The art of making a damn good show
The Art of Sarah really had no business being this good from start to finish. I mean, I already knew this would be right up my alley because the premise? Obsessed. The cast? Say less. But when something sounds too perfect on paper, I get nervous. Call it trust issues, call it experience with k and cdramas... Either way, they nailed it.I started this as a “let me watch 1–2 episodes before bed” situation… which quickly turned into me staring at the ceiling at 6am wondering where my self control went. I genuinely could not stop. This show is dangerously bingeable.
At its core, it does such a good job exposing the luxury industry for what it really is: marketing, illusion, vibes. And since I’m already a sucker for con/heist type stories, this had me locked in immediately. But then it layers in a full on mystery, kind of a whodunit energy, and suddenly I found myself dissecting each con, each interaction and playing detective myself. The fact that it’s also a mini drama format? Perfect. No filler, just chaos (complimentary).
Let’s talk cast.
Shin Hye-sun, as usual my girl understood the assignment and delived A++ levels. I already expect a lot from her, but she went above and beyond here. Every persona she took on felt distinct, convincing, and just different enough to keep you slightly off balance. And that’s the whole point really, you’re constantly asking along with the detective, "who is this woman, really?" And the show never fully hands you a clean answer, which I loved. We get enough to understand her motivations and a glimpse into who she is NOW, but not enough and honestly, that made it even better.
Lee Jun-hyuk was also so good here. This type of role suits him ridiculously well. I just wish we got a bit more of him as a person, outside of the detective lens. We get glimpses, but I wanted more, especially to understand what was driving his obsession with the case and this need to “win.” Because every time the show leaned into that, it got even more interesting.
The writing was very sharp. You think you’re signing up to watch one con, and suddenly you’re ten layers deep into increasingly elaborate schemes. Every episode feels like its own little rollercoaster that you're on along with Lee Jun-hyuks character as you peel back the layers of "Sarah". And what I really appreciated is how morally grey literally EVERYONE is. At some point, you genuinely stop knowing who to root for, and somehow that makes it even more fun.
The supporting cast also pulled their weight. No weak links, no “skip this subplot” moments, everyone added something to the overall experience, which kept me fully in the show the entire time.
My only complaint would be the technicality of the ending, mainly from a prosecution POV, the pieces didn't fit together AS neatly as the show wants you to think. However, I chose to suspend my real world knowledge and just accept the shows logic. But this part is the reason why the show isn't a 10/10. They could have cooked the ending logic a bit more to wrap the show up even better.
Overall, if you like mystery, deception, morally questionable characters, and a peek behind the super polished curtain of the luxury/fashion world, trust me, just watch this. Just maybe don’t start it at night like I did, unless you’re okay sacrificing sleep.
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This review may contain spoilers
More than an idol-fan drama
Honestly this was a very very solid drama that actually dealt with very real aspects of celebrity culture in Korea. I have always wanted a good drama that handled the entertainment industry in Korea but everytime a new production rolled out it was disappointment after disappointment.This drama however, really got a lot of things right and therefore gets a pretty great score. It dealt with record labels, obsessive fan culture, sasaeng fans, in group dynamics, paparazzi, how privacy is sadly not a right but a luxury for many people in the industry and just overall the backstage of the overly-glamourized world we see on our screens. I hope many people who watch it can see the real life correlations of some of the storylines, especially the ones regarding obsessive fans and paparazzi.
I also thought the crime/mystery aspect of the show was done pretty well and kept you on your toes.
When it came to the characters; I really loved the chemistry between Sooyoung and Kim Jae Young, they were truly cast perfectly. I could truly see Jae Young as an idol in real life tbh and I loved that he sang all the songs himself. I also believe that Sooyoung being an idol herself who has gone through many of the things that the male character goes through on the show really helped to ground the plot in reality. Overall, both of their acting was very well done.
Now! One thing that I genuinely didn't need in this show was the second male leads romantic feelings towards the FL. I think someone needs to tell these writers that platonic male female relationships do EXIST like why does it scare them so much to portray a healthy M-F friendship? However, I really enjoyed Kim Hyun Jin's acting and really liked his character despite this, I also think he handled the situation very well.
I was also very scared as to how they would handle the fan-idol dynamic and how they would navigate that on a script level but Sooyoung's character was written so well and she was just such a great lawyer and her mindset was amazing that I fully rooted for her. I think it was done in the best way possible.
ALSO, finally a drama where a (SPOILER) childhood connection actually made sense and added a very lovely layer to the story. It was very well done and you could tell the intention behind it rather than a random plot device the writers put to fill up screen time and fake a connection between the leads.
The show started and ended in a very consistent quality which sadly is a rare thing these days. If you like shows/movies set in the entertainment industry then this one is a must watch in my opinion.
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A wonderfully purple mess that had a lot going for it
I had such high expectations and I was fully ready for this to climb straight into my all-time favorites list…so when I tell you no one is more disappointed that I dropped it than me, I mean it. I think the combination of a lot of the things I'll mention contributed to my overall subpar experience with the drama. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad which is why my score isn't LOW low. But it was disappointing enough FOR ME that I have to rant about it a little bit.I actually took notes while watching, so this is basically me revisiting my own descent into disappointment.
Firstly, the overall look and directing. I’m sorry but… why does everything look so fake? The budget wasn't even that low so why does everything look like it was made out of styrofoam and the paint job done yesterday? The color palette is aggressively whimsical to the point where it feels like I’m watching a low-budget live-action Disney remake. And the aesthetic choices?? The bright moon palace with those weird, almost LSD trip looking floors that somehow extend into the entire decor… that was certainly a choice. Not a good one, but a choice nonetheless. Idk it felt like the aesthetics were targeting a very young age demographic. I also do support the show having a purple theme but the use of the color was not done very well which only made the production look cheap in my opinion.
The directing didn’t help either. There’s this constant wind effect making everything flow dramatically, except it just ends up looking awkward and distracting. Add to that some very questionable editing and scene transitions, and it genuinely feels like I’m watching a drama filmed in 2020 with outdated, slightly corny camera work. The frustrating part is that with better scene selection and tighter direction, this could have been elevated so much!!
Now, the cast and characters.
Ao Ruipeng? He looks great. He really fits the anti-hero vibe to a T. his angular features work perfectly for a morally grey character, and also… he looks fantastic in blue and purple. No notes there, I enjoyed every second he was on screen. His acting was great and I'm so happy he's getting lead roles. His makeup was also really nice and fit his face very very well.
Bai Lu though… something about the makeup felt off for me. She is such a beautiful actress but the makeup looked weirdly heavy on her and it kept distracting me. Character-wise, I do appreciate that she’s not written as completely clueless, she makes rational decisions and actually uses critical thinking (a rare win). But at the same time, the plot armor is already doing the most. So whenever she does make a decision the payoff feels unearned because the plot armor did most of the heavy lifting. We’re supposed to believe she’s human at this stage (to our knowledge), yet she’s surviving things that absolutely should not be survivable (the volcano?? be serious). I get that it’s early on, but still.
Her dynamic with the second male lead also didn’t land for me at all. These are supposed to be people with deep history, someone she saw as family, as a brother, and yet their interactions feel cold to the point of disconnect. I understand the anger over being lied to, but the hostility feels off, and their scenes end up being more disappointing than emotionally impactful. Their dynamic felt like a missed opportunity.
As for the main couple… I don’t know, I’m just not feeling it. The romantic tension isn’t there, even though the male lead’s little helper kept hinting at his feelings in the beginning. It feels like the groundwork for the romance just hasn’t been properly built. And don’t even get me started on the memory loss trope, they really pulled that out just to fast-track the relationship, which felt incredibly lazy.
At this point, I’m already kind of bored, which is the worst place to be with a drama like this. The side characters aren’t interesting enough to compensate, and the main couple isn’t compelling enough to carry it. I'm literally so close to the end of the show and yet there is nothing in it for me to finish it. Especially after reading how everyone calls the ending "bittersweet".
There’s just… something missing. And it’s frustrating because this had so much potential.
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This review may contain spoilers
It was...just okay
I actually really liked the fl, liked her tone, her approach to things. Yang Mi did a really great job I thought she was perfectly cast, the problem I had was unfortunately with Xu Kai, he was just so...checked out. I thought his character would have been a nice change compared to the roles he usually plays but I think he suits a comedic role much more. His charisma can actually shine there whereas here...I felt nothing.The kisses lacked chemistry, the romantic moments had a dissapointing buildup. I think with small tweaks it could've been a better drama.
I have to be honest, I only properly watched the first half and skimmed the last half because the cases bored me and the dynamics weren't interesting anymore. My favorite character by far was Yang Mi's best friend. I was really happy she finally left her shiitty husband, she was too good for him.
Aside from that my personal favorite duo was Qin Shi and Li Dai's relationship. I really really wanted to see more of them. It would have been so good to see them working together, their arc was so good. I really disliked Qin Shi's bosses, every smile felt fake and rehearsed.
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Went in with high expectations only for it to crash and burn
I actually wrote this review immediately after I decided to drop it as the show was airing but I just couldn't be bothered to post it and eventually forgot it existed. This should tell you enough.Honestly? I give up. I don't even care how the story unfolds, i'm entirely uninterested. I'm the kind of person that if I've invested 5-6 episodes into a 12-16 episode series i'll try my best to finish it. Even if it means skimming through the episodes just to have a complete storyline in my head. Also i just feel bad for the hours that I had already invested into the drama to leave it unfinished. HOWEVER! this drama? I feel like it would be a disservice to my time to continue watching it.
It's sad since I started the drama with decent expectations, love the lead actors and I was actually very excited about the general premise of the show. I have to say, it was still enjoyable until maybe episode 5?
I liked Choi Wooshik's character a lot and he really is a good actor to me. Jung So Min's character on the other hand? While she is by herself a really good actress in my opinion this character of hers was just...so bland, so mid, her personality was just non existent to me. She felt very flat. Even the tone of her voice, how small it was, annoyed me and in my opinion this didn't fit well with the character at all. I thought Somin and Wooshik had pretty decent chemistry but because of how uninterested i was in Meri as a person nor what happened to her I just fully checked out after a while. Not to mention the unnecessary childhood connection that I will never understand why the drama writers in Sokor are so obsessed with. Why can't we be into a person for the character that they are NOW? Why do we need to add that layer of connection?
Oh and all of the conflicts and plotlines that happened? I predicted them from a mile away.
I saw some clips from the later parts of the drama on twitter and honestly it looked SO boring, predictable, and created drama for the sake of drama kind of scriptwork. Lazy imo, will be dropping it.
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Mix of explosive chemistry and comedy
Safe to say, I’m having the best time with this drama right now.I had seen the trailer when it first dropped, so it was already on my radar, but I was originally saving it until at least the halfway mark, however thanks to a very boring Friday night, I unconsciously hit play and I'm officially obsessed.
Now I have to say, I'm a sucker for office romance. The more secretive the better, like the tension alone is too delicious to watch, so I already knew this would be right up my alley. There is also the added flavour of Shin Hae Sun's character Ju In-a being the work superior and Gong Myung's character Gi Jun being the younger, ambitious and fiery junior. It was really nice seeing a decent switchup of a usually pretty overdone cliche in dramaland.
This show also had a great twist for me; it is HILARIOUS. I honestly laughed out loud so many times in the episodes that even I was surprised by the sheer volume of my laughter. Crazy...
I’m obsessed with Ju In-a. She’s such a layered character and I’m genuinely so excited to see where they take her. I’m also slightly nervous because if they ruin her badass character, I will take it personally. Women who are brutal and exceptional at their jobs will always do it for me, and she really is all that. It's the perfect role for someone as talented as Shin Hae Sun.
Gong Myoung is also surprising me in the best way possible. He’s so well cast here and he's definitely on my radar now. I loved how Ju In-a absolutely crashed into his perfect life and turned everything upside down. The way he handles the whole thing is hilarious to watch, and his comedic timing is genuinely great. I love that the show is not holding back on the humor. If anything, it’s fully leaning into it, which makes everything feel more fun. I really hope they keep that energy going.
And the chemistry is already OFF THE CHARTS. We barely started and I’ve caught myself holding my breath during a lot of their scenes (cough..the art room..cough). It’s the kind of buzzy tension where you can feel it building constantly. Their dynamic is just so enjoyable and I’m already excited thinking about where it's going to go. With a premise like this...the possibilities are endless. Also, I'm so ready to see them team up properly and do some badass auditing together which we're already getting a taste of.
Speaking of which, I’m really enjoying the audit team as a whole. There’s a lot of personality, and the team dynamics feel pretty good for now, I'm excited to see where that goes as well. The cases are also looking interesting and serve as a nice layout for the main storyline and keep each episode very entertaining. It has a detective vibe to it, which I enjoy so so much. I'm glad that the auditing parts are just as entertaining and engaging as the main leads dynamic.
I’ve always enjoyed corporate politics in dramas. The messy relationships, the quiet power plays, people being shady in suits… it just works for me. Add in the detective vibes of the audit team, and the comedy and I'm left with no choice but to be obsessed. They've just hit all the marks for me, so I have no way of resisting this show.
The only part I’m not fully connecting with right now is Kim Jae uck’s character, and his secretary. I love love love LOVE him as an actor, but something about that storyline isn’t landing for me yet. It's just falling a bit flat compared to the rest of the dynamic feel of the show. That said, it’s still early, so I’m keeping an open mind.
I'll update my review as the show goes on, and again PLEASE DON'T CRASH AND BURN.
Post Finale Update:
I think my thoughts remain the same, I adore Gi-jun and I-na's dynamic, they were so good until the very end. My only criticism would be that they kind of did let go a bit of the humor after the halfway mark, which was a fear of mine. I also really wanted to see more audits, especially more in depth ones, laced throughout the episodes to keep the fun tone alive. However, because I enjoyed the characters a lot, I CAN look past this.
The VP and his secretary remained kind of forgettable characters for me, as I predicted. They just didn't carry any impact for me and I genuinely did not care what happened to them. I think those 2 characters were the missed opportunity and the biggest weak link of this drama as a whole. I think the actors did a good job, it just came down to the characters themselves and the script in my opinion.
Overall, this was extremely fun and I loved waiting all week for Saturday to come.
(A bit of a side tangent but am I the only one who thinks Audit Team 3's Chief, kind of looks a bit like Ji Chang Wook? I think he could definitely play his dad in a future project. Or maybe it's the hair styling? Idk)
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Prepare yourselves for a lovely time
I'll keep it short and sweet just like the drama itself. It was a lovely show with really good leads; their chemistry, their flirting it was all so lovely to watch.The plots woven with their careers were sometimes boring but it wasn't long enough to truly break the story. Above all, the characters and the events happening felt realistic therefore it was okay that the leads didn't accidentaly meet every time they went outside.
I also appreaciated their conversations. There was no room for true misunderstandings because soon after, they would actually discuss it and resolve it. Overall, a very enjoyable little treat. I also loved that it was a shorter drama and left it at a very nice point.
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Trust me, just watch it
I'll keep it short, this was a fantastic cdrama. The director is an actual artist so the entire show is filled with gorgeous shots and beautiful editing. The script is also fantastic with no logic holes and no filler episodes. Everyone is gorgeous to look at, the acting is wonderful, the costumes are wonderful and this is by far the best reliving the past kind of drama I've ever seen.The FL and ML compliment each other in a way that I haven't really seen much in cdramas before. She is truly a smart, resourceful person and he is a level headed, strong person who respects her and trusts her. Their partnership truly felt equal, the political conflicts also made sense and was easy to follow. This by no means should be interpreted as "it was simple", it just did a very good job at keeping the romantic storyline and the main plot conflict equally gripping. I wasn't bored for even a second and that says a lot for me.
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