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Forgettable
The story starts off with a familiar arc. Strong female lead, disguised as a man, seeking revenge. She inadvertently gets caught up some drama and befriending some prominent people.The FL herself shows some promise early on. She is quick-witted and shows some martial ability. She also has a sense of justice that makes her easy to root for. The show does a poor job in really explaining why she is so talented in some things, especially military affairs. Through flashbacks we see that she had potential as a VERY young girl, but she was removed from any environment where those skills might grow at a very young age. So, it's unclear why she is suddenly seen as capable of training and leading soldiers. Additionally, some of her tactics are just kind of terrible. The deeper that I got into the show, the less I cared about her which was particularly unfortunate because she was still the most interesting character in the series.
The ML is fine. I don't have anything good or bad to say about him. Typical playboy with little life experiences thrust into a position of power. Likeable enough, also completely forgettable.
For fans of romance there is a love story, and even a surprising kiss that happens pretty early on. This was one of the least authentic parts of the show as the two characters expressed extremely strong feelings for each other despite really not having spent very much time with each other to that point. Just another example of something that did not seem to fit the story's context and foundations.
Other familiar tropes are a king looking to kill off potential successors creating internal court politics while there is an external threat in the format of an enemy army.
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Damsel for convenience
The first few minutes presents some intriguing lore, and a potentially interesting character in the FL. Unfortunately this is one of those stories that promises a really fun and strong FL only to cripple her shortly after. This plot device provides a convenient way for the love story to happen, but it also left me wanting the original character that was promised to me. It's the classic "here is a strong FL, but we're going to make her a damsel in distress at convenient times so that their can be forced romance".The ML is very tropey, and I had a hard time connecting with him. Part of this is likely due to the contrived "damsel" that the FL was made out to be, but his characterization also just fell flat. The other male characters also being a bit 1-dimensional (and equally tropey), but I did find them to be slightly more engaging.
All of this is quite unfortunate because I think the actors all did a good job in their given roles, and the story's lore is also quite interesting with its fantasy and politics.
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Love it and Hate it
The Long Ballad is a story about a talented princess and her growth over the course of 49 episodes. Her journey starts out as one seeking revenge, and then it develops into something more. She is both the central figure of the story, and the highlight of it.The story begins by portraying her as very talented both in martial arts and strategy. It would be easy to describe her as even being a little too perfect. It quickly humanizes her though, displaying her naivety and ignorance of the world. She is talented and smart, but she is not invincible or all knowing. Her journey forces her to face many hardships and grow as an individual as she faces the realities of common people.
Overall Princess Changge is an intriguing character, and Dilraba Dilmurat does a fine job in the role.
The negatives with this show are entirely related to the completely perfect male lead. In fact, calling him perfect is too modest. He's the best at martial arts, archery, strategy, cunning, courage, care for others, etc...He's so perfect that it is barely an inconvenience for him to go out of his way to save to FL no matter the circumstances. He has a lot going for him, but essentially he is a 1-dimensional character. That 1 dimension is perfection.
Consequently, the Long Ballad is the story of Changge and her journey. The story tells us that we should expect a lot out of her, but then it FREQUENTLY presents opportunities to put her in danger that only the ML can save her from.
The romance also fell flat. Part of this is related to how perfect the ML was, but there also just was not a lot of chemistry between the two characters. I started to dread any scene that featured both leads together.
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Consistently Inconsistent
Many reviews will mention the growth that the titular character goes through, and they are right. Fu Yao starts as essentially a weak slave girl who grows into something more.Unfortunately there is an inconsistency with that growth. She is shown to have great potential and goes through a powerup of sorts. After this powerup she is shown to be incredible impressive and easily defeats several prominent characters. Not long after this, she is forced to face off against some of these same characters that she easily subdued previously, and suddenly she needs one of the ML's to come save her. This is a prominent theme throughout the show as the story tells us how much potential she has while constantly showing us something else. She frequently needs rescuing by others, leaving a constant question "if she is so strong, why does someone always save her?". It's not all bad, as she does occasionally show signs of having her own agency, but there is a lot of forced vulnerability onto her character that doesn't fit the narrative.
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Ugh
I don't think that this story was ever supposed to be "good". By that I just mean that it was obvious from the beginning that the series was going for a sort of silliness with its plot and characters.The FL is as bossy as the title implies, and she is portrayed as being incredibly strong. The ML starts off as kind of wimpy and an easy punching bag. This creates a comedic dynamic between the two of them. Make no mistake that the ML is incompetent in this portrayal. He does not display great martial arts, but he is unparalleled in his deduction and reasoning making him a great investigator. The two leads balance each other out in this way and start to gain attraction each other as they witness that there is more to the outward persona.
None of this led to a particularly great story, but their dynamics did hold a certain charm that was enjoyable to watch.
Unfortunately the series quickly does away with this balance, and the ML goes through a full character reset (the show provides a reason for this). He maintains his genius intellect, but then he also becomes an unparalleled martial arts master with a completely different personality. As this happens, the "my bossy wife" title no longer remains accurate to the portrayal and it really loses its charm.
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Flawless to a Fault ML
I loved the first season of Gyeongseon Creature.Within the first 5 minutes of season 2, I had to back out and verify that I was watching the right show.
Season 2 advances the timeline many years, to a modern day setting which was pretty jarring. It also showcased a very different genre. It reminded me of some other supernatural series/movies where the original is more about suspense and story while the sequel is more action oriented.
After confirming that it was still Gyeongseong Creature, I actually did enjoy it at first. The faster pace was enjoyable, and Han So Hee's character was once again fun to watch. She was even more impressive in the early parts of this second season than she was in season 1 (for reasons that you can probably guess if you've seen the first season).
Unfortunately the series quickly became derailed due to the portrayal of the ML.
In season 1 of Gyeongseong Creature, the FL is presented with a backstory consistent with her abilities. Arguably, the ML's abilities are unjustly inflated to put him on equal level as the FL, but at least there was balance. The second season turns the ML into an even more perfect version of himself. The story eventually provides an explanation for why he is so strong, but even within the context of the story it never really explains why he was so 'great' from the start. In order to make him the personification of perfection the writers had to take away elsewhere, and the casualty was the FL. She was impressive in season 1 and carried a lot of agency. She was equally impressive at the start of season 2, but soon lost all agency. She turned into a typical damsel, despite having her own justified abilities. Season 1 was about equal characters becoming partners and helping each other out. Season 2 was about how awesome the ML was.
The ML was so perfect that he was honestly unlikable. There is very little that I can say positive about season 2, and it really ruined the franchise.
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Awesome FL
I provide high marks on this series due to the FL and the overarching plot. It's somewhat diminished by the ML though.The story takes real events from Japanese colonial rule and experimentation and turns them into a supernatural-thriller. It's an intriguing twist on history which leaves you on the edge of your seat. The villains are truly evil which helps to raise the stakes.
The FL is awesome in every sense of the word. She is a good fighter, she is brave, she has believable motivations, and overall she is just easy to root for. The show in general provides her with the level of agency that you would expect from such a character. Han So Hee was amazing in My Name, and she delivers another great performance here.
The ancillary characters also have their moments. It's clear that they are not the focus, but the story shows that everyone has their part to play.
The weakest part of the story was the ML. I wouldn't go as far to say that he was bad, but his motivations and abilities seemed the least grounded. The story sets him up with a particular persona that is almost immediately subverted with what I can only describe as "love at first sight". Fortunately, there are aspects of his character that do make him interesting, but I came away thinking that the writers realized that they had this awesome FL with justified abilities and they needed a way to balance out her romantic interest.
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Amazing
I really can't say enough great things about this series.Starting with the cast. All of the individual characters were well written, and the actors were even better. Both the FL and ML did great in their roles, and they showed a lot of chemistry. Kim So Hyun has been phenomenal in everything that I have ever seen her in. All of the side characters were also great in their roles. Probably the weakest character overall was the villain, but even he was not bad.
The story is sometimes cute, sometimes suspenseful, at times funny, and it is always charming. Any of these themes can play out at any given time. In this way the viewing experience is always fresh and never really gets bogged down.
The story's focus is on the relationship between the two leads, which is the best part of the series. Both characters are individually interesting, and the bond that they form is really fun to follow. The show does a good job at developing this relationship while also slowly building to a larger plotline and an exciting climax.
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Incredibly Fun
This was an incredibly fun action/revenge story with realistic and combat.The FL is on a mission, and it's fun to watch. The overall narrative is pretty simple, and dialogue remains succinct throughout. The movie clearly knows what it is, and it is all the better for it.
One of the highlights of this project was how it remained grounded. There are certainly some spectacular feats performed, but it all feels authentic rather than intentionally over-the-top.
Just a really fun film.
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Awesome FL
Azumi is a story that has all the action that you could want while also providing an intriguing political backdrop.The fight choreography is all really well done. There are some cheesy effects that I'm not sure if they were intended to be stylistic choices or done this way for budget purposes, but they never really diminish the experience.
The titular character is presented to be very strong and talented, and the story stays consistent to this characterization throughout which is something that I appreciated.
Underneath the story's main plot is a story of friendship and comradery. All of the characters were likable in different ways, and it was easy to cheer for them.
The weakest part of the story was the dialogue. Some of the writing was a bit cheesy, but fortunately it never crossed over any lines.
A thoroughly enjoyable film about a strong FL with good action, pacing, and story elements.
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More Kim So Hyun Please
The story follows Kim So Hyun as Princess Pyeong Gang. First, Kim So Hyun was phenomenal in her role. I can't say enough good things about her performance. This also goes for her character which was so incredibly interesting. Princess Pyeong Gang is everything that I could want out of a character. She is very capable as a fighter, and she has emotional depth. She also is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family and country, even at the cost of herself. This leads her to come across as very authentic.This brings me to one of the best parts of the story and where this series is somewhat unique. Pyeong Gang has agency. In so many of these stories with a strong FL, the story undermines her by having her saved and/or protected by the ML. Here, the FL gets herself out of trouble when needed, and that is so refreshing to have character consistency.
The ML is also a good character. He does undergo a somewhat unbelievable powerup, but he never fully outshines the FL. He also doesn't have her cunning and ruthlessness. He's more of a traditional hero, which provided a nice balance to their characters.
Several other characters play a major role, and all of them are interesting. The antagonists all have believable motivations that raise the stakes and makes the protagonist's journey all the more intriguing.
The ending was one area that I think was too easy. I won't spoil anything, but I think that it was a missed opportunity.
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Can't get enough
A series with a really good love story, that might have even been better without it.Jang Man Wol (played by IU) is such an interesting character. Outwardly she is very vain with many flaws, but it becomes apparent why she is this way as the story unfolds. Her flaws make her even more likeable as a character. So much so that even though the story itself is really good, I think that they could have explored her character more if they were not rushing to the romance. Man Wol has been around for centuries, and there is so much to her character that it feels like we only scratch the surface before its over.
Aside from the FL, the show does a fantastic job at drawing you into each of the other characters too. The ML and all of the side characters have depth that really gets you attached to them.
My only criticism of the show is how quickly it comes to an end. The series showcases a lot of subtle character development, but when it arrives at the climax it does so almost without warning. It then quickly decelerates to the finish line, and you're just left wanting a little more because the characters (especially all of the ghosts) are just so interesting.
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So much drama!
Ever watch one of those medical dramas and wonder how everything bad seems to happen to this one hospital? Descendants of the Sun is kind of like that, and it just kind of works.These characters seem to face some once in a lifetime event every couple of episodes. This level of forced drama should have been a show stopper, but it just kind of works here. By the end you will even see that the show makes fun of itself for all of these major catastrophes.
The reason it all works is because the story is never really about just the events themselves. The story is about these individual characters and their relationships, and these events just provide opportunities to highlight each character. Fortunately, every single of these characters are great, as are the actors playing them. For every dramatic event that occurs, there is an equally charming event to go along with it.
The series manages a level of silliness while still feeling authentic. This was another reason why all of the cheesy drama never felt like it went over board. The silliness offered a necessary contract to the high frequency of insane drama.
As should be evident, there is a lot that happens over the course of this series. Because of that it's almost impossible to talk about without providing some kind of spoiler, and this is why some of this review sounds repetitive. Just know that Descendants of the Sun is a highly entertaining series with one of the most likeable cast of characters that you will find.
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