minj99
Building a house brick by brick in Trope City
Monthly Magazine Home starts on solid foundation, veteran cast from top to bottom, then it devolves into meaningless drama tropes. Either for laughs or for plot progression, tropes from love triangles to noble idiocy rear their ugly head. The fatal flaw with tropes is that it sacrifices uniqueness, and this is doubly applicable for MMH’s focus on strong individual characters. Overusing tropes hinders MMH’s ability to demonstrate meaningful growth in its characters.
Story:
Monthly Magazine Home is another character driven romcom that explores characters and their reactions instead of plots and devices of yesteryears. It is unfortunate that the character designs are painfully paper thin in MMH. Yoo Ja Sung is a rags-to-riches self-made man with a singular focus on financial success. The third leg of the love triangle is a well-mannered son from generational wealth. The entire cast of characters can be explained in simple one-liners, and their motivations, what makes them tick, are not expanded through the drama.
For example, YJS has the emotional intelligence of a small child. Next scene, he is the most thoughtful man of every woman's dream. Character behaviors are erratic and often played for laughs. Or even worse, queue noble idiocy. Monthly Magazine Home squanders the potential to empathetically examine modern millennial struggles for stereotypical romance-comedy.
Acting:
The cast immediately draws eyes to Monthly Magazine Home. The two main leads each have over a decade of experience. Kim Ji Suk’s performance in When the Camellia Blooms is exceptional, and he does not miss a beat in the more comical character in MMH. Jung So Min has been a romcom staple since Playfull Kiss in 2010. Highlights from the supporting cast are Kim Won Hae, who never fails to draw a laugh, and Coffee Prince star, Cha Jung An. With well over a hundred years of experience between the core cast, the actors make this broken drama.
Music:
The OST for Monthly Magazine Home pairs several kpop artists with staple OST composers. The music maintains the light-hearted atmosphere of MMH with familiar sounds. Jo Yu-ri’s song may be of interest to IZ*ONE fans after the recent disbandment of the reality competition group.
Rewatch Value:
Monthly Magazine Home may be an example of the weakness of pre-produced Korean dramas, which have become popular, especially with the rise of streaming services. The direction is set from the beginning without regular audience feedback. Perhaps it is pride. Expecting a veteran cast and crew to create success. Regardless, I will remember MMH as a what-could-have-been drama of 2021.
Story:
Monthly Magazine Home is another character driven romcom that explores characters and their reactions instead of plots and devices of yesteryears. It is unfortunate that the character designs are painfully paper thin in MMH. Yoo Ja Sung is a rags-to-riches self-made man with a singular focus on financial success. The third leg of the love triangle is a well-mannered son from generational wealth. The entire cast of characters can be explained in simple one-liners, and their motivations, what makes them tick, are not expanded through the drama.
For example, YJS has the emotional intelligence of a small child. Next scene, he is the most thoughtful man of every woman's dream. Character behaviors are erratic and often played for laughs. Or even worse, queue noble idiocy. Monthly Magazine Home squanders the potential to empathetically examine modern millennial struggles for stereotypical romance-comedy.
Acting:
The cast immediately draws eyes to Monthly Magazine Home. The two main leads each have over a decade of experience. Kim Ji Suk’s performance in When the Camellia Blooms is exceptional, and he does not miss a beat in the more comical character in MMH. Jung So Min has been a romcom staple since Playfull Kiss in 2010. Highlights from the supporting cast are Kim Won Hae, who never fails to draw a laugh, and Coffee Prince star, Cha Jung An. With well over a hundred years of experience between the core cast, the actors make this broken drama.
Music:
The OST for Monthly Magazine Home pairs several kpop artists with staple OST composers. The music maintains the light-hearted atmosphere of MMH with familiar sounds. Jo Yu-ri’s song may be of interest to IZ*ONE fans after the recent disbandment of the reality competition group.
Rewatch Value:
Monthly Magazine Home may be an example of the weakness of pre-produced Korean dramas, which have become popular, especially with the rise of streaming services. The direction is set from the beginning without regular audience feedback. Perhaps it is pride. Expecting a veteran cast and crew to create success. Regardless, I will remember MMH as a what-could-have-been drama of 2021.
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