Once Upon A Small Town is Heartwarming: Ep 1 Review

SPOILER ALERT!! The following Review contains spoilers from the first episode of Once Upon a Small Town.

Review of Once Upon a Small Town Episode 1

Once upon a small town is a Korean lighthearted romantic-comedy drama currently streaming on Netflix. Directed by Kwon Seok-jang, the drama has Joy, Choo Young Woo and Baek Sung Chul playing the main characters.

Han Ji Yul (Choo Young Woo) is a young vet in Seoul. His grandfather tricks him to come to the village and work at a veterinary hospital owned by him while both his grandparents went on a cruise. Ahn Ja Young (Joy) is a police officer in the village whom the villagers approach first whenever there is a problem.

On the first day in village, Han Ji Yul encounters challenges. He gets mistaken as a thief by Ahn Ja Young and gets knocked out by her fellow police officer. When Ahn Ja Young learns his name, she recognizes him immediately. There is some past relationship between the two of them. But Han Ji Yul hasn’t recognized her yet.

Baek Sung Chul appears only in one scene in the first episode where he almost gets hit by the police car.

There are a lot of humorous moments in the first episode. For instance, when Han Ji Yul got scared of a violent goat was hilarious. Another funny scene was his helpless expression when he falls into the mud in the field. Choo Young Woo’s expressions are up to the mark in that scene. In another scene, Han Ji Yul gets startled by the over friendliness of the villagers.

At home, he finds a letter from his grandfather explaining why he tricked him to come to the village. After reading the letter, he convinces himself to stay in the village.

The first episode ends when Han Ji Yul sees Ahn Ja young swimming in the water at night with a torch taped on her head. The episode ends when he tries to remember her. Would he recognize her? Episode 2 might reveal their past connection.

There will be more unravelling in the coming episodes. There will be more romance, and may be a love triangle (That is a must in a Korean Rom-Com). Once Upon a Small Town might not have a very surprising story with many twists. However, it has the warmth and innocence of the village and the people there. It will be a feel-good, light-hearted drama which fills our hearts with happiness.