First Take: Marriage Not Dating

I knew this drama would be on the pastel spectrum but I didn't know it would be so cute! tvN's Marriage Not Dating just aired their first two episodes and I am pleased so far. Hopefully it will remain that way until the end. Come on, tvN, I know you can pull out a solid rom-com out of you.

This drama tells the story of Gi-tae (Yeon Woo-jin), a successful single plastic surgeon whose family is breathing down his neck (almost literally) to get him to get married. Jang-mi (Han Groo) is a young woman working as a personal shopper in an upscale department store who is eager to get married with her one-year boyfriend, restaurant owner Hoon-dong (Heo Jung-min) who happens to be Gi-tae's friend. Of course. Alas Hoon-dong is not one to settle down so he breaks up with Jang-mi in the worst way possible: slowly and passively. Jang-mi's breakup just so happen to coincide with yet another of Gi-tae's blind dates, which his family took rather harshly. Threatening to sell his swanky Gangnam house, Gi-tae brings Jang-mi to his home. In return, he helps her seek revenge from Hoon-dong who broke her heart. To complicate this already tangled love line is Yeo-reum (Jang Jin-woon), a ladies' man part-timer at Hoon-dong's restaurant who falls in love with Jang-mi, Se-ah (Han Sun-hwa), a fellow plastic surgeon who once dated Gi-tae, and Hyun-hee (Yoon So-hee), Jang-mi's work junior who gets involved with Hoon-dong.

Seriously, that is a lot of people falling in love with each other. It's crazy.

I knew coming in that this drama was set on cute. I mean the trailer, the photos, they just scream adorable. But I didn't know it was going to be that cute. First of all, the special effects. I mean, if you want to call yourself the cutest rom-com of the year, might as well add cute emojis. Putting all these extra add-ons sets itself apart, not only with a fluffy story line but also the visuals of reminiscent of little girls in a pink tutu riding on a rainbow unicorn. And muted colors, gotta have the muted colors. Thumbs up to the visual editors because you are great.

On top of that, I think the whole story is just going to be cute (I'm saying cute a lot, but if you watched this drama you'll agree with me). While there's a hint of family drama and frenemy jealousies, the premise is light enough for it to never get heavy. Plus there are supporting characters like the crazy aunt, Jang-mi's parents' passive-aggressive love, and Kim Kab-soo to keep everything remain very much like a well-made souffle: fluffy, light, and sweet. Perfect.

If everything goes awry, at least we get to see Yeon Woo-jin and Han Groo pretend (in real life and in story) to be the sweetest couple evar. Yeon Woo-jin has been involved in heavier material recently, so it'll be nice to not see him give evil/sad glances every now and then. He's awesome in those, and I can see how he would fit in just well in rom-com settings. (He did Ojakgyo Brothers just in case you want to see him in a comedic role. Plus there's always Just Friends?. He and Lee Je-hoon was Cute.) And Han Groo, man, I have a feeling I'm going to fall in love with her by the end of the series. She was great in Can We Get Married?, and I've also heard she was fantastic in Girl K, so her transformation into airhead Jang-mi is something I look forward to. Just in the first two episodes she breathed in a lovely and believable air to a girl who can come across unbearably stupid or artificially saccharine. So glad she is neither.

So here's to a hopefully good 7 more weeks!