1
manicmuse
NYC!
I never expected a romcom about a narcissist and and a control freak to make me swoon and laugh so much, but "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" unexpectedly ranks high on my favorites list! I knew nothing about the novel or web toon before watching, so I can't compare, but from the beginning to the end I think this is a solid drama on it's own.
Park Min Young and Park Seo Joon are a romantic dream team! Their chemistry, their comedic banter, and emotional moments are flawless. A narcissist male lead is nothing new, but Yeong Joon takes this trope to a whole new level. He is unapologetically egotistical, but early on we start to see that he may be much more considerate than he appears. Secretary Kim Mi So is his perfect work match, but it soon becomes clear that they compliment each other in other ways as well. I never got tired of watching these two together. It doesn't hurt that they look amazing together (with an amazing wardrobe too). Whether their scenes were ridiculously comedic, tragically melodramatic, or beautifully romantic, I loved every moment of watching them together. Their characters were so well played that even their smallest comedic nuances were on point. I also want to give a shout out to Kim Mi So's epic ponytail! I swear it was it's own character. Another shout out to Yeong Joon's house, which is my dream home from Secret Garden (my all time favorite drama, which probably explains why I like this one so much)
The rest of the cast is just as good, and well played. Sure, many of them are comedic, even silly, but every single character is strong on their own, even if they are just for comic relief. I am not always a fan of Korean humor, and sometimes it can be a little to corny for me. In this drama, some of the silliest characters that I thought were annoying initially, became some of my favorites. This is especially true of the work staff, who were such a great ensemble. The mvp being Hwang Bo Ra, who I thought I would hate, but often made me unexpectedly laugh the most. I even liked the cheesy graphics and sound effects. The only character I could think of with any weak acting moments was Lee Tae Hwan as Yeong Joon's brother. Since he had one of the most melodramatic parts in a cast full of comedic ones, I'll give him some extra credit for that.
At some point in the middle there is a major departure from comedy that goes into melodrama, and even the thriller genre a little bit. The reason why I think this worked was because it all helps to better understand the characters. They also were even able to still find some humor related to that storyline, so that it didn't seem completely out of place to me. It's hard to say too much about the story without giving it away.
It was very surprising to me just how much I liked the story. I definitely started out not wanting to see these two together, which I think is the vibe the show purposely gives you. The rest of the show reveals that there's so much more to the story than what it seemed like initially. Some of the story is admittedly unrealistic, and super "convenient", but I can't think of a single hole or flaw. Even the supporting characters had stories that I loved, and there were a few random early moments that I forgot about, but when reintroduced they made perfect sense. Maybe it helped that they had something to adapt from, because even though the plot had some very cheesy moments, the storytelling remained impressive.
I can only give the soundtrack a 9 because none of the songs were amazing to me, but the music in the episodes, especially during the comedic moments, always complimented the scenes perfectly. Also, minor spoiler, Park Seo Joon does sing, which is hard to be mad at.
My rewatch score is a 10 because I'm already starting over from episode 1. What I already notice is that the show is even more entertaining knowing that there's more to certain scenes that I missed the first time. So nothing is lost by knowing what will happen, in fact, it makes the story a little better. I also wasn't ready to say goodbye to this cast yet.
Overall this is exactly what I love in a romcom drama... a romance I can root for, and episodes that entertain me from beginning to end. Kim Mi So and Yeong Joon are now among my favorite Kdrama couples. I loved both actors in dramas previously, but for me this is them both at their best. "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" is the most charming romance I've seen in a while. I think it's proof that a seemingly simple drama can make a strong impact.
Park Min Young and Park Seo Joon are a romantic dream team! Their chemistry, their comedic banter, and emotional moments are flawless. A narcissist male lead is nothing new, but Yeong Joon takes this trope to a whole new level. He is unapologetically egotistical, but early on we start to see that he may be much more considerate than he appears. Secretary Kim Mi So is his perfect work match, but it soon becomes clear that they compliment each other in other ways as well. I never got tired of watching these two together. It doesn't hurt that they look amazing together (with an amazing wardrobe too). Whether their scenes were ridiculously comedic, tragically melodramatic, or beautifully romantic, I loved every moment of watching them together. Their characters were so well played that even their smallest comedic nuances were on point. I also want to give a shout out to Kim Mi So's epic ponytail! I swear it was it's own character. Another shout out to Yeong Joon's house, which is my dream home from Secret Garden (my all time favorite drama, which probably explains why I like this one so much)
The rest of the cast is just as good, and well played. Sure, many of them are comedic, even silly, but every single character is strong on their own, even if they are just for comic relief. I am not always a fan of Korean humor, and sometimes it can be a little to corny for me. In this drama, some of the silliest characters that I thought were annoying initially, became some of my favorites. This is especially true of the work staff, who were such a great ensemble. The mvp being Hwang Bo Ra, who I thought I would hate, but often made me unexpectedly laugh the most. I even liked the cheesy graphics and sound effects. The only character I could think of with any weak acting moments was Lee Tae Hwan as Yeong Joon's brother. Since he had one of the most melodramatic parts in a cast full of comedic ones, I'll give him some extra credit for that.
At some point in the middle there is a major departure from comedy that goes into melodrama, and even the thriller genre a little bit. The reason why I think this worked was because it all helps to better understand the characters. They also were even able to still find some humor related to that storyline, so that it didn't seem completely out of place to me. It's hard to say too much about the story without giving it away.
It was very surprising to me just how much I liked the story. I definitely started out not wanting to see these two together, which I think is the vibe the show purposely gives you. The rest of the show reveals that there's so much more to the story than what it seemed like initially. Some of the story is admittedly unrealistic, and super "convenient", but I can't think of a single hole or flaw. Even the supporting characters had stories that I loved, and there were a few random early moments that I forgot about, but when reintroduced they made perfect sense. Maybe it helped that they had something to adapt from, because even though the plot had some very cheesy moments, the storytelling remained impressive.
I can only give the soundtrack a 9 because none of the songs were amazing to me, but the music in the episodes, especially during the comedic moments, always complimented the scenes perfectly. Also, minor spoiler, Park Seo Joon does sing, which is hard to be mad at.
My rewatch score is a 10 because I'm already starting over from episode 1. What I already notice is that the show is even more entertaining knowing that there's more to certain scenes that I missed the first time. So nothing is lost by knowing what will happen, in fact, it makes the story a little better. I also wasn't ready to say goodbye to this cast yet.
Overall this is exactly what I love in a romcom drama... a romance I can root for, and episodes that entertain me from beginning to end. Kim Mi So and Yeong Joon are now among my favorite Kdrama couples. I loved both actors in dramas previously, but for me this is them both at their best. "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?" is the most charming romance I've seen in a while. I think it's proof that a seemingly simple drama can make a strong impact.
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