Can't believe the same writer penned Blood. Am watching Chief Kim aka Good Manager. Surpasses Vincenzo which I was obsessed with until they screwed up the ending.
This is off-tangent, but you write like a dream! Just finished binging BE and holy cow, it was a wild ride. Shades of Forest of Secrets, but that was more cerebral, restrained and political and BE is more emotional and psychological. Both are a masterclass in drama done well - and both landed their endings (which tends to be the weak point of k-drama and most episodic TV shows). Anyway, hope to read more from you. Great reviews :-).
imo this is just a mediocre series wrapped up in pretty packaging. I can understand the frustration of the viewers…
Totally agree that popular ratings and MDL ratings aren't a good benchmark for what you personally would like. You're also correct that the screenwriter is plagiarizing his own works. I tried watching Fiery Priest after VIncenzo (partly due to the high ratings for FP on MDL and also because I enjoyed Vincenzo) but couldn't get beyond the first two episodes. Apart from the location and the cast, the plots seem very similar and so do the characters. The same monk in FP appears in Vincenzo ?. Thanks for the heads up on DAYS. Such a shame coz PBY and SIG are talented actors. PBY isn't great at choosing dramas though - Abyss and Strong Woman DBS aren't exactly shining examples of quality.
Loving all the beach pictures ?. I'm from Malaysia and we're in our third pandemic lockdown since March 2020. I haven't stepped on a beach since forever due to movement control curbs. Out of curiosity, since you're a guy and kdramas have changed a lot since about 2016/2017 thereabouts, what shows are you watching?
My mom loved Vincenzo, it was her first Korean drama. She asked me for something similar and honestly I can only…
I'm an older mom who's been watching k drama on and off since 2007 thereabouts with my then teen daughter. But was never an addict until about 2017/2018 when the industry began producing higher quality shows. For atypical and highly rated k dramas without the tropes and no or minimal romance, try My Mister, Signal, Stranger seasons 1 and 2, Kingdom, Beyond Evil, Nine, Life. For quirky romance with different stories try Rookie Historian, Run On, Be Melodramatic. Pre 2017/2018, try Healer and Kill Me Heal Me.
I'm surprised at the bashing coming from commenters. I thought the article was written in the same spirit in which the screenwriter wrote Vincenzo, with tongue firmly in cheek. Was Vincenzo overblown and larger than life? Yes. Was it flawed? Definitely, but so are most k dramas. Did it have one note villains and an out of character ending? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes, very much so for the stylish execution and sheer fun. It's meant to be over the top and nonsensical. Mafia opera. Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I personally think Lee Min Ho is the most wooden of planks, and regret spending 40 hours I'll never get back on watching BoF and LotBS. That doesn't give others the right to say that you have poor taste! So keep on writing articles if you want to and ignore the criticism. It's just k drama, not a life or death conflict!
You're also correct that the screenwriter is plagiarizing his own works. I tried watching Fiery Priest after VIncenzo (partly due to the high ratings for FP on MDL and also because I enjoyed Vincenzo) but couldn't get beyond the first two episodes. Apart from the location and the cast, the plots seem very similar and so do the characters. The same monk in FP appears in Vincenzo ?.
Thanks for the heads up on DAYS. Such a shame coz PBY and SIG are talented actors. PBY isn't great at choosing dramas though - Abyss and Strong Woman DBS aren't exactly shining examples of quality.
Out of curiosity, since you're a guy and kdramas have changed a lot since about 2016/2017 thereabouts, what shows are you watching?
Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I personally think Lee Min Ho is the most wooden of planks, and regret spending 40 hours I'll never get back on watching BoF and LotBS. That doesn't give others the right to say that you have poor taste!
So keep on writing articles if you want to and ignore the criticism. It's just k drama, not a life or death conflict!