Since the announcement of JTBC’s weekend drama The Art of Negotiation and Lee Je Hoon’s trailer photo, fans have been anticipating Lee Je Hoon’s performance and the renowned director Ahn Pan Seok’s work. Yet, the drama feels quite niche and not captivating enough to hold everyone’s interest. Will it fall flat like plummeting stocks or shake up the viewer ratings?
Assembling an impressive roster of acclaimed directors and A-list talent, the lineup showcased three of Korea’s most respected directors: Ahn Pan Seok, Kim Seok Yoon and Shim Na Yeon. The familiar cast, who have worked in many previous dramas created by Ahn such as Something In The Rain, includes popular actors such as Lee Je Hoon, Kim Dae Myung, Ahn Hyun Ho, Cha Kang Yoon, and Sung Dong Il. While the cast may be stellar, little could be said about the story so far.
The Art of Negotiation is an office drama – meaning it will take place mostly in a business setting and revolve around corporate scandal and politics. If you’re looking for romance, look left. If you’re in search of action, turn right. This drama is more so a mental thriller and evokes the essence of Detective Conan (through Lee Je Hoon’s legendary M&A specialist character Yun Ju No) and mimics Ace Attorney through the setting and plot. Ahn Pak Seok is accredited for his realistic work and it shows through this drama. Without a doubt, fans of business deals and internal conflicts can get a valid look into Korea’s company culture and understand M&A jargon and concepts at a deeper level. However, fans of K-Dramas usually come for some sort of escapism or unrealistic storyline and the series feels limiting as exciting plots only meagerly seep through via pro-longed dialogue or sensational business circumstances. See the trailer below for a preview of what’s to come.
In episode one, the executive team of Sanin Group discovered from their chairman in a dull meeting that they are over 11 Trillion Won in debt and they are acting surprised by this- how and why? Almost like they have no sense or stake in the company, the CFO must be terrible at his job or is merely deceiving the company and is planning internal sabotage. It feels like viewers need to piece together these sort of epic conclusions rather than these dramatic possibilities being actuality. Perhaps these are plots awaiting us in future episodes? The series has a quality to evoke the viewers’ thoughts more so than spoon-feeding a story.
Although a sense of suspense looms among businesses, mergers and acquisitions alike, the conversations between characters feel bland and the big numbers and unimaginable debt are the only shock factor. There are bits of workplace comedy thrown in (such as interns fetching coffee and pressing all the buttons on the elevator to slow down other interns) and makes for a good chuckle, dividing up the seriousness of it all. Still, the beginning isn’t drawing viewers in as quickly as it could and should.
The scoring is well done but at times feels over-embellished and misplaced. Silence speaks louder than words (or helps emphasize the importance of dialogue) but various conversations are easily interrupted by the blaring percussion. Not everything is as suspenseful as it seems but the drama heavily pushes the notion. It isn’t to say the scoring is bad just too in our faces at times.
Towards the end of the episodes, the drama does succeed in leaving audiences at a cliffhanger and curious about what is to come out of this monopolizing chess game. Lee Je Hoon’s character has an admirable air about him as his wit and rationality shine through. He is a realistic intellect and his ability to use the power of Korean “noonchi” (reading the room) really comes to life through the precarious business dilemmas. While there is no clarity on who the biggest enemy may be just yet, as viewers can expect more plot twists to come and shake things up, this slow and steady start of the series leaves viewers talking for sure. Fans want a trump card to be revealed and seem to anticipate sacrifices to be made like a final gambit leading to a bigger goal or unexpected conclusion. Although the first episode was lukewarm, episode two definitely heated things up and the future previews may keep us hanging around a little longer. Rule of thumb, give every series until episode three because once the big ball drops, you’ll be hooked and on for the ride. If Lee Je Hoon’s sexy silver hair hasn’t done that already, that is.
Overall, The Art of Negotiation is a pivotal source of Korea’s business culture and ethics. The series is dialogue heavy and dependent so staying focused is crucial between scenes and the show will sharpen viewer’s abilities to read between the lines. Despite the stellar cast and production behind it, the drama is niche and not for everyone. Viewers may hate its dull atmosphere or become deeply invested in this series. Everyone can look forward to the unique story to be told in this particular genre. (6.5/10)
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