This review may contain spoilers
Apparently Cops Breaking the Law is Cute
Cast does a great job in this drama but the characterization of the female officer turns what could have been a funny and intriguing new show into an unwatchable disappointment. I have two major problems that I tried to just push through until the final events of the second episode. Then, the female lead's actions were a bridge too far - or in her case, a doorway too far.First, writers need to stop depicting female-on-male unprovoked physical violence as a form of comedy or girl power. It is not cute or funny in any context. Here, a cop repeatedly assaults an unarmed, unthreatening citizen. If your actions upset a cop, is it somehow alright for them to kick you? You disappoint a cop's expectation and the cop can throw you over their shoulder and hurl you to the pavement? In what world is that remotely acceptable? That officer should be immediately fired and sued. But here somehow there are no repercussions or even a hint that anyone in this universe thinks her actions were wrong to commit physical violence against a citizen she dislikes! It's ridiculous. Okay cool, way to go venting your anger like an absolute child who should not have any of the power or responsibility entrusted with law enforcement. It's criminal. She could absolutely have been arrested for her actions.
Second, a related point, writers need to stop allowing the "good guy" cops to break the law and get away with it/frame it as fine as long as it's in pursuit of the greater good! The female lead seems to have admired and looked up to the male lead during his past as an officer. He explicitly told her that police protected both victims and criminals within the bounds of the law. Has she taken any of that to heart? Obviously not if she believes the presence of a victim would justify the cops illegally gaining evidence against the perpetrator. Or if she believes she can physically attack those who have differing views or sides than her. Or if she believes she is justified to break into a citizen's home because she perceives him as a barrier to her. She's not police at this point she's a criminal herself. Two wrongs don't make a right. Her sense of morality and faith in the law "blessing" people seem to only apply when others break the law - not herself. Now I love a morally grey character! But, not when it's a cop trying to arrest people without following the proper procedure demanded by law and the show frames this person to be the good guy acting for the greater good.
For these reasons, I am quitting what may otherwise be a gem of a drama. The flagrant criminal actions of the female lead police offer prevent me from continuing. I could be absolutely wrong and the show will address my concerns in subsequent episodes. Even if it doesn't, it still may well be a lovely drama viewing experience. I am not trying to dissuade anyone from watching the drama. In this review, I merely wanted to highlight these two important issues that I believe should not be brushed over blithely with a comedic tone.
Was this review helpful to you?
On the fence
Cafe Minamdang intrigued me for two reasons: 1. The plot and 2. Seo In Guk.I've sat through some questionable dramas during my time simply because of an actor I liked. I always have a principle of watching at least three episodes before giving up on the drama.
Cafe minamdang started okay and progressively became an effort to watch. When a drama becomes something you watch just for the background noise, it's better to drop it. However, since this drama has recently started and has one of my favorite actors, I've put it on hold and will decide whether to pick it up or drop it entirely once it has finished airing.
That being said, the plot had a lot of potential, and I think most of the drawback lies in the female lead. Many viewers have dropped the drama because she has a very dislikable presence on the screen, which isn't suitable for any drama. Additionally, there is little to no chemistry between her and Seo in guk. I have watched his dramas, and he's always been able to convey sizzling scenes when it was needed. If the drama is to survive, something needs to be done about the female detective.
It doesn't help that it is airing around the same time as two trending dramas: AoS and Attorney Woo. For people who don't have enough time to catch up with airing dramas and have to choose, Cafe minamdang would not make the cut. It promises flair but falls short severely.
Nonetheless, I hope it succeeds through some miracle. I'd recommend waiting and observing how well it does on air and then deciding whether to watch it.
Was this review helpful to you?
A little odd but fun to watch
This is not my usual cup of tea, but I’ve got a thing for crime dramas at the moment so I’m here for it. The premise is really engaging and despite the upbeat OST you can tell it will handle some serious topics. I look forward to seeing where they take it.The actors are funny and engaging and it helps you look past some of the other downfalls. One that I think is important to mention though is that the FL is supposed to be younger than the ML and you can really tell she’s not, for me that’s a little hard to overlook and is a bad casting choice in my opinion. It also makes the chemistry between them awkward I think, at least for the first couple of episodes. Hopefully that’s something that improves as the story goes on.
Though be warned, if you’re not a fan of seeing the “good guys” bend the law this probably isn’t for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointing.
The trailer made this drama look so fun, but halfway through the first episode and I had to force myself to complete it. The character intros were pretty fun and the potential to be similar or better than Chief Kim is there, but it felt too forced. There’s exaggerated humour that grows on you and another that fails, and sadly for me CM fell on the latter. I felt like the writers couldn’t find he balance between making it intense and thrilling while keeping the humour and light parts. The comic scenes even felt too slapstick. I will try to give it another try, hopefully it improves in the next episode.Edit: I couldn’t get back to it eventually, didn’t hold my interest after all.
Was this review helpful to you?
Toxic hero
People Calling female lead annoying for kick male lead.. You get a murderer out of jail you deserve death.Just because something happened to you doesn't mean you can do something bad to another person.
Idc about female lead but NO the main character that shaman is such a big no no. Idk what writers were thinking to put out such nonsense
I dropped it at 2 episode. Can't watch it more and deleted 4 episodes I downloaded. Rather watch Vincenzo. He was a mafia but being a mafia wasn't romanticised unlike here.
Was this review helpful to you?
drama yang serius, tapi lucu!
cafe minamdang punya premis cerita yang cukup menarik dan unik. tentang penyamaran mantan anggota polisi untuk menyelidiki kasus pembunuhan sejak 3 tahun yang lalu. drama ini bergenre misteri, komedi dengan romansa tipis-tipis.sekilas, drama ini mengingatkan aku dengan film extreme job.
sejauh yang aku tonton, alur ceritanya masuk akal, namun kalian bener-bener harus tonton setiap adegan-adegannya biar gak ada yang kelewat. soalnya kalau kelewat dikit, aku gak yakin kalian bisa mengikuti jalan ceritanya (ini terjadi sama aku)
drama ini juga memuat riddle yang membuat para penontonnya berusaha mencoba menerka-nerka siapa dalang dari pembunuhan berantai yang terencana lewat hint-hint yang diberikan di tiap episodenya.
drama yang menyimpan plottwist ini menjadi drama yang layak ditonton dengan kualitas akting dari para aktor dan aktrisnya yang mumpuni juga soundtrack yang mendukung.
Was this review helpful to you?
Volviendo al drama. Me he estrenado con Seo In Guk, aún no había visto nada de él y me ha gustado su interpretación. La historia me ha gustado, es buena y da para un drama, el uso de la figura del chamán y el chamanísmo me ha parecido muy acertado, pero creo que algunas cosas lo han estropeado como un uso excesivo de los flashbacks, un uso inadecuado de los recursos narrativos, un exceso de “cuquismo” con ciertos personajes (sobre todo la pareja secundaria) y en ciertos momentos añadir innecesariamente más comedia en las escenas cómicas. El drama tiene 18 episodios, pero creo que podrían haberlo dejado en 16 sin problemas.
Was this review helpful to you?
One man show
Finalmente l'ho finito. E' il primo pensiero dopo la diciottesima (troppo, troppo) puntata. Sì, avrei dovuto mollarlo prima, molto prima, verso la settima, ottava puntata. Un Helzapoppin sconclusionato, solo per gli amanti del genere. Che genere, poi? thriller? commedia? farsa surreale? C'è pure la storia romantica, cacciata dentro a forza come un sughero nella bottiglia di spumante. No, non fa il botto quando viene aperta perchè, a parte la totale mancanza di feeling tra i due protagonisti, la disparità tra ML e FL è abissale.Il perchè della assurda costanza nella visione del drama è, in gran parte, nel titolo del commento. Seo In Guk è straordinariamente istrionico nelle diverse facce del suo personaggio. Ex profiler della polizia riciclatosi veggente dopo una ingiusta detenzione, è quasi sempre sulla scena con qualche nuovo strampalato piano di indagine, all'inseguimento del serial killer che, anni prima, ha ucciso il suo migliore amico procuratore. Davvero molto bravo e bello da paura anche quando (spesso) ha gli occhi rovesciati all'indietro. Non sono una sua fans ( la mia lista è già troppo lunga) ma guardarlo mentre fa lo sciamano, tra ventagli e salti sui tavoli, con completini eleganti dai colori fantastici o mise improbabili di lamè e oro ( e boxer rosso fuoco!) è un piacere per il quale mi sono trascinata fino all'ultima puntata (dopo la dodici-tredici con un po' di fast forward).
Ho poi apprezzato lo humor di alcune parti di contorno ironiche e, a volte, spiritose: il gruppo dei tre poliziotti della squadra che ha dovuto fare da spalla al disastro della tenente Han (FL) e in particolare Jeong Man Sik, nella parte del capo: sempre sul pezzo con una ironia solida e coerente fatta di parole e sguardi; le bravissime spalle (tre) di SIG nella gestione del Cafè Minamdang e nelle rischiose e assurde azioni di caccia al killer; la piccola parte della potentissima CEO arrapata che insegue il ML con pressanti proposte matrimoniali.
Pregevole anche la colonna sonora e divertenti le citazioni di altri drama: la ajumma ipertecnologica di Healer, qui impersonata dalla giovane sorella del ML e la indimenticabile scena dei due eroi di Goblin che avanzano maestosamente nella nebbia, qui reinterpretata per il salvataggio - si fa per dire - sempre della stessa sorella da un appuntamento amoroso improprio.
Cosa non va assolutamente in questo drama? La caccia al serial killer è troppo complicata e cercare di seguirla fa venire il mal di testa. Non ce la posso fare a seguire una quindicina di personaggi diversi mettendo a fuoco tutti i nomi coreani. Ogni volta che impari, con sforzo, il nome e il viso di un sospetto ecco che le carte in tavola vengono ribaltate e devi ricominciare con un nuovo viso, un nuovo sospetto, un nuovo nome...
La scelta di uno stile narrativo farsesco-surreale come chiave complessiva diventa, alla lunga, stancante e l'implausibilità di troppe situazioni richiede una continua sospensione del cervello (facilitata, in realtà, dal ritmo incalzante dell'azione).
Non va, irrimediabilmente, la protagonista femminile, anche se qui voglio spendere una parola a difesa della povera 'odiosa' FL. E' davvero insulsa, antipatica, petulante. Impersona la onesta, dedita, intelligente e forte detective che...non ne azzecca nemmeno una. Sempre sopra le righe, fuori posto, incoerente. E' l'unica sempre seria in una gabbia di matti con la quale non ha alcuna sintonia e il suo personaggio stride con l'insieme. Ogni volta che compare in scena vorresti che la lasciasse al più presto. Ma perchè per questa povera anima di Oh Yeon Seo gli sceneggiatori scrivono sempre parti così devastanti? ( Anche in A korean odyssey è un po' uno strazio).
La schizofrenia del giudizio è segnalata anche dai voti che accompagnano questo commento: lo spettacolo, in sè, non raggiunge per me la sufficienza anche se il rating delle singole componenti è sempre, anche abbondantemente, sopra. (luglio 2025)
Was this review helpful to you?
detectif tapi kocak, mirip seoul busters
Tentang dukun palsu dan punya cafe bareng sama adek+bestienya. Dia dulunya tuh detektif ahli profiler gitu, bisa nebak latar belakang orang dari merhatiin penampilan makanya pas jadi dukun jago betul langsung tau masalah masalah client. Pas dulu masih jadi detektif, temennya dibunuh & dia ditangkep karna dikira dia yg ngebunuh. long story short pokoknya ada kasus client perdukunan dia yg benturan sama kepolisian jadi dia ketemu deh ama adek temennya yang sekarang juga detektif, terus pokoknya ternyata kasus kematian temennya itu ada hubungannya sama kasus kasus yg baru terjadi makanya dia akhirnya kerjasama ama adek temennya buat nyari pelaku sebenarnya. Endingnya cukup plot twist walaupun sudah ketebak banget villain nya.Seru, kocak juga, isinya orang ga beres semua. Rada mirip taxi driver gitu sistemnya, tapi ini versi dukun gadungan wkwk. Tapi ini cuman beberapa doang kasusnya dalam 18 eps, soalnya lama banget nangkep pelakunya jadi greget
yang pengen nonton drakor komedi, detektif, dukun dan teknologi gitu cobain nonton drakor ini!!
Was this review helpful to you?
Achei que ia ser uma palhaçada qualquer… e fui surpreendida com gosto!
Esse aí é o famoso “achei que era bobagem, fiquei viciada”, né? Um dorama que começa com cara de palhaçada e do nada: plot twist, ação, investigação, gargalhada e coração quentinho. Às vezes, o que começa como farsa… revela a verdade mais afetuosa do mundo: boas intenções e laços reais.“Café Minamdang” chegou com cara de dorama cômico sem muito compromisso. Mas bastou um episódio com Nam Han Joon analisando candidatos num processo seletivo, e pronto: me fisgou! Avaliação de perfil, leitura de comportamento, dinâmica de grupo no improviso... minha área, minha paixão! RH que lute.
Só que o que começa como comédia caricata se transforma numa trama de mistério bem construída, com ação, pistas e reviravoltas que prendem. E tem mais: o vilão (sim, o ANTAGONISTA) também me pegou. A construção dele é tão humana, tão cheia de dor mal resolvida, que eu quase preparei café e ofereci escuta ativa. Faltou pouco pra indicar constelação familiar.
A química entre os personagens é ótima, o time Minamdang é caótico e adorável, e Han Jae Hee merece palmas pela força, integridade e tapas bem dados. A mistura de humor pastelão com trama policial funciona surpreendentemente bem — e ainda deixa espaço pra emoção de verdade.
✨ No fim, a maior previsão do xamã era essa: você vai rir, se apegar, suspeitar de todo mundo… e quase adotar o vilão. 🖤🔍
Was this review helpful to you?
Increíble
Una historia que te atrapa hasta el final, llena de giros, emociones y suspense.Siempre veo series de suspense y crímenes, la forma en la que te hacen pensar sin cesar sobre quién es el asesino, esa es mi parte favorita de este tipo de series. Las actuación de Seo In Guk, como siempre, impecable. El resto del elenco, también, hizo un trabajo genial. Me encanta, la recomiendo. Una serie completa, donde te ríes, lloras y te enfadas a más no poder.
Como era de esperar, Corea nunca me decepciona con las tramas de sus series.
Was this review helpful to you?
?
para quem gosta de dramas policiais/investigativos, vai amar café minamdang!! é um dorama com muitos eps porém nada que vai ficando chato e entediante com o passar do tempo, muito pelo contrário, a gente até fica triste quando acaba hahaha. um ótimo desenvolvimento da história, dos personagens entre si e a solução do caso abordado. tem seus momentos de suspense, mas não deixa de ser engraçado e divertido de assistir, os personagens são incríveis!! café minamdang é perfeito para os amantes de comédia romântica e suspense. aprovado!! 👍🏼Was this review helpful to you?
