A Pleasant Surprise
I was originally holding off on watching this series as I don't really gravitate toward superhero genres (they usually make me cringe), despite the fact that I really like fantasy (if done well). I gave in one day and decided to give it a shot and I was genuinely surprised. I really like the characters, especially, ESPESCIALLY the parents and their storylines. Honestly, the kids' part was nice but it was a bit too cheesy for me but the parent's stories were what pulled me in and kept me there until the very last minute.Now don't go into this thinking its all rainbows and butterflies, not at all bad for me but for the more squeamish, there is a lot of gore and blood. I usually don't give high ratings but this gets an 8 from me. I would have given higher if there were more loose ends tied, some characters had more screen time and the if the ending didn't feel a bit disconnected and rushed. But I guess maybe these will all be answered in the second season if there is any.
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A story about humans
When Jo In Sung received an invitation to star in this series, he thought it was "just another superhero story" and wanted to turn down the offer. But after he read the script, he was greatly impressed and joined the project right away. What some of us thought was going to be a generic Korean version of Avengers turned out to be so much more than that.Moving, at its very core, is a story about humans and humanity. It is also a story about parenting, brotherhood, teen angst, love, betrayal, finding who you are and where you're going, moral gray zones... everything that we as real people could relate to. That's how realistic the characters and their struggles were.
The thing I love most about this drama is that, although the story centers around superheroes, at the end of the day, they are "only human". Although the characters have extraordinary powers, they still struggle with life, relationships, moral choices, and will, if not more than the average person due to their awful circumstances. The worldview is grim and realistic, people are used as tools and must do things they don't want to do just to survive in this world, and every choice to deviate from that path takes courage and sacrifices. This is a prevalent theme to most characters in the drama, even some of the "antagonists". Every character has a well thought out backstory to them that tells you lessons about life, and that takes a lot of empathy from the writer. It is an absolutely phenomenal and unique take to the already saturated superhero genre.
I can't pinpoint who the main character in the story is because they are all main characters and share almost equal weight and screentime. The acting is top notch, especially for the older generation actors. They had to play themselves in the present time, as well as their younger counterparts. You could see them changing through time and hardships.
Plot-wise, the structure has a clarity to it - about 7 episodes are allocated to present time, which talks about the younger generation (high school romance, teen self-searching, generational conflict). 7+ other episodes are allocated to the past, where the parents take the spotlight and we are hit with very harsh realities (manipulation, betrayal, social stigma, child protection). Depending on taste, an audience might favor one of these segment over another, but they may also love both. The last few episodes are wrapped up with edge-of-your-seat action sequences by an ensemble of casts.
I highly recommend this drama for anyone who is still hesitating. It is one of the best dramas to come out this year, and one of the most unique K-dramas to come out in these 20 years. Don't miss it!
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Definitely recommend this one!
Alright so I will be honest - first of all I started watching this because I ran out of things to watch, so I wasn't interested in this from the start. To be even more honest - I almost dropped this, as I was watching the first episode I felt a bit bored and thought to myself 'oh no, another drama that will focus only on romance' not to mention that I usually don't watch dramas with superpowers included. But once I started watching the second ep, I got more and more hooked honestly. I'm very glad that I didn't drop it.Personally I think some of the background stories of the parents were a bit unnecessary, I wasn't that interested in everyones story aside from the main couple and juwon. I must say that from the parents/adults my favorite character is definitely juwon. He went through so much pain (literally, but also emotionally) and I'm sure if I was in his shoes I would have given up, but he is such a strong character with good intentions and just.. Wow. I still feel sorry for everything he went through but it made him stronger. His story was the one that touched me the most. Definitely one of my favorite characters of all times in kdrama.
From the students I definitely like bongsok, but the female lead as well! Both of them seem like genuinely nice kids and so love able characters. I just wish the fl would have had more scenes at the end when.. You know THAT happened.
[SPOILERS ALERT]
The only thing I disliked was that the guy with missing finger (forgot his name) had to die in the end. I completely understand his point of view, that he felt guilty for surviving as only one as everyone else was executed, that he had to go there with his comrades. It just made me cry because he clearly didn't hurt anyone even though he could have and he could have started a new life there too, of course I'm also somewhat sad about his friends since they showed their backstory too that they aren't just evil villains but humans too who were forced to do this in order to survive and/or protect their family. They all had no choice, though they wanted to kill the innocent children so I don't feel that sad for them as for the guy I already mentioned.
This kdrama made me feel so many different emotions and that's just good story writing right here, whether you like the end or not. The dynamics and chemistry between all those characters and the acting itself was spot on, so I truly recommend this - watch it, give it a try, it's worth it!
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Moving: Teenage Superhumans
The series have a very exciting early episode. I like the action-packed episodes particularly the later ones. But somehow it to meet my expectations on why it was titled that way. Although a sequel or another season can be a welcome idea to quench the uncertainties the viewers would like to see what a great ending will be.I am blur as to where it can climax as the teaser to the continuing next sequel if ever there will be. But the concept and story is great. I am just not sure if the story will be enough to create a political ripple between the north and south (hope not!) since the disclaimer says it all that it was just a work of fiction.
The title likewise seems somewhat misleading and/or controversial. Does it mean 'moving from north to south'? I feel the title should highly relate to the extraordinary life of the main characters. Except that it should not be somewhat similar or near like to the title of the tech savvy secret agent kids' film: Spy Kids Armageddon.
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This review may contain spoilers
Usual teen drama with elements of interesting superpowered spies fighting for survival
I'm gonna be honest, so far I couldn't give 2 damns about the teens and their storyline.Too much focus on the will they-won't they romance and the typical teen drama arcs (school bullying, teen angst and rebellion against parents, accepting oneself) which completely doesn't go well with the extremely serious and thrilling plot of the 'adult storyline' full of spies, murders, hunting people for their abilities, betrayal and the John Wick style of trying to survive.
In my opinion, show would be 10/10 if you removed all of the teen stuff and focused on the parents instead and lean into the teens' pov at the last few episodes, instead of the other way around. I'm way more interested in Lee Minhyun's, Kim Doosik's, Lee Jaeman's and Jang Juwon's characters than their kids - Lee Kang Hoon maybe being the exception because I find his family's story particularly touching and heart breaking.
As of now, I really cannot go through the scenes with the teenagers. It's just too boring when compared to every scene with the adults. If you go into watching this expecting a lot of action, then be prepared to skip a lot of scenes of teens running around with a crush.
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ready for more of this
i love this and i'm late to the party. i like how each character is given so much context and are developed so well. even the 'villians' get a back story.they way they portrayed the ppl with powers was so beautiful, how they are labelled monsters for being different and being used for evil meanwhile the real monsters are the normal people, hiding amongst us. i'm also weak for connected characters/stories so all the connection between the characters brought me so much satisfaction. my favorite was our mom and dad, doosik and mihyun's story. bongseok and huisoo were cuties. i see how they are doing something similar to the mcu and safe to say i will be here to watch itWas this review helpful to you?
Great plot
One of the best fiction I've watched. They are like superheroes, but human-like heroes, no one gets an advantage with their powers if they can't wield them properly, making it useless. From the first quarter of the episodes in the drama, there will be plot twists, and that's what hooked me because there's actually a deeper story than what initially appears.Every main character has their own story, and the show dedicates respective episodes to each main character, making each one the protagonist. This somewhat bored me at some points, although the idea and storyline are good, my focus is on the main protagonist, so I searched for a lot of screen time for them.
I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending, it's not what I was hoping for. In my opinion, the ending happened too fast and was boring, considering how the plot started off so well.
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It's a moving TV show
This show feels distinctly different from what I associate with kdramas, but I guess I tend to stick to rom-coms.It is a moving, heartfelt, suspenseful, sometimes graphic with violence and gore, but at its heart it's about people and the relationships we have with our family and what we'd do to protect each other.
I enjoyed it, but often found myself distracted because some story lines dragged. I understand why some back stories were introduced and showed, but then it sometimes was too long and detracted from the suspense of the action that was happening!
There are SO many hints dropped along the way, so it didn't help when I got distracted and didn't connect/notice the hints dropped along the way. But I feel that's a problem with the pacing. I know some people say it had 'perfect pacing', but I do think this was a problem. I was engaged, but it was also a series I felt I could drop too because it lagged and dropped with pacing.
I didn't cry, so I feel that says a lot, but I did feel a lot, and my heart squeezed in so many moments.
Not likely to rewatch, not eagerly anticipating season 2 that was hinted at during post credts (MCU style), but I'd give it a go if and when it ever comes out. I'd imagine a lot of the actors/characters we saw this season would only make guest appearances in season 2 though.
Worth checking out!
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This review may contain spoilers
Perfect and does everything it wanted to do.
Only in recent times have i gotten into kdramas but from the amount of supernational and hero based shows I have seen in all mediums; Moving in my opinion was perfect. I have completed around 22 Kdramas as of writing this, 6 extra which i dropped after minimum of 3 episodes each, and my want to watch is endless so leave it.I have watched alot of different genres in this medium to kind of make myself know all the tropes and basic stuff every medium has. I did same with anime, manga, manhwa, Hollywood etc in the past. I feel I am in tune with the tropes and kind of culture potrayed in Kdramas but I'll apologize in advance incase i misinterpret or say something that's wrong on my side.
Moving, I found when I was searching highschool romances to fill the thirst 2521 had left for me. The two shows I decided to watch after countless reddit posts about kdrama recommend posts were Who Are You School 2015 and Moving. I started school 2015 but got bored after ep 1 and as was about to sleep I jus looked over the Moving entry on MDL and got even more intrigued. I started ep 1 and binged the whole night, the first 4 episodes and now 3 days later I i finished the whole show.
The Writing:-
PERFECT WRITING. The way they give us little little pieces here and there to put together and find out the whole picture ourselves was amazing. The stories of Bongseok and Huisoo along with the class was interesting from the start but what really sold me was the lock in for the parent's arcs. When Minyun and Doosik story began I was just expecting a cheap flashback where they will show what happened and go back to the present; but the fact that they went all in and told the whole story while building the world was amazing. And the switch to Juwon's story right when I was getting bored of Doosik story was insane and a perfect move. The writers knew what we wanted and gave that. Even the more worse parts of the writing were sooo well covered up by the way the stories proggressed.
The north korean flashbacks towards the end was the only part which I felt was bad writing but they made sense for the characters which were gonna stay moving forward. It wasn't jarring just poorly executed. This is just me nitpicking because I genuinely can't find a flaw in the story.
The Music & ACTION (insert Monster Juwon Theme):-
You know a kdrama is good when the background score isn't some kpop song or a mediocre track made for the sake of the show not feeling silent. Music always plays a huge part in my media and I am surprised how well Moving handled. Ofc it wasn't Hanz Zimmer type award winning soundtrack but it did what it needed to do and that was INSTILL HYPE.
The first juwon fight and that guitar riff made me jump out of my chair; after that whenever the theme came on I would throw my hands in the air and just say absolute cinema, not even joking I did that multiple times. The action set piece in Episode 7, Romanticist; has to be one of the best action set pieces in television history. The absolute length the fight had gone to just to show us how much of an insanely unkillable monster juwon was perfect in my opinion. It became soo dumb the cars crashing and exploding and him walking out like nothing happened. This also helped the character alot because later on when he would struggle against other character it just showed the scale of how strong the other characters were.
The Acting and Screenplay:-
None of the characters felt like acting, maybe the classmate who kept recording felt a bit off but other than that most of the main cast felt like real people who are the characters. They weren't acting the characters, they were the characters. I loved Han Hyo Joo's potrayal of Lee Mi Hyun; she was phoneomal from start to finish. She protrayed the character development soo well that when she finally laughed and was being more human, it made me realize how much these characters grew. Not just her almost every main character excelled at their role and made my opinion that South Korea has the best actors strengthened even more.
Screenplay is something a normal viewer like most of us don't realize. Unless its bad we don't point it out because when screenplay is good we don't don't even realize it because of the smooth flow everything is moving. Its genuinely amazing how very little I felt bored, every episode had stuff going on and I didn't feel bored at all. The switch to completely tell the flashbacks was an amazing choice because it built the world, made us understand the characters and kept things fresh so we wouldn't get bored. Again the only part where it felt jarring was after the backstories had finished we were in the present but for the sake of cheap reveal and reaction porn shows have been doing in recent times; the writers left some parts of the flashback for these grandiose reveals during the present time scenes. Honestly it didn't bother me much but I do wish they told the whole flashback at one and left nothing for future reveals.
Final Thoughts:-
Moving is an amazing kdrama telling a similar story we have seen before but the way it presents itself with its unique screenplay and depthful character writing makes u appreceate it alot. When a Kdrama makes me remember all the characters names means that it did a good job. The the insane fights juwon had, the cute romance of Huisoo and Doosik, the shitty decisions done by Director Nim and many more, I will it forget since they impacted me in such a way that all of this were really happening. I can't wait for season 2 since I am soooo fucking excited to see where things go. Will the north and south team up to fight the governments? Will Bongseok become the first real super hero? Will Class President betray his school frnds for the orgo? All the romances how will they go??? What will Bang Ki Soo do?? The questions are endless and I am soo eager that I wanna read the manhwa but I will wait since season 2 is confirmed.
Final Review:-
Moving is a perfectly crafted action show which puts it's fingers in most of the genres but does it in a tasteful way. The characters are memorable, the story is amazing and the action is the highlight of the show. The highs are soo high that I may be overlooking the lows, but I can definitely say in full confidence that every time I hear juwon's theme I will become an APE. 10/10
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Kdrama of te Year 2023
Moving is the best Kdrama of this year probably the decade. With 3x the budget of Squid Game, Challenging VFX & very hardcore action sequences, this show has surpassed expectations.Episode 8-9 were pretty nostalgic & delicately romantic & one of the best thing about this drama. It shows how humane can Superheros be, a handicapped Superhero, Dying Superheros, Romantic Superheros, Kid Superheros, forced to be Superheros, Useless Superheros - It's a one of its kind drama that every Marvel & DC fan should watch.
Brilliantly acted by everyone. Some scenes are quite lengthy but overall the show is worth it.
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2023 BEST KDRAMA
drama series that is perfect in terms of story, actors and actresses who are amazingly cool and supporting roles that are no less cool than the main character of the story that is very touching makes me pity and sad at the same time every detail really amazes me and wonders why there is a story as good as this? good shooting moving so far is still in the best drama airing in 2023 and maybe the best in my opinion this drama in terms of casting the main and supporting players is no joke they are all involved in this story I am very amazed and the best in editing and cool visual effects this drama should win a lot of trophies at the annual best drama event and deserves it.I don't really expect there to be a season 2 but so far the ending is enough for me.
All of them should watch moving because there is no loss to watch it
I don't know if the writer will make moving season 2? We will never know
Even if there is a season 2, hopefully the formation of the players will not change.
Maybe if it changes it's a little awkward but it's okay, I'll enjoy it.
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