met alexa, mei 4, 2017
30

I think we were all left with a bit of a hole in our hearts when  Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon ended last month. It was tough to say goodbye to BongBong and MinMin, but JTBC wasted no time coming back with a strong follow-up drama! Here's why you should check out their new action, romance, and comedy filled drama,  Man to Man!


Characters

Park Hae Jin as Kim Seol Woo

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Kim Seol Woo is one of South Korea's top Ghost Agents, meaning he's the best of the best and almost untraceable to the rest of the world. His life is dedicated to his work and he's introduced as cold, calculating, and intelligent beyond belief... all traits you'd expect from a secret agent. We do get to see an unexpected soft side from Seol Woo, particularly when he's with his right-hand-man, Lee Dong Hyun (Jung Man Shik), who oversees his cases and helps him out along the way. Park Hae Jin's last few dramas have been very heavily romance-focused so it's nice to see him take on a more serious and action-heavy role. I look forward to seeing how Kim Seol Woo opens up, develops, and changes at the hands of Cha Do Ha and Yeo Eun Kwang.


Park Sung Woon as Yeo Eun Kwang

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Yeo Eun Kwang is a selfish and charming action star who is famous for his villain roles and action stunts. He's your typical celebrity who cares more about himself and how he's perceived by the public than about those around him, but he can be surprisingly loving and gentle, especially when it comes to Cha Do Ha. We later come to find out how they met and why they care about one another so deeply, and it's quite moving. Eun Kwang and Seol Woo have opposite personalities, but Eun Kwang quickly becomes infatuated with Seol Woo after seeing how efficiently Seol Woo can handle his problems. It's a hilarious dynamic that includes fighting over fried chicken and acting out romance scenes. You definitely do not want to miss it.


Kim Min Jung as Cha Do Ha

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Cha Do Ha is living every fangirl's dream... she's the manager of her favorite celebrity, Yeo Eun Kwang. She's a super fan and it's clear in the way she lovingly talks about her 'Oppa' and works hard to make sure nothing ever happens to hurt him or his reputation. She is headstrong, forward, and not afraid to scheme if it's what's best for Eun Kwang. We see her immediate suspicion of Kim Seol Woo after she catches him in some incriminating situations during their first few encounters. How long that suspicion and dislike will last, we can't be sure... but we can be sure that she is going to challenge Seol Woo in a way he's never been challenged before. ;)


Character Dynamics

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For me, the characters' interactions have been the best part of this drama so far. Seeing the cold agent Kim Seol Woo navigate around being a bodyguard to a selfish top star and his superfan manager has been HILARIOUS and heartwarming at times. It's a typical K-Drama cliche, but I love to see the cold and stoic character being changed by the people around him and opening up and maybe even learning to love (*hint hint* maybe???) because of them.

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It's also nice to see how Eun Kwang and Do Ha genuinely care for each other. I was a little bit worried that they'd paint Do Ha as no more than an obnoxious fangirl, but the depth of their relationship is sweet and really adds to the dynamic of the show. 

The show also includes plenty of complicated and dark relationships between the secondary characters with heartbreaking past relationships, corruption, and secret missions we'd expect from a drama like Man to Man.


The Many Faces of Park Hae Jin

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Lolololol seems like the poor guy is going through A LOT thanks to his new mission.


Hopefully, this will be enough to convince you to check out this refreshing and hilarious new project from Park Hae Jin and co.! I'm loving it so far and can't wait to see what kinds of relationships will develop!