Bad Guys

Bad Guys

7/10

Bad Guys

Genre: Episodes: 11 Year: 2014

Mystery

Thriller

Synopsis:

After a criminal murders his son, the Police Commissioner forms a specially selected team of criminals whose task is to track down and capture the criminals that the police cannot find. The team is made up of Park Woong Chul- a mob boss, Jung Tae Soo- a contract killer, Lee Jung Moon- a psychopathic serial killer, and is lead by Oh Goo Tak- a police officer who was suspended from the force after the murder of his daughter made him lose control. Inspector Yoo Mi Young is tasked with keeping the team under control.

Cast:

Kim Sang Joong (Oh Goo Tak)

Ma Dong Seok (Park Woong Chul)

Jo Dong Hyuk (Jung Tae Soo)

Park Hae Jin (Lee Jung Moon)

Kang Ye Won (Yoo Mi Young)

Jang Shin Il (Nam Goo Hyun)

Kim Tae Hoon (Oh Jae Won)

General Thoughts:

It’s a nice dark drama that’s not too dark. It has all the anger and pain of a much darker story, but manages to balance it well with a sprinkle of humour. I never found myself really and truly falling in love with the drama as a whole, but the characters were enough to snag me.

Everyone loves a bad boy...or three

I expected to love Park Hae Jin as the cold psychopathic murderer (I think he’s fabulous in anything), but I wasn’t expecting to fall so hard for the hitman Tae Soo. Jo Dong Hyuk nailed it as the contact killer with a conscience and I just adored every aspect of his character.

A badass fighter with perfect eyebrows- what more could a girl want?

He felt dark and mysterious (as all bad boys should), but also had a heavy, easily wounded heart and a lady love he’d leave his bad ways behind for (again, as all bad boys should). Tae Soo was slick, skilled and cool, and Jo Dong Hyuk became the character 100%. Similarly, Ma Dong Seok felt like he and his character Woong Chul were one and the same. I adored him in ‘Train to Busan’ as the zombie-punching strongman and I adored him in this as the people-punching gangster. Honestly and truly, no one does likeable tough men quite like Ma Dong Seok. I loved Park Hae Jin more for Park Hae Jin and less for his character, who I always thought could stand to be a bit creepier. Park Hae Jin acted him well, and when he was creepy he was chillingly scary- but there weren’t really enough of those moments. It was as though the writers didn’t want to make it too hard to turn the character around at the end, so they skimped out on Jung Moon’s over-all bad guy vibe. Kim Sang Joon acted the part of the hero (was he though?) Goo Tak to perfection. His expressions, tone and movements were all so in tune with Goo Tak that he felt like a living, breathing being in the way the other bad guys didn’t (they felt more like storybook characters).

As with any origins story, it started with the death of a family member

The writing and acting really came together in the character Goo Tak- he never came across feeling like a made-up hero the way the other boys sometimes did, and Goo Tak’s loss of morality and slip-ups made him feel distinctly flawed and human. Unfortunately, as real as Goo Tak felt, I can’t say that I warmed up to him much.

Tae Soo and Woong Chul's rapport was probably my favourite thing

My heart was stolen by the loveable, much less realistic prison-boys, and that didn’t leave a lot of love for Goo Tak- particularly when he went against the other three. I liked that each of the guys felt different and had their own story to tell. Their differences were always shown well, particularly in fight scenes- Woong Chul just used pure power, Tae Soo used agility and skill, and Jung Moon just kind of made it up as he went. As well as their fighting styles, their personalities all felt unique and distinctive as well. As for the story, I will admit that I didn’t always feel like I was making sense of it in the way that I should have been. I had most of the big issues figured out pretty early, such as Jung Moon not being a murderer (I’ve only seen one drama where a guy who’s killed 15+ people is painted in an even slightly positive light), and Prosecutor Oh being the Big Bad (I’ve just become used to seeing Kim Tae Hoon as a villain, and that character felt way too slimy). While the smaller cases were interesting, sometimes they did feel a bit like filler while we waited until we were deep enough in the story to get the the final villain. I wish that Prosecutor Oh had been a bit more proactive throughout the whole show, as it kind of reduced his scare factor.

I mean, he's creepy and well crazy but I feel like our bad guys can take him without breaking a sweat

Team Bad Guys never felt like it was in any real danger from an external force- it was more likely that they’d kill each other first. Internal struggle can have its merits, but in a show such as this, I do think the overall villain needed to be a bit more…well…villainous. I always prefer conflicts that are solidly based in the present, and let’s be real- dude ain’t murdered anyone in 2 years (until ep 15). In a similar vein, it also meant that I didn’t really feel what the end goal was of this drama. Like, clearly it’s about clearing Jung Moon’s name (cuz he obvs didn’t kill no peeps), but the idea of that is brought in a touch late to be THE main plot line.

So Jung Moon never killed anyone, but is he still a psychopath or was that a lie too?

What Was Great:

The Darkness:

Visually, I really loved how gritty and dark the show looked. The extreme contrasts in the cinematography really set this drama apart from others. As well as having a unique story line, having such uncommon visuals really made the drama stand out. The drama played really well with light and shadow, and incorporated that into the mystery of the actual story.

The visuals are certainly attention grabbing

The silhouette shots were not only super cool, but further enforced the not-everything-is-as-it-seems tone of the series. The happy flashbacks for all the characters were lighter and less contrasting scenes, and often had more colour than just the various shades of dark that the present day scenes had. It was a subtle way to maximise the impact of our characters’ pasts and exactly how much an event or events have weighed on these men and just how much they have changed.

Bad Guys:

The three prison boys were all delightful. You’d think that you wouldn’t like them much because they’re, y’know, bad guys, but it’s enjoyable to watch their stories unfold.

Bad boys, bad boys

Their backgrounds are revealed in ways that show their mistakes and vulnerabilities, so it’s hard to not like them. Of course it helps that none of the main guys are really all that bad. Sure, contract killing isn’t great, but even the hired hitman knew that kidnapping and harvesting organs was just evil and wrong. The whole idea of these three characters is quite a nice thought as well- they may have made some bad choices at one time or another, but it’s those bad choices that put them in a position to help people, and those who’ve never made bad choices wouldn’t be able to think and mobilise the way our bad guys do. The bonding moments between the three criminals were always pretty sweet, and it was nice to see them draw together as a team- though a bit more teamwork and boy-bonding wouldn’t have gone astray.

What Wasn’t:

Pieces Missing:

I will admit that sometimes I found the story a little hard to follow. I’m not sure if it’s because some things just weren’t explained enough, or if the dialogue simply made less sense once it was translated. The show was absolutely ripe with doublespeak and that could make it hard to follow at times for me as a non-Korean speaker.

Half the time I had zero idea what in the hell the Commissioner was going on about

Like, are the dogs we’re talking about the police, our bad guys or the real bad guys? I’m lost. I’m not against doublespeak here and there but I do feel like the show had just too many metaphors and layered speeches and hidden meanings.

Guuuuurl wat u doin'?

I had no clue why Inspector Yoo decided to change sides from the Police Commissioner to Prosecutor Oh. I actually questioned her necessity in the story at all, but I suppose we can’t have a 100% male cast. Similarly, I struggled to understand what was going on with Goo Tak most of the time as well. While he was a simple guy who hated injustice and would do anything to bring criminals down he was easy to understand, but as time went on I found myself questioning his actions. It wasn’t so much his motive that confused me but more how he went about doing things. Like, if he was so sure that Jung Moon was his daughter’s murderer, why didn’t he kill him straight away as soon as the criminals were released for the first case? And if he didn’t 100% believe Jung Moon killed his daughter why did he suddenly snap and try to kill Jung Moon at every turn? Maybe it’s because I was so positive that Jung Moon wasn’t a murderer that Goo Tak came off as confusing and blinded, but he really sort of stopped making sense when the time came to focus on Jung Moon’s story.

Either shoot him or don't, but make up your mind

Like come on, if you’d made up a bunch of evidence to imprison the guy maaaaaybe while he was out of your way you could gather up some evidence that either supported or contradicted your ‘hunch’. Just sayin’.

All my years of TV and movie viewing tell me you're a big ol' red herring

The series sure didn’t go out of its way to make things clearer either. Sometimes we would see a scene one way, and then we’d see it again and something would have changed. Sometimes we saw things on screen that just flat out weren’t true (such as Jung Moon wiping down a murdered girl’s body when by the end it was clear he’d never done such a thing). It was like the drama was trying way too hard to make us second guess Jung Moon, and that itself pretty much assured me of his innocence. Would they really put so much time and effort into making Jung Moon look like the murderer if he really was the murderer? My previous experience with mystery-thrillers tells me no. 

Recommend?

Definitely. Probably not a drama for the lovers of rom-coms and not much else, but if you like a bit of action and a bit of an underdog tale it’s a great story. I think Korean audiences can probably get more out of it than non-Korean speaking viewers, but it’s enjoyable all the same.

Come at me Season 2

I Need Romance 3

I Need Romance 3

8.5/10

I Need Romance 3

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                          Year: 2014

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Shin Joo Yeon is a woman who used to be innocent and kind, but has been hurt badly by failing love and turned cold. Joo Wan grew up with Joo Yeon as a child, but hasn’t seen her since he moved to America. When Wan returns to Korea under the name Allen, he is sad to see how life has hardened Joo Yeon. Joo Yeon doesn’t recognise Wan as the boy she grew up with, and he uses that as a chance to show her real love.

Cast:

Sung Joon (Joo Wan)

Kim So Yeon (Shin Joo Yeon)

Namgoong Min (Kang Tae Yoon)

Wang Ji Won (Oh Se Ryoung)

Park Hyo Joo (Lee Min Jung)

Yoon Seung Ah (Jung Hee Jae)

Park Yoo Hwan (Lee Woo Young)

Yoo Ha Joon (Ahn Min Suk)

General Thoughts:

Well, well, well- that’s an adorable little drama right there. Sung Joon really carried the romance well and made this drama one of the better noona romances around. As far as the ‘I Need Romance’ franchise goes, I will admit that this one didn’t really seem to fit in the same mould as the other two before it.

More romance, less angst

I’m not complaining as I actually preferred ‘3’ over ‘2011’ and ‘2012’, but hardcore lovers of the franchise might be a bit put off or disgruntled at the differences. For starters the love-line. It’s far more dreamy, fairytale, not-quite-real than the previous two. Rather than being about the everyday struggles of loving someone flawed and getting to the heart of why the main couple fell in love, ‘3’ takes a much more typical K-Drama approach in that it’s mostly about the joy and fluffy feelings of a beginning romance.

Not the same three friends we're used to

It’s also a fairly new relationship. In ‘2011’ the leads were in a 10 year relationship, and in ‘2012’ they’ve grown up in the same house all their lives. Here, Wan and Joo Yeon may have known each other as kids, but they’ve never met as adults. This meant that the romance was more about falling in love rather than staying in love. This instalment also lacked the noticeable girl-trio. While it was a bit sad to miss out on all the girl bonding and friendships (we did get a bit of this in the last few episodes), it also meant that the characters felt new and interesting. The ‘2012’ girls felt a bit like carbon copies of the ‘2011’ girls, so it was nice to have some new personalities in the mix. The writers also didn’t commit as hard to the love triangle as they did previously. While in previous seasons there might have been some doubt as to who would end up with the girl, I don’t think anyone was really thinking that Wan would be left high and dry while Sunbae got the happy ending. Perhaps the biggest difference is that this story is primarily told from the leading male’s point of view. Joo Yeon does do a lot of voice-overs, but it’s mostly Wan’s thoughts and Wan’s side of the story that we connect to.

It was definitely Wan's show

These differences were what made the drama feel new and refreshing, but there were definitely similarities that reminded you that it was part of a franchise. We got the same voice-overs letting us in on our leads’ thoughts, the same thoughtful, contemplative tone, and the same editing style.

Do I believe this relationship will last? Not a chance.

It was enough to remind you of the things you loved in the other dramas but also avoided seeming like it was trying too hard to cram all three shows into one distinct set-up. Moving onto this drama alone, there were really so many things to enjoy. The romance is what takes centre stage (obviously), and the lack of a competitive love triangle meant that we got to see and enjoy every moment of our hero wooing his lady love. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and there were definitely some sadder moments, but the show never lost itself in trying to drag out too much emotion. The characters felt genuine and sincere and their situations were relatable, so that let the emotion of the story flow naturally without feeling forced. We were sad when our characters were sad because we connected with them- not because of some angsty soundtrack and weeping actors. The characters were all flawed enough (except maybe Wan because he’s perfect) that they felt real. There were sides to each character that were both likeable and dislikable, and the relationships were all fun to watch develop. I really loved the inclusion of a man in the early friendship circle, as it meant that in the girly conversations it added a male opinion. The acting was pretty great all-round. Sung Joon was particularly delightful.

Sung Joon is the biggest big spoon I've seen in K-Dramaland

Even though Joo Yeon was a character that had a lot of defences (that sometimes made her seem dislikable), Kim So Yeon acted her with an undertone of vulnerability that kept the character likeable. The four different couples and their different issues felt new and interesting, and meant that our main romance could take its time telling its story, as there were many other plots to keep us entertained in the meantime- my favourite being Min Jung and her baby-daddy.

You don't even know what you've just started

I will admit that I wished the side stories had a bit more depth and/or screen time, as it felt like a rather abrupt end to their stories. But then again, that would take away time from how adorable our leads were, so I’m not super disappointed about it. Also, side note- the soundtrack for this drama was wonderfully enjoyable and added a lot to the series. 

What Was Great:

Goguma:

Ahhh the K-Drama hero that doesn’t exist in real life no matter how hard we wish. Wan was just an all-round perfect hero. He loves and protects his girl and never forgets to let her know just how special she is.

Things like this just don't happen to regular people

Sure, Wan had his (minor) flaws, but he’s the type of drama hero that every girl wants in real life. The last drama I watched Sung Joon in almost completely killed my love for him, so it was nice to be reminded of why I like Sung Joon so much in the first place. He does the sweet younger man so well, and was just too adorable for words. 

Learning Curve:

Throughout the whole series, each of the characters were learning things about themselves and about the people they cared about.

This is what happens to regular people

It meant that the drama felt like it was continuously moving forward, and we never got bored watching similar scenarios play out. Even though Joo Yeon’s brief stint with Sunbae felt really awkward and emotionally dead, it was easy to watch because we knew that it was something Joo Yeon had to go through in order to recognise her own feelings. Se Ryoung could at times be a character that was difficult to like, but she was great at causing conflict for our heroine. Se Ryoung brought out the worst in Joo Yeon, and not only was this a problem in that it made Joo Yeon a worse person, but also because it distanced her from Wan. While it was nice to see Wan calling her up on her mistakes, it did add a bit of nervousness to the relationship- when would Joo Yeon finally get sick of Wan nagging her? It was excellent that Wan eventually came to the realisation that he couldn’t force Joo Yeon to change, and that he had to accept her the way she was now, and not just love her for the girl she used to be. The two main girls, Joo Yeon and Se Ryoung, had mass amounts to learn when it came to each other. I’m glad that they were able to play nice by the end (even if it came on a bit quick), and they each took what they learned from that relationship and used that to better their other relationships.

All the b*tchiness was worth it to get our heroine here

What Wasn’t:

Fairytale Finish:

Every ending was tied in a neat little bow. I’m usually not one to whine about happy endings (because I love happy endings), but it did feel a little forced here.

I guuuueeesss I can live with all snoodles and no angst

Wan and Joo Yeon didn’t really encounter any really problems that stemmed from him being so much younger than her. It felt a bit like we ended on a happy note, but were going to miss out on so much growth and development they could have had- the downside of dramas that focus only on the start of relationships. I also think the friendship between Joo Yeon and Se Ryoung was wrapped up a bit quickly- as if the writers suddenly realised they didn’t have enough time to do a bigger reconciliation. I also wanted to see a little more of Min Jung and her baby-daddy and all the issues they would face. Of all the conclusions, I think I was most disappointed with the way Hee Jae’s story finished. While I really liked Woo Young and believed that he liked Hee Jae, I never really bought her side of the romance. I thought what her character needed was some single time without a man telling her who she should or shouldn’t be. I guess she sort of did get that a bit with her trip, but I would have liked a bit more of an open ending for her character (gasp- me? Wanting an open ending?!).

Recommend?

For sure. This drama has so many things going for it. Sung Joon is a delightful hero and makes the romance really addictive. 

Long live noona romances

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

6.5/10

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                           Year: 2017

Comedy

Romance

Thriller

Synopsis:

Do Bong Soon comes from a family where the females are gifted with superhuman strength. After witnessing her strength, Ahn Min Hyuk, CEO of a famous gaming company hires her as his personal bodyguard. Bong Soon has a longtime crush on her childhood friend In Gook Doo, a policeman, and after a misunderstanding she believes Min Hyuk also has feeling for Gook Doo.

Cast:

Park Bo Young (Do Bong Soon)

Park Hyung Shik (Ahn Min Hyuk)

Ji Soo (In Gook Doo)

Jang Mi Kwan (Kim Jang Hyun)

Ahn Woo Yeon (Do Bong Ki)

Park Bo Mi (Na Kyung Shim)

Seul In Ah (Jo Hee Ji)

Lim Won Hee (Baek Tak)

General Thoughts:

It’s a cute little watch for sure, but it definitely had some tonal issues. The leading couple were all kinds of cuteness (and the reason I stuck with the show), but the whacky side characters and the extremely dark thriller-mystery murderer made me feel a bit like I was watching two shows smooshed into one.

What genre even is this?

It gave a good dose of tonal whiplash where I wasn’t quite sure if I should be squeeing with excitement from how adorable our hero was or screaming in terror because that villain was pretty dark for a rom-com drama that wasn’t taking itself too seriously.

I can sit through an episode of silliness just for this

I personally like mystery-thrillers so I loved the dark vibes the kidnapper threw into the mix, and kind of wish that the show had focused on him a little bit more, as the only character that was a part of he kidnapper’s story was Gook Doo. Bong Soon eventually came in to bring the bad guy down, and I adored the impact and the conflicts that arose from that- such as Bong Soon wanting her powers for seemingly the first time, and how we got a heroine being the one to do the saving. Not so much a fan of the way it caused Bong Soon to push Min Hyuk away and try and do everything herself, but whatever. Acting-wise Jang Mi Kwan did an excellent job with the role of the kidnapper. He was truly scary and had just the right amount of crazy. He stood out even more considering that almost all of the side characters were ridiculous and extremely overacted. Silver lining. The three leads were all delightful, as were their interactions with each other. The best parts of the show definitely involved one of the main three, otherwise I found it a tad boring.

An issue we all wish we had

The writing was pretty all over the place if we’re all bing honest, and it was for sure the actors that made the characters shine, and not the way they were written.

You guys are so ridiculously irrelevant

In addition to the odd tonal mashup, the story-lines just weren’t that good. A lot of story felt quite unfinished (like anything to do with twin brother Bong Ki), and some solutions just seemed to come too easily (like Bong Soon getting her strength back). The story seemed to rely heavily on the soundtrack to set the mood of a scene rather then using good storytelling to get us there- this also wasn’t helped by the quick switches from humour to suspense. I found the drama tended to rely heavily on its soundtrack during its mystery parts as if to say ‘a’ight guys, we’re being serious now’. It might work for some people, but I found it a bit obvious and intrusive. But that’s not to say that the soundtrack was all bad! During the cutesy moments the soundtrack was quite lovely, and I did enjoy ‘Superpower Girl’ whenever it came on. 

What Was Great:

OTP:

Pretty much all 6.5 points of this drama came from how wonderful the leads were. Park Bo Young is always delightful, so it’s no surprise that she was able to make Bong Soon a sweet and endearing character. She definitely has the right look for the visual comedy of the show (super tiny girl with super strength), and put a lot of emotion behind our heroine.

Bong Bong saves the day

Park Bo Young is such an excellent actress that I forgot for large chunks of this series that we don’t actually know all that much about Bong Soon that went deeper than her character profile.

Oh my gaawwddd you're cute

At times that did lead to some confusion (like why was she so intent on pushing Min Hyuk away that one time?), but it was mostly easy to overlook as while the writing didn’t necessarily make me believe that Bong Soon was a whole, complete, complex person, Park Bo Young did. This drama was really Park Hyung Shik’s drama to shine. I wasn’t blown away by him in ‘Hwarang’, but my goodness he was swoony in this drama. He nailed the loneliness and wackiness of the eccentric rich-boy character, and made deeply cheesy lines feel real and genuine. He acted with just enough silliness in the comedic scenes and had huge amounts of emotion in others. While I wouldn’t say that acting like Park Bo Young is cute is a particularly hard job (I mean just look at her), Park Hyung Shik sold it so believably. Watching the two together was just pure joy, and while I did feel a bit like I wanted them to hurry up and get together already, I didn’t mind the slow baby steps either.

Oh, you guys ♥

I also wouldn't have minded a bit more skinship between the two either, but it just goes to show how great the chemistry between these leads was- you could get happy and giddy just from watching them look at each other. I practically died every time Min Hyuk fanboyed and spazzed out about how adorable Bong Soon was because it was just so cute. It’s also usually the girls that spaz out over the heroes, so it was nice to see it the other way around. I adore Ji Soo, but this time I wasn’t even bummed that he didn’t get the girl, because Min Hyuk was just so sweet and loveable and so in love with Bong Soon. 

You know it's a good romance when we pick the hero over puppy Ji Soo

What Wasn’t:

It's just not my style

Tad Too Weird:

Overacting and over-the-top comedy just isn’t my style, and boy did this drama have it in droves. I thought (and hoped) that the ridiculous side characters would die down after the first few episodes, but unfortunately they didn’t. An alarming amount of time was spent on these stupid side characters and their stories, and they just weren’t that enjoyable to watch. I’m positive that the silly gang boss got more screen time than Bong Soon’s brother, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d actually snagged more screen time than Ji Soo too. That’s how much time we wasted on stupid characters that weren’t important to the plot. A lot of it felt like forced humour and filler. At least half of every episode was dedicated to the side characters, and that made the episodes feel long and unimportant. 

Tad Too Little Development:

This drama was a lot of fluff and not much meat. There wasn’t a lot of substance, and I wish that everything got more developed than it did. Although Bong Soon got some development (what with realising she wants her powers to help people and all that), Min Hyuk kinda got shafted in that department.

His development peaked at like Episode 6

I adored the way Park Hyun Shik acted the devastation after the betrayal of his most loved brother, but after that his development kind of screamed to halt. Not to mention that whole plot point was totally disregarded after that- after a stern ‘hyung don’t do that again’ from Min Hyuk there’s not another peep about his family issues, the inheritance, or most importantly Min Hyuk’s loneliness.

It always felt like Min Min cared just a wee bit more

A fallout of this meant that it seemed like Min Hyuk spent much more time chasing after, caring for, and supporting Bong Soon than Bong Soon did for him. So as adorable as the relationship was, it did feel pretty one-sided (or at least like Min Hyuk was more invested) for a good long stretch there. While Min Hyuk was a marvellous character, he didn’t really change from the beginning of the series to the end. He was always sweet and thoughtful and never took anyone for granted. He also always liked Bong Soon and saw her as a woman despite her strength- which was super charming, but admittedly left nowhere for his character to go. Because he was already perfect. Gook Doo was pretty absent from a lot of the drama when you consider that he’s he second male lead, and when he was onscreen he tended to be alone rather than interacting with Bong Soon or Min Hyuk. While the revelation that he’d always liked Bong Soon was super sweet, I would have liked it more if that had been revealed slowly through the show rather than dumped on us at the end. It didn’t give Gook Doo and Bong Soon enough time to work out their feelings and move past them. Rather than having a comfortable friendship at the end, it still felt like Gook Doo was pining for Bong Soon, as all the development came all too late. 

More badass scenes of Team Supergirl would have been aces

While the darker kidnapping plot was interesting, we did get slapped with your stock-standard bad guy. Sure, he was super creepy, but their was no clear motive behind his crimes.

Just your typical K-Drama crazy

Only that he was crazy. And I mean, wanting to kidnap seven wives seems like a weirdly specific crime for someone who was just your run-of-the-mill K-Drama psycho. I also lament what could have been with Bong Ki- he was such an interesting character. There was loads of heart and comedy to mine out of his character that the writers just…didn’t. I mean, he’s a man who’s grown up with a super strong sister, and that’s bound to change the family dynamics and the way this guy views women in general…but we didn’t get much of that at all. And Bong Ki’s relationship with Hee Ji was just weird. She was dislikable from the start as she was a girlfriend with roaming eyes (she was cracking on to Bong Ki while still dating Dook Goo), but there was potential there to use her to strengthen the relationship between Bong Ki and Dook Goo. But again the writers chose not to. Also I won’t lie, I was totally wanting Bong Ki and Kyung Shin to get together. Perhaps the lack of development in the support cast wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the drama was chock full of plot and just didn’t have time, but it spent episodes worth of screen time on the silly thugs, school kids, and office sunbae that it was a bit like salt in the wound. We had all this time for characters to grow and be explored and they just weren’t. 

An alarming proportion of this drama was devoted to the ridiculous thugs

Recommend?

I would recommend this drama purely because of how much everyone else seemed to enjoy it- it’s a drama that got a lot of love. So while it’s not my favourite rom-com, you can’t ignore what other viewers say, and apparently other viewers really enjoyed it. Though if you hate overplayed comedy and overacting I’d probably advise you give this one a miss.

Great chemistry, less great comedy