Prime Minister and I (2013)

The last time I reviewed a politically tinged romance (that one being All About My Relationship), it seemed fitting to compare the drama to a dessert. In an odd coincidence this analogy works here as well, though without some of the positive connotations. Prime Minister and I begins as an enticing little treat, whose sweetness will draw the viewer in despite preconceptions. However, as if finishing touches were neglected in the kitchen, the last few “bites” will leave one a little hungry and unsatisfied.

“Charming” describes much of this series well. Contract marriages are nothing new to our beloved world of dramas; surely, viewers could also point out dozens where the unavoidable presence of an outsider begins to positively affect a fractured family. But what made Prime Minister and I quite nice was not any presumption of originality, but rather its lighthearted, laid-back shuffle of quirk and classic cliches.

Pacing between dramatic, romantic, and comedic elements typically held up well. There was even a refreshing honesty between characters and even quickness of resolution that I rather enjoyed. Da Jung (Yoona) interacted so naturally with Kwon Yul (Lee Bum Soo) and his children; this entire group of characters were a joy to watch, especially together. Early episodes might have exhibited cinematographic awkwardness, but any such issue was quickly ironed out. Basically, until the final episodes, few problems presented themselves.

All that changed with the poor handling of a certain plot point. As a result, the last three or so episodes seemed to develop anemia. The innate charm still existed, but the drama became paler, poorer, and less fun. This happened to various characters as well. One moment had me sad the series was ending, the next wondering what went wrong with the basic rhythm of the show. Even with this unfortunate turn of events, Prime Minister and I stayed cute and entertaining for most of its run. Even with the big anti-climactic "blah," I have no regrets having watched it to completion.

Lee Bum Soo has often been described to me in glowing terms. It’s shameful, but this is actually my first encounter with him. But what an impression he made! His Kwon Yul felt fully realized and remarkably attractive, despite being depicted as a little stiff and unbending by the writing. Warmth and gravity is important for romantic leads, and he delivered well. Leading lady Yoona generates controversy whenever the subject of her acting pops up. Many say she improved from previous encounters, but my own inexperienced commentary to this point would be useless. For the most part, I found her Da Jung likable and found no real problems with the portrayal. She worked well with Lee Bum Soo; there *was* chemistry, just the quiet sort. Scant physical contact, as well as script failings, dashed the potential in this case.

Yoon Shi Yoon broke my heart somewhat. Not because of anything that befalls his Kang In Ho, but rather the role itself. Character trajectory makes it difficult to like or sympathize with him much, even though the actor looks great and performs well. Ryu Jin (Park Joon Ki) is also gorgeous and caught my eye more often than not, but suffered from the same problems. Returning to the positive, all three child actors were not only perfectly adorable, but competent as well. Little Lee Do Hyun as Man Se, need I say more?

Several instrumentals caught my ear over the course of Prime Minister and I, but truly memorable tracks landed with the vocals. These include two very nice ones from SHINee’s Tae Min (“Steps”) and Yoo Gun (“I Love You To Death”). But as with the cinematography, I found some musical choices a bit messy in initial episodes.

Leggi di Più

I went into Prime Minister and I expecting it to be like the Sound of Music of contract-marriage dramas: a young, chirpy woman enters the lives of a distant single father and his lonely children, bringing them closer as a family and redefining their home. I'm a sucker for such stories, and the first few episodes that zipped by for me fulfilled my expectations of a fluffy and fun watch.

To my surprise, as the story progressed, I found the drama raising interesting questions about finding love after death, about whether simply marrying into a family makes you a part of the family. Bringing these issues to the surface drew me further into the story, as did the growing love between Prime Minister Kwon and Nam Da-jeong. Seeing them display their love through little acts of caring before they even realized the true source of their actions, how their actions stemmed from love, really warmed my heart right up.

However, all of this was abandoned in favor of contrived angst. I don't mind angst in a drama if it's well-crafted and makes sense. Prime Minister and I's angst was neither, resulting in me wanting to slap a few tear-stained faces that appeared on my screen. Wanting to strangle your heroine is not a good sign. Add to that a political plotline that I'm pretty sure was added only to show that the Prime Minister has duties other than shuffling paper around his desk, and you have the elements that sucked the joy out of what should have been a breezy viewing experience.

(Speaking of sucking out the joy of something, what the heck happened to Yoon Shi Yoon in this drama? In every scene, he looked as if someone was kicking puppies off screen. He looked happier when he was filming an actual makjang than he looks here!)

Perhaps if this drama had done a better job of mixing in the heartwarming with the angst, I would have rated this higher. As it stands, Prime Minister and I became for me an unnecessary roller-coaster of cliches and forced emotions that ultimately left me not caring at all.

Leggi di Più

TL;DR? Fairly decent drama! If you want something with a lot of passion and PDA, take a pass. But if you just want something with a cute story and some tears along the way, then this is what you are looking for.

Though my scores are relatively low for this drama, I do want to start out by saying just how much I enjoyed watching Prime Minister and I. I have been in a drama rut for months now, and this is the first time I have had any desire to marathon anything in ages. I fell in love with the characters, and I found myself invested in their relationship from day one.

All of that being said, this is one of those rare dramas that make me think American television has the right of it, at least in terms of PDA on TV. There was just not enough of it in this show. Though you legitimately felt that the characters were in love, they were not very affectionate towards each other physically. Which is fine, not all relationships need to be physical, but it definitely leaves something to be desired. At least for me, anyway!

But the lack of PDA isn't what drove my score down at all. What really made this drama rank so low for me was the last 3 episodes. It's like the drama just lost all of it's consistencies and characters started acting ridiculous and out of place. In fact, I don't think I have been this disappointed by an ending of a drama since Cheongdamdong Alice.

Leaving all of the negatives aside, there are a lot of reasons why this drama is enjoyable. The characters are absolutely adorable. I am not a huge fan of children and dramas, but I defy anyone to watch it and not fall in love with little Man Se, or just want to hug all three of them when times get rough.

Yoona as Nam Da Jung was a surprise for me, I wasn't particularly impressed with her in Love Rain. But she seemed a lot more mature now, even though she was playing a relatively silly character. Her ability to seamlessly step into the shoes of the children's mother was really awesome to watch, and it was great to see just how she loved the children.

It was also really great to watch the Prime Minister grow into a human being after so long of denying himself everything. The characters all have a lot of scars and a past, but the story handles everything fairly well, at least till you get to the last few episodes.

All in all, this drama is worth the effort, especially if you like comedies and dramas with children. If you are as obsessed with romance as I am, you may take a pass on it. While it can be romantic later on, it is still missing a lot to be a truly great romance.

Leggi di Più

Sometimes the only way to enjoy a drama is to keep your expectations low. That is how I was able to enjoy this drama. In fact, it turned out better than I expected.

While the plot is cliche, it was cute and entertaining. The scenario of contract marriages never fail to amuse me and this was no exception. It also has a 'Sound of Music'-esque vibe to it but not very much. Like I said, it isn't an original story by far. While its sub-plots were boring and flat, the relationship between the Prime Minister, his wife and the children was more than enough to keep me watching.

I am not a big fan of castings when there is a lot of age gap between the lead actors. This time though, I was pleasantly surprised by the natural chemistry between Lee Bum Soo and Yoona. In spite of their difference in ages, they were cute together. I have to give credit to their good acting skills for that. I was happy to see Yoona having improved a lot since Love Rain. I want to see her in more dramas that suit her like this one.

The best parts of the drama were definitely the kids and the romantic moments (never saw so many we-fell-on-each-other scenes before). It's light, fun and amusing till about episode 10 or so. I would suggest skipping some scenes or episodes in between because they don't contribute anything to the plot.

It's OST was rather good and worth listening to till you get bored of it.

Watch this drama when in the mood for some sweet, harmless fun but don't expect a lot from it.

Leggi di Più

First of all, I want to address the age difference between the two main characters in real life. Yes, we all know that there was a huge age difference in real life, twenty years is quite a number. And I do have to agree, I was uncomfortable with it--at first. But after watching further, I began to like the age difference. I mean, I wouldn't say 'liked' but more like... came to tolerate it.. respect it... hate it less. Whatever the case is, the point still stands: they are acting, and acting is just that. And I think they acted very good. Yoona played a woman in her late twenties very well, if you ask me, and I also want to point out that had I not known better, I would have guessed that Yoona's character was in her early 30's. She definitely began to look more responsible and mature. Maybe that's why the age difference in the drama world and in real life maybe didn't affect me as hugely toward the middle and end.
Which brings me to the next topic: the age difference in the show. I believe the age difference was something like 13 or 14 years. That's still a lot, even if it IS 7 less that 20. But I really was able to see past that in the show. Just like the RL age difference, it bothered me in the begginning. I couldn't fathom it at first, but as the drama progressed, I really began to respect it and see the meaning behind it. Whether Yoona is a 23 year old in real life, or 28 in the drama, I still think the '28' wouldn't have changed, regardless of the actor. She was bright, maybe a little impulsive sometimes, but young and not only pretty, but positive. Her young-ness (for lack of better term) was what KY fell in love with. He was wallowing in his past, and she dragged him out.

Now that the age is out of the way, I'll address the plot. Yes, it was a little strange, and I admit I was suspicious of it at first. Even though it seemed some what cliche and unoriginal to me, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I (personally) have never seen a drama like it before. I really respected KY's character, as a man and as a political figure, and I also respected DJ for always being true to herself and being a good person. Even at the end, when everyone gives her hate, I respect her character's decision. I don't agree with it, but it's a decision worth respecting. I admit that I thought that the drama took a turn from rom-com to melodrama in the middle there. The beginning was the funniest for me, but I enjoyed the last half too, in a different way. I also really enjoyed the kids' blossoming relationship with DJ. In the beginning, I admit I was expecting some very evil things to happen throughout practically the whole thing. I didn't expect the tricks to dwindle so quickly. Either Yoona is a really good actor, or she's very good with children. I really liked the interactions between the children at her, to be honest. I really felt a motherly instinct when they were together. Just the simple ways DJ would address them, and how she would talk to Man Se, and interact with him. The little things like patting their head or brushing their hair or cheek with her hand or finger... I really liked her during those scenes. I don't care what anyone says, I thought Yoona did a great job. She really reminded me of the main lead in My Girl. So funny and light-hearted, but deep inside, very caring and understandable.

The character development in this story was phenomenal. Every character developed, it wasn't just the main male lead this time, like you so often see in dramas now-a-days. KY became more family-oriented, and softer, and also let go of his past. DJ grew up, to put it bluntly. She also had a pretty good back-bone, and the tension between the leads in the beginning was one I really enjoyed, even if it WAS hate at first. heheh I'm a sucker for love-hate relationships. x)
Also, the evil characters in this drama were 'evil', but they weren't ones I couldn't tolerate. I felt bad for some, pitying them, even though they were jerks. If you want a show that you aren't going to want to kill the evil characters, this is the show. I mean, there will be moments, but for the most part, aside from one, it'll pass.

The music, oh the music was beautiful. I specifically enjoy 'Waltz'. It's the gloomy sad piano piece. It's such a sad piece, but it conveys the emotions so well I almost cry just listening to the music, even now, I have it on my iTunes. First thing I downloaded. (; I really enjoyed the OST for this one, and the other one.. can't think of it.. it really had a renaissance or medieval feeling to it, but I kind of liked that. Made me giggle in the beginning but, all is well. haha

Oh and I can't leave out the cry factor. I am NOT a person who cries, I've only cried in a few dramas that I've seen, and if you've seen I Miss You, yeah, I only cried twice, so when I say I cried multiple times (more than in I Miss You) than that must mean this show is a tear-jerker. I cried in happiness, in hatred, in sadness, in pity, in remorse; it was cray-zay.

All-in-all, this drama is not one of my favorites, but I think it deserves more stars than it gets. People need to respect the plot, and the actors. Just because Yoona is a kpop star doesn't mean she's a bad actor. In fact, I may get hate for this, but I thought she did the opposite. Like I said, I think she did a very good job, and if you go into this drama with an open-mind, willing to accept some things that will make you uncomfortable or sad, you will greatly enjoy this drama. Their relationship blossomed so well. It was slow, steady, and... refreshing. Even though there were only a few kisses, I liked them, and savored them. They were good kisses, ^/////^, and like I said, I think they had fairly good chemistry, strangely enough. It was nice watching them realize their feelings, and how they were going to address them. They talked out their problems, and I liked that twists didn't last two or three episodes, they were often resolved within the episode or the next. I liked that. It didn't slow down in the middle for me, either. I actually felt like it sped up in the middle, maybe even rushed a little. I think this drama could have last at least 21 episodes. I really wanted to see a second wedding at the end, or something. But I liked the ending too.

Speaking of the ending, a lot of people resent it, and don't like it, but that's just because it's different. No, they don't throw their arms in the air, make-out, and get steamy. It was more of a bitter-sweet new beginning. I took it more as a 'let's start over.'

I recommend this drama, whole-heartedly.

Leggi di Più

I have to say that this is a very refreshing drama if you start watching it with an open mind and an open heart (does that sound weird?). At first I was suspicious of how this drama will turn out but I found it to be a good surprise. It was funny and light-hearted and it just made me feel good. Moreover I haven't watched a drama that made me feel this way.

I loved the characters and the interactions between each of them and there weren't really any characters that I couldn't stand at all. It was just that I liked some more and some less. Even the "evil" characters were somehow lovable. At least in my opinion. What I enjoyed the most was the relationship of Nam Da Jung with the kids and the way they grew to like her. That was really cute. Also her relationship with the prime minister was awesome. I loved the way they handled their problems and actually TALKED things out. Yes, you read right. They talked, which happens rarely in the land of korean dramas. And that was a really great experience for me.

I also loved that you could see how the characters changed throughout the drama. I don't think that anyone stayed the same as in the beginning. But I think some character developments were better than others. For some of the characters it just felt like their development was rushed or like they didn't really change but the circumstances changed and made them behave differently which made them seem like they developed even if they didn't really (does that make sense?).

I guess I could and would have rated this drama differently if it weren't for the last few episodes (I blame the one-episode-extension). As I said this drama was somehow a new experience for me that I liked very much. But something changed in the last few episodes that I can't really point my finger at. It felt as if the characters kind of behaved out of their character. They did things that they shouldn'T do.
Furthermore there were one or two plot twists that I hate in any korean drama.
But still, I don't think that the ending was half as bad as most of the people who have watched this drama said. It just wasn't at the same niveau as the rest of the drama but it still was quite ok.
It's not the ending itself that I disliked, but some events in the last few episodes that spoiled the drama a bit.

All in all I am very glad that I watched this drama and I don't regret one second of the time I spent on it.

Leggi di Più

I was looking for a cute romantic comedy with a nice plot and nice casting, so I decided to see this, since there were good reviews.
I liked this drama so far, but I was expecting something more from it; I felt like the last episodes were messy and everything was in a rush so in the end I can't give a high ranking to it.

The plot: this drama has a cute plot, that develops nicely till the last episodes. It is a soft drama, worth watching if you are tired of melodrama, or action dramas and so on...

The characters: I liked the characters, even though they sometimes made things completely out of character.
For example, Da Joung is a nice female lead, but in the end she start to make weird things without a very good reason.
Kang In Ho was my favourite character, I felt like he was the most human (and Yoon Shi Yoon made a good job with acting!)
The best thing in the whole show were the kids, Woo Ri, Na Ra and Man Se were the cutest thing ever!

The music: unfortunately I can't found anything special in the ost except the piano instrumental.

In the end, I liked this, but honestly speaking, I couldn't feel anything special while watching. I wasn't able to fall for the characters, and I didn't like the end too.
But I recomend this, if you are looking for something cute!

Leggi di Più

I realized something after watching this drama, I'm not much of a fan of Ahjussi-romances. This drama wasn't bad, but it wasn't my cup of tea (or hot chocolate, considering I don't really like tea).

I really liked it, even loved it, at the beginning! It was funny and I enjoyed watching it. But eventually it got boring and I had a hard time trying to catch up with the episodes.

The story is good. I'm not into politics AT ALL but this wasn't THAT boring. Sometimes I didn't understand some stuff but I ignored it so all was fine. The conflicts presented were good and the mystery around the Prime Minister's wife's death and Chief Kang was interesting too. Yet, I didn't care much about anything after watching half of the episodes. I honestly think it had more to do with me than with the drama...

The characters were OK. To be honest, I didn't care much about them either. I was glad Prime Minister Yul was portrayed with the maturity he should have. The other characters were OK but not that memorable. Seo Hye Joo was a character that confused me. I liked her when she was bad-ass but then I didn't like her when she got all emotional. I really liked Park Joon Ki even though he was the villain. He was a good villain. And he was cute despite being old. ;)

My favorite characters, though, were the kids, particularly Man Se! It surprised me how amazing their acting was! Jeon Min Seo as Na Ra did a spectacular job! And Man Se was so adorable!

A lot of people were disappointed with the ending but I thought it was OK. I think they wrapped up pretty nicely and I'm fine with the fact that they left the future to the audience's imagination. Maybe if I cared more about the drama I would've been disappointed with the ending but right now I'm fine with it.

Overall, it was a good drama. I'm pretty sure many of you would like it, and do like it, but it just wasn't for me.

Leggi di Più

This drama is one which just makes you happy. Sometimes after watching loads of melodramas and action dramas etc. you might feel drained and just physically tired you know what I mean. And a nice sweet romantic comedy is just what you need to pick you up. Its a cute fun drama with elements of family and politics but mainly just cuteness. Its not a hardcore drama that's going to have you on the edge of your seat but I know sometimes I just want an easy watch with fun elements. And that's exactly what i got. The story itself isn't reaching new heights in script writing but the actors bring it to life and you have an emotional connection to the characters your happy when their happy and sad when their sad. Its just a really sweet drama that's nice and easy to watch and makes you feel happy on the inside.

Leggi di Più

A cliche romantic comedy drama with main plot about contract marriage. Not the strongest or most original story plot in k-dramaland, but surprisingly I enjoyed this show a lot :)

Main substances of this drama is of course a cute chemistry between Lee Bum Soo and Yoon Ah! Despite their age differences, those two really nailed it <3 Also you can expect a lot of heartwarming family scenes, it got me quite teary-eyed along the watch :) This drama reminds me of 'The Sound of Music', minus the music, and I don't mean the soundtrack is bad either.

The shortcoming is, the story plot only focus on the romantic part (hence, a pure rom-com drama, which I don't really like btw). If only they could add more plot to Kwon Yul's job, that would be more interesting (or maybe boring). And also, I loathe the ending! You ruin it, show! It doesn't give me satisfaction at all :(

Overall, if you are looking for a hilariously funny drama, with a lot of fuzzy heartwarming scenes, this drama is definitely for you! Not strong enough to be classic, but some of the scenes are quite memorable :)

Leggi di Più

I really liked this drama. The age difference was a bit weird for me, but it did go along with the story since the main male character married once already.

The writers made a good decision making romance the top priority of this drama, which allowed the viewer to connect more with the characters and their relationship. Even though the characters didn't have that much "skinship" compared to a mainstream kdrama, but you could still tell they were a great couple. The romance was well-balanced. There was no corniness, and the humor was well-placed.

The acting in the drama was very good. I was especially swooning over one of my favorite actors, Yoon Shi Yoon. I have seem almost all his dramas, so it's no surprise his acting is very good. I liked how he got rid of his pretty boy image and went for a more professional look in this role. I was surprised at how good Yoona's acting was, even though she has limited experience.

Overall, I liked this drama a lot. I recommend it to people who are looking for an alternative to mainstream kdramas or a well-handled romance.

Leggi di Più