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What a wonderful slice of life. It took me back to my 20s when I felt like there were so many goals and dreams I wanted to pursue but I was hampered by lack of experience and my youth. It’s not easy to make your way through this period yet it’s a time of such promise—it really is the time to pursue your dreams, have fun, and fall in love, sometimes multiple times. Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won were so wonderful together, and their relationship made me laugh but it was so sweet too. The path to true love can be bumpy. It was fun to see many of them again in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim! Was this review helpful to you?
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Maybe the reason I liked this drama was because their relationship was exactly the kind I was looking out for a long time in a drama. For some reason I loved Ae Ra as a female lead. She was strong, fierce, sassy and had an amazing group of friends. Another one the character I loved was Sul Hee. She was clearly an inspiration. Her dreams and aspirations were something I could relate to and she was able to evolve very gracefully.
I loved the silly comedy, and how airhead Dong Man was. I also liked many small arcs that were different from some of the conventional ones like the Moo Bin's arc, that was a really nice twist. Also the Kyung Koo one was interesting. One arc that was unnecessary which I felt was the Nam Il arc.
Anyways I really loved it. The ending scene was just too cute. Anyways I'm happy happy. Shouldn't have delayed this.
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The story is about four main characters, each living in a routine life that is far from the childhood dreams they had sacrificed for reality. It hits so close to home, that no matter what walks of life we may be in, there will always be something that you can resonate with in this show. Whether it is not being able to advance in the workplace and earn just enough to build a love nest, having to give up a dream you were passionate about just so you can "grow up", or the pains of seeing a loved one pursue a dangerous job knowing they may get severely injured or even die. These characters each have their own unique struggles, and despite all the obstacles thrown at them they all end up deciding to break free and fight for their own way, disregarding those who look down on them and believing in themselves. And the brilliant message takeaway is, it's never too late to achieve your dreams. But you'll regret it if you never tried.
We all had a dream some time in our lives. It could be an impulse thought during your childhood, it could be something you were interested in but couldn't pursue because of financial reasons, family pressure, or it simply because it wouldn't earn you enough. Of course, in real life these constraints will not disappear out of the blue like in dramas, but it's the hope we hold on to and the opportunities we are willing to take that may give us unexpected returns.
The friendships, family love and coach-student bondings in this drama were also very sincere and down-to-earth. They yell at each other and fight every day, but you know how much they truly care about each other and the lengths they'd be willing to go to protect one another. Expressed not in words but in the form of hidden devotion, these are the kinds of relationships you don't realize you have until you need them.
I cried mostly between ep.12-16 where the tension kicked in and I was in for an emotional rollercoaster ride. The previous episodes were more slice of life and involved side stories and childhood flashbacks to lay the groundwork for the characters and bring them together. The last quarter of the show is really when the main story begins, and everything that was set up beforehand collapses as their individual worlds tumble down and become the driving force of their change.
My only complaint for this drama is that the ending was too rushed and some important character conflicts introduced only in the last few episodes could have been introduced earlier and spread out across more episodes. The first half of the plot was a bit too slow, but the second half was extremely fast and there were many things happening at the same time. That caused the ending to be a bit unconvincing. Aside from this, the show was an enjoyable watch and it fuelled the fire for my passion. I hope it also gives a positive impact on other viewers in the same way.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watched in March/April 2019, finished on 8th April 2019. review from 2019:
A lovely slice-of-life show with a great ensemble of characters.
I loved the first half, but I felt that the second half was messy and concentrated on the wrong things... Solid romance built on a life-long friendship was a highlight of the show and Ae Ra was a blast to watch as a character. Needless to say that the whole cast was amazing, especially the two leads.
However, some scenes/aspects made me really uncomfortable (how the community treated Ae Ra's mom) or downright disgusted (how Ae Ra's dad beat up Dong Man with a hanger, I hate that this kind of physical violence is played for laughs in k-dramas). 8 solid stars!
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Starting with why did I choose to write my first ever review of this show clearly states the place it holds. This show is among those shows which carry the power to make you fall in love with everything in it instantly. It's light, good-paced and funny. Let me review it more precisely.
STORY : If you've already gone through the synopsis, I won't write it here and just simply tell you that it doesn't have a much story to tell. It's not complicated. It's more realistic and you will love this thing about the show. No cliches, no Rich man-Poor woman romance, no repetition. Like I mentioned, the pace is really good, you can't get bored. Writers have done a perfect role in not extending unnecessary shit and keeping it really simple and good. It clearly witnesses the struggles of youths, searching for jobs, enduring failures and yet, standing strong to fight back whatever comes.
CAST : I SIMPLY LIVE FOR THIS CASTING. What more do you want? I already knew who Kim Ji Won was and she never failed to impress me. I did not know who Park seo joon was and OH MY GOD, beloved DONGMAN impressed me (ignore the fangirling part, I really really adore this human being) The fantastic four is perfect. Casting Directors, Cheers! for making this show more fun with this stunning cast. Choi Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won) charms leave a very strong impact. Park seo joon wins heart in many places like "that failed kiss when joo-man enters in the room", "the traffic accident dialogue of Girly Girl Episode" and of course, when he imitates Ae-ra's charms. Song ha yoon (seol-hee) and Ahn jae hong (Joo-man) are perfect in their roles. I liked how Seol-hee wanted to become a good wife from the beginning. AND HOW CAN I FORGET, I ESPECIALLY, LOVED THE COACH'S ROLE. Kim Sung-oh was amazing and so, overall, Cating IMPRESSED me a lot.
OST : Okay, let me start with one of my most favorite Osts of all time, 'Ambiguous by BTOB' it's cheerful and the moment it starts playing, my nostalgia makes me want to watch that show again and again. It's wonderful.
Other Osts like Good Morning by Kassy, Miss you, Arieband perfectly fits, these osts are played wherever they're required. Good Morning by Kassy is that soothing song which carries the potential to heal and make you fall in love. I love the official soundtrack of this show and it kinda impresses me how they always work a lot on their Osts in these shows.
Watch it because it will leave you hooked right from the first episode.
"it's not 'youth is for being in pain', it's 'youth is for making trouble" ; "It's better to live as if you don't have a dream. If you do have a dream, you feel sorry for yourself. Must everyone have a dream, anyway? Even if I don't have a dream, the world goes 'round just fine" and some more powerful lines get stuck inside your brain. Watch this show for the sake of freshness it carries. :)
Happy Binge-ing!
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One other nice thing about this drama is that there are several side stories that draw your attention as well, instead of being totally focused on just the main two characters. You come to care about the side characters and there is even a small mystery that is intriguing to try to figure out.
I give this show two thumbs up for sure.
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Touching
Good show, not much cringe or exaggerated moments which is nice. The fighting subplot feels a bit weird and the choreography isn’t always the best but it doesn’t detract from the show too much._______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________
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Keepin' it real!
This show goes down easy like a lozenge or whiskey, or whatever is your preference! Park Seo-Joon is one to watch. His last few series are gold. He has the Midas touch due to his a) Masculinity b) Sexiness c) Charisma d) Comedy e) Versatility...Well the list goes on, you get the point. He's different from the typical Kdrama leading man. The show's main question is 'Can men and women just be friends'? And the answer is NO, especially if he was my friend! ;) Kim Ji-won is well cast as they couldn't have a conventional beauty play female lead, it just wouldn't have worked with the storyline. The scenes were they are all kids are so cute in reference to their backstory to present day. I love the honest & real dialogue between the leads as it's sooo romantic & funny, and as only Park Seo-Joon can deliver ( he had a similar effect on me with 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim'? )I wasn't really convinced by the supporting actors love story, but they only serve as a prop to support the main characters so it's no biggy. They could have used his younger sister more as she was a pivotal motivation for him giving up his dream, but you can't win them all. I really enjoyed the soundtrack, it was very catchy, upbeat & fun which really complemented the drama. But one thing that really impressed with this drama was that it didn't drag! Up until the last minute I was still engaged and I think it was due to the clever plot device that introduces Aera's mum's backstory towards the end which kept it going, however the question of whose mother she was confused me the first time I watched it as I kept thinking is Ko Dong-Man's mother his real mother...whaaaatt??? And it just felt a bit messy. Also because they were freed from the usual Kdrama tropes they had more room to be creative. It's a story of 4 kids who grew up together, yes none of them became super rich and successful by society's standards, but the important point was that they all ended up following their dream and their poverty didn't stop them from accomplishing that, which is a really hard thing to do and I think that's what made this drama stand out, it's about you & me and utilising what we've got to be happy in this world were people can be easily forgotten when they grow up due to financial & family responsibilities.Was this review helpful to you?
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