Iris

Not so bad, But definitelly not good

The Serie as a whole is good on maybe 7 or 8 star.
But after spending a bunch of time with the story, and the characters, and the end is that bad, i wanted to throw my monitor out of window, it was so bad that i remain without word.
How can someone create a such good story and in the same time bury the whole piece under ground.

In generally, i am curious why are here so good reviews as 9-10 star. If this piece of work have this high pointing, what score these people than gave for example ( in my point of view ) to masterpiece as business proposal, Vincenzo, Descendats of the sun, whats wrong with secretary kim, crazy love, hapiness and more. according the outcome of scoring this drama, the mentioned by me should have score around 50 then.

I do not tell that the whole series is bad... but the ending of it is literally killing it.

More than overall 4.5 is overrated.

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The acting and storyline were SO well done. Action, political/spy intrigue, romance, and sooooo much heartbreak. I loved it and... I also hated it. If you enjoyed this show you may also enjoy Rookie Agent Rouge, though it is set in the 1930s. Highly recommend if you enjoy spy thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat with amazing acting.
Caution ⤵





If you only enjoy shows with a HEA (Happily Ever After), you may want to skip out on this one. The show was beautifully done, but my heart won't be getting over that final episode ANY time soon. ???? P.S. This show is available on NF as of 3/20/19.

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Oldie but Goodie!

I loved and hated this one at the same time.
So let's see the pros and cons.


Music: A perfect 10!A variety of music themes and songs.You never get bored.From the sweetest melody 🎶 in the romantic scenes to the beating tunes in kick-ass scenes, reflected every emotion so perfectly.

Production:
I started this not having my hopes high regarding the whole production,because i knew it was an old one.
So yes,this is old.And it looks old.But definitely is not bad.Their budget was pretty high considering alot of scenes were filmed abroad,Hungury and Japan.
I cannot judge /rate based on today's standards.But anyhow i find it in a very good level.I guess back then was excellent.

Cinematography:I liked it.Loved the sceneries.The hot springs/snowy scenery was absolutely beautiful.Also all scenes in Hungury.

Direction; One of the biggest issues here.Though iam not sure if it is 100% director's fault, as i don't have the right knowledge.
So my problem was the alteration /swapping of the camera.It was way too fast,made me really dizzy.Jumping from one scene to another faster than normal was annoying and tiring.But i had to suck it and eventually get used to it as the whole show goes this way!Maybe was under director's guidance,or it was cinematographer's fetish or just editor's fault!I don't care!I have to blame someone here,Lol!

Cast:I loved Lee Byung Hun.He was perfect for the role.I liked the rest of the cast except Kim Tae Hee.That was my first time see her in a drama but i have my reservations if i will watch any other with her starring in.

Acting: Again same as cast i liked everyone's acting except our MFL's.
The second issue for me in this drama.
In my humble opinion what makes an actor good, is his ability to use his body,facial expressions,moves and gestures to deliver emotions to the viewers.
I found no flexibility in her acting.She was rather stiff.But what annoyed me the most was her facial expressions.Or better say the non-existence of any facial expression!All the time no matter what scene she plays,her face has the exact same look.
She laughs..she cries..she loves..she hates..she is mad..she is happy..I don't know!I can't tell!I can't see any difference.
This character had all the potentials to express so many feelings but Alas!

Characters:
I will not analyze that much the chars as i usually do in my reviews.I didn't see any depth to give me many reasons to dip in the characters.
Good written but way too simple and plain.If i had to choose my favorite char tho,it would be definetely the second FL.The North Korean Agent.
She is the only character that we can see both sides of her-in depth, not just superficial -As an Agent she is strong,cold,lethal and a badass.But shes also a woman inlove.There is a sensitive side too.The actress managed to balance these 2 sides perfectly.
This char is the most complex one among all the others.Or maybe the only one.
She falls for the ML and although she knows she has no chance.alhough she is a scorned woman,she kept her dignity and pride.
She never pulled any cheap tricks on him.

Story/Plot :
I will start with the easy and light stuff and will continue with the most complicated parts.
My 2 favorite scenes/moments of the entire drama was 2nd Fl's confession to ML-a very powerful scene-and their good-bye scene.This one got me really hard.Damn brought tears in my eyes(and i asure you im not the sensitive type!)Of course no need to mention that i was rooting for then so hard but oh well Love is always Blind!
And here is a question to all the writers.Why the heck you are not more bold?You-writers-are thinking and writing the biggest and most wow plot twists,but when it comes to love,the romantic part of the story,you are cowards!!!
Just for a change,once surprise 😲 us and give the "bad" girl to the "good" guy and the opposite.
Villains deserves their Happy Endings too!(Stolen from O.U.A.T.wink 😉 wink 😜 )
Another question:Why on earth back then Kdramas had nice and real kissing scenes and today they barely touch their lips?Why????Grrrrrr!

Let's move on with the serious parts now:

This is a full packed action drama.It could easily be a scenario for the next MI movie...
Spies,conspiracies,politics,good guys chasing the bad guys and a romance to tie all.
The main frame is EXCELLENT!(for the genre of course)
It would be a perfect 10 if it was a 2hrs movie.But is a series with 20 episodesx1 hour each.So it can't be a perfect 10 because there are issues.It has flaws--alot!-It has plot-holes(Many!!!)
The most exciting part was that every single episode always ended with a cliffhanger!Good thing this is an old drama so you can binge-watch it.
The pace is fast.You have to catch up with everything, fast too!The story is speeding like a race so you have to follow.
My mistake,especially in the early episodes,was that i paid too much attention to the details.Another issue of the drama.The details are problematical.You have to pass and take it as it is,otherwise it could be really confusing and you will miss the whole fun.An example:Our main lead many times is on the edge of been killed,captured,revealed..Deus ex machina save him all the time!But ok!Iam sure just can't apply in real life,but oh well who cares?This is fictional.I just mention this for those who are really bothered from some unrealistic scenarios.Iam telling you to skip or overlook some details.Thats why i said this was my mistake.Because mostly at the beginning,i didn't pass them.I was pausing the episodes to google for historical events and facts and other infos too, because the plot(the little details)bothered me.(I even remember me searching for Muzzle velocity!!Seriously how f**up i was?Lmao!there is a scene the bad guy shoots inside a running car to another running car..Yeah don't mind!just suck it!)So this way i kept distructing myself overanalyzing things.In latter episodes i decided to stop doing this and just sit and enjoy the show.

I gave a total 8 because i really enjoyed it but i wanted to be as much objective as i could too.
There is a S2 and i will definetely watch it as the story in S1 is actually incomplete and i want to know the end of it!

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Buda-bust: The Education of Kim Hyun-Jun & The Evolution of Lee Byung-Hun °Excellent°

"In Greek mythology, the river that flows in front of Hell is Iris." Mega-talent Lee Byung-Hun (Mr. Sunshine-9, Our Blues-8.5, Squid Game-8.4) is Kim Hyun-Jun. He looks so young! "Keep an eye on him, or he'll turn into a terrible monster," the lead behavioral scientist warns. I also say, keep your eye on him - Yes, he's gorgeous, & he goes through he!! Lee Byung-Hun is a world-class talent. My first look at him was In Squid Game-8.4. All he does is take off a mask and look at someone, but I was smitten-on-the-spot by his talent. That doleful, pensive stare said volumes. He's that good.

"You have a solo mission. Just like Hungary played a pivotal role in the reunification of Germany, you'll be able to play the same role in unifying the Korean Peninsula, if you succeed in your mission." For anyone not familiar with Korean politics, that's no trifle. Hyun-Jun does succeed in his mission but he's shot and stranded in Hungary, left hungry for the support he needs to escape. He holds up at the safe-house. The cheerless black-suits are closing in. Things go slip-shod; fade to black. Next, the filtered light creates a dreamy quality. We are with Hyun-Jun on a lush college campus in another place and time. We're back at the beginning.

Iris is a 2009 release that is rated 89 on AWiki. It is 2 seasons consisting of 41 60-minute episodes, with only S1 available to stream on Netflix, currently. Ep1 has a Hollywood action feel and jumps from the present to the past. We don't get caught back up until ep4. The Budapest mission becomes Buda-bust. Something is terribly wrong. The rest of the series will be devoted to up-ending things that have ‘turned’, as many things have started to go the wrong way.

Kim Tae-Hee (Welcome to Samdal-ri, 99 days with the Superstar-7) is The Girl, Choi Seung-Hee (SHee). She totally shoots ‘like a gurl’, but she is beautiful and capable. They meet on the first day of college; she's smarter than he - sort of. He wows her with his photographic memory. She out-drinks him. He wakes up alone… She isn't in class... He's ghosted. He learns from the prof that SHee was just auditing at the request of the DOD. In the last third of the show SHee changes, becomes frumpier, and gets alittle irritating. I believe that is designed as a plot device to make her less attractive, but it doesn't play well.

Jeong Jun-Ho (SKY Castle, The Tale of Nokdu) is Hyeon-Jun's buddy, Jin Sa-Woo. He meets SHee somewhere else and also falls for her instantly. The guys don't know they've fallen for the same girl. As it turns out, she's no ordinary girl and she's a much harder 'get' than either of them realize.

Kim Seung-Woo (Basics of Love, Their Embrace, Late Night Restaurant, 71: Into the Fire) is NK agent Park Cheol-Yeong, and he's a fabulous presence. Kim So-Yeon is NK agent/sniper, Kim Sun-Hwa. She has the look, hair, and gravitas to play a badass agent anytime, anywhere. By the end of the show I preferred her. Maybe it's the hair... Other successful roles for Ms Kim are Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938, Two Weeks, and The Penthouse series. The directors are Yang Yun-Ho (Grand Prix, Criminal Minds) and Kim Kyu-Tae (Our Blues, That Winter, The Wind Blows-7). There's 3 writers: Kim Hyun-Joon (Secret Royal Inspector & Joy, Ho-Gu's Love-7.4), Jo Kyu-Won (Different Dreams), & Kim Jae-Eun (Korean Ghost Stories & Bad Boy).

You might think the training is extreme. I've read about Korean congressman fainting from intensive training /videos/ in the last part of the 20th. (Apparently, politicians aren't built for sacrifice, pain-for-gain, or inner strength anywhere in the world). Iris is superb through 16 episodes. As there's an excess of Kdramas that start out great but unravel before ep10, that is commendable. What's wrong is that Iris just had to be 20 episodes long, and eps 17-20 feel tacked-on. They aren't nearly as good.

Let's deal with eps 1-16 first. The budget was in excess of 40 billion won (US$34.97 million) and it shows. One thing that stood out is that communist agents look the same on film whether they're Korean, East German, or Russian: Straight-laced, severe black garb, cheerless. (If you want the full flavor of living in a surveillance-laden, clamped-down, cheerless society, watch Chernobyl-10). There's excellent writing, acting, and directing that make a near perfect spy thriller. It is one of the most Hollywood-feeling K-features I've seen. The cadence is perfect: They have 20hrs; they can take their time, but it's not slow. The second unit didn't cut any of their film school classes - the action is exciting. I would not hesitate to confidently recommend this to the action hounds in my sphere. In fact I did recommend it to my niece when I was on ep8. She ended up finishing it before me and came at me demanding answers. Whoops! Knowing what I know now, I still would recommend it - but I would slap a warning label on it.

Maintaining integrity is one of the themes. "He could become a monster." "I fear whether we will become monsters, in the end," we hear. But then there's this: "A man who lets his conscience or sense of responsibility weaken his ambition can never achieve anything." So says one of the brass at the agency. Sounds like a lofty statement to cover sleazy undertakings. Hyun-Jun loses his way for a time & makes a directional change that hurts. There are understandable temptations, and he was misled, but it's still a difficult pill to chew on.

In the aftermath of 911, the way the CIA operates came under discussion. Some wanted to cut ties with any slimy characters while others argued that in the world of intelligence, agents, assets, and the pay-for-info crowd, that is all there is. One can't deal in trading classified information without brushing up on slime. In Iris, the world of secret agents gets convoluted. Around the midpoint we have two agencies working against eachother. The supposed “good guys" have an agent who's actually trying to facilitate the nuclear attack, while the “bad guys” have a guy who's working at stopping it. Who are the good and bad guys? It gets muddy. It depends on the way the wind is blowing on certain days. The mid eps through ep16 are crazy CRAZY good.

Another theme is the shadow power behind the power. Yep, another conspiracy piece. Conspiracy theories are a blast. They can't all be true, but it's naive to think there are NO conspiracies in the world. That's not the nature of power. I, pretty much, believe that politics is a big distraction, and that we effectively have the illusion of choice. The money and effort we put into political leaders, who don't deserve our love or respect, would be better spent elsewhere. They're all good at pointing out problems. Oh, how they excel at that. It's solutions (actual ones, not words) that give them trouble. The only thing politics has accomplished in the last 40 years is that we all hate eachother. Having said that, don't skip the show's quote at the end of this article.

The soundtrack is excellent. It ranges from instrumental, to rap, to Kpop. Dreaming Dream (Kim Tae Woo) is VG. Their trip to Japan is just wonderful and romantic. He gets in trouble for not remembering "White Day". On March 14, in Korea, men are expected to show appreciation for the chocolates they received on Valentine's Day by giving women candy. SHee expects candy. Hyun-Jun is from Mars, so he doesn't get what the fuss is about. There's quite a few more people with tans in this show than the average bleached out Kdrama. Unfortunately, most of them don't end up in a great place. East Asia needs to rethink their shallow skin color preferences and diversify more. Ditto for the rest of the world.

Eps1-16 are as good as it gets. Now for the last 4 eps. This show would probably have been perfect at 16 episodes. Ep17 is sort of a pause, recap, and flashback episode. Okay... The main plot did just have a conclusion of sorts. The last 3 eps aren't /bad/ (perhaps they are, slightly), but they feel tangential. They definitely don't augment the show - they bring it down a notch. I rate eps1-16 at 8.6, for example. S2 sees a big drop in the ratings and eps17-20 give us a preview of the decline. The 2nd half of ep20 is really good. BUT, with 5min to go, something feels ominous...

My word of warning to all is: Consider stopping at the end of ep16. I doubt anyone will heed my warning, but there it is.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8 📝8 🎭8.5 💓7🦋7 🎨7.5 🎵/🔊7.4 🔚6 ♦ 🌞3 ⚡8 😅2 😭5 😱5 😯3.5 😖4 🤔4.3 💤0

Poli-wagging - 2/10. The NK agents are humans in a difficult place. The REAL DEVIL is the Japanese agent. What 2 countries in this world have the worst opinion of Japan? Korea and China, based on some brutal history that won't be overlooked any time soon.

Age 14+ violence, sexual situations

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

Re-📺? Name, rank, and serial number only

QUOTE📢 In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. ~Franklin Roosevelt~

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Mad For Each Other-7.8 ~silly fun;
Crazy Love-7.8;
Love to Hate You-8.9;
Romance is a bonus book-7.9;
Crash Landing On You-9.1;
Oh My Ghost-10;
Private Lives-8.1;
It's Okay Not To Be Okay-9;
Love Struck in the City-7.3;
When the Camellia Blooms-8;
K2-8
Tunnel-8.1;
Signal 8.6; Sisyphus-8
My Mister-9.5;
The King's Affection-8.3;
Mr. Sunshine-9
Squid Game-8.4;
Kingdom-8.3;
Flower of Evil-8.9;
D. P.-8.4,
The Man from Nowhere-8.9;
The Cursed-8.3;
Black-9

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Я начала смотреть шпионскую дорамку, для меня первую. Тем более на днях посмотрела фильм "Объединенная зона безопасности" и прониклась главным героем. Он и тут Гг. один из...Ну вот, прошло полгода и я все таки досмотрела эту дораму. И не скажу, что с трудом, она интересная, но получилось только дозировано выдержать сие действо. Потому что рояли в кустах были так навалены, что было трудно протиснуться. Однако, что необычно в дорамах, именно к середине стало логично и понятно, да еще прибавилась та любовно-романтическая линия за которую я болела и поэтому стало смотреться совсем хорошо.
Ох, как же я болела за Ченжуна и Сонхва, хотя и понимала, что ничего у них не будет от слова совсем. Но она призналась в своих чувствах, он их принял и всё. А как она всегда смотрела на него и Сынхи, боль в глазах была такой явной и всем понятной.
Сама идея тайной организации а-ля масоны не просто не нова, а так уж стара как... мир. Так и не понятны остались мотивы "Айрис", хотя поверю и в деньги да власть, потому что даже у северокорейских террористов, окрыленных борьбой за родину, было больше огня в глазах, чем у наемников в последних сериях. Но списать все на одну организацию, никогда не работало. К сожалению, в мире таких "Айрисов" в каждом государстве, и не факт, что не государством и лелеемые.
Ну да ладно, зато есть повод для сиквела.

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Une certaine déception une fois ce drama terminé

Etant toujours à la bourre dans mes séries à regarder et étant donné que celle-ci allait sortir du catalogue Netflix, je m’y suis mis et ai regardé les 20 épisodes en une semaine et demie.

Le début est assez prometteur même si la série a mal vieilli et que l’on est loin des standards actuels. Néanmoins, on se laisse prendre au jeu, au moins pendant la moitié des épisodes.

Après, malheureusement, cela devient très confus, les événements s’enchaînent sans lien, les indices sont trop facilement trouvés et le héros s’en tire toujours même face à 30 hommes armés jusqu’aux dents…

Bref, cela manque un peu de réalisme et la surenchère des derniers épisodes m’a laissé dubitatif. Sans parler de la fin, qui est totalement surréaliste. Sans spoiler la série, je ne comprends toujours pas comment cela a pu se produire de la sorte. Il 6 a tellement de facteurs imprévisibles à prendre en compte que cela n’aurait pas pu se produire dans la réalité.

Bref, sentiment mitigé pour cette série avec une première moitié intéressante mais une seconde partie bâclée et incohérente.

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