A new favorite drama! Which is amazing because I feel like the more dramas you watch, the harder it is to find a new one to love and enjoy unconditionally (I say this, but the last drama I finished and adored to pieces was Search: WWW and I watched it a week ago). But UGH I haven't been this emotionally invested in a story in a WHILE and the ginormous amount of character growth from beginning to end, I'm- I'm actually sobbing.
When I started watching this, I enjoyed the wacky dynamic between the two leads and the ridiculously cute situations they got themselves into, but then feelings and plot started getting real and I grew to love these characters and their stories, as well as the city of Inju; soon enough it was nighttime and I was sobbing into my blanket because FEELS and PAIN and LOVE. This drama ends at a place that is so far away from where it started, and it has been such a fun, beautiful, and heart aching journey. I truly adore City Hall and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Review by chillikunBlockedParent2021-03-06T10:49:14Z
For some reason, since I've began watching dramas, dramas that have been created more than a decade ago; they just seem to have so much more sincerity and authenticity to the story and the actors' portrayal of the characters.City Hall is not an exception to this phenomenon, truly a gem among the many dramas that have been released.
I was very hesitant to watch this drama at first since it's main focus was about politics and I'm not a fan of politics, I don't even know what goes around politics but after watching this drama it was just DAEBAK!!! I have watched Into the RIng I expected this to be also more focused on politics but it was more melodramatic !!
PLOT
City Hall is a story of two individuals who crossed paths in the arena of small town politics and corporate-political intrigues, infused with family secrets, driven with personal convictions and beliefs, and highly-charged with honey sweet, yet tastefully romantic scenes.
Although the story's treatment of these issues can seemingly be simplified and leaning on the melodramatic, you can still find little bits of truth in every issue presented in City Hall. And what I appreciate about this is the fact that it's love story develops at the second half and how it strikes a balance between love and politics. Thus, viewers get to see how Mi Rae and Jo Guk develop their romance from disgust and awkwardness to curiously interesting and becomes a love that's tugging-at-your-sleeve-and-asking-for-some-attention.
CAST
Cha Seung Won unarguably pulled the stops as he embodies the smart, cynical, confident, charismatic, and ambitious Jo Gook, yet still charmingly capture the quirky, romantic side of a man pulled apart by his desire to follow his heart, achieve his political dreams, familial loyalty and paternal approval, and protect the person he loves most from the damaging life of politics.
Kim Suh Ah impress with her amazing acting in her role as Shin Mi Rae, whose conscience and idealistic nature, clashes with those who are more driven with personal benefits than social and political obligations, and torn between protecting the town and its people, keeping her personal beliefs and convictions, entangled in political intrigues, and her unflinching love for the ambitious Jo Gook.
Cha Seung Won and Kim Sun Ah have created such beautiful chemistry and evoked so much emotion through this drama.They really seemed experts on falling in love onscreen! The supporting casts did a great job too, they played their characters well.
VERDICT
To get the negatives out of the way, the cinematography is nothing to write home about and I just flat out did not like any of the music. It wasn't to the point of being offensive to the senses so thankfully I could ignore it for the most part, but it added nothing to the drama. There was a song here that was really fun to hear, it left me a joyful feeling upon hearing it at that time I was watching this.
And that's pretty much it as far as negatives go. The entire bloody cast is absolutely perfect in every role. The episodes flow smoothly, really no dragging parts that I recall, and this show keeps a person absolutely hooked. Kim Sun Ah's character is amazing and inspiring! If you're turned off by her character in the beginning, keep watching. Both leads go through so much fantastic growth and have so much depth.
Unexpectedly amazing show which you will watch more than once. A definite watch if you miss NaNa (Into the Ring) and Shin Hye Sun (Mr.Queen) .. Shin Mi Rae is truly an eccentric character etched in the history books of K-Drama !!!