Great Suspense Building, Eerie, Sobering
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.
I went into this drama completely blind, which I would suggest to do it that way. I'll try not to say too much in this review. Also, be in the mood to watch a drama that builds suspense gradually. If you're in a rush, you may find it slow. I didn't find it slow at all. I think this drama builds suspense very well. I was also completely unaware of the world behind this drama (I had no idea it was connected to another drama) and that seems to have affected my opinion of this drama.
Acting/Cast: The cast is what attracted me to this drama. Good cast with good acting. I don't think anyone in particular really stood out to me through their acting alone though. There are many different characters in this drama, so the scenes between each character don't last very long before switching to the next. There are certain storylines, however, that stand out. 8/10
Writing: I was able to figure out very early on what was going on. It's not much of a mystery. I'd say that this drama is mostly psychological, which is good because that's my favorite Korean drama genre. I like the writing style of this drama a lot - how they give us little pieces at a time throughout the drama to put together ourselves. The way it's done makes this drama extremely emotionally heavy, with it becoming more and more distressing as the drama goes. This is not a happy drama by any means, but there are times of hopefulness. The best way I can describe this story is that it's psychologically realistic. It doesn't sugarcoat anything, but it also isn't overly dramatic. The story does start to get confusing towards the end. This may be because I have no prior knowledge of the webtoon universe this story comes from. There's a cameo at the end, which caused me to realize this drama is part of something bigger. I don't feel like I can fully appreciate the story now. 7.5/10
Direction/SFX/Music: This drama is very well-produced. They did great in creating a very eerie, somber, and a sort of nightmarish atmosphere through the lighting, SFX, and music. There is a point where the drama switches to black and white. I'm not sure why. I wasn't a fan of it though. 8/10
Entertainment Value: This drama changes genres a bit through its course. I don't know if that helped it or hurt it. However, for me, I think I would have preferred it to keep more of its initial vibe throughout the entire drama. I'd imagine it would have made a greater impact emotionally and it would be interesting to see how the writers intermingle the two opposing ideas (horror and despair vs love and hope), but then again...maybe it would have resembled Sweet Home too much. In any case, this drama held my attention through to the end. Eight episodes is a perfect length for this story. It didn't feel rushed. It didn't drag. This drama is emotionally heavy and, for me, it was that way from the beginning. I was confused toward the end though, not knowing what was "real world" and what wasn't and not understanding the world that this story is apart of. 7/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 7.5/10. I liked it much more than Moving (which I had rated a 6). It doesn't feel dragged out like Moving does. I like the thought-provoking nature of the story. It does a good job at straddling the fence between hope and despair.
I went into this drama completely blind, which I would suggest to do it that way. I'll try not to say too much in this review. Also, be in the mood to watch a drama that builds suspense gradually. If you're in a rush, you may find it slow. I didn't find it slow at all. I think this drama builds suspense very well. I was also completely unaware of the world behind this drama (I had no idea it was connected to another drama) and that seems to have affected my opinion of this drama.
Acting/Cast: The cast is what attracted me to this drama. Good cast with good acting. I don't think anyone in particular really stood out to me through their acting alone though. There are many different characters in this drama, so the scenes between each character don't last very long before switching to the next. There are certain storylines, however, that stand out. 8/10
Writing: I was able to figure out very early on what was going on. It's not much of a mystery. I'd say that this drama is mostly psychological, which is good because that's my favorite Korean drama genre. I like the writing style of this drama a lot - how they give us little pieces at a time throughout the drama to put together ourselves. The way it's done makes this drama extremely emotionally heavy, with it becoming more and more distressing as the drama goes. This is not a happy drama by any means, but there are times of hopefulness. The best way I can describe this story is that it's psychologically realistic. It doesn't sugarcoat anything, but it also isn't overly dramatic. The story does start to get confusing towards the end. This may be because I have no prior knowledge of the webtoon universe this story comes from. There's a cameo at the end, which caused me to realize this drama is part of something bigger. I don't feel like I can fully appreciate the story now. 7.5/10
Direction/SFX/Music: This drama is very well-produced. They did great in creating a very eerie, somber, and a sort of nightmarish atmosphere through the lighting, SFX, and music. There is a point where the drama switches to black and white. I'm not sure why. I wasn't a fan of it though. 8/10
Entertainment Value: This drama changes genres a bit through its course. I don't know if that helped it or hurt it. However, for me, I think I would have preferred it to keep more of its initial vibe throughout the entire drama. I'd imagine it would have made a greater impact emotionally and it would be interesting to see how the writers intermingle the two opposing ideas (horror and despair vs love and hope), but then again...maybe it would have resembled Sweet Home too much. In any case, this drama held my attention through to the end. Eight episodes is a perfect length for this story. It didn't feel rushed. It didn't drag. This drama is emotionally heavy and, for me, it was that way from the beginning. I was confused toward the end though, not knowing what was "real world" and what wasn't and not understanding the world that this story is apart of. 7/10
Overall, I gave this drama a 7.5/10. I liked it much more than Moving (which I had rated a 6). It doesn't feel dragged out like Moving does. I like the thought-provoking nature of the story. It does a good job at straddling the fence between hope and despair.
Was this review helpful to you?
