The month includes one more week, we took the opportunity to offer you a second cult K-Drama: The Cityhall. A fun but also serious romantic comedy, to discover via the streaming platform Dramapassion in its entirety.
The plot is that of a man wanting to become President of the Republic of Korea and an ordinary woman a bit eccentric! An explosive encounter that has not finished amusing you.
This review contains spoilers. To be read at your own risk.
The Cityhall
Original title: 시티홀
Gender: Drama – Romantic Comedy
Country: South Korea
Episodes: 20
Broadcast channel: SBS
Year of release: 2009
Broadcasting platform: Dramapassion
Synopsis :
Joh Guk is a particularly brilliant public servant. He passed the government entrance exam with flying colours and happens to be the perfect man. Nevertheless, his talents push him to have ambitions much higher than his current position as deputy mayor. His dream is to become the President of the Republic of Korea. Unfortunately, on his way to the top of the state, he was demoted to the position of deputy mayor of Inju, a small provincial town. Shin Mi-Rae, who began her career as a simple secretary in Inju, rose through the ranks quickly to become the youngest mayor in the city's history. Confronted with each other, they must now succeed in overcoming their personal and social differences. Will their constant bickering succeed in preventing them from falling in love?
Spring: Dramapassion
Main cast
CHA Seung-Won
Joh Guk | KIM Sun-Ah
Shin Mi-Rae | CHOO Sang-Mi
Min Joo-Hwa (The Cityhall) |
LEE Hyung-Chul
Lee Jung-Do (The Cityhall) | YOON Se-Ah
Go Go-Hae | LEE Joon-Hyuk
Ha so-In (City Hunter) |
Politics
The story of The Cityhall is part of a classic or even ordinary register, yet do not be fooled. The subject speaks to us of love, following two characters from different backgrounds, as well as their upbringing. Shin Mi-Rae is a civil servant whose job is mainly to serve coffee to employees and guests going to the town hall.
A job far from shining in his eyes but which does not prevent him from being in contact with people and helping them. Indeed, Mi-Rae, although very clumsy, is not afraid to speak her mind. His meeting with Joh Guk will make him take a new turn at the turn of a path strewn with pitfalls. Propelled to the rank of deputy mayor in a poor city, Joh Guk will have to cut his teeth if he wants to achieve his goal. However, the presence of Mi-Rae will disrupt all his plans and make him realize the stupidities he was about to do.
The political environment here is realistic enough to provide us with interesting leads on the subject. This unlikely couple clearly made us think of a modern and revisited version of Beauty and the Beast !
A matter for men and women
Let's go back a little more on the political universe of the drama which, in addition to showing us behind the scenes, offers a constructive link to romance.
Our heroine is the one who stands out the most from the others since she did not hope one day to reach the function of mayor of a city. Shin Mi-Rae is a woman who, at first, annoyed us because of her whining and silly side. Its appearance is not that of the usual standards but rather close to banal people with whom it is finally quite simple to identify. She forms a beautiful duo with Joh Guk , a character who is both charismatic, imbued with himself and always one step ahead.
The actor playing Joh Guk offers us a good way to enjoy his advantageous physique without making us feel guilty. The protagonist is thus a man with many weaknesses, a complicated childhood and a desire for paternal recognition. The two opposite poles attract each other as we often find, the alchemy works wonderfully while being touching!
A second couple is also important that of Lee Jung-Do and Min Joo-Hwa.We were seduced by their characters and their mutual trust. Whether it's Jung-Do who wants to stand up to his wife whom he finds too superficial but with whom he is madly in love or Joo-Hwa who only dreams of climbing the ladder in order to earn more and more money by performing various illegal maneuvers.
Real support for our lovebirds, they fulfill their mission with humor.
Power
The opposing clan is however also well represented , which makes the story develop rather well with its ups and downs.
Go Go-Hae, Joh Guk's fiancée becomes Mi-Rae's rival in a fight that surprises and makes us curious about the ins and outs. Unfortunately, we have not fully embraced her role, which lacks scope for a woman from such a family. On the other hand, the handyman of our future president, Ha so-In, played a perfect spy while remaining human and free in his choices. Just like Big Brother (BB), the father of Joh Guk, who in his role as a big bad is perfect as expected from a veteran actor.
We will only mention the most important people but know that there are all kinds, whether it is Mi-Rae's friends, members of the town hall or politicians…
Two themes in agreement
The series The Cityhall is not very recent, yet it is one of the timeless that ages well over time. The subject may not be for everyone because politics is a path reserved mainly for the elite and a closed environment. However, the drama opens up a part of what democracy represents in a country that finally looks quite like what can be found in the news. Although it remains a fiction, we can disentangle the true from the false while answering questions that challenge us.
However, the script suffers from episodes that are sometimes too long, obvious shortcuts and a format that could have been shorter. Indeed, propelling our heroine to the rank of mayor has taken too much place in history to the detriment of that of Joh Guk who finds himself amputated. We expected to follow her ascent to the final stage but she was reduced to a hurry and condensed in the last minutes. shame!
We enjoyed the OST representing well the atmosphere between romance and politics as well as the tension and outpouring of feelings of our characters. The plot although slow is pleasant, whether it is the game of the cat of the mouse of the main couple, the corruption of the powerful or money. The mixture fulfills its purpose of making us discover a pleasant drama.
The Korean drama The Cityhall is an unexpected romance that can turn a city upside down and especially a man's career plans. We recommend watching it on Dramapassion, if you haven't already!
