Hot Stove League review | Kdrama review

Hot Stove League is a sports drama revolving around the behind the scenes of a failing baseball team which has been the last place in the league for the last 4 years. Then comeswho takes over a Baek Seung Soo (Nam Goong Min) takes on the position of General Manager (GM) of Dreams and revamps the entire team.

The drama is also won the best drama in 56th Baeksoang Arts Awards as the best drama.

Excellent Characters

1) Baek Seung Soo

The Baek Seung Soo (Nam Goong Min) is a talented general manager who leads his teams to success but is jinxed since all of his teams keep disbanding. With such an unfortunate luck, people naturally hesitate to approach and are openly hostile to him, no matter what he does. Not only does he have to revive the baseball team but also he has clean up the managing team. This show follows show, don’t tell attitude. Nowhere is his talents mentioned but are visible throughout the show. His planning for dealing with any kind of situation no matter what the odds against him warrants him deserving the position as a general manager and he being a good judge of character really shows how he has been successful with so many teams. Till the very end, everyone would feel what has he been thinking when sets a plan in motion. Though he is kind, he isn’t naive and put the team before any individual.

2) Kwon Kyung Min

Kwon Kyung Min (Oh Jung-se) the nephew of Jaesong’s chairman and the director of this team is a very complicated character. Till the very end it feels very difficult to place him as a villain or a good guy as he always walks on the thin line between good and bad. His motivations are though look simple on the surface but as his past unravels they become more profound and it makes one feel conflicted and curious as to what side he chooses.

3) Han Jae-hee

Han Jae-hee (Jo Byung-gyu), is introduced as someone who got this job through his connections but still works hard. He might seem as a comedic relief but his dedication to the job makes you question . Also him being one of the first characters to accept Seung Soo really brings out the fun interactions between the two and helps in his growth.

4) Yoo Min-ho

Yoo Min-ho (Chae Jong-hyeop) arc really personifies the saying,’It takes a whole village to raise a child.’ In the baseball team, his arc helps in bringing out the team as a team. Whenever he is in a rut, not only the coaches try to help him but so do the older players. They look out for him and will fight for him. Moments like these make you think that the team has hope makes you cheer them on. It shows what makes a team isn’t just their personal growth but helping others grow with them.

His Yips arc is the nicest arc the series. He is sunshine personified and his strive to improve and his gratitude towards the team is heart warming. He brings a lot of humorous moments and is the beginning of resolution of conflicts.

Strong- Suits

1) Great Plotline

It has the perfect amount highs and lows that are needed to make the show interesting and entertaining. There were good conflicts and there was no lazy writing in handling them. Most of the dramas are unable to keep the excitement and humor in the later half of the series, but Stove league pulls it off with ease. The story is about teamwork and makes sure to pass the message across that no one man team that can win you trophies rather an all rounded one can. I think the story is very realistically written as in that Seung Soo doesn't fire all the employees or makes a grand show of things but rather keeps it slow in the process of team building.

The side storyline of Chairman's nephew is extremely well written and one the few storylines that don't make you want to skip to the main storyline and keeps you engaged. The dialogues deserve a special mention because they are quick, witty and very entertaining. Even the most emotional or exciting lines are not cringey.

2) Character Arcs

The show truly lives up to its message of being a team. The show is not just focused on the main character but also on the members of both the management team and the players. It focuses on the coaches and their conflicts and tries to make them come together; it shows the players their struggles and how a support team can actually plays a role in players’ well-being. The show has several character arcs focusing on players who add to the plot and bigger picture. Their problems which were witnessed at beginning get addressed one at a time and all the solutions are not only clever but well executed.

The characters arcs aside from adding to the story actually help in bringing characters’ strengths and show several emotional scenes which add depth to the plot and are perfectly time to fit right into the moment.

3) Everybody gets a chance

At the beginning you won’t find every character likable. But as the story progresses and all the characters start reaching their full potential. Every single character and actor is used to their full abilities and isn’t sidelined for the prime characters. It really makes you feel satisfied after watching the drama.

The show does not villainize anybody just like that. Rather the show explores the character motivations and their thoughts, making you sympathize with them and help in understanding the reasoning behind the actions. If someone has done something wrong, they still get a chance to improve themselves. It is refreshing to see that instead of the characters being split up as good and bad we see them as real people who have both good and bad sides knowingly or unknowingly. The drama focused that everybody is a good, they just have different motives and ways to achieve them, though that can sometimes make them a little unlikable.

4) Never a boring moment

The show never lets the viewer get bored and keeps dishing out one arc after the other. Also it does not let any thread be left hanging and resolves all the issues. In a show where there is no romance or action to fill time and entertain the audience it might seem difficult to keep up with. However this show does exactly that. Well thought out dialogues whether they’re funny or profound, the surprise cameos and the well written plot with solid characters make it a success.

Shortcomings

1) Lee Se-young

The female character has an amazing intro which makes her seem that she would play a vital role but it soon gets wasted because of her character is portrayed. She really is uncooperative and jumps to conclusions easily. Through she has more stellar writing after a couple of episodes but it many might frame the opinion of viewers based on the first episodes. She could have had more room for improvement if she had two-three episodes centred on her and her abilities as a manager. Nevertheless one cannot hate her by the end of the show.

2) Unsupportive Characters

Characters which act as an obstacle for the protagonist are always needed in a drama to show the capabilities of the lead and they play very important role in introducing conflicts. However here, every character is hostile and unfriendly without even meeting Seung soo. They are unable to accept changes easily and are not open to new ideas. The all are stiff and seem old school till the Seung Soo introduces changes. In the initial episodes the obstacles work but some are stretched till the very end. If this would have been eliminated it might have given chance to more team moments.

Final Verdict

A show cannot be successful just with the main leads acting. With a stellar cast as the one in Stove League it certainly proves that for a show to be successful it needs a team. Hopefully it paves way for more sports centric dramas. It is difficult in any story to flesh out all characters especially minor ones but this show portrays how its done. Stove League is show that leaves you wanting more and more. The drama wouldn't have been the same without its OSTs....check it out!!

Binge it on Youtube and Viki !!!