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Favourite Fantasy Drama
Tale of the Nine Tailed is my first fantasy drama and second Lee Dong-wook's drama. After watching Stranger from Hell, I watched this drama for Lee Dong-Wook. Like I said, this is my second drama of Lee Dong-Wook after watching him in a psychotic role in STFH drama and being totally amazed with his appearance and acting in TONT drama.Watching fantasy drama for the first time was curious.
I was surprised how good this drama was, like from the story to the acting and everything. Even though it was my first fantasy drama, I quickly adopted those fantasy drama vibes, like Gumiho in kdramas. I went to watch Lee Dong Wook and became a fan of the drama. The story is good, like a familiar old classic drama. I loved the chemistry of Lee Dong-wook and Ji Bo-Ah. Now, it comes to my favorite Gumiho Brothers; TBH, I loved the main lead brotherhood story more than the love story. At first, I thought Lee Rang was the villain. After watching some episodes, I got the point that he was doing everything for his brother to just come back to him. The part in which the brother is jealous of his love is not because he doesn’t like him, but because he was scared of losing his brother again in the name of love. I even re-watched the drama just to see the brothers' story again! Kim Bum's role as Lee Rang was an outstanding one; he killed it. The story was engaging, the mystery element was a bonus point to keep us hooked on the drama and the soundtrack was great. The supporting cast was also given decent performances in their character roles. I will recommend this drama to everyone.
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A Cinematic Masterpiece: Kingdom Redefines the Zombie Apocalypse Genre
A word before my review:- "I'll be honest, zombie apocalypses aren't typically my go-to genre. In fact, I had a traumatic experience watching a non-Korean zombie movie when I was just 11 or 12 years old. I didn't understand the context, but it left me terrified, and I avoided the genre altogether since then. However, thanks to a friend's enthusiastic recommendation, I decided to give Kingdom a chance, and I'm so grateful I did! This series has completely changed my perspective on the zombie apocalypse genre, and I'm now hooked."THE DRAMA - KINGDOM :-
This Korean drama is a Stand-out drama in the thriller genre, setting a new standard for zombie apocalypse stories.
The decision to set the series ( the story point of Zombie) in ancient times was a bold and really challenging move, but the makers pulled it off with finesse. Mainly where the " Sageuk" dramas main elements rule on the classic love-revenge-wars-betrayal, power-struggle for the throne. it's a really tough challenge to the writer - director to create Zombie world in this classic sageuk elements. But their hardwork shines in every scene and every character makes us emotional, survival tense.
and the Netflix 's Korean drama wave started from here.
*THE EXCELLENCE OF KINGDOM'S SOUNDTRACK AND CINEMATOGRAPHY*
"When it comes to the thriller genre, I'm particularly discerning about two crucial aspects: soundtrack and cinematography. Kingdom excels in both areas, elevating the overall tension and suspense to new heights. The soundtrack is masterfully crafted, with the subtle sounds of the zombies and the haunting background score for the main leads perfectly complementing the on-screen action. The cinematography is equally impressive, with a keen attention to detail that immerses the viewer in the dark and foreboding world of ancient Korea. The cinematography in the Kingdom is nothing short of breathtaking, transporting me to a hauntingly beautiful ancient ( sageuk/historical ) Korea time'. The dark tone cinematography is a masterclass in crafting suspense and tension, expertly leveraging lighting, shadows, and composition to create an atmosphere that's both foreboding and mesmerizing and capturing a hauntingly beautiful scenery of Korean old days with bare trees on the mountains, their silhouettes etched against the eerie backdrop like nature's own work of art."
The soundtrack is equally impressive, with a haunting score that perfectly complements the on-screen action, amplifying the emotional impact of every scene and character. The combination of these two elements creates a truly unsettling and thrilling experience that keeps me on the edge of my seat.
ACTING:-
"The acting in Kingdom is truly exceptional, with each actor delivering a standout performance that leaves a lasting impact. Ju Ji Hoon, in particular, brings his character to life with a depth and nuance that is simply awe-inspiring. The entire cast, including Bae Doona, Kim Hye Jun, Ryu Seung Ryong, Heo Jun Ho, and Kim Sung Kyu, delivers fantastic performances that are both convincing and compelling. The cast's extraordinary acting skills are a testament to their dedication and talent, and they play a significant role in making Kingdom the thrilling and unforgettable experience that it is."
OVERALL :-
"I'm a little late to the party, but I'm thrilled to have finally experienced the masterpiece that is Kingdom! The script is nothing short of brilliant, weaving a story that's both captivating and unpredictable. The director-writer's vision is masterful, transporting me to the eerie world of the Kin and plunging me into the midst of a zombie apocalypse like never before. With its flawless pacing, heart-pumping action sequences, and emotional depth, Kingdom has raised the bar for K-dramas and zombie apocalypse stories alike.
My Rating: 10/10
If you haven't yet indulged in the thrill ride that is Kingdom, do yourself a favor and dive in without hesitation! This unforgettable experience will leave you breathless, craving more, and forever changed. Trust me, it's worth the binge!"
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An Exciting Thriller..
The drama [ Extracurricular ] takes a different aspect from typical school dramas, like a struggling male lead who manages trafficking businesses. It ( his work ) can be troubling at times because things frequently get away from his control and he is unable to deal with his unexpected situations. So, despite the dark atmosphere, the story was well-constructed and captivating to the end.As a kdrama lover I'm not defending bullying, sexual assault, or whatever else they shown in this drama, but what i liked is how the K-drama ( Extracurricular ) subtly unveils the depth of a crime-filled plot with teenage school story line. Let's appreciate that Netflix work brought a different subject theme this time allowing the writer Jin Han-Sae and Director Kim Jin-Min to move away from the common Korean high school storyline, cut off the classic love story element, and brought the crucially dark topics such as school bullying, payed dating, online sex work, and a variety of other issues navigating young adolescents in today's online world..
You will most certainly feel a wide range of emotions from sadness to love to frustration to anger to excitement through the main characters. And those emotions help add what can be an incredibly enlightening view of today’s youth and crime.
Kim Dong Hee is a brilliant actor and one of the young korean talents, After receiving prominent status for his supporting parts in the two biggest dramas, Kim Dong Hee jumps into leading roles & conveys an emotionally intense performance that will leave us question ourselves what you stand for at the end of the drama, Park Joo Hyun another talented young actress, no word how to appreciate her work, A Perfectionist. She really gave her 10/10 performance here, Portraying raw emotions with parental pressure and like a deep hurting inside daughter she perfectly played her role. Jung Da Bin did an excellent job giving her character depth.
Both ScreenWriter & Director were given a good thriller by showing the School Bullying, harassment, social norms, and parental pressure are all aspects of the life of a high school student in South Korea.
Cinematography and Soundtrack two are top quality that they capture us into a thriller mood.
Still waiting for season 02..
I enjoyed the drama and thanks to the Kdrama Judge who was given[ recommendation ] to me one of the best Kdramas. If you’re looking for an exploration in Korean highschool thriller with an engaging plot then this is definitely a must-watch..
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Started well but turned into Love Triangle chaos -- First half suffered
A Disappointed first half.Was expected something new kind the story presentation from this known storyline with engaging characters. Engaging characters are there but after 6 eps it turned out same love triangle and even the characters fell short but Kim Da Mi & Shin Ye-Eun somehow saves the drama. From the story we've seen too many a love story traingles between two best friends and a sacrifice. However 6 more episodes are left now kinda excited to watch what new turns the story takes, but even after first half now here if there will be a another love triangle then drama might just collapse under its own weight.
I did loved the characters design of Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye and female leads dorm setup is engaging and kinda relief from love triangle chaos. But one major flaw is the ML character missed the arc, like he's the centre of the drama between the female leads, he should have been given a strong arc to match the quality character design like Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye but instead his character is really poorly written like a glass being emptied of its juice. So, was expecting a decent character development on male lead character.
10/10 aspects
• Kim Da Mi & Shin Ye-Eun acting
• OST
• production design
• plot flow
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Best slice of life kdrama
If You Wish Upon Me is one of my Slice of Life favorite dramas. This was my first drama to watch when it was airing. Since I’m a fan of Ji Chang-Wook, I have good expectations for this drama, and this is my first drama with Choi Soo Young and Won Jin An. There are no big stars in the cast (drama) yet, but If You Wish Upon Me got huge success with its story and the acting of the cast. The story is so fresh at that time and forever. As we already know, this drama story is based on true events and is inspired by the Ambulance Wish Foundation, which originally started in the Netherlands. The charity program grants wishes to terminally ill patients. With Slice of Life, this drama also offers a mature rom-com and a decent, deep message about life, and it shows how a human being's life is small in this world. Let us live happily until our time on earth is complete. The drama starts with the interesting way an ex-convict got sentenced to do voluntary work in a hospital. Will he settle in that place, or how will he manage to work and live there? To talk about Ji Chang Wook's acting, it's just perfection. He is well known for the action genre, but the way he chooses his character roles from drama to drama shows what a quality actor he is. His character role is full of emotions; he made me cry by acting in emotional scenes and laughing in comedy scenes. The way he was trying to adjust himself in that place and falling in love with his opposite personality the female lead those types of scenes are a natural treat to watch. The story moves in a classical way, like Team Jeni helping the patients grant their last wishes, but it also insists on a mysterious element of the secret room patient, which felt like a lacking element in this type of story, but the writer gave a good reason why he put that in this drama and convinced us with its backdrop story. Choi Soo Young is one of the best idols turned actors, and although this was my first drama of her's, I became her fan after watching her acting. Won Jin An, I’m moved by her acting and her story point; her rudeness toward Ji Chang Wook’s love is pretty emotional. The scene where he says “please leave me free” to her is heartwarming, and the drama shows the efforts of the writer and director and how much they invested their skills to create characters for a particular scene. This drama standout as one of the best emotional character development dramas i watched. Song Dong gives another great performance in his Team Jeni leader role. OST is nostalgic, and the hospital setting is quite beautiful. Excellent acting from all the supporting cast. This is the best example of how a good story can get success without a star cast, with proper utilization of the full potential of available actors. It's a funny and emotional roller-coaster that also offers some good tears. I will recommend this drama to everyone who loves good character development and emotional character depth in new typical dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Sorry.....
There's no strong emotional development between the main leads; the male lead's acting is average; there's no proper explanation about the future (present). If there's time travel, going back to the present is an important element of the story, but without dealing with it, they give a simple ending with the past.This drama is good for K-drama beginners (time travel genre), but after watching many time travel dramas for me, they presented a simple revenge drama with the time travel element.
They had the choice to create a more dynamic relationship between the main leads by using her ex-boyfriend, and they had to create love triangle points too, like one spring night, but did not utilize those elements. It's better to sometimes use a third person to create strong emotional development between the main leads, like One Spring Night. If they use it more, it will become trash.
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A Simple Thriller.. The Trio treat to watch
Hello Monster is A simple thriller drama, that presents an emotional rollercoaster story about one's love and concern with a twisted fate..This drama came into my list when i was at the starting stage of adapting thriller/mystery genres from love/fantasy, and completed in 2 days.. After watching no.of Thrillers in kdrama this drama is also standout for its unique story selection. The main story runs with the investigation part but However, In my opinion the most compelling and freshest element of the plot is the second part of the story, which centers on the brotherhood bond (you will know once you watch the drama ).
And the first Criminal-Profiler drama i watched, they presented very well and detailed manner of new-coming thriller elements like criminal profiler in S Korean dramas, They put forward the topic of criminology to us and showed existential-humanistic theories with different solving criminal cases that explain criminals, serial killers, and psychopaths by examining their motives, behaviors, growth! It was the drama that showed almost everything related to Profiler. And I'm saying too much on Criminal parts means this is not a dark thriller or complete psychological thriller :) this is less romance but complicated brotherhood bond and overall an emotional thriller. A thriller plot twist is the core part of capturing the viewers interest to complete the drama and Hello Monster plot twist challenges our expectations, creates tension between characters and often reveals new layers to the narrative, making our viewing experience more immersive and satisfying adding an emotional backdrop story to it, once the plot twist was revealed it adds unpredictability and suspense and keep engaged and eager to see how the story unfolds from this moment. Plot twist along with additional twists might look simple, but with skilled script work, they created a major impact on the story narration.
Decent performance from the whole cast, especially the trio Seo In Guk, Park Bo Gum, Choi Won Young fictional characters they trigger us to experience a wide range of emotions beyond the relationships with well connected naturally and the bloodline that never want to aprat from us in any circumstances. This trio is a treat to watch.
And Jang Nara was given a settled performance. The Soundtrack & Camera good, the Screenplay highlights in some scenes to surprise with good story telling..
I will recommend this drama to those who are interested in a simple thriller that explores criminology as well as the good emotional bonding between brothers..
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MASTERPIECE! Excellent Story, Blending excellent characterization, lots of twists.
Stranger is the drama for you if you thrive on law-crime-thriller genres.PLOT SET-UP, A VERY WELL EXECUTED WITH THRILLING AND SUSPENSE ASPECTS :-
A murder turns out to be more complex and puzzling than they initially thought, unravelling a whole national conspiracy behind the scenes. Viewers might find themselves questioning every character’s motives and allegiance while trying to find the real culprit. Not easy to deal with Puzzle.
Plot twists were properly executed, every second the suspense was maintained until the very end, the plot accelerated forward continuously, and the ending pulled more toward realistically than it did toward a perfect cliffhanger ending for season 2.
A amazingly challenging plotline that had me captivated and invested in the story from the start. I kept trying to figure out who the culprit was, but I couldn't. This is a prime example of those stories where you have to pay close attention or you'll become interconnected with the story and end up in the web of events and confused. AMAZING . MASTERPIECE
Finally :-
If you’re sick of all these romantic and cute dramas and want to watch something with gripping twists that makes you binge the whole series at once, this drama is for yo
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