My issue is that it focused 30% of its story on a romance that appeared out of thin air. I never connected with them as a couple in love and never really understood why Agent K would fall for this particular woman. Strangely, I don't dislike the female character, I just do not see any chemistry and missed out on the leading-up-to the romance.
I will talk about it more below, but I want to intersect by saying: this is still a good drama to watch for action fans. Just ignore the romance and you'll be fine. The rest all works very well. The humor isn't making anything ridiculous and the action is fastpaced and cool. Definitely a drama I would want to use in a youtube edit. It's just not at all a romance drama.
Near the middle, roles have been assigned and some secrets have been revealed, and Agent K reveals part of his identity to save the girl he - apparently? - likes. However, I don't know if he really does, or if it leads up to a bigger plan by then. Maybe Park Haejin wasnt allowed to display hearteyes? Maybe the writer focused so much on making the action drama well thought out and only decided to add romance (to please more people) near the end so it wasnt fleshed out. Either way, I don't connect with it at all. I can understand the trope and I would have loved it if it was written better but in this case I don't see how she goes from "who is this dude" to "let me hold your hand and love you forever". Everything sure does look good though. (Except the girl's hair. Why oh why would you do that)
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Basically anyone who enjoys seeing the romantic lives of celebrities, or of ordinary people in front of cameras and how fans react to the celeb couple. Fame combined with love. However this drama is also about the warmth, sincerity and relationships between people in a close-knit village. For people who love to root for underdogs.
.....or for anyone who enjoys a GREAT OTP/leads. For fans of Romance stories.
STORY
The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of any story, and the STRONGEST POINT of this lakorn.
Thai lakorns can never reach a 10, lakorns overall low quality compared to Kdrama. There was alot of loopholes/not perfect writing BUT this is still very much a recommended thai lakorn watch! Any drama even if lakorn deserves a 8.5 if it can make me become this addicted to it.
1st ep buildup was a pain but addicted from ep 2 already ALL THE WAY to the end. The small village with its warmth and the OTP who stole my heart. A Romcom but with dramatic aspects, the last few eps seemed almost like a light melodrama. Lovely plot idea, the hidden cameras that secretly broadcasted the village and the OTP as reality TV lol
ACTING / CAST
While the ACTING itself could've been better (like in many thai lakorns and even kdramas/asian dramas unfortunately) the CASTING itself was PERFECT. Not only was the OTP suitable to each other but very suited to their lead roles. And the rest of the cast was on point too, I ended up caring for all characters in that village as well the the King and Kong duo.
The best acting from the leads/OTP, and while not the BEST acting itself from the rest of the cast everyone managed to still somehow charm with their characters. This is very much a character and relationships driven show. Even "annoying" characters ended up being somehow cute in their annoyingness. Eventually you get used to the ridiculous humor and the ridiculous characters.
Features one of the BEST FEMALE LEADS in all of Asian dramas. She was not only brave, stood up for herself and for others but was still vulnerable. She was extremely kind-natured yet without being a pushover. She didn't just pretend to be tough with a tough exteriour, she really was a strong lead. Sometimes hid her feeling but knew eventually how to open up. The male lead was weak though but even he eventually manned up, just wish it'd had been sooner.
Now I've become a fan of the female lead actress Cherry, she is the star of the show.
BONUS points to this lakorn for featuring GAY and BI (supporting) characters.
MUSIC
Beside the occasionally thrilling melodrama/thriller esque music, absolutely nothing special. Not bad enough to distract from the plot either. Some parts of the lyrics in fact really fit the plot, but otherwise just lame forgettable, plain bad music. Better music would've made it even more enjoyable but oh well it was good without music enhancement. Would prefer though that they'd used better music.
....1 point for music overall HOWEVER...
....Bonus points for the HILARIOUSLY over-dramatic music at not SO dramatic moments, parodying melodramas. Absolutely hilarious!
REWATCH VALUE
Don't take my rating of this aspect too seriously, I'm generally not a fan of rewatching, not even of good drama.
Overall not much reason to rewatch, but could rewatch some sweet moments of the village people and their warm community. The OTPs scenes I'd say are very rewatchable since they're so cute.
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A total of 34 Episodes is just nice. The flow is good, casts played their roles well, the scenes really dictates the late eighties and nineties in a harsh environment. I finished the drama with a complete sense of satisfaction. The OST ending song is really nice with a fantastic voice matching the times.
Besides the lead actress and a few others who are elegant and pretty the others are all down to earth but they played their parts very well making this a very highly rated drama in the home country. I happened to watch one of Yan Dan Chen’s drama lately by chance as she is not really in the limelight like the idol stars but found her to be a hidden gem and playing the lead role extremely well. That lead me to watch this drama. The backdrop is the great plains of Norther China and Mongolia and the great desert. Weather conditions were extremely harsh and people can hardly make a living. Small companies come and go and the dairy industry is one of the main source of making a living. The opening up of government ownership to private and attracting foreign investments in the 90s sprung up an opportunity for a group of young people who took over a bankrupt milk factory and developed it into world class. The story also does not equate success with just money. It is the self-fulfilment and actualisation of ones dreams that determine success. The thought of converting a vast desert to an oasis and green plains seems an impossible tasks meant for the gods of mercy.
Work, money, characters and individual ambitions can override love, family and loyalty. Success also comes with a lot failures and sacrifices along the way before it triumphed to a world class company. You just cannot have the cake and eat it too.
This drama is worth watching and if you like watching the first few episodes you will likely complete it …… This is definitely a fresh change from most of the recent themes that are overrated, messy and disjointed.
Videos from Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EVMsu8dOgs
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Btw the girl here I found really hilarious just like the K-version and she's told as an actress!! So I think you guys can give it a try!!
I seriously hope they would make the second season!! #pray
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This is a family drama full of touching relationships and matters of the heart, transforming human connections from foes to friends, from lovers to enemies and vice versa. It centres around the lives and tribulations of one family which includes the protective and loyal Grandma Qi and her grand-daughter Ting Ting. Pan Hong in the role of Grandma Qi is exceptional and steals the show with her relentless pursuit of family unity and her unconditional love for Ting Ting. Tong Lei as the fiesty, clueless and impetuous wife is fitting. A classic case of opposites attract but it is the story of Guang Ming and Ding Xue's journey that will bring tears to your eyes. It may be a touch melancholic but it doesn't drown you in sadness. Yes, there are villains and antagonists but you come to understand their actions and for the most part, you forgive them.
I started the show because of Jin Dong and left with an appreciation for the veteran actors in the show. The acting was superb and will leave you wanting more. Keep your tissue box around for this one.
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The acting of the cast was okay, the chemistry wasn't sizzling like the japanese version! However, I loved the second male lead a lot here. He wasn't annoying and did not over exaggerate his acting like in the Japanese version (partially due to my bias for jiro wang keke). The male lead was also less cold than in the japanese version .
The music, well, I didn't pay much attention to the osts because they did not stand out. As for rewatch value, I think I would prefer rewatching the japanese version even though this couple was cute too.
Thought Itazura na kiss (Japanese version was better) but what I liked a lot about this version is that the female lead acknowledges the feelings of the second male lead.
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Up until episode 13, I was determined to give Protect the Boss a strong 8, as it was a highly enjoyable (if predictable) ride. But as other reviewers mentioned before me, the final 5 episodes (that could be easily reduced into 2) effectively assassinated the plot (and some of the characters). It's not that the series couldn't last for 18 episodes. It could. There was definitely enough material to work with. The problem was that the writing in the final episodes was all over the place, it concentrated on the wrong stuff and did very little for character development; it was like the writers suddenly forgot that some of the characters exist (Eun Seol's father appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye; the grandmother became strangely passive during some major moments), forgot what their relationships are ("Gangster Chairman" Cha suddenly doesn't approve of the heroine why again??? it didn't make sense), or that the characters were going to say something (Eun Seol promised Ji Heon to definitely tell him why she did what she did next time they talk....I was really waiting for it...it never happened); or that they have valid issues that need to be addressed (it would be nice if Ji Heon was shown to be as supportive of Eun Seol as she is of him).
That being said, Protect the Boss IS a good drama, one that defies many cliches and offers many hilarious moments, not to mention that:
+ the male lead acknowledges that the heroine is much more awesome than him, there is never the typical arrogant male lead moment "she is such a loser why do I have to like her?"
+ family dynamics of the rich family is unusual and entertaining
+ the antagonists are more pitiful and funny than villainous
+ the second female lead is really a precious cinnamon roll and she eventually befriends the heroine
Negatives:
- as mentioned, the last third of the show was poorly written and boring
- the main couple was nice and their chemistry was decent...but lacking, somewhat. I don't know why, maybe it only seemed to me that way because Choi Kang Hee who played the heroine looked like she could be Ji Sung's older sister (not that she wasn't pretty, she was!), they just weren't convincing as a pair - they were cute, but not the OTP of the century
ACTING/CAST 9/10
I've never ever heard before about this Ji Sung guy, but he was amazing, he made his character truly three-dimensional and believable, and I definitely became his instant fan. He was adorable! The rest of the cast was great as well.
MUSIC 7.5/10
Some catchy songs but nothing to write home about.
REWATCH VALUE 6/10
Big yes to rewatching my favorite moments, but I don't think I'll be able to get through episodes 14-18 as a whole ever again.
OVERALL 7.5/10
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I found this movie very poetic and subtle. I did enjoy watching it. It is a lovely human drama exploring how we impact each other. The tone is very subdued. I disagree that this drama is a romance. I found this movie pretty touching. Though I think it is worth the time to watch it, I don’t think it can compete with the more acclaimed movies in this category e.g. If Cats Disappeared from the World (2016), Departures (2008).
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We meet two characters who just CAN'T HELP IT. Jong Du suffers from a mild mental retardation while Gong Ju has a severe form of cerebral palsy, a terrible disorder that is incurable. Both of them are shunned by other people who are too afraid and disgusted to deal with them. However, they form a friendship and romance that helps them deal with loneliness. Dong Du is unable to fully comprehend the world around him (which sometimes results in him acting aggressively); while Gong Ju is exploited by her brother who uses her disability pension but leaves her all the time alone with only neighbors to look after her. Moon So Ri's acting is just brilliant, I've never seen anything like it.
There is one scene in the movie when we see how Gong Ju dreams about being normal and imagines having flirtatious interactions with Jong Du. Unfortunately, she is not able to move or even speak normally but still has a need to function properly like all other human beings. It is interesting to note, that all of all people, it is Jong Du who takes her on "adventure" and makes her experience just a bit of life that she has been depraved of.
This is a very difficult movie to watch and it isn't for everyone. There is no HEA for Jong Du and Gong Ju because there is no magical cure to help them be "normal". But what this movie does is make you APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE MORE. It reminds you that there are people who got it worse than you, who can't eat/walk/talk properly and who depend on others' mercy to survive. So be kind to others who "can't help it" and live your life to the fullest.
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This review may contain spoilers
So firstly i want to say that i have watched all seasons, and i was kinda not sure on which one should i write the review.However lets begin.
First of all the story was really cool, i really liked the crime part of it . The idea of having an organisation full of murderers is just PERFECT. This drama kept me interested till the end. You never know how the story is going to unfold.The thing that really attracted me at the begining was the portray of the female lead- she is not a typical chinese or any kind of drama lead. She is a strong and undepedandant woman, who can fight for herself and the people she loves and really importat wasnt annoying which could have happened really easy . Not to forget all the murderers were fantastic presented , their charectrer and why they became criminals was really good made.
So i am going to recommend this drama to all people who enjoy crime ,mystery with lots of love elements in it. It is definitely not the typical crime drama.And if you are looking for somthing with less drama in it ( i mean love drama,however a lot of love figures were involved hahahah it was definitely not only a triangle hahaha) this is the perfect example - there is none hahaha
My rating is around 8.5~9 out of 10.
Highly enjoyable .
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