appreciate well-crafted character-driven dramas
"The Uncanny Counter" has returned for its second season, solidifying its status as a remarkable Korean drama. This season reaffirms the show's quality, with its compelling characters and stellar performances. The actors are fantastic, and the introduction of new characters as leads adds depth to the narrative.While I'm not particularly drawn to action-packed dramas, I couldn't help but appreciate the gripping storyline. Admittedly, I fast-forwarded through some of the action sequences, but that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment. What sets this drama apart is its exploration of the challenges of maintaining one's goodness in a frustrating and often morally ambiguous world. It delves into the inner struggles of the characters, highlighting the internal conflicts they face while fulfilling their otherworldly duties.
The character development remains a strong suit, making viewers genuinely care about the protagonists. The way they grapple with their own humanity in the face of adversity adds depth to the narrative. The second season not only lives up to the expectations set by the first but also takes the story to new heights, making it a must-watch for both fans of the genre and those who appreciate well-crafted character-driven dramas.
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Disappointed by main storyline, stayed for characters, cast and some great shonen action moments
The season 2 of this drama was a bit disappointing to me compared to season 1. The scenario was quite a miss for me as its defaults outweigh its qualities. I foremost found the pacing of the show really not good: it took so much time to get to the point, when it was very clear from start what was going to happen. The fact that the series is centred around one particular storyline (with the fireman) did a disservice to the drama. It was not surprising and rather expected, so it felt a bit of a shame to spend so much time on it rather than to develop more secondary storylines.There was still some nice elements to the story. I really enjoyed to meet again those characters which I found super likeable as a group. I even appreciated the new addition to the team, as it added some novelty to their dynamics and despite the fact that he might be at some point kind of annoying. Another aspect of the story I appreciated is to have an overpowered hero: after being beaten pretty thoroughly in season, I found really satisfying to see him doing so good and some of his fights gave me all the feel of a shonen manga. I also enjoyed the cartoonish atmosphere with the super villains, they really bring intensity and craziness to the show and made it overall more fun.
The casting was still doing a good job as in season 1. I think they were a bit let down by the script but they did what they could with the material given. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Kang Ki Young and Kim Hi Eo Ra, I'm pretty sure that without them the show would have been less colourful and tamer...I am also strongly hoping to see Cho Byeong Kyu as a main lead again, he did so well!
The production was good. There were some pretty great action sequences with a lot of fun and variety in the scenes. They manage to not make the fights too redundant while still keeping some common framework to be consistent with the mythology of the show (with the developments of some powers as well as the territory concept and so on). The soundtrack was quite good and catchy, it hyped the action scenes well.
I would recommend this to people that enjoyed the 1st season and want to see more of the "counters". I think if you like the characters and the mythology of the story, you might enjoy it. However, the story is clearly weaker than in season 1, if you do not find interesting the main storyline followed through this second season (like it was my case), you might be disappointed.
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*ANGELS* AND THE EVIL SPIRITS??
Alright,this is super duper drama with great story line and amazing actors.First of all,the story is actually great considering they were able to follow up with the first season perfectly,you won't miss anything.
Secondly,since it's the same casts from season 1, everything flows naturally.
Well,for action lovers like me,you can go ahead and watch it,you won't be bored.
It's rare to see Kdramas with so much action scenes.
From the first season to this one,every moment was worth it, I've personally enjoyed every moment of it.
it's 8.5 overall for me!!!.
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does not live up to season 1
The characters are still as lovable as in the first season and I acknowledge that they tried to pull of an interesting and emotional story like in the first season - the problem is that they tried to outdo everything, like the fights, the stunts, the evil spirits - everything. And on top of that everything feels uninspired, the music is not fitting in the slightest, the fights remind me of hollywood and the new character is.. I'm sorry but I do not like him; to me he does not add very much value to the team. Overall I was kind of bored a lot. I know I _should_ have enjoyed watching it since I love the characters and that they tried really hard but all the overdoing of the skills.. the first ep with the schoolbus, like wtfWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Most disappointing Season I Watched
I do not want to take away others' enjoyment of this drama, but just wanted to share my thoughts. I love the first season of this show and highly recommend it. This season was personally one of the most disappointing seasons I watched. The reason being, is the aspects I really liked about season 1 seemed to have vanished in this season and aspects that I hope would be diminished from season 1 were enhanced in this season. I really loved the mixture of dark tone, realism, fantastical, spiritual, and even religious facets in the first season. It felt like the characters can actually live in real life hidden from public view. This season, the tone felt too goofy where the serious and intimate moments of the first season were diminished or not utilized to the fullest potential. There is a plot twist in this season I was so excited for but then it is resolved in just one episode with no noticeable change for the characters except the "we are a family" line. I was so excited to see how characters would interact with one another after being challenged with how different their beliefs can be when facing adversity. But then it gets resolved so quickly where I start questioning on what is the purpose and meaning of the drama if it gets resolved so quickly and cheaply.Personally, I really like the idea of the uncanny counter squad not being a "found family" like how So Mun said at the end of season 1. One of the aspects I loved about the first season was how characters can still be connected with their actual family living or dead to develop more intimate relationships with others to help heal the community and personal trauma. This season, it felt like the main characters actual family with his grandparents are completely forgotten as well as his relationship with his friends from high school. I loved how Season 1 had a story where the antagonists related to physical/spiritual corruption happening within one's own hometown/city that affected all of the characters and community at large. This season, there were villains who were more global villains that nobody in the community seemed to have heard about except for the counters and specific police members.
I usually do not write reviews, and love to appreciate any sort of drama. I just wanted to share my thoughts as a huge fan of season 1 that helped me get interested in South Korean pop culture. Thank you for reading and do not take my rating too seriously. It is mainly to communicate how I would recommend season 1 to others as a standalone series. You can watch season 2 if you like and you may enjoy it :)
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Make you miss S1
Everything felt differentActing was still ok but the connection didn't feel as strong. Was there really feel of character development? Not really to me.
New addition was a fail. He wasn't funny and maintained his annoying status all the way through.
Evil characters - they out acted the good characters. I really enjoyed them actually. Kim Hieora played a crazy one eyed b*8ch really spiced up the show. I absolutely loved her acting. Kang Ki Young (one of my fav. supporting characters) who always played as the comedic supporting role really pulled off the evil role.
The story had too many loopholes that makes you ask why didn't ... that happen? Made no sense. Sloppy writing honestly.
Still semi enjoyable. if you just focus on the stunts and action. Prob should quite at S2.
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This is just not it, So disappointed!!
The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch was a huge disappointment compared to the brilliant first season. The plot was dull and illogical, the characters were poorly developed and the music was lackluster. From the beginning, I felt something was off and it never got better until the end. The show wasted the potential of the Counters, who were once intriguing and badass demon-hunters, and turned them into clowns or sidekicks. The new counter, Jeok Bong, was annoying and useless. The show failed to deliver any suspense, humor or emotion. It was a painful and boring watch that I regret wasting my time on.Was this review helpful to you?
Unwanted Chitchats, Poor Reasoning: Not Recommended for Logic-Sensitive Viewers!
Stupidity at its peak. The main leads engage in chitchat or look at each other when the enemy is nearby, resulting in the enemy conveniently escaping or taking hostages. Despite having 10 years of experience, the main leads, who are wounded in a scene, casually move towards the enemy or engage in casual chitchats. I don't know how I watched the first season; I'm not sure if it was this stupid. Basically, all these grown men with enough combat experience just engage in chitchat or have badass moments or dialogues when in combat.I'm currently on the 4th episode, and despite the leads being frustratingly foolish and dragging the show down with their mistakes, I plan to finish it since I've already started.
Also, it's kind of weird to have only 5 or 6 demon hunters per country. By the way, it's not the biggest issue; the above chitchats were way more annoying and stupid than this. In a somewhat similar show called 'Tomorrow', they had a large organization with many employees. However, in Uncanny Counter, there are only a few demon hunters for each country, which seems really weird and stupid. I think this would be better suited for new viewers or for kids, or for someone who doesn't think too much and can ignore these issues while watching.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone sensitive to logic and reasoning, specifically regarding the leads' thinking capacity. I'm not referring to the logic behind the fantasy, but rather the main leads' IQ and their ability to understand when to engage in chitchats and when not to. If you enjoyed Season 1 and want to watch this, I suggest checking out a recap or the story of Season 2 instead. It might be better than wasting time on this series unless you have no other shows to watch.
(Note: The graphics were good, though.)
Update:
It was unwatchable i completed this series by fast forwarding. So, final verdict not recommended.
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Aside from SoMun getting hotter, a lot could be better
Halfway through and I still don't feel as attached as I did in season 1. I expected a fleshing out of characters by this time, but they still haven't even shown the main villains' back story and how they ended up together. In S1, I saw how the characters grew. So Mun getting more powerful, Hana, Motak and Mae-ok becoming more at peace with their past, So Mun's friends overcoming bullying, CheongSin becoming evil to please his "father" and so on. But in S2, I didn't see any character growth at all, even with the new counter. As for Ma Juseok, the main focus of this season's hullabaloo, his becoming evil just doesn't flow smoothly as it did with CheongSin, I don't feel his conflict as a good person with the evil spirit within him. If the story don't improve by the next episode, I will surely drop this.Was this review helpful to you?
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Good or Bad???-
I waited since season 1 ended for this still I'm not entirely sure if it was warth it or not...It was good like the 1st session?? Definitely not but it wasn't horrible!
Things I liked:
- The all the cast did a great job with their characters, but honestly Kang Ki Young was breathtaking. I already knew that he was a very good actor (I've seen pretty much all of his dramas) but with this role, that is so different from what he usually plays, he showed us how much of an amazing and versatile actor he is. His acting is 100/10. He was a pleasure to watch!!
- also almost all the new characters were very good.
- I really loved how SoMun trusted MaJuSok till the end and never gave up on him. Even at the end he knew that it wasthe evil spirit and the PG and not MJS the one that was doing all the horrible things and the he could still be saved.
- the love and faith they have for each other as a team. And how they all are still there for another team member when he/she is having a hard time, but they are also there to make fun of someones situation (in a good way) and tease them...although they aren't all close in age, they have such a deep and genuine friendship that the age gap disappears.
- they added some good and powerful evil characters that the show needed.
- I also liked that we got to see more of Mr.Choi I really enjoyed his character.
- thay are still a bit rebellious and they don't always follow the rules / instructions given to them.
- MaJuSok's addition in the drama, I liked his character a lot.
- The last battle between the counters and PilGwang (in MaJuSok's body)was good, I really liked how SoMun killed/summoned PilGwank and saved MaJuSok.
- it had good effects/CGI
- it had some funny scenes...
What I didn't like:
- In some parts the plot seemed boring, not to much excitement in the drama.
- as I said before I really liked all the cast additions but in YooInSoo' case, although I love the actor, I didn't like not even one bit his character.I mean what the f- was even that??I found him very annoying and immature plus he didn't bring anything in to the plot. Because I really like his addition as an actor in the series I think that the writers needed to make a much better role for him. He couldn't even show his real skills as an actor with this role.
- we didn't see much of the counter spirits (Yung) especially WiGen. I really like her character, I find her very interesting.
- yes we saw that SoMun is stronger since s1 but still I wanted something more, I didn't see something that wowed me.
- I also said before that the addition of a powerful villain was needed and good but some times (meaning: in the most parts of the drma) the villain was a bit too powerful and the counters looked like a joke, and we felt awkward & hopeless...it was very frustrating...
- all the new characters were good and I liked their part in the plot coz they made it more interesting like the first person ChuMaeOk saved and HaNa's crush. In the beginning it was good but then it's like they hit dead end and (writers) we don't see them or hear of them until the end.The writers could have done much more with their characters. I really liked JaeYoul's character, I wanted to see more of him.
- also I would've liked to see some familiar faces, except the leads and the grandparents, they could have brought 1 or 2 more characters from s1.
- and the grandparents they were here and there but they warent really involved in the plot, they were just appearing out of the blue.
-we also saw that GaMoTak became a cop again, they didn't show us the how and they didn't even do much with it.
Pretty much, the actors did a great job and the writers/directors blew this drama up...🙃
Overall it wasn't all that bad but it could have been better...
Out of all the episodes I think the last one was the best!!
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This is really inadequate compared to season one
I don’t think I am going to continue watching after episode 8 I am really bored and skipping through most scenes. It’s incredibly repetitive and there’s no noteworthy moments or additions to any character. The new counter is very annoying and so much time is spent with him sniffing it’s an obvious time filler and is very difficult to find comedy in after the 100th time.The new villains are not that scary they just seem like bad guys who like to fight which isn’t threatening enough to hold attention to be the main villains and they should have been gone the first few episodes and moved onto a bigger evil. I think I’m gonna keep it pushing as I’m not that interested in how it ends and the endless screaming from all the characters is doing my head in 🤦🏾♀️
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This review may contain spoilers
Hit and miss in many aspects
I watched the first season last Year and loved it so I was very exited for the second one but it isn't that great as the first.Overall the actors did a really good job and portrait every emotion well. The story had many interesting elements and introduced us to new things in the world of the counters.
In this season we have clear antagonists since the beginning and the focus lies on that. They are interesting but sadly we don't dig that deep into their motivations and backstories.
They New counter has his lovely moments but is overall just there for laughs on his own costs. He is way to clumsy and goes always over the top.
This is more a personal matter but I was expecting that after season one we now would finally see Hana and Mun to start a relationship because of their insane chemistry. But instead the writers introduced an old flame from here and went on with it. Even when you could think he was of the table, they show us the possibility of them ending together rather than what most of the fans wanted. And still Mun and Hana have moments with each other so I was holding on to that hope till the end just to get disappointed.
On the other hand I really liked Mrs. Chu's backstory and the execution of it in the present.
The Counters really become a close family in this season and I loved watching that.
I don't know if there is going to be a 3rd season since there weren't any hints to it, but i am not sure if I would watch it, when the writing gets worse and Mun and Hana are still no option for the writers and they put her with the piano guy.
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