Slow Burn to Satisfaction: A Drama That Delivers
This drama starts off slowly.. Gradually immersing you in its world.. The story and the characters succeeds in keeping the viewers hooked.. I honestly had no expectations when I started this.. But It maintained my interest all the way through..Lee Jung Ha was a delight to watch and Jo Aram brought her own charm.. Though her acting felt a bit unpolished..
By the end, the drama delivers a satisfying conclusion that ties together its themes and character arcs.. Leaving us with a sense of closure..
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started slow but builds up till the finale
I did start this show with no expectations whatsoever, but I thought the premise is interesting. While the ML is a quite an one-dimensional character, there is more to him than the eye sees. The whole cast did a very good job. You get drama, you get comedy, you get thriller and you get a bit of suspense in this package. And every story arc gets stronger with each episode. At least after half the episodes you should know there is something fishy up the top, I will not spoil it here, but that was what I expected and they did not disappoint.Overall an entertaining show, and in contrast to most shows it starts slow and gets better with every epsiode, so give it time.
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Interesting, comedy and suspense
The Auditors tells the story of a talented audit team leader and a young new employee working together to uncover widespread corruption in the company‘The Auditors’ is about JU Construction and the top-class auditing team. The plot of ‘The Auditors’ as per Viki is, “Heading this unit is the ice-cold cynic Shin Cha il (Shin Ha kyun), a specialist in hunting down white-collar criminals. However, his audit team members do not all share his deep distrust of humanity. The team includes new hire Goo Han soo (Lee Jung ha), a new warm-hearted employee who applied to join the audit team thinking it might help him to land a job in the United States. The duo immediately begin butting heads, due to their wildly different world views. However, they soon begin to discover that pitting their wits leads them both to success.”
It was interesting to see them develop a bond of respect and work together to eliminate corruption in the company.
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Fraud Alert!
This drama has inspired me to audit it in a review so here it goes.Since the main concept is auditing, we get to follow through many popular corruption plots that are commonly seen in office setting workplace politics dramas. The connections between the corruptions were always hinted at so we as viewers had a chance to follow along and audit for ourselves. This all led to a grand finale that felt satisfying.
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The Korean version of “Suits” but about auditors instead of lawyers.
This is the Korean version of the American “Suits”. Instead of lawyers, it's auditors.* Harvey Specter is Sin Chail.
* Mike Ross is Ku Hansu.
Because of it, I have a very high expectation for this show. So far, with the premiere week, I was very satisfied. The actors were good, they're in-character, they were not holding back to show what their character is really like. They explain the logic in a way that the audience will understand without the need to explain it through subtitles. The first sub-arc was also relatable, especially for the sub-sub-plots like why a person was tempted to compromise even though they knew they shouldn't.
I hope the rest of the cases will continue to revolve around relatable issues that we've seen in real life, so the public will at least be reminded that these corruptions exist and we shouldn't just accept things as it is… rather we should question it and prove they gave us the entire truth.
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A really perfect and well-crafted drama in every aspect compared to many of the boring Kdramas 2024
* The plot has been introduced in all forums and newspapers, you can read it in advance to decide whether to watch it or not.* Only 8 /12 episodes were released so I will be judging based on the 8 episodes that were aired.
1. Acting: 10/10
Very good, both main and supporting actors are compatible with each other, no one is hindering the other. Very emotional, even when you mute the episode, you can still feel the character's mood through their eyes.
2. Content: 9.5/10
Working on the topic of auditors, the content must be accurate and close, not just writing the script as you want. The film did a very good job in this area, from building the content to portraying the characters, each person's personality is clearly defined.
* I don't give a perfect score because this part is very emotional, sometimes it will depend on the emotions and ideological views of the viewer.
But with the most fair and objective perspective, the content of this movie cannot be less than 7.5/10.
3. OST: 10/10
Currently released two songs, "Take me down" and "Knock the Door". I have replayed them a thousand times because they are so good!!!
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Auditors go wild!
I wish more dramas where like The Auditors. For starters, this drama is perfect in length: twelve episodes, no loose ends, actual character development, well paced. An airshot script that knew where the story and characters where going, its strengths and weaknesses, and that took advantage of all of it in order to bring one of the most entertaining kdramas of this year.Yes, the story following a department of internal auditors at a large construction conglomerate is highly entertaining. That goes to show that it doesn't matter what the subject matter of a drama is, as long as the people in charge of production, casting, directing and acting know what they are doing and have a clear picture, it's a win.
The cinematography and camera work is fast paced, as it should, for this is an action drama full of intrigue, betrayal, murder and corruption. Like any story of this genre you have the typical archetypes in each key player but the performances manage to make them feel fresh and likeable. Some characters are meant to be more nuance and complex, those were a treat to watch as we dwell into their backstory and motivations.
The list of guest stars this show has is mind-blowing and I don't think enough people are talking about it. Every episode or so a familiar face shows up for a particular story arc. It varies from a recently famous actress to a veteran actor, character actor that you might not know their name but you definitely know their work. It's wild the amount of talented people involved in this project.
Overall, I found The Auditors to be a really solid drama and I recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
it isn't as bad as some people make it out to be
From the comments I've read on here, I thought that Jung Ha's character was going to be absolutely insufferable, so imagine my surprise when I watched and found out that Han Soo is just another rookie character archetype (naive and inexperienced) with the promise of a great character development arc neatly spread out across the entirety of the show.I know people like jumping the gun, but come on, really? Two episodes in and Han Soo was labelled as the most insufferable character when that Audit Team Deputy Manager guy was right there. Anyways, I digress, so let's get to the point.
Han Soo, in ways, was a much needed plot device to compare and contrast Cha-Il's belief system and style of investigation. It is mostly through Han Soo's ignorance that we learn why Cha-Il's attitude was not an extreme but a necessity. Han Soo is thus a foil character, important to understand how Cha-Il works as a person. Not to mention how well they compliment each other. Han Soo also adds colour to an otherwise somber drama.
Now, I have had my moments where I found Han Soo a tad bit annoying but overall, it was fine. What is not fine is seeing some people saying that THE SHIN HAKYUN cannot act because they found Cha-Il too intimidating, emotionless and robotic. Ah yes, an actor that delivers what exactly was expected of the character is (checks notes) a terrible actor.
Shin Hakyun has never disappointed me, and I don't think he ever will. He always. ALWAYS. delivers as an actor, whether it be in a film or a drama. Obviously, I started this drama for him, and I'm glad that there was more to this drama than his pretty looks and amazing acting skills. I think this is the first time I am watching a drama about auditors, and I do not know how true they have stayed to the whole process of auditing, but it sure was fun watching the characters expose crimes and bribery. Some cases were more interesting than the other, but overall, they all balanced each other out.
One of my favourite things about this drama is the dynamics between Cha-Il and Dae Woong. It was funny, it was electrifying, and it definitely was fruity. I really wish Cha-Il decided to stay back with Dae Woong, but alas, an auditor has to do what he has to do. And can I tell you how much I loved long hair on Jin Goo? Like damn, he looked so delicious. And Dae Woong was such an interesting character: loud, rough around the edges but a big softie.
Another one of my favourite things is the Uncle-Niece relationship between Dae Woong and Seo Jin. It was quite endearing, the meals they shared and how much Dae Woong cared for her. The case with Seo Jin's scandal really had me on the edge of my seat and it hurt me to see her suffer so much. It also made me sad watching her as she tried to navigate her relationship with Dae Woong and her position in the audit team. But I am so glad to see her take a strong stance and be her own person and do what had to be done. Also, Aram did an amazing job at bringing Seo Jin's character to life.
To wind things up, this is not something I would call a breath of fresh air. It came across as just another office drama but with fighting crime and lots of DRAMA. I found the pacing to slow at times, but overall, it was okay. It is a good watch, and not as bad as a lot of people made it out to be. Of course, romance watchers might have trouble watching this but if you want a solid story with good character development and interesting cases, this drama might be for you!
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This review may contain spoilers
My Favorite Watch in 2024, Shin Ha Kyun Wins
One of Shin Ha Kyun’s best works yet, it will definitely remind you of “Beyond Evil”.Shin Ha Kyun is prone to excel in serious roles that are cater to his excellence in adapting to any roles, it could be a sly police officer on the roll (Beyond Evil), or as a desperate lawyer (Evilive). “The Auditors” is just an extension to his calibre as an exceptional actor. What sets these shows apart is the slight tinge of bromance, obviously Shin Ha Kyun excels in that arena as well. His compatibility with his male co-stars shines through and “The Auditors” was no different. Paired opposite Lee Jung Ha, the actors spell a sophisticated tale of redemption and justice. Their roles are polar opposites; while Shin Cha Il is strict, disciplined and has a no nonsense attitude; Han Soo is kind, caring and has a happy-go-lucky attitude, something that led to regular spars between our main leads. Add to this, the quirky villains who were fishing in murky waters and the mountain of cases that needed auditing, the show was an instant hit. Frankly, I never knew nor thought that auditors could act like investigators, maybe they do or it was just the theme for this show. Nevertheless, the precision with which Shin Cha Il handles those cases was awe-inspiring. We got surprises piled in this review so let’s catch up fast!
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/08/13/the-auditors-series-review/
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A AUDITORIA ACABOU! SIGAMOS EM FRENTE…
Drama bem enxuto, com uma premissa bem construída e uma direção que soube valorizar a parceria entre o cisudo auditor e o jovem e esperançoso auditor júnior. Temos que elogiar Jung Ha, que é um dos poucos atores que atua personagens fofos de maneira natural e sob medida, sem constranger. Nesse episódio final, quando ele entra em cena com cabelo e penteado diferentes, olhar diferente e agindo igual a Sin Cha II, cheguei por alguns segundos a pensar que era outro ator. Ele foi muito bem.
A saída de Cha II foi necessária porque os métodos de Dae Ung iriam colidir de frente com os de Cha II.
Além disso, ele tinha extirpado todos os “ratos” da empresa. Outro elogio é a OST principal ser a música “Knock The Door” de Pitta.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unsatisfactory Ending with Unsurprising Twists
Non-typical review as this is just my thoughts as I was watching this week to week(Writing under ep. 12 is more of my overarching thoughts on it)
Ep. 8
The first two storylines where they crackdown on the construction fraud with the executive and the housing money fraud was such a strong start and had me pretty locked in. The introduction of the main ML and the president and vice-president was done nicely. The motive of the ML was established quite nicely, but after those two storylines, it hasn't been as strong in my opinion.
The cafeteria was somewhat interesting, but it didn't have the same suspense as compared to the serious injury involving the construction person, an executive being fired, and the ML's long time hoobae being arrested under fraud. The vice president role has seem to be played down significantly as well with the later story lines with BIMS program, program that automated cost and labor of construction, and the current arc of unfair hiring.
I think the program one had such an anticlimactic ending with the person selling the information. He just threw the data that was hidden in the flask out of the window and it ended with him just going to jail. Compared to the leadup and how it was unraveled it just felt unfulfilled and didn't seem like there was much repercussions in response to that. The first part of the unfair hiring where the the younger ML was being accused of being an unfair hire, because some documents were not found also felt like filler just to get the point across that the ML actually has some humanity when it comes to the younger ML and that he outright didn't distrust him. The younger ML is so naive as well and says some of the cheesiest shit when it comes to the ML of this story as he is sooooo lonely since he can't trust anybody and how he was butthurt that he was sitting him out in the investigation. The man was doing his job, what the hell is he supposed to do, change his entire character, because of this make believe relationship that the younger ML thinks he has with him.
Lastly this was just revealed at the end of episode 8, but I don't get what's wrong with the Seo Jin, the young female in the audit team, with her uncle being the vice president. She was obviously qualified with her high marks on the exams and her grades in University, I don't think she did anything wrong to cheat the system. I bet the whole company is going to pull a PR move and pull her from a team until further evidence comes out and then in one episode she's going to be right back on the team with nothing major happening.
Ep. 9:
Why did the one guy alone take the documents. Are they dumb or what. Bruh, the guy is definitely staging something. Why did they not take the documents when they had the lead audit team ML, young ML, and the vice president in the same car. Kdrama logic at its finest. The reveals are getting so obvious as to how they hint at who did what. Like it was clearly the guy that somehow got the documents stolen. The reveal was not even done in a span of 30 minutes since the documents got stolen. I'm still going to finish this out, but the suspense in the beginning has faded significantly.
Ep 11:
The way they were painting the narrative of how the vice president was the bad guy at the beginning and the president was someone who was trying to uphold justice, I pretty much expected the president to be the bad one. I was kinda zoning in and out of the 11th episode as it was just the usual investigating with the expected buildup to the president using the Head Chief of the subsidiaries who was in on the paper company, the main person who was communicating with the president, to take out the Audit Chief at the same time. I didn't know if they were going to reveal it at the end of episode 11 or wait for the last episode, but since they revealed it at the end of episode 11, I have a sense of what is going to go down. The president is probably going to go to jail and the niece is going to be happy that her "uncle", the vice president, wasn't the person who killed his own brother, and lastly the chief is going to leave the company as all the rats and corruption will be gone within the company.
Ep 12:
Nothing about the ending surprised me and was overly satisfying. The president got prosecuted like I thought he would, with head Choi faking his death, a recording of their phone calls, along with documents tracking the flow of illegal funds. The only thing that kinda surprised me was the faked death, but with the way this show was going it wasn't overly complicated as how they did it. He literally just took the IV out of his arm and pretended to keep it attached. The reveal of the president's initial coma and the lead audit ML was typical as well. At this point they only hinted at his past like 2 or 3 times, so it didn't have that much of an impact as it wasnt too surprising. The reason for becoming serious about audits was that his own oversight on improper documentation of construction materials lead to his father's death.
As for the other main characters including the younger ML and FL, they were involved in the ending, but they didn't have much character development. The young ML stayed innocent and saw the older ML as a role model, while the younger FL's only character development was that she received help from the vice president and she was really hoping that he wasn't a bad enough person to kill his own brother. All the other supporting cast didn't add much to the story and were pretty much just people to do miscellaneous work when it was related to an audit. Only reason I wouldn't give this below a 5 is because of the strong storylines in the beginning that kept me interested.
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Great drama—that is the way to beat corruption
The drama has a great storyline, and I like how they introduce new cases every two episodes, and it all leads to the closure of the main plot. It is nice to see how the team comes together and works to beat the corruption. I love the way Ha Kyun portrays his character; it is perfect.I love the interaction between Sin Cha and Dae Ugn, and I wish we could see more of it.
It was fun to watch, and I was hooked from the first episode.
The acting was great, especially Ha Kyun, as he carried the show.
The drama reminds me a little bit of Hot Stove League, which I absolutely love.
Let's hope for another season.
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