Once Upon A Small Town

Ahhh ok that was cute 😍 although it didn't seem like it at first, the further I went into Once Upon a Small Town, the better it became. I love such gradation. It was short but sweet with a lot of vibes from Hometown Cha Cha Cha which I undeniably and endlessly adore. Once Upon A Small Town is like a breath of fresh breeze after the heavier and more complicated dramas that I have been watching lately. It's a perfect relaxation drama 😇

What's the story?

Han Ji Yool is a young vet in Seoul. One day he suddenly receives a call from his grandfather. Wasting no time, Ji Yool goes to Heedong Village. There he meets an aspiring policewoman and learns that she must temporarily take over a family veterinary hospital.

Policewoman Ahn Ja Young throws a veterinarian into working with farm animals. She is born and raised in the village and usually the first one to appear and provide help to residents in need. She helps Han Ji Yool solve inconveniences related to his daily life in the village.

Until writing this review, I didn't realize that the main female character is not only a k-pop girl but also the lead from Tempted! I was convinced that it was just some king of new actress that I hadn't seen yet. And here's such a surprise! Now looking at the front photo of that review, I wonder how didn't I notice it earlier! The scenery completely took me off the trail. I really liked her in both roles, she is a pretty good actress 😀

 But that makes me think.... Do all Korean singers have to act in movies? Or maybe it's some kind of policy "each K-band has to send one representative to Kollywood"? Roowon, Krystal, Bae Suzy, Lee Junho, Ok Taecyeon .... and so on .... what the hell! They are everywhere! 😅

Coming back to the drama. Once Upon A Small Town not a long story which is one of the main reasons I started it (12 * 35min). The story is quite simple - the Seoul established person is send to countryside due to certain events and must now adapt to the new type of life. If by reading it you think "oh wait I heard it somewhere!", yep, you did.... as long as you watched Hometown Cha Cha Cha 💛💙💚 because the plot core is exactly the same 😅 It's a bit weird to watch but it reminds me of billion versions of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood or popular Ugly Betty tv-show. Nonetheless  is a well executed drama that I enjoyed watching.

There is a visable chemistry between the leads and both actors play convincingly. It has a strong beginning with a good explanation of what happened and why, plus I enjoyed discovering their story freely and slowly. Once Upon A Small Town has also good development of the main story and several side stories. Drama perfectly used all 12 episodes, it left no open plot-slots nor unanswered questions. Love that 😎 

The only thing/characters I didn't like in the drama were the countryside ladies (below in the middle picture). The policemen were very nice, but the ladies unfortunately were ruining the series for me and made me have to rewind their scenes sometimes. The producers tried hard to mimic Hometown Cha Cha Cha village but didn't live up to it when it came to it's villagers. They were the best and rest undefeated!

In conclusion, I will say that I recommend this drama if you want something very, very light and you love animals. Once Upon A Small Town is a lovey dovey drama with cute scenes that will make one of your gloomy November evening a little bit brighter 😇

Great 6,5/10 that equals it with Flower Crew and Love In Contract