My Mister (2018)

I was always wondering how this drama could have the highest rating here since it is a melo and not many love this genre, yet somehow this drama managed to win the hearts of many. How? I've put this drama on-hold for many months and finally decided to give it a try yesterday. As like my previous two times of trying to watch it, I was ready to drop it within the first ten minutes. The drama seemed too dull, depressing and the cinematography also gave me that stressful feeling. But I forced myself to continue as I loved the actors of the leads.

I've watched the main lead before in coffee prince and 'My wife is having an affair this week' and the female lead was an amazing actress despite her young age of just 25. She has received many criticisms for being an idol actress but her acting is far superior than many veterans I've seen. She managed to deliver her lines and portray the characters in her previous dramas: "The best lee soon shin", "The producers" and the best of them all: "Scarlet heart". She always managed to capture my attention regardless of whether she was the female lead or not. I was a bit hesitant when I heard she was playing a depressing, mature and witty role this time as I was so used to her cheerful characters in the above mentioned dramas, but she really proved herself to be a versatile actress in this drama, one I'm really looking forward to seeing in future dramas :)

Anyways, once i got to the middle of the episode, I was totally glued to my screen and unable to divert my attention elsewhere. The cinematography, the A-list actors, the story, the characters, everything made me fall in love with this drama. And before I knew it, i had already reached the end of the episode and was once again awestruck by IU's acting and found myself clicking the next episode, and the next, and the next, till I had already reached the end. The ending was also perfect for me.

The chemistry between the leads was also surprisingly good. I thought it would be difficult to show romance since ML is already married and FL is too young but man, their actions, expressions and their eyes when they look at each other were enough to tell me how they feel for each other. No words were needed. Now, this is what I call amazing acting skills!

A must watch for all K-drama lovers, regardless of whether you like this type of drama or not. Just watch at least until episode 2. If it still doesn't catch your interest, then just move on to another drama.

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My Mister was the most realistic and moving drama I've ever watched. There's no glamour, the characters are all sad in their own way, the mood is subdued, the colors are dark, the music melancholy, it's slow, and nothing much happens. Yet, My Mister turns all of these things in to positives, into strengths. If you are not someone who can handle slow dramas with no action then this is not the show for you. However, if you are the type of person who desperately wants to feel with your whole soul the very essence of what it is to live then this drama is perfect.

Though each character is pitiable in their turn they all have human faults and strengths. Each is relatable not because you can see yourself in them but because you can recognize their humanity. It was incredibly slow at first and difficult to commit to for that reason. It is also not a drama to be binge watched. Instead My Mister should be taken slowly so that it can seep into your skin and down to your heart. But if you can get passed that it is worth every minute of your time. You may ask what is so captivating about two brothers running a cleaning business, a poor girl harassed by debtors, a cheating wife, or a middle aged salaryman and I would answer that it is their humanity. This drama so perfectly captures the human condition that it at times frightened me with its understanding. I cried so many times over this drama. It moved me in a way only the best novels have ever done before.

Don't let your misconceptions about the age gap blind you. This is not a romance. It is simply about people. People struggling to live and being forced to keep going no matter how much it hurts. And it was beautiful.

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The best Korean TV show I have ever seen.

I've never done a review before so i'll try to keep this short, but this show is absolutely amazing and that's all you really need to know.

Many Korean shows deal with the idea of love, loss and tragedy... but no other does it in such and understated yet powerful way. Dong-hoon and Ji-an are intelligently written characters that feel completely genuine and real, as if they aren't characters to entertain you but real people out there in the world. Their onscreen chemistry is amazing. Though its not romantic, that doesn't take away from the fact that when these two are on screen together it is always magic; and that is only uplifted by the understated nature of every performance in this show, only strengthening the power of what is happening onscreen. That is especially apparent for the two leads in this show, seriously watch this show even if its just to see these two acting side by side.

However, I don't think the two leads are the strongest part of this show. The side characters often steal the show entirely. The brothers of Dong-hoon, Sang-hoon and Ki-hoon have a brilliant bond with each other and the main, and both have their own personal problems that are equally compelling even if they lack the depth that Dong-hoon's problems have.
Though the real star of the show for me is Kwang-il. His screen time is limited in comparison to many of the characters in the series, but his relationship with Ji-an is incredibly captivating leaving u wanting to know more by the end of each interaction between them. The conclusion to his character, involving a somewhat surprising turn of good will towards Ji-an, is perfectly written and only adds to my already high opinion of him. Of course his actor Jang Ki-yong does an amazing job and completely steals the show in every scene he is in.

This isn't my area of expertise, but to my untrained eyes the visuals of this show are spot on, the camera angles and visuals created at each pivotal scene within the show are brilliant and really support the weight of what is happening onscreen effectively. The soundtrack is also fantastic, helping you to feel the weight of the emotional moments of the show, especially the more thoughtful tracks within the listing.

Overall, My Mister is a special kind of show that only comes every so often. Though its slow pacing and plot twists make a second viewing a lesser experience, for a first time watch, there isn't much out there better than My Mister.

9.5/10

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"You're Nice".

There was something profoundly heartfelt about My Mister. This is a drama - a true drama - about pitiful people for pitiful people. Our main characters are essentially losers, outcasts, jokes amongst their peers. However we learn vital lessons through their actions, we hear healing stories as well as heartbreaking ones.

Park Dong Hoon is the man everyone wants to be while also being the man no one wants to be. No one is more genuine and honest than Dong Hoo, but that affects his life in a huge way. No set of brothers are so close to each other that when one is sad, they are all upset by proxy and feel guilt at any form of happiness. That bond is unbreakable. And thus, this affects his home life with his wife feeling isolated, lonely and, herself, an outcast. Of course, this leads to her being unfaithful with one of the few people Dong Hoon dislikes. But My Mister is so much more than a story about infidelity. It's about the hardships of life. Nothing is more evident than his relationship with a subordinate, Lee Ji-Ah. A broken person who is stuck in a life of debt, pain and frustration. Lee Ji-Ah spy's on Dong Hoon because of the affair under the orders of CEO Do Jun-Yeong, who is sleeping with Kang Yui-hi, Dong Hee’s wife however she develops love for Dong Hee in the process and begins to help him in this struggle. Is My Mister about romance? No, but there is a clear returned love between the two characters, as shown through dialogue and visual storytelling in Dong Hee’s case. But again, there is a maturity to the relationships as well. My Mister is so multi-layered in that regard. Outside of our main story of lust and politics, there is the comonardary with the brothers and the neighbours friends of Dong Hee. And the subsequent stories that are splintered off and are given just as much meaning and purpose to the story as Dong Hee’s climb to the top. There were so many characters, so many plots that were quite frankly perfectly executed and mapped out flawlessly.

Every episode felt like a movie in itself. There was a long run time with each episode which was risky because it can feel long winded. However the lengthy time run only made me feel more immersed in the story. It made me feel a part of everything. When it was sad, I felt it. When it was happy, I was happy. My Mister played with your emotions. And that was thanks to the immaculate performances from each character. IU and Lee Sun Kyun especially. Kim Young Min as Jun-Yeong as well. It's difficult to pick out certain people because this was truly a team effort.

My Mister was very sentimental, sad and euphoric at the same time.

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the feelings conveyed in this drama deeply touched my heart. we all have different experiences but we share similar feelings of and understand too well the emotions of human suffering, pain, loneliness.. this was a very comforting drama. i loved many scenes but one scene that comes to mind at the moment is the ending...when the waters calm and the storm clears. i also hope to reach that place where the sea sleeps.

love, empathy, vulnerability, resilience..

FL is an outstanding character; her resiliency is inspiring. i really appreciate ML's presence and the comfort he brought. their relationship remains very dear to my heart. i loved the way it developed and changed and grew. and tho the relationship wasn't necessarily a romantic kind of love, i personally accepted the hint of romance at the end.

also, i grew to...not love..but feel a bit affectionately towards the character that collected her debt (I'm bad with names lol). if only the adults around younger FL and him were kinder and more understanding, things could've been different. none of his actions were excusable and I'm not trying to romanticize his character but i feel sad that a lot of this could've been prevented. I'm glad the writers gave his heart some peace at the end.

thanks to the old cleaning guy and the grandma.....thanks for showing FL kindness and love. thanks to ML's friend who owns the bar, and thanks to the support system surrounding ML (tho i didn't quite like the whole aggressive masculine thing going on with the men..lol sigh)

i said i wouldn't write a lot but here i am lolll anyway,,, thank you to IU and Lee SunKyun for bringing their characters to life. their performance with the story gave me some comfort and kept me company. tbh I'm left speechless bc I'm so touched haha

*i would've given this drama 10 stars if not for the glorification of the drinking culture and i also didn't appreciate several aspects of the family/gender dynamics depicted. usually i can overlook these things but they hit closer to home so i couldn’t bear to give it the remaining 0.5 oops

**also, while I'm at it, here's a few things from the top of my head that i want to mention (these aren't reflected in my rating bc i can overlook all this in dramaland lol). i wish we were given more backstory to FL's "best friend". i wanted to like him more, i really did, but i couldn't bc i didn't know enough about him. i also wanted the writers to show more empathy towards ML's wife. i don't justify her cheating on him but i do empathize with the pain and loneliness she felt. honestly i skipped some of the scenes with the monk friend and i skipped most of the scenes with the celebrity friend and the ex-assistant director brother.

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Everything is the End of the World (until it isn't)

I had absolutely no expectations for My Mister. I went in pretty blind, just wanting another 'healing' show after finishing Hospital Playlist 2. The binge-watcher in me usually tends to struggle with slow burns, especially ones which deal with heavy topics. But, oh my god, did My Mister turn out to be the sweetest surprise of my life.

This show is perfect. There are no two ways about it. I'm not a very confrontational person, but I'm going to say it: if you disagree, you weren't paying attention. The writing is perfect. The acting is perfect. The OST, the cinematography, the pacing, the ending, the relationship between the main two. Everything adds something to the plot, to the characters; no second of screen time is wasted.

Watching this drama reminded me of the closing lines of one of my favourite poems, Night Walk by Franz Wright. It goes: "Walking home for a moment / you almost believe you could start again. / And an intense love rushes to your heart, / and hope. It's unendurable, unendurable."

You know that feeling when you're so happy, or in love, or whatever positive emotion you can imagine, that your heart literally hurts? Like it's momentarily caving under the sheer weight of the beauty of the moment? That's what this show feels like to me. I can imagine Ji Ahn and Dong Hoon walking home in the dark, with their coats and scarves and Ji Ahn's poor frost-bitten ankles, side by side, each thinking of these lines. It's unendurable. Unendurable.

Life is so goddamn unendurable sometimes, isn't it? It's painful and unfair; sometimes it's like the odds are completely stacked against you. Oh well, that's life, deal with it, right? But that's not true. Because sometimes life can show us these beautiful moments, these moments of love and hope that warm your heart so much it may feel like its on fire, that make you think, okay. Maybe there's a light at the end of this tunnel, somewhere. Maybe I can stop lamenting my unendurable life and start counting my unendurably beautiful moments and maybe, just maybe, life will turn out beautiful. And it does. It does for Dong Hoon. It does for Ji Ahn. And it will for you, too.

Thank you, My Mister, for showing us how painful and beautiful life can be, and how to endure it either way.

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I've come across this drama many times, and for some reason, I always put it off. Maybe I needed a good enough reason/review to watch it? Maybe I needed to be strapped down to a chair and held against my will just for the first episode, and then after, be given the choice to cotinine voluntarily? Who knows. But I did watch it. Willingly, if I may add. So here's what I'll say to you, WATCH IT ! To put it blankly, it's a weird one. A drama that will have your head FIGURATIVELY spinning with so many questions, comments (cough, cough), and emotions, but in the best non-nauseating way! All of the characters will leave an imprint in your existence, whether you forget it is up to you, but the two main characters will probably leave the most impactful influence. It's been two days since and I still think about Ji An and Dong Hoon and the other fabulous characters we were gracious enough to meet. If you want a quality drama that will leave you with a better understanding/sympathy for humanity and existence, give this one a try.

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Wholesome. Comforting. Heartbreaking.

This drama will forever hold a very special place in my heart. Some will argue that it's slow paced, but I believe that's what the drama needed. The range of emotions portrayed in this will take you places.. The heart-breaking back stories and the hardships that are so real and rawly portrayed was beautiful to me.
I never thought I'd enjoy watching a bunch of ajjussi's living a very mundane life after failing to meet society's expectations, but to my surprise it was so heartwarming, cozy and... comforting?
The dialogues were so well written, the soundtrack was perfect (I'll probably always feel a pang in my heart whenever I listen to it) and the acting!! You just see what the characters are going through without them having to say anything, and you feel it deep deep down.
I loved this drama so much. I just finished it and so my thoughts are all over the place (as you can see from how disorganized this review is) and I've never bothered to write a review before because everyone else pretty sums up how I feel about every other drama I love. This one is no exception either, but I really wanted to leave a review here because this drama... well I don't know if it took something from me or added more to me.. I just love it.
It's been so long since a drama made me cry and cheer so hard for the characters. And just how relatable their feelings were is beyond me.
I don't care if I'm the only one in the world who loves it or feels this way about it. All I care for is that such a drama exists.

I didn't give the rewatch value a 10 only because some things are so precious when you watch them for the first time that a second watch won't be as awesome (I wish it would be though)

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It's a story of emotions and real life story

I would say the story is a bit overrated because when I first watch the first few episodes I don't know what I'm even watching or expecting but as I watch further, I realized why so many people loved it. The story consists of real emotions that you can easily relate to and emotions that people don't usually talk about.

I love how IU's versatility was once again proven in this series. The complexity of her character brought out more of her talents as well as the male lead. I really feel like everyone performed well and it can be shown on the chemistry and the way they deliver the right emotions.

I'm glad that I decided to finish this series though I started confused, I got to love how it turned out. I really recommend this as it has a lot of meaningful life lessons. Fighting!

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"Just hang in there."

This series tells the story of a midlife crisis: career challenges (career stagnation, office politics, threats of being fired), finding another love; all of which stem from the background of each character. The series also talks about how the "good" character faces problems in his life.

Each character of the character has many layers of past stories, which are patiently peeled off in each curve of the scene. Many stories are told not in straightforward dialogue, but through pictures, the expressions of the characters.

The two main characters of this drama: Park Dong-hoon and Lee Ji-an - who have a boss-subordinate relationship in an office - are the people who are pressed by their various problems. The situation forces them to be in opposing positions. But Dong-hoon is attracted to Ji-an's "kindness" and vice versa. At the end of the day, these two people were strengthening each other, supporting each other in a unique way - and I found it beautiful.

I was attracted by the character Dong-hoon, a building construction engineer who is honest in his work and life principles, not talk too much, but his words have deep meaning. He is trapped in dirty office politics, and he who is considered the weakest politically is the figure who is most easily sacrificed.

The warmth of Dong-hoon's closest community relationships: his mother and two brothers (who also have their own problems), and his fellow villagers help strengthen Dong-hoon (and ultimately Ji-an). The scene of Ji-an's grandmother's mourning ceremony in the last episode was touching.

This is not a romantic romance series even though it tells a lot about love. This is also not a dark series even though it tells a lot about the tough challenges of life.

"Even if you're having hardships in life, just hang in there. It's no big deal".

Hugye!

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You haven't really watched a KDrama until you watch this.

I've seen the high score of this drama and I was really sceptical. I don't like real dramas, but this...IS GOOD!!!
The story, the acting, the directing and the music and everything else....oh my... it's is like you are part of that story. And the end was as it should be. Everything is so natural that it makes you fill like is your story/life too.
You need a few boxes of tissues...but you'll be OK.
I watched quite a few KDramas and I always hated that they brought the story to an end in the last 3 minutes, but this one it leaves you building the end and what is to come the way you want it. It gives you a "path" but that path can split into more, leaving you crying and smiling, thinking "That's the way it should be".
Watch it and you will not be sorry.

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A Masterpiece, but a few complaints on the characters

This is my first time writing a review and I created an account just for this as well. I was having such a huge k-drama burnout but this drama really helped me get back to it. This is literally such a masterpiece, at first I read the summary and it sounded so boring but after reading a few reviews, I decided to give it a watch and it did not disappoint me at all! I have never cried this much and been this invested in a drama.

However, I have a few small complaints that doesn't matter much but I just wanna rent about it a little. I feel like they could have added more character development and backstory to many side characters. Personally I actually felt pretty bad for the characters that were perceived on the "mean" side in the drama.


(Spoiler - just my personal rent about this)
I honestly wanted to get to know the wife, the CEO and the mean guy who kept beating IU's character more (sorry i'm extremely bad with names). I feel like the more I watched the more I pitied the wife more. So many people are gonna disagree with me here and im so sorry to say this, but I kinda understand why she was having an affair, the main lead guy is also kinda at fault. I mean he wasn't that great of a husband either and barely talks to his wife. They kept talking about how trash the CEO was, and maybe that's just from my own perspective on things, but I didn't really see anything super wrong or bad with him. He just seemed like an adult who hasn't grown up mentally yet, like a kid's mind in an adult world. Lastly, the "abuser" ill call him. His story actually made me really sad honestly, he never learnt how to express his feelings, mostly because of his abusive dad, so he just kinda grew up like the only adult he saw, his dad. Idk he just made me really sad the more the drama went on. Anyways, I think they could've added more story or told more backstory on them.

Maybe that's just me for another thing, but I think they could've made this drama even more focused on the normal daily life of everyone (aka more backstory of side characters) instead of focusing so much on the plot of bringing down the main guy.

This makes it seem like I hated the drama now that i'm reading this again haha. Other than my small complaints, this was a really wholesome drama, much different from the typical format, and I will definitely rewatch this when im in my 30's and maybe I'd have different opinions, reactions and feelings about it than now :)

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