Higher the stakes, harder the games
In true Alice In Borderland style, the second season opens with mass murder in the middle of the road. It’s one hell of a way to open a show, reminding us of Arisu’s past, his history of gaming and how, like those in the video game, he is caught in the same situation.Season 2 is madness from the first minute of the first episode – just how we love and know the series to be. Bullets flying everywhere, figuring out what the heck is going on in between the lines and high-speed chase sequences. The series is a gift that gives on giving. Apart from the horrific bloodshed, we also face our protagonists’ emotional turmoil surrounding their past lives. Arisu is still reeling from his friends’ deaths while Usagi walks around with the burden of her father’s probable suicide. The games are puzzled, intense and mind fucking just like it's predecessor.
Just like season 1, season 2 carries on the expectations of the high stakes do or die games and delivers them almost successfully. The finale episode hit me a little, wherein many things went unanswered, the pacing got very slow and a happy ending which I felt could have been more satisfactory, had everything would have been answered. Maybe a Season 3 would answer all the remaining questions and solve the final piece of the puzzle.
My Rating: 8.5/10
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Woo to the young to the Woo
Brilliantly contrived, the story of a rookie attorney with a genius mind efficiently provided awareness regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder. Navigating through stories that teaches some meaningful lessons, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an inspirational drama that teaches to set goals and go for it, although there will be ups and downs in life.With her outstanding performance as the lead character, Park Eun Bin helped the drama to be more engaging, entertaining and worthwhile. One of the terrific performance I have ever seen in a K-Drama. Amidst of the autism and trials and tribulations, a sweet love story between Woo Young Woo and Jun-Ho was an additional delight to the drama. The chemistry between the characters were amazing and Kang Tae Oh was an amazing choice for this role. I like this guy since his performance in Run-On.
Featuring different cases per episode, the drama opted for mostly relatable cases without excessive and unnecessary drama. The supporting characters were good as well to their task. There were only couple of cases where I felt a little downward. Otherwise, EAW has been a rollercoaster ride wherein the narrative has maintained it's essence over the course of the series.
My Rating : 9/10
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Revenge is sweet, but excessive romance felt bitter
Seo Ye Ji's comeback show, Eve, started off well in it's first few episodes where she plays the lead character Ra El, looking for revenge on those who had his life trampled upon. The first half of the show's plot development is fantastic. The pilot episode and the initial sequences, including the opening scene, all had a constant flow and a number of peaks. The show's plot thickens with each passing episode as Ra El accomplishes more of her goals. We must acknowledge the way in which the characters' pasts were handled during times of uncertainty.It's sluggish in the later half of the show, but it keeps you engaged and curious about what's to come.I felt there was too much of romance and less of revenge story going on in 2nd half, which made me uninterested a little, however Ye Ji was phenomenal in her role and she portrayed it really well, which made me stick to the show very end. The penultimate and concluding episode were the weakest episodes of the drama and evidently doesn't compares tp to other revenge thrillers, this is not one to write home about and ultimately struggles to stand out.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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Engrossing and captivating, finale faltered
Again My Life started on a strong center point, with justice as it's selling point. The first episode may feel like a fantasy, but it's not. Except that one point in the pilot episode, everything about here is a strategy of 10 years to bring a criminal down.There’s a slight disappointment in the development process. As the plot primarily centers around Hee Woo, the support characters are inconspicuous. After his amazing work in Flower Of Evil, Lee Joon Gi delivers himself with aan another great performance of a charismatic character set out to eradicate evil.
Everything was brilliantly written, but when it came to finale it faltered. The ending was rushed, there was sudden romance (which I didn't felt, the right couple) involved at the end of the episode and there were many plotholes which weren't filled in the last episode, which might leave many of the audiences half hearted about the finale.
To summarise, Again My Life had good elements and writing and was strongly held till the penultimate episode, while faltering at the end. Although the drama didn't end as expected, it was a very good show with some good acting and decently impressive execution.
My Rating : 8/10
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Creepy and intense
Strangers from hell started as a basic suspense story in the first 2 episodes, however things started taking a different turn when Lee Don Wook was introduced.Charming dentist and the strangers with their murderous intent in a residence, teams up to form a bunch of psychopath who kills for fun. The climax was a bit of twister, although it was a little predictable.
Nevertheless, Strangers from hell was an intensely suspense thriller, with lots of violence and craziness that sometimes maybe a bit difficult to consume.
My Rating : 8/10
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The devil lies in the society
The Devil Judge, is outrageously smart and witty with a charismatic lead character who will go lengths to deliver justice. Much like Vincenzo, The Devil Judge is a drama regarding legal matters of the country.The Devil Judge emphasizes the reality of our world today, particularly in politics. Shameless and evil politicians in movies or series are not new in movies and series. We often see them because it mirrors the truth of how prevalent their existence is. It has a lot of twists and turns which are unpredictable, as a viewer I couldn't trust how the revelation of everything was gonna get delivered.
The only missing point I felt was lack of strong backstory for the main antagonist of the show Jung Seon Ah, who was quite dazzling yet dangerous playing the main culprit. The soundtrack was amazing as well, sitting well with the dystopian environment and moulding itself easily with this genre.
Uniquely written and delivered, whether you’re into dystopian themes or action-packed series with the right emotions, The Devil Judge is something you wouldn’t want to miss.
My Rating : 9/10
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Courtroom Drama can't get better than this
Law School laid a strong foundation from the very beginning with twists and turns, and never once distracted itself from the intense court sessions in proving who's guilty and who's not.The performance of overall cast was terrific, especially of Myung Min as Prof. Yang along with Kim Mun as Han Joo Hwi and Hye Young Ryu as Kang Sol A. The screenplay was tight and the execution of the story was very effective. Adding a cherry on top of the cake, the OST was brilliant reaching straight to my heart.
Law School displayed a great execution of laws that prevail in South Korea and the way they are executed in a very effective manner, leaving the audience with nothing but awe for its entire premise altogether. This is definitely an addition to my Top 10 dramas of this year.
My Rating : 9.5/10
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A rollercoaster of emotions that’s not easy by any means, but that’s completely worthwhile. The leads were amazing and so were the supporting characters. I loved how they showcased different points of view; from the soldiers, police, college students as the protestors, nurses and doctors, and the commoners.
Youth Of May is both sweet and bright, and at times reminds of the traumatizing past in a subtle way. It probably might be the best underrated drama of 2021.
My Rating : 8/10
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To respect or to fear
Hellbound was tense, gripping and with 6 episodes in first season, leaves you with a suspense as to what will happen next. Although it's not the best work I have seen, but Hellbound has its moments of delivering itself without giving much clues of the whole premise whatsoever.Although it was a bit slow, Hellbound didn't loose it's hold over the storytelling of violent aspect of showcasing God's wish. Hellbound was dark, gripping and maybe turn unsettling to many viewers, but will keep you attached to it.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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The cast were good, especially Choi Soo Young who played here mischievous yet understanding character pretty well. While the character development of the lead pairing was palpable, it did not reach a point where you feel like the supporting cast was not part of the picture at all.
With a breath-taking mix of comedy, romance, friendship, bromance, jealousy, and a lot more, the journey of Geun-young and Hoo Joon in this drama was satisfactory
My Rating : 7.5/10
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An okay affair with simple execution
Doom At Your Service started well, with the interaction of two leads, and how things are deemed to happen. The characters were intriguing along with the supporting casts as well.The story was simple, yet with a little twist, I felt like it being dragged deliberately, just to complete in 16 episodes. I thought that it would have been better if finished within 12 episodes, since at certain moments, the scenes were stretched which were not required.
The last couple of episodes were meh as well, with everything sorted again and concluding towards a happy ending. The best part of this drama was it's OST, which I felt was pretty amazing and melancholic and the lead pair, which I felt were perfectly cast and did justice to the characters of Kim Human and Dong Kyung.
Although Doom At Your Service is neither great nor trash, it had it's highs and lows and is watchable enough for the first time.
My Rating : 6.5/10
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The title implies my opinion for the show
A new KDrama of 2023, Love To Hate You is a show which feels like it will make some valuable contributions to address misogyny in the society, restricts itself to a romcom show which is nothing new in a Kdrama world.Undeniably, the series got to a fair start with girl vs boy stereotype, but rather being an interesting turn of events in their romance, it was just a dull realisation of each other's feelings that made me disappointed towards the characters as well the story writing of the show. Well atleast it gave a happy ending within 10 episodes without dragging more unnecessarily than it already was starting to become.
My Rating : 5.5/10
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Humans are worse than ghosts, the moral of this drama
Revenant, starring Kim Tae-ri who is known for her acclaimed projects The Handmaiden, Mr. Sunshine, Twenty-Five Twenty-One and more, is a supernatural horror drama that questions wishes that comes with sacrifice.Revenant’s supernatural chase has a beginning and hopefully an ending (that doesn’t end with many more deaths). The evil spirit that goes on possessing the characters is an outcome of inhumane cruelty and greed of the society which has to reap the seed it has sown. It is not just a tale about a supernatural mystery chase but a tale about regressive traditions, of unravelling the darkness that lies in being human, of denying the right to live.
Overall, the show is fast paced with thrilling and simultaneously terrifying scenes. The mystery lies in identifying the spirit while the spirit is aware of every step that one takes. And the stakes are high, especially when the professionals have been killed in the process. Needless to mention, the cast is doing a fantastic job especially Kim Tae-ri who changes into a different person in every episode.
My Rating : 9/10
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A tale of resilience and patience
A film about illegal immigration, seeking refuge, and the right to live, ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’ aims at showing us the grim reality of immigration and life as a nomad. Loh Kiwan, played by Song Joong-ki, is a young North Korean defector who is forced to enter Belgium in a desperate attempt to survive. Enduring harsh conditions as the Belgian government determines his fate, he meets Marie, a drug addict seeking refuge from her troubled reality. Their survival amid the odds serves as the basic premise of the film.The film masterfully juxtaposes the main plotline with a secondary narrative involving Marie’s entanglement with nefarious elements. While this subplot adds depth to her character, it occasionally falters in its execution, with certain aspects feeling less compelling than others. While grappling with technical shortcomings, the film’s central message of hope and resilience shines through, leaving viewers with a profound sense of reflection and empathy for the struggles of refugees. My Name is Loh Kiwan stands as a testament to the power of love to transcend barriers and illuminate the darkest corners of the human experience.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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Mashup of historical drama with VFX and monsters
Unlike several big-budget Korean series that have appeared in the wake of Squid Game, Gyeongseong Creature is admirably restrained in its narrative ambitions and never uses it's full potential.A historical drama infused with monsters and sci-fi stuff is brought down to some extent by poor quality CGI and ineffective chemistry between the leads. The pacing could have been better. The drama has some noticeable issues but it is still effective to please us, atleast to some extent.
Director Dong-yoon makes sure that while all the characters have their own little arc, it is Gyeongseong- the region that becomes a very important character in the narrative. The K-drama isn’t without its flaws. Every now and then, there are a few gaps in logic or parts of the plot that could have been explained better along with s better chemistry. But these are little things in the face of a drama that has used its solid production value to offer something out of the box, although it doesn't stand out completely.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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