Sban
Earnest feminism
This drama tries hard to address issues of feminism, including judging females by their appearance, females striving for rewarding careers and families, males treating females as inferior, and the effects of gossip and social media on the portrayal of females. Most of this is done through small, natural conversations and exchanges in a realistic way. It's one of the first shows I've seen that's a true slice of life. Not everything is tied up with a bow at the end, which adds to the realism. I also appreciate the multiple antagonists and how the main one was realistic and three dimensional. It was refreshing to see about the same number of females and males on the cast, which speaks to the actual value they hold on screen.
I felt it could have gone a bit further with its message of equality and acceptance. For instance, there is variation in the personalities and appearance of the female characters, but they mostly dressed the same except for one. And the males that treated the women with disrespect didn't all get what they deserved. Also, a strong message in the second half of the show that says most people are more concerned with their own insecurities over criticizing you, is overshadowed by the fact that no matter where KS goes, people loudly comment about how handsome he is. It's excessive.
Furthermore, the males are still differentiated based upon appearance, so the 'good guys' are conventionally good looking while the two worst 'bad guys' aren't. I also feel the ups and downs could perhaps have been depicted with more dynamic energy so that the pace could stay more exciting. One strength and also weakness of the show is around how obvious the "lessons" are in this show. But at the same time, this innocent earnestness fits the feel of the show, but also makes it pretty predictable and a bit simplistic.
Finally, I wanted to explore the stories of the supporting cast further and their relationships and histories. Min Do Hee who plays Mi Rae's best friend, didn't get the screen time she deserved. She is a fantastic and interesting character that wasn't written the way she should have been. And the other female supporting cast members should have had more of a story about not dressing in the expected feminine ways or not being stick thin. It could easily have been 20 episodes.
I felt it could have gone a bit further with its message of equality and acceptance. For instance, there is variation in the personalities and appearance of the female characters, but they mostly dressed the same except for one. And the males that treated the women with disrespect didn't all get what they deserved. Also, a strong message in the second half of the show that says most people are more concerned with their own insecurities over criticizing you, is overshadowed by the fact that no matter where KS goes, people loudly comment about how handsome he is. It's excessive.
Furthermore, the males are still differentiated based upon appearance, so the 'good guys' are conventionally good looking while the two worst 'bad guys' aren't. I also feel the ups and downs could perhaps have been depicted with more dynamic energy so that the pace could stay more exciting. One strength and also weakness of the show is around how obvious the "lessons" are in this show. But at the same time, this innocent earnestness fits the feel of the show, but also makes it pretty predictable and a bit simplistic.
Finally, I wanted to explore the stories of the supporting cast further and their relationships and histories. Min Do Hee who plays Mi Rae's best friend, didn't get the screen time she deserved. She is a fantastic and interesting character that wasn't written the way she should have been. And the other female supporting cast members should have had more of a story about not dressing in the expected feminine ways or not being stick thin. It could easily have been 20 episodes.
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