Title : The third Charm
Episodes : 16
Genre : Romance, Drama, Family, Slice of Life, Tragedy
Story : 5 out of 10
Characters : 7 out of 10
Cinematography : 8 out of 10
The third Charm is one of the manhwa live actions of the year. They recruited popular actor Sep Kang Joon in the mix and promised an intense love story. However, the result was disappointing.
Story
Joon Yeong is a geeky college student who falls in love with Yeong Jae, a hairdresser. They are different but they make each other happy. Then, due to a family tragedy, Yeong Jae breaks up with him. Joon Yeong, without knowing the reasons of the breakup, hates Yeong Jae, quits his school and joins the police force.
Some years later, the two meet again. At first, Joon Yeong is cold towards her, but after they talk, they decide to start dating again. Their relationship is intense, happy and full of passion. However, Joon Yeong starts being jealous of Yeong Jae’s client, a plastic surgeon who likes Yeong Jae. Clouds start gathering and eventually, they go their separate ways. Again, Joon Yeong quits his job and goes to Portugal, where he discovers his passion for cooking and, after attending a culinary school, he returns to Korea as a chef. He even gets engages with an old colleague. Everything seems back on track for him until he meets Yeong Jae again. However, this time, Yeong Jae’s life is a mess and she is a ghost of her old self. Still, Joon Yeong feels attached to her.
The drama had a really slow start, with the first episodes leaving you indifferent towards the whole story. Then it picked up, but still, the relationship was the well-known pattern of breaking up getting back together over and over again. The episodes towards the end were really intense and interesting, but the ending was disappointing. So, I can’t say that I liked the drama, but I didn’t hate it either.
The love story was good and the couple had chemistry, so that helped. The progress of their relationship was a mess, but overall it was the course of a relationship. The execution, though, wasn’t that great.
Now, for the side stories. Joon Yeong’s sister and his play boyfriend was a weak one because they didn’t really let their relationship progress. Yeong Jae’s brother and her friend were a cute one, though, especially her friend who was really funny.
Characters
Joon Yeong is a guy who started with having really low self-esteem, but he eventually found his real self and built confidence. He was too attached to his girlfriend, and that had, in result, made him untrusting and jealous. He even quit his studies and job when she broke up with him. It seemed like his whole world fall apart when he wasn’t with her and he needed to replace that with something new. There is no need for an introduction for Seo Kang Joon. He did a nice job in this drama as well, though his character was a bit weak.
Yeong Jae is a strong woman who had been through a lot in her life. She had lost her parents, suffered her brother’s accident, had to support her family and was bullied for choosing to become a hairdresser rather than go to college. Her struggles didn’t end even when she settled down. All the way through the drama she practically had to go through a tragedy. Lee Som was really good, especially with the dramatic scenes. Even though she doesn’t have a lot of filmography under her belt, she was a decent leading lady.
Cinematography
The cinematography of this drama was okay for the theme that is wanted to present. Notable scenes were the ones filmed in Portugal, that freshen up the concept.
Overall
My overall rating is 6 out of 10. Even though the performances were great and some episodes really interesting, the whole drama was boring.
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