So Bad its almost good
As a huge Don Lee (Ma Dong-seok) fan, I’ve loved or at least really liked almost everything he’s done. The synopsis for Twelve—12 zodiac angels fighting demons, epic battles, supernatural action—sounded like a total slam dunk. I went in with high hopes for something fun, action-packed, and heroic.
Through the first 6 episodes, this was one of the biggest disappointments I’ve ever watched. It takes until halfway through episode 6 for anything remotely interesting or action-oriented to happen—in an 8-episode season! The protagonists don’t even get their full powers until then, so for the first 5.5 episodes, they’re just getting beaten down by demons with zero real pushback. The pacing is glacial—scenes linger forever on nothing, world-building meanders without momentum, and by episode 4 I was checking out mentally. I slogged through 5 and the start of 6 just hoping for payoff.
The flashbacks are the worst part—they’re overused, thrown in mid-scene, and grind everything to a halt. They add almost nothing meaningful and kill the flow. Backstory dumps that should’ve been front-loaded (especially the big reveals in episode 7) feel like writing malpractice. Why wait so long?
The cast tries their best with the weak material, and most do okay (the ensemble has chemistry in spots), but Don Lee… this hurts to say as a fan, but he looks way out of shape for the role (Tae-san, the tiger leader) and seems completely checked out. His performance feels flat and uninspired. There’s even an embarrassing wig worn by Marok in the flashbacks—long white hair that looks ridiculously silly and takes you right out of it.
The last two episodes are better—decent action, some payoff, and at least stuff happens. If the whole show had that energy, it could’ve been mediocre. But it’s too little, too late. It ends on a cliffhanger, but honestly, after this slog, I doubt many will care about a season 2.
This had massive potential with the cast and premise, but poor writing, editing, pacing, and execution turned it into a huge mess. Recommend skippinhg unless you want to watch it for how bad it is and get some unintended laughs.
Through the first 6 episodes, this was one of the biggest disappointments I’ve ever watched. It takes until halfway through episode 6 for anything remotely interesting or action-oriented to happen—in an 8-episode season! The protagonists don’t even get their full powers until then, so for the first 5.5 episodes, they’re just getting beaten down by demons with zero real pushback. The pacing is glacial—scenes linger forever on nothing, world-building meanders without momentum, and by episode 4 I was checking out mentally. I slogged through 5 and the start of 6 just hoping for payoff.
The flashbacks are the worst part—they’re overused, thrown in mid-scene, and grind everything to a halt. They add almost nothing meaningful and kill the flow. Backstory dumps that should’ve been front-loaded (especially the big reveals in episode 7) feel like writing malpractice. Why wait so long?
The cast tries their best with the weak material, and most do okay (the ensemble has chemistry in spots), but Don Lee… this hurts to say as a fan, but he looks way out of shape for the role (Tae-san, the tiger leader) and seems completely checked out. His performance feels flat and uninspired. There’s even an embarrassing wig worn by Marok in the flashbacks—long white hair that looks ridiculously silly and takes you right out of it.
The last two episodes are better—decent action, some payoff, and at least stuff happens. If the whole show had that energy, it could’ve been mediocre. But it’s too little, too late. It ends on a cliffhanger, but honestly, after this slog, I doubt many will care about a season 2.
This had massive potential with the cast and premise, but poor writing, editing, pacing, and execution turned it into a huge mess. Recommend skippinhg unless you want to watch it for how bad it is and get some unintended laughs.
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