Children of Nobody

DARK as hell but definitely an edge of the seat thriller!

Story-The first thing that comes to my mind after watching Children of Nobody is that this drama is quite unique when compared to other dramas, in a lot of aspects. It begins and ends and does not give you any breathing space. It's one hell of a ride and mind you, it's not a happy one. Children of nobody touches on the concept of (spoiler- child abuse) and portrays it's lasting mental and social effects on the victim and his/her family even as an adult. No complaints there, as this drama does not hesitate to show the darker and gruesome aspects of (spoiler-child abuse). Some really tragic but realistic situations in the society are shown in this drama and makes you question people and humanity in general.Mind you, this one has no happy and mundane, friendly/ family drama going on. It does not waste time on any unnecessary topics and dives straight into the mystery. Every moment in every episode has a relevant connection to the story and all of it unfolds beautifully in the final episodes. The director has done an amazing job at connecting all the cases and characters and the story line surprisingly does not drop in any episode. In hindsight, I don't think I found any episode boring or lagging. This drama has enough suspense elements to keep the audience on the edge of their seat.

Acting-Coming to the characters, the two main leads have done justice to their respective roles. The supporting characters are pretty good too. However the main female lead, Cha Woo Kyung was a tad bit dull in some scenes. She has the exact same blank,forlorn expression in most of the scenes and according to me she could have been more expressive but none the less her acting does not hamper the story in any way. The male lead, Ji Heon is top notch in his role of a cop. The characters are believable and draw you into them. The good guys make you root for them while the bad guys are creepy as hell. So that's a thumbs up. I was pleasantly surprised to see the children playing such profound and deep roles in this show and they have nailed it for sure. You sympathize with the children which deepens your animosity towards the inhuman parents and root for justice.

Music- There is not much of an ost or any profounding soundtrack here. Nothing memorable. For this kind of a drama it's not even required. The background score is good enough.

The best part about Children of Nobody is that it keeps you guessing till the last episode as to who the killer is. It keeps you confused till the very end. I believe some people can actually watch this drama in one go. Apart from the social message on child abuse, it also leaves behind a very significant question for us to think over as to who the bad guy really is. This drama is definitely a must watch. Do not give it a miss.

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"Being alive gives you an opportunity."

This drama is interwoven with earthy colors , subdued action scenes and sense of solidity and then there is a strong poetic undertone. You feel the weight of the subject matter and pacing is rather appropriate to maintain this tension throughout 32 episodes.

What a gripping premise. It has to do with murders of the people who have gravely mistreated children. Themes are related and interesting, victims and perpetrators seem to be everywhere. Many interesting questions arise among which the most important seems: "Who has the right to judge?" or "At what point is the punishment justified?"

Have to say the producers were smart with execution so the beginning and end felt meaningful...even though there were many loose ends in the story. (Personally, I wish the policeman and the main protagonist adopted Ha-na and ended up together. )

I watched this after Blind, which thematically perhaps addresses the similar issues, and have to say Children of Nobody did better job with the story and the ending in. Although they had 32 episodes to do so, the plot did not feel like a drag. Blind had a more interesting premise and perhaps better villain. Acting was average I would say. There is not a single character that stood out, but neither there is any disruption. The topic seems to have been the focus, which perhaps might have been even an intelligent choice.

A few ideas I picked up from the drama that absolutely captured me (and can give you sense of the tone of this drama):

"The crimes of the living are diluted into life and relationships, and then they finally disappear altogether."

"Being alive gives you an opportunity."

"I am glad it was not me." (You will know when you see the drama)

I think it is a worthy watch if you are into these types of dramas. It tackles a serious issue that is worth digging into. I feel certain dose of responsibility after watching this.

Thank you for reading.

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Does the weight of a crime disappear if the “crazy” are the only ones who remember it?

1.Moral Inconsistency
In this tale of those branded insane, what bothers me most about this series is the lack of moral consistency. The drama is meticulous almost relentless when it comes to punishing vigilante murderers, yet strikingly indifferent when harm is committed within socially acceptable roles like “parent,” “spouse,” or “family member.” The vigilantes who kill child abusers are pursued, condemned, and destroyed by the narrative. They are framed as criminals first and foremost, regardless of motive or emotional torment. The law closes in, society judges them, and the story ensures they face irreversible consequences. Their actions are treated as unforgivable, even when driven by grief, trauma, or desperation.

Now contrast that with the stepmother who killed her stepdaughter. Her consequence is not legal punishment, social condemnation, or even sustained moral reckoning. The primary “penalty” she faces is that the female lead does not forgive her. But refusal to forgive is not justice, it is an emotional boundary. It protects the victim; it does not hold the perpetrator accountable. Treating emotional estrangement as sufficient consequence for murder is a profound narrative imbalance. The female lead’s refusal to forgive is emotionally valid, but it cannot carry the entire weight of justice alone. Forgiveness is not a substitute for accountability, and silence is not resolution.

And then there is the husband. His infidelity, committed during his wife’s pregnancy, no less is effectively erased. He lives comfortably, faces no meaningful fallout, and continues his life without remorse or accountability. The drama does not even pretend to interrogate his actions. His betrayal is framed as incidental, something too minor to deserve narrative weight.
What disturbed me most was the way the drama implicitly suggests that betrayal becomes acceptable when the victim is unwell or emotionally vulnerable. Does the weight of commitment disappear when a partner is no longer “easy” to love? What, then, becomes of the vow of “in sickness and in health”? The narrative seems to quietly discard it the moment the wife actually needs support. Even more unsettling is how casually the story portrays the daughter’s almost immediate acceptance of the mistress simply because she is “nice,” as though kindness toward a child can neutralize betrayal of the family. This depiction is deeply troubling, not because forgiveness is impossible, but because it is presented as natural, effortless, and morally uncomplicated. The drama normalizes cheating without interrogation or consequence, creating the impression that infidelity falls within an acceptable range of behavior when a spouse is struggling. Leaving a sick partner might draw social judgment, but cheating (according to the narrative) is treated as understandable, even expected. It is not the act alone that disturbs me most, but how easily everyone moves on, as if betrayal is a reasonable response to hardship rather than a deliberate violation of trust.

This raises an uncomfortable question:
Are some harms considered less worthy of consequence simply because they occur within “normal” family structures?
By punishing only those who act outside the system, the drama sends a message: that harm committed quietly, politely, and within accepted social roles is more forgivable than harm committed loudly in response to injustice. This is selective accountability.
The story insists that killing is unforgivable when done by those seeking justice for abused children, yet strangely negotiable when done by a stepmother behind closed doors. It condemns rage born from trauma but excuses betrayal born from convenience. In doing so, it unintentionally reinforces the very societal failures it claims to critique, where power, respectability, and silence shield wrongdoers from consequence.

When the narrative allows certain characters to move on unscathed simply because their wrongdoing is not the “focus,” it diminishes the seriousness of their actions.
Ultimately, the drama asks viewers to accept that some lives are destroyed for crossing moral lines, while others are allowed to thrive because their crimes are inconvenient to confront.


2.COMPLEXITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
It is important to separate complexity from accountability. A well written character can be layered and still be unequivocally wrong. Depth, trauma, internal conflict, or sympathetic framing can help us understand why a character acts the way they do, but understanding is not the same as justification.

Circumstances may apply pressure, but they do not remove agency. Complexity does not erase choice. Every harmful act depicted in the drama (cheating, betrayal, neglect, even murder) was the result of a decision. Sympathy for their circumstances does not justify the pain they caused, nor does it absolve them of responsibility. When we absolve characters simply because they are nuanced or emotionally conflicted, we blur the line between empathy and excuse making. Explaining why someone chose self interest over commitment does not undo the damage caused, nor does it restore trust, safety, or dignity to the victim. Sympathy for the perpetrator’s internal struggle cannot outweigh accountability for the harm they knowingly caused. Defending these characters because they are “not purely evil” also sets a troubling standard: that wrongdoing is forgivable as long as it is done quietly, politely, or with sufficient emotional complexity. True complexity would require the narrative to hold these characters accountable while acknowledging their inner conflict. Without consequence, complexity becomes a shield rather than a lens. It turns moral failure into a character trait instead of what it actually is: a violation that demands recognition.

Complex characters can be compelling, tragic, even sympathetic. But complexity should deepen responsibility, not erase it.


3.Weight of a crime.
The weight of a crime does not disappear simply because of time, intention, remorse, circumstance, or narrative framing. If the question is whether the severity of wrongdoing lessens because the perpetrator suffered, felt conflicted, believed they had reasons, or because the story moves on, the answer remains the same: harm does not evaporate because it becomes inconvenient to acknowledge.
A crime’s weight is defined by the damage inflicted, not by how quietly it is absorbed, how gracefully the victim endures it, or how sympathetically the offender is portrayed. Silence from the victim does not equal absolution. Survival does not equal healing. Forgiveness, if it even exists does not retroactively erase wrongdoing.

What often does disappear is accountability. Narratives frequently shift focus away from consequences and toward the perpetrator’s emotional state, reframing harm as tragedy rather than responsibility. This does not reduce the crime’s gravity; it merely obscures it. The pain remains, even when it is no longer centered. If anything, the absence of consequences makes the crime heavier, not lighter because it reinforces the idea that some people’s suffering is expected, tolerable, or expendable. The weight does not disappear. It is either carried, acknowledged, and answered for or it is left to rest on the victim alone.


4.Severity can be ranked. Accountability cannot be optional.
Cheating, child harm, and murder cannot be meaningfully compared in a way that makes one “cancel out” or excuse the others, nor can they be reduced into something forgivable simply because a story decides only one of them is “important.”
What can be compared is severity, but comparison is not the same as erasure. In a drama, prioritisation of certain crimes for narrative focus does not change the moral weight of the others. When a story treats child abuse or murder as “serious” while framing cheating as trivial, understandable, or forgettable, it is not making a moral distinction, it is making a narrative convenience. The harm does not become smaller just because the plot moves past it.

Cheating is not equivalent to murder or child abuse in scale, but it is still a serious ethical violation. It involves deliberate betrayal, emotional harm, and often the destabilization of families and children. Reducing it to a forgivable flaw because “worse things exist” is a false moral hierarchy. By that logic, almost any harm could be dismissed as long as something more extreme appears elsewhere in the story.
Child harm and murder are crimes of irreversible damage; cheating is a crime of trust. They are different in form, but all are rooted in choice, power imbalance, and disregard for another person’s wellbeing. None of them become forgivable simply because the perpetrator suffered, had reasons, or was portrayed sympathetically. A drama can choose what it emphasises, but it cannot ethically reduce harm into irrelevance. Prioritizing one crime does not erase another. And no amount of narrative framing can transform intentional harm whether emotional or physical into something morally neutral or automatically forgivable.


5.Normalisation
I think cheating has become far too normalized, especially in media and popular narratives. It’s often framed as something inevitable, understandable, or even romantic, rather than what it actually is: a serious breach of trust. When infidelity is repeatedly portrayed without real consequences, it subtly reshapes how people perceive it, making betrayal seem less severe than it truly is.

Cheating is not a symptom of love “fading” or circumstances being difficult, it is a choice. Normalising it strips accountability from the person who made that choice and shifts focus away from the harm inflicted on the betrayed partner. This is particularly damaging because it minimizes emotional trauma and reinforces the idea that loyalty is optional when things become inconvenient.

Betraying someone you once professed to love, and with whom you share a child cannot be reduced to a narrative inconvenience or a morally neutral act. When infidelity occurs during pregnancy, a time of physical vulnerability and emotional strain, it reflects an even deeper level of disregard. Such behavior is not merely hurtful; it is ethically indefensible.

What is especially troubling is how the show minimizes this act by framing it as secondary to “more important” plot elements. In doing so, it implicitly treats infidelity as commonplace or inevitable, rather than as a serious violation deserving of accountability. The absence of consequences, social, emotional, or moral….creates the impression that betrayal carries little weight. The character in question assumes no responsibility, expresses no remorse, and faces no meaningful repercussions. This narrative choice subtly reinforces the idea that cheating is an acceptable or understandable response to relational difficulty, which is both misleading and harmful.

Cheating is not an unavoidable circumstance; it is a deliberate decision. At every point, there is an opportunity to communicate, seek support, or disengage honestly. Choosing instead to pursue another person, especially while one’s partner is enduring a difficult period reflects a prioritization of self interest over commitment and empathy. Portraying such a choice without consequence undermines the seriousness of the act and dismisses the emotional damage it causes.

Moreover, the lack of visible betrayal or reaction from the affected partner does not negate the harm done. Emotional restraint or forgiveness should not be mistaken for indifference, nor should it erase the wrongdoing itself. Even if the individual character is written as composed or self-sacrificing, the broader impact remains on the family, on those around her, and on the audience interpreting these dynamics. Media representations carry influence, and when betrayal is downplayed, it risks normalizing behavior that fractures trust and destabilizes relationships.
Ultimately, the issue is not simply about one character’s actions, but about the message the narrative conveys. By glossing over infidelity without addressing its moral and emotional consequences, the show fails to acknowledge the real world weight of such choices. Cheating should not be portrayed as a minor flaw or a tolerable norm; it is a serious violation that demands accountability. Ignoring this reality does a disservice not only to the characters involved, but also to viewers who understand the lasting harm betrayal can cause.


6.Thoughts on this Drama
The story unfolded in a fairly intense and engaging way, and I did find the progression compelling. Acting and pacing of the story was well done. However, from the very beginning, it was quite clear to me who was responsible. The character’s lean physique and, more notably, the disproportionate amount of screen time given to someone presented as a “side” character immediately stood out. For a character who was supposedly irrelevant to the central conflict, their repeated appearances felt deliberate rather than incidental. That narrative emphasis made it obvious that they were going to play a much larger role in the story, ultimately giving away the reveal long before it was officially confirmed.

One of the drama’s strongest elements lies in the cases themselves. Each case is disturbing, emotionally heavy, and handled with a level of seriousness that reflects the gravity of the subject matter. Rather than being used for shock value alone, the cases serve as mirrors to broader societal failures: neglect, abuse, silence, and the ways adults repeatedly fail children who depend on them for protection. What makes these cases particularly impactful is how they expose not only individual cruelty, but systemic indifference. The suffering depicted is not exaggerated or sensationalized; it feels painfully plausible, which makes it all the more unsettling. Through these narratives, the drama forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about responsibility, complicity, and the long term consequences of unchecked harm.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drama overall. That said, every time the husband appeared on screen, or the stepmother for that matter, I felt genuinely angry. They are not simply family members who made unfortunate mistakes or acted out of ignorance. They made conscious, deliberate choices that directly harmed FL. Their actions were not accidental, nor were they the result of misunderstandings, they knowingly prioritized their own interests at her expense. What frustrates me most is how the narrative attempts to soften their behavior by portraying them as otherwise “decent” or reasonable people. Decency cannot coexist with repeated, intentional harm. Being polite, well spoken, or socially acceptable does not erase the fact that they betrayed her trust and contributed to her suffering. Reducing their actions to mere family conflict minimizes the severity of what they did.

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Oh man,,,, lam just speechless after watching this brilliant k drama.One of the best dark intense investigation drama i seen so far. Very intense story with well executed screenplay and some outstanding performances. Actually i felt something weird from the start because the story telling was entirely different and also i have no idea whats happening in the start. Once they enter into the main plot the things are getting really excited. A slow pace making which was good ..

Story -
As i said above the story was different and mind blowing from the beginning. A set of mysterious murders take place without any trace or evidence, the dectatives are trying very hard to figure out the killer. ,There is child abuse and things are quite complicated and even more suspicious. The dectative suspect many people involved in the spot or related to the victims. The investigation going deeply and it also involved emotional pain and suffering.There are some hard hitting emotional moments.. last 5 episode before the finale was just outstanding..

Acting -
All characters are awesome and real. Some of them are very mysterious. You will definitely fall in love with each and every characters

Music-
This is a throughout investigation journey, so the back ground score playing an important part of it. And it was superb. It makes this drama more intense and realistic with that extraordinary bgm.

Making -
Am so stunned to see the technical side of the drama, especially cinematography. It looks so real in each and every frame. The dark scenes are looks so magical and it created a horror feeling in some shots.

Last word -
You guys should just give it a try, its not an ordinary style drama, it has even more realistic emotional intense and mysterious after each and every episodes throughout from the start to end. It will surely surprise you

ONE OF THE BEST INTENSE DRAMA I SEEN

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The haunting theme of Red Moon, Blue Sun

The story of Red Moon, Blue Sun reaches its closure in a poignant, poetic narration that brings home the full extent of the themes that have been woven so seamlessly into this breathtaking drama through the folktale.

The moon, frightened of the dark night
wept every night.
"Older sister, I am afraid."
The older sister, worried for her younger sister,
decided to change places with her.
So, a blue moon
began to shine at night,
and a red sun
began to shine during the day.
It was thus that
the red moon became the sun
the blue sun became the moon

-- translated from C-subs

The theme of sacrifice and deliverance is prevalent throughout, and comes full circle in the finale. We see it in the unlikeliest of places - the motivations that drive Red Cry - both LEH and YTJ - to take the mantle of executioner upon themselves, and save those in need. But more than that, as I mulled over the allegory of the Red Moon and Blue Sun in CWK's personal arc, I find myself second-guessing myself over and over again, until at last... I can only come up with one conclusion... that CWK and little SK are reflected in both the one who sacrificed and the one who was delivered. CWK, alive and living in the light, who willingly takes on the long, tortured journey to finally uncover the truth and bring her sister's fate to light - literally (with the unearthing of her remains, kept buried so long under the fireplace) and metaphorically, with the reveal of the terrible truth of what happened.

By the same token, little SK who forgoes her claim to any wrongs she have suffered, choosing instead to draw her tormented sister towards the path of healing and redemption, a path that is made possible with the compassion and forgiveness that only she could have given.

Thus... how fitting that the drama ended on that final note... with the two sisters, while separated by life and death, but never apart... a constant, ever-present source of comfort and love, the balm to the void only the other could fill... each the Blue Sun to the other's Red Moon. Perfect.

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Unlikeable FL

I'm writing this after watching 20 episodes (12 left to go) because of how frustrating it is to watch a moral drama with such an unlikeable FL (Cha Woo Kyung). Maybe things will change in the last 6 episodes to completely change my mind, but 10 episodes in, the show has been spoiled for me by the FL. It's too bad because so much of the show is good: acting, plot, sense of mood/mystery/suspense. It tackles a tough issue and does it well--no makjang elements or silly comedic relief here. But for a show that is about good vs. evil, I found myself being frustrated by how unconvincing the good element is. I'm not saying that the heroine needs to be 100% purely good, but the FL is so self-righteous and so blind/defensive about her motives/actions that it's hard to root for her. Other than her desire to see child abusers punished--and who doesn't?--she is not a nice, likeable character; she does not treat others around her--colleagues, husband, daughter--very fairly. So at least partly due to her strong sense of moral cause, she is stubbornly blind to her moral failings. Especially frustrating is her inabilility to admit her weaknesses and ask for help, when she spends all of her time/energy demanding that everyone else fall in line with her sense of judgment. I wanted to root for her, but there's such a wall of coldness/self-righteousness around her that I just couldn't do it--and that has so far spoiled the drama for me.

Again, perhaps everything about her motives/actions/personality will be explained in the final 6 hours in a reasonable way, but so far, I'm realizing that I need the heroine to be likeable for me to really care about what she cares about. Of course, child abuse is something we can all agree should be prevented/punished, but fighting against child abuse shouldn't excuse other types of moral failings.

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Noir drama that keep us hooked without knowing.

Maybe you all will not believe I gave all a round perfect star for story, cast, music etc.
It just such a long long long time South Korea did a pure one on those genre, based on child which happend only on big screen like the one Bae Doona eonni took. Just on story itself this drama did ensure their winning, all character have their own past base story which made them do like that, even I who usually get whose the criminal and plotline did lost because their are tons of possibility that happend in here.

The cast from Kim Sunah who get a title of queen of romcom from her previous drama with Hyunbin (My lovely Sam Soon) did a pure genre of these thriller, criminal, etc which drained the actor energy to potray the character, which maybe she did train in Woman's Dignity. Our Lee Yikyung first male lead role *congratulation(if you ruled out Yoo Mi's Room) after countles of supporting character like bully student in School 2013 (our Woobin and Jongsuk oppa deul), young version in Nine, You, Who came from star as the killer's secretary, and Descendant of Sun as contractor worker which made him into a stardome limelight. Nam Gyuri (49days) and N which his acting become more and more better even leap into B class actor after the disaster Sassy Go Go even when the story was good. More of it all the children actor and actress sure did a very good job (cant wait for them grow up like Nam Dareum and do pick a lot of good pieces in drama and movie or another job in variety or such) It make us believe the PD, Screenwriter did their homework for made a plausible story and casting a good actor which sync perfectly into their assigned roles.

Drama set, vehicle, even their costumes will not like your usual drama which a lot of kind ppl scene, this drama is 99,99% art drama. Not so glamorous, pricey (even the real one those are cost us for fasting in months).
Music too sure, keep us being creep as the msytery happen etc. Only a total detective and such will love this kind of story so for others who cant handle it should not watch it because it's not your pinky pinky love story and such plus bit of humour like in Son, The Guest, its total dark drama.

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Uma poesia sombria sobre o trauma, a justiça e os abismos da psique.

Children of Nobody é um thriller psicológico que utiliza a estrutura de suspense investigativo para explorar, de forma simbólica e poética, as marcas deixadas pelo trauma infantil. A série constrói sua força na densidade emocional da protagonista, uma psicóloga infantil que, confrontada com eventos misteriosos, mergulha numa jornada de desintegração e revelação de memórias reprimidas.

A narrativa, fluida e fragmentada, articula-se entre o mistério e o psicodrama, tensionando os limites entre justiça institucional e justiça subjetiva. A obra estrutura-se em torno de três eixos: trauma e identidade, a omissão das instituições diante da violência doméstica, e os dilemas morais da reparação. Os poemas infantis, os símbolos cromáticos e os espaços oníricos ampliam a carga emocional sem recorrer ao sensacionalismo.

Cha Woo-kyung, atravessa o enredo oscilando entre vítima e possível agente de vingança, numa trajetória que levanta questionamentos éticos profundos sobre culpa e redenção. Já o detetive Kang Ji-hun opera como contraponto racional, cuja evolução permite à obra discutir as insuficiências da lei diante de realidades traumáticas. O vilão do Dorama atua como uma espécie de entidade, que julga os abusadores que a justiça não é capaz de julgar, trazendo um questionamento forte sobre o que está de fato correto: o que a lei determina como sendo justiça ou a justiça é amparada puramente pela moralidade sendo justificável fazer justiça quando o estado não pode ir além da lei?!

Apesar de certas limitações, como a previsibilidade de algumas revelações, a falta de desenvolvimento e desfecho de algumas relações iniciais e finais que foram deixados de lado e o uso excessivo do simbolismo nos episódios finais, Children of Nobody é uma obra ousada, que recusa a catarse fácil e oferece, em seu lugar, um retrato sombrio e sensível sobre os destroços da infância e os limites da justiça. No geral é uma obra bem redonda e sem grandes furos, mas também sem grandes emoções.

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