The ML and FL are both inexcusably stupid, and the script trying to pass off their idiocy as righteousness is insulting. Eight minutes into episode three and I wanted them both dead. The FL is a profound danger to herself and others (she is literally directly responsible for other people dying), and the ML's infatuation with her causes him to do and say atrociously dumb shite. He seemed rational and competent whenever he wasn't with her or worried about her or involved with her. It was grating to watch them in scenes together.
While the whole show is a trainwreck of nonsense, if Han Tae Seok were the focus, I think it would've worked better. Tae Seok was doing the best he could with what he had, taking decisive action, making well-considered calls, and holding on to as much Humanity as possible in an impossible situation with no perfect answers (while being assailed at every turn by the antics of the Dumb Duo and their Dumbass Colleagues). Nevermind the infection, poor guy really needed to contain those idiots.
Frankly, despite having one medical personnel and a budget of approximately ₩10.000, Tae Seok seemed to have a solid handle on things until he got involved with the ML and FL, then it was just a series of headaches. I felt bad for him. The man is trying to save the world on a shoestring budget and government-mandated plausible deniability and he's got to put up with the Wonder Twins' sanctimonious stupidity every other hour. It's astounding he didn't just hurl the ML halfway across town after that fridge truck incident and the ridiculous, ridiculous argument that followed.
And that one medical personnel (who was also head of security, disease research lead, press secretary, intake processor, and a dozen other jobs) should not have been putting up with FL's attitude. Had the FL pulled that bite stunt on me, I would've knocked her teeth down her throat; and after her shenanigans got other people infected, I would've sent her to a military black site so fast.
Basically, in no world, not even dramaland, is it plausible that ML and FL would be considered "essential" in an anti-zombie operation. These are the type of "heroes" who get other people killed.
The NC scenes are sex as described from faint memory to virgins by someone who saw it once but only from the back and through a slightly fogged window. It's just...off.
1. Do Hyuk puts a bullet in Mo Ne's head 2. Ra Hee is strangled to death with one of her statement necklaces 3. K has a ridiculously comedic end, like slipping on a banana peel and falling down the stairs, getting squished mid-monologue when one of his lighting rigs malfunctions, or inhaling his own saliva and choking to death in panic
So Da Mi was merely a plot device, rather than the core of the inciting incident. The latter, apparently, was actually Do Hyuk just existing, which was entirely too much for Shimy-boy to handle.
This was absolutely riveting when it was a tale of complex vengeance. Matthew was acutely terrifying as a father ready and willing to descend to any depth of Hell in pursuit of one goal: justice for his wronged child. "I am ready to become a monster" gave me chills. THAT was the adventure I signed-on for.
But then the big twist happened, and instead of a thrillingly blood-soaked tale of one man's coldly focused rage, it became a tedious ensemble play about a whiny little bitch and his fancy toy.
Seriously. When K was a masked psycho cackling in the shadows, he was grating but at least menacing. When his character became the whole show, he was just downright obnoxious. Yes, he was dangerous, but I couldn't take him seriously given his whole motive boiled down to "Daddy didn't love me enough". That's rough, dude, and I feel for you, I do, but for fuck's sake, take some of that money and go to therapy. Seriously, what was his schedule before he was "banished"? Suit-and-tie do-gooder chaebol son by day, then home to his rave club basement and nail polish to mwahahaha through the night? When did that fucker sleep?
All that said—I had a good time. I will watch the second season, especially as I'll be going in with my expectations properly aligned. Also, I want to see if Do Hyuk was really stupid enough to NOT move that money to a different location. I liked his character but, whew, he was a dim bulb.
[To clarify: the entire cast was awesome! I found the post-twist story tedious but the performances were perfect. The whole ensemble, from mains to supports to extras, nailed it. Makjang is a concoction of excess and nuance, a kaleidoscopic fever-dream straddling the real and surreal, and this cast was phenomenal. They absolutely understood the assignment and delivered from start to finish. I cannot praise them enough for their performances.]
you're so right about Min Seo. Her presence and appearance was so annoying for some reason
I think because it never changed. She stumbled through every single episode in a visible state of quivering shock, having the exact same wide-eyed response to daily occurrences. She's our protagonist, meanwhile all the other characters have pretty much pulled themselves together while she's on the verge of gasping collapse everytime she's on screen.
At least Jun Hee's perpetual horror made sense, since all his decisions ended with people getting killed. With Yoo Seo, it just felt like her memory was resetting every five minutes.
the character u mentioned in the first lines.. was it the basketball player , the head of the trio who fought…
I am. He had a good head on his shoulders, he was calm but decisive, he didn't put up with anyone's bullshite, was diplomatic but willing to use violence, and was a natural leader also capable of stepping aside if needed.
That's the person you want in a CO or an XO, especially when mysterious forces are trying to murder you and virtually all your classmates are a problem that's going to get you killed.
I have headcanon that he's always axed early becuase he's a direct threat to the game. I bet in iterations where he lived longer, they all fared better as a group.
There was one character who seemed worth rooting for but they died early in the first quarter, leaving us with the bullies, the weak, the spineless, and the hapless. I never cared whether any of them lived or died, and there were points where I actively wished doom on Yoon Seo and Jun Hee. They were both aggravating for different reasons but Yoon Seo's mincing walk, slumping shoulders, and perpetually open mouth made her mere presence on screen annoying. As for Jun Hee...well, I'll just say I shouted "No!" at that moment and leave it at that.
The series finale was just obnoxious. It isn't difficult to figure out what's going on (the episodes include plenty of hints and clues) or, eventually, why, so you're basically spending the runtime hoping the story isn't going where it's so loudly telegraphing it's going—and then it gets there, and it's disappointing.
Kudos, though, to everyone who worked on this project. The cast did a good job, the cinematography was often incredibly effective, the lighting and other production design elements were nicely done, and the SFX were delightfully gruesome.
I would watch a second season only if it was a detective series because all the questions I have about the story involve criminalistics, money laundering, and who is asleep on the job over at KEPCO.
Disappointed the TulBoss thing went nowhere. That was almost nearly approaching an interesting sidestory but I suppose there wasn't enough time. Or, rather, all the available time was wasted on the nonsense of the main coupling, which was all so unnecessary.
MeenPing just do not work for me as a ship. Meen I like; he's got potential as an actor, he's demonstrated he can handle projects with range, and he has screen presence. Ping, on the other hand...well, I liked him quite a lot in his scenes with Winner. They feel like a more balanced pair.
I ultimately sped through most of the TewGuy scenes, they were so comparatively dull. Tew trying to escape the mob, Kenji (and his wig) trying to rise in the mob, Boss torn between his mob loyalties and his own heart, the mob leader having a violent emotional breakdown over his surrogate sons' shenanigans—all of that made for a truly decent plot. Unfortunately, it was constantly dragged down by the love story, which is not a great thing for a BL.
This delectably violent Chronicles of a Dynamic Duo is awarded three stars simply for having zero romance, three more stars for a lovely bromance, another star for humour, four stars for a crazy good ensemble cast, and an ever-expanding universe of stars for Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi, shirtless Woo Do Hwan, shirtless Lee Sang Yi, and shorts-shorted Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi being shirtless together.
And did I mention the violence?
The story, however...
Our Duo are simple but earnest men, genuinely decent guys just trying to survive. They're not exactly doing a bang-up job at it until they collide with Choi Tae Ho's world, at which point they become...well, the Thick-Witted Trio & their Three Dumbass Dads.
You will be frustrated beyond belief at just how stupid the good guys are, to the point where you may have a fleeting thought that the villain deserves to win merely for being competent. If reality in the series reflected actual reality, our intrepid heroes accumulated alarmingly more bodies than the bad guys. Seriously, the collateral damage was ridiculous. And they never, ever, ever learned from their mistakes.
In addition, the story was predictable. Nothing came as a surprise, big moments were loudly telegraphed, the script was rote. The story did, without fail, everything you expected it would.
And still—I would watch it again. Even though I'd seen the destination a thousand times, the journey was worth it.
(An aside: Hong Woo Jin reminds me of Jack in "H3: Trapped". The characters have similar mannerisms & looks. Not the actors, just the characters.)
This series would really have benefitted from fewer, longer episodes. Its gentle, contemplative, cozy tone just isn't faring well in this format. Best watched binged, I think, particularly on a rainy afternoon while wrapped in your softest blanket and cradling your largest tea mug.
Wouldn't that be spicy? Like the whole conflict between them is less about vying for their boss's approval or…
Obviously we need to write something on A03 and wait for Thailand to get wind of it.
I've had the same thought about Kenji. Nothing about his hatred of Tew makes sense unless it's connected to more positive feelings he has or has had about Tew. It's clear their mob boss never rated Kenji, and he's made no secret of it (everyone in that organization who doesn't work directly for Kenji seems to regard him as a laughing stock), so Kenji can't have thought he'd ever be considered to take over. Surely even he isn't THAT stupid. And Kenji's vitriol and aggression was a lot more pronounced toward Guy, to the point it came off like jealousy rather than using Guy as a bargaining chip.
I just think, overall, the story between Tew and Kenji is just more interesting, even if it's mostly our headcanon, lol.
Or maybe Tew has some sort of feeling for Kenji. There's no other explanation as to why he'll let Kenji go so…
Wouldn't that be spicy? Like the whole conflict between them is less about vying for their boss's approval or taking over the business and more about latent unbridled attraction they've been forbidden to act on because they're pseudobrothers.
And that attraction has smoldered so hot and so long it's twisted what was once a loving if strained platonic relationship into a psychosexual quagmire that can only end when both of them fuck and/or one of them is dead but they can't bring themselves to do either.
While the whole show is a trainwreck of nonsense, if Han Tae Seok were the focus, I think it would've worked better. Tae Seok was doing the best he could with what he had, taking decisive action, making well-considered calls, and holding on to as much Humanity as possible in an impossible situation with no perfect answers (while being assailed at every turn by the antics of the Dumb Duo and their Dumbass Colleagues). Nevermind the infection, poor guy really needed to contain those idiots.
Frankly, despite having one medical personnel and a budget of approximately ₩10.000, Tae Seok seemed to have a solid handle on things until he got involved with the ML and FL, then it was just a series of headaches. I felt bad for him. The man is trying to save the world on a shoestring budget and government-mandated plausible deniability and he's got to put up with the Wonder Twins' sanctimonious stupidity every other hour. It's astounding he didn't just hurl the ML halfway across town after that fridge truck incident and the ridiculous, ridiculous argument that followed.
And that one medical personnel (who was also head of security, disease research lead, press secretary, intake processor, and a dozen other jobs) should not have been putting up with FL's attitude. Had the FL pulled that bite stunt on me, I would've knocked her teeth down her throat; and after her shenanigans got other people infected, I would've sent her to a military black site so fast.
Basically, in no world, not even dramaland, is it plausible that ML and FL would be considered "essential" in an anti-zombie operation. These are the type of "heroes" who get other people killed.
Just a silly, annoying show, all-around.
1. Do Hyuk puts a bullet in Mo Ne's head
2. Ra Hee is strangled to death with one of her statement necklaces
3. K has a ridiculously comedic end, like slipping on a banana peel and falling down the stairs, getting squished mid-monologue when one of his lighting rigs malfunctions, or inhaling his own saliva and choking to death in panic
This was absolutely riveting when it was a tale of complex vengeance. Matthew was acutely terrifying as a father ready and willing to descend to any depth of Hell in pursuit of one goal: justice for his wronged child. "I am ready to become a monster" gave me chills. THAT was the adventure I signed-on for.
But then the big twist happened, and instead of a thrillingly blood-soaked tale of one man's coldly focused rage, it became a tedious ensemble play about a whiny little bitch and his fancy toy.
Seriously. When K was a masked psycho cackling in the shadows, he was grating but at least menacing. When his character became the whole show, he was just downright obnoxious. Yes, he was dangerous, but I couldn't take him seriously given his whole motive boiled down to "Daddy didn't love me enough". That's rough, dude, and I feel for you, I do, but for fuck's sake, take some of that money and go to therapy. Seriously, what was his schedule before he was "banished"? Suit-and-tie do-gooder chaebol son by day, then home to his rave club basement and nail polish to mwahahaha through the night? When did that fucker sleep?
All that said—I had a good time. I will watch the second season, especially as I'll be going in with my expectations properly aligned. Also, I want to see if Do Hyuk was really stupid enough to NOT move that money to a different location. I liked his character but, whew, he was a dim bulb.
[To clarify: the entire cast was awesome! I found the post-twist story tedious but the performances were perfect. The whole ensemble, from mains to supports to extras, nailed it. Makjang is a concoction of excess and nuance, a kaleidoscopic fever-dream straddling the real and surreal, and this cast was phenomenal. They absolutely understood the assignment and delivered from start to finish. I cannot praise them enough for their performances.]
At least Jun Hee's perpetual horror made sense, since all his decisions ended with people getting killed. With Yoo Seo, it just felt like her memory was resetting every five minutes.
That's the person you want in a CO or an XO, especially when mysterious forces are trying to murder you and virtually all your classmates are a problem that's going to get you killed.
I have headcanon that he's always axed early becuase he's a direct threat to the game. I bet in iterations where he lived longer, they all fared better as a group.
The series finale was just obnoxious. It isn't difficult to figure out what's going on (the episodes include plenty of hints and clues) or, eventually, why, so you're basically spending the runtime hoping the story isn't going where it's so loudly telegraphing it's going—and then it gets there, and it's disappointing.
Kudos, though, to everyone who worked on this project. The cast did a good job, the cinematography was often incredibly effective, the lighting and other production design elements were nicely done, and the SFX were delightfully gruesome.
I would watch a second season only if it was a detective series because all the questions I have about the story involve criminalistics, money laundering, and who is asleep on the job over at KEPCO.
MeenPing just do not work for me as a ship. Meen I like; he's got potential as an actor, he's demonstrated he can handle projects with range, and he has screen presence. Ping, on the other hand...well, I liked him quite a lot in his scenes with Winner. They feel like a more balanced pair.
I ultimately sped through most of the TewGuy scenes, they were so comparatively dull. Tew trying to escape the mob, Kenji (and his wig) trying to rise in the mob, Boss torn between his mob loyalties and his own heart, the mob leader having a violent emotional breakdown over his surrogate sons' shenanigans—all of that made for a truly decent plot. Unfortunately, it was constantly dragged down by the love story, which is not a great thing for a BL.
And did I mention the violence?
The story, however...
Our Duo are simple but earnest men, genuinely decent guys just trying to survive. They're not exactly doing a bang-up job at it until they collide with Choi Tae Ho's world, at which point they become...well, the Thick-Witted Trio & their Three Dumbass Dads.
You will be frustrated beyond belief at just how stupid the good guys are, to the point where you may have a fleeting thought that the villain deserves to win merely for being competent. If reality in the series reflected actual reality, our intrepid heroes accumulated alarmingly more bodies than the bad guys. Seriously, the collateral damage was ridiculous. And they never, ever, ever learned from their mistakes.
In addition, the story was predictable. Nothing came as a surprise, big moments were loudly telegraphed, the script was rote. The story did, without fail, everything you expected it would.
And still—I would watch it again. Even though I'd seen the destination a thousand times, the journey was worth it.
(An aside: Hong Woo Jin reminds me of Jack in "H3: Trapped". The characters have similar mannerisms & looks. Not the actors, just the characters.)
That said—
I am obligated neither to mirror nor validate your cognitive paucity. Shuffle on, you're mucking up my thread.
I've had the same thought about Kenji. Nothing about his hatred of Tew makes sense unless it's connected to more positive feelings he has or has had about Tew. It's clear their mob boss never rated Kenji, and he's made no secret of it (everyone in that organization who doesn't work directly for Kenji seems to regard him as a laughing stock), so Kenji can't have thought he'd ever be considered to take over. Surely even he isn't THAT stupid. And Kenji's vitriol and aggression was a lot more pronounced toward Guy, to the point it came off like jealousy rather than using Guy as a bargaining chip.
I just think, overall, the story between Tew and Kenji is just more interesting, even if it's mostly our headcanon, lol.
And that attraction has smoldered so hot and so long it's twisted what was once a loving if strained platonic relationship into a psychosexual quagmire that can only end when both of them fuck and/or one of them is dead but they can't bring themselves to do either.
Damnit, I want to be watching THAT show.