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Could have been much better with strong execution
A thought provoking narrative about guns and violence, revenge of the past - Trigger is a good concept with a so-so execution.The story follows Kim Nam Gil as officer Lee Do, who is investigating the culprits of bringing/smuggling guns in the country. The drama had a good theme - psychological impact of violence, the dangers of unchecked gun violence, and the societal factors that can lead to unrest.
The action sequences and the character of Lee Do is praiseworthy, however the pacing was uneven, with many unnecessary subplots. The writing was fine, but certain characters were underdeveloped. While the series did build a gripping story, the antagonist and the ending were generic, rather than intriguing.
Overall, Trigger is a decent watch with strong concept and a good performance from Nam Gil, however is pulled down by uneven story pace and unsatisfactory ending.
My Rating : 6.5/10
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The show should have been ended with S1
Final season for most awaited korean series arrives and it's definitely not what I expected it to be.To start with, Season 3 is a continuation of deathly games after Gi-hun fails the escape mission. With more at stakes and less participants after every game, I won't deny the games are as interesting as it was at the start of the show. I didn't really hated this season, but the message of human greed was already delivered in the Season 1.
Talking about the positives - the Gi-hun scene felt emotional, although the whole season was flat, a few reunions at the ending that felt satisfactory. The negative aspects of the show were too much - cringe VIPs, a bunch of character deaths that were neither meaningful nor impactful, everything became chaos and there were no layers to the whole plot whatsoever, leaving us with no thrill. The detective characters were a total waste, as they had nothing to do except finding the island; which eventually they did after everything was over.
There are many shows that has impactful climax and this is nowhere close. Season 3, which shouldn't have been made at the first place, becomes a total disaster after the perfect ending of S1. The only thing learnt is to end a show when it's already perfectly done, instead of stretching it out to see it become a disaster.
My Rating : 2.5/5
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Started good, but lost it's way midway
Though A Killer Paradox delivers on its promise of a slightly uncomfortable thriller, the limited runtime proves to be a hurdle for character development. A tighter focus and keener sense of the message behind the killings could have elevated the series more. But there's some fun when it comes to killer's sheer ambition, not to mention the wish fulfilment of it all.One of the best aspects of A Killer Paradox is the cinematography. The show features visually stunning images of Tang’s hallucinatory scenes, where the killers haunt him in his dreams. The images play tricks on the viewer and slow-motion shots of him attacking the killers in the action sequences. The series is flooded with bloody red and green lights to show which character is the hero and the villain. The entire second half of the season slows down. Episodes are longer and the plot lags a bit. The scripts lose their crisp structure and become a little sprawling. The ending does leaves loose ends and doesn't satisfy the morality of the show.
My Rating : 5.7/10
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A beautiful piece that holds 3 different perspectives
Lovingly detailed and accented by an aching score from Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March, Monster is one of the finest films of the year, and its structure — like its circle of characters — carries secrets that can only be unraveled through patience and empathy. By cutting things up and showing us the perils of fractured perspectives, the director, demonstrates that compassion is more than just a natural state of being. This absorbing, ambiguously titled movie builds to a moving finish, one that reaffirms Kore-eda’s peerless skill at directing young actors in particular.My Rating : 8.5/10
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This review may contain spoilers
Gratifies with ruminative revenge-driven story
The Glory is a brutal, gory revenge drama through and through and the first part that comprises eight episodes shows that there is no space for redemption, forgiveness or peace.High-school bullying and its scarring repercussions is always an unsettling, chilling presence in Korean dramas. While serving as the uncomfortable backstory, The Glory also provides a rather keen insight into the torments of Don-Eung and how it made her vengeful towards her perpetrators.
The Glory pragmatically asserts how extremely bullied people carry the scars from those experiences in life. The cast has done a good work indeed along with the teen ones as well. The story is well written and paced cautiously without any boring moments. Hopefully we will see more story of Do-Hyun in the 2nd season.
My Rating : 8.5/10
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Social issues tackled, but with plot full of flaws
At first glance, Revenge Of Others indeed has all the makings of a fantastic teen revenge-thriller. It’s stylish and has that early ’00s teen horror charm – set in a creepy, gothic school, with bullies that invoke unimaginable fear among their peers, however the script and the storyline at times are overwhelming.Major bombshells are dropped and new characters and potential arcs are introduced so quickly it feels like one is barely even explored before there’s another. Moreover, some scenes were made hastily just to make a connection between the events. Despite the many letdowns in the plot (yes although it did tackle the problem of bullying), the actors’ performances are eye-catching. In particular, Shin Ye Eun’s solid acting is outstanding. I have seen a better and fast paced high school action thriller of 2022 (Weak Hero Class 1), which had a better output, whether be it in terms of social issues or storyline.
Despite it's heavy atmosphere and many flaws in plot, Revenge Of Others is a satisfactory watch, dealing with bullying, broken justice system and desperation of the teens to seek justice.
My Rating : 6.5/10
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Hangs in the middle
Today's Webtoon, adapted from a Japanese manga, is mild and not much interesting when converted into Korean Webtoon world. With a global hit (Business Proposal) this year, Today's Webtoon is the 2nd drama of Kim Seo Jeong in 2022, however it had less to no sparks in terms of story.The screenplay to Today’s Webtoon recalls K-drama tropes where a bubbly female lead ends up inspiring those around her and changing it for the better – cheesy motivations, juvenile humour, viewer enjoyment highly dependent on the geniality of the leading lady. At times, Today's Webtoon stretches out select moments of friction between characters or circumstances. At others, it glosses over points that could underpin significant character development.
To summarise, Today's Webtoon is much like the many office dramas before it, but the unbridled confidence, optimism and faith of the characters makes it a one time worthwhile watch.
My Rating : 5.5/10
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Gripping with a rushed yet satisfactory ending
Another law mystery drama in this year's plate, Why Her started strong, thanks to an amazing performance by See Hyun Jin. The premise is simple, a goal of reaching to the top, due to unfair past behaviour by everyone.In a world full of injustice, there seems to be no hope of going up against big corporations that can easily influence various institutions in society.
Although fictional, characters like Chairman Han, Assemblyman Lee, and Chairman Choi represent a portion of the powerful in today’s society, who abuse the law for their personal gain.
But in the end, there is an end to their abuse of power that disgraces the justice system. The collapse of their empires is also caused by their own misdeeds, which have always been at risk to be exposed.
The pacing was well maintained, although it suddenly rushed in when the 14th episode aired, with multiple layers coming and ending within moments, without giving a proper enclosure. The finale was cliche and had nothing extraordinary, but what made me feel good about the finale is that justice prevails in the end, no matter what.
My Rating : 8/10
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Somewhere in between..
Forecasting Love And Weather had a good concept, but dragged down, primarily by weak writing, but also due to it's not so impressive execution.It felt like there were 2 different things shown on screen, and neither of them was able to achieve anything. The chemistry was good between the leads, however the constant dilemma of the leads to the situation in their hand, made me annoying towards them.
What works though, are the side characters. Chae Yu Jun and Han ki Jun had a happy ending, however it still bothers me that cheating led to a good conclusion though. Apart from them, the personal life of the other members of the Team 2 was quite intriguing which made the plot more interesting and relevant to the message which the lead character should have displayed.
An another drama, where the conclusion wasn't good enough, with focussing on details that weren't much relevant to the premise. However, the story and engagement of side characters' story is what handled the drama a bit well.
My Rating : 6.5/10
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Short but effective in its own way
Soundtrack#1 is a romantic work that was as beautiful and exquisite as a picture, with everything in its place to the point, however it was a shame that it couldn't last for many episodes, which might have been a better treatment in terms of character development and relationship of friendship to love exposure.The drama has a good soundtrack, soothing and alleviating oneself from any sadness, to create a good mood. Soundtrack #1 elicited sympathy from viewers by depicting the romantic story of ‘between love and friendship’ in a cute manner, bearing satisfactory results, although it could have been much more than that.
The major point missing in the drama was the connection they formed, their past wasn't much explored, how they connected and 20 years later, the bond still prevailed. This could have had a major impact in the story which otherwise ended with a very simple and cliche ending.
My Rating : 6.5/10
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Life is beautiful, just live it
Hometown Cha Cha Cha is not a love story, but a story full of emotional moments. It's all about love, pain, sorrow, happiness, regrets and every human emotion that can be expressed.Without divulging much, it is impressive how Hometown... attempts to go beyond a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy as it explores grief, guilt, loss, and healing. While this is dealt with in a mature way, it would have benefited the show more if the intense themes weren’t all packed into the final two episodes.
Kim Young-Ok as Gam-ri, an octogenarian grandmother who Du-Sik is closest to, once again proves why she’s the best K-drama grandmother. Hometown excels at slice-of-life goodness and wholesome romance of the best kind.
My Rating : 8/10
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Beyond Evil is beyond your average thriller
Beyond Evil is a great example of how to take a simple concept and absolutely run with it. Between the exemplary acting, tight writing and numerous twists and turns along the way, this Korean drama is easily one of the best shows of the year.Given the simplicity of the story, it’s actually quite impressive that the series adds layers of twists while also making sure there are no plot holes left behind either. Every single character has an alibi, a place to be and – more importantly than that – a motive for killing. In fact at one point there are 8 different possible suspects!
Beyond Evil is amazingly consistent and efficient in its writing; it not only manages to keep episodes compact yet compelling, it also manages to keep up the suspense for its full 16 episodes, which is a big deal. The OST was used skillfully as well.
My Rating : 8.5/10
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Brilliant origin spin off story
Kingdom Ashin Of North is a brilliant spin off of critically acclaimed Kingdom series which tells the story of Ashin and the origins of the undead.The story was great along with the lead cast and overall production of this special episode. From the very beginning till the end, there was no boredom whatsoever. A story of survival, betrayal and revenge, Ashin Of North serves a great plot that will eventually tie up with Kingdom storyline. Jun Ji Hyun was brilliant as Ashin.
The 3rd season will probably the ultimate showdown of humans vs the undead and I am waiting eagerly for it
My Rating : 9/10
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A unique idea and a nearly perfect execution
Start Up started very well, with unique idea of innovation world with competition among the best. But the way it ended, especially the last 3 episodes, I would say it was nothing like expected.The emotional connection between Mr Han and the grandma was beautifully portrayed, so was the friendship between the developers/friends of Samsan Tech. The only unexpected thing was the relationship between Jung Sa-Ha and Chul-San although I can understand why they ended up together in the show.
The episodes towards the end felt a bit fast paced, loosing the grip of the story, not much but to certain extent. Although I can't argue who should have ended with whom, and what ending could have been more satisfactory, but I still liked the show very much due to it's unique concept.
MY RATING : 8/10
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All well that ends well
Business Proposal is your typical office rom-com with employee boss love affair that starts on a wrong note, but eventually gets synched by the end. What works with Business proposal are the characters, and I mean both the couples.I won't say this is the best rom-com in the recent times that I have seen, given that there were innumerable cliche points, however Business proposal still proves to be effective with it's charming characters and the comedy moments that happens time and time again.
Kim Se Jeong was too good and adorable to watch. The drama didn't only shown relationship of a couple, but a strong bromance and womance throughout the show. The soundtrack was decent that matched well with the moments.
To summarise, Business Proposal is a delightful drama that minimizes weighty issues and major conflicts in favor of a comfortable plot and endearing characters. Plus, there are two lead couples worth rooting for. Although it's not the best I have seen, but it's worth a watch.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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