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It took me until episode 6 to get into this drama and even then I wasn't fully engaged.The story is nothing special, just your usual chaebol prince who falls in love beneath his station. The twist is that he and the female lead have a past connection dating back to their childhood and they kind of promised to marry each other when they grow up ...... and so it goes.
I enjoyed the two leads together, they were so cute with each other and their love story is portrayed in a mature manner, especially their interactions, this aspect of the drama is absolute gold. The male lead had good character development, he was first portrayed as an arrogant and cold person however as the story progresses the true nobility of his character is revealed and he turns out to be so sweet, selfless and loyal, I loved that about how he was written.
Secretary Kim on the other hand, I found her character the same throughout, she never changed and remained constant, this can be seen as a good thing that shows how reliable and genuine she is, but I must admit to finding her boring towards the end. Park Min Young is a great actress but maybe they could have written Mi So with a bit more growth at the end, she just remained the same, I don't know........
The supporting cast was entertaining and sufficient attention was given to their stories without taking away from the leads, this supporting cast actually helped me to enjoy the drama more.
The older brother of the male lead was just flat, any friction and angst he should have brought to the table quickly fizzled out and he just remains an annoyance, why was even there?
I think this drama would have done well at 12 episodes, the story wrapped up around episode 11 so five more episodes with no dramatic tension was overkill, I mean it was cute but I got bored and wished it would end. The final episode was very well done, with all that build up they had to give us a grand wedding right?
Music was great and the ballad is super romantic.
Personally, although I can see the charm of this show, ultimately it failed to engage me as other dramas have so I give it overall a 7 out of 10.
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The little sparks of story here and there are not used properly , and it didn’t even feel like a feel-good-brain-off drama.
I just really don’t see any reason to watch it. It’s not absolutely terrible , but there’s nothing good or interesting about it.
The persistent and nice girl working for the rich narcissist guy , he abuses his power and money, she doesn’t like it but still falls for him... a classic but not even a good one.
Even when looking for a simple and fun drama to laugh and relax, I wouldn’t recommend this one.
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I'd first like to address the rating guideline for reviews--I think the list is rather specific, and this review isn't going to completely adhere to it. After all, I rate completely based on enjoyment--so you can for the most part, ignore my rating, as that's not the main purpose of this review.
The responses to this drama seem to be largely divided between those that love it, and those that hate it. I fall into the former, but I'm going to try and address viewpoints from both parties.
Plot/Story:
Synopses for What's Wrong With Secretary Kim describe it as another typical chaebol//rich man--poor woman drama. In general, this holds true, but the tropes WWWSK brings are executed in a much different manner--over-the-top comedic, and at some points borderline parodic. At its core, this drama is a comedy above all else.
The plot and story isn't deep or very meaningful in any way, and that's fine, because this drama doesn't aim to be profound This is quite evident in the execution of the story within the very first episode. There's a more serious substory to the main characters' pasts, but it's not what drives the drama; the comedy drives it. And that's precisely why the plot or lack thereof, has little impact on my rating. If you're a watcher that prefers a good story and deeper plot over comedy, you might not find this drama as appealing. It's more of a 'turn your brain off, relax, and have a laugh' type of drama.
Characters/Cast:
The highlight of the show--what makes it dazzling. Befitting the comedy, the characters are also for the most part, over the top.
For our male lead, if you're unsure about this drama since you dislike rich jerk leads, rest assured, a jerk is precisely what Young Joon is not. He's still tad bit (by tad bit, I mean through the roof) narcissistic, and is still occasionally rude, but unintentionally due to his ignorance and obliviousness, not because he's an asshole. He's very over-the-top and charismatic. I tend see people finding this trait either oddly charming or ridiculously annoying. His personality could make or break the show for you.
Now for our female lead, her character is also a fresh breather from the typical heroine of chaebol themes. Mi So radiates a strong, responsible personality who is also independent as opposed to the common trope of being poor and helpless. Mi So as a character is interesting, but her personality is often outshined in comparison to Young Joon's, which just has many more layers in terms of depth. That's not to say that Mi So isn't also charismatic though, because she is.
Moving onto the side characters--they're all pretty quirky, weird, and over-the-top the in their own fashion. They played a large role in driving the comedy, and often times, I found myself just as or even more invested into them than the main leads.
A lot of the interactions between the characters are cheesy and cringe due their lack of romantic experience (though also largely due to the nature of the drama). I find that weirdness one of perks of the comedy; each character having their own quirky means and methods of displaying affection. However, the same interactions could be a major turn off to your enjoyment. If you aren't enjoying the cheese at the beginning, you probably won't enjoy it later on. Save yourself time, drop the drama.
Effects/Sound/Music:
I'm going to address these together as they're all external elements added.
If you've seen "Because This is My First Life", you may be familiar to the cartoony visual and sound effects added to minuscule actions such as blinking or glaring. This drama is filled with these effects, and they added a lot of comedy and enjoyment to my experience. At the same time, it's understandable to find these effects too repetitive or just outright annoying. These effects can potentially ruin your enjoyment, so just be forewarned.
As for the music, the OST was never out of place, and always added a nice flavor to their respective scenes. In fact, many scenes' comedy were amplified due to the music.
Rewatch Value:
I never really completely understood the point of the 'Rewatch Value' rating, so I'll just say it's not something to completely rewatch, but rather many comedic scenes are great to go back to.
--TL;DR ver--
Watch if you:
- enjoy comedy above story, or if lacking story isn't a bother
- enjoy the cast and their interactions
- don't mind over-the-top comedy or occasional cheese and cringe
Drop if you:
- prefer dramas with a meaningful story
- don't feel the chemistry between the cast
- can't stand occasional cheesy, cringe interactions (there are quite a few)
If you aren't enjoying the comedy aspect in the first few episodes, or the comedy is slowly growing duller, chances are you won't enjoy it later. Save yourself time, drop the drama.
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Great start, boring end
The first half of this was excellent - very funny and well-paced, solid, attractive cast, lots of cuteness and interesting plot-threads, and I was enjoying it so much I stayed up well past my bedtime. But then it started to sink in the middle, the chemistry drained away, and after the mystery resolution came out of the oven the whole thing fell flat with still a bunch of episodes to watch. I skimmed through to the end, but was very bored. Still sweet, I guess, but not the tasty cake I was expecting.As with a lot of dramas in this format, there just wasn't enough engaging dramatic content to last for 16 episodes here. I found the rest of the cast likable enough, but I wasn't invested in any of them. And even though the love scenes in the latter half were probably fairly 'racy' for a kdrama, they were also strangely unexciting! - possibly down to the way the FL was written? - and it felt like they were there as fanservice to fill up the boring space between the end of the mystery and the wedding. Disappointing, after such a fun start.
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It's just my opinion, but I think this drama is highly overrated. The story has a very simple plot which is not unusual in k dramas. However, the characters were one dimensional and way too cliche for me. Lee young Joon was a character with good potential in my opinion. I had hoped he would mend his ways and become less narcissistic after he got into a relationship with Kim Mi So. However, his character doesn't seem to have developed at all even at the end. The way he fell in love with her was also forced in my opinion as he first only had a an obsession with her and didn't want to leave that childhood friend of his and it's not clear how this obsession turned into love. I also felt that the couple never really faced challenges, fought or had any sort of disagreement. I also found it ridiculous that they married each other without even 1 disagreement. He also put her to hard work for nine years and developed feelings for her suddenly. The positives in the story were the humor and side character development. The backstory was honestly ok in my opinion. It had its effects in the future and was hence essential and unavoidable. Mi So's character was what I disliked the most. Even after she got into a relationship with Young Joon, there didn't seem to be much of a change in the boss-secretary behavior as Mi So still acknowledged every ridiculous thing that Young Joon said and carried it out as a secretary more than a girlfriend. Also, I didn't like the fact that in the end Mi So decided not to quit her job as secretary. The reason she wanted to leave was to follow her dreams and I believe she should have given more priority to her own dreams and left to fulfill them. That's pretty much why I didn't like this series too much. Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, is a romantic comedy that follows four couples (all with varying screen times) and their daily life. It tried to be a little spicy by adding some light angst to it, but they probably should have left the traumatic past out of it as it didn't get enough screen time devoted to actually matter.
This drama would have been greatly benefitted by ending at episode 12, but they definitely tied up all the loose ends, and finished their character development. It was just a little dragged out in my opinion. There are a lot of sweet and funny moments throughout this, but it is by no means a riveting series. The chemistry was stronger between the side couples than the main couple even though we get our fair share of steamy kisses. I love the two main leads in other dramas, but I'm not sure they meshed together well in this one.
What I did like was that this is certainly a learning and development drama. WWWSK addresses the growing pains that happen in a first (or any) relationship, how important it is to compromise, and that understanding in a relationship is key. The acting is done well, but it was a pretty flat ride for me.
All in all, not bad if you're looking for something light and sweet, but it probably won't keep you glued to your seat.
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i was really waiting for any drama to seo joon cause i'm one of his biggest fansbut wz sorrow i was frustrated alot after watching this one
first i didn't like min young acting at all
i didn't feel any chemistry between seo joon and her
even when i watch the kissing scenes most of them i didn't feel it at all
i found at some parts seo joon acting was artificial and that shocked me cause i know him a brilliant actor
the drama was totally repeated thousand times the idea was consumed
nothing new and the part of how they knew each other cause they were kidnapped together was totally provoking
and what frustrated me more that i feel the writer was disparaging my mind when he made seo joon knew her from the first sight
it would be more logic if he made some investigations about her when he grow up so when he meets her it's normal to recognize her
but man.... u r talking about 15 yrs they didn't see each other and they know each other for just a day and they were totally kids can't remember
how come they still remember each other's features
it's illogical at all
SO plz if u r going to make a normal story so plz make it logic -_-
i was really FRUSTRATED T_T
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KIM MI-SO: Her character was okay......and that's it. But as a main character, being just okay won't cut it and unfortunately, Mi-So had no dimension what so ever. Secretaries are often traited as perfect, detail-oriented, and vigilant of their duties. I get that, and it's fine to put those same qualities towards Mi-So's character, but add something else in that doesn't have to do with her job. A quirk. A weird hobby. Maybe she dances weird but loves dancing anyways. Something to make her stand out from her perfect cookie-cutter frame. Stereotypes are boring because they're predictable, and so was Ni-So, unfortunately.
LEE YEONG JOON: ....................I can't. I just can't. I'm all for a quirky, eccentric character because it makes for an interesting character, but this..........was just way too much. It was almost cartoonish and super unbelievable in terms of narcissism. If you're going to make a wacky, odd character, do it in a believable way. Don't just be crazy for the SAKE of crazy. It's boring and uninteresting. This character was the worst of them all.
ACTING/CAST: I think that Seo Joon Park has good potential to be a good actor but he might have to choose more challenging roles that expand his acting skills. Maybe this role was to put into practice his comedic, light-hearted skills. Unfortunately, the character he played is absolutely ridiculous.
Min Young Park isn't my favorite actress. I personally don't really like her acting. That's just my own opinion. Could be different for others, but overall, I don't think her acting is horrible. I just think her acting skills always falls flat somewhere.
STORY: Eh. It's nothing special really. I figure that 90% of viewers can guess the rest of the story line from the 3rd episode.
MUSIC: I'm not picky about music. It was okay. Standard drama music.
OVERALL: If you don't mind the odd and eccentric moments, and over the top characters and fluff, then you might find this entertaining. This is a typical teen rom-com kind of drama that appeals to younger crowds 18 and under.
If you're looking for something a little more realistic, in terms of characters and storyline then you might want to check out something else, because this isn't really it.
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pros:
1. Hwang Bo Ra. This girl is a gem. Really funny and endearing without even trying. I loved her in THE MIRACLE WE MET and in here as well
2. Chansung and pyo ye-jin . they're the only reason why I watched the show, everything else I skipped. they had much more going on than the leads
cons:
1. the cliches. the cliches. the cliches. Why does every rich chaebol have to be single, good looking, cold, anti social and always the "youngest" to be a CEO? (thank God PSJ is a decent actor because not even his face could save his character)
2. this was just a whole lump of cheese that makes me cringe to death
3. PSJ's obsession with the girl is off-putting TBH. he was on the verge of becoming a stalker
4. no feels. rom-coms usually is accompanied with heartfelt feels that will make you cry whether its the family or friends but this drama only made me feel sleepy
5. this drama is shallow and superficial. no proper character build up
6. PSJ brother. he was supposed to be the antagonist and bring tension to the drama but he's character is not interesting enough
7.the story development is just too fast. Usually the leads will start to fall in love near the end of the series but to do it at the very first episode to me was just the wrong move
Anyone who's a sucker for rom-coms would definitely love this but personally I don't find anything special about this show. Yes there's no need for every drama to have depth and be lightly written instead however with all the amazing dramas written and produced for the last three years it will always going to be compared to the greats. There's no used in relying on the same old tricks anymore, you (the writers especially) gotta give the viewers something new. BECAUSE THIS IS MY FIRST LIFE did it. I AM NOT A ROBOT did it and these are proofs that rom-coms nowadays can be more than just a one trick pony plotline
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I didn't like acting of Park Seo Joon in this one. There was no emotion in his eyes. Both of the main leads felt so fake, with fake smiles and awkward movements.
The unrealistic and cheesy childhood trauma story was annoying.
There was too much sugarness. And when I say too much, it means that the main lead literally said how much he loves her and treasures her every two minutes and all he cared about was this girl in every situation, even though he was supposed to be a busy person.... It all looked like a fairytale for kids - very tiring, and even worse accompanied by his fake acting. It felt like he was so tired himself saying all these stupid things from the scenario.
Now for the good parts.
I really liked the side characters in this drama. They all were so cute and funny, I absolutely adore acting of them all.
Also I liked the hot moments between the main leads. Made me fangirl like crazy.
Also thank God there were not much complications and misunderstandings, which is nice. Saved me the nerves.
Would probably rewatch for the bright and cute atmosphere.
7/10
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I would say its pretty good. It’s funny and enjoyable. It’s a lot of reading though. The conversation is long and witty and sometimes I would say some joke lost in translation which is too bad. But still I got most of it. But it is a very conversation based drama so you wont enjoy this if you dont enjoy reading. Production is really good as always.
I like both of the main characters. The trauma which cost them PDSD is pretty well hidden and slowly shows details as we watch the story unfold.
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