This review may contain spoilers
A heartfelt tale at the struggles of poverty with some continuity and casting issues
The drama is first and foremost a slice of life drama so it does not have the usual protagonist and antagonist, conflict and resolution arc so it is not for everyone. It is a little slow as it covers the stories of some of the support cast, which adds substance to the drama but may feel draggy.The production quality is of very high standard. The set, lightning, costume really show how village life in Jeju in the past is like. The script is intricate as the lines between the cast felt natural. The direction of the drama is great as well. Most of the cast were superb in their acting, especially the support cast of aunties who were Ae Sun's mother's friends. Yeom Hye Ran who played Ae Sun's mother was exceptional. Kim Tae Yeon who played the main young Ae Sun was great as well. They both were convincing as the protective mother and confident child. This part of the story, although short, tugged at my heartstrings the most. This background story added intricacy to the drama. IU and Park Bo Gum have good chemistry and are relatable as a couple as well.
IU, having dual roles of playing both the young Ae Sun as well as her daughter, Yang Geum Myeong, cemented her role as an actress, although she came from a singing background. She was competent in playing her younger role with Park Bo Gum as a poor but proud mother, and later on even better as Yang Geum Myeong. It possible that IU is still better when depicting modern characters . The scene where Yang Geum Myeong father's shouted her name when she was griping to her mother about not wanting to play the "pillar of the family" role was exceptionally good - one can feel that Geum Myeong's motions totally sank when she knew she was in the wrong.
The main and later part of the drama is where I have minor grips with casting, and major continuity issues. Firstly, Park Bo Gum as the younger Yang Gwan Sik is incredibly handsome. His character setup was that he was physically fit enough to be a national athlete, handsome, who gave them up in order to marry Ae Sun and provide for the family. He is also down-to-earth and a man of a few words. Park Hae Joon was cast as the older Yang Gwan Sik despite looking nothing like Park Bo Gum and being way too old. Yang Gwan Sik is 37-39 when her daughter entered university.
His character also had continuity issues. The idea of him being "handsome and athletic but gave it up" character script was not explored. His identity switched a 180 degree to an ailing father and sea-worn fisherman with a haggard look, even though his age is only around 37-38. When he developed cancer, he is only 55-57, but was portrayed as likely 60 over years old.
Similarly, Moon So Ri was cast as the older Ae Sun when her character is supposed to be much younger. When she first appeared, she was supposed to be 37-38, but was presented as something in her late forties to early fifties. Her character was displayed as someone who is meek - the only time she spoke up was when her daughter was mistreated by her potential in-laws and when she pulled her frenemy's hair. Her personality felt a little too different from who she was like in her teenage and motherhood years.
Despite these character continuity issues, Yang Gwan Sik and Moon So Ri made up for that lack in their acting.
IU's acting as a mother (both as younger Ae Sun and later asGeum Myeong) was slighter less impressive and she lacked a little maternal instinct and her chemistry with her children. These scenes were far and few in-between though.
Overall. this is a good drama for the start of 2025. It is just impossible to binge through so few episodes a time is still recommended.
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Failed ambitious attempt eclectic genres, bogged down by excessive sub-plots and back stories
Adamas is mainly a mystery drama, but attempts to span across different genres. Its attempt at encompassing elements of melodrama, tragedy, romance and both light and dark comedy is decent, but feels needless and does not impress. It feels almost as if the script writer or director is wanting to deliberately do so, so that the drama feels like an eclectic masterpiece.It is a simple plot that has excessive sub-plots and back stories added, meant mainly for the purpose of keeping the suspense and drama last 16 episodes. The drama attempted to give every single character, big or small, a backstory and reason for participating in the story is comprehensive and is good in nature. However, it is excessive. Every single characters' motivation to partake in the "mystery" is due to the death of a loved one. In the end, it leaves the audience feeling that there is no poignant main storyline, and the characters were added in just because the "script" requires them to be,
Besides the protagonists who are both acted by Ji Sung, no other characters have a strong motivation to solve those 2 mysteries, so it is not engaging for me emotionally. Every other character partakes in the main story because of the death of a loved one, that is irrelevant to finding the murderer, nor locating where Adamas is.
There is also insufficient development in the character arc of the main cast. The idea of getting Ji Sung to act in 2 roles is interesting, but totally wasted as the storyline did not explore the uniqueness nor need twins to be the protagonists. It might be better to showcase them as close knitted brothers.
Both Seo Ji-hye's and Lee Soo-kyung's characters are too divorced from the main storyline and is wasted as main actresses. Seo Ji-hye has her own backstory and too little emotional involvement with Ji Sung, while Lee Soo-kyung's character arc is too unexplored to the point she feels like a 3rd lead or a main supporting cast.
The show has too many backstories and screen time for the supporting cast, to the point that it is excessive and muddles the main storyline. There are 3 antagonist, one of whom is totally irrelevant to the story. The main antagonist has too little screen time, so his character arc did not have space to develop.
The ending is definitely the major disappointment as it felt rushed and abrupt. Overall, I did not enjoy watching the show. It has potential to be a good drama, but it feels like there are too many threads that leads to nothing. Even though I like Ji Sung, Seo Ji-hye's and Lee Soo-kyung, my fondness for these artistes is still not engaging enough emotionally, nor suspenseful enough to be a mystery drama. I finished the drama only because the actors and actresses were good.
The drama is mainly carried along by good acting, directing, editing and cinematography. If you like eclectic genres and superb acting, Flower of Evil is hands down my recommendation.
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Draggy love story, immature characters, meandering plot, saving grace is humor and scenery
The love story is uninteresting and the only thing that is drawing the audience from watching is whether the ML and FL will get together, and the reason why they broke up. Other plots serves as fillers most of the time. Otherwise, most of the time the ML and FL are hanging around having conversations like teenagers and the FL is always acting like an immature teenager girl. The drama keeps having flashbacks of them as teenagers, and although the drama also tells of stories of friendship, the other supporting characters do not quite have good character development.The upside of the drama really is the depiction of the relationship of the FL’s mother and her family, and the scenery around Jeju.
I cannot find myself being engrossed with the ML or the FL. The ML is too passive, and only took action in episode 11. The FL is too incongruent, whiny, behaved like a teenager and awkward to be very likeable. I understand it is a character setup but for kdramas to always setup female leads that way, and have relationships only work out towards the last few episodes does not work well for me.
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Slow plot advancement, average acting, uninteresting and unrealistic hospital and swat scenes
I do not understand why this drama has such high ratings except for the fact that the male lead is handsome and some view it as an idol drama meant for younger audiences.Both the swat and hospital seems were incredibly unrealistic, and there’s no chemistry, friendship, character development between the colleagues in the hospital or the SWAT environment. The disaster relief, training and crime busting scenes had no interesting stories, making them time wasters.
The FL is not able to come across as someone who has finesse and excellence in her job while being ditsy at the same time simply because of the way she handles patients and medical equipment (along with all the rest of the cast as well actually). It’s forgiveable that she handles medical emergencies like someone worse than a first-aider, but she at least needs to have the facial expressions to go along with it, that’s why it’s called acting.
That said, the main dullness of the show the female FL and ML, and the 2nd leads, don’t have a strong character or plot arc.
The drama is simply filled with patient and swat training when there’s nothing going on between between the cast.
I dropped the drama at episode 18.
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An enjoyable watch, but too little romance too late
The main draw of the drama is the acting of female lead who is able to portray the charming, likeable and strong-willed personality of the character. Although the actress is not exactly the prettiest by mainland Chinese drama standards, she fits the role well. would say the drama would have flopped if not for her.What the drama excels in, is the story of how the FL stood her ground despite the odds, as well as depicting the work of pilots and aircrew, through interesting incidents and the lives of the cast.
The male lead’s acting is on point by not impressive, but it may be hampered by his character setup (he is supposed to be someone is not expressive) and by the annoying choice of the director to convey his emotions by the tapping of his hand whenever he is anxious, nervous, concerned, or overly emotional.
It is a typical drama where the ML rejects the FL due to a tramautic past and is ridden by guilt, creating tension and anticipation for the audience on whether and when the couple will get back together.
For viewers who wish to see more romance, this drama is severely lacking. The 2nd main leads are not featured much, and the romance between the main leads happens in the last 2 episodes.
I felt towards the end it’s less of a workplace romance drama but more of a occupation promotion drama littered with romance. The ending was rushed and had too much of big China propaganda. The surmise of the male and female lead appears to be work above romance, country above self, and no worklife balance.
I personally enjoyed the drama pretty much, but fast forwarded towards the end, and tolerated the bits where the support cast were just really being vases which is a shame.
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There’s virtually nothing happening for the first 4 episodes…
I dropped the drama as it is too slow. The cinematography is good, but the drama is shot like a movie, with no plot happening for the first 4 episodes. There’s a man staying in the lodge who is a comic relief as usual who is quite irritating and pointless as a cast, who does not contribute to the storyline. I dropped it without watching further. I do not understand why the drama has such a high rating, besides the fact that the two leads are good looking and Yunan itself is picturesque. The precipitating factor for the FL to move to Yunan is due to the passing of her good friend, but that is merely a device used by the scriptwriter. Overall too slow for me to continue watching.Was this review helpful to you?
The series gets repetitive with no real plot
The drama is interesting at first but begins to get repetive from episode 3 onwards. The ML keeps repeating how he doesn’t want to fall in love with the FL but keeps approaching her. His lines are so repetive that it becomes irritating to watch.Both of 2nd FL and ML serve no real purpose except as sidekicks whom we already know will not end up with the FL and the ML.
The colleagues in the civil service office, and even the ML’s parents, play filler roles because are not close to either the FL or the ML, so the FL and ML exist in a vacuum.
This drama already has the usual kdrama setup and tropes, and they are excuted quite poorly, which is a shame because both leads are considered good actors.
The usual :
1. Both ML and FL have existing partners/love interests, gradually develop feelings for each other while denying them.
2. 2nd FL and ML, who do not end up with the ML and FL but try to be.
3.. Side stories involving people at the workplace, usually involving a comic relief, nasty boss, gossipy colleagues, or the FL’s BFF
4. Accidental kisses, falling over each other, etc
I hope the drama picks up from now on. I like Jo Bo-ah, but even then the constant repetitive lines when they are bickering are just too irritating.
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Strong Girl Namsoon is not a story about Namsoon and the FL's speech is jarring
The most jarring thing about the drama is the director’s choice of casting the FL as a character who speaks with broken informal Korean. This is extremely annoying. It’s unnecessary as well as the FL grew up speaking Korean and any backstory could have been written that’s convincing.Lee Yoo-mi is a novice actress but is known for in Squid Game for her ability to depict subtle emotions. Howver her current role makes her speak in awkward tones and does not utilise her acting strength. There’s only one scene where she hugged her father in the amusement park that is fairly warm.
Also, the producers can’t make up their mind about who really are the leads of the drama. So far, the FL’s family members take up a lot of screen time, and the FL and the ML only appear half the time.
The ML also does not have much to do, and does not have much of a romance or convincing love for the FL up to this point and it is already episode 8 when this review is written. It is hard to compare but as a spinoff, it is very underwhelming at this point.
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The drama has no plot curve, bad sequencing, bad storyline and mediocre acting
The main issue with this drama is that it does not have any plot curves at all. It is filmed like a web comic. There's no act 1, act 2, scene 1, scene 2 etc. The drama just flows and shows every detail. Each episode does not have a particular storyline. There isn't really anything memorable about the drama, no conflict to resolve, no tension to overcome. The story is so bland, and the music that comes on whenever the male leads walk into the school, and how the rest of the students go crazy over them is extremely irritating.Cha Eun-woo is handsome no doubt, but his acting is too robotic. I do not really see much chemistry between him and Moon Ga-young.
The only upside is probably the friendship between the female lead and her friends, and her family dynamics. Else it is really not worth watching.
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