The last episode of the K-drama Café Minamdang recently ended on the 23rd of August. The drama series has been adapted from the web novel “Minamdang: Case Note” written by Jung Jae-ha and is available on the platform KakaoPage. In fact, during a web novel contest on the platform, “Minamdang: Case Note” won the grand prize. The K-drama is directed by Go Jae-Hyun and is categorized under the genres of mystery, romance, and comedy. Screenwriter Park Hye-jin took inspiration from Jung Jae-ha’s web novel and created a beautiful plot for Café Minamdang.
The series premiered its first episode on 27th June 2022 and continued till 23rd August 2022 with 18 episodes. It aired two episodes on Monday and Tuesday of each week on KBS2 at 9:50 pm KST. Besides live broadcast, it is also available on Netflix. The main cast member Seo In-Guk plays the role of protagonist Nam Han-Joon, the former police officer. The other cast members include Kwak Si-yang as Gong Soo-Cheol, the former detective and barista, Oh Yeon-Seo as Han Jae-hui, the charming detective, Kwon Soo-Hyun as Cha Do-won, the prosecutor, and Kang Mi-na as Nam Hye-Joon, Nam Han-Joon’s sister.
Also Read: Get To Know The Café Minamdang Cast!
Café Minamdang Review
The mystery series tells the tale of a former criminal profiler and shaman, Nam Han-Joon. It narrates his experiences with his co-worker Gong Soo-Cheol, and his sister Nam Hye-Joon as they solve cases one after the other from the Café Minamdang. Nam Han-Joon is a very lovable character in the series. His character is built up with a charismatic personality and charming speaking skills in an addition to his attractive looks. With his charm, he could easily trick people.
But he is no scammer. Han-Joon works in the Minamdang Expert team with three other people, including Nam Hye-Jun, his sister, and a former member of the National Intelligence Service. Two other members of the Expert team include Gong Su-Cheol, a former member of the police force, and Jo Na-Dan, who takes care of the actual operations. The hardest worker on the team is Nam Hye-Jun, with her amazing detecting skills. Her work makes it easier for Nam Han-Joon to carry out his predictions. However, as his involvement gets regular at these crime scenes, the local detectives begin to suspect him. The Minamdang team, with its talented crew members, is always faster than the local Daeun Police forces in solving the crimes. Then starts the chase between the two teams.
The series has all the elements to make its place on the list of best K-dramas. The chemistry between cast members Seo In-Guk, Kwak Si-yang, Oh Yeon-Seo, and Nam Hye-Joon rubs off on their characters. However, the chemistry between Oh Yeon-Seo and Seo In-guk did not seem to work very well. The mystery element was enjoyable, but the comic elements might need some brushing. Many believe that the series could have been much more entertaining if it was shorter, but the action scenes make it more bearable.
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Fan Reviews And Trigger Warnings
Director Go Jae-Hyun usually deals with murder mystery stories with supernatural twists. His other directed works include Syndrome (2012), Black (2017), Player (2018), Dinner Mate (2020), and Crime Puzzle (2021). Café Minamdang begins on a very exciting note with a lot of mystery to unfold. It leaves the viewers with curiosity to know more about the characters and their history. What makes it more fun to watch is the chemistry between the co-workers. While it has all the potential to be the next big K-drama, there’s always a but. Fans have complained about the series being a bit stretched and the lack of quality in the romance angle. Unlike the Minamdang team, the chemistry is lacking between the male and female lead.
If you’re yet to watch Café Minamdang, check out for the trigger warnings. Since it deals with crime, there are a lot of times you might come across the topic of murder, suicide, and rape throughout the series. If you’re affected by the aforementioned topics, please take the required measures before watching the show.
Also Read: Meet Nam Han Joon’s Awesome Trio In Cafe Minamdang Episode 2!
