#2017韓國電視劇 Man X Man

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Eps 15 and 16.

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether the revenge plan was reasonable.

Whether Mi Eun being on no one’s side is a legit explanation.

Whether the whole “Exposure-By-Live-TV” is a clever way to expose evil wrongdoers.

Whether Sul Woo and Do Ha’s wrap up made sense.

The Rule(s):

Possibly. Based on how close Sul Woo and Donghyun were, it makes sense that his accident would push Sul Woo over the edge.

Sort of. It was only really about her and the kid from the very start.

Ehhh….it’s been overused. I’m not a huge fan of this particular plot device.

Kind of?

Analysis:

RedRosette J: It’s over. Thank God. I for one am so relieved because I’ve been wanting this drama to end since like episode 3 when I realized that the plot was moving at a glacial pace and that the same things kept repeating over and over again. I don’t know why Sul Woo kept going back to playing the bodyguard role after deciding countless times that he wasn’t going to and announcing it to everyone and then suddenly going back and re-announcing that he’s going back to it and everyone reacts like this is brand new information. I’m so confused. Or maybe its because I don’t care at all and it was harder to pay attention and my brain zoned out. If so, my bad.

What is your deal bro?

Most of the plot lines got nicely wrapped up and the drama all seemed to sort itself out in the most basic of ways. In episode 15, they discover that Donghyun is not dead (I was legit shocked here), the NIS Director is the baddie, Seung Jae made copies of the tapes that the Director burned up (because duh, its evil villaining 101), Sul Woo went on a revenge spree, Mi Eun gets outed, Do Ha’s daddy issues get sorted and the final “mission” goes into play. Phew! I think that’s it. A lot of stuff getting wrapped up at the last minute because they wasted much of the previous episodes doing absolutely nothing.

Being shady like…

Trapped in your own thoughts like…

When you think you are top shit

Reminiscing like…

Getting hit by a massive truck = just a coma with every body part intact. 

This lady always plays such boss ajummas

Resolving issues with Dad like…

In episode 16, the big, final mission to expose everyone goes underway via live tv (-_-), everyone gets exposed, people get backstabbed, decisions are made, Donghyun gets better and gets a medal, the baddies go to jail, Do Ha continues to behave like a 12 year old in her “adult” relationship and Sul Woo goes off to fight some mission in Eastern Europe. Uhhhh….okay? Oh and Woon Gwang kept the figurines. Anyone else bet that he would? You could see it from a mile away! Ugh. So predictable. So much for an exciting spy drama. Ugh. I am so not impressed. I didn’t even get to feel the warm fuzzies with a cutesy ending. He went off and she was tracking him with the coin and then he disappeared and wtf?!?! Is this because of Park Hae Jin’s upcoming drama with rumours about it being a prequel or sequel or whatever to Man to Man? I really wish they wouldn’t. This drama was not great as is, there really doesn’t need to be a part 2 to add to its mediocrity.

When you realize the truth!

Making tough decisions like…

When you in evil cahoots…

When you skeptical about winning things at work…

When you get a new partner in crime

Issue 1: Whether the revenge plan was reasonable.

RedRosette J: Donghyun really was Sul Woo’s only real friend and confidante who knew the real him and who was probably the closest person to him so it makes sense that something bad happening to Donghyun would push Sul Woo over the edge and force him to resort to his “spy” methods to resolve the situation. While I appreciate that this incident was because of Sul Woo’s closeness to Donghyun, I can’t help but feel like this would have been the perfect time for the writers to have given us some insight into Sul Woo’s pre-NIS life. Sixteen episodes later and we still don’t know anything about him except that he is secretly a teenage boy who likes video games and acts out sometimes. It would have been nice to have gotten some family history or personal backstory just so that it put some context into his character, his actions and his motivations for embarking on a revenge mission (other than Donghyun of course. That might have been the time to introduce a triggering event). Whatever said and done, I think that had he shot the NIS Director, the plot would have gone in a much better, less predictable direction as it would have had Seung Jae scrambling to cover his ass.

When you find out your bestie is sick…

What an ass!

Getting revenge like…

Crashing a party like…

When your boss throws you under the bus for shady shit he did

Issue 2: Whether Mi Eun being on no one’s side is a legit explanation.

RedRosette J: At first, I didn’t really get why she was doing what she was doing because her actions seemed to be both for and against the good guys. It was only after Sul Woo’s explanation that she was really on no one’s side and that she was doing it to protect her child that it started to make sense to me. Again, this character was well acted and well written. They could have written a whole drama just about her tbh. I did appreciate that Mi Eun had a human side to her character as well and wasn’t some perfect,  emotionless spy woman. I think over time, she did come to have feelings for Seung Jae but her feelings for her son outweigh that. This was especially the case at the end where Seung Jae returns the divorce papers to her and she rips them up. She also doesn’t want her son to see his father in prison at such a young age and says that he can meet him when he’s older. Her story line with Woon Gwang was also wrapped up very well. All in all, she was by far my favourite character on this show.

How to plot and be cool. Step 1: Get fancy car

*Gasp*

#priorities

#truth

The real goal

Issue 3:  Whether the whole “Exposure-By-Live-TV” is a clever way to expose evil wrongdoers.

RedRosette J: Honestly, this is a tired TV trope that I feel a writer leans towards when they are totally stuck for ideas. Considering the potential that this drama had and the actual trajectory it took, it seemed like even the writer was desperate for it to end. What I did appreciate was the lead up to the live TV show, with the laxatives in the movie director’s coffee and stuff. That was really funny but trying to compel Seung Jae to spill the beans on live TV seemed like a cop out to me. But if I was to play devils advocate with myself, it could also be because they had no option because the highest levels of government officials were all on Songsan’s pay roll and they have no option but the people to turn to. That being said, I still feel like they should have blown some stuff up or had some super awesome spy stuff to bring Seung Jae down. Further, it wasn’t even like Seung Jae actually did any repenting. He just blamed everything on the Director and everyone else and then resolved his issues off screen. At least with the Director and Congressman Baek, they were awful to the very end. So, no I don’t think that “Exposure-By-Live-TV” is the best way to expose evil wrongdoers.

#shitjustgotreal

That smile you give when you know things others don’t…

  Going on TV to ruin lives like…

Shots fired

When things don’t go according to plan

When you decide to go with the flow

When you ready to throw everyone under the bus

Making empty threats like…

Backstabbing everyone like…

*mic drop*

    Issue 4: Whether Sul Woo and Do Ha’s wrap up made sense.

RedRosette J: Uhhh….I have no idea what to make of these two. They literally had the most childish and unrealistic romance on TV of all the dramas airing these days and to make matters worse, they are probably one of the older couples on TV right now. WTF people??!?! Why are you dating like 12 year olds? What the hell? It’s not funny and cute when its so unrealistic that viewers are like “ughhh just make it stop.” Whatever. I don’t even know what happened at the end; they were together and then he went off on his mission and then he disappeared so does that mean he’s coming back to her or not or what? I hate endings like this. It’s not romantic. Just tell us what happened and put us out of our misery. We suffered through 16 episodes. It’s the least we deserve!

Oh jeez… -_-

What is wrong with you two?

Even this is more romantic than Do Ha

*eyeroll*

*facepalm*

Conclusion: Appeal Dismissed.

Rating: 2 = Yell At The Writers (Seriously. Y’all could have done a much better job. Also yelling at people who made some serious casting errors. *cough* Do Ha *cough*)

File No: Man-to-Man-Eps-15-and-16 (FINAL) Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Eps 15 and 16. ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

[meitukong]

《奇怪的搭檔》高甜畫報來襲 池昌旭-南智賢散發清爽情侶氣息

由池昌旭、崔泰俊與南智賢主演的電視劇《奇怪的搭檔》官方畫報公開！池昌旭與南智賢在公開的畫報中親密互動，展現了春日清爽cp的高甜一刻。

據悉，電視劇《奇怪的搭檔》已確定將於5月10日首播，請多關注。 《大力女》完美收官！金志洙公開與朴寶英、朴炯植等演員合照

哇！一張合照代表一種組合，看到「國斗」和「奉順」穿著校服…就會想到甜蜜又苦澀的初戀啊！

JTBC金土劇（周五、六播出）《大力女子都奉順》於上周迎來大結局，最後一集收視率為8.9%，雖然未能突破10%，但「奉奉」與「敏敏」的愛情故事，應該讓不少觀眾直呼甜蜜吧！

而飾演正義刑警「印國斗」的金志洙，於昨日（16日）在官方Instagram分享與合作演員的合照。他留言：「謝謝大家這段期間對《大力女子都奉順》的支持與喜愛，也請大家記得0416。」（註：4月16日為韓國世越號事故三周年）

第一張照片是學生時期的國斗與奉順，兩人笑得相當燦爛；第二張則是國斗，與互看不順眼的敏赫，和變態犯人金長賢；第三張為國斗所屬的「重案三組」。

《青年警察》定檔8月上映 朴敘俊姜河那攜手來襲

由韓國演員朴敘俊和姜河那主演的電影《青年警察》將於8月上映。

17日，發行公司樂天娛樂方面表示「《青年警察》確定於8月上映」。《青年警察》講述了兩個只相信專業書籍和年輕的警大學生在被捲入目擊的綁架事件后發生的故事，是一部可以一覽血氣方剛的青春們的熱情和魄力的作品，朴敘俊和姜河那在片中的合作也令人期待。

另外，在與上映消息一同公開的預告照中，擁有相反性格的黃基俊（朴敘俊 飾）和姜熙烈（姜河那 飾）出擊前的樣子也同樣吸引視線，展現出了絲毫不亞於警察的熱情。

《Man X Man》劇照引期待

本周五，由朴海鎮歐巴主演的新劇《Man X Man》就要首播啦！近日公開的最新劇照中，其中一張朴海鎮身著帥氣西服與朴成雄牽手狂奔，另一張則是紳士地英雄救美，蜜汁Bromance與Romance讓人好奇。

《Man X Man》將於4月21日北京時間22:00首播，與金保鏢不見不散嘍！

《師任堂》公開現場照 宋承憲劇本不離手

4月17日，SBS水木劇《師任堂，光的日記》方面發布了一組主演宋承憲的花絮照。

照片中，宋承憲在燭光的陪伴下，認真研究劇本，神情專註。特別是他還沒有卸妝，臉上一臉的血跡，敬業的精神令人動容。據悉，相關戲份將於電視劇第24集中播出。

製作公司方面相關人士表示：「第24集劇情更加緊張刺激，請大家多多期待宋承憲的精彩戲份。」

另外，《師任堂，光的日記》由尹尚浩導演執導，以朝鮮時代的申師任堂為藍本，揭開了申師任堂的藝術和愛情的故事，將於5月初上演大結局。

《君主－假面的主人》新版預告再公開！2017-04-16 報導:

看到這一版的預告真的更期待播出，兩人真的也很配呢～

一開始就聽到李愃（俞承豪 飾）問韓佳恩（金所炫 飾）：「我長得帥嗎」，後來還問他：「名字是什麼？你有訂婚對象嗎？」這直球....（笑）～

但畫面一轉就變得好虐心，字幕也寫道「錯誤的開始，交錯的命運」，兩人的哭戲真的都厲害，相愛的兩人之後會變成什麼樣子呢？相信大家也都跟小編一樣，看完這一版的預告真的更期待播出了吧

《君主－假面的主人》以1700年代朝鮮實際存在的水的私有化為素材編寫，作為政治與愛情適當組合的虛構史劇，描寫了王世子與將朝鮮八道的水私有化且擁有強大財富與權力的組織編水會所做的正義鬥爭。接檔《自體發光辦公室》在5月10日播出。

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File No: Man-To-Man-EPS-13-and-14

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Eps 13 and 14. ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system*** (more…)

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Eps 11 and 12.

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether the Lovers Tactic was pretty cute.

Whether the Obvious Spy NIS Agent has the worst job ever.

Whether getting shot is what you need to move away from “fake” romance to “real” romance.

Whether slush funds are usually massive mountains of cash hidden in secret underground lairs with priceless art.

The Rule(s):

Yea it was pretty cute. *cue Park Hae Jin in a cute monkey suit*

Absolutely. This guy is asking to be a “I Hate My Job” meme.

Possibly. At least in the case of Sul Woo and Do Ha, it totally makes sense.

Not really. Aren’t they usually in the form of some secret code to a Swiss Bank account?

Analysis:

RedRosette J: I’ve decided to switch to the combo episodes format going forward because a) real life is catching up to me and I don’t have the time to write two posts and b) nothing really happens in one episode to warrant a single post. The things that really stood out to me in episode 11 was how Sul Woo and Do Ha were using the Lovers Tactic as a excuse to “date” and I’m not going to lie, even though I am not the biggest fan of their romance, it was pretty cute. There were also some revelations and escalations in episode 11 that moved the plot forward. There was the Father who shed some light on Agent Y’s situation and it comes to light the Spy Boss Jang is perhaps not the most honest and perfectly upstanding NIS agent. Donghyun becomes the subject of suspicion as the story progresses, although I find that hard to believe. In episode 11, the Russian mogul makes a comeback making a deal for Sul Woo’s head. While I believe that Spy Boss Jang is not the perfect individual we thought him to be, there is a bigger agenda at play and him shooting Sul Woo had something to do with that.

Making deals with the Devil like…

When your friend continues to do stupid stuff

When you know stuff is going your way

Retired Ghost Agents be like…

Dun dun dun

When your boss literally shoots you…

Tryna be casual like…

Episode 12 brings us more of Sul Woo and Do Ha being all lovey dovey (nothing like an illness/getting shot to bring lovers together). My favourite part was Sul Woo scrambling to explain to Donghyun why Do Ha was at his secret spy lair and Donghyun’s priceless “you ain’t selling this story brah” expression. These two are absolutely hilarious. There was also a lot of the political stuff happening in episode 12. They found the slush fund, which then in a weird turn of events, got “donated” to society. There were also incriminating tapes of public officials accepting bribes from the former Songsan CEO that Donghyun and Spy Boss Jang were busy discovering and arresting people over. It also turns out that Spy Boss Jang wasn’t a total evil meanie and that he was merely making a deal with the devil as Plan B because they were all caught in a tight spot. What was really surprising was Mi Eun stepping up to get Seung Jae out of his pickle and quickly proving to everyone that she is easily the smartest person in the room. Prosecutors included. I really really want to know what her agenda is!

The enemy of my enemy is my friend

When you can’t believe your friend betrays you

Spying on your friend like…

“I’m arresting you!”

Seriously cool aesthetics

When you’re in trouble but you know you’re going to get out of it…

The real brains of the outfit

Wtf man?

Oh shit….

Guys you’re being so obvious….

Riiiighhtt……

Congratulating yourself on the perfect plan!

Do bad shit and then hold a press conference. It’s all good.

Tbh, I found it really hard to get through these episodes and it took me the whole weekend to watch them. It might have had to do with the fact that the plot is predictable and extremely draggy. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like most of the episode is the same stuff repeating over and over again?

Shmexy shmexy

Chilling on the throne like…

Issue 1: Whether the Lovers Tactic was pretty cute.

RedRosette J: Okay so I have to admit, the Lovers Tactic was pretty cute. Sure it may have been “fake” half the time but they were super cringey and adorable like most couples in the honeymoon phase. I did enjoy how they were both so happy to partake in this Tactic and even though they were desperately trying to convince everyone and themselves that it was just part of the mission, it was so so obvious that they were doing it because they just wanted to be with each other. It was kinda cute. I could even look past Do Ha’s cringey lines and attitude. Here’s a bunch of screenshots of them being cute:

Going on a “non-date” like…

When your crush does cute stuff like…

Getting the wrong idea like…

Being cringey like…

Those late night phone calls like…

Working an undercover mission like…

*swag*

When he gives you a ring like…

Issue 2: Whether the Obvious Spy NIS Agent has the worst job ever.

RedRosette J: Okay how great was this guy? Honestly this was the best part of the episode for me. He was absolutely hilarious as the guy being forced to tail Sul Woo and having to deal with their cringey PDA and having to stand outside in the cold. His “I Hate My Job” face is the best thing ever. He made me laugh so much. He definitely had the worst job ever. Check out his worst job ever faces:

Issue 3: Whether getting shot is what you need to move away from “fake” romance to “real” romance. 

RedRosette J: For Sul Woo and Do Ha, this was the best situation to really force them to accept their “real romance”. After having been faking it, a real life or death situation puts a lot of things into context and makes it easier for them to accept that they’re in love and that there’s no point in kidding anyone anymore. Plus, I think everyone knows except them! So for these two, getting shot is definitely what they needed!

“It’s all good, I just got shot honey”

When you can’t believe the shit that’s been happening lately…

When you’ve been shot and everyone is fussing

Ooohh la la

This actually seemed like a real kiss

Watching dramas together like…

Angling for a kiss like…

Issue 4: Whether slush funds are usually massive mountains of cash hidden in secret underground lairs with priceless art.

RedRosette J: This is not usually how slush funds work. At least not in most spy movies I’ve seen. Slush funds are usually in random Swiss Bank accounts with complicated passwords and such and are not generally huge mountains of cash sitting in temperature controlled underground rooms. I feel like that’s more of a convenience issue rather than anything else. Just imagine, its so much harder to move your slush fund if it is actually taking up physical space! You’d need people to move it and that’s a bad idea. I guess it totally makes sense why slush funds would not be so concrete so to speak. It was interesting however, to see what a trillion won looked like and its about the size of a giant shipping pallet. Interesting.

This just seems pointlessly costly

A Swiss Bank account probably would have been cheaper

RedRosette J Aside: And today I give you….Donghyun the Janitor!

Dopest janitor ever!

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 3 = MM. Okay. Fine (Mostly because I tolerated the cute stuff in episode 10)

File No: Man-to-Man-EPs-11-and-12 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Eps 11 and 12. ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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File No: Man-to-Man-EP-10

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Ep 10 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system*** (more…)

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File No: Man-to-Man-EP-09

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Ep 09 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system*** (more…)

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Ep 03

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether the reason that Cha Do Ha is a crazy fan girl for Woon Gwang is reasonable

Whether a chicken and beer session helps develop a friendship

Whether Woon Gwang is a big baby

Whether hate and revenge really motivate someone to do work

Whether Park Hae Jin is the king of the Stank Face.

The Rule(s):

Not really. We still don’t really get how Woon Gwang really saved her.

Yes! Friendship blossoms over food!

Totally!

It depends.

Yes!

Analysis:

Jubiemon J: I didn’t think this episode was super exciting because it seemed to be more of a build-up to the mission in Russia. This episode was still cute in some ways like how Woon Gwang makes Sulwoo rehearse with him and then Sulwoo gets too invested in his role as the sobbing actress. Although I did like how the writers tried to make us understand why Do Ha would really become this fan girl of Woon Gwang, I wasn’t very convinced at all. So the two did meet at their worst, yet I don’t really see how Woon Gwang really saved her. She was the one that found him drinking at the rooftop, about to commit suicide. Woon Gwang didn’t help pay off her debt or do anything else, at least in her flashback, so I really wasn’t that convinced that he’d lead her to fall for him like an intense stalker.

Trying to get into character like…

When you end up taking your job a little too seriously

Jubiemon J: I’m still enjoying how Sulwoo doesn’t seem to have fallen for Do Ha yet. When he was listening to her story about how Woon Gwang saved her and how Woon Gwang was still fixated over Mieun, Sulwoo only cared about how Mieun could be used to motivate Woo Gwang to work again. I did find it weird how Sulwoo said that Do Ha only cared about compliments after Woon Gwang was acting all playful after seeing Do Ha in the long, white gown at the Russian party. Sulwoo’s expression seemed to be disgusted with how cheesy Woon Gwang was acting, yet he mentioned that line about Do Ha only caring about compliments. I thought that was out of character; perhaps that could be a mistranslation from the English subs, but I’m not sure as I’m not fluent in Korean. I’m hoping that Sulwoo just focuses on the spy mission. No cheesy romances please.

Smexy ;)

When your coworker starts rambling about their personal drama and you have no choice but to listen

RedRosette J:  I agree with Jubiemon. I also found two thirds of this episode to be rather boring and uninteresting. But it was necessary to show both the build up to the Russia mission, but also for establishing the backstories of the characters. We were introduced to Woon Gwang’s painful story with Mi Eun, Do Ha’s family backstory, and Woon Gwang and Do Ha’s first meeting. I also appreciate the Sulwoo hasn’t fallen for Do Ha yet, but I think he’s starting to catch the feels. I think this is probably why he got all weird when Do Ha was in the dress and got annoyed by Do Ha and Woon Gwang were being all cringey. To me, Sulwoo saying that Do Ha only cared about compliments, seemed to be more of a slight tinge of jealousy at how she reacted to when Woon Gwang called her beautiful as opposed to her reaction when he said she looked pretty in the dress.

Obligatory makeover scene

RedRosette J: I am starting to find the political backstory a little bit more interesting because it seems to have to do more with secret ledgers hidden in wood carvings or something. It might also be because there was barely any of the political stuff in this episode. LOL! I am starting to also get interested in the Woon Gwang-Mi Eun-Seung Jae connection after we were told of their complicated backstory. From what I can tell, it seems like Mi Eun made a deal with the Intelligence dude that impacted her relationship with Woon Gwang. I kind of have a feeling that because Mi Eun was an actress, Seung Jae might have been obsessed with her and when he found out she was seeing Woon Gwang, he orchestrated this plot to have him killed in a stunt driving ‘accident’ and marry her instead. Maybe. I don’t know. My brain is jumping to all kinds of conclusions based on the little tidbits of information we were given in the flashbacks. The episode really picked up at the end with all the spy stuff coming on full force again with the Russia mission. Let’s be real, we are all here for Park Hae Jin basically playing James Bond, so give us more of that kthanksbye.

This is some cool shit

Girl, your crying isn’t going to solve anything

When things turn out worse than you expected

Trying to be concerned like…

When your demons haunt you at night

Apparently this happened

Having to sleep in a room full of pictures of your boss sounds like hell

This isn’t awkward at all…

This guy is not all stable

Issue 1: Whether the reason that Cha Do Ha is a crazy fan girl for Woon Gwang is reasonable

Jubiemon J: Nope. I really disliked how the drama used the overused scene where the lead girl gets drunk and then starts pouring all her feelings out to someone. Can we cut that out? Can we have different types of drunkards like the sort that just sleeps? I’m so sick of the type that spills out the beans in dramas. I feel like that’s a cheap way out for a character to share their feelings. Even when Do Ha explained how she met Woon Gwang and how she became so drawn to him, I just wasn’t persuaded. I’d get it if Woon Gwang ever explained how he saw her as an important friend because she was the one that persuaded him not to commit suicide. On the other hand, based on how she acted or how the scene was written, I really didn’t feel like there was much of a reason for her to turn into a massive fan girl of Woon Gwang. Perhaps the scene could have been extended more then I’d be more convinced that he was her saviour. At this point, he hasn’t done anything much than be a semi-respectful actor towards her.

RedRosette J: Oddly, I disagree with Jubiemon on this issue. To me, all of sudden Do Ha’s crazy fan girling made sense to me. It seems that Do Ha met Woon Gwang when she was at a desperate time in her life. From the morsels we were given about her past, it seems that she has spent her whole life picking up after her father and barely having a stable figure in her life to lean on. So to me, it seemed like Woon Gwang’s introduction to her life must be something she equates with stability and being able to rely on him (more so in a familial way rather than a romantic one). I think that she might be confusing those feelings for romantic love. She just seems to be someone who is very grateful for Woon Gwang coming into her life when she needed someone the most. From Woon Gwang’s perspective, it seems that he also needed Do Ha to be the person that he could rely on for a fresh start. He seems to care about her really like an older brother and dotes on her like any older brother would on a little sister. I don’t see any romantic intentions on his part either and when the two of them are together, it’s really about the familiarity that comes out. Albeit, this could have been done with far less cringe-inducing behaviour but I really think that comes about with the acting rather than the writing. I also appreciated that Do Ha met Woon Gwang before he became famous making her fan girling a little bit less weird. So, I think that the reasons why Do Ha is his fan girl are reasonable.

First impressions

Making friends like…

When friends become family

When dad calls

Serious brother-sister vibes yo

RedRosette J Aside: But I do agree with Jubiemon that the drunk talking trope really needs to be used less in dramas. There are a variety of interesting drunk behaviours that would serve as excellent comedy fodder!

Not everyone drunk talks

Issue 2: Whether a chicken and beer session helps develop a friendship

RedRosette J: Friendship = sharing food. I totally get how having a beer and eating fried chicken creates a lasting and a beautiful friendship. People talk and socialize over food and drink and this is really the epitome of “chilling with friends”. So, yes, it definitely helps develop friendships.

Jubiemon J: Yup. Anything over food is great for developing some sort of bond. It’s how a lot of businesses happen over the dinner table right? Haha. I did like how there was some bonding scene between them here.

The fast track to becoming bffls

Issue 3: Whether Woon Gwang is a big baby

RedRosette J: OMG this dude is such a freakin baby. Honestly, I don’t think I would last a day as his manager. I would literally lose my sanity over this type of childish behaviour. I think again, the drama is capitalizing on a trope where actors are perceived as difficult, highly emotive and dramatic people who need to be mollycoddled the entire time. It makes for excellent comedy but, I think in reality, this type of behaviour would not be tolerated!

Jubiemon J: Woo Gwang is a huge baby. I totally agree! He is always having some sort of fit. It’s hilarious how he barters with his crew and somehow gets his way. He totally acts irrationally whenever his ex gf is there. He’ll do anything for his pride and he’ll do anything to prove that he’s better than her. Somehow he can’t seem to forgive and forget; I get that she did hurt him but hating someone for all your life isn’t a healthy solution. You’ll probably just get more miserable over time.

Issue 4: Whether hate and revenge really motivate someone to do work

RedRosette J: While I do agree that hate and revenge are very strong motivators, I disagree that they are what entirely motivates people. Faith, hope and love are equally strong motivators. Hate and revenge have very specific motivations and although Sulwoo believes that Woon Gwang is motivated by his hate for Mi-Eun, I really think that he still loves and and that that is what really motivates him. It might be a warped version of love but its love regardless. I don’t think he hates her, I think he might be angry at her for leaving him and all that but hate might be a bit too strong of a word. I think that this also foreshadows how Sulwoo’s beliefs are going to change as the drama progresses. I think he’s going to go from someone who sees hate and revenge as strong motivators to seeing that faith, hope and love can be equally as relevant in getting people to do things.

Jubiemon J: I also agree that hate and revenge could motivate someone to work, but there is also what RedRosette mentioned: faith, hope, and love. I think Woon Gwang doesn’t want to admit that he still loves her, so he disguises his love as “hate”. There’s a thin line between love and hate sometimes and in this case, Woon Gwang still cares about her. For him to show so much disdain towards Mi-Eun proves how much she hurt him. I actually think Sulwoo knows that love can motivate someone too because we’ve seen him manipulate romance in his favour. It’s just at this time, Sulwoo is using Woo Gwang’s anger towards Mi-Eun to get him to attend the Russian party.

There has to be more to this backstory

Issue 5: Whether Park Hae Jin is the king of the Stank Face.

RedRosette J: OH MY GOD. I ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY LOVE PARK HAE JIN’S STANK FACE! People need to make memes of this asap! Internet trolls, I’m talking to you guys! (I would, but I seriously lack the tech skills to do it). At this point, no one in the dramaverse does the Stank Face better than Park Hae Jin. I hope he keeps doing this! He’s absolutely hilarious!

Jubiemon J: I didn’t notice his Stank Face until episode 4 actually! I won’t reveal spoilers of ep 4 here, but from the photos that RedRosette have provided here, I agree that his Stank Face is great. I remember cringing when he also cringed! Hehehe! Great job, Park Hae Jin! He’s totally living up to his role in Bad Guys!

When you don’t believe any of the shit your coworker is saying

When you have to deal with lame work jokes

When they suddenly mention you at a meeting

When you realize that you just got roped into doing something majorly boring

When you just can’t take your coworkers anymore

When your boss starts giving you compliments

When you try to object to your boss’s compliments

When you end up having to take your boss’s compliments

RedRosette J Aside: Also, I’ve decided to do a running count on how many costumes and disguises Jeong Man Shik’s character has in every episode going forward. In this episode, I counted a nurse, deliveryman, pilot and cable guy. This guy is comedy gold!

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Cookie (Because Park Hae Jin’s Stank Face deserves a cookie. Or three)

Jubiemon dissent: I’d rate this a 3. Though I adore Park Hae Jin’s Stank Face, this episode was not as amazing as the previous two. The Cha Do Ha scenes were still a bore for me. Sorry.

    File No: Man-to-Man-Ep-03 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Ep 03 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Ep 02

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether job interviews should include horoscope compatibility questions

Whether the best way to wake up non morning people is to build a homemade IED

Whether the subway scene with the random Black guy was okay

Whether the fight for chicken was reasonable

Whether Cha Do Ha is even necessary for this drama

Whether Mo Seung-Jae and Song Mi-Eun are in an unhealthy marriage

The Rule(s):

No! Interviews should be about a person’s work experiences.

Dangerously yes.

No. They totally didn’t need to make the Black actor seem like a sketchy person and freak out over his appearance at a subway. Slightly racist vibes here . . .

Yes, oh, yes! When you’re on a diet and you’re craving chicken or some snack . . . you’ll do anything for it!

Absolutely not. There should only be bromance in this drama.

Yes! He seems to be a very manipulative, controlling husband.

Analysis:

Jubiemon J: Man x Man’s episode two was interesting and fun despite a few negative parts! I enjoyed the comedic scenes like the ones that poked fun at celebrities’ lives and an overused running scene with the two leads in Korean rom coms. I laughed pretty hard when I saw Woon Gwang doing all he could to get his chicken. Honestly, I think people who are on diets can understand his pain. (You also sympathise with the celebrities we see who have to diet to get that ideal body. Pretty sure managers do control and limit their snacks or what not like in this drama.) I also really liked how we are getting to know Woon Gwang as a character through Sulwoo’s observations as a spy. Sulwoo is an expert at reading characters, so it’s easy for us to believe his description of Woon Gwang.

Rockin those shades brah

All the bromance

Jubiemon J: Now the bad parts to this drama . . . The political scenes were again dry, but luckily they weren’t terribly long like in Whisper or the Defendant. I understand that they are necessary to get the plot going, but I feel like the comedic scenes are far more memorable than the dark back drop. I actually think if they had gone with some evil mastermind or the leader of some group like in the movie Spy, that’d be better. Somehow this political part just . . . feels overdone now that so many Kdramas are taking a stab at it. (I get that there have been some political issues in Korea, so that’s probably why the Kdramas are sticking to showcasing corruption. However, when so many of them are doing this . . . the message gets lost, I think . . . especially when you start mixing genres together like comedy.)

Legit no one cares

Profiling your boss like…

Jubiemon J: That political section doesn’t bother me THAT much because this drama does try to minimize the scenes. What bothers me the most is the character, Cha Do Ha. Her existence is a huge setback to this drama. There’s no need for romance here or her whiny attitude when Sulwoo is just focused on the mission. Yes, I get that in spy films, the male spies generally have some femme fatale, but honestly . . . this drama could have put a better comedic spin to this. They made her into a hormone-filled cringey fan girl who keeps raging at Sulwoo or trying to act all cutsey around Woong Gwang who clearly sees her as a good employee/fan girl. Not to mention, they gave her the worst haircut that’s uneven. I can’t even call it asymmetrical because it wasn’t supposed to be like that type of haircut. Her haircut is like the meme with the cat with the green pomelo hat. I just can’t take it. (Look at the poorly cut ends. Man. Cringe.)

RedRosette J: I was raving about the first episode because it had all the spy stuff going for it and in this episode the spy stuff took a back seat while the characters figured out how they fit into the plot with each other. Like Jubiemon said, the running on the highway montage in the PJs was absolutely hilarious, as was the Chicken Run. This drama seems to do really well with the comedic aspects of spy-action. Like Jubiemon, I too am tired of the politics in kdramas lately. It’s over done and seems unnecessary. I tended to zone out and skip the politics scenes.

That being said, Park Haejin is doing a stellar job with Sulwoo. The character comes off as a closed person who doesn’t really show his cards and is an enigma to everyone else in the drama, but with his handler, he is a totally different, vivacious, boyish guy who loves to do normal things like play video games. Park Haejin really portrays the duality of a spy’s life really well. And just as much as he is a great actor, Kim Min Jung, unfortunately falls short. Like Jubiemon said, the acting is over the top, cringey and just annoying. It was fine (for me at least) in the first episode where she didn’t have much screen time, but when she was cooing and squealing every few minutes it got very old, very fast. I feel like she’s over doing the ‘carefree’ aspect of the character to show how different Do Ha’s character is from Sulwoo so their personalities stand out in stark contrast when on screen, but come on. Does she have to be so cringey?

My one criticism of this episode is the ending speeding car chase. I find it hard to believe that someone with Sulwoo’s super spy skills failed to realize beforehand that the stunt car was tampered with! Not to mention, he saw the guy tamper with the car and leave, yet he did nothing to stop Woon Gwang from getting in the car! Yes he was being held back by Do Ha, but we’ve established that she’s barely a real obstacle so….Yes, Yes, its because they wanted to include a fancy shmancy car chase scene but I found it really hard to believe given the info we were fed about his super skills up until that point!

When you got sass coming out of your eyes

LOL this guy!

Regular dude vibes

Ugh!

Preach!

If only working overtime in our jobs involves champagne…

Issue 1: Whether job interviews should include horoscope compatibility questions

RedRosette J: So I get that this was supposed to be for comedic effect, but I think that her annoying demeanor totally turned me off. If it was supposed to be a funny interview, I just wasn’t sold on it. That being said, being asked horoscope compatibility questions at a job interview, while it would be totally funny, it would not be productive to either parties. I really didn’t understand the point of this scene, except that she was trying to grill him and make him feel uncomfortable, but what really ended up happening was me skipping the scene because I got annoyed. Although I will say that it would be kind of nice to be asked a funny question at the end of a formal interview!

RedRosette J Aside: The weirdest interview question I’ve ever been asked is: ‘if you could be a phone, what phone would you be?

Jubiemon J: I too understand this was supposed to be for fun, but I was really annoyed at how she was doing that for the sake of getting rid of him. I still don’t really get how he offended her. She was the one that first rudely went up and assumed he was paparazzi and deleted his photos. Sure, she is supposed to be the one that points out that Sulwoo is suspicious, but her character just is set up in a way that makes it seem like she’s interfering with his mission in a totally unfunny manner.

Jubiemon J Aside: The weirdest interview question I”ve been asked would be: “Who is a figure that you hate and why?” To answer RedRosette’s interview question, I would have been a total troll and said your phone.

When the interview is not going as planned

Real qualifications people should be looking for

Issue 2: Whether the best way to wake up non morning people is to build a homemade IED

RedRosette J: I am not a morning person and I have such trouble waking up, but yea I think someone hanging a homemade IED in front of my face would wake me up so fast, it would probably be a world record! This scene was one of my favourites from this episode. Sulwoo has some serious swag man….casually building IEDs in the bathroom and what not.

Jubiemon J: Personally, I never understood the issues with getting up because I’ve never been the sort to sleep in. That being said, I also dislike mornings. Regardless, I do know of people who struggle to get up in the mornings, so this IED Sulwoo made would definitely be effective!

How to wake people up 101

That’s how its done peeps

Issue 3: Whether the subway scene with the random Black guy was okay

RedRosette J: At first this scene was funny. Then they introduced the random Black guy and it became not funny real fast. I didn’t appreciate how they made this guy into a sketchy person and had Woon Gwang freak out when he saw him. Just because he’s Black doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. People really need to stop these archaic associations of blackness with evil. Honestly. It’s really not funny. Please stop. #notimpressed

Jubiemon J: I also didn’t like how this drama inserted this scene as well. However, I have to say that based on my experiences in some bigger cities in Asia like Taipei or Tokyo, people do sometimes get surprised or shocked when they see a Black person. A lot of times it’s because these areas are very homogeneous for their population, so they’ve never seen a Black person. I can understand with the surprise that comes to that or genuine curiosity about another culture; however, I still don’t like how in this drama, everyone’s response seemed to be more out of the fearful type of surprise like they were freaked that the Black guy might hurt Woon Gwang.

The only thing that they did right later was when Sulwoo was explaining to Do Ha how he never let Woon Gwang into some danger zone during that scene were she was bitching at him at a restaurant. Sulwoo didn’t mention the Black guy as a threat at all and talked about getting rid of the drunk, Korean guy who was coming at Woon Gwang. I’d like to think that in this case, the Black Guy’s presence was also to show the difference between Woon Gwang and Sulwoo. Sulwoo doesn’t identify someone as being a threat based on their race; he’s not racist at all. Woon Gwang, on the other hand, seems to have lived in a bubble and based on his action, he either hasn’t interacted much with other cultures or may be racist. Either way . . . I think this drama would have been better without this Black Guy scene.

Issue 4: Whether the fight for chicken was reasonable

RedRosette J: This scene had me laughing so much. By far the best scene in the episode. They actually made Woon Gwang’s Chicken Run into a spy-action sequence. Absolutely hilarious and totally believable. People will go to extreme lengths to eat fatty, greasy foods when on “diets”! The best part about it was the whole “romance in the alley” type scene with Woon Gwang and Sulwoo fighting for the drumstick. If this was any other kdrama, it would have been a perfect set up for a accidental kiss while fighting for a drumstick! LOL!

Jubiemon J: This Chicken Run was the best! Okay that hand-holding part was hilarious too. I loved both equally. I do think this shows very well the feelings that people get when they’re going through a diet! You definitely have cravings of junk food and there are times when you absolutely must eat that something. I totally pity the celebrities who have to go through great lengths to get whatever body they’re achieving. Mad props to them. I really enjoyed the bromance the two shared while bonding over this Chicken Run. I’m absolutely sure Sulwoo would have given Woon Gwang that drumstick had Do Ha hadn’t barged in. Ha!

Chicken for days

Ain’t nothing as sacred as this drumstick boi

Behold the power of the drumstick!

Issue 5: Whether Cha Do Ha is even necessary for this drama

RedRosette J: TBH, I really liked the parts of the drama where Cha Do Ha wasn’t in and when she wasn’t talking. The character really doesn’t seem to do much to advance the plot except be “cute” except that she’s not cute because it’s (as we said before) extremely cringey and ridiculous to see a grown ass woman behaving like this. Unless the character gets a major overhaul and stops being cringey, I am unlikely to become her fan anytime soon. I would be perfectly happy with Park Hae Jin and Park Sung Woong’s bromance thank you very much.

Jubiemon J: No, she’s not necessary for this drama. I too enjoyed the scenes where she doesn’t interfere with Sulwoo’s mission. People should start a game where they drink whatever whenever they hear her say something like “I want to talk to you Sulwoo”. I swear within this episode, we’ve heard that line repeated at least four times? We’ve mentioned numerous times about why she has been cringey, so I’m not going to be repetitive here. I also don’t think a full-on love plot would serve this drama well. Sulwoo’s character honestly doesn’t feel like the type that’d fall for her. Perhaps the goal was for him to fall for someone so not within his usual type that it’d be funny. Unfortunately, I’m having trouble seeing an obsessive, borderline sassaeng with a cool spy.

What is this? -_-

That’s how we feel every time Do Ha starts squealing -_-

This is very much a big brother-little sister vibe

Dumbest plan ever

Exactly what we think

Issue 6: Whether Mo Seung-Jae and Song Mi-Eun are in an unhealthy marriage

RedRosette J: As I said before, I don’t really care for these two characters. I’m totally over this whole rich chaebol married couples who play political mind games with each other like some twisted foreplay scenario that most dramas seem to have lately. Honestly. I really don’t care for these two. He seems like a psycho and she seems to be just as evil. Whatever. Ugh.

Jubiemon J: Though I don’t care that much about these characters like RedRosette, I still think it’s important to point out that they are in a very unhealthy relationship. I do like how it is realistic for this drama to portray that the seemingly perfect marriage to the outside world is really not so perfect. Often we only see the perfect side of some relationship because people only share the best sides on social media. We think all those people are in perfect, glowy relationships, but that might not always be true.

Song Mi Eun seems to have sacrificed love to marry for the rich, at least so far it’s portrayed that way. It might be darker than that like Mo Seung Jae blackmailing to hurt Woon Gwang if she continued to be with him. We already saw that Seung Jae hired someone to mess with Woon Gwang’s car just because his son was saying how Woon Gwang as a superhero was the best and that he’d watch that movie a lot with his mom. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one behind Woon Gwang’s previous stunt accident in a car as well.

Seung Jae really is dangerous and way too controlling. Mi Eun can’t even act like herself in front of him, it seems. She always has to seem like the perfect woman and be careful with how she phrases words. It’s clear she still has some lingering feelings for Woon Gwang because she tries to make sure Woon Gwang’s career is successful and tries to convince her husband to invest in his movie. Obviously her husband isn’t stupid and sees through her seemingly innocent business venture. That’s why he says he’s fine with giving pity money, but not with the . . . son fanboying over Woon Gwang as a super hero. This relationship would have been healthier if Seung Jae just communicated to her his jealousy. He just needed Woon Gwang to be gone instead. Ugh. No.

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 3 = MM. Okay. Fine. (Mostly because we don’t like Kim Min Jung’s character and the draggy political plot. Jubiemon J remark: I don’t hate that political part that, that much since the drama did try to minimize the scenes. They should employ that with Kim Min Jung’s character too. Cut her character out.)

File No: Man-To-Man-EP-02 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Man to Man Ep 02 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***