Reviews

Initially, after the first episode, I wasn't sure that I would continue watching this show. I thought the first episode was a little depressing, and kind of weird. The characters were interesting though, so I wanted to give it another chance. By episode 2, I knew that this was a drama worth watching. Ho Won is a very sympathetic and relatable character. I loved the friendship between Ho Won, Ki Taek, and Kang Ho - they never got competitive with each other and were always genuinely happy for each other. Seo Woo Jin and Ho Won both showed good character growth through the series. I love how Ho Won influenced Woo Jin for the better. The office politics were not boring or heavy, and the office characters were interesting even if they could have been fleshed out better.

My main complaints about the show were that I felt that the show didn't leave enough time to adequately answer all the questions it raised (I feel like this show could have been extended by 2 episodes easily), and that I wished there had been a tad bit more romance. The romance in this show is VERY minimal, but also very sweet and just beginning to blossom. The sweetness of it is why I was disappointed that we only got the tiniest taste of it before the ending. The show's main focus was the office relationships and politics, and they did those parts well.

The music was not standout, but must have been serviceable. I didn't really notice it much.

This was a good office drama, with both funny and touching moments. There are lessons to be learned about how to live in the moment, that we need to do what's right even when it's hard, and not to give up when life gets tough. Even with some flaws, it's still a good choice and you won't be mad you watched it.

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It took me a while to watch this because of my busy schedule.
Usually I would feel tired and stressed, and seriously this has kept me up and about!
I always looked forward to the next episode. It entails all kinds of emotions.
Comedic, really uplifted my day. Heart wrenching as well, every moment was well connected.
I really loved it, and I thought that they made a good match despite the age difference!
Don't hesitate guys, just watch it! I didn't even watch the trailer, nor know anything about it,
I just went on and watched it! and I really loved it! Kuddos to the writer, which has the same one as "Descendants of the sun" and "The Heirs". It's really nice

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Radiant Office is an office drama involving three strangers who unexpectedly end up on the same rather depressing path in life, and shows how they evolve and grow due to the struggles they are thrown. It is a story of friendship, office shenanigans and romance. I enjoyed this drama quite a bit and looked forward to it every week. Is it perfect.... well, no, and we'll start there....

Cons:

The First Episode: The first 40 minutes of episode 1 were tough going for me. I dump dramas early, and I don't know why I stuck with it but the minute the friends found each other, my level of enjoyment went way way up. So if you are like me, stick with it a bit longer because I was totally hooked by the end of episode 2.

Big Meanie: Either the writer or the director had Ha Suk Jin play his character a bit over-the-top verbally aggressive ( I really don't want to use the word abusive), in several scenes. I think it needed to be toned down a bit.

Left Hanging: There are a few misunderstanding/unexplained things that really needed a conclusion that I didn't get to my satisfaction, but this is relatively minor.

Dr. Seo: Not to be confused with the lead, but there is a character who is a doc with the same name (Seo), and I think the writer did twist and turn him around to suit the needs of the story a bit too much for my taste.

Terminal Illness: This drama is not really about terminal illness. I think the writer should have found a better way to get her characters where they needed to be without this trope, but I will stay away from spoiler territory.

Pros:

Story: Well isn't this the most important thing? Not everyone is into office dramas and this is NOT Misaeng, but for me this is a story of the people just set in an office. That is its strength. It could have been a law firm or hospital or wherever because where they work doesn't matter so much as the people involved.

Characters: Which brings us to how well all the characters are fleshed out....all of them. And sometimes they surprise you. Someone you think you will really dislike, you end up learning more about or seeing things from their perspective. This to me is a success of the writing (from a newbie writer no less) that there is no over the top villain or caricature going on here. Office politics, for sure but as anyone who has worked in one knows, that actually is often reality.

Actors: No weak links at all. They were all solid. I saw a lot of comments kind of getting onto Ha Suk Jin for taking another such "arrogant man" role, but way more so here than in 1% or Let's Drink, we get to see him outside the office and become a more realized character. Was this a huge challenging role for him; probably not but we see that he has some good comedic timing when need be in what has to be one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a drama recently. It has to do with a Swiffer mop and I'll leave it at that.

Eun Ho Won: I'm just gonna say it. Sometimes I didn't like her, and sometimes I was frustrated by her, and sometimes I was embarrassed about her. So why is this on the "Pro" side? Because all too often K-drama leads are either martyrs, candies, over-the-top sassy girls that are not always well rounded as characters. She is a 'glass half empty' type person as are her friends, and it can be tough to root for someone like that, but I liked her and her friends, and I was rooting and cheering them on flaws and all.

Problems Others Had But I Didn't:

- Many didn't share my acceptance of Eun Ho Won, yet I noticed many completed the drama due to their liking of the side characters.

-Romance is definitely on the back burner for a chunk of this drama, but I actually think this is realistic to most office romances. No instalove, but if you have to have a lot of romance, this is not for you.

-Some people didn't like the unrealistic office scenarios, but - well - isn't this the reality of medical/legal/cop dramas? They are not realistic, but I actually thought Radiant Office brought out the difficulty of contract workers, women getting ahead, expectations put on men to be super successful before starting a family, difficult job search etc in a pretty sane way.

Final Word:

I found this to be an enjoyable drama, but definitely people had different thoughts on it with some finding it on the boring side and others frustrated by EHW. I have a soft spot for these type dramas and grew to enjoy Eun Ho Won on her quest for acceptance and success in the business world and in life.

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Connections get you everywhere, but should they? This is the story of the drama which unexpectedly stole my heart this autumn.

It took 4 episodes to hook me.

Honestly, I considered dropping it, but as I was watching it with others I went past my usual three episode cut off and it grew on me. They cut out the imagination scenes around here (which added little to the drama other than showing how bad Ho Won's reality is) and the story kicks in. I'm so glad I kept watching.

Story:

If you try anything 100 times you should be able to do it right?

Eun Ho Won thinks so. After 100 unsuccessful attempts at full time employment, enraged and exhausted she gives up on it all. But she can't even do that right. She ends up in the emergency room where she meets Do Ki Taek and Jang Kang Ho who are in a similar situation, before running out on their bills they overhear that one of them has a terminal illness. They end up meeting again and again and become a mini support group for each other. They end up scoring short term contract work with the chance of permanency but will they do anything to get that?

The story is nothing out of the ordinary, but it works so well. This series was written by a rookie screen writer, Jeong Ho Hyun and I am super excited to see their next project when the time comes.

The characters are realistic and likeable, they are well developed throughout the series. The relationships and the interactions between them are what makes the show so enjoyable.

The two main love lines are well done.

The comedy ranges from subtle to slapstick and will have you in fits of laughter.

The plot moves along at a reasonable pace and the story line is enjoyable.


Acting/Cast:

Casting for this was on point.

The characters were well played by their prospective actors.

Ha Suk Jin is so typecast as the tsundere man it's not funny, but he is so great at it I don't ever want to see him in any other role. His character Seo Woo Jin is a hard man with a soft gooey centre that is hilariously afraid of cats among other things. Meow!

Go Ah Sung was just fabulous as Eun Ho Won. Her eyes are amazingly expressive, her stare is deadly. Her comedic timing is spot on. Her chemistry with Ha Suk Jin is killer.

Oh Dae Hwan is wonderful in everything he does, he is such a great supporting actor. His character was so annoying yet so funny.

Another stand out performance is that of Lee Dong Hwi as Do Ki Taek, he played the fierce friend so well I was moved.


Music:

The music is well suited to the drama, it's modern and fits the scenes. The title track 101 is really catchy and uplifting. Actually the whole sound track is well worth a listen on its own.


Rewatchability:

I have rewatched the first four episodes and found them much better with a second viewing I didn't even hate the imagination scenes so much as they made more sense with added context.


Summary:

This was a very enjoyable and heart warming series, I laughed a lot more than I cried. It works well as a comedy and a romance, although some people may find this type of slow burn romance frustrating I found it delightful. If you try this series give it a little bit of time to grow on you as it comes into its own around episode 4-5. I hope you love it too.

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I think this is going to go down as one of my favorite romcoms. Honestly, I typically hate love triangles particularly when the central character can't decide who she likes more... but this story sucked me in from the start, and I couldn't help but be invested in these characters. They played the triangle for just the right amount of angst and comedy, and at one point, I was even rooting for polyamory... (god I really would have loved that, but let's be realistic here). But the deeper core of the show was just beautiful. The raw emotional base, particularly of the main two characters, was hypnotic. The side characters were also fully drawn and just as interesting, at one point they could have turned into caricatures, but the show artfully turned them into real people who you can't help but root for.

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Despite being one of the most anticipated and hyped-up dramas of the year and in spite of the fact that it marked the comeback of acting-giants, Saimdang ended up being rather disappointing and underwhelming failing to live up to expectations according to the majority of viewers. While I can’t completely argue against any of it and having said all that, I can’t deny that Saimdang turned out to be quite special for me against all odds.

Story
Having had studied Art History in Uni and with it being my favourite module, you can understand my initial excitement when I realized this is a drama about art history but in Korea! Only 2 of my biggest interests intertwine like that. I wouldn’t miss the chance to savour this rare opportunity!

Saimdang is a wonderful drama but not without flaws. It takes place simultaneously in the past and the present, depicting the past and present lives of the characters. Starting in the present it centers on a woman who tries to prove that a painting is or is not authentic facing serious enemies in this endeavor of hers.

Simultaneously and very flexibly the story travels to the past as we get to see the whole story behind the painting in question and how this is connected to our main flawless female character Saimdang and her life.

I can totally understand why viewers found this boring and disappointing. Most of the drama depicts Saimdang’s life but focuses a lot on events rather than romance, politics or other juicy things saeguks are known for. First half of the drama focuses on how Saimdang grew to become a memorable and powerful figure of her time creating and sustaining her own business. There are classic villains who try to destroy her but everything is more connected the job development rather than her personal life. The second half was a bit rushed because of the trimming of 2 episodes and the re-editing was very obvious to the point it reduced the drama’s quality. Still, it stays in the same lane of events.

I read comments from Korean netizens expressing their disappointment in the drama’s direction. More specifically, they disliked the fact that there wasn’t much of Saimdang’s drawing and painting showed. I cannot argue with that. Simultaneously, I can safely say the story line that took place in the present was rather disappointing and ill-developed. I can totally understand their idea behind it but they spent too much time perfecting the past story –which ended up being, understandably, a tad boring for some people- that the present one just rounded up being a constant back and forth.

All that being said, I cannot quite put my finger on it but this drama just charmed me to the point I was completely unfazed by all the -otherwise- stern drawbacks.

I thoroughly enjoyed the backstory. Some of it a bit clichéd – classic evil 2nd female lead who is just too self-centered for her own good- but all of it really interesting and really well-written as far as I’m concerned. Against all odds, I loved the business part of the story, it was inspirational seeing a woman overcome so many pitfalls and achieve greatness!

One of the main parts that I especially appreciated was the female empowerment of the drama. Saimdang on her own is such an incredible character, empowering and just inspirational. Even if we barely got to see her drawing, the passion for it was well-depicted and the characterization was just brilliantly presented!

Moreover, I enjoyed several parts of the past story illustrated like the education for non-wealthy citizens, or how women were looked down upon but were undeterred by it. Plotlines that involve weak and easily manipulated kings are nothing new and play significant roles here as well.

Continuing to my favourite part, the romance. I'm not the biggest romance fan, I tend to rather cringe but here… here it was special! I can understand why some people would find the romance here disappointing. There is no skinship at all; barely any intimacy while everything is kept on a platonic level. Rather frustrating. However, there is no need for obvious affection when you have Song Seung Heon’s eyes just depicting everything better than a gesture ever could. My heart ached in every scene he looked at Saimdang and I was completely blown away by their tragic and heartbreaking love story. Strongest part of the drama for me, but you have to be into doomed couples to like this.

The drama did have some boring parts, but I enjoyed it throughout. I can’t say I felt fulfilled by it, rather depressed especially during the last 5 episodes, but it just felt special in ways I can’t put into words.

Acting
Overall exquisite.

Lee Young Ae. Acting giant and I feel a bit intimidated to actually judge her acting. She was amazing, overflowing with charm and experience; she was a blast to watch on screen. I thoroughly hope it won’t take her another decade to comeback.

Song Seung Heon was luscious in ways I can’t describe. I usually complain about kdramas lacking actual manly characters since all those flower boys have taken the industry by storm. He brought exactly what I wanted to see. Manliness, masculinity all spiced up with actual emotions and sentiments. His character just elicited unlimited emotions out of me, his acting was out-of-thing-world good and he had amazing chemistry with Lee Young Ae.

Other than them, the full casting was amazing and most of it quite memorable, namely Oh Yoon Ah as the evil 2nd female lead, Choi Jong Hwan, Yang Se Jong and the rest really made the drama shine.

Recommend
Considering most of the reaction I saw was rather negative or indifferent I wouldn’t openly recommend this to everyone. Saeguk fans would probably like it and people interested in tragic and unfulfilled love.

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OKAY! so its a 9/10! U ask me why!

STORYLINE: its all about REAL life! REAL events! Something people usually hide, and search for a fluffy drama. The stories of the couples are covered realistically true... the issues they deal with clarifying the dangerous sides of being gay as well as the good sides. They raise awerness.
ACTING: the acting was soo believable! Was very professional, the events were well developed and delivered.
CAST: the guys are HOT! Lol but its also well paired, the chemistry was all around the place.
MUSIC: oh come on! Thai drama OST? heck yah! Have u ever saw a thai drama with no good music?

REWATCH VALUE: well... its a wake up call for everyone concered for the matter. Realistic , raise awareness... drama, hot guys, good storyline and entertaing.
OVERALL: YASS watch it... RECOMMENDED!

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OKAY! so its a 9/10! U ask me why!

STORYLINE: its all about REAL life! REAL events! Something people usually hide, and search for a fluffy drama. The stories of the couples are covered realistically true... the issues they deal with clarifying the dangerous sides of being gay as well as the good sides. They raise awerness.
ACTING: the acting was soo believable! Was very professional, the events were well developed and delivered.
CAST: the guys are HOT! Lol but its also well paired, the chemistry was all around the place.
MUSIC: oh come on! Thai drama OST? heck yah! Have u ever saw a thai drama with no good music?

REWATCH VALUE: well... its a wake up call for everyone concered for the matter. Realistic , raise awareness... drama, hot guys, good storyline and entertaing.
OVERALL: YASS watch it... RECOMMENDED!

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I could summarise this series using one of the product placements in episode 19: Dad says he is shopping for beer; Dad is seen buying 48-hours deodorant. It's not what you asked for or expected, but still good in a different way!

If I was to recommend this drama to others, I'd say watch it because of the cute chemistry of the main couple and NGM's versatile acting. It's also a good intro to k-dramas - cliches such as truck of doom, annoying sibling, males leading females by the wrist, pathetic villain with a hitman on speed dial, product placements (although the washing machine and fitness watch looked quite good)... don't forget subway!

(Possible spoilers below)
The obvious downfalls: one of the 'main' characters was practically forgotten about halfway through the drama and the plot deviated away from the main star of the series. Gong Shim would have benefited from some character development as observed in other dramas such as WFKBJ. The writer made both male leads appear clever and dim simultaneously! There was also excessive use of flashbacks, which I am aware often feature in k-dramas, but this is the first time I've actually noticed! I'm sure there is a better way of illustrating the past, such as an old scene seamlessly drifting into modern times.

The numerous plot holes left me asking many questions (for example how did the father post the necklace to Grandma if Dan Tae had exchanged it years ago for a ring?) but overall, it was a fun and comical watch. The acting was fairly decent along with the soundtrack and scenery, but the storyline and characterisation let it down. NGM, Minah and OSW kept the series going.

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My favorite drama of the year so far. I love the cast and the way everyone works so well with each other. The chemistry between Bo Young and Hyung Sik really got me shook to the core. I found certain aspects of this show lacking, but honestly I was willing to overlook it because it wasn't anything that I found extremely alarming. I will say though, these damn drama cops are really f*cking stupid?! But also I had another issue with how it seemed like they suddenly dumbed down the culprit to get to the ending. Especially as he was working them and deceived them so well. Also [redacted] was kinda frustrating because [redacted] eventually happened therefore I find it so unbelievable that it even happened in the first place. But whatever let's talk about how Ahn Minhyuk is THE PERFECT boyfriend! Ugghhh I love him. JiSoo baby, you'll get to be the first lead one day and you'll get the girl but at no point was I rooting for you to get Bong Soon in this series, not even remotely. SUCH A GREAT DRAMA THOUGH. WATCH IT.

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(details will be left as a spoiler comment below)

A high budget production with a great and well-acted cast and fantastic cinematography. The film is shot beautifully, a far cry from a network television budget, and as someone has mentioned before, really plays up the darkness and vengefulness in Reiko. Tonally, the film is much more grim, and the conclusion complements that.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Strawberry Night SP and the series, and although I enjoyed this movie as a standalone, I felt that it offered no closure to any of the character arcs. I understand that it's a film and that the story's supposed to be tightly woven. I also understand that there's another SP after this that I've yet to see, so maybe the film isn't even supposed to be the end.

Perhaps others may feel differently, but I wasn't very happy with the outcomes in the film because of their inconsistencies with the series. Things came to end but I felt as though nothing was resolved, which is why it works as its own movie but I would rate it much lower as a sequel.

Anyway, that being said, I did enjoy the movie. It had great action sequences and it was well paced. I do agree that the timeline was a bit out of whack but I was engaged throughout and didn't feel that anything was excessively contrived.

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What's the one thing that every person fears the most? Death. And when that fear is taken away from you, for whatever extreme reasons, what do you do? You let yourself loose. You say and do things that you might have never done before. And that's exactly what happens with Ha Won.
Honestly though, Radiant Office is not solely focused on the decisions that you make when you know you're going to die soon. In it's core, this drama is more of a corporate politics drama. But even that's not all it's limited to. It's a drama about friendship, about making it on your own, about telling yourself not to give up even when you've lost all hope, it's about second chances, and a lot other significant issues that people face in their life. However, instead of delving deeper into the emotional and not-so-emotional aspects of the drama, I'd just like to just point out the reasons why I enjoyed this show. So, here goes-

-First and foremost, it's because of the male lead. After watching the first two episodes, I was afraid the male lead was going to be a typical jerk one. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, he starts out as a jerk, but he changes so much. He actually turned out to be a really kind and caring person.
-Ha Won's character is very relatable. A job is not something that's handed to us as soon as we graduate, we have to work for it. But what if it doesn't matter how many times you try, you can't seem to reach your goal? Ha Won can't get a job even after trying 100 times. Her thoughts, her actions, her decisions- everything is portrayed so realistically, that it'll appeal to the audience.
-I loved the trio. They didn't exactly meet in the most preferable situation, but their friendship was one of the best things about the drama. The way they stuck with each other, it was so heartwarming. Even in the situations where they had to compete with each other, they never let it get in the way of their friendship.
-The lead couple was very cute. They went from hate to respect to tentative friendship to finally, something more. I loved it every-time they would have these little moments. One of my most memorable one is where he gives her the secret thumbs-up. It was beyond cute!
-The second couple- Ji Na and Ki Taek, had their charms too. Ji Na, for one, was a character that evolved the most, in the drama. Their relationship grew so much throughout the series.
-Chief Park's innermost thoughts were one of the most hilarious moments of the drama. It sounds so random, but I don't know, I found it really funny.

The could've-been-better(s):
-I wish the romance was a bit more pronounced. I understand that this is not primarily a romance drama, but well, the heart wants what it wants, right?
-I feel like Kang Ho's contribution towards the story wasn't as much as the other characters. To me, it felt like, his character wasn't as fleshed out.
-The last episode seemed a bit rushed. While the major issues were resolved, a lot of other things weren't.

So, that's it for the review. I hope you give this drama a chance.
Happy Watching!

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After seeing this movie so many times, I can say that I fall in love with it!
The story was quite simple but very enjoyable, the three main characters have a great chemistry which is one of the reasons you’ll probably not get bored during those 2 hours!
Yoo Seung Ho (Kim Seon Dal) suit so well historical character and this time wasn't an exception, he did an amazing job portraying this character. Go Chang Seok (Bo Won) on the other hand was hilarious: a good buddy that only goes with funny as his surname. Ra Miran character and "Gyon" were what I would call the "peaceful ones”, they brought this vibe that make you feel just fine. I really appreciated those two characters for their simplicity.

To sum up, if you want something to watch not too complicated that doesn’t require to be fully focused, this is for you! This movie has funny, serious, sad moment and bring its share of emotion.

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