El Amor es como el Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

Soothing to Your eyes...!!! For Sure.

In this era of all dark theme kdramas, this drama will sooth your eyes. This is one hell of a refreshing drama?.
About the plot I thought it would be slow paced but I was wrong, it is not slow at all and evolves beautifully.?
And the casting is just so perfect.Kim Seon Ho and Shin Min Ah did their job perfectly and put a lot of efforts.Their visuals are out of this world.Their chemistry is just adorable.Kim Seon Ho showing his perfect body in some shot are ??.
There are many charecters, and they all have their own stories in life.
The people around them are so relatable like we all have these kind of people in our lifes.

In short the best healing drama of 2021.??

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Swoon marathon - wholesome it its simplicity; deficient in its variety.

First off, the earlier episodes are much better than the rest of the show. Up to the seventh episode I was certain that this show might pocket all upcoming awards, but the episodes thereafter are - not necessarily bad - but a little letdown compared to the earlier eps.

The biggest plus of this show are the characters and their relationships, the slow pace as well as the chemistry of the lead couple and the scenery. But at the same time these aspects are somehow also the downfall of this drama. For example, some characters are left unexplored or just briefly touched upon, while other characters and their relationships are of primarily focus, being addressed again and again, but just don't move you, to be blatantly honest, do not intrigue you at all. I cannot put my finger on it, but even though some dialogues between the characters are extremely emotional and poignant, the relationships lack depth. 'Where the Camellia Blooms' had done a better job here.
The slow paced plot line which worked in favor of the leads in the earlier episodes as we got plenty of witty verbal exchanges, stealing glances and gestures, meaningful moments and heart fluttering push and pull scenes, helped to build their relationship and let the viewer be part of not only their growing attraction but also attachment and comfort to and with each other. However, after a while these lengthy conversations and moments of togetherness were not leading anywhere and felt repetitive and I do not dare to say boring, but sort of tedious and wearisome. The scenery is no exemption. It is picturesque and beautiful and a feast for the eyes but seeing the same spots (and costumes) over and over again reminded me of a sitcom where we have two main 'stages', the story switches between.
The lack of deeper analysis and exploration of characters goes for Dushik's (Kim Seon Ho) "story", his past, too. There was this HUUUUUGE secret around his past which ends up being a serious issue, but it is only explored more in depth in the last episodes, which is too short and rushed. Especially topics of greater severity should be dealt with caution, patience and pace and it is really frustrating as the episodes 11-14 felt more like fillers and definitely had room for a deeper analysis of Dushik's story, whereas, let me warn you without giving away too much, episode 15 was a sheer overdose off heavy emotions.
Also, I would like to regretfully mention that there were some unbearable ridiculous moments in the show, e. g. some slapstick comedy or a delivery scene as in childbirth, which - and I'm not a medical expert, by no means, but even I could tell - was so blatantly far from reality, that I could not focus on the rest of said episode.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the drama a lot. There are many lessons to take away from Hometown Cha Cha Cha:
- "Don't judge a book by its cover."
- "Give 100% not only at work but also as you rest (e.g. no emails checking on vacation) "
- "No occupation or lifestyle is superior to another."
-"You can find happiness anywhere, if you are willing to open up and appreciate the small and simple things in life."
- And a lot more...

The greatest strength as mentioned above are the leads and their chemistry. Shining Kim Seon Ho and shimmering Shin Min Ah carried the whole show and successfully so, as the ratings reveal. While most people are understandably in awe of KSH, his natural acting and the worthy successor of good boy Han Ji Pyong, the even greater man Hong Du Shik, I personally was mesmerized by Shin Min Ah. She was so natural and instinctive as Yoon Hye-Jin.
Be it her reluctance upon meeting and engaging with people she barely knows, her little frownings when confronted with uncomfortable critique, her contrasting cheesy lovey-dovey side when in a relationship, Shin Min Ah played Hye Jin in such a realistic way, that it would not come as a surprise if there was a Hye Jin in real life running her dental practice somewhere in Gongjin.
Since Hye Jin and Du Shik have different views on life and seem like total opposites of each other, it's entertaining whenever they interact. In general their interactions are adorable and natural. There was for example a scene in which Du Shik mocks Hye Jin by mimicking her and it didn't feel like acting at all, maybe it was an ad lib. And as funny and cute their little bickerings are, their not so lighthearted and heartfelt conversations are smililarly serious and emotional, especially the latter ones make you cry rivers.
As stated above, since it is a slow paced drama with main focus on the lead's relationship you can see how they grow more and more fond of each other, rely on each other, complement each other. With each episode you can witness their bond steadily grow and become something magical; you accompany Dushik and Hyejin through their journey of love, support and character development and witness firsthand how their innocent mutual infatuation turns into a mature, healthy companionship, which makes this show all the more special.
There is another couple that is likewise adorable, but fails to outshine dimple couple.

All in all, Hometown Cha Cha Cha is an enjoyable ride with a great lead, greater emotions and undeniable chemistry, that make you swoon more than once. But frankly, it could have been better.

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Unexpectedly wholesome and genuine drama that makes you cherish every character.

Such an unexpectedly enjoyable drama. Maybe it helped that I knew nothing about this drama other than that the male lead was the second male lead in Start-Up, which I had just finished and needed another thing to watch. This is a slice of life in a modest village town where, by the end of the show, you wished all the residents were real and that you could visit yourself. I laughed, cried, and contemplated life while watching this show. Each little anecdote made me think about similar themes in my own life. The whole cast was absolutely perfect and you find yourself becoming attached to each and every person by the end of it. Would definitely rewatch again if I wanted some feel good, wholesome entertainment.

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Disappointing :/

I was really disappointed
This is not what I expected at all
The story was too ordinary till the limit of being boring
Too detailed without no need
Many side stories which turned this drama to be like the 50 eps family drama
I took A deep breath when I finished it
For the first time I didn't enjoy a drama for shin min ah
This is not her level of stories at all

Shin min ah fashion style was bad for the first time
The make up and the light was bad, made them looked old many times

The story was too predictable
Light but just to watch once which was frustrating

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Oh man, I must be missing something

I really don't get it. I must be missing something or watching an entirely different drama than this because I don't understand the rave reviews on this drama. I was so excited to watch this but waited until all the episodes came out because I hate waiting for the next episodes. When it was finally finished, I was so excited to watch it alongside my friend but it just seemed so boring and slow paced. We ended up dropping it at episode 7. Fast forward, some months later, and my friend said he picked it up again and that it's such a good healing drama. So due to my curiosity, I decided to give it another shot. Now I'm on episode 12/16, and I'm just struggling through the rest of this drama. I already have it at 1.5x speed since I restarted because it's just way too slow for me otherwise. And honestly, if I could put it at 2x speed I would but Netflix only lets us go up to 1.5x speed. The main couple is finally together at this point and even though they are cute sometimes, they just seem so cringy on top of it. I must really be missing something because I don't find this refreshing at all. I just want to get to the end at this point. I'm hoping the last 4 episodes will save the rest of the drama for me, but right now, it's not looking too good.

Updated Review:
I enjoyed the last 2 episodes and that's basically what I watched the entire series for. It was a struggle getting there but I'm glad I watched all the way to the end. The two episodes were sad and heartbreaking but we ended with wholesomeness and warm, fuzzy, feel good feelings. However, I guess this drama was just not my cup of tea, it was too boring and slow paced for me. I get that village life is much simpler and slow paced complete with nosy and rowdy neighbors which Hometown portrayed beautifully. But I guess I just couldn't get into it that much which is sad because I wish I could have loved this drama just like how so many others did. Oh well, onto the next one I suppose.

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Ms. Dentist should have brought more friends from Seoul

The show is part small-town ensemble comedy and part romance between leads attempting to overcome difficult childhoods. The foundation is there for a successful show. There’s some terrific actors in the supporting roles. Jo Han Chul, Lee Bong Ryun and and Cha Chung Hwa are excellent performers. It’s not uniformly great up and down the roster (In Gyo Jin as the district head and Lee Bong Ryun’s ex-husband flops badly), but it’s a serviceable group. Several of the supporting cast appear to function as comedic relief (Jo Han Chul’s Oh Yoon and Cha Chung Hwa’s Nam Sook particularly). The comedy, unfortunately, rarely connects. A great deal of it doesn't land because it relies on crudely portraying the locals as a group of hillbillies that has no fashion sense, no sophistication, can't solve basic problems, can barely operate modern technology and is semi-literate. Punching down isn't a good strategy to generate laughs and even if it were, the characters and cast used to attempt it here execute it poorly.

There's other issues too. Early, it appears that there’s some special connection between Chief Hong and Kim Young Ok’s Gam Ri, but her presence fades until there is a throw-in backstory moment near the end. There’s not merely one secondary romance, but a handful of relationships between supporting characters. None of them, however, get enough screen time investment to pay off. While Lee Bong Ryun’s Hwa Jeong is a strong character and gets enough screen time to develop an entertaining arc, the rest of this crew are not much more than one dimensional characters that only very intermittently entertain. Overall, the ensemble just never develops as it has too many characters, not enough character in those characters and a poor job of weaving the supporting arcs to the overarching narrative.

Which leaves it up to the leads to carry the show. And the leads are more than capable hands. Shin Min Ah is marvelous as the centerpiece character - a driven dentist with an inner warmth that isn’t visible through a normally prickly exterior. The character is far from perfect and frustratingly stubborn as she consistently finds ways to damage the tenuous relationships in her new seaside neighborhood. But the blemishes make her charms shine brighter as she begins to connect and find her way.

As for Kim Seon Ho, this is the most Kim Seon Ho style role ever. It is distilled, purest Kim Seon Ho and for viewers that are looking for what he's done in previous work only with more of it and taken to an even more natural, laid-back, "aw shucks" style, this role will probably never be surpassed. For viewers looking for something that would expand his range or show a new type of character, search elsewhere. But he works extremely well with Shin Min Ah and whether it was written with this intent or simply this actor found the right balance, his Chief Hong is the only resident character that doesn't end up being pigeonholed as a backwards simpleton.

Were it not for some missteps with the narrative setting up the conclusion, Ms. Dentist and Chief Hong would probably contend for best romantic lead couple of any drama this year. But the long-awaited unveiling of Chief Hong’s back story is teeming with cliches and reveals that should surprise exactly zero viewers. There’s also some uninspired dialogue in what should be a big emotional moment. It’s exactly when things should be building up to a grand conclusion that it deflates instead. To confound matters more, there's an explosion of crying and product placement in the final two episodes. Frankly, the last three episodes are a massive disappointment. While a less than stellar conclusion shouldn't completely negate what had been a worthy production up to that point, "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" nosedives badly. Badly enough that it does cast a shadow on the show as a whole.

Recommended but barely.

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High rewatch value

I usually don't rewatch dramas because I often watched mystery thriller, so knowing the story line I would not rewatch again.

However for Hometown Cha Cha Cha, I think the visual and tension between the leads were so strong that I kept rewatching the first few episodes, so that drew my attention to them.

After episode 8, I rewatched again because I got hooked by the side characters backstory and wanted to understand them better by rewatching.

After episode 12, I rewatched again for the comedy and the romance.

After episode 14, which is the latest episode I have seen, there is so much revelation to the male lead's story that I have to rewatch again from episode 1 and could fully appreciate his behaviour in the past few episodes and understand his weakness alot better.

Hopefully episode 16 will not make me rewatch again haha. But if I did, the writer has done an excellent job as well as the cast that executed the characters to make me rewatch upteem times.

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Comforting but a little boring

I think this drama would be good for people who enjoyed Run On, Because This Is My First Life, and Racket Boys — all dramas that were pretty mellow and comforting, where any romance was pretty simple, straightforward, and honestly a little distant. I do love good communication between characters and I also loved seeing strangers get to know each other but I felt like I never really felt giddy or that invested in them. The relationship is almost too mellow for me (as someone who just wants a little more playfulness and casual banter).

There are also some cliches in the plot that felt a little out of place for 2021, and the pacing was a little weird with not focusing on the male lead at all until near the last few episodes.

I'm also pretty on the fence about the side stories — there are some scenes that were very touching and heart-warming but overall I definitely wasn't that invested in their stories as much and I even found them a little annoying at times.

I know 6.5 might seem like a low rating but it's not and it's really more out of indifference than dislike; I've watched worse dramas that made me feel more.

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We can all agree this drama is dated

Shin Ha Eun:"Can you please put away the script under "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha"'s folder so that I can later edit it and send it to final proofreading before it goes into preproduction?" She asked of her intern before getting up, and leaving the office until the next day.
Before her intern could even answer appropriately, the writer was gone.She grabbed numerous papers and headed for the indicated office. Before she could reach out however, a life-changing call came in, during which she completely forgot about her responsibility.Instead she crumbled to the floor and cried her eyes out. Important papers were left in the corner, all but completely forgotten. After a brief cheering up session, the aforementioned intern picked up the papers that belonged to the "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" script and in all of her chaos, instead of placing them in a folder, she decidedly left them on the table of a proofreader, who in turn sent it to preproduction next week.

This is how I feel a warm albeit surface level drama came about.

I always like to start off all my reviews by being thankful to all the writers, producers and everyone else involved in making drama. I have the upmost respect for fellow creative people in this field as I know that making a drama is anything but easy. As they say “Good news come first!” In that spirit I'll now list all of the positives I found while watching this show.

First off, the overall ambiance and mood of a small seaside village called Gongjin is stunning. It feels alive. The way they decided to shoot this fictional location as well as the way they decided to frame it makes for a very rich experience. It's fun to look at and discover new things and it almost feels like a character all on its own. Not only that but I am so glad that more dramas are being filmed and set in rural areas as opposed to urban ones. Not only does it make for a more original setting, but it also feels fresh and interesting. I'm glad smaller places are getting the hype they rightfully deserve. Because locations like Seoul have been used so many times before, now they feel uninspired and uninteresting. That's not to say that urban areas cannot be rich in content.Of course not, however it's nice to see villages and small towns get some limelight as well.The music felt appropriate though at times repetitive too.And that’s coming from me, who loved the OSTs to”One Spring Night”.
With that being said, another strong suit of this drama are its side characters. They are full of life. Almost cartoonishly so, But they are believable and layered. Geum-ri,a sweet but often pitiful matriarchal figure of Gongjin, will stay in my memory for a long time to come. Village and zone chiefs who are divorced and thus create a certain rift between the villagers are also stand outs. Not only that but they are probably the most realistic romantic relationship In this drama. I can confidently say that I've seen couples like this before.Oh Yoon,a washed up singer who is trying to take care of his daughter, run an eclectic Café, while shoving autographs down peoples throats,is yet another worthy addition and,to a degree,a wasted potential.Coupled with an gossipy owner of a Korean Chinese fusion restaurant(who also comes across as realistic when placed in village backdrop,I`ve known people like this),they all have presence and a way to pry into the hearts of the viewers of this drama.Do you see where I'm going with this? No? Then let me break it down even further.

Everyone's character and relationship is more interesting than the main leads.

In fact this aspect of the show made me so inspired that I wanted to come up with a suitable analogy to the way their relationship was written. What I've come up with is this: If you're familiar with the way jewelry was sold in 19th and 20th century, then this should come as no surprise to you. Word of mouth was everything. If you were to be told by numerous people about this rare emerald jewel, which can only be found in one specific area, over and over, you'd be more than intrigued to check it out. You’d hear about how precisely it is cut,how clear and vibrant the color is,not at all cloudy…So you’d prepare your boat or pay for a ticket to board one, go on an arduous journey and finally come across one such product. However instead of feeling incredible and relieved, you'd feel cheated because this gem resembles nothing original. Instead it’d remind you of those cheap trinkets you can buy a dime a dozen in the nearby market. This is exactly what I thought of the "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha"'s principal romantic relationship.

From the very first episode, we follow a (materialistic? )female dentist called Yoon Hye jin(played masterfully by Shin Min Ah.Everyone`s acting was great across the board) and her inevitable move to this seaside village. I really liked her in the first episode. She was honest, cut to the chase, and resistant to the idea of sacrificing her own morals for monetary gain. And then she moved to Gongjin. And she became one of the most annoying female leads I`ve seen in SOME TIME. She was unnecessarily condescending and reminded me of an elitist. And basically did completely change her goal. Thankfully, the writers almost completely dropped this trait in favor of a brat trapped in the body of an adult, mature woman. Or was that truly some thing to be thankful for? Her reactions and even her subsequent relationship with Chief Hong were childish, shallow and nothing I haven't seen before. I would especially like to highlight the unneeded slaps and beatings he had to go through because of this completely normal occurrence of being in a relationship(followed by some light gossip coming from a group of people who have overall been a net positive in their lives) because it was too much for her to bear. This was played off as funny however in my eyes it was anything but.In fact it was chock-full of clichés. I was surprised there was no amnesia storyline. And that's not to say that clichés are never useful.If you use them sparingly and with a purpose they can be one of your biggest weapons when it comes to writing. Unfortunately here they were used clumsily and just because they worked before. I can honestly see some deeming this a future classic, I fail to see that touch of magic that made drama classics such as “Coffee Prince” what they are. What's more, both of these actors have great chemistry, which almost feels wasted in favor of repetitive checkpoints they have to adhere to.I`d honestly love to see both of them in a drama with a well-made script.What I'd also like to mention as many may have stated before,Chief Hong’s storyline seems tacked on with no real idea besides having a male lead with a bitter past. Just like so many dramas that came before.Trauma isn`t addressed and what is,is due to incessant and frankly insensitive pushing by the female lead.Seriously,she was walking a fine line between cracking his shell and berating him altogether.

Finally, many applaud this relationship as extremely realistic, when in reality to me it just feels like another romcom relationship put to the screen. Not great, not bad, just average. Or at times, below average.What works for me in this slice of life show, are the side characters who seem larger than life, and they are what ultimately saved it from dipping below fives.So what the end up with is a beautiful scenic village with interesting bits of information and funny dialogue from time to time, serving as a backdrop to a less than stimulating love story between beautiful people with mindsets that range from infantile to half baked.

In conclusion I love cheesy, sweet romcoms that can make me feel like love is worth something and can lead to victory. I've watched so many crinhy romantic Japanese dramas and loved almost every bit of them,bar some really outlandish scenes. So in theory I should've been the perfect demographic for "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha". Not only did I enjoy romcoms in the past but I came from a dozen of horror, thriller dramas that have turned out to be just a tad much for the moment.

And still it didn’t manage to charm enough for me to give it a higher grade. At least we’ll always have surfing Kim Seon Ho to look at. At least that counts for somethingI think?

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Too slow and poor story

I didn't know what to expect when I started watching this. I mostly watched it because it was on Netflix and highly rated on here. It started kind of slow, but I figured it would get better. It did after a few episodes, but then it became really slow again and only got worse after that. It doesn't help that the episodes are 80-90 minutes long. The leads' relationship took too long to build up and then stalled for ages and it was boring.

Also, I wish this was tagged as "ensemble cast". I know there's main characters, but honestly, the side characters have just as much screen time as the leads. The fact that a dozen characters have around the same amount of screen time means the characters have a lot of depth, but it leaves no time for a real story. The most story happens in the first episode when Hye-jin quits her job and decides to move to Gongjin. After that, it's mostly slice of life for the rest of the show, with some drama that honestly feels forced. Du-sik's big secret was revealed way too late into the show and was hyped way too much for something that wasn't his fault, and Gam-ri's death at the end was really out of the blue and unnecessary.

That said, the acting was really good and I particularly liked Director Ji as a character. Gam-ri was another favorite of mine, and I would have given the show an 8 instead of 7 if they hadn't killed her off for no reason. I also wish they'd done more with DOS and with Mi-seon and Eun-cheol's relationship. Overall, not a bad show, but ensemble casts and slice of life are not really my cup of tea.

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