This review may contain spoilers
Practically Perfect in Every Way
10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Romantic Comedy Drama series. It has 10; 44-63 Minutes. It is also known as Love Battle.
First I will provide a synopsis then a review.
Synopsis
Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) is an attorney who is an expert in martial arts and is not beyond rendering some street justice. Mi-ran vehemently dislikes men who take advantage of vulnerable young women and will seduce them in order to get close to expose their unethical and/or illegal activities. It has made her very jaded about men in general and she is convinced when she first sees Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) that he is just another man looking down on and exploiting women. Mi-ran's long time friend and roommate, Shin Na-Eun (Go Won-hee) tries to moderate Mi-ran's thuggish behavior and is one of the reasons she is willing to stick with a new job that violates nearly all of her principles. The law firm Mi-ran works for, caters to celebrities, among them Kang-ho. Kang-ho's manager and friend Do Won-jun (Kim Ji-hoon) also has his hands full with his friend/client as Kang ho does not like manipulative women and has been on a mission to reform the spoiled actresses he encounters in his film roles. Both originally misunderstand each other and are thus on a mission to take each other down. However, the more time they spend together they come to realize each is not that thing they hate and are in fact among the few genuine people. As passionately as they hated each other in the beginning the two begin to love the other with the same intensity.
Review
The only very minor critique I have is it was a bit chaotic in the beginning of the first episode. I worried that the story would not come together and those confusing elements would continue. They do not. It quickly moves to a very engaging, entertaining, and comical story. The chemistry between the leads is very convincing. The reveal of the motivations of the main character is well paced. It is a heartwarming romance with a strong action and comedic element. 10 episodes felt perfect to tell the story and I am not one that normally likes series shorter than 16 episodes. This is one of the very few I could see myself watching again because I so thoroughly enjoyed it.
Spoilers*
The second couple, which was both of their best friends, was very cute and it was unfortunate that we did not get more time seeing their relationship further develop. However, they were a side couple so the amount of time spent on them was understandable.
I loved Mi-ran's relationship with her female client/aging actress who is divorcing her philandering chaebol husband. I liked how she won her over from being who she was and how they were such great advocates for each other.
I wish that Kang-Ho had told Mi-ran what exactly his ex-girlfriend had done to him but it was not critical to the story that he do so. It was actually part of of what was so wonderful about him that he did not totally out his former girlfriend. Mi-ran was so smart and good at investigating it is likely she would find that out on her own at some point anyway.
I liked how she gained respect and became friends with the male attorneys. I thought it was unfortunate how quickly the leadership of the law firm turned on her when the scandal occurred but that was necessary to maintain a plausible story line.
The "I don't need no man" fit with this story line. It was a bit more sexualized and risque than I am used to with Korean dramas. I worry some that the American influence could bring in elements of feminism and sexual promiscuity that has become extreme in American content and which I hope does not become strong in the content that is created or featured on American streaming services. I like Korean dramas because they are more wholesome and would not want to see them transform to a more American style.
#LovetoHateYou
#LoveBattle
#KimOkVin
#TeoYoo
First I will provide a synopsis then a review.
Synopsis
Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) is an attorney who is an expert in martial arts and is not beyond rendering some street justice. Mi-ran vehemently dislikes men who take advantage of vulnerable young women and will seduce them in order to get close to expose their unethical and/or illegal activities. It has made her very jaded about men in general and she is convinced when she first sees Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) that he is just another man looking down on and exploiting women. Mi-ran's long time friend and roommate, Shin Na-Eun (Go Won-hee) tries to moderate Mi-ran's thuggish behavior and is one of the reasons she is willing to stick with a new job that violates nearly all of her principles. The law firm Mi-ran works for, caters to celebrities, among them Kang-ho. Kang-ho's manager and friend Do Won-jun (Kim Ji-hoon) also has his hands full with his friend/client as Kang ho does not like manipulative women and has been on a mission to reform the spoiled actresses he encounters in his film roles. Both originally misunderstand each other and are thus on a mission to take each other down. However, the more time they spend together they come to realize each is not that thing they hate and are in fact among the few genuine people. As passionately as they hated each other in the beginning the two begin to love the other with the same intensity.
Review
The only very minor critique I have is it was a bit chaotic in the beginning of the first episode. I worried that the story would not come together and those confusing elements would continue. They do not. It quickly moves to a very engaging, entertaining, and comical story. The chemistry between the leads is very convincing. The reveal of the motivations of the main character is well paced. It is a heartwarming romance with a strong action and comedic element. 10 episodes felt perfect to tell the story and I am not one that normally likes series shorter than 16 episodes. This is one of the very few I could see myself watching again because I so thoroughly enjoyed it.
Spoilers*
The second couple, which was both of their best friends, was very cute and it was unfortunate that we did not get more time seeing their relationship further develop. However, they were a side couple so the amount of time spent on them was understandable.
I loved Mi-ran's relationship with her female client/aging actress who is divorcing her philandering chaebol husband. I liked how she won her over from being who she was and how they were such great advocates for each other.
I wish that Kang-Ho had told Mi-ran what exactly his ex-girlfriend had done to him but it was not critical to the story that he do so. It was actually part of of what was so wonderful about him that he did not totally out his former girlfriend. Mi-ran was so smart and good at investigating it is likely she would find that out on her own at some point anyway.
I liked how she gained respect and became friends with the male attorneys. I thought it was unfortunate how quickly the leadership of the law firm turned on her when the scandal occurred but that was necessary to maintain a plausible story line.
The "I don't need no man" fit with this story line. It was a bit more sexualized and risque than I am used to with Korean dramas. I worry some that the American influence could bring in elements of feminism and sexual promiscuity that has become extreme in American content and which I hope does not become strong in the content that is created or featured on American streaming services. I like Korean dramas because they are more wholesome and would not want to see them transform to a more American style.
#LovetoHateYou
#LoveBattle
#KimOkVin
#TeoYoo
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