L'amore lontano dalla città (2022)

Sweet Romance without the overdone angst

I loved this short sweet romance series! Plenty of chemistry between the leads especially in the build up. As others have mentioned theres plenty of kdrama cliches, but it’s done with taste and minus the angst and silly misunderstandings that usually come when they introduce rivals and exes. The townspeople & supprting cast are fun and nicely round out the drama. A great one to watch if you need something short and light and full of happiness! Sometimes, the latest dramas are heavy and intense, and it’s nice to have something on the rewatch list when you need a break from all that.

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Show about nothing but at least it’s cute

Predictable and loaded with cliché. I would love to see how pitch meetings go for shows like this. It’s been done a million times and you can see it coming a mile away. It’s mainly about two grownups acting like middle school kids not knowing what to do with the opposite sex and being awkward. This happens a lot in K-drama and I seriously wonder why. But here, it’s kinda cute and inoffensive.

I do find two male leads being passive aggressive pretty annoying after a while.

The main male lead suffers from the sudden-silence syndrome where he can’t say anything intelligent or intelligible whenever he’s being misunderstood and/or accused. It is a common disease among a lot of K-drama characters. They portrayed him, in the beginning, as someone who’s rigid and inflexible but that kinda went away and he became indecisive.

The second male character so far has no storyline other than making snarky remarks to the main guy and generally making it difficult for him to be with the main girl.

The female lead is great. She basically is everywhere and does everything. Most importantly, she’s likable. I do wish she was a bit forthcoming and assertive when it comes to the male lead but then we wouldn’t have a show. She’s a cop but mainly spends her time doing everything except her cop duty. It’s kinda funny.

We’ll see how they end this show.

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A heartwarming family drama

'Once Upon a Small Town' is a sweet short drama that is good for watching when you feel down or just need to watch something in between dramas or when commuting to work.
I rarely write reviews, so I hope you can bare with me. It is not even the best drama I watched but I still think it deserves a review.

The Story:
The story is not super special or new but I liked the setting. A sweet curious police officer living in the countryside and the distant big city vet. It reminded me of those movies my grandmother watches that hold a secret sweet spot in my heart. And that is probably why I wanted to write this review. This story can be watched with the whole family and bears so much sweetness. It radiates warm feelings of home.
At times the pace of the storyline is slow but I think it suited the drama's vibe. Usually, I watch thrillers and action dramas, so 'Once Upon a Small Town' is extremely different from my usual taste. But, again, it is short and just perfect for the daily commute.
Also, I usually dislike dramas that are purely romantic (maybe I am a cold person, idk), but this drama did not annoy me but made me smile.

Acting:
The acting is not superb, but not bad either. It cannot nearly compete with high-production masterpieces but it is a good thing that it does not have to. I would not say it is Joy's best work (though I have only watched 'Tempted' so I do not think I am experienced enough to judge that properly) but it is refreshing and probably fun for the cast to play.
You will be disappointed if you are looking for a masterpiece or an out-of-the-world experience. Cherish the drama as a homely feeling and something that warms your heart. A quick dose of sunshine.

Rewatch value:
I gave it 9 stars for a high rewatch value for the following reasons:
- short drama -> if rewatched, it does not "steal" much time
- predictable plot (in a positive sense as it gives stability which some of us need - especially in uncertain times) -> if you rewatch it, then you know the whole plot, but be honest: when watching this (especially considering its length) are you really surprised about anything happening in there
- heart-warming -> at least for me, it brings back memories from my childhood, staying over at my grandmother's place, watching those movies where a city person moves to the countryside and falls in love with one of the people living there, It warms my heart and I have no problem to rewatch it, especially considering that I watch many thrillers, so I guess I need some warmth lol

Side comment:
'Once Upon a Small Town' reminded me also of the time when I volunteered on a farm in the middle of nowhere three years ago, and even though I only stayed there for two months, I met so many warm and lovely people that I am still in contact with. While watching, I reached out to one of them because I got reminded of how she drove me to the nearest town, helped me shop for gear I needed for the next job and invited me for food. This memory seems so small and insignificant but in hindsight, it meant a lot to me.

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If you can stick with the characters...

Even though this is shorter than most series, I still couldn't bring myself to finish it. When you watch something you make an agreement with the production - "I'm going to suspend my disbelief until this is over." Meaning, whatever I see or, hear - I will believe that it is happening or, can be real. That is how you get invested in the characters - why you cry when something bad happens to them. Why you feel joy when things go their way.

In Once Upon a Small Town, the female lead is so irritating - I could never believe that anyone would ever see her in a romantic light. What she did and does isn't worthy of the male lead's energy. His turnaround from hating her and the town to suddenly, seeing everything in a new way was so forced and fake - I took it out of my queue and let it go. The neighbors are awful - nosy, isn't always funny. The regular vet worker is terrible on her own. She has no respect for the doctor, doesn't care about his past or, his skills and only thinks of herself. Never - do you see her do any actual work - she is there only to insult and get the doctor to make the house calls.

If you feel abuse is funny - then, this series is for you.

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A Sweet Show that has to much typical Rom-Com elements

Welcome back to the K-drama study. Last time we talked about Today's Webtoon, an excellent drama that I would gladly rewatch. Today I'll be talking about Once Upon a Small Town starring Joy which aired from September 5th - September 27th. After watching the show, I'm curious to see what I think about my experience. Don't forget that this post will spoilers, so read on your own.

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Disclaimer: Spoilers in this post

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Characters:

Park Soo-young as Ahn Ja-young: Joy played officer Ahn who I found annoying in the first couple of episodes of the show. I found her character to grow on me during the show. Joy did an excellent job playing her character as she put a smile on my face whenever she was smiling on the screen. I still want to know how Officer Ahn became a police officer since I didn't think she did her job during the first three episodes. I felt they could've developed the character better, but it was still fun to watch. Ahn and han had some decent chemistry together, but they both worked well together.

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Choo Young-woo as Han Ji-yul: Doctor han was one of the main characters and one I fell in love with after seeing him for the first time. I loved his acting as he fit the doctor's character wonderfully. I found him working on the animals to be something that helped to make the show even better than it already was. His character sometimes felt dull, but I can look past that since he had some nondual moments. I did find that mister Han grew on me more during the show's runtime, which pleased me.

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Story:
The whole story is as paper-thin as a ten-year-old could understand it. Of course, nothing new is brought to the Rom-Com genre, but I find it better than Business Proposal. I found the first three episodes to be a bit boring as nothing much happened, but after that, I saw the show pick up slowly before getting a little interesting. I loved the backdrop this show brought to the table, as the countryside setting sounded beautiful, helping to take the stress away from daily life. Some side characters sometimes felt annoying, but they grew on me somewhat, but not that much. I found it annoying that Joy's character would pop up everywhere, helping everyone in the town like you can't help everyone. There was a moment when the three members of the woman association walked right into the house Doctor Han was staying without knocking bugged me a bit. You can't go into someone's house without hitting that trespassing. On the other hand, I found the story relaxing when we saw the characters' daily lives and what they were doing. Doctor Han and Officer Ahn's relationship felt strange initially, but as they started dating, I found them perfect for each other. The story isn't anything special as we've seen these types of so many times in Rom-Com, but the cuteness this show brought and the setting made me smile, which made the story a bit better but not by much.

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OSTs:
The music for this show was way better than the story. Hang Dae Kwang released the first track sounding like a country tune that fits well with the show's overall vibe. I found that one on my playlist, and I never got tired of it. Then, O.when surprised me again with another excellent OST that kept popping up on my music playlist. The sweet acoustic vibe fit the singer's voice making it one that I kept playing on repeat. Finally, Boramiyu delivered my second favorite song from the show, as I've been listening to it a lot the past few days. The piano melody blends well with the sweet voice the singer brings to the table with this relaxing ballad. I find that her OST fits well with the autumn season that we've just entered. Song Yujin's final OST for the show will have to grow on me as I'll be returning to it more to see If I thoroughly love it. With only four OSTs for this show, they all bring something to the table that fits well with the vibe I found pleasant.

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Thanks for reading my thoughts on Once Upon a Small Town which was a decent show that put a smile on my face and relaxed me. I've decided to rate this show a light C as it didn't bring anything new to the table, but the acting and setting helped make this show decent enough to satisfy me. Joy worked well on this show, and I can't wait to see what else she has in the future. Well, I'll see you in December for my final Drama study of the year, where I'll tell you my favorite drama of 2022. So have a good night/day where ever you are in this world.

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Feel-good garantie!

La campagne coréenne restera mon personnage préféré dans ce drama... on croirait voir des plans comme dans les films de Miyasaki, doux, serein et ce drama se regarde comme on boit un bon chocolat chaud.

Peu de budget pour cette série mais ça fait le job. Je ne suis pas fan de ce script cliché, ça ressemble à un Hometown Cha cha cha inversé donc j'ai commencé à regarder avec méfiance.

MAIS j'ai adoré Joy qui a explosé de charme et de "cuteness' à chaque scène. Ce rôle lui va vraiment bien. Le second lead était charmant, le first lead pourrait être plus réactif à mon goût. En 12 épisodes, la romance est bien menée, je n'ai pas vu le temps passer.

Je recommande et je défend ce drama, j'ai aussi aimé la musique (beaucoup d'intrumentaux, me serais bien passé des quelques chansons). C'est un joyau caché.

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Refreshing experience - MUST WATCH

I started this on a whim when it was airing and never had I expected to love this show as much as I did. I've just finished this show and went straight to writing a review in hopes that people would give this a chance now for my opinion it truly was one of the most comforting and unforgettable experiences. I've seen many shows with a similar concept of someone from Seoul moving to a small town, Hometown Cha Cha Cha being one of them although I must say this show was my favorite take on that. As someone who adores animals and is always on the lookout for shows that feature animals, this one had it all animals, romance, wholesome scenes, and a tiny bit of drama but overall it was refreshing. I know that I'm probably going to rewatch it a million times now because of how cute and short it was, the chemistry between the characters and music, and plot all worked perfectly to make the most refreshing and comforting experience I've had with a show in a while, to anyone reading this review I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this and really wish the rating for this show was higher. This drama deserved a better rating and deserved more people to give it a try, so if you're skeptical about whether to start this TRUST ME AND START IT, you will love it.

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Strictly Average...

Once upon a small town follows the very cliche kdrama path. It is short but some of the episodes really make u crazy. Super annoying love triangle with a very kind good for nothing 2nd male lead who always receive pitty, it didn't skip the other side triangle as well.. a very annoying 2nd actress will also part of the story..

Story is simple, When it sets in a very beautiful environment, it naturally creates that refreshness while you watching. So it kind of watchable drama overall. I mean if you're not bothered about the triangle part. The first six episodes was really interesting. But next 3 was super annoying, and the last 3 was decent. Leads are cute and very good looking.


Even though the middle part was very frustrating. the last 3 episode was really good without much dragging, it still follows the same kdrama endings.. But the mood which it create has some beautiful moments. Overall i can't label this out as a complete bore drama it solely depend on the viewer, but still they can make a different type of settings if they removed that love triangle...

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Once Upon a Small Town is full of cheese and drama tropes, but at the end it felt well worth the watch.. even if I could guess what was going to happen because of it's tropy-ness.

One of my favorite drama plots is moving from a city into a small village and this one is all about that. It gave me Hometown Cha Cha Cha vibes where a smart, city doctor comes in and being in a village is the last thing they want in the world. The town itself is so beautiful and I loved getting to see the scenery with all the cinematography shots they give.

What added to my rating of 9 was I felt that some plots/tropes were added, but not really needed. I still don't really see why they added in his tragic backstory with the town + Officer Ahn other than having that as the mystery.. which didn't really make sense to me seeming he didn't even remember the trauma until the drama was almost over. It could've been fine without it and them just met for the first time when he came then, or just of had him remember earlier into the show rather than drag it out.

Joy's acting is amazing in this and was one of the main reasons that drug me in. She gave such life to Officer Ahn and helped me feel all the butterflies and feelings she was as it was going on. Her chemistry with the male lead as well was so good and I loved seeing the relationship blossom.

Watching the animal stories itself was emotional and I loved seeing all the pets/animals in the village. Some of them even made me cry... It's just a beautiful, cheesy romance story.

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REMARKABLY MEDIOCRE !!!

After watching K-dramas for so many years, it is difficult for audience like me to find a show that can wow us to our core. We have probably seen every trope and cliché repeat and reinvent itself time and again. Once Upon a Small Town (OUST) is a drama from 2015-2016 repackaged with modern production. My review might read harsher than what I scored, but this show is average at best. There is nothing vastly disappointing about it, but I guess its mediocrity is the reason why it failed to garner any kind of attention from the audience who are over fed by exciting content across various platforms. My review contains no spoilers.

POSITIVES OF THE SHOW

1. SETUP: The charm of this show is the place where it’s told. Every k-drama that is being produced these days is set up in the concrete jungle of Seoul. The show does a great job of giving a much-needed break from an urban based story line and visually entices us with sunny landscape, picturesque farmlands, open roads and village life. The simplicity of the village life does a good job of making the viewers nostalgic of their hometowns or simply indulges our desire to escape the hassles of a big city.

2. NO DRAMA: If you are tired of shows that have a lot of drama, angst, betrayal, backstabbing, evil characters etc. then this is a great palette cleanser of a show. After a heavy show I recommend people to watch OUST. The slice of life genre meets rom com does a good job of keeping the story light and fluffy throughout the 12 episodes.

3. MISSING OLD K-DRMAS: If there are people who are missing yesteryear Korean shows that did not have complicated plots or had a straightforward romance with tried and tested tropes then this show is for you. There is nothing remotely complex about OUST and the simplicity of the plot mixed with calming outdoor aesthetic is reminiscent of olden Korean shows.

NEGATIVES OF THE SHOW

1. BORING ROMANCE: There is nothing exciting and capturing about the romance in this show. The writing was very bland & uninspiring, almost as if the script was written for graduation project & not a Netflix show. The leads had no memorable moments or chemistry. I fault the writing more than the actors as the script gave them very less opportunity to showcase genuine connection unfolding between the characters. The characters lacked dimension, genuine motives & authenticity because of which the romance seemed insincere.

2. AVERAGE ACTTORS: Personally, even in the most under budgeted k-drama shows I’ve never seen a “bad” actor. I believe that Koreans are at top of their game, especially when it's about acting. So, when I come across a show that underwhelmed me in this category, I was surprised. Choo Young Woo as Han Ji Yul was okay. He did a decent job, but one could see that he is still young in the business & requires tons of experience. In some scenes he did great and in some he overdid. Joy as Ahn Ja Young was surprisingly appropriate. She has most definitely improved since Tempted. However, one could still feel certain stiffness in her acting. My favorite actor was probably the third lead played by Baek Sung Chul. It was my first time seeing him act and one could tell he has a spark. I look forward to his future projects.

All in all, OUST is a forgettable show. I doubt I will re-watch this in the future. But due to its relaxing story and rural setup, I’m sure many can give this one a shot.

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Simple Slice-of-Life Drama with Romance as a focus - Not much happens

“Once Upon a Small Town” is a very light, slice-of life drama set in a rural setting. I can’t help but compare it to “Summer Strike”. Both dramas have the main lead moving from Seoul to a rural village for different reasons, needing to learn to integrate into their new communities and along the way meeting someone they like.

Not much really goes on in “Once Upon a Small Town”. If you are into a simple drama with a romance-centric plot, then this is for you. Similar to many stories about small town living, you can’t get away from having loud and nosy villagers as the supporting cast. Even though the villagers don’t really show up too much in the drama, when they do, they are really boisterous and annoying. “Summer Strike” does not have this problem, but it has a different plot that disrupts the quiet rural life. If you want a stronger romance plot, then “Once Upon a Small Town” is better than “Summer Strike”. “Summer Strike’s” romance has a more mature and quiet feel to it. The romance in this drama is more slow-burn, innocent and sweet. It’s also cuter and fluffier when the leads finally get together.

The acting is decent and the chemistry is OK. It’s interesting to have a story about a vet but unfortunately, it doesn’t go into detail about the profession. I would have loved to see more animal cases and how he treats the animals. This is not a medical drama, like “Forest”, so the focus is mainly on the two main leads.

I have an easy time watching it. I will only recommend this if you are really looking for a simple slice-of-life drama. Do not expect plot twists or anything unpredictable.



Completed: 7/7/2023 - Review #329

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