This drama had a great premise, good cast, diverse characters, and great OSTs. So what exactly is the problem?
How did it manage to fail despite all of the positive factors I just mentioned?
Bad scriptwriting for the two main characters.
This show started off just fine (for some it might've been childish or cringy because of the main lead played by Ahn Jae Hyun) but despite that, the show was actually pretty decent. It gave spotlight on many diverse characters which brings me to a certain topic I'd like to discuss: How great the LGBT representation in this drama is. They portrayed the issues of gay people very smoothly without making it over the top or forced. The character played by Cha In Ha was written in a very natural manner, it felt very realistic and down to earth. Those are some of the positive things about this drama.
The other point I would like to mention is how each character is suffering from some sort of trauma. The four siblings sharing painful events that made them into who they are today. Also very nicely done.
Now I would like to focus on the negative aspects.
This drama focuses way too much on the cliché ''Main lead v.s Second lead'' trope which I thought would be left behind in 2019 for good. Sadly that was not the case and it ended up as a mediocre show at best.
Too many unnecessary scenes due to bad writing, not knowing how to make the main couple interesting enough and making them do stupid stuff every two minutes or so resulting in those two going back and forth between each other. Also, too many underdeveloped characters, what was the point of the rich runaway girl? the psychiatrist? how about the three brothers and their individual love stories? everything was shoved aside for the main couple and second lead which had absolutely zero chemistry at the end of the day, all that because of irresponsible (on the toilet) writing.
I think the screenwriter gave up midway through just to eat his sandwich on time for film break. Not sure what they were thinking when they made the main couple argue 24/7 without any reason at all, Like, he could've breathed in a wrong way and she would break up with him for the tenth time this week????
The humor in this drama swifts from occasionally funny to cringeworthy real fast, so watch out for that.
Also, I've seen a lot of people comment on the acting in this drama and I agree somewhat that the two main leads tend to overexaggerate a lot or simply fail at delivering a certain scene correctly. But please keep in that that those characters are purposely written that way and the actors have no choice but to act stupidly in a very animated manner because of the nature of their characters. You should blame the writers for that instead. I think the actors did a decent job, it is supposed to be a comedy after all. A character shitting his pants in the very first episode cant be taken seriously anyway.
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Overall this drama is okay if you are looking for something short and easy to watch. Funny with a decent portrayal of different characters. Sometimes braindead but the side characters are worth your time.
Don't try to watch this if you are a fan of mature or well-written romance. If you don't like childish characters and very questionable decision making, this might not be the right drama for you.
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An Underrated Gem Destined To Become a Comedy Classic
[Originally written in May 2022]WHY I LOVED IT . . .
Crazy Love is so unique and unpredictable and LOL crazy yet at the same time, unexpectedly moving, it’s really a shame it’s not getting more attention. While it does get off to a bit of a slow start—which is often the case with early ep exposition and all the players being introduced—each ep is better than the last and this trend continues even after the halfway point.
One minute you’ll be laughing so hard your stomach's sore, amazed at how truly batsh!t crazy Kim Jae-uck and Krystal are acting on your screen, the next you’ll be hurting so badly for them as you learn their backstories, especially that of Noh Go-jin (Kim Jae-uck).
The character development is so compelling and believable and well-acted, you can’t help but root for the OTP couple, despite the fact that the ML starts off as an arrogant, insufferable jerk and he and the FL really, really hate each other’s guts when the story opens. And when he does finally start to realize the error of his ways, it’s not solely the result of his falling head over heels for the FL.
Crazy Love’s got a bit of everything—enemies to lovers, a fake engagement, a sweet romance, swoony kisses, hilarious knock-down-drag-out fights, intrigue, tons of unexpected LOL moments, and a FL who gives as good as she gets, if not moreso, when pushed hard enough.
We also have a lead couple who, much like the OTP in Her Private Life (which pairs Kim Jae-uck with Park Min-young), actually communicates openly with each other and works together to resolve issues and potential misunderstandings—once they’ve stopped hating each other, of course. Sure we’ve got a few tropes but the show revels in its tropiness, subverting them in fun and surprising ways, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Kudos to Kim Jae-uck for throwing his sexy, cool image right out the window. (Although he's still plenty sexy as Noh Go-jin, despite the less-than-flattering CEO hairstyle, and the man knows his way around a kiss.) This is a great role for him as it’s really given him an opportunity to flex his formidable acting chops, tugging at our heartstrings with his beautifully nuanced emotional scenes and tickling our funny bones with his physical comedy skills. And despite what happens in Crazy Love, Kim Jae-uck can actually carry a tune. He majored in music in college and is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and composer for his indie rock band Walrus, named for The Beatles song “I Am the Walrus.”
It’s been a revelation watching him and Krystal really let loose as I never imagined they could be so funny and they are clearly having a blast. I was not a fan of Krystal’s before, having only seen her in Sweet & Sour, but I like her portrayal of Lee Shin-ah and their chemistry is surprisingly good. The show’s at its best when they’re the focus so I did sometimes find myself wishing it spent less time on the supporting characters, but I guess that’s true of many dramas with an appealing OTP.
ABOUT THOSE RATINGS . . .
Crazy Love’s Nielsen ratings in South Korea started out at 3.4% and spent much of its run at 2.5 - 2.6%, but the show finally broke into the 4s with Ep 11, building to a series high of 4.6% for the Ep 16 finale.
When Crazy Love premiered in March, Business Proposal, 2521, and Military Prosecutor Doberman had already caught fire with audiences, and while those shows received global marketing support from Netflix/Viki, Crazy Love was released with negligible promotional support from Disney+ which didn’t seem to know or care what the heck it was doing with its K-Dramas back then.
And for some inexplicable reason, D+ has only released Crazy Love in nine APAC countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand; hopefully, D+ will make the show available to the rest of the world ASAP now that it’s ended its run in SK. (Shows like Grid and Soundtrack #1 are in the same D+ limbo as Crazy Love.)
Another issue may have been that dark, edgy comedies like Crazy Love don’t tend to appeal to older women, who are the primary viewers of dramas during their initial television broadcast. (This older audience is why the longer “family” K-Dramas with 50+ eps often achieve ratings of 20% and even higher.) Younger viewers who are more likely to like this genre often watch online and on DVRs but these views are not reflected in the ratings. (In the U.S., most networks use Nielsen's Live Plus service which does track these delayed views.)
IN CONCLUSION . . .
Kim Jae-uck said he chose to do Crazy Love after his three-year hiatus because he wanted to make people laugh and help relieve some of the stress brought on by the pandemic. If the 6,200+ comments here and its 8.3 rating (as of the 4/26 finale) are anything to go by, he and Krystal and the rest of the cast succeeded.
Please give Crazy Love a try! It’s a lot of fun and keeps getting better and better—although the last few eps focus less on romance and more on figuring out who-dun-it—culminating in a satisfying ending that manages to give closure to not just the main characters, but the supporting ones as well. The show is not perfect by any means but I tend to judge entertainment based on whether it delivers more than the sum of its parts—and the way it makes me feel and think—and Crazy Love comes through on all counts with plenty of feels and food for thought along with the laughs.
(Full disclosure: I’m a big fan of Kim Jae-uck but most of his dramas and movies have landed in the 8s and 7s for me rating-wise. Even gave one drama a 6.0.)
[1/14/23 Update: D+ U.S. has made some of its K-Content available on Hulu, including Big Mouth, Grid, May It Please the Court, Connect, Kiss Sixth Sense, etc. Sadly, Crazy Love is still not available outside of Asia/Oceania.]
[5/24/23 Update: As of today, more than a year after it first aired in South Korea, Crazy Love is finally available on Hulu in the U.S., Disney+ in Canada, the UK, and Europe, and Star+ in Latin America. Unfortunately, there has been zero promotion in the U.S. The only reason U.S. fans knew it was even a possibility was because Disney+ Latin America announced it was releasing there.]
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GREAT DRAMA , HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.ALLEN REN & SEVEN TAN DID BEAUTIFUL IN THIS DRAMA
i just finished this drama two days ago, and this drama really gave me a very deep impression. AN AMAZING AND VERY BEAUTIFUL AND DEEP DRAMA FOR A LOVE STORY BETWEEN LUYI AND JINXIA. The perfect storytelling has brought this drama to be so exciting to watch and I spent it in just over a week.This drama has a very good story development from action, stories about how they work together to solve cases that have involved one of the sons of royal officials, to the deep feelings of love that are built between the Luyi royal guard and Jinxia as an assistant to the Liushanmen government office. Their struggles touched my heart and I cried very sadly in the episode towards the end, and I was very satisfied and happy that they were finally able to meet again and have a happy ending, even though I actually wanted the director to add a little more to the end by letting the enthusiastic audience like I can see that finally Luyi and Jinxia can get married and have children ... but well I am quite satisfied with the end of the story ....This drama has a lot of spices from sweet, funny, action, mystery case solving and there is also a very sad side that can make you cry deeply when enjoying this drama.
and ... of course this perfect drama does not escape the good acting of our main cast "ALLEN REN and SEVEN TAN" who brought their characters as "LUYI and JINXIA".
this was the first time I watched a drama that Allen Ren played, and to be honest the first time I was a little hesitant to watch it, but luckily I started, otherwise I would be very sorry for having missed such a good drama, and I have to admit Allen Ren is an actor who has very good acting skills, he portrays the figure of luyi very perfectly.
I was not a fan of Allen Ren at first but after this drama ... I really liked him, and became one of his big fans ..
I decided to start this drama because of Seven Tan at first, because I really like this actress, she is very clever, sweet and always successful in bringing her character very well in every drama that she carries. I also really like her acting which is very natural in every drama that she brings ... she is a very funny, cheerful and sweet artist.
Allen Ren as Luyi looks very handsome and dignified in this drama .. I am really fascinated and captivated by his character who is very cool here. especially when he wore his royal guard uniform, really very dignified and handsome ..
Besides that, the chant that is inserted into this drama is also very beautiful. I almost like the whole soundtrack in this drama, especially the one entitled "wish / yuan" the lyrics and rhythm of the song are very touching and it seems that it fits perfectly with the scene at that time. The soundtrack by Allen Ren "Heart Wall" is also very good.
the whole of this drama is very perfect and beautiful, and of course for the rewatch value and overall I also give 10/10 points.
for those who are about to start or are thinking about starting this drama .. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA ..
At the end of the review I would like to thank all the producers, directors, writers, actors and actresses who have perfected this drama, and of course the crew too ....
excited for Allen Ren and Seven Tan, hope to see them play another drama. because their chemistry is very good and strong in this drama ...
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The story comes in waves, at times there is a feeling of melancholy and helplessness of the situation while at other times you will be jumping in your seat from excitement!
Intrigues changes all the time, what was once a dear friend or ally becomes an enemy and vice versa. It's a very complicated story with a big cast which might make it difficult for some western viewers to follow if the series is not watched at a high frequency.
Watching the acting in this series is a treat, the characters become very much alive and they are deeply written. You will always understand why a character behaves as he or she does. There are always motives behind their actions, and even if you might hate a character for some action they did, you will often find yourself later also feeling pity for them because you will see their reasoning behind it.
One of the most popular series in China, give it a try you won't regret it!
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To start off, I had no desire to watch this drama. I had heard great reviews raving about the chemistry and how great the story was, but I still regarded this drama with little more than a passing nod. I had never seen any previous works by the leads and clips I saw never seemed to catch my interest. In addition, despite it being a very popular story line, I do not typically enjoy contract relationships (don’t hate me!), business dramas, or incredibly mean and arrogant male leads. However, I was craving a romantic comedy and was running low on options, so I figured I would give it a try. And I am so glad that I did!!!
This drama was incredible. The chemistry and the acting by all the characters, even side characters, was fantastic. The story line was perfectly paced, great soundtrack accompaniment, interesting and dimensional subplots, a romance worth swooning over. I was hooked immediately and binged the entire season in 2 days. No episodes did I feel were just filler, everything was intriguing, and contributed to an all around great story and truly memorable story. I cannot recommend this drama enough. If you have doubts, as I did, give it a two episode try and I hope that you will find it just as entertaining as I did. Happy drama watching :)!
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This review may contain spoilers
The story being told in an unagitated & well-rounded way unfolds its unique (I´d say: high) quality
"Divorce Attorney Shin" is actually based on the webtoon of the same name by Kang Tae-kyung. The KDrama comes with the handwriting of the same screenwriter as i.e. "Thirty Nine", "Always" and "Encounter" – Yoo Young-ah. In the case of "Divorce Attorney Shin" once again shows off her strengths: drawing true-to-life, sensitive portraits of friendship and relationship dynamics with plenty of ordinary life of ordinary people. In "Divorce Attorney Shin" you get (also thanks to marvelous actors/actresses!!) authentic, lifelike characters and circumstances. In this case with sometimes maybe a bit weird, but loving details. With characterful esprit. Unagitated. At times a joy to the heart. Almost soul food."Divorce Attorney Shin" tells stories from the red-hot everyday life of many people in South Korea, which is increasingly about divorce. The number of divorces in the country is currently going through the roof. The topic becomes almost normal madness. KDrama understands this just as such. Divorce is normal. Not nice. Not desirable. Not originally intended. But often unavoidable as the next step. And sometimes maybe...
(A bit tongue-in-cheek: the title. Attorney Shin's name "Shin Seong-han" literally means "sacred" in Korean. Thus, his name tag "Shin Seong-han, Divorce" becomes a provocative play on words. Attorney Shin is also the man for the cases when the ´holy state of marriage´ has faltered...)
There are many reasons and circumstances behind such a momentous decision as divorce ( ... and it may always accompanied by a bit of shame and feeling of failure, which needs to be digested emotionally). Some of them come along enrobed in different cases. They are weaving their way around the frame of the story, the main focus of which are three old friends – above all, however, divorce lawyer Shin Sung-han. One of the recurring scenes is the small but finely drawn retro lawyer's office with a wooden sliding door that sometimes gets stuck, which you quickly grow fond of. Also, Shin's apartment with retro-style hi-fi, where he spends his evenings listening to loud Trot music, preferably singing and drinking soju from a wine glass. And then the cozy Ramyeon restaurant around the corner from the office. Added to this is the special relationship between Shin and a client who ultimately joins the team and another young lawyer, who somehow stumbles over Shins piano skills into the office. And then there's his own past as a gifted pianist and the reason why he's no longer one.
Kudos to the layered nuances that paint the complex environment in which divorce tends to be embedded. No divorce is like the other. But most of the time, divorce hurts or hurt started before and therefore led to it. "Divorce Attorney Shin" touches on a multifaceted assortment of backgrounds and triggers over the course of 12 episodes short-term critical circumstances and long-term effects, emotional suffering and opportunities, economic chains and hopes, social stigmas and societal prejudices, and then, too, self-doubt, as well as collateral damage and sacrifice. It's not always just 'the others' who are affected, but the controversial issue of divorce is getting very close to almost all of the protagonists. JTBC attacks a hot social topic with the KDrama.
"Divorce Attorney Shin" offers all this embedded in a variation of slice-of-life. Leisurely, cozy and enjoyable – and therefore digestible. But it's not at all harmless. There is plenty of law-and-order with a comprehensive arc of suspense. On the one hand, this is the professional talent of our protagonist – although not his only one. On the other hand, there is his own family history, marked by the pain of separation and divorce, which is unexpectedly stimulated anew. The dramaturgical dynamic of the story is increasingly gaining momentum and ultimately steers inevitably towards Shin's very personal showdown, where justice is fought – not with firearms or fists, but according to the law, with evidence and with a sense of proportion, heart and mind.
In my opinion, the story finds an extremely fine nuance on all levels, which shows an ever deeper effect over time. Subtle but lasting. I would associate (not timbal, but) Koshi chimes – depending on topic and episode, sometimes more in the timbre of Aqua, sometimes more in the timbre of Aria, sometimes more in the timbre of Ignis, and sometimes more in the timbre of Terra... The story being told in a coherent and well-rounded way unfolds its very unique (I´d say: high) quality.
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SIDE NOTE: --- Trot ---
KPop is a 2000ff phenomenon in Korean music history and by now even most non-KDrama fans are familiar with it. ´Trot´ however probably is less known. But beware: maybe in the not too distant future there will also be a KTrot, who knows...
'Trot' dominated the Korean music scene – as the earliest form of popular music in the peninsula. Trot is less well known to the rest of the world, but has experienced an enormous revival in its own country in recent years, which is now taking the genre even beyond national borders, too. "Divorce Attorney Shin" presents one of the hits, which was released brand new in 2020 on the CD "9 Stories" by Trot old master Na Hoon-a. The 72-year-old landed a megahit, with its YouTube video being viewed 25 million times and thus temporarily relegating the superstars BTS and Blackprint to their places. Korean cultural export strategists are smart and quick. The song promptly finds its well-staged place in the appropriate KDrama with "Divorce Attorney Shin", which also takes the direct route to the international audience via the Netflix streaming platform…
'Trot' grew on Korean soil and is quite retro in its foxtrot and slowtrot beat derived from standard dance. 'Trot' goes back to the time during the Japanese colonial period and the import of the 'enka', mixed at that time with the folksy, epic pansori lamentations (at least for me often reminiscent of flamenco), as well as the traditional aesthetically harmonious, lyric poem form Siga. However, due to its entangled roots with the Japanese 'enka', 'Trot' fell under censorship from the 1960s onward and only resurfaced in the 1980s. However there was also J-pop , hip hop and rap allowed to reach the masses and with that influence the then upcoming new and hip KPop pushed 'Trot' into the background.
Only now, when KPop is firmly established, does interest and space for something 'new', identity-establishing traditional obviously open up again. There may be something old-fashioned about ´Trot´, since young people are more familiar with it via their grandparents generation. However, the music triggers a nationally rooted, melodramatic emotionality... It's quite possible that a contemporary, new variation of internationally hip KTrot will develop over the course of the next few years. At least the trot is rediscovered – not first – but also by "Divorce Attorney Shin"...
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Best KBS drama ever!
Once Again. That's the drama name. Once Again consists of 100 episodes. Once Again deals with real-life problems in the society/family. Everything single episode is worth watching. No lies. Each episode keeps you so hooked up and curious, the story is so good. I love how the story is not so draggy, considering it's a makjang with 100 episodes. It's just too perfect.In this drama, we can see the Song Family. A frugal dad and a nagging mother with 4 adult kids. The Song family goes through one hell of rollercoaster problems, not just within the family but with neighbors in Yongju Market. A lot of heart-warming romances, so it's not just family drama. The Song family has three daughters, Song Na hee (Lee Min Jung), Song Ga Hee (Oh Yoon Ah), Song Da Hee (Lee Cho Hee), and a son, Song Joon Sun (Oh Dae Hwan). Each one of them has their own problems, The romance between Gyujin (Lee Sang Yeob) and Song Na hee (Lee Min Jung) is so heartwarming and then there are other sisters. Just so cute.
The drama goes and the hype starts building up as characters begin to break and re-join and it gets even better when mysterious kimbap restaurant owner Kang Cho Yeon joins the fray and opens up shop in the Yongju Market. Her appearance and other new characters add a new flavor to drama. The mysterious woman is none other than the great Lee Jung Eun. Her character is flawless.
I am not joking, every single episode is beautiful and worth the worth. It's not just entertainment but life lessons are being taught.
Thank you, KBS for this amazing drama
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This review may contain spoilers
Crisp and tasty KDrama - revolving around some hot topics that one might rather want to call sci-fi
Intelligent, sharp, with strong characters. A crisp and tasty KDrama. “Blood Free” got me immediately - with an original hook, set within a gripping milieu, topped by thoughtful demeanor of interestingly authentic protagonists and splendid casting.Of course, the interfering natural interest of those in power (who obviously can never keep their hands off) is not at all surprising. Yet, the processing of some rather hot contemporary issues was presented in a refreshingly concise manner. Including topics that one might call a dream of the future... A bit far-fetched here and there? Perhaps. Nevertheless, often enough well grounded in common sense.
I assume there could as well be a second season... because the end doesn´t necessarily have to be the end, does it?
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Like Rita, I found this drama lovely to watch and well worth my time every single episode. Unlike Rita I am actually a fan of Hockey. I grew up in a Hockey family. My father coached and my brothers both played hockey and in turn now coach their sons. Never once did I feel the action on the ice was fake or poorly executed. The team spirit and pride of the players was also something the writer and actors captured quite nicely.
The story and plot played out in time with the 11 episodes and I never felt bored or as if the plot was dragging. The writer really captured the feeling of the players, their motivations, dreams and fears. I have to wonder if he/she was either a player or came from a hockey family. If not...I'd be surprised.
Kimura Takuya and Takeuchi Yoko had amazing chemistry together and more importantly, with the rest of the cast. Kimura Takuya as Haru was particularly good. He was so natural as Haru...so confident in his role that I might have trouble seeing him as anyone else. The love story between Haru and Aki is wonderful! They were what most people aspire to in a love match; comfortable with each other with a friendship that comes easy and a necessary undercurrent of passion. Lovely!!
The soundtrack is by Queen. One of my favorite bands when I was a kid. The tried and true anthem We Are The Champions was only one obvious fit for a sports driven drama. A lot of their other songs "I Was Born To Love You" spoke perfectly to, not only Haru's love for the game of Hockey but also his love for Aki.
My re-watch value is a 10 because I would enthusiastically watch this drama again. It is fun and such an easy, entertaining story. 11 episodes long and does not drag. If you don't like watching sports dramas I promise you this one is a perfect blend of the right elements. This is about the characters and the love story set within the world of Hockey.
I recommend this drama very highly. So much fun to watch!
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In the ocean of sugary sweet love stories with clichés like accidental kiss scenes and drunken confessions or over the top makjangs with evil in laws and memory losses, I found a drama that is slow paced, mature and tackles some heavy matters with a very realistic approach. I thought it’s impossible to show the story about two people finding love outside their marriage in the world of a very conservative Korean television, so with every episode I watched, I was growing more and more surprised that the drama didn’t change its tone in any of the typical directions, so either overly melodramatic or exaggerated comedy. It finished just as it started: calmly, simply and without big declarations or unexpected plot twists. I agree that the last two episodes weren’t as well-thought as the first part of the drama, but considering this sudden decision to cut it by 4 episodes, I think they did an exceptional work anyway.
I liked the cast. Even though I think that Kim Ha Neul is not a greatest actress, she played the role of a timid, dependant Choi Soo Ah perfectly. She and a male lead, Lee Sang Yoon, had an amazing chemistry. I don’t know how they did it, but every time they touched or even so much as looked at each other, you could feel intense feelings between them. However their chemistry was very mature and perfectly fit for the flow of the story. The rest of the cast was also very good, I especially connected with Soo Ah’s best friend Mi Jin, who was flawed, but that’s what made her very human and likeable.
To sum it up, I really loved On the Way to the Airport and I wish there were more dramas like that. I loved its simplicity and the courage to set the story around subjects that are more often than not considered forbidden. If you’re looking for a break from typical tropes, you won’t be disappointed.
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Cute but couldn't avoid cliches
"Hello I'm at your service" is a lovely office romance that is both binge-able and cringey. One of those sweet, sugary dramas that we get every year from China but it still has some elements that you would enjoy. For me, it was a unique CEO male lead and the concept of your workplace being your family.Our ceo male lead, Lou Yuan (Miles Wei) appears like a cold, aloof, very typical at first but he is rather friendly and nice. He is not a total introvert either. Behind this perfect ceo is a down to earth, frugal guy who dotes on the female lead.
Contrasting to him is the female lead, Dong Dong En (Xu Lu) who is quirky and efficient at her work. As a customer service representative she is good at flattering people too. She is just too smart and knows how to talk through her way.
She works for a small company called Ba-Er (Eighty two studio) which has less employees but they all are like family members who go through hardships together. An amusing company which barely makes any money but stays up for nights to meet the client's requirements. The founders are like elders of the family where an employee is casual enough to nag or stare at the boss. They even dine together daily. Her bonding with them was one of the parts I loved in the drama.
Now coming up to what took 2 stars away. Its the stereotypes of a Chinese Romcom. You get a CEO, rich ML- poor FL story (which gladly is the main highlight here although they presented a very healthy relationship since Lou Yuan was not domineering and rather understanding), you also get a bitchy childhood lover out of nowhere (with zero self respect obviously), a toxic Ex (who you wish could die bald, many might enjoy this arc tho becoz I laughed a lot at the end).
But anyone watching this for the romantic story wouldn't get bored for sure. Along with these adorable leads we also get two second lead couples who have interesting stories going on parallely.
And all throughout this drama one thing you can definitely learn is how to butter up people. Like no one here is talking in a sane way without adding compliments. Its so cheesy at some scenes but its funny too. Comedy makes this drama light and an easy watch.
Overall, it was quite a mid, okayish drama that you can binge watch over a weekend or keep as a side dish for a strong ongoing angsty historical you're watching.
Sweet, a lot cliche yet fun!
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Flowers centers around the business of our girl's (Kang Hye Jung - Oldboy, Love Phobia, Welcome to Dongmakgol) parents which is nothing but setting up funerals for the deceased. Well, what do you think? Depressing, Sad, Sappy? If you think that way, then I'll try to make you think other way.
Flowers is not a melodrama. It doesn't put the characters of the story in extreme difficult situations so as to appeal to the emotions. It isn't a family drama, it may not even feel like a drama ! It will be hard to believe that its a show which deals with death and is actually hilarious and funny without being jokey and gag based. It touches you emotionally without making you sappy. You will feel the characters in your heart and yet you wont cry. It will provide you lots of hilarious and humorous moments. You won't feel dull at any point in the series.
The cast is good with our leads fully absorbing into their roles. You will probably remember Cha Tae Hyun (My Sassy Girl). He is the main character in this story and I think he was perfectly cast for this role. His exaggerated facial expressions are always funny but you won't find them ridiculous here. They will rather feel as honest feelings. The lead actress Kang Hye Jung is very natural in her acting. She just steps up her acting skills in each episode. You will feel like living in the drama. The second leads are OK. The parents are awesome. There are 2 more elders who would sometimes feel annoying but their screen time is small.
Doesn't your all time favorite drama has the most beautiful music? Remember 'Coffee Prince' and 'Shut Up: Flower Boy Band' ! Well, Flowers doesn't reach to that level but there are just enough scenes where the background music matches perfectly with what is going on in the screen. In fact, it is the OST that keeps your tears away. Its the exact opposite of OST of '1 Litre of Tears' where you cry because your heart, Aya and the background music all resonate to the frequency of 'tears'. In Flowers, it resonates to happiness and smiles. To your surprise, you will come across a 90's english song.
I have never rewatched any drama till now. Not even my top favorite one. But I feel like I can always return to watching this show as this is JUST NOT sad, even when talking about death. All other good shows leave me in a state of helplessness when I finish them and I don't know what to do ending up in an existential crisis for few days. But Flowers left me satisfied and happy in the end.
Overall, I will give this one a '9'. I would have given this a 10 if not just for that 1 single episode where I think it paced up a little giving away its charm a bit. But the show made up for it in the last 5 episodes.
Additional thoughts - There are few episodes which tell a smaller story and work well in moving the characters in that small story as well as the larger story of the series in itself. You can compare it with the episodes of 'Reply 1997'. Now wasn't that amazing !
And if you see this show, then do watch out for the flowers (I mean literally; there will be just a single scene for 2-3 seconds where a character is shown with some type of flower).
This show is indeed well executed. I just didn't wanted it to be so underrated.
Thank you for your patience.
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The world of banking portrayed in this drama is one of deception and treachery. Bankers don't care about their customers or even the integrity of the their banking institutions; they seek only to improve their positions by manipulation and betrayal. The senior banking officers make bad decisions and their underlings have to clean up the mess or risk demotion or even worse relocation.
In walks Hanzawa Naoki. A brilliant banker who cares about his customers, his bank and his friends. He is thrown under the bus by his boss and must clean up the mess or get transferred. There are so many hurdles in his way but Hanzawa is a fighter. His catch phrase, "If you screw me, I'll screw back. Double payback!" It was exciting to see him get fired up in these situations.
The story was a bit predictable but it was so well told that I don't mind that at all. The acting was astounding with the exception of the guy who played the inspector from the tax bureau (gross over actor) and the only thing about the drama that i didn't like really. Sakai-san was in one word SUPERB; the best actor overall in the cast. I wish we got more of Ueno Aya but what we got from her was great. She played the role of the strong dedicated wife well.
I live in Japan and people can't seem to stop talking about this drama. It is one of, if not the best drama for 2013. It is a must watch for jdrama fans. And with Hanzawa's tenacity, the fan love and the way this drama ended I fully anticipate a season 2. Hopefully we will get it next summer.
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Perfect reflection of Corporate Affairs; Quite unique as a drama.
Let's say that ON THE VERGE OF INSANITY is the office Kdrama of the year 2021 or probably the best Office drama out there? I mean you ain't gonna find another Kdrama with pure office affairs (95%) in the story, so yeah!This drama is realistic enough for the audience working (or have worked) in corporate sectors to relate and reminisce their life as employees or employers. The drama touches various sides & shades of a regular corporate life such as: responsibilities, work pressure, competition among peers, colleague relationship, management techniques, job hunting, dismissal, resignation, worker layoffs, corruption, etc, etc.
STORY & PLOT:
There is no solid plot here to back the story. It's more of a slice of 'office' life Kdrama portraying the day-to-day life of people working in Electronics Industry at various positions and designations. But of course for the story's sake, the drama is set up in a time period during which the company is going through critical phases of financial downturn and rounds of laying off plus shutting down of branches.
Hanmyeong Electronics, famous for it's high-tech home appliances, is one of the top 3 Electronic Product Manufacturer in South Korea. The Company enters into a moderate financial crisis to tackle which the Head Quarter decides to shut down few of it's business departments and lay off more than half of the people working in those branches. So the major plot is all about the attempt to throw out the people and sell off a particular branch which also includes the competition to develop products and the efforts of survival in the company.
The story itself starts with these procedure in one of the semi-urban branches. Dang Ja Young, assigned to lead this is then transfered to another rural branch to reorganize and execute the selling off of another branch. Choi Ban Seok, an expert developer at the company is transferred from the previously vanished branch to this branch is forced to work with Dang Ja Young in the HR team. Han Se Kwon, a greedy and highly ambitious person always putting effort to climb the ladder, can go to any length get his work done.
The drama also portrays dirty sides of business and corporate sectors. People trying to drag each other down to save themselves, some others plotting tricks to humiliate others for personal grudges, some trying to gain from crisis, some committing corruption in the greed of money, etc are very well shown that implies the need of countermeasures to stop such deeds. OTVOI also emphasizes on hierarchy complexes in corporates as well as mistreatment and sexual harassment, which are some of the concerning issues in all kinds of workplaces.
Obviously, Dang Ja Young and Choi Ban Seok are the leads but there's no definite couple. There's no romance storyline which is totally fine but in the last 4 episodes there's a subtle portrayal of a developing closeness between the 2 leads.
The drama has few side minor storylines about office dating, personal and private lives of the main characters, friendship between adults, etc.
CAST & ACTING:
It's obvious that the drama isn't getting it's well deserving recognition internationally because of the cast but what matters are the acting skills of the actors and in this regard all the main and major characters are actually very good. It's sad that such a good and realistic story isn't getting the attention but I must say it's not everyone's cup of tea.
The story revolves around mainly 3 people though there are plenty of side and supporting characters with a fair share of screen-timing.
1. Dang Ja Young played by Moon So Ri is a workaholic long-term employee at Hanmyeong who aspires to become an executive director by the meana of her work. He has given her 100% to the company and has strived for its progress. She does whatever given to her as a responsibility and is very rationale. She's brave, competent and knows how to get her job done well. Despite the difficult road traveled, she never gives up. She finds herself in a tight spot after being appointed as the HR team leader of a branch soon to be sold off.
2. Choi Ban Seok (Jung Jae Young), a senior hardware developer with 20+ years experience has been successfully saving his spot in the company. He's very excellent at his job but mismanagement of company disgusts him. He gives up an international offer and after bring transferred to another branch he joins the TF team but soon after framed and shifted to HR, a dept he's no idea about. He still hangs onto the job and tries to learn. Fortunately, his skill gets him back to the R&D dept but he still faces issues from people who are jealous of his skills. His character and personality in this drama is something to love and respect. What a man!
3. Han Se Kwon (Lee Sang Yeob), the TF team leader and a prominent face of the company, is also the ex-husband of Dang Ja Young. As a person who's high ambitions he can literally do anything to stay at the top. He's very insecure of his skills yet clever enough to create opportunities for himself out of crisis and sly enough to escape out of downgrading situations created by him. Seeing Choi Ban Seok's skills and confidence he constantly tries to bring him down by playing cheap tricks. He keeps stopping lower shamelessly as the story progreses.
Choi Ban Seok is a family man with a daughter and both lives with his mother since his wife's demise. Dang Ja Young after divorce, lives with her friend Shin Jung Ah and has a mentally disable father at a nursing facility. She's divorced from Han Se Kwon who's currently dating a co-worker. Shin Jung Ah (Cha Chung Hwa) and Shin Han Soo (Kim Nam Hee) are siblings.
The drama has also some other good actors like Cha Chung Hwa, Ahn Nae Sang, Kim Nam Hee, Jo Bok Rae, Kim Joong Ki, Park
Won Sang, Park Sung Geun, etc. Other than these popular faces, there are also many young faces which are new & old as well as some known faces who did their roles well with the screentime provided. The character arc of all the major and minor character are very well-done.
DIRECTION & EDITING:
Given that this is the debut of the director, I think it's very good as well as suitable script for him. He's been able to do his job well hence creating good opportunities in furure. The screenplay editing also gives the vibe of perfect office environment with light comedy dominating intense moods. Background sound scores are very less giving it a urban drama vibes which I think is a good decision. In fact the OSTs are not utilized that much but that's very fine with me. One notable editing device is that for the later half of the drama, the episodes end with a prologue and in the next episode the story goes back to a day or two back that eventually leads to the scene where the previous episode had ended. I recall seeing this device in no other drama.
Many people might say it's boring because of the lack of a intense solid plot and urban editing but I'm very pleased for the fact that it is very realistic and throws light on real life events and issues in the corporate sector.
OSTs:
My only problem with the OST collection of this drama is that the production has unreasonably put Han Se Gwon in the poster of 4 tracks when he's an utter trash. Whereas Choi Ban Seok is featured in only one poater wtf. Also, Seo Na Ri, Han Se Kwon's girlfriend is got a place in one of the track posters as well as shown as one of the 4 main casts in the main drama poster z WHYYYY? She doesn't even share more screentime than side characters.
Okay, so OSTs are actually nice. The urban comedy drama doesn't use OSTs in the screenplay that much given the office environment to give off the perfect vibes. My favourite ones are "find me" by PL and "please" by The Daisy. The former is a jolly track creating moods for doing your work and the later is a softcore feel-good song. Other likeable ones are
"trace" by KLANG
"vacuity" by The Lime
"I dream of you" by Seo Sung Hyuk
"man's Love" by Kim Jin Woong
ENDING:
Last 2 episodes of the finale week are very good as well. One of the major twists that happened in ep 15th made me both sad and angry which also led me to expect something dramatic enough to turn the tables. Well, tables weren't turned as a countermeasure, rather the scenario led to a new beginning. I was sooo happy tbh watching the last 15mins of the 15th eps, it has quite a few time leaps, small or big. The 16th eps was even more dramatic (not so realistic) but I guess that was a reward from the writer for all the sad elements we had been witnessing throughout the last few episodes. Anyways, sooo glad it was a sorted, reasonable and happy sending.
CONCLUSION:
The best thing in "On the Verge of Insanity", for me, is Choi Ban Seok, a personality that I will aspire to be. He's confident, morally upright and is always focused. His way of talking and behaviour acc to person were so on point, I fell in love with him. Dang Ja Young is surely an inspiring character with a lots of traits to learn from, loved how strong she is. Han Se Kwon is a character that should be hated and openly shamed. It's unfortunate cheaper people exist in the corporate world for real.
Again, I am sad this drama isn't doing well internationally in real time but hopefully people will recognize later. The drama is definitely a very good work, if not excellent. The way it throws light upon harsh truth of corporate affairs and the measures to tackle it are very real.
Overally, this drama is nice and deserves a place in the top 20 Kdramas of the year 2021. PLEASE watch this and I am sure that'll be worth spending time on. I binged it in 2 phases but I am sure the episode by episode progression of this drama would have been quite interesting and anticipating for those who watched it ongoing. This will go down as one of the best Office Dramas that Korean Drama Industry has ever produced. That's all.
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Bad Buddy is the BL drama that WILL END ALL BL DRAMAS!!!
ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL, this is the BL drama that will end all BL dramas – PERIOD! No one or not everybody will agree with me but if you look again closely at all those previous (and watch future) “popular” BL dramas and compare them with Bad Buddy, you can tell the difference (truly no offense meant to the fans of other BL dramas). I thought Dark Blue Kiss was my all-time favorite UNTIL I watched Bad Buddy. Bad Buddy is unique by all accounts and I will not elaborate this because if you are truly a Bad Buddy fan, you know what I am referring to.You can start combing through any discussion threads/comments/etc. (in all social media) about Bad Buddy and 99% of all the comments are in unison having the same voices and sentiments THAT... (1) You can’t or don’t need to watch another BL drama after watching Bad Buddy because it will be very difficult for you to move one AND (2) You will need another BL drama that is “better” than Bad Buddy before you can get over Bad Buddy drama, but it’s highly unlikely. Bad Buddy drama has set the bar so high that you will not watch any other BL drama if its not as good as (or better than) Bad Buddy!
It might be too early to consider Bad Buddy drama as PEERLESS, but it will be!!!
All our lives, we thought the best things that Fridays can give us are rest and enjoyment (after studying or working hard) BUT Bad Buddy has totally, immensely, and overwhelmingly changed that!!!! Fridays will never be the same again after watching Bad Buddy drama!!!!!!!
Watching Bad Buddy is a marvelous way to end 2021 and start 2022…
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