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[HanCinema's Drama Preview] "Warm and Cozy"

Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran are among the most beloved Korean drama writers, especially for foreign fans. Their romantic comedies offer star power and successful pairings, lively and unique characters and a writing style many love. Despite a few bumps along the way, their shows are entertaining and well received. Their latest installment is "Warm and Cozy", a phrase which will hopefully describe viewer sentiment throughout.

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Premise

Baek Geon-woo (Yoo Yeon-seok) is someone who is honest and smart, but also determined when it comes to love. He moves to Jeju island and opens a restaurant there, in order to be close to the woman he is in love with. Despite Lee Jeong-joo's (Kang So-ra) tough exterior, she is a sensitive woman who needs a break after failing to find a job and breaking up with her boyfriend. She moves to Jeju and her path crosses with that of Geon-woo.

The Worrying

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Be it nine tailed foxes, ghosts or other, there is always something which frames the romance and generates obstacles for it in the Hongs' works. "Warm and Cozy" lacks such an element. On one hand, this can be good. It might leave room for more fleshed out relationships and characters, something many of the writers' works lack. If the Hongs have not decided to go a bit deeper, however, it might just leave this a series devoid of what makes their works fun as well as a superficial one.

Competition

Romantic comedy is a genre liked by many fans abroad, but it is usually not the top choice for local audiences. Series "Mask", starring Soo Ae and Ju Ji-hoon sounds like something which would interest domestic viewers more. At the same time, KBS2's "Masked Prosecutor" marks the return of Kim Sun-a to drama after a three year break. All three series have appealing elements and participants and while ratings should not directly affect the quality of a show, the reality of this industry is different.

The Reassuring

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The Creators

The two writers are working with PD Park Hong-gyoon and this is their second collaboration after 2011 hit series 'The Greatest Love'. This is a very encouraging trio and them having already built a rapport leaves little room for any potential disagreement, at least on a creative team level. Many fans still remember one of the low moments of the Hongs' career with "Big", but their overall output has been good and therefore one to trust, at least for good entertainment.

The Cast

Good casting of capable actors is always a good thing, especially lately. Most of the works by the writers have featured big stars as their main pairing and this is no different. Yoo Yeon-seok and Kang So-ra both have quite a few works in their filmography and are choices which should not worry audiences domestically and abroad. The supporting cast also features different types of actors, ranging from idols to seasoned veterans and is an overall good mix.

Final Thoughts

The romantic comedy genre has been suffering a lot as of late, often degrading into melodramatic and overly dark for its type plot developments and major shifts in tone. "Warm and Cozy" gives fans of the genre's purer and lighter past some hope. If the Hong sisters do what they do best, this will be a pleasant and cheerful show. Many things can still go wrong, as the past has proven, but there is also enough consistency by this creative team to boost one's confidence in them.

"Warm and Cozy" begins its run on May 13th and will air every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00, on MBC.

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Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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