Chief Kim (2017)

In all honestly, I started this drama reluctantly, but I do really love comedy, so even though the office setting didn't interest me, the high ratings and comedy tag encouraged me to try it. I don't regret watching Chief Kim, but I won't watch it again.

Episodes 1 through 4 were pretty boring with building the setting and introducing characters. BUT, I did get sucked into the drama by about episode 8.
What I'm most disappointed about is how this drama is referred to as one of the best bromances of all dramas, but I just don't see it. I mean, yes, once the 2 MMC's, Chief Kim and Director/Prosecutor Seo ally they have a bromance, but it only starts after episode 17...out of 20 episodes!!! I was *most* interested in watching their dynamics, but Director Seo was a straight up bastard for more than 3/4 of the drama, and while his character is redeemed and I'm satisfied with his character development, the BROMANCE of this drama is severely lacking literally in duration. And I get that the writers needed to build their relationship and dynamics to have a good bromance, but jeez this just took too long. Chief Kim and Director Seo were who I was here for and 4 episodes just wasn't enough for me. *sigh* I will admit though, once the bromance officially started at episode 17, the way Director Seo loses his temper whenever Chief Kim tried to be romantic toward him just cracked me up. I rewatched those scenes at least 3 times before moving on. XD

While on the topic of Director Seo, who was originally Prosecutor Seo: his backstory is pretty weak. Him going from a very successful, ruthless prosecutor to a corrupt Director of a huge conglomerate just doesn't satisfy me as a viewer. The reasoning he changes career paths is because he wants to use his law knowledge to outsmart the law and make it big in the business world....it's just such a flimsy motivation. It lacks sincere backstory....
Now that I think about it, Chief Kim's backstory is pretty flimsy too. We see his childhood and father in some brief flashbacks that imply their impacts on his conning profession, but they're not well flushed out. Hmm..

What I *did* really love is the CEO's son, Myeong Seok. His character growth was so well portrayed; he truly grew up for the better by the end of the story. And he was such a sweet guy by the end of the last episode. I adored watching him going from this spoiled, unloved child to being productive and developing friendships and loyalties after being recognized for his contributions.

The OST is also pretty great! I really liked the theme song, "Must Be The Money" by DinDin - whenever it started up, I always knew they were getting down to business :D. I also enjoyed "Will You Love Me" by Gilgu Binggu & Kim So Hee - a very nice romantic melody. "Dreaming" by Seo Young Eun was perfect for the more melancholy scenes. And my absolute favorite was the instrumental piece, "Here Comes The Chief Kim" - the rhythm, instruments, and pensive tune just resonate with me.

The ending was also truly satisfying and wrapped up all the loose ends. We get a "1 year later" epilogue and each character has their conclusion nice and neat. I like that Director Seo is happy and I like the implied romance left there for him.

So, in conclusion, like I said already, I won't be rewatching this and I likely won't recommend it to anyone because even though I generally liked it, overall it's just meh, despite what the raving reviews imply. If you are considering this drama because of the bromance, I would encourage you to reconsider. This drama is more about how you change as a person when you begin to care for those around you. The two MMC's both changed, for the better, during the duration of this drama because they developed attachments to those around them, wanted to protect them, and in the end, took down the bad guys. In this regard, even though it takes 20 episodes, it was a good story.

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Chief Kim AKA Good Manager

Oh Namgoong Min. What can I say? I love this man. He's a delightful actor. In Chief Kim, he plays Kim Sung Ryong, a former accountant for mobster types sort of turning over a new leaf. His character is smarmy and over the top and utterly lovable. This show is very much about corporate politics and corruption and the redemption of two men. I was a little bit worried that they were going to make it into a basic love triangle, but was actually really satisfied when that ended up not becoming the case. The second lead in this show is really Lee Jun Ho as Seo Yool, who starts out pretty darn despicable and rotten and is the foil for Namgoong Min's Chief Kim. Nam Sang Mi plays Yoon Ha Kyung, who thankfully ends up not being paired off with anyone. The plot lines and evil corporate shenanigans in this show are very often over the top in an almost makjang way, but just when it seems like this show is going to jump the shark, they reel it back in to the final, satisfying, rush to the finish line where the evil are punished, the good are rewarded, and the somewhat grey move forward with turning their lives around. It wraps up very satisfyingly and I was actually really pleased that it pretty much lacked a romance plot line. It didn't need one.

Even smarmy and over the top, Namgoong Min is pure joy to watch. I'm pretty sure he'd be on my list of actors that I'd pay to watch read the phone book.

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Pure, unadulterated, comical comedy.
It is light hearted... but very SLOW in the beginning. It wasn't until episode 7 or so that I began binge watching episodes. Totally worth it.

It is an intentionally absurd comic made into a tv show. Bromance is STRONG with this one. The chemistry is present with every single person. If you want something warm, fuzzy, and absurd, watch this.

BONUS (or not): lots of accounting and economics talk! I LOVED it. It can get esoteric if you don't understand accounting, but that doesn't detract from the story.

No romance, btw! Pure fun!

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What an extraordinary story?! I don't think there is any drama quite like this one. I love how his drama tackles the reluctant hero arch. Kim Sung Ryong's transformation from small job swindler to hero of the entire TQ group will leave you touched and howling from all the crazy office hijinks.

As someone who normally only watches rom-coms, this comedic business show is certainly outside of my regular preferences. The drama has the most amazing episode endings ... that kept me watching episode after episode, but in the middle of each episode there seems to end a bit of a lull. I was so happy to get to episode 16 and 17, where the bromance really starts to heat up.

The bromance between Nam Gung Min and Lee Jun Ho is of epic proportions. This Love Hate relationship is what keeps most viewers watching. The drama teases it throughout the series, but it really gains momentum from episode 16. I would venture to say that this drama is worth it just for the bromance and the comedy.

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I was desperate to watch something new at the time and I never thought I would like this sort of drama since it plays in an office/firm and has a lot to do with business... But I never laughed so hard and so much because of one series. The comedy is intelligent and not cringy like in usual sitcoms. There is almost no romance present, though, but I'm happy it turned out like that! The Bromance in this is strong  and I really was a huge fan of that!
Story:
The writing, how the plot was playing out and how they made a construct of problems and obstacles only to make the character's find a solution which is even more amaizing, surprising and especially: clever!; is what made me being glued to the screen.
Acting:
The actors... don't make me start on them! They did an amaizing job! The acting, especially from Nam Goong Min, captivated me to the extend that I forgot everything around me. Nam Goong Min did an amaizing job of delivering the comedy through facial expressions, way of talking and simple body movements (I have a folder on my computer which is Nam Goong Min's facial expressions only, I swear)
Music:
I don't remember the music that much but I remember that the athmosphere was captivating and on point throughout the drama. The music plays a huge role in that aspect and that's why there is nothing to complain about ^^
Rewatch value:
I can 100% see myself watching this drama again to enjoy the cleverness, unique acting and the overall feel it has!
Thanks for that drama!

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A truly unique drama.

What happens when you introduce a thug with heart into a corrupt corporation? This is the premise of Chief Kim.

What made the drama shine? Rather than the story, the drama shined because all of its ingredients, the acting, the writing, the music, all came together beautifully like a wonderfully conducted orchestra.

This drama has one of the best depictions of love-hate bromances you will see anywhere in kdramaland. There are also multiple bromances and mentor relationships. It also has many characters who were fully multidimensional. Sometimes it's common to see only the main 2-3 characters be fully fleshed out in a kdrama. However, everyone in this drama has unique personalities.

No romance here, but it's really not needed. You don't always need romance for excellent chemistry to spark between cast members.

All of the comedic effects were on point. Be prepared for lots of laughs and simple enjoyment along the wonderful OST.

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One of the best drama I have ever seen and currently one of my favourite which I definetely will rewatch it! Even though it doesn' have any romance, -well it kind of have but we don't see any progress between the characters - you will love the story and the characters of this hilarious series. Nam Goong Min and Lee Junho are the most noticable characters, portaying perfectly their roles, I don't think any other actor would have played any better their roles. Especially, Nam Goong Min it's like he's role was meant for him! If you like comedy series with full of funny scenes and unpredictable scenario (it's most of the time, sometimes it's becoming predictable) then you should definetly seen it, you will not lose your time at all! The only thing you may not like is the ending, which in my opinion was a fitting ending considering the protagonist. And last, you will definetely love the OST of the series, the song "Must be the Money" by DinDin.

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DRAMA WITH THE BEST BROMANCE I’VE SEEN SO FAR :)

I started watching this drama because I was head over heels about Nam Goong Min after watching Hot Stove League, and I’m clearly not disappointed at all. I have to admit that the first 4 episodes are a little boring for me, but I made the best decision to still continue.

The story wasn’t really new, but it was unpredictable. The actors and actresses were spot-on, even though I don’t think they’re quite popular, the funny scenes didn’t fail to make me laugh, and the bromance scenes didn’t fail to make me melt either. What I thought was really great was how the story could balance the funny scenes, the emotional scenes, the serious scenes and made it into a very great drama.

Overall, 9.5/10. The reason why I couldn’t give this drama a perfect score was because there are some scenes that could be portrayed more entertaining, and some scenes that could have a more suitable background OSTs. But, overall this drama is seriously recommended especially for Hottests and Nam Goong Min fans out there! ⭐️

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This drama defenetly will be a worth watching experience for all korean drama lovers. First of all i read the plot and it is not that interesting. So i felt like its an ordinary usual cliche office drama. But after i saw many critics reviews i just give it a try . But once the first episode finished am just speechless, brilliant execution with lots of humor elements especially with that title character chief kim.

You may feel that there is nothing new in the firstlook. But once you started the first episode you will defenetly continue to watch till the finale. Such an outstanding enjoyabe drama.yes basically it deals with office problems company issues with some politics etc. But there is no boring elements or laging portions. Every bit of the episode was awesome.

Acting is the another factor .The title Character Chief Kim was the back born of this drama. Exceptional Acting.His attitude, behaviour,style, dialogue delivery, humour sense,eye contact such as everything was perfect and mind blowing. Some of the other characters are also just brilliant especially that three main lead lady characters.. very cute attractive and humurous acting. Brilliant overall screenplay and the real soul of the drama was the Orginal Sound Track with Beautiful mixing of background score.

Just try it everyone,20 episode with 1 hour per episode. Its not a usual drama it has much more elements which will surprise you even more
Enjoyed a lot

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Who knew bromance is far more better thn romance.It is the most enjoyable drama i've ever seen. The casting of this drama is like the best. Every character had given their best in this drama. The chemistry between the characters are so awesome i cannot even explain and what can i say about Nam Goong Min, he is the best. He made the chief kim character the best character in drama history. The cartoon conversion at ending of every episode made the drama more interesting and more funny. I adored this drama. Not a single episode seemmed boring. It's a must must must watch.

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