Skip to main content

My Crazy Rant On What's Wrong With Secretary Kim VS. While You Were Sleeping

As ABS-CBN and GMA-7 are sadly crap-dubbing these Korean series and I'm so NOT watching them -- I thought about last year's installment which was While You Were Sleeping and this year's What's Wrong With Secretary Kim. Since it's Thursday I just felt like doing a throwback of two series that I ended up enjoying while "traveling to space for a whole year" last year and "staying in Paris" this year.


While You Were Sleeping

I remembered how I couldn't watch this show without thinking that it's a darker and edgier sequel to Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Season Tsuu. Both Maaya Uchida and her Korean doppelganger Suzy Bae had short hair last 2017! Yup, I still couldn't help but laugh at it even if there are obvious physical differences like the height. Still, I can't deny that both of them look very much alike! So why did I even want to imagine it a darker and edgier sequel to Akibaranger? It's because terrible dreams that the main protagonist Hong Joo all end up coming true. Talk about what if your delusions become reality and it's not even in a good way!

I really wished that the Akibarangers' ghosts were there to comfort Hiroyo Hakase ahem Hong Joo even if they don't belong to this show. Jae Chan steps into her life as a possible love interest though she once had a romantic encounter with main antagonist Yo Bum. Hong Joo always wants to stop her visions from coming true. All the while, it turns out that Jae Chan too has these visions and develops a bond with her. It's almost like they were gifted by the Overlord of Light in Kamen Rider Agito minus the fact it's a totally different show! For a supernatural series -- it sure lacked some explanation how they got it. I wish there were more supernatural elements than just their dreams.

This was one show where I'm watching it for both good and bad reasons. Bad reasons? Well, it's me having a crush on the non-existent Hong Joo -- who I always want to imagine as Hiroyo Hakase having fallen into total despair since the Akibarangers died in Season Tsuu even when it's just plain impossible. It was interesting to see how much of an excellent antagonist Yo Bum is -- actor Lee Sang Yeob really knew how to make the villain come to life to the point you'd hate him. Yo Bum does everything that he could to earn more money at the cost of others. Jae Chan is the opposite of Yo Bum -- he wants to let morality prevail all the while he somehow has a spiritual awakening from doubt to faith going on through the series. I even want to believe that both converted to Christianity (and the show did have some talk about religion and prayer in some episodes) somewhere or even at the end of the series.


What's Wrong With Secretary Kim 

After the darkness (though happily ended) While You Were Sleeping -- I decided to get into the more light-hearted though occasionally serious What's Wrong With Secretary Kim. It's really a bit of office romance going on especially with how the main character Yong Jun has had a crush on someone sine childhood and Mi So is still looking for her childhood crush. What she doesn't realize is that her boss is actually that said person!

In this case, I just didn't find actress Park Min Young all too attractive -- especially knowing that she's admitted to surgery. For what the show lacks in eye candy (and yup, I think Min Young is just well, passable) -- it makes up with tons of interesting comic flicks and romances. Not to mention, the whole balance between comedy and seriousness (such as the scary kidnap scene) makes it a fun to watch. The lack of eye candy somehow made me appreciate the plot more. There was almost nothing to distract the plot -- except the occasional grilling and cooking of Korean food or my desire that Mi So will eventually say yes to Yong Jun.

What makes it refreshing? We've got none of the caste system going on. All Yong Jun's parents care about is that he gets a decent kind of woman. It also had the plot of love triangle between brothers. Both Yong Jun and his older brother Song Yun have had a huge rivalry that takes itself way back to their childhood. What complicates the issue is when Mi So enters into their lives and the main cause of the two clashing as adults. However, the results are somewhat predictable considering this is a light drama.

Comments