Chief Kim (2017)

Good Manager (2017) - Corporated greed and corruption

The Korean society must have quite a big number of issues ... especially with hirarchy, based in the old feudal structure of the Korean society which seem ro be manifested till today and despite a functional democracy.

The story evolves around the TQ Group and its corrupt and power and money greedy CEO.

Namkoong Min as Kim Sung Ryong paired with Nam Sang Mi as female counterpart Yoon Ha Kyung and Lee Jun Ho as capitalistic sociaphat Seo Yool and Jung Hye Sung as enthusiastic undercover agent Hong Ga Eun give a wonderful set of characters which develop quite well in the story line and acring their alias.

Accounting is the key to uncover even most creative strategies and placing numbers in imaginairy companies/accounts. Slush founds/black money and labour rights and abuse of employees is the theme in this white colar crime story.

Sung Ryong and Sang Mi seemed to be the love affair of this story ... with Seo Yool as the rival? ... but arn´t. But sparks flew. Even with their counterpart Seo Yool ... incl. homoerotic flashes acted against a bit homophobic, taking in accounting the ridiculous anti LGBTQIA+ attitude and lack of womensrights in ultraconservative Korean society. Jokes made on the back of LGBTQIA+ is still not to accept and won´t!
Sang Mi distrusted Sung Ryong but got convinced by his fight for what is right, as she herself cna´t stand injustice, especially done by her company she is working for.
The back and forth bewtween Sung Ryong and Seo Yool is one of the highlights in this show for sure

Some bosses for real think they are the masters of desasters, or better a godlike given entity to whom everybody has to obey and bow.

Decisions are made ... with an good end the revenue is privatized and if its going wrong ... the result is socialized and empolyees are "set free", succed out and spewed out like waste. the Financial Crisis of 2007/08, in which we still are, has shown this drastically and paved the way for the far right poppolists (populists) which fish/ed among the vast numbers of losers. Which by far did not drink too much latte ...

The show shows us protesting employees for beeing succed out and lousy paid for and other employees even not paid. And the reaction of the boss? Angry and still sitting on its slush fonds, which ruined not only one of the subsidiaries.
The reations Sang Mi gets from the rivaling department and the ladies fight in the canteen but pictures too the disrespect of women as equal to men ... and the sispite 2017 when staged.

The film is a loud cry against corporations behavior and missing respect for their employees who create the lavish lifestyle of the chaebols and their family.
Here the son (Dong Ha Park Myung Seok) and heir is going a similar way as the main male heros Sung Ryong and Seo Yool from prick and sociophat to getting a social concience. His arrogance is based as usual on missing education and here accounting in special. Tzhe brat got his lecturwer in Sung Ryong. He ends as the key figure for saving his mother´s corporation.

When the guys in the cellar and Seo Yool unite their forces the team of not so white knights start to walk the winners lane ... and its a fun to see them acting one step ahead of the bosses blended by their greed in incompetence.

Only one couple does found itself as a sideline during the fierce battles ... but okay. GOOD MANAGER is not a love show.

The original CEO is ending with his croonies in front of the bar and is sentenced and even then can´t see and accept his guilt ... like so many CEOs and company owners when going down the gurgler because of fraud, shitty decisions. We can use their cases as tapestry for our homes.

Therefore we need more and stricter control mechanisms to prevent cases like pictured in GOOD MANAGER and strong and effective unions for employees.

The show staged 10 years after the ww Financial Crisis, starting 2006 with the Subprime Crisis and collapse of LEHMAN BROS. in 2007 calls for regulations of corporations. Not only for their employees, but for the nations economy and with that the ww economy.

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You'll love Chief Kim!

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! I had seen scenes of this show and I’ve read a few of the reviews. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like this show because 1) it’s not a romance; 2) I don’t care for over-the-top or slapstick comedy; 3) I don’t like when shows have a ton of villains. Since I’ve not recently had terrific luck with finding a fabulous romance, I thought I’d give it a try. This show was a pure joy from beginning to end. It had me laughing out loud one moment and in tears the next.

WRITING/STORY: Extremely well-written. For me, there were no draggy parts (hard to find in K-dramas, unfortunately) and there was no “throw away” dialogue. Every word spoken had a purpose, which might be confusing at the moment, but it would be explained in later scenes. I loved how they used flashbacks – something would happen that didn’t make sense, and they would go back and show what had happened behind the scenes to lead up to that point. It’s hard to find a show, especially one with a cast this large, that has fully fleshed out characters, from the main leads, all the way through the supporting characters. I have to like the characters to really be invested in them and I was worried about the character of Chief Kim, because he was a con man and his facial expressions often seemed cartoon-ish. His character development was fun to watch. Watching him grow as a person, but also seeing how much he helped everyone that he worked with, how his co-workers gained strength from what they learned from him…it was so special. The writers did a great job of letting us delve deeply into each character, get to know them better, and then you can’t help but root for them. They were very three dimensional and completely developed. The humor was often very exaggerated, but it fit in very well with the story. There was A LOT going on in this show – multiple villains, and lots of accounting stuff – I have arithmophobia so that was kind of painful, but the journey was just so much fun.

ACTING: Everyone in this show was absolutely amazing, but I have to call out a few that were complete stand-outs for me. Most of the other actors I’ve seen in other shows, and they were so good in this. It was fun to see Kim Seon Ho and his dimples, as a bespectacled nerd, which was a change!
Namkoong Min as Chief Kim – I was so impressed with him. He completely owned the part of Chief Kim. He was funny, playful, eccentric, and yes, a little bit crazy. He would pull these faces that would have me laughing out loud. He had to display such a wide array of emotions, and when he wasn’t being goofy, his intenseness was spot-on. You could feel his confusion as he started to leave his old life behind and actually let others into his life. There’s a line early in the show about him “fake crying” because what he feels isn’t real. Later on, when he cried, it just about broke my heart.
Lee Jun Ho as Yool – now, here is a villain you love to hate! I’ll start by saying that he’s just so beautiful, I got a little lost in him every time he was on screen. I was hoping that he would redeem himself, and the way the writers handled his storyline was excellent. I loved watching how he reacted to the female lead – a hint of a romance that is never actually addressed. (If you haven’t seen him in Just Between Lovers, he’s excellent in that as well!)
Kim Won Hae as General Manager Choo. This is an actor that is normally used for comic relief. He was extremely funny in this, but we got to see so much vulnerability and caring from his character. I especially loved his scenes with Chief Kim.

MUSIC: At the beginning, the romantic songs just didn’t fit with what was going on, but later on they made more sense. I absolutely LOVED hearing the Descendants of the Sun music when one couple met for the first time, so funny!

REWATCH VALUE: There aren’t a lot of shows that I would re-watch, but I think I’ll watch this again in a couple of weeks. It might be fun to watch it, already knowing the end.

So, I can wholeheartedly recommend this show. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll love the characters, and you’ll be glad you watched.

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I was introduced to Namgoong Min through Remember and I was woah! I need to see this guy more. Good manager had been in my watch list for soooooo long, and then one day I saw that he and seo yool got best couple award, so I decide to watch this. And damn! I was blown away! It is such a good drama. It had everything - comedy, suspense, thriller and a good message. All I can say is that guys, u have to watch this drama.

The plot, story, characters, cast everything was so gud. Especially the character development.....how each of the characters changed was amazing!

And I seriously loved the acting! It was so gud!!!! Namgoong min was so eccentric playing chief Kim. His insanity, OMG! Even seo yool did such a gud job, showing those minor emotions evrytime he saw ha Kyung. And park myeong! Wow what an actor he is! I saw him in suspicious partner and. here again. He definitely deserves more dramas where he is the main lead.

Although seo yool and ha Kyung didn't get much screen time, I ship them so hard. They are such a good couple and I was so glad when they finnaly came together in the end.

The climax was as gud as everything else. Usually, when there's a fight between the weak and the rich, the end is just somewhat ubrupt. But not for this guys.... The writers did such a gud job, slowly making chief Kim weaken all the stumps of TQ and then the bull's eye, the chairman. It was so elaborated, but in the right amount so u don't feel too rush or don't get annoyed seeing it. It was just perfect.

Honestly, the only reason I gave this drama 9 for re-watch value was because of chief Kim's wacky attitude and seo yol and his bromance. Once again, u just can't get enough of them. You would really wanna watch it again and again and again.

All I can say is that u will be missing something if u don't watch this drama.

P.S. Chief Kim and seo yol are seriously such a. Good couple! Their fights in the start and chief Kim's somewhat gay-ish actions in the end were really gud.

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The highlight of this drama is definitely the back-n-forth between Kim Sung Ryong & Seo Yool, played by Nam Goong Min & Lee Jun Ho, respectively. They put their all into their parts and it’s hilarious to watch both of their characters start off as unlikable goons and slowly, almost accidentally, just to spite the real bad guys become the heroes their company needs. Theirs is a real hero’s journey.

Another thing I loved was Dong Ha in one of his very few good guy roles. He plays psychopaths so well that he rarely gets to play a positive role which is a real shame because he truly shines here as the spoiled brat who becomes a good, decent man and a loving son. So lovely.

I wish the series was a bit shorter - 20 eps were too long, IMO, so the middle part dragged a bit and the good guys suffered almost too many setbacks - but that’s my only complaint. There’s no romance in this, it’s all about friendship, how to be a decent person and how to stand up for what’s right. And it’s also quite hilarious. Nam Goong Min is truly in his element here.

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Ils sont mauvais tous les deux mais ont chacun encore du bon en eux !

Alors ce drama sort totalement de l’ordinaire : je dirai que c’est un drama « à l’envers » Le héros est un truand financier, sympathique peut-être mais truand quand même, que des circonstances tout à fait extérieures à sa volonté vont amener à défendre le droit et la justice, alors que son alter ego est au départ du côté de la loi et de la justice mais il décide de passer du côté obscur et devient un voyou, mais je crois qu’il y a encore du bon en lui parce que j’aime cet acteur depuis son rôle dans « Memory ».
L’affrontement de ces deux hommes nous donne une bromance  à l’envers, car ils semblent se détester, mais tout les ramène l’un vers l’autre et le scénariste a su par des dialogues brillants et drôles créer un lien entre eux, autre que la simple opposition gentil/méchant ! Les autres rôles masculins sont très bons aussi, particulièrement les collègues de Sung Ryong et surtout le Directeur du Bureau Nam Ho
Les personnages féminins sont très intéressants, drôles, sérieux ou fantaisistes, ou de drolatiques caricatures, comme la chef du département d’Ethique !
Il y a certainement de l’affection entre les personnages, de l’amitié, je ne vois pas trop d’amour pour le moment, peut-être un début mais ce drama est si hors norme, que, qui sait ? Le couple final ne sera peut-être pas celui auquel on s’attend ! ou il n'y en aura peut-être même pas !
Et bien sûr il y a Namgung Min !!!
Alors lui c’est un festival ! Dommage qu’il n’ait pas (encore) figuré dans mes chouchous parce que question « look expressif », j’étais servie !! Il a un talent comique extraordinaire, mais pas que ! Surtout quand il fait face à Lee Joon Ho son ennemi particulier ! Et son personnage est particulièrement bien écrit, car s’il se trouve presque par hasard du côté du bon droit, sa vraie nature peu scrupuleuse reste bien présente et il s’en sert sans vergogne pour arriver à ses fins !

Il reste encore des épisodes (3 ou 7 suivant les sources) mais j’espère vraiment que la fin ne sera pas décevante !
je reviendrai ici compléter mon commentaire, soit pour maudire les scénaristes, soit pour les encenser !! à eux de voir et de faire attention aux représailles !  !!


Comme promis je viens ajouter un codicille à ma présentation : les scénaristes peuvent dormir tranquille, il n'y aura pas de représailles, la fin du drama est parfaite, heureuse sans "happy ending", drôle mais rigoureuse  et juste psychologiquement, l'horrible chairman est toujours horrible, malgré les tentatives de son fils (joli rôle que celui-là !! )pour lui faire prendre conscience de ses fautes, pas de repentance mélodramatique  !
Mais je pense de plus en plus que les dramas servent d'exutoire aux Coréens contre la corruption qui règne en maîtresse chez eux ! Parce que c'est quand même le moteur principal des dramas qui font un tant soit peu réfléchir ! En tous cas si vous aimez les bromances bien faites, bien interprétées pleine d'humour et d'amitié avec une bonne dose d'antagonisme à la testostérone, je vous recommande ce drama chaleureusement ! Il fera sans conteste partie du comité restreint de mes dramas à voir et à revoir !!!

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Definitely the consistently funniest comedy that i've seen in Korean Drama. Nam Goong Min, who i've always seen play the evil psychotic bad guy brilliantly well proves that his range is as broad as it needs to be in this role as what I can only describe as "Dennis the Menace of the office world", taking on a much funnier role.

There's no romance here of note at all, maybe a couple of whispers in the background but if you're looking for Romance that's not the reason to watch. If you're looking for a fun story, fun characters, laughing moments in every episodes but at the same time some serious character development (it's always nice to see bad characters course correcting) then you'll enjoy this one.

Music was fun and bouncy to go with the general styling of the show.

After Sung-Ryong, I think Ga-Eun - who is an undercover prosecution detective - was probably my next favourite character and was glad they made her a main role and not relegated to a support role. Her character was fun to watch.

The comedy is good and easy, it doesn't stray into slapstick at all and generally makes use of character comedy, some funny as heck cringe comedy and plenty of insults thrown around to wind each other up.

Brilliant, definitely a good antidote to a dose of too many romance dramas to lighten the mind with some laughs.

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The drama that got my parents hooked to kdrama

I just finished watching it nd am full of emotions so lets share my feelings nd thoughts . So anyone who is thinking to drop this drama ,, noooooo don’t b like me cz i hv been doing the same but guess what this was a jewel 💎 a biggg jewel. This drama is first one that i watched with me parents nd siblings, nd now they r slapping me for not showing them this masterpiece before. 1. The storyline is good ***. Totally a family oriented comedy sitcom (BR a cherry on top). it shiws u how the big groups in korea work nd i learnt so much about all the buisness stuff and corruption nd how hierarchy in work has people bound to obey their seniors even beingon right track . It deals with heavy aspects nd each episode is consistent and plot develops smoothly. 2. Acting was just superb , top notch. U cant help but end up liking each character . It shows a cute side of everyone yes even some villains if u watch u will know. Each actors was perfect for their role.nd our main leads were unmatchable with their intelligence nd were pro in their field . Our ML TQpsycho has never ending collection of facial expressions. Nd his bunsan swag style was epic. Throughout the story he kept making us laugh until we had joker 😃 smile lines. Our ML glutinous sociopath had aggressive feisty attitude always for more power. But he looked so hot in that attitude . Story shows how like give u accident to turn good from bad as happened with our male leads. 3. Romnce betweenFl nd Ml was to zero .ah but hate/love Bromance was soooo good that even my little brother kept shipping our mr.righteous nd mr prosecutor , side character also hd very cute romantic moments. _Special notice- R u sad? Just watch this drama. * R u happy? Just watch this. *. R u tired? Just watch this. wanna die happily /no regret? Just watch this

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Just go for it !

This is one of the must watch Kdramas !! I was a little skeptical on picking it up , but wanted to give it a try after watching lot of junho and seonho dramas ! Though they both did a good job here , but the highlight was definitely manager Kim !

I have deducted 1 point only coz in the middle the drama became quite too technical for a non-techie to understand , but that lasted for 2-3 episodes only , and i think that was required to give the a build up ! There is dramatic and comedic ending to each and every episode which makes it even more hilarious !

Namkoong Min did an awesome job , as a crazy and righteous manager ! He was too cool to handle ! His bromance with GM and seo yul both were very cute ! The way he irritates seo yul is just beyond adorable everytime !

Junho was a rookie here ! Though he did a good job with all those evil expressions , he dint came across natural to me . I felt he was putting too much of an effort at some places , at others he was cute as usual ! Going frwrd I really feel negative roles would suit him better !

FL had hardly any good scenes , the detective was better than her !

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Surprised.

I was kind of worried going into this show because honestly I was worried about there not being a romance tag. I think so for this drama it worked out really well. There was a lot going on and it and to have to also sort through an emotional relationship struggle I think would have been too much. Personally, I would have liked if they had wrapped the romance up a little bit better in the last episode, because for me it leaves me wondering where the MLs are. I can't really tell if the deputy chief is leaning towards the prosecutor or the chief. All the support relationships were explained, and so that would be my only "complaint" if you could call it one. The show left me laughing hard and was definitely worh it, but a big risk got me a big reward.

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Une perle

Drama drôle et délirant ! Un des meilleurs drama que j'ai pu voir, je l'ai adoré ce drama !
L’histoire nous fait suivre un comptable qui s’occupe des comptes de gangsters. Il réussit finalement à intégrer le poste de chef des comptables dans le grand conglomérat TQ. Le drama n'a pas de pause, les événements s’enchaînent et rivalisent avec les situations parfois délirantes.
Le personnage du Chef Kim est magique, je n’ai jamais autant rit devant un drama. Il évolue tout le long du drama, au sein de l’entreprise et dans sa relation avec les autres personnages.
Les acteurs sont parfaits en particulier Nam Goong Min et Lee Jun Ho. Pour conclure, c’est un drama drôle et au scénario palpitant.
Pour une fois la romance ne tient pas le rôle principal et n’enlève aucun charme à l’histoire…

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