Why Oh Soo Jae? (2022)

Good Production Quality Does Not Guarantee a Good Drama

Neither does having big name actors if you don't use them well.

The 1 dimensional "evil chairman", "corrupt assemblyman", "greedy CEO" with "incompetent heir" and his "plotting wife" trying to put him in a position of power... It's boring.

They push the same problem on the female lead. She's icy outside, soft inside. But a) they wrote her character way over the top and b) she doesn't really act how they characterize her. She lets the ML cross the line and boss her around constantly despite being a "strong, smart female lead"... This guy is swooping in to take care of her constantly-- and in ways that make no sense.

For example, he demands that she stay at his house after the break in-- and she just lets him boss her around? Why wouldn't she go to a hotel? Of all people, she should know how bad this looks to sleep at *her student's* apartment.

Too much repeated suspension of disbelief pulls me out of the story.

- Highschool grad happens to be a prodigy in practicing law and is about to be promoted to CEO of one of the biggest firms in the country... While around, or even under, the age of 30.
- Convenient CCTV wherever they're needed-- repeatedly. Law students just happen to find the car that was driving behind the guys fighting over their fumbled break in attempt.
- First month law students (with the lowest marks in the class) break into a file that professionals couldn't get into... Just by typing in random passwords?
- Their whole "class" experience is... lectures when she feels like it, writes one line on the board and walks out, has them do detective work for her, talks about random cases she's involved in in the news. It just makes no sense and would never fly.

Ultimately, the story feels too forced and unnatural. The characters have the wooden-ness of puppets rather than people.

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Kdrama in recent times (2024) has gotten repetitve and some scenes have become extremely annoying and unnecessary. This drama has impressed me like no other. Everything on this show was like a "breath of fresh air" it was intense, mysterious and kept me on the edge of my seat. Superb acting by the main leads. For once I didnt have to mute profanities and cringe at the annoying baby-talk from the FL. We had a mature, confident, ruthless FL and a younger, psycologically mature ML whose pasts were connected and haunted them. Their losses, trauma ,betrayals and relationships with others draw a bond that could not be broken. This show actually comes very close to reality of drinking intoxicants, rape, murder and corruption. It is definitely worthy of a rewatch. Hats off to the writers,producers and directors for a splendid piece of work!

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Aw man this was the best attorney movie I have seen so far in the Korean Dramas. Seo Hyun Jin who played the role of Atty Oh Soo Jae was astounding. I love the strong character she portrayed. Hwang In Youp who played the character Gong Chan, I love him, he had a hard role to play but he pulled it off. I need to see more of him. Heo Joon Ho's character Choi Tae Gook was too believable, it scared me. To think there are really these types of corporates out there. Bae In Hyuk who played Choi Yoon Sang, I felt so sorry for this character to be the good son. You will have to watch it to know what I am mean. The storyline, OMGosh, is incredible, mysterious, and a tear-jerker for sure. The visuals, and what everyone was wearing was on point. The music helped with the mysterious storyline. Thank you to all the other actors and actresses, all of you did awesomely. The main leads couldn't do it without you. Thank you to the team. I will have to rewatch it.

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Seo Hyun Jin does it again!

This drama is another version of the corrupt high society dramas that have been quite popular lately. If you liked dramas like Vincenzo and Penthouse, you'll most likely like this one. What I personally like a lot about this show, however, is the strong woman character. She is smart, she is fierce, but she has a reason for what she does. And I think Seo Hyun Jin does a great job, every scene her facial expressions and lines sound natural and like she is embodying the character. This is what helps sell an otherwise overdone plot.

In terms of acting, Hwang In-Youp is new, much newer than Seo Hyun Jin. He is good at a certain type of role, a caring but fierce lover boy. We all saw this in True Beauty back in 2020. But in this drama, he has shown improvement in his acting so far. His facial expressions are better, and his ability to convince us he is the character, not just playing it.

It takes a bit to get into the plot of this show, especially if you are a woman. Unlike other kdramas, this kdrama isn't afraid to talk about the reality of violence against women. Sexual assault and rape are discussed in this show, which can be quite triggering to some people. Women face some physical violence as well. This is different, but I think it is an intentional thing from the writer to get the viewers to root for this tough female main character, who faces danger knowing others want to break her down.

I have watched all 4 of the episodes that are out so far, and I can say this is a very good show so far. I think some of the cliche's can be made up for by the suspense and twists in the show, as well as the chemistry between SHJ and HIY (who, despite their 6 year age gap, look very good together!)

If you're on the fence about this show, go into it with a little bit of openmindedness. The plot has its flaws, but the actors will win your heart and make you root for their characters love and revenge. Thanks for reading!

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Thrilling start to finish

Basic plot: Why Her is the story of a talented lawyer Oh Soo Jae who rises to fame in TK Law Firm. However, her story is not simple. Her journey was one of a righteous young lawyer who goes through tragedy and hardship and makes revenge her ultimate goal by turning herself into the most sought out cut-throat lawyer that that clean up the messiest of cases. However, due to the shocking death in a case, she is forced to take time off and become a professor at a law school. This is where she meets an eager and helpful law student, Gong Chan. As fate would have it, this is not a chance encounter and they would discover just how they know each other while working together on cases.

Review: This is a rare drama where the thrill is maintained in every episode.

Oh Soo Jae is an elegant lawyer who knows exactly how to deal with misogyny in the workplace. She knows she is the best out there and she doesn't care for the opinions of others. She keeps her cards close to her chest. And her character is true to life in many such work places that are dominated by men.

Perhaps the noona romance is not to everyone's liking, however, both characters are adult and the attachment of Dong Chan to Soo Jae is understandable and justified. Similarly, Soo Jae is actually very lonely even when she may not show it and this romance depicts a softer side to her. Dong Chan gives her strength. However the romance element is not a huge part of the show even though I would have loved to see more of it. There is also an additional element of a love triangle with Choi Yoon Sang. His attachment is also understandable as they have known each other for long and he also plays a stong supporting role. My only disappointment was that this character was cut a bit shorter than I would have liked.

Choi Tae Gook is the main negative character. He is also owns TK Law Firm. This is a powerful and daunting character. My only criticism of this role is that we do not see him in action in any case whatsoever. He merely pulls strings in the background in his favour. He along with Assemblyman Lee In Soo and Han Seong Beom plot and plan and help each other rise further in their career ambitions. However, the brains of Choi Tae Gook are unmatched and he has other plans.

The show also has a number of lovely supporting characters that give life to the drama.

Final points: I for one do not understand the harsh criticisms of Why Her. Feels almost like they watched an entirely different show. The finale also keeps you guessing whether the show will end the way we want it to. I hope this review allays any concerns about the show and helps you decide to watch it. I have tried to provide just enough information without giving anything away. I would definitely give this a watch again.

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Great cast, poor execution

Believe me, I really tried getting into this but I just couldn't.

Individually, I like both Seo Hyunjin and Hwang Inyeop. They're both terrific actors when given a proper script and a good character to play with. This was obviously not the case.

Seo Hyunjin'sn character is depicted as arrogant and believe's she's better than anyone else, and I fully support this when it comes to men, and given she works for a law firm, I love how she's the best of the best above all men working there. We don't really get to see many executive women, as usual for this genre. But I just feel she's too bland, like why is being arrogant her only personality trait?

As for Hwang Inyeop's character, don't even get me started. Why does he have the same hairstyle as he did in The Sound of Magic when he was playing a high schooler? As for his personality, it is nonexistent and that's all I will say.

I'm really not interested in continuing this one, my friends, but best of luck if you do! And if you like this, kuddos to you as well!

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Promising, complex though somewhat flawed storylines let down by irksome lead.

The storylines are excellent with multiple layers and even dimensions of plots and subplots that tie in together rather nicely so far, for the most part, barring some obvious plot flaws. The acting in general is very good, they've cast the right people into **most** of the key roles.

However, maybe it is just me, but the FL Oh Soo Jae started getting on my nerves to the extent that I just dropped this series. She plays her role as a powerful, confident, no-nonsense ice queen rather well, but her grating nasal voice got a bit too irritating for me. When she's supposed to be expressing some deep vulnerability or strong remorse, it looks too fake and forced. She comes across as so one-dimensional that it feels like a fake character, not a real human you can connect with, relate to and empathise with.

The romance plot lines are mostly unnecessary, there's so little chemistry between them that it's cringe inducing.

Compare how Seo Hyun Jin's plays her role as Oh Soo Jae with how the leads play the roles of Lee Ji-An in My Mister, or that of Nam Ha-Neul in Doctor Slump. These roles are quite complex and multi-layered as well, but they hook you, create a connection, and you can relate deeply. With Lee Ji-An in My Mister, I still recall some storylines years after I watched the series - now that's sticky, that's a connection, something this series failed to deliver.

With Oh Soo Jae, I found myself losing the connection even by the tenth episode, I just dropped the whole series when I found myself cheering for the bad guy - now Heo Joon Ho does a stellar job at that role! I give the acting/cast a 7/10 because the bad guys are superb.

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Am a sucker for elder women younger guy trope

All complains about male lead acting and character being weak is stupid. Isnt that how yall write all the million female leads in kdramas.
Finally a difference in character strong powerful women and older..
Yeah i am eating up every episode
The acting is good.
The pacing is good.
And the male lead is handsome, all the complaints can suck it.
The conversation between the leads just gets me.
It has a giddy feeling to it.
And they find a way to intergrate the romance in the heavily packed law theme without overshadowing either so thats a big plus.
Am looking forward to how everything unfolds.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " Why Her ? " is an office melodrama that centers around the leading lady who dominated the whole drama.

The story has many layers, starting with a scandal that ruins the leading lady's career, and then, slowly, revealing the past and the clues for the main criminal case that binds everything together in the final episodes.

And yet, and even though the drama had many action scenes and suspenseful moments, the romance was unnecessary, cheesy, and not what the story needed. Plus, it was only there to fill in the gaps and had no pace and no smooth progress.

As for the performances, the leading lady gave a killer performance. The rest of the cast did a good job as well.

So, overall, 6 out of 10.

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