Stove League

This drama hits all the right notes. Folks who trivialize saying 'this is Moneyball version of K-drama' are grossly downplaying the depth of this show. There is so much happening in each episode. The first episode instantly sets-up an intriguing plot and every episode unravels something interesting or tackles a deep rooted issue.

Although its set against a Sports (Baseball) backdrop it isn't simply a Sports story. Please don't turn away thinking its a Sports drama. Infact there is hardly any on-field action through its 16 episodes length. It focuses more on the management side of the team and the problems that pop-up after years of under-performance. Along the way you may even pick up few useful tips on topics such as negotiation, presentation skills and general management.

What I loved:

• Great storyline
• Fantastic acting (Namkoong Min is a Korean treasure, however he was aptly supported by Eun-bin Park and others)
• Good explanation of important Baseball stats (on Viki) and not dumping lot of numbers on our face (easy to follow for a novice like me)

It's a pity so few people have watched this drama. It deserves much more recognition and love.

Go Dreams!

P.S. There is no romance in this drama. Just so you know ;) It also won the Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Drama for the year 2020

I didn't know what to expect , since I'm not really into baseball or Sports. But wow I was surprised. The series was really interesting and captivating. I couldn't wait for the next episode. The struggles and issues that needed to be resolved were very entertaining. I really like how the issues were overcome. Loved how everyone began to work together to get to a common goal.

The writing was really good. The characters were perfect. We got to see there ups and downs and although confronted with situations that seemed lost, they preserved.

This was a great series. Don't be dissuade by it being a sports series, because it is more than that.

I watched this because of the presence of Eun-bin Park, even though I know nothing about baseball.

What struck me was the plot similarities with Ted Lasso: a struggling sports team bring in a manager with no knowledge of the sport because the owner wants the team to fail. The one thing missing was Ted Lasso himself. Here the manager concerned is much more cold and calculating, with the heart provided by the character played by Eun-bin Park.

Nevertheless, it seems that this series was made first and perhaps Ted Lasso took it as inspiration.

I was moderately entertained as I watched this, whereas I thought Ted Lasso was very good. So the absence of that character did suck something out of the entertainment for me. Perhaps baseball is just too alien to me also, whereas football is all around me, even though I don't follow it myself.

But hey, I was moderately entertained and Eun-bin Park is always worth watching.

If you like Moneyball movie and want to watch it in serial movie, you can watch this. The pace at the beginning is a little bit slow, but believe me it would get much much better after that. One of my favorite K-Drama.

Namgoong Min is a terrific lead in an outstanding cast. But I found the script uneven and draggy at points. Still, it's generally a fine series I enjoyed and recommend.