Dropped the show after the boat task.I get that constantly having them do individual tasks might take up more…
I totally agree with you as I was surprised the team choosing went that way and I personally didn’t like that at all. Most of them were obviously going to want to team up with who they perceive as strongest, and when the leaders made choices of who to cut - chose to get rid of the obviously smaller people. The main exception was Chu Sung Hoon, who actually picked people he thought were good movement wise.
I also thought it totally rendered the exercise with the boats pointless, because although they were close in the end against the odds, there was a lot working against them. I also found it irritating because they weren’t able to “prove” themselves. If the women and smaller men were that much weaker, they wouldn’t have managed to complete the challenge, let alone do so in such a close time to a team perceived to have a large advantage over them. Especially considering that one of their ten had a leg injury. Jang Eun Shil’s team winning with the sand game, when they were chosen as a “weak” team, should have said enough.
I thought at the very least for the boats it would have been nice if the teams varied their choices a bit more, but with Sung Bin being a favourite and knowing it, he was just going to wait for the best offer.
I also found it a bit sad that there were no challenges, up until the semifinal, where agility and reflex played a significant role. Fitness isn’t just how much you can carry, and I thought the producers would have thought more creatively in that direction. One could argue it was relevant with some strategies people used in the first round death matches, but in the end 90% of matches were determined by combat.
I rushed to judgement last week when I trashed Ep 1 based on what I thought was a silly premise about the end…
An interesting perspective, although I’m inclined to consider the premise less silly (at around the same point in the show) - because they have addressed the general behaviour of others, just not frequently needing to remind us of it onscreen. It has been mentioned plenty of times as things cease to work, that people won’t be working anymore, and the chaos has had some mentions too, albeit not shown onscreen, although totally get that it hasn’t been shown in a typical, panic filled, chaotic way.
Although, in some ways I feel it would be less chaotic and more resigned - if the world is definitely going to end, why would everyone get worked up when all they can do is make the most of what remains? The way they’ve portrayed it, it would be instantaneous destruction, so no worries about a dragged out period of dying. The chaos would mainly be expected with transport as there would be no emergency services and many likely wanting to return to their loved ones.
I do agree the library made no sense as people were actually at work there. If they weren’t and it was just left open and that was what went on, it would have been more plausible - most people wouldn’t think to go there when the world is ending so it would likely be very quiet.
Totally respect where you’re coming from and your opinion though, just a different perspective on it from me if it’s of any interest.
I came across this through searching for some very specific genre combinations. Currently halfway through. Strangely, this drama has made me feel the most at peace I have felt in quite a long time, in spite of being a suspense drama.
uhm, why in the details there's still written the release date was in October 2022 when actually the movie will…
It was likely the date of the premiere at a film festival or event. So some people may have seen it ahead of time, although not likely to have been many MDL users there. (Something similar happened in the same timeframe where an MDL user saw a Taiwanese film at the festival screening and that film releases to the general public soon, 4 months after the initial screening). The release date may be edited by someone somewhere along the line as appropriate.
6 episodes watched. I think the potential was there in the first episode, before the show sort of took a massive turn away from what it initially set itself up to be. I shouldn’t find myself laughing at the absurdity of a psychological thriller, really.
Most of my thoughts on this are good. My one major gripe with this series is related to a couple pitfalls, treatment of the female lead’s character not being consistent (entirely in part 2) , the villains unfortunately being very predictable all the way through. Although the latter may be a me issue with Kdrama villains.
Part of me feels the series as a whole could have been a few shades darker, but overall I still very much enjoyed it. There’s no point in lowering my thoughts of the series solely because I wished for xyz, when I still very much enjoyed the watch.
MVP for me was Shin Seung Ho, who I haven’t seen before this. I loved his portrayal of the Crown Prince, the character, and seeing him offscreen has been joyful too.
I started this initially for Lee Jae Wook, who caught my eye in his first dramas. I usually stay away from historical and fantasy, let alone both at once, but this was worth it all the way. I’m still a fan and enjoy seeing him grow.
I’ve got mixed feelings at best. I’d love if someone could tell me if Bai Lang isn’t as immature as in the first episode for the whole series?
This is one of my favourite writers (Bromance, Trapped, Right or Wrong, Crossing the Line, We Best Love), but this feels so different stylistically to all of these mentioned. The plausibility isn’t there from the get-go for me, and I’m not a fan of slapstick comedy at all.
Thank you for the enjoyable read and compilation. Interesting to see some shows taking victories in multiple genres.
1. 26 (for shame, not including older shows I watched for the first time) 2. Japan (by quite a way) 3. Romance, Psychological, Thriller 4. Alchemy of Souls and All of Us Are Dead - I don’t normally like fantasy or zombie plots at all! 5. Silent. A drama I cannot do justice in words, but trust me, it’s worth the watch. 6. I learned more what my style is in regards to drama. 7. To take a bit more time to relax with dramas. I’m bad at giving myself down time.
Took a very long pause after episode 5. I just finished it, and it was sweet. A nice, light, easy watch. Wouldn’t say it was super special, but if you fancy it, it’s here. My favourite thing about this? Katori. Easily.
Next ports of call after Viki would be iQiyi and WeTV, although I haven’t checked their options for a while.…
Fuujinshi - it started airing in January 2022 and there were no subtitles before September/October. I had almost given up on that one completely, so glad it is subbed now~
I reckon it would’ve gained more attention on MDL if it had subtitles within a week or two of each episode but I don’t think many people went out of their way for it.
Where can I watch legally jdramas? I know this one is on Viki now but are there another sites where I can find…
Next ports of call after Viki would be iQiyi and WeTV, although I haven’t checked their options for a while. There’s also Netflix if you pay for that. WeTV and iQiyi have become less user friendly since 2021 as they used to have a lot more for free, and WeTV has been known to make shows airing for free VIP only after a certain period.
Many Japanese dramas and movies don’t get official international streaming releases due to Japanese dramas and movies usually not targeting foreign markets the way Kdramas do. The best option is probably Netflix. Regional licensing means that on Japanese Netflix they have mountains of things, but getting international licensing for Japanese dramas and movies can be notoriously difficult.
Waiting for some shows to get subtitled can occasionally take months or even upwards of a year if it’s not internationally known or popular. (I waited 9 months for something in 2022).
Viki is by far the most friendly of all these sites for being kind to its non-paying users. You get notice of what will and won’t be VIP, and many dramas will be free during airing and VIP 2 weeks after.
FOV is also a Japanese streaming service that I haven’t fully worked out. It may not have subtitles (unsure) however it is an official place for Japanese audiences to stream Japanese dramas.
A wonderful drama, from start to finish. As a person very much obsessed with sound, this drama immersed me in the beauty of silence. I adore everything about this drama, and won’t be forgetting the characters or the beauty of their communication. I’m thankful to have been able to watch this drama, and suspect that I will rewatch it in future with no sound.
Note: This is worded so that it it totally spoiler free, and while not just applicable this show, is a feeling I had after reading up on S2’s performance. I’m also not saying I feel like it’s dragging at current, it’s more about the general idea of there being more when this ends. TLDR there’s pros and cons and I’d still celebrate more if done well.
Honestly mixed feelings, I loved the first part, and I’m loving this part. I’ll be heartbroken to see it end. HOWEVER, I do not want this to become ridiculously dragged out and end up with more parts. Or, rather, if they choose to do that, please clear up the main conflict of parts 1&2. I’d happily watch a new chapter if we’ve moved on from the main arc of parts 1&2 but I also can’t see many directions for that to go in.
Kdrama style plots that are so driven by one major element don’t often suit multiple seasons the way episodic shows like Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, or your average crime drama. When the story has set up characters with such strong motivations and drives, with romance also being a part, it is almost impossible to keep the darker tones of the show once this main arc concludes. What are we left with? Peace and relationships?
The other option in this case would probably be to have evil mages who have left Daeho , messing with people in a world where such magic did not previously exist, sending others mains out after them, but that’s still a stretch. That, or a setup that means various characters leave Daeho and end up without their powers and hence face new and different conflict. But, realistically, what I think this drama needs, much as I will miss it, and not want it to end, is a proper conclusion. If it loses out on a sense of finality for the financial potential of more parts, that will be disappointing.
I would also love if this is not the last we see of the world though. It’s a wonderful fantasy world and has so much scope. Knowing about how they built this massive historical fantasy set to last does fill me with excitement.
It has fun moments, but the execution of the plot feels very vague and bordering on nonsensical. This is also why I usually stay away from fantasy - a world needs consistent rules, and if it chooses to break them, clear reasoning as to how and why it works. It’s why I dropped W and also why I love Alchemy of Souls and Uncanny Counter. They set up their worlds, and even if they didn’t spend every minute using everything, they made it make sense. Even Colour Rush set up its world passably.
Show is asking way too many questions for what boils down to a runtime of 2 hours or less - take off the recap, intro and ending and you’re left with 10 minutes per episode. I’ll probably still watch and gain some enjoyment though.
I also thought it totally rendered the exercise with the boats pointless, because although they were close in the end against the odds, there was a lot working against them. I also found it irritating because they weren’t able to “prove” themselves. If the women and smaller men were that much weaker, they wouldn’t have managed to complete the challenge, let alone do so in such a close time to a team perceived to have a large advantage over them. Especially considering that one of their ten had a leg injury. Jang Eun Shil’s team winning with the sand game, when they were chosen as a “weak” team, should have said enough.
I thought at the very least for the boats it would have been nice if the teams varied their choices a bit more, but with Sung Bin being a favourite and knowing it, he was just going to wait for the best offer.
I also found it a bit sad that there were no challenges, up until the semifinal, where agility and reflex played a significant role. Fitness isn’t just how much you can carry, and I thought the producers would have thought more creatively in that direction. One could argue it was relevant with some strategies people used in the first round death matches, but in the end 90% of matches were determined by combat.
Although, in some ways I feel it would be less chaotic and more resigned - if the world is definitely going to end, why would everyone get worked up when all they can do is make the most of what remains? The way they’ve portrayed it, it would be instantaneous destruction, so no worries about a dragged out period of dying. The chaos would mainly be expected with transport as there would be no emergency services and many likely wanting to return to their loved ones.
I do agree the library made no sense as people were actually at work there. If they weren’t and it was just left open and that was what went on, it would have been more plausible - most people wouldn’t think to go there when the world is ending so it would likely be very quiet.
Totally respect where you’re coming from and your opinion though, just a different perspective on it from me if it’s of any interest.
Part of me feels the series as a whole could have been a few shades darker, but overall I still very much enjoyed it. There’s no point in lowering my thoughts of the series solely because I wished for xyz, when I still very much enjoyed the watch.
MVP for me was Shin Seung Ho, who I haven’t seen before this. I loved his portrayal of the Crown Prince, the character, and seeing him offscreen has been joyful too.
I started this initially for Lee Jae Wook, who caught my eye in his first dramas. I usually stay away from historical and fantasy, let alone both at once, but this was worth it all the way. I’m still a fan and enjoy seeing him grow.
This is one of my favourite writers (Bromance, Trapped, Right or Wrong, Crossing the Line, We Best Love), but this feels so different stylistically to all of these mentioned. The plausibility isn’t there from the get-go for me, and I’m not a fan of slapstick comedy at all.
1. 26 (for shame, not including older shows I watched for the first time)
2. Japan (by quite a way)
3. Romance, Psychological, Thriller
4. Alchemy of Souls and All of Us Are Dead - I don’t normally like fantasy or zombie plots at all!
5. Silent. A drama I cannot do justice in words, but trust me, it’s worth the watch.
6. I learned more what my style is in regards to drama.
7. To take a bit more time to relax with dramas. I’m bad at giving myself down time.
I reckon it would’ve gained more attention on MDL if it had subtitles within a week or two of each episode but I don’t think many people went out of their way for it.
Many Japanese dramas and movies don’t get official international streaming releases due to Japanese dramas and movies usually not targeting foreign markets the way Kdramas do. The best option is probably Netflix. Regional licensing means that on Japanese Netflix they have mountains of things, but getting international licensing for Japanese dramas and movies can be notoriously difficult.
Waiting for some shows to get subtitled can occasionally take months or even upwards of a year if it’s not internationally known or popular. (I waited 9 months for something in 2022).
Viki is by far the most friendly of all these sites for being kind to its non-paying users. You get notice of what will and won’t be VIP, and many dramas will be free during airing and VIP 2 weeks after.
FOV is also a Japanese streaming service that I haven’t fully worked out. It may not have subtitles (unsure) however it is an official place for Japanese audiences to stream Japanese dramas.
Honestly mixed feelings, I loved the first part, and I’m loving this part. I’ll be heartbroken to see it end. HOWEVER, I do not want this to become ridiculously dragged out and end up with more parts. Or, rather, if they choose to do that, please clear up the main conflict of parts 1&2. I’d happily watch a new chapter if we’ve moved on from the main arc of parts 1&2 but I also can’t see many directions for that to go in.
Kdrama style plots that are so driven by one major element don’t often suit multiple seasons the way episodic shows like Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, or your average crime drama. When the story has set up characters with such strong motivations and drives, with romance also being a part, it is almost impossible to keep the darker tones of the show once this main arc concludes. What are we left with? Peace and relationships?
The other option in this case would probably be to have evil mages who have left Daeho , messing with people in a world where such magic did not previously exist, sending others mains out after them, but that’s still a stretch. That, or a setup that means various characters leave Daeho and end up without their powers and hence face new and different conflict. But, realistically, what I think this drama needs, much as I will miss it, and not want it to end, is a proper conclusion. If it loses out on a sense of finality for the financial potential of more parts, that will be disappointing.
I would also love if this is not the last we see of the world though. It’s a wonderful fantasy world and has so much scope. Knowing about how they built this massive historical fantasy set to last does fill me with excitement.
Show is asking way too many questions for what boils down to a runtime of 2 hours or less - take off the recap, intro and ending and you’re left with 10 minutes per episode. I’ll probably still watch and gain some enjoyment though.