Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a Netflix Korean drama about Yoon Hye-jin, a dentist opening up a clinic in a small seaside town after being unfulfilled in her previous job. She meets the townsfolk and Chief Hong, and becomes a part of their community, finding friendship and love and a new place to call home. The show has 16 episodes, each episode being 1 hour and 30 minutes long. The show premiered on Netflix on August 28, 2021, and released episodes weekly, ending on October 17, 2021.
The Korean dramas I usually watch are more romantic, with the story focusing on the main characters' relationship. This show was very different from that which surprised me since it was marketed as a romance drama. The show has a basic romantic plot, but the stories also drift off into the side characters' lives and dilemmas. Since the show focuses on Hye-Jin being the town's only dentist, the beginning episodes' problems deal with the townsfolk needing dental procedures and their fears with that. Then as the show goes on, the problems become more personal, resulting in the town helping them. One example from the show is when Ms. Gam-ri needs a root canal but does not want to spend the money on it. Chief Hong tries to help her out by calling her son and asking him to help her. Her son does call her and tells her not to go through with it as it is too expensive. She realizes that she does need the procedure and goes through with it, which helps her in the end. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is about love and family while dealing with topics such as death, financial struggle, and failed relationships.
I have this weird thing where I think TV shows will come to me when I need to learn from the plot or the characters whenever I'm going through something. This is one of those shows. I never plan when I want to watch a Korean drama, I get this urge to press play. And I'm thankful I did. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a good comfort show when you want to escape your life for some time and dream about a small seaside town, walking on the beach, and leading a simple life. One part of this show that I enjoyed was the comedy and relatability between the viewer and the characters. I could relate to the characters with how they dealt with a situation or problem in that episode. Also, for most of the show, there is a lot of empathy shown for the characters by the viewer. I cried a few times over the backstories of two characters who had family problems. The show does tackle a lot of family problems with each character. That's another way the show is relatable to the viewers, showing certain situations and how the characters lived through them and got by. Korean dramas deal with a lot more emotions and everyday problems than American TV shows, which makes them more enjoyable to watch.
One thing I dislike about the show is the episode lengths. There are 16 episodes, each 1 1/2 hours long. That is practically the same time as a movie. Television should be something you enjoy and can pass through. While there was a lot to see in each episode, I found myself at the end not even being able to remember how the episode even started. American TV shows go up to, at most, an hour and that is what I am used to. I can handle one hour of a show but not an extra 30 minutes.
Overall, I loved Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha! I don't know that many other shows like this because of how fun and entertaining the show is with the stories, setting, and comedy it presents. But I hope to see more playful and light-hearted shows like this!
Rating: 9/10
