[Drama 2014] Repentance / A New Leaf 改过迁善 개과천선

[AmeldaL]

stuartjmz said: Oh, I wasn't necessarily expecting a romance between JS and SJ, although I would have been happy to see one. As I said it was her  relationship with SJ that I felt had potential, by which I meant their actual relationship, however it might have evolved. Sadly,  I feel certain that we've seen the last of her, and that her overall role was so small and short that had she not been in it, the impact would have been minimal. A half-finished sketch at best, to me, and having seen what CJA did with her part in PMAI, I feel she was wasted here.

[leslie_lei]

damn my new shift is crazy and finally was able to catch up with this show <3333
Im in the end of watching episode 13, my gosh KIM SEOK JOO is effin daebak in all forms. Either with Cha Group or alone. HNNNG. I wish this show gets more episodes and I like this side more than what we had previously. Like spending too long w/ the fiance case and other bits that i wish they skipped. Oh well. What is important is that it seems to have the ball rolling. I hope that this drama will get a good ending despite having few more episodes to go. Last thing Id want is to have an overly hanging ending. 


Lawyer Oppa tho <3 haha youve shed your nicey pants and turned into this very competitive rising Cha Ace, nonetheless you are so pretty to watch!

[lclarakl]

For all the smart attorneys and money that Cha employs, they have to resort to bribery and underhanded deals in order to win. They just can't face their opponents on the same turf.

I'm impressed at how well this drama has been written and the plot has been developed. I have not been bored once in watching this drama.

[Blizzardistkaputt]

That Cha yeong woo character is reminding me of The Chaser. The same actor playing the power broker. Impeccable dress sense that gives him a sharp look. He was almost acting like Yoda during the scene with the minister. He had the minister under his thumb literally. Scary. I wonder if he is going to look as cool as the villain in the Chaser when the last scene of this drama takes a bow.

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that this financial fraud was mirrored from a real incident? i guessed that's why the producer tried too hard to make it realistic.  But this case really reminds me of the subprime mortgage. The banks 'repackaged' their debts and sell these debts in bits and pieces to unsuspecting customers.

Other conversations are boring. I am only interested when either Cha or Kim speaks because they are controlling the chess board surely.

[bebebisous33]

AmeldaL said: My view of ANL is almost exactly the opposite of yours, @asyree. Whereas the characters to you are "disconnected from the people who exist in the drama world", to me they seem unusually real. There are no noble self-sacrificing idiots (in fact, no idiots at all), no sweet and intuitive young things making an indelible impression on grim but hunky 2nd-generation chaebol guys, etc. No one's actions have made me want to throw things at my screen. Oddly enough, the only character that I find a bit unrealistic is SJ himself, but only because I can't quite believe that amnesia can work that way.

While I do agree with you that many of the characters are not portrayed in much detail, I feel that it doesn't detract from the story. Moreover, I think each of the supporting characters is sketched (yup we don't get much more than a sketch in many cases) so vividly that we can fill in the blanks ourselves. Take JW. It's funny that you see him as sympathetic, because from where I'm standing there was nothing about him that indicated that he was any more than a very intelligent and ambitious man who might be easily flattered into mis-using his talents. Being nice to an old lady, especially in full view of his colleagues/superiors, could mean anything. And the way he needled SJ when they were outside JY's old apartment seems to suggest a somewhat over-developed competitive streak. (I bet SJ, even at his worst, would never bother to make such remarks to anyone's face.) I also thought it was quite clear even in the first few episodes why SJ's dad disapproved of SJ so much. He was a human rights lawyer who had fought the good fight and even gone to prison for it - CYW's firm must stand for everything he despises. I'm not going into the topic of JS, because I think it's already been discussed at great length.

In response to your view that ANL lacks heart, I would argue that its heart lies not so much in the characters or in the relationships between the characters (though I find some of them rather moving, e.g. the father-son relationship), but in the writer's protest against the stranglehold that banks and big business have on modern society. The main theme of ANL, I think, is how difficult it is for ordinary people to survive in a world where the rich and powerful are constantly trying to cheat and confuse them; and how difficult it is even for extraordinary people like SJ and JW to do the right thing. A drama series that engages so angrily and passionately with what is actually happening in the word today is a rare thing in any country, let alone in South Korea. 

[dustdevil]

As we are heading towards the end, I just have to share my favorite thing about A New Leaf. 
At the end of every episode, the tension builds around some key legal issue, and a character is on the verge of making an important discovery, decision, or declaration. The music builds to a crescendo, the camera tightens in on character's face, the shot freezes.... and the sponsorship banner for "Mr Dessert Gelato!" comes on screen. 

[AmeldaL]

bebebisous33 said: Like you, I really liked the episodes of this week, even if the drama has changed its focus. Some have been expecting a romance between the intern and KSJ, but I don't mind it if there is no. In the last two and three episodes, JY has changed and has really realised that when she started her job as intern, she thought, KSJ was the bad guy, but now she is aware of the impact of Cha law firm on the lawyers. She has really grown up.

[bebebisous33]

In the next episode, the computer memory card that is in the box will play a big part in the case of the CEO seeking KSJ. I am quite sure, it must be related to his case. 

[Guest]

bebebisous33 said: In the next episode, the computer memory card that is in the box will play a big part in the case of the CEO seeking KSJ. I am quite sure, it must be related to his case. 

[larus]

The legal/ economic terms are a little difficult for me to understand properly but I get the idea. ) I love the last two episodes(13-14). My favorite scenes.

- Park Sang Tae and Ji Yoon`s talk. I love that we learned new things about her, that she struggles to live up to her principles but worries about common things too. I think she will resign in the end and join Seok Joo.
- The scenes with Seok Joo and his father. The smile of his father`s face was my favorite moment of the last episode (14 episode). I wish Seok Joo will knew that his father is proud of him.
- All the turns in the case were exciting. The corruption of money and power was frustrating to watch as our good guys felt but they did not gave up. Prosecutor Lee is my favorite female character in this show. I love to see her on our hero`s side. And she and Sang Tae will make a good pair. Sang Tae, don`t miss the chance!
- Ji Won was shocked at first because Cha firm has so much influence but he will like there. He is very combative, conceited and ambitious. We did not see his moral struggles at all, he will became a ruthless lawyer, a partner at that firm.
I can`t wait to see the final confrontation. I am sad that they cut the drama with 2 episodes but I hope we`ll have a satisfying ending.

[AlanR]

larus said:
- All the turns in the case were exciting. The corruption of money and power was frustrating to watch as our good guys felt but they did not gave up. Prosecutor Lee is my favorite female character in this show. I love to see her on our hero`s side. And she and Sang Tae will make a good pair. Sang Tae, don`t miss the chance!
-

[larus]

AlanR said: It is clear based on where the characters are in their lives, the only romantic pairing that makes sense is Sang Tae with the Prosecutor. They appear to be about the same age and on the same wavelength value wise.Also she is the type of girl his father would clearly approve of  I should note the intern could fit him too but she is not a fully realized person yet like the prosecutor.  The way the prosecutor and Sang Tae are interacting reminds me of how non-drama people actually start dating. 

[Guest ChoBap]

Sorry for being away everyone~ I was extremely busy these past weeks and had no time to check by. I cannot believe that we're already at our last week! Still a bit cheesed for it being cut and all, but what can we do... Anyways, I'll be here to live stream both episodes this week  
And a bit of a spoiler  (It's quite obvious... but still)
From imlefty on instagram (staff) "Last legal scene"

[Guest h077eyd3w]

Yay...team Seak Jo reinforced!!! 

[Guest adikkeluangman]

Only left 1 more episode till <A New Leaf>'s final. After Seok-joo left the firm, he faced much more difficult situations...Well, check out the preview!

Video teaser for EP15

So JY resign and join SJ

[Guest ChoBap]

Gosh... its really hitting me now... only 2eps left... But goodness, is the writer pushing for SJ and JY or not? She keeps on throwing in that "one night stand" incident. (Sigh.. It's giving me foolish hope) And just for an opinion, do you think there's going to be a time skip of some sort? I mean... there's a lot of stuff to cram in atm... I think the writer has to put one in...

[bebebisous33]

@ChoBap thanks a lot for the preview... her resignation letter is not a surprise! in the last episode, she was already thinking about quitting her internship at Cha Law firm! It seems that JW will try to change her mind! I really hope that in the episode of today, we will see again many bromance scenes! Park and KSJ are great together!  

[Guest ChoBap]

Oh lawd.. slept through the first 20 mins again.. And there's lag.. 
Sang Tae doesn't leave Cha firm... SJ's dad, start to get rally suspicious. The team is heading to court now. J bossing in court as usual.  But Ji Won is good too.. The result awaits..... 
The 4 of them are at SJ's dad's office.. looks like he's closing down shop soon... a man walks in with a case... in which he tries to refuse... he insists he's closing down... (he's the right hand man of.. that CEO with the curly hair and glasses.) 

They lost.... I believe it's only 15% reimbursement
Ji Won... clearly looks like he is not happy with what he's done.. 
SJ's father still proud of him....SJ also tells him the truth about him leaving Cha firm. Sj leaves and his dad is in tears..  

[haruhi17]

Yes! Ji Won's conscience is bothering him a lot…pls Conscience keep bothering him till he resigns [-O<

[Guest ChoBap]

Oh.. JS comes to SJ's office... I'm pretty sure she says that she's interested in him... but lag... I don't know what he says to it..
And it looks like SJ will take on the case. So it will be a final battle with Cha firm.  
Wow.. how are they going to end this tmmrw...