I finally did it and broke down and bought myself an otome on Nintendo Switch (since little dude has one). Actually, two, but who's counting? As I'd heard good things about this one and the setting sounded interesting, the first was Café Enchanté.
You play a young-ish (early 20s) girl who inherits her grandfather's home/business after he dies. It's a place she has fond memories of from when she was young and lived with him for a time, but it's been years since she's been there. She's glad at the chance because her life is a bit of a shambles; she hates her job and felt trapped in it. This could be just what she needs to escape her dreary life.
But when she gets there, she soon finds a hidden door/gate. Café Enchanté isn't any normal coffee shop; it's a gateway to other worlds. And a number of these other worldly denizens were friends of her grandfathers and, in fact, even lived in the rooms upstairs. They've been locked out since her grandfather died and are excited to return once she opens the door (not knowing what lay on the other side) though saddened to hear that their old friend had died.
There's Misyr, a demon king from a very caustic world -- he's fairly all-powerful--and the first one that she meets. His horns immediately clue her in that something isn't quite normal about him...
He's soon followed by a fully armoured knight (who is also headless) from a fairy world named Canus Espada (he's the equivalent to the Dullahan, the Fairy of Death). He's a gentleman through and through. And a beast-human from Bestia named Ignus. He's young and fiery--literally. You can tell he's the grumpy but heart of gold one. Then there's a fallen angel from a Heavenly world...who's also addicted to otome games (haha) named Il Fado de Rie. The last of the romance able characters you meet a bit later -- Kaoru Rindo. He's a government agent who heads up an agency responsible for tracking and watching otherworldly worlds and creatures.
At first, Rindo is warning the MC about the "creatures" and I thought he was going to be sort of an antagonist in the story, but at this point (I'm at chapter 5), it seems like he's pretty friendly with them all, even if his agency is officially not.
There seems to be quite a long common route. As I said, I'm at chapter 5 and nary a sign of what route I'm going down. That is one bad thing -- so far, there have been precious few decision points and no indication at all when you select one what effect it has had. So, I'll see. I'm playing through the first time without any kind of walkthrough or hints.
So far, honestly, it's all been about the MC deciding to take over the cafe, learning a bit about how to run it (even though there are spells that protect it from random people wandering in since, you know, it's a gateway to crazy other worlds), doing a lot of paperwork, and getting a bit more familiar with the regulars. It's kind of nice, in a way, as you do get a good look into the MC's life/thoughts/challenges. She's a bit weak, but not terribly so and seems nice enough and ready to protect her new friends. She's not a spitfire by any means, but she's not a total shrinking violet either. Given the situation, she's dealing fairly well.
In the last chapter, they all wound up visiting the knight's world where there's the first hint of some outside force causing havoc when the MC gets separated from the rest and it seems that some mysterious force caused it. I'm honestly not sure if this visit to his world is *always* at this point in the route or if it was because I'd selected him as the one to help in the decision point before this. Though they specifically say his world is a good first visit as it is the least dangerous.
So I don't know if I'm headed towards his route or just along for the ride still. There really haven't been many decision points and the choices were fairly innocuous. I'll have to update after another few chapters to see. I *think* that it might be chapter 8 where you find out what route you are in.
As for the LI's, all of them seem decent so far. Age-wise, it's a bit of a weird thing as Misyr is supposed to be centuries old, Il and Canus hundreds of years, Ignis around the MC's age, and Rindo in his 40's. But, hey, I guess you gotta just roll with it as it's fantasy, right? If I had to say I was leaning towards one in particular, it might be Canus or Misyr at this point, but I'm not particularly fussed.
The headless knight...who actually has a face, you just can't see it or feel it...and he...glows. Like a mood ring, changing colour as his feelings change.
The CGs are quite lovely. The MC's art is good too. I'd say I'm enjoying it so far, though I'd also say that it hasn't blown me away. That might be the slow pace, though little dude had a point--at this price point, you want a game that takes some time. If it was quick, you wouldn't feel like you were getting your money's worth. And I am used to mobile games. This is a proper otome. I'll see how I'm feeling after I get farther in. It is fun to play it on the Switch. I don't know why, but it does make it feel more like a "thing" than when you're just tapping away on your phone.
One of the reasons I picked this one was that it's said to not be too dark. And considering the real world I'm playing to escape, that's what I was looking for.
Groan. I can't believe I actually a) downloaded a game called Dress Up Time Princess or b) that I'm actually liking it.
Seriously. What part of this is me? Okay. Let me start at the beginning. I kept getting ads for it. I don't like dress up games generally at all. I was sick of the ad. Often, when you download a game, you stop getting ads for it. So, I thought I'd try that. Like many games today, the ads have very little to do with the actual game play.
So I downloaded it and tried it (incidentally, I did stop getting the ads, so that worked). And it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I mean, it was and it wasn't. Yes, a great deal of it is dressing up an avatar, BUT it's actually a bit more otome-like than many other mobile games out there that purport to be. In an -ish sort of way.
You're visiting home and you go into your mother's old bedroom. There you find a mysterious lectern with a storybook (and a weird fairy-creature, kind of). You soon get transported into storybook worlds where you are living the life of the main character...but that first story is...historical. You're Marie Antoinette. I was, honestly, like, WTF. Who would want to be Marie Antoinette?? The character, at least, is aware of this and works hard to try and change her fate, changing history in the process. There are distinct decision points and your choices do make a radical difference in the storyline. You have to raise your relationship with a number of characters (the King, Lafayette, Fersen, etc. etc.). However, you can also go back and "unlock" different story paths by picking different choices. In fact, this is encouraged: you can't unlock certain outfit patterns (which unlock different paths) without doing so. So, in that way it is both otome-like and non-otome-like as you do ultimately need to raise your relationship with all the characters and not just one (and not all of the characters are love interests either).
I do feel it's an odd story for an otome-ish app to pick; the MC is married to the King, after all. But, I'm finding the history lessons embedded within it to be interesting (and to match with what I know of France during that time period). So I found that intriguing. I've also unlocked a few other stories -- Swan Lake (based on the classic fairy tale), some side stories related to Queen Marie, and Romy and Julius (? obviously a take on Romeo and Juliet, though I dunno why they changed the names). So the stories run the gamut: history, classics, fairy tales. I haven't progressed very far in the others though.
There's a fair bit of grinding to get the materials that you need to make the outfits that you need to unlock things with, but not a terrible amount. You also collect pet cats that you send off on adventures. Overall, it's a cutesy game, but the stories at the heart are fairly engaging and interesting and, unlike where I am with Mr. Love, straightforward enough to be enjoyable without miring you down in confusion. I'm not even minding the dress up stuff too much, though I have to say it is not my fav game mechanic.
This one definitely surprised me. I wasn't expecting to do anything more than check it out and delete it.
Edit: Thought I'd do a quick update as I've been playing this one for over 50 days now. I've actually unlocked pretty much all of the available storybooks and sort of completed the Queen Marie one. Well, completed as in I've finished all of the episodes but haven't unlocked all of the endings. I'm not actually super invested in going back to finish it all the random bits (many of which are bound to be "bad ends"), but maybe. Out of all the endings I did get, I'd have to say my favourite was one where she and the King wind up having to leave the royal life behind and wind up settling in a small village somewhere and she bakes & he fidgets with inventions. It was sweet.
As for the others...the Romy and Julius is interesting in that the framework is the normal story but gender reversed a bit BUT with the addition of some supernatural elements, which is odd. Though I can't say I'm finding it the most intriguing out of all the stories.
That would actually be The Magic Lamp, which I unlocked last. It's a bit of a mish-mash -- there's a character named Sinbad (and the forty thieves, but here he's a fat jolly merchant) and another (the queen) named Scheherazade (1001 tales), a genie from the lamp, Chapur (think Jafar from Aladdin), and Kahir (the prince). It's like they took every middle eastern-y character and mashed it into one story. But it's actually working. You play Gina, who had been kidnapped from a slum in order to be sold into slavery, but she escapes. So it's got a plucky MC, a nice prince, a prickly genie...and the most fun outfits. Definitely Kahir is the attractive LI.
Next most interesting would be the Gotham Memoirs, set during the Prohibition era. You're a plucky reporter there with big dreams. One of the LIs is a Mafia dude, so that's a bit odd given how she seems like a very straight and narrow kind of girl. But it also has two female side characters that are interesting -- an aviator and a prosecutor. So I do like that. Also, NYC in the 1920s is a good setting.
The Sparta one seems okay too, but I haven't really gone far enough into it that I really know. It's kinda like a Helen of Troy thing but with the gods interfering and a minotaur running rampant. So another mash up. Oh, and Cassandra, an oracle. The MC there is only 16 too, which may be why I'm not sure how much I like it yet. I'm old, man.
Since I'd finished Mismatched (with its depressing cliffhanger ending) and wasn't feeling like I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice, I thought I'd try something I've been seeing bits of that looked good. Nah, I'm totally lying. Not exactly. Sort of. It's got Cha Eun-woo, so I knew I was gonna watch it: True Beauty.
It's based on a popular webtoon. Now, I don't really love the whole "ugly girl gets a makeover and gets a guy" thing so I probably wouldn't have given it a second look if Cha Eun-woo wasn't in it. I'll be honest. He's an adorable cherub even when he's playing an acerbic guy. But, I gotta say, so far it's quite good, even if the FL is a bit of a contradiction.
So...the story. Im Ju-Kyung (played by Mun Ka-Young or Moon Ga-Young, depending) is the middle child. While her older sister has always been called beautiful (and her young brother is smart), everyone -- including extended family -- has always called her ugly...since she was a baby! Which is a bit much, but hey. It's a combination of things -- bad skin, really bad eyesight + really ugly glasses and, probably most telling, a lack of confidence. But when you've been told you're one thing your whole life, it's kinda understandable.
She's 18 and in the last part of high school. The kids, especially the Queen of the School, are absolutely horrible to her, calling her dumpling & having her get them snacks, etc. She's got a bit of a crush on a guy who works in the canteen & popular bitch notices & gets involved & then even films the poor girl's rejection so that everyone can see it. And the sad thing is, who knows what the guy might have done if Queen B hadn't gotten involved? He was about the only guy showing any kindness to the poor girl, bonding over music. Realistically, he probably wouldn't have reciprocated her feelings, but he would have at least let her down easy.
Anyway, it's bad. So bad that Ju-Kyung contemplates suicide. It's there that we meet Eun-woo's character, Lee Soo-ho. He sees her up on the rooftop (likely the place where a friend of his died, that he wasn't able to save?) and body tackles her off the ledge. She'd actually already decided not to jump, however, which is good. He also knocks off her glasses, so she can't see a thing and has no idea who her saviour is and even calls him Ahjussi. They have a bit of a rocky start as he winds up carting her down the stairs & then finding out the elevator wasn't broken after all. She gives him a parting bit of encouragement from the taxi as she leaves.
And that probably would have been the extent of their relationship...except her dad made a spectacularly bad investment & the family is forced to sell their nice flat and move back to their old neighbourhood (they moved "out and up" 8 years before). Ju-Kyung is actually overjoyed. She's got a chance to get away from her bullies and she's determined, via watching a shit-ton of how to apply makeup videos on YouTube, to make the most of it. She's a bit self-absorbed, but also lonely and desperately sad.
So, she shows up to her first day at the new school looking like a brand new person with decent hair and good makeup. People think she's a goddess, but inside she's the same insecure person she's always been and can't quite believe it. When her two new girl friends suggest dumplings, she's all ready to go run and get it for them rather than going with them. And Soo-ho is also at her new school, though she has no idea he's the same person, as she couldn't see him before without her glasses. She just thinks he sounds familiar, but has no idea why.
Her first thought is he's inhumanely handsome (and so he is) but his caustic personality soon dissuades her from any thoughts of doing anything but avoiding him. He's got some issues. And why he seems to have his very own very nice apartment that he lives alone in, I have no idea.
Anyway, the scenes where she's experiencing friendship with the girls at the new school are a little joy. She can hardly believe it. It's like a kid getting candy for the first time. It's lovely. There's a lot of silly about this show (and physical comedy -- while moving, her face mask goes flying out of their truck and hits Eun-woo right in the face). So even though there's doom/gloom/bullying, there's a lot to balance that out.
At the very end of the episode, she's in her old fav bookstore when Soo-ho appears out of nowhere behind her and gets the book she was reaching for. They fight over it (she not having seen who it is yet) and wind up tripping and falling and, for the second time in one episode, she winds up on the floor in Che Eun-woo's arms. That's when she sees who it is. While she's in her "normal" mode -- no makeup, sweat pants, big huge glasses.
There's another lead guy (though Eun-woo is obviously the main romantic lead based on, well, everything so far, including the title sequence) that we haven't met yet, but he looks fun. Like a slightly dangerous guy.
If I had to guess, at some point in the story, there will be danger of her "secret" getting out--after all, she didn't move that far away from her old place. I doubt if we've seen the last of the old crew of bullies. Though I can hope, since that's the way most of these stories go. I'd rather we just got to see her new life instead and see how she deals with things.
And, as a bonus, they episodes are a bit over an hour, so I got in over 70 minutes on the elliptical today.
Edit: Watched episode 2 today (out of the 8 that are currently released on Viki) and, oh man, it's the right tone for what I need right now. I am very tempted to binge watch another one this afternoon while I wait to hear back from my agent on the two book proposals I sent him.
They've introduced the 2nd male lead now -- the bad boy. Who really isn't all that bad, to be fair, he just has that vibe. Hwang In-yeop is Han Seo-jun, who used to be Soo-ho's best friend. They've got some kind of bad blood between them now (presumably to do with the friend that committed suicide?). I just looked him up and he's apparently also in The Tale of Nokdu, but I've only seen one episode of that. He's got a good voice. And is apparently 29 in real life (the other two leads being 24 and 23).
I'm not going to go into a play by play. I'll just say that I'm enjoying it, even with the secondary embarrassment (and I totally feel Ju-Kyung when she coughs and gets ramen stuck in her nose; that's happened to me and OMG does it hurt.).
Edit: Up through episode 6 now and having to stop myself from binging the other episodes that are out and translated. Episode 10 is there, but not subbed yet. Totally wanting to binge this one. Why am I liking it so much? Honestly, I'm not sure. There's a lot of cringeworthy secondhand embarrassment for the characters (mostly Ju-Kyung, but also the boys) but also some genuinely touching moments. Moon Ga-Young is particularly good and believable in her part. The plot, honestly, isn't surprising in any way, but I don't mind as the actors are doing such a good job with it. I seriously really really hope they don't ruin this for me in the last half because this is the most I've enjoyed a drama in a while because, so far, there's not really anything that I would re-write. I can't say that for a lot of shows.
I already adored Cha Eun-Woo and this show isn't changing that at all. But Hwang In-Yeop is holding his own and has a great voice on top of that. One of the funniest scenes might be when he goes dancing into the room in his underwear, not knowing that Ju-Kyung is there. His character arc has been that he starts out just teasing her to get back at Su-ho, but after he figures out how nice she is (she save his sister twice, for one), he starts actually falling for her. Too bad though, he doesn't have a chance. It'll be second lead syndrome for him. I kinda hope he winds up with the kick ass Su jin. Ju-Kyung at this point, thinks of him about like her younger brother.
Also loving that Ju-Kyung has found two girl friends that have been super supportive and lovely, though am a bit worried about that as one of them (Park Yoo Na, who plays Kang Su Jin -- she was also in My ID is Gangnam Beauty) likes Su-ho and they've been friends for a long time. Really hoping they don't turn her from a good friend to an enemy over a boy...especially since she's really kicked ass and Ju-Kyung is also trying to be supportive of her AND she's got an asshole dad that pressures her so badly that she's developed some kind of OCD thing of washing her hands to the point they get chapped. She's 2nd in the school after Su-ho and her dad has literally slapped her for not coming first. I wanna slap him.
Anyway, that's my biggest worry. Stuff is happening with Ju-Kyung's former bullies from the old school, but I expected that.
Edit: Aw, man. Have finished through episode 8 and there are only two more episodes out right now and episode 11 won't be out for another 4 days...and translated, eh, sometime after that. I really shouldn't watch shows that aren't fully released. Sigh. Maybe I'll go back to some episodes of When the Weather is Nice while I wait.
Things are progressing on a lot of fronts. As I'm not going to go super in depth, I just want to mention a few things.
1) I really like how they've managed the changing character relationship between Ju-Kyung and Han Seo-Jun. For her, it was scared --> annoyed --> friend/brother. For him, it was more like annoyed --> wanting to use her to get back at Su-ho, but curious --> genuinely fond, but in a romantic way (and finally wanting to act on it). For her, he's now someone she's comfortable teasing (the whole "roar" thing and getting him to sing when he didn't want to) and also able to cry in front of (which, up until now, would have only been Su-ho). Of course, poor Han Seo-Jun when he realises she's crying over Su-ho.
2) One of the little perfect bits to show why he's second lead and not end game, is in that crying scene actually -- to him, she's the pretty girl. When she cries and he's trying to get her to stop it's kinda perfect that he's all "did I do something? whatever I did I'm sorry" because he's a dude and has no clue, but he does have a sister and mom he loves and then he says something to the effect of "you're ugly when you cry" because he can't imagine her as ugly and wouldn't think of these as words that wound. But this is a girl that doesn't believe she's pretty at all. Even when she has the makeup on, she thinks of it like a mask. She doesn't actually internally think she's beautiful at all. I don't think, as a character, she even clocked the comment, because it's what she thinks. She thinks she is ugly. I'm not explaining this well. Eh, doesn't matter. I know what I mean. And no one else reads this anyway.
3)Also, in episode 8, Su-ho finally manages to confess to her and kisses her. But it's super important that he kisses her when she has no make up on. When she's unmasked. That was such an important choice for the writer/director to make. I have no idea if that's how it happened in the webtoon or not, but bravo.
Of course, the stupid preview thing at the end of the episode already shows us that everything isn't all sweetness and light and solved, but I have such hope that this story will carry on well throughout. I really hope so.
Edit: Sigh. I'm currently caught up with all released episodes (episode 11 comes out tomorrow, but it'll likely be a couple of days before it is translated. A few bummers, other than the being caught up bit...
a) I follow Cha Eun-Woo on Instagram. So sue me. So I totally got spoiled for the big cliffhanger at the end of episode 10 because he'd posted a picture of himself up in the air above a car. Yeah, he and Han Seo Jun both get hit by a car (though obviously neither one dies)
b) I also inadvertently got spoiled that the ongoing webtoon apparently is quite different wherein some of the scenes that Su-ho has with Ju-Kyung were originally Seo-jun ones. I'm actually not that fussed about this as it sounds like the drama is streamlining a convoluted storyline. That's one of the bad things about some of these ongoing stories. Take Skip Beat, for instance. How many volumes of that do I have? How many are out in Japan? How many freaking YEARS has it been going on with no end in sight? The only thing about it in this case is that, while I was briefly tempted to try out the webtoon, in this case I think I will skip it. I mean, there's already definitely Second Lead Syndrome but I don't really want to read through chapters and chapters of waffling with no end in sight. I very much hope the drama puts an actual ending on it.
c) And Le Big Sigh...they went the route of making Kang Su Jin the bad guy. Bad girl. Whatever. There was literally a hint that this would happen in the second episode, but I was really, really, really hoping the story wouldn't go there. I actually think it's kind of lazy. It's not totally in keeping with her character. It's OLD. And isn't she too smart for this?
But, overall, still really enjoying all of it. Traffic accidents notwithstanding. But if I ever re-watch this one, I'll skip episode 10.
Edit: So, I picked this one back up as a few episodes had built up (and I finished I Order You). So. Su Jin is literally off the deep end crazy bitch. Sigh. But at least Ju-Kyung has finally managed to not run away. Though it looks like from the preview at the end of this episode that Su ho is going to be the one to run away? Which, Oh FFS. So far, I don't feel like that's been in his character. I'm not sure I'm buying it.
They really, really better end this well. Though I am really enjoying Hwang In-yeop too and FINALLY they gave the mother a freaking clue and she stepped up.
Edit: Hmmmmmmm. All the episodes are out and I figured I'd better finish it before I get spoiled anymore. You can tell this is the big one of the season as I'm running into spoilers ALL OVER THE FREAKING PLACE. Instagram. Twitter. Facebook. So I actually kinda know how it's going to wind up, even though I've got one episode left.
So, the good news is that Su ho didn't run off because of some jealousy or something stupid. No, literally, they have the cutest date in the world (at the beach) and then find out that his dad has gone into surgery because of some kind of aneurysm and Su ho has to jet off to the US to be with his dad. They had only recently even started talking again. So off he goes. At least it was for a good reason. And at first everything is okay & they're doing the long distance thing, but then dear old dad has a bad relapse and goes into a coma (?) and Su ho has to stay. It's been months by this point and he suddenly gets stupid. Even though Ju-kyung tells him she's happy to wait, he wants to break up.
She hangs on for a while texting him but finally gives up. Fast forward to two years after he had to leave (and hey, I'll give him the "yes, you had a good reason to go" but no, I don't agree with the ghosting AT FREAKING ALL). It's been at least a year since she heard from him. Meanwhile, she's graduated and is working as a trainee makeup person. Seo-jun is about to debut as an Idol and they're still good friends but Seo-jun, the King of Bad Timing, has still not confessed. You can see why he didn't in the beginning -- she was pining for Su ho. But he really should have done SOMETHING, like, 6 months before because as soon as he FINALLY says something, that's the day Su ho is back in town and coincidentally runs into Ju-kyung.
So, I know she's gonna wind up with Su ho from all of the random Internet memes, but I gotta say that this kinda pisses me off. Su ho gets back and obviously has been missing her as the first place he goes is to witness the new snow at the Tower (what other Kdrama was that in? Legend of the Blue Sea?) and that's where he runs into Ju-kyung. Because she's thinking about him, prompted, in part, by trying to sort out what she's thinking about Seo-jun after his confession and their first sort-of date (he asked her to not answer right away and to give him 3 dates). The only thing that works for her winding up with Su ho and not Seo-jun is that her reaction upon Seo-jun's confession is just confusion. She's obviously never thought of him that way and is surprised. She *shouldn't* be that surprised, but let's face it, Ju-kyung is not the sharpest tool in the shed and she's thought of him like a brother ever since she figured out he wasn't actually a hoodlum.
So. Yeah. They really did do Seo-jun wrong on this one. And, while I'd loved Su-ho up until this point, WTH is he thinking just appearing out of nowhere and expecting to have her just jump into his arms again? At least she hasn't done that, but what it all means is that it's gonna be poor Seo-jun through the ringer when he'd finally had a glimmer of hope. And, truthfully, if Su ho hadn't suddenly appeared, who knows what Ju-kyung would have done? She'd been ghosted for a year and hadn't even SEEN him in two years. Maybe Seo-jun's confession would have jolted her into thinking of him as a man instead of a brother. I mean, hey, it's Hwang In-Yeop and let's be honest -- he's totally perfect in this role and very swoonworthy so she'd have to be both blind and a complete idiot to not at least TRY...if Su ho hadn't come back. Because she is very much not over him.
So, eh. I'll see how I feel after watching the final episode tomorrow, but I am a bit bummed.
Edit: Okay, finished it. It ended well enough, but they really did put poor Seo-jun through a lot. This might actually surpass She was Pretty for the drama with the biggest Second Lead Syndrome. Seo-jun never had a chance with her AND he's the best friend Su-ho has AND he even forced the issue to get them back together. Poor dude.
So. Am I glad I watched it? Yeah, definitely. It was good. I'm a little disappointed in the end, but that's partly just because of the dreaded "forced separation" thing because it is pretty much my most hated trope ever. I mean, I also hate some other ones (like crazy chaebol stuff and evil parents), but this is probably my worst one. And SO FREAKING MANY dramas use it. It feels so lazy.
I really enjoyed all of the actors in this one, including the side stories (Teacher Han and Ju-Kyung's older sister especially--they were hilarious). I'm always a fan of Cha Eun-woo, but now I've got to add Moon Ga-Young and Hwang In-Yeop to my list of favs. There was a great blend of humour and I gotta say that the pacing was really good. Though after all the spoilers I've seen about the original webtoon, I am definitely NOT gonna open that convoluted can of worms.
Would I watch it again? Hmmm, very possibly. Goodness knows I'll watch that clip of Hwang In-Yeop dancing every time it comes up. SO FUNNY.
Okay, they totally had me at this starring Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won. Well, mostly Wookie. I mean, I like her too, but he's just a charmer.
Lovestruck in the City is a new Kdrama with an interesting format, acting like an erstwhile docudrama about people in Seoul who may or may not be in love. Honestly, not sure if I'm liking or hating the construct so far, as it doesn't totally make sense. Do they see each other's interviews or not? If so, how does Ji-won's character not immediately recognise Wookie and the fact that he's talking about her? And how did they get selected for this show anyway? And why did they agree to be on it? It's left me with more questions than answers, though I get the sense that it's supposed to be charming and quirky.
And it's not really just a show focused on the two of them (though they are obviously the main leads), as there's a big ensemble cast, including Kim Min-Suk. They're all supposed to be on the show, giving a lot of 4th wall interviews to the camera.
So, Wookie plays an architect. And he once fell in love with a girl (Ji-won) while on an extended surfing vacation. Something happened -- no idea what, but it was mostly her fault (?). He still pines after her a bit and she remembers him fondly as well. Presumably, they both don't know that they are both back in the same city.
I'm only one episode in and it's good. There are supposed to be 12 episodes according to AsianWiki but Netflix is showing 16 (with only 4 out so far -- the last to be released on 16 February). So I'm totally breaking my "don't watch shows that aren't fully released" rule for this. I might actually wait a while before watching any more (they're only 30 minutes long). I've got hope that they don't mess it up. It's got a good cast and good production value, so...
I'm not sure what made me try this one. And I didn't know going in that Mismatched is based on a book called When Dimple Met Rishi by an Indian American author. The Netflix show has the former as a title, when I rather wish they'd kept the original. It's more charming and less typical.
I gather from reviews that there are some differences between the novel and the show (surprise), so I'm just going to talk about the show as I haven't read it. I'm actually through three episodes of the six, so I'm halfway there (and hoping talks of a second season are true).
Dimple is a 17 year old geeky gamer girl. She's smart and has dreams, most of which revolve around developing apps and making it big, like her hero (someone who gives a lot of TED talks...). So she's really annoyed by her mother's constant harping about getting married. So she's super excited when her parents agree to let her attend a summer camp for app development in Jaipur (also, they aren't rich, so the fact that they're willing to pay for it, is also good). She thinks, hey, maybe mom is finally supporting me! Dad is less stringent on the marriage thing, but it's obvious who holds the power in the house (mom).
Rishi is an 18 year old with the sensibilities of a 35 year old. He's a hopeless romantic and loves movies. He'd really love to do something with animation, but is ready to take on the family business when it's time. His family is rich, but there's definitely some past issues -- he and his younger brother live with his grandmother and there's a scene where you see the mom leaving them behind. At any rate, he's smitten when he sees Dimple's picture. Out of all the girls, she's the only one without piles of makeup on and a natural smile. Of course, it's a picture that Dimple's mom appropriated and Dimple has no idea it's on some matchmaking website. Grandma arranges with Dimple's mom -- which is why the mom is okay letting her go to Jaipur. That's near where Rishi is. Rishi, in fact, even signs up for the course, along with his best friend since forever, a girl that I honestly have not gathered the name of.
Er, she's sweet and nice and the two of them, while best friends, have no interest in each other at all in a romantic sense. In fact, she attends the camp with him and, at the end of episode 3, there's hints that maybe she's into Dimple's purple-haired roommate, who is also a girl. So that's kinda refreshing.
Anyway, Rishi and Dimple's first meeting is utter disaster for him. He finds her, says "Hello, future wife," (assuming she knows about the whole meeting/arrangement) and she calls him a creep and throws a cold coffee all over him. They soon work out that she had no idea he was going to be there or expecting to, you know, marry her, and he's apologetic. Honestly, he's a super sweet guy. Though I totally get Dimple's anger. She feels betrayed, perhaps doubly so since she'd thought that finally! mom was supporting her.
The thing is, he's actually a fairly good for her her, temperament-wise. And they get on pretty well when she's not throwing coffee on him. Their biggest hurdle might be Dimple herself.
Anyway, there's also an American dude who winds up being Dimple's app dev partner who's not really interested in being there and is avoiding his Indian family--he mostly signed up to get WiFi, a streamer gamer guy in a wheelchair that is a HUGE asshole, an Instagram Influencer rich snotty girl and her boyfriend, an older lady attending the seminar after her husband died (omg she's too precious and must be protected), and the rather snotty professor. To be fair, everyone has their quirks and shortcomings, Dimple and Rishi too.
I'm quite liking it. I hope the last half of this season lives up to the first. Good amount of character development, interesting characters with distinct personalities, decent plot/conflict set up. I have high hopes. I do dread a bit that it's so short and that there's no season 2 announced. Is it going to wrap up enough? I dunno.
Edit: Well, that was really kind of fucking depressing. Agh. So, I finished it. And I guess I should say first that it is good. It's just not what I wished for, especially given the way that it ends--which is to say, with nothing at all wrapped up and obviously set up for another season and on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not saying the story is wrong or the character choices were wrong--they were all true to the characters--but holy fudge. Bleh.
Honestly, after the 4th episode, I kind of thought things were headed the way they went. I was just hoping not. Especially since we're in another strict lockdown as of today. Sigh.
So, Rishi wound up telling Dimple about how Namrata (his best friend...I've got her name now) likes Celina (the purple-haired roommate) when Dimple is being a bit jealous of them, thinking that he likes Namrata. He makes her promise not to tell anyone. Probably because he doesn't realise that a) Dimple is a hot-headed mess and says things without thinking and b) she's also a terrible liar. So, later on when Dimple walks in on Celina having sex with some dude (er, I think Rishi's brother?), she winds up telling Celina, not so much on purpose, but because she's crap at lying. This may not have been so bad except that Celina has her own secrets and is apparently, not comfortable being the object of Namrata's affection (even though she'd literally been putting her hands all over the girl). Rather than the rich daughter of a Brigadier (like she'd told the snotty kids), she's poor and works as a delivery girl. She's been trying to fake it, but gets caught out when she delivers food to Harsh's (the Naughty American) house & snotty Instagram girl answers the door.
Meanwhile, Harsh has finally arrived at the not very hard to reach conclusion that his new friends (wheelchair asshole, Instagram Snot, and Hair-Plug boyfriend) are actually assholes when they crash at his grandparent's house and are total dicks to his grandparents. He's not been super nice to them, but in a lowkey way, but seeing them being so disrespectful finally pings something in his brain. He'd been showing he was uncomfortable for a while, but that drove it home.
Anyway, Dimple and Anmol (the wheelchair streamer ass --who, incidentally, we get a glimpse into his past before his accident and all it shows us is that he was always an ass and the accident was his own fault for drinking and smoking and flirting while driving...so, yeah, I get his annoyance at all the ways India & the campus aren't set up for disabled access BUT he's still a complete asshole. I have no sympathy for him at all) get into a sort-of fight and they wind up in a gamer challenge (he's ranked 16th in the world; she's unranked).
She does beat him, which is literally the one bright spot, but her success is short-lived as meanwhile a) Celina outs Namrata in front of a bunch of people, which is bound to get back to her overprotective parents, which means she'll be married off or something, b) Namrata tells off Rishi & declares their friendship over, which makes him realise that c) Dimple had to have told someone, so he goes to find Dimple to have it out with her (oh, and I forgot that they'd just gotten over a fight where Dimple was mad at him because he'd lied about his parents being divorced) but d) Dimple had just found out from her teacher that someone stole her code and is launching her app so she e) accuses Rishi of having sold her out as he's there upset about his best friend and they f) both say regrettable things...basically, he tells her that her app is all that's important to her and there are living, breathing people that matter (and, you know what, he's not wrong) and she says so what, you're a liar just like your dad and I don't care.
So, yeah, ugh.
Oh, and then, at the very end, Harsh is trying to comfort her and she kisses him. The girl who had only recently had her first kiss ever. I mean, I get it, plot-wise/character-wise -- she's upset and looking for comfort and blah blah and he's an 18 year old dude, so yeah he's gonna kiss her back (especially since he'd realised that she was decent and his "friends" weren't--he's been kinda jerky, but not an asshole up to this point). But, still.
Honestly, I don't know that a relationship could or should come back from where they've left Dimple and Rishi. And I gather from a broad review of the book that they do wind up together? Man, I dunno.
All that said, it's a good show and believable. But, yeah, depressing where they left it. If a second season comes out, I'll probably watch it. As long as it isn't during lockdown.
I thought I'd try something completely different & Christmasy to watch and tried out the first two episodes of Home for Christmas...which sounds like it'd be a Hallmark movie from the US, but isn't. Rather, it's a Norwegian show featuring 30 year old Johanne.
Tired of being stuck at the kid's table at the holidays, she lies to her family that she has a boyfriend (her last one having dumped her 3 years previously, something she is obviously not over). What happens next are a series of bad dates & lots of advice from her roomate/friend.
Sigh. Okay, so I was actually really enjoying this one. She's a relatable character and the show, while a bit raunchy, is also irreverent and fairly charming and it's fun to watch something Scandinavian for a change. But then I made the mistake of looking forward in the Netflix episode list...
Yeah. So, at the end of the second episode, she has a date with a 19 year old where they drink a lot of champagne and dance & then go back to his place (where he still lives with his parents) and essentially have crazy sex the rest of the night to the point that she's giddy. I'm not sure they said more than 5 words to each other before that.
And I'm not a prude or upset that she's hooked up with someone. But...I didn't expect him to be the one she winds up pining for (seeing as how they'd heavily hinted that really nice bartender dude was into her + the slightly clueless but decent doctor as well). And it's obvious from the brief blurbs under the episodes through into the next season that the 19 year old stud is, indeed, what she thinks she wants but they have loads of trouble and probably don't wind up together anyway.
And, honestly, I don't feel like sticking around for all that. Not when there's an age gap that big between them. And it isn't so much just the age thing...it's the experience gap. She's a nurse. He's a kid. If he was 25 at the very least maybe. Eh, I dunno.
I might give it another episode or two. I did like the characters until it took this turn.
I watched the first episode of this anime, er, last week? I'm behind on my blogging. A lot. Anyway...
Basically, two siblings (who aren't actually related? Which is a relief, as there's obviously some attraction there, which is a thing that Japanese stuff does a lot but grosses me out...but at least in this case they aren't biologically related) run a rental shop. It's set in some historical timeframe. 17th Century Japan? Anyway, while some of their items are "normal," many are special Tsukumogami -- objects that were so loved by their owners that they have taken on a life of their own.
It seems to be a mystery-ish series of some kind. In the first episode, a guy "hires" them to find out who stole a special Tsukumogami from him. Though it turns out that he already knows who did it...
I'm not gonna recap it. I guess I'll just sum it up this way: the show seems interesting and quaint. I wouldn't say it completely grabbed me, but I'm curious enough that at some point I am likely to watch more of it.
Not sure I want to recommend it to little dude though...it's got prostitutes and arranged marriage and some other adult themes. Not too terrible, but still...as a mum, not really wanting to encourage him to watch stuff with a red light district featured in it...
That said, the Tsukumogami are very silly, so it's a bit confusing as to who exactly this show is targeted to. But, after only one episode, I can't say that I have a good handle on it yet.
