Amor Rural (2022)

A most unexpectedly sweet gem

Not every day needs a 120 mph roller coaster or surfing thirty foot waves or dining at a 5 star Michelin restaurant or sporting the latest haute couture fashion. Somedays, a casual walk in a familiar neighborhood in sweatpants and a hoodie followed by a simple grilled cheese sandwich is just as enjoyable. At that’s the vibe of “Once Upon a Small Town” - a leisurely, pleasant sojourn on a warm day.

No one will find anything remotely novel in the setup - a city denizen gets shipped somewhat against his will to a rural enclave. He initially recoils at everything unfamiliar but is won over not only by the community but also by a potential love interest.

And no one will discover any new angles on the romantic entanglements involving childhood relationships, ex-significant others, easily avoided misunderstandings, awkward confessions, friendzones and the like.

Nor will the vast majority of the supporting cast of rural inhabitants break any of the stereotypes from other slice of dramas.

In fact, mere minutes into the first episode of “Once Upon a Small Town”, the direction, destination, velocity and signposts on the journey are all readily apparent. But somehow that doesn’t diminish the ride. A short run of twelve episodes and runtimes of 30-40 minutes per episode deserve a decent amount of credit for keeping things moving without getting bogged down in secondary storylines and extended montages and endless rehashing of backstories. But there’s more to it. Director Kwon Seok Jang manages the pace of the storyline well, mixes in just enough interaction with supporting characters and doesn't let anything fog up the focus on the romance.

Choo Young Woo has a fairly light resume but he's got the basic attributes for carrying a lead role. The character of Dr. Han isn't particularly demanding - look pretty, feel awkward in uncomfortable surroundings and otherwise let everyone else around ham things up. And for this, Choo Young Woo hits all the marks (easy targets though they may be).

Meanwhile, Joy may find herself in as much demand as an actor as she has been as a singer. The Red Velvet singer has had two strong performances this year (the first as one of the very few bright spots in an otherwise rather dismal "The One and Only") and now to even greater effect here. A police officer would not be the instinctual direction for an ideal character for Joy, but this isn't a hardnosed violent crime detective. She's more everyone's little sister on the personal side and professional household problem solver. It may be a case of an actor and a role simply almost perfectly suited for each other, but as the show progresses and Ja Young becomes a more complex character, it seems less and less that "it's just Joy being herself" is what's happening here. Regardless, she's ebullient and extroverted and a delight at nearly every turn.

Props also to the sound editors who spare no opportunity to add all the buzzing insect noises in their inventory. Helps remind those viewers that might pull up stakes and head for the countryside in search of a dashing vet or comely policy officer that there are also less welcome inhabitants there too.

Recommended.

Leia Mais

Once Upon a Cliche

Love Joy and Choo Yeong-woo but not really this show. It's not unwatchable, but I found myself tuning out most of the time and didn't really feel the characters. The cast did okay in their roles, although it was difficult to really feel the relationship between the leads since it was very cliche. I feel like almost every scene in this show is a cliche.

I can see the similarities between this show and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, although I don't think either of them are a copy of the other, just happen to have similar plots and characters. This show is definitely not as good as Hometown though. The story is average and progresses how you'd expect a cheesy countryside rom-com to play out. I'm usually okay with seeing some cringey, cliche scenes in dramas but there were a few scenes in this show where I physically cringed and rolled my eyes (like the scene where the peaches fall on top of Ahn Jae-young and Han Ji-yul shields her).

The side characters and townsfolk were kind of annoying, especially the loud and aggressive women who were constantly fighting and screaming at each other. I'm not a fan of love triangles, and this show has one of the most annoying love triangles I've seen in a while. I can't really see how anyone could have 2nd male lead syndrome for this show, as Lee Sang-hyeon frustrated me to no end and I constantly found myself tuning out whenever he was on screen. No hate towards the actor, but his character was incredibly annoying. Typical 2nd ML who does nothing but chase after the FL, but he does so by being blatantly passive-aggressive and rude towards the ML for no reason at all other than that the FL might be interested in him. The whole jealous 2nd ML and ML thing was overly played out, and there were points in the show where the FL and ML wouldn't be able to interact with each other for almost the entire episode, only to have the 2nd ML swoop in every chance he could get. There were also so many instances when the FL and ML would finally get a chance to talk with each other and progress their relationship, and then some cliche interruption happens that disrupts everything just to drag it on further (like a phone ringing, someone calling one of them over, etc.)

Some people may find this show enjoyable, especially if you're not picky with good plots or well-established characters. If you're looking for something simple to put on in the background or to waste time then maybe this show is for you. I was literally watching as the credits started playing on the last episode and was like "wait... is this the last episode?" The conclusion wasn't completely satisfying and caught me off guard.

Leia Mais

A whole village full of cliché

I believe that there's a way to make slice of life romance seems charming and cute -- a good writer could even make the simplest, most cliched of scenario seems watchable (and even engaging!), but I believe that it depends a lot on how good the acting and the writing is. This show just simply mediocre in every aspect that not only it is a chore to watch, but any scenes that might have a little potential become annoying to go through.

It does not help that the main leads have no chemistry whatsoever, all the side characters are cardboard or unlikeable and the story decisions are either stupid or awful. It is a show that simply offers you nothing but pretty, green landscapes of its setting. It simply has no charm necessary for a show to be good -- you might as well just look at pretty pictures or cut up clips or gifs of this show.

Simply do not waste your time.

Leia Mais

Blandly acted, poorly written

I went in with some expectations. In reviews I read people mentioned picturesque backdrop, cute ML and FL, awkwardly nice chemistry, decent supporting characters.

The acting was bland and the writing even more so. There was no chemistry between the lead characters and it felt like they were acting to pay their rent for the month and didn't have their heart in it because they knew how bad the story was. Their effort to act well would have been a waste of energy. There were so many opportunities for the drama to redeem itself within minutes but everytime the writers went "why would I do that when I can make this even worse than it is now"

"Loud village people" cliché done VERY VERY WRONG. For comparison, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha had great "loud village people" characters.

The drama is 12 episodes long and until episode 7 we have our main lead cement himself as "I, as a person, have these characteristics" and in episode 8 we see him make a U-turn. It annoyed me to no end and I couldn't even finish the episode.

Leia Mais

Sucky blanket romance

A sucky blanket of a romance, with all the normal tropes of love triangles and quadrangles and anything up to dodeca-angles; absent family; hair-pulling fights; past encounters; ML going from distant cool to close warm; men facing off like boys; and of course all the standard clichés of country life. The plot is a well-worn trail of the obvious, so you don’t even have the stress of wondering what’s going to happen, even though they have to cram it in the last episode.

One of the benefits of country shows is at least there’s less PP! Unfortunately though it does step in and manage to kill the mood… ah I really should get over it, but it’s done sooo clumsily here.

Look there’s nothing original, everything is bland, innocuous and inoffensive (and that includes the chemistry, or lack of it) but the short half-hour format makes it an ideal watch for those times when you’ve come home exhausted and all you want to do is curl up in front of the fire and veg out with something totally predictable, brainless, sweet and cosy.

What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.

Leia Mais

Wholesome and JOYful in spades

This is such a sweet drama which is welcome in a time when everything is getting more and more serious/realistic in the world of Kdrama.
Once Upon a Small Town is not going to change the world but it was a joy to watch. The story goes at a pace befitting of the small town it's set in - which looks stunning - but it's just a sweet 30-minute escape to enjoy Joy and all the cute animals that feature heavily throughout. Joy's acting is good and carries the show well. The male leads are ok too, although the second lead is annoying for most of the series in the classic second lead style.
It's a nice filler drama.- I used to it to detox in between Little Women episodes. It's a must-watch if you're Reveluv!

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

Joyless Jingles

Police officer Joy taking us on a joyless ride around the village. The fake cozy and small-town vibes failed to capture a convincing portrayal of small-town life but rather padded it with cheap cookie cutter village NPCs with bubbly visuals. The attempts at romance felt superficial and unconvincing, the female lead was always coming off too strong on the new guy in the village despite having little to no sufficient time to develop a romance, but rather relying on her ever long lasting impression of each other when they were kids. The transition was off. The case is even worse with the male lead. Anyway, it was a forgettable and uninspiring zero calories short drama.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais