1
Entertaining and heartwarming
A Shop For Killers is a kdrama I've seen being constantly praised on social media. The plot captured my attention and since Lee Dong Wook was part of it, I decided to give it a try. It's safe to say that I do not regret it one bit!
For a short kdrama (8 episodes), the plot was fleshed out very well. The pacing was perfect, neither too slow nor too fast and it made the series bingeworthy. For the majority of it, the drama had my full attention, I was so curious to see how Jian would manage to survive and my excitement was always high. The structure of the storytelling was also very good. I liked the way it incorporated the flashbacks and the jump between the past and present helped in elucidating some matters that needed more explanation.
One of the strengths of A Shop For Killers was its action scenes. I myself decided to watch the drama because many people shared positive things about the action sequences and since I am big fan of action series, I was sold. And you people were right. The series did not disappoint. The fights were well choreographed and added so much tension. I especially appreciated the sound design and the variety of weapons. Finally we saw something different instead of the typical sword or gun fights. The villains used drones, robots which made the game for Jian's survival even more lethal.
Of course what made me enjoy A Shop For Killers the most was its characters and the way they were written. Apart from the fact that every actor owned their role and transformed into it, the characterisation in general was very good. It was so exciting to see all of these people gathering together in order to either destroy or help Jian and both sides (good and bad) were interesting to look at. I admit that the bad guys had some good moments too, they had some nice comedic moments which I personally did not expect (the gimmick with Seong Jo said "Attain enlightenment" every time someone died had no reason to be as funny as it was).
The secondary characters really shined, each one in their own way. I loved Min Hye, she was so fierce and cool and her fighting style was so fun to look at. Pasin became a favourite of mine, I adored his dynamic with Jian and how he became her master. I was rooting for him to survive throughout the series. And "Brother" was so funny and sweet, with such an emotinal backstory!
But the characters that completely won me over were Jeong Jian and Jeong Jin Man. A niece and an uncle who tried to navigate life after experiencing great tragedies. Both actors did a magnificent job, they really became the people they portrayed and their dynamic felt so natural.
Lee Dong Wook was captivating as Jin Man. Even though Jin Man appeared to be cold and nonchalant, Dong Wook managed to bring up his soft side. The soft looks towards his family (especially Jian) captured his love towards them and made him more humane. Jin Man was a very interesting character, he wanted to be righteous but he constantly had his back against the wall because of Babylon and Bale. He made some questionable choices but all he did was to ensure that Jian would be safe. Lee Dong Wook's cold yet calm demeanor demanded attention throughout the series. I liked the way he portrayed Jin Man, even though he wasn't very expressive since the character didn't demand it, it was the little details in his expressions and body language that gave a glimpse to Jin Man's emotions.
As for Jian, I found her to be a very complex character, one of the most complex female characters I've encountered so far. Before I had watched the drama, I expected her to be the typical young protagonist who is able to solo all of her enemies, who appears to be cold and serious and yet has a soft side and who is constantly strong. But Jian was nothing like that. To put is simply: she was a very vulnerable person. And not because she was unable to protect herself but because she had endured so much from a young age. I really appreciated the way the series handled her trauma, the scenes where she would have panic attacks and hallucinations because of her PTSD gave me so much anxiety and made my heart break.
I really liked how Jian was portrayed when she faced her enemies. Jian was never meant to be a soldier who had been trained to face dangerous enemies in the battlefield. She was a regular girl who had lost her uncle, the last member from her family and who wanted to survive. It was honestly so refreshing to finally see a protagonist who struggled to take down her enemies and who needed help from the more experienced adults. It was realistic that Jian wouldn't know what to do at first and it was also realistic that she wouldn't be able to just shoot at people. She might have trained with Jin Man but she hadn't shot a real person before. Moreover, I liked how she utilised her environment and her surroundings to take down Babylon's people. She was clever and creative, truly Jin Man's niece.
Both actresses did an excellent job portraying Jian. The child actress' performance was AMAZING, kudos to this young girl! Her eyes and the tone of her voice alone conveyed Jian's distress and fear so convincingly. During the scene when she had been locked in the basement and called for Jin Man, my heart almost broke while hearing her call for her uncle so desperately. Kim Hye Jun nailed her role as well, she was great as the older Jian and she added so may layers to her character. When Jian finally broke down, Hye Jun was absolutely terrific, you could sense how tired and sad Jian was after all the things she had to go through. Her portrayal was raw and pierced my heart.
I expected that A Shop For Killers would be thrilling to watch. What I could not foresee, however, was how heart warming and emotional it would be. Jin Man and Jian's relationship is one of my most favourite depictions of love between family members. I did not expect to be so moved. In the first half, there were some moments that made me tear up, specifically the ones between young Jian and her uncle.
I am a sucker for the "grumpy man adopts a child" trope but in that case, it goes deeper than that. Jin Man is not just grumpy. He had been exposed to many traumatic experiences and ultimately, he lost his family because of his choices (which wasn't his fault). Jian was the only thing that made him continue living. Everything he did, he did to protect her and ensure her safety. He didn't show his love in the same way her parents did but he did so through his actions and advices.
It was so heartwarming to see Jin Man and Jian grow closer after Jian's parents death. Jin Man's influence was poignant in order for Jian to cope with her trauma, while Jian herself added light to Jin Man's life. Despite his annoying shenanigans, Jian still cared for her uncle which is why she felt her world crumble when she learned about the secrets he had kept. At one point, I also started questioning myself about Jin Man's actions and feelings but thanks to the flashbacks, everything started to make more sense.
With all things considered, as much as I enjoyed A Shop For Killers, there were some aspects that prevented me from loving it as a whole. I found the second half to be less engaging than the first one. It was good that during the last episodes we got Jin Man's backstory and that we saw the events unfold from his point of view but all of these flashbacks felt so repetitive because they showed scenes we had already seen. It would have been better if there was more balance, I think it was a little bit unnecessary to dedicate two whole episodes to Jin Man and then go back to present time in the last episode.
Additionally, I would have wanted to see more scenes between Jin Man and Jian during the second half. The first episodes did an excellent job depicting their developing relationship through the flashbacks but I think we should have gotten some more interactions between them. Of course it was important to focus on Jin Man himself, since we needed more answers regarding his past but the series could have given us more scenes between him and Jian. To tell you the truth, I didn't particularly find the way the drama presented his advices very convincing. Yes, some of his words helped Jian and gave her strength but it wasn't as much impactful as I had expected. Jian didn't rely on Jin Man's advices as the description and blurb indicated, she took them into consideration but ultimately, it was she who helped herself.
All in all, I am extremely happy for finally watching this drama. It deserves all its hype and more and I cannot wait for season 2!
For a short kdrama (8 episodes), the plot was fleshed out very well. The pacing was perfect, neither too slow nor too fast and it made the series bingeworthy. For the majority of it, the drama had my full attention, I was so curious to see how Jian would manage to survive and my excitement was always high. The structure of the storytelling was also very good. I liked the way it incorporated the flashbacks and the jump between the past and present helped in elucidating some matters that needed more explanation.
One of the strengths of A Shop For Killers was its action scenes. I myself decided to watch the drama because many people shared positive things about the action sequences and since I am big fan of action series, I was sold. And you people were right. The series did not disappoint. The fights were well choreographed and added so much tension. I especially appreciated the sound design and the variety of weapons. Finally we saw something different instead of the typical sword or gun fights. The villains used drones, robots which made the game for Jian's survival even more lethal.
Of course what made me enjoy A Shop For Killers the most was its characters and the way they were written. Apart from the fact that every actor owned their role and transformed into it, the characterisation in general was very good. It was so exciting to see all of these people gathering together in order to either destroy or help Jian and both sides (good and bad) were interesting to look at. I admit that the bad guys had some good moments too, they had some nice comedic moments which I personally did not expect (the gimmick with Seong Jo said "Attain enlightenment" every time someone died had no reason to be as funny as it was).
The secondary characters really shined, each one in their own way. I loved Min Hye, she was so fierce and cool and her fighting style was so fun to look at. Pasin became a favourite of mine, I adored his dynamic with Jian and how he became her master. I was rooting for him to survive throughout the series. And "Brother" was so funny and sweet, with such an emotinal backstory!
But the characters that completely won me over were Jeong Jian and Jeong Jin Man. A niece and an uncle who tried to navigate life after experiencing great tragedies. Both actors did a magnificent job, they really became the people they portrayed and their dynamic felt so natural.
Lee Dong Wook was captivating as Jin Man. Even though Jin Man appeared to be cold and nonchalant, Dong Wook managed to bring up his soft side. The soft looks towards his family (especially Jian) captured his love towards them and made him more humane. Jin Man was a very interesting character, he wanted to be righteous but he constantly had his back against the wall because of Babylon and Bale. He made some questionable choices but all he did was to ensure that Jian would be safe. Lee Dong Wook's cold yet calm demeanor demanded attention throughout the series. I liked the way he portrayed Jin Man, even though he wasn't very expressive since the character didn't demand it, it was the little details in his expressions and body language that gave a glimpse to Jin Man's emotions.
As for Jian, I found her to be a very complex character, one of the most complex female characters I've encountered so far. Before I had watched the drama, I expected her to be the typical young protagonist who is able to solo all of her enemies, who appears to be cold and serious and yet has a soft side and who is constantly strong. But Jian was nothing like that. To put is simply: she was a very vulnerable person. And not because she was unable to protect herself but because she had endured so much from a young age. I really appreciated the way the series handled her trauma, the scenes where she would have panic attacks and hallucinations because of her PTSD gave me so much anxiety and made my heart break.
I really liked how Jian was portrayed when she faced her enemies. Jian was never meant to be a soldier who had been trained to face dangerous enemies in the battlefield. She was a regular girl who had lost her uncle, the last member from her family and who wanted to survive. It was honestly so refreshing to finally see a protagonist who struggled to take down her enemies and who needed help from the more experienced adults. It was realistic that Jian wouldn't know what to do at first and it was also realistic that she wouldn't be able to just shoot at people. She might have trained with Jin Man but she hadn't shot a real person before. Moreover, I liked how she utilised her environment and her surroundings to take down Babylon's people. She was clever and creative, truly Jin Man's niece.
Both actresses did an excellent job portraying Jian. The child actress' performance was AMAZING, kudos to this young girl! Her eyes and the tone of her voice alone conveyed Jian's distress and fear so convincingly. During the scene when she had been locked in the basement and called for Jin Man, my heart almost broke while hearing her call for her uncle so desperately. Kim Hye Jun nailed her role as well, she was great as the older Jian and she added so may layers to her character. When Jian finally broke down, Hye Jun was absolutely terrific, you could sense how tired and sad Jian was after all the things she had to go through. Her portrayal was raw and pierced my heart.
I expected that A Shop For Killers would be thrilling to watch. What I could not foresee, however, was how heart warming and emotional it would be. Jin Man and Jian's relationship is one of my most favourite depictions of love between family members. I did not expect to be so moved. In the first half, there were some moments that made me tear up, specifically the ones between young Jian and her uncle.
I am a sucker for the "grumpy man adopts a child" trope but in that case, it goes deeper than that. Jin Man is not just grumpy. He had been exposed to many traumatic experiences and ultimately, he lost his family because of his choices (which wasn't his fault). Jian was the only thing that made him continue living. Everything he did, he did to protect her and ensure her safety. He didn't show his love in the same way her parents did but he did so through his actions and advices.
It was so heartwarming to see Jin Man and Jian grow closer after Jian's parents death. Jin Man's influence was poignant in order for Jian to cope with her trauma, while Jian herself added light to Jin Man's life. Despite his annoying shenanigans, Jian still cared for her uncle which is why she felt her world crumble when she learned about the secrets he had kept. At one point, I also started questioning myself about Jin Man's actions and feelings but thanks to the flashbacks, everything started to make more sense.
With all things considered, as much as I enjoyed A Shop For Killers, there were some aspects that prevented me from loving it as a whole. I found the second half to be less engaging than the first one. It was good that during the last episodes we got Jin Man's backstory and that we saw the events unfold from his point of view but all of these flashbacks felt so repetitive because they showed scenes we had already seen. It would have been better if there was more balance, I think it was a little bit unnecessary to dedicate two whole episodes to Jin Man and then go back to present time in the last episode.
Additionally, I would have wanted to see more scenes between Jin Man and Jian during the second half. The first episodes did an excellent job depicting their developing relationship through the flashbacks but I think we should have gotten some more interactions between them. Of course it was important to focus on Jin Man himself, since we needed more answers regarding his past but the series could have given us more scenes between him and Jian. To tell you the truth, I didn't particularly find the way the drama presented his advices very convincing. Yes, some of his words helped Jian and gave her strength but it wasn't as much impactful as I had expected. Jian didn't rely on Jin Man's advices as the description and blurb indicated, she took them into consideration but ultimately, it was she who helped herself.
All in all, I am extremely happy for finally watching this drama. It deserves all its hype and more and I cannot wait for season 2!
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