Desire (2022)

Greed ruined Sponsor

The female Sponsor cliché is extrapolated to the masculine side; a man with many problems is seduced by a businesswoman to be his escort. We are faced with a plot that has been carried out on other occasions and that has never reached the expectations of the public, as in the case of Call Boy (2018).

The plot opens up a very complex horizon that can be summed up in two questions: how to carry out the synopsis and for what purpose. If the drama seeks to reflect a social issue, the easiest thing to do would have been to opt for drama or parody; on the other hand, if it seeks to entertain (as is the case for this drama), it must create a web of plots that have to keep the audience entertained, because such original plot without some additives will not keep the public fully invested. Hence the director offers us side-plots that are, honestly, very rushed and do not really have much sense. The way they are performed, written, and balanced makes it easy for the audience to lose track of what was the drama originally about.

I do not really have any problem when it comes to the cast - besides the scandal, of course. The acting was not over the top, but I think the cast was able to convey the required emotions to the public, which is actually the bare-minium. One thing that I really hated was the fact that the drama did not have many characters, yet it had a lot of side-plots. Only when two episodes remain until the finale, new characters suddenly pop off. I do love Han Chae Young, though.

All in all, a drama with such ideas within the original synopsis could have been very interesting. It has never been really explored when it comes to male escorts; yet this time too, the drama focuses too much on side-plots rather than the original problem to the point that, at the end of the day, what you are watching is just any other poorly written and badly directed drama about revenge. I would say do not waste your precious time on this drama, it does not explore the male-escort and female-sponsor relationship that it promises originally nor provides interesting and well-written side plots to keep you watching.

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The bitter taste of success, or how to sell yourself.

The drama was haotic at many points, the acting was debatable to say the least, but overall I liked it. The drama was interesting and I was curious about all the characters and their fates.
Music did not play a big role in the drama. At least that was my impression. Many scenes took place with the same melodic note. There were very few songs, more instrumental pieces.
For Korean realities, I think that the drama touched on a controversial topic: ubiquitous sponsorship, i.e. prostitution among famous people.
I would like to watch a similar drama about the double lives of stars with a better scenario. Such stars who sell their body in exchange for fame. Without the embellished reality and naivety that are often in dramas. But it's probably only Netflix that would go for such an honest project. There was a lot of truth here, I suppose, but nonetheless, I think more could have been shown on this topic.

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