Miss Panda and Hedgehog Final Review

I want to talk about, what I believe, are the two most important aspects of Miss Panda and Hedgehog.

 

Panda cookies made by Hedgehog :)

1. Delicious-looking cakes and cookies.
I don't really buy the whole Donghae went to prison and learned how to make the most amazing desserts in South Korea thing, but I will get over that. Every time I watched this show it made me hungry. Just look at those cookies!

Lee Donghae and Choi Jinhyuk

2. Ko Seung Ji and Choi Won Il's romance.
I think the relationship between these two was the cutest one of the whole drama. In a highly Kdramatic fashion, they started off hating each other (heck, they were even involved in a love triangle together), but ended up joining forces. I thought the love triangle between Seung Ji, Panda, and Won Il was pretty pointless to the story, though. Panda never seemed to have any intention of liking anyone besides Seung Ji, and Won Il just acted like a whiny baby over the whole thing, which turned a very attractive man into an irritating baby. I was extremely relieved that Won Il readily accepted their relationship and didn't become a useless emo kid like Jung Il Woo's character in The Moon That Embraces the Sun because once he relinquished that stupid crush, Won Il became more likeable and a lot more attractive.
 In the end when we learn that Seung Ji is actually the long-lost Min Woo that rounded out the childhood threesome with Panda and Won Il, the part that was the most emotional happened, for me, when Won Il had a flashback of young Min Woo crying in an ally asking him not to tell Panda that his dad beats him every day. That's when I realized how sad Seung Ji's life had really been. His own father had basically left him for dead, and then tried to do the same thing again as an adult. Luckily, Seung Ji was surrounded by enough love from the Panda Cafe team that he came out as the victor in the end.

Won Il, Panda, and the Hedgehog

Overall, I thought Panda and Hedgehog was a sweet confection of a drama, but I definitely had some issues with the story. I find it hard to imagine that no one would have recognized the grown up Min Woo in Seung Ji (his mother, best friends, or grandfather). I guess he just looked SO much different from when he was a kid, unlike a lot of people that I know. Also, it was strange how the grandpa started freaking out when Min Woo's mom buttoned her shirt starting with the third button. Wouldn't you either not notice it or just think it's a weird coincidence? And as for Panda and Seung Ji's relationship, I was happy to see a Korean drama that didn't separate the main couple because of some nonsensical conflict onver money, family, politics or what-have-you, but I just wasn't completely feeling it. Like I mentioned, though, overall I have a positive impression after watching it, and now I leave you with this clip of Donghae with Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Sungmin from Super Junior on SNL Korea just because I can!