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solid and engaging first half with a muddled second half
This drama starts off very strong. The first episode was very well done and gives the two main characters a dramatic beginning that sucks you in to both their worlds leaving you wanting to see more. This costume drama delivers in so many ways with the production value, set and costume design, character growth, and plot movement. It gives you that small sprinkle of a fantasy element where the female lead has lived or dreamt of a life but then is able to change it by going back in time. While some circumstances can not be changed she finds that she herself can be. So she becomes strong, witty, and independent. Determined not to have to rely on a man and live a life where she has no choices of her own.The first half of this drama is very engaging with excellent pacing and movement of the plot. Character motivations make sense and interactions are enjoyable. Then comes the second half of the story. And this is when it begins to unravel. Too much screen time is given to side characters just for those characters to end up not impacting the plot much or at all. Several of those characters could have been completely removed from the drama and it would not have changed the movement of the story at all so giving so much screen time to them, and for those scenes to be boring on top of it, really was a miss. Everything also slowed down quite a bit. While the first half gave us quick wit and strong presence from the main pair the second half sidelines them to focus too much on side stories that do not hold the viewers interest.
By the last ten episodes I felt like I was forcing myself to just get through as I was increasingly less interested in how the drama ended. While the pieces of the plot do fit together for a coherent story, there are so many unrealistic choices made as well that detract. The OST was also unmemorable.
All in all I would say it is an okay watch but would probably recommend something better with similar storylines or aspects instead of recommending this particular drama.
Warning for slight spoilers below.
It was nice to see the change in the sister from the first life to the second and her still ending up with the same person due to fate pieces the two lives together nicely. However, once the story paid more attention to Dou Ming and Wei Ting Yu the pair become less relevant to the plot and the interactions wholly uninteresting. Such wasted screen time on these characters for them to do absolutely nothing and essentially mean absolutely nothing. Then you have Song Han and Miao Ansu where they have no chemistry and their relationship again really meant nothing to the plot. So all their screen time was wasted and just ends up exhausting the viewer. It was also very unrealistic to see the changes in Song Han whom they made go from a quiet, frightened, and easily manipulated boy to a ruthless and reckless villain. His entire involvement really could have been given to any other character and it would have had the same effect on the plot as they just needed another person aiming for the main couple for no real reason.
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avoid this season and just rewatch the first
This is the lowest rating I have given a drama on MDL before. This second season felt like a student film completely written, casted, and shot by students without much experience or a clear grasp on the story they wanted to portray. It is a bit disappointing that this is connected to the first season.In the first season we are introduced to the idea of Mono's who live in a world of grey until they manage to meet someone who's face will allow them to see color, their probe. Geon Yoo never wanted to meet his probe out of fear that he may hurt that person due to obsession so when he meets Yoo Han he tries to run away. Yoo Han however does not want him to run away. Their adorable romance that stems from their connection is simple but sweet to watch. Yoo Han helps Geon Woo overcome his fear by being a stable and unmovable presence in his life. Between this unique plot, the pleasant soundtrack, and the chemistry between the pair I enjoyed the first season far more than I expected to.
The first season introduced the side plot that Geon Yoo's mother had been missing and his Aunt was searching for her while taking care of him. It also emphasizes the connection of a mono and probe, essentially soul mates, but how the colorizing of a mono's world can also feel so addictive that they become obsessed with their probe. This obsession can make the probe uncomfortable or lead to the mono doing unspeakable acts to the people around their probe or even to them. The idea that mono's are dangerous and are outcasts is mentioned often. This second season tries to expand on that notion while running with the mystery of his missing mother. It becomes a story filled with practically nothing but Monos. The previous season made it seem like Monos were there rare while this season is littered with them and they are obsessed with wanting to see color so much that they have a secret 'club' and drugs and surgery to allow them to do that.
Honestly the plot is a bit of a mess. It opens with Yoo Han having been kidnapped but for some reason it is not publicized which makes no sense given the kind of family he has that was so worried about him being kidnapped in season one. It was a convenient excuse to have the character missing as the actor may not have wanted to return. So the shows premise becomes Geon Yoo searching fervently for Yoo Han and his mother and in his search he comes across a new friend whose sister was a mono that was killed trying to get the surgery. The pair try to enter the dangerous world of this secret Mono cult to find the truth behind the missing monos and the death of his friend's sister.
Acting was amateurish in this entire cast. From no real emotion shown for the death of a sister to the creepiness of the Mono cult. Editing is also very patchy with scenes and songs cutting off abruptly. Again this is primarily a student film continuation and I would not suggest you waste your time on it. The first season was a simple watch and I enjoyed it for the chemistry and interesting and unique plot but this continuation was just a mess.
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Visually speaking this series is beautiful. From the actors to the sets to the wardrobe. The production and cinematography was very well done. Even the OST was nice and never felt repetitive. The actors also did a very good job and I have no complaints from their performances. This series however fairly lackluster. It is a beautiful story that is wrapped in very neat packaging but for the heavy subject matter it did not move me as much as I wanted. The plot moves in a predictable pace with conveniently placed side characters to fill in gaps of knowledge and a realistic albeit boring ending. There isn't anything that really excites you about this show. It is cute and sweet and the main couple is very healthy for each other, and I do truly appreciate this healthy relationship since toxic ones are more often showcased nowadays.
It is a nice show to watch and I enjoyed it to through till the end but this will fall in the pile of shows that are okay and nice but won't leave an impression on me.
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This drama has mastered how to pull out every one of your emotions
This show is painful to watch. It is so real and heartbreaking and makes me constantly recall how truly callous and inhumane humans truly are; be it then or even now. This show drags all the nasty parts out and shows them exactly as they are. Its realistic and heartbreaking and shows human emotions and human viciousness in a way that makes me ache. The director has mastered how to pull your emotions out of you as a viewer and I went through a slew of them as I watched this. Anger, disgust, annoyance, sympathy. This is the kind of show that you feel your way through and will leave a lasting impression.For me, I can not say I found this enjoyable or entertaining to watch, it's depiction of real life struggles and brutality left me feeling raw and utterly devastated. But it is so heart achingly beautiful that I could not stop myself from watching it. The acting in this from every person is superb. I can not think of any flaw in the way that this show was written, executed, acted, or shot. There are several scenes that are stunningly beautiful. The characters are all thought out, flawed, and experience true character growth. Even the way the production showed the change in color from pastels in the beginning during happy times to the greys and browns during and after war just added to how expertly composed this show is.
-Gil Chae: for me she was truly an unlikable character for the majority of this season and I found myself so frustrated with her specifically in regards to her almost ridiculous adoration and chase of Yeon Jun. Her actions are spurted forward in her pursuit of the man she could not get. She is a spoiled nobleman's daughter that says and does whatever she wants because she is beautiful and noble. But then war breaks out and you start to see her change. She is still ridiculous in her chase of Yeon Jun but she proves herself to be a survivor and a protector. Her character development is the type I want to see in all shows. The kind that is gradual and realistic. She changes as her world around her changes and the circumstances she is put through changes her.
-Yeon Jun: I never at any point like this character. He is weak but believes he is strong. Is selfish but thinks he is honorable. But in how much I hate him, I also know how very real his portrayal is of the men of that time. He stubbornly sticks to his 'loyalty' and 'honor' for himself, never putting anyone or anything over his own agenda.
-Jang Hyun: he is mysterious and seemingly acts out of his own personal interest at every turn. He is a bit of a cad but loyal to those dearest to him with a soft heart and strong mind. A business man that is cunning enough to end up in important circles but chooses to use that power for the powerless. He does find an obstacle in Gil Chae and I think that is part of his interest in her, very like how she is so adamant about someone she can not get as well. But his actions speak far louder than any others in this drama. He is willing to sacrifice himself in exchange for her but will not go down easily.
In terms of the political progression of this story it does flow in a coherent way. You understand the movements, the predicaments, and some of the choices. I personally do not love a politically heavy drama but I was so drawn to Jang Hyun that I kept watching.
If you are looking for a drama that will make you feel something, not matter the emotion then you will find it here. Most o the time you will not enjoy what the characters are going through or the choices they make and you will feel frustrated. The point being that it will make you feel. Out of so many dramas that I have seen there are few that pull out this level of emotions from its viewers.
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enjoyable but also forgettable
I rate series based on my enjoyment of them and since I actually stuck around week after week to continue watching then I can honestly say I enjoyed the show. I am one to prefer to binge a show instead of wait weekly for installments so the fact that I stuck it out means it was worth finding out how the story progressed.And if you look at the cinematography and the production of everything from sets to costumes then this is a very aesthetically pleasing show to watch. It is beautifully shot and the actors all did a great job with their characters. The OST feels a bit too repetitive for my taste but the songs were nice.
Its the story that weakens this drama. It starts off strong and sets up many obstacles that the main couple will have to face as well as intriguing individual characters among the main cast that make you want to watch the character development. I also like that this is not a slow burn and the main couple spend a good portion of the series actually together. But after all the build up in the beginning then the story loses steam. The male lead goes from gruff and spoiled rich kid to sickly sweet and all of a sudden good at everything. His main opponent/ conflict within the drama as well was his sister but once the reasoning was explained it felt too shallow and then resolved too quickly/ unrealistically.
The last few episodes also felt painfully slow. It wrapped everything up nicely but not in a way that made me feel excited or giddy about it. The ending was honestly a let down as it was so boring. So while this is an enjoyable show, nice to watch, it wont leave much of an impression on you. But if you are in the mood for some quick romantic fluff then I highly recommend as the main couple does have some nice chemistry.
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Best short drama I have seen
I went into this not knowing what to expect but so pleasantly surprised by it. If you look at this drama as the low budget short drama that it is then it really pulled off so much. The production was great from the choice of locations, the camera angles, the colors, the outfits. Everything chosen added to the overall experience. The acting was also very good. There was no instance where I thought that these were new actors because they never appeared nervous on screen. Their characters showed through well and fit the story. The soundtrack is also one of my favorites.If there is anything that takes away stars it is only the storyline. But that is mostly because of the short nature of the drama that things had to progress quickly and leave out details to fit the length. But even though some things can be a bit unbelievable it was still done extremely well within the constrictions. There is a clear motive for any of their actions so you never felt lost. Honestly I would love to see the story expanded for a longer drama with the same actors.
I've seen a lot of asian dramas and quite a few short and low budget ones; this is my favorite among them. Well worth the watch and it will only take a couple hours since the episodes are only about 10 minutes long each.
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fun and silly first half, angsty second half, with a happy ending
I have been putting off starting this drama because I find the airing schedule off-putting. I am the type to prefer to binge a series so waiting months with only one episode a week (maybe) does not make it on my list of enjoyable waits. But after seeing enough random shorts of this show I ended up giving it a try and boy has it left an impression. At least the first half has.Lets start with the premise of this which is not something I have seen yet and is actually captured in such a fun and entertaining way. The main female lead and her whole family has a curse that when they kiss someone for the first time they will turn into a dog within a minute and every night after they will be a dog from midnight to 6am unless they are kissed by that same person in dog form to break the curse. Unfortunately for Hea Na her first kiss accidentally went to someone that is terrified of dogs. I thoroughly enjoy Hea Na's character; she is acted so well with her thoughtful silliness. The family closeness and support is also one of my favorite things about this drama. The side characters have been just as much fun to watch as the main couple.
Along with the main couple you have another teacher that as a viewer you can't quite figure out if he is friend or foe which leaves this air of mystery around him.The main plot surrounds the family secret but that secret is also presented in yet another reincarnated lovers tale. This has become quite popular lately and I can't say that I particularly enjoy it here. There are several other drama's in the last few months alone with the same side plot so it does not feel new or exciting in this drama. This side plot does add levity to the drama which in a way feels like it drags it down a bit from the buoyant hilarity that has carried the drama to its half way point.
The broadcasting schedule also really detracts from this drama. Once released in its entirety it will probably have a good rating but at this rate it is easy to get annoyed and fatigued with the wait. It has also has a tonal shift now as we approach the last 5 episodes and the show tackles the big conflict surrounding the drama. I will come back to find out what happens.
Update: now that the drama is fully released I think it worth a watch. The chemistry between the leads is great, the story mostly is a fun ride. I do not love the angsty section toward the end mostly because I do not feel like the villian was pulled off well. His character was great in the beginning but honestly felt creepy toward the end and the reasoning for the whole thing felt underwhelming. Still the main couple keeps you interested in wanting to see what happens. The last 5 episodes are so boring though and I had a harder time getting through those than the first half.
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The main characters in this series are fairly two dimensional with very little character building or even growth. You don't understand their actions or behaviors since neither are given much for you to go off of. The female lead is supposed to be spunky and awkward but endearing while actually comes off as a pushover with no backbone or ambition. The male lead is a strict lawyer that shows no real interest in anyone with a family curse that makes him so stand offish. The female leads coworkers are some of the most irritating to have to sit through; the only character traits they have is petty and man obsessed and are there purely to bully the female lead.
The first couple of episodes will hook you. You meet the characters and the OTP meet each other and do not particularly care for one another but get pushed together through a spell book that he needs her to use to help him. In turn she uses the spell book to make a love potion that he accidentally drinks and at this point their chemistry and his hilariously sweet behavior is at the highest. But then after the first few episodes the show just randomly drops subplots and picks up new ones without interweaving them together or giving the viewers a chance to even wrap their head around the previous random blip of information. The first episode introduces the red hand and the curse to the ML but then it is only casually mentioned again once and reintroduced, sort of, again 9 episodes later. The ML has broken up with the SFL twice now but since she doesn't accept the break up then he just continues dating her? It is so odd and makes no sense, since when is it so hard to break up with someone?! The random storyline for the SML is just a silly as for the SFL as well as the random stalker. None of these plots seem to be connecting in a coherent way but of course now at episode 10 they introduce a new subplot of them being reincarnated lovers. I assume the show will try to weave everything together, all 6 or so plots as long as they don't continue to add more.
Visually speaking the production of this is nice and the music is beautiful but the writing for this is a huge miss. The great chemistry from the two leads in the beginning has become boring with the hot and cold behavior between the two as the show progresses making it feel tedious to watch.
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This is not a new story, we have seen it done many many times where a super star falls for a no body. I started watching this because I am okay with that trope and come for the great music you often find in these types of shows. Unfortunately you won't find that here. The music is okay but kind of boring, it is all ballads and the subtitles being as bad as they are do not help me to love them for their lyrics either. The main couple has okay chemistry but the male lead is definitely over acting here which makes for many awkward or cringey scenes.
Also note for the international viewers like myself that the subtitles are really horrendous and will make your viewing experience horrible at times.
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Everlasting obsession
This story could have been an emotional journey of longing and love between two destined lovers from different nations. Instead it gave us an unoriginal obsessive love story centered around a main couple that does not even offer convincing chemistry. Relying heavily on miscommunication, secrets, and bullheaded stubbornness this drama fails to bring anything new and exciting to your screen. With bad CGI, poor scene progression and planning, and luke warm acting this drama continuously creates incoherent plots with characters you find yourself rooting against instead of for.Genius eldest daughter, Jun Qi Lun, is suppressed under the weight of her family's name and their misogynistic rules that prevent women from running the family business. At a young age Qi Lun decides to adopt a male alter ego in order to help in the family business. The Jun Family works closely with the King creating weapons to supply their nation and protect their people but when the paranoid King demands more results the Jun's find themselves scrambling to obtain a material they desperately need to improve their crossbow design. Qi Lun dons her male ego and sets off to find the black crystal but shortly into the trip her caravan is met with bandits at the war torn border and she is taken captive by the future Eagle Lord of the neighboring nation. Their interactions over time lead them to a romance but their respective status make it impossible to be together.
The CGI presented in this was worse than I have seen in a long time, even when compared to many low budget short dramas. It is so distractedly bad that I often wondered why they did not just choose to contain the story to fewer sets. There were many instances where it also logically did not make sense. How do they go from a green forest next to a river bed and run a few minutes but then end up completely lost in a dessert and can't be found by the caravan of people that were with them? They ran for only a few minutes but somehow everywhere the eye can see is now sand and dessert and the green and thriving forest they just ran from is nowhere. This incontinuity would continue to plague the drama in many aspects. The female lead would be a genius but not when the plot needed her to be saved by the male lead. The family business was introduced as a strong provider of weapons in the beginning but then changed to be jewelry or cloth merchants. The cartoonish villainous extended family can plot to steal the family fortune but then behave like school bullies that have no actual intelligence.
Many of these plot missteps could be overlooked for viewers that prefer a romance heavy drama and can blindly believe anything else to just enjoy strong chemistry between lovers. But the female lead actress is often wooden in her portrayal and lacks the chemistry with her costar to make you feel as if she was actually interested in him. The male lead does a much better job at portraying his emotions and want for the female lead but his strong leader personality begins to deteriorate and he just becomes a man that skirts his responsibilities to chase a woman. The romance also creates drama through constant miscommunications, secrets, lies, and unmovable stubbornness often with no real purpose in the plot except to create angst and draw out the story. So much could have easily been resolved by actually trusting one another.Then you have the second couple where the female just stalks the unwilling male until he eventually softens and accepts her. Both love stories are centered around obsession with neither making choices to better their partner's lives and instead only wanting to ensure they end up together.
While I can see someone may enjoy this by turning off their brain I still can not recommend it.
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The problem that I found with this drama is that it tried to do many things but never fully leaned into any of them so the story does not leave any lasting impression. It is kind of a reborn delinquent story, kind of a romance, kind of a medical drama, kind of a revenge story. But none of the different aspects are completely explored. Hye Jeoung loses her grit and gangster style quickly so the delinquent portion snuffs out, the leads begin with good chemistry when they are young but it does not carry any passion as adults, the story brings us into the hospital and shows their profession but it lacks depth, and the revenge plot line is so drawn out and left as more of an after thought to just have a lackluster payoff at the end. The characters in this do all undergo some kind of mental growth throughout but overall the story lacks any true pull to keep you engrossed. I'd even say the Dr. Jung became my favorite character with his unrequited love by the end of the show.
I will also be the first to admit that teacher/ student relationships are my least favorite because it is difficult to shed the teacher vibes and this show is not an exception to that rule. I actually found it cute when you see him finding himself fall for her at the beginning and the way he seemed to have waited for her in those 13 years but as adults they lacked intensity and I found myself actually hoping she would choose the second male lead. I also think completely skipping over those 13 years with no flashbacks or explanations to the time gap was a miss. I would have loved to see them grow a bit through their struggles during that time to make the current versions of them feel more fleshed out.
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Another money grab at the expense of story telling
Alice in Borderland joins the growing list of excellent kdramas that are being exploited for further gain by adding additional seasons that do not compare to the original. The Uncanny Counter, Sweet Home, and Squid Game have all proven that this money grab by Netflix will ultimately end up disappointing the viewers and this third season is no exception. While not the worst offender in this new season it still lacks the reasoning and plot cohesion to justify continuing the story.This season does manage to maintain the level of graphics and game quality with that insane deadly adrenaline that previous seasons had but the pacing and overall character development leaves the characters feeling hollow and unmemorable. The why's for all the important questions are flimsy and not very believable. Why do they return? Why only those that have been before? Why is Joker looking for them? Why is she suddenly depressed over her dead father? Why is Ryuiji weirdly obsessed with her? None of the answers provided by the show feel accurate to previously established character development and story progression/rules nor does it give strong enough reasoning to make the explanation feel satisfying.
This season also fails to really bring Borderland to its full potential like the previous seasons. Previous seasons had the rules for the cards which were suit coded and numbered which provided clues for the type of games and the difficulty that gives them time if they survive them. In this season since it is only Joker the participants are unable to choose their games and must compete in all of them leaving all the previous rules behind which I could understand since Joker is often the wildcard but then the show fails to give any further gravity or conclusion leaving the ending feeling flat and pointless. The money grab for an American spinoff to match Squid Games is also really obnoxious.
Overall this felt a bit boring and does not come close to the previous seasons but I did not hate it and found it mostly watchable. Just set your expectations for mediocre.
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Funny and entertaining but too long
A seriously funny show that catches you off guard with its humor making you quite literally laugh out loud. Definitely one of the funniest shows I have seen in a while, at least at parts. The humor in this show lands well and is spaced appropriately and the actors that all play the variations of ChengCheng are phenomenal in connecting the small nuances of the character creating a convincing thread between them. A little heavy handed at times but the overall messaging of loving yourself and looking beyond appearance creates a pleasant story. An drama that is able to entertain with its moral compass but falls a little short making it just your average watch.There are many things I truly loved about this show. The idea of beauty is not only skin deep, the comedy, and the actors abilities to portray the same character in different bodies convincingly. But what fell short for me were some of the character arcs and relationship progression. When it comes to ChengCheng and Tang Qi I felt like their dynamic was not properly explored prior to him discovering the truth. Had the drama opted to let him see the things he liked about the personas also in Cheng Cheng's true form and allowed him to begin to like her naturally that way I think I would have liked that more. But he never really shows her any interest until he realizes the truth and Cheng Cheng did not seem overly interested in him after being heartbroken over her crush ending in the very beginning. So the lack of chemistry and natural relationship progression was missing leaving a disconnect. Also Tang Qi lacks proper character development. His character goes from fairly silly in his pursuit in the beginning making his character a bit aloof but once together he seems almost like a different character.
This drama is also too long. There were a couple arcs that could have been omitted and brought the show to 24 episodes and I think that would have saved a bit of the fatigue I began to feel while trying to finish this. The grandma and pregnancy arcs were unnecessary to me and did not add much value to the overall show. The sponsorships for this show also began to feel very very obvious with the overuse.
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Felt like a combination of short stories
This slice of life romantic comedy featured a strong widowed mother of 5 daughters and her journey to have them all wed to worthy men. We watch as the story takes us through each daughter and their tumultuous matches to find peaceful marriages.With high production value, beautiful styling, excellent acting, and entertaining couples this show is a good way to pass the time. It provides great comedic timing at points and enjoyable chemistry between most of the pairs. What lowers the rating for this show for me however is the repetitive formulaic arc movement and disconnect between the couples especially in the second half of the show.
Broken into 4 main story arcs we watch the 4 unmarried daughters find husbands and experience newlywed life. Each arc and story starts in the same way with the daughter being smart and cunning while the men are rakish, cold, and domineering. This stands true for all 5 daughters. Each woman is depicted as kind, righteous, virtuous, and can outsmart anyone while the men are all rude, spoiled, and very flawed. Each daughter then spends her arc taming her man until they each become the same lovesick husband that bends to the women and improves himself. This repetition becomes fatiguing by the third arc and painful by the fourth. I found myself beginning to fast forward as we got further into the series for this reason. Each man was also progressively worse than the one before at the start of each arc.
This drama also failed to maintain the sister dynamic consistently through the end of the drama. While the beginning allowed them to share more of their struggles together due to being unmarried and living together we see toward the second half that the older three sisters just begin to fall away. While it makes sense to see them less due to new family ties it also failed to maintain the connection for the viewer because we essentially get no closure with the couples as we continue to move on to the next making this entire series feel more like a collection of short stories.
There was also very little thought put into the sixth adopted daughter's storyline with the series passing her off with just a few lines of dialogue. There are sections that are fun to watch but also long sections where it is very boring making this feel much longer than the 36 episodes it actually is. While I love this premise and will always adore strong women I think this would have benefited from either less daughters to marry off or varying up the tales each told. Instead of every daughter marrying the same difficult man and then spending her arc taming him and his family they could have focused more on the sisters dynamic by creating at least one marriage with less friction upon the bride entering. Overall not a bad story but I wouldn't watch it again. This heavily reminds me of New Life Begins, which I preferred over this drama, while also reminding me of The Sword and the Brocade with each family drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show hides a mediocre plot behind excessive violence, good visuals, and a star packed cast. A short drama that does not take you long to get through but also requires you to suspend belief to enjoy. Most of what this drama does right is the comedic timing and entertaining bromance between the leads. The action sequences were mostly choreographed to perfection with no one pulling their punches and the interactions, while brutal, felt organic for the most part. If you enjoy action packed stories that are heavy with violence and characters that defy the odds then this would definitely be for you. Not a horrible watch by any means but also lacks logic in the plot execution. While the first episode introduces you to fairly naive and good hearted boxers that accidentally find themselves trapped in a fight with an underground mafia boss the story misses any true character growth or believability by the end.
First the bromance felt very insta-love to me. These boys meet once and all of a sudden are completely inseparable and share a bond that feels forced in the beginning. As a viewer I quickly adapted to the relationship and enjoyed it going further but the show would have benefited from offering a more concrete growth in the friendship through time. I mean they meet and the following day Geon Woo ends up in a fight with the corrupt loan sharks that targeted his mother and Woo Jin backs him up wholeheartedly immediately upon finding out. Now I know Woo Jin is kind-hearted and it is plausible to try to help a new friend find the money he needed but the script made the connection feel deeper too quickly. Geon Woo being a naive puppy dog the entire series was also a little off putting. His good intentions were endearing in the beginning but by the latter half of the show it does not make sense that all the mindless killing wouldn't have changed him or at least bolstered his confidence making him a little more dominant.
Then you have Hyeon Joo whom with her brings a better understanding of the overall situation but her tough as nails character misses the mark at times. Knowing that about her however ended up being a bad thing because it did not make sense for her character to make the exit she did after the only person she loved was brutally murdered. Her replacement Da Min was much more palatable but lacked any gravity to her character because she was just thrown in to make up for writing off Hyeon Joo.
The action sequences also began to lose their spark. It began to feel repetitive where the bad guys would just send in more and more men and the good guys would just miraculously survive no matter how many they were facing. While highly entertaining to watch it wasn't believable that they could continuously go up against 20-40 men against the two of them and act like they were fine the next day. I could believe they won but not that they came out of the fights with nothing but a couple cuts and bruises. Episode 6 was also incredibly idiotic. To watch veterans to crime circles make decisions that put themselves in danger made absolutely no sense. There is no way that veteran killers would just get drunk on the night of a major event, leave personal information that would lead to their wherabouts out in the open knowing they would be hunted, and then to also be taken down by one or two men when they had previously proven their prowess against a dozen. None of it made sense and all of it happened so fast that it just pissed off the viewer.
This show's charismatic male leads can't save it from the continuous plot holes, unsatisfactory ending, and overall sense of incompleteness.
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