Title : Dae Jang Geum is Watching, Jang Geum, Oh my grandma
Episodes : 16
Genre : Food, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Family
Story : 7 out of 10
Characters : 7 out of 10
Cinematography : 7 out of 10
If you love Let’s Eat, then this one might be up your alley. Though, it is lighter than the Let’s eat series.
Story
Jang Geum was a culinary genius back in Joseon (for more see Jewel in the palace drama). Her descendants, three siblings, have inherited strange abilities related to food, like the sense of taste, sense of smell and a hand that is so warm that even ripe fruit. San Hae is the oldest one and works in a company. He often suggests good restaurants and enjoys his food to the fullest. He also is kind of a cold man, especially when it comes to his rookie co-worker, Seung Ah, a bubbly young woman who falls for him.
Jung Sik and Jin Mi are twins and San Hae’s younger siblings. Jung Sik is really good at cooking and he has his own YouTube channel. He is the opposite of his brother and, when he meets Seung Ah, he likes her, especially after he discovers that she is unaffected by his hand that often burns everything that it touches. He even agrees to teach her how to cook.
Jin Mi is dreaming of becoming an idol. However, her company drops her because she is always eating and missing practices. While working part-time in a convenience store, she meets a handsome young man, Min Hyuk, who turns out to be a famous trainee. Min Hyuk likes Jin Mi because she can create fantastic meals out of products found in the convenience store. So, he agrees to help her become a trainee in his company and debut as well.
The story centered around the three siblings’ lives and funny mistakes that occurred because of their abilities. Food often took second place in the dramas priorities, but each character had a dish to present in each episode in his own way like San Hae goes to restaurants and describes food in a very enthusiastic way, Jung Sik cooks his dish like a YouTuber would have done and Jin Mi combines ingredients that you would have never imagined eating them together.
For the love stories, the love triangle was nice. Even though Seung Ah is kind of an annoying character, she somehow has chemistry with both men and that helps with the intensity of the romance. It often is quirky and has some over the top moments, but overall it was funny and sweet. Jin Mi and Min Hyuk’s love story was more innocent and naive, although their moments were more passionate. The side stories and characters ended up boring and tiring after a while, as the same pattern was repeated over and over.
Characters
San Hae is a cold man, very business-like, who has one weakness: food. In his mind, the most extraordinary scenes take place when he is savoring over a great dish. He, at first, dislikes Seung Ah, his junior, but he grows to like her eventually. Still, he is unable to show her his true feelings. Dae Jang Geum was really good, especially when he had to act almost like a clown when the food scenes were up. He is an old actor, so his performance was flawless.
Jung Sik is the opposite of his brother. He is warm, sweet and friendly. He enjoys cooking and he has a naive personality, always meaning well. Kim Hyun Joon was adorable as Jung Sik and he was the perfect second lead.
Seung Ah is a bubbly new employee, who often acts cute and is friendly and naive as well. She can get annoying, as some of the scenes were overacted and idiotic. But I guess that wasn’t Kwon Yoo Ri’s fault, as she was really good with her overall performance and maybe the script didn’t help her shine.
Jin Mi is an ambitious young woman who wants to become an idol. Her dreams are smashed when her company drops her. However, she doesn’t give up. Overall, she was a likable character and a strong female character. Lee Yeol Eum was both cute and fierce in this one and she had good chemistry with Min Hyuk.
Cinematography
Some scenes were almost idiotic, but the food was presented decently and the whole concept was nicely executed. The guest appearance of BTOB was a nice touch to the whole drama.
Overall
My overall rating for this drama is 6.5 out of 10. Although it’s a good drama and the story is okay, I can’t overcome the over the top scenes.
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