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Charming92
Greece
I am happy to admit that my secret romance is exactly like that. Starting it I had no expectations and I had braced myself for the impending, inevitable hard-drop! Even though, I can easily name this the cliché-est kdrama I’ve ever watched; the cheesiest, corniest, fluffiest shit I’ve ever put myself through, yet against all odds, I deeply loved it and honestly I stand here in awe of it. As a rom-com hater, how is that even possible? Well, looking back, I can name a few things.
Secret Romance, despite its heavy cliché-ridden self, had this exclusive, borderline inexplicable dosage of fresh air in it. Kinda contradicting isn’t it? Well, that is the main reason it was so good!
Starting off, the drama is characterized by its archetype characters. Cute female lead in need, shy, naive, with sad mommy issues in her backstory striving to survive and make a living y’know, usual stuff; paired with the uber classic chaebol hawt arrogant womanizer. Been there, done that. What secret romance did differently, ultimately breaking the mould of rom-coms in the best way possible is the realistic and natural expression of young adult sexuality. HELL TO THE YES PEOPLE! No more over-romantic, fake and unrealistic holding hands as the expression of ultimate love. It was ‘bout time drama gods!
More specifically, sexual jokes, innuendos and gestures, taboo job occupations, actual kissing, underwear clothing products and finally the acquittal of sex as a despicable act in kdramaland! There is nothing wrong with expressing sexuality people and it was about time we saw that in kdramas.
In all honesty, I have never witnessed a better romance development in a kdrama. The flirting felt real, the chemistry was exquisite and I enjoyed every moment they had building up their relationship. Nothing about it was really new, but it was the way that it happened that not only felt right but left extremely close to me as a person. The archetype characters strayed only a little bit away from their lanes just to make the drama that much more addicting.
Moreover, nothing about the romance was idealized here (finally); but rather, it was so fucked up that it ended up being relatable – expressing how we can hurt but also heal through an unexpected relationship, how easy it is to misunderstand and how easy it is to misinterpret. So relatable it felt too real! All in all, the best part of the drama for me, besides the lovely chemistry, was the natural expression of sexuality in its complete spectrum, while always keeping it real, cute and never filthy or awkward. I salute the writers for taking a chance here and actually making it work.
Having said all that, I cannot argue that secret romance was perfect. Critically assessing the drama, I have to admit that there were no substantial side characters or stories, most of them misused and underdeveloped. Simultaneously, while there was some basic effort to make the characters feel real giving them stories of their own to grow on, these backstories were barely ever elaborated on and were resolved abruptly at the end out of the blue.
I can safely say, the drama is not perfect and the more you think about it the more problems could be found. This is a drama to just smile and spend 13 fun hours doing nothing but letting your heart flutter. However, the fact that the drama did romance so well and touched upon -otherwise normal- stuff that are for some reason unheard of in kdramaland easily make me give this a well-deserved 8.5 just for that.
As far as the acting is concerned, no awards will be given here, but I don’t think anything was problematic.
I should mention at this point that Song Jieun is my 2nd ultimate bias in kpop (and my list is big, so I do love her) so I might be lenient and biased when I say that I absolutely loved her as Yoomi, she felt thoroughly real and behaved very accordingly to her role. She definitely had this role down and was a perfect match. Since her last project that I couldn’t help but drop, she was overwhelmingly improved and I can’t wait for her next drama.
I will not stay and talk about trite things like how unrealistically handsome Sung Hoon is, like everybody with a pair of eyes can see that. I will talk about how good he is, considering he’s a former athlete though. I am not entirely sure how flexible he is as an actor, and for a moment there I did believe that he won’t be able to act in any role other than the arrogant womanizer chaebol, but let’s not be quick to judge. I’d love to see him again, preferably in a different role next time.
Concluding, my secret romance is like a good pasta dish in a lovely restaurant. You know what it is, you’ve had it a thousand times but each time it is as good; and to top all that off, this plate of pasta has a very unique ingredient inside it to spice things up and leave a unique experience. Therefore, I would wholeheartedly recommend this drama to every rom com lover and honestly pretty much everyone who is looking for an easy watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
“What the actual fuck?!” I apologise for my language but this is the best and most brief way to describe this completely cray cray drama. Ms. Perfect was definitely bizarre, a bit weird and thoroughly eccentric but left a memorable aftertaste exactly because of all these traits.
Story
Ms. Perfect is one of those hidden gem dramas that should be protected exactly because they can be perceived differently depending on the viewer. On a surface level, Ms Perfect can be described as “the story of a sasaeng fan”. Is that a lie? No it is not, it is actually unexpectedly accurate. However taking a critical look at this and analyzing it from different perspectives, it is arguable that Ms. Perfect is not only deep but actually surprisingly original and profound.
So, what exactly did this drama do so well to make me this passionate about it?
Firstly, It put together several weird, borderline nonsensical characters, gave them obvious roles (the villain, the hero, the victim ect) and forced them to act accordingly but not quite. I think I speak on behalf of every viewer when I say that we were all frustrated by every character’s frustrating decision and way of acting. Having said that, if you take a closer look at the character, it is dead obvious how non-archetype they actually are. There are several layers to all of them, and what I actually loved? It depends on the viewers’ perspective to choose who you want to root for, who is your hero and who is your villain.
Secondly, this is officially the only drama where the 2nd female lead not only was freaking amazing, but WAS the actual drama itself. 2nd female leads… we hate them, don’t we? At this point after so many dramas, we feel intrinsically inclined to dislike them on sight. Yet, here not only do we have a memorable 2nd female lead but one that is so compelling you can’t help but love. The whole drama was built around her and I have never been happier about it! 2nd female leads rule and this drama proved it! My salute to the actress for making this drama work. This drama was a huge celebration to 2nd leads (male and female) and i loved it for it!
Finally, it is arguable to say that the drama is more adjacent to makjang rather than other genres. Don’t expect any heavy crazy shit happening but the drama did manage for at least 15 episodes to make me say “what the hell” at least twice every episode. Continuous plot twists and questions that hover around. The type that hook you on and you cannot stop no matter how ridiculous this shit is. Ms. Perfect was certifiably addicting either you enjoyed it or not.
If I could put the drama under a genre, I would say it is a mystery/comedy (bizarre combination I know). Comedy is reduced to side story character after a while while mystery is strong almost till the end. Despite the quite heavy concept of the situations presented I can’t say the drama ever became melodramatic or depressing or overly serious. Romance is present in the drama but doesn’t happen until the 2nd half and it does not occupy a huge part of the drama. Having said that and since I am not a romance lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the romance here. It was not forced, it was not cheesy, it came naturally and was fulfilling.
All in all the drama for me was unpredictable, with great character writing and well thought-out. It never dragged or had a boring moment.
Acting
I read some negative comments about the acting. Well… I can understand that, but we’ve seen worse haven’t we?
Go So Young was just right and I can tell she really enjoyed her questionable character and drama overall. I wouldn’t say her performance was memorable but I did not face any problems with her
.
I am not Sung Joon’s biggest fan but he’s a good actor. He made a complete 180 here on me.
Yoon Sang Hyun was also satisfying but not memorable.
And after all these peasants let’s talk about the queen of the drama. Jo Yeo Jung. KWEEN! I have deep respect for her. She is not the best actress, definitely, but she knows how to pick a project. I appreciate her because she always goes for questionable dramas and bizarre challenging characters! I don’t think the drama would have worked without her portraying this character! I know if she is in a drama, it’s gonna be a good one! Cheers, you are amazing gurl!
Recommend
All that being said, this drama is not one for everyone. The oddity, the makjang, the frustrating and quite unlikeable characters all have their downside. I would recommend this drama to viewers who enjoy peculiar dramas, want to watch something different and are open-minded. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I can very well see why one wouldn’t.
Characters
The official review is over and spoilers may be included from now on. The drama, even though wasn’t really character-driven (or like one character directed the whole thing) it showed some really layered and multi-faced characters and I want to take some time to reflect on them.
Shin Jae Bok. The seeming victim. I disliked her but I didn’t. I rooted for her to have a happy ending but I can’t argue she really deserved it. Yes some crazy shit happened to her out of the blue and honestly she did nothing to elicit any of it but still… She was the type of woman to bring others down (namely her husband) just for the shake of it. A character that kept looking at herself as a victim (main reason why she’s not one) and was extremely relentless in getting into other people’s business. She could have taken a shortcut and spare herself from all the drama but she just couldn’t do it. A borderline control freak. Having said all that, I can’t deny how strong Jae Bok was, straightforward and direct. Traits I appreciated made her human and relatable but did not make her likeable at least to me.
Koo Sung Hee. The hero (?). Arguably the best written character, why? Because he was rotten to the core, but if you ask him what do you think about yourself? You’ll get such a self-assured answer like he is a war-hero. I was amazed at how selfish he was without realizing it, saying that he “does things” for others either his kids or his wife or his “love”. He said he loved 3 different people in 20 episodes and weirdly, I believe he did all 3 of them, but why is that? Because deep inside it was himself he loved the most. A very incompetent person who tries to always find the easy way out but always with a convenient excuse to look as a hero to himself! Incredible writing for one of the most despicable characters I’ve seen on screen.
Lee Eun Hee. The villain. I am biased, I admit. Bonkers crazy, and she knew it. Batshit crazy, and quite proud. I couldn’t dislike her, not one inch, not at all. Yes she was crazy and her situation could not get any better. If you stand still for a moment and reflect on what she actually did… it is overwhelming, sounds like something no one would do, but simultaneously, quite plausible if you are REALLY determined. To me she was nothing more than a little girl who was never loved. Abused and ignored trying to survive sustain herself and her mental health the best she could, she found settler in one person who gave her the slightest bit of comfort and then she tried to hold on to him. Why? Because he was the first person ever who made her happy. Like clutching at straws, a fleeting moment, her savior. Hence, her constant, relentless efforts to recreate that moment all her life. The one person who made her happy all those years ago, he can do it again. Rather depressing when you actual think of it.
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STORY
The drama centers on five girls living together. It is comparable to other dramas that center on women and their problems. Here we talk about young adult problems (20s). Five girls, five different personalities, five different stories, one house. Each girl has a story; every girl has different fears, goals, problems that hold them back. The drama presents not only how they work through them but how they need each other to do that. This is why friends are important; they are there when the whole world is against you.
Each girl’s story is brilliant, touching, relatable and yet what makes this drama really a small hidden gem is that in all its simple nature all the stories feel so real, so natural, so unforced that make you not only invested in all the girls but make you feel like you are there with them sharing your life and troubles. Truly magical
Want to get to know them a little better already?
Meet Eun Jae, the youngest, maknae of the group. She is warm-hearted, (overly) polite completely shy and she believes the whole world is against her. Lesson learnt: Nobody wants to harm you, you just have to be a little stronger.
Ye Eun, she’s girly, bright, a little obnoxious and very self-conscious. Her low self-esteem doesn’t let her to properly recognize and appreciate herself which leads to boyfriend problems. Lesson learnt: Nobody will love you, if you don’t love yourself first.
Yi Na, she’s sexy, seemingly strong and hot headed but she’s remorseful and ashamed deep inside. Her questionable way of living is actually a way to punish herself for things that she had no control over. Lesson learnt: Punishing yourself won’t get you anywhere, forgive and move forward, you deserve it.
Ji Won is funny, pushy, a little over the top and quit desperate. Ji Won was mostly used as a comedic relief. I like to think of her as the magical friend who is always there when you have a difficult time, ready to drop their life and problems for you because she/he cares!
Jin Myung, the oldest and wisest of the quintet. She’s a fighter, and you’ll love her more than you expect. She’s living a hard life and she’s the borderline melodramatic plot of the story. Lesson learnt: Being happy is a choice, being happy is in our mind and we can choose that every day!
Believe me when I say you will feel very close to all of them, curse and hug your screen while watching. The first 4 episodes center on one character each while the other stories develop in the background. Starting from episode 5 all the stories develop simultaneously and all the girls get equal screen time.
The drama does a great job addressing problems of young adults in every aspect of their lives, family, romantic relationships, academic and/or job goals, friend and co-worker relationships, work ethics, personal issues ect. They all seem real, presented in a very genuine way without being boring, overdramatic or superficial. You will still get to have a good laugh and an even greater lesson from every story.
Romance is present here but it is not the main focus of the drama. You won’t miss your boys and ships but they’ll probably don’t get the screen time you expect and probably want.
ACTING
Acting was overall pretty solid. Each actress fits perfectly in their roles, from the girly Yeeun to the sad Jin Myung, the casting is brilliant. Honorable mention to Ryu Hwayoung who totally delivered in every section of her role, being sexy, being strong yet vulnerable, being a bitch and yet caring and special mention to Han Ye Ri for being absolutely impeccable in delivering every beautiful aspect of her wonderfully complicated character. Definitely an actress to have an eye out for!
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
I don’t rewatch dramas and yet I’ve rewatched the first 4 episodes. This is really so beautiful that it becomes rewatch-worthy. I’d recommend this everyone. Rom com lovers, melodrama lovers, slice of life lovers, this is a gem that is not to be missed. I doubt anyone could hate this, how can you hate real life itself?
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Story
The story is a combination of a romantic comedy with a grain of melodrama accompanied by a revenge subplot to spice things up. Tsundere male, seeking revenge for his destroyed family, meets the naïve and gullible female lead who tries to find her impeached mother. The two are intrinsically linked and form an ill-fated relationship that develops into a deep romance – havoc, tears, cheesiness and twists ensued.
The drama, despite its 75-minute-long episodes, was extremely easy to watch, enjoyable, not too basic plot-wise and not too complicated just enough to keep things interesting. Even if it was extended I can’t say it was dragged. The plotline was well-thought out making forward steps either on story or character-development.
My favourite part of the drama was the fact that it had a something for everyone. Mainly a romance-comedy, it was heavy on romance and even if I didn’t see any particular chemistry between the leads they shared some steamy, fan-servicy kisses, they looked great together and had good synergy.
Moreover, the comedy was kinda cheesy but cute and entertaining. While lastly, my favourite part, the backstory was not new but well-written and strong, implicating families, revenge, had twists and some melodrama, good for every taste and thorougly entertaining. I sincerely enjoyed the whole thing.
Continuing, the music was sensuous even if it was regularly repeated. Worth downloading, what I mainly enjoyed was the re-arrangement of the title song to fit many different situations, dramatic scenes, comedy scenes ect.
Character development and the concept of forgiveness and selflessness drives the story and gives significant lessons to viewers.
Acting
The acting wasn’t the drama’s strongest suit but I can’t say it prevented me from enjoying it.
Liu Eugene is probably the weakest link of the chain, maybe it was her character maybe not. It was kind of annoying to watch her being that defenseless at first, also her childlike attitude didn’t help, but it was part of the character, similar characters are usual in dramaland. In some scenes I was enjoying her performances some other times she couldn't convey her feelings properly tending to fall short or overact. Not bad overall, but a bit weak.
Hong Angel excelled in being a bad bitch with anger issues, I loved her, her role was a bit limiting, and she also couldn’t cry express any other emotion other than fury to save her life. She was good though as a raging mean girl and that was why she was there.
Yang Esther is probably my favourite out of the female characters, cute, funny and badass with a misunderstood emotional side. Beautiful as well.
I left my personal favourite for last; Chang Marcus wasn’t only the best actor in this but also he is easily the most handsome Asian actor that has graced my laptop screen. Extremely charismatic and charming he had the arrogant, mean bastard with a soft and kind interior act down. I’ll be stalking his next projects.
The full supporting cast did alright but the drama was mainly Eugene and Marcus, even the rest of the main cast didn’t really have a prominent role in this. –also thank god no unnecessary love triangles!
Recommend/Rewatch
As it was already mentioned, behind your smile has something for everyone. Rom-com fans will definitely enjoy this; the backstory makes this good enough for people who like more serious dramas too. It is a light-hearted drama, easy watch but still interesting with a strong plot. Even if there is nothing innovative about this drama, it is cliché done right. I will never rewatch this but I can see how it can hold some rewatching quality for some viewers.
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The base story is delightfully silly. It centers on a clumsy young man who has been constantly failing to achieve his big dream of becoming a police officer. After some endless disappointment in every department of his life he decides to take part in an experiment that enhances his senses and abilities. I could say the drama is inspired by the movie Limitless but it is wonderfully embedded in the Korean rom-com recipe resulting in a cute mini-drama.
The main genre of the drama is romance, it revolves completely around the main couple and the idea of destined love. I could argue that the drama had a lot of untapped potential considering its fantasy sub-plot but it’s ok it wanted to focus on other things. Simultaneously I thoroughly enjoyed the dorky comedy and how straightforward and fast the whole drama was. I can definitely say that the drama used the limited time it had in the best way possible to demonstrate a simple but adorable, light-hearted and interesting story.
That being said, my favourite part of the drama was the strong life messages the drama offered. Notions like, “believe in yourself and work hard, your dreams will come true”, “never forget and always appreciate the people who are next to you through thick and thin and never disregard them, they love you for who you real are” as well as “never try to squeeze yourself in somebody else’s life, people who love you will find time for you” come easily to mind after watching this drama. At the same time i appreciated how there was some minor effort to breathe some life into the main characters making them relatable. It was meaningful yet very enjoyable and light.
The acting wasn’t anything spectacular but just right.
I’ve watched Yoo Shi Yoon before but, apparently, he barely left an impression since I didn’t remember him. Obviously, he suits such cute, borderline awkward characters a lot. He really shined in this role, he owned it and made the drama work. Loved watching him.
My first time watching Jo Soo Hyang, she wasn’t memorable really, but she was good enough. Kang Ki Young is just loveable and he deserves some main roles, his comedy skills are the best among young Korean actors, always a delight to watch him act.
Overall the drama, considering its short length, I’d say is recommendable for binge-watching. Simple, funny, cute, short with a story, it is bound to make you smile! Recommended to everyone especially rom-com fans. Nothing extraordinary here, but one doesn’t need anything extraordinary to have fun.
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Story
Oh My Geum Bi tells a beautiful story of affection, devotion, forgiveness, becoming a better person, letting go and growing up. It’s a very simple story about a little girl who suffers from a terminal illness and has a very bad history with abandonment while she’s thrown at the hands of a clueless swindler who doesn’t know what to do with her. The story is quite predictable but the key point here is the simplicity and the chemistry among the actors that makes this drama grow into something unexpectedly special.
But, what made Geum Bi so particular? It just felt so real.
We are all born perfect and beautiful, without a trace of hatred, meanness, deviousness avarice or anything similar; and yet slowly we become that and so much more, why? We are born perfect and instead of keeping that, we are belittling it to the point we are nothing like that masterpiece we once were.
People are defined by their experiences. We’ve all been through some kind of trauma while growing up, either at home (most usually) or at school, or even later, that made us think lowly of ourselves, hate ourselves, hurt ourselves, have social issues and be afraid of people, want to hurt them back ect. Something scarred us, ruined the purity and instead of covering that scar, help it heal, we build on it. We build our lives on all the shit that happened to us, and deep inside we stay in that moment forever and we start hurting each other thinking this is the only way to survive. What does it take for the harming to stop? It takes another perfect human being, a kid, to remind us what we actually were and what we lost.
Geum Bi gave me hope that there is a way for everyone to regain the lost happiness, the lost innocence, the lost positivity and purity. This is why Geum Bi was special because it showed that we are all perfect, but we’ve just… forgotten about it.
I consider this drama a very heavy and depressing melodrama. I wouldn’t recommend marathoning if you’re a softie like me. Getting attached to the characters came way faster than expected, every character has a sad story, a trauma of some sorts if you may, that directed their life completely. Geum bi helps them work through these issues and see their selves in a whole new positive light. It’s amazing to want to change for a special person, isn’t it?
Best part of the drama is the character development. Geum Bi founds herself in the midst of crazy situations and scary self-obsessed people. And yet, being her flawless perfect self as a kid she finds a way to pass that light to them, inspire and motivate them to become better, and they thrive; inspirational and beautiful in every way.
Another amazing part of the drama was the family bond. The fact that blood is only the loosest way to define family and that people who love you will stick with your through thick and thin no matter what. They are out there; it’s time we found them!
The drama is full with heart-warming and extremely meaningful moments, outdoors among grown-ups, in the house as a family and at the school between kids. It shocked me how kids even with their silly beefs and complaints they would stick to each other when it’s needed, they are considerate and helpful expecting no compensation while grown-ups would only scheme and plot against each other no matter what. Why? The drama puts everything in perspective. It is incredible and worth noting to mention how Geum Bi changes literally everyone around her with the way she acts. And this was enough for me to overlook some convenient or inconsistent writing here and there.
During the later episodes we get to see how difficult it is to live with a person with special needs and the drama overall sends a strong and meaningful message against discrimination of the inclusive.
There is some subtle comedic relief thrown in there to relieve the tension, but don’t expect much.
Lastly, another thing I enjoyed was the genuine effort to make the backstories intense. There were some plot twists, some of them expected some not, but what I want to point out is the good writing here. There wasn’t a dull moment while everything had a meaning.
Geum Bi taught me the meaning of true deep unconditional love, what it looks like and what it can do. True love doesn’t need to be romantic to change you, to reinvent and enlighten you. I sincerely hope we all get to find our Geum Bi in this life.
Acting
Heo Jung Eum won best young actress award in KBS drama awards 2016. She deserved it and that is all I’m gonna say here. Brilliant, flawless and immaculate isn’t enough to describe it. Hope we can see more of her in the future
Oh Ji Ho is a good actor, and I think he was chosen for this role because of the impeccable chemistry he had with Heo Jung Eum. It was really magical. Father-daughter feels were so real. He was good at his comedic scenes and quite emotional when he needed to be. Overall a spectacular performance.
Park Ji Hee is firstly very beautiful and secondly she has this “broken mother” aura to her therefore being a perfect fit for this role. Second time I’m seeing her in a drama and I didn’t regret a moment of it. Emotional, dramatic, motherly and loving she had it all.
Oh Yoon Ah was exceptionally good at her role as well, as well as my personal favourite Lee Ji Hoon.
Kid actor Park Min Soo left a strong impression as well.
Overall the full cast was amazing and memorable.
Recommend/Rewatch
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this to every melodrama fan. People who are into depressing stuff that feature terminal illnesses ect, you’ll love this. Family drama lovers, viewers who enjoy incredible character developments I call out to you. This is not a drama to be missed. However it can be pretty depressing, so bear that in mind. I will definitely rewatch this in the future because it was beautiful, but so heartbreaking, it’s gonna take a while.
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Solomon’s perjury is a dark, gritty drama, taking a realistic spin on the awful, inhumane educational system, the gloomy side of teenagers -bullying as one of the main topics-, the lack of compassion of grown-ups and the general selfishness of people caring only about their lives and nothing more. The drama illustrates a very clear and vivid picture of school system and teenage life not only in Korea per-se but on a world-wide spectrum.
The drama is centered in a high school where a student presumably commits suicide, or did he? The students take things to their own hands and try to find what exactly happened after the disinterest of the adults. Solomon’s perjury primarily focuses on two elements; firstly the unfairness of the educational system and secondly the rough life of adolescents.
We get very close insight on how the educational system works, teachers and professors caring much less than expected about the education of their students, but mostly want to secure their jobs and reputation of their school. Furthermore, not only we understand how private schools work, where equity is sacrificed in the name of money –as everything else-, but also how no adult really cares about justice but essentially for their own profit and well-being.
Furthermore, we see first-hand how the students cope with their cruel reality. Talking about barbaric situations, bullying in school as well as domestic violence take the first wheel here presenting the severe repercussions they have on teenagers. The drama focuses heavily on the brutal reality of students having to take on numerous exams, unceasing pressure to succeed and be perfect as well as endure heartless teachers, problematic classmates and merciless parents. Several strong messages sent here as well targeting domestic violence and bullying most significantly: “violence only breeds violence, but in the end it’s also a choice!”
It was inspiring to see a bunch of 18 year olds caring much more about justice and fairness than people who get paid to do so, showing that kids even in the midst of their beefs are way more lawful than adults.
The drama is quite short and I’d say fast paced. It focuses on 3-4 specific characters trying to solve this case and their personal lives at home. I’d describe Solomon’s Perjury as an ambitious mystery thriller. It had its fair share of twists and it was interesting from start to finish and strong but I can’t say most of it wasn’t predictable. Still very entertaining though.
Having said all that, I can’t deny for a drama wanting to depict something real and significant it went on an increasingly unrealistic route to stay original. While I do appreciate where the writers were coming from and all the serious and important issues they addressed, I can’t deny I raised my eyebrow in front of the way the plot was developed.
The students decide to start their own school trial to solve this case and find the truth. What type of authority this school trial has? Considering students were barely interested in signing the petition to start the trial in the first place the auditorium was awfully packed when the trials started. Suddenly the students cared? We get a bunch of 18 year olds playing court, acting like proper prosecutors and attorneys and actually starting talking like ones. How? Did they stop studying for their high school final exams and picked up some legal books or they’ve watched too many legal dramas?
On top of that they started calling themselves prosecutors, attorneys and judges. You are students accept it! And to top it all off, when this little joke started getting out of hand, attacking teachers ect, the teachers barely did anything as well as the parents. The “judge” who was supposed to be a suppressed kid who only studied was yelling at his mother “take her out of the auditorium” and she just walked out? My mother would have come up to me, slapped me and dragged me out by the ear… I didn’t know if this was a bunch of kids playing court or a legal drama set in a high school somehow. This was all just too much to go with and accept.
What’s more, the seemingly normal, ordinary students started feeling increasingly difficult to relate to, acting like brats with psychological problems or one-dimensional wannabe “prosecutors” who couldn’t keep their emotions at place. At some point I felt the need to scream, y’all need serious psychological support before trying to solve anything. There’s only so much I can blame to troubled characters and abusive parents. 80% of the parents happened to be awful people somehow; just too convenient, a tad too much if you ask me.
In all its questionable nature Solomon’s perjury did leave a strong and memorable impression which is enough for me to recommend to everyone who wants to watch something more serious than usual and is into school dramas and crime mysteries.
Since this is a habitual question I’ll mention it. The drama offers only limited and subtle comic relief, while it has little to no romance, so you’re informed about what you’re getting into.
The acting was pretty satisfying considering I’d never seen any of the actors before this and all of them are very young. However, I can’t say any of the performances was memorable. Still, I’d love to see each of them again in the future nonetheless, especially Jang Dong Yoon who left the strongest impression.
Even in its far-fetched nature Solomon’s Perjury sent a lot of meaningful messages like the fact that we barely know the people around us, but it’s in our hand to acknowledge and appreciate them; the significance of friendship, forgiving ourselves firstly and those who wronged us, the unlimited potential of life and most importantly an extremely strong message of never giving up. No matter how difficult it might be today, there is always a brighter day coming tomorrow. If it’s winter today, just remember spring is coming!
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1. Netflix production = Quality television
2. Kim Eun-hee (Signal writer) = Quality writing
I’ve been out of the kdrama scene for… personal reasons, for a year and a half now and this drama was announced all the way back when my life was heavily drama-driven. Imagine my excitement when my beloved Netflix actually released this.
Long story short, Kingdom = Zombies in Joseon era. And… lemme stop you there. Zombies is in no way a new concept. In fact we’ve been living in the decade of zombie and post-apocalyptic future TV craze with most shows ending up being a shadow of themselves in later seasons. What’s more zombies have been done by Koreans too, in infamous movies and… mediocre – at best – dramas. However, Kingdom was all but done before. As a fan of post-apocalyptic TV shows and zombies themselves, this drama felt like a complete breath of fresh air. Not only was it a post-apocalyptic historical drama but also it felt exceptionally original.
So what made this – in just 6 episodes – so good?
- Incorporation of classic kdrama troops in an original form.
You got your average, classic historical drama backstory: political conspiracies, throne successors, political struggles to stay in power, corrupted nobles, evil queens ect, implicated with an overall story of a peculiar disease that “make the dead rise and seek for human blood and flesh”.
Which brings me forward to the second original factor:
- Actual explanation of how this shit came to exist
Zombie apocalypse is classic in 2019, we love it, we do. Name a show that actually took the time to explain how this shit happened. Nope! No writer actually went out of his way to try and explain how this happened. It always gets overlooked. But all hail writing Queen Kim Eun-Hee because this bitch gave us a reason. It is nothing groundbreaking and there is no need for it to be, but it is there and it makes as much sense as it needs to please the viewer. This is what i call brave writing, and i commend her on this.
- Plotwists and creativeness
Imma not spoil anything, I’ll just say: episode 6! This was an 8.5 until the last 10 minutes of the season finale. Kim Eun-Hee took an already existing idea and made it hers. Super mini spoiler-alert – zombies run now and that’s not the only new thing about this. At first the zombie classic lore changes felt foreign but there is nothing wrong with experimenting when it actually works!
- *tear* NO ROMANCE
Lemme hear you say YAAAAAAAS and a HALLELUJAH! I’ve been out of the kdrama world for a while now, but from my experience there is no non-OCN drama that won’t shove a romance down our beautiful throats and sorry but I like other things shoved down there (I mean food you freaking pervert!)
- Pacing and Cinematography
Kim Eun-Hee and Netflix makes a good combo cause, bitch that went by FAST and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen! Ok that was a stretch but appreciate my enthusiasm. I could easily call the cinematography the best thing about this. Hell each episode cost 1.78 million $ so yes. Netflix went all in, and considering this was renewed in a week, it paid back. The pacing is fast and it makes sense and it introduces new stuff and it has your something new and your something old and honestly, it’s great!
The only reason this doesn’t get anything more from me is because I’d have liked to see more of the characters backstories. Don’t get me wrong, they are well fleshed and super SUPER likeable. But there is somuch content you can add in just 6 episodes and I just missed that. Thankfully the show got renewed, and we got a tiny glimpse of their stories, which felt more like teasing to be honest, so here’s to looking forward to something in the next season.
Last but not least, I enjoyed the splashed comic relief In the episodes. It was there, it felt good, it was small but impactful and did not ridicule any of what was happening. Good writing again Kim Eun-Hee. All hail ect ect….
As far as acting is concerned, lemme be my usual sour self and say: I read that Song Joong Ki was cornered for the lead role but he declined. You know what guys? Some dramas are destined for greatness and… ALL HAIL THE DRAMA GODS FOR LETTING THIS DRAMA BE GREAT!
Phew, it felt good saying that – no offence to his fangirls but I’d like to take my dramas with as little boy-fanservice as possible.
That being said, I think I’ve never seen Ju Ji-hoon before. He was a noble hero, maybe a bit too cliché but it was necessary for the show to continue. I liked him a lot as the lead. And would love to see more of him
Bae Doona. Netflix likes Bae Doona and why wouldn’t they. She rocks, she’s the best *incert fanboying comment here*. I would have liked her to be a little bit more badass, but there was enough badassery here brought by other characters so it’s alright. Let’s make Doona a global star now Netflix ok?
Kim Sung Kyu. Do I know him? I certainly don’t remember him, but boy was he badass? Every character fulfill a purpose and made a flawless zombie-killing squad. The-walking-dead who?
Which brings me to the my fan favourite Kim Sang Ho. We have seen him in tons of dramas. Usually he’s the comic relief right? Correct me if I’m wrong, but he was amazing here, part of the main cast for me. He was the glue that made it work.
Overall, don’t be whiny bitches. This is 6 episodes long, of course it is worth it. Dive in already you won’t stop watching. Can’t wait for the 2nd season.
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STORY
If i could place this show under a genre i would say it is a psychological thriller, while i was expecting it to be a drama about adultery. Yes, you are right, it is obvious from the description, the concept here is infidelity. Hot and young babysitter works at a prestigious and rich house, apparently she will seduce her master, possibly she came there on purpose, all those thoughts all everyone made before watching this and the first episode will confirm all your assumptions. The drama starts ominously, focusing on the wife in the aftermath of the adultery talking to a journalist about what she's done (oh yes it will get dark fast!)
However the drama -fortunately- has way more to give than just a usual adultery story. Firstly let me talk about that. Adultery, possibly the most hated concept in kdramaland, and my favourite one. I have watched quite a few kdramas that deal with it, all of them had something in common: they tried to give the adulterer reasons that semi-excused their actions, and/or made us pitty/like/feel sorry for them. I was shocked that here this isn't the case. I doubt i have ever seen such a sly, cunning, borderline scary lady, dead set on seducing a married man, having no qualms about her actions. But is she really just a slut that she wants the rich married man? Or is there more to her story?
Secondly, i have to praise the fact that the show featured a lot more than just the cheating. It focuses more on the implications this action had on the wife, and how she coped with everything. Not it isn't dramatic at all, but it is surprising. It featured public humiliation, and went as far as mental illness and more. Thankfully everything clicked by the end, giving a very satisfying, plot-twisty and unpredictable ending! Everything that happens is highly unrealistic of course, completely makjang. One could call the whole drama 'trashy', and i can't argue with that, i agree, but it is definitely entertaining.
The show never gets dragged, and is never boring. People might find the first episode boring since it focuses on the adultery, i love that concept and i found the way it was presented here refreshing. The last episode and the plot twists are worth getting through the first episode though, this is just 4 episodes in total anyway.
The only drawbacks i can point out is that the show closed with some questions left unanswered and some minor plot holes. However, none of them bother me enough to give this a lower score.
ACTING
The two female leads have the most significant roles and they were both good enough but not mindblowing.
Jo Yeo Jung came a long way since her I need romance days. This says tons about how a role can make you or break you. She presented her character greatly, she was indeed scary and borderline crazy throughout the whole thing. My only complain would be her angry scenes, i didn't feel them at all.
Shin Yoon Joo was ok. What i loved were her scary facial expressions and evil smirks. I loved the way she smiled, totally ominous and dark. However on some of her important speech scenes her face was blunt and deadpan. This was her first acting work and she good an ok job imo.
Kim Min Joon was great at what he was placed there to be, the apple of discord. He was totally hot in every scene he was in, and acting-wise he was impeccable as well. Same goes for Lee Seung Chan as the two of the played the middle-aged playboys, he wasn't as good-looking as KMJ but still charming in his own way.
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
I wouldn't recommend this to everyone at first as i thought it was an adultery drama/melo. Since this ended being more on the thriller side, and since its just 4 episodes long, i do believe it is essential for watching. I would definately rewatch this with someone else, but not alone again, once is enough.
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Story
Missing 9 revolves around a plane crash on a deserted island. Effectively the story can be split into 2 parts that are unfolded at the same time as the drama continues. First part, the flashbacks, are centered in the past as we see the aftermath of the plane crush. Part 2 takes place in the present and talks about what happens after a survivor is found. The drama develops as a mystery: “what the hell actually happened on that island?”
Missing 9 is not a drama to be taken seriously. It tried its best to be original and different and while that is a definitely a plus for me, what actually made it stand out was the peculiar combination of mystery and comedy.
The drama doesn’t know what it wants to be, a thriller about 9 people trying to survive while reevaluating their lives or a hilarious comedy about a plane crush. Answer is both, and the faster you embrace it the more fun you will have watching.
I read a lot of comments claiming that the plot is a trainwreck. I sincerely disagree. I could call the plot tryhard, absurd, ridiculous but also quite intriguing and interesting. What I appreciated the most was that even in its completely ridiculous nature, the story was there from start to finish, implicating murders, mystery, questions and twists that will make you keep watching, hence the addictive part. However, there were countless times I rolled my eyes and giggled at how absurd the script was, how convenient and silly. The comedy isn’t for everyone but for me it was golden.
Best thing about it? The transition between comedy and seriousness was nonexistent. The drama throws intense situations at you and then it mocks itself by ridiculing them all the way, without making itself unwatchable at all. It’s amazing how they made it work. I am the first person who dislikes serious situations being made fun of, but here, I loved it. This is the first time I’ve witnessed a drama doing this so, even if the results aren’t perfect, I give points for originality.
The drama doesn't want to be serious, it wants us to have fun. Therefore, it would be advisable for everyone to just dismiss your logic while watching this and just buckle up and enjoy the crazy ride. I understand this is not for everyone, but what i don't understand why we need to blame this drama for its irrationality when we've accepted countless unrealistic and stretched dramas (with less plot than this one), dramas about time travel, mythical creatures, comic characters ect. Either judge them all or accept them all, they all come from the same imaginative place.
Romance wasn’t present in the drama; there is some kind of romance developing between the leads that was not explored and didn’t need to be. Romance, with the heavy sense of the term, would have been redundant. The couple did look great together and had amazing synergy especially in their comedy scenes.
Overall, Missing 9 was immensely entertaining and one of the better dramas for escapism. Completely mind-numbing, but oh-so amusing! It was this distinct characteristic the drama had where it just made fun of itself completely that I found so provoking and creative that I just fell in love with it. The drama knows it’s silly and absurd but instead of trying to avoid facing that, it builds and thrives on it! Commendable! Not a drama one would rewatch but for what it was it was extremely enjoyable.
Acting
I came here for Jung Kyung Ho, and he was flawless, especially acing his comedy scenes like never before, but the actresses that made the drama for me were Baek Jin Hee and Lee Seon Bin.
For… reasons, I had low expectations from Baek Jin Hee even if I had never seen her before. The girl positively surprised me and proved to be a very strong female lead. Her acting was spot-on and tip-top, being funny, cute and emotional when needed. I'm looking forward to her future projects!
Lee Seon Bin is definitely a new favourite for me, not only because she’s certifiably hot but because she’s a very promising young lady with a bright future.
The cast was mostly unknown-at least to me- but I sincerely enjoyed watching them as a whole.
Recommend
Missing 9 sounds amazing from the synopsis but it would be wise to drop your expectations a bit. It is not anything groundbreaking as a drama, but it is unique in terms of script-idea and development. The combination of thriller and comedy and the ridiculousness of the whole thing really clicked perfectly all together for a unique experience. If you are into comedy, want to watch something light and would like some thriller on the side this is not a bad watch at all.
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That being said this is one of the best dramas i've ever watched because of the perfect, symbolic and realistic characters as well as the quite fast paced and pragmatic plot. The premise is simple and is set around a woman who is in love with a married men and does everything in her power to get him. The drama focuses more on the 2 main female characters, the wife and the mistress, while the husband takes the 2nd wheel of this ill-fated love triangle.
Interestingly, it is a lot different than other similar themed adultery kdramas. Usually we get a sad backstory that tries to excuse and partly maybe even justify the actions of the adulterer. Here the story is a lot more brutal, there is no melodramatic backstory to drive any of the character, thus the drama is completely character-driven; while it does a splendid job delving into the mind of each and everyone of them.
What the drama wants to do is not glorify cheating or excuse the adulterers or even punish them or push viewers into a forgiving mentality towards them. On the contrary, i would stay, it stays neutral to all of that, it depends on the viewer's viewpoint whether to understand, hate, like or dislike the characters, and it depicts solely the repercussions of infidelity in the most cruel way possible.
Starting from the couple itself, how years and years of (superficial -obviously) happiness fall apart, questions, doubts about what went wrong, efforts to save something that has already died, screaming, violence, paranoia is just the beginning. Having kids in this situation will only worsen the process making it even more heartbreaking. Children hating their parents, accusing themselves for their broken family, not knowing how to react or deal with it. Continuing to the extented family that are just ready to jump in, judge and make everything worse (whether they want to help or not). What's more, it widens its spectrum to social everyday life and work place, showing that people are ready to judge hate and ridicule the situation and everyone involved.
Furthermore, we get a very good insight on what adultery means in the korean society. The drama is 10 years old, so i'm guessing (and hoping) there's a sea change in this department but i liked how the writer sneakily promoted the idea of equity when it comes to adultery. If, in a society in which cheating men are considered normal, then so should women. Hate one-hate both or accept both. But also loved how it showed that no matter how strong the bond between the mistress and the husband is, there will always be situations that will prove that the marital bond is just too strong to be broken that easily thus "love is not enough" the feeling that kept coming back throughout the drama.
Money of course wouldn't be possible to not have a prominent role in such a gritty drama. It shocked me how everything always revolved and apparently always will revolve around money. "Stay with him and accept his cheating and make him your personal atm machine for revenge", "If you stay with her, i'll disown you and you won't get any of the inheritance", "Quick get pregnant so you can demand some of the inheritance". Life is supposed to be about happiness, an affair happens because something in a marriage isn't working, bringing money to the topic just made the whole thing even more disgusting but that much more real too.
The drama is entirely character driven, hence it will be unappealing for most viewers. There is no backstory no shocking revealings nothing, just people meddling with adultery and the implications. The drama was ultimately a never ending fight between the characters -which woman will win- and a self-hating game of each character alone.
At this point i'd like to talk about the character since they were so significant. Each character represented something, fought for it until the end or let it consumed and eat him alive to his destruction. In the very end everything does happen in vain something that makes everything even more tragic and sad.
Hwa Young was the mistress, and she represented Greed. A sad person that was used by her family and decided that she'll do whatever it takes to be happy thinking nobody but herself for the first time in her life. However, for that one person she'd choose, she'll give her all, and she had nothing but her ego. She shreded that ego like it was nothing, she increasingly settled thinking this is what she wants and that she'll eventually be happy, but happiness comes from within. A greedy person who wanted someone else, someone empty, to give her everything and in return she'll give all of herself too. But it was not that simple. I appreciated her persisting personality, i appreciated her character up to a certain point, but everything in her life comes with a price. She was ready to change for 1 person, but she picked poorly, now she's gotta live with that. What she needed wasn't someone else to love her so she'll feel complete but she needed to love herself first in order to be complete.
Joon Pyo was the husband, and he represented Selfishness. A tad similar with the mistress at first glance but no. They were probably absolute opposites by the end. A person who loved deeply, but -plot twist- loved himself more than anything else, and he barely even realised it ever. 24 episodes and he couldn't make a simple choice, he many times felt like a tennis ball just being thrown here and there with no mind and will of its own. A complacent person, wanting it all till the end. But can you really hate and judge a person who is just too empty to even realise what is going on around him? Selfish people are usually selfish because they are empty.
Ji-Soo was a bit more difficult being the wife. One would expect she would be the easiest person to like and root for. Yet it took me several episodes to even bear her face. She represented those people-pleasers. Growing up as a cater for others, she barely even created a personality of her own. Being the pushover of her sister she never shaped a whole identity and all that came to bite her in the worst way possible. Such people need the personal time to get to know themselves first and cater for themselves before going on to form relationships.
All the characters were increadibly well-thought-out and well-written. I have to admit that i severely disliked them in the first half when there are barely any logical decisions made. I loved how there are shy, small steps made by all of them in terms of character development in the 2nd half, goes to show what dramatic situations do to all of us. And i was thoroughly shocked by how close i felt to all of them by the end. I wanted this to be over since episode 4, and by episode 24 i couldn't let them go.
In the very end i wouldn't call what happened "character development", real people don't change, they adjust. This is what happened here, the characters tried to adjust and i couldn't help but appreciate their authenticity and the marvelous writing. In the very end, it was nothing but themselves that kept them from happiness, the happiness they had been chasing since moment 1.
Lastly i'd like to mention the amazing deep messages we got about decisions and consequenses of our actions in this drama. In a very honest and rough way, situations like marriage decision, significant other choice, having kids, forgiving your spouce, your kid, your parent, life choices in general and a whole lot more were targeted and talked in a subtle but meaningful way.
The drama was full of symbols; beautiful but so so so difficult to watch.
The acting was luscious and spectacular by more or less the full cast. However, the real memorable acting here was by Kim Hee Ae who gave the performance of her life in every way. She was memorable, she conveyed the feelings and concerns of such a troubled, totally hateful character in the best way possible. I hated, i disapproved, i understood, i felt sorry, i rooted, i cheered, i felt sad, i cried. In episode 4 i would have never thought she would have made such a turn on me. Kim Hee Ae studied this character and made it hers.
Kim Sang Joon was brilliant too, i especially enjoyed his angry scenes, he was always rather quiet and remorseful, and his puppy eyes were on spot. Yet, he conveyed the mindset of his twisted character perfectly, acting like a victim when he was the sinner and really believing it. A wonderful ill-hated chemistry with Kim Hee Ae that basically made this drama work.
Bae Jong Ok was amazing as a person-pleaser, i have to admit during some conversations it felt like she was just uttering lives, i especially liked her paranoia scenes, she was shivering. I think there could have been better choices for this role, but she was not bad in any case.
I have to mention especially Ha Yoo Mi from the supporting cast, because she was flawless in her incredibly hateful and crazy sister role, hopefully i will never see her again lol.
Would i ever recommend this to anyone? No. Is this one of the best dramas i've ever watched? Yes. Confused much? XD
Problem here is, there is a very small amount of viewers that would enjoy this. Adultery is my favourite kdrama concept and out of all the dramas i've watched this was the most difficult one. There is no real comedy, there is no likeable or relateable character, you need to work hard to understand them. The episodes are big and in the very end you'll end up depressed plus this is a 10 year old drama. If you like the concept of adultery, you are mature enough to watch without judging too much (and it will be hard in this one) and you like serious, depressing dramas, give this a chance. I want to rewatch this in 10 or 20 years time, because i can feel there are a ton of things that i missed because of my age mostly and because i lack the expreriences this drama dealed with, but it won't anytime soon, this was difficult to get through just once.
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The description might confuse you into thinking that this is a romance drama blend in with the adultery concept. Sadly, for me, this was not what i was expecting. This wasn't a romance drama, it wasn't even an adultery drama. On the contrary it was heavily based on the inner relationships between the hierarcy of a company. The drama centers on a woman, Hye Won, and her complicated life and personality. The drama's main concept is how the protagonist, being unhappy due to her life decisions without even her realising it, rises above it all with the help of a charming young piano student.
The drama talks about life decisions. I can link to a saying we have in my country that i can roughly translate as "If you don't look at where you want to go, you will go where you look". Which means that if you don't set your goals straight from the beginning, no matter what you real want you will end up with what you settle with.
The show was never about the romance it was about seeing her grow as a person to realise what she really wants out of her life. This is why i have mixed feelings about this. I expected something different but, while i am dissapointed, the drama presented something completely unique and even though it was troublesome to digest and understand, i'm happy i gave it a try.
The main reason people -me included- found this boring is because of the difficult, tedious conversations about job policies and schemes of the characters. We were dropped in the middle of a war zone from the first episode, we could barely understand anything and things didn't get any clearer as the drama proceeded. Tedious, boring, vague, incomprehensable dialogs that only increasingly confused me. But, that was the actual prettyness of the whole drama. The fact that it was complicated, with unrelatable characters that you can't help but hate and in the middle there is Hye Won, a strong yet vulnerable, troubled woman, who makes the wrong choices but around so many hateful characters she becames relateable instantly and sways you.
Apart from the company drama that takes the main lead here, music is the next most significant part of this drama. The music is overall exquisite. The romance itself is being expressed solely through music, and that is another reason most people -including me- found the romance unfulfilling. You'll probably need to have music knowledge to properly understand the emotional messages delivered through music or at least have a keen ear to appreciate them.
Honorable mention to the cinematography. I'm not a fan of cinematography but here it was truly marvelous. It was gritty, dark and elegant, and suited the overall feel of the drama completely.
The acting was overall top notch, no complains, but the performance that is memorable is Kim Hee Ae's. The whole drama is on her, it's hers. The other characters serve as fillers just to help her rise and grow. Kim Hee Ae's aura was great for this drama, elegant, graceful, aristocratic even without losing her confused, sensitive even defenceless, at parts, self. Yoo Ah In's performance was also great and their chemistry was strong, noone can deny that even with the 20 year difference. However his character felt again as a filler, and wasn't given the appropriate screen time to gain some kind of value on his own.
Overall, this was a difficult watch. I wouldn't rewatch this, but i can understand why some people would. It's a drama that is aimed at a special few and those few will love it. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't like exclusively character driven shows, long conversations about company politics, schemes but not the juisy type, and slow plot pace.
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Story
The concept of this lovely drama is the fated love between the 2 leads. The fate that you can't escape no matter what is thrown at you because it is written in the stars! The drama gathers all the cliches, archetype/classic lead characters, absurd coinsidences, silly comedy scenes, illnesses, main leads pushing each other away while they love each other, amnesia, time jumps, annoying 2nd leads, unnecessary love triangles ect. However, against all odds, those are what make the drama work. How all the cliches placed next to each other, all the silliness, ridiculousness, absurdity just works out, clicks so perfectly and brings the most wonderful results one can imagine.
Best thing this drama has to offer is the romance. Fated to love you starts as a pure comedy and very quickly it develops to a very funny but heartfelt romance. Soon after though, it sends you to the sky, it drags your pitiful ass down to hell, destroy your feels, and then, in the most fulfilling way, it shines and thrives giving you one of the most profound romances i've watched in kdramaland. It delivers emotionally on so many levels, it has such an exquisite sentimental impact that i believe it will stay indelible in my memory forever. Not many rom coms were able to convey and create such affectionate and passionate atmosphere. I'm really thankful i watched it.
I'm happy to say the drama is fast paced, it barely gets dragged (mostly gets slower around episode 15, but still completely enjoyable) and ends leaving you feeling completely accomplished! The only reason this isn't a 10 is because of all the cliches and the fact that most of the situations were totally ridiculous, but i guess that was this drama's biggest charm.
Acting
The acting was overall impeccable but the shining star of this is definitely Jang Hyuk. He is probably the first and only actor that i prefer in comedy than melodrama but he's amazing in both. His character was a little cringy in the beginning, and his acting could be described as over the top, but he left such a strong, memorable impression with his acting that made me fall for him completely. He made the drama what it is, his acting is one of the best things this drama has to offer along with his chemistry with Jang Na Ra. One of the best chemistries i've watched, a blast to watch them on screen!
Jang Nara along with both the 2nd lead roles and the full supporting cast gave a stunning performance.
Recommend/ Rewatch
This is must watch pretty much for every drama fan out there. Rom-com fans feast your eyes, this is delicious in every way. Melodrama lovers, i hereby promise you, you won't regret watching this. As a meticulous melo fan this was totally up my alley, it conveyed much more feelings than i expected on many levels; you won't be dissapointed believe me. If you can turn a blind eye to the cliches and just go with the absurdity of the whole plot, the drama will thoroughly and generously reward you!
Lastly, If i ever make a list of dramas worth rewatching this will definitely be in it!
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(i'm sorry for such a huge review, but i tried to be very thorough about it, it is worth it)
STORY
The show basically says that every person has some kind of psycological problem, and the main premise of the show is that no matter how bad you feel, or what problem you have, LOVE will make them go away if you let it. And not romantic love necessarilly but any kind of love, family, friendship ect.
This is probably the first thing i'll need to praise about this show. Usually in dramas we see only one side of someone's life. The family, or the marriage/romantic relationship or the friends. Here we see them all. The characters are so real because of it. We see the family and how important they are, how many problems they may cause to us, but no matter the problems family is always there, and just as they caused them, they can as easily take them away if we let them (i appreciated this because i face something similar in my life). The drama also shows how important friendship is. In most dramas, the main character has 1 best friend (if any at all), who sometimes is related to (a sibling or something). Here we have many interactions, the drama showcases how friends can help get over things, can help us heal, be there for us (i appreciated this because i do believe friendship is the MOST important part of someone's life). And lastly, love, true unconditional love, can set you free of anything, no matter how severely damaged you may be, love can heal you completely.
Next thing i have to praise is the backstory here, and most importantly the way the story is told. In most Kdramas we have the love story get unfolded in the first 10 episodes and some hints of the backstory, and then in episodes 13-15 we get huge revealings or a past event. I've been saying again and again in my other reviews how the plot is underdeveloped because of this simpre problem. It's okay, that's love sets itself apart from the other dramas. The backstory gets revealed a little at a time in every episode. We get enough to keep us wanting more, but also they don't spoil anything huge. Congrats to the writers for finally making what i was asking for so long happen. Amazing plot writing!
Another thing to praise here, and something that most dramas fail to do is to make me/us care about ALL the characters. It usually is the main couple/triangle that dramas make us care about. It's okay, that's love, firstly doesn't have a love triangle, and that's a good thing because the main couple has such AMAZING chemistry, a 2nd man/woman wouldn't have a chance in getting between them. Secondly, the cast here is kinda big, but i seriously wanted to know more about everyone! Everyone has some kind of problem, everyone wants help, everyone tries their best, and i really enjoyed all of the stories. Also the show made me feel like i was silently sitting there with them, as a member of their pack having fun and sharing my life. It felt wonderful. Not many shows have the ability to make you feel so close to the characters just by watching the show, and just in 16 episodes!! All the characters were amazing. Once again, TOP NOTCH writing, BRAVO!
Furthermore, the main character is a psychiatrist, so there are some cases about psycological problems coming and going through the episodes, and we see them through the female protagonist's work. All of them are amazing, but what i loved was that they didn't pay too much attention to them (a problem i had with other dramas), they show them enough to make each episode more interesting, and to make a point sometimes, but the show focuses on the characters and the relationships. I mean the main premise of the show doesn't get compromised by these separate cases. Yes, i will say it again, AMAZING WRITING!
Seriously, i have nothing bad to say about the plot here. It is simple, don't expect anything super extraordinary, even the backstory has been done before. What makes everything amazing is the reality of the characters, the way they react in front of their problems, and probably this is the most amazing part of the show!
ACTING
Seriously, EXQUISITE!
Jo In Sung, was wonderful, i could see the pain in his eyes through the show. He was funny when he was supposed to be, he was heartbreaking when he was supposed to be. He made me feel what he was feeling completely. Wonderful actor.
Gong Hyo Jin. This is my 2nd drama with her as the lead (the first was Master's sun where she didn't amaze me THAT much). I was amazed by her acting here, she was amazing, i loved her character a lot, she portrayed her problems very nicely. One thing i can say is that she needs to work on her crying, i had the same problem in Master's sun. Other than that, she was wonderful.
I won't say something about the whole cast, i will never finish writing this review. Everyone was very good, i have nothing bad to say, all the supporting cast did their best, and delivered in the best way possible, Song Dong Il and Lee Kwand Soo were hilarious and cute. Yank Ik Jun and Jin Kyung were heartbreaking. D.O's acting was top notch for an idol, congrats everyone.
RECOMMENT/REWATCH
If everything that i've written thus far haven't sold the show to you, then nothing will. 10/10 recommend, must watch. It isn't heavy as a show, it is easy to watch, funny, but still emotional and it has to be and truthful. Really great, a must watch.
I would easily rewatch this, mostly to see the amazing love story development, since we don't see the usual "i love you but we can't be together, because i have a past, and i like someone else, oh and life is messy, and lets have 5835775074543753 conversations about how we love each other and then break each other's hearts". Here we talk about love and we go straight to it!!
EPISODES
About the episodes, i feel the need to say the first episode is kinda confusing, or at least it was for me. I didn't understand much of what was happening in the first episode, if that happens to you don't let that stop you, the 2nd one sets everything straight. The first episode introduces many characters and situations all at once and it kind of ends up confusing.
Episodes 2-6 are AMAZING. Funny, light hearted, easy to watch, but still shocking because of the back story revealings i told you earlier, yes you won't expect what happens believe me!
Episodes 7-11 are a bit slower, but they go straight ahead to the love relationship part. Something not seen in other dramas (again) we get to see their relationship as a couple. How they work with each other, and get to know each other, and learn to ignore the bad things, and love them instead. Usually dramas end up with the main couple being together, but this drama starts with that!
Episodes 12-16. Get ready to cry especially in 13-14-15. Here's my favourite part of the show, the story picks up again here, it goes faster. The end was great, in the final episode some unnecessary things happen but it is still fun and the i finished it with a HUGE smile on my face and some wonderful messages that i will treasure forever.
OVERALL
Sorry that this was too long, but seriously it is worth it. The 2nd best kdrama i have ever watched. Amazing in every way. Not so much because of plot, but because of all the amazing little things that ended up making this show THIS perfect! What i appreciated probably the most was that its structure was different than the usual kdramas (you know how kdramas have some certain points you expect to always watch, like a love triangle, and 2nd characters being kind of ignored), it was refreshing watching something that has a different development. This show taught me a lot, and the most important thing i was taught was TO LOVE MYSELF and accept him no matter what! I'll treasure that! The writers deserve awards! I will miss it greatly, it needs an american remake!
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Introverted boss is the story of a girl whose sister died a tragic death and now wants to take revenge on those who wronged her making her commit suicide. To her surprise, she finds herself caring eventually for the person she was originally set out to destroy. The drama is an aspiring melo comedy romance set in a business PR company centering around 2 polar opposite characters, an introvert and an extrovert. Sounds pretty watchable doesn’t it? Well, I had so many issues with Introverted Boss that I somehow believe they wouldn't bother me but at the end, I’m so infuriated by them they need to be phrased.
However benevolent the show’s meaning is, essentially expressing that everyone should be accepted and we should not judge others merely based on their looks, as a whole the drama just didn’t work. Trying to piece everything together I think I can pinpoint what went wrong. Overall it seems that the drama didn’t know how to draw a line between serious situations and comedy therefore ridiculing things in a bad way.
First and foremost, although I enjoyed how complicated the story was and how (unnecessarily) interconnected the characters were, the backstory which is the base of the whole thing is the weakest backstory I’ve ever witnessed in the almost 100 dramas I’ve watched thus far. The whole thing relies on a girl committing suicide. It’s the first scene of the drama, the driving plot device. It then continues developing this into a mystery “what happened to that girl, why” ect; it is only logical I’d expect an exceptional backstory there to wow me since kdramas specialize in such.
To my disappointment the reasons the girl commits suicide were utter garbage. Not only unimaginably exaggerated, but also utterly stupid – weak writing is the main fault of the drama and I cannot forgive it. However, what made me really angry was that as a plotline it puts women in such, such a bad, naïve, gullible, stupid, weak spot that made me sick to my stomach! Suicide is not a plotline to play with. Either do it right or don’t do it at all. Making a woman commit suicide in 2017 because of… men basically, just feels wrong, doesn’t it?
Moreover, to top it all off, during the last episodes they pulled a complete 180 on those already severely stupid reasons and made it even worse! Was that their idea of a plot twist? The “twist” pretty much disregarded everything that had happened up to that point, and made the backstory not only disappointing but also completely laughable.
Continuing the drama apparently has a thing against women in general, or at least this is my take. I never have a problem with bitchy 2nd female leads, I rather enjoy watching them spiral. However what was that here? The 2nd female lead isn’t bitchy, she is mental. I’ve never witnessed, EVER, such a weak, penis-slave female character before. This the best way I can describe her. I seriously don’t want to even think that in 2017 there are women that act like that, let alone 20something girls who are as excessively beautiful as this young woman here.
Are we really going to accept tv shows that put women in such a bad light nowadays, or even sympathize with one? No, if a bastard doesn’t want you, you don’t forgive his sleeping around and neglecting you because “you can’t live without him”, you kick him in the nuts, you do a hair flip and you move on! This is not the 1800s! Unacceptable writing!
What’s more, another thing that seriously bothered me was the misuse of the terms “introvert” and “extrovert”.
Introverts aren’t people who hide in black hoodies, can barely talk to others, never leave their houses and don’t have any friends acting like creeps. What is this? So an introvert has no fashion sense and only wears black hoodies to cover his face, not being able to cater for himself. He can’t strike a normal conversation with a person to save his life and he overthinks to the point he hurts himself. As I said, over-exaggeration killed this drama.
Somehow this was supposed to be funny but it wasn’t! I agree introverts have difficulty in socializing, but there is a huge difference between an introvert and an anti-social person, which is what the male lead in this drama is.
In the same sense, an extrovert isn’t a crazy person who screams and violates people’s proximity levels. Over-exaggeration made me role my eyes so hard, they were stuck at the back of my head.
Since I mentioned the extrovert part, the female lead, let’s talk about that. Yes, the female lead was awfully annoying in the first 3-4 episodes, but during those episodes the drama had something different to offer, it was somehow original. I was actually enjoying her quirky character giving a unique vibe to the drama. Not every female lead needs to be nice and innocent so as to eventually “change” the male lead. So boring and unreal! After the script changes, yes she became conventional and likeable but also super boring, and along with her the drama reduced itself to a very, very classic and boring rom-com.
Additionally, I would like to mention what was a failed romance for me. No one in this drama had chemistry with one another. Park Hye Soo and Yeon Woo Jin seemed to be having fun in their scenes, but I won’t ship 2 people who just look good together. Everything felt too forced to go down a romantic lane making their scenes cute but also non-inspiring and boring.
Furthermore, broadening my rant to the supporting characters, I’ve never witnessed such uninspired, superficial and machine-like secondary characters. They all had nothing to offer other than comedy which, on the whole, fell completely short in my eyes. I was mainly annoyed at the misuse of Ye Ji Won who is just too good to be treated like that.
All this in combination with the thoroughly tedious and long episodes contributed to the drama’s complete failure. I could have overlooked everything to be honest if it wasn’t for the exceptionally weak backstory. I know this is a drama and i should just relax and enjoy, but when they put serious plot lines and issues in the middle like suicide and emotional abuse, there are lines that should be respected. Not everything can be comedy!
As far as the acting is concerned all the actors did a good enough job but I think all of them were miscasted.
Park Hye Soo was borderline unpleasant to watch and completely forgettable, no charm in this role. I am all for actors trying different roles and testing their limits. She did not do a bad job in this role, she was directed to act like that after all, it is just that the role didn’t suit her at all. Maybe it would be better for some actors to just stay in what they can excel at. I could totally picture Lee Sung Kyung in this role.
Yoon Park is too cute to be playing ungrateful bastards. Good job but I couldn’t dislike him enough to consider him an antagonist or sympathize with him at all to care or root for a character development which left me with a lukewarm taste throughout the drama.
Gong Seung Yeon. Oh my god! This woman is too beautiful to be playing such roles. I understand the directors’ thoughts behind hers and Yoon Park’s casts but it just didn’t work out. When you are beyond beautiful like Seung yeon you know it and you don’t run behind any bastard, and if there are girls like her, no reason to beautify it by presenting it in a tv show!
Yeon Woo Jin was the only actor I actually enjoying watching, still his performance wasn’t memorable to save this thing.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this drama to anyone to be honest, but considering the positive reaction it is getting I think my personal views, principles and values got the best of me. Apparently rom-com lovers, business drama followers and comedy fans will enjoy this but I’m positive there are far better dramas out there.
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