This review may contain spoilers
A drama that has a little of everything from found families, slight romance, court proceedings, murder mystery, and comedy. The beginning starts out light and towards the middle gets dark with the plot, but I would recommend this to anyone that likes procedural dramas or anything to do with being a lawyer. The main plots are murder mystery and a lot of flashbacks, so definitely keep that in mind when beginning to watch. The cast were perfectly chosen and I loved the chemistry between the three leads a ton. -- Spoilers Below --
Chun Ji Hoon is a charismatic lawyer who provides his services for only 1$ to anyone for anything. The drama delves deep into his past and what took place before the timeline of the show. His past heavily involves a woman named Lee Joo Young. She was a light in his life that helped him open up as he fell in love. She was also a lawyer who began the practice and the 1$ amount. Joo Young wanted to provide her services to anyone regardless of how much she would get paid and that stuck with Ji Hoon. This all comes to a crashing halt when Ji Hoon finds Joo Young stabbed on the train and she ends up dying. He is devastated by this and begins his own practice in the same office hers was in to continue her dream. This backstory explains his eccentric personality and also tells that he wears his sunglasses to hide the pain in his eyes. During the drama, he once again opens up to Ma Ri, his new student attorney. I loved watching their relationship build and how much they genuinely cared for each other. Towards the end as the drama comes to a close, Ji Hoon realizes that he harbors a deep anger and hatred within himself and needed to get away and realize why he actually became a lawyer and started his practice the way he did. This is the one part in the show that I did have a problem with... He leaves without saying a word, going to France for a year. He leaves Ma Ri and Mu Jang with short letters giving no good explanation. When he comes back they are obviously angry, but ready to help him with anything and everything as always.
Ma Ri was my favorite character in the drama. Her confident and sassy attitude made her character stand out amongst the cast of men, and I loved watching every scene that she was in. Her actress does such a great job of captivating you. She begins working as a lawyer at her grandfather's firm, but has her interest peaked and joins Ji Hoon's practice. There she is struck by his personality and confused by the overall purpose of the 1$ practice, but learns and absorbs everything she can. She finds Joo Young's picture in the office, hidden behind files, and puts everything together. Her and Mu Jang want to help Ji Hoon find her killer and get her justice. They always have his back and would do anything to help him be happy. After everything comes to a close and Ji Hoon leaves, Ma Ri is heartbroken. She hides this herself with the glasses he gave her before he disappeared, and begins working and becoming a great lawyer at her grandfather's firm. The scene with her and Na Ye Jin at the bar and her reading his actual letter to her had me in tears and I wish that we could've gotten a more meaningful moment between just the two of them after. (I really kinda shipped them even though he is older and they were going through the whole Joo young thing, oops)
-- End of Spoilers --
Aside from him leaving unexpectedly, I loved this drama even though it was short. It fit in a lot of amazing characters and just enough to get you to love each of them. One thing I loved especially was that a lot of the side characters were also my favorites or I just wanted to see more of.. i.e. Na Ye Jin. I marked it an 8.5 for those reasons and just that I don't think it would be that rewatchable after knowing the huge mystery.
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Namkoongs slayed the role again!
I love Namkoongs performance …he is great actor!It was fun to watch the trio. I really like how he fought the injustice and how the backstory makes a sense for a development of his character that he is now.
They could add more episods so they do not need to squeeze all the important story telling into last two episodes.
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Worth watching once.
[ ] Story / plot:Fairly simple plot but well executed. 12 episodes were perfect and is a good blend of everything. The pacing is steady and there is progress with every episode. There is some back story, but that too was executed well. No cheesy romance but great comedy that never went overboard. The episodes end at cliffhangers, so it keeps you wanting to watch the next episode, which is a good thing for a completed drama. Also I think it's developed from a manhwa, so might wanna check that out as well.
[ ] Character development:
Pretty decent I'd say. The story revolves around the main lead, so only his story got the most attention. The others were all support, but the characters never felt underdeveloped.
[ ] Soundtracks:
Didn't find anything to my taste.
[ ] Acting:
Above average overall. The main lead trio do a very good job. The rest, are manageable.
[ ] Likes: The plot / story and the comedy which is on point most of the time.
[ ] Dislikes: Endinf might have been a bit rushed and the villain didn't leave much of an impact. Lack of good soundtracks.
[ ] Rating: 7/10, worth a one time watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Just chill and enjoy the show as it takes you on a new roller coaster of emotions suspense & comedy
The show started of with a lot of potential but it felt as though some of it was wasted. The acting of the ml was truly amazing, he was the reason I picked the show up to begin with and he really did his job well. The cast really made the story come alive and enjoyable. I do wish however, that something happened between the ml and fl as there was slight tension between them and they really had the potential to become a great couple. :/Overall the show was very enjoyable to binge and would really recommend anyone to watch it. If you are, sit back , get some snacks and enjoy cuz the show will put you through a roller coaster. ;)
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Full of potential but unfortunate execution
This title I honestly had high expectations for, as I do for any production that Namkoong min is a part of , as he is a wonderful actor, picking scripts with emotional flair and fun scenes and is someone I would say this role is perfect for.The show started off with great promise. But honestly, it required a 16 episode run time. After a while, we stop seeing any episodes of actually legal drama, which is what the show is about, and the product placement is somehow the worst I’ve seen thus far.
Not to mention, the entire past flashback sequence was incredibly out of place and contrived. Post flashback story was rushed, and I didn’t think they’d wrap up the story until half way through the twelfth episode, which is the last. It was handled poorly as well.
Now as for things I liked, namkoong min, obviously. His performance as always was stellar. Baek Ma-ri was a fun character, as was her mother. I really liked prosecutor Na Yejin, and I thought Seo Minhyeok was a good character as well who deserved if not more screen time, then at least more character development.
I also was unreasonably in love with the opening intro song and the accompanying animation. This would have been great as a long running short animation tv show.
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Corny and super over the top
Lets start with just how ridiculous is this. So many good law dramas like why her and attorney woo that also had some comedy in it and worked good since the cast is young and cheerful. However since most of the cast especially ml is mature it came off as cringy and I was like what 40+ yr old behaves that way. I don't know what's up with the FLs in all his dramas if his female costars where a type filler with edgy moments and much younger than him. And here is a bit of an unpopular opinion he just really can't act, the way he smug smiles is just off putting. Let's talk about the legal aspect of it, honestly nothing that we haven't seen before and even in a better way. Overall it's a 5 in rating, but since I got particularly annoyed with the leads I give it a 1Was this review helpful to you?
Such a waste of time!!!
I started to watch this drama because of Namkoong Min. His previous dramas were very good. But during watching this drama the only thought I had is why they made this drama. The acting of the cast was okay. Music also somehow fine. At least there was a good story in first six episodes. There was a nice story in later six episodes also but screenwriter and director were unable to express that properly. Everything was very instant in last episode. they squeezed lots of scenes for the last episode. There was too much unnecessary comedy in this drama. There is no rewatch value of this drama. Overall this drama is a waste of timeWas this review helpful to you?
So far, so good...
The dynamics and mind thrilling event playing out have been awesome, the episode 5 got me waiting seriously for 6.I the comedy part is another one, strange display that will get you wondering and laughing. Let's see how it plays out.
I still don't know why he charges one thousand won for a case, we will see. The murder case in episode 5, the guy seem very untrustworthy, yet I wonder why he accepted to represent him in court.
Who would be the antagonist? Let's see...
Still looking forward to how the romance will evolve in the drama.
Overall, the drama start well, and it is going well, you definitely have to watch it.
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So far, So good ?
Although i feel like i had watched a similar drama somewhere else (If anyone knows, comments/reply plz), but still watching this is refreshing. As usual NGM is all fun & full. ?& the FL too is too good ❤️
i wish that the dirty third wheel guy gets disappeared very very soon ??
I wonder how they gonna lead us till finale
& also curious of ML's & Chairman's past ?
i wonder will the showrunners will be polite enough to bring some romantic elements to the etory between ML & FL to make it m9re engaging ❤️
good & fun till now ?
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It is perfect, because it's imperfect
This show has a number of flaws, which are nicely stated in other reviews. However, in my eyes the charm of the drama is The Mixture of its strengths and faults. As these series are vastly idealistic, it has little relation to the real world behaviours and outcomes, which makes its comedy parts even stronger.The main actors are superb, the script is well written and the story flows nicely with only a few drops here and there, all the characters stay true to themselves (for me that is always a monumental plus) and the comedy is on point (even the cringey parts).
Could it have been made better? Dropped a bit of cringe, added some more subplot for the second leads? Of course. The problem of Perfection is that it does not have a completeness, a finish line, unlike the real life projects and people's energy levels. At some point someone has to say "it's good enough". While watching this drama you can feel that it is made with love and care, no feeling of laziness, and I truly appreciate it.
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Episode two takes it from a 6 to a solid 8.5
Episode one had me snoring sorry.And that is after like 5 trial rewatches...
For a beginning episode it personally failed to pick interest which was a bummer because am a huge fan of the lead guy's previous dramas.
So i just left it halfway and went to episode two.
And from the first dialogue...it did exactly what it came to due. Delivered, and topped with a good amount of humour hence redeeming itself. Technically i didn't need the first episode that much.
I love when law shows actually do good focusing on the law part with interesting dialogue of back and forth and episode two put a big smile on my face.
Will be seated to see how it all unfolds further.
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not a refreshing plot, but a wholesome comedy nevertheless
With only 2 episodes aired, writing a review may seem premature, but I have plans to edit this as I watch more episodes. It's just easier for me.Nam Goong Min is Cheon Ji Hoon, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney - but a poor and broke-ass one, because he only charges 1000 won ($1) fee for each case he undertakes. The heroic protagonist that doesn't exist IRL. This stuff is meant for comic books, and it is apt for the production to feature an anime-style opening theme. Although I feel slipping into a character like Ji Hoon is not his forte, his acting is rather good.
My main complaint is the fake tan Nam Goong Min was given by the makeup team. It was horrible. He looked like a roasted almond skin - that tone doesn't blend well with his natural skintone at all. And they forgot to give his hands a tan too - in the last few scenes of Episode 2, you could clearly see the contrast between his original skintone of his hands, his ears, and the fake tan on his face.
Park Jin Woo, a veteran who has appeared in more films than in dramas, is Sa Mu Jang, Cheon Ji Hoon's "litigation office manager" and all-around partner in his cases. Cheon Ji Hoon is eccentric, but Sa Mu Jang is the comic relief. Perplexed by their debt situation due to Ji Hoon's policy of only accepting 1000 won for each case, he tried to resign from his position albeit unsuccessfully - because Ji Hoon wouldn't let him. Of course, being a lawyer, Ji Hoon should know that a resignation letter immediately takes effect once it is submitted. It doesn't matter whether the employer accepts it or not. For the sake of fiction, like 1000 won per case itself, the writers go with "let's tear up the resignation letter and pretend it never happened".
Kim Ji Eun is Baek Ma Ri, granddaughter of a law firm magnate. She is a prosecutor on her probationary term, and meets Ji Hoon in one of her cases. She lost the case to Ji Hoon, and her grandfather sent her off to work for Ji Hoon for two months in hopes she would be able to learn and apply her experiences at the law firm. Baek Ma Ri as a character is not particularly likeable, but we can predict with a degree of certainty that her character will improve as the story moves forward. However, Kim Ji Eun's acting itself needs a lot of work. She has a bad habit of overusing her lips to express a particular emotion, and to me, it's rather distracting. She also did this a lot in Again My Life, but back then I couldn't pin my finger on what's wrong with her acting. Now I know what bugged me so much. Employing a range of facial expressions is vital for any thespian, and I just feel she needs to learn how to do that more than relying on just the exaggerated movements of her lips.
It's probably strange to say this, but with an outrageous premise like this, I don't expect much from the drama - and yet at the same time, I do have expectations for it to continue to entertain with its comedic scenes and character growths. I will edit this review and its score in weeks to come.
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