This review may contain spoilers
Watch it without any expectations and you won’t have a problem with it. While the show has some of the most promising production crew and a stellar cast, if you look at it with scrutiny expecting to come out of it feeling satisfied, you’ll be disappointed. Most of Jirisan is a love letter to the mountain and the rangers who protect it. The on the side mystery is intriguing, but towards the end, especially the very end, the constant guessing/misleading kind of ruins it. If the killer had been properly revealed even just an episode earlier and they had stuck with it, it would have been better. The time I enjoyed the episodes was when it wasn’t wholly influenced with the main plot and there was interactions between the characters.***************Spoilers here***********
One thing that really put me of the idea of happy ending giving to the main leads. Hyun Jo wakes up — yay — and this was expected, for some reason it was just taken as the norm that he will not be killed. And Yi Kang suddenly has no more disability? Her disability was simply for the plot to make sense? That it wouldn’t be a happy ending if she had remained in a wheelchair?
As to the final reveal of the killer, I really liked how his backstory influenced him, but the way it was dealt just didn’t feel right. The whole the mountain dealt with him while Yi Kang was just some distance away without getting hit felt anticlimactic.
***************Spoilers end***********
Go in with zero expectations and just enjoy each episode without being too into it, you will like watching it!
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EXCEPTIONAL ! Light hearted and joyful but also a thriller drama full of mystery
This drama has it all the thrill, mystery, friendship, love, loss and so much more. I laughed and cried and experienced many more emotions whilst watching this drama. It was different and unique and I thoroughly enjoyed it and looked forward to each ep over these few months. Every actor did an amazing job to portray their characters' emotions, having watched them act in various dramas before the lead rangers didn't disappoint me with the exceptional portrayal of their characters. The storyline had me hooked from the first ep and I quickly made such a special bond with all the main characters. The bond between the main group of rangers was so wholesome. I would like to thank everyone staff member and actor who took part in producing such a masterpiece. And what better way to end it all with a happy ending one which I hoped for and one which I was extremely pleased and happy about :) The scenery, camerawork was on point. And the OST was just beautiful, I am any army and as soon as I heard jin voice I knew who it was, it was a beautiful song and when played in the final scene of the drama it brought back so many memories and left me teary eyed. IT WAS TRULY A BEAUTIFUL DRAMA.Was this review helpful to you?
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A horrible masterpiece
Jirisan is a drama where is consist cliffhangers, flashbacks, a puzzle where viewers like us needs to solve and a next level mystery story. The concept of the story itself is amazing. It shows us what every viewers expects. But if you go deeper to the drama, you will find lots of mistakes the director did. Example, flashback to the pasts and unnecessary scenes. That was the first few red flags. I already knew it was gonna be bad where that happened. The story was excellent and amazing, especially with the mystery adding it to it. Before I forget, THE EDITING SKILLS. That was CHEFF KISS. I love it. The flashbacks just ruined it. If you're gonna add flashbacks to your drama, do it better. Do it in a smooth way where watchers can understand it better.To me, it was like a puzzle. where you need to place each scene in a correct order. If you don't, you're going to the wrong path instead and understanding the story in a wrong way.
Next, the casys DEATH. After experiencing Da-won death. I ALREADY knew the director intentions. Some of our favorite casts are going to fly heaven. First it was Dawon. Then it was Goo Young first LOVE. I mean, he don't have to hurt them like that. The way Yang Sun died was genuinely very stupid and hilarious. I had my hopes up that Yang Sun is going to something miracle like surviving the flood.
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A bit confusing because of the changing timeline. But still worth watching.
Overall production, storyline, acting and visuals are done pretty well. The changing timeline was a bit confusing at first but once you've got the hang of it, it'll all be fine.At first, it was about the day to day life of a ranger. The adventures, the challenges and the dangers they face in order to perform their duties. At bit boring to be honest.
But when those dangers and accidents in the mountain increases, the story shifted a bit towards the paranormal mystery thriller. Every deaths was vital to the story. The creator of this story manage to successfully take us with the journey of each characters.
Even the backstory was done well. Making the characters more relatable I guess. The more the viewers can relate the more invested with the story we become.
There's not much love story with this one but I still like it though. It has a happy ending.
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An ode to a mountain—lovingly researched and gorgeously captured for all the world to see
Coming from the acclaimed writer of Signal and Kingdom, expect a non-linear thriller with preternatural elements featuring a solid cast of actors. At its core, this is simply a love story about Mount Jiri and the people who risk their lives to protect it.Each episode provides glimpses of the various challenges rangers have to face in the course of their duties. There are short, funny anecdotes. And then there are the tragic, haunting ones. Bits of Korea's actual history are woven into the story, with sprinkles of wildlife trivia as well. There is an over-arching mystery following our lead characters that provides us viewers with that sense of urgency to understand what has happened and how to rectify the situation. I also like the very subtle, barely-there, thread of romance.
On the downside, the OST so far has been forgettable and there are some who have been complaining about the CGI.
But for someone who studied at the foot of a mountain reserve and volunteered for ecological activities hosted there, Jirisan is my kind of watch. Mysteries like this usually have a low rewatch value once you've figured out who's who at the end of the series. I think Jirisan will still be a compelling rewatch for me because of its gorgeous backdrop. Right now, it makes me want to go hiking again and join the rangers in their mission.
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A refreshing take on the thriller/mystery genre + amazing visuals of Mt. Jirisan
The show started strong and the location of this show is refreshing, showing other parts of South Korea we viewers don't see often. The mid episodes kind of loss traction as more characters and more plot lines emerged, but I commend the makers of the show by putting everything together on the latter episodes. Highly recommended for anyone who likes mystery/thriller/crime dramas. OST is pretty good also, especially Jin's 'Yours'. The show truly deserves its high ratings, thank you tvN for another remarkable show.Was this review helpful to you?
Good Enough
Korean Drama "Jirisan" is a nice surprise. For a drama about forest rangers, one might expect a more slice of life approach, with a group of rangers walking up and down the mountain. And yet, Jirisan presents an intriguing story with lots of suspense, action scenes and a big thriller factor. There were also some sweet family moments between the community and the rangers. The background story of the main lead was likewise a nice addition.However, the first few episodes were a bit slow, as the story took its time to get into the action part and set in. The finale was unexpectedly out of tune with the rest of the drama as well and kind of disappointing for some reason, even though they did wrap up everything in the end.
Still, the eery atmosphere, the setting and the OST were all great and the performances even greater.
So, overall, 7 out of 10.
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Mountain, mystery, suspense
Excellent cast, acting and writing. A crime drama with a stunning setting, Mountain Rangers as the central characters and even a bit of the supernatural thrown in. The latter actually has a sad feel to it.I loved both Jun Ji Hyun and Joo Ji Hoon in this; her character was strong, capable and assertive, if a little headstrong. It was so enjoyable to see JJH playing a softer character, whose more placid, thoughtful and probing nature, balanced hers.
Oh Jung Se was on fine form as usual, too.
The story twists and turns, moving with the seasons on the mountain, as it is revealed there's a killer on the loose.
The culprit isn't unveiled until the final episodes and so many fit the bill at some point, that guessing was impossible!
I loved the production, location, filming and a soundtrack that suited it so well.
I actually found the ending quite emotional.
What let it down a little were the sudden jumps (from the outset), in the timeline. I didn't get what was going on initially, but once I realised, it was fine; the story is told before and after the events of the deaths, leading up to the capture of the killer.
There were also a couple of characters whose stories and reactions were a bit OTT, but in a drama that had so many good ones, they were bearable.
A couple of episodes were a little slow, but overall this was a great watch.
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This drama is not an average production. This is made out of excellent actors, famous writers, and a brilliant director. So the scale for evaluation is a little higher than for your average drama.
Take the casting, for example, actress Jun Ji Hyun is hands down the absolute queen of the queens in the Korean entertainment industry. I love her but I didn't get any new feeling in her character. It felt so mundane. The rest of the cast was absolutely brilliant but I dunno, I didn't get the "feeling"
Coming to the story. am I the only one who lost my brain cells trying to figure out the stick thingy? Umm.. helllooo I came here to destress not add -stress. But yeah I have to admit it was new and interesting.
But mount Jirisan is absolutely beautiful. I loove looove love it.
Anyway, my point is that this is a good drama to watch, but yeah it didn't make the cut for my best dramas category.
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Give it some time!!
I mean wow!! Just Wow!! I have just finished 'Jirisan' and the drama is like mind-blowing. They took it slow and it didn't feel rushed. I was a little reluctant at first after seeing all the articles on bad editing which I think editing could still have been better, but i started anyway and was like 'Yeah! good'. I took it slow and first 5 episodes seemed like a bit of drag but the later episodes was like who's next. It kept me on my toes and the subtle love line was really adorable. Also, the last episode really had a swirl of emotions. So, to sum it up the drama was real good and can be added to the re-watch list.Was this review helpful to you?
Solid as a rock.
In short, Jirisan is a solid drama. The creators set a tone and pace in the first episode, which they managed to keep until the end. At no point did I feel the drama lost its track or got boring, it has solid pace, a solid storyline and solid characters.Even though it's neither as enthralling as the premise may sound nor as sparkly as the A-list cast portraying the characters, it does have something that make it stand out from other k-dramas, maybe it's the unique setting or the realistic tone, cannot point it out.
Jirisan has a linear story telling (despite its constant time jumping, which some may find confusing), as in there is progress in the story with each episode giving away clues and bringing you one step closer to the truth about the ongoing crime-mystery surrounding the mountain. The thing about that mystery-thriller genre however is that even though it's the theme of the drama it's not its focus. I'm sure many might have felt that this show seems more like some "Mountain Playlist" in line with Hospital Playlist or Prison Playbook, except for less humor and more realness. I actually enjoyed the mix of mystic thriller and daily log of rangers' tasks and duties and also the insight into the lives of the villagers, people visiting the mountain and for sure enjoyed the beautiful backdrop of Mount Jiri.
The seasoned actors delivered. There is nothing more to add, as there was no one in particular who stood out from the rest. I think that's mainly because all characters seemed "pretty normal" as if they were real people with real stories, no stereotypes, no exaggeratations, no overly dramatic fl, no unbearably badass ml - just well written characters mirroring real people. It was nice to see Jun Ji Hyun again after her long break and Ju Ji Hoon as Hyun-Joo with his charmingly calm demeanor.
What I enjoyed most about this drama is that every episode felt like one chapter from an encyclopedia on Jirisan National Parks, showcasing not only the beauty of the mountain but also nature's unpredictable cruelty. Also, some scenes were surprisingly touching and emotional, I sometimes found myself struggling with holding back the tears.
The camaraderie shared by the rangers is another strength of the show; again, it was neither over the top nor too bland, just perfectly balanced and fun to watch.
Some Minor flaws, - little spoiler - there are a lot of deaths in the show and some felt really unnecessary and were hardly dealt with. Also I would have loved to see more interaction between the main characters, especially in the last episodes, but that is just my preference.
The main lesson I take from the show is how tough physically demanding jobs are, which makes me appreciate fireworkers, police officers and rangers among others even more. This show is a song of praise to those heroes.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was, hands down, one of the best dramas that I've seen this year, at the very least. The music and sound mixing was fabulous, the cinematography incredible, the characters so lovable and engaging that when the end finally came, I didn't want to leave their world. It made me very, very happy!I loved all the twists and turns of the story, the supernatural side of it, but mainly, I loved the relationship among and between the various characters, their friendship and their closeness - and their romance! And not just between the secondary characters but between the main two, Yi Kang & Hyun Jo, too.
Theirs was one of the most wonderful romances that I've ever seen. It was very mature and without a single "I love you" or a single kiss, and yet the feelings that they had for each other ran through the whole drama like a red thread, manifested in the lengths they were willing to go for each other. It was absolutely amazing!
I also loved the ending, it was everything I wished for - and more! It was really, truly, honestly perfect! Down to the tiniest hint of Goo Young possibly finding a new love in Hyun Jo's little sister! The way he ran from her was hilarious!
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