A modern fairytale - with a fairytale ending

Time will only tell if this drama will eventually undo the heaps of bad reviews and criticisms, especially from Korean audiences, about the plot's unlikely premise - a love affair between a female CEO and a male, junior employee who met by chance in Cuba, before he joined the company.

I let the story take me where it wanted to, all the way to its happy, fairytale ending - and really loved it. Not only is Park Bo Gum a sensitive and fairly talented actor. I really believed in his chemistry with Song Hye Kyo, who plays the detached, emotionally distant female CEO, who has no friends and lives constantly in the shadow of her ex-husband's chaebol family.

Their story unfolds at regular, steady intervals, episode per episode, and conquers you with the sheer power of PBG's constancy of emotion. PBG's character Kim Jun Hyuk never let age, class, or public opinion sway him from his commitment to Cha Hyun Soo. He does, at some point, given to his family's reservations about her, illustrating his abiding love for his family - the kind of filial love that is the foundation of Korean family culture. You will have to watch till the end to see how this is resolved in the story.

I think the drama knew it was dealing with a plot many wouldn't connect with, so it tried to explore this in a smaller way through another pair of characters - Cha Hyun Soo's secretary (played by Kwak Sun Young) and the owner of the moon snails restaurant (Kim Joo Heon).

Korean's strict hierarchical culture disapproves of marriages that are unequal in class, power, or achievement (such as education). Encounter tries to point out that breaking out of these fixtures in their culture may be possible. I say may - because it's very, very hard to meet a man like Park Bo Gum's character in real life!!

Watch Episode 1, which was shot in Cuba. Please, please do. It's a masterpiece of photography and romantic plot exposition. If you give up on the rest of the story, Episode 1 is enough of an enchanting experience of movie-level production quality.

If you let it, Encounter may actually enchant you till the end. Just, well, try to ignore the one plot hole in this whole story - it is basically impossible today to carry on a romance like that in one company, without having to disclose it to HR and eventually watch one of them resign in order for the relationship to continue.

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A sensitive drama about family, hospice care, and mental health - and the healing power of food

I've actually rewatching "Chocolate" as I write this review - my first review for the first K-drama I've ever watched in my life (which happened about seven months ago).

My message to you is, watch it! Even though I've read elsewhere that it's considered somewhat old fashioned, I hope many Koreans watched it, because it sends so many important messages about love and self-care that we could all use.

What people mistake for gloominess is actually a courageous take on difficult subjects that are often avoided in polite Korean culture, like depression. It also tackles hospice care, dementia, and the immense pressure of familial expectations placed on Korean children. It's definitely got its melodramatic moments, and you will shed many cathartic tears.

It's beautifully shot, it's got a lot of heartwarming moments centered around food, and thankfully it's got plenty of moments of levity in between. All of this frames the beautiful love story between the two main characters - two wounded people who didn't seem like they could be together because of so much baggage in their younger lives.

The drama has gathered a real powerhouse of actors, from the leads, Ha Ji Won and Yoon Kye Sang (who is somehow, frustratingly, not getting enough career breaks, much as he tries), to Jang Seung Jo (YKS' rival cousin), Kim Won Hae (the hospice facility director), and Min Jin Woong (HJW's brother).

It's probably not going to affect you like this year's big hits. Think of this as the underdog drama that tries to send quiet messages of caring and concern to the people who probably need it most. There's plenty of room in the plot, the photography, and in the acting to appreciate this drama.

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Worst writing for a female lead; many unlikable characters; maybe worth watching for Son Ho Jun

Did we see the limit in Song Ji Hyo's acting abilities here - or was the writing of many characters in this show really that bad? Show pushed too hard for laughs and fake drama. Maybe still worth watching for Son Ho Jun's huge versatility. Whether you put him in comedy or drama, he excels.

It's not really a matter of the story being unlikely - because for me it's in the telling. This show's biggest problem was a matter of tone. It just didn't know what mood to strike. This resulted in a very strident characterization of the female lead, and cartoony characters like the Chinese mafia gang member, the successful actor Ryu Jin, and Song Ji Jyo's female rival. What a waste of the cast. Too many unlikable characters.

Too bad about this story really. It had too many subplots going on that watered down the story and diverted from the central, worthwhile plot - how did single mom manage all those years without the father of her child.

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