Sirloin

A 50 Episode Weekend Drama in Disguise: All Over the Place & Too Little Episodes

I knew not to expect much when the AWARD WINNING movie by the ML that had everyone gagged was entirely AI. I could not stop laughing at this absurd premise in the beginning and it went downhill from there. This is the strongest support for why I dislike ensemble casts for 12/16 episode dramas. Reminded me a lot of Record of Youth (but somehow worse with weaker acting). Never focusing clearly on the leads and way too much screen time for supporting characters. A lot of people say they liked the beginning while others like the 2nd half. But I honestly never had much hope for this drama. From the start, the story was operating on a flimsy foundation:

- The Weak “Love Story”

The writer relies on these ~aesthetic~ flashback montages to establish how the leads like each other instead of SHOWING us how they fell in love. I felt no connection to their love story, and had no reason to root for them when all it took in their past was her pointing a camera at him + him saying “your dream is nice” for them to like each other. Then the present day too, I really don’t get why the FL even liked ML again after all that trauma she faced in the past because of her choices involving him + the way he barges in after 15 years. The ML at least had a very messed up physiological reason to like the FL, she being the only kind person in his life when he was being abused + his crazy family situation. I understand him forming an attachment to her (even tho it’s super toxic for him), but the FL honestly had no STRONG reason to want to get back together with him imo. The way he barged into her life like he didn’t go no contact for 15 YEARS when he knew where she worked, and immediately placed himself in a position of power over her is so weird too. The writers failed to make me want them back together cause I thought the whole relationship was toxic for them both, and not important enough for the FL. If the ex-boyfriend actor guy came back earlier and wanted to get back together, I don’t see any reason the FL would’ve refused cause the main couple’s relationship don’t seem grand and special enough.

-Got Back Together Too Easily/No Tension
I don’t understand why the writer moved so fast past the “will she forgive him and will they be back together” storyline in the beginning. It was personally the most interesting part of the story, I mean this is a second chance romance and we wanna see how they make their way back to each other. But it felt like only a few eps was spent on it, she just forgave him all of a sudden and they were all lovey dovey. There was really no internal tension in their relationship after that and they were just making movies happily?? All of the other problems after this were external like toxic parents, and whatever drama was happening with birth secrets and the other couples. Their love story seemed like a side character at that point.

- Interesting ML Character
I did like what they wanted to do with the ML’s character but couldn’t because of the 2 other couples + dozens of side characters I didn’t really care about. The ML worked and achieved his dream, all he needs is love but the FL never had that chance, they fundamentally have different ambitions in life, she don't see love as the first priority.
His inexplicable attachment to her was always unhealthy imo, and he treated her quite rudely because of it, disregarding her opinions. He only really likes her because she was the only kind person in his life when his family was crazy and he was being abused. He literally thinks she's the only reason for his happiness + the only way he'll be happy is with her, which is not healthy imo. But this did make for a really interesting ML who has to learn that being so attached and doing everything for the FL (like typical drama MLs), suffocating her, is not good. Unfortunately, focusing on a bunch of characters + 12 episode format didn’t allow for much development, and I was sad to see wasted potential

- Side Characters Should be Side Characters/This is Not a 50 Episode Weekend Drama

Another unpopular opinion is I didn’t really care for the 2nd couple even though they were cute. The 3rd couple too is so unnecessary. I miss older romance dramas that didn’t have insane ensemble casts and we had to sit through everyone’s pains and sob stories tbh, just the leads. The story felt like a weekend 50 episode drama that confused on all the characters, but we only have 12 episodes so they should trim it a little. I get having a cute 2nd couple but they took way too much of the story when they’re just as cliche (tortured famous star and humble supportive love interest), then the plot about the 2nd ML’s dad just felt extra, we could’ve developed the leads’ relationship more. The random ex boyfriend cameo when the FL is obviously not gonna leave the ML, creating fake conflict, also unnecessary.

- Chemistry/Acting
No one here stood out for me with acting. The leads especially, I think are just not very strong actors. I felt like I was watching the exact same character Hyeri played in Reply 1988 with the accent and being a bit of a goofy tomboy (I kept thinking I wanna watch that drama instead lol). Hwang Inyeop is himself as usual, having to look perfect in every shot. I didn’t feel like they embodied their characters or had SIZZLING chemistry. I’m no saint and do root for super toxic drama couples IF they have great chemistry, which didn’t happen here. I do think they could’ve had better chemistry if the characters didn’t get together so fast, we could’ve seen more of their past, and there was more tension tho. The only one I liked for acting was 2nd FL and her mother. The 2nd ML was just pretty with the same wide eyed look in every scene, which is good for him.

Spoilers
Unpopular Opinion: Her Going Abroad Made Sense (But the 12 Episode Format Messed It Up)

Even as someone who thinks this drama is incredibly boring and some storylines stupid, I think the FL going abroad was planned from the start and the writers didn't pull it out of their ass as a plot device. The ML was gone for 10 years and got to grow as his own person + learn filmmaking skills. Now it's the FL's turn to do the same. She chooses to stay on the bus this time VERSUS how she got off the bus, missed her film school exam because of him (yes she made the choice, I'm not blaming him, just that this is a contrast to her choosing him vs her dream) This makes perfect sense to me and naturally where the story was heading.

BUT the way they handled the tension and reunion after 2 years was very dumb, rushed, and I think the 12 episode restriction didn’t help. I see this breaking up and going abroad thing working so much better in the 12th episode of a 16 episode drama so they can develop their relationship properly in the remaining 4 episodes with the ML having a healthier mindset + the FL having accomplished what she wanted.


TLDR:
Overall, this wasn’t really THAT horrible for me cause I never had any expectations. I had some moments I was mildly entertained like the movie filming. But I watched this with an emotional detachment from beginning to finish, and don’t think I’ll ever think about it much after.

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The Downsides of Dividing a Story into Seasons: Not a Good Continuation of Season 1

Season 1 of BitchxRich was not a masterpiece by any means and had plenty of dramatic, head scratching moments. But for a web drama mostly with up and coming actors, it was a lot better than others like it. The story delivered/had unexpected moments, I was at the edge of my seat and ready to binge the 2nd season. Most people did too since the 1st season was successful enough for the drama to be picked by Viki and stream internationally. The budget similarly increased if we look at the more known actor playing The Principal (I will get into how replacing characters also was a bad move below), the dramatic press conferences, the school being entirely different, etc. Returning to Cheongdam High however, was like walking into your friend’s house only to see a bunch of strangers there and your old friends sidelined. So many vile and overdramatic things happened this season only for the pay off to end anti-climatically + wrapped up in a neat little bow despite very little making sense. The writer definitely changed and the people behind this new season is more concerned about aesthetics, posturing, which scenes would get tiktok edits than telling a cohesive story.

What I Expected : I rewatched 1st season in preparation and I think it would be good to explain what I expected from this season. The core Diamond 6 members would still be at the center + the poor FL. We focus on uncovering who killed Oh Si eun while Jena and Hye In learn to work through their differences and eventually become reluctant allies to actual friends. Because remember, this show is ultimately about Hye In and Jena. The dynamic of the Diamond 6 members from s1 changed dramatically as result of the expose from the last season and I wanted to see more scenes of Do Eon and Jena, Yul hee and Do Eon, etc.

SPOILERS
What I Got: The Drama Turning Into a Caricature of Itself.
S1 still felt like a show about high school students with the petty jealousy, wanting to be liked by others, blackmail, bullying, etc. But in season 2 we have some hacker BlackDog person who’s this all knowing being, a high school boy who acts like a middle aged makjang character fighting for the succession of his dad’s company, and he manipulates the shares of the 2 biggest companies in South Korea to take down their CEOs. Cha Jinwook is just such a Mary Sue. No offense to the actor (I find him very handsome) but he’s also 50% of why this season has been so bizarre. Every plot line leading up to him being the genius mastermind is just too much & made the other characters stupid so he can save them (like Jena taking those pills with her step mom living in the same house). He's clearly a genius, why is he not out there taking over the world atp. There’s something about S2 that feels very artificial, it’s not immersive like season 1.

SPOILERS END

Old Characters Set Aside:
The 2 female leads who should be at the center of it all (according to this drama’s own synopsis) gets brushed aside to make room for this insane ensemble cast of 2 evil dads, an evil principal, an evil stepmom, a male Mary Sue, all knowing hacker, a knight in shining armor on a motorcycle, etc. Their personal character growths are of no importance to the new writer who just wants heart fluttering~ save the damsel in distress romantic moments. What gave them the idea this was the way to go when the unhinged female cast of the last season is what made the drama successful?

Speaking of unhinged, it doesn’t matter if you dislike Hye In for being greedy social climber or defend her as a relentless girl who’s just trying to turn her life around in our unfair society. She bought the drama. She was gutsy and not afraid to stand up for herself no matter if she was in the right or wrong and bought a campiness I liked in the 1st season. She had her stupid moments at times, but she always surprised you with this spunky unexpected cleverness that either worked or didn’t. Season 2 FL feels so defeatist with her cowering and being pulled around like a puppet by every other character. Even the only other remaining character from S1 the ML Do Eon gets treated like a nameless background character (he was giving Haru from Extraordinary You). Do Eon was so relentless in finding who pushed his girlfriend in season 1. Where's all that energy and dedication? Kim Hae In was also supposed to be a wildcard who wants to take down these rich bullies and cunning to do whatever to achieve her goals yet she's so stupid in this season.

New characters & a lack of subtlety:
1. RIP LEE SOMANG - It’s pretty apparent that his character was always set up to be the big mastermind taking down this corrupt school AND the FL’s love interest from season 1. But with his actor starring in My Girlfriend’s The Man and dropping out of the new season, the writers had to find a way to still incorporate those storylines with heart-throb actors for the TikTok girlies. So what they did instead was divide his character into 2 different guys who appear out of nowhere and immediately start acting like they were here all along:

- Cha Jinwook ML #1 - The mysterious handsome guy thing can only work with Lee Soomang bc we spent an entire season with him acting like a slacker to cover up his knowledge of everybody’s dirty secrets. His cryptic messages about “I will take care of her for you” would’ve paid off this season + all the time we spent on his backstory as a black sheep of a rich family wouldn't need to be repeated. Cha Jinwook instead gets the “handsome guy who’s the black sheep of a rich family ” role. we spend so much unnecessary time watching him get bullied by his evil dad, have mysterious conversations with his mom, stare broodingly into the camera with a cigarette AND a gun because he’s so sexy and mysterious lmao. The blind loyalty he has towards Jena from their 1st convo whom has done nothing to show she’s different from other spoiled girls like Min Yulhee is unconvincing as well.

- Lee Sarang ML #2, the brother of Lee Somang (never mentioned in s1) takes over his role as the FL’s love interest. He starts being sweet and helping the FL from the get go just bc his now absent brother said so. Again, I’m not understanding why the MLs in this drama take 1 look at the FLs and start acting like they're knights in shining armors. The MLs in S1 even though they helped the FL, had their own hidden agendas and delivered the change in their characters from “I'm using you” to “let's be friends/potential love interests” well. There was no build up like this with the new MLs and the transferring of “being in love with the FL” from 1 brother to another is so tacky + uncreative. We just didn’t need any of this forced romance. WHERE DID HIS BROTHER EVEN GO?

2. THE PRINCIPAL Like I said, Season 2 is a direct continuation of Season 1 as in not even a day passed in between the ending of the 1st season and the beginning of the 2nd season. We pick top right off from the “Rooftop Fall” from the last season yet THE VERY NEXT SCENE IS THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTER GETTING REPLACED BY HIS BROTHER!!! AGAIN! Who is this man? Why is he here? What happened to the other principal who was just here a few minutes ago? Why are we getting so many scenes of him bullying his secretary? He’s a background character we only need to see once in a while as a symbol of how corrupt this school is. Who cares about this random lore where he doesn’t like this nephew but pretends to be nice to him? This continues on for so long with him popping up to have dinner with his student’s families, even in random engagement conversations between Jena and Jinwook’s dads. DOES THIS MAN NOT HAVE HIS OWN HOME? They also over do it with how evil he is. This is a common theme in this new season where every single character and dialogue is so in your face with their evil-ness. ZERO SUBTLETY. Jinwook’s dad is the same way where he threatens to sell his own wife to a brothel abroad if Jinwook doesn’t fix Jena’s drug rumors. Not something to laugh at but I was so caught off guard by the cartoon villain-y of it all. S1 had overdramatic moments but the actors delivered it far better with an equally dramatic pay off and it still felt more grounded to me.

3. JENA’S STEP MOM has a different actress and while she’s not a central character, she does play a big part in the story as a potential master mind. The old actress had this air of a dignified kinda matronly teacher and there was more complexity like “is she or is she not planning something?” The new actress is not only so on the nose with her eyes and sneers, she’s also younger and has these stereotypical kdrama evil 2nd FL looks so there’s no suspense. I’m pretty sure the actress has been in a couple makjangs I’ve seen. She’s very obviously planning/hiding something & Jena not being cautious or investigating her was nonsensical. Jena’ dad also caught this cartoon villain disease and immediately slaps his daughter on the first episode of season 2. All I got from him in season 1 was that he was a strict father who didn’t like his wife but loved his daughter in his own way. Here he’s just going around slapping his daughter on our first re-introduction to him. And he and all the drama about who inherits what really did not need all that screen time. The story at some point stopped being “poor girl + rich girl face off at a prestigious high school” and turned into a poor teen wannabe version of HBO's Succession.

Things I Liked:
Like I mentioned, so much of this season is based on shock value, long shots of the characters smirking and leaning into each other sexily to make a point. But the actors even being newer and fresh faces, did a decent job in my opinion, especially Min Yulhee and Kim Hae In’s actors were standouts in how good they delivered their roles. Kudos to Jena and Hye In also, their characters are not easy to root for but the actors pushed through and had me awww-ing at the little interactions they were allowed. Lee Soomang’s actor sadly was the strongest male actor we had, I was sorry to see him go. The other male actors were really bad (especially frozen Cha Jinwook) and lacked the natural mysterious yet playful vibe he had. Overall I wish the script and pacing were much better to compliment the acting. Hope to see everybody in better works in the future.

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Fei Wo Si Cun’s Worst Drama Adaptation to Date

Everything about this from the story to the music and the way it’s filmed/edited is over the top and not in beautiful melo way like Siege in Fog or other Republican dramas are, but in a low budget vertical short drama way that took all the seriousness out of serious scenes. I can’t believe this came from the same writer behind iconic angst dramas like Goodbye My Princess, Siege in Fog and Too Late to Say I Love You. The big suit executives at Tencent and Iqiyi clearly did not even bother hiring a good writer or really putting any effort into this cause they knew fans of the Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan will eat it up anyway.

The Background Music:
Somebody turn this off, there’s background music blaring at all times and overshadowing the dialogue. I seriously hate the “this is where you have to be sad” “this is where you laugh cause there’s funny music” sound effect thing dramas do and this was so excessive with it. Again in vertical short dramas where it’s more aesthetic vibes than substance, maybe the blaring is okay but this is a high budget full length drama, there’s no excuse.

Acting:

It’s your standard cdrama acting but somehow worse, I think both of them are no Oscar winning actors but ZLH and WCR has been better in other works I’ve seen them in so idk what happened here. Chemistry too I felt nothing.

Rewatch Value:

There’s nothing valuable about this. Just watch something else

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This is probably what being high feels like...

I wouldn't know but I really felt like I was either high on drugs or in those rom-com comas where the female lead dreams of falling in love with a hot guy. Except what I got was two hours of lucid nightmare full of violence, angst, and naked butts. There are at least 3 separate stories going on all at the same time that has somewhat of a connection but the writers have done a terrible job of making cohesive. I have a lot to say about this movie hence why I decided to write my first ever review for it.

If you expect a sweet, forbidden romance from the name and summary, you're in for a shock as I did. Do yourself a favor and look at the tag which I failed to do. Despite everything I said up to this point, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Not because it had spectacular acting, storyline, or cinematography. In fact, it is utter nonsense and very dramatic at certain points. But they were done right in a way that sticks with your mind. I give it a 8 out of 10 just for how entertaining it was and that is what a movie should do right? I guess the appropriate term would be so bad that it's good. The fact this was my first exposure to the BL genre... and I still want to watch "Forbidden Love" (which I guess is in the same series) says a lot about me as a person.

Trying to make sense of the characters and why they do what they do is like solving a puzzle and while it does gradually gets solved, I don't know what to feel about the end result. Usually, experiences like this really make me dislike a show or a movie bc I feel as if my time was wasted. The opposite was true with this. I felt accomplished and weirdly satisfied. Every once in a while I like to look at the comment section and the other members of this secret, a mess of a fan club because that's what it exactly feels like having watched this movie.

I don't really remember much about the music tbh, which probably means they weren't that great but they weren't that bad either. I'm guessing they fit well into the scenes somehow. The quotes in between were really nice though and helped somewhat explain the story. Rewatch value is pretty low just because the beauty of it lies in the shock factor so knowing what is going to happen beforehand kind of ruins the surprise. It would be fun to watch it with someone whose never seen it before and see their reaction.

The only complaint I have is there were not enough romantic moments between the two leads, whose forbidden relationship as student and teacher was the only reason I even checked this movie out. Most of the screen time is taken up by the annoying and delusional Ichiyo who I could careless about. He's not someone to be pitied. Because of his actions, a lot of people got hurt and no excuses should be made for him just because of what happened to him.

Most Japanese movies/dramas, in general, are a trip but they really do a good job of getting you to feel for the characters amidst the over-the-top plot. Overall, Boys Love was a rollercoaster, a very confusing and bumpy one. But like rollercoasters, you won't forget the trill you just experienced. Once in a while, it just randomly creeps into my mind. I will probably remember it for the rest of my days and for that I appreciate it. It shouldn't work but somehow it does: a true enigma.

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LISTEN UP AUDIENCE! Season 1 was Jinman’s story, Season 2 is Jina’s story

We start right off where season 2 ended and get introduced to new characters + re-meet old foes as uncle and niece band together to face off against Babylon. Fight scenes are genuinely amazing and exciting to watch and the actors do a great job like they did in season 1. The new season’s actors too bring their A game. Special shout out to all the actors who were alternating between like Korean, Japanese/Thai/Chinese and English. I loved how much bigger the setting of this season was from Japan to Korea to Thailand.

I really enjoyed everything about it despite some suspending disbelief moments (which s1 actually had way more imo like Jinman not killing Bale with the knife or Jinah being in the woods with those wolves so it wasn’t a big deal). There were also more comedic dark humor moments especially between Bale, Marco and J which I liked.

Unfortunately I saw a lot of people complaining about the story being messy or the 2nd season “losing the plot.” I would argue these people are the ones who completely lost/missed the story, not the drama. Below are spoilers, but know that so many people just feel entitled to have dramas go exactly the way they want or its’s “bad writing.”

Character motivations were very clear and made sense, they’re not even that different from S1 which was always either protect Jinah or kill Jinman/Jinah so the some comments about this motivations being unclear this season also confuses me.

Season 1 was always Jinman/the uncle’s story. We uncover his backstory, what motivated him, his enemies and allies. Despite being presumed dead in S1, the uncle is the main character haunting the narrative and even though yes, Jian is there in S1, she’s more of a audience surrogate as we constantly flash back and forwards to piece together the image of who Jeong Jiman really is. Of course Jian’s story itself gets set up a bit but overwhelmingly every piece of how season 1 unfolds were planned in advance by her uncle, it’s really his game to control and move. The big bad of the season too is the uncle’s nemesis with a fraught history between them, Bale was nowhere near all the operations to take Jinah down, he never goes there personally in s1 because his ultimate focus is Jeong Jiman and Jinah is a supporting character.

Season 2 now is Jinah’s story. We open with her struggling to cope with what she’s disvored, running away to a faraway village and eventually establishing connections with people. Losing them too and learning what pain is like her uncle did in season 1 (other characters also point this out that she will learn to be like her jaded uncle soon). Season 2 is Jinah’s transformation into her uncle in a way or to see if she can be different from him experienceing the same things (Jinah herself plants this seed by saying she will never be like her uncle in the beginning of s1). She even has the same “slapping herself over guilt of a loved one’s death” scene her uncle did in season 1 here. The writers are clearly making a parallel. Even the big bad(s) of this season were written to mirror Jinah.

First yes both Q and Kusanagi are women leaders like Jinah. On top of that Q is similar to Jinah as someone who was raised by the yakuza like Jinah was raised by her assassin uncle. Q had to watch her dad be killed in from of her when she was 10 just like Jinah witnessed her uncle’s friend’s arm get chopped off, and had to hide from a killer by laying next to her dead mom’s body in the morgue. The writers are so on the nose about it, idk how people missed it but the scene where Brother is hurt and Q and Jinah face off, you can see the parallels of them both wanting to seriously hurt the person that took away their loved ones. Q even says to Jiman that “your niece in that moment had the same look in her eyes I had back when I was young.”But unlike Q who lets others manipulate her using her brother’s death, Jinah learns to not let her temper and hurt control her, she doesn’t impulsively go after Q to kill her when she could be used as a great pawn to take down the head of Babylon Korea. Both are team leaders that care deeply about their teammates, but Jinah learns to be more levelheaded as part of her character development.

Then there’s Kusanagi who again the writers are very obvious about being a female CEO like Jinah and being the head of a major organization like Babylon/murthehelp. Kusanagi isn’t cold and crazy for the sake of it, she’s there to be a character foil to Jinah who genuinely treats her employees like family so they’re willing to lay down their lives to her versus how Jin gets abandoned by every Babylon employee in the end cause she’s cold hearted and don’t consider them hers.

Even the choice to make Kusanagi a self hating Korean wanting so hard to be Japanese and super disdainful of everything Korean + speaking Japanese all the time which in the end backfired on her with the lawyer and other Babylon employees is purposeful imo. She can’t unite people of these different nationalities under her like Bale and J, while Jinah despite hiccups on the road with Pasin, in the end had everyone from Thailand and North Korea to China and South Korea laying down their life for her. Kusamagi likes siding with whoever is more powerful and can benefit her the most, which was the case for many pro-Japanese Koreans during Korea’s colonization under Japan whose descendants live in luxury today. Kusanagi is very much the same and wants to take over murderthehelp borrowing Babylon’s power. The choice to make her have this identity is not random. Her boss tells her multiple times that she doesn’t work for the good of Babylon, but only herself, in direct constants to Jinah who works for the good of her murthehelp family.

I get people wanted some melodramatic confrontation and longer story between Bale and Jinman, but dragging that story out when 1. that would be way too unrealistic considering they’re literally just trying to kill each other anytime they make contact 2. this is not Jinman’s story but Jinah’s. Bale and Jinah don’t have much emotional character connections/juxtaposition between them like she does with Q and Kusanagi. Bale is Jinman’s nemesis and his foil with both being cold killing machines when they worked for Babylon and favorite of their boss who says they’re very similar but also different cause Jinman is not entirely psychotic. Bale is not fit for Jinah’s season. (Plus just having a indestructible big bad who’s always coming back from the dead + explosions and fire is so Alice in Borderland type of shounen manga cliche, I’m glad they avoided that in this season).

The drama make it a point to tell the choice to make everyone part of the green code and be protected just like her is Jinah’s choice, not her uncle’s (he’s surprised by the meeting even being called). In fact the theme of “Jinah is now in control” is repeated so many times in the drama and we see the “LISTEN UP JEONG JINAH” chapter title cards actively change to “LISTEN UP JEONG JINMAN” at the end of the season, signifying Jinah’s growth as a character throughout her own story, now the one with experience + wisdom to share as a result of her journey, no longer led by the advice of her elder. You may not like it, but it makes absolute sense with how the story is written, so the lost the plot or the story don’t make sense complaints just tells me people consider it “bad writing” if a drama don’t go exactly the way they want it. Don’t even get me started on the people giving low ratings cause god forbid fan favorite characters die in an action thriller drama named a shop for KILLERS.

Overall a good drama that kept me engaged and glued to my screen

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A hot mess.

I'm all for having preferences and respecting other's opinions but the fact this has a 7.9 just baffles me. And the fans are STILL insisting it deserves a higher rating and the only reason why some people rated it low is bc their endgame didn't happen smh.

Regardless of whom ended up with whom, it was a mess. I remember watching it when it was airing on cable but decided to rewatch it after seeing the high rating. . Trust me, the writing was so bad that by episode 12, I could care less about any one of them and this had my boy Park Haejin in it. So it isn't about rating it low bc my endgame didn't happen like some people are saying.

It is genuinely a hot mess of a story that never decided what it wanted to be. An action-thriller? A serious medical drama? A melodrama? A romcom? I rooted for Kang Sora's heiress and Park Haejin's shady genius to be together anyway so I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to the "who is the female lead?" debacle. I could care less about that.

Logic and reason do not apply to Doctor Stranger which works in some romcoms but again, this was trying so hard to be a serious action/medical drama that the inconsistencies eventually tore away at anything good it had going on. It honestly deserves a lower rating but some people enjoyed the eye candy, I guess.

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Unexpectedly Fun, Heartfelt, Charming

“A real family is eating together, worrying together, and staying by each other's side when things are tough. We’re real.”

Ever wonder what the extra charges and maintained fees on your bill or mortgage was going towards? What if those in charge embezzled or took money from the funds your money is going to? Well this drama is the answer for you. TRUST ME. I’m not someone who finds dramas like this fun AT ALL. I need a lot of romance, comedy or mystery for me to like a drama a lot. But this was an exception cause of how good it was executed by the writers and the actors. Proves sometimes just a single story can make an excellent non-clique work if the actors are good.

It touches so well on the kind of corruption that can take place in constructing and selling/renting an apartment/house. Like shoddy building quality to extra maintained fees/reserves funds that gets collected each month but embezzled by those in charge. No wonder the drama was such a hit in Korea, so many Koreans could relate to the problems in this + even I as someone who don’t live there could relate. I even looked at my bills after watching this for any extra fees they charge wondering that they were for.

When I started this drama, I expected a cliche set up about a gangster who finds out he had a heart + a lot of action + typical kdrama gang/gambling stuff I could put on and forget about. The name and summary sounds incredibly boring, like how can an apartment building president election be interesting? The first episode is rough and generally has what I expected but, starting from the 2nd episode once the drama is set up, this became so fun and became one of my faves this year.

What I Loved:

- The found family trope I didn’t even see coming from the description. Every character had insane chemistry with each other and made me awww over their interactions, they really were a more real family than some blood related ones. The little romance they teased was sweet too.

- The apartment complex residents and staff. They genuinely felt like a real building community who were living together before the ML came along. The young mothers, the lady who butts into everyone’s business, the old ladies who would run after the grandpa and feed him, the people working at the maintenance office. Even the villain who lives at the top of the apartment + his supporters. All of them made the setting feel so alive instead of it being an impersonal prop just there so the ML can learn to be good like I’ve seen on many dramas.

- How non-draggy it was. I thought the election stuff would be most of the story, but they moved past that pretty quick, which was surprising and refreshing. They do the same with pretty much most miscommunication and new plot developments, so there was rarely a time I was so frustrated over the characters not communicating. I liked characters being so open and forward with their words, resolving conflict fast. I know a setting being about a apartment complex and it’s election again sounds boring af, but trust me, they do a excellent job of balancing the seriousness of corruption and negative elements of the story with lighthearted humor, without making it feel like they’re being insensitive to the harm and damage the villain has been doing to people.

- The acting was just excellent from the cast imo, especially from lead Jisung, my favorite annoying but adorable ahjumma Moon Soori, and the criminal ahjussi who I also grew to like so much + iconic in every drama Kim Wonhae. This would’ve easily been horrible with the whiplash between slapstick humor and dark violent parts, but the cast handled it well. The ML’s story of being a abandoned little boy indebted to the only person that raised him, to slowly growing to build not only a family, but a whole community of an apartment complex who loves, helps, and depends on him is so sweet. But still with plenty of action, comedy, and even some scary parts.

Things I Found Iffy:

- The last like 2 episodes did feel a bit slower, and it takes 1 episode to get going for the story, but I was so into the characters that it didn’t relay matter the story was slowing down at that point

Overall, you’ll find yourself celebrating and worrying together with the wins and losses of our ragtag team of fake family members as they grow to love and appreciate those around them. I really recommend it

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