Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha marks the grand comeback of the biggest k-drama breakout star of 2020: Kim Seon-ho. The wealthy and dapper second lead that we all fell in love with in Start-Up is now the hero of his own k-drama romance. While there are many of us in Team Good Boy who are still licking our wounds from last year, we are ready to move on and see Kim Seon-ho have his happy ending.

Does the new tvN-produced and sure Netflix hit live up to the hype? Find out in our spoiler-free Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha review. Take note that I am only reviewing the first two episodes, so a lot of my opinions about the show may change from now!

I mean, I was so quick to declare Record of Youth as the perfect k-drama for zillennials, but that one turned out to be pretty disappointing.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha Plot

With such a unique name, you’d expect the show to be about a cha-cha dancer moving back to their hometown to live his dream. But this remake of the 2004 film Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong tells the story of a city girl dentist from Seoul, Yoon Hye-jin (played by Shin Min-a), who moves to a small seaside village called Gongjin to open her own clinic. She does this after quitting her comfy job in Seoul when she is fed up with her money-hungry boss.

In Gongjin, she meets the handy Hong Du-sik (played by Kim Seon-ho) who does everything in their town. And when I say everything, I mean everything — being a barista in the cafe and the sauna, a painter, a renovator, a soapmaker — you name it, and he has the license to do it.

Yoon Hye-jin’s privileged upbringing in Seoul becomes a nuisance when her snobbish behavior turns everyone in town against her. But Hong Du-sik is well-loved by everyone in their town because of his jolly can-do attitude. Du-sik helps Hye-jin adjust into her new life in the province and eventually fall in love in the process.

The promos leading up to the show also promised that it was going to offer warmth and healing. While the first two episodes of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha didn’t really tackle any of those yet, there were some subtle hints about the two leads’ families having a complicated past. And we were also introduced to a whole slew of whimsical characters from the village who will surely provide some entertainment and heartwarming moments as we learn more about them.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha Review: The Characters

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is shaping up to be one of the best romantic k-dramas of 2021. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been biased about this series because Kim Seon-ho is probably my favorite k-drama actor right now. But I’ve been in a drought with k-dramas lately where nothing that I’ve been watching has been serving.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha episode 1 was one of the few k-drama episodes in a while where I was hooked from start to finish. Let’s start with the cast and characters.

I didn’t think much of Shin Min-a coming into the show, but the girl can admittedly breathe life to her character. The problem with having an unaware snobby rich city girl as the main character is that she can easily become unlikable. Shin Min-a is able to do her job in making Yoon Hye-jin just the right amount of annoying, and more importantly, rootable.

As for Kim Seon-ho, his Chief Hong character doesn’t feel too different from roles that he has played before. I mean he does the easily irritable/tough love character pretty well as we saw in his role as Han Ji-pyeong (Start-Up), and Cha U-sik (Welcome to Waikiki 2), but Hong Du-sik doesn’t feel too different. So if you fell in love with him before, then you’ll probably enjoy him here as well.

Hong Du-sik still feels like a two-dimensional character without a lot of concrete motives, but we still have a long list of episodes to go through where we can explore who he is, so I’m giving the show a pass.

We can’t talk about Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha without bringing up the entire village of Gongjin. I presume this show is going to be a lot like It’s Okay to Not Be Okay where we learn more about the supporting characters’ backstories one by one.

There’s no one as iconic as Chef Toto in Vincenzo yet, but I already appreciate their presence a lot even if the first two episodes don’t do a good job highlighting their personalities. One of the things I’m looking forward to is how Yoon Hye-jin will get along with the more conservative elders in Gongjin. They already badmouthed her just because she had the galls to wear *gasp* leggings while jogging, so I’m hoping that getting to know Hye-jin more will help them reflect on their outdated values.

Then episode 2 of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha fleshed out the washed-up 90s one-hit-wonder, Oh Chun-jae, whom Hye-jin had a pretty awkward and hurtful encounter with.

If the writers keep the village residents as a central element of the show, then I undoubtedly see it raking in success. The characters are interestingly whimsical, and it would be a shame if we didn’t give them enough shine.

And perhaps the most stunning character in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is Gongjin itself. I’m a sucker for TV shows set in gorgeous beaches like Yangyang Beach in Lovestruck in the City, so I’d like to point out how much value the seaside village adds to the show “about healing”. It really does a lot for me whenever we get a relaxing view of the sea, the boats, or the mountains. The setting being so present sucks us deeper into the universe, especially when complemented by the simpler people we meet in the village.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha Review: Final Thoughts

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha has never been presented as a groundbreaking k-drama, but does it have to be? I’m not gonna lie and say that it’s a “must watch” show (for now), but I’ve been waiting for a quality romantic comedy to sink my k-drama lovin’ teeth into. In that aspect, it seems to do its job well.

The k-drama led by Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a is a cute harmless romantic story that doesn’t really take a lot of effort to watch.

The future episodes promise to add some spice into the story, but I have a pretty good feeling about the general vibe of the show just from the first two episodes alone. It’s going to be a breezy boy-falls-in-love-with-girl thing where Hong Du-sik teaches Yoon Hye-jin the “simpler life”… until we start to unpack some of their family baggage from the past. And maybe throw in a richer and more handsome second lead into the mix, then you’ve got yourself a winning romcom!

Like I said earlier in this Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha review, the show has a lot of potential depending on how they use their supporting characters.

Because aside from them, it’s really hard to see where the show can potentially go from here — and not in a good unpredictable kind of way — but in a “how are they going to stretch this to 16 episodes” type of thing. I hope the writers are able to introduce enough compelling elements soon to help the story be more interesting when the main romance plot starts to peak.

For example, the cliffhanger of episode 2 doesn’t really entice me to watch the next one because I don’t know what conflict I should be looking forward to.

But overall, the main characters and their insane chemistry are enough to make me enjoy the show. I mean I was hooked from the very first scene of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and it kept me smiling until the end of its 80-minute running time, so there is something really great here. Not all k-dramas impress me from the start so I have no doubt that it will pick up soon.

Plus, who doesn’t love a good ol’ princess and the pauper story? There are some pretty funny moments thrown in there set up by the premise of a clueless city girl living in a conservative small town.

And if there’s anything to look forward to, it’s Lee Sang-yi’s character. We haven’t encountered him yet, so things can only get more interesting from here.

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Do you have a Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha review of your own? Leave your thoughts and questions about the show in the comments below!

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It’s the k-drama that will have you doing spit takes and thigh slaps from all the hilarious hijinks! This Welcome to Waikiki review is basically one huge fangirling session because I just finished it last weekend, and it was so freaking good. I’m so glad that I was able to see this in my Netflix algorithm because it would’ve been so easy to miss out on this hidden gem.

The sequel of the show has found some newfound popularity after the entire Asia population fell in love with Ji-pyeong from Start-Up. The actor who plays him, Kim Seon-ho, stars in Welcome to Waikiki 2, leaving the first season to go unnoticed.

But we all know that a show being obscure does not mean it’s automatically a bad show. Find out why Welcome to Waikiki is the perfect example of that after the jump. And good news: we are keeping things relatively spoiler-free for this one!

Welcome to Waikiki Synopsis

Before we delve into the actual Welcome to Waikiki review, let’s first get to know what it’s all about. The JTBC-produced show is good ol’ classic comedy sprinkled with some cute romance in between. When we say “classic comedy”, that means leaving your expectations of smart humor out the door.

We follow six normal young adults — three men and three women — who always find themselves in insane situations while living their daily lives. All of them eventually stay together under the roof of the breathtaking Waikiki Guesthouse which they also run. The ensemble of roommates include the petty Kang Dong-gu (played by Kim Jung-hyun), his sister Kang Seo-jin (played by Ko Won-hee), the geeky Bong Doo-sik (played by Son Seung-won), and the breakout star of the show, Lee Joon-ki (played by Lee Yi-kyung).

Things start to shake up in the guesthouse when they see a random baby inside one of the rooms. Later on, they learn that the adorable but awkward Han Yoon-ah (played by Jung In-sun) left her there because she was afraid of being a single mother.

The guys feel bad for her situation, and slowly welcome her into their family. Dong-gu is the most reluctant one at first because he found her ditziness quite annoying. But in traditional k-drama style, he soon starts to develop some romantic feelings for her.

They are also joined later on by Dong-goo’s ex-girlfriend and aspiring model, Min Soo-ah (played by Lee Joo-woo) after she falls for a scam. While her brash attitude and history with Dong-goo makes it hard for her to win over the hearts of the other characters, she soon finds herself fitting in naturally with them.

Welcome to Waikiki Review

Welcome to Waikiki is a fun and easy-to-pick-up k-drama with a lot of heart. We actually placed this show in our 2021 list of feel-good, lighthearted k-drama recommendations, and for very good reason.

It’s like a sitcom presented k-drama style; think high production value and tight writing. The sticky situations they get into are usually a direct result of their own ridiculous choices and their stubbornness, and their problems snowball into bigger ones until they get their well-deserved comeuppance. While most of the situations only happen within the space of a half-hour, certain storylines last for multiple episodes. Basically, you’d still have to watch the entire thing in order.

Don’t get it twisted though: Welcome to Waikiki is not pure unadulterated comedy. They suck you in with ridiculous humor at first, and then inject some romance and a tiny wee of drama later on. It doesn’t get in the way of the show’s “flow” though.

In fact, some of the best moments in the show come because there’s a little drama in it. You’ll find yourself laughing at a guy munching on buffalo bones to go viral one minute, and then loudly cheering on a guy who confessed his feelings for the girl.

It’s the perfect show to watch if you’re looking for a fun little break from all the heavy k-dramas that you’ve been watching. Whenever I was on a binge for the weekend and needed something to rinse off some major boredom from the previous show I had watched, I’d always put this on because I knew that it was a guaranteed way to improve my mood.

There are many good things about this show which make it a required watching experience for everyone who likes to have fun. So… that’s everyone.

The Good

First, the humor is different (in a good way) from many modern American sitcoms that you may be accustomed to. It doesn’t rely heavily on sarcasm or witty comebacks to get some laughs out of the audience. Instead, it focuses on the situation at hand and how the characters deal with the unrealistic ridiculousness they are faced with.

I will admit that the show’s humor does tend to border on childish sometimes especially when it gets to slapstick territory. But once you get used to it, you’ll find that its part of the charm.

As we said earlier, Welcome to Waikiki starts to veer into romantic territory halfway through. While this allows room for more melodrama into the show, those parts are usually kept to a minimum. The romance is not really why someone would watch this particular k-drama, so it’s okay even if they are largely forgettable.

The writers are still able to work in the humor into the romance relationships anyway. Having them in the show also helps with some key character development, so they are very much welcome. My only gripe is how a large portion of the final episodes does get brought down a bit by all the romance drama.

What I’m saying is the romantic relationships (especially the build-up to them) is enjoyable to watch, but ultimately, it’s not really the number one reason why you should seek out Waikiki.

Aside from the humor, the cast of brilliantly funny actors makes the show really enjoyable. I found myself constantly surprised with how committed they are to making themselves look like clowns for laughs. I’ve always had the idea that Korean actors are afraid to look un-beautiful, but Waikiki proved me wrong. I mean when one of your main girls’ quirks is being able to grow a moustache overnight, looking beautiful doesn’t matter.

All of them look like they’re having fun throughout it all. While the show didn’t explore some relationships among the characters as deeply as they could’ve, I was able to feel the chemistry among them. This is especially towards the latter half when the actors have become noticeably more comfortable with one another. I could not imagine other actors filling in their roles.

And if I do see these actors in other projects, I don’t think I would be able to disassociate them from the people they played here.

The characters are really the ones that turned this show from “just good” to great. Everyone is likeable in their own right, especially Lee Joon-ki. He is an aspiring actor who has the most memorable storylines in the show. He just steals the scene all the freaking time with his huge movements and wacky facial expressions.

The other ones in the ensemble cast are able to balance him out pretty well, but trust me: all of them are dorky idiots… idiots we love.

Unique is a word that encapsulates Welcome to Waikiki. You’ll notice this from how it’s edited and all the way down to the set design. For instance, the entire show is presented in pleasing pastel colors which helps bring accentuates its lightheartedness and easy-watching vibe. Aside from that, there were so many memorable one-off/side characters who brought so much laughs into the show even if they were only there for a little bit. If you ask me right now, I could probably name half of them.

I just wanted to point these small things out in my Welcome to Waikiki review because they all add up together to make the show even more brilliant than it already is.

The Bad

There are only two cons I would like to point out in this Welcome to Waikiki review, and they are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. The first one has to do with the awkward first impression it gave me. I will never forget how I tried to watch this way back in May, but the very beginning of the show involved toothpaste getting into the mouth of a sleeping Dong-goo. Just like that, I turned it off because “meh, it wasn’t for me”.

I obviously ended up giving it a second try and fell in love with it afterwards.

Looking back, Waikiki relies on a lot of similar “childish” humor at the first couple of episodes and it isn’t going to be everybody’s cup of tea. I know it didn’t seem like the show for me who was so used to American sitcoms. But the more you watch it, the more you get used to it. Then it really starts to get when Yoon-ah starts to settle in with the other residents in the guesthouse.

If you’ve read any of my reviews, you’d know that how long an episode lasts is a huge deal for me. For Welcome to Waikiki, every episode runs for approximately 60 minutes… and that is a lot of comedy to get through in one sitting.

Even if I was laughing my ass off and having fun with what I was watching, I would find myself constantly checking how much time was left before it ends. I just don’t think a scripted comedy series was meant to have that running time. As I learned, you do get tired from laughing a lot and there is some fatigue involved from having too much fun.

As a result, the last twenty or so minutes of most episodes recurringly become an afterthought. If I’d already get exhausted halfway through a single episode, that does make me doubt how “binge-able” Waikiki truly is.

  Welcome to Waikiki Rating: 8.5/10 

Any questions about our Welcome to Waikiki review? Leave them in the comments below! And if you missed it, you can view our reactions and review for other episodes here.

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If Welcome to Waikiki isnt your cup of tea, check out our list of the best k-dramas to watch for Gen Z’ers here. Don’t miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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While everybody was busy binging all the holiday classics or catching up on Start-Up, Netflix released one of their most unique k-dramas that flew under the radar: Lovestruck in the City. This was one of the k-dramas that I placed in my to-watch list ever since I saw the trailer with Ji Chang-wook in it.

I found some of his projects to be great, like Healer, as well as The K2, which made our list of the best k-dramas for Gen Z. So I had some sort of expectations for this k-drama — not a lot, but some.

The first two episodes didn’t deliver a super strong impression like most k-dramas, but it looks like it’s going to head into an interesting direction soon. Now you’re probably asking: should you watch Lovestruck in the City? Read more to find out our answer.

And yes, we are keeping things spoiler-free!

The show follows six good-looking singles and their complicated love lives at the heart of South Korea’s capital… and that’s basically all there is to it. It isn’t really as complicated as other k-dramas that throw every plot twist they can to prolong the show.

At least, not yet.

Lovestruck in the City dares to be young and different with its storytelling format alone. A documentary crew follows our characters as they get interviewed about their romantic lives.

We follow the love story of 32-year old architect Park Jae-won (played by Ji Chang-wook) and 29-year old Lee Eun-oh (played by Kim Ji-won), who works in marketing. As the interviewer asks them questions related to their romantic lives, we cut to flashbacks about their summer fling in Yang Yang and the eventual fallout.

We haven’t really gotten to the other characters’ stories yet, but we do know Choi Kyung-joon (played by Kim Min-seok) and Seo Rin-yi (played by So Joo-yeon) are in a long-term relationship. No drama yet, but we’re basically just waiting for the other shoe to drop with that couple!

Rounding out the gang are author Kang-geon (played by Ryu Kyung-soo) and I-break-hearts-for-breakfast Oh Sun-young (Han Ji-eun). They’re huge question marks right now because we don’t really know how they fit into the other characters’ lives just yet.

After watching the first episode, there was one thought that I couldn’t let go of: this is such a Netflix original. Everything felt and moved like those quirky lower-budget rom-coms produced by the streaming giant.

They aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, but they all leave you with that warm fuzzy feeling after watching it. I’m talking movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Kissing Booth — hell, it even reminded me of their reality shows like Dating Around and The Circle.

There’s something about a show’s production that reminds you of Netflix originals, like the lighthearted story, the small but cute animations, the irresistable soundtrack, and the gorgeous setting. All of which Lovestruck in the City has in spades.

Despite what the title of the show implies, we don’t actually see much of Seoul yet.

Most of the first few episodes are spent in the beautiful Yangyang Beach, which adds a lot to the young, modern & fun vibe the show is all about. It’s a lot like I’m Drunk, I Love You where the beach setting and the vibe is half the enjoyment of watching it.

It’s a joy watching Ji Chang-wook’s portrayal of Jae-won, primarily because it’s great seeing him out of the action-suspense genre and into straight romance territory. On the other hand, Kim Ji-won won me over with her portrayal of the happy-go-lucky Eun-oh. Her persona fits so perfectly with the carefree nature of Yangyang Beach.

Everything just works together to breathe life to the show. You may not remember what the story is about, but you’ll remember how it may just have been the most visually-stunning kdrama you’ve ever watched.

The documentary format also works extremely well because the show has to keep things snappy and dynamic. Ultimately, it’s a double-edged sword because the interview scenes are probably the weakest part of the show. It feels necessary though, because they’re weaving together all of these narratives in the space of thirty minutes an episode.

Yes, you heard that right: one episode only lasts thirty minutes which makes it a great show to binge-watch. Again, with that kind of bingeability, it’s a k-drama trapped in the body of a Netflix original.

Lovestruck in the City is just not like the other k-dramas I’ve watched before because the presentation is so unique and different. It’s not that at all surprising because in Korea, it is distributed by KakaoTV and does not have to play by the same rules as cable and network TV stations.

Given that, you can definitely feel the heavy Western influence throughout the show.

I literally gasped when the “Rated 16+” warning showed up in the beginning of the second episode because there was sex involved. It was interesting to see these characters openly talk about and engage in sex, only because the topic is annoyingly avoided all the time in k-dramas. These are grown characters and it’s so important for sex to be covered in a show about romance.

Unfortunately, Lovestruck in the City doesn’t really wow us with the plot in the first two episodes. While the visuals are a delight to watch, the k-drama will leave you with a resounding “that’s it?!” when the credits roll.

For the viewer with a short attention-span, the stop button would be too tempting to press halfway through the first episode.

The 30-minute running time works against the show in that regard, but at the same time, it’s not really an excuse for the underdeveloped story. Lots of shows have hooked us in from the very beginning and have given us more exposition in a smaller window of time.

And that’s the problem with having the show revolve around six characters: their stories will need some time to cook.

Even the story of Kyung-joon and Rin-yi’s first time was too short to have any kind of impact on the viewer. It felt like a free sample without any of the good stuff. For now, they’re nothing but side characters that don’t really add anything to the show.

And don’t get me started on Kang-geon and Sun-young, whose names I had to Google before writing this review because their impact in the show was close to nonexistent. I’m sure I’m going to end up loving them, but it sucks that they got lost in the shuffle in the first two episodes without as much as a set-up of their upcoming character arcs.

Obviously, patience is key for this series, but even then, I am not holding out for a groundbreaking plot with this one. Lovestruck in the City seems perfectly content with delivering us picture-perfect shots and whirlwind romance as opposed to delivering a captivating story.

Which I guess is fine because not all k-dramas have to change the game, but for the viewer who is bored with watching usual romcoms, this is not the show to start with.

Lovestruck serves you the most basic romcom plot while covered in all the glitz and glam. It’s not all bad, but it can be a bit bland.

I know that the good parts are enough to make me stick around for the next few weeks. The second episode left me with more hope for the show since we actually got to a more interesting predicament in the end; something the pilot failed to do.

Lovestruck in the City is one of the freshest k-dramas to hit Netflix because of its heavy Western millennial TV influence. If you’re not into k-dramas, either because you’ve clouded your mind with too many preconceptions about the genre, or because it’s too much of a commitment, then I would personally recommend that you give this a chance.

For the picky k-drama enthusiast, it may just be alright to skip this one because it lacks some flavor that makes it stand out from much superior titles. The first two episodes have not given us a real reason to really vouch for it. Maybe the time will come when it progresses beyond its cute presentation and gives us more conflict to chew on.

If the show manages to pick up its pace and develop the supporting characters better, then it might just end up being a memorable k-drama.

There is some potential there. But from what it’s given us, it’s nothing more than a show that’s good for a quick binge through a weekend.

Did you enjoy Lovestruck in the City? Let us know how you found it in the comments below!

Still looking for a show to watch this weekend? Take this quiz to find out which Netflix show you should be binging through based on your personality. Don’t miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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