Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) Dropped

The last couple of episodes have finally convinced to let go of this one. The only regret for me is that I wasn’t able to warm up to this despite the undeniable chemistry of the leads, the sumptuous delicacies on display and the breathtaking views. At least I can say I gave it a fair hearing. Even now when the leads have confessed and are dating happily flashing their pretty whites with impunity I still can’t muster much enthusiasm for the primary romance. To my mind the set-up was clunky and everything that followed only made me more annoyed than amused. It’s hard to root for a rom com when the male lead is this unlikeable even when the actor himself is attractive and charming. On top of that, I’m just not that interested in his trauma when I should be.

Moreover this makes the last two episodes much harder to swallow. A 180 from the pair that’s a bolt of lightning without the thunder or rain. All the schmaltzy aegyo was a dental hazard not to mention a bizarre turn of events. In part it’s like watching a couple of teenagers finding love for the first time. These are some comments I made on Janghaven Forums…

Overall I find the messaging and the moralizing incoherent. My problem is that the show wants to depict Du-sik as some kind of jolly, oblivious influencer but he crosses far too many lines that he comes across more obnoxious than jolly or oblivious. It isn’t just him either and it’s always an eye-rolling chore to see how these types of situations are handwaved by the script with humour or setting up other characters with deep flaws . It occurred to me even after Episode 10 that Du-sik is really more of a plot device than an actual fully fleshed-out character. The last two episodes confirmed my suspicions. He does what the script wants him to do when it wants him to do it — The Absolute Male Lead. His development as a potential love interest for Hye-jin is erratic at best — riddled with cliches and tropisms — behaving like a programmed schedule that’s drawn up for a television production let’s say. Cliches and tropes aren’t necessarily a bad thing but it requires a certain amount of skill to use them well. It feels to me that all his clumsy attempts trying to change her had much less of an effect than what she gradually concludes on her own. In the end, the romance seems unconvincing. Or the case made for it isn’t as robust as it should be.

Surprisingly though I have enjoyed the interactions between bestie Mi-seon and the handsome local cop Eun-cheol. The fact that it is lowkey and without hijinks ensures that it works. The awkwardness is adorable because it feels real. And of course Eun-cheol is a sweetheart. Nobody is trying to change anybody here. No lines are being crossed. It’s just two people trying to accommodate each other because they like each other enough to do so.

And one last thing:

I know that there will be those who think I am thinking too much for a rom com. Let me assure everyone that I don’t. I do the same thing as any casual viewer. I sit there and I watch it with no expectations of anything but fluff. However when I’m not enjoying the fluff I start wondering why. Why am I grumpy rather than amused? It’s a problem. There’s really not a lot to this show that requires a great deal of thought but I do wonder from time to time if it were helmed by different actors, the reception to it would be quite different to what it is.