Love in Contract (2022)

Its good...defently not Bad...how others said

Die Serie ist super. Keine Ahnung, warum die Wertung so schlecht ist. Aber sie war und ist definitiv spannend! Von der ersten bis zur letzten Folge bin ich aufmerksam dabei geblieben...was nicht jede Serie schafft. Sie wird auch nicht irgendwann in der zweiten hälfte langweilig. Wenn man das meiste nicht aufmerksam schaut oder vieles skipt, merkt man natürlich leider überhaupt nicht, wie gut die Story ist und wie authentisch die Freundschaften dargestellt wurden. Auch merkt man so nicht wie besonders die Chemie zwischen den Darstellern harmoniert. In dieser Serie findet man unglaublich viel Feingefühl und Emotionalität. Erschreckend dass das offensichtlich so einige nicht verstanden haben. Anders kann ich mir die schlechte Wertung nicht erklären. Die Serie ist ein tolles Drama.

Für alle nicht Deutschsprachigen hab ich den Text mal in den Google Translator gesteckt (bei Grammatik Fehlern, bitte Google Verantwortlich machen)

The series is great. I have no idea why the rating is so bad. But it was and is definitely exciting! From the first to the last episode I stayed attentive...which not every series can do. It doesn't get boring at some point in the second half either. Unfortunately, if you don't watch most of it carefully or skip a lot of it, you won't notice how good the story is and how authentically the friendships are portrayed. You also don't notice how particularly harmonious the chemistry between the actors is. There is an incredible amount of sensitivity and emotionality in this series. It's shocking that some people obviously didn't understand that. I can't explain the bad rating any other way. The series is a great drama.

For anyone who doesn't speak German, I put the text into Google Translator (if there are any grammatical errors, please blame Google)

Read More

Started off with a Bang, Ended in Disappointment

I had high hopes for this drama, I really did, for starters I am a fan of Park Min Young and her acting is as always, top tier.

Let me start with what went well:
-Acting. All 3 leads as well as the support characters were strong in their performances. Special shout out to Go Kyung Pyo (Jung Ji Ho), his physical comedy was hilarious, and you can really see his background at Saturday Night Live Korea shine through. He's a natural comedic actor.
-Premise. The story is unique and I liked the thought of an independent woman taking something as traditional as marriage and making a profitable business out of it. I am also a sucker for love triangles so the fact that you have 2 good looking guys that represent her past and present fighting for her attention....perfection to me.
-Queer representation. So this one I'm a little torn about because on one hand I loved the character of Gwang Nam, and his family struggles as well as discrimination he faces in society are real problems. But his sole purpose in this drama was to just be Sang Eun's bestie, which is fine, but I wanted more. **Potential Support Characters Spoilers** And I will never forgive them for not making Gwang Nam and Jung Kwan a thing, especially at the end. We were robbed a mini BL storyline. In my mind, they are end game.

Now here is what did not go so well:
-Plot. The first 8 episodes were solid, I was truly engaged and there was an air of mystery over some of the characters and it was fun to try and guess what would happen next. But then it all fell flat. Literally, fell flat. There wasn't a conflict after episode 8, they could've ended the series at like episode 10.
-The "Second Male Lead" curse. Now I know what you all are going to say, this is standard practice for a K-Drama. But this one really bothered me, don't get me wrong, Kim Jae Young did a great job portraying Kang Hae Jin, but the writers wrote his character like some weak lovesick puppy, or should I say kitten. Normally most second leads are persistent for their love, and get rejected closer to the end. Not this one, thats all I'm going to say before giving away a spoiler. His character could've been stronger.
-Jamie (the cat). What happened to her after episode 9? lol This one is a joke but the cat was such a recurring character to just be forgotten later is funny.
-Antagonists. They were cringe. Like literally cringe. All the way down to their laughs and "intense stares". Wow another group of corporate greedy men who are afraid their "a**hole" behavior will be revealed. Also, out of the 3, only 1 got "justice" and it wasn't even a bad punishment. Unoriginal and uninspiring honestly.
-Gwang Nam's Family. Ok, I'm back to talking about him because he is my favorite character but I could not STAND his family. I also was not a huge fan of how the show "fixed their homophobia". The potential of making Gwang Nam famous....thats it folks, Fame. As soon as the possibility of fame and money came into play they were ok with his queerness. Be so f***ing for real. So we are going to ignore how horrible they treated him the whole series. OK.

In conclusion, "Love in Contract" had its moments. It was cute at times, it was funny at times, it was heartbreaking at times. But if you are looking for something with substance, don't watch this. But if you're bored and like Park Min Young dramas then this is for you.

Read More

for me the only good parts were these:
jiho's personality. it's so rare to have a shy ml in dramaland. tho they did treat him like a freak, it's like the dude didn't like what "insa" people liked, but was he a psycho? no..
he just didn't like attention, or crowds, or fake social behavior to please other people. he was not "traumitized". sure he had a bad past but not every "social slowness" is a faulty personality
and yes, by now you've guessed it right, it's personal xD I'm shy, socially awkward, and slow with the fun hangs, but I'm not an idiot with a rock head.
as a kid I did say no alot, and in uni I changed it to a "hmm yeah". because I didn't really wanna do it but I also didn't not want to do it

here, especially with the drinking, or the wedding preps at the end, jiho didn't "like it", maybe he is stuck in my no phase but sangeun wasn't really considerate, she wasn't pushing him out of his shell she kept dragging him out then kinda making fun of him, "teaching" him he should "be like other people"..
so I personally didn't think they matched. like again the wedding prep, he was ready to put himself through the struggle cuz she said she wanted a big wedding, and she didn't listen when he said he didn't want it big. then she goes and says she was doing it for him


anyway, atleast with jiho his shyness and lack of social personalty didn't come with low self esteem, doubt, self consciousness and ready to escape
no drama can survive that way so all of those traits went to saguen ;D
I'm glad he always said he'll never misunderstand her and he'll wait for her pov before making a judgment, that's 1000000 lvl male lead behavior~ also he was never shy or reluctant in showing intimacy which is another +A move

gwangnamah was a sweeite, it's nice to have male characters without ulterior or obsessive behavior towards the fl, most fl "brother zoned" end up with a secret 10 year crush
he was a good person, had his own life, worries and dreams, he could easily get a spinoff where he finds happiness, love and acceptance

another point I liked was the past childhood connection, and the ones that did have them ended in divorce or one sided crush which heavily highlights how a person is different from what one projects on them

I did however dislike the 5 year "eating mate" with 0 attempts at conversation and honestly the whole drama was flat with zero substance, I'd have tbh preferred them preparing for a wedding, looking more at "what people do to please others who think one should do that" while trying to navigate happiness and marriage. I also wanted a scene with a baby to show he's not afraid to show affection and she also adored her baby and stuff life that

anyway, I only started it for a mom watch, and stayed for her + jiho and tbh the last like 40mins were my favorite part of this drama xD

Read More

Endearing lead characters with their cute story but the rest is flat.

1/ STORY:
Young, pretty and multi-talented young woman offers service of contract marriage to men in need of having a wife for a certain period of time renewable. After 13years of activity, she decides to quit but she is soon embroiled in two situations that she has to manage until things "get better".

The first part of the story was interesting as we get to know her background story and how she ended in that line of job. Her past and the remnants of her past made her character endearing and lovable. The ML also has a touching story even if we just learn enough to explain his lack of social skills. SML is annoying. These three try to sort their true feelings and finally make their choice. Then the story doesn't seem to know where to go anymore. It creates new confusions and challenges from a very old situation just to show that these people care for each other. In the end a deus ex machina stunt arrives from the past and saves the day.

2/ CHARACTERS - ACTORS:
- FL : Choi Sang Eun was endearing considering her past since childhood and she still managed to make a living using her talents. She dealt with the sad part of her upbringing by bottling things. Loved that she and the ML gradually opened to each other. PMY was ok in this drama. Better than her previous ones that I dropped. Still sometimes she had to carry the scene and she kind of overdid it. Still like her tho.
- ML: Jung Ji Ho: His lacking and flaws were properly explained and he did improve and developed into a brighter more open guy. First time seeing GKP as lead actor. He did the part.
- SML: Kang Hae Jin : Deluded kid stuck with his infatuation that turned him into a weirdo talking on the phone to an even weirder interlocutor. He is very annoying but finally turns decent guy when he finally knows where his place is.
- SFL: Jung Ji Eun. Not the evil ex. She went from great evil spouse to clingy ex then good lawyer, understanding rival and finally helpful friend.
- The Roommate: Good friend but what a waste of talent and of a character. Very underused and underdeveloped.
- Mme Yoo: weirdly written character who did things very questionable.

3/ OST: Pretty good

4/ Rewatchable Value : Probably will never watch it again

5/ OVERALL: Starts well with weird but endearing characters who try to deal with their own sad past, to fight their own difficulties to give a new direction to their life and make it better. The main couple is especially endearing. Their relationship, how it starts, develops and how they find a way to become a couple is really cute funny at times and nice. They are the best part of this drama. In the end for them, all is not well (contract couple) that ends well (real couple). 7.5 /10.

Read More

Enjoyable and moving

There are series that we watch that we somehow don't expect much from - we don't hear about them on various social media outlets, and not many talk about them (say unlike CLOY and others). I came across this series by accident and thought I might like it. Going in with very low expectations, I did not foresee liking it much. Let alone love it. Yet, love it I did.
The series starts in an unexpected way - characters cannot be deciphered. The plot and storyline are unlike anything we typically see in Korean series. The male lead seems to have a dark and suspicious cloud over him. Yet as episodes go on, the characters reveal themselves in the most unexpected ways - and we get so hooked on their trajectories, growth, and wish for true love to win. When you realise that the crazy business the female lead was running had a very particular and tragic reason - you reach the conclusion that this series is like an onion with many layers to peel.
The chemistry between the leads is wonderful, as is their acting. Some scenes you think you can cut with a knife - and they make you feel like you are drawn into the air they breathe.
This series stands out among the many suffocatingly conservative Korean series out there. We finally meet characters who take their own path, forge their own thoughts, and decide to swim against the current. Very enjoyable and heartfelt.

Read More

I don’t know how to define “chemistry”

I didn’t think the chemistry was lacking. If anything, tbh, the entire first half has SO much sexual tension I thought I was going to faint the first time they kissed. Only to realize they had like SEVEN more episodes to go now that both Sang Eun and JiHo had come into their feelings.

I foresaw a lot of noble idiocy and blubbering melodrama but instead tragically they started backtracking on the credibility and character set up the built for Sang Eun by making her bull shitty triangle with HaeJin take center stage. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a bad story development had they not made Hae Jin into a brat and Sang Eun into a damsel who couldn’t set up proper boundaries, which all things considered is a regression for Sang Eun. I hated how Hae Jin AND her mother did not listen to her nor respect her choices, constantly trying to undermine her work and make sneak attacks at her self worth.

In the end, it was a typical romcom and their romance was no Gong Yoo x Yoon Eun Hye but honestly through the first half, Ji Ho’s introversion, his little puppy eyes, his pining and longing and his cute face made everything 500x hotter. ESPECIALLY because his social status is technically a position of immense power. It was hot, idc.

Maybe that’s just my type but I’m here for wish fulfilment and I ain’t ashamed to say it was fantastic.

Read More

I'm not sure how I feel about this show, I feel like it started off better and got worse.

The drama started off being a mix of romance and suspense/mystery and then the suspense element sort of disappears. You start off learning about Choi Sang Eun, who has a really interesting job as a "single life helper" and this one client of hers who she has been seeing for five years now who just might be a serial killer......or is he? There's also hints at a troubled past, like Sang Eun paying off a 13 year old debt. Her backstory is really sad, and I'm glad that you do end up being able to see the full picture of what happened in the past that is hinted at in flashbacks throughout the story.

There are a few big reveals towards the end, like finding out who her real mom is, but I feel like the way they wrapped up everything was disappointing / anti climatic compared to the buildup. Eena Group literally tries to run over Madame Yoo and people break into their home and things seem very serious and it is resolved super easily once Sang Eun steps in. I get that the brother was the "enemy" and with him out of the way things are easier, but it just didn't really make sense to me. And then the chairman of Eena Group turns over on a new leaf and retires and decies to donate everything? What on Earth is happening. Even more ridiculous, the superstar's mom spends years pressuring him and pestering him and then after one conversation with the FL, she decides to let him do what he wants. And all of a sudden, Gwang Nam's family is fine with him being gay because he's going to be a celebrity. I think that was probably the most unrealistic part, because throughout the show, Gwang Nam's character shows the discrimination that LGBTQ people face and repercussions from coming out... and then at the very end, it's like oh well everything is okay since you're going to be a celebrity now. *face palm*

7/7.5 not bad but not a must watch, with an unsatisfying conclusion

Read More

Enjoyable for the most part

I actually enjoyed this show for the most part, but it has a lot to be desired. A lot of it was unnecessary... Let me get the bad stuff out of the way first...

The story had so much potential, but I think the execution was a bit mediocre. They had me in the beginning but it quickly turned to confusion; unless I don't understand the law, you usually can't get married a second time unless the first is nullified. I am always sickened by people treating their children like cattle to be married off to some family for power plays, that is sick. Get a hobby. The acting was a little forced at times but it wasn't horrifying, just mostly over the top at some cringy moments. Also, no way the legal team wouldn't recognise the name that frequenting the documents in their office as the wife.

Honestly the best character in this show is Woo Gwang, I honestly wish I had a ride or die friend like him. Always looking out for everyone's best interests, despite always being treated like he isn't good enough. So many people did him dirty, but he still smiles and supports everyone. Most of them didn't deserve him. I hope he finds happiness.
Ji Ho was kinda hilarious to watch, I don't think he ever fully became human and that was a nice touch to his development. It would have been nice to know why he has no social skills, the small flash backs didn't really do anything to support his character but at least we know he was like this from young.

Read More

I don't think this is a bad drama as what others think. The drama is pretty solid with it's theme and also how it portrayed it's leads. The drama did get boring at the latter parts, since the climax part did not really have that impact that it suppose to give. As I get to the episodes one by one, I came to appreciate the drama and how it unfolds. I also appreciate that they wanted the characters to have a proper ending, almost significant character in the drama is given the spotlight in the end. One downside of the drama for me is the downfall of the excitement or the interest of the drama.
I like the main leads, their acting is great for me as a watcher. The chemistry is also there. I also like the OST. I think this is a pretty decent drama, and I would still recommend this one.

Read More

Actually pretty good

I actually really enjoyed this drama and here's why:

1. I thought the character development was really nice. In the beginning, they didn't reveal too much about the characters, and as the show went on they slowly started to reveal more and more, especially for Jung Ji Ho and Yoo Mi Ho. In the first episode or so I was like "what is going on is this man going to kill her" like they really had me thinking that lol. Same applies for Yoo Mi Ho, she seemed like the villain in this story but by the end you see that she was trying her best (although she wasn't perfect obviously). Also with the FL and the ML, I know it's a little strange that she "fixed him", but the idea is that they grew as people together, which I think they executed well.

2. I liked the LGBTQ representation. They touched on topics of homophobia in the show, which is actually a real and present issue.

3. I thought that the chemistry between them was there, and I liked that they had already known each other for 5 years at least. A lot of times in Kdrama's they fall in love in like 3 months and I don't care if they have chemistry or whatever, you can't be obsessed with this person after only knowing them for a short time. I liked the FL's relationship with the second lead as well, and also HE'S SO HANDSOME both of the two main male leads are I just had to say that lol. The men in this show were green flags and I loved that, I'm tired of these toxic men not respecting women's boundaries.

4. I thought all the side characters were like-able and funny. They were all very relatable. I especially loved the senior manager and his wife, they were so cute and they supported Jung Ji Ho when no one else did.

This is not to say that there weren't issues with the show, because there definitely were, but for me it wasn't that serious of a show. I didn't have high expectations for it going in, and I just watched it because I wanted to see where it went. I thought it was an enjoyable show overall, just a cute and chill romcom.

Read More