Hi guys, welcome to my blog on ‘Backstreet Rookie’, and today I’m going to talk about my observations from this drama :)
I had almost dropped the drama initially after seeing lots of criticisms about it but thought of giving it another chance last week. I started writing this blog just after completing it, and I’ll try to make it as short as possible.
Drama Info
Literal Title: Convenience Store Saet-Byeol
Director: Lee Myung-Woo
Episodes: 16 (each approx. 1 hour)
Release Date: June 19 — August 8, 2020
Language: Korean
!!! Spoilers ahead !!!
What I enjoyed watching
- Kim Yoo-Jung (Saet-Byul) will be the first person I’ll talk about. She’s so full of life and a natural at acting, and she’s just 20 years old. Her character brought a smile to our faces, and she looked so pretty and matured in every single episode. I wonder how much more refined she will become with experience, and I’m looking forward to her works.
- Ji Chang-Wook (Dae-Hyun) was super cute as the shy convenience store manager who was known for being a kind and honest person. His chemistry with Yoo-Jung was rocking, and I was shocked to realize that they had 13 years of age difference in real life.
- I loved the relationship between Bon-Hee (Dae-Hyun’s mother) and Saet-Byul. She cared for Saet-Byul so dearly and treated her as her own. That scene when Boon-Hee told Saet-Byul that she’s going to scold her like a family member for making mistakes was so touching.
- The BGM was so upbeat and funny, especially the ‘Crazy crazy’ one and the ones with the sound of glass falling to the ground. They made me laugh even more.
- The best learning from this drama was when Dae-Hyun and his family realized that all of them were working for Yeon-Joo’s mother. That scene gave me a reality check, as to how much our parents tolerate at work just for the sake of earning a living and giving us a comfortable life.
- Also, the way the writer built Saet-Byul’s character was quite refreshing. She was not a bully but always punished the bullies. Street fights were not her hobby, but she had learned Tai-chi from her father, which she used for defense.
Some pondering thoughts
- Dal-Sik’s character could have been made more refined. Initially, I found him to be a bit annoying, and unnecessary but also felt bad at times for the way in which he was living.
- Although, in the second half I started liking the toned-down version of Dal-Sik, especially the ones where he was being a romantic and in love. I understood that the writer included the character to add more fun elements, but many times it seemed like a forced comedy than genuinely funny.
- The amount of bullying done by High School students was terrifying, and this was not the first time. High School students have been portrayed as bullies in many K-dramas, and every time I wondered whether this is the actual scenario in South Korea.
- Societal issues shown in dramas are nothing new, but if the writer could have shown that the bullies changed because of their inner realization of right and wrong, it would have been better. Instead, it was shown that every time the bullies were being beaten up, they got scared and stopped harassing the victims. But, there was no guarantee that they did not repeat this behavior in the future.
Outro
One of the things which stood out the most from the drama was its simplicity! The story was nothing out of the ordinary, but still, it was able to engage the audiences. It talked about real-life struggles, workplace politics, and of course the customer experiences in the convenience store. This once again proved that you don’t need to have some out-of-the-box idea to make a drama successful. Simplicity can be equally beautiful.
Thank you for reading my blog
❤ Diya signing off ❤
