Liga do Fogão (2019)

Good acting; Good plot.

After reading the reviews on dramalist as well as on other sites, I decided to give this ‘award-winning’ show a go.

From the start, it was intriguing. I am not a sporty person and know basically nothing about sports. However, not knowing anything about baseball did not get in the way of appreciating this drama. As you watch the show, you’ll learn a bit here and there about baseball and you’ll learn more about the sport via googling! LOL.

Watch because:
-acting is very good
-cast fits the show
-show moves fast enough on the whole
-it’s actually quite intriguing for non-sports people like myself because you learn about baseball
-refreshing that it’s not about love lines and skin ship
-heartening to see the players’ love and passion for baseball

The parts that I didn’t like:
-not many scenes in which they actually play baseball but I guess it’s because it’s the ‘hot stove league’
-the middle part became a little draggy imo
-the ‘trying to disband the baseball team’ plot got kind of tiring

Overall, watch this as it’s a nice change from the usual K dramas out there which focus on love lines / skin ship.

I liked it.

Leia Mais

A Sports Drama Without the Sports, Probably for the Better

It's no secret that sports are a traditionally a difficult subject to make movies about. Their oft repetitive nature and potential reliance on various sets of information and jargon can lead to uniform plots (like in many western films) or necessarily exaggerated depictions (like in the common sports anime). It's likely for this reason that this drama in particular opted to move away from a depiction of a sport itself but rather into the management of said sport, a truly unique approach. Indeed, it's most common that the management behind sports teams are often the villains of the sports world and rarely the heroes. This fresh- and potentially brave- perspective lends the drama elements of unpredictability and intrigue that serve to make it as captivating as the first drama you've ever seen; that is to say, before you'd experienced that onslaught of trope recycling in every genre.

Don't get me wrong, there are tropes present in this drama, the most notable of course being the premise of the show, in which a brilliant man with a troubled past and a jaded attitude appears and makes everyone upset in the process of putting some well-meaning ignorants in their place. (But I promise he's a nice guy, see? He almost smiled!) Despite this admittedly off-putting central theme, the show managed to surpass my expectations and keep me captivated enough to finish it in a few sittings (quite impressive, with my track record). How? A combination of excellent acting, building tension, and a fast-paced plot. All while managing to develop characters with believable personas and backstories. At this point I'd usually spend about eight paragraphs describing each of these aspects in more detail, but I get the sneaking suspicion no one really cares about the minutia of that.

Unfortunately, there were (in my opinion) a few blunders here and there. Besides the endlessly frustrating trope of a man coming in to do a job better than the woman ever could, there's a bit of plot repetition regarding the main character doing something outrageous, everyone getting upset over it, and then them realizing he was right all along. Also, the reasons he was right can sometimes feel contrived, and other times are contradicted by a later scene. You get the feeling that the writers are hoping some of it will go over your head like with many hospital dramas. And, although I respect the character development they did have, and the character dynamics on the whole were excellent, I feel like we could have seen better explorations of the redemption arcs where they were present.

On the whole, however, this was certainly an excellent show. Even someone like me, who doesn't usually touch sports media with a ten foot pole, finds themselves invested in the conflicts and cheering at the victories. Through excellent execution, production, and perspective, the showrunners created an experience that was utterly interesting and sometimes even moving. And, while the exclusion of a majority of the actual sports aspect of the show is initially jarring, it is quickly revealed for the brilliance that it is: a sports drama without the sports.

Leia Mais

Ne rien connaître au baseball et diriger une équipe, quel cjallenge !

Je l’ai vraiment aimé, mais je l’aurais bien mieux apprécié si je n’étais pas une bille totale en baseball, et c’est un peu gênant quand tout le drama repose sur ce sport américain qui a contaminé les Coréens et les Japonais. Je l’ai regardé sur VIKI au début, puis je suis revenue à ma version anglais, les traducteurs de VIKI ne connaissent apparemment pas le saut de ligne, d’où des lignes interminables, truffées de termes techniques sans parler de ce qui n’est pas technique mais qui est souvent traduit en mot à mot !
Bref, je suis donc revenue à l’anglais, et en ne cherchant pas à comprendre les termes techniques du jeu (d’ailleurs ce sont toujours les mêmes et au bout d’un moment ils sont de moins en moins gênants) mais en me concentrant sur tout ce qui était dialogue entre personnages, et tout ce qui me permettait de suivre l’intrigue, l’évolution des personnages, c’était finalement plus facile et ça m’a permis d’apprécier cette histoire d’amitié, de rivalités, avec des personnages forts et intéressants.
La directrice des opérations Park Eun Bin est le genre d’héroïne que j’adore : forte, ne minaudant pas, assumant son rôle, tenant tête aux homme et s’en faisant respecter dans un milieu pratiquement totalement masculin! Bien sûr Namgang Min est parfait, comme d’habitude : il maîtrise parfaitement ce personnage en apparence froid et dur qui cache ses fêlures, qu’on ne découvre que tardivement, en évitant soigneusement tout côté mélodramatique. Tous les autres sont tout à fait à la hauteur, particulièrement Park Jin Woo, acteur principalement de cinéma vu dans des films de Bong Jon Hoo.
Le personnage central est l’équipe des Dreams, les marchandages de joueurs entre les saisons, les entraînements, les problèmes de santé des athlètes, le recrutement des « newbies », la lutte perpétuelle entre le profit, l’amour du jeu pour lui-même, la vie d’un joueur quand il ne jouera plus, et ça, même sans rien y connaître, c’est tout à fait passionnant ! La vie de l’équipe est montrée dans ses coulisses, et pas seulement dans les affrontements sur le terrain.
Donc, en résumé, si vous pouvez ne pas vous laisser dissuader par le côté technique, ce drama vaut vraiment le coup.

Leia Mais

An underdog story

I had heard a lot of good things about this one. It's true — you don't have to know anything about baseball to enjoy it. In fact, there's probably about ten minutes of baseball actually being played.

It's more about the relationships between coworkers and family, about the tension of corporate politics, about your balancing your dreams and being realistic, and about the characters who have to work together to actually put the teams together despite lack of support, funding, and everything else. In that sense, Hot Stove League really is an underdog story. This is one of those dramas where it's a string of mini arcs, one after the other, but it always feels very cohesive. The core group really grows on you, too.

I think the male lead is also one of the most interesting personalities I've seen in a kdrama. He's a little awkward and aloof but it makes for really interesting ways to resolve situations and really unusual character dynamics. Min Namkoong plays the character really well, from the subtle micro-expressions to the really heavy emotional scenes.

There are some plots that are a little jumpy here and there, and I also wish we had more closure for different characters in the last episode. There are so many arcs that I just wish got a little "epilogue" moment, even if we just montaged through it. Overall, though, this show was really worth the watch.

Leia Mais

Dans mon top 5 des séries coréennes non sentimentales

Série finie : les dialogues sont excellents, l'argumentation sur la place de chacun, l'importance de la fierté de l'honneur personnel dans son travail, des personnages attachants, tout ça en font une excellente série, je pense. Un petit bémol sur la traduction (?) Certains épisodes seraient plus clairs si la traduction valorisait plus la cohérence et le sens global et moins les implicites, surtout pour des Européens pas forcément habitués aux sous-entendus. En dehors de quelques incohérences de traduction, ça peut être une technique pour valoriser le spectateur qui se sent obligé de réfléchir plus vite que les épisodes (comme dans les thrillers de qualité), mais ça peut aussi décourager pas mal de spectateurs.
Il faut quand même comprendre un peu comment marche le base-ball aussi mais c'est amusant de se documenter. Un très bon moment à ne pas manquer !

Leia Mais

I'm finally finish it and strangely without skip a little bit. Usual sport drama usually focused more on the player as main lead and we will watching him growth in the drama. This drama is about newly appointed general manager of baseball team (who knows nothing about baseball) to 'manage' Dreams team that always rank bottom in few season consecutively.

For a drama focused on sport it has different plot with usual sport drama, instead the drama give us another point of view--> internal management of a sport club : GM, operational , marketing , scout , and analysis department. I know literally NOTHING about baseball but this give me new knowledge enough about a sports club such as scouting, trading player, contract negotiation, match analysis.

This is my first time watching Nam Gong Min as Lead character and i enjoyed his stone-stoic-flat character and the lead female too. last episode definitely my favorite, and i was so happy watching Lee Je hon as cameo there, he is something.This drama maybe not flawless but overall I enjoy it

Leia Mais

This show is NOT: A romance drama. And NOT: A baseball drama.

Why not a baseball drama? Well... It's about the time between seasons, so there can't be any games played. We actually see only bits of a game at the start and pieces of two practice games. That's all.
This drama is more about the politics and management side of professional baseball in South Korea. If you are not a fan of strategic machinations and emotional development of characters, you might want to give this show a miss.

I liked that the drama does not insult its audience's intelligence. It does not spell out every little thing, it does not repeat the same information endlessly, and there are several times when little throwaway comments or actions make an impact in later episodes. This is not a drama to watch while doing other things.

I especially liked how realistic the actions of (almost) every character was. In systemic coaching (which I'm starting to learn for professional reasons), two of the main theses are: "Every person's actions make sense for that one person within the current situation, always." and "Every decision has a prize and a price."
Even if some things are only hinted at, or not fully explained, there's this feeling that every character has their own motivation for their decisions. There is no pure good or evil, just people.
The actors did a terrific job in bringing their characters to life.

I'm also glad that the writer did not try to force a romance into the plot. The dynamics between the two main characters were of the profesional sort, maybe with a hint of a possible friendship, but nothing more.

And one last thing I loved is the ending. This is not a 100% happy, team-spirit-has-overcome-everything ending, but an ending which rather shows that even though you might have grown, things will probably not work out like you would have wanted them to. For me, that was absolutely satisfying.

[this is an updated version of the review I posted on Viki]

Leia Mais

There’s a reason it won Baeksang best tv drama award

Talent is everywhere,winning attitude is not.
This drama depicts this quote in 16 wholesome episodes.
So happy to see Park Euin Bin after age of youth.
Story- Initial episodes show how savage our new manager Baek is . It keeps getting interesting as every ep passes by . You will connect with each and every player of Dreams . With a good pace gives closure for every character by the end. No, you wont get bored at any point in the drama . I had zero knowledge about baseball and it didn’t make any difference in my experience for this ride.
Try 1 ep and you’ll get hooked to it.

Leia Mais

An unusual twist on sports genre

This show looks like an ordinary show about sports, but this is more than about a sport, its about teams and the behind the scenes of a successful sports club.
The writers have done such a phenomenal job on every character. Each have thier time to shine, thier own story and have thier reasons for everything. By the end of the show you'll love each one of the characters. I'll miss all of them so much!
The whole show is very enjoyable with unexpected twists and turns never a dull moment. You wont be able to really take your mind off the storyline!
The actors have done a great job too! Namgoong min is one of my favourite actors, I love how he switches up alot of roles and does such unique dramas. I also loved watching park eun bin who was also there in age of youth that I very much enjoyed watching! All the actors were remarkable and I'd support all of them in the future :)
I also loved how so many problems in the society are highlighted be it psychological or even physical discrimination, in such a subtle way.
The way the team works and thier motivated and pumped up attitudes are so nice to see. It's so nice to see how the team builds up from the ground level of mess to one of the best teams.

Truly refreshing show that shows a whole new perspective on a sports teams.

Leia Mais

Wow! This drama... I am honestly at loss for words how this drama gave me such unexpected feelings! I also learned a lot about baseball and how it's managed. However, it doesn't only revolve in baseball at all. It tackles baseball POLITICS which you don't likely see in a drama.

The plot is so unique and refreshing! From the beginning, knowing that Dreams has been a team that lost many times, it feels like it was hopeless for the team to rise up again, until, newly hired general manager Baek Seung Soo, came into the picture. I couldn't help but admire this man. He was calm, smart, and was very witty. I couldn't help but agree to him with every decision he has made because it was all backed up by facts and evidence. I would also like to applaud for his colleagues, Se Young and Jae Hee are the purest and lovable characters and they're the people who actually worked hard in order to achieve their dreams. I definitely loved how the characters and the plot blended so much. There was such a balance between, the pure and genuine characters, and the corrupt and money-hungry characters. I really loved the execution and the flow of how Dreams started as a team that seems disbanded until they were brought together as one.

I have no words for the acting. Honestly, I can't say anything about Namgoong Min because, from the beginning, I knew he'd deliver it well. He exceeded my expectations!! His character was very complex and mysterious from the beginning 'til the end of the drama and that's why he was very memorable and iconic. There were glimpses of Seung Soo's past, to give us an idea of why he has such a cold aura. I would also like to emphasize on Park Eun Bin. This is my first drama of her and I am so happy with her character and how she delivered Se Young. Se Young is someone bright, cheerful, smart, and very hard-working. I literally had no hard feelings for her character while watching and I loved how she blended with Seung Soo and didn't just treat him as her boss but as her friend as well. Jo Byeong Gu was very fun to watch! Seeing him in such a mature role made me root for him to do more roles like this because he can actually portray diverse roles! Let me mention the supporting cast. They were great! I really loved rooting for them to be better in every episode. Oh Jung Se as the CEO was great. I used to see him in dramas with comedic roles, but seeing him in such a serious role in this drama and executing it well, says a lot about how great his acting skills are.

The OST was great. I really love hearing Kim Dong Hyeok's "Full Power" in every end credits and it just gives off the vibe of how strong the drama is and because of the OST, you'll root for more when it comes to the next eps.

Overall, the storyline was very refreshing and the acting was brilliant. The OST was very empowering. The whole drama felt so warm and encouraging for each and every one of us to be better and reach our dreams. I've learned so much in this drama and one of them is that success wouldn't be achieved if you're alone. This drama will make you be part of something that you'll actually root for by seeing through their hardships and seeing the people who work behind the baseball team. This drama deserved everything to win the Best Drama for Baeksang Awards!

Leia Mais

I guess I understand why it became the best drama.

I got interested to this drama because I love baseball, and I never watched any baseball-related dramas. I tried to give it a try since it won an award. I tried to be chill while watching it but I just couldn't! haha. I love the acting (I'm not really familiar with the actors, I even thought the players were the real baseball players lol). I love how every character has their own story and their own reason to do such things, not only being overshadowed by the main character. I also like the story line, the character development, the conflicts, it always got me on nerve whenever the problems came, I mean, why it'd be so hard for the general manager to make the team win????? hahaha.

I learned a lot from this drama. I guess I can take some lessons from every character in this drama lol. It really out of my expectation, so cheers to the final 9/10 ratings from me!

Leia Mais