This review may contain spoilers
A very refreshing story
*This is my first ever review so proceed with caution*I've been in a Kdrama slump for a long while, my longest to date, so when this drama popped up on my suggested list I added it to my watchlist without thinking much of it. Then a few days later, I saw it again and something in me was very drawn to it. I started watching it without even reading the summary and that was the best decision I've made this week.
This drama has a very interesting plot that I thoroughly enjoyed. The casting and acting were as close to perfection as it can get (I guess it's because a good majority of the actors are veteran actors). The pacing was okay, I'm a little impatient so having to wait until almost the end for the "big case" with random snippets here and there was a little frustrating for me but I don't say that to take away anything from the writing of the drama, just a personal preference.
So, if you enjoy business dramas with a healthy-ish amount of suspense this one is for you.
*There are spoilers from here :)*
Story
As I said earlier, the premise of this drama was so unique to me. While watching the drama I guess I understood why the title used the word "art". Yun Jun Ho's (YJH) team were strategic and patient with a lot of back and forth with the clients and we got to go on this journey with them. The negotiation process was portrayed so realistically and I liked it didn't have the usual drama storyline of always achieving what they set out to do (like when they acquired Cha Cha games as a game company as well as a company to develop an e-commerce platform ). Whether this is realistic or not I'm not entirely sure, maybe someone in the business world can comment and let me know.
When the drama started and the amount the company owed was revealed, I damn near fell off my seat (I checked the synopsis and turns out it's in the summary! Reminder to always read those). A debt of 11 trillion won or 11 billion dollars and a company that didn't really have a concrete plan on how to navigate the situation was mind-boggling, but by the first episode you can see why. The directors were so incompetent and only had the purpose of playing to Mr Ha's tunes. They were very unlikeable throughout the drama, but I guess that was the point.
This drama doesn't have the usual "dirty plotting" that most business makjangs have. The producers could put a "No one was hurt in the making of this drama" banner on the poster and that would hold true. I expected at least some extreme mudslinging and fighting but there was none of that. I was glad that the drama maintained that calm atmosphere throughout, almost as if all the directors chose a freeze response to the imminent danger. There was also no awkward and randomly written funny moments that sometimes serve as a sorry attempt at comic relief. Both these factors made it a refreshing drama.
One thing I didn't like was the characters repeating the explanation of business terms or concepts at length. Once is okay twice or thrice starts to feel like a classroom.
The other aspects of the storyline were good and the only reason I took out half a point was the ending. The plot-twist I was expecting was something along the lines of the chairman's son being revealed and it being Theo or someone else but the one they chose was downright preposterous. Why would the PPF hire a man who participated in stock manipulation and was essentially a failed CFO? And as a director at that? The other detail that ruined the ending was that Director Ha was not investigated for stock manipulation although that is a criminal offence and Yun Jun Ho had to go to the prosecution for that. Make it make sense! I can understand that they were laying the groundwork for a second season, but that direction was so off-putting I don't think I'd be interested in watching.
Cast
I loved the acting of the entire cast but of course there are two characters that stood out to me:
*Lee Je Hoon as Yun Jun Ho was so good (although he pushed his glasses up an unhealthy number of times, coming from someone who wears glasses). He was reticent and that gave him an air of calmness around him. Such characters can sometimes be frustrating in dramas especially when they are supposed to be in a team but what I liked about him was that he almost always kept his team in the loop of what he was doing.
The hair and make up team deserve a huge pat on the back. That white hair was so striking, and the makeup was so perfectly well matched that I could not take my eyes off of him the entire time. Which begs the question, was the hair a wig? If so, that was the most flawless I've ever seen. Also, the fact that he had greyish hair in the past and white in the present was such an amazing detail that really helps viewers distinguish between the two timelines without obvious texts or saturation changes that they do in other dramas (you know what I mean, I'm not very well-versed in Filmography terms).
*Jang Hyun Sung as Director Ha was sooooooo frustrating. He played the role so well that I didn't want to see his face a good majority of the time. That conniving man did f all in that company and was also in bed with the PPF (and not with the intention of fostering a good relationship between the two companies). He was so dishonest that the only time he told the truth was when he tried to attack YJH in the end and said, " I made the company what it is today". He was right, he made the company a debt-ridden barely function company. I know it's not entirely his fault but I'm choosing to blame him because I don't like him. I just hate that he didn't get the comeuppance he deserved.
Music
I gave the music a 5 because I don't remember hearing any songs in the drama except the one in the last episode and what even was that ???
All in all, a good and enjoyable drama to watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
