GO JAE-HYUN directs Netflix’s South Korean series Café Minamdang, which is based on a web novel. It’s about Nam Han-joon (Seo In-guk), a former criminal profiler who poses as a shaman to steal money from people and uses Café Minandang as his base of operations. He teams up with his sister Nam Hye-Joon (Kang Mi-na), an excellent hacker, to back up his claims as he dupes others into believing he can read their facial expressions and converse with spirits. He is then introduced to investigator Han Jae-hee (Oh Yeon-seo), whose backstory connects her to Han Joon, a once-trustworthy cop. Café Minamdang’s narrative appears to be unique, but I’m not sure if it will keep up its pace in the next weeks. There is no question that the performers in the series are doing an excellent job; with such experienced actors, every scene is flawless, especially our major leading man, Seo In-Guk. He’s back with another interesting character after nailing his role in Doom At Your Service, and I’m so in love with his cool and elegant role as a shaman. He never disappoints.
His quirky personality does not excuse his character from having a lack of chemistry with Han Jae-hee. Despite the pair’s obvious set-up as eventual lovers, their ambitions, morals, and personalities are so drastically divergent at this point in the series that seeing a romantic connection growing between them becomes more challenging with each passing episode. The series’ supporting cast – unexpectedly – performs an excellent job, even the guest characters contribute amusement to their actions. One positive aspect of this series is that even if some of the cases are intricate and serious, they do not confuse you, but rather make the story more interesting due to the focus on the characters who keep the plot light. Every scene is coated with a veneer of humour.
One obvious aspect about this series is that the settings look to be a little fake, which I believe most viewers will notice, but that’s about it. Everything else appears to be virtually perfect. Overall, if you’re looking for something to watch in your spare time, this is a good option. There are no complications or stresses, just pure entertainment. I can promise you that the episodes get better each week. Obviously, I don’t enjoy waiting for new episodes, but I suppose that’s what keeps the anticipation going. This is an 18-episode series; and whether the series maintains the same level of humor till the end remains to be seen.
New episodes of Café Minamdang are available to stream on Netflix every Monday and Tuesday until the finale on Aug 23.
Cast: Seo In-Guk, Oh Yeon-seo and Kang Mi-Na
Director: Go Jae-Hyun
E-VALUE: 7
ACTING: 8
PLOT: 7
