After hearing so many references to Misaeng in other Kdramas, I decided I'd better give it a go. The synopsis sounded so boring, but my watch list was getting slim anyhow so it's not like I had options. Boy was I surprised by how much I liked this drama! It's SO well done! Every single character is well written, consistent, and interesting. The acting of the male lead was a privilege to watch, little dude expressed the emotions of his character so well you could feel everything the character was supposed to be feeling.

I related a lot to some of the plot points, though the job market is different here in the US, it's definitely difficult without enough education (or education from the right schools), so I've gone through similar experiences and thought the emotions and ideas represented were rather consistent with my own experiences. The interactions between the characters, more than anything else, made this drama exceptional. From their facial expressions to their petty disputes, every single one of them did such a great job playing the roles they were given. I especially liked how random things they'd say would help the other person solve a tough problem, they all felt like they had such solid synergy.

I will say, my one disappointment with this drama (and it's something a whole lot of kdramas are guilty of) is that they start with one plot device and then drop it toward the end. In this case, it was the male lead's tendency to strategize and relate everything back to baduk. In the earlier and middle episodes everything the little dude did had some grand strategy behind it, sometimes he won, sometimes he lost, but it was all part of his strategy. Toward the end, though, they really drop that piece out entirely and suddenly nothing is defined and explained in terms of baduk anymore really. Like...I get that it was part of his growth to learn how his strategies result in sometimes devastatingly negative situations and that thinking about people as humans rather than opponents is the point of his progression...but I don't see any reason why he would pretty much completely drop his in-depth analysis of his endless strategies after getting burned a few times. In the beginning he was always trying to learn and improve his strategies, but toward the end he just let everything wash over him without much impact or growth. I didn't feel like that fit in with his character very well.

The ending is rather predictable because that particular company's office situation was not sustainable, which they mention frequently....but I still liked the ending. It got a bit obscure, but I liked the outcomes for the characters.