I'm not usually one for Korean TV, and before seeing Misaeng, I never thought I'd enjoy an 'office drama' so much.
Featuring structures of the traditional 'bildungsroman', snapshots into the grueling lives of salary-men and office politics, the show intertwines these concepts with humour, emotion, reflectiveness, wisdom, finely executed through a fitting soundtrack, impeccable cinematography and directing and outstanding acting.
A solid show thematically, it handles with great sensitivity and deftness the many delicately captured aspects of human nature and society. The characters and their development throughout the story are extremely well written and by far one of the most impressive aspects of the show, fleshed out by the complexity and subtle nuance of the relationships depicted. Entirely believable in both their strengths and vulnerabilities, the show allows an audience to connect with the characters on a very fundamental level.
You will find something of yourself, or someone that you know reflected in the characters of the show, the persistent underdog in Gurae who struggles against all odds, the talented but down to earth Young Yi whose exceptional ability as a woman incurs the resentment of her colleagues, the at first seemingly stoic Oh Sang Sik who over the course of the show reveals his deep capacity for empathy and self-sacrifice. Even the 'villains' are never cliché, one-dimensional cardboard cutouts to fill a gap in the story, but all serve towards Misaeng's intimate and moving exploration of the human condition.
Misaeng shows many aspects of mundane life, but never itself, becomes mundane, taking the viewer on a at times beautifully poignant, vividly evocative and greatly inspiring journey from start to finish.
As I believe this is a show that leaves a viewer of any demographic something to take away, I'd urge anyone reading this to give it a try.
For me, Misaeng certainly gave another small unexpected fragment to the missing pieces of my 'incomplete life.'
