The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (2022)

Not the best, not the worst

This is ok, but not great. It’s definitely good for passing an entertaining couple of hours, but it lacks real consistency of storyline or well-developed characters.

What I liked:
- The production quality: Korean series (including their BLs) tend to be top tier for cinematography, and this one is no exception. I really loved some of the camera angles. They gave it the full Korean drama treatment, and it was excellent.
- The acting: I think the actors did well with what they had to work with, and I was as emotionally invested in the characters as I could be given all the flaws in the writing.
- The overall plot concept: The basic concept of the story is quite interesting, although I don’t know if I can give the drama credit for this one, since it’s based on a web comic. I’ve actually read some of the comic and was wondering whether it would translate all that well into a drama. But turns out that the plot concept fit really well in drama format.

What I didn’t like:
- Character Development: The characters on a whole have very ambiguous motivations. It’s very clear that they’ve been written to follow the source material (webcomic), but without any real depth. This get worse as the series progresses, and I found myself getting whiplash from Youtan’s sudden personality shifts and the completely unexplained back story and motivation of the third character (I forgot his name).
- Plot progression and pacing: This is an instance where they really could have used a script doctor. Or maybe they had one who just wasn’t paying that close of attention. To be fair, it’s extremely difficult to reduce a full webcomic down into a mini-series of only ten 16- to 20-minute episodes. But man, this series got choppy at time. A good example of this was a flashback sequence, which I only realized in the following episode was supposed to show the character getting their memory back. I hadn’t even known that they didn’t have their memory in the first place.
- Plot holes: There are several plot points that are just never explored or are left dangling at the end. Like Dongbeak in one scene seems to get possessed by…someone? Something? We don’t know because it never gets explained. I’m sure this and other plot holes were parts of the comic that they felt were important to include. But if that’s the case, they needed to have done a better job of wrapping them up and weaving them into the story.

All that being said, I think most of its flaws really just stem from trying to shoehorn a webcomic-length story into a mini-series. Despite my criticism, it is a decent drama to watch if you just want some entertainment. The actors are good-looking. The plot makes sense if you turn your head and squint. And you get some cute fluffy moments. It’s certainly not the next Semantic Error, but it’s not an unpleasant way to pass a couple hours.

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For what it's worth, I liked it.

Did the series have a unique premise? Definitely. The outline checked all the boxes for me, but I'm a sucker for the old reincarnation trope with a half side of Highlander. Great. Then was it an amazing, knock-it-out-of-the-park series? Uh, that would a no. Oh. Should you give it a pass? No! Fear not, fellow trope lovers, there's a lot to really enjoy in The Director Buys. Let's run through the list. Was there some comedy? Yup. Some of the inner dialogue was pretty damn funny. Did we see some onscreen chemistry? Yes, yes, we did. Do the actors have the requisite chops to keep us invested in the story? I thought so, particularly in the case of the Director. Are the two lead characters appealing? I liked them, though, admittedly I liked one character more so in the first few episodes. (I thought that after he gave it up to love, he turned into a little melted marshmallow, losing some of his inner tension that was so entertaining in the first few episodes.) So, why didn't I give The Director Buys the full 10 points? They needed more screen time to fully flesh out the premise. If they'd had that luxury the backstory could have been better bridged into the present story; the switch from uncertain antagonists to fated lovers would have felt less abrupt; and the bad guy could have been better knitted into the fabric of the plot. (Connecting him to the past would have worked well there). That's it, really. The back-end felt rushed; a not-lethal flaw I've noticed in a few other Korean BLs. That being said, I could see past that, and totally binged the series, enjoying it for what it was. So, if the plot premise checks your boxes, go ahead and throw the popcorn bag into the microwave. You'll have an enjoyable evening.

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Quick watch you should watch.

Honestly people are being way too harsh on this drama. The acting was really good compared to many dramas I watched. Yes the recaps could’ve been shorter and yes it felt a little fast paced but when the budget is only so much then that means the drama is also gonna be so much. Many people didn’t like the ending which honestly I’m not sure why. Yes there could’ve been maybe one more scene to solidify it but the ending left us feeling optimistic. It is insinuating that they’ll restart their story over but with more of a solid future. Overall the main leads were great and so was their chemistry. You can’t please everyone.

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J'adorerais les voir s'inviter à dîner pour une seconde saison

J'ai aimé ce drama. L'histoire est intéressante, même si elle manque cruellement de temps pour se développer. Les situations sont précipitées et s'enchaînent avec un rythme rapide. Pourtant, c'est bien géré afin de rendre l'ensemble digeste. Ce n'est pas un marathon qui m'a donné l'impression de perdre mon souffle. Au contraire, c'est une histoire vive, mais à laquelle je me suis accrochée avec envie.

Le casting est formidable, notamment le couple principal qui fait illusion. Le temps manque ce qui se répercute sur leur relation, mais ce couple m'a conquise de leur premier regard, jusqu'à leur dernier sourire. L'élégance du personnage de Min Yu Dam et la douceur du personnage de Seol Dong Baek se sont parfaitement associées.
Park Young Woon et Park Jeong Woo ont trouvé le bon équilibre pour chacun d'eux avec quelques interactions mignonnes qui se sont améliorées au fil de l'intrigue. Il suffit de voir les baisers : le premier était moyen, le deuxième un parfait rattrapage et le troisième mignon. Un bon équilibre pour la fan de baiser de cinéma que je suis.

Même si le personnage de Denis m'échappe quant à son réel intérêt (je ne connais pas l'œuvre originale), la performance de Jang You Sung est excellente. Au départ, j'ai pensé que Denis avait un lien avec les vies antérieures, mais il s'est avéré que non. Pour cette raison, il est celui qui met le feu plus qu'autre chose.

<< SPOILER >>

La fin m'a rappelé Kissable Lips (et ça tombe bien, c'est la même réalisatrice). C'est une fin audacieuse. Cependant, cela ne veut pas pour autant dire que c'est la fin de l'histoire. Ce n'est qu'un chapitre qui se ferme et un nouveau qui vient tout juste de commencer.
De plus, et contrairement à Kissable Lips, nous avons un événement qui active le paramètre de l'espoir. Ce qui n'était pas le cas de KL (qui a été durement critiqué pour les mêmes raisons que TDWMD, son final). Descendre un drama parce qu'il ne va pas dans son sens, c'est dommage, mais bon.

<< / SPOILER >>

C'est un drama que je peux revoir dans quelques mois avec plaisir, parce qu'en réalité son réel défaut, c'est d'être trop court. Une frustration récurrente dans le KBL.

Pour résumer, c'est un drama trop court pour exploiter tout son potentiel, pourtant The Director Who Buys Me Dinner dégage un charme unique avec des personnages attrayants et une jolie note d'espoir.

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:)

i just finished binge watching this, and i have to say, i think it deserves a little more love than it’s received. when it comes to korean bl, you should go into the series not expecting anything spectacular. have low standards, so you won’t get disappointed!
i may just be easily entertained, but i really enjoyed watching this series.
i really liked the plot. i love reincarnation/soulmate tropes.
i do wish the episodes were a bit longer. the 2-3 minutes of recap from the previous episodes didn’t help either. i’m not sure if this series has a movie version, but i feel like if i had watched that, it would’ve made the story move more smoothly. when series have a short amount of viewing time, if you watch it with a movie mindest, it won’t feel as off paced. this series was basically a movie cut up in 10 episodes.
i have nothing really bad to say about youdam and dongbaek. for once, a main couple didn’t have any unnecessary problems and drama, and their communication was quite well. their acting wasn’t terrible and chemistry is there. i feel if they had a better written/produced show, their chemistry would be a lot more visible.
for denis’ character, i have a lot of questions. it’s clear from the start that there was something wrong with him. i spent my time wondering what it could be, since the series never explained it (as the episodes went on, i was hoping they were going to.)
it was clear he had some type of mental illness. at first, i thought he had a panic disorder. but then as he interacted with dongbaek more, i thought maybe he had some type of personality disorder.
he was on medication, and when his episodes would start, if dongbaek were around, he would be there to console him and calm him down. i think that’s what started denis’ obsession with him— since dongbaek knew how to take care of those situations.
denis had a huge fear of abandonment. he’s mentioned many times how youdam had used him and abandoned him. this boy definitely had some trauma and i think that’s where his problems could be rooted from.
anyways, i wish they went more into depth on his character. but with the time limit, it was bound to not happen.
the parallel from the present time to the past time was genuinely heartbreaking for me. it killed me seeing youdam have to live through that again, especially when he thought the curse was over.
i’m not unsatisfied with the ending of this series, but it definitely took a turn that i wasn’t expecting.
i thoroughly enjoyed this plot, and i feel like it could’ve done a lot better than it did if there was more time. nonetheless, i still really enjoyed this series. it’s very different from most korean bl’s, too. hopefully there will be a second season!

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Had Potential, but kinda just died….

Okay, so YES MY REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS. IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS, DON’T READ ANY FURTHER.



Okay, so here we have the Director who has been alive for centuries waiting for his lover, Seol Dong Baek to come back into his life. He finally does, but then we have this psychotic idol named Denis who pretty much ruins everything in the end. The story doesn’t tell us much about Denis. We know that Denis kills Seol Dong Baek in the olden days, as he was hired by the King to do so. However, the story doesn’t tell us really anything about him in the present, other than that he’s an idol and he has a contract with the Director’s agency. I don’t know why Denis had so much resentment and anger towards the Director. At first I was thinking that maybe the Director and him could have been together at one point, but then I thought no, because the Director said that he was waiting for Seol Dong Baek for centuries. Then I thought that it was because Denis thought that the Director was going to discard him once he wasn’t useful to the agency as an idol. However, I don’t think that was true either because the Director wanted to renew Denis’s contract. So I don’t know…Denis did mention that the Director is infamous for discarding people once he deems them useless, but the story doesn’t expand on that.
But in the end, Seol Dong Baek dies again for the second time, because Denis the psycho kills him in a rage trying to kill the Director. The Director, heartbroken, prays to god to save Seol Dong Baek again, only this time, the Director says that he will be the one to have his memories erased this time. His wish is granted, and Seol Dong Baek wakes up in his own bed. This time, Seol Dong Baek is the one with all of the memories and the Director has none, or so we think…the last episode hinted a little bit that maybe the Director might remember Seol Dong Baek, but not well like he did in the past, more like just déjàvu. The ending is an open ending though. Seol Dong Baek asks the Director if he wants to have dinner with him. So we can speculate that hopefully they come together again for a third time and maybe the Director gains back some of his memories, hopefully that this time Seol Dong Baek won’t die for a third time…

Overall, I liked this series. However I didn’t really like the ending or the fact that we got really no closure about who Denis was/is. I honestly just view Denis as a psychopath. He certainly has the creepy death stare for it. The series had potential, but fell short for me. The junk thing about Korean BLs is that they are often too short, so the storyline and characters are often overlooked and rushed and so the viewer doesn’t really get to know much about the characters or their stories.
Would I rewatch this series? Maybe. It’s not bad, just a bit lackluster. I liked the cast though. If this is your first time, I’d say give it a shot. I will say that it doesn’t hold a candle to other Korean BLs like Semantic Error though.

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More visual, less impact. Nevertheless, it’s good enough.

I thought that this is just another office-based love story and never expected it to be a fantasy-romance drama. At first, I feel too bored by the weird stuff that goes on with them not until they explained it during the last few episodes. However, the explanation was too shallow and I wanted more side stories coming from the archer, where we all know that it was Dennis on his past life. As well as the clearer background behind the curse given to Seol Dong Baek.

The visual of the main couple is, I guess, more entertaining than the whole plot of the show. Min Yu Dam is the definition of a handsome man. His eyes are too manly, his smiles are too cute, and his whole appearance is so lovely. The same with Seol Dong Baek in the overall physical attributes. But one thing that I needed to point out is that they needed to work more with their on-screen kissing scenes since I felt a little awkwardness between them.

The ending was a great one. The reverse scenario of Seol Dong Baek asking his director for a dinner out together is an acceptable conclusion for a not-so-sad ending.

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Interesting Story Line

I didn't read the description before I watched the drama and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a typical office romance. I enjoyed it very much and love the how short k bls are. I find the fantasy aspect of the story line to be fascinating since things like that aren't shown in US shows. I recommend this drama if you are looking for something atypical (not a high school or college or typical romance bl).

This is another one that I can go back and watch again when I want something quick that doesn't take forever to watch. It's not as sweet as Semantic Error or Be My Boyfriend (not a bl but a SUPER sweet, short kd) but it was entertaining and different. I thoroughly enjoy the mini-dramas.

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I hope they do a S2.

The ending wasn't what I was expecting. I really hope they do a season 2 as the drama doesn't seem completed at all, but I hope they do a season 2 where the director remember him or something like that.

Overall the drama is good to watch. The acting isn't the best but it's not the worst I guess.

I like how they actually cry in the scene. (Where Seal DongBaek died and a few other scenes)

Favourites parts in the drama was when they were showing emotions (crying) or how Dennis Lee was jealous or angry at Min Yu Dam for "abandoning" him.

The only thing I dislike is that the drama is short, under 12-14 minutes (excluding the intro and outro)

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I'm honestly SO confused...

The only episode I liked/started to understand was the flashback episode. It was also the only time the leads seemed in love.

This had potential to be good, but I will probably have to hunt down the manga for ANY of this to make sense.

What the HECK was that ending?

Who was Denis and why did he seem to be a paranormal being at times? I assume he was planted there via the curse to be the one who ultimately kills D. But like... why??? How specific is this curse bc they seemed to love each other?! They were dating!

The whole curse in and of itself just makes 0 sense. If the writers read the original story, I wish they had dumbed it down and picked one element of the plot and saw it through instead of throwing so much into so little time. There's no way for the entire og story to make sense in 10 minute increments.

I don't recommend this show just because you will only leave with questions, no answers, no conclusions, no closure, only confusion.

The actors, production, & editing were fine. I just think this should've been shelved as a whole since it couldn't be executed properly.

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An interesting little BL with a small twist

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Employee): Dong Baek
T (CEO): Yu Dam

Beginning: B is a new employee at T's company and the first thing T does upon meeting him is asking him out. This is not because of feelings however. This is because there is a curse on them and B will dies if T doesn't fall in love wit him on time. At first B doesn't believe a word T says but when he starts having dreams and his heart starts to hurt, he knew what T was telling was the truth. Not wanting to die, B starts going along with T's plan, spending more time with him. T truly wants to protect B and the feeling is starting to shine through because slowly, B starts to soften and starts developing feelings for T, despite not wanting to wanting to admit it at first. It is unclear if these feelings are new or because of something else.

Middle: Slowly, B gets used to the situation and somehow accepts T's advances and his intimacy. He admits he is willing to try dating him for real. It is later revealed that T and B met in a previous life and developed feelings for each other but that ended when B was shot. T opened an entertainment company thinking B would be an artist in this life and find him. After they start dating for real, T tells B about their past life and with everything cleared up, they kiss.

End: But before they could have their happy after, the curse strikes and time returns back to day one in a world where the curse doesn't exist and T doesn't remember their relationship. When B sees T for the first time in this time line, T asks him if they had met and B finally takes up the courage to ask T to dinner, which he agrees.

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT IT
- The montage of the time they spend together after B agrees to try dating for real, is super cute and fluffy. T's idea of dating is screwed because he wants to protect B but B is willing to show him the joy of enjoying life together.
- I actually like the Denis plotline where Denis develops an interest in B and wants B for himself.
- I liked the ending even if it's a little open minded but we all asume they would end up together anyway. Their first relationship started because of the curse and while feelings were involved later, it's still not a clean start. And if they want their relationship to last, it's better to start from 0 and make new memories together and not let old memories dictate their future.
- I like how B, once he makes up his mind, sticks through and is determined to see their relationship succeed.
- The acting is pretty nice and the production quality and writing as well. There isn't any awkward or cringe moment. The ensemble cast seem to be doing their jobs as well.
- The actors really do have nice voices which fits their identities really well. The actors also look nice together.
- I liked that they bothered showing us scenes of the characters at work. It makes the world feel more alive and not just a set on which the characters move around.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT IT
- The lack of communication. B doesn't want to make T worry so try to keep his feelings to himself. He doesn't seem to understand what T wants and his actions seems to cause more trouble then it prevents. T is also feeling lost because he doesn't know what B feels and if he's making B unhappy with this arrangement. He keeps those feelings to himself making B feel sad because T isn't spending as much time with him.
- The plot is cliche and predictable and nothing seems to happen if you are not interested in the main couple. The story happens to further their relationship.
- Their identity of CEO and employee didn't play much of a role in the story which is a dissapointement. I would have loved to see more of that.

**Conclusion**
An interesting little BL with a small twist.

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Too short for a wholesome story

The show was too short in length/episode and the number of total episodes.

There is a story to be told that spans the past and the present, but there is not enough time to explore it completely.

Why was Dennis so obsessive? Why was he in the present? Did he have a history with Yudam in the past - or was he just an assassin for hire? Did he have a romantic relationship with him? Why was he so adamant that Yudam would use and throw away Seol Dongbaek?

There is a parallel between the Seol Dongbaeks deaths - It seems like he is shot and stabbed in the same place. I wish the past and presents of Dongbaek and Yudam were more fleshed out.

Yes, this has a sort of open-ended happy ending, but it isn't really satisfying. I feel like there was too much covered, but it was all just on the surface. There was no depth.

This has so much potential. And it was all wasted.

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