Radiant Office

Radiant Office

7/10

Radiant Office

Genre:                                 Episodes: 16                           Year: 2017

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Three young adults who struggle finding full-time employment meet in a hospital after all three of them are rescued from suicide attempts. They overhear the doctor saying that one of them has a terminal illness, but must sneak out before finding out more, as they can’t pay their hospital bills. Later, the three of them are hired as temporary employees at the same company.

Cast:

Go Ah Sung (Eun Ho Won)

Ha Suk Jin (Seo Woo Jin)

Lee Dong Hwi (Do ki Taek)

Hoya (Jang Kang Do)

Kim Dong Wook (Seo Hyun)

Han Sun Hwa (Ha Ji Na)

Kwon Hae Hyo (Park Sang Man)

Jang Shin Young (Jo Suk Kyung)

Oh Dae Hwan (Lee Yong Jae)

Kim Byung Choon (Heo Goo Dong)

General Thoughts:

This drama surprised me in many ways. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, and I certainly didn’t expect to love the hero, Woo Jin. I’ve yet to watch an office romance that really sucks me in the way other rom-coms can, but ‘Radiant Office’ has probably come the closest.

Office politics just aren't as fun as love shenanigans 

There were times were I felt the plot could stand to move a little quicker, most often being when it came to the office politics. As someone who doesn’t work in Korea, it can be hard at times to relate to the way the everyman worker has to act in the workplace- it’s one of those scenarios that highlights culture differences. If a superior was forcing a new young female employee to drink, it would be the superior getting dark looks- not the new hire for trying to refuse.

This guy made me want to barf

While *ss-kissing definitely happens in Western culture as well, its much more obvious in Korean media. It also seems to be much more frowned upon and seen as a slimy thing to do in Western society, whereas it’s almost expected in Korea. It doesn’t seem like a big deal but it did prevent me from connecting with some of the characters and it made some of the office workers pretty dislikable. I will give the show props for showing how difficult it can be for a woman to succeed professionally in Korea. The drama made a real point of showing how Suk Kyung was constantly overlooked for promotions simply because she was a woman. It also made our main man so much more endearing, as by the end of the series, one of his main goals was to make Hauline a company that doesn’t discriminate against women. I loved how Woo Jin not only saw Suk Kyung’s promotion as Suk Kyung’s own success, but also as a positive step forward for Ji Na, Ho Won and all the other women in the company. Although the company politics didn’t tend to be all that interesting, it was the effect of those politics on the employee relationships that was the draw of the drama. The three temporary employees always supported each other and looked out for each other no matter what mistake they might have made.

Suicide Squad

These three brought a lot of warmth to the show, and were one of the truest, nicest depictions of friendship I’ve seen on TV in a while. I adored that the two who were hired as permanent employees weren’t even happy on the day they were promoted simply because they were too busy feeling sad for Ki Taek who had failed. The three were just lovely to watch on screen, and had a nice easy chemistry between them.

You might not be a nice guy but my goodness you're a cutie 

The way their characters drew together after their failed suicide attempt and sudden hiring felt natural, and they really felt like one team. It would have been an easy plot option to have the three temporary employees fight each other for the permanent positions, so it was nice that the writer took the less obvious route. The friends never tried to pull one over on each other just to get a leg up in their career (except Kang Ho that one time early on). Instead most of our conflict arose because of Hyun. Who was…confusing to say the least. Early on he was super sweet and super likeable. My first experience with Ha Suk Jin wasn’t exactly a nice one- I hated his stuck up, I’m-better-than-you character in ‘Drinking Solo’, and it looked like he was going to be playing a similar sort of character here. I was all ready to be feeling some serious second lead syndrome. And for a while, I did. Kim Dong Wook is a good looking man, and his smile is just too adorable. Next to the cold, unsmiling Ha Suk Jin he seemed really cool and really swoony. But as the show progressed, his character became more and more confusing. While Hyun had definitely always had an air of mystery about him, once he closed his hospital and started getting involved in the company, he became downright incomprehensible.

Not even Hyun knows what Hyun is doing

It wasn’t clear if he had a nice character that he was covering up in order to do well in business or if he was just a straight-up mean dude who would use anyone and everyone to get ahead. Hyun seemed genuinely interested in Ho Won (he put a lot of effort into their ‘friendship’ and didn’t really interact with the other two boys), yet when he joined the company he didn’t seem to care about her at all. It wasn’t obvious if this was because Hyun just didn’t understand how his actions hurt Ho Won or if he was just uninterested in her now that he had gotten all he needed from her. In the end, his character just became a big question mark, which is a shame as he could have added a lot of uniqueness to the show. Also on a side note, Feeldog is a total scene-stealer and I adored him as the younger brother of our leading lady. I wanted to see so much more of him- and his adorable Busan accent!

Why couldn't you have been in all the episodes?

What Was Great:

Likeable Leads:

I adored both of these leads. Eun Ho Won was just so loveable and relatable. All twenty-something adults can relate to that awkward time when you come out of school or collage and have to enter the real world and you have no idea how the hell to do so. Ho Won may bumble and stumble along, but she always gave her best at everything.

No one wants to be an adult

Her despair was easy to understand as she constantly gave her everything, yet the working world was constantly telling her it wasn’t good enough. Go Ah Sung embraced the everyday, average character and gave her a life of her own. It would have been easy to have Ho Won fall into boring territory as she’s literally characterised as one of millions of young job-seekers. Go Ah Sung nailed Ho Won’s quiet discontent- and then her not so quiet discontent. While Ho Won thought she had a terminal illness, her upbeat attitude about aiming to be happy each day just made her so loveable. Go Ah Sung was excellent in the more emotional beats of the show (even though I never actually believed Ho Won was dying). She was believable without seeming over the top- Ho Won actually cried quite a lot in this drama, and yet she never came across as a total crybaby. What was more surprising is that I adored Woo Jin. He’s a bit of an unlikeable hard*ss at the start, but he actually softens up in a nice believable way. It made sense that even though the leads didn’t like each other at the start, that they eventually fell for each other.

They were unexpectedly adorable

Sometimes I can find hate-to-love relationships a little forced, but the relationship development between Ho Won and Woo Jin was so natural and so lovely to watch. Rather than instantly falling for each other or having one issue that made them see each other in a positive light, their relationship dynamic was a nice slow burn.

But I still want you to try a different character type next

Because they disliked each other so much they were hyper aware of each other. That intense awareness of course meant that they were taking close note of what the other was doing, and that eventually lead to understanding. Even when they understood each other they didn’t dive in straight away. It was nice to watch them develop a strong friendship that stemmed from a deep respect for each other. Ho Won respected Woo Jin’s abilities and skill at work, and Woo Jin respected Ho Won’s dedication, determination and unwillingness to conform to a system she didn’t believe in. Each step they took towards each other was so delightful to watch, and it was this nice gradual drawing together that made the show so exciting to watch. While I do wish Ho Won had been given a chance to be supportive of Woo Jin the way he was always encouraging her, I didn’t mind too much that Woo Jin put in a bit more effort as he had to make up for being such a weenie at the beginning of the series.

What Wasn’t:

Fast Finish:

As soon as Episode 15 ended I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to love the way the drama concluded itself- and I was right. While I adored our leads and their relationship, the end of the drama really highlighted the aspects of the show that weren’t developed as well as they should have been. When you have a drama filled with such loveable characters, viewers start to imagine their lives and how their story and relationships are going to progress.

We know what we want for these guys from ep 1

I had so much excitement for these characters and where they were headed that I was pretty disappointed when none of it played out on screen. It was hinted at that Ki Taek was the one with the terminal illness, and it was confirmed right at the end. His relationship with Ji Na was wonderful to watch mend and grow, and it was beautiful the way Ji Na realised that she loved Ki Taek for who he was and was willing to forgo financial security to be with him.

And suddenly you're seriously sick

It would have been interesting to watch their newly rekindled romance be rocked again by the news that Ki Taek might not even live for another year- but we are left to imagine, as the show ended before it really got into any of Ki Taek’s illness. It was also confusing as to what stupid doctor told him that he was perfectly fine when in actuality he was DYING. It was also hinted that Kang Ho was developing a cute little crush on Suk Kyung, but that was another thing that got completely ignored. It seemed that the show was going to go somewhere with that plot line as it even introduced her daughter and threw out that she was divorced. But instead that love line just went nowhere and we were left to imagine what could have been. Hyun was another character that got completely shafted at the end. Ho Won suddenly just told him he was a nice guy underneath (pretty sure he’s not though) and Hyun’s invisible older brother stepped in to right all the wrongs Hyun had done and ship Hyun off to an American branch. And seeing that all of those things were ignored, you’d at least think we’d get a satisfying end to our romance, right? Not right. While the slow burn of the main leads was wonderful, I was still hoping that after 16 episodes we’d get a nice snog. But instead we got a small peck that lasted for like a millisecond.

Blink and you'll miss it

Not only was the kiss not great, but the scene in which it happened also felt strangely forced when the rest of their relationship had been so natural. The show had aaaaaaall this time to develop its characters and their relationships, but by the end it felt like the things it should have been focusing on were ignored in favour of office politics and the nasty office bosses. The drama is still super enjoyable, but it’s always a bit of a bummer when a great series finishes on a whimper.

Recommend?

Yeah, for sure. It’s a cute little series with an endearing hero and heroine. The romance is lovely to watch develop- just don’t expect it to be smoking hot.

I wish it gave a little more, but what it gave is still great

Reply 1988

Reply 1988

8.5/10

Reply 1988

Genre:                Episodes: 20                    Year: 2015

Family

Comedy

Romance

Synopsis:

It’s 1988, and five neighbours have been friends since childhood as they have all grown up on the same block. Though each family has different circumstances, the neighbours support and comfort each other as though they were family. The story follows the five teenagers as they mature, and learn about family, love and friendship through various hardships.

Cast:

Lee Hyeri (Sung Deok Sun)

Park Bo Gum (Choi Taek)

Ryu Jun Yoel (Kim Jung Hwan)

Go Kyung Pyo (Sung Sun Woo)

Lee Dong Hwi (Ryu Dong Ryong)

Sung Dong Il (Sung Dong Il)

Lee Il Hwa (Lee Il Hwa)

Ryu Hye Young (Sung Bo Ra)

Choi Sung Won (Sung No Eul)

Kim Sung Kyun (Kim Sung Kyun)

Ra Mi Ran (Ra Mi Ran)

Ahn Jae Hong (Kim Jung Bong)

Kim Sun Young (Kim Sun Young)

Choi Moo Sung (Choi Moo Sung)

General Thoughts:

The ‘Reply’ franchise returns with it’s latest instalment- and boy does it deliver. You’d think that by the third time around, the series would have lost a lot of it’s mystery and charm. But you’d be wrong. So, so wrong.

Our third wonderfully wonderful 'Reply' heroine

The writer (who has apparently sold her soul to gain the most majestic, tear-inducing writing abilities) gives us a whole new group of down-to-earth, painfully realistic, completely loveable characters. ‘Reply 1988’ recaptures much of the magic and charm of the original, and takes us on another journey as we grow up with a brand new set of characters. Unlike it’s predecessors, ‘Reply 1988’ chooses to focus less on the romance, and more on the differing family relationships and dynamics. This choice has both an upside and a downside, but it did feel refreshing to have the focus on the families after how laser-visioned ‘Reply 1994’ was on the romance. The show had a huge cast- which it needed in order to fill up those insanely long episodes. I mean honestly, is it really necessary to have 20 episodes that all go over 90 minutes? Disregarding the insanely long episodes, the cast were spot on. Mum and Dad return (hooray!) along with a trio of children.

It just wouldn't be 'Reply' without Sung Dong Il and Lee Il Hwa

It was enjoyable to have our leading lady have some siblings (that are alive), unlike in the previous instalments. It added a whole new set of relationships into the mix that had our leading lady at the heart of it all. We got to experience being a younger sister, an older sister, and a middle-child all through Deok Sun- and it was appropriately touching. Every family dynamic that could be explored was  explored through our many neighbouring families.

It would be so hard to choose just one

Each series has approached the husband mystery differently, and ‘88 is no exception. In '97 we had a clear contest between two brothers. The series effectively used time-skips and flashbacks to continue the mystery. In ’94 we had a name- but no face to put to that name. Here in ‘88 we had a face- but no name, due to using different, older actors to portray our married couple in the present.

All aboard the Taekie train! Choo choo!

It’s a cute quirk of the series that while it may be redoing something it’s done previously (in the way of the husband mystery), it always goes about it in a different way. The overall tone of the series was more serious than either ‘Reply 1994’ or ‘Reply 1997’. It downplayed a lot of the romance (while still keeping the husband mystery going) and focused more on fading youth and a time you can’t return to. While all three segments of the franchise have included this reminiscence of youth, it was felt more strongly in ‘88 than in either of the ‘90s series. It was truly a bittersweet farewell to a simpler time that is long gone. It says a lot about this writer and these actors that they can make me so deeply nostalgic for a time and place that I was never in, and so completely attached to these people I’ve never met. 

What Was Great:

Less Hurt Love Feelings:

It happened. It finally, finally happened. The boy I was rooting for got the girl. Third time’s the charm. I loved Taek from the get go- though he did remind me a little of Chil Bong, so I was a little nervous that I would be on the losing team again. Being on Team Taek, I can’t exactly comment on how those on Team Jung Hwan feel, but I personally felt that the franchise did a much better job in the handling of the love-triangle than it did the previous time around.

At least it wasn't as bad as last time guys. The triangle of '94 was just plain brutal

I think they could make a thousand more series in the ‘Reply’ franchise, and none would be able to top the original, so we just won’t even go there. In ’94 the series focused too much of it’s time and energy on the love triangle and the competition between the two boys, which inevitably left some people (us Chil Bongie shippers) out in the cold come the close of the series.

The girl can't choose you if she doesn't know you're an option

Personally, I thought that ’88 did a fantastic job of explaining why one man was able to get the girl and the other wasn’t. Adorable and swoon-worthy as Jung Hwan’s crush was- he never acted on it. The times he came close, he always covered up his true feelings with a joke. Whereas Taek was always ready to take the next step forward with Deok Sun, rather than keep his feelings hidden. The episode where Jung Hwan realises this himself is a great close for his one-sided romance. It’s sad, and your heart bleeds for him, but seeing as he wasn’t getting the girl, it was a satisfying way to conclude his Deok Sun crush. I’m sure the those cheering for Jung Hwan were disappointed, but at least there was a legit, tangible reason that his romance with Deok Sun never worked out, that went beyond Deok Sun just liking Taek more. That being said, I do wish Jung Hwan had been given some kind of conclusion in the adult present. He wasn't heard from or seen, which was a huge disappointment. He is the first 'Reply' second male lead to not end up in a clearly defined relationship with someone who isn't our heroine.

All the Feelings:

The different families brought on so many different emotions. It would take a million years to talk about each one in detail. Which is probably why the series went for a million years. Learning from it’s mistakes in ’94, ’88 chooses to (successfully) attempt to evoke emotion through different types of love- be it friendship or family.

Did you honestly go into this series expecting not to cry?

Some standouts were: Sun Woo and his mum, Jung Hwan and his parents, and Bo Ra and Dad. Oh, and of course the undying love between Taek and Jung Hwan- the reason no one got the girl in their teenage years. The relationships were heartwarming as they were just so true to life. No one was happy all the time. No one got the relationship right all the time. Everyone had to work hard in order to understand each other and build a relationship together. 

Ensemble:

What can you say, everyone was brilliant. I’ve yet to watch a ‘Reply’ series where I’ve been unhappy with a single member of the cast. The actors in ’88 don’t disappoint. Good job team.

The kids were fab, the parents were fab. Everyone was fab

What Wasn’t:

Less Seen Love Feelings:

While I appreciated the romance taking a back-seat to all the other relationships in the series, unfortunately this did mean that our main couple got less time to shine. Unfortunately, it also meant that our leading lady, Deok Sun, fell behind the other characters in the way of character development.

I wanted so much more of this than we got

Which couldn’t be helped when her feelings were purposely hidden from us in order to prolong the ‘Who’s the Hubby’ storyline. After it was revealed in the second-last episode that Taek was our husband in question, I totally expected to see a nice, long episode about how they exposed their romantic relationship to their family and friends. But then this was glossed over in favour of Bo Ra and Sun Woo’s relationship. Which was enjoyable in it’s own right- but the whole time I was watching, I couldn’t shake the niggling feeling that this was taking away from time I could be spending with Taek and Deok Sun when they were all loved-up. And they were so damn cute when they were all loved-up. Much as I adored the awkward, finding-their-feet teenage years, I do wish the show had spent a little more time on our characters when they were in their twenties. When you consider that 90% of the relationship development between your leading couple happens in the 90s, it seems silly that 90% of the series happened in the 80s.

Behold the cuteness

I must admit, when the series finished I was satisfied on many levels, but I was left feeling hungry for more on Taek and Deok Sun- as we were really given the bare minimum on their actual romantic relationship.

Grown Ups:

It was a different twist to have older actors playing our characters in the present. I completely see why it was necessary- as I just don’t believe Lee Hyeri (or any of the young cast) would have been convincing as people in their 40s/50s. However, it did leave me feeling a little alienated from our cast as their older selves. It was understandable that older Taek didn’t act completely like younger Taek, as that would have given away the husband story.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHERE'S THE REST OF THE GANG?!

But at the same time, when it was revealed that it was Taek in the present, I felt like he’d changed so much- and we as avid viewers had missed out on so much, whereas I always felt invested and connected to the characters of the previous series. Also I nearly threw a fit when we didn't get a little heads up on what our other characters were up to. We heard Sun Woo on the phone- but never saw him. Poor Jung Hwan and Dong Ryeong didn't even get a mention. Boo to that.

Crap...there's still a whole 50 minutes to go...

It’s Long Again:

Hoo boy did those episodes drag on. Unlike ’94, I never felt bored while watching, but there were times when I was consciously aware of how long the episodes were going for. There was enough content to fill the episodes, what with the different families and all, but they were just...so...long. A lot of the beauty of ’97 came from the hard-hitting emotional blows that followed one after the other. It’s undeniable that ‘88 delivered some storylines with big emotional impacts, but these moments were once again separated and distanced by less emotional scenes. It’s just ridiculous to think that the last two episodes sat at around 2 hours long. ‘Reply 1988’, I love you, and I love your characters- but that’s insane.

Re-watch?

I would like to. But another downside to the extreme length of the series is that much as I love the story and characters, I just can’t justify spending that much time on something I’ve already seen. No matter how great my love for this series is.

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