Celebrity 
This review may contain spoilers
A Well Perfectly-Balanced Show. Search came out at the right time for me. I was having a hard time getting over another drama (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay), when Search came along. This drama has been in my radar since last year and was curious by how it will turn out.
It is a fast-paced drama since it only had 10 episodes. Each episode was really entertaining. I knew that this drama will be a military-thriller but the romance, comedy, birth-secret, hidden-identity was a surprise for me. They’ve really made a well-rounded show.
The casting was perfect. Jang Dong Yoon is so natural. I watched some of his previous works and I can really say that the he really emerges into the characters he portrays. Just the transition from Jeon Nokdu into Seargent Yong Dong Jin is amazing. Jung Soo Jung casting was a little surprise for me, I only saw her in The Heirs and I can’t imagine her playing Son Ye Rim however, she really did pull off playing a cold, strong female character. I was actually surprised by JDY and JSJ’s good chemistry. Their banters were so funny and sweet that it’s making me ask for more scenes of them. I hope JDY and JSJ can work again together in a Rom-Com. Another good chemistry was between JDY and the dogs (lol), their scenes displayed his love for dogs.
The scoring was also good that it became a very intrinsic part of its thriller/horror genre. The eerie sound in the intro really represents what the show is all about. Search may not have an ost but their song choices in some “romantic” parts of the drama were perfect.
The ending was not rushed and was very well-executed. It was thrilling up until the end. I thought there should have been Season 2 but, all the story lines were tied and everything already explained.
All in all, it is a very engaging. I recommend this drama, despite some bad CGIs in the beginning. It has a perfect pace and has multiple genres. If you’re looking for something different, go watch this one.
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As far as the genre goes, Search is a pretty good example with excellent performances by the wonderful Jang Dong Yoon as the military dog handler Yong Dong Jin and a strangely (but welcomingly) sombre and cerebral Krystal as the military forensic scientist, Son Ye Rim.
The two used to date - a fact that is utterly superfluous to the plot and could have been jettisoned without us noticing - but end up in a joint operation in the demilitarized zone after there are reports of a disease spreading in the area. Jang Dong Yoon is an amazing up and coming actor who clearly wanted to branch out after his two previous roles (both performances of which were extraordinary) and does very well with the role. Krystal is also good in a natural and understated performance with none of the apparent "I am acting!" quirks and ticks that a lot of Idols seem to pick up.
While the show benefited both from being only 10 episodes and from good casting, direction and production, the script suffered from some usual OCN weaknesses. There was a lot of people in uniforms and identical haircuts running around shooting at each other in the dark and one day somebody will learn this is NOT good television. A lot of good character beats were introduced and then forgotten, like a Chekhov's gun that did not go off (why DID Ye Rim suddenly and unexpectedly break up with Dong Yoon a year ago? And if it's not important why dwell on it so much?). And some of the editing seemed more about fooling the audience or confusing them with time jumps than anything else.
The final episode was unfortunately utterly ridiculous. And while the show successfully walked that fine line between our suspension of disbelief and falling off a cliff for most of its run, it leapt into the chasm at a full jump in episode 10.
So while I enjoyed watching Search quite a lot, I can't declare it great television. But for a bit of mindless fun and quite a good example of a classic OCN drama, it's worth a binge.
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This review may contain spoilers
A GOOD THRILLER-DRAMATIC DRAMA
STORY LINE : Its quite blurry for what is happening on the first place, but i think that is how they tried to put SYR n YDJ (should i write JDJ?? Its ok) in the same time n how they hooked with each other. as time past by the story is getting clear n clear each ep.. As we goes by the ending i think its pretty satisfied as we got our happy ending though.. well its a given for someone to die..ACTING/CAST : Its a really good cast for me as there is no awkwardness i see from them.. each n everyone of them play their part well. well act i was quite surprise on how Jang dongyoon change from Nokdu to YDJ here but he really did well..
Music : Well as for this i would say that music did play their part well in the drama to show their suspense or happy.. but for me the early music are to eerie for me thus i did not really like it.
RE-WATCH VALUE : DEFINITELY! I will re-watch this near future for sure!
OVERALL : A great story line with a great and different concept that really make u enjoy watching. but i would comment on negative side would be the CGI part. it quite unrealistic though. but for someone that really like a different type of genre n story line u can come for this drama.
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Watching the trailer, I knew I would definitely start this when I get the chance. Excitement, suspense and the hope of some good mystery (whether it might be supernatural or not) led me to the impression that I wouldn't waste my time with this one. Maybe you're going to watch the trailer now, maybe you already did and just decided to start the drama. Well, sometimes producers tend to put the most exciting moments into those two minute clips to attract a lot of people. Unfortunately that often results in viewers being disappointed because all the already known suspense is getting served in the first one or two episodes. There's a big chance your interest has been piqued by then but the further you watch the more sober you get about the plot and you just know that you won't develop the same gripping emotions you had in the beginning.
Does that make "Search" not worth the watch? Don't worry, it still does. But don't let your imagination and excitement run free, don't expect too much or set the bar too high.
The story itself is still very interesting and most times they did a great job telling it. You can guess one or two things and connect some dots along the road as more details come to light, intentionally or not. I don't think it's a bad idea to show pieces of the puzzle here and there (I definitely wouldn't call it predictable) because I for myself like to guess things and I'm happy when I'm right about it. And I really enjoyed the net that was woven. Even though the drama left me with one or two unanswered questions (I'm still really curious about those - i.e. the explanation for the "cause" was pretty vague), most things were explained in the end.
The cast did an adequate job, some more than others and in the end the acting was good enough for the story. I thought that Jang Dong Yoon (ML) would be my light of the day, but it was actually Moon Jung Hee and Yeon Woo Jin. Oh, and of course the dogs, Leo and Mac! They were trained so well. Makes me wonder whether they really used military ones.
Aside from a pointless romance that already ended before it had even started, the main problem for a plot like this was that they revealed too much physics of the main "thing" too early, which took out all the "mystery". Therefore the main force was pulled down right away and never rose again. That makes you start to concentrate on the side dishes and you discover small details that bother the flow if you put too much thought into it. For example, I'm no expert regarding military behavior, but how can they chat about private things in the middle of an operation. In the dark. With an unknown target. Like yeah, no. But don't worry, those situations are quite rare. And maybe it's just me who noticed those things which happened only once or twice.
Would I recommend this? Yes, I would. Despite its flaws it's still a good watch. And for people who don't nitpick about every tiny crack, it can be quite a show. I did feel entertained by it. My expectations were just too high right from the start.
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Gripping stuff!
Gripping from the first episode. Excellent characters with perfectly fitting cast of actors. I really liked that they chose an actor who had similar features to Dong Jin, to play his father.I loved the camaraderie between them as soldiers and the relationship between Dong-jin and both his canine partners was very believable and realistic.
There was no overacting, but lots of tension and mystery. Tiny bit of romance, which didn't get in the way of the main plot, but actually added to it.
I also really liked actress Moon Jung-hee and her more mature but tough yet understated character. We need more like that!
I feel it's a shame there were only 10 episodes though, as I am not clear on exactly what happened to the item being searched for. I thought it was found and handed over, yet it eventually appeared not.
An investigation should have been filmed to at least round up things a bit more clearly, which would have benefited the drama as a whole. The ending was quite abrupt for some of the story line, which is a shame.
Having said that, I found the 3 different elements of the story really intriguing and binge watched the whole series! There was far more I loved than didn't and it's one I'd happily sit through again.
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This review may contain spoilers
Lost and Found
In a nutshell, this show is about a group of SK soldiers who committed an unspeakable act way back in 1997, then covered up the whole incident with a blatant lie and moved on with their lives (those who survived anyway). Fast forward to the present day, the cover up resurfaces to bite them in the ass. Add in a couple of story arcs regarding a revenge plot aided by rabies mutation, a NK defector baby who grew up to become a SK soldier that happens to be romantically linked to a conscripted dog handler, both of whom get drafted into a Special Forces’ team filled with team mates serving various hidden agendas, for searching the source of mutated rabies infection. This is set in a sleepy village full of generic countryside folks except for an ex-commando housewife with very lethal skill set and a troubled past, situated right next to the DMZ. All this transpires amidst an underlying political conspiracy during the SK Presidential elections. Sounds convoluted? That’s because it really is.The premise of Search is certainly not new and bears very close resemblance to the 2016 SK movie, Musudan. The main differences being the fleshed out romantic entanglement, involvement of military combat canines, the presence of a highly skilled civilian and the inclusion of the politics. This drama might as well have been designated the sequel to the parent story.
This is a typical OCN drama that deals with a dark subject matter. It’s generally well made with visibly high production values and reasonably good acting by the main cast. I found the show relatively entertaining for the most part over the course of only 10 episodes. There were some really good moments that were off set by certain things that could have been done better.
The Positives
The main cast comprising Jang Dong Yoon (the “pretty girl” in Tale of Nokdu), Krystal, Yoon Park, Lee Hyun Wook, Moon Jung Hee (Vagabond’s Jessica Lee) and Yoo Sung Joo acted their roles well enough, with the script they were given. Yoon Park and Hyun Wook’s portrayal of complex multidimensional characters with questionable allegiances and motives were particularly intriguing. It’s never easy depicting conflicted “semi-antagonists” as opposed to protagonists or outright villains. Krystal did a good job playing a strong and smart female soldier (technically KCST), and I always appreciate strong FL characters being depicted in dramas.
The action sequences, including the confrontation and shootout with the NK border patrol, the hunt for the “target” and the subsequent set-up of the ambush, as well as the search and rescue of a missing person, were well executed with military precision, via the coordinated use of dramatic BGM, frantic pace, (surprisingly) steady camerawork and the sheer display of firepower by the soldiers.
The scenes involving the extremely gorgeous military dogs (Dutch Shepard breed, if I’m not mistaken) Leo and Mac were fantastic and refreshing to see. Most of the time, they steal the scenes from their human counterparts.
The Negatives
For a drama this convoluted and running at only 10 episodes, there were moments where boredom seeped in. The plot and sub-plots were not that complicated to follow but felt dragged out more than was necessary. There was even time for some fillers and goofy humour in between the action and dramatic events. Apart from some induced scare moments, the momentum from the intensity of chasing the target(s) wasn’t evenly sustained throughout and hence sorely lacked any prolonged sense of suspense.
The characters weren’t sensibly written. I could accept the ridiculous storyline and go with it for entertainment sake but the unrealistic portrayal of the SK military is quite annoying. No doubt a conscript is not part of the regular personnel, but repeated insubordination and blatant disregard for the chain of command, and worse still, the tolerance of it makes the so-called Special Forces a joke, even if it’s fictional. Many people have been conscripted for military service and nobody behaves in such a manner, because it is simply not tolerated and tantamount to court martial. Worse case scenario, such indiscipline might even cause irreparable harm during any military op.
SK has one of the most technologically advanced weaponry and combat-ready forces operating in one of the most volatile borders in the world. Instead, in addition to the earlier mentioned insubordination, we also have personnel who wear make up while on active duty in a combat situation, the CO and his deputy frequently debating operational decisions in front of the entire team before/during/ after an op, equipment that either doesn’t function or breaks down in the middle of an op, border guards who fail to prevent a 7 year old kid (at least, that’s what I think her age is) from walking right into the DMZ, among other observations. If the military really was this inept, NK would have no problems launching a successful invasion. But then again, the NK soldiers in this show were depicted as even more incompetent, so I guess that evened out the odds after all.
Episode 3 is a strange one - it is the only episode that attempted a flashback sequence to add to the dramatic effect. This is quite common especially in US sci-fi drama series which usually works well because it is written in a series episodic format (eg a story arc within an episode). The problem here is that the plot is serialized (the story arc covers more than just the one episode) and it attempted one flashback too many. The timeline kept flashing back and forth to the point everything was messed up and confusing as heck. I’m just glad this attempt was made in only one episode instead of the entire 10 episodes.
Overall
Despite feeling somewhat letdown by the weak script, illogically written characters and the predictable outcome, Search still kept me entertained especially once I stopped taking it seriously from episode 4 onward. The key lies in managing your expectations and suspending more than a modicum of disbelief while you’re watching this.
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Worth the watch.
love it. What a great Drama it's full of excitement that exhilarating to end, it has funny parts 😅and sad parts 😢 A troop of so korean men"owl" where on duty in the DMZ in 1997 when they come across a women with a baby near a baby. They wanted to defect from N Korea with her husband as they were scientists bring a secret but her husband was being hunted. Now face to face with N Korea they wanted her back and so she gave S korea her baby to raise and she went back. Then Lt Lee hyuk got nervous looking at N korea men and opened fire and that started everyone to shot. The Sargeant wanted to report what happened with the north but Lt lee hyuk shot him 3x and killed the rest since he needed to change the story and Lt. Han Dae shek was alive. They went back making themselves hero and stated that Cpt. Jo min gook defected and killed everyone. Now 20+yrs later there is a disturb ment in the DMZ so 5 men & 1 women are sent there to kill the rabbie infected dog(wolf) and from there so many different things happen. It's worth the watchWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Looking for a decent thriller? ‘Search’ no further.
Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this was a “liked”.Things I liked:
This was a relatively short and to the point thriller, mystery, drama. I found both the premise (radioactive mystery zombie-things) and the setting (DMZ) to be unique (to me, anyway). I had just finished re-watching “Descendants of the Sun” and was in the mood for some more Kdrama set in the military setting. I thought the characters were decently three-dimensional (though they never quite explained why ML was so happy to get out of the military) and those that weren’t did not have a huge role anyway. I liked the fact that our FL was a bad@$$, both at fighting and at thinking. She didn’t suddenly grow all weak just so ML could rescue her. I liked the inclusion of the villagers, including the former special ops soldier (though I kind would have liked her to have a bigger role in the final battle). I liked that it there was mystery, suspense, a decent conspiracy going on behind the scenes, and that the ending was (mostly) happy.
Jang Dong Yoon clearly spent some time working with the dog trainer. It was cute the way the second dog kept looking at him, she’d clearly been working with him a lot and she was always looking for his next command.
Things I did not like so much:
Honestly, there wasn’t much. There were a few inconsistencies here and there as there always are. I would have liked to have known for sure if the FL and ML got back together, but it was open to interpretation. I thought the cascading shot-blocking to protect the (invincible) radioactive dude was a bit cliché. And doesn’t their combat gear include bullet proof vests!? (Yes, I know the politician’s son was not wearing combat gear, but what about the sergeant who was going to get married? That was an abdominal shot, shouldn’t his battle armor cover that area?) And are there really congressman powerful enough in Korea to direct entire military battalions?
Conclusions:
For me, this was a decent, relatively straightforward thriller that had no plot holes big enough for me to give up in disgust. It was nice and short (10 episodes) and I, personally, thought it was worth the watch. Even if I did start because I thought the ML was Kim Soo Hyun, not Jang Dong Yoon (no idea why I thought that at first…)—despite that disappointment, I recommend it. :)
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Feels like a classic sci fi series
Search is a rare gem of a drama. It's intense but not stressful. No boring moments, not a single weakness. There's action but the relationships between characters (including human-animal) are much more important. There are zombies but they have little screentime, there is a mystery to be solved. Zombie attacks are kept to a minimum so the suspense is more psychological than relying on shock effects. That makes it all the more interesting.Altogether this has more a feel of a classic sci fi series (like the original Star Trek) than anything else. The characters are on a limited space, they have to fulfill missions, they are tested.
The crew of actors couldn't be better. An all-stars cast such as this is a rare and wonderful thing. They complement each other so well. Jand Dong Yoon is a great natural talent and it's great to see how much effort he has made to learn the dog handling. Krystal, Park Yoon, Lee Hyun Hook and Moon Young Hee - we gradually learn about their characters and backgrounds in a very satisfying way.
I didn't want to pause watching the series, it had me hooked for the full 10 hours. That was the perfect lenght too. The slowly revealed plot was well written. The romance is present as a possibility, it's not really essential to the drama. This is a decision that leaves a lot of room for viewers' anticipation and imagination which is more satisfactory often than showing explicit romance and using breakups as the sole plot moving devices. (The last sentence is a reminder to myself to look for similar OCN dramas).
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So how were the plot and characters? The whole team is full of silly little potatoes. The decision making would probably be better and more logical if they flipped a coin. They were all supposed to be professionals and specialists in their fields, or at least close to being them. How could Son Ye Rim just walk around like it’s not a big deal after being exposed to an unknown substance? How come in such a small team so many people have ulterior motives that can at times endanger other team members? How come they truly do not care about any military regulations 90% of the time? I think them being such idiots added to the entertainment value. Who doesn’t like watching people make stupid decisions?
That said, even though the dumbassness was frustrating, I enjoyed the characters themselves. The dynamics were fun to watch and slowly discovering any potential connections kept me more focused on what is going on on the screen.
I appreciated how they didn’t dump a massive exposition in episode one explaining all the details, but they also didn’t leave me in the dark till the last moment. Clues, hints and puzzle pieces have been dropped throughout the show, slowly forming a whole picture. In the process I flipped from loving to hating to loving again many characters.
Let’s talk about CGI. Thank god the crazy dogs only happened at the beginning, because they were laughably bad. I always believed that sometimes not showing the monster is better than showing it with the use of shitty CGI. People are creative, they will fill the gaps.
The pacing was well done, I didn't really feel bored during any episode. Keeping them an hour long (compared to the 1 h 30 min. we get lately) and only 10 episodes was a wise choice. This plot is definitely not something that could have been successfully stretched to 16 episodes. The biggest flop was episode 3, which for some strange reason, did not follow linear storytelling, and we jumped around the timeline like crazy. This made little sense.
Overall, it’s not a smart show. I have no military knowledge, but some of the decisions that have been made were simply illogical, even for me. And yet, I liked it. For some strange reason. It was probably because of the characters and the cast. I wasn’t that interested in Dong Jin and Ye Rim, but all the rest truly caught my attention. A girl needs to appreciate the real stakes too, even though it was painful to watch and it broke my heart a few times.
Also, mad respect for including pictures of dogs with other actors in the end credits of the last episode. Let's all appreciate their hard work.
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This review may contain spoilers
Search was a great pick for me cause I couldn't find a good drama for a long time...Anyway I was looking forward to this drama since last year when it was announced and I wasn't dissappointed!
This drama had everything. It made me laugh and cry, it had action and also some cute moments. I wasn't expecting some plot twists but they left me plesantly surprised.
10 episodes was a perfect lenght but I wouldn't be mad if they made it longer.
I would say that cast was really perfect. I loved Krystal and I think she potrayed Ye Rim well. In my opinion she's a good pick for these serious and mature characters. Jang Dong Yoon's potrayed his character Yong Dong Jin so realistically and he was blessing for my eyes (especially in first episode heheh). Yoon Park's character Song Min Gyu was a bit cold hearted but not gonna lie I'm going to love him whatever character he'll be playing. Chemistry in this drama was brilliant plus I loved the dogs!
The ending wasn't rushed and I was satisfied. I just wanted to cry because of Yong Dong Jin's father but he did a good choice. And not everything has a good ending (which I liked cause nothing is just bright and pink in real life).
To sum it up Search is a great drama that leaves you on the edge of your seat. I recommend it to people that want something shorter but thrilling at the same time.
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Eerie, fast-paced thriller
Search was a well-balanced, perfectly paced, well written, adrenaline rush inducing thriller in typical OCN fashion. It doesn't fall under the horror genre but provides a handful of jump scares and gory character deaths. That being said, it's not scary, so do not be wary of this drama.The first two episodes were by far one of the most thrilling I've watched in a good while. It was a perfect amalgamation of the eerie ambience, wary heroes, solid characterization and timely scoring. It hooked me from the start and managed to keep me thoroughly fixated till the end. The drama is short and succinct, having only 10 episodes, which means that the episodes are very meaty with almost no filler. Even the romance is briefly mentioned and takes a back seat to the panic-inducing chaos that occurs in the DMZ. There is no OST per se, but the background score is superbly ambient.
The cast did an outstanding job. Jang Dong Yoon's Yong Dong Jin is poles apart from his character in The Tale of Nokdu. Krystal does a good job as the cold, and competent Son Ye Rim. She was a badass from start to end- intelligent, agile and far from a damsel in distress. K-dramas tend to dumb down FLs who are initially intended to be strong, so I was delighted to see a female lead who was equally as capable as the MLs. Although Kim Da Jung irritated me with her nosiness, you can't deny that she's a strong character too. Yeon Woo Jin, despite barely having lines, blew me away and Yoon Bak and Lee Hyun Wook shouldered their roles masterfully. Yoo Sung Joo was undeniably fantastic as the cruel and power-hungry Lee Hyuk because he made me absolutely loathe his character.
JDY and Krystal have excellent chemistry, and while romance is certainly not the focus here, their longing gazes and words of comfort reassures viewers of their lingering affection for each other. Considering that they referenced it multiple times, I was hoping that the writers would have mentioned the reason for their break-up. But it never came. I can't help but wish that their love line had been more fleshed out. Regardless, they seem to get together at the end.
However, arguably the best couple in this show was YDJ and Mac/Leo. I would be lying if I said that Leo's death didn't induce some hurt.
It isn't flawless, however. There are some plotholes and logical fallacies. I could not comprehend why Jo Min Guk was the only one with green eyes. I initially assumed that the red eyes were a consequence of the mutation caused due to radioactive exposure and rabies. However, the finale detailed Woo Sang Min, the first infected, having red eyes. So why is JMG the only green-eyed one?
I found some of the elements poorly explained. For instance, some background about the radioactive material would have been appreciated and better explained how it caused people to turn into "zombies." I also felt that SMG's death was rather pointless. He was a grey character from the get-go, and I was half expecting his demise, but it felt so inconsequential.
For all his barbarity, I think that LH did not receive nearly as much as he deserves. His death was not satisfying. I truly wish that someone would've put a couple of bullets in him and have him publicly persecuted.
It's also a little predictable, but all is forgiven for having given me two days of blood rush and excitement. It was fantastic enough for me to wish I never watched it so I could rewatch and feel the thrill all over again. This genre is unconventional for K-dramas because it often requires quick pace and tight storytelling, a task that does not translate well into episode format. However, dramas like Search, Guest and Kingdom are a testament that it isn't impossible. Fingers crossed for more dramas of this genre.
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