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Behind the Music: Top Management's Brutal Take on the K-pop "Machine”
Idol Drama Review No 3
Before I started my sabbatical from dramaland. Yes, that’s a thing. A season where you take a break from endlessly chasing your next drama fix, touch some grass, and remember what the sky looks like, I was deep in two phases: my Idol Drama Phase and my Lee Jun Young Phase.Those two obsessions took me from Let Me Be Your Knight, to Imitation, and finally to Top Management. So naturally, I’m going to compare them.
While Let "Me Be Your Knight" was mostly about one band and the mental health struggles of its members, and "Imitation" juggled multiple groups with different stories and issues, Top Management zoomed out even further. It focused on the behind-the-scenes of the gritty, messy, and often shady side of building a K-pop group or running an agency.
It doesn’t paint things rosy. In fact, it throws a whole fist at the industry and doesn't flinch while dragging it through the mud. The drama asks a very real question: How far will management go to keep everyone, idols, fans and investors satisfied? And at what cost?
Turns out, the cost is high. Very high. Some idols are literally sold to fans, and those horror stories you hear about contracts? Yeah… they're real. Talent alone isn’t enough, it’s like a factory where the "products" are fresh-faced dreamers, young men and women chasing a stage spotlight that keeps moving further away.
One thing I really appreciated in Top Management was how it addressed something we rarely hear about directly from idols or agencies: burnout. Proper, physical and emotional burnout. There was one scene that honestly stuck with me.An idol was doing an interview, and when asked what he wished for the most, he said: "To sleep for at least two hours." Apparently, the last time he slept, it was for 56 minutes. I was shook. The interviewer was shook. Even the agency head was like, okay... maybe we pushed too hard. (Slight understatement.)
Yoon Eun Sung, played by Seo Eun Soo, was such a breath of fresh air. It had been a while since I’d seen a female lead show that kind of raw, unfiltered emotion without it turning into a melodrama. She is the heart of the show, her character is well written, she is a true beckon of hope for those whose dreams didn't come true. Her "Just because I didn't make it on stage, doesn't mean I won't make it at in the background" attitude is a lesson we can all use. She is also able to see the future, but in such a subtle, grounded way, you’d almost forget there was any fantasy element at all. No flashy CGI, no dramatic glowing eyes, just quiet intuition that somehow made perfect sense.
On a side note: this was my first drama with Cha Eun Woo, aside from that variety show "Rent in Finland". I hear he’s improved a lot since then. That’s all I’ll say. (insert dramatic wink)
Top Management" isn't just for K-pop fans. It's a good watch for anyone in management, especially in the events or entertainment industries, for dreamers, and even for sasaengs (obsessive fans). It's a stark reminder of how their actions ripple through and affect the entire industry.
Before I started my sabbatical from dramaland. Yes, that’s a thing. A season where you take a break from endlessly chasing your next drama fix, touch some grass, and remember what the sky looks like, I was deep in two phases: my Idol Drama Phase and my Lee Jun Young Phase.Those two obsessions took me from Let Me Be Your Knight, to Imitation, and finally to Top Management. So naturally, I’m going to compare them.
While Let "Me Be Your Knight" was mostly about one band and the mental health struggles of its members, and "Imitation" juggled multiple groups with different stories and issues, Top Management zoomed out even further. It focused on the behind-the-scenes of the gritty, messy, and often shady side of building a K-pop group or running an agency.
It doesn’t paint things rosy. In fact, it throws a whole fist at the industry and doesn't flinch while dragging it through the mud. The drama asks a very real question: How far will management go to keep everyone, idols, fans and investors satisfied? And at what cost?
Turns out, the cost is high. Very high. Some idols are literally sold to fans, and those horror stories you hear about contracts? Yeah… they're real. Talent alone isn’t enough, it’s like a factory where the "products" are fresh-faced dreamers, young men and women chasing a stage spotlight that keeps moving further away.
One thing I really appreciated in Top Management was how it addressed something we rarely hear about directly from idols or agencies: burnout. Proper, physical and emotional burnout. There was one scene that honestly stuck with me.An idol was doing an interview, and when asked what he wished for the most, he said: "To sleep for at least two hours." Apparently, the last time he slept, it was for 56 minutes. I was shook. The interviewer was shook. Even the agency head was like, okay... maybe we pushed too hard. (Slight understatement.)
Yoon Eun Sung, played by Seo Eun Soo, was such a breath of fresh air. It had been a while since I’d seen a female lead show that kind of raw, unfiltered emotion without it turning into a melodrama. She is the heart of the show, her character is well written, she is a true beckon of hope for those whose dreams didn't come true. Her "Just because I didn't make it on stage, doesn't mean I won't make it at in the background" attitude is a lesson we can all use. She is also able to see the future, but in such a subtle, grounded way, you’d almost forget there was any fantasy element at all. No flashy CGI, no dramatic glowing eyes, just quiet intuition that somehow made perfect sense.
On a side note: this was my first drama with Cha Eun Woo, aside from that variety show "Rent in Finland". I hear he’s improved a lot since then. That’s all I’ll say. (insert dramatic wink)
Top Management" isn't just for K-pop fans. It's a good watch for anyone in management, especially in the events or entertainment industries, for dreamers, and even for sasaengs (obsessive fans). It's a stark reminder of how their actions ripple through and affect the entire industry.
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