Celebrity 
Interesting but a tad boring
Well, the tory is really good, and so is the cast, however the drama could be shorter.There are some scenarios that keep repeating themselves, and could be compiled into one, so that the viewer doesn't get the feeling of:
"- Oh, here we go again..."
But besides the recurring scenarios the unit faces, it's a really interesting story.
You don't always get this type of light thriller, with bits of comedy and romance, so I do recommend it.
I watched in one sitting (with a some fastfoward moments) and enjoyed it very much.
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Drama, but it feels like a movie
This drama is about military missions and conflicts. If you binge-watch this drama, it feels like watching an action movie, feels short yet solid plot. If you're looking for a short yet full of action military drama, this is the best for you.Pros:
- Strong women in the military. She won't cry or be afraid to do deadly missions. You will love their character.
- Every episode gives you a thrill and makes you curious what kind of target we are facing on.
- Long duration of action scenes, less time-waste caused by unnecessary scenes, no romance. This makes the drama looks so solid.
- Not merely a military drama. There's something mysterious you'll find it out later.
Cons:
- There's, still, a scene where someone is dying in front of the enemy with a pistol in his hand, but his comrades come to ask him "are you okay? hang on, we'll get you out" instead of taking the enemy down first. This is the biggest mistake in every action drama/movie and it's still there.
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Mediocre drama
I really enjoyed this drama until about a bit more than half way. I felt that this drama was too predictable. I predicted most of the drama by episode 4/5. So, in my opinion, it was a bit bland and the climax' weren't really amazing. The climatic scenes at times weren't produced very well. So I didn't feel that 'wow' factor when i watched those scenes.Certain scenes were cringe-y, lame or unrealistic. I know that it is a drama but there are certainly alot of dramas out there that can maintain the realism whilst simultaneously producing an amazing drama.
The casts and their acting were superb and i really enjoyed their acting. I did get put off by Krystal's acting at times but it is understandable since she is a singer turned actress.
Overall, a mediocre drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
basically great acting, mediocre directing and horrible writing ;)since the start I was really "confused" about what happened in 1997, why did that guy kill everyone? what did they want with that "mysterious" box, what was the point with everything? and they only answered it in the last few minutes of the final ep when they showed a recap from someone's pov so basically no one really "knew" what happened till the end.
I still don't get why that dude not only killed everyone but also came back to kill everyone, even his own son ;/ and then he cried about it... and yoon park was so obsessed with the "object" that he went off to a hole and died too..... basically cheap deaths for a final blow...
so to recap what I did get, a group of SK soldiers went to look for a box of "mysterious" object. they discovered a NK female holding a baby and a male holding the box. the NK's wanted to go to SK (presumably with that box) but one SK soldier suddenly massacred them? and he killed his team becasue they wanted to save the baby? and he shot his friend in the back for reporting him.. (and miraculously the baby became the fl)
then box NK guy becomes a nuclear zombie and drags "one" of the guys (who turned out to be the ml's dad) because box guy was angry and he causes an accident that killed him and turned that SK guy into a radio active zombie. later on a dog bites him, turns into a dog zombie and infects two more people.
and this is where the story starts, the group hunts the "target", the psycho SK guy comes back to kill more people (like how did anyone even follow his lead) and people died while nuclear zombie dad blows up the place which leads the normal SK people wondering where more than 10 people disappeared too... and no one but the mains knew the truth.. like the "government" didn't care they were like here's your secret records deal with it yourself?
yes, to summarize it it did not need 10 eps at all! it only needed 2, 5 max.. like nothing happened in those long long eps. there was not enough character growth, there was not enough character base tbh they really wasted the actors potential..
also the director was not any better, the recaps drove me crazy, 1- I do not need to be reminded of what happened 5mins ago and 2- the back and froth between the time lines and the overall feel of the drama felt flat.
I do love the actors though, especially JDY and he did an AMAZING job, the rest also did great. for ost tbh I don't think they even had any beside JDY singing ;) and I never rewatch stuff, I hope this opened up more doors for the cast though
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The plot follows Dong Jin, a military dog handler a few weeks away from his discharge, who doesn't seem quite fit for the military because he's far too opinionated and doesn't know how to listen to authority. He wants to quietly leave before his discharge, but unfortunately, he is called on a mission after someone goes missing. Cue the cool lurking monster and a suspenseful thriller mystery? Unfortunately, no.
Even in the first episode, I found myself underwhelmed and was waiting for something interesting to happen with this concept, but it's never more than an average horror thriller. The not-zombies of this world (I call them that because the drama is constantly reminding us that they aren't zombies, but they don't do anything unique with them to distinguish them from zombies either) are not interesting, or well utilized in this, and that's because they feel more like an afterthought to make another storyline that was set years prior before the events with Dong Jin thrilling.
I never really brought into these two storylines that the writers were trying to tie together, not individually or together. The writers don't get the chance to properly flesh them out because they are focusing on both, and these two storylines are connected by the thinnest thread. I was probably 7-8 episodes in, wondering if one of the storylines was necessary before its connection became clear, and even still, it felt forced. There's a huge part of me that thinks if the not-zombies were taken out, and they had focused on the initial events prior as the mystery, along with the corruption within the military which would work perfectly with Dong Jin's character, who didn't fit in the army because he wasn't good with following authority, then this would be twenty times better. I guess that just goes to show how lackluster I thought the not-zombies were.
But ultimately, what Search lacks mostly comes down to execution. This plot is something best made for a film, not a 10-hour plus drama. It's stretched incredibly thin at times, to the point that there are really dull boring moments throughout the show with the characters meandering about in an equally boring small town. The romance is another thing that is boring, but it's mostly because it feels unnecessary, and without it, the story wouldn't have changed. Nothing is particularly thrilling or mysterious because of how the story is told. We practically know everything from the first few episodes, so the mystery is gone there. And everything else is pretty predictable. The not-so zombies lost their thrills pretty quickly.
I thought the cast was good, and everyone did a good job. It's just that their characters are dull. Despite having 10 episodes, and ample enough time to flesh them out, considering the many moments of practically nothing happening, they don't give these characters much more than basic one-note characteristics, and it shows. It's hard to connect to them, and even their interactions with one another seem slightly stunted. Dong Jin is the only character who has more than the basic one-note characteristics. But unfortunately, I never truly connected to him, nor did I ever truly fear for his life or the other people there. Plot armor was working great for them in the beginning of the drama, and despite them being in close quarters with some of the not-zombies, it seemed that all they liked to do was throw and toss people around, making the not-zombies effectively lose their thrills and lowering the stakes.
Search's greatest offense is that it adds nothing to the horror-thriller genre. It's does everything that other horror thrillers have done before, but not better. Technically, it's not terrible, but because it's so incredibly average despite having a cool concept, it made it terrible for me.
Overall, Search is just best described as average. This should have never been more than a 2-hour long movie or a 3-episode mini-series because the story doesn't have enough meat to push past that. The not-zombies are not interesting enough, nor are they horrifying or mysterious. Watching them go through the forest searching for them, over and over again, was boring. Search has an interesting premise but is poorly executed.
I recommend this for people who aren't too familiar with the horror-thriller genre. It will feel like a new fresh concept to you, and you'll probably enjoy it. But for those who follow OCN dramas, or are fans of thrillers and horror in general, this will probably just be okay to you.
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stop treating me like i'm stupid
there are many things to be said but this drama isn't worth the breath. i'll admit i was hooked initially, but i quickly got over that upon realizing that this drama was gonna play me like i can't form a logical thought. there are a lot of plot holes. like, A LOT.after a while, i just had to shut off my brain and try not to think to deeply. i hope the screenwriters sit in on a workshop because this show was not so great.
i felt a lot of things while watching it but i don't even got it in me to express. don't waste your time on this. there are better ways to waste 10 hours.
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Awesome
Awesome❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Good Enough
The main problem with the Korean Drama 'Search' is that it took up a lot of themes and storylines and had so little time to develop them.The whole illness-zombie-animal-fy was not well explained, served only as a prompt for the search to start and sometimes it was left out of the story, in order for the latter to focus on the mystery. That said, the mystery case was pretty interesting and the drama had the thriller factor on full mode, which aided a lot. Another plus was the lack of romance, which would have shifted the mood of the drama to another, more cliche, level. Unfortunately, the family drama needed, too, more time to be developed, as did the characters, who were only introduced rushly to be thrown right into the action, thus, preventing the viewer from creating bonds with them, caring for them and actually feel the right emotions in the end.
Nevertheless, the performances, the setting, even the fantasy part, were all great, well performed and executed.
So, overall, 7 out of 10.
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Meh
It had a decent start setting up the atmosphere. The drama was shot nicely too, try to grab the UXN 4K version if you can. The action was good although it was scarce. There was a lot of downtime between each event which almost ruined the drama. It was clear they had an abundance of free time that they started supplementing it with slice of life/comedic moments which were straight up bad and unfitting. The story wasn't as engaging as it was at the start, it somehow lost its direction midway through. Too many plot holes to count even when excluding the supernatural elements. The drama lacked a meaningful connection between characters. The least you would expect from a military themed drama is some comradeship which this drama failed to show. It's a hard watch since the drama doesn't have much to offer other than a good cast.Was this review helpful to you?
Search
Jang Dong Yoon and Krystal were amazing, really like their chemistry especially in the last episode. Krystal's character was so badass. Yeon Woo Jin - eventhough as a support, catch my eye the most in role, comparing to other to I seen him (where he was main).Plot - was not the worst, not what I expected, but also it did not click for me - or rather I made a big mistake and starting watching while waiting for next The judge from hell's episodes were I was soo hyped - so maybe wrong time.
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Can't stop thinking about this drama months later
I wasn't going to initially leave a review for 'Search' but I couldn't stop thinking about this drama months later. I keep wanting to return to it time and time again, and while I haven't watched it for a second time yet, I probably will soon.First of all, you might be wondering why I gave it a 9/10 and I'll state right here this isn't a perfect drama. Are there some things I'd change? Certainly. But my criteria for myself is... if a drama is so fun that I can overlook its flaws and want to return to it, it deserves a 9 so this is a personal score for me.
But the truth is... I couldn't stop watching it. I was gripped by the mystery of this monster-suspense genre, constantly wondering what on earth was going and what the hell was going to happen next. I really enjoyed the plot and it was definitely something that I hadn't watched before, but I'm a sucker for a monster hunt drama/movie and if you are too, this won't disappoint.
I think though that truly propels this drama to as high a rating as 9 is the cast. Everyone was simply outstanding in their roles imo and I found all of their stories really compelling, like I could understand the motivation of everyone involved and that's so rare sometimes. There's not much more I can say on that without spoiling the drama but I thought every character was great and I enjoyed watching all of them on screen.
And I'm a serial "skipper" of scenes I don't like since dramas do have a tendency to drag on something that could be said in 2 lines, so I just skip ahead 5-10 secs (thank you Netflix!) at a time to get the plot going, but I don't remember ever skipping 'Search'. Maybe because it's already a rather short drama or maybe I just enjoyed every second of it.
I have to say though that while I came into this drama for Krystal, I came out of it a huuuugge fan of Jang Dong Yoon. He was the most perfect reluctant hero. He was charming, goofy, tragic, capable, loving, proficient, and kind. Something about his performance in this drama has made me an overnight #1 Fangirl. Truly a great actor. Also cute guy + cute dog? 10/10.
Anyway, I'd highly recommend if you are a fan of: cute dogs, action, mystery, monster hunts, suspense, military operations, badass women and tragic backstories.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is so crazy!
This is analysis with copyright Instagram @cinedoramasAs I mentioned above, Search had everything to have a little more history in addition to its 10 episodes.
In addition, the plot was not there these things, but in my view was too rushed.
Throughout the plot I had a few moments when I didn't understand much of the context of the scene in specific episodes; Three and six. (I won't say why, because this is not the spoiler club, this is just an analysis).
- In short, Search presents a story with good suspense (say in passing, it gets to be funny how it stands out in this genre, being that it was more comical than everything), military context and without novels. The set design, the techniques of filming and character development are good.
Overall, there were some mistakes: The weak script, stories that were told in the first 3 episodes, but that did not develop, the events that were released, and cuts /jumps in time that made those who watch, stop and try to understand what was happening.
(Ps: In my view, in the first episodes it became evident that I WOULD HAVE MAYBE a novel, but the same did not occur).
That is, watch the kdrama already aware that there are no novels.
- In the first episode, Search arrested me. Watching the night a drama that is highlighted as 'mystery, suspense and terror', did not scare me at any point.
Everything was going well, until episode 3 was a little confused... Episode 4, I felt that they tried to repair* the error of the previous episode.
And then this drama only got me back in episode 8.
That is, overall it was too DULL to follow this drama.
There's not much to comment on, because as it only has 10 episodes, I can give without wanting many spoilers, so I'll stop here.
*Analyzing the characters*
Yong Dong Jin:
Dong Jin introduces himself to the public, as a military and dog trainer, who counts the days for his dismissal. His personality was the most attention-shaded to me: considerably he does not know how to 'listen to his superiors', that is, 'an order'.
- Fact: There's a hole in his and Son Ye Rim's story, both of which seemed to have had some relationship in the past, but that to which, we'll never know what really happened. That is, they presented the probable relationship of both, but simply did not develop it.
Son Ye Rim:
The most interesting female character the plot tries to build. His cold answers and crossed glances at Yong Dong Jin made it clear that some sort of romance could come later... It was just achismo even!
Song Min Gyu:
Let's go to the part that held me the most in the plot... Yes, the main character who is a villain and very proud. What makes Search a bit good, was to see the unfolding of this. It wasn't bad or something chopped, on the contrary, it made me want to watch the next episode.
Min Gyu introduces herself to the viewer in an authoritarian, meek, totally proud way and who thinks he is superior to his colleagues. It is the typical character who always seeks the easy way, only it is not the right one.
- Perception and Critic:
Many ideas, a lot of time in the air and two writers who tried to put together both stories, but who in the end knew how to have the right attention and organization. I don't have to come here and talk about how a beginning, middle and end story should be made, right?
What becomes boring, is that Search had everything to become a good drama, but that unfortunately lacked organization and listing of the facts.
Back in the past and then coming and going to the present, was one of the points I hated the most. The story becomes shallow, weak and fragile.
Search has more room for a movie than a drama.
To be honest, it was exactly this perception I had when I finished watching it.
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