Chocolate
First Love and Chocolate Sasha
♥ Aired: Nov 29, 2019- Jan 18, 2020
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Romantic Drama/Cooking
♥Starring: Ha Ji Won and Yoon Kye Sang
Watch the Trailer Here
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The Story
As a child, Moon Cha Young stumbled into a restaurant in a small seaside town. There, she discovers first love and chocolate sasha through the owner’s son, Lee Kang, who gave her a free meal and promised to make her his favorite dessert tomorrow. This was her first love and her happiest memory. And his kindness inspired her to pursue a career in cooking when she grew up. Years later, she runs into a doctor with the same name.
He doesn’t remember her, but she knows immediately that it is him. Embarrassed, she flees. But when she begins cooking at a local hospice he shows up again, as the new doctor assigned to work there. Work ing together to heal the hearts of the hospice patients and their families, they also begin to find healing for their own scars.
The Characters
Ha Ji Won as Moon Cha Young
Cha young’s life changed dramatically when her mother abandoned her at a mall on her birthday. When that mall collapsed, she was left alone, fighting for her life. Now, as an adult, she bears the physical and mental scars of her past. She became a chef to minister to people’s hearts through their stomachs. Working at a hospice, she has an opportunity to feed the souls of people who are hurting.
An old flame is rekindled when her first love is assigned to work there as the lead doctor.
I love Ha Ji Won as an actress. This role is so unlike her usual confident, tough character. This character is gentle and quiet. It gave her a chance to show off another side and show that her talent is multifaceted. What a joy it was to fall in love with her subtle charm.
Yoon Kye Sang as Lee Kang
Kang’s dream was to live in his small seaside town and cook in his mother’s restaurant. But instead, he discovers he is the son of a rich medical family. He lays aside his own dreams to become the doctor his mother wanted him to be. When his aunt and uncle get him fired from their hospital, he is sent to a hospice center in the country. At the hospice, he meets a chef who manages to win his heart, even before he finds out that she was his first love. Through the patients and their families, he also learns how to treat the emotional side of illness and grief.
At first, Kang is cold and distant on the outside. At the hospice he is given an opportunity to begin to heal his heart. Through this, he begins to open up to the people around him. Inside, he hides a generous and caring personality. In my opinion, his character was very realistic and sincere. His careful personality helped keep the show’s tempo moving at a smooth, comfortable pace, without the feeling that things were being rushed.
Jang Seung Jo as Lee Joon
Lee Joon is Kang’s cousin. Under constant pressure from his parents, he is pushed to compete with Kang. But he is drawn to the idea of having an actual relationship with Kang and becoming a success based on his own abilitiy, rather than the meddling of his parents and grandmother. In the beginning, he comes off as kind of a jerk. But as his character progressed, I found myself really liking him. It’s easy to understand how he feels to be stuck in the middle of his family’s drama.
Secondary Characters
Min Jin Woong as Moon Tae Hyun
Moon Tae Hyun is Cha Young’s twin brother. He and his mother abandoned Cha Young when they were younger, but he came back to find her. Now he spends his days living off of her generousity and looking for an easy way to make money and take advantage of people. I heard a lot of hate for his character, but I love Min Jin Woong as an actor, so it was hard to totally hate him. But the truth is that Tae Hyun is selfish and undeserving of such an understanding and compassionate sister.
Kim Won Hae as Kwon Hyun Suk
Kwon Hyun Suk is the director of the hospice. His son was also Kang’s best friend before he died of cancer. Kim Won Hae is always a welcome familiar face. But it was nice to see him in a role where he had some story line of his own, instead of just supporting the main story arch.
Things I Liked
♥ Hospice Theme
After being gutted by Andante, I didn’t think I would ever watch another show that took place in a hospice ward. I even put off watching this one when I heard that would be the setting. But once I gave in, I really enjoyed the way they handled the hospice stories. Yes, they were tearjerkers, but they also showed healing and dignity. It was a perfect backdrop for this special love story.
♥ Character Development
I often say that I appreciate a slow, character driven drama over flashy and exciting shows. This one did a beautiful job of allowing us to get to know the main characters and understand them. I felt like the slow development gave the characters a depth that can be lacking in faster moving plots. Of course, this can’t be done without a skilled cast who understands the characters themselves. Thank you to the cast for bringing these wonderful characters to life and making them feel like old friends.
♥ Emotion Through Food
The way that Chocolate used food to represent love, healing, redemption, and a host of other emotions is appetizing and poetic. From the first meal that Kang gives Cha Young to the last meals that Kang eats while waiting for her in Greece, every table tells a story. Even the sound effects of crispy chewing and sizzling cooking enhance the emotional tones.
Things I Didn’t Like
♥ Lee Joon Ending
After making us all come to like and feel sorry for Joon, I wish they would have given us some closure to his story. He is left with no love, job, or family. I could understand leaving some of the story open ended, but it would have been nice to see that something was turning around for him. Yes, there were hints with the woman in the ambulance and the fact that he jumped in to treat her, but I wanted just a bit more. He went through too much to not get a little happy ending.
♥ Cha Young Running Away
As much as I loved Cha Young’s character, I didn’t get why she would run away in the final episode. She had finally reunited with her first love and things were on the right track. It didn’t make sense for her to just pick up and run back to Greece indefinitely. Cha Young had stood strong through so much adversity. She was a quiet fighter not a runner.
♥Unresolved Lie
The drama missed such an important opportunity in leaving the truth about Kang’s mother’s death unresolved. This is a bond that the lead couple shared. Cha Young deserves to know that the woman she is so grateful to was actually Kang’s mom. And how can we expect them to build a stable relationship without getting such a pivotal event out in the open.
The Ending
Overall, I felt like the ending was good. Obviously, with the exception of Joon’s story and Cha Young’s momentary character shift. It’s hard to argue with a happy ending against the beautiful backdrop of Greece. Most of the secondary storylines finished up as we went along.
So we really just needed to find out how our lovely couple get back to that overlook we saw them in at the beginning. Like the rest of this series, the ending is understated but satisfying.
Should I Watch
This is a really beautiful drama, both visually and emotionally. But be warned that this is not for anyone looking for a fast paced, exciting show. It is also heartbreaking at times, as we get to know and say goodbye to various hospice patients. Chocolate is a story driven by the characters and their emotions. If you enjoy a good drama that celebrates the bittersweet flavors of love and life, this one is definitely worth your time. I give it 8/10 ramen.
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