First Impression: How to be Thirty

Do you only have twenty minutes to spare to watch dramas sometimes? How about a drama that drops a new episode every few days and has a lot of sizzle potential? I might have the perfect drama for you.

Our Leading Ladies

Our story centers around three successful friends who are thirty. They all seem content in their lives, single but happy. Except, it’s never that easy to stay single, especially when society has a ticking clock above your womb head.

Lee Ran Joo (Ahn Hee Yeon) is a radio announcer and fends off sleazy advances from guys all the time. She seems to be the one most affected by people trying to mess with her being single. She gets set up on a blind date and is only mildly interested in going.

Hong Ah Young (Cha Min Ji) owns a restaurant and is the most sullen of the group. She is getting over a bad breakup and really needs her restaurant to be successful.

Seo Ji Won (Jung In Sun) is our main leading lady and she’s a popular webtoon author. Her recently finished work is being turned into a movie, and her next project is a love story about middle school sweethearts reuniting and falling in love.

Drama Geek: I love the three of them together. They support one another and they just have a really fun vibe. It’s funny that the restaurant owner hires the young man (okay, he’s 24 but he looks 16!) that Ran Joo went out with, knowing it would bother her. They’re all friends, but they are still playful with one another and know when to push each other.

Karie the Maknae: I love the sismance vibe our three ladies have going on too, and I think it serves the story well. It seems like they are the backbone of the drama so far, and I would be happy for things to stay that way!

Our Leading Men

Our two main leads are a bit of a mystery still. They are both in the entertainment industry, and both end up working with Ji Won.

Lee Seung Woo (Kang Min Hyuk) appears suddenly in Ji Won’s life as her new manager. He specifically requested the position, and seems to be knowledgable in the business, but there is no indication as to what his job was prior to this, and why he suddenly decided he needed to enter Ji Won’s life again.

Cha Do Hoon (Song Jae Rim) is a director and took on the adaptation of Ji Won’s webtoon. He admires her work, but has a certain disdain for some of it, which is an interesting component for a director who wants to work on a project.

For the other two girls, Ah Young’s ex starts lurking around her restaurant and is possibly engaged or may want to reconcile with her. Only time will tell. And that blind date Ran Joo went on happened to be with a young stand-in date who seems to fall for her and is determined to pursue her.

Drama Geek: I’m honestly suspicious of Seung Woo. He swoops into Ji Won’s life and is flirting with her left and right, but just seems … I can’t put my finger on it. I did see the drama poster again, and there is a clue as to why I’m wary of him. We’ll just have to see after the next STEAMY episode if he’s who he presents himself to be. The other three guys are interesting, but I’ve only watched episodes 1-4, which equals about 80 minutes. Not a lot of time to get to know everyone. I will say both the main couple and the announcer couple have OODLES of chemistry.

Karie the Maknae: I will freely admit to being blinded by Kang Min Hyuk’s smile and by the loads of chemistry he has with Jung In Sung. Maybe something is going on, maybe something isn’t, but either way, I’m just happy to watch him for right now. The director is just a big ol’ grump, but there are plenty of episodes left for him to thaw out. As for the besties’ love lines, I *adore* the kid chasing Ran Joo, and I’m intrigued by Ah Young’s past and what’s brought her ex forward now.

The Plot

So far the plot really does center around these three woman and what being thirty means, and how to incorporate love into an already full life. I think we’re going to get a mix of romance and slice of life with the three friends.

Drama Geek: The shorter format makes it easy to watch, and with a lot of web dramas I’ve been watching, the content feels less censored and more real to life. Yes, it still has that rom-com gloss, but the relationships are progressing in a natural manner. Or maybe, in the case of the main couple, possibly a bit fast. We already have a proposal from Ji Won for Seung Won to sleep with her.

Karie the Maknae: For such short episodes, the plot is coming together quickly. I feel like we see the characters pretty clearly already, and I’m absolutely intrigued by how it’s all going to play out.

Should You Check It Out?

Drama Geek: These bite sized episodes are perfect if you just need to add a little dash of romance to your day. It’s also a great one to save until it ends, and them binge the entire thing. There are only 15 episodes so it’ll end up being 5 hours of content. I like all the actors and everyone is just so pretty. It’ll be a nice filler with all the more intense dramas out right now.

Karie the Maknae: Agreed. I love these short episodes and the compact storyline. I’m not substalking this one, but I’m glad to have it there as a break from my other rather intense dramas. Plus, you know, Kang Min Hyuk’s smile! Can you really beat that? (Drama Geek: Yeah, Song Jae Rim has a pretty nice one when he’s not being a grump…)

As always,

Drama Geek & Karie the Maknae

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi

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