A Good Day To Be a Dog is a Korean drama starring Cha Eun Woo and Park Gyu Young that aired on SBS. It is one of the best romcom drama that you can watch. But if you’re wondering is the drama is worth watching, read the review.
I have to admit that when I first heard the concept for A Good Day to be a Dog, I was incredibly intrigued. A drama about a woman who turns into an actual dog every time she kisses a man? Sign me up for that wacky romantic comedy ride!
Getting to see Park Gyu Young and Cha Eun Woo in the lead roles had me absolutely hyped. Both are extremely charming actors and I loved seeing them pair up for such a quirky storyline.
While I had some high expectations going in, the drama mostly delivered on the entertainment factor in the beginning. The first few episodes did a great job of setting up Han Haena’s unusual “curse” and her bubbly yet uncertain personality.
I loved how she seemed to have a dog-like energy to her even in human form. Her wagging tail and enthusiasm for kissing had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. The way she and Jin Seowon’s shy math teacher kept dancing around their feelings for one another was adorably awkward.
At the same time, those initial episodes also did wonders in establishing Lee Bogyeom’s mysterious aura as the new history teacher. His backstory and obvious resentment towards both Haena and Seowon had me completely hooked.
I couldn’t wait to learn more about what secrets from the past tied all the characters together. Plus, the action of Haena turning into a dog each time provided countless hilarious scenes that never failed to crack me up.
As the drama progressed though, things started to drag in places for me. Specifically, I felt like too much time got devoted to flashbacks showing Haena and Seowon’s past lives hundreds of years ago.
While the star-crossed lover angle was somewhat compelling, it removed me from engaging with their relationship in the present day. All those historical details became tedious to sit through after a while. I just wanted the story to return to the charming teacher romance happening now.
What’s more, the extended focus on past events meant other characters felt somewhat underdeveloped. I knew next to nothing about Seowon’s family or life outside school. And as Bogyeom’s reasons for being so angry started to come to light, he just became annoying to watch sulk around.
I’d go so far as to say those flashback-heavy episodes nearly lost me entirely. If not for Park Gyu Young’s impeccable comedic chops and puppy-like charms, I may not have made it through some draggy installments.
Her energy and adorable facial expressions singlehandedly saved many scenes from being total snoozefests. You could really see how far she’d come as an actress from her earlier serious roles.
At the same time, while Cha Eun Woo was charming enough, this wasn’t his strongest lead performance in my opinion. Seowon never fully felt like a fully fleshed out character beyond his shyness and past connection to Haena.
Eun Woo played the part well but didn’t wholly convince me or show significant character development over time. I’ve seen him shine much brighter in other dramas where he had more compelling material to work with.
Ultimately, I think A Good Day to be a Dog had the potential to be an incredibly fun and heartwarming romantic comedy if it didn’t get so sidetracked by tedious historical flashbacks.
The present day story between Haena and Seowon, along with Haena’s hilarious transformations, made for prime witty rom-com fodder that I wanted to see more of. But elaborate saeguk scenes dragged everything down and prevented characters from reaching their full potential.
While some changes from the webtoon were noted, they were largely deemed logical, and the overall adaptation stayed true to the essence of the original. Despite differing opinions on the airing schedule, the drama managed to deliver a fun-filled and heartwarming experience.
In the end, while I still enjoyed parts of it thanks to the quirky concept and Park Gyu Young’s stellar lead performance, A Good Day to be a Dog didn’t fully realize its promise in my opinion. With tighter pacing and less distracting flashbacks, it could have been a true classic.
As it stands, it remains an entertaining enough watch with missed opportunities. I just hope Cha Eun Woo finds a project that allows him to shine as brightly as we all know he can.
This review is written by a guest author and reflects her views on opinion.
A Good Day to Be a Dog
Overall, a great drama that delivers a heartwarming blend of romance and comedy, featuring a memorable cast in a unique plot.
- Story
- Acting/Cast
- Rewatch Value
- Ending