Fall is my favorite season and rom-coms my favorite genre so it has been such a sad disappointment the last two months to not have fall weather arrive yet and for the rom-com The Law Cafe (Love by Law). It starred two faves of mine Lee Seung Gi and Lee Se Young who both can act AND had shown great chemistry together in their previous drama Hwayugi (A Chinese Odyssey) and the drama is adapted from a webtoon so I thought it was a high chance of being a success. Then it arrived and hoo boy was it a letdown, it’s weirdly unengaging and I legit had to force myself to watch with the hope that perhaps the start was choppy and would get better. I didn’t like either lead character (as written) and poor Lee Se Young was especially annoying and shrill. The legal cases were perfunctory and the so-called eccentric neighborhood fold and cafe employees were not well-fleshed out. I’m 8-episodes in but the drama wrapped this week with ratings averaging around 6%. K-netizens think the problem is mostly the old school story script but also that the two leads did not suit onscreen delivering no chemistry. Such a waste all around if you ask me.
Pingback: KBS Rom-com The Law Cafe with Lee Seung Gi and Lee Se Young Wraps Lackluster Run in Ratings and Buzz - Kpopnchill - All About K-pop News
I really don’t get why Lee Se Young accepted this role! and after the success of Red Sleeve …???
Lee Seung Gi roles been lackluster for the past few years (for me at least) so I was not really expecting anything from him.
Though I hope he comeback with a role similar to his role in A Korean Odyssey.
Nice lovely guy roles just doesn’t cut it for him.
.
I feel like Red Sleeve gave Lee Junho more of a boost than LSY. She did a great job, but LJH’s impressive acting blew everyone away. I feel like a lot of factors go into choosing a role – she may just feel like doing a light legal rom-com (after doing something heavy like Red Sleeve) or she likes working with LSG; and also money can be a factor too.
LSG did Mouse, which was a twist on the nice, lovely guy persona. But Choi Ran’s convoluted thriller style is not everyone’s cup of tea.
I have no idea why Lee Se Young choose this too. After impressive the red sleeve. Her acting is so bad here which is shocking me. Well i blame the script and directing for lackluster acting.
Ur just nonsense
I loved watching them no matter what!!
It means you’re clearly not aware that Vagabond was a hit and people are still clamouring for season 2 and Mouse has one of the highest ratings for its genre and has a huge cult following.
The 2 actors were fantastic at portraying Kim Yuri & Kim Jungho and they both needed a lighthearted drama after the emotional heavy Mouse & The Red Sleeve
Ur just nonsense
Agree with @vai. LSY should stick with saguek. Her face no longer looks charming and in fact looking very odd with embarrassing expressions in this drama. LSG should stick with variety. None of his recent dramas are hits and his acting is actually quite blah tbh. Why does LSG keep the same hairstyle for so many years (with his growing age)? Only to look a bit better in the last episode at the wedding. Very Disappointing drama.
Seyoung looked more beautiful here than she’s looked in any drama. She’s definitely one of the actresses of her generation that’s good at emoting well and acting with her eyes, so I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s okay not to like the drama because we all have preferences, but to insult her image is very low of you.
insulting her image? Hahaha 🤣 What image does she have? Do you know what IMAGE means? My opinion remains the same. You can disagree. But I am never low 👎🏻
Even their chemistry in Hwayugi was sibling chemistry
Unsure at lee se youngs choice with this drama, nothing abt the synopsis drew me in, though I always am open to be surprised.
I never found LSG to be a good actor, like.. at all. He cant generate believable romantic chemistry with his FLs and his acting n presence is very blah. Should stick to varieties n singing (his voice is really good tbh).
Was disappointed as well. Loved LSY in Kairos and Red Sleeve, but I can’t stand how her character was written here. Not a fan of LSG, so there really was no hook for me in this drama.
Seyoung’s character here was very well written, even better than Deokim. Kim Yuri is a character that’s very human and relatable – she has her faults, but she’s also very self aware, she reflects on her actions and ensures she does better in both her professional and personal life.
I think they had chemistry but the story was meh.
Lee Seung Gi never have chemistry with his FL in his dramas but his fans always blame the actress
Lee Seung Gi never have chemistry with his FL in his dramas but his fans always blame the actress side.
Superiority complex
I am a fan of LSG, find him really sincere and charming in all his roles as an actor, singer and variety show host. Actually he is the only K entertainer that I root for me, always wishing him the best in whatever he does. It’s not true this drama lacked buzz, it ranked consistently in the top 10 throughout its run. Also, Mouse did really well and earned him many new fans. His acting was awesome there. And lastly, I must add that he really looks much better in person than on TV!
The two leads does not have any chemistry. Both tried their best I believe, and the story may not be engaging enough, but in general it has good messaging and great cast. But as this is a romcom, the two leads just don’t match. Everytime they kiss, I can’t help but cringe. He just doesn’t seem to be that into her, and neither does she. The smoldering look like what Junho had with Seyoung is missing.. so it fails, imo. In fact, the villain was more interesting and has more chemistry with Seyoung than LSG..
I was actually looking forward of watching the drama since I admire Lee se young’s portrayal in Red sleeve and even more in Doctor John. But reading the comments of the viewers and seeing lots of intimate scenes between the two leads, I guess I might let this pass. I love LSY still. She’s a great actress and an amazing person. Hoping for a better story and character on her next project.
As for Lee seung gi, I’m still hoping he’ll be back for Vagabond 2.
I loved LSG in King Two Hearts. He had an amazing chemistry with Ha Ji Won.
And the Nine-tailed Fox drama with Shin Mina. But these are the only two dramas I like…. Nothing good after these unfortunately.
Even in king Two Hearts, the second lead couple have much more chhemistry. AJo Jung Seok ruled!
Not true for me. The main leads had great chemistry, they were so good! Jo Jung Seok ruled? Sorry, didn’t pay much attention to him in the drama.
For once couldn’t agree more with Knetizens . No chemistry, over acting from Lee Se young even if it’s an actress that i like . Lee Seung Gi was good in Mouse but there his acting is like ” i’m just passing by ,only doing the minimum ” . All the rom coms airing actually are lacklusters. In “Love in contract” Park Min Young seems to be the ghost of herself , it’s like she’s not into her role , zero chemistry with the second lead , …Cheer up is meh . I dropped all and only watch , Blind and Golden Spoon but i’m waiting for gems as My liberation notes , Through the darkness, or enjoyable ones as Military Prosecutor Doberman, Business proposal or Extraordinary attorney WDW .
I didn’t make it through the first episode. I would have come back if I’d heard good buzz but I didn’t. The reality is actors can elevate so so writing but they can’t save bad writing. Having a huge break out like Red Cuff Sleeve is great but it’s a unicorn that you don’t usually get that often.
I am also not going to continue with PMY’s drama, and I have seen her last 5 or so and enjoyed them all even if they have their flaws. This one just is not working so thinking of picking up Siwon’s drama because I’m hearing good things.
I’ve been watching dramas for a while now and I feel like they just aren’t able to break out of the standard tropes enough. When they do, like Kairos, they go under the radar quite often.
That PMY drama is Unbearable !! She overacts. Casts are all bad… Very disappointing too.
The haters are out full force lmao. But anyway this drama was pretty freakin terrible. There was just no substance or even a clear storyline. It’s so meandering and frankly, plain boring. That being said, LSG is a very strong actor and picked a bad script. Mouse is proof of that. So are so many of his previous projects. So I hope he picks something awesome for his next role. Absolutely looking forward to it!
This drama didn’t work for me. I like both leads but I was mostly entertained by the uncle.
This drama actually tried to a little too hard not to be classified as light weight and cliche romcom. But romcom is romcom, people love romcom for its cliche, we don’t watch romcom to get stress with the story or characters. That’s why Business Proposal unexpectedly became a hit.
Another thing, the chemistry between the leads is hard to be seen as romantic couple chemistry. Put them as a bickering duo in non-romance drama then they will deliver perfectly. Just because a couple have good skinship and kiss scenes, doesn’t mean their chemistry is as good.
Lee Se young sparks more friendship chemistry with Kim Seul gi sadly we barely got their scenes. Kim Seul gi was not more than the heroine’s bestfriend in this.
Waiting for Lee Se young’s next drama, hopefully it will be female friendship drama. I think more than with male, she has better chemistry with the females.
Hello Chingudeul,
Let us be reminded that not all dramas are bound to be HIT. If a celebrity’s previous drama became a HIT, don’t expect that the next drama will have the same fate. Mostly, it is not. The problem with these hit dramas, fans expectations are sky rocketing so if the current drama gets a lackluster response the disappoinments appear and the fans give so many excuses here and there. To finalize, just enjoy what drama you are enjoying. 😂😂😂
I think we watched different drama. It is true that the Law Cafe was a light work, not draining emotionally. But their acting was fabulous. Rom com is also a genre and it is not easy to play such characters. Lee Seung Gi and Lee Se Young both were absolutely great. And their acting was so true like it was a real life couple. Also, The Law Cafe has the highest ratings for a Mon Tuesday drama, not only on KBS, but all the channels in a long time. Please check it before saying something. Please check also the ratings for the Wednesday and Thursday dramas. They have even lower ratings.
To conclude, The Law Cafe had for 16 weeks in a row the highest ratings for a drama, regardless the channels. And LeeSeungGi and LeeSeYoung are very good actors who portraited their given characters.
Not a fan of SeungGi nor SeYoung but I think The Law Cafe is a very heartwarming drama. I also think the two have great chemistry more than SeYoung’s past drama male leads. For SeungGi, I haven’t seen his other romcom drama but I think he managed to give me butterflies this time.
As for the rating, this drama ratings is ranging from 5+ to 7+% and the highest among ongoing drama being aired on weekdays. So if you call this drama a lackluster, what do you call the other dramas like BP and LIC? Most of the drama now are only averaging 2-3% rating people except for the weekend dramas. The writer of this article seems doesn’t know about responsible writing. And she even feed the haters. Lolz..
“Not a fan” yet yapping out excuses like one lmao sure jan
No one or nothing can guarantee that every drama of celebrity is on the top likewise those in films that every movie will be big hit. There will always be lackluster or in mediocre rating or in movie there will always be flop. Just enjoy what you are watching and if thats your fav celebrity then it is a bonus.