The Witch's Diner (2021)

Be careful what you wish for...

...because it might just come true. The Witch’s Diner is an urban fantasy that revolves around the arcane ways of contemporary witchcraft. It combines the supernatural with slice of life, and includes elements of a mystery as well as romance. In addition to the dark arts, the culinary arts are featured prominently through the variety of delectable gourmet dishes which are central to the core narrative.

The concept is straightforward - customers make a wish at the eponymous restaurant, and the resident witch-cum-masterchef will magically prepare a unique dish accordingly. Eating the dish will grant the wish but not without a price in return.

Following the TVING brand revamp in 2020 after the joint venture between JTBC and CJ E&M was finalised (and most recently Naver bought into the venture as well), the streaming service currently provides premium content via paid subscription. Included as part of its original programming for 2021, this drama certainly reflects the production values strived for by the streaming service. The overall quality and technical aspects, including the visual effects, are unquestionably well executed. The art direction and the production design are quite impressive, in particular the diner which has been sumptuously remodelled to induce a palpable gothic atmosphere. I’ve enjoyed the cinematic grading as well as how the colour palettes seamlessly contrast between darker moments and the more lighthearted scenes.

Similar in premise and tone to other stories that deal with paranormal activities, such as Mystic Pop-up Bar and Hotel Del Luna, this drama falls somewhere in the middle in terms of its plotline and themes. It isn’t spine-chillingly frightening or morbidly infused with gore and horror, while at the same time it is slightly melodramatic with a number of poignant moments that may induce a tear or two. The overarching mystery concerns who the witch is, how the “wish-fulfilment” service came about, and how the ML and FL are connected to her. Along the way, we observe mini story-arcs of folks with problems who somehow end up at the diner seeking otherworldly solutions to what ails them.

At a relatively short 8 episodes, the storytelling is compact without the intrusion of unnecessary fillers. It is engagingly paced where the drama takes its time to explore the backstories of the various characters. It’s worth pointing out certain themes that may trigger such as abuse and bullying. The sense of tension and anxiety are sufficiently imbued into the story as it unfolds, and continues to build right to the climactic end.

The performances of the cast certainly deserve praise. I’ve truly enjoyed Chae Jong Hyeop’s emotional depth through his nuanced characterization as the noble and warmhearted Lee Gil Yong. I feel he is more suited to this role than the one in Sisyphus: The Myth. Nam Ji Hyun displays impressive range in her depiction of the conflicted Jung Jin, a character that goes through much adversity. The role of Jo Hee Ra the witch is played by the experienced Song Ji Hyo. Despite looking very much the part, I do feel that the portrayal is rather understated because of how the character was written - unlike other similar dramas, Jo Hee Ra isn’t an outrageous OTT character that’s loud or stands out from the crowd. She’s probably the most down-to-earth witch I’ve ever come across in a drama. I do however admire her avant garde fashion sense and found myself chuckling at her portrayal of a younger self.

Special mentions go to a number of supporting and guest stars who make their appearances in this production. These include So Hee Jung who plays FL's mother with such conviction and relatability. Ahn Eun Jin, the musical actress who delivers a fantastic solo rendition in a stage play, as well as Lee Joo Shil and Im Won Hee who portray mother and son respectively in one of the more heartbreaking scenes in the drama. I was actually taken aback by how good he is in dramatic capacity compared to his somewhat more comical role in Dark Hole.

The soundtrack features a total of four songs that fits the mellow undertone of the drama, with the exception of YESEO’s Fair Dish which provides an interestingly magical and mysterious vibe with a hint of mischief.
1. Se.A – Holding On
2. JUNNY – Alone
3. YESEO – Fair Dish
4. Han Seungwoo (VICTON) – Please

All in all, I would classify The Witch’s Diner as a healing, introspective and evocative drama. It's perfectly understated without all the fanfare and light enough to be enjoyed without heavy exertion. I certainly savoured the experience.

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Learnt something

Just watch it.
Enjoy it.
Learn something.
But be careful dear
"WHAT YOU WISH FOR".
Some stories tell us what struggles are
Some say it's not just revenge that is needed.
We should try hard to achieve our goals.
And sometimes we strive do hard, but in the end our hands seems empty.
Easy ways are temporarily and tempting.
Easy ways are not for free.

People debated on who is the main protagonist.
But funnily the story is not just protagonist. But it's us who are playing the main role.
And our dear witch is just a catalyst in making us to achieve our goals faster.
There is Jin
jins mom,
jins moms mom
And two very wonderful helper.
And many many characters.
Each one representing" us".
And mainly there is ?

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Is There Enough “ Bewitching” Charisma In ‘ The Witch’s Diner’ To Keep You Watching ?

Wish-granting storylines aren’t anything new to fiction, and certainly not to K-dramas. However, screenwriter Lee Young Sook’s adaptation of the eponymous novel (by writer Go Sang Hee )attempts to whisk away the audience to the magical diner of wish-granting witch Jo Hee -Ra ( Song Ji -Hyo) and her human business co-owner Jeong Jin ( Nam Ji -Hyun), as they deliver a dish of revenge best served cold…

There’s a lot to say and critique about ‘ The Witch’s Diner’. Appraisingly actress Song Ji Hyo was really good here. Starting off on a note which was hard to take seriously with her patchy red hair-dye job, Ji-Hyo undeniably has a charisma which allows you to easily become attached to her as the drama unfolds. This performance was equally rivalled by Chae Jong Hyeop’s sweet ambience onscreen as side character and teen high-schooler Gil-yong. Whilst the drama seemed to sometimes struggle with “ sticking out” in comparison to fantasy predecessors, it did have some surprisingly profundity scenarios in weekly episodes ( as well as tasty-looking food)- Gil Young painfully finds himself unable to help a classmate who is being mercilessly bullied , a customer at the diner makes a shocking sacrifice in order to escape his status of being a “ cowardly loser”, a young woman suffers heartbreak and throws away her own talent in order to be with him again

On a more critical note ‘ The Witch’s Diner’ doesn’t quite have the same charm in order to make it as memorable from previous fantasy drama predecessors due to the poor build-up of screenwriting at times. Ji Hyo’s onscreen persona Hee-Ra is a case and point of this problem; a character who the screenwriters want to keep you in the dark about for as long as possible, but rarely arising strong emotions for viewers with her recondite past, as there was little dramatic buildup or unseen twists which haven’t been “seen and done before” here.

Costar Nam Ji Hyun wasn’t bad per say here as Jeong Jin, but her performance didn’t quite resonate as much as it should’ve done either. Admittedly this isn’t entirely the actress’ fault. It was evident to see the goal here with her character ; a relatable and normal female lead with a mysterious past, but the ideology behind this type of FL is usually built upon emotional investment and sentimentality . Jin instead was nearly always unfazed and apathetic. Whilst it didn’t seem to be intentional, Ji Hyun’s facial expressions just seemed to radiated stoic expressions half the time , as though seeing a magical wish come to life is just another daily occurrence in the life of a mundane heroine.

If this matter couldn’t be worse, there was also Jin’s complicated co-partnership with Hee-Ra. It should’ve been interesting, but the gradual development was just poorly-tackled. Hee-Ra initially acts upon Jin’s wish for revenge in a more lethal form. Jin was seemingly disgusted to the core by the actions of the witch only to happily sign a a better business deal with Hee-Ra( who Jin now considers to effectively be a contract killer). It is understandable how the drama wanted to build this relationship up from “ resentment to solidarity” but the quick excuse that Jin was seemingly “ too emotionally inflicted by her own troubles ” only to happily going along with someone she deemed as merciless felt an odd and unsatisfactory leap in development.

Then there’s the “ potentially romantic “setup between Jin and Gil-Young onscreen. Whilst respectfully in real-life we shouldn’t forget these actors are nearly the same age and do have really good onscreen chemistry , the age gap between their onscreen personas was fairly significant . The result being that Gil-yong's obvious crush on Jin feels like it should be a more plausible romance than it really should. This might or might not relate to his “ secretive” wish, but then most of the problems of this drama seemed to manifest by tense build-ups, and then unsatisfactory results.

“ The Witch’s Diner” is a fairly mediocre fantasy drama-not bad with solid performances by most of the cast and intriguing subplots, but just lacking the grandeur and originality of its fantasy predecessors. The series could’ve easily done with more division even in this short space of time to build upon the characters ( who often felt one-dimensional), or at least have commissioned more episodes in order to divide time between storyline and character development more interchangeably.

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Production could have used time more wisely.

I started watching this show despite not being a fan of the main actresses since the concept really attracted me. I love witches and I love the occult and it's difficult to find decent Korean dramas with those themes.

Despite not liking part of the cast, I was really enjoying the show. For once, I felt Song Ji Hyo had chosen the perfect role and had it down to an art. Even Nam Ji Hyun didn't make me want to pull my hair out, or at least not constantly. And I really enjoy
Chae Jong Hyeop 's acting. I really wanted to give the drama a 10 because it started with a strong foundation for the story it had to tell, but there was a big problem. It seems to me that the production team forgot they only had 8 episodes to work with. I felt the pacing of the first 6 episodes of the drama was more suited for a slightly longer show, although not necessarily a 16 episode one. It also didn't help that the episodes were so short, some barely making it to 40 minutes. This translated to a rushed ending which dampened some of my initial enthusiasm for the show.

While these behind the scenes happenings did affect my viewing experience at some level , I still loved the story , enjoyed the dynamics between the actors, and was satisfied with the ending.

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A unique drama with great potential that wasn't realised

I was hooked in by the promo poster and the premise but was disappointed with the unrealised potential of this drama.

Story:
First three episodes really built the tension and I was excited to know more about the witch, the evolution of Jeong Jin as well as how Gil Young would handle his school life but unfortunately the next two episodes fell flat. The drama turned episodic with new characters that were introduced in every episode and a fresh new ML also came into the picture. With all this, the backstories of the main characters fell on the wayside until the last three episodes making the main characters uninteresting and inconsistent.

The premise of this drama is very unique and interesting. Considering this show is only 8 episodes I felt the script should have focused more on the stories of the main characters and fleshed them out better rather than introducing many secondary characters. The build up in the first three episodes was so good that I ended up expecting too much from this series and eventually got disappointed.

Acting:
Sing Ji Hyo was the perfect witch with her flamboyant appearance and attitude to match. Nam Ji Hyun as the owner/helper was naive and wanted to believe the best of everyone inspite of being thrown around by the world. Chae Jong Hye is cute as the part timer. All actors were good but I felt there was a lot of wasted potential.

Overall:
Meh! They might as well have made this a five episode drama and it would still be just as good/bad. Anyway, its okay for a one time watch as long as you aren't expecting anything great to happen on screen.

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A mouthful is worth a wish

What a great storyline this jem is and getting better just finished episodes 6. If it stays on track i would love to see either a part2 or season 2 its so worth it. The story begins with Jung jin who had the worst luck she quit her job, boyfriend broke up, with her. She then opened a restaurant with mom started good then landlord took business and refused to give $$back. So now Jung jin has a empty restaurant and meets Jo he ran who wants to buy, but become partners and open The Witches Diner. With Jung jin as the 1st customer who gets her revenge, but not the way she wanted it. Then Lee gil yong comes into there lives with his own wish and now working part time there. Be careful for what you wish for or better yet make sure you give it in detail especially the singer i feel she got the short end of the stick yes he came back, but i thought her wish was him coming back in love. Never give up your future for someone else. The sweetest was Lee Bok nam giving up her memories in order for her son to find a wife at the age of 50 and get married. Were now seeing that this has something to do with Jin mom when she was young and it amazing what we find. Just finished and sorry it ended it just got better and better you need to watch and pay attention to all the details to understand why the person arrives at the diner. Once inside your greeted by the witch as she listens to your story she makes a once in a lifetime dinner that correspond with your wish. At first i wasnt sure either it seemed a high price to pay especially the guy who wanted a job and had to pay with 2 fingers(ouch). Once you see and understand the outcomes it seems worth it and some wishes/stories can relate or be part of others choices. What a great idea as it also touches on so many different levels and emotions that life can be ruff and harsh. It does not discriminate at any age be it bullying, adultery, robbery etc.. everything has a cause and effect. Again the cast and crew did an amazing job they picked the perfect actor/actress including the sets, designs and locations. I personally would love if they could continue with another season with a new witch and granting of new wiches. 10++++

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Incredible potential mostly unrealized

"Witch's Diner" tantalizes with its early promise and Song Ji Hyo's delightful portrayal of the titular witch. It's a wonderful character and Song Ji Hyo hits all the right notes. But the narrative fails to feature her until late in the series and, while it has other drawbacks, this shortcoming kneecaps the allure of "Witch's Diner".

Despite that, some praise should be directed at the production crew in general. The set of the diner is outstanding. The special effects are top rate and the photography and sound are solid. Wardrobe has some major misses, but it's still a show that looks really good.

There's also some very nice guests spots by Kang Ki Doong, Park Jin Woo and especially Im Won Hee. The main cast and characters after Song Ji Hyo though are fairly stock variety. It's a show where the opportunity for multiple juicy characters around the witch is there. But the nice high school athlete, the female lead enduring hardship and the witch's familiar/sidekick just don't excite.

Things do ramp up late in the series especially as the character who is, if anyone is, the villain of this story reveals themselves. The resolution is too quick sadly and instead of a satisfying explosive climax, there's more of a slow fade. With the limited number of episodes, it would appear prime for at least one additional season. If there is, hopefully the witch has more friends. Or perhaps she just needs more entertaining ones. Then this could earn a recommendation, but not the current iteration.

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Perfect and delicious !

This is just perfect! Great acting, great story and great music! How can a drama be so good? I am totally hooked. I love the witch's sadness and humanity, Jin's emotiveness and blunderry part, the male lead sens of justice and kindness, the leads are great and so are the second roles too. It describes very well problems in korean (and modern) society and how our choices can impact our lives. There is also romance and all comes naturally. It's definitely not a fairy tale but a deep magical prospect of the world. Come and eat in the Witch's Diner! For me, the 2021 best drama !

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It’s okay... I guess?

If you are wanting to watch something shorter, with fantasy elements and pretty high production value, this is certainly a good show. But it’s also not much more than that.

First things first: this in comparison to Hotel del Luna and Mystic Pop-up bar. I’ve seen both hotel del luna and mystic pop-up bar, but this definitely has some things that set it apart. HDL and MPUB have more of an “unconditionally help good people with their wishes” vibe, but the witch’s diner is really a “this-for-that, every wish comes at a price, sometimes people make a mistake and end up regretting their wish because the price just wasn’t worth it” kind of thing, which was cool. But at the same time, it doesn’t really have that feel-good vibe going on, which I especially noticed while watching MPUB. Which is of course okay as well, if that’s not what you’re looking for at least.

As for the plot, it had a lot of potential that it just didn’t reach. I think it was a good idea not to make it 16 episodes, but it just got a bit too much at times for how short the show actually was. I honestly didn’t care about the characters. I forgot the witch existed half of the time, and shes literally a main character (not to mention, the whole reason the show exists). The relationships between the characters also just weren’t that great. Maybe it's because the characters felt boring to me, to begin with, but all the different relationships were pretty boring as well, with the exception of the mother-daughter bond between Jin and her mom (which was amazing). The wishes themselves also left no impact on me at all, because so little time was spend on them.

But it has nice set design, the clothes and make-up are pretty alright, the acting was okay and at least I didn’t spend 16 hours on it, you know? It’s a short watch, which made it enjoyable enough to not drop and give it a chance. I definitely don’t regret watching, but the lacklustre characters are the main reason the rewatch value is so low for me.

Sometimes the eating scenes really grossed me out as well due to all the sounds to the point where I had to skip them, but I guess if you’re into ASMR or the like, that won’t really cause a problem.

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best of jihyo

not gonna lie, I started this for jihyo and I wasn't disappointed, finally they gave her a chance to break away from her typecasting.
but that's all the praise I have, the plot is really basic. they're using shallow "touching" stories to show the desperation of people making those wishes but are they really worth it? ironically though the answer seems yes becasue even if the "price" seems high but in the end it's so easy to forget the pain when you reap the reward

one lost his fingers, one lost her memories, one lost her voice, but no one regretted it.. getting a job has more weight than his fingers, seeing her son happy mattered more than her having her personality/identity.. but the one with the voice tbh she was robbed..

on the other hand the mains' connection and stories were just as flat. the

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Surprisingly good, but wished it was longer.

I am really surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I thought the storyline was really good, I actually watched the whole 8 Episodes without skimming (I will skim in a minute if I get bored. I will say that I figured out the connection between Hee-Ra and Jin by about the 2nd episode. I don't know what it was, but I figured that she would be adopted and Hee-Ra would be her birth mom. Weird part that bothered me the most? The food...none of it looked appetizing! I know I am nit-picking but the Steaks looked like they were covered in Ketchup! None of the food looked good!
Anyway. I think this also would have benefited with a few more episodes, and I would have liked to see the resolution of the singer (she made the worst wish of all of them, ever the guy who lost fingers).

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