Slow and Steady

 The Story of Manager Kim, a Dae-Gyeob Employee with His Own Home in Seoul, a drama adaptation of the bestselling novel whose title alone stimulates the realities and desires of countless office workers of this era, has finally reached viewers. In recent years, in a market dominated by dramas based on webtoons or web novels, the emergence of a drama based on a hit novel, armed with a solid narrative and relatable realism, has garnered significant anticipation. This work delves into the ecosystem of modern office workers through symbolic keywords that represent the pinnacle of success for some and a goal to be achieved for others: "owning my own home in Seoul" and "a manager at a large corporation (Dae-Gyeob)." The origin story of the original novel is quite unique. The story began when author 'Song Hee-gu' started serializing it on his personal blog during the period when the real estate market in South Korea was at its hottest. This writing, which contained...

There was a movie poster that, for some strange reason, I kept seeing everywhere. It was for the film <The 100th Love with You>. When I first saw it, the actor Kentaro Sakaguchi wasn't very famous to me. Now, however, having seen several of his works, he has become quite familiar. The image of him holding a guitar and looking straight ahead with his unique expression and gaze was particularly impressive even before I watched the movie.   After all this time, I finally got around to watching this film, which had long remained just a poster in my memory. Considering it was released in both Japan and Korea in 2017, quite a bit of time has passed. The movie falls into the romance genre, typical of Japanese cinema. However, to be honest, it fell slightly short of the expectations I had built up from other Japanese romance masterpieces I've seen. The core element of the story is the 'time leap'. At first, I assumed the female protagonist, Aoi Hinata (played by miwa), po...

Han Hyo-joo, one of South Korea's top actresses, is garnering significant attention as the lead in the 8-episode Japanese Netflix series Romantic Anonymous. The drama has generated considerable buzz even before its release, as it pairs her with renowned Japanese actor Oguri Shun. Her past appearances on Korean variety shows, where she demonstrated her fluent Japanese skills, are being revisited. Her ability to carry natural conversations with native speakers, rather than just listing words, gives a glimpse into the immense effort she must have dedicated to this role. A Korean actor taking a leading role in a Japanese drama and performing in the local language is a significant challenge and a symbolic event showcasing the elevated status of K-content. Along with this casting news, an interesting point of comparison that has recently resurfaced is the pay gap for actors in Korea and Japan. According to reports from Japanese media, there is a structural limit that makes it difficult f...

Among the many dramas on Netflix, it's not common for a series to continue for multiple seasons. Even for a show made in the US, if it's not popular, it gets cut without mercy. A characteristic of American dramas is that they often end in a way that promises a next season, and "The Diplomat" is a master of this craft. This is especially true for its highly anticipated third season, which continues a story of intense political intrigue.   One of the most notable features of "The Diplomat" is its talent for ending each season with a massive shock, maximizing viewers' curiosity. Season 1 concluded with a major incident—a mysterious bombing targeting a British aircraft carrier—heightening geopolitical tensions. Season 2 took it a step further, ending with the truly unimaginable and shocking death of the President of the United States. In this way, "The Diplomat" demonstrates an exceptional skill for creating powerful cliffhangers that go beyond mer...

In the vast spectrum of cable television, the channel "Dramax" might not be a familiar name to many. It's the kind of channel one stumbles upon by chance while flipping through. Surprisingly, it has a history of producing and airing its own original dramas. However, it's been quiet for the past three years, with no new original productions. Now, Dramax has broken its long silence with an ambitious new Wednesday-Thursday drama, its first in three years, titled <Danjoe> (which translates to "Conviction" or "Punishment"). At a time when the Wednesday-Thursday drama slots have all but vanished from major networks, this programming choice appears to be a clever strategy to capture a niche audience. <Danjoe> is available not only on its home channel but also simultaneously on Wavve, one of South Korea's leading OTT platforms. This smart move to increase accessibility comes with an interesting twist. On Wavve, the episodes are released 10 ...