“Melting Me Softly” looks promising but also worrisome!
“Melting Me Softly” has aired its first and second episode this week. The highly anticipated return of Ji Chang Wook is finally here and fans are already obsessed with “Melting Me Softly,” judging by reading many comments on the internet.
Today, I’d like to discuss my personal thoughts on the first and second episode of “Melting Me Softly.”
For transparency sake, I must admit I am a huge Ji Chang Wook fan; I have been waiting for his comeback drama for a while and thought the plot summary sounded interesting…. that was until I found out who the writer was.
However, no matter how much of a fan of any actor I am, I will not waste time watching a series if I don’t personally find it fun and intriguing.
I didn’t find out that “Melting Me Softly” was written by “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” writer until a couple of hours ago, I became instantly worried. I can’t believe this information somehow skipped me even though I have been interested in this drama for a while.
I had previously reviewed “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” and concluded that it was highly overrated. The chemistry of the leads saved the drama that would’ve been lackluster and overly cringy if it weren’t for the leads.
The premiere was a little fun but extremely exaggerated in terms of facial expressions, I almost felt as if I was watching a kid’s show, especially episode 2 when the two leads are released from their freezing chambers and leave the facility.
Episode 1 was okay, it wasn’t anything interesting and it merely tried to set up the mood for what will come in the future. Many of Ji Chang Wook character actions were kinda funny but not in the way I’d like to be. It was kinda cringy, I was like ‘I couldn’t believe he just did that…’
He’s the perfect character, serious about his work but nice to those around him. He also comes from a rich family and seemingly has this ‘perfect’ life.
The lead female character Mi Ran (played by Won Jin Ah) was also extremely average with no hint of originality. The same goes for every other character in the series.
That’s my problem with the writer, besides having exaggerated situations to generate laughs that fell flat; she relies on stereotypical average character descriptions to structure her world. The only aspect in which she tries to bring about something different would be in this case ‘the freezing facility.’
Episode 2 was a lot better because of the aftermath of freezing the leads. I found myself engaged a lot more. I had fun watching the second episode and honestly wished it was longer.
In short, episode one and two were fun but not enough for me to decide if it’s enough to create a fun drama that would be enjoyable for 16 episodes.
Everyone does a good job acting wise except for Won Jin Ah in the first episode. I felt as if she wasn’t immersed in her character and not convinced with what she was saying. In episode two, she was a lot better, seems like she got the hang of it by then.
The editing of “Melting Me Softly” is probably the worst part of the premiere because in many cases I couldn’t tell the difference between the flashbacks and the present. The editing team is trying to lure us in but the transitions and the timing of each one is confusing, at least to me, it was kinda messy.
I think it was because they wanted us to learn of the characters but be excited about what will come, it’s a tactic to get people attention but in my opinion, it wasn’t well done.
I would’ve preferred to see them in 2019 world and have proper intriguing flashbacks to explain what happened as the plot progress. That would be a better tactic. How about introducing fans to how difficult it is for our leads to adjust to the new world while keeping the lid on what exactly happened in 1999?
Episode 1 ratings were very disappointing, 2.5%. I actually expected something a bit higher, I am not sure if episode 2 will bring about a better number after seeing it. [NOTE: the ratings for episode 2 aren’t out as of this writing]
Let’s talk about Ji Chang Wook and his choice here, because I find it rather a ‘safe’ choice.
Ji Chang Wook had a difficult choice ahead of him. The post military work is important for any Korean actor and many actors tend to fall into a slump after military service, Gong Yoo, Hyun Bin and many others suffered that for their choice of projects post-military.
Ji Chang Wook had previously stated that he doesn’t want to play more action characters during “The K2” press conference. He always talks about wanting to challenge himself but I wonder if he’ll be able to do that with this character. I would’ve loved to see him take on an OCN project, their dramas are darker and their characters are a lot more complicated.
I assume Ji Chang Wook wanted to appeal to the public; rom-coms with a twist are the way to go these days. International fans LOVE rom-coms, while national fans love a bit of change *mostly*. This character he’s playing is close to what he’s done before.
I certainly hope that the writer tries to challenge herself a bit in this work, so far, nothing screams a hint of originality, not the characters nor the plot. I can already guess how everything will pan out.
I remain a bit hopeful, I will watch more to see if it turns out to be something a bit more interesting than what I expect it to be.
What did you guys personally think of “Melting Me Softly” premiere? did you like it?
I agree to the writer of this article. I am a JCW fan too but the story telling was just too disappointing. The story begins with the freezing project and everything happens in the flashback. We learn how he has to convince everyone about this project which includes his boss, his gf and the girl who is the subject of this experiment. We learn about his family and his love life in flashback. Frankly, when the curiosity was all about the failed experiment and its consequences, about the murder attempt of the doctor and the assistant who is hiding the main leads we are made to watch the love story of the hero and his girlfriend. I would not have mind it at all if the story began introducing the lives of our main leads.Flashbacks didnt work for me for such a crucial time.
Having said that, I am waiting for the third episode where its 2019 already. I think the story will do great in the current timeline. 1999 is something I could not relate to.