This review may contain spoilers
Not your usual RomCom, yet a love triangle on top of a socially critical labour dispute mission
The protagonist's name "Byeon Hyeok" means "revolution". The wordy title "Revolutionary Love" already hints that this is about a Romance. But this title also contains the second plot line: the love that leads him to revolution - to resistance and struggle for the rights of irregular workers in the company of a powerful Jaebeol. One way or another, Byeon Hyeok is at the center of events - as the eldest son of Jaebeol of the Gangsu Group, who is in love and choses the barricades (and new ways) within the corporate culture of his father's business group.Basically, the topic of such a labor dispute is rather socially critical and highly explosive, because there is practically no legal representation for the irregular part-time workers in South Korea. The number of non-regular employees is four times higher than among the other OECD member states. Employment relationship is not well protected. There is no union representation. Irregular employees usually only receive about half the wages of a permanent employee. The time limit is barely a year. Since the Asian crisis, this form of employment has proven to be cost-saving and convenient for small and large companies, so that it has been retained on a large scale to this day. "Revolutionary Love" cleverly focuses on this aspect of the South Korean working world as this critical topic is sort of camouflaged with a lot of slapstick and speed on the humorous note ... and of course there is the romance...
The role of Byeon Hyeok is a showpiece for Choi Si-won, who, with his wide array of physical, wordless visual grimaces and gestures, softens the actually frustrating labour dimension by Korean standards to a level that makes it accessible to the masses on public cable TV (and 'permissible' for the powerful). At the same time, Choi Si-won has the necessary sincerity to also show his sensitive side and create space for the closeness of a romantic relationship. In contrast to the comedic character of Byeon Hyeok is his 'friend' Kwon Jae-hoon, whose leitmotif ´seriousness´ can hardly be surpassed. In between, the head of the "revolution" whirls: the street smart Baek Joon.
"Revolutionary Love" is a KDrama that is often underestimated by Western viewers in its ambitious socio-critical and labour policy claims. It knows how to touch with the protagonists' love triangle despite the labour dispute mission. Yet, be aware, it is not your usual RomCom.
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My biggest problem with this drama wasn't the blatant lack of chemistry amongst the three leads (I would've been content with the romantic storyline being dropped all together), but rather how uneventful and contrite everything felt. I felt like the writer expected the viewers of this drama to be imbeciles like it's character and thus tried to throw together a bunch of cliches and call it a functioning story. It moved so slowly while also managing to feel extremely repetitive. I felt like I gained nothing from the sixteen episodes that I watched.
I believe its hard to criticize acting objectively, especially when you have a bias towards a certain actor. I was disappointed by the extremely weak performances of our leads. I do genuinely believe its not entirely their fault, but the characters felt so one dimensional that no amount of sad music in the background could evoke any kind of emotion from me. I was a fan of Choi Si Won in She Was Pretty and looked forward to this being his project fresh out of the military, I'm not sure if its because he's out of wack due to his scandal amongst other things, but I was left so underwhelmed. Then we have Kang So Ra, whom I first watched in Doctor Stranger and never felt like she was lacking in anything, however her character here always had her walking around with a question mark on her face that I wonder if the directors note was to always look confused.. Gong Myung, I had never seen before (I never made it long enough in Bride of Habaek to see his character) and with him I can say that I can see potential in his acting, but as for the character here? Always looking like a sad wounded puppy and that's it. The secondary characters seemed like they were just doing the bare minimum. Side note: Lee Jae Joon literally plays one of two characters: the painstakingly sweet guy or the vengeful evil guy.. kind of a one dimensional actor it seems.
Now I wouldn't say this was the worst drama I've ever watched and its not particularly terrible, its just aggravating, plain and goes around in a circle. The only thing I enjoyed was the OST and that the main leads were good looking. I would never rewatch this unless someone is offering me a million dollars to do so. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless you're a huge fan of the leads and even then it might still be difficult to get through.
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This drama talks about the injustices that are happening to employees in the corporate world, and how people should stand up and raise their voices in order to fix things for the better. I think the reason why people did not appreciate this drama much was because the topic is more relatable for the Korean viewers and their work culture. I appreciate that it has such a refreshing and light plot, enough for me to continue and enjoy the drama.
Although the lack for romance and the twisted friendship and relationships of the characters was not really drawn clearly, it the drama was witty and funny enough to polish off the uncleared and unsaid relationships.
Acting wise too, I think that they were able to cast such amazing actors, that they were able to pull off such a difficult drama. The issues brought about this drama were really heavy and yet the actors managed to act it out as something serious while still being funny at the same time.
As for the music I think it really helped a lot that the song was cute and funny, this i think also helped bring out the comedy more in this drama.
If you liked dramas that are just light and funny like Shopping King Louie, i think you should give this drama a try too. :)
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I'm not going to lie, it's an uneven story. Choi Si Won is game as always to be an over the top goober - which is really why we loved him so much in She Was Pretty - but sometimes it's too much in this drama and he's not as good at anchoring the drama as he should be. A lot of the trend lately seems to be that shows are heavier, with highlights of humor, so what starts out funny, often ends up going pretty serious and dark for some portion of the middle and/or end. This show embraces the humor throughout and keeps it going. Even with that, I still greatly enjoyed the show.
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Cons:
Tone: I will just say it. The dad is abusive and beats on his son and subordinate. Not slap or hit as we see in so many dramas. Beat. And then we are supposed to see and accept that there is an upside to this guy at the same time. I believe this actor played the bad guy in The Time Between Dog and Wolf, and he was fantastic at portraying a tragic, flawed and yet sympathetic character all at the same time. Unfortunately, the script or direction didn't help him here. Many dropped at this point.
What Love?: If you expect romance to be a big part of this drama, stop right here and back away. I get it....love is in the title of the drama but this has a very mild love story and to a certain extent the writer doesn't seem to know what to do with it. It is because of this woman that he is changing; that's been true of many dramas but the writer doesn't commit to how she feels about him really. Writer also throws in a totally unbelievable love triangle
Pacing: There is bromance, but I don't think it flourished like it could have because something that needed to be revealed didn't happen until too late. I think this is unfortunate because this drama is at its best when the three friends are all for one and one for all like the 3 Musketeers so to speak.
Pros:
Change: Unlike many, I was happy that change of the main character didn't happen that quickly. There is something around episode 4 wherein many viewers got really frustrated at the continued immaturity of Siwon's character. I am in the minority that LIKED that he didn't change that quickly because, guess what, people don't. If this drama's theme is that caring about people can bring about positive change in others, fine but it is still going to take time and it does.
Actors: So Siwon is a bit OTT here but some of that we learn is a facade to deal with the brutality of his father and some of it is his personality and doing what is expected of him. It was a bit much and I think the writer/director should have dealt with that because I think it is more on them. They wanted a definite comedic vibe even if it didn't always suit the tone. (See Con) Kang Sora is fine and shows she can be dramatic and funny but I actually think this wasn't a hugely challenging role for her. Gong Myung is really good here as the woe is me salaryman. I just wish there had been some earlier evolution in his character because I think he doesn't crack a smile for 15 episodes.
Story: Okay, full disclosure, I'm a sucker for a friends helping friends story. I like the cleaning crew gang, I like the three helping each other out. I like the flight attendant/cop combo. I like people working to change because so often in the real world, people stay in their ruts. So, yes, this drama worked better for me than others. I freely admit by the last four or so episodes I was folding my laundry and wrapping Christmas gifts while watching but that's fine, it worked for me.
I would say that if you keep expectations in the middle and realize romance is very very limited, there is a solid k-drama here. Not anything fantastic or life changing but pleasant enough. For a better office/friends drama there is Radiant Office and, of course, the excellent Misaeng.
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The first thing to note is that Kang Sora's character is no cinderella and that she is aware of society's issues (Joseon Hell). She is not your usual wimpery female leads whom suffers injustice without complaining because she is a good girl. It is refreshing to watch a drama putting aside the Princess Sara syndrome. She takes on part-time jobs usually dedicated to men and decides how to deal with her life. She is generous and has morale principles she abides to.
Siwon's character is the rich guy. But he is not the arrogant, cold-hearted jerk featured in every drama. He is extremely naive but warm and good-hearted. Wrist-grabbing begoooone ! Here is a character that actually respects women and don't shove them to walls !
Both leads will evolve through the drama than to their interaction.
The storyline is rather classic but is also thought to reveal some society's issues. One of my closest friend is a Doctor in Korean labour law and explained to me that the situations shown in the drama are very common in Korea. For once, I felt that I had learnt something useful while watching the drama.
The music is excellent, I still listen to the OST very often.
I really enjoyed this drama ! Although it is not a classic, it showcases a sweet romance in Joseon Hell with accuracy and a lot of humour !
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For starters I'll have to admit the story isn't the best and there wasn't much anything special to it, though it does stand out from some of the most generic rich-guy plots. In my opinion the plot still wasn't as bad as many comments make it seem like - or maybe I just have a different taste - so unless you have a deep harted towards immature male leads, I would recommend at least giving this drama one chance.
There's not much I can say about the plot instead of "it's alright", but for me, the three main leads were what made this drama so good. Siwon's acting is catchy and unique - should I even say "one-of-a-kind" - and he fits the role of an immature rich kid perfectly. Gong Myeong and his sad puppy -like second-lead, who probably got every viewers' pity was the real scene stealer for me, just looking at him made me pout.
The romance was just so-so but I enjoyed the bromance and the friendship between all three main characters. The side stories with the flight attendant and the policeman were a nice and fun addition too. There was some unnecessary drama at some point but that's the case with pretty much every drama so I can't complain.
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I loved this drama because the cast is amazing and they are so good at getting into their character! This drama has stayed funny and humorous yet romantic until the end, and I love how they didn't make any of the main characters enemies. This drama is so pure and shows the struggles many young adults are having! The reason I said it was an 8.5 on rewatch value was because I don't know if I could still have the same joy and nervousness of not knowing who Baek Joon will end up with. But I will definitely hold this drama dearly to my heart for a long time! I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA!
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The friendship arc shown between the three main leads is quite absurd and does not do much justice to the overall plot. There is the classic dilemma of the indecisive female lead. The sheer abuse/violence by the main lead's father is a bit too much even for a drama. No one in the family even addresses such violence and it is brushed aside as if it does not exist. There is no concept of sibling bonding anywhere. The mothers of the main leads are cool and consistent with their performances. It seems the story would have moved mostly in similar lines without the need of the third main lead.
Although the actors have tried their best to bring out their respective characters, the severe lack of a coherent screenplay coupled with the ineffective sub-plots leads to a drama neither good for a comedy nor romance. At the end of the day, there is not much to remember about this show.
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