J100

Sweet, it's a pity it's only 6 episodes.

It's not the best J series I've seen, but the Hachimura is a fantastic actor, and his character is stunning, making it hard not to like it and continue watching.Apparently, there is another episode. It would have been disappointing if this had been the last one.

The actors are what keep me watching, but it's one of the worst series I've ever seen due to the poor dubbing, the amount of clichés, and the outdated musical effects we all suffered from over 10 years ago. I thought they had moved past that, but they manage to surprise.

It's quite complex. If it's a drama that aspires to have existential meaning, it needs to be authentic, emotional, or at least artistic. In my view, Koreans are masters of art, but unfortunately, many decisions in their dramas boil down to a formula, preventing them from fully realizing many ideas that could work well if they weren't constrained by profit motives. For high-quality Korean series or films, Kim Ki-duk's works stand out as exceptionally cinematic. But for something simpler, "My Star" was very authentic, almost without a budget, yet the message was beautifully conveyed. There's another series I can't remember the name of, about a guy who goes back in time to the man who saved him as a child and paid with his life for it. That series was also low-budget and almost student-level, but still, the sense of identification was conveyed. Unfortunately, there aren't many, and my level of criticism is quite high.

The series started from the end and worked its way to the beginning, instead of the other way around. The end of the series didn't disappoint me because I had no expectations to begin with. I understand the idea that loving others can help you find the meaning of life or the reason to keep going when times are hard. However, the series failed to make me feel a connection to the main characters or their struggles. This might be due to today's viewers being accustomed to the latest tech and concepts from things like game theory or The Matrix. The pacing of the series felt too rapid. Perhaps for those who have grown up with Tik tok or Youtube, this type of show is appealing. But it also seems that because life is quite comfortable for most people nowadays, they don't truly experience significant and authentic suffering. No doubt, many people suffer, but real suffering involves loss or existential threats. While suffering is subjective, this extreme benchmark probably makes you realize there's no Matrix, and life isn't just a technological game, at least in my opinion. It's very likely that this effect was also due to the series portraying suffering in a relatively minor way, meaning issues like an alcoholic father, family loss, or not giving enough space for such themes as they did with other scenes. For instance, there was only one scene with the father, and then one with the mother, which the main character ran away from after seeing her once. They saved the reconciling scene for the last episode, which was a mistake, as the last episode seemed to be the only one that really delved into the depth of these issues, but by then, it was too late for my liking.

As I always say, what makes a series good is its ending more than anything, and the ending was good. It didn't matter that it was sad, and it didn't matter that the editing was poor, you and I remember it and probably quite a few others do as well.

I enjoy critiquing films and also delving into the philosophical and cultural meanings behind the ideas. It's a bit hard to do this when everything repeats itself, so I at least need to develop my critique if the plots aren't evolving:)))

The trope of the "underdog's triumph"

Some choose to tell varied stories, like in Japan, despite class economic gaps.

The series itself is enjoyable as a form of entertainment, and I understand their desire to convey a seemingly profound message through a computer game, as it's a sort of trend. However, unfortunately, it doesn't work well for them, partly because the main character convinces us that he is both participating in and watching the game simultaneously, which doesn't mesh well. But mainly, the forced attempt to persuade us that you have a choice in life or that you can choose to open up to love only if you want, in my opinion, is quite progressive nonsense. And I don't find the series innovative or special in terms of production. On the contrary, I see here the same formula based on American series from the 80s, which is quite tiring for me, maybe because I've watched many Korean series and American movies over the years. Their attempt is not bad on the surface, and I definitely appreciate the effort they put in, but it's very hard to break out of a well-engineered box, especially if you want more views. There was a BL series with a much lower budget a few years ago about a guy who went back in time to be with someone who saved him as a child, and he paid a heavy price for it. That was much more moving in my eyes, even though the editing itself was poor. I don't remember the name of the series, but it was powerful because it didn't pretend to be something special, and the story behind it was very touching and real.One more point to add, my assumption is that we are still human beings and the connection to technology is not perceived as natural and is even imposed on us against our will. In this series, they try to convince us in a relatively innovative way that technology and its ability to teach us things will cause us to change. As of now, technology causes enormous damages on a catastrophic level more than it helps, and therefore it is very difficult to believe in this approach.

After 4 episodes, I find the series enjoyable and entertaining. However, one aspect that slightly lowers its appeal, and a reason I've stopped watching SK dramas, is their tendency to use the "Formula" = repetitive character types. They often feature a character who is interesting but indifferent and hard to connect with, typically introverted and not keen on people. Then there's the lively, determined, brave character who tries to change the first one. This character is genuine . I'm not sure if this is due to their belief in a successful formula, or a preference for familiarity, akin to their habit of dressing, looking, or sounding the same. Additionally, they frequently explore the theme of economic disparity, contrasting the very wealthy with the poor who struggle to afford basic necessities like shoes.

I don't think you understood me because I probably didn't explain myself well - surely you haven't watched Korean series. The concept of parallel worlds and time travel has existed since the beginning of history, and Korea is actually very advanced in this matter. There have been quite a few series in this style over the years. However, in this case, the character doesn't take time to acclimate to the situation but rather takes it as a given.
The emphasis here is on the element of a digital virtual reality, meaning there is a computer showing him, like in a game, where he is supposed to go, with metrics and such. This is something that scares me, and as I wrote, people who grew up with it, at least some of them, may not be scared, but many are frightened because it's really just around the corner. Those who are older will be significantly more afraid.
In any case, The focus was that the character immediately jumped into it naturally without expressing any opposition or having any questions, as if it's obvious that he is controlling or being controlled by another person through a game-computer.

This is, of course, a hypothesis I haven't measured, but here there are many more reactions compared to other series I've watched. Also, on YouTube, on various channels that present these shows, there are more views than on other series on the same channels. Not to mention that there are almost no promotions; that is, there are hardly any live streams, interviews, or reaction videos. There are also no advertisements on other social networks like Twitter or Instagram, meaning the promotion is almost non-existent.

Overall, episode 1 is good and you want to watch it until the end, but it's very scary and there is some kind of incongruity between the strange situation in which the main character finds himself and how he reacts to it.
Perhaps the SKoreans are used to such films, or perhaps the audience is usually Teens who, from their perspective, everything related to virtual reality begins to seem natural and obvious.
But for me, it's really a horror film, and the reaction of the main character, especially as he approaches the age of 30, should be panic and dread before he starts to act to complete his task.

Even if there are many negative comments, it still indicates that a lot of people watched it despite their criticism and didn't abandon it midway, which is also something that hardly ever happens.

The amount of views and reactions is significantly larger compared to other series.

He is one of those actors you become obsessive about and it doesn't happen often. It pretty much happened with Nanon Korapat, who is both kind of shy and on the other hand very self-confident. He has these two opposites in what he projects at least, even in their live performances, they retain that dual charm.

You could have politely asked for criticism, but it seems you're not a nice person and are full of anger. However, I'll respond politely, not because you deserve it, but because it's good to explain the criticism. The scenes are dragged out, the absurdity of reading the other side's mind as portrayed in the Japanese version and even in the manga is not felt, all the humor is omitted and gone, the characters are flat and unconvincing, "Adachi" does not appear insecure and doesn't behave as if he lacks confidence, when his character is actually very insecure on a chronic level. On the other hand, Kurosawa doesn't seem charismatic, poorly portrayed, not convincing in his charisma, he speaks monotonously and too engineered like a robot, his affection for Adachi is unconvincing,

The scenes are too long and have boring additions like the waitress in her past, the only somewhat cute character in this series is the courier, who somehow matches the courier in the Japanese version in terms of sweetness and cheekiness.
But the future partner of his in this series is not funny, looks his age, too young, and doesn't look like a writer but just an actor wearing glasses. In contrast, in the Japanese version, the actor was exaggerated, grotesque, and very funny. In the case of the Thai version, he just looks like a confused boy.

The scenes in the Japanese version were especially moving, especially the scene in the restaurant with high tension and the scene afterward when Kurosawa cried on the bench, which was the highlight of the series. But here, it was unwatchable because the crying was not convincing and did not build enough impact to show his frustration. Except for the scene where the boss threw the booklet, which was probably the only scene in the series that was somehow good and justified.
The customer who harassed Kurosawa was just unbearable, but they put unnecessary emphasis on her. The focus should have been only on Kurosawa and Adachi, but in terms of lighting, editing, and camera angles, it was not felt and just seemed like a sloppy act. They did not exaggerate it like in the original version and not like in the manga, where everything turned black and his world seemed to collapse at that moment.
It was a turning point for them, which also did not come across in this series. In short, not moving and really hollow like most of their series and their approach to things, it's something that just constantly happens in their Thai series.

It seems that despite the criticism, which is somewhat justified, the series is still a staggering success compared to other series currently running.so not by chance I'm already missing them.

How did they manage to take a plot that was so funny, entertaining, and romantic and turn it into a boring and prolonged torture of an hour? How do they manage to do that? For those asking why I continue to watch it, it's because I'm curious about how much of a disaster it becomes, sort of a review of their worst products.