K-drama Review: Warm and Cozy

Warm and Cozy is as warm and cozy as its title. It's a heartwarming, low-stakes story with lots of light, comedic moments, and only a small dash of tragedy. If you're looking for a fun, easy-to-watch story that won't make you cry (too much), give this show a try - but don't expect anything earth-shattering.

English Title: Warm and Cozy (2015) Also known as Jeju Island Gatsby

Writers: Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran (The Hong sisters)

Directors: Park Hong-Kyun, Kim Hee-Won

Length: 16 episodes

Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Small Town Romance, Grumpy/Sunshine (she's the "grumpy" one), Unrequited Love

My Score: 3/5

Description: Ten years to the day after her first trip to Jeju Island, hardworking Lee Jeong-ju (Kang So-ra) returns, chasing her little brother who has absconded with her life savings to buy a rundown cottage on the beach. She meets laidback charmer Baek Geon-u (Yoo Yeon-seok) who she previously met ten years earlier. After losing the apartment she's been saving for, her boyfriend, and her job - all in one day! - Jeon-ju decides to stay on Jeju Island. A misunderstanding (or two) lands her at Baek Geon-u's restaurant, Maendorong Ttottot (Warm and Cozy.) The two end up working (and living) together, and despite their initial personality clashes, and potential other love interests, they gradually fall in love.

If you enjoyed this show, then watch: Hometown Cha Cha Cha, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (also written by the Hong sisters), You Are My Destiny (same director), and When the Phone Rings (same lead actor, but all grown up.)

I watched this show because it appeared on Netflix South Africa's "leaving soon" list, and my FOMO meant that I just had to give it a try, even though I'd never heard of it and didn't recognise any of the actors. I'm glad I did!

Warm and Cozy was created by the Hong Sisters, a popular duo of writers who have also written several big hits, like Alchemy of Souls and Hotel del Luna. Most reviewers seem to agree that this show is not one of their best - but it's still very watchable.

I immediately liked the female lead (FL) who, despite being the "grumpy" one, showed real gumption in the way she handled everything life threw at her. She's down-to-earth, kind, level-headed, and engaging. The male lead (ML), on the other hand, starts the story as a bit of a spoiled brat. He's easygoing to the point of laziness, and doesn't take anything seriously.

My initial thought in episode one was that this was a hero I would never fall for. He wasn't my type and didn't measure up to other K-drama heroes. Cut to the end of the series and I'm so in love! Baek Geon-u (played by Yoo Yoon-seok) is the K-drama equivalent of  my "new book boyfriend." Then I discovered he's the star of the recently released When The Phone Rings, which had social media all abuzz at the time, so I just had to watch that next. (I'll review that one next.)

The secondary characters were a mixed bag for me. I loved Baek Geon-u's cute wingman, who worked with him in the Maendorong Ttottot restaurant, loathed Baek Geon-u's materialistic bitch first love, Mok Ji-won, and alternately liked and was annoyed by Lee Jeong-ju's secondary love interest, the town mayor (aka Red Clay Man.) The mayor deserved his own happy ending, even if he wasn't the right guy for our Lee Jeong-ju.

You might be wondering why, if I enjoyed this show enough to become a devoted Yoo Yeon-seok fan, I've only given this show 3 stars?

There are five reasons:

• Despite having been released in 2015, the lighting feels flat and dated. It was made only a year before Goblin (aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, which is one of my all-time favourite K-dramas) which is masterfully photographed, yet they feel as if they were made many years apart.
• The story's opening hook, the initial situation that brings the lead couple together in the Prologue, set in 2005, which starts episode one, is quickly dropped and never fully explored.
• The story suffers from "saggy middle syndrome." As the story's over-arching conflict is a little weak to sustain a full sixteen episodes, the writers filled the middle section of the series with a "to and fro" that grew a tad annoying. Both leads constantly vacillate about their feelings, and a simple lack of communication is used to prolong the conflict.
• This may be a cultural thing, but I didn't really understand the plot device in the final episodes in which the ML was punished for something his parent(s) did before he was even born. [Spoiler alert ahead!] Baek Geon-u accepts banishment for their wrong-doing, and it's never even questioned why he is expected to carry responsibility for his parents' actions. Whether it's a cultural thing I don't understand, or a weak attempt by the writers to add conflict to fill out the episode allotment despite the story already having effectively been resolved, this final "plot twist" did not resonate with me.
• Finally, the resolution was not entirely clear - who, ultimately, was responsible for the car accident? Maybe it wasn't clear because the subtitle translation wasn't able to accurately convey the original dialogue, but it felt like a thread that was left unresolved.

Other than those above concerns, there was a lot I liked about this show:

• The FL, Lee Jeong-ju, was cute and relatable, and I really rooted for her.
• The show has a lovely setting, and did a great job showcasing Jeju Island. I also loved the insights into the culture of Jeju and the Haenyeo (traditional divers.)
• I liked that while class and wealth divides exist and are mentioned/called out, they're ultimately treated as irrelevant and discarded. Money and class are not seen as barriers to friendship, love or marriage. My liberal heart applauds.
• I also love when stories show that love and romance are not exclusively for young characters, but show older or middle-aged characters enjoying a romance and finding love, so I really enjoyed the sub-plot of the ML's older brother falling in love with a widowed seafood diver.
• There are some lovely heart-warming moments, and the show is overall fun, light, and entertaining - a perfect choice if you're in the mood for an uplifting, feel-good romantic story.

Have you watched Warm and Cozy? If so, do you agree or disagree with my impressions? 

I'll leave you with this fan-made trailer from YouTube: