Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

Lovely cast, great costumes, enjoyable music, and a lively story that edges over into the fluffy zone doesn't quite add up at the end, at least for me.

Part of the problem is that the ML showed us the most emotion when his rat of a father killed himself. The, contrasted with the young king's steady and answering loyalty to the FL made the ending all fluff, and little emotional impact. Though I liked the ML just fine, I still wanted FL to get over what was really a physical attraction only (the ML didn't let her see any of his true self) and go back to Soo.

The ending flatlined with the look-at-me-I'm-so-clever marriage with the German speaking guy (whose German was really good, unlike our Flower Agency guy who clearly had no idea what he was saying) when what we truly needed was resolution after the devastating revelation about Go Young Soo. We really NEEDED to see that meeting with the king, and a glimpse of his new life.

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Only 1 good actor and beautiful scenery

Only SEO Ji hoon comes accross as a convincing character

Kim Ming Jae always looks cold stuck up in every drama that he plays ,the same boring look , absolutely unsuitable for a romantic drama

Going Seun Yeong tries to be funny but isn't.
Tried to be romantic she falls flat.
She will only cast well as a police officer,she has the toughness look not the feminity or charm

The story is only interesting with the palace political maneuver and one would side the King instantly.

Those other sidelines match making are pathetic, unnecessary, trivia

I kept forwarding whenever these appears
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The colour of the scenes one of the best serenity and beauty ,in Korean dramas.

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Matchmaking Has Never Been so original, and fun!

What an interesting idea, a group of men running a matchmaking agency. Loved this premise. They had the brains and money behind the business, the charmer, but also an intellect who knew how to get the ladies to provide him much needed tea/gossip and connections to do his job and then they had the fashionista who was responsible for the brides looking lovely on their big day.

The guys had their successful business, but then came Gae-ttong to shake things up. She was rough around the edges but ultimately had a good heart and made for a great addition to the team. Her story was interesting in that she and her fiancé were once clients of the agency, but fate changed all of that with her being left abandoned and in need of help. The owner of the agency stepped in to help and things progressed from there. What also made this interesting was that the marriage matches were nicely intertwined with the political power plays going on at the palace.

I felt bad for Lee Soo, the new king, and Gae-ttong’s former fiancé. For he was forced into a life he did not want and tried his best to recapture what he had with Gae-ttong, but once it was made clear that she no longer wanted a future with him, his attempt to force the issue made him less endearing. Thankfully he eventually came to his senses and backed off.
Though Do Joon was deeply into Ji-hwa, I could not stand her. She was not a good person at all. I thought he could’ve done so much better than her.

The ML/FL had great chemistry. Their love story was very well-done. I was so pleased with their ending. Even better, all the individuals working at the agency had interesting backstories that were nicely worked into the stories of the series.
My only gripe, despite the show doing a good job tying the matched marriages to the power plays at the palace, the power plays on their own could’ve been stronger. The palace drama in the long run was not well written or thought out. Still, this was a great series that I thoroughly enjoyed and will be one that I will frequently rewatch.

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Central Romance is really heart warming, interesting premise, minor "flaws" in some element

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean Historical Romantic Comedy Drama with 16 approximately 60minute episodes.

I first provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis:
Marriage is a big deal in Joseon era Korea and, at the top of their game Ma Hoon, (Kim Min-jae) Young-soo (Choi Seung) and Do Joon (Byeon Woo-seok) are three handsome bachelor's who use their unusual charm, intelligence, and good looks to run the most successful marriage agency in the land. Things are going well for the trio until the groom is stolen and the bride jilted during the wedding of Lee Soo (Seo Ji-hoon), a blacksmith's son and Gae-ttong/Yoon Soo-yun (Gong Seung-yeon) whom Lee Soo has loved for many years. But things are not what they seem and Lee Soo was a hidden prince who was abducted to fulfill his destiny as the King of Joseon. The marriage agency feels like they have to make it right for heart broken Gae-ttong and vow to help her determine what happened to Lee Soo and get the marriage back on track. When Ma Hoon foils an assasination attempt on Gae-ttong it is clear things may not be as they seem. The matchmakers pull Gae-ttong into their circle to protect her until they can figure out what, exactly is going on. Lee Soo still has not given up on marrying the girl he loves and asks Ma Hoon to help him figure out how to marry the girl who is now below his social station. Love is a tricky business though and destiny may have other plans.

Review:
Overall I really liked this. The concept of these match making men was a unique twist. The fact that each had a unique back story was very interesting. I loved Gae-ttong as she was very spirited and a-typical. It was a very heart warming story of love and friendship and good overcoming evil. Great all the way around on the surface.

Spoiler alerts**I did not like the romance between one of the matchmakers and the snobby noble daughter. I never found a single thing redeeming about her character and could not fathom a reason, other than her hard to get nature, why he would like her. She looked down on basically every one and the only consistency in her character was snobbery. Every time those two were focused on I just couldn't wait for the story to move on.

I felt very sorry for Lee Soo. He never asked to become king and his love for Gae-ttong was complete. My daughters, who watched it with me, found it nearly unforgivable that the only time he forced his powers as king was to try to force a situation where he would marry her. I think that is a bit generational. I thought his persistence just showed the depth of his love for her. They thought it was stalker level I just thought he was steadfast. I knew he would come around and he did. Said she could marry whomever. But it was sad to me. He mentions that he is married to the nation. I would have loved for him to have a happy ending. I know that is not realistic but I don't watch dramas to have them match sad reality.

There was no real sense for how her life with her brother went after they reunited. Was he living with her? It showed them hanging out a time or two but not if they had any sort of deep connection beyond that. It seemed he understood who she was but there was no emotional moment where it was clear that he did. When Gae-ttong was in trouble for impersonating a noble, he seemed to actually know her and suppress it to protect her, but that was it. And the maid that seemed to have something going with him. I liked that she was protective but to envision she had romantic feelings for him was a bit of a stretch. He was so child like in his thoughts that it would be weird. So that could have been cute if it was just a strong friendship but the implied romance was a little strange.

After all the effort and Gae-ttong to become a noble lady I really wanted to see her keep it. Like the noble who allowed her to use his name would fully adopt her. I mean he complimented her and said he thought his daughter would have been like her but I thought that was a missed opportunity at a really compelling relationship and another heartwarming story. He defended her at just the right time. But I wanted a real relationship to develop between them. It seemed he needed a daughter and she definitely needed a father figure.

I was disappointed in the last episode like so many others were. I really was asking in the second to last episode how the heck were they going to tie up all the political intrigue. Some prince, who we never saw, was supposedly coming back and two friends, turned enemy (the two high nobles) suddenly unite to back stab the king. So that could have been a big thing but it was so rushed it was like wait, how did they go from hating each other and seeming to have different goals for the throne to being in alliance again? It was just strange. A cool plot twist would have been that Do Joon was the prince. Then the snobby noble lady would have had to reconsider her actions. And I wanted him to fully tell her off. He minorly chastised her one time but I wanted him to call her on it and not like her anymore. So she was the one who wanted him but he was so over her. Instead he still wants her, even after she basically told him she wasn't interested because he wasn't a noble and not just any noble but a member of the royal family. So I think him being the hidden prince would have been a great twist.

After all Gae-ttong and Ma-Hoon did for Lee Soo I would have thought he would have given them high positions. I mean who could you trust more than them? It was unclear who filled his "cabinet" after expunging the traitors and how he turned public opinion. They started but never really finished that tangent. What happened with the Queen regent?

In conclusion I think this is well worth the watch. Despite some of the minor plot failings the characters were compelling, the romance was cute, and there were lots of interesting social constructs explored. Don't expect a perfect story. There are, in my mind, some unfinished tangents, and some questions left unanswered. It does end happy which is important to me and most of the major plot elements are tied up.

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Romantic and beautiful peice woth great flow.

This story felt different. I love the fact that i get to explore through joseon times and see marriages and how couples get together. The acting was great. Great music, costumes, production. But most importantly, this story doesn't feel like a repeat of all the others, they finished it well without questions as to what happened to characters and it was just great flow.
Only con is that annoying boy with the lipstick, calling the boys big sis which aslways threw me off and felt weird (like trying to fill an lgbtq quota for a period drama) *eye roll*. That's why they get a 9.5 and not a 10.
There was not an episode that felt drawn out or like an afterthought, which is what I've been observing with some dramas. None of that here.
Love love love. Would totally recommend.

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A really cute, easy watch.

This is a really sweet drama but your enjoyment of it will depend entirely on what you go into it looking for. If you want a serious, dramatic political intrigue story, this is not for you. If however, you want a sweet, breezy rom-com then you will probably enjoy it. I wanted something light, fun, and with a cute romance, so I really enjoyed it and ended up breezing through it in two days. There were no late-drama lags or angst fests, no big dramatic breakups or noble idiocy. Just a cute simple story that is basically a cohabitation rom-com with Joseon wrappings.

Somewhere, there is a parallel universe where this drama focused on Lee Soo (Seo Ji Hoon) as the main character and was about his rise to being a good king and his struggle to reunite with his past love. That drama would have likely been really good and interesting but that is not what this drama is. Soo's journey, while very compelling imo, is definitely in the background and is not the centre of this story. You can argue that's a shame and maybe it is but if they had focused on it more in this drama, it would have just bogged it down.

So what is good about this story?
- A very cute main couple at its centre. There are a fair amount of cliches and tropes galore but hey, if it's not broke....
- A ML who seems to be your typical cold asshole at the beginning but you quickly realise is actually a total sweetheart and is incredibly kind and caring, not just to the FL but to everyone he cares for. He's honestly one of the sweetest MLs I've seen in a while.
- A FL who manages to maintain her personality throughout the entire drama. So many dramas have their quirky, likeable heroines become weepy damsels in distress by the end but not Gaeddong! She absolutely stays true to herself the whole time and there is something so satisfying about seeing her take charge of her own story and stand up for herself when she's been wronged or lied to. (Slight spoiler: I audibly laughed out loud when she kicked the guy in the balls and headbutted him in the final episode to escape! Who needs someone to rescue her? Not Gaeddong lol.)
- My favourite pace/development for a love story. Guy falls first, and there are loads of sweet moments but it's a slow burn, they don't get together until fairly far into it, no huge angst, no noble idiocy (the bane of kdramas) and the two make each other better people.
- A SML who you could totally develop SLS for. He's an absolute puppy and it breaks your heart everytime he's sad. And he and the FL have a genuine connection, unlike many SMLs who are just pining ineffectually in the background.
- Likeable secondary characters who grow on you. Even characters like Go Young Soo who I found incredibly annoying in the beginning, end up having more to their backstory that make them more interesting and likeable. The SFL who I thought was initially your average bitchy SFL turned out to have a compelling arc too, held down by the limitations of being a woman. I didn't agree with much of what she did, but I understood them. And her romance arc was nice.
- NO LATE DRAMA LAG. Honestly this is a big one. In 90% of kdramas I watch, by the time you get to around episode 12/13, they've often lost a lot of their initial charm and become a drag to complete. I never felt that with this drama. It's sweet, easy to watch and enjoyable the whole way through.

Look, whether you like this drama or not, it comes down to what you're looking for. It's not overly serious or complicated. It's fairly standard, there are a bunch of tropes and cliches and it's probably not very historically accurate. It's never going to be one of the best kdramas out there but if you just want a cute romance and an easy watch, then you'll probably enjoy it. Give it a go!

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Absolutely loved it!

I first saw this on Netflix, and there is a very different synopsis there than on here, but even taking that into account, it's not completely wrong. Also, people are being way harsher on it than it deserves.
I thought the story was great overall. Was a certain character's backstory introduced a bit late? Sure, but it didn't ruin anything. The romance was the best part and how Geo Ddong became a part of the crew. The second lead couple had a good story as well, though her personality wasn't as appealing. But he loved her, so what can I say? I love the actress though, since I also saw her in Business Proposal.
The music is also really good, though I am slightly biased since one of the OSTs is by Yesung "Drawn on the Heart." A really beautiful song that made me melt during the romantic scenes.
I don't know what else I can say, just that I'd be happy to watch it again, and think it deserves a better rating. Give it a try!

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I didn’t have super high expectations but I ended up enjoying this a lot! There are some plot elements and character dynamics that felt original and different, and almost all the leads bring something to the table: there’s the brash but good-hearted one, the serious one with deep restrained feelings, the sassy playful one with a past, the one who was torn from his life and figuratively thrown in the deep end and is struggling to stay afloat while the sharks circle around… (Can you tell I found that last character especially compelling?) There were a lot of fluffy moments, but also ones with surprising nuance and shades of moral gray. It’s not what I’d call an outstanding drama, it has its missteps and questionable writing choices, but it’s a solid and fun experience that never dragged and hit some familiar beats as well as some creative ones.

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Overall pretty good drama

First of all, I really enjoyed watching this drama. That is up until the last episode. I agree with some of the other reviews that all the drama is in the last episode and it feels kind of crammed in there.

Now if that lst plot point had been entirely excluded and it would have been just about two men fighting for the woman they love, then I would have liked the drama, and especially the ending a lot more. Sure, it is a super over-done trope at this point but quite well executed I would think. Either way, the ending was just not it for me personally.

As for the dynamics with the two male leads: I really liked the relationship between Gaeddong and Soo from the beginning and how their story progressed. I was a little sad to see the lack of interactions but that already made it clear to me that they wouldn' t be endgame anyways.
As for Gaeddong and Hoon, I grew to like them at least a bit more than at the start but my main problem was with Hoon. His character was so hot and cold towards Gaeddong and she just let him trample all over her sometimes. I get that he is of higher status than her (and he took her in but not very enthusiastically) but that never stopped her from standing up for herself in other situations. It especially bothered me when they got noticable closer and suddenly her pushes her away again. I get it was most likely because he noticed his feelings for her after she confessed and he knew she wasn't attainable to him but still, he didn't have to be that cold towards her when he was her closest friend at that point.

Anyways, overall it is a pretty solid drama and I liked the story for the most part but I don't think I will be revisiting this one. The acting was great, though I did not cry which is a pretty good sign that I wasn't as inversted as I usually would be.

I mostly watched this for Byeon Wooseok (no one is surprised) and I was not disappointed. If his character's storyline had been more the focus, I would have definitely given this a higher rating. That plotline just seemed a lot more well thought out to me and would have certainly made the drama even more enjoyable, but alas, it was only a secondary plotline.


Edit to add: the synopsis on here and on viki are very misleading in my opinion, which is most likely why I wasn't super happy with the ending.

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