Best 2023 Modern Drama. Realistic, non-cliche story, slow burn romance & fantastic cinematography
This drama tells the story of a female lead who is a spoiled princess until her father dies and she loses everything, and a male lead who is a ruthless investor but despite all odds, decides to help her revive her father’s old shoe company. The drama shows the realistic side of life and starting a business, with morally grey and flawed characters who make mistakes but learn from them. Both male and female leads go through a major character development, from a spoiled princess the female lead becomes a hard-working business woman and from a ruthless investor the male lead opens up emotionally and becomes more caring and loving towards others, realising that money and making the most profitable deals is not the most important thing in life.
The drama executed fantastically many important life lessons such as never giving up, no matter how much challenges life throws at you, that money is not everything, about selfless love and sticking to your morals and promises no matter what.
POSITIVE:
- Realistic drama about the struggles of life and starting a new business
- Morally grey characters that feel like real human beings (make mistakes and are not perfect).
- Non-cliche/predictable storylines.
- Hot chemistry between the main leads.
- Platonic relationships between men and women are done well (which is very rare to see in cdramas).
- Breathtaking cinematography - the aesthetics from colours to buildings and people’s wardrobe is on point.
- Exceptionally well done directing - when characters are experiencing internal struggles, it's visually represented very well.
- Stella cast with brilliant acting (especially the female lead).
- Slow burn romance.
- Cute dog scenes.
- Great pacing, engaging plot, no filler episodes or boring parts.
- Business talks are part of the plot and meaningful compared to other dramas that feel more like filler scenes.
- Male and female lead that are both strong willed and determined.
- Happy ending for both couples.
NEGATIVE:
- The first 8-10 episodes of the drama are quite heavy on business talks. If you don’t know anything about business you might find it hard to follow. But the talks are done really well and easy to digest. I especially learned a lot from this drama so it's not a hard negative but personal preference.
OVERALL:
This is one of the best modern cdramas that I’ve watched with fantastic cast, meaningful storyline and beautiful cinematography and OST. If you want to watch a realistic drama that feels like a biography, with an engaging and non-cliche/predictable story about reviving a business and a slow burn romance with characters that are human and real, this drama is for you.
The drama executed fantastically many important life lessons such as never giving up, no matter how much challenges life throws at you, that money is not everything, about selfless love and sticking to your morals and promises no matter what.
POSITIVE:
- Realistic drama about the struggles of life and starting a new business
- Morally grey characters that feel like real human beings (make mistakes and are not perfect).
- Non-cliche/predictable storylines.
- Hot chemistry between the main leads.
- Platonic relationships between men and women are done well (which is very rare to see in cdramas).
- Breathtaking cinematography - the aesthetics from colours to buildings and people’s wardrobe is on point.
- Exceptionally well done directing - when characters are experiencing internal struggles, it's visually represented very well.
- Stella cast with brilliant acting (especially the female lead).
- Slow burn romance.
- Cute dog scenes.
- Great pacing, engaging plot, no filler episodes or boring parts.
- Business talks are part of the plot and meaningful compared to other dramas that feel more like filler scenes.
- Male and female lead that are both strong willed and determined.
- Happy ending for both couples.
NEGATIVE:
- The first 8-10 episodes of the drama are quite heavy on business talks. If you don’t know anything about business you might find it hard to follow. But the talks are done really well and easy to digest. I especially learned a lot from this drama so it's not a hard negative but personal preference.
OVERALL:
This is one of the best modern cdramas that I’ve watched with fantastic cast, meaningful storyline and beautiful cinematography and OST. If you want to watch a realistic drama that feels like a biography, with an engaging and non-cliche/predictable story about reviving a business and a slow burn romance with characters that are human and real, this drama is for you.
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