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Review | Netflix K-drama review: Cafe Minamdang – shaman-procedural comedy makes jarring switch to psychological thriller
- Seo In-guk’s cocky police officer turned sham shaman was always one step ahead of everyone else in this procedural comedy, and proved boring to watch
- The show’s switch in narrative near the end was jarring, and romance in the show fell flat. Cafe Minamdang was ultimately undone by a predictable lack of stakes
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This article contains spoilers.
2/5 stars
Although countless lives have been ruined by scams in South Korea in real life, con artists are often the heroes of K-dramas. In shows like Vincenzo and The Devil Judge, we delight in wily leads who use their smarts to trick and deceive those who abuse their positions of authority.
The hero of Cafe Minamdang is Nam Han-jun (Seo In-guk), a man who used to be a police officer but is presented as being more trustworthy in his new profession.
These days, Han-jun is a fake shaman, who uses his investigative skills and the help of his aides at Cafe Minamdang to get to the bottom of his clients’ problems. What they see is a brilliant shaman who communes with the spirits.
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