We had a whole bevy of dramas premier this week which means it is time to decide what is going to become my new go to drama and which are going to be my filler shows. So come join me as I chat drama first impressions for Voice, Missing 9, Introverted Boss, & Naked Fireman.
Introverted Boss
PROS
- I love the cast. Individually they all really work in their roles. Whether that will equal into actual chemistry has yet to be determined.
- The director is always innovative and engaging with his drama vision. I loved Marriage Not Dating & Another Miss Oh for that very reason and so far I have no complaints with Introverted Boss’s cinematography.
- Yeon Woo Jin looks AMAZING in his black hoodie…….what can I say, I AM a shallow Fangirl.
CONS
- The OTP (One True Pairing) has not really clicked for me yet. I think with time this might change since their character’s are still being fleshed out. All the individual pieces are present but I don’t feel the urge to ship them as of yet.
Missing 9
PROS
- Jung Kyung Ho! I will watch anything he is in even if it sucks. Love him to bits.
- Despite it’s rough beginning (went through tons of actors and screenwriters before filming) it has one of my favorite screenwriters as well as Jung Kyung Ho as the leading man. Hopefully this will reflect in the overall quality of the drama.
- The plot is intricate and engaging with lots of layers.
CONS
- Sadly, most of those layers are all dressed in tan and cream colors. Couldn’t the stylist get a little bit more creative with her color pallet? The constant bland color scheme keeps distracting me from the plot.
- That airplane was a death trap even before it crashed. What kind of plane has chandeliers and flower vases all over the place just waiting to kill people at the first sign of turbulence? It was the Titanic of private airplanes.
Naked Fireman
PROS
- I wasn’t expecting much so when I actually got a solid mystery out of the show I was very happy.
- I really enjoy Lee Joon Hyuk’s acting and consider it a shame that he hasn’t hit it big since coming back from his mandatory military stint. While this is not going to be one of Joon Hyuk’s greatest roles, he still makes me like the character and I hope this leads to more success in the future.
- It will be the only time that I ever hashtag #NakedFireman on my twitter account. Can check this off my bucket list.
- Naked Fireman is only 4 episodes so it doesn’t take long term commitment.
CONS
- The concept of our leading lady paying men to take of their clothes off in order to paint burn scars (in order to find her family’s murderer) is a little farfetched. I admit I actually rolled my eyes at that plot point.
Voice
PROS
- For the first time in forever OCN is allowing a female character to actually have a significant role in a drama. I had almost given up hope that any female character would be more than a pretty face in the background.
- Lee Ha Na is rocking her role as Kang Kwon-Joo, the leader of the quick response team. She is doing such a wonderful job that I sometimes consider her the main lead rather than Jang Hyuk. Words I never thought would ever come out of my mouth.
- The show is dark, gritty, and often terrifying. The cliffhanger on episode 2 still gives me chills 5 days later.
- I love the countdown timer they use every time there is a case. It adds that little bit of suspense that is great for a crime drama.
- Jang Hyuk gets to do what he does best. Play a loose cannon character that is often borderline crazy.
CONS
- Jang Hyuk plays his typical character. This is both a positive and negative since I don’t think he is really stretching himself, acting-wise, for this role.
- I am worried that the good guys will always save the victims and the show will lose that edge of danger. Then again, if they don’t save the victim, we will have to sit through a bunch of “it’s your fault” BS from the higher ups which is always annoying.
- The head honchos at the Police Department are the typical ethically challenged jerks that don’t care about anyone but themselves. I hate that trope and I fear it might run rampant in this drama.
You might be wondering which of these dramas I would actually recommend for those of you who can’t watch them all? Without competition, my recommendation would be Voice. I was at the edge of my seat for the whole two hours and have continued to think about the plot all week. My second choice would be Missing 9. With a stellar cast and strong writing, it has the greatest chance of being a fully satisfying drama. The other two can easily be filler dramas. They are not bad, but they don’t have that extra oomph that pushes me into an obsessed state of mind.
I hope this helps you decide which shows to check out in the future. If you have any questions that I didn’t answer, feel free to ask in the comments. I also hope to make my initial thoughts a future post theme. This way I can share my opinions about a drama without having to commit to a full recap.
Til next time,
Kmuse
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I think I’ll go for Voice and Missing 9, too. That is, I’ll avidly read the recaps (if available) and see if I can make time to watch, someday!
I feel very ambivalent about Voice. Since I’m such a huge fan of Jang Hyuk I am sad/worried that his character is so far, limited, kind of flat. We have seen terrible things happen to him but we still don’t really “know” him or have been able to see his perspective. He also acts a sort of obstacle to the smart female and screams a lot (while being totally wrong) so this makes him annoying. The one fun thing I find is to see him protest but in the end, do what his new boss tells him :p Having the female lead be the boss of the male lead is just too fun! She is a well written character and the actress is doing a good job. But from a writting perspective she has the advantage that we have gotten to “know her” better, her inner world and thoughts, especially when she talks to the victims. She gets to be the smart one and the sensitive one. He gets to be the annoying one, so far. Except for the scene with his son. I liked him there. This reminds me of the case of Park So Dam at the beginning of Beautiful Mind where she got to plat the damn obnoxious cop. Thankfully her character evolved and people liked her better. I actually ended up loving her. Hopefully MJH will start evolving soon. Even if he never becomes super interesting at least I hope he gets somewhat fleshed out. And knowing JH he must be trying his best, but an actor needs the writer and director to also work on a character.
I’m also liking The voice. I loved Lee Ha Na in High School King of Savvy and wanted to check her next project. The plot is promising and I also have a soft spot for Jan Hyuk, so I will watch with moderate expectations. I like that she is taking the center stage for now, and would love to see their relationship evolving from the current hate to mutual respect, so they can team up in order to catch the murder; that could be awesome. Let’s see what we get.
I was also prepared to like Missing 9, mainly because of the cast. I love Baek Jin Hee to pieces since she was the hateful Tanashiri in Empress Ki. But so far I’m not hooked. I will keep watching for now and see if it gets better.
As for the Introverted boss, it seems that is getting a quite cold reception, so not watching for now.
I am currently watching Introverted Boss and Voice. Might also add Missing 9 to my watchlist. I agree with all your stated reasons for watching both shows. Although, I do want to recommend Introverted Boss as well, if only because the team behind it has produced 2 of my favorite shows to date (well that and Yeon Woo Jin who has me shook in this drama).
Getting ready to watch ‘Voice’! Thanks for the recommendation!!!