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Bogota - the tale of Survival & Power, Elevated by Song Joong-ki's Performance
Filming was completed in 2021 and released in 2025. Many things have changed, with OTT platforms ruling the current entertainment trend. Viewers are watching different movies with different subjects from different countries. One of those countries is South Korea. It is a care of the address of new contents, and the Bogota movie came from it. It's a new attempt in SK movies taking the subject of immigrants lives.It's a story about a person establishing his legacy in a place with no guarantees for his life.
The story follows how the main character is shaped into a fearless guy and what the events lead to that make him change his fate from an immigrant guy to the person who controls the smuggling business. The core story is routine: "The main character starts his life from the bottom and reaches the top in illegal business by taking down one by one those who are getting in his way".
But the highlights of the movie are the acting, 90's sets, and art. Coming to the acting, every actor is given their best. Song Joong-ki again delivered his best; his transformation from a 22-year-old guy to the mid-30s is a remarkable role in his filmography. Loved his raw character and realistic acting in Guk Hee's role.
The 90's art makes a good impression on the movie, like cars and costumes of 90's Colombia. The music [soundtrack] is okay.
Now see where the movie struggled to get into the hit mark. The story has full potential to make this movie a great movie. But it looks like the director and writer failed to utilize it for the best. Also, the story narration is great, but again, the failure part creates the depth of the characters, except for Song Joong-ki & Lee Hee Joon; other characters are far away from this. It would be the best movie if the director and writer put a little more focus on creating emotional development.
Overall a worthy movie to watch & Song Joong-ki will impress you.
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It's ok if you can't understand a masterpiece
The Outstanding production quality of Vincenzo💯This K-Drama contains episodes which usually last as long as an Indie movie, and I suppose that is the case with most of the K-Dramas that come out. But Vincenzo knows how to utilize the entirety of its long runtime for its advantage. Even when it lowers its pace, it compensates for it with its breathtaking cinematography and character moments which are worthy of the attention that is being given to them. It has a fantastic score and soundtrack which it doesn’t shy away from using. And while repeated usage of the same score tends to become a bit monotonous, it hardly takes away from the epic twist or reveal of the sequence. The characters and their performances bring together a cohesive amalgam of heartwarming and humorous scenes.
The members of the Geumga Plaza are each different in their own funny little ways and as we go on, we learn more about their hidden talents and their quirks keep enhancing. The chemistry between Vincenzo and Hong Cha-Young, which transcends from being partners to being each other’s love interests, is extremely cheesy at times and definitely what the show is trying to go for. It yearns for those awe-inspiring moments, but the action, thrill and violence of the show elevate the mature themes up a notch. When we see Vincenzo, he is not a protagonist. He is a feared Mafia outlaw who has killed his share of men, so that makes him an Anti-Hero. But his moral code is specific and he only punishes those who have done wrong to him or to others. Babel, whereas, is a different story all together. It is the classic evil conglomerate which can buy anything and anyone it sets its eyes to, and its true owner is hidden amidst a fog of deception and silent ruthlessness.
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Disappointed ! But give it a try for Kim Myung Soo .
Honestly, I don't know that this drama is airing. But I like Kim Myung Soo, so I often check for his projects but forget about this drama. When I was searching for new airing dramas, I found "Dare to Love Me" and started watching it right away with zero expectations. This is a webtoon-based adaptation drama; the plot is fresh, which made me continue to watch the full drama.The drama starts with a flashback where ML rejects FML love proposals. Then the drama went back to where the ML and FL were leading their lives and crossed paths again. The first episode is funny with the introduction of Yoon Bok and Hong Do characters; at the same time, Yoon Bok is trying to catch smugglers and thieves who are trying to sell and steal historical and cultural things—the touch of mystery element, says the rom-com drama with slightly mystery elements.
The Seongsan village setting is a good mark to watch, which makes the story unique. The scenes between Yoon Bok and Hong Do are quite funny in six episodes. Their chemistry is not as powerful as it seems to be, but their pair is looking good in this rom-com. For me, the second-leads love story element is unnecessary in this drama; it's just skipping mode. I'm sure we've already watched many dramas in which the second-lead love stories had the same success as the main-lead love stories. We will give many reasons why they were successful, like strong chemistry or emotional depth. But in this drama, the second-lead love story failed to adapt those two elements. Poor character design of the second lead character; it just adds more running time but looks like nothing contributed to the drama.
Apart from the second lead story, only the main lead story is funny and enjoyable. The Hong Do character is inspiring and lovable, and Lee Yoo Young makes this role even more beautiful with her attractive acting. The Yoon Bok character is pretty decent, but it looks like poor writing, which wasted Kim Young Soo's potential. Yet his excellent acting somehow managed to save the drama for up to six episodes. Let's watch in the second half how the writer and director manage to improve Yoon Bok's character. In all six episodes, it showed only the funny and lovely scenes, but I'm guessing the ending of the sixth episode made way for an emotional love story. While running the story with Yoon Bok and Hong Do's love track, on the other hand, the mystery element is running behind them. The introduction of new characters may surprise us.
When the story or plot is simple, then it all depends on the way of execution. I previously watched some dramas like this, and even though the plot was weak or simple, the story execution saved them. Let's see if "Dare to Love Me" will hit this category. Some episodes are enjoyable, but I felt bored with some scenes, like I'm watching them in repetitive mode. Really a big disappointment with drama, as i said earlier " plot looking fresh tone" yes, it is but without strong writing no plot never save the drama even how much fresh is the story. Soundtrack ( OST ) is amazing.
But Kim Myung Soo: It's time to explore new genres, time to take different characters and challenging roles, because we want to see you in such roles and try off with the same vibes character roles in every drama. You have the potential to explore a wide range of different genres and character roles.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good Psychological Thriller ! Sad to see low ratings.
Like Actors have fans, some filmmakers also have fans. One of the few Korean filmmakers who have fans, Yeon Sang Ho is one of them. The audience watches his movies and dramas irrespective of actors. He created a benchmark for his works.Revelations movie 2025 one of his recent works, collaborated with Screen Writer Choi Gyu Seok, both worked for Hellbound drama.
This movie runs on a thin line between the faithfulness of a religion and things, events which happen bound to happen or caused by coincidence. The movie raises thought proving questions about whether events are divinely ordained or simply the result of chances. The psychological story resolves between 3 main characters and embodying justice, fate, morality.
Characters Study.
1) Pastor Min Chan - He believes he is acting on divine revelations and executing divine justice. But his true nature unravels when trying to kill Detective Yeon Hee and doesn't care about the victim girl's life. While he claims to act on divine revelations and his earlier actions might have been marked as righteous punishments ( forgiving his wife's adultery, making lord confession with her, trying to confess his crime with the another pastor, trying to execute the criminal) but when he faced with exposure he resorts to murder for survival. This moment raises a key question - was he truly guided by faith or was he just using religion to justify his own sense of power and control.
This moment also deepens the movie's core theme - how easily faith can be manipulated to serve the personal motives of humans.
2) Detective Yeon Hee, - She stands at the moral crossroads and in two minds between professional duty & personal vengeance making her internal struggle one of the most compelling aspects of the movie. Her journey is not just about chasing the criminal- it's about confronting her moriarty. She has every reason to seek avenge but doing so would mean crossing the same line as those she hunts. At the same time she is faced with the chance to save a life, which contradicts the urge for vengeance burning inside her.
3) Criminal, The Fate --
he carries his traumatic past and eventually starts crimes with his traumatic past. This character embodies both victimhood & villain. His traumatic past shaped his actions and while he carries immense guilt the law takes his side. However, regardless of his traumatic past or anything once he commits a crime, his past can no longer excuse and becomes irrelevant in the eye of society & law. His fate Death - symbolizes the inescapable consequences of crime regardless of past suffering.
The Cinematography & the background music are awesome. Great acting from Shin Hyun Been & Ryu Jun Yeol. I personally like writing that exploring the psychological themes of humans. There's a word in the movie " You see, most tragedies in life are created by humans to justify themselves. Things like the devil and monsters are created by humans to justify themselves." This movie needs more recognition. Forget MDL ratings, just watch the movie and decide for yourself. I say " Sometimes the best way to know if a movie is good is to experience it yourself ".
I'm sure this movie gives you time-worthy entertainment.
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The Journey of a Weak student.
I watched this one solely for Im Si-wan because he never fails me as an actor. Im Si-wan never compromises on his dramas, no matter how much appreciation his works get in return. As a professional actor, his work is outstanding, including this one. It's been a long time since I watched a pure comedy drama. Byung-Tae (Im Si-wan) calls himself White Tiger (the strongest and most powerful student who actually transferred to his school) and takes that false identity to his advantage in order to avoid bullying and change his life.
Each episode is amazing and makes me laugh at every moment. The first half of the story is totally hilarious, filled with humour and fun. At the same time, a dark event makes this drama more interesting in the second half. Ep 06 and 07 are great. They are worth mentioning as I admired Im Si-wan’s outstanding acting here. Overall, it gives a rollercoaster of emotions and every cast member acts very well. I think the drama succeeded in providing a good balance of humour and dark elements.
review by;- Sinnosuke_Lee
edited by:- Kdrama_Judge ( https://kisskh.at/profile/10910079 )
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Unmasked - A Thriller That lacks thrill
First of all _ it's common there are several factors that influence our decision to watch a particular drama or movie. To me 3 types of factors made me watch Unmasked.1) Cast
2) Story
3) Genre
But this drama underperformed in catching up with those factors. I'm not going to talk too deep about this drama. Here are my thoughts on those factors.
1) STORY - Story revolves around Investigative Journalism. One of the fresh Story concepts in Kdrama. Naturally the audience expects something unique, fresh from it or at the least solid entertainment. The story holds great potential to explore diff compelling cases to deal within the realm of Investigative Journalism. But the Cases they showed most of us already watched in previous diff dramas. That's the main drawback of the drama _ while watching these Crime cases at some point we feel " ah I have watched this type of crime cases before ". EP 1 to EP 6 are good, and Who is Trigger Man ( Not him ) but Who ! this point somehow one of the reasons to continued watching the drama.
2) GENRE - Thriller, Comedy, Mystery enough reasons to binge watch for fans of these genres. But what if it lacks thriller elements and little to not scope for the mystery ? - Then the story may feel dull and fails to keep viewers engaged. It can feel predictable and viewers might lose interest if the suspense is not strong enough.
At the least give us some genre based story elements in the drama.
3) CAST - a) Jung Sung II, he was one of the reasons I watched this drama. I watched him supporting roles till The Glory, he proved he can pull off the main roles too with Glory. He was the main lead in this drama I was not expecting more from his character because this is not a character scope drama for him. But i was surprised by his transformation as Han Do, they showed him much younger than the Glory and in the first 6 eps his character is going with drama flow but when the main case starts to Investigate his character slowly gets low off from the screen. But still whenever he was on the screen it was good and entertaining to watch along with Kim Hye Soo. But it's really disappointing not using his full potential just like Glory makers. He can do more if they wrote more for him in this drama.
b) Kim Hye Soo - I know her from Signal, I agree she is good actress. But to me not this drama, her character lacked in some aspects also better in some ways. I found it annoying in some scenes but in the latest eps her character is shaped into an emotional character. It's good to see some emotional development in the last but not in the first.
And the rest of the other supporting actors performances are good but again here also some characters like Gi-Ho feel annoyed and made to skip some of his scenes. But one supporting role good written and the actress is also given excellent performance _ Choo Ja Hyun as Cho Hae Won. Her character is very little but at the same time it's a story turning character. Just another little badass female character ;)
Crew Departments -
Soundtrack is just Okie, no big space for the to talk about the Cinematography. Some Good VFX.
Final Talk :-
Director & Writer Yoo Seon Dong who is the director of hit drama Bad & Crazy disappointed this time with Unmasked. If he give the strong stories ( crime cases ) in the drama then who knows it might get different result. The pace is suitable for the flow of drama but what good when the actually suspense & thriller lacks in the story. Even though the story follows same tamplate - one main case is running in the background and different cases ( stories) evolves and somehow unfold to main case story. However The drama missed the mark delivering the solid entertainment for those expecting a binge worthy thriller.
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Hide': A Suspense Drama that Misses the Mark.
Despite its promising start and the attraction of thriller and suspense tags, 'Hide' ultimately falls short of delivering a gripping experience. While the initial episodes set the stage for a suspenseful ride, the predictable plot twists and lack of genuine surprises leave much to be desired. The recurring theme of cheating as a subplot feels overused and detracts from the overall suspenseful atmosphere the drama tries to create.However, 'Hide' does have its strengths, notably in the stellar performances of its cast. Lee Bo Young shines in her portrayal of Na Moon Young, skillfully capturing the nuances of her character's various roles. Lee Chung Ah also impresses with her portrayal, adding depth to her character beyond mere stereotype.
Unfortunately, the inconsistent pacing and frustrating plot developments, such as Cha Sunge Jae's continuous escape from arrest despite being a known culprit, hinder the drama's ability to maintain suspense. While the cinematography and soundtrack are serviceable, they fail to elevate the viewing experience to a higher level.
The suspense thriller development in "Hide" falls short of expectations, failing to effectively cultivate doubt or intrigue among its characters. Instead of carefully crafting a narrative that keeps viewers guessing, the drama quickly reveals which characters are dubious or on the side of good by the fourth episode, robbing the storyline of its potential for genuine suspense.
Finally:
'Hide' may offer moments of enjoyment, particularly for fans of the Thriller/Suspense genre, but it ultimately fails to live up to its potential as a gripping thriller.
Good pick for Thriller lovers..
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This drama is going to break your heart but in a BEAUTIFUL way
Just a good story, good actors, good Soundtrack = You watch it, experience those emotions, laugh cry and finally get the message from the drama.A story finds its own cast, choosing those who are meant to bring its world of story & characters to life, this saying totally works for Way Back Love drama. Director Choi Ha-Na previously worked for only 3 movies and this is the very second work of Screen Writers duo Song Hyun-Ju, Jang In-Jeong but they were really impressed. Way Back Love - A complete package of A Good Story, Good Cast, Best Crew. Let's see how this drama leaves its mark.
A Story - Fresh Tone, Heartwarming, Comforting.
A drama really needs to be strong in at least one of these aspects - cast, story & plot to grab the audience's attention. I started watching this drama for both - Story, Plot & Cast. The Story - Female lead loses the love of her life, but his return as a Grim Reaper marks the beginning of new chapter in her life. Although the story isn't entirely new, it still feels fresh, heartwarming and deeply emotional.
Throughout the narrative we experience powerful emotions including everything from highschool joy-love-friendship to forgiveness, pain of letting go, beauty of moving on all of which perfectly portrayed by the actors with heartfelt depth. It begins with a typical k-drama school setting but soon jumps into unique turn. The story narration seamlessly moves between past and present, with a tight screenplay and compelling storytelling. One of the drama's highlights lies in it's storytelling - The way past events align perfectly with present developments and despite the frequent transitions between two timelines the story never loses its momentum or pace. Whenever the narrative begins to slow, emotional moments or nostalgic school scenes hit the screen and keep the drama engaging.
STRONG EMOTIONS - BEAUTIFUL CHARACTERS = BEST COMBO
Right from the synopsis, we know this drama is going to hit hard emotionally, with high-stakes moments grounded in the character's personal journey and Emotional element as center stage of the drama. In this drama every character carries different emotions :-
- Hee Wan carries Ram Woo's lost love emotions.
- Ram Woo carries Hee Wan and mother's love emotions.
- Hong Seok carries Ram Woo & Hee Wan friendship emotions.
- Ram Woo's mother carries her lost son's memories.
Emotion is the backbone of this drama's storytelling, if the emotional weight isn't conveyed properly in drama it falls apart midway. In this element both Director and Screenwriter duo succeeded in executing and elevating emotion elements. Exceptional performance from Kim Min Ha, at some point in episode 3 she literally makes watchers cry her acting made the emotional depth strong. Although Gong Myung character isn't have strong emotional touch like Kim Min Ha character he performed very well in those scenes. This is the first big work for the Director and Screenwriter duo, I checked their previous works but those are different from this drama, they handled every aspect of this drama perfectly. We can see their hardwork in every scene from Writing to Direction, screenplay, Soundtrack selection. Every character is beautifully crafted, even though it's a short drama the depth of characters are limited according to the story.
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A Journey of FAMILY emotions, a tale of LOVE - A beautiful emotional ride.
remember this - the drama ( any drama ) reaches the heart only when you are immersed in the story; just watch and enjoy this drama.Love Next Door is so beautiful, although this is a love story drama, but more like it's a pure family emotional drama to me. Once you start watching it you will be lost in its love, friendship drama & family emotions just like me who knows ^_^
review updating ;)
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Fresh Ride From Gangs To Grades - A Fresh Take On High School dramas, Action packed & Entertaining
Study Group - Unexpected Banger.High School dramas are very popular in Kdrama. I'm not sure which drama originally started trend but my first High school kdrama is School 2017, I loved it I mean the High School genre & drama too. Throughout the years this High School genre has introduced various types of dramas Including Psychological, Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Coming Age Love Friendship themes etc etc.
While some dramas became huge hit on other hand some dramas failed to entertain like for several reasons: Cliched & Overused tropes, Unnecessary length & dragging plot, Weak writing & poor character development. Whatever the reasons may be this time a drama released with mix of Comedy - Action High school drama. Let's see whether this Drama really good entertainer or just another overhyped one.
I didn't read the webtoon. So I'm not sure how much the drama stays true to the original or what differences exist between them. This is my solo review based solely on the drama.
THE STORY FEELS FRESH - 8.5
â—‰ As I said earlier this is a mix of Comedy - action drama but also the drama focus on Studies, Student Life part, while other elements like Friendship, Life are life deeply blended with those. The story is just a typical k-drama plot that revolves around high school bullying with main characters standing up against it. But the core story feels quite fresh _ group of main characters wants to form a Study Group in a school which is famous for producing students as coming gangsters (this line was used in the drama) rather than putting efforts into students education and Teacher trying to change it with the help of Study Group I liked this point. From the first episode the story telling is engaging, director & writer's flawless approach to story narration is one of the Drama's strongest point. I don't know about others but for me another strongest point of the is that drama runs without any love track. It solely focus on the main story. At first I was expecting a love track between the main leads, but as the episodes progressed, I felt drama was boring without a love story. However the comedy track & action scenes gave me solid entertainment instead of a love track, and after a few episodes, I realized it was good decision not portraying love track in this drama, because if there had been one it would felt forced. And friendship between the main leads is perfectly portrayed.
ACTING - 9.5
â—‰ Drama itself carries relatable characters & a philosophical touch related to student life. â—‰
- The main character Yun Ga Min is a student who never gives up. His character motives are truly inspirational, showcasing that students can be both mentally and physically strong. Hwang Min Hyun just perfect person for this role. His acting is superb & especially in action scenes.
- Han Ji Eun as Teacher Lee Han Gyeong given well settled perfomance, trying to change the school culture & environment by taking responsibility to form Study Group in order to bring education life instead of mob life for the students.
- Shin Su Eun as twin sister Lee Ji Eu who is trying to spend ordinary student life, suffering from her twin brother crimes still mentally & physically strong in every moment. Shin Au Eun given extraordinary character performance as a badass student. Loved her action scenes.
- Other main character actors - Lee Jong Hyun as Kim Se Hyeon, Yoon Sung Jung as Choi Hui Won, Gong Do Yu as Lee Jun all are given noteworthy performance.
I loved this actor in his last drama and became his fan. I was waiting for him in every episode but later realized he was not the main lead to get more screen time. Even though with the small amount of screen time, this actor created a huge impact on the drama and became one of the drama's favorite characters. This is my personal opinion, and at some point I thought, why don't writers change the actual story by setting his character as the main character because his charming presence and good acting make the drama even more entertaining. But to my surprise, someone said his character is one of the main characters in the S2 webtoon, and now I'm waiting for S2 of this drama. He had the full potential to become a top & great actor. I hope he picks good projects to work on and doesn't waste his potential as an actor. And his name is Hong Min Ki.
â—‰ Crew Departments:-
Nice cinematography. Soundtrack is a banger and perfectly aligned with orginal scenes in the drama.
FINAL RATING - 9.0
Final Talk:-
Drama is solid entertainer; on the other hand, it had some dull moments in some episodes in the second half, but the grandfather episode kicks them out, and it was emotionally well created. Comedy parts are perfectly delivered. Action scenes are cool, but for me, it lacks originality because the kicks are unrealistically strong, as if our main character has some supernatural powers, but I loved it. Also, they recreated some Ji Chang-wook dramas famous action scenes in this drama. In Ep 5 & 8. Story narration is engaging and well paced.
Study Group succeed in delivering a unique high school drama experience through both it's acting & writing.
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Realistically well made drama - The Drak Side of BEHIND CAMERA lives !
{Behind camera lives means - True faces of actors behind the cameras}In South Korea - The Percentage of runaway kids 55.5% of adolescents run away from home between the ages of 13 and 15, and the number of runaways among elementary school students is increasing.
Before going to start about my views on this drama, I want to share some real-life events behind this drama and its core story. We have to know how much they worked hard to bring this drama to us. And the main point is that it's always a heavy challenge and risky work to blend the real-life events in a movie or drama.Â
All the information and source were collected from the Naver News & Director Interview.
1) The story was based on the book Made in Gangnam by Jo Won-Gyu, and he is the screenwriter of this drama.
2) Ji Chang-wook's Yoon Gil Ho character role was inspired by the 17-year-old boy. The screenwriter met him while he was working as the call driver.
3) Ep 5-6 faced problems from some high people in SK because it was real.
Now, let's see about the drama.
I'm one of them who has been waiting for this drama day and night from the day they announced the cast; one of the main leads is Ji Chang-wook, and it was based on the real-life events from the book Made in Gangnam. I tried to read that book & tried to purchase it, but unfortunately it was not available in my region, so I have only one option: to wait for the release.
Drama Released:-
It was a perfect, realistically well-made drama. From the very first episode, drama clearly shows what is going to happen. It's not a mystery thriller for many plot twists. Characters are introduced one after one at the right time where the story needs them, and the characters depth is also good with a clearer motive. Yes, this is a complex story to deal with because we don't have one main protagonist here; everyone is fighting for their lives and trying to protect their loved ones. The story reveals equally about the main characters. Some watchers said in comments, "It was so confusing from the first." Let me give the answer to this one; we have the clear synopsis to understand the story. TBH, it wasn't that hard to understand what's going on there when the characters are running and protecting their lives.Â
Main Theme and My Personal View :-Â 10/10
Drama really showed the dark side of club culture in South Korea and the secret lives of some celebrities behind the cameras. The originality of the drama is the dark side of celebrities and the corruption in the government officials in South Korea and lives of run away kids and club women director Park Noo-Ri succeeded to maintain the same originality from the first to last episode with continuous thrilling, chasing and heartbroken moments and keeping story engaging with action scenes & lil bit non rom aspect. I really appreciate how the director & writer presented the core story of the drama aspects: drugs, violence, runway kids lives, celebrities & Idols drak side lives.
According to an official website, the runway kids percentage is "55.5% of adolescents run away from home between the ages of 13 and 15,"Â and the number of runaways among elementary school students is increasing. This is one of the major issues that South Korea is facing. The director and writer tried to show us something or a small part of that runaway lives - like how they're living, how the behind camera society using them. But some people who watched this drama are saying it's a bad drama, bad acting, and everything is bad! I don't understand why you're not ready to receive a drama that contains or deals with contemporary issues. I'm not saying everyone must like this drama; everyone has their preferences, but this is the serious problem: when some of the viewers don't like it, they start behaving like real critics or something, giving negative comments. Appreciate something before you're going to criticize something; that's the basic point of the critic, if you want.
Cinematography - Sound Track:Â 9/10
Cinematography is great, with the lighting and coloring bringing the originality of every place of filming location. An appreciation to the cinematography and lighting crew. Sound composer: Hwang Sang Jun is one of the top music composers in South Korea; he has given another adrenaline soundtrack; the opening theme is one of the best in kdrama; his tracks in this drama are wonderful; they played a crucial role in presenting any scene as a good one with perfect music.
Acting :- 10/10
Ji Chang-wook is the face card of Gangnam B Side. His acting is versatile; within the 1 year span, he acted in 5 different character roles; not everyone can do it easily like he did. His acting as Yoon Gil Ho is powerful and dominating screen presence. He completely changed his makeover for this role; that's a really awesome and badass look. The Cage action is really one of the best experiences in kdrama. His emotional acting is so deeply moving and great that everyone watching must feel his emotions. In the era where the main actors are doing the central roles of dramas, Ji Chang-wook is really taking challenges, moving from the main protagonist to one of the main protagonists in his prime. As a fan of him, I'm very proud of him and his challenges, like not going to the same cliche, same troop dramas. I want my actor to do challenges, so please be within limits while judging his script choices. If you are not interested, please move on and don't make fuss over his choices and challenges here or anywhere in the name of a kdrama lover. The OG kdrama fans always like K-actors, whatever they choose to act. Sorry, I took a long time here.
Jo Woo-Jin's role is equal to JCW ones; these two acted previously in a movie but in opposite roles, but here we can experience a slight bromance between them. Jo Woo-Jin is acting also powerfully as a detective and emotionally as a father. One of the versatile actors we have in kdrama.
Female actors Bibi and Ha Yoo-Kyung performances are notable; at some point Han Yoo-Kyung's prosecutor role gets annoyed, but we can't do anything to watch. I love Ha Yoo-Kyung and her makeover as a prosecutor; she definitely will become one of the best actresses in the coming days. Bibi, this is her 3rd work; she acted very well and brought life to the Jae Hee role.
The supporting cast gave their best to make drama more intense to watch. Special appreciation to the actor Jung Ga-Ram; his acting as idol Noh Jun-seo is really something I felt to get angry after a long time. Whenever the antagonist made the viewer angry with his acting, he did justice to his role. His crazy smile and psychotic scenes are the best example that he's the potential upcoming actor. I wish he'd get more chances.
Last Talk:-Â
Sorry, I wrote it very long. But I expressed what I experienced from the drama. As previously said, I'm a fan of Ji Chang-wook; I always watch' his works with an open mind like every kdrama fan does. So, don't color me with bias here just because our preferences and standards don't meet. Just watch every drama with open eyes and enjoy it. As for Gangnam B Side, it's your time-worthy and single-seat drama with perfect binge watchable for everyone without genre-biased fans.
While some scenes are violent, just skip them if anyone doesn't like them. But reading every comment makes you confused about whether to watch it or not. Remember this typical drama so rare to produce So, just go watch and enjoy experiencing it yourself.
Â
about ending you have to experience it yourself :)
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This review may contain spoilers
TWENTY FIVE TWENTY ONE -- ONE OF THE BEST DRAMA IN KDRAMA HISTORY..
All beautiful things will eventually come to an End, and sometimes it happens much earlier than you'd like to..25 21 It's a unique drama about youth which highlights young love while beautifully stating the lives of the 5 protagonists. The protagonists and drama takes you back in time to your youthful days that you cherish the various viewpoints on life in different stages of life. Mostly 25 21 delivers the valuable life lessons like it centers on pursuing one's dreams, mother-daughter relationships, sacrifices, first love, friendship, and family, rather than just romance line it covers every element from love to family relationships.
Yi Jin & Hee do love story is beautiful, realistic and heartbreaking. Throughout their journey we can find one's real love, supportive and care towards our loved ones.
I enjoyed the platonic friendship between Ji-Woong & Seung-won because not every close person can be lovers for me it's more than love called friendship. I like Seung-won character & her personality bold and honest straightforward person.
Bona masterfully portrayed her Ko Yu-rim character it represents many of us in today's generation, like complexities, as an ideal and fresh-faced star fencing player on one side but a struggling 19-year-old on the other side.
And the mother daughter relationship between Hee do and his mother is more realistic. Baek Yi Jin family story would represent the family affection and parental love, brothers relationship beautifully..
And one the best part is they choose the 3 Major World contemporary issues to run their story in these days. And WoW they perfectly dealt with the contemporary issues like the IMF crisis, 9/11 and COVID 19 pandemic how this are effected the real lifes of people in those days.
Screenwriting & Direction & Cinematography departments cast departments :-
Another element that can be appreciated about Twenty-Five Twenty-One is that director Jung Ji-hyun has used nostalgia as props rather than mere timeline elements. The director has also maintained a fast pace for the storytelling, keeping the audience engaged. It requires a team effort from the cast, crew, and writer to create an experience for the audience that can move us from tears to outrage to laughing in minutes.
We deeply value their efforts.
The cinematography is also one of the key highlights of the drama. Many Korean dramas carry outstanding cinematography, but I'm marking this as one of the best aspects of Twenty-Five Twenty-One. Dramas typically use a variety of lighting effects ( Colour grinding) to differentiate between two (or more) story timelines. Interestingly, in this drama, they used the same colour filtration. This helps the story telling ( narration ) to connect the two timeframes of the story displaying that certain feelings and experiences travel from present to past generations of characters.
It’s hard for me to imagine anyone else playing Hee-do and Yi-jin and other 3 main characters but them. The entire cast delivers excellent performances, but Kim Tae-Ri as Hee-Do and Nam Joo-Hyuk as Yi-Jin stand out for their ability to capture how the characters support one another.
Ending :- There is absolutely nothing about this series that I dislike. Especially the ending.. The ending received mixed responses simply because Most of the watchers wanted/expected Yi Jin & Hee do end up together irrespective of the story point, but it was unexpected they gave a realistic ending and in my opinion that is what ultimately makes the ending memorable and satisfying. It reflects our real-life scenarios and characters from everyday life.. Yes, in real life or fantasy ( drama world ) not everyone lovestory and gets a happy ending, How
1) Most people don’t end up with their first love because it depends on the circumstances around them.
2) Not everyone doesn’t choose love over their career.
(be rational)
3) Nothing is predictable, that is what the drama is about so as a kdrama lover we are always ready to adapt new/realistic endings not criticizing them badly.
Finally:-
It's a complete nostalgic ride, I may never encounter a coming-of-age drama like 25 21, It's literally created a deep, unique spot in my Heart. This drama made me cry, laugh, and experience all kinds of emotions and 25 21 - overall a love-friendship-inspirational drama for every viewer irrespective of age. The side characters and friendships were equally important as the lead couple, the humor was wonderful and the time span the backdrop presented the story with an enjoyable contemporary environment.
I recommend this drama to everyone who loves kdramas.
My Favourite Line " Life is precious. Let’s love with no regrets while we’re alive " - Baek Yi Jin 🌻
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Feel Good Drama - Musical Hit - Visually Beautiful
I end up loving the second couple more than the main couple, and I got an open ending. :) This is my opinion: the 2nd couple's story is more powerful & deeper than the main leads. Even the main lead couple got father & brother sentiments in their love track, but the 2nd couple story provides a poignant counterbalance to the main romantic plot. Their story highlights the complexities of long-term relationships, personal sacrifices, and challenges of pursuing individual dreams while being in a relationship.This The subplot of their story enriches the drama's exploration of love & personal growth. Lee Jun Young & Jeon So Nee give life to their lead roles, especially since this couple's acting & story in the last few episodes was an emotionally well-crafted story. Great acting from Park Bo Young & Choi Woo Shik.
Cinematography & Visuals & Art—10/10
OST—SOUNDTRACK—10/10
Every track is pure melody 🎧 in the daily listening category.
Some disappointments.
No big scope for brother sentiment, and yet I loved every moment of the brother story; ep 7 was great, and it had a good emotional touch. But that's not strong enough for Jun's role to be written off. Need a standalone episode between them, not 10 to 20 minutes of screen time, to portray a strong emotional touch. To be honest, Jun's role doesn't have many lines except for a 20+ minute standalone screen time of his backstory. But Kim Jae Wook's acting is great even with a less dialogue role.The main couple's story in the last 2 eps feels like nothing, just going with the flow.
Feel Good Drama :) no boring only butterflies
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a hidden friendship becomes something more as they both deepen their relationship
Short Synopsis :-“One String Night” is a drama about the romance between two ordinary people. It tells the story of librarian Lee Jung In (Han Ji Min) who values the life she wants, and pharmacist Yoo Ji Ho( Jung Hae In) who is warm and sweet but has a fiercely competitive side. In the drama, Lee Jung In has mixed feelings about the idea of marrying her long-time boyfriend Kwon Gi Seok (Kim Jun Han), and is faced with further dilemma when she befriends Yoo Ji Ho, a single father who is direct with his emotions.
Review point :- The show is the slowest of slow burns, but that’s what makes it so wonderful.
One spring night begins with two adult protagonists running into each other and feeling strange attraction towards each other. The first few episodes are interesting, with "hidden tension" between the main characters. This romantic Korean drama then explores to a very real and mature subject: single parents and the possibility to start over again their life also this drama is not a regular love story; the characters encounter life challenges that every one of us can faces. It featured without antagonists, depending on their personality the characters can change into antagonists ( Kwon Gi Seok We see both of them struggle with Jeong-in's ex-boyfriend, who is an entitled jerk who doesn't want to leave them alone, not because he loves Jeong-in, but because he refuses to accept the reality that she is better off with someone else. and his father). This drama highlights the crucial nature of love, timing in relationships and emotions, and how, even as adults, you can't always predict how situations turn out at anytime.
PERFECT DIRECTION, PERFECT WRITTING, PERFECT SOUNDTRACK ,PERFECT VISUALS.
The show's director, Ahn Pan Seok, did not include any other elements. The pace of the drama is slow, however, it shows Jeong In's enthusiasm and Ji Ho's helplessness as his love for her grows.
This drama had some excellent writing; Kim Eun did an excellent job developing the storylines of the characters in today's society. The music in this show is fantastic and perfectly compliments the scenes it’s used in, Rachel Yamagata refreshed my OST playlist.
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Amazing Youthful Entertainer - Clean Hit of 2024
I'm a big fan of time travel dramas; I watch time travel dramas most of the time." But after watching Some Day Or One Day," the time-travel rom-com caught me on the spot to explore these dramas. But I don't get enough dramas to freeze in those cute rom-coms, except for last year's "Twinkling Watermelon.". So I waited for this drama to breakout from the time-travel slump, as well as for the cast of Kim Hye Yoo, Byeon Woo Seok, and the trend of webtoon adaptations.I watched all the episodes at once (I did not watch them when they were airing because I had exams), so I think I'm late to the party. The start is as good as I expected. The time travel aspect watch is another new element joined in the time travel mission. The synopsis tells the entire plot of the drama, so now it's up to the makers how they will keep the audience engaged with the plot, but it makes the drama watchable, like, Let's see how she will save him. Every episode is purely made as a youthful entertainer, especially the chemistry of the main leads, Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok, which makes the drama even more beautiful. The scene settings are impressive, and the use of the element "If the time traveler talks about the future or about the time travel, then the time will stop and no one in the past could hear anything from the time traveler '' made the plot engaging, but it will disappear suddenly from the drama. No love triangle; it has one but is not a complete one. The construction of a drama without a love triangle in a teenage love story is really something that we could appreciate from the from the director and writer because they focused on one story progression rather than love triangle points. With that unnecessary love triangle, sometimes the story progression is ruined. Emotional character development is pretty good. Kim Hye Yoon from funny lovable to emotional caring. Byeon Woo Seok a student with dreams to protective lovable. Song Geon Hee is a free-bird student and an understanding friend. The comedy plot is really a good entertainment aspect, and the execution of the comedy is also reasonable according to the story; there are no unnecessary side tracks, especially the comedy scenes of Kim Won Hae, Jung Young Joo, Seo Hye Won, and Song Ji, which will make the drama more enjoyable.
My only disappointment :-
This is not a thriller—time-travel—but they attempted a plot twist in the thriller zone by using a mysterious man (a killer), but the execution of that point is weak for me. If they try to give it some valuable scope and make it interesting, then the output is even better than this. Put the villain character only in boundary to show his face and drive a van or car. The director and writer got the friendship element to create a friendly environment around the male lead, but the protection point of the main lead was overshadowed. I agree; drama had the friendship moments between the main lead and his friends, but that's not enough for me. Even though it was a short time, it was good (male-led friendship).
ACTORS :-
One of the biggest elements of this drama's success is the chemistry between the main leads and the short girl tall guy troop. It was a classic troop in Kdrama Land, and we are missing it. So in the correct time this drama dropped their weapon, short girl tall guy love, it quickly gained the attention of every kdrama lover (also plot). Their acting is simply charismatic. Kim Hye Yoon I've been watching her dramas since "Extraordinary You," and she explored different genres, from dark to lovable, in every character she did an extraordinary performance. And in this drama, she really made me cry and laugh again, but this time more. She gave life to the Im Sol character; her superb emotional acting and ability to make you cry in funny scenes also contributed to her character development. The first half is totally funny, and the second totally emotional—multit character portrayal in a single-layer character—which is what made her one of the best actors in the upcoming generation.
Byeon Woo Seok, although this is my first main work of him, did great as Ryu Seon Jae. He caught me on the spot with his acting and I am now going to check out all his works (movies and dramas). And the supporting characters of Seo Hye Won, veteran actor Kim Won Hae, Jung Young Joo, Song Ji Ho, and Song Geon Hee gave complete decent acting performances in their respective character roles. They will make us laugh. Feel pain and emotion. What I found interesting is that, except for veteran actors Kim Won Hee, Jung Young Joo, and Seo Hye Won, no other supporting actors had a known face. Yet, this drama was a big success with them.
Writing - Direction - Screenplay - Sound Track Departments :-
Since it's an adaptation, the writer Lee Shi Eun's splendid script works very well. Attractive dialogues, lovely lines between the main leads, and hilarious conversations between supporting characters shine in every scene. Director Yoon Jung Ho, this is what made me excited because his previous masterpiece "Flower of Evil" is one of my favorite dramas, so I'm really excited to watch his other work, which is a Rom-com. He did pretty well his job as director. Every scene is stunningly beautiful, and no wonder I got thriller vibes with the killer plot in this drama. The scene settings are absolutely amazing, and his bold move for casting with limited big supporting actors and Byeon Woo Seok, Kim Hye Yoon is really appreciated. The screenplay in this typical drama is a really important aspect, to give the detailed drama structure from going in time backwards and forwards. There is not a lot of scope for the screenplay in this drama, but it is pretty good when it comes. One of the strongest pieces is the melodramatic sound track; it was amazing and fresh from the start to the end.
I would like to recommend this drama to every kdrama fan.
Note :- I’d like to notify that the following thoughts and words in my review are purely my own and not intended as criticism of any actor or drama.
Thank you - @Shinnosuke_Lee
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