, and a little in-love, but at the same time awkward and young and naive. Can I live in Busan please?

Our side characters did a great job as well - notably Hoya (from INFINITE), who did such a good, believable and mature job of playing his role as someone with a secret he can't tell the person to whom it matters the most. Beyond this is a spoiler. And the addition of Sechkies leader Eun Ji-Won was plainly hilarious as there is a focus on our two female cast members' favorite bands - H.O.T. and Sechkies throughout the majority of the drama. As someone who deals with my own love for fandoms, I totally related to this fact and enjoyed the ensuing humor from the over-dramatization of fanwars. 

Cutie <3

The romance: amazing. The characters stuck in our strange love triangle had great chemistry and the romantic scenes were truly romantic - hilarious at times, make you blush at other times. And there's a special magic that surrounds the idea of a first-love - almost like a rite of growing up of heartbreak and confusion and butterflies. I think the true charm of the drama was its simplicity. The way in which our characters were portrayed was raw, genuine, earnest, and simple. There is no simple answer to love, whichever form it comes in, and that's the magic that this show shows so well. We truly feel for the characters as an audience, cheering on kisses, crying at heartbreak, anticipating reactions. Simple and sweet. Makes me melt.

The great thing about the side romance plots in the drama is that they are all sweet, heartwarming, believable, and make us love and understand all the characters. This is not true of side-character romances in most cases, and it does not detract from the main story, but feeds to the development of the characters, and the way they handle their relationships with each other. 

Rude asf *sigh*

One of the main themes in the drama is that of maturation, which hits everyone at some point, and it involves moving out of childhood fantasy. And it's a little sad to watch, but a real truth that we will all feel while growing up. It's the kind of thing that you remember suddenly when something sparks a memory in your mind of a time more innocent and genuine, which gives you an insight into who you are. Perhaps that is why the drama is aptly named to ask for a reply from that age of innocence. And growing up, moving beyond that time, it is inevitable, but was still beautiful to experience for our principle characters.

In addition to being a coming-of-age and romance drama, the director did a great job instilling a sense of nostalgia that even I, someone who has never experienced the 90's, especially not through South Korean culture, could relate. If you truly want to immerse yourself in understanding every joke and reference (such as the identity of one of the principle actors), read the entries and try to look up the references on the Special Appearances category of the cast or Google anything suspiciously sounding like an inside joke for 90's teens, because it probably is. 

This drama will not have any fantastical elements, nor any ridiculous unlikely happenings that would render it an unbelievable mess. If you are into a classic sexy cool hunk falling for a delicate princess of beauty and envy, this drama may not be for you. If you are not into realness either (which is understandable), then this drama won't satisfy that for you. This one is meant to hit the feels, make you think, make you cry a little, smile a lot.

Often low-budget translates to low-quality, but this drama is not particularly special in its production. Its story is worth watching, its characters worth falling for and relating to, its plot tied together well. That is what makes Reply 1997 one of my favorite dramas of all time. Watch it. 10/10 in my eyes.