Home » Reviews » No Gain No Love review: Shin Min-ah and Kim Young-dae's show loses its charm mid-way
No Gain No Love review: Shin Min-ah and Kim Young-dae's show loses its charm mid-way
No Gain No Love is filled with complexities and diverts from what it originally was, thus making it not as much a worthy watch
3.0/5
Oct 01, 2024
No Gain No Love
Story:
Hae-yeong wants to get married to attain company benefits and become a recognized employee. She does get recognition, but it leads to a lot of turmoil in her life. She falls in love with her fake husband Ji-uk, but struggles to show it, and when she does, his identity is revealed. Thus, they go through a lot of back-and-forth. Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon also have a story to tell, and theirs is a hate-to-love relationship.
Review:
Back when it began on August 26, Shin Min-ah and Kim Young-dae's No Gain No Love was just what every K-Drama fan was hoping to see for a long time. Here comes Hae-yeong (Min-ah) who hates losing, and then there's angelic Ji-wook (Young-dae) who is too perfect in both behaviour and looks but being an introvert, he keeps both of his sides hidden. As the episodes progress, you see him come out of his shell, only to face hot-and-cold situations through every person in his life. He's almost living the life of a puppet, and with a fake wedding with a strong-headed woman like Hae-yeong, his life takes many twists-and-turns, almost too many to handle. While Young-dae is brilliant in his role, his character could have focused on only one complex aspect - being a puppet in the name of husband, being abandoned by his family, or how he was connected to Hae-yeong even before she knew it. The complexity of the character kills the vibe of what set out to be a fun show. Although the thrill elements were welcomed, downing one and coming up with another just worked against the whole character and show. Given that the lead character gets such a treatment, you're surely up for disappointment.
As for Hae-yeong, Min-ah is brilliant initially and almost till the end, except that the show itself took a super depressing turn towards the finale. While we would root for Hae-yeong and Min-ah, it's tough to back the story, which almost dragged on for a while.
Hae-yeong as a human went through various emotions since she was in school. Min-ah brought those emotions to life and proved that she had her nails dug deep into this character. Her chemistry with Go-wook brought out the fun elements on the show, but as they matured, that comedy element died down. Thanks to that, No Gain No Love turned dramatic and slightly romantic for nearly four episodes out of 12.
Talking of the chemistry between Shin Min-ah and Kim Young-dae, it is very faded. Although they are great actors and they shared cute romantic moments (some going down in history), it isn't the best chemistry we've seen on-screen, especially for a K-Drama. The duo try to redeem themselves with a kiss, but it's not that appealing. Somewhere, the story demanded that too, and that's where everything lacked - that the story should have been better told rather than it impact the chemistry between the leads. And we're not saying they don't share beautiful moments. They have some really special moments on the show, but it all gets overshadowed as the show moves forward.
Han Ji-hyun's Ja-yeon and Lee Sang-yi's Bok Gyu-hyun, who were looked down upon in the beginning of the show, are instead the ones who shine before No Gain No Love comes to an end. Their awkward encounters turn to the sweetest (planned) ones. They got four episodes to explore their love story, and in brief time, the two shared quite some memorable moments. Sang-yi, especially, getting into the action hero avatar, came out of the syllabus, and we're not complaining at all.
No Gain No Love set out as a comedy, and Go-wook, in the role of U-jae, along with Lee You-jin's Secretary Yeo, played a perfect role inside the office. Bok Gyu's family, consisting of Choi Jin-ho's Ki-ho and Lee Il-hwa's Jeong-a, is just as hilarious. Master Jang, played by Yoon Seo-hyun, had his moments, too.
When looking into Hae-yeong's family, it was a mix of emotional and practical. While her mother Eun-ok (Yoon Bok-in) worked on emotions, thus leading to a lot of turmoil, Hae-yeong's adopted sister Hui-seung (Joo Min-kyung)'s practicality in life helped strike the perfect balance in the story. Of course, the actors got their brief opportunities to shine, and they did their job well.
Lee Do-guk, in the role of Ja-yeon's murderer father got just one episode, but he really got into his character, and the scare was real. Special mention to Lovely Runner star Byeon Woo-seok, who appeared in one scene and almost nailed it.
The story was set inside a house, convenience store, a studio, or in the lanes. There isn't much wow factor when it comes to locations, and that's good because the fans could focus on what's unfolding. The locations were focused on in the finale episode, and that worked, too. As for the cinematography, there isn't a moment that anything felt out of place, so the crew has put in their effort, and it shows. The editing, especially in the last episode, definitely could be better, though. The episode saw a lot of back-and-forth and appeared rushed. This definitely did not work in favour of the show.
Verdict:
No Gain No Love loses its charm mid-way. There's a lot this series tries to dabble into and that is the major aspect which works against them. The very fact that from comedy, this drama turns to depressing, is as much a thumbs down. We'd suggest you cherish the first few episodes and the special moments in them but then move on, if you wish to save yourself some time and tears.
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