Level Up (2019)

Wait what? This show is already over, but nothing really happened.

Level Up is unfortunately an entirely forgettable kdrama, at best a show to leave on the background. There is nothing offensive to turn you away from the drama, and there is also an equal amount of positives to draw you in. At first glance, it seems to have a trendy setting in the modern world of mobile game development, but the story actually falls back to bland kdrama cliches and tropes.

A quick glance at my watchlist shows that I’m stingy on ranking dramas highly but also lowly. Ultimately, a large group of people came together to produce this show, and I, ultimately, watched all 12 episodes. So, it is difficult to give any rating lower than a 5. I would only recommend watching this drama for seasoned Korean drama viewers who have already seen the vast majority of romcoms in the kdrama sphere and need something to kill the time.

Story:
The plot of Level Up is a very basic office romcom, secondary leads interfering with the mains and plot-convenient office SNAFUs. In my opinion, there are two ways Level Up could have tried to be different. One, overload on the comedy. The few outrageous scenes were quite funny, though it may not be to everyone’s taste. Two, deliver meaningful commentary on actual modern gaming issues, like mobile gaming/gambling addictions. Instead, we get a very middle-of-the-road kdrama, where an experienced viewer will be able to predict the majority of the plot just based on the premise.

The romance also comes off quite bland. The two main leads seem more like 2 close friends or 2 close colleagues, but somehow the viewers are supposed to see them as a romantic couple. This show is a classic example of forcing mains together.

Acting:
I’ll only cover the 2 leads to minimize the length of this review. I first saw Sung Hoon in Oh My Venus and enjoyed his character in that drama. Based on the online community, I see that he has since been typecast into the character we find in Level Up. I find that unfortunate as I contemplated watching “I Picked Up a Star on the Road”. I can see why viewers are disappointed by his performance in Level Up, but I want to attribute it to the plain writing. For example, he is quite popular as a cast member of I Live Alone, if you watch (or want to watch) Korean variety shows, so he has more to offer than the cool, cold persona.

Similarly, I found Han Bo Reum to be quite funny in Go Back Couple. Her character in Level Up also shines during its comedic moments, but the emotional/romance scenes do demonstrate her weakness as a main lead. Sung Hoon will get more acting roles based on his popularity, but I also hope Han Bo Reum gets a chance to demonstrate her growth as an actress in the future.

Music:
There is very limited English information on the OST for this drama. Based on MNET, there are 3 songs on the OST, 3 ballads. They are all fairly vanilla and do not stand out from the over-saturated kballad genre. I found them enjoyable nonetheless. As a side note, I am not sure if you will be able to easily find English translation for the lyrics.

Rewatch Value:
Given there are easily 50 other dramas to watch before watching this one even once, it would be impossible to rate the rewatch value any higher. I hope I didn’t sound overly harsh throughout this review as, again, I did watch each episode as it aired.

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Is this going to tug at your heartstrings and leave you emotionally compromised. No.

Is this a quick drama to watch between shows? Maybe. It's okay.

I still wonder if adding a few more episodes (especially with how much they squeezed into the last episode) would have helped with the plot development, and pacing. I'm not saying this was a total waste of time, but I honestly don't know if I'd ever watch it again. I do enjoy Sung Hoon, but it seems he has some bad luck when it comes to the roles he's getting. There were a bunch of fun characters, but Ahn Dan Te and his brother's interactions probably the best parts of this drama, there were times I just burst out in laughter because of the two. The pacing between the leads made sense to me, but I think there needed to be a little more development between the two before they added that ending scene.

What I really disliked, and I mean disliked was Bae Ya Chae. I'm tired of watching these types of characters, aren't drama writers tired of writing them? I mean she has all the making of being a strongly written female character, but nope, she needs to be THAT type of female character.

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I will be honest, I am writing this review a week after finishing this drama and I found myslf not able to remember how it ended. I remember that there was a company that made video games and they called the male lead to save it. The romance and the love triangle, were both weak and were kind of out of nowhere, as the drama focused more on other themes than the romance. The story, in addition, was a bit boring at times and felt like it didn't have any point in the end.

What I liked about it were the characters. They were well created and enjoyable. However, they had only twelve episodes to develop, so not any major character development there. Plus, the performances were good from everyone in the cast, especially the side characters.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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Why did I give this a 7? It actually wasn't bad, it was pretty good except for the romance , we'll get to that
STORY
Im not a fan of games or stuff like that, but how they portrayed the whole gaming this was pretty good, cause I dint find it boring. So its pretty decent. Now lets get to the romance. I have a few words. WHAT IN THE WORLD??? I love the two leads together but seriously? like come on? they could have developed the "non existent" romance between them. Last few episode, my reaction was wat...? Hold up since when do they even like each other? The pacing of the so called "romance" was completely ridiculous I'm not sure what they were trying to achieve by doing this. Now Im not even gonna complain much about that ending cause I mean didn't we all know that was gonna happen. I like how they showed the whole sibling thingy. And the fact that the CEO actually has tears! I wish they did more on the comedy tho, it would have been better.
ACTING/ CAST
Male lead: I watched this only cause of him. His character was great! AND OH BOY the way he talks? No, the way he runs??? Its too funny
Female lead: How do you guys even like her? She was so annoying and rude! Especially to the CEO. But I guess she became nicer at the end? Honestly, there wasn't that much of a character development on her
2nd Female lead: Umm... Should I drag her or sympathize with her??I honestly don't know She was so clingy, and acted as if the CEO was the only guy in the world, she just made her self look pathetic. And then she knows that he doesn't like her but still chooses to ignore that? So isn't that her fault? And then in the end, she suddenly changed? It wasn't convincing enough for me.
2ND Male Lead: WHAT WAS EVEN THE POINT OF HIM BEING IN THE SHOW??? Seriously he didn't do anything. He was so irrelevant. Like is this a joke. Lol what a waste!

RE-WATCH VALUE
I've only ever re-watched three shows, so yea this is a no. Not because its boring, but because it just doesn't have my heart
OVERALL
Its not a bad drama as everybody puts it. I guess it depends on tho if u like lightweight dramas. If they did more on "romance" I'd give this a 8

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I wanted to love this show!

Something was missing. The music was the best score in my ratings, which is the first of many K-Dramas I have watched. However, I wouldn't call this a romance. It's nothing really romantic about it other than some unrequited love. I did enjoy the actors and their effort to make this show a comedy. There were some laughable moments, but I know many of us clicked on this hoping it was a fuzzy warm, romantic comedy. ***Spoiler Alert*** You don't see anything close to a warm fuzzy feeling until the last 3 minutes of the final episode. I saw so many opportunities to insert those cute romance moments in the show. I guess that the writers were trying to show us that they can keep us wanting more, and they succeeded. I gave this drama an overall 6. I didn't have the satisfaction I was hoping for at the end and throughout the series.

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Short, simple, and cute office drama that you can watch when you have ran out of anything else to watch.

The actors delivered well with their roles, the characters were relatable, funny, and enjoyable. The plot being a gaming company on the verge of bankruptcy being the center of the story and how they the characters will save it was fresh and interesting too. The drama might have a lot of flaws and lacked at many areas but it was definitely decent and watchable. Its was fresh and entertaining, that it was a very light and easy watch for me.

My only problem with Level Up is the lack of romantic scenes with the leads. The guy never really confessed his feelings properly and there was never a scenario where their feelings developed and the both fell in love with each other.. it felt forced and awkward instead. Even for the second couple in the drama, the romance was just not there.

I guess this drama is more of an office slice of life one than a romcom. Its not as memorable and outstanding as all the big kdramas out there but nonetheless, it was good.

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It could have been so much more but sadly it wasn't... They could have tweaked the story to include more romance b/w the main leads and could have utilized the actors much better.

Everyone seems to take the Ml for granted and it was grating on my nerves! I wish they made the situations and characters more realistic! No one takes advantage of their non blood related or for that matter even a blood related sibling to that extent! It's just too frustrating to watch! Similarly, no employee argues so senselessly to their CEO and even ask him to sing! Come on in which world does that happen?! :l

Acting wise even though I have watched the Ml in other shows and know he is a good actor, in this show somehow he seems confused with how to react to certain scenes! I wish he gets better roles in future!

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I think it's best to point out that this drama is actually not a romantic drama, it does contain moments of romance but they're easy to forget, to the point you think that they were just meaningful moments between people, and the leads will not end up together, which at some point I actually did think, the secondary couple romance was as nonexistent as the lead couple, except when they've first met each other, which I liked because he was already impressed with her at first sight and honest about it too. The selling point of this drama for me was the male leads family story and the interactions he had with his brother and how he had come to accept and express his feelings. And I also liked male lead's character a lot actually because he didn't shy away or made excuses when he made mistakes, he was always ready to try and understand others and to apologise. He was a subtle character which I liked very much, thank you. I understand that most people can't find it very entertaining, and they can think it's a dull character or even the same character that Sung Hoon plays over and over again, which I was expecting to see when I first started the drama, but I was positively surprised. The female lead didn't have many things to point out about her, but she was normal, she did exactly what a normal human would do when given the situation most of the time, she didn't obsess over her feelings, or other's feelings, which I find refreshing to see for once. Because the female leads are usually presented as down to earth but they never are, there are a few exceptions of course. I really liked this drama somehow, I think it did have some deep moments, maybe it will not be to your liking, but it is a good drama to watch. I can understand those who like high paced dramas, but I couldn't find anything wrong with this drama. It did impress me with how simple and plain it was.

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After much going back and fourth with this show whether I should watch it or not because of the reviews and the fact that they keep sticking Sung Hoon in this same CEO character; I decided why not? Because I adore Sung Hoon and I like gaming. Too be honest, it’s not a bad show at all. He does a great job as the CEO, Bo Reum played a pretty decent actress at what she does and I liked the connection of family and friends and building a team as a family. So I feel that on a personal experience coming from my work place, I also shed some tears at the tragic part that happened but the show didn’t even have enough time to develop. It’s a good filler show to just watch, it’s also kind of entertaining like when Ahn Danny kept singing the OST that’s in every drama, omg. But with 12 episodes, no one had time to develop. You stuck 9 different characters in something that’s 12 hours long and expected a 10/10? No chance. If it was longer, it they extended the story and gave it more justice to just keep going, I think it would’ve been solid. Especially the “romance” part that I know everyone is upset about, I totally get it. Also because the secondary characters like Bora and Kang Byul were useless to me, they wanted them to stir drama but what time did you actually have? Overall, if you’re bored or on a drama struggle bus, this is a good one to watch because it just kills time for you to figure out what you want to put yourself into. The acting isn’t bad, the humor isn’t terrible; I like the idea of working together and being a team because you’re like family. I wish the dramatic parts were more detailed. Heck, even if there was a season 2, I wouldn’t be mad because I would want the characters to just develop. But the ost wasn’t terrible, the detail and story were all going to a cool place but they just didn’t execute which sucks. Overall, good show to watch; not sure if it’s a rewatch though.

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Starts slow but good after it gets going

this 2019 South Korean romantic comedy. it has 12 episodes of around 60 minutes each.

An Dan-Te (Sung-Hoon) heads up a company that brings a management team to change things up for companies that are on the verge of going bankrupt. He is almost robotic in his actions and with his emotions. His next project is one he is reluctant to take on until he encounters Shin Yeon-Hwa (Han Bo-reum) who just so happens to be the head of development at Joybuster, the gaming company he is being encouraged to take on. A series of encounters outside of work do not put the two on the best footing so when An Da-Te shows up as the new CEO and one with no gaming experience, Yeon-Hwa is less than thrilled. The bright and outspoken Yeon-Hwa is quick to tell the CEO just what she thinks of him.

Spoiler ? The first episode of this was a bit slow and failed to grab my immediate interest. I decided to give it one more episode and was glad I did. I have seen Sung-Hoon in a variety of lead roles and I enjoy watching him. He usually plays a socially adept and dashing character but in this had I not known otherwise I would have thought he was a robot. It made it very comedic to see him struggle to understand someone very full of emotions. I thought the leads had great chemistry and the surrounding characters were interesting as well. There were even some surprising plot twists. It was a great slice of the competitive gaming industry and the central plot was interesting and flowed along nicely. The ending felt a bit rushed but not so much it ruined the story. For me there were several laugh out loud moments and nothing was very sad throughout. It is a nice, feel good romantic comedy.

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Business and comedy, not romance

I was twice tempted to put this drama on hold and move it to the (never) “watch the rest of it later” List, but in general, I am happy I have finished it.
First, I think it is wrongly labeled as Romance! There is Business, Comedy, Drama, Gaming, Influencing, etc. but definitely NO romance. It is simply fraud to call it romantic with just 2 min. weird, out of the line , supposedly romantic scene.
If you don’t have any expectations for romance, then it is actually very good business/comedy drama.
THE GOOD (again, if we take the romantic label out of the equation)
1. Sung Hoon
2. Read the No.1 , again :)
3. Good gaming, business drama with actual suspense!
4. Strangely enough the irritable female characters (all 3 of them) were pretty believable, they honestly walk on your nerves the entire series :)
5. A nice ending, far from exciting, but definitely satisfying.
6. The last episode! It repays for the lacking, previous 11 episodes .

THE BAD
1. The sound team did terrible job dubbing the eating sounds. It revokes disgusting feelings every time someone eats.
2. Well, the the false expectations of romance and the zero chemistry between the main characters.

Overall, I started it to satisfy my Sung Hoon craving and to wash off the aftertaste of my awful experience with Woori the virgin and I got it, Sung Hoon is definitely the star of this drama.

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Short but sweet

Interesting story, good actors - perfect for relaxing after work or during boring university lectures. I really liked how opposite characters found their common language. Cold Dan Te and passionate Yeon Hwa had an interesting chemistry between each other and I'm struggiling to chose with which lady Sung Hoon looks better with ?? Lee Yoo Mi from My Secret Romance or Yeon Hwa.... Hard choice.

I wonder if adding a few more episodes and expanding the last 2 wouldn't improve the drama. As first 9-10 episodes are great with pace and story development, last 2 (or maybe even 3 episodes) are running so fast that you can't catch a breath. I'm not saying that the drama is bad, no no no, it's good but the pace pulled it down?

When it comes to the story itself, it's unique and I will definately recommend watching Level up! It's a good piece that just missed it's opportunity for better story closure. In overall I would rate "Level up!" with a good 6/10. There were a planty of fun characters, like Dan Te's brother or his co-worker which will make you burst in laughter. Also there is a nice chemistry between the lead that makes the story line go naturally. Anyway .... Sung Hoon is all I need ?

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