Pretendente Surpresa (2022)

Originally written on Nov 09, 2022

I knew I was going to enjoy Business Proposal as soon as the female leads began singing Into the New World, objectively the best Girls' Generation song, in the first episode.

Despite everything going against it, this is such a fun show. The entire thing is a rom-com cliché, but because of how it's executed, it's actually quite unique. Shin Ha-ri goes on a blind date in place of her friend, Jin Young-seo, because she's had enough of her father's treatment of her love life. Throughout the show, both girls begin to find true love in the most unexpected places, while their blind dates continue to haunt them. As I previously stated, it is nothing new, but it is presented in such a fun way, with funny jokes and clever editing that surprised me right up until the final episode. To illustrate, during a date in a certain episode, the bokeh in the background is heart-shaped. It’s a very subtle detail that some people won’t even notice, but it adds a lot to the vibe of the show.

While the love grows, the humor fades into the background, but that doesn't really matter because both male and female leads form a great cast of interesting characters with deeper backstories than one might expect at first. That's also why, for the first time, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I wished a K-Drama was longer. Because at only 12 hour-long episodes, I haven’t spent enough time with these characters yet to say goodbye to them. Kim Se-jeong, who plays Shin Ha-ri, has such big Chuu energy during many scenes… I just couldn’t get enough of her character.

Sadly, this also leads to a pretty rushed ending. The whole thing gets wrapped up in half an episode, and while we do get a beautiful final scene under some gorgeous cherry blossom trees, it’s only about a minute long. It’s such a shame. Some of the music is also pretty bad. The intro song, in particular, sounds like some royalty-free music you hear on a YouTube unboxing video.

Even though it isn't the best K-Drama I've ever seen, it is by far the funniest, and I highly recommend it. It's loaded with romance clichés and dating tropes, but if you can stomach that, you're in for a really fun ride.

Leia Mais

The title should actually be "Kim Sejeong for President"

I am kidding. Or am I? I am, let's be honest it was a good romantic comedy. I laughed and I was moved and I have already rewatched it. It's a show that leaves you with a warm feeling at heart. Those of you searching for a smooth, happy and relaxing series should definitely watch this. It's a safe bet. Now if you want to dig deeper into it and in more detail read on.

Story:
Could have been better in the sense that I did not like how it at times diverged from the main couple Kang Tae-moo and Shin Ha-ri, to the side couple, Cha Sung-hoon and Jin Young-seo. Pick a story, and tell it well. Also I feel like the main characters' best friends were annoying at times in their perceptions of the main couple's relationship. Get a life. Actually get a seperate series for them if you must. They had great chemistry but it was really unnecessary for the main plot. The right way to integrate a second couple in the main story is how it was done with Gye-bin and Yeo Eui-ju. That relationship was fun and played a significant role in making social activities in the series more enjoyable. It also added to the comedy aspect. On the other hand Shin Ha-ri and Jin Young-seo had a beautiful friendship, that we keep. Their moments were soooooo cute. And last but not least they should have added a few more episodes because the bridge between episode 11 and 12 is weak. We needed a few more cute happy romantic moments after the 1 year trip.

Acting/Cast:
In my opinion there was a slight casting imbalance between the two lead performers, Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo-seop. Kim Se Jeong comes off as more experienced in acting. I felt at times that she "saved" the scenes with her charm. She is exceptionally versatile and floats smoothly from comedy, to romance and drama. There really isn't much to say. She did a great job in her role.

Ahn Hyo-seop was good but has a long way to go before becoming trully confident in his performance. He lacked a sense of fluidity, as if there were glitches in the rom-com Matrix, especially in intimate moments with his co-star. However he is extremely promising and I hope to see more of him in the future. He has a beautiful, kind and respectful presence/quality.

Exemplary Performances by: Kim Hyun-sook, Lim Ki-hong, Seo Hye-won.
Remember to always give credit were credit is due, especially when it comes to supporting actresses and actors. They bring any show together and build a wholesome atmosphere.

Music:

Nice music themes were added in funny moments but overall better songs should have been picked especially for the romantic scenes.

That's it people, over and out. <3

Leia Mais

Enjoyable Light Rom-Com

This drama have all the cliche done right, nothing are too cringy. Some is a little bit over done, but I guess it's for the comedy purpose. It's really well paced, the story flow is good, characters are fine. Very enjoyable to watch. Gives you a lot of smile. It's good entertainment. Some people complain about 12 episodes are too short. But imo 12 episodes is just right, maybe adding 1 more episode is okay. But definitely not the regular 16 episodes drama, it's gonna be too draggy. I don't understand all the hype though. I mean, it's good, but not that good. There're definitely so many better dramas than this.

Leia Mais

fast paced, comfy and overall healing kdrama

I must say the story didn't seem that attractive at first but then it just grasped me the story- lighthearted and funny, comfy and fast paced. Perhaps cause it is based of a manhwa is why it is so fast but anyways love it.

Short, sweet and wonderful the sole reason I am not giving it a 10 is because I am kind of bored with the rich and poor, employee and boss trope and tbh the 2nd leads relationship intrested me more than the main but mains were amazing with their impeccable acting.

The OST is amazing to and I think it is one of the few kdramas whose entire ost is my favourite. Especially Love, Maybe is my altime fav.

To sum it up, if you are looking for a fast paced, no drama, comfy drama with good ost this is the one

Leia Mais

old school but not really

This was a delightful little drama. The tropes, cliché things you see in a kdrama, everything was here but with a twist. Experiencing all the old school tropes in a refreshing manner is praiseworthy IMO. It's been a while since I have seen a drama that made me laugh so much. Definitely revived my love for the whole rom-com genre all over again.

The friendship, THE FRIENDSHIP! I cannot express in words just how much I adore both Ha Ri and Young Seo's friendship. Also Kang Tae Moo and Secretary Cha was absolutely superb. NGL I did think secretary Cha might be shady because of how old school the drama seemed.

I wouldn't mind giving it full score if the second couples story line had a bit more at the ending! It felt like the last shots between Young Seo and Sung Hoon didn't get a proper polish in post production.

Overall highly enjoyable. If you are up for some light hearted rom-com kdrama, give this a chance.

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RECOMENDADO POR SIEMPREE ?

Es uno de mis kdramas favoritos, lo que visto muchas veces porque nunca me aburre!! tiene de todo, no se vio forzado cuando Yu Jeong se enamoro de Sung Hoon, pero me molestaba un poco lo exagerada que era Ha Ri escondiendose de Tae Moo, creo que era un poco obvio que no la descubriria ya que no se parecia mucho al personaje que inventó, pero fuera de eso me encantó.

Aunque me duele un poco que tenga tan pocos episodios! 😭 Tambien siento que el odio del abuelo de Tae Moo hacia Ha Ri se sintio un poco forzado, pero lo recomiendo para gente que recien empieza a ver kdramas

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This could be timeless, give it some time...

This was a very refreshing watch. People keep commenting on all the cliches, but everything flowed very cohesively, and made me want to keep coming back to find out what happens next. What I appreciated the most was how everything in this show was thought through, even to the smallest detail. Yes, it can get a bit predictable at times, and that's what I liked about it. I loved the friendships, the character development, the intro music(i love the intro music so much, it sounds pleasant, upbeat, and sets the tone for the series), and the characters very much. If someone made a list of dramas to watch in the Spring, this drama should definitely be on that list. It was delightful to watch all the quirkiness of the FLs as well as the MLs, and watching it all come together in the end. I would definitely rewatch this. 미결제의

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This is How Rom-Coms Should Be

I don't generally write reviews, but I will start with this one really.

This one will increase the standard of rom-coms! The plot is really basic, rich ML boss and employee FL couple. The difference in this show executes it excellently. They don't need silly premises such as "ML and FL are childhood friends" or "FL is being chased by a serial killer". Instead, they use a very basic and straighforward plot, yet unique and entertaining. Since the beginning, I think they have chosen to have more comedy rather than romance, and they maintain the comedy really well thoughout the episodes. I like that all the romance scenes are not cringe and totally enjoyable. Silly act? They were all silly since the beginning so that's not a problem! The OST is really great. The way they put it as Melomance concert is a great idea (and I really like the Se-Jeong version).

However, I feel that the Yoo-Ra's internet hate comments premise is uneccessary. It makes the last 3 episodes feels bland and lose the grip somehow. I personally think that there should be several stories to be explored rather than having an ending like that. I really want Ha-Ri to have a proper closure with Grandpa. I personally think it is better if they add 2 more episodes. After all, most K-Drama have the same problem about not-so-good quality ending.

Oh, I wonder what is the ending of Be Strong, Shin Geum Hui.

On top of all, I will definitely still recommend this. Very light story and easy to enjoy. So far still my best rom-com series (I don't watch a lot of rom-coms though).

Leia Mais

It is amazing give it a chance

The show overall is honestly so amazing he side couple is soo cuteee guys I urge you too watch it. to be honest the side couple really got my attention. the main couple is also hella cute the MFC is so god damn funny it's crazy. what are you doing go watch it

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Second time was not quite the charm.

I’m reviewing this after re-watching this drama—I’ve watched it a total of two times now. I should have left well enough alone but it was dubbed and its nice to have a K-Drama that you can watch while doing other things.

Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this was a “liked” the first time I watched it, a “meh” the second time I watched it.


What I liked:
I liked the fact that this drama did not appear to take itself too seriously. There was a good use of situational comedy, sound effects, visuals, etc. I loved the dinosaur metaphor for the male lead, especially when he’d call, or text and the image would pop up on her phone. I also loved that they had an ‘actual’ kdrama going in the background and made fun of it throughout the show, especially the silly things like two people falling on each other and accidently kissing. I liked the second couple. They were cute (even though they went through some immature moments, they resolved them quickly and had a much more communicative relationship that FL/ML, see below). There was believable chemistry between the FL/ML, too. I also liked that the drama itself was short and did not appear to have much in the way of fluff. I appreciated the fact that I did not get SMLS in this drama (the SML did not realize he wanted her until someone else took her attention away from him...you snooze, you lose, buddy).

What I did not like so much:
The fact that the FL appeared incapable of telling the truth…ever. She went to all these unnecessary lengths to hide everything from everyone all the time. Her attempts to hide her identity as an employee were ridiculous since she never tried to really alter her appearance. Then when they finally did get together, she kept trying to hide the relationship even though ML was comfortable being open. She even lied to ML with no justification—for example, when his grandfather called her, she outright lied to the ML about who it was. After a while, she was so neurotic I just could not see why the ML even liked her—their whole relationships was built upon falsehoods and she continued the trend, even after it was unnecessary. I don’t remember noticing this as much the first time I watched it, but it really bothered me the second time.

So…should you watch this? I rather enjoyed it the first time, but I would not recommend for a re-watch.

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