This review may contain spoilers
Suddenly went downhill
When the series started initially, it looked like a good concept. A lawyer helping people solve cases for only 1 dollar (1000 won) but as the story progressed it seemed like there was nothing unique and special about this lawyer. Rather some things were plain luck. Still the highs were compensating for the lows.I'll lightly touch upon some points without giving away major spoilers.
When we dove into the backstory, I enjoyed the slightly serious mood as well. When we returned to the current timeline, that's when things took a nose dive. The episode seemed so pointless and a waste of time. Ironically, the episode number was cut down to improve quality. It just makes me wonder how much worse and insignificant things had to be chopped out to still make the episode and story feel so stagnant.
I'm a little tired of shows with excessively long build-ups and then quick and easy take downs of the bad guys. But I am willing to understand the show wants to end on a dramatic finish IF it is done well. But when you lose all steam towards the end, the finale feels very flat. At least this is my perspective. I genuinely enjoyed the show initially and up until episode 10 gave it an 8.5 rating. I have to drop that to a 6 because I was bored beyond belief by the last 2 episodes.
As far as acting is concerned, I enjoyed Namkoong Min as Cheon Ji Hun. The female lead as Baek Mari's character isn't very notable or important and because of that her acting is not something I enjoyed much. In contrast, the other prosecutors Seo Min Hyeok and Na Ye Jin are the more interesting characters. The second female lead also has a very subdued personality and doesn't get much of an opportunity to shine.
If you're looking for romance then there isn't really much to speak of in this series so you might be disappointed on that front. The show's comedy is a bit lame overall. I wish I could say otherwise. Maybe if the editing/story-telling was improved and pacing were faster, it would be a fantastic show. It's a shame because the cast seems to have given their best. To watch or not to watch is solely at your discretion.
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Fun ride of a legal drama
Much like Extraordinary Atty Woo, I cannot imagine any actor other than Namkoong Min to portray Ji Hun. This is actually my first time to watch his works and I loved it.I liked that the show balanced the comedic moments with the serious ones. It was flawlessly done and did not come out as corny or anything. The cast has a good camaraderie that shows in their scenes together. It is sad though that it has only 12 episodes. Would have wanted to see more of them.
Hopefully Namkoong Min will have something new lined up soon
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Namgoong Min Good Manager era is back
The most captivating one in 2022, I wonder why they put a chick upside down within the jar at the very end but still the audacity to shorten such wholesome series. If you're looking for very interesting kdrama, this must be the one to watch. Namgoong Min Good Manager era is back, I bet all the funny scenes we deserve most likely coming from his own ideation. Huge appreciation for the rest of the casts as well. Baek Mari & Seo Minhyuk in particular. Such loving characters. Y'all better watch this series and prove it yourself that 8.5 rate that this page giving for One Dollar Lawyer is way too underrated. They deserve 9 at the very least. Have a good day.Was this review helpful to you?
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An underlying revenge plot with just the right amount of comedy
Firstly, I also think that reducing it from a 16-episode drama to a 12-episode one.. could have gone worse, but it wasn't that badly executed.Secondly, I'm also glad that they didn't imply Jihun's backstory and left us viewers some time to gel into the present aspect of his life.
Cheon Jihun is an ex-prosecutor turned lawyer who looks at justice from all perspectives possible. Charging 1000 won as legal fees for his service, he intends to carry on the legacy that his late fiancée started and extend his services to people who are desperate to seek justice but can't afford it. The juxtapositioning of his social/wealth status with his benevolence is also beautifully portrayed. Baek Mari, I feel, is very headstrong.. but not in a bad way. She knows what's right and she works in her own way to seek the truth. The work dynamic between Jihun and Mari is definitely significant and their interactions are lowkey the best, they really brightened up the drama for me
I.. cried some real tears when I found out what happened to his fiancée, and I feel so awed at how he composed himself throughout the duration of the drama, even at the sight of her "killers". Namgoong Min is one of the best actors out there in terms of ACTUAL acting, and it's because of his scene and line delivery. Versatile in expressing emotions and vocal dynamic and had me in a CHOKEHOLD throughout the drama I really do enjoy his roles.
Oh, and not to mention the Jihyuk and Jeyi reunion (The Veil)!!! I thought that maybe they were romantic partners in this drama but I guessed not HAHA it was very entertaining to see them again in this one!! I absolutely LOVE the OST for this drama too, I ended up saving all of them! And the anime-style intro??? NEVER DONE BEFORE??? It was so charming and I loved every second of it.
Lastly, I know I spoiled half of the show (probably) on here but if you're still reading and you HAVEN'T watched it yet, I can tell you you're in for a treat. Absolutely enjoyed it and I hope you do too!
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Something-Something Inflation!
The drama had a good and gripping start with the trial and everything surrounding it but it was the only trial in the drama. The rest turned out to be something different. I wish we had more like that trial. Although the silliness and slacking around was fun at first but it got a little tiring later on and padding the drama with 3 full episodes of flashbacks with a serious tone wasn't enough. Despite its shorter runtime there were big inconsistencies rooming around, it's like they had 3 dramas with 3 different ideas shoved into one. However, the drama always felt like there was something missing to formula. I really liked the concept, it had much more to offer than we were shown. The characters and their dynamic had a lot of potential to be expanded upon. The cast also brought up a good performance to the screen. I found the murder case to be the weakest part of the drama and somewhat boring, it also took too much time before moving on to something else. Right just when we started to get real development the drama ended, that was really unfortunate. I don't think this will get season 2 based on what they've done with these 12 episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
Namkoong Min is a brilliant actor.
Namkoong Min might just win Baeksang this year for his extraordinary performance in acting. The first episode is a bit slow. So give it some time. The drama takes a wild turn from the first one. It gets better and better. This is because the drama has a new vibe to it. Something you have never felt before. The best episodes are the ones where the past of Cheon Jihoon(Namkoong Min) is revealed. My goodness, one of the best acting performances I have ever seen. To be honest, I didn't like Namkoong Min before. I am wondering now why? Now, he is one of my most favourite actors. Consider the fact that I watched Stove League before. The drama is light and fun, but the past stories make it way better than expected. The drama has a new type of storytelling, new type of fun, camera angles, dialogue. Everything is fresh. Cannot compare it with any dramas. That's what makes it unique. The jokes are on point. The team of three is astonishing. Kim Ji Eun and Park Jin-woo did well too. Lee Chung Ha, Choi Dae Hoon and Gong Min Jeong did great. Such a great story. The past of Cheon really makes you to think twice. And this is is because Namkoong Min nailed that part. Absolutely nailed it. One of the best acting performances I have seen in my 350 kdrama watching.Plot: Attorney Cheon Jihoon takes 1$ per case. At first he looks extremely experienced in the court field. He was a prosecutor before who left to become attorney. Baek Mari loses to Cheon in a case and her father sends her to attorney as a probationary employee. Baek Mari works under Cheon and learns the excruciating past of Cheon which deals with pain all over the body. She comes to know why Cheon left prosecution and became attorney. Cheon works rigourously to get the criminals who caused his past miseries.
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This review may contain spoilers
SPOILER WARNING
p/s: i dont know if this considered as a spoiler or not. overall, i do like this drama. even the intro is unique for me. i also love the way they explained each scene so the audience didn't wonder and sense of the plot hanging. but the reason i gave 9/10 to story is because i wish they make the throwback about CJH past is shorter. I mean it took more than 1 and half episode to talk about his past. last, i do feel a little bit dissatisfactions when realize CJH cannot moved on from his past until the end. i mean, can't the writer just make some love line between him and baek mari. well, if not why not just make love line between baek mari and seo min-hyeok. but overall i do love this story. (p/s: don't judge me)😂Was this review helpful to you?
Enjoyable drama!
Smaken är som baken, delad!If you enjoyed ...
Good manager (2017) (Same male Main Role as here)
Partners of justice (2018)
Stranger (2017)
… I would say you enjoy this show as well 😊
There is no romance becides background story.
Enjoyable relaxing easygoing crime investigation lawyer drama for when you dont want anything heavy to watch! Its centered around male main character trying to resolve the murder of his wife in the past, while working at their law firm as a lawyer with the help of two others. Because the show was changed from 16 ep to 12, and 4 ep is just about background story, it feelt little bit rushed in the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
From brilliant to...whatever!
What a rollercoaster ride! Unfortunately NOT in a good way!This drama went from comedy to tragedy to mystery to crime to whatever! I am a difficult customer for comedy: I cannot stand the slapstick and humiliation kind of it. But here it is smart and clever banter between the characters. The opening credits are brilliant: it looks like an anime! Perfect!
It is a story of a quirky lawyer charging only 1000 wons (or 1 dollar) for his services. Baek Mari joins him as a probationary lawyer and for about 6 episodes they solve different cases using their smarts and humour. And this half of the drama is brilliant! The relationship between the three leads is cracking fun as they go around bickering and trying to get their clients off the hook. Perfect comic timing for the trio!
And then the drama takes a 180° turn and for the next three episodes, it is a completely different drama involving: rotten politicians, creepy chaebols, weak prosecutors and a lot of corruption and death. Here we find out the lawyer's story, who he is and why is he working for only 1000 wons. This part is so often seen in makjang dramas, family secrets and righteous hero trying to fight the windmills like Don Quichotte: and it is sad and serious. And sadly so predictable!
The drama then manages to combine the comedy with the revenge plot for the last three episodes managing barely to keep it in balance but never attaining the brilliance the first half of the series was. Because instead of the lawyers fighting for the little men we get lawyers watching as the rich fight each other. It ends with the corniest of cringy speeches you can imagine!
Namgoong Min as the lawyer Chun Jihun, was appropriately funny or serious or lovey dovey or fighting as need be. There are a lot of references to his other dramas which is fun, so pay attention to see if you notice those easter eggs! Kim Ji Eun was perfect as a high class, heiress lawyer who realizes there is more to life and law than her rich corporate clients. Her relationships with her grandfather and mother are so sweet and cute. She is the character who changes the most as she works with the lawyer and sees the change the law can bring. They are helped by a sort of a office manager/drycleaner serving as a balance between the two.
The support characters were varied: from the bad guys obviously bad to law office landlady and her friends to clients. I would like to mention two prosecutors friends to both lawyers. Seo Minhyuk is Mari's childhood friend who wants to marry her because his father told him to. So I thought we were getting another rich creep. Fortunately that is not the case: he is kind and smart and loyal and righteous. And he has a great relationship with his boss, Na Yejin (far a moment I thought something was going to develop between them but nothing!). She is an experienced prosecutor knowing how to balance well her own boss's demands and the need for in depth investigation. What did not sit well with me was that she, apparently a friend of Jihoon's, tells Mari his story. I was expecting more discretion from a lawyer.
This is a very colourful drama: it being a comedy it is understandable. The costumes, the cinematography is day shots, the music: everything is full of energy and joy. Things completely change for the next three episodes when everything is dark and ominous: black suits, night shots, sinister music. Then everything changes again....it is like this drama does not know what it wants to be! Unfortunately! If I remember correctly, the drama was shortened by 4 episodes and towards the end it was visible: at the end of episode 11 I wondered how they were going to wrap everything up in one episode. They actually did that rather well.
And if you are looking for romance, it is not here you will find it. Which is a shame because the two bickering lawyer have great chemistry. Nevertheless it is still a fun watch, just be aware you might be disappointed a bit.
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One Dollar Lawyer REVIEW
I honestly had a great time watching all 12 episodes of this drama. It has given me multiple great laughs and lessons about why it's named "One Dollar Lawyer". I liked all the acting, story, and plot twists while watching this drama and have never regretted watching it til the end. It is very good since it includes suspension until the next episode and I loved how it randomly became deeper in some episodes. It honestly is a funny and thrilling drama that I HIGHLY recommend to other drama lovers. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS AFTER SCHOOL ENDS OR DURING SCHOOL BREAKS TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE STORY GIVEN IN THIS DRAMA.Was this review helpful to you?
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it had SO MUCH potential to become one of my 10/10 dramas...
Started watching this because of Namgoong MIn, and I REALLY looked forward to this so much. It's a law drama, it has comedy, and Namgoong Min is in it. What could go wrong, right? Haha... Yeah of course it just had to go wrong. I mean, overall it's pretty good, BUT.... it might have to do with the fact that they cut off TWO episodes and made this a 12 episode drama instead of 14 episodes... It just felt wrong tbh... They literally showed the supposed big bad of the story in episode 11, had a one year time skip (of course, it was needed to the story ig..) but idk it just felt SO rushed... Tbh even at first I was so confused when ppl said it had 14 episodes, it felt a little short, but okay fine.... But then they cut it to 12.... It really feels like a lot is missing to the story...Additional complaint, I feel like they really wasted Seo Minhyuk's character. In the animated intro, they showed Cheon Jihun and Seo Minhyuk against each other in the court and I REALLY looked forward to it. Seeing the dynamics of Cheon Jihun and Seo Minhyuk's character, finding that they're actually best friends instead of rivals, it was really underwhelming. I loved Jihun and Minhyuk's friendship and thankful for their little scenes together, but it just felt like something's missing and kinda disappointing.... Idk maybe that's just me...
But overall, it's pretty fun to watch, I had a good laugh and some pretty good tears too. I really wanted this to be added to one of my 10/10 dramas but things happen and it didn't sadly, but it was a nice watch!!
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