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MattPeddlesden

Kent, UK

MattPeddlesden

Kent, UK
Her Private Life korean drama review
Completed
Her Private Life
12 people found this review helpful
by MattPeddlesden
Nov 10, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
I'm struggling to think of things I *didn't* like about this drama.

I'm a fan of Park Min Young and that was the main reason for picking this one to watch, she always delivers an amazing performance and does a great job creating a realistic and believable character on the screen.

First drama i've seen with Kim Jae Wook and I enjoyed his performance as well, initially he came across as a bit of an arrogant twit (which is fully intended I suspect) but as his character develops it quickly becomes one you can really understand and believe.

The title of this one is "Her Private Life" and it implies focus on the dual life of the main character - as a museum curator professionally, and a fangirl for a pop idol privately. She has a separate name when fangirling and it's a completely separate part of her life. In reality, this same concept applies to other characters when you consider the hidden pasts and different lives.

I thought the overall pacing was really good, if perhaps let down in the tiniest of ways by a slightly *too* drawn out conclusion. Seeing the directors husband get out of jail was pointless, I had no real care for him (first time you'd seen him) and honestly the directors character herself was one I was happy when she wasn't on-screen anyway (though I do like the Actress in other things).

I really liked the development of the early antagonist Cindy / Kim Hyo Jin played by Kim Bo Ra (she was also in SKY Castle and I enjoyed per work there too). Starting out as a typical Ssaesang fan and see her character develop when around the right people and influences was really good to see. It was good to see her product design make it to being sold but some kind of "we sold out already!" would have been a really good reinforcement that not only did she deliver the product but it did actually sell well too, just to back up the reward for the hard work that was put in by her character.

The main leads chemistry was spot on, their relationship was believable and natural, there were never bad moments or stupid breakups. The story does get to the inevitable "throwing popcorn at the TV" moment for a while where you just want to slap them both upside the head because they're drawing stupid conclusions - but otherwise they both resolve problems easily through good communication, it's a blueprint for how all couples should be with each other in my view.

Aside from the romance storyline there was an undercurrent of sadness through a tragic past which bubbles up eventually and creates some tearful moments late in the story, as with the rest - it was all handled superbly by everyone. It's a bit convoluted and unlikely - but hey - this is kdrama, put those thoughts outside and just sit back and enjoy the story.

There was only ONE thing that didn't happen that I wished had, I won't say what it was because technically I guess that would count as a spoiler, and in the grand scheme of things it's minor.

The final episode did feel a bit like the air was now all out and we were coasting a bit. It didn't have the remarkable intensity the rest of the series had but honestly i'm exhausted from the emotional energy that this series demanded anyway :) It's not an ending to be disappointed with at all, just compared to every other episode it felt a bit loose.

Great to see Park Jin Joo in a lead role and I hope to see more dramas coming out and utilising her skills and instantly recognisable and unique face.

Should you watch it? If you want a fluffy romance, positive, no stupid breakups, tons of emotions throughout and some really great and believable characters, imo it should be on your watch list, yes.
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