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After having her son kidnapped, top actress Jung Hye In (Kim Ah Joong) starts filming a reality show on the kidnapper's demands to save him. Every episode starts with a mission which she has to complete. As the story unfolds you, like Jung Hye In, will learn how everything is connected to each other. It's fair to say that every episode keeps you on the edge of the seat. As the search for Hyun Woo continues, you want to know what the kidnapper's motives are.
The cast is made up of a lot of familiar faces. You might know some of the actors/actresses from their previous work as they have acted in well received drama's. Kim Ah Joong plays Jung Hye In, a retiring top actress whose son get kidnapped. As someone with a public image, she has to go through ordeals to secure the safety of her child. It's not easy to put up a front as she's a top actress & worrying mother as well. The amount of emotions are portrayed very well by her. She acted out her character pretty good. Uhm Tae Woong does a good job playing Shin Dong Wook, a PD who is fired before he gets the chance to make an influential show. He gives off a stern & cold vibe that goes well with the character Shin Dong Wook. Ji Hyun Woo takes on the role of detective Cha Seung In. He surprised me with his acting. In 'Angry Mom' he played a righteous but somewhat pushover teacher. Didn't expect him to play a determined, righteous & kick ass detective but he pulls it of very well. Every character (even the support roles) has his/her background story that fits in with the development of the plot.
It's not very uncommon for thrillers to use anything beside ambiance background music. That being said, Wanted has a total of 4 OST's and the songs aren't that bad. It's a shame they couldn't be implemented someway (e.g, ending credits) so be sure to give them a listen. You don't want to miss out on a song like Yezi & Jung Chaeyeon's - Shadow.
Wanted is a thriller with a great cast, a steady pace and intriguing story. There are things that could have been done better to live up to it's "promising" plot. It's a pity but not too disturbing. The drama is somewhat thought provoking and the suspense only leaves you wanting more.
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If there was one word to describe the feeling Entertainer gave off, it would probably be bromance.
The band members supporting each other through different ordeals and (past & future) hardships. You would almost forget that they were just a bunch of guys, who where picked up & randomly and got thrown together because of their love for music. Don't forget Shin Suk Ho & Jo Ha Neul's bond, after the first learning about Jo Ha Neul's background. Luckily the serie isn't focused on a (forced) love line as it is kept very subtle. That being said, bromance isn't everything this drama has to offer, as the drama has an emotional storyline too.
Ji Sung did a great job portraying the protagonist, Shin Suk Ho. His character development was nice to watch throughout the story. Trying his hardest (to protect) for his loved ones and assuring everything will be alright. Even to the extent of going through something alone. It was endearing to watch. Kang Min Hyuk grew as an actor. Knowing how to portray a wronged person with the right emotions and naturally acting. He did a good job as Jo Ha Neul. Hyeri did pretty okay portraying her character, Jeong Geu Rin. Sometimes her character felt stiff and awkward. It probably has something to do with how her character was written in the drama. The casting (and acting) of the supporting roles isn't so bad but still replacable in my opinion.
Entertainer has some parts where the story feels dragged which leads to off pacing. It makes you wonder if a 2 episode extension was necessary. They ended the serie nicely though. The music is good and pleasant to listen to. It accompanies the scenes and catches the mood pretty well. Cameo appearances (Park Shin Hye, Seo Kang Joon and more) are a nice extra, fitting in with the entertainment industry setting. In the end Entertainer isn't something out of the ordinary but doesn't disappoint either.
If you are looking for a fun & rom-com drama with likable characters and some drama, you will probably enjoy Entertainer.
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The story is based of a manhwa named Goodbye Mr. Black, that takes its inspiration from the novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. Searching for this story led me to a lot of positive reviews. With a cast of well known actors including Lee Jin Wook, Song Jae Rim and more, the future looked bright. But as always you never know how things will turn out. A revenge themed serie is usually about the main character outsmarting his enemies and punishing them to pay them back for his pain. Love is often thrown into the mix as it is something where the main character gets his strength from to endure difficult situations. Lacking a real love story could have done wonders because it got more annoying than it contributed to the quality of the serie. After a while everything became predictable and felt dragged. Halfway through it picked up a little bit, not long before going back to it's usual pattern. You get the feeling the story is going nowhere. The extension of 4 episodes didn't make it better. They could have wrapped this up in 16 episodes. Having watched some of the actors & actresses past works, this is probably one of the most poorly written drama's in their career. Seeing their filmography they have surely acted in better ones. Lee Jin Wook's character Cha Ji Won is a smart & loyal person, that would consider taking risks in order for him to succeed. A very optimistic person. Making a return as Mr. Black after being framed by his best friend Min Sun Jae (Kim Kang Woo) he seems to have lost some of his composure & intelligence. It was like seeing him smiling and punching himself in the face multiple times although knowing it hurts. Moon Chae Won did an amazing job in both 'Innocent Man' & 'Good Doctor'. In 'Goodbye Mr. Black' her character 'Kim Swan' fell short. She was running all over the place (looking for her identity). Being the female lead you expect her to do a better job supporting Mr. Black in his quest for revenge but she had her own problems to deal with. It only lead to dragging him down. Obviously developing feelings for each other is a bad idea when planning your revenge, seeing how enemies could use her against him. In these kind of series, it always bound to happen. Her chemistry with Lee Jin Wook isn't bad yet it isn't comparable to her pairings with Song Joong Ki & Joo Won. However Lee Jin Wook is not at fault as I liked his acting in 'The Time We Were Not In Love' where he formed a nice love line with Ha Ji Won. Kim Tae Woo's portrayal of his characters in 'That Winter, The Wind Blows' & 'God's Gift - 14 Days' were great. This is probably one of his more forgettable roles since he didn't have as much influence as he had in his former works. The whole cast fell victim to a poorly written drama which is a pity because the reference material and cast were promising. Moon Hee Jung has better works on her résumé, for example: 'Missing You' (ft. Park Yoo Chun, Yoon Eun Hye & Yoo Seung Ho).
Goodbye Mr. Black wasn't atrocious but decent would have been too praising. It was okay at best. While the 4 OST's were not bad the lack of good (variety) background music, that captures the feeling of the serie, didn't do the drama any good. All that remains is an average drama with a lot of repetitive looping and predictable plot lines. Sharing the same day- & timeslot as 'Descendants of The Sun' when premiering adds up to the unfortunate stuff happening to the drama, as many people preferred the latter for a very good reason. A fair share of bad luck you might say.
Revenge is sweet when done right but that's certainly not the case with Goodbye Mr. Black.
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The cast is great. With a line-up containing the likes of Park Shin Hye, Kim Rae Won, Yoon Gyun Sang, Lee Sung Kyung as main roles it's disappointing to see that the story clearly doesn't do anything for them. The supporter roles were filled in quite good as well, with Kim Min Suk, Moon Ji In & Yoon Da In just to name some. It's the first time I liked Park Shin Hye's character as she has been playing a lot of weak female lead roles. Nice to see her change it up for once. She acts out the more serious, responsible side of Hyejung in a good way. Combining her new bad ass image + her usual emotional acting, it makes a great mix. Kim Rae Won's character, Ji Hong is almost a full 360 degrees from his last role in 'Punch' where he played a cold prosecutor. This role suited him as he gives off that nice & caring personality. Great acting from Kim Rae Won. Yoon Gyun Sang's part could have been bigger. Stated as a main role, he wasn't that influential but he wasn't a support character either. Somewhere in between. Contrary to his character Moo Hyul in Six Flying Dragons, who has a clear identity, Yoon Do fades away as the story goes on. He captured his character (personality) very well which only makes it sad that he became a victim of bad writing. Good to see that Lee Sung Kyung is expanding her horizon by trying out different roles. This girl is making her way into drama's. Steady performance, just not really fond of her character. A nice addition with cameo appearances from Han Hye Jin, Namgoong Min, Lee Sang Yeob etc.
The background music is beautiful and fits in nicely with the drama. Urban Zakapa, Younha and more complete the OST with great songs.
Doctors has a good beginning but after that the story seems dragged as it doesn't seem to progress. It's very shallow but you might want to keep watching if you love the actors. The story isn't written well enough to know what it's about but it's bearable to some extent. The development of the "relation" between Hye Jung & Ji Hong, the lighthearted moments and the music are one of the few reasons which makes the drama worth watching.
On a side note: The styling of Hye Jung (Park Shin Hye) & Seo Woo (Lee Sung Kyung) was on point. Loved their outfits. They looked great.
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The drama doesn't set itself apart with it's story as it's a common plot in a rom-com. That doesn't mean it can't be any good. It's nice for a change, to see how a drama works it's way around a cliché story(line). What really makes this drama worth watching is how the characters are portrayed. It's something where Another Miss Oh distinguishes itself with from the rom-com genre.
What this drama does perfectly is bringing out the charms of every character. Every single "main" character had depth, his or her own story and how they (try to) deal with it. The characters are written in such a good way that they are relatable and you sympathize with hem. That's a difficult thing to achieve in a rom-com as they usually focus on cringy, cliché stuff. Both Seo Hyun Jin (Oh Hae Young) & Eric Moon (Park Do Kyung) did a excellent job portraying the main characters. Especially Seo Hyun Jin. You don't see characters very often that are pretty straight forward (genuine) as her. Whenever Oh Hae Young is happy, you feel happy. She feels sad, you feel bad for her. Eric Moon does very well portraying a hurt and by result, introvert guy who struggles with himself. Park Do Kyung's journey to happiness is nice to see as he slowly opens up to Oh Hae Young. It's not strange to dislike "Pretty" Oh Hae Young (Jeon Hye Bin) in the beginning. If that's the case that means she played her role pretty good. Learning more about her story, you can't help but sympathize with her. Almost every scene with Park Soo Kyung (aka Isadora) was memorable & fun to watch. Her 4D personality & "French" conversations with Lee Ji Sang (Kim Ji Suk) are hilarious. She did a really good job portraying her serious/emotional side as well as her random/drunk persona. Let's not forget the other characters as they all contributed in each his/her own way. If I had to single out someone from the supporting characters it would be the mother of Oh Hae Young played by Kim Mi Kyung. She played a convincing mother, one which feels real. Encouraging and worrying. Whenever Oh Hae Young needed her, she was there. I have yet to see a drama where she doesn't do her character justice. Heo Young Ji did very well as she stood her ground with her first role in a tv drama. Acting as Yoo Anna, a cheerful & energetic girl, I could see similarities with her personality in real life.
The OST is filled with great songs & background music. Ben, Wable & Roy Kim's music (and more) really fit in well with the vibe of the drama. They provide the necessary feels in each scene which sets the tone. Some songs are played more often than others but overall they choose the best suited one for the mood of the scene.
With an extension of 2 episodes, I had hoped they would have ended this in a better way. There were still some loose ends that weren't settled. Not saying I'm entirely dissatisfied with the ending but the extra episodes were pretty much unnecessary. Other than that I really enjoyed this ride and would recommend people to check this drama.
Another Miss Oh is a drama that provides good laughs mixed with touching moments and great acting. Add a little bit of (subtle) life advice and there you have the drama in a nutshell. A refreshing take on how a rom-com can be.
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The actresses are a great casting. They suit their characters. Park Hye Soo plays a innocent girl named Yoo Eun Jae, who has a unique taste in men. She is the youngest one of the bunch. As she is petit and has that little sister vibe, she really fits her character. Ryu Hwa Young is Kang Yi Na, a good looking girl who is considered to be a golddigger. Her chic, feminine vibe and fit body makes her a perfect match for the role. Han Seung Yeon portrays Jung Ye Eun, a cute & girly character. Her outward appearance is fitting for her character traits. The outfits are selected very well as they go with pastel colors and girl clothing that are kind of cute. Han Ye Ri is senior Yoon Jin Myung, who is a hardworking & late student. Her portrayal of Jin Myung is good as she is normal looking which makes it easy to focus on her actions. She doesn’t wear flashy or cute clothes but casual & comfortable clothing. That goes along with her character. Park Eun-Bin’s character is called Song Ji Won, a quirky senior with a lot of life advice. The way she acts and dresses suit her character. Really funny yet serious when needed. They really complete each other as every character has her own personality & charms. The acting of the actresses bring the characters to life. You will slowly open up to each character as you get to know them one by one. Feeling sympathy & empathy through the good & bad times of our main characters lives.
The music is nice and feature different artists from all over the world. However, the OST is mostly made out of songs which have already been released late 2000’s. That doesn’t matter though as they are well suited and fit perfectly with the drama.
Age of Youth is not your typical drama. As many shows rely on something special, like fantasy elements or a star studded cast, this serie excels in being normal. And that's perfectly fine because that's one of it's charms. The way it taps into the slice of life genre and the realistic portrayal of the lives of 5 women is very refreshing. Paired with a lot of beautiful life messages, this drama gives you a lot more than you expect. It’s a pity that the drama only has 12 episodes as I wouldn’t mind to see more. Great pacing, great topics, great characters. A brilliant drama which will shock you by how a laid-back but realistic serie can be so amazing.
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