Applaud the intention, not the execution.

On the day the release date of this drama was announced, I marked it in my calendar and remained giddy until the first episode aired. I’ve watched many dramas of both the leads before and absolutely adored them in their roles, so I was incredibly excited that for their combined project, Royal Secret Inspector and Joy. Perhaps it’s because of the massive hype I had built up in my head, but so far, this drama has been a considerable let down for me.

There are a lot of role-reversals in this drama, gender-wise, and I appreciate the intention of bringing to light the way women are treated after they receive a divorce (even now, unfortunately) and other issues. I also really liked a lot of the FL’s dialogues during such parts , as well as the relationship between the main lead and the crown prince and the dynamics of the apparent antagonist with his father and brother. However, everything else…not so much.

The plot is simple enough, but there are a few random elements mixed in which throws me off-guard. The visual cinematography didn’t impress me and neither did the pacing. I found myself skipping parts way too frequently. Majority of the time, the humour here felt immensely forced and the banter did not feel as natural as it should. A lot of the side-characters’ “quirkiness” felt more annoying than charming.

The ML is supposed to love cooking but honestly, it isn’t exhibited in as exceptional of a manner as say, in Mr Queen, where one can tell that they love the art of cooking and everything that accompanies it.

I know that Ok Taec Yeon is a brilliant actor. I’m still in awe of his performance in Vincenzo and I also know he has great comedic timing and chemistry, like in Let’s Fight Ghost. Similarly, I was blown away by the spectacular acting of Kim Hye Yoon in both Sky Castle and Extra-Ordinary You. But as I watched this, I was mildly disappointed. It’s definitely not their best performances, in my opinion, but it’s not entirely bad; just disappointing, especially since I know they can do much, much better.

I’ll probably give this drama a few more episodes to see if it gets better. If not, I’ll most likely drop it.

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I actually, genuinely enjoyed watching this. The acting is on-point, the humour is peak, the bromance is *chef's kiss* and there are tons of wholesome moments sprinkled throughout the drama which melted my heart. I also enjoyed watching the character development of the main guys, and it was incredibly lovely to see the layers of them slowly peel off. However, I must admit, the last few episodes felt rushed yet slowed at the same time, I have no idea how else to describe it, and the romantic relationship felt a little off to me, not going to lie. I just feel like more time was needed for an understanding to occur and the romance to be settled in considering the ML was, literally, a ghost most of the drama.

In addition to that, I was uncomfortable the way ghosts casually used (or borrowed, or whatever you want to call it) a human's body for their purposes and then, discarded it, leaving the human confused and frightened. Having consent to do so is another thing, but the way the cleaning lady's body was used, especially, gave me the chills. I found her bafflement to her environment after being returned her body scary, not funny (this reminds me a lot of !TRIGGER WARNING! drug rape after-effects !TRIGGER WARNING! so please be cautious regarding this.)

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A Must Watch

I would like to give a standing ovation to the cast and crew for this amazing masterpiece of a drama.

There are a lot of heavy topics that this drama has tackled brilliantly. The writer has created a world which mirrors our own, scarily so. The reactions and behaviours of the characters are brutally raw and realistic, as are the dynamics and relationships between one another. Every topic has been handled with a level of caution and care and executed stunningly.

The OST fits the theme perfectly and gives me chills. The cinematography is wonderful and I cannot sing enough praises of the acting. I look forward to each new episode and am in complete awe at each twist, at each new direction the drama travels through. It gets your heart racing and palms sweating - in a good way, of course. There are scenes which are terrifying and there are scenes which are heart-warming but each and every mili-second of this drama so far has been enjoyable.

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