Why does “Our Blues” generate less buzz than “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” despite the similar vibes?

“Our Blues” vs. “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”, which healing drama is your favorite? 

Featuring a stellar cast, having a similar healing theme and countryside setting to “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”, even coming from the same broadcasting station, but “Our Blues” seems to gain less popularity than the 2021 hit drama of tvN. 

“Our Blues” and “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” both center on people living in a picturesque seaside village. The healing and comforting theme of both dramas is expressed through different wholesome stories of a variety of characters. From there, meaningful lessons and slice-of-life goodness are conveyed to the audience. However, this is also where the difference between two dramas became obvious. 

In “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”, the characters’ stories and struggles related to sensitive topics such as mental health, suicide, losing loved ones, sexuality, divorce are told and resolved gracefully, leaving viewers satisfied. How the plot is seamlessly developed according to the general timeline also makes sense. 

Meanwhile, “Our Blues” opts for a different direction, the omnibus style, which is not so common in K-dramas. “Our Blues” tells independent stories through each episode but there is still a certain connection between them. This is an exciting format that makes the drama unique, but it can also be counterproductive, causing a diluted flow. Viewers may not fully understand a story before they are forced to move on to another. 

Such a clear and unambiguous division of stories also makes it easy for viewers to compare which stories are better and have more weight. Although this style is suitable for a drama with an ensemble cast like “Our Blues”, the implementation, arrangement and editing of the stories don’t seem to be smooth enough. 

“Our Blues” recently recorded the highest viewership rating of around 11%, similar to that of “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”, but in terms of social media buzz both domestically and internationally, “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” probably outperforms “Our Blues”, and it’s not hard to see why. 

Source: Dienanh