In my need to clear the watchlist I created on Netflix, I started going through all my saved tv shows, dramas and movies left to watch, thus coming across “Welcome to Waikiki”. I remembered many people recommending it in the past, so about 2 months ago I started watching it and I was not disappointed at all.

In the first few episodes comedy is at the center of the story mixed in with a lot of irony and silliness, but as the story progresses and the characters mature, we see a deeper, more meaningful overall development.

The realistic aspects this drama underlines focus on the milestones most of us experience in life and the dialogues between each of the characters come with a unique nuance that gives it that “je ne sais quoi” aspect. 

We see the struggles of each of the characters as they try to pursue their dreams amidst complex relationship webs and how each one of them ends up attaining some form of accomplishment at the end.

What I really loved is that all the main characters fight and work hard for their passion. We are quickly introduced to single-mom Han Yoon-ah who dreams of becoming a pastry chef and ends up by accident at the Waikiki Guesthouse. Through many trials and tribulations, we see her dream slowly come to life. Mischievous and troublesome Kang Dong-gu dreams of becoming a movie director and in a very silly way, he makes his way up the ladder.  Lee Joon-ki, probably the silliest of all characters, wants to become an actor and I really appreciated how they showcased a somewhat realistic journey many aspiring actors go through to get their big chance.  Kang Seo-jin fights until she lands a job as a journalist to pursue her reporting passion and Min Soo-ah, although portrayed as a princess at first, makes a breakthrough in her fashion line.  Finally, we see innocent Bong Doo-sik live a carefree life as he just wants to write webtoons for a living.

However, aside from their life goals, I really enjoyed all the respective romance stories that slowly developed throughout the 20-episode drama. I also really liked the fact that the story did not focus on the main and secondary couple only but rather on all the characters and their respective troubles in romance.

Without spoiling too much on what happens in each case, this drama helped me connect to some long-forgotten feelings. When Lee Joon-ki goes into a full-on explanation on the telltale signs that you are developing feelings for someone and says:” When you like someone, your hearts beats like crazy, your hands and feet get tingly, and you feel dazed as if someone hit your head with a hammer” (episode 7), really struck a nerve with me. Maybe it’s because recently I have felt this way again after a long time? Or maybe I just carry a very innocent view on romance that many people my age perhaps don’t experience anymore. In the end, I enjoyed watching something I was feeling in real life.

There are many other classic lines used in the script, however, this show is not overly romantic, nor sappy, nor sad with cute, silly, and unrealistic moments intertwined with real-life situations.

If you have some time, give it a chance as it is the perfect light-hearted show to watch over the summer.

Thank you for reading 🙂

 

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