A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023)

Started Out Great - Made Average by Past Life Story & Airing Schedule

This was one of my highly anticipated dramas of 2023 cause of the story & Cha Eun Woo. The downfall of this drama was its airing schedule (frustrating) & the past life storyline in last 4-5 episodes (complete snooze-fest). The drama starts off very well - with the mystery of the FL's dog curse, romance & comedy that plays out as she tries to break the curse with the ML & the supporting characters who add to the crazy, witty and cute storyline. They should have stopped it with the curse breaking & modern love story - cause the historical/past life was just unbearable. It was the same old story of revenge/past lovers/misunderstandings and executed very poorly (I literally 2x speed watched it).

❤️ What I Liked:
- Modern Storyline has a good mix romance, comedy & mystery (FL's dog curse, ML's fear of dogs & how they come together)
- FL's Acting is Amazing: even her human personality was dog-like which made it endearing, believable & not over-the-top.
- Main Leads have good chemistry & great visuals (making you scream internally at the cuteness)
- CGI was remarkable, one of the best technology + acting harmony!
- Support Characters are good, not overshadowing the main plot or leads but doing what they should: support & did it well!

😭 What I Didn't Like:
- Past Life/Historical Storyline: Complete snooze fest, did not even excite or intrigue me
- Past Life Characters: Because of the storyline, their presence seemed not required.
- Airing Schedule: It won't matter for the new watchers, but this was a very big factor cause the continuity was broken. So all the feelings that I felt - excitement, suspense, cute/happy were lost cause the wait was too long, frustrating.

⭐OVERALL:
- Good one-time watch, cause the plot is nice and delivered well (modern > historical)
- My rating is low cause it is not a earth-shattering-never-seen-before story + last episodes & airing schedule made it worse.
- Hence, 6/10 | Above Average Drama for me. Would have been a 7-7.5 had it aired more frequently, or binged it at one-go.

Leggi di Più

Good but too long and sometimes very boring

The overall story, acting, music are all good but the drama feels to be missing something. Sometimes it becomes too slow and other times it becomes too fast.

The thing that annoys me the most is how the "villain" did not get any repercussions for his stupidity and generations of torture to the FL's family. Is there no higher supernatural being watching over how these other supernaturals are behaving?

It would've been a much better drama if it was short, maybe 5 - 6 hours mini drama or a movie.
It would've been a re-watch worthy drama if it was a wholesome story of two people falling in live and helping each other get over their curse/trauma without including the revenge plot of the supernatural being and the past life connections.

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Slow torture

14 episodes spanning over 3 months. This drama was a slow torture not because I have to wait every week for one episode, but because this boring story never seems to end.

The story, mind you was intriguing but yet again, the cast delivered it in a way that got me dozing while watching. It makes me very sad to say, that the only contribution Cha Eun Woo managed to throw in, was his dazzling handsome face, his acting has a waaay further to go. Fighting! Cha Eun Woo! You got this!

But yeah, how can they make an interesting story boring is waaaaaay beyond me, but as a person who watched it just to see the ending I was just disappointed. They should have just broadcasted it and got it done with instead of dragging it over for months without any real gain.

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choppy vague genres and a million flashbacks

Could have been a cute romcom but tried to add other genres and couldn't find a good balance.

I know its based off a webtoon, but sometimes you can make changes from original source material. I only read up until you find out about the mountain spirit, then dropped it, so I'm not sure if the show presented the historical stuff the same, but it made the show worse for me regardless. Like the mountain spirit is not a redeemable character, he is just an asshole and I feel no sympathy for him at all. And no one really questions anything ever? They just say accept everything at face value.

The resolution wasn't even really a resolution either? It felt more like "hey this is what really happened, okay cool, oooh look they got a dog! haha, happily ever after for everyone!" And the minutes long flashbacks, that happened MULTIPLE times of the SAME stuff was tiring. Like I kinda get it, their air schedule was messed up and they had to remind people what happened 2 months ago, but come on like 3 episodes had what felt like 20 minutes of flashbacks, back to back. I was constantly skipping ahead or watching on 2x speed once I passed the 9th episode.

Leggi di Più

A nice romantic series, sometimes funny, with well-executed suspense.

The plot is totally wacky, but very funny. It makes the series catchy in the 1st part, with more length in the 2nd part, which is also more dramatic, relating to resentment linked to their past lives.

PLOT: The story essentially concerns teachers in a high school. The FL (by mistake) kisses the ML, which triggers the bad luck that has affected members of her family for generations: she turns into a dog from midnight to 6 a.m. She can only undo this spell if the ML (who has a panic fear of dogs) kisses her again in her dog form.

What I liked about it:
+ Cha Eun Woo, handsome as usual, but playing better and better. He brings the ML to life with very convincing nuances of emotion.
+ I wasn't too convinced by the FL, but I gradually let myself be taken in by her "puppy" charm. Cocoa is very cute, but we still feel the CGI at times ;)
+ Some very nice scenes for the CL, touching, and overall, great chemistry and lots of kisses.
+ The story is written intelligently, it's coherent and quite realistic for such a wacky plot.
+ The production is almost perfect. The suspense is maintained until the end. The clues are given at the right time for the viewer to put the puzzle together in their head.
+ The OSTs are excellent and fit perfectly with the emotions of the scenes.

What I liked least:
- the part concerning past lives was too long, and above all, gave rise to too many flashbacks.
- The Finale is a Happy Ending, satisfactory for the CL, but the development of some characters (the uncle) is a little sloppy.

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Plot totalement farfelu, mais série très drôle & accrocheuse dans la 1e partie, davantage de longueurs dans la 2e partie, plus dramatique, ayant trait à la rancœur liée aux vies antérieures.

PLOT: L'histoire concerne essentiellement des profs dans un lycée. La FL embrasse (par erreur) le ML, ce qui déclenche chez elle le mauvais sort touchant les membres de sa famille depuis des générations : elle se transforme en chien de minuit à 6 h du matin. Elle ne peut annuler ce sort que si le ML (qui a une peur panique des chiens) l'embrasse à nouveau sous sa forme de chien.

What I liked about it:
+ Cha Eun Woo, toujours aussi beau, mais qui joue de mieux en mieux. Il donne vie au ML avec des nuances d'émotions très convaincantes.
+ Je n'étais pas trop convaincue par la FL, mais je me suis laissée peu à peu prendre par son charme "canin". Cocoa est très cute, mais on sent tout de même les CGI par moments ;)
+ Quelques très jolies scènes pour le CL, touchantes, et globalement, une belle alchimie et beaucoup de kisses.
+ La story est écrite avec intelligence, c'est cohérent et assez réaliste pour un plot aussi farfelu.
+ La réalisation est quasi parfaite. Le suspense est maintenu jusqu'au bout. Les indices sont donnés au bon moment pour que le spectateur assemble le puzzle dans sa tête.
+ Les OST sont excellentes et collent parfaitement aux émotions des scènes.

Ce que j'ai moins aimé:
- la partie concernant les vies antérieures était trop longue, et surtout, a donné lieu à trop de flashbacks.
- Le "Final" est une Happy End, satisfaisante pour le CL, mais l'évolution de certains personnages (l'oncle) est un peu bâclée.

=> Une série sympa, parfois drôle, avec un suspense bien mené.

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Puppy Love with Good Looking Leads

I decided to give it a try despite being skeptical. The first episode was ok, I wasn't sure if I should continue but by the third episode I thought it was good enough to keep watching. It is a light romantic comedy so far, the leads are cute and SOOOO good looking. I saw the ML in Rookie Historian and wasn't thrilled with his character or the acting. His character in this KDrama really grows on you, he's not weak or too nice. He's a reserved guy who is cautious with people and more so with dogs which is a disadvantage for our adorable FL. I thought the development of the relationship between the FL and ML felt like a slow burn even though he is clearly smitten by her after four episodes. There's also a hint of their previous fate and destiny in their previous lives which might give more context to why they are drawn to each other in their present lives. Maybe its me but there were moments between them that gives you butterflies such as the umbrella and elevator scenes. I'm rooting for their relationship and can't wait for the FL to realize her feelings for the ML. I wish they didn't delay the episodes as it is has been a bit of a wait between them.

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Cha Eun Woo, Yes!!!

Based on the Naver Webtoon of the same name by Lee Hey.

To be honest, my first thought was to pass up this one, because the premise sounded boring and stupid. However, I saw that A Good Day to Be a Dog was running a rate of 9.8/10 from the viewing audience, so I took a chance. This drama has a stacked cast and is surprisingly good, bad premise and all. The story is about this teacher who turns into a dog at night if a guy kisses her, but returns to normal in the morning. While this did not sound good on paper, I am likening the series, based one its beginning episodes. It is hilarious.

And it’s a cute dog that steals the show.

Cast

Park Gyu-young (Celebrity, Dali and the Cocky Prince), Cha Eun Woo (Rookie Historian, True Beauty), and Lee Hyun-woo (The Liar and His Lover, Moorim School: Saga of the Brave).

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fun and silly first half, angsty second half, with a happy ending

I have been putting off starting this drama because I find the airing schedule off-putting. I am the type to prefer to binge a series so waiting months with only one episode a week (maybe) does not make it on my list of enjoyable waits. But after seeing enough random shorts of this show I ended up giving it a try and boy has it left an impression. At least the first half has.

Lets start with the premise of this which is not something I have seen yet and is actually captured in such a fun and entertaining way. The main female lead and her whole family has a curse that when they kiss someone for the first time they will turn into a dog within a minute and every night after they will be a dog from midnight to 6am unless they are kissed by that same person in dog form to break the curse. Unfortunately for Hea Na her first kiss accidentally went to someone that is terrified of dogs. I thoroughly enjoy Hea Na's character; she is acted so well with her thoughtful silliness. The family closeness and support is also one of my favorite things about this drama. The side characters have been just as much fun to watch as the main couple.

Along with the main couple you have another teacher that as a viewer you can't quite figure out if he is friend or foe which leaves this air of mystery around him.The main plot surrounds the family secret but that secret is also presented in yet another reincarnated lovers tale. This has become quite popular lately and I can't say that I particularly enjoy it here. There are several other drama's in the last few months alone with the same side plot so it does not feel new or exciting in this drama. This side plot does add levity to the drama which in a way feels like it drags it down a bit from the buoyant hilarity that has carried the drama to its half way point.

The broadcasting schedule also really detracts from this drama. Once released in its entirety it will probably have a good rating but at this rate it is easy to get annoyed and fatigued with the wait. It has also has a tonal shift now as we approach the last 5 episodes and the show tackles the big conflict surrounding the drama. I will come back to find out what happens.

Update: now that the drama is fully released I think it worth a watch. The chemistry between the leads is great, the story mostly is a fun ride. I do not love the angsty section toward the end mostly because I do not feel like the villian was pulled off well. His character was great in the beginning but honestly felt creepy toward the end and the reasoning for the whole thing felt underwhelming. Still the main couple keeps you interested in wanting to see what happens. The last 5 episodes are so boring though and I had a harder time getting through those than the first half.

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I wonder whether I would have been able to power through this drama had I waited and binged the whole thing. Instead, the plot and the acting are not interesting enough to sustain interest during the lengthy time between every episode's airing. I'm finally giving up and I feel that a weight has been lifted. Haha I'm free. At first the dogs were kind of cute and it was fun having a high school story revolve around the teachers rather than students. The drama was intermittently funny, especially the scenes with Yoon Hyun Soo. I also liked the actor Park Gyu-young in "Dali & the Cocky Prince" and "Romance Is a Bonus Book."

But Cha Eun-woo cannot act to save his life. Whenever he is on screen, I feel like I'm watching a brick wall, albeit a pretty and decorative brick wall with nice eyebrows. It doesn't matter whether he is running around with a sword slicing people up or putting on glasses and teaching, he looks like all he is thinking of is his skin care regime.

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Doggy Dog World

Cha Eun Woo, a young and exceptionally handsome K-pop idol, proved his acting prowess in this engaging drama. I was charmed by his character, especially the humor derived from his fear of dogs, a sentiment I could relate to, particularly when it comes to large dogs. His portrayal resonated with me, showcasing a side I never expected from him. The authenticity of his acting, especially during the kissing scenes, left a lasting impression. While it was acting, the chemistry felt remarkably genuine.

Park Gyu Young, although cute and commendable in her performance, seemed to lack complete chemistry with Cha Eun Woo, leaving a slight gap in their connection for me.

The adorable dogs added a delightful touch to the narrative, with one support actor delivering convincing barking sounds. The overall set and storyline were praiseworthy. My gratitude extends to the cast, writers, and producers for their contributions to making this KDrama an enjoyable experience.

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