I mean, I like Namkoong Min, one of the main characters , but it's not like I'm a big baseball fan. At all. The only reason to go to a baseball game is to eat hot dogs and sit in the sun. And I usually watch these things as a form of escapism, I suppose...if there's romance in my life, this is where I get it. But, here I am, on episode 11 out of 16.
Anyway, the story. The Dreams is in dead last place and has been. They bring in Baek Seung-Soo (Namkoong Min) as the new general manager, even though he's never run anything baseball before. That's actually kind of his specialty -- he's also reformed a wrestling team and a handball one (if I remember right). Though each of those teams were disbanded after he turned them around. That'll be important later...
He gets a lot of push back at first from both staff and players, but as he makes some drastic decisions and behind-the-scenes deals, they start coming around. However...that actually pisses off the guy that hired him. Kwon Kyung-Min (played by Oh Jung-Se -- I know him as the sort-of sleazeball in When the Camellia Blooms and also Extreme Job) is a man with a chip on his shoulder and feelings of inadequacy. I actually don't want to go into all the chaebol big corporate drama, but suffice it to say that his goal is to get the team disbanded. Seung-Soo is too insubordinate for a man who craves respect (earned or not). While you feel his pain, you just don't like him...
I'm also not going to go into all of the different and varied issues he faces, but I will mention some staff -- notably the Operations Manager first... Lee Se-Young, played by Park Eun-Bin, who I COMPLETELY did not recognise as the lead from Extraordinary Attorney Woo because the characters are SO different. Honestly, it was a face palm moment for me. I haven't seen her in anything else yet, but, man, she does a good job of inhabiting her characters. And, I guess, a radical haircut really changes how someone looks. Anyway, she's good in this too.
And...there's Han Jae-Hee played by Joe Byeong-Gyu...the main guy from the Uncanny Counter. Who is also so radically different here! The second season of that is on my watch list. He's a puppy here...well, he's kind of a puppy there too, but in a different way.
Tons of other actors as well; it's a big ensemble cast and I've seen a lot of them in different things, generally as supporting characters. Hot Stove League is a good show, even if it is about baseball, haha. It's holding my interest and is well done even if literally NONE of it is a normal storyline that I look for. Also, could Seung-Soo have a more tragic backstory? FFS, the poor man. I do hope he finds some happiness by the end. Will update when I have finished it, but I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised by this one. I'm not even sure why I started it.
Edit: Er, so I finished this ages ago. So long now that I can't actually remember my overall feeling for it in some ways. I did enjoy it. I don't feel like the ending was totally satisfying (as he leaves because he is forced out) but there was triumph. It was definitely not my normal type of watch and some bits dragged a wee bit (possibly because I am very not sporty). But, anyway, I liked it. I wouldn't watch it again, but it was good.
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