‘Love to Hate You’ series review: Teo Yoo and Kim Ok-bin star in another formulaic K-drama

A still from ‘Love to Hate You’ | photo credit: netflix

It’s been well established through the many shows over the years that if Koreans decide to make a troppy, feel-good K-drama, the formula can rarely fail. This is the formula whose creator love to hate you Also determined to follow perfection. Enemies of lovers? check. contract relationship? check. opposites attract? check. The mostly brooding male lead waiting to turn into a jilted lover? check.

Netflix’s Latest Short Rom-Com love to hate you may be formulaic, but it also manages to refresh the boundaries in a number of ways, which elevates the show. There’s nothing cute about the way our leads, actor Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) and lawyer Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-bin), meet. Mi-ran overhears Kang-ho while he is ranting about his female co-star. The superstar may be ideally attractive onscreen and to the general public but in reality, he cannot stand women, and believes they are all manipulative and untrustworthy.

Meanwhile Mi-ran is a worthy opponent. The feisty lawyer, who is also a martial arts expert, doesn’t lie to the misogynistic, sexist men she comes across. Her experiences with a string of ex-lovers, who often turn out to be cheaters, and growing up in a household presided over by her patriarchal father means she keeps her guard up and mostly balks at the idea of ​​falling in love with the opposite. . gender. Sparks take no time to fly, through the many ridiculous, yet mostly amusing situations into which they find themselves thrown.

while sticking to the tropes that come with the genre, love to hate you attempts to explore some interesting themes through Mi-ran’s professional life (she joins a law firm where she is the first female lawyer hired) and personal life. He and Choi Soo-jin (Kim Sung-ryung), an aging actress caught up in the aftermath of her divorce, are among the show’s more interesting characters. They are strong women, going against the tide even in their daily lives, and exposed to the constant scrutiny of a society that is quick to judge and label women.

The show’s happiest moments aren’t just thanks to the chemistry between the leads, but the very amusing bromance between Kang Ho and his close friend and manager Do Won-joon (a very charming and friendly Kim Ji-hoon). Won-joon is torn between being a good friend and manager to Kang-ho, dealing with his fame and its many complications. In a show that devotes a great deal of screen time to the entertainment industry, characters like Won-joon and Soo-jin stand out. Afterwards flower of evil And Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic ZoneIt’s a notable departure for Ji-hoon and he’s equally effective onscreen.

While Teo Yoo is equal parts brooding and charming, true to his character, Ok-bin shines and overshadows most of his co-stars, including him. Hers is a role that often veers into caricature territory and yet, her energy and screen presence stand out. It takes nothing less than perfect chemistry for a show like this, and the leads are nothing short of great – from people taking each other through their evolution to a couple rising to the heights of a dizzying, whirlwind romance. It’s a shame we have to wait until the end of the show to see his more sensitive and communicative sides.

On many of its original shows in Korean, Netflix is ​​working with an 8 to 12-episode format. love to hate youThe willingness to look beyond its familiar premise also becomes one of its shortcomings. Ten episodes in, the show avoids the proverbial Episode 11 K-drama slump, but good momentum doesn’t make up for the often clunky and chaotic writing, especially towards the end. By way of the final episode hurrying to wrap things up, we’re left wanting more of the leads’ relationship, and the show sets out to ambitiously unpack interesting topics. The lead has emotional wounds that fuel his early distrust of the opposite sex, and little time is spent on this despite the build-up.

With less breezy, rom-coms being released over the years, there’s a lot to like about an easy, breezy watch love to hate youEspecially considering that the only other contemporary romcom that’s currently all the rage is currently streaming crash course in romance, Fantasy shows, segues (historical dramas), and revenge thrillers aside, sometimes the heart just wants a good old romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and where you’re sure that all is well that ends well.

Love to Hate You is currently streaming on Netflix