REALLY GOOD MOVIE!!! I was so surprised tbh

Welcome to 2023, people. Mainland China has been dumping out a bunch of shitty dramas (well, as they always have), so I was skeptical of this movie at first because, well, the leads are known for their dramas. But this really blew me away. Of course, there is room for improvement, but any casual movie watcher that is a romantic at heart will surely enjoy this. Steven Zhang's acting is just phenomenal, he keeps getting better. The story flows well and doesn't overdramatize anything or put too many slow-motion scenes or anything like that. I was so invested throughout the whole movie. We've got character development, we've got vulnerability, we've got realistic depictions of "toxic" characters, we've got storylines related to not-romantic stuff like dysfunctional families and the patriarchy and how Asian parents don't know how to express their love for their children, WE'VE GOT IT ALL. THIS IS THE ONE. I haven't really been following mainland entertainment, but I believe this movie has been out for quite a bit. I don't think it's receiving the popularity it deserves SO LETS SUPPORTTTT!! Honestly, this needs to BLOW. UP. THIS IS A GOOD, SENSIBLE FREAKING MOVIE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S JUST OUT AND GONE LIKE THIS.

The only complaints I have are that Sun Qian, the lead actress' voice sounds a liiiittle too high-pitched for her character, and the timing of the music was odd in some places. Like, some areas of the movie could use music, but they didn't put music there. But these are just nitpicky details that do not tarnish this film's value AT ALL. If you're skeptical, WATCH IT. Maybe you won't end up loving it, but you surely won't end up hating it.

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NO SPOILERS!! - the most heartwarming drama ever! perfect for relaxation. MUST WATCH!!

Even if you don't enjoy light-hearted dramas, this drama is still definitely worth watching once in your lifetime. Here are some clarifications to help you out! NO, this is not one of those "cheesy" dramas that make no sense and have no character development! NO, this drama is not cliche! There are parts where you can anticipate what happens next, but they're not really related to the romantic aspect of this drama. Now, onto the reviews of separate aspects!

For the romance aspect, this drama is definitely heavy. It's pretty centered on romantic relationships and progressions, but it's WELL WRITTEN! And very much realistic! The pacing is perfect, it's not a slowburn that makes you bored out of your mind, it's not so fast that it makes no sense, it's perfect. Of course, they come around hardships, but those hardships are very realistic, and you see them in the real world too. They also MAKE SENSE.

Next, the characters! Each and every character in this drama was written carefully and beautifully, from the townspeople to the children to the main leads. You can see each character's past and connect it with their actions in the present, and I really love that. It's not like the writers are trying to make some petty excuse for a villain's rampage. This drama shows traumas, pains, and most importantly, of course, realism. Personally, I value the realness of dramas, which is why I love this drama so much. It really connects with the real world, which made me extremely emotional while watching. I'll probably write another review with spoilers because I really cannot get over each character's stories. I will tell you here and now, however, that the female lead makes sense. She is not stupid. She breaks many stereotypes. She has a healthy relationship mindset. She is strong mentally, and her instincts and common sense are perfectly intact. I love that about her. The male lead is well written. He is not a jerk, hell no, he is an absolute sweetheart! His character has a lot of depth, and his thoughts and actions make sense. The second male lead is also very worth praising! He also has a loooot of depth. He has reasons for having feelings for our female lead, and he is not just there as a nuisance. Personally, I did not feel bad for him because while he has an amazing personality, so does the male lead. This is one of the very few dramas I've seen where both male leads make sense, and the male lead overpowers the second male lead. The second male lead's confession was straightforward, the female lead's rejection was also straightforward, and it's just *chef's kiss*. I love it.

Alright, the ACTING! Please, oh my god, the cast is insane. It's perfect. Kim Seonho as such a flexible range, and his microexpressions are really well depicted. You can see him reminisce about the past with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He gets that teary-eyed look when he uses expressions of affection, and most of these are similar to Shin Min-ah's acitng style as well! They are both amazing actors. I really love Shin Min-ah's voice. It's very relaxing. I also really feel the need to praise the townspeople's acting. They have such amazing duality, and they really go all out. I don't why, but a lot of times, the side characters have better acting than the leads. In this case, the leads' acting falls just a tiny bit short of the side characters. But the leads' acting is not at all bad! The side characters are just phenomenal.

Slice-of-life aspect: Apart from all the romance and stuff, what made me most emotional was how realistic this drama was. As the synopsis states, our female lead, Yoon Hyejin, moves to a small seaside town named Gongjin due to some personal issues. Now, the town Gongjin is very well depicted. They live traditionally, but you still see hints of modern-ness around. Like Juri stanning a K-pop group and the presence of technology. It's not like she went to the stone age, so I appreciate the realness of it. It's hard to write about this without spoiling anything major, but I'll just say that I really respect the authors of this drama for the realism. I love it when things are realistic but spicy.

Lastly, personal opinions. Personally, I tested positive for Covid and was quarantining, so I thought I'd watch this drama because I've seen it around a lot. And at first, I thought it was a cheesy cliche drama, haha! But I was watching Lawless Lawyer, and I got a little tired of all the scheming and stuff. I appreciated the romance in Lawless Lawyer, but like... I didn't really want to watch two people being affectionate when there's people trying to murder them all around. So, I sought out something more light-hearted, and tada! I ended up with Hometown Cha Cha Cha. And I am honestly so, SO glad I decided to watch it. I actually pulled through with it, because it got interesting right after the first episode, and it just kept getting more interesting. No disappointments whatsoever, at least for me. I think I'll end it here, HAHA. I rambled off. All in all, this is definitely worth watching. I gave it a low rewatch value because I still haven't recovered from crying my eyeballs out over it, but I know I'm definitely going to rewatch some parts, maybe even the whole thing. I just love it so much. Be sure to check it out!

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