This review may contain spoilers
I enjoyed this show a lot and found it hard to stop watching. There were a lot of good aspects—the detailed realism (with some exceptions) about the operations of the business, most of the acting, the emotional intensity, etc. But there were a few things that really annoyed me about the show. It’s easier to criticize than to praise, so I’ll focus on the bad things, but keep in mind that overall I recommend this show.Misleading Start. The premise looked interesting (realistic workplace drama), so I had high hopes when I started watching this. However, the drawn out Hollywood-style action chase sequence that began the show threw me for a loop, and I dropped it immediately (just like what happened with Memories of the Alhambra). Several weeks later, I decided to give it another chance, wondering if maybe that beginning didn’t accurately represent the rest of the show. It turned out to be totally misleading. If I were on the creative staff, I would have left out the entire Jordan stuff, both at the beginning and the end, because it clashes with the rest of the show. I don’t understand the intention. Someone looking for a serious office drama like me might be turned off by the action stuff at the beginning and stop watching. But someone who enjoyed that opening might be disappointed by the rest of the show.
Lead Actor. Overall the cast did a great acting job. However, the lead, Im Shi Wan was terrible. He was just a cold fish totally lacking in charisma or ability to communicate. It was hard to believe that everyone loved him so much. This may not be the actor’s fault. Maybe the director and writer wanted him to act like an inarticulate babo. If that’s the case, then his acting was perfect. But he didn’t express the drive, passion, creativity, and intelligence that his character was supposed to have. And even though his character is supposed to be boyish and naive, I thought he looked and acted more like 16 than 26. I would have preferred either Byun Yo Han or Kang Ha Neul in that role.
Repeated Scenes. This is only the 3rd K drama that I’ve watched all the way through (after Age of Youth 1-2 and Live), so I’m still learning about the genre conventions, but one major thing I’ve noticed is the overuse of repeated scenes to fill out the air time. Seriously, I would guess that maybe 1/5 to 1/4 of the entire run time consists of repeated scenes (flashbacks, important words played back in characters’ memories, etc.). This has to stop! My time is precious, and I really resent having to waste it seeing the same scenes over and over again. I had to use the skip forward button a lot, but this is imprecise. I would much rather that all that crap was just cut out and the episodes just lasted 45 mins or less. I understand with limited budgets and set airtimes that need to be filled with content, this is a standard practice, but I wish K dramas (or at least the ones I’ve watched so far) relied less on these kinds of cheap tricks.
Other Filler. Unfortunately, replayed scenes aren’t the only filler used in this show. Another way to cheaply and easily fill up airtime is to have characters run into each other 1) in the coffee/copy room, 2) break room, 3) elevator lobby, 3) on the roof, 4) in the stairwell, 5) in the garden, 6) in front of the bldg, etc., and stop and stare at each other silently for 5 mins., and then either 1) nod and walk away, 2) bow and walk away, 3) say “Jang Geu Rae Shi” and walk away, 4) say let’s get some coffee or let’s drink, 5) or if you’re lucky, one of them will say 1 sentence about something that’s going on while the other (usually Jang Geu Rae Shi) stares at the ground silently. I can’t think of a single one of these scenes that actually advances the plot, so I would cut them. The result would be a lean mean show of like half hour episodes.
Over the Top Misery and Villainy. I like shows and movies that are very realistic. And in real life, you almost never meet people who are absolutely evil all the way through. People are usually complicated and have their good sides and bad sides. The show did a good job of portraying some flawed people who still had some good sides deep down or changed during the show. However, there were several characters who were just pure evil, like the head of the resource department, Byun Yo Han’s boss, An Yeong Yi’s dad, the jealous resentful intern, the new hire who commits fraud, etc. All of these people need to die immediately. But they were hateful caricatures of evil. The show would have been much better if all these people were shown to have more complex and sympathetic sides. Also, if their abuse of the other characters was toned down and more realistic, this would have been better. I’m sure there’s lots of bullying, hazing, close-minded bureaucracy, sexism, and other kinds of discrimination and corruption in the Korean business world, but my guess is that it’s not quite as bad as depicted in Misaeng.
That’s it. Watch the show though, it’s very engaging and addictive.
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I hope I could help you
Ps: Another thing that I really liked in Misaeng were this Wise Quotes. Quotes you can take with you for your own life.
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1) This drama will give you more characters to passionately hate than any other. It is like school-bullying with adults in an office. PREPARE FOR IT. You will want to punch someone whilst watching this. I had to laugh at some point, because it reminded me of animes like One Piece or DragonBall, where just after you finish one villain, the next, more powerful one, comes along and you fight again...
One part, that kept me watching, was the hope that all the bad guys, who persistently made life for some of the office newbies difficult, would get what they deserve in the end (who wouldn't want that to see?). However, I was utterly dissappointed, that just one had a bit of pay-up time, the rest just went into the wind, as if months and months of harrassment never happened.
2) I have to admit, that besides the awesome Mr. Oh at some point every character just got onto my nerves. But I suspect this is because of this ridiculous hierarchy that is played out here and that I, as a European, cannot comprehend. THEY ARE ALL PUSH-OVERS AND I HATE IT. Especially the sexual discrimination was hard to watch, and how Young Yi just suffered it, like a good little girl.
One might argue that this is what work-life is, but nope - this is what work-life SHOULDN'T be.
3) This might be the worst OST I have ever heard. Not that it is bad by itself, but it is just so melancholic and depressing... every time the title got played in "Misaeng" (sound in the background) I felt a little bit more depressed. Seriously, this drama is listed under "comedy", but it was only about 15% comedy at the most, it's definitely 80% slife-of-life, at least, and nothing else.
4) This didn't bother me too much, but you should know, that the whole thing plays out 99,9% in the office (a tiny part of it is during after-work drinking, too). You get amost zero private life etc. This revolves around the work, and as Mr. Oh said "Work is our life", this drama is about work. (And it showed me once again, why I would never want to work in such a company...)
5) The ending, as I mentioned, is like: WHAT? Then you remember somewhere in the past that at the beginning of the first episode was this one scene.... and then it was all about the office. And now, 20 episodes later, they continue with this beginning. And you realize, that it's the weirdest ending ever. It does not give you any answers - I would have loved to see where ALL the newbies were heading to or ended up. But nope, instead they gave us a crazy mixture of James Bond and Indiana Jones scene. I really asked myself whether GurRae didn't just die and this was his dream of heaven or whatever...
Ok. I gotta admit, this was some kind of rant.
I still liked the drama and watched it, because
1) it was well made. The athmosphere, the direction, the cuts were great.
2) I kept waiting for the newbies to pull through.
3) I really liked Mr. Oh and his father attitude towards his subordinates.
I guess, this is a drama, that is better to watch one or two episodes at a time, not all at once.
Well, this is off my chest. You gotta see, whether you like it. Maybe bully-haven is just the thing for you ;)
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This has to be one of the most enjoyable and emotional experience with a drama I have had in 2014. I had been so excited to watch this drama, since the day it came out..but knowing me and the stupid life I live, I didn’t have the time or the effort to watch it as it aired, but sometimes watching a drama when it’s over is the best. I got to watch as far as I wanted, as long as I wanted, and when I wanted and that is always a pretty great deal. It took me so long to finish this drama, not because of the drama itself, but the Holidays…I finished 16 episodes in 2 days then Christmas and family things came up, but now that I’m done with it…I feel sad. This drama was such an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions, every single episode had me in tears.
You may think watching a drama about people working in a office building would be boring, but it was far from it. I had some of the most suspenseful and nail biting feelings from this drama, than I have had in some of the action/mystery dramas I have watched. I have had more emotional connections to characters than I can say I have with any other character in 2014 thus far, and that is saying a lot since there have been a lot of dramas that I have been emotionally invested in. But the writing of these character got me, because they are normal people trying to live their lives and not sink, I just felt like I understood the main character so well, since I’m pretty much going through what he is, and we are around the same age. I understand how he feels like he has wasted his life, and I just had such a strong connection to him, and wanted him to succeed no matter what. However, this drama is for the most part, extremely realistic and sometimes we can’t always be winner, and things don’t always turn out how we plan and I really like that about this drama. It shows us how life really is, and that it’s not just always sunshine and roses, and that even though our main character is down in the dumps and isn’t living this best life, just because it’s a drama doesn’t mean he is going to suddenly become the coolest kid on the block or live a fabulous life like all these other dramas out there. Its realistic, we cant always turn into Cinderella, because that’s just not life.
They gave each character so much depth and personality that it was hard not to root for them, even when at times you may of wanted to slap them across the face. Some people never change, and didn’t have much character development as a person, but that too is also like life…sometimes being an asshole, you stay that way forever (even if you get what you deserve), however many characters did develop wonderfully. It was amazing to see our four little new employees develop so well, and to see how they changed from immature to more mature, or to more understanding and more intellectual. I really enjoyed that.
The acting in this drama was just off the charts. I really enjoyed everyone’s performances, and I wish I could talk about every single character, however I can’t because this review has already become extremely long. Siwan did an amazing job, and I didn’t expect any less from him. Coming off his great performance in another one of my favorite dramas of 2014, Triangle, it was good to see him in a staring role. He did such a good job as our main character Geu Rae, that I was really in awe. I hope that in time he will be placed in more and more dramas because he is such a good actor. He is one of those idols, I don’t even consider idol actors anymore, he does such a good job. He is in the category of just plain actor, no idol attached, because he can out act many professional already and with time and more experience I can just see him going far in the acting business. Lee Sung Min never disappoints, it was great to see him in this drama. I haven’t seen him in anything since Golden Time, where he shined so brightly, and this year he did it again for me. He is such a great actor, I truly have no words for him. He played his character so well, and it made you feel so many emotions and even without having to shed tears you could tell how emotionally invested he was in scenes. He really out did himself, and I praise him to heaven and back for that. Kang So Ra did a great job well, coming off of Doctor Stranger which was a pretty weak drama in my opinion, she shined in this. Her character was inspirational and she played it so well, I really loved everything about her and its hard for me to say that because at times many female actresses dont live up to my expectations or to their male co-stars but she really did shine brightly!
I’m going to be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen Kan Han Neul in a drama where he can shine, the only other drama he has been in that I’ve actually half enjoyed was Monstar, all the others were dramas where I couldn’t even focus on him or care to because of how terrible they were. It’s about time he got a role in a drama that had amazing writing, because he shined as well. He showed how good of an actor he is, and how he doesn’t need to be in those fluffy over the top cheesy romance dramas because he can be a serious actor, he can act his butt of and I would really like to see him in an extremely well written melodrama because I think he would do a fantastic job. This was Byun Yo Han’s first drama, and boy did he do a fantastic job, lord I cant take it! I am super impressed by him and I will be putting him on my list of must watch as he grows list such as my babies from White Christmas (seeing how amazing most of them turned out and how well they are doing) so I’m really excited to see him in more things! I think he will do well, and he played such a lovable character, that grew on you when you weren’t so sure about him, and he played it off well. I think that he has a real career in the drama industry ahead of him and I’m eager to see what 2015 hold for him! And lastly Kim Dare Myung, this was also his first drama, though he has been in many movies (and Byung Yo Han has been in movies as well) he really did a fantastic job in this drama as well. I really enjoyed his character and he had some the best parts as well, and I really want to see him in more..I was disappointed to learn this was the only drama he was in. I think from how well this drama did that both him and Byun Yo Han will be seeing more dramas in their near future and I am really excited to see them!
Overall this drama was amazing, I’m just going to put that out there. From start to finish I found myself entertained and emotionally invested in the story and characters. The OST and the cinematography were also on point and it was great to see so much character development throughout this drama, not only from our main cast but also side characters as well, and though there was technically no love lines in this drama..it really didn’t matter. I was happy there was no romance, because most likely it would have taken away from the impact that this drama has. This drama, about the lives of ordinary people and how they deal with it, was one of the best dramas of 2014, and is now one of my favorite dramas of all time. I couldn’t recommend this drama enough if you payed because this is just a drama that you need to sit down and watch because it is worth all 20 episodes, because this drama has it all..it has a beautifully written script, amazing music, beautiful camera work and an outstanding/amazing/brilliant cast…I can’t recommend it enough!
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Misaeng aka incomplete life, is my life and your life and everybody’s life out there. You may see the cover and think “this is office life it has nothing to do with me” yes to some point it is office life and all the struggle and challenges office workers go through but it’s LIFE in every way possible and in every level. It’s how life works and all about enduring, facing challenges, not giving up and learning human interactions. These things aren’t just in office it’s in our daily life which is what makes Misaeng LIFE I don’t even want to categorize it as a drama because it isn’t. We are all still living an incomplete life and working our way to make it complete.
• “Even if you think you won’t make it, fight to the end. In life, there are many things you start even if you know the predetermined end”. Oh Sang-Sik.
• Courage isn’t defined by readily jumping into risky situations, avoiding these situations and silently going on your own path requires courage too. Jang Geu-Rae.
• You made it anyway so try to survive here, surviving means going towards a complete life. We are all still incomplete lives. Oh Sang-Sik.
• Just because you forget a dream doesn’t mean it stops existing, just because you don’t see the road doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Oh Sang-Sik.
• Sometimes life throws tough tests at you to make you feel helpless, then leaves hints for you in funny places. But, of course there’s no guarantee that you’ll come up with the right answers. Jang Geu-Rae.
• A path is not simply for walking. Its purpose lies in moving forward and improving oneself. A path that fails to do so is not a path. The path is open to everyone but not everyone can walk it. Jang Geu-Rae.
And finally my favorite of all “What do you think life is? Life is a collection of choices. The choices you make in each moment make up the quality of your life” Han Seok-Yool.
Thank you Misaeng, I will keep this in my mind and remember everything I’ve learned here or been reminded of and I promise you I work my way through it and whenever I feel that I’m at the verge of giving up I will give myself another Miseang dose even if I had to watch it all over again, I’d be glad to do so.
Story?
To some it could be a boring, dull, raw, depressing real office life with no action no thrill no twists no comedy and certainly no romance thus no fairytale. Why watch something which is practically taken from real life, a spin of life I shall say so why? Yes, that’s a good question. We all want to run away from our real life and enter the drama world, where we get to enjoy a whole new different world than the one we live in. Our lives are stressing enough we don’t need to go through the same things while watching drama when dramas are supposed to be fun right? You are absolutely right I won’t argue there, but sometimes we need a wake up call sometimes we need something which reminds us “Still, it is a life worth living” I know I did. I needed this in my life. Let’s face it, as much as we want to run away from reality as much as we always desperately search for something that could help us get through it. No matter how old we get we still learn, leaning never ends especially when it’s about life. Wouldn’t you love to invest your time on something that not only gives you “hope” and fills your spirit with “positive energy” but also teaches you valuable lessons? Misaeng has all that and much much more. There are no words good enough to express my feelings about this (not a drama) but a journey into life.
For the first time in my drama history that a story challenges me mentally and emotionally to the point where I could not bring myself to watch more than 1 ep (2 eps max a day) and would take a break the next day. I have never thought I’d ever come across a show which I absolutely cannot marathon no matter how much I wanted to (and I mean it in a good way). The thing is, when I’m done with one ep I cannot start the next because I would be thinking of that ep none stop and grasping the whole thing in my mind, thinking about the message in that ep and the characters’ expressions and the way they behaved and taking note of everything that I’m supposed to grasp from that ep. Misaeng challenged me mentally in a way no other drama or movie ever did and it’s not even scientific (where your brain is needed) but each ep carried on a very strong heavy content which I felt I need to think about and take my time through it. It would be waste for me to watch Misaeng and marathon through it like I normally do with other dramas. This is not a drama every minute/second is precious here and should not be wasted.
Acting:
I’m sorry, no matter what I say no matter how many rows I write in regards of how well the cast did it won’t be enough and won’t give them 1% justice. Possibly the most justified 10 I have ever given for acting. I am thankful for the production company for tvN and for everyone who participated in this drama but mostly for choosing this cast! I wouldn’t take any other way. I’m not only talking about the main cast; I’m talking about the whole team from main to supporting to guest everybody is perfectly selected here.
I’ll mention the characters which affected me the most:
Lee Sung Min: Chief Oh, would you please be my mentor? I would do anything to have a person like you as my real mentor sir. I LOVE YOU FROM THE BOTTOMN OF MY HEART. Kudos to my favorite mister of all times!
Im Si Wan: Jang Geu Rae, whenever I look at Siwan now I think my heart will ache because all I’ll be seeing is Jang Geu Rae forever... Jang Geu Rae I love you but I also hate you because I am you and you reminded me of myself many times and that was very painful for me. To all the Jang Geu Raes in this world I’d like to hug each and every one of you and say “Fighting” stay strong.
Byun Yoo Han: Han Seok-Yool, is an example “never judge a book by its cover”. The best character development I have ever witnessed in drama land. I loved his character the most maybe because many of the situations he went through I have been through them myself so I could totally understand/relate to him from the very beginning I never judged him. Though his character is the sweetest character on the show and his scenes gave sweetness and funny moments to the show but he had his own battles to fight constantly and even then he would still be there for his friends and support them with at least a hug. I have so much respect for him for the fact that till the very last moment he never gave in to the wrong temptation and stood still by his ethics and principles. Byun Yoo Han, yet again stunned me with his wonderful flawless performance. An actor whom the industry and us the audience are lucky to gain in drama land :)
Overall:
Misaeng is a must watch by everyone but it is not a drama for everyone. It is a must watch drama because projects like these will add something to your life and we don't get such a privilege very often (almost never). When I say it's not for everyone, that's because as I said you have to be willing to give up your fantasies which we normally have in mind when watching a drama in general. You will have to be ready to embrace Misaeng the way it is and the purpose it is created for. If you are willing to do that then I can guarantee, you will see the beauty in this one ^^
If I could I would go personally and thank everyone who participated in making this happen <3
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It's just good
Excruciatingly long and pointlessly slow until the last two episodes where they speed up everything, yet the last 2 eps were underwhelming for an ending, especially the last 30 minutes wtf was that! It's full of fillers and mundane conversation. These conversations don't contribute in any meaningful way other than prolonging the series, if they were to serve a comedic purpose or to further develop the characters then sure keep them going. Also, 25+ hours of workplace abuse/politics is utterly exhausting and mind numbing. Massive missed opportunity to utilize this "empty" time to present a better story. Most of the drama is focused on Geu Rae & Sang Shik while the side stories are brushed off and barely given any attention.Nonetheless, it's a good package but not as good as I was expecting. Looking at ratings/reviews my expectations were too damn high.
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Boring to death
So disappointed.The sinopsis talks about a Go player that uses his knowledge to deal with corporation work.
Sometimes, he talks about Go strategies, but that almost doesn't matter.
Boring because I don't want to exploit the way corporation works and the hierarchy.
So disappointed for the whole thing. Slave like employees, bad bosses, etc.
Will never watch it again and j really don't understand the ratings, the Go theme (almost unexistent).
Did not like the story and the characters.
The acting is not good, mainly because of the shallow personalities of the cast, the plot, etc.
Forced myself to finish...
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Office dynamics. I liked seeing how they were like a rag tag family. How circumstances or problems drew them together. They would fight between themselves but if an outsider tries to take them down, everyone teams up.
I also liked seeing how with just a look, the other team members conveyed their concern for their colleague. Rival yes, but colleague when push came to shove.
Actually, the drama makes a bit of a theme of that. Of how in the relationships people might really not get along but they actually do respect each other and want to work together.
Geu Rae
This guy is a bit sad and small. He gets on fire when he's got a task he has to do. His only talent is playing Go. That talent springs up in some unexpected places. Not just the problem solving aspect but also that competitive streak.
“Over the years, my focus on winning has grown even if I'm a loser now. I'm a pro at it.”
He's a bit slow, sure, but when people hurt him relationally, he doesn't really let it go.
It was also good to see him being so happy when someone stood up for him. Slowly slowly his boss starts to ease up on him.
It was so satisfying when he impressed.
I liked him even warming up to his boss' gruffness and understanding his sincerity.
As the drama goes on, he starts making more facial expressions, which is also really great. It's always funny how dramas do that. It makes you appreciate the character even more and enjoy the show as you get more personality.
Mr. Oh
He's a tough character but you can see that he really is a justice man. He doesn't like it when things are unfair.
“I get more suspicious when he's so chirpy.”
Young Yi
Young Yi is good at her job. I was glad to see her with less airs as an intern and someone who doesn't mind wearing her heart on her sleeve a bit more.
She gets treated badly due to her gender.
I really liked seeing her bravery and how she could be so strong especially when her past came back to haunt her.
Her team sucks but it was cool when they banded together against a common foe.
Baek Ki
Baek Ki's struggle with his boss seemed like the unfair tension that often happens in romantic relationships in Kdramas. It's strange to see it happening between two males.
His boss, Mr. Kang is so chill and calm. Mr. Kang is also the dude from KMHM and I loved him.
Dong Sik
I liked how he had a chat with Geu Rae and just was like saying how impressed he was with him and how he actually wanted to get to know him as a friend.
“He's part of Sales Team 3 now. We should accept our members no matter what.”
Everyone's got different problems. Too little work, too much work. It was interesting to see when the team leaders got together and the dynamic they have there is completely different to how they are among their own team. Actually, it’s really cute when the main characters get together to do a project too.
It was so great seeing Geu Rae pulling his weight and being part of the team where the other newbies still struggled. His team trusted him.
I liked the portrayal of the women. Strong, smart, influential and respected. Fair and fierce.
The drama looks at the different teams in the company. Planning team, resource team, finance team, sales team and how they are their own island and personality.
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Like so many who watched this, at first I was skeptical. It's a workplace drama, definitely not the kind of kdrama I usually watch and enjoy. I would go so far as saying that I was bored with the pilot episode. I dropped the show and then picked it up again sometime later. 20 episodes later, I finally understood why some people can't shut up about it. It's so good that I even thought of changing my past 10-star ratings because none of the previous kdramas I watched can match up to the excellence that is Misaeng. Not even my favorites!
The best thing about Misaeng is how realistic it is; that made it so relatable for so many people. I applaud the showrunners for closely following its source material (webtoon) and for being very meticulous with the details -- from the props to the set to the writing, music, and casting. It's just one of those shows that mirrors life so well that you kind of relate to the characters on a deeper level. And while anyone from age 18 above can relate to the show, I think millennials will greatly benefit from watching it because of the lessons one can get from it -- work ethic, diligence, value of hard work, humility, friendship and loyalty -- things millennials are accused of lacking. Think you work hard? Think you deserve that promotion, that award you receive from your company, that salary increase? Watch Jang Geu Rae work his ass and then think again.
Besides the story, the casting was also great and I can't find faults in the actors and actresses. They are all so good, even the annoying characters. Siwan was super convincing as Jang Geu Rae and I can't imagine any other actor portraying his character. I also love Lee Sung Min (Oh Sasangnim!!!) and while I watched the show because of Kang Ha-neul, it was Byun Yo-han who stole the show for me. The bromance was just so adorable!
The finale was a killer. Suffice it to say that I had to grab tissues. Who knew an office drama can do that to me? But Misaeng was that good. It delivered and then some. Absolutely amazing show. I will never tire of recommending it to people and will probably watch it again.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this drama, most notably carried by amazing performances from the actors involved, along with the script and filming. It wasn't a drama built on cliff-hangers and makjang situations because such things don't often happen in real life. Instead, it was a slow burning, sometimes heart-wrenching, story of interns, managers, and bosses fighting to get through another day and, plainly speaking, make money.
I won't lie, I did have some trouble getting through the last six episodes or so, because I was distracted by those exciting crime dramas that leave you hanging after each episode. However, each time I came back to Misaeng after an exhausting day at the office, I was reminded of the warm feelings and comfort this drama gave me with its realism.
I highly recommend this to anyone - it's a slow-burner but it is worth it for the life-lessons you'll take away from it by the end. Rather than marathoning it, I think this drama is better enjoyed slowly.
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