Soula
In all honestly, I started this drama reluctantly, but I do really love comedy, so even though the office setting didn't interest me, the high ratings and comedy tag encouraged me to try it. I don't regret watching Chief Kim, but I won't watch it again.
Episodes 1 through 4 were pretty boring with building the setting and introducing characters. BUT, I did get sucked into the drama by about episode 8.
What I'm most disappointed about is how this drama is referred to as one of the best bromances of all dramas, but I just don't see it. I mean, yes, once the 2 MMC's, Chief Kim and Director/Prosecutor Seo ally they have a bromance, but it only starts after episode 17...out of 20 episodes!!! I was *most* interested in watching their dynamics, but Director Seo was a straight up bastard for more than 3/4 of the drama, and while his character is redeemed and I'm satisfied with his character development, the BROMANCE of this drama is severely lacking literally in duration. And I get that the writers needed to build their relationship and dynamics to have a good bromance, but jeez this just took too long. Chief Kim and Director Seo were who I was here for and 4 episodes just wasn't enough for me. *sigh* I will admit though, once the bromance officially started at episode 17, the way Director Seo loses his temper whenever Chief Kim tried to be romantic toward him just cracked me up. I rewatched those scenes at least 3 times before moving on. XD
While on the topic of Director Seo, who was originally Prosecutor Seo: his backstory is pretty weak. Him going from a very successful, ruthless prosecutor to a corrupt Director of a huge conglomerate just doesn't satisfy me as a viewer. The reasoning he changes career paths is because he wants to use his law knowledge to outsmart the law and make it big in the business world....it's just such a flimsy motivation. It lacks sincere backstory....
Now that I think about it, Chief Kim's backstory is pretty flimsy too. We see his childhood and father in some brief flashbacks that imply their impacts on his conning profession, but they're not well flushed out. Hmm..
What I *did* really love is the CEO's son, Myeong Seok. His character growth was so well portrayed; he truly grew up for the better by the end of the story. And he was such a sweet guy by the end of the last episode. I adored watching him going from this spoiled, unloved child to being productive and developing friendships and loyalties after being recognized for his contributions.
The OST is also pretty great! I really liked the theme song, "Must Be The Money" by DinDin - whenever it started up, I always knew they were getting down to business :D. I also enjoyed "Will You Love Me" by Gilgu Binggu & Kim So Hee - a very nice romantic melody. "Dreaming" by Seo Young Eun was perfect for the more melancholy scenes. And my absolute favorite was the instrumental piece, "Here Comes The Chief Kim" - the rhythm, instruments, and pensive tune just resonate with me.
The ending was also truly satisfying and wrapped up all the loose ends. We get a "1 year later" epilogue and each character has their conclusion nice and neat. I like that Director Seo is happy and I like the implied romance left there for him.
So, in conclusion, like I said already, I won't be rewatching this and I likely won't recommend it to anyone because even though I generally liked it, overall it's just meh, despite what the raving reviews imply. If you are considering this drama because of the bromance, I would encourage you to reconsider. This drama is more about how you change as a person when you begin to care for those around you. The two MMC's both changed, for the better, during the duration of this drama because they developed attachments to those around them, wanted to protect them, and in the end, took down the bad guys. In this regard, even though it takes 20 episodes, it was a good story.
Episodes 1 through 4 were pretty boring with building the setting and introducing characters. BUT, I did get sucked into the drama by about episode 8.
What I'm most disappointed about is how this drama is referred to as one of the best bromances of all dramas, but I just don't see it. I mean, yes, once the 2 MMC's, Chief Kim and Director/Prosecutor Seo ally they have a bromance, but it only starts after episode 17...out of 20 episodes!!! I was *most* interested in watching their dynamics, but Director Seo was a straight up bastard for more than 3/4 of the drama, and while his character is redeemed and I'm satisfied with his character development, the BROMANCE of this drama is severely lacking literally in duration. And I get that the writers needed to build their relationship and dynamics to have a good bromance, but jeez this just took too long. Chief Kim and Director Seo were who I was here for and 4 episodes just wasn't enough for me. *sigh* I will admit though, once the bromance officially started at episode 17, the way Director Seo loses his temper whenever Chief Kim tried to be romantic toward him just cracked me up. I rewatched those scenes at least 3 times before moving on. XD
While on the topic of Director Seo, who was originally Prosecutor Seo: his backstory is pretty weak. Him going from a very successful, ruthless prosecutor to a corrupt Director of a huge conglomerate just doesn't satisfy me as a viewer. The reasoning he changes career paths is because he wants to use his law knowledge to outsmart the law and make it big in the business world....it's just such a flimsy motivation. It lacks sincere backstory....
Now that I think about it, Chief Kim's backstory is pretty flimsy too. We see his childhood and father in some brief flashbacks that imply their impacts on his conning profession, but they're not well flushed out. Hmm..
What I *did* really love is the CEO's son, Myeong Seok. His character growth was so well portrayed; he truly grew up for the better by the end of the story. And he was such a sweet guy by the end of the last episode. I adored watching him going from this spoiled, unloved child to being productive and developing friendships and loyalties after being recognized for his contributions.
The OST is also pretty great! I really liked the theme song, "Must Be The Money" by DinDin - whenever it started up, I always knew they were getting down to business :D. I also enjoyed "Will You Love Me" by Gilgu Binggu & Kim So Hee - a very nice romantic melody. "Dreaming" by Seo Young Eun was perfect for the more melancholy scenes. And my absolute favorite was the instrumental piece, "Here Comes The Chief Kim" - the rhythm, instruments, and pensive tune just resonate with me.
The ending was also truly satisfying and wrapped up all the loose ends. We get a "1 year later" epilogue and each character has their conclusion nice and neat. I like that Director Seo is happy and I like the implied romance left there for him.
So, in conclusion, like I said already, I won't be rewatching this and I likely won't recommend it to anyone because even though I generally liked it, overall it's just meh, despite what the raving reviews imply. If you are considering this drama because of the bromance, I would encourage you to reconsider. This drama is more about how you change as a person when you begin to care for those around you. The two MMC's both changed, for the better, during the duration of this drama because they developed attachments to those around them, wanted to protect them, and in the end, took down the bad guys. In this regard, even though it takes 20 episodes, it was a good story.
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