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Black Dog korean drama review
Completed
Black Dog
8 people found this review helpful
by kingsqueen
Mar 27, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I put this on my list a long time ago because I love Seo Hyun Jin. When it actually started, it just didn't sound like something that would interest me, so I removed it again. I've never been much on 'politics', so school politics didn't seem much different. Having a lot of time on my hands this week, I went searching a drama to watch. I thought to myself, I'll see what the first episode is like and go from there. I was drawn into this show immediately, and I finished it in just a few days.

I have to give compliments to the casting director for the actress, Ryu Ji Eun, who briefly played a teenaged Ko Ha Neul. She bore a striking resemblance to Seo Hyun Jin! SHJ did a great job in her role as a new teacher. And Ra Mi Ran, also as usual, was terrific. I loved the whole Admissions Department cast, and several of the other teachers as well. The few students that they showed more in depth were good actors also - the characters of Jae Hyun, Yoo Ra, and Bo Tong.

This show focused mostly on Ko Ha Neul's growth as a teacher, her aim to be a 'full-time' employee rather than a 'temp', and more on the politics of the school and getting the students ready for college than any actual teaching or even any of the students. As the show progresses through the school year, Ha Neul bonds with her colleagues and with her top students. Park Sung Soon was the 'center player' at the school as the head of admissions, and Ha Neul's mentor. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the Admissions Dept staff. As an American, seeing the differences of the school systems in S. Korea compared to schools in the US is striking. It looks to be a pretty cut-throat system both for the students and for the teachers.

The show was a warm, emotional, slice of life drama. The music was lovely, and I really enjoyed the song Moonlight by Sondia. It was really beautiful. The show has a slower pace, so just be aware of that going in, but it's got a great story. I was really surprised at how much I ended up liking this show. It had a very realistic feel to it. I would recommend it even if you don't normally like school dramas or even 'politics'.
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