If you are looking for romantic thrills, bear in mind that this show is pretty much a Romance in name only, with almost zero sexual tension/contact and tepid chemistry between the leads. Aside from that caveat, I would rate it as middle of the pack all around. No particularly outstanding points, but on the other hand, nothing really cringeworthy either. The acting was decent, and after the first 2 episodes, the story had adequate momentum to keep me watching. Also, the ending wasn't dragged out or contrived, like a lot of other K-Dramas. In short, if you are looking for a light romcom that doesn't require a great deal of attention/ investment, you might like this one.
8 Reviews
Almost there...
elbehar14 February 2024
Since the moment they met it has been a series of misuderstandings and a love/hate relationship that never ends.
Though a bit slow in the begging finally aroung half way through it gets things interesting. Unfortunatelly you wait most of the drama to find the romance in the story.
To be honest if it wasn't for the chemestry and the acting of the actors I wouldn't have gone past the 2nd episode.
Of course Sung Hoon is absolutely sexy and perfect in the role of the stuck-up almost obnoxuois CEO. Han Bo-reumplaya an acertive young woman that believes deeply in doing the right thing for her team and the company she loves.
Together they over come their differences and rebuild their banckrupt company back to it's glory.
Though a bit slow in the begging finally aroung half way through it gets things interesting. Unfortunatelly you wait most of the drama to find the romance in the story.
To be honest if it wasn't for the chemestry and the acting of the actors I wouldn't have gone past the 2nd episode.
Of course Sung Hoon is absolutely sexy and perfect in the role of the stuck-up almost obnoxuois CEO. Han Bo-reumplaya an acertive young woman that believes deeply in doing the right thing for her team and the company she loves.
Together they over come their differences and rebuild their banckrupt company back to it's glory.
Forgettable But Fun
fake_moviestar20 February 2023
Level Up was a fun watch but ultimately a bit forgettable.
I had never heard of this show before and decided to give it a shot.
The first episode didn't really impress me, but I am glad I ended up continuing to watch. The show hit its stride around the end of the second episode, and I began to really become fond of the characters and wanted to know how the main conflict would end.
The ML is a bit robotic but in a fun/humorous way that felt stale at first but turned funny about 1/3 of the way through. I thought that Sung Hoon did a great job with this quirky character, and the rare but more emotional moments of the show demonstrated that he is a good actor. The FL was silly but relatable, and she grew on me as well. The overall premise about saving bankrupt companies was different and interesting, and I really enjoyed watching this tiny gaming company come back from the dead.
Overall the show wasn't anything super special, but it was an enjoyable comedy. To be honest there was extremely little romance, and if you go into the show hoping for it you will be disappointed. But the comedy aspects were well done and some parts had me laughing out loud. Definitely worth a one off watch as a silly, fun comedy.
I had never heard of this show before and decided to give it a shot.
The first episode didn't really impress me, but I am glad I ended up continuing to watch. The show hit its stride around the end of the second episode, and I began to really become fond of the characters and wanted to know how the main conflict would end.
The ML is a bit robotic but in a fun/humorous way that felt stale at first but turned funny about 1/3 of the way through. I thought that Sung Hoon did a great job with this quirky character, and the rare but more emotional moments of the show demonstrated that he is a good actor. The FL was silly but relatable, and she grew on me as well. The overall premise about saving bankrupt companies was different and interesting, and I really enjoyed watching this tiny gaming company come back from the dead.
Overall the show wasn't anything super special, but it was an enjoyable comedy. To be honest there was extremely little romance, and if you go into the show hoping for it you will be disappointed. But the comedy aspects were well done and some parts had me laughing out loud. Definitely worth a one off watch as a silly, fun comedy.
Good Enough
PennyReviews27 August 2019
I will be honest, I am writing this review a week after finishing this drama and I found myslf not able to remember how it ended. I remember that there was a company that made video games and they called the male lead to save it. The romance and the love triangle, were both weak and were kind of out of nowhere, as the drama focused more on other themes than the romance. The story, in addition, was a bit boring at times and felt like it didn't have any point in the end.
What I liked about it were the characters. They were well created and enjoyable. However, they had only twelve episodes to develop, so not any major character development there. Plus, the performances were good from everyone in the cast, especially the side characters.
So, overall, six out of ten.
What I liked about it were the characters. They were well created and enjoyable. However, they had only twelve episodes to develop, so not any major character development there. Plus, the performances were good from everyone in the cast, especially the side characters.
So, overall, six out of ten.
Came for Sung Hoon, Stayed for Everyone!
elvirammomo9 June 2022
I'm watching 3 years after it came out and I don't get all the hateraring in regards to the plot of the show. This is a solid 9.2 to me! Lol Han Bo Reum and Sung Hoon were hilarious! The plot was interesting to me, I was invested. And Sung Hoon is a perfect comedic actor (not the best romantic actor srrynotsrry) so that sold it for me.
This reminded me of Start Up because there is so much focus on the industry they work in, their jobs, and what they want to achieve, and it had a bit of that second lead syndrome Start Up is hated for (by me ). But it was actually funny unlike Start Up serious 🍑 🙄
The one criticism I have is the romantic plot, this could just be categorized as a comedy because they missed the romantic beats we needed to get to were we got at the LAST episode. We needed some more lingering longing looks early on, some accidental/drunk confession, one character going out of their way to do something for the other like GURL SOMETHING that told me they liked liked each other, it was very professional for much too long and then they fashioned a romance plot last minute...which turned out cute and funny but still.
This reminded me of Start Up because there is so much focus on the industry they work in, their jobs, and what they want to achieve, and it had a bit of that second lead syndrome Start Up is hated for (by me ). But it was actually funny unlike Start Up serious 🍑 🙄
The one criticism I have is the romantic plot, this could just be categorized as a comedy because they missed the romantic beats we needed to get to were we got at the LAST episode. We needed some more lingering longing looks early on, some accidental/drunk confession, one character going out of their way to do something for the other like GURL SOMETHING that told me they liked liked each other, it was very professional for much too long and then they fashioned a romance plot last minute...which turned out cute and funny but still.
Lots of drama, some comedy, not much romance.
learea12 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
While I enjoyed watching the charaters slowly develop I have to say I felt unsatisfied by the end. Like the whole series was just building up to the last 5 minutes and that was all we got. Like the romance was just tacked on in a rush at the end.
A bit slow in the start and rushed at the end but the middle is worth it
leahcubed24 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An Dan-Te (Sung-Hoon) heads up a company that brings a management team to change things up for companies that are on the verge of going bankrupt. He is almost robotic in his actions and with his emotions. His next project is one he is reluctant to take on until he encounters Shin Yeon-Hwa (Han Bo-reum) who just so happens to be the head of development at Joybuster, the gaming company he is being encouraged to take on. A series of encounters outside of work do not put the two on the best footing so when An Da-Te shows up as the new CEO and one with no gaming experience, Yeon-Hwa is less than thrilled. The bright and outspoken Yeon-Hwa is quick to tell the CEO just what she thinks of him.
The first episode of this was a bit slow and failed to grab my immediate interest. I decided to give it one more episode and was glad I did. I have seen Sung-Hoon in a variety of lead roles and I enjoy watching him. He usually plays a socially adept and dashing character but in this had I not known otherwise I would have thought he was a robot. It made it very comedic to see him struggle to understand someone very full of emotions. I thought the leads had great chemistry and the surrounding characters were interesting as well. There were even some surprising plot twists. It was a great slice of the competitive gaming industry and the central plot was interesting and flowed along nicely. The ending felt a bit rushed but not so much it ruined the story. For me there were several laugh out loud moments and nothing was very sad throughout. It is a nice, feel good romantic comedy.
The first episode of this was a bit slow and failed to grab my immediate interest. I decided to give it one more episode and was glad I did. I have seen Sung-Hoon in a variety of lead roles and I enjoy watching him. He usually plays a socially adept and dashing character but in this had I not known otherwise I would have thought he was a robot. It made it very comedic to see him struggle to understand someone very full of emotions. I thought the leads had great chemistry and the surrounding characters were interesting as well. There were even some surprising plot twists. It was a great slice of the competitive gaming industry and the central plot was interesting and flowed along nicely. The ending felt a bit rushed but not so much it ruined the story. For me there were several laugh out loud moments and nothing was very sad throughout. It is a nice, feel good romantic comedy.
12 episodes
lmerana19 September 2019
For some reasons Sung Hoon always have a 12 episode kdrama but it was romantic enough. This kdrama though is the lowest among them all. His character is way boring and he always portray a CEO but the character here is annoying especially the way he talks. The plot did not help either and the leads does not have chemistry. The romantic plot was only about 30 minutes worth of the 12 episodes and the comedy is about 10% which I think is so few if this was intended to be a romantic comedy.
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