Today I turned my film needs to netflix, and once again, I was left satisfied. For a basic description, Man to Man is a “Netflix Original” about a secret agent, Kim Seol-woo (played by Park Hae-jin), and the cover he has to go under in order to complete his mission. For the current mission he is assigned to, it requires him to go under-cover. His new identity is a bodyguard for a long time celebrity, Yeo Woon-gwang (played by Park Sung-woong), but it’s not easy when he has to put up with the manager, Cha Do-ha (played by Kim Min-jung). As many could assume, hilarity ensues. With Yeo Woon-gwang having an extremely childish personality, and Cha Do-ha as an impulsive fangirl of him, Kim Seol-woo’s serious tone struggles to be maintained when dealing with the pair.
Objectively, this drama was well produced, well written, and had an overflowing abundance of well known actors. All actors have talents that are clearly shown, and portray each character with such strong emotion it’s hard not to feel one way or another. Kim Seol-woo was one of my personal favorites with how emotions were portrayed. Though I might have a slight bias due to him being one of the main characters, I found his facial expressions impactful. The smallest twitch of the corner of his mouth, or whenever his eyebrow would raise for a split second, helped convey the character’s coy, and somewhat egotistical personality. He wasn’t the only one with an ego though, for a more blatant and obvious ego heavy personality, we can look at Yeo Woon-gwang. Though he is a fairly comedic character, being a famous celebrity helped feed his own ego, as well as add faults to his characters. I found that one of the strong suits of this show, was that it highlighted each character's weakness, or flaw, in their personality. It didn’t make any one character a “mary sue” or have the main characters completely perfect and idolized. Kim Seol-woo’s weakness became a huge plot point, since this show ended up being a romance, he fell in love with Cha Do-ha.
Now, Cha Do-ha’s character is something that I am both objectively, and subjectively conflicted by. Objectively, she is a tough girl who doesn’t back down when she thinks she’s right, but suddenly and without reason she can change into something similar to a high school girl faced with her crush. Her character is also meant to bring along certain plot points, as she fights back in ways that she thinks is subtle, but actually is quite obvious to Kim Seol-woo. Subjectively, I enjoyed her character, as I first saw her as someone who wouldn’t fall for simple tricks set out in front of her, but somewhere between the first and seventh episode, I formed an odd distaste for her character. I’m not quite sure why, but I think I can assume it was when she was falling for every trick laid out by Kim Seol-woo. I know that this was simply to push the plot forward, but it can be frustrating for the audience. Though, even when my distaste formed, it didn’t mean she was unredeemable. By episode eight I started to enjoy her character again, and she developed well as she grew more mature and made clear her opinions. Instead of not speaking up and causing misunderstandings, she bluntly told Kim Seol-woo that she’ll trust him blindly, and that even if he’s lying she understands.
The chemistry between the main couple is actually really sweet and mature, with a large amount of trust and talking things out instead of assuming. There are a few second hand embarrassment scenes throughout the beginning with Do-ha, since she is a more impulsive character. I’m personally not the best with second hand embarrassment, but it was manageable, and clearly being used for a comedic effect. Another plus, no love triangle (a personal annoyance I find in most romance related things)! The bromance in this show is absolutely beautiful and gives the show an extra layer of comedy. The chemistry between Kim Seol-woo and Lee Dong-hyun (his mentor) was something that brought out extra emotion in me, be it crying and laughing. The way the pair would throw snide remarks at each other, fight over video games, and the amount of trust they had made it a beautiful bromance. A relationship full of even more laughter was Kim Seol-woo and Yeo Woon-gwang. Their brotherly banter and childish games brought light to every scene.
Now, Cha Do-ha’s character is something that I am both objectively, and subjectively conflicted by. Objectively, she is a tough girl who doesn’t back down when she thinks she’s right, but suddenly and without reason she can change into something similar to a high school girl faced with her crush. Her character is also meant to bring along certain plot points, as she fights back in ways that she thinks is subtle, but actually is quite obvious to Kim Seol-woo. Subjectively, I enjoyed her character, as I first saw her as someone who wouldn’t fall for simple tricks set out in front of her, but somewhere between the first and seventh episode, I formed an odd distaste for her character. I’m not quite sure why, but I think I can assume it was when she was falling for every trick laid out by Kim Seol-woo. I know that this was simply to push the plot forward, but it can be frustrating for the audience. Though, even when my distaste formed, it didn’t mean she was unredeemable. By episode eight I started to enjoy her character again, and she developed well as she grew more mature and made clear her opinions. Instead of not speaking up and causing misunderstandings, she bluntly told Kim Seol-woo that she’ll trust him blindly, and that even if he’s lying she understands.
The chemistry between the main couple is actually really sweet and mature, with a large amount of trust and talking things out instead of assuming. There are a few second hand embarrassment scenes throughout the beginning with Do-ha, since she is a more impulsive character. I’m personally not the best with second hand embarrassment, but it was manageable, and clearly being used for a comedic effect. Another plus, no love triangle (a personal annoyance I find in most romance related things)! The bromance in this show is absolutely beautiful and gives the show an extra layer of comedy. The chemistry between Kim Seol-woo and Lee Dong-hyun (his mentor) was something that brought out extra emotion in me, be it crying and laughing. The way the pair would throw snide remarks at each other, fight over video games, and the amount of trust they had made it a beautiful bromance. A relationship full of even more laughter was Kim Seol-woo and Yeo Woon-gwang. Their brotherly banter and childish games brought light to every scene.
To move away from characters, and towards the actually drama, the plot was something I found refreshing. While it is a romance, the audience isn’t getting romantic scenes shoved down their throat, and the pacing of the show makes sure to keep it that way. Sure, since it’s a romance, but the action breaks between sappy scenes helps keep reality set in the show for tension and other plot relevant things. There are also many scenes that really made me enjoy the show just a little more. Man to Man would sometimes completely destroy the audience’s assumptions, where the character starts to say something dramatic, or change the topic, they could be interrupted by the other person and have the current set mood completely shattered. Not only did the comedic aspects of this drama help lighten the serious mood, but it wasn’t full blown angst throughout the entire show. This helps maintain a steady attention to plot, without turning the show dry or bland.
Without too many spoilers, the ending was everything I hoped and expected. The only let down was the trope I was expecting but never got. In most romcoms the audience gets to see the couples hug or kiss as the final scene pans out, but for this one we just get them knowing that they’ll see each other and smiling as the camera pans out to a city landscape. Needless to say, that doesn’t affect my own opinion. Every character gets their end, and while it may not be the happiest, it’s the best and more realistic choices, that I found was a perfect fit for this show! Man to Man is definitely good-good.
Other shows similar to Man to Man are:
Healer
Descendants of the Sun
City Hunter
Hello Monster
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