Love Is Like a Cat – Series Review & Episode Guide

Uno is a Thai actor working in South Korea. Known for his handsome looks, his career is on the rise. However, his negative attitude and aloof personality damaged his reputation. Nobody wants to work with him because he seems difficult to get along with. His manager, CEO Choi, wants to soften Uno's image by signing him up for a reality show. The CEO thinks it will restore goodwill, but Uno has no desire to participate.

One day, Uno and his assistant, Seong Jul, encounter an injured dog on the road. Uno, who fears dogs, keeps his physical distance. However, he also feels compassionate and instructs Seong Jul to take the wounded animal to a nearby clinic. They meet Jun Hyuk, the veterinarian, who nurses the dog back to health. Jun Hyuk agrees to keep the stray animal at the clinic in hopes that someone will adopt him. However, adoption seems unlikely due to the dog's old age. Jun Hyuk considers euthanizing the dog as an alternative option.

Dae Byeol is Jun Hyuk's best friend and roommate. He runs a dog cafe with his employee, Gi Min. Since the business is struggling financially, Dae Byon struggles to pay his bills. Luckily, Jun Hyuk offers to cover half of the rent for his roommate. Dae Byeon, a huge animal lover, notices the injured dog at the vet clinic. He offers to adopt the animal and look after him in the cafe. Jun Hyuk opposes the idea since this will add another expense to Dae Byeol's finances. Despite his friend's objections, Dae Byeol proceeds with the adoption anyway. He names the dog Deok Gu.

Uno worries about the injured dog he left at the vet clinic. Although he's scared to adopt the dog himself, he wants to find a suitable owner. His assistant can't help. However, Uno's manager offers to look after the dog on one condition. CEO Choi will adopt the animal if Uno agrees to do the reality show. Uno accepts the conditions, only to discover afterwards that the dog has already found a new owner. Yet, it's too late to back out of his deal. Uno must participate in Dooby Dooby Job, a variety show where celebrities try a new career while a camera crew follows them.

Uno meets Producer Lee, a conniving television producer who only cares about ratings. Producer Lee assigns Uno to work at a dog cafe to help the celebrity overcome his fear of animals. She believes viewers will tune in to the show to watch him struggle at the job. When Uno tries to back out of the show, Producer Lee threatens him. She knows about Uno's scandalous history. He's the illegitimate child of a wealthy Korean businessman. If news about his family lineage leaks, this could break his career. Reluctantly, Uno must work at Dae Byeol's dog cafe.

Love Is Like a Cat is a story about dogs, yet the title strangely references cats. Am I missing something, or does the name seem unrelated? This contradiction is on par with the thoughtlessness you can expect from the series. There's a severe lack of common sense, from the irrational events in the plot to the bizarre character motivations. This BL drama is totally misguided. Love Is Like a Cat has no idea whether it wants to tell a story about dogs, cats, celebrity culture, filming a reality show, or a mishmash of everything.

The first few episodes are incredibly dull. Instead of introducing the premise quickly, the series takes forever to set up the plot. Too much pointless filler clutters the narrative, including useless scenes that repeat what the viewers already know. The supporting characters have dull conversations that burden each episode with unnecessary information. Due to the lack of urgency, the leads aren't officially acquainted until Episode 5. Almost half the series has passed before the couple can interact. This delay is inexcusable for a twelve-episode drama, especially when there's nothing else happening in the story.

Love Is Like a Cat is often illogical, showing little cohesion as it jumps from one erratic idea to the next. It throws together random junk and pretends that's the plot. Once the reality show starts filming, the events seem ridiculous. Uno and Dae Byeol accept unreasonable circumstances that go against their best interests. A touch of absurdity is fine, but this drama's nonsense crosses the line into foolishness. The writing is mindless, filling the narrative with stupidity. The comedy is painfully childish, with none of its jokes landing. Everything is severely dumbed down.

As Uno and Dae Byeol spend time together, their relationship scenes are unremarkable. This series doesn't understand how to write a compelling romance. It misses the pulse on what fans want and delivers dull BL content that makes us snooze. The supporting characters continue to get in the way, distracting the couple with annoying drama that doesn't matter. When the leads are finally alone, their interactions are so timid. The awkward flirtation isn't enough to warm anyone's heart. Even after Uno and Dae Byeol kiss, I never believe that they are falling in love.

Mew, the famous heartthrob from Thailand, stars in Love Is Like a Cat. Initially, I was excited to see a Thai actor feature in a Korean BL drama. I assumed it'd be an inspiring collaboration, combining the best aspects of both cultures. Instead, this series mishandles the storytelling potential. It tries to excuse the language barrier by making everyone wear translation devices in their ears. Surely there must be a better solution? Seeing the couple tackle their communication challenges would have been an interesting plot, but Love Is Like a Cat lacks the creative vision.

Despite flaunting his physique in gratuitous shirtless scenes, Mew gives a low-energy performance with the enthusiasm of someone only here to collect his paycheck. His cute co-star (Chu Si Woo) is restricted by a poorly written role that doesn't give him many scenes to shine. Together, they lack chemistry and can't inspire me to care about this series. Worst of all, there aren't any cute animals! The dogs barely appear in the episodes, even though the story revolves around a pet cafe. Overall, Love Is Like a Cat is a terrible BL drama that does nothing right.