You raised some good points I had totally forgotten about like the cheating that doesn't lead anywhere and Joseph's saboteur. This show was just some ideas stitched together and it could hold up with better acting but doesn't. I don't think it was supposed to be 16 episodes, from the lack of storylines, I think they were pitching it as a movie, a bad version of the Devil wears Prada.
And I enjoy fashion in dramas, when it says something about the characters and their journey. But this one just featured kitschy outfits that fashion people wouldn't be caught dead in. With the exception of the always elegant big boss.
Anyway, your review was super helpful, I wish I read it before watching eight hours of this year's most mediocre show
There are few people who truly appreciate Sung Joon's hotness and even fewer that know the tragedy of it being wasted on this boring of a show! So I know exactly your frustration.
I also started watching this after I need Romance 3, watching him have explosive chemistry with kim seo yeon, I was ready for another hot romance. As you may guess, I was horribly disappointed by... whatever this show was. I can't even remember how many episodes I watched, it was that dull and uninspiring. I almost feel bad that I don't remember it enough to pick it apart as you so eloquently did. The only things that have stuck are:
a) he looked and was too young to play a 35 year old professor. I didn't buy it for a moment. b) when the romance is based on deception, its only saving grace is a heartwarming, sincere confession that makes the other person forgive the lie and accept the love. That never happened, they just kiss for no reason. c) what was up with the fl's character? Girl, you're in your thirties, not thirteen. How did it take her so long to see when someone was playing her. The signs were all there!
All in all, the show was so bad it eclipsed Sung Joon's hotness and that's a sin I will never forgive.
p.s. about him being paired with older women. That's the only thing they tried to do right. Let me explain, Sung Joon exudes sexiness from every pore. He plays so well the flirty attitude and needs someone to bounce it off with. So it works when the woman is older cause in Korean TV, unfortunately, the only women who are confident in their sexuality are the ones over 30. God forbid someone younger can be more than clueless. And this strategy has been successful as his relationship in I need romance and Ms Perfect can attest . Hope his 2023 comeback drama gives him the storyline, costars and hotness level he so deseves!
It pains me to rating a female centric show so low, but this was a wasted opportunity. And I can tell they meant to write an engaging story about the multiple sides of the fashion industry, but failed in every way. Except for the most bland two leads, Joseph was the worst written. I can tell the executives are boasting about writing a gay major character and hailing it as progressive, when his awful portrayal borders on homophobic. They made him stupid, dramatic in the bad way, image obsessed and shallow. And for the love of god, namedropping in English was what broke my ears. Made them tacky when they were going for sophisticated.
Its only saving grace was Park Hee Jung deciding to leave and expand into international markets, finding a partner who truly supports her and helping the other model rather than having the awful kdrama catty fights.
And for a show supposedly about fashion, the clothes looked like forever 21 rejects, thrown together by a four year old girl.
"as spicy as flour" is the perfect insult for this drama, I laughed a lot while reading your review. I had some expectation, as Ha Ji Won has given excellent performances in the past (and after this). But wow, it was mind numbingly boring and made you wish the characters ended up alone and miserable
Don't trust the negative comments here. Emotionally complex stories have lower ratings that simple mindless romances. I'm glad you liked this story that deals with money destroying education and how people who are genuinely passionate about knowledge fight for it
I made an audible cheering sound at your review. It's both praising and fair with the show's shortcomings. Particularly when you said " It would have been a life time of misery with someone who has so little regard for your input." Say it louder for people in the back! The female was smart and professionally savvy, but in her personal life she made choices out of fear, accepting that tool's proposal and rejecting the ml afterwards. And for what? 37 is old enough to know better, not so old you should sacrifice your life and happiness.
You also raised a good point with the second female lead, saying in Korea "there is this general expectation if someone likes you then you have some kind of romantic obligation toward them". It clicked for me as soon as I read it, and I've seen it in... EVERY kdrama. I disagree with her approach, and it's such a pity to see what could be a rounded woman emotionally manipulate a man and making him her whole personality. I liked her when she stood up to him after their first "date", but it's been downhill ever since
This is a very interesting article introducing us to dramas centered on older characters and their experience. I always felt there was a gap in the kdrama market for people over 50 and I don't mean in supporting roles. I haven't watched these shows but I will, and I'll also keep my eyes open for more stories centering them. P.s. the LIYE couple reunited in the movie Josée and it's so interesting how they're the same actors but developed even more chemistry
you grasped the whole point of the show, that Irin pretended to be cold so Inn could get all the love. and then she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for her family. i thoroughly enjoyed this show and loved the pairing of Irin and Namcha
I hope I am wrong about this but purely from the comments below it looks like, yet another Netflix attempt at…
netflix doesn't care about the artistic integrity of the series. its only goal is to maximize views and instigate new subscriptions. hence their attempts at making Korean content in a way that's more palatable for the average western viewer. as a European myself, I hate it. it almost always makes a show bland and empty, like Remarriage and Desires. I hope this trend stops though I'm not hopeful. I'll watch this series and have a more complete idea about it
And I enjoy fashion in dramas, when it says something about the characters and their journey. But this one just featured kitschy outfits that fashion people wouldn't be caught dead in. With the exception of the always elegant big boss.
Anyway, your review was super helpful, I wish I read it before watching eight hours of this year's most mediocre show
Sweet series, but couldn't finish
I also started watching this after I need Romance 3, watching him have explosive chemistry with kim seo yeon, I was ready for another hot romance. As you may guess, I was horribly disappointed by... whatever this show was. I can't even remember how many episodes I watched, it was that dull and uninspiring. I almost feel bad that I don't remember it enough to pick it apart as you so eloquently did. The only things that have stuck are:
a) he looked and was too young to play a 35 year old professor. I didn't buy it for a moment.
b) when the romance is based on deception, its only saving grace is a heartwarming, sincere confession that makes the other person forgive the lie and accept the love. That never happened, they just kiss for no reason.
c) what was up with the fl's character? Girl, you're in your thirties, not thirteen. How did it take her so long to see when someone was playing her. The signs were all there!
All in all, the show was so bad it eclipsed Sung Joon's hotness and that's a sin I will never forgive.
p.s. about him being paired with older women. That's the only thing they tried to do right. Let me explain, Sung Joon exudes sexiness from every pore. He plays so well the flirty attitude and needs someone to bounce it off with. So it works when the woman is older cause in Korean TV, unfortunately, the only women who are confident in their sexuality are the ones over 30. God forbid someone younger can be more than clueless. And this strategy has been successful as his relationship in I need romance and Ms Perfect can attest . Hope his 2023 comeback drama gives him the storyline, costars and hotness level he so deseves!
It pains me to rating a female centric show so low, but this was a wasted opportunity. And I can tell they meant to write an engaging story about the multiple sides of the fashion industry, but failed in every way. Except for the most bland two leads, Joseph was the worst written. I can tell the executives are boasting about writing a gay major character and hailing it as progressive, when his awful portrayal borders on homophobic. They made him stupid, dramatic in the bad way, image obsessed and shallow. And for the love of god, namedropping in English was what broke my ears. Made them tacky when they were going for sophisticated.
Its only saving grace was Park Hee Jung deciding to leave and expand into international markets, finding a partner who truly supports her and helping the other model rather than having the awful kdrama catty fights.
And for a show supposedly about fashion, the clothes looked like forever 21 rejects, thrown together by a four year old girl.
I'm glad I'm not the only one upset by this show
You also raised a good point with the second female lead, saying in Korea "there is this general expectation if someone likes you then you have some kind of romantic obligation toward them". It clicked for me as soon as I read it, and I've seen it in... EVERY kdrama. I disagree with her approach, and it's such a pity to see what could be a rounded woman emotionally manipulate a man and making him her whole personality. I liked her when she stood up to him after their first "date", but it's been downhill ever since
P.s. the LIYE couple reunited in the movie Josée and it's so interesting how they're the same actors but developed even more chemistry
as a European myself, I hate it. it almost always makes a show bland and empty, like Remarriage and Desires. I hope this trend stops though I'm not hopeful. I'll watch this series and have a more complete idea about it