Mila

An interesting, but still incomplete, conclusion.

I was a bit disappointed with part 1 as I felt a lot was left unexplored, especially surrounding the main characters and their relationships together (which, I mean, was kind of the point of the story). This 2nd part did a bit better on this regard with the main group, while still missing a crucial part : Baek Jin/Hu Min relationship. We get that there's something there... but it's so subtle it's too unclear what it is exactly. That's really too bad as it's a, if not THE, core element of the plot...

Also, it's simply too short for my tastes. It's pretty good if you watch season 1+2 back to back, but I still think it's lacking something. The writing IS pretty solid. And I am not easily satisfied. Sure, some things don't make that much sense. You should not think too much. And it's a bit overdramatic sometimes, when it was more 'to the point' in the 1st. There is some slo-mo and some static shots on actors sometimes that is something I really dislike in cinema in general (that weren't to this point in the 1st). There are also too many pending questions that I won't detail to avoid spoilers but that left me waiting. I am disappointed with some key characters (such as Geum Seong Je and Na Baek Jin). They were lacking something. Seong Je in particular was simply too... tame. And as for the fights, there were more numerous than previously. And they were good. But I think they were less 'creative' and sometimes the way they were shot weren't, imo, the best.

Yes, I do think overall Yoo Su Min did a stupendous job retaining enough of the base material, mixing existing elements up while adding his own new ideas and take on it... Really. I like it more than the webtoon, I really do. But the same issues as previous season occur, while adding on some other issues. And it does take away a lot from my enjoyment for this show. The potential is here. It's here. Here. Waiting. It's kind of frustrating.

As previously, it's not 'bad'. It's a great drama. Great ideas. Great characters. Great fight scenes. It's not just violence for violence. There's really something here. It is enjoyable, entertaining, emotional. Everything. But it feels so incomplete. Like a... great summary. Maybe I'd change my mind with a rewatch... but as for this first ever time I watch it, I'm anxiously happy while not at all satisfied somehow. It's really weird. The first season was almost more satisfying than this despite its gloomy finale. The ending here is also... well. Is this it ? Is there going to be another season ? Do I really want one ? It's a bit unsettling, I'd say. Interesting choice but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. On the positive side... about the 'thing' almost everyone wanted to know... I'll simply say the writer linked the past to the present very nicely. Way better than the webtoon, in my opinion.

Character-wise, Si Eun is also more likeable for me now than at the beginning of season 1. His odd behaviour is, obviously, way more understandable here. His growth is also pleasant to see and I actually prefer this Yeon Si Eun than the webtoon's Yeon Gray, by far. Another good point. Seo Jun Tae is one tough bean, I loved his character. Park Hu Min is a very important part of the plot here and thankfully he's a good, lovable character too. Although, sadly, a bit shallow. Go Hyun Tak, he's cool. But again, not very developed.

To end this review on the more 'superficial' side of things and stop my rambling, the acting is something I very rarely have to complain about in K-dramas. And this is no exception. Everyone on the cast does a great job at what they're supposed to do. The OST wasn't overly noticeable which is, for me, a very good thing. The opening song is the same as previously and I'm not complaining. The rest was pleasant, blended nicely. I don't know about the lyrics though and how they really fit, as I haven't checked them.

SO... To end it here. I won't repeat myself endlessly. This drama ? Good. But is it enough for me ? Not really.

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If you and loved ones are currently healthy and you can stop thinking for 16 episodes...

...this is an enjoyable drama. I'm saying this honestly, I liked it. Despite being in a situation where the themes are kind of difficult personally, I think it was entertaining, interesting, and emotionally very engaging. The male leads act very well, whether that is Jung Jae Young or Yang Se Jong. Se Jong definitely deserves the praise but Jae Young is on point as well. Their chemistry together is pleasant. Some other actors are not that good or that experienced in my opinion but overall the cast is solid. Lee Na Yoon's Soo Yeon stole my heart the minute she appeared, she's adorable and can act as well.

Now the core of it. The story is sad, dark but gripping. It does explore fascinating and delicate concepts, ideas and themes. There are some unexplored areas that could have been interesting to dig in, although not necessary, main points are there. However, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Plot holes are everywhere and many things are kind of swept under the carpet. The biggest issue is that the writing, while superficially entertaining, is really not that strong and you don't need to go deep to see it. Hence the necessity to turn off your brain almost entirety if you want to be able to enjoy this drama. If you can do that, I would say it's rewarding. If you can't, don't bother, the stupidity will drive you insane. I thought of giving up until episode 6 and then I decided I wanted to see what happened to these guys until the end despite the rest.

The good ? The characters and especially their relationships are among the best ones I've seen in any fiction. It's original and unique. On their own, they're pretty simple people. But their very complex situation makes it so much more complicated and intricate. Choi Jo Hye was a reason for some people to give up the show but I think she was an interesting character despite being unlikeable (although I'm unsure about Kim Jung Eun's acting here). The others are all mostly likeable - and I really need to say this : people spitting on Deuk Cheon for his behaviour while praising Sung Hoon have issues. Deuk Cheon was kind of extreme in the first like 3 episodes, but I mean - yeah, of course he was ? He more than makes up for any of his faults in the remaining 13 ones. He's a good guy, a good character and I like him a lot. No, he doesn't scream that much. Sung Hoon is excellent at what his character is meant to be. Not saying much more to prevent spoiling. OK, now that it's said... Romance ? No. Absolutely not among the main cast. You may think the contrary in the beginning. But there is none. Which makes their bonds all together that much more interesting and touching to me. The growing affection between Sung Joon and Deuk Cheon was in particular very, very nice to see, I really loved it.

So. Basically, from an objective, factual point of view, this show is kind of garbage. As I said, it's absurd. I would not rate it more than, like, 6 at best for the interesting ideas and the fun you may have laughing at all the nonsense. However, for its characters and relationships, I would rate it a 9-10. So what does it leave us with ? To be really fair, all considered, it probably doesn't deserve more than 7. But what can I say ? My feelings take precedence over my mind. So I'll rate it an 8 and stay on that note - and say again that as long as you're not currently hoping for a supposedly miracle cure that would heal anything and everything for yourself or a loved one that you know will simply never come and that this drama would throw at your bitter face, and you can branch off from the critically thinking parts of your brain, you're good to go. Also, if you think it's boring but you don't totally hate it yet, try to stick until episode 6, things really start to move then.

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It was fun but...

Basically, I liked the characters and the plot, overall. I liked the messages of healing and also of forgiveness you can find in it.
But there were some things here and there that I disliked, like the humour. And the truth is I also simply hated how they dealt with alexithymia. Well, not hate, ok, but let's be clear : this is NOT alexithymia they are showing here. And it kinda makes me angry a bit.

Alexithymia does NOT make you lack empathy, guilt, remorse, whatever. THIS is what ASPD does. Alexithymia has nothing to do with ASPD. Alexithymia is a disorder where you are unable to identify and express your emotions, with words but also with the right facial expressions. It's nearly impossible to say "I feel THIS", because your feelings are hazy and mixed up and you don't know how to express yourself nor feel comfortable enough to do so. You will more likely say "I think" rather than "I feel", for example. You won't express big emotions, yet this does not mean that you are not impacted by them even though you don't actively "feel" them, and this will translate as suffering from some psychosomatic illnesses. People suffering from this disorder usually are not risk-takers or impulsive like a person with ASPD would, because with alexithymia you'd rather not be stimulated by anything or anyone and you'd rather not attract attention and be outside the law like an ASPD person would. You're not going to kill someone impulsively because of alexithymia. You're just not. It does not affect your moral compass and ability to have empathy for other living beings, although you might have trouble understanding other people's emotions just as much as your own.

Wow OK so now that this rant is over, what's left :
Good premise
Some good characters
Good story overall
Good acting
Good pacing (imo)
Interesting relationships and an OK romance (yeah, am not a romance fan so I won't elaborate on that, but it was fine, they were pretty cute)
Pretty dark themes (abuse, trauma)
Important lessons

So yes, this is a good drama. It's entertaining, has a lot of emotions, and the ending's pretty good. But this nonsense about alexithymia is just a bit much for me and is why I felt the need to write this review.

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It's OK.

(Edited - rating from 7,5 to 8,5 after season 2)

Not the most awesome drama in history but it's entertaining and very well acted. It contains one of my favourite scenes to watch in the history of anything I've ever watched and I think those who have watched this drama probably know which scene I'm talking about.

I have already read the webtoon it's based on but I am not comparing them. I see it as its own story. It's not a bad drama and saying I don't enjoy watching it would be a lie. I have rewatched it multiple time and I do like it. But the whole truth is that while it could have been the absolute masterpiece many people make it to be, it's simply not. Limiting itself to 8 short episodes was in my opinion a big mistake.

So my main issues with this drama are :

- I could barely stand Si Eun and found him very dislikable in the beginning. Personal preference. No hate. He honestly acts like an arrogant psycho without any real reason. Gets better afterwards and becomes more likeable as he gets closer to Su Ho and Beom Seok but his personality still doesn't make much sense to me. Backstory is understandable but lacking in realization.

- The trio, relationship and characters, should have been WAY more developed. If it had, it truly could have been an exceptional drama. But in fact, we barely see them actually interacting with each other before it got dismantled. What do they actually love in each others ? What do they each bring to each others ? What do they see in each other ? This is all very superficial and fleeting... I wished we could have actually learned more about them through one another and see them change positively thanks to their bond - way before it started to break down and regress because of the inherent character flaws they had (well, especially Beom Seok's character flaws). Here it was brushed way too quickly, so it didn't impact me that much. I didn't have enough material to actually feel involved and really care about their relationship. The characters in general needed so much more development. They had so much potential. That's a shame. The reason their relationships broke wasn't developed enough either. Because of Young I ? Beom Seok was insecure and got jealous + the return of those bullies that traumatised him (as if he wasn't enough with his dumbass father), I got that, but because it happened too quickly, it didn't really matter to me honestly. It being the core element of the story, it should have been deepened.

- I didn't really like the OST at first but after multiple rewatches it kind of grew on me. Some of the lyrics are too cheesy though. Just isn't fitting imo.

Other than that, acting is definitely good and natural, Hong Kyung and Park Ji Hoon in particular have talent (Ji Hoon in THAT freaking scene, woah) - Choi Hyun Wook is great as well but his character here was emotionally more repressed/balanced in what was shown to us so he doesn't bless us with a wide range of expressions compared to Kyung and Ji Hoon -, characters are interesting (yes even though Si Eun gets on my nerves in the beginning, I think he's still interesting). Beom Seok in particular is a very good, very flawed and very tragic character and I can't really hate him. Fights are awesome. I loved watching them. Ending is good, heart wrenching but appropriately done, I think.

So yeah. I liked it but I didn't love it the way I could have if it had a bit more development and it's too bad.

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A pleasant surprise.

I watched this drama while I was waiting for another one. I wanted something to occupy my mind and the premise seemed original. I'm not very used to C-dramas and of those I watched, I really loved only one. So I thought I wouldn't really like this one either. Well I was wrong.

I do not consider the second season in this review. This is only for the first season, that I think can be taken as a standalone. In my headcanon, season 2 doesn't exist anyway. I'm in denial. Now let's focus on the 1st.

Like AvenueX, I basically have two ratings for it : one based on being as objective as possible, and one based on my own emotional attachment to this drama.

To get it out of the way, I found 90% of the cases boring. Themes of toxic/weird romances and of abused/permanently victimised women are just not on my top list of interests. If it were only 2-3 cases, varied with other types of stories, that would be perfectly fine and interesting. But here it's almost always one or the other. It's redundant. I have an appreciation for them knowing they are based on real life cases and they are very well acted out but they're just not my cup of tea.

The way they are solved is extremely original and makes up for it, that's for sure. That's the whole premise and point of it. But it also leads to another issue : they sometimes reach their conclusions because the script demands it. It's neither logical nor very well written. Plot conveniences are common. Some characters also make weird, absurd or extreme choices that just don't make any sense in my opinion. However, it goes without saying that I was astounded learning that there actually exist real people like Shen Yi in China. Although maybe a bit less dramatic, it's actually a real thing and the process is shown well in the drama. I think it's incredible and made me appreciate the show even more.

Without any of these mentioned issues, I think I could objectively rate this drama a 9. With them, I think 8 would be more fair.

Now, I accepted all of it. So I watched until the end. And then watched again. I liked it the first time. I loved it the second. Because I had gotten used to the main characters, I realized at the second watch how well written and interesting they really were. The duo of Du Cheng and Shen Yi is simply wonderful. Complicated, funny, touching, with friendship and trust that are slowly but surely growing. As individual characters, they are just as awesome. Du Cheng is a great guy you just can't help but root for but he needs some flexibility in his life. Shen Yi has a fascinating view of the world and a very unique behaviour but he could definitely use some grounding. Their individual arc depends on one another to grow and transform together and it's well done. The rest of the cast, while discreet, is extremely likeable. They could be more developed but that's fine. They have their own distinct style and personality, that's what matters. Commissioner Zhang is my favourite side character. She's both strong and soft, in just the right ways. Very refreshing, as I'm used to corrupted power figures from K-dramas.

Because of everything that I love and of how much I love it, I could subjectively rate this drama a 9,5 or 10 without caring about anything else. Which is why, to find a balance and remain as objective as possible, I'll go with 8,5 for this review.

I won't say too much more, I think it's better to simply watch it. It's entertaining, sad, funny, hopeful and has a satisfying finale. I don't know exactly who is the artist behind Shen Yi's abilities, but he/she deserves recognition. The OST is good and the acting is praiseworthy.

It has its flaws. But what doesn't ? If you don't mind the occasional lack of realism and you love arts, psychology, thrillers, episodic criminal investigations, and/or unique and peculiar characters and great friendships at the center of it all, definitely give this one a chance. It's not very long and I think it's worth it.

However as far as I'm concerned, this story ends here.

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l didn't hate it and might even rewatch it occasionally, skipping a few parts

I've been curious about this one for some time now, although I was a bit uncertain because of the romance genre (not my thing at all). It does touch on themes that are close to my heart. I love the youth and life genre. It supposedly had friendships as a main topic. And after seeing Park Ji Hoon's stellar acting in Weak Hero, I was on top of that curious to see him in other roles. Therefore after some thinking I was finally convinced to watch this show. I haven't read the webtoon nor am I planning to, so this review is solely based on the drama.

The premise, the themes, the main characters and the finale, as well as the acting, are what made me watch it until the end and not think that this was a total waste of time. There are some memorable and very emotional scenes. Other than that, I can't say it was spectacular. The plot is wonky, it relies a lot on plot conveniences, clichés, nothing is really subtle at all, the pacing is a bit weird, it's a bit boring sometimes (it's a slice-of-life, sure but still) and I can't say I was very entertained all along. I was tempted to skip ahead more than once (and I did end up skipping some seconds and minutes here and there, particularly episode 7 and onward). I also didn't like the OST. To be more precise, I do not like having a piece, or worse : a song with lyrics, in almost every scene. It's too overstimulating for me. I prefer minimalistic OSTs and silence. Here it was way too present, it seemed to me there was barely any silence ever.

So what is good ?

The overarching themes and lessons are. I also liked that there was a redemption for some of the characters that wronged Joon and So Bin.

Yeo Joon is one of the best things in this story in terms of psychological complexity. He's the kind of characters I love in general. He looks weak and fragile and he does cry easily for a guy but he's actually pretty tough. What he went through makes his behaviour understandable, that's a great point as it's not an easy thing to write. Ji Hoon's acting obviously brings a lot. But his character 'grows' too easily, too fast in my opinion. I was happy seeing him happy - but maybe it was too hopeful for me ? I prefer realism. He's endured so much and I think his character flaws needed to take more precedence than that, create more inner and outer conflicts. Also, the plot convenience of him having forgotten/mixed up his memories and suddenly remembering correctly and everything just resolved like this... I think it was disappointing, underwhelming and badly written. His backstory is what was most intriguing to me and this was very quickly dealt with.

Kim So Bin, as much as I love Kang Min Ah and think she did a beautiful job here with what she was given, is pretty much the typical lost, shy, kindhearted and cute damsel in emotional distress without much more to it. While she seemed to be so important in the beginning, and the romance took a lot of the available space for a few episodes, she then kind of blends into the background at some point and just becomes Joon's girlfriend with no life of her own. Her trauma, her mother, her story, her own interests and other non-romantic relationships do not really matter any longer. She does have some nice moments with her roommates but their bond primarily resolves around crying about their individual love pains and it just doesn't interest me that much. I admit I was hoping for some cool girls friendship when I saw she was going to live at a dorm with 2 other girls but got almost nothing. I do not dislike her character but she's simply too linear. Her only flaw is having some abandonment trauma and anxiety and being too nice, but that's not how good character flaws work. To add to that, I think the way her trauma was dealt with was also fairly unoriginal. And when she met with her mother and simply decided never to see her again and after some explaining this was over - it seemed lazy to be honest.

Nam Soo Hyun is the character that made me cry the most, seeing him struggle so hard to survive, and I think he was a very interesting and flawed guy with a great development. I actually like that he was the most reticent to change and I like the fact that, even though he had two potential love interests and he was apparently interested in one of the girls, he chose not to conclude with any of them as he was still too unconfident in himself until the end. I think it was realistic, interesting and relatively well done. People don't change just like that, as he said rightly. His slowly growing brotherhood with Joon was also very moving and not something that is often done well and to this extent in fiction (most of the time it's either superficial or ends up looking weird and unnatural or bl-like). Here I think it was pretty nicely done considering their unusual personalities and they do end up looking like close brothers, which was pleasant. Joon really looked like this annoying and clingy but cute little brother that just desperately needed the help and support Soo Hyun could provide, while Joon was his door to learning to be more laid-back and emotionally honest with himself and others.

However, I think the writer didn't rightly balance romance/friendship over the course of the story and the ending was a bit weird in this regard (their finale group project was basically all about the MLs friendship even though the romance and romantic love in general was so important in like 60% of the show). The romance between So Bin and Joon, while cute and all that, didn't seem very logical to me the way it was done. I don't really understand why she suddenly was in love with Joon. He manipulated her and used her emotional fragility to make her rely on him. She shouldn't have just accepted that so easily. I'm also uncertain about the need for a romance altogether. It made sense that Joon would need both friendship and romance in his life to grow as he was desperate for any kind of love he could find but - and I'm really trying to see it without my preference for friendships bias - I think the romance aspect should have been a minor/side thing instead of trying to take the main spot only to be relegated to the backseat in the end. The friendship part of it all between the 3 should have been the foundation and the meat (and it does go back to this in the finale anyway), while the romance should have been something that would have slowly developed along the way to blossom towards the ending, less flamboyantly. So yeah, I'm not sure if I'm the best person to judge a romance but I'll just say I wasn't really convinced.

It's also too bad the secondary girls weren't much more as characters than love interests for Soo Hyun. Young Ran was probably the most well-developed of the two though and I loved her a lot. It's a shame Mi Joo just disappeared. Professor Park is another secondary character that I really liked, he was so funny with his obsession for his students to love him and eat with him and his pure joy whenever any of them would talk to him and ask for his help... Professor Song on the other hand was inconsistently written and dislikeable all along. I constantly wondered if I had missed something because I never understood why she acted the way she did.

And - a thing I REALLY appreciated, is the total absence of love triangle between the 3 leads. Very nice and refreshing.

I think this drama contains good ideas and is quite a fun watch. It does drag and has its flaws and is definitely not entirely to my tastes. But I'm very picky and have weird preferences. If you love romantic dramas, do not care too much about plot or writing quality, and also like friendship/bromance and coming of age stories in general, and don't mind themes of domestic and child abuse, there's no real reason you wouldn't enjoy this one.

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Pain and more pain.

What is My Country but a fairly mixed bag of a beautifully heartwenching story at its core, a bittersweet taste from beginning to end, a hugely cinematographic production with nice shots, wonderful OST, powerful and breathtaking acting, some of the best and most layered characters I've seen in fiction, very deep brotherhood/friendships (as well as an awful lot of toxic dynamics...), an OK romance on the side, good comedy sometimes... and a decidedly less than great writing that REALLY sours the soup ? I've seen this drama some time ago, as it was one of my first ever k-dramas. I got obsessed with it, watched 3 or 4 times, loved it, hated it at the same time, then buried it in my memory. Lately, I decided to rewatch it and see if it was as I remembered it to be and if I loved it or hated it.

Somehow, I still don't know exactly.

Honestly, this won't be a spoiler to say that this is extremely sad. Almost every glimpse of happiness, of hope, of light that can arise sometime will be blown away by more sadness, despair and disappointment every time and you'll see this right from the start. I guess it's true to life and I would say don't really watch it if you're depressed... but for some reason, while I am already a fairly sad person, this didn't really worsen my emotional health. Somehow, it almost helps me cope with some things better. So do with it what you want. That's neither a good nor a bad point. It's just that.

Now, although I would simply love to love it without excuse, there are just too many things that miss the spot in this drama. To be fair, I'd say from episode 1 to episode 9-10, it was fantastic. This could have secured its place among my favourite shows, without any big 'buts'. But then... something happened. Was it the EXTREME redundancy that started to appear in writing, plot, dialogues, set up, everything ? The sometime overly dramatic tone just to keep the tension going that kind of gets old at some point ? The one too many unsurvivable-wound-they-still-somehow-magically-managed-to-survive-from ? The constant hate/love chase between the MLs that began to really feel too much like an excuse and got to the point that it was kind of pathetic and seriously cringe ? *sigh*

It's like it could have been grandiose. But it was not. And that's so frustrating to me. This is not a terrible drama. When it's good, it's very good. There are some awesome ideas and it's never boring. It cannot leave you indifferent, unless you simply don't care at all about these characters and the plot. If you do, even just a little, it IS entertaining and gripping.

But when it's bad... well. There are some terrible writing, some terrible moments, even some terrible episode parts entirely. And that's too bad. I'm also a bit disappointed by the ending in some regards, because the emotional tension rose so HIGH on so many levels and it felt a bit underwhelming to me, like it still needed some more wrap up. Particularly regarding Bang Won and his father and all that. The last scene with Bang Won should have been more... intense ? After everything that happened. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. At least we had this last scene with him (I think I've read somewhere Jang Hyuk himself asked to make this scene as he felt it was necessary - he definitely was right). And I'm complaining but the last two or three episodes are basically what made it feel all worthwhile to me. So contrary to some dramas where the ending ruined the show for me, here it didn't, at all. That's a great thing.

In clear, if you're not too bothered by quality dropping midway, inconsistent and sometimes cringeworthy writing, unrealistic wounds survivability (but hey, at least they don't fly in the air like in some sageuk), dramatic, draggy and repetitive dialogues, extreme sadness as well as frustration, and you love '''''''historical''''''' fiction, great acting, beautiful OST, emotional rollercoaster and complex characters, I think you could love this show. It's not the most perfect in the world. But it's alright, especially the first half and the last episodes that are very good. And it will not leave you indifferent.

If I live long enough to forget about it again, I would probably watch it once more. Just to be sure.

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This drama could have easily been a 10 for me but there are some flaws.

The plot itself, at its core, I think it's good. I know many say it's predictable or whatever, but personally predictability doesn't really matter as long as it isn't too cliché and I really care about the characters to whom the plot is happening. And I'm dumb and uncultured so it wasn't that predictable to me anyway.

However two major flaws are its ending and its frequent plot conveniences and plot holes. Although I can sort of ignore the latter because it overall still fits pretty well and the story is still engaging and honestly I don't really care about plot as I said above, the former on the other hand is a big issue for me. Putting aside the fact that it's rushed, a common annoying occurrence in most dramas I've seen, and to remain spoiler free, I'll just say it's disappointing. It's not horribly bad to the point it would make me feel like the whole story wasn't worth it. But it's lacking, underwhelming and feels extremely incomplete. And for such an emotional ride that is this drama, this is a huge downside.

Gathering these flaws all together, it sure makes for a few problems and this is why I won't give it a rating higher than that. But I don't think it deserves just 8.

On the good side, I loved every main characters and really appreciated Eugene as she is presented as a mature and intelligent woman but with her own flaws all throughout the story and that's rare enough to note. Sadly, she did not receive a proper development in my opinion and while it was promising it ended up stagnating. Her ending, like the ending of the other characters and general ending, is disappointing and bittersweet.

I really liked that while both male leads seemed to sort of like her romantically - I'd argue especially Jae Hwan - it doesn't turn out all love triangly and stays very light and subtle. No romance actually happens and it's unclear whether or not feelings are reciprocated.

Jae Hwan and Jung Yeop are on their own good characters as well. Their relationship is an important part of the story. While I loved it, I think it somehow seemed a bit superficial because we don't really understand why they endend up being so close so fast (a common friendship writing mistake I've often seen in dramas). Well, in the beginning it does make sense that they're growing to trust each other - but then in the middle of it it lacked a bit more development to really make it feel organic. But this is detail. It's still good. Although, like the rest, their conclusion was underwhelming and bitter to say the least.

I cannot speak too much about other characters without major spoilers so I'll stop there. Overall you don't really have totally black or white characters and many of them are grey. Most are likable and relatively interesting but not all of them are memorable.

Actors are doing a great job as always, regardless of the script quality. The OST I neither liked or disliked, some pieces were nice and it blended mostly well with the action. But there technically wasn't much music that I can remember, or lyrics. This is good. I prefer it this way, I hate it when they use music to force an emotion, especially when lyrics don't match it's tenfold worse.

I already watched it twice so I would rewatch it again for the characters and their relationships. This is not a perfect drama in any way but I think it's unfair its rating is so low. I'd say if you like thrillers, non-romance dynamics, strong friendships and sad stories, give it a go.

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Imperfect but gripping

So I just finished it. And honestly I'm still kind of confused about what I feel exactly and the exact rating I would give it. There are a lot of things I disliked about this drama but a lot of things I loved as well. The sometimes convenient/sloppy writing, some overdone tropes and plot holes/loose ends are among the things I dislike. But the characters, relationships, OST, general story, lessons are those I like and are always what matter most to me in any work of fiction. The acting from the actor of Go Jung Woo is also impeccable.

The first few episodes were pretty boring and frustrating to me but maybe because I wasn't in the right state of mind to watch then. When Geon Oh arrived is basically the moment I didn't want to stop watching anymore and even when I wasn't convinced by the writing, I wanted to know. Things were starting to seriously move at this point and I realized that the intense and complex personalities and relationships of all these characters made up for the sometimes sloppy writing - for me at least. Some twists I didn't except. Some were common boring tropes. Some were common but interestingly done. Then the ending felt a bit rushed, especially episode 16, and the twist with was seriously absurd and badly written imo, with no explanation whatsoever. Really weird. So that was disappointing. I also feel there are a lot of loose ends. But - what really mattered was resolved. And I think that's what makes its ending satisfying despite its many flaws.

I also absolutely loved the discreet friendship between the two male leads that slowly builds upon trust and suffering and I think that, while it could have been more developed, it was great and not like some dumb "bromance" done just to please bromance fans. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bro/sismance fan (although I really hate that term), but sometimes it's either just for the laughs and it's boring or it's overdone and not realistic. There it was really nice. Sang Cheol's character could have been deepened as well but he was a good guy anyway, loyal and honest from start to end and beyond.

Special mention for Sang Min, the father of Bo Young, that in all his imperfection and sins is actually a very powerful and interesting character.

Overall it's an extremely tragic, sad, bitter, sick but powerful story with fascinating characters, interesting relationships and a relatively satisfying ending despite a lot of unfinished businesses and sometimes too much plot convenience or not-so-great writing.

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A criminally underrated treasure.

I do understand the low rating for this drama and at the same time I really don't. How can dramas such as "Bloodhounds" that are almost purely entertainment for the sake of it or dumb romcoms and the like reach 8,5/9,5 ratings and this doesn't pass 8 ? This is inconceivable for me. This is much deeper, much more important and impactful than so many shows that are way too praised for what they are, this genuinely makes me a bit angry.

But I also understand. The themes are extremely dark and everything is pretty gloomy and unpretentious. If you prefer light-hearted subjects, or breathtaking cinematography, or extremely tight logic with a masterfully written whodunit, this is not going to satisfy you. This is not what it is.

And yes, the premise is on its own hard to believe. Some suspension of disbelief is needed. However the writing in general is in my opinion gripping even though some tropes aren't really surprising. The pacing is more contemplative than it is active. But unless you're an action junkie or very impatient or you simply don't care about these characters at all, it's short enough to finish it pretty quickly without getting bored.

Another common complaint about this drama I don't get is trying to level it to The Bad Kids. This is a complete loss of time. This has nothing to do with The Bad Kids and as much as I love that drama, I don't see the point in comparing the two. Of course on a technical level The Bad Kids is probably superior. Does it mean it's necessarily better ? It does not.

This show is so powerful on so many levels and doesn't need to be ashamed of its identity. I will not say much because I don't want to spoil anything. But it deals with heavy and real topics, shows us a glimpse of a very broken humanity and what it can do, sometimes, supposedly, out of love, and is overall extremely sad. Basically every time you learn something new this becomes more and more tragic.

Yet there is hope in the same broken love that some of these characters show for each other. Imperfect, sometimes messed up love, it still is basically the core of everything. It is heartbreaking. It's also very human.

The acting is spectacular from most of the cast, the relationships between these characters are fascinating and complicated and the OST is an absolute gem - these three songs are among the most beautiful I've heard in my life and they really suit this show. One of them is sung by the two MLs' actors and becomes the ending song for the second half or so of the drama. It's such a sweet and soothing song, well needed after the emotions this story can make you feel.

Please give this drama a chance and don't drop after 2 episodes.

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