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This review may contain spoilers
Reasons why you need to drop everything and watch Life right now:
▪︎The baddest of bad, the ultimate, Jo Seung Woo▪︎JSW's character here is one of the best drama characters I have seen in a long long while. He is such a legend. His acting is nuanced to the core. His character is the very much competent, cutthroat, focused, driven CEO who demands respect and time and time again proves himself to be worthy of the authority he has. Often he seems quite vicious and a corporate slave through and through as he spoke to the economist in me and tried his best to maximize his profits no. matter. what. And he is hella good at what he does too which basically means he is the resident bad guy.
Everybody hates him as they are powerless to do a thing against him. But under that slick suave bastard exterior, he is compassionate, fair, intelligent, caring and has a heart of gold. Ofcourse that doesn't give way to noble idiocy on his part and just because he can beautifully balance his humane and cunning side, it doesn't mean he isn't a force to be reckoned with.
The drama tried desperately to promote Lee Dong Wook as the main male lead but while he has his moments Life is Gyu Seung Ho's playground. It's his show through and through and I loved him so incredibly much that I can't even explain it.
▪︎Bromance & Friendship▪︎
Half of the show revolves around Lee Dong Wook and his brother and their bond is so adorable, sweet and heartbreaking that it gives you all the feels. But other than that brotherhood the drama is filled with relationships, loyalty, camaraderie and friendship between characters which is so endearing and treasured in such a hostile and brutal environment.
▪︎The tension▪︎
Oof. Like all 3 of Lee Soo Yeon's dramas, there's a lot of politics, philosophical questions and moral debates in this one too. It's less medical and more focused on the power struggle between the doctors and the management. And so I understand why people think it to be slow paced with heavy dialogues but goddamnit for me it was so engaging that I was hung on every word that came out of a character's mouth. I was completely attuned to them, focused and on the edge of my seat. It holds the same gravity and feeling of importance that Stranger 1& 2 had and the epic soudtrack just enhances it.
▪︎The romance▪︎
While not the main focus, it's woven so effortlessly and gorgeously in the storyline and just goes to enhance the personalities of the characters and make them more lovable. I am also extremely happy that my ship sailed hehe.
▪︎The FEELS▪︎
The show appeals to both your mind and your heart. While there is intelligent writing to satisfy the analytical part of your brain with a lot of mental workout there's also enough emotion for you to form a personal connection with the characters. I cried so much and surprisingly every time at small subtle moments, actions and interactions that weren't even tragic or done solely for some big emotional impact. There are no deaths or tragic birth secrets or white trucks of doom or other cheesy bullshit, there are just some extremely real, flawed and well developed characters that you hurt when they hurt and you are happy when they are happy.
▪︎Badass Women▪︎
You know me. You know if the female characters suck, no matter how awesome the male leads are, I am ready to fight. Thankfully all the females in this show are strong, some kick more ass than others but overall they are all extremely likeable.
The only reason I didn't give this show a 10 (tho it was a very very close shot) is because I expected more of the ending. It's very typical of Lee Soo Yeon. Her dramas always progress in such a grim way that you are expecting the worst to happen but then she comes in and hands you a bouquet of flowers with half of them missing.
Which saves your heart from breaking but it's also a bit lacklustre. Parts of it are uncharacteristically idealistic but then parts are extremely realistic as she doesn't try to solve every issue and leaves it up to the audience. It's a little frustrating and makes me not give her a full 10 but that also means I don't dare dock more than half a point 'cause these endings are still very much infused with warmth, hope and love.
It's definitely one of the best dramas out there. The cast is the same in all of her three shows so you know they are extremely gelled in with the writer and the acting is great across the board.
A must watch. Even more so for fans of Stranger 'cause there is a cameo in the last episode that will blow your socks away. ;)
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The first half was so poignantly and beautifully written while the second half was just plain bad writing. The music was phenomenal with stunning instrumental and heartwarming lyrics, yet the drama used those songs so repetitively that I got sick of them a little bit by the end. The acting was unbelievably amazing and yet, there was a lot of over done theatrics.
I cried, laughed, cared so much, and yet there were times where I was bored out of my mind.
It appeared quite sunny and cheerful on the surface but it had a lot of deep, dark psychological elements to it. The main character Ha Rip (Jung Kyung Ho) is goofy, sexy, mean like a feral kitten and oh so adorable and yet his actions were greedy, desperate, selfish and downright awful. It's painfully slow at times and yet it moves so fast in others. It's horribly predictable in one episode and then there's mind fuckery waiting for you the next.
It's both so good and so bad. Depending on which you choose to focus on, the drama will become that for you.
Despite all the bad, I personally enjoyed my time with it. I forged a connection with all the characters and felt so sentimental in almost every episode. I wish it was better written and all the unnecessary draggy parts to stretch the episodes weren't added but I felt like the cast did their best with it and it showed.
P.S Jung Kyung Ho. Enough said.
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The Most Formidable Bromance of 2021 that will bring you to your knees
Where do I even begin? This is the best detective thriller drama I have ever watched. There, I said it.How many of you have grown tired of watching crime shows that just don't feel exciting anymore?
So many times, crime dramas get lost in the 'next big moment' and finding the thrill factor that they stop connecting with the watcher.
Beyond Evil is a beautiful mix of emotion and supense. It's a blend of heartbreakingly slow, full of feeling moments and bone chilling darkness. It's not a super fast show. It takes its time as it unravels, develops and comes to fruition gorgeously- like a well simmered pot of stew.
The drama's biggest strength is its unforgettable characters and the mindblowing acting by the cast.
In the beginning it induces your trust issues in a gut punching manner by introducing its two seemingly morally grey and unreliable protagonists and then slowly but surely brings to light one of the best friendships the Korean cinema has ever seen.
Both the main leads are phenomenal, each holding their own and being a massive force to be reckoned with.
Shin Ha Kyun put out acting worthy of a Daesang. His reckless, passionate, wildly fearless and courageous detective with the biggest smile and eyes full of pain doesn't take long to cement his place in your heart.
Yeo Jin Goo, on the other hand, while young, owned his role phenomenally. His character Han Joo Won, a prickly, seemingly cold catlike man with heart of platinum and a strong sense of justice is extremely easy to fawn over.
Together, these two are a storm- infinitely badass with balls of steel; a dynamic team that you can't help but fall in love in with.
Aside from the two, all the supporting characters bring their own flavour to the screen. While their little self-proclaimed 'Avengers' police team brings instant warmth to your heart, the antagonists are blood boiling-ly good in equal measure.
The music is fantastic- sombre and dark at times; sometimes cheeky and playful and other times enough to wreck you. There are a lot of stunning shots and the drama is both extremely well written and directed.
The character development is amazing and the bonds these characters form among each other is a powerful thing to witness. There's so much nuance in these relationships and it's hard not to catch feelings and let go of your heart when it comes to a show like this.
Honestly, for me a good psychological thriller is hard to come by and this was by far one of the best. I was so invested in it that some of the scenes made me bawl my eyes out, while others made me laugh, giggle, swoon and shout HOLY FUCK at the top of my lungs.
They nailed both the emotion and the 'whodunnit' aspect in a way that's very unique to the genre.
It was a wild, crazy, full of thrill and heart ride that I almost don't want to get off of.
Surely, a must-watch. Highly reccomended for fans of psychological thrillers who like their dramas with a little extra oomph!
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Shin Hye Sun Running Circles Around Oppas that Can’t Act and a Crappy Plot that Can’t Plot
You know a writer has overestimated themselves when a show with an interesting premise, distorted timelines, flawed characters and major potential turns into pure, convoluted, nonsensical garbage.❌ The writing and execution in this is seriously bad. Like one of the worst I have seen in a long time. While the drama starts out very promising with unreliable protagonists who slowly reveal their intentions, it loses the plot somewhere in the middle and just ends up being vomit on screen that calls itself a script.
❌ Some things are added just for the sake of it - no logic or reasoning required. Random dead bodies in random freezers, random trucks of doom, random cabins in the freaking forest. There is so much randomness is this show, I was half convinced the writer was on shrooms.
❌ The drama tries desperately to be complicated but ends up coming off as confused as a floppy fish out of water. This was what I was afraid of when I saw who the director was. I have watched almost all of his dramas and things with him go either way. Either he nails his execution and gives you masterpieces like 25-21 and Search WWW or he completely fucks things up like in King Eternal Monarch. Unfortunately, this drama has the same floundering headless chicken execution that King Eternal Monarch had and it’s just sad.
❌ Then, there are the crappy love interests. There are literally three of those in this drama. The third ML is there for no reason. He is also basically a brother figure of the FL’s long term ex boyfriend (the ML) and his pursuit and feelings for her are just awkward, messy and add zero substance to the plot. Just one of those random things the show throws in just for the sake of it.
❌ However, ofcourse, the major downfall of this show are the two main oppas. First of all, neither of them are good actors. They are bland, plastic and have zero nuance to them. Also, their screen presence is in the negatives. I swear Kim Nam Gil’s sock has more screen presence than all of these 3 oppas combined.
❌ Second of all, both of the two male leads are severely unlikeable and selfish for the majority of the show.
❌ The first ML, Hyun Oh, who breaks up with the FL after eight years of dating is trash human being number one. He is selfish and thinks that the world revolves around his mommy issues and the fact that he has two dozen grannies to take care of.
❌ Oh, poor him, his sad oppa problems give him a get out of jail free card to be the most toxic, wishy washy faded red flag that you want to 10000% avoid in real life. And, when I say red flag, I don’t mean the sexy bad guy red flag, I just mean dirty mud blood red flag that is just disappointing and annoying.
❌ Their entire relationship is just about him. He constantly makes her feel like he is better than her and she constantly doubts herself. After dragging her along for eight years and breaking her heart, he still doesn’t cut it off clean. He keeps giving her mixed signals and doing things for her she never asked for so she can never fully move on. And the moment he hears that she COULD move on, he is all scandalised about it.
❌ This man’s head is so far up his own ass that he never realises how someone who he has claimed to love for YEARS is in unbearable pain. And while, I did like their past relationship scenes together and was initially rooting for him, with every episode it seemed he just got worse and worse. By the last episode, I wanted to throw him off a cliff and call it a day.
❌ Then, comes the second main oppa, Ju Yeon. I didn’t like his and Hyeri’s (Fl’s second personality) dynamic from the get go because it came off childish, awkward and silly. Which is fine because that was who Hyeri was supposed to be as a character. What is not fine is that when he learns about her disorder, his reaction is the WORST thing imaginable.
❌ Instead of consoling her or feeling for her, he makes her apologise for hurting him, REPEATEDLY. And then, keeps insisting that she bring the other damaged personality around because he is in love with it.
❌ The whole delusion around the fact that he is in love with a fictional personality and wants her to remain sick just so he can fulfil his own kinks is SICKENING.
❌ After that, I really didn’t see the romance in him waiting around for the personality to show up. It was just stupid and even though the drama later tried to convince us that he’d take her as both Hyeri and her original personality, his actions clearly reflected that he is still very much hung up over Hyeri.
❌ Ofcourse, it’s inevitable that the oppas do get some redeeming moments in the last couple of episodes where they finally focus on people other than themselves but I don’t really give a fuck. I make judgements on characters as the way they are throughout the entire drama not their last minute actions and from the way these two were, the only happy ending for the FL would have been was to stay alone and away. Hell, the 3rd ML who was basically irrelevant cannon fodder was the most likeable option.
❌Also, speaking of shitty things in this drama, let’s talk about the whole DID thing. I usually don’t care about the science and logic of these tropes and I don’t care here either but I feel like it’s almost romanticised. This constant question of were you more happy as the other personality? Then this whole grown ass man being in love with and constantly reinforcing the other personality after knowing the woman for one single MONTH.
❌It gave me a bad taste in my mouth because the FL’s second personality is just a defence mechanism and it’s unnatural, born out of trauma and shouldn’t even exist in the first place, much less be reinforced and constantly validated.
❌ But, I shouldn’t have cared about the technicalities because this drama seriously does not give a shit about authenticity. It pulls out the worst “Oppa’s love heals everything even if it’s freaking DID” card I have ever seen in a drama.
Especially when that love is toxic, unwanted, weirdly codependent and downright stupid. They didn’t even try to pretend like they were using the illness as anything other than a plot device.
❌ To top off the nonsense, every single problem in these people’s lives MAGICALLY gets solved in the eleventh episode. DID? Cured by good old Oppa humping. ML’s reason for breaking up with Fl in the first place which led to this 14 episode worth of junk being made? Solved in 2 seconds. Love triangle? Solved with a good old smiley, breakup date.
It is just outlandish how bad the writing is. There is no real healing or character development anywhere. You won’t find it even with a NASA grade microscope.
✅ So, is there anything good about this show? Yeah, it’s Shin Hye Sun. She is one of my favourite actresses and like always she does an excellent job here as well. Her acting range is insane. She is nuanced, charismatic, expressive and delivers both her roles with perfection.
✅ I loved her as the damaged, sassy, broken, insecure, overly dependent and deeply flawed Ju Eun Ho. She made me feel for her struggles and I absolutely rooted for her. (Atleast, I did root for her before she became a manic panic obsessed oppa groupie who was legit like “I missed your toenails” to her shitty ex boyfriend.)
✅ While I wasn’t as much of a fan of her Hyeri personality with how over the top she was with the whole childish get up, and the exaggeratedly slow speech, I still appreciated SHS for it because it did the job of what the show wanted to deliver with her.
✅ Shin Hye Sun grossly overpowered all other actors with her talent in this drama and it showed. She single-handedly carried it on her back and I hope she asked for a freaking full body deep tissue massage along with a hefty paycheque for this.
✅ To be honest, there are some other good aspects of the show as well. For one, the skin ship and the kisses in it are good. Some episodes pack a surprisingly emotional punch. There are some great cinematography and OST moments. Moreover, the ups and lows of a relationship in flashbacks are also nicely shown but overall, it’s not enough.
❌ Because when you don’t have all the plot holes, the unlikeable male leads, the bad acting, the terrible writing and the confused timelines, you have uninteresting side filler characters taking up the screen.
❌ The grannies are boring, the office people are annoying and all other supporting characters are lacklustre. The only one interesting side character is Hye Yeon but she doesn’t have enough agency to make you invested.
❌ Which is why, on the whole, this drama does feel like a lot of wasted potential and has the tendency to turn your brain cells to rot.
Take my free advice; save your time and your IQ and go watch something else.
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This review may contain spoilers
Generally speaking, I usually have the opposite effect for over-hyped things. The more hype a thing has, the more likely it is for me to not like it. I went into watching Eternal Love with low expectations and as I had predicted at the time, I didn't find it too extra ordinary in the beginning. STORY:
Eternal Love is comprised of the following three stages:
Episode 1-15:
This is when Yang Mi plays Si Yin and we are mostly being introduced to the characters. Ye Hua and Su Su meet up. It sets the pace of the story. This part doesn't have any wow factors, rather it provides an undercurrent of mild amusement. At this point you're not completely invested in the story but you also cannot let it go.
Episode 16-30:
Now this part was just plain torturous. This constructs the build up towards the main plot. It showcases Su Su's and Ye Hua's love and all the hardships she had to face as a mortal. Even though their sweet moments were heart warming, over-all this is literally the deadest portion of the show. It's not exactly the shows fault, rather the sypnosis's. We already know that SuSu is going to go blind and kill herself and honestly, I just felt like only after that, the true story would kick in which is why I had to fast forward some scenes because the whole wait did get, frankly, very boring. I understood that it was necessary for the character development and it provided a strong basis for the story to continue but that didn't mean that I found the drag-on particularly enjoyable. But since my intuition said that the light at the end of the tunnel would be very bright, I persevered.
Episode 30-58:
And this is when the show sky rockets to its summit. I think Episode 30 was by far the best episode made. From here onwards there are so many emotions; one great scene followed by another and suddenly I went from being half-heartedly interested to full on obsessed.
Acting:
Damn, I think I have a little bit of a crush on Yang Mi. She's such an absolute star to be honest. She portrayed her different personalities excellently. From the youthful and mischievous Si Yin, to the kind-hearted and vulnerable SuSu and finally to the boss ass queen Bai Qian; she simply slayed. There is this utter grace with which she speaks and moves that you can't help but be entranced by her. She was the true embodiment of a Queen and a total badass. Her fighting scenes were so empowering and the way she wields that Jade Purity Fan; just dang. She's a woman of power to her core and when Ye Hua forcefully kisses her once, she doesn't just let it be -nuhhun- she bestows him with a five fingered bitch slap 'cause ain't nobody messing with the Queen of Qing Qiu.
Mark was also a very nice surprise. He expressed a multitude of emotions just with his eyes. He didn't have to speak or show rather even the slightest twitch of his face spoke volumes. To be honest, I really fell in love with Ye Hua's character in the later part of the show. He's so selfless and devoted in his affection for Bai Qian that you can't help but root for him. Mark's delivery of Mo Yuan's character was also very impressive. Mo Yuan is a personality that demands respect and he gave him the elegance and majestic aura that was required.
Their chemistry is sizzling hot and both of them compliment each other to the max. I love how their love story transcends all worlds and they're two people destined to be together. I mean towards the end I was so committed to seeing their happy ending that for the first time in my life, I deliberately went to seek out spoilers just so I could have a consolation that everything wouldn't be in vain. Even though the ending is pretty sappy and the consequent events just turn out to be interestingly very very convenient for everybody, I think I wouldn't have opted for less.
The most annoying part of this show probably has to do with everything that was related to the Ghost Realm. Xian nu is literally the world's dumbest villain to ever grace the screens. I mean sure if you gonna be a negative ass bitch, filled to the brim with inferiority complexes, the least you can do is actually have some brains to execute your deviltry, instead she remains pitiful throughout and besides being an annoyance, doesn't amount to much.
Never fear though, because her husband matches her toe to toe as far as stupidity is concerned. Li JIng has a constant "woe-is-me" expression plastered on. He always acts like he is the most tragic person alive and he's constantly throwing pity parties and pining after someone he wronged. Like really bitch, if you gon' whine about how pathetic your life is and how you're suffering so much you should've thought better when you decided to waste your life being a nuisance and cheating on someone you supposedly loved. Smh. I was very thankful when both of these roaches finally ended up dead 'cause they literally belonged with each other in hell.
One of the best things about Eternal Love are the side stories. I had so much love for Dijun and Feng Jiu. Dijun, with his constantly amused face (as if the whole world was a huge joke to him) and Feng Jiu, with her endearing personality and child like tendencies really won me over. This show has so much character development and attention to detail. With excellent emotional delivery and story writing, I think the hype surrounding it is more or less justified.
One thing that I found hilarious was how little Bai Qian truly cared for her son like, ain't nobody got time for that but A-li is legit a ball of adorableness and the few moments they share together are absolute bliss.
Rewatching a 58 episode show is no easy feat so I don't think that I'd be doing that but there are definitely some iconic moments that I have already watched a thousand times over and will continue to revisit.
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Oh. My. God. This show is so ridiculously bad, I'm not even mad anymore.
What's worse is that I think I actually may have enjoyed it instead.Game Rai Game Rak, like almost all Lakorns comes with its fair share of bullshit. You've got an old Island crone whose eyes turn bright blue everytime she sees the future (which ofcourse is completely irrelevant to the plot), you've got a one-dimensional villain, a nasty insecure bitch of a relative who basically destroys lives left and right but somehow has a change of heart in the last ten minutes of the show, wins everyone over and sets off in the sunset without ever having to pay for her crimes.
You've got a selfless and highly forgiving damsel in distress who's constantly being sexually, physically and mentally harassed by our main lead who misunderstands her because of trusting the lies his worst enemy fed him.
Not the brightest tool in the shed, I tell you.
Ofcourse there is always that one guy who is like a brother to our heroine (however always conveniently having waaay more skinship than normal siblings have) who inspires jealousy and possessiveness in the male lead who then proceeds to humiliate the heroine by calling her a slut and whatnot. We also can't possibly forget the one or two or in this case, three other guys who're interested in the female lead and are so insignificant, they might as well be invisible.
Everything is overdramatic and over the top. Rape gets romanticized like nobody's business. People get shot and catch bullets on the daily. Corny dialogues flow out like bad breath everytime someone opens their mouth. Obnoxious music starts playing every ten minutes; effectively swiping away any sincerity that the show managed to portray. Scenes are constantly repeated and the plot-line soon gets derivative.
In short, it's an honest to God definition of a hot mess.
But then again, nobody watches Lakorns for a solid story, well developed characters or a good plot with lack of loopholes. No, people mostly watch Lakorns because they're the classic guilty pleasures and because they get the chemistry between characters spot-on.
Game Rai Game Ruk is no different, which is why despite everything, I still watched it to the end.
This is the third Thai drama starring Yaya, that I have watched and unsurprisingly she impressed me once again. Her acting is always a 100% genuine and the characters she brings to life are so hard not to love.
Game Rai Game Rak is very very similar to Kleun Cheewit; having an almost identical feel at times, but where Jeerawat was a fierce and fearless woman, Fahlada radiates innocence. She's pure, delicate and basically the classic good girl- all the while, successfully staying far away from the 'kind but dumb' category everybody hates.
However, as adorable as she is, I feel that if you don't like YaYa you might not like Fahlada either. In Kleun Cheewit, I started to love the actress because of the drama and her role in it but in GRGR, I liked the drama only because I loved the actress and if I had seen this drama first I might've never adored Urassaya as much as I do now.
After watching this drama I finally understand why Yaya and Nadech are such a big deal in Thai entertainment industry. Their chemistry is absolutely electric and while I did feel that Nadech has a short emotional range as an actor, I believe this was one of his best roles.
From start to finish, it's impossible to hate Saichon. Even when things get ugly and he acts like an ultimate creep by smelling Fah's hair when she isn't looking, taking pictures of her when she's unaware, spying on her with a telescope, tying her up again and again and degrading her, (there's always the unforgivable and romanticised implied rape and all the other times he makes her cry and do things without her will) the reason you can't hate him is because of their sweet as hell moments in the island and the surety that no matter how rotten he acts he still deeply loves Fahlada.
The ultimate on-his-knees groveling session at the end and the fact that Fahlada hits him quite a lot all the time really does help his case furthur and to be honest, even though I am highly unforgiving of assholes there was never a moment where I didn't root for them to be together.
So all in all, Game Rai Game Rak is the kind of show that you can only watch while being extremely lenient 'cause the moment you start to notice all that is wrong with it, you'll start hating it. While I reccomend this for a good time-pass, personally, I skipped and fastforwarded a lot of scenes because, as the show progresses the episodes begin to be filled with more of the same thing. So even if it is skipped a bit, it won't effect the over-all watching experience.
Your classic bad boy-good girl story that you'll love to hate and hate to love and unfortunately do both by the end.
Enjoy!
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Despite a few flaws here and there, Save Me is undoubtedly that one Korean Drama that comes to the closest degree of perfection.
The beauty of the show is in its fearlessness. It yanks out all the controversial social issues that people keep hidden behind opaque curtains and exposes them for what they are.
Religeous extremism, bullying, corruption and abuse of power are laid bare infront of you in their ugliest form.
There's a perverse darkness to the show. This constant undercurrent of foreboding and this feeling that you're watching something that you shouldn't watch. Despite the fact that it has no explicit scenes, the drama still manages to come off as an undeniable Taboo.
Save Me excels at every factor that makes a good show. Excellent direction, a tight narrative and a well-thought out, intelligent script make it impossible for the viewer to not get invested.
Every character and role, no matter how minor, is extremely fleshed out; consequentially making all the more impact.
It is only right that a brilliant script would be backed up by brilliant acting and sure enough, our actors don't disappoint.
At first I thought that I wasn't getting enough from Seo Yeo Ji but as the episodes progress you're entranced by her. Sang Mi is a strong woman caught in a vulnerable position. From determination and rebellion to helplessness, frustration and finally utter desperation; it's an awful never-ending cycle for her.
The deadly world of religeous fanaticism is wonderfully portrayed and Sang Mi's battle with sanity amongst masses of deranged manics shakes you to the core. Her love for her mother, her strong will to save herself, her despair and her agony are all emotions that you feel alongside with her.
However, the star of the show is undoubtedly Woo Do Hwan. I felt so deeply for Dong Cheol that I often found myself tearing up at the unfairness of his situation. He's a warrior with a heart of platinum and a soul that shines. He's sexy, sweet and broken. And I was in love with every version of him. I cherished every moment he was on-screen and missed him every moment he wasn't. It's truly remarkable how excellently Woo Do Hwan acted despite having very little experience under his belt, and that too, in a way that he stole the show from much experienced actors.
Okay, so you know those flaws I mentioned in the beginning? Well, Han Sang Hwan is the biggest one. Considering I'm an egalitarian, I hate noble idiots and goody two saints equally regardless of their gender; and Sang Hwan, to put it frankly, is a little bitch.
Despite the fact that he is the show's hero and this 'leader' that the drama writers want to force you to like- he isn't much at all. He's the classic privileged rich kid with daddy issues that you can find in every other wealthy neighborhood. His character is like an after-thought to the story and Taecyon for me, was very unmemorable.
I hated the fact that the drama, time and time again took away the spotlight from the life of the show (Dong Cheol) and gave it to him. At one point I was bad-wishing him almost as much as I was cursing the evil guys but hilariously enough, he failed in almost of all his hero missions (rescue plans and outsmarting people) all by himself. Until the last few episodes, his character retains the heroic but dumb vibe and I just couldn't take him seriously. Especially when all the real work was done by Dong Cheol.
However, the saving grace about Save Me is that even though it makes it clear who the main leads are, it doesn't discriminate in screen-time. Every single character is given their moment to shine and that is the sole reason why Taecyon did not make me snatch one star back from the rating.
The villains are cleverly written. They are all complex characters driven by different motivations and are as compelling as they are hateful. There are some very lovable side characters- Mr GateKeeper being my personal favorite- and some good ol' bromance to keep things balanced.
Save Me is a show that makes you feel. I found silent tears trekking my cheeks in miserable moments and then there were times I wanted to scream and yank my hair out from frustration. The drama kept me hooked to the screen from start to finish and brought out a whole lotta physical reactions from me.
The OST, mostly instrumental, is pure genius. Played at all the right moments; it incites dread, anticipation and panic in the on-lookers.
There are no plot inconsistencies and the show ends beautifully, providing deep satisfaction and closure, while simultaneously teasing that maybe all that evil isn't gone for good? Who knows.
Personally, this show was right up my alley. It kept me guessing throughout and from the moment I pressed the play button to the time the ending credits rolled; my heart felt like it was in a chokehold of fear for the characters.
While this show may not be for everyone, if you want to test your boundaries and tread into dark waters; Save me is, without a doubt, a must watch.
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This show was awful, horrible and miserable down to every scene. I wanted to punch the fuck out of every single character at one point. It was so dark, disturbing and frustrating and yet, it was excellent too. To the point that it captured me so deeply that it was a downward spiral that I couln't help but be swept into.
This is precisely the reason, I understand its poor rating on MDL but also why it was a super duper mega hit in Korea when it aired.
The acting and character development definitely took the cake in this one.
Jo In Sung. Jo In fucking Sung left excellence behind with his role. I have no words to describe his acting. It was simply wonderful. His character, Jung Jae Min, violent, crazy, childish, often pathetic, vindictive, violent and simply irredeemable didn't leave much to be desired and yet, he definitely made the list to become one of my most favorite characters of all time.
Ha Ji Won, ofcourse the queen of queens. Her character has to be one of the most despicable characters in K-drama history. Lee So Jung was a slap in the face of every self respecting woman. Greedy, desperate, classless, disloyal, annoying to the point of making you feel violence and yet, there was nobody but Ha Ji Won who could have played her. Because, despite the fact that she was everything I couldn't stand, I still found myself rooting for her. Like I said, only Ha Ji Won.
This was So Jisub's breakout role and I can definitely see why. He is the king of emoting from the eyes and he did it spectacularly here. Out of the three of them, his character was the least dislike-able and yet, despite my love for him, I found myself rooting for him the least.
Many international drama watchers think the show is famous for So Jisub but that's not true. This show is Ha Ji Won and Jo In Sung's through and through.
People said it was the greed of the characters that made them destroy each other but I think it was the desperation, madness and pain that each of them harbored. They were all victims of life in their own way and that made them make all the worst decisions possible. This was humanity at its worst with selfishness at its peak and yet, you couldn't help but feel sympathetic for these unlucky souls.
The show is a hard watch. I can't even count how many times I had to pause in between because I was so sick and emotionally exhausted by the complexity of these characters and their actions. But I was unable to drop it and now that I have finished it, I don't regret watching it at all.
The ending was exactly how it should have been. The OST was spot on. And while the show is dated, it still does not fail to pack a solid punch even after all these years.
So all in all, it's a show that you will hate with characters you will hate but if you aren't afraid to tread into dark waters and get out of your comfort zone, once you'll start you'll be unable to stop. And when you end it, you'll have no regrets.
Definitely one of my favorites.
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It was one of my highest anticipated dramas of 2017 and I was expecting that first episode in and I'd be ready to give it a solid 10. However, as I watched the series, one by one all my hopes came crashing down.
The drama's worst flaw was its lack of an original plot. The fact that it was extremely badly written with a truck load of plot-holes and stroppy pacing, didn't help the case. From the first episode to the last, I guessed everything that was going to happen. It was such cliché, same old bs that at one point, I was even correctly predicting the character's dialogues before they spoke them. I saw plot-twists coming from miles ahead. I knew exactly what the main leads were going to do and how they were going to do it. Trust me, it ain't a nice feeling when you're ten steps ahead of your main leads.
Some people say that a show is only as good as its antagonists and that is one another point where Witch Court loses out on. From the daily episodic rapists to the main antagonist, all the villains were less than mediocre and slight variations of one another. It's like they were trying way too hard to be evil but unfortunately, ended up being cheesy instead.
You know how when kids do something bad, like steal a cookie and you ask them about it and they're all innocent smiles to your face but the moment you turn your back, they start smirking mischievously, triumphant that they managed to ''fool'' you? That's exactly how the bad guys were in this show.
The cringey smiles and 'evil laughs' they gave behind our main lead's back just added to their extra personalities and not in a good way. I mean how many times before have we seen a story about a corrupt Mayor in power being the villain, acting all nice and kind infront of the camera? Too many times to count. Bring me something new, please.
All the side characters were poorly constructed, barely making any contribution to the plot.
At first, I was very intrigued by our male lead. He seemed like a breath of fresh air, unlike the typical macho alpha assholes. He was supposed to be this smart, gentlemanly guy who actually gave our heroine the upperhand. How amazing, right? Not really.
Even though he is made out to be different from all the other drama male leads, the show still shoves him into the 'cool tall neighborhood oppa' stereotype. I'm always amazed when everyday prosecutors adopt ninja fighting skills out of nowhere. But those things were the least of his problems, because as the show progressed he became increasingly annoying. I love my upright handsome guys who're adamant to uphold the law but, Prosecutor Yeo was just all talk and no show. He had the classic 'dumb but heroic' vibe throughout. Way too self-righteous and equipped with dramatic declarations, he didn't do any of the actual work and soon became a pain in the ass I could really do without.
Even though the show is tagged 'romance' there was nothing of that sort here. The main couple had no chemistry and they just seemed like regular colleagues on good terms.
Surprisingly, the show did its flashbacks fairly well but like I mentioned before, the pacing was shit. Things that needed to be drawn out and be dramatic were so anti-climactic and things that needed to be rushed on were dragged out.
Some things that happened were so questionable because they were far out of the sphere of logic. Most of the times, our prosecutors won the cases because of convenient plot devices instead of actual smarts.
So seeing all these flaws, it's quite just that I rate it low right? But why then, does it pain me so much to do so? Well the answer is: Ma Yi Deum.
The heroine of this show was undeniably the saving grace. She was the only thing unique about the otherwise run-of-the-mill drama. Watching her antics was absolute bliss. Jung Ryeo Won brought forth a character that was extremely real and relatable. Often, I felt like she was my soul sister considering how many similarities I had with her. This is also why she was so easy to connect with.
I loved the fact that she went through life staying true to herself and not giving a fuck about what people thought. Even though, at times, she acted like she was all over the place, in reality she was a very composed and strong woman. Her face remained impassive in the worst of situations and she always had some clever tricks up her sleeve. Her bright smile, dark red lipstick and bad hair cases gave me so much life.
She was the one making the show, for every second she went off-screen the show turned utterly boring. Ma Yi Deum was so lovable and a character that I'll always remember. This is the reason why, even though I have a lot of problems with this show I still reccomend it so that other people can witness Prosecutor Ma's quirky weirdness and like me, be thoroughly entertained by it too.
The fact that the show revolved around rape cases is something I found to be commendable. Rape is a taboo topic and people often hesitate talking about it so openly and this show (while not perfectly) still managed to bring some fairly brutal cases on the forefront and that effort needs to be acknowledged.
The OST doesn't really stand out but the instrumental that plays at Ma Yi Deum's badass moments was really good.
I hope who ever reads this considers this review a good thing, instead of being let down because this will lower your expectations and then when you do end up watching the show you'll be pleasantly surprised.
While this is not a drama you can go in with the thought that your high hopes will be met, it is definitely a good time-pass.
Enjoy!
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I am sure that if someone with a critical eye was to peruse through this review, they'd "Tsk Tsk" just like El Temur did to show his condescension for things he thought beneath him but I am past the point of caring. For I am hopelessly and utterly in love with everything about this drama, blissfully ignorant to all of its flaws and honored to have witnessed characters that made me feel all there was to feel and more.
After I was done with it, I felt so emotionally spent that it was almost physical. Every waking moment of my existence had been consumed by this production and the withdrawal symptoms were kicking in with a vengeance. Now, there is so much to say, but not enough words. I want to shout its praises from the rooftops but I'll settle for writing this review that can't possibly ever truly deliver the amount of feeling I had for this drama.
This is a story about vengeance, lust for power, loyalty, sacrifice, the blurry line between good and evil, the ugly side of human nature and lastly one woman's quest for justice. You cannot go into this if you don't want to get invested because trust me you will. It will possess you and maneuver you around like a puppet until its characters' emotions are your own, their pain your pain, their heartbreak your heartbreak and it will make you want to burst from all the sensory overload.
If I am to be honest, I admit that I have never seen a more brilliant piece of acting before. From the minute roles to the colossal one's every single act is done with perfection.
This was my first time watching Ha- Ji Won and six episodes in, I had already added her to my favorite actress list and vowed that I will not stop until I had followed her into every show she ever starred in. Simply put, she is my Queen. Her acting is so real and raw that it breaks you every time and leaves you in awe. It's really no surprise that she won a Daesang for her role.
I don't think I have ever felt more strongly for any female heroine before Niang. The intensity of love that I felt for her was crazy. She's a woman of power, deadly beyond measure, a master mind and the definition of strength. In Asian Dramas, there is always more talk than walk about how intellectual the heroine is. Producers use the classic element of make believe and create so much hype that people really start to see the MC as smart and witty even when there are no visible actions to back it up. In the synopsis it would be stated repeatedly how much of a genius she is, the characters in the show would boast about her relentlessly but in reality she usually turns out to be a hollow personality-less beauty vessel constructed on baseless compliments.
Niang doesn't roll that way. She is the real deal from the start; a highly intelligent woman, a schemer, a warrior, a meticulous planner and a ruthless executioner. She doesn't need other people to gass her up, because everything she does speaks for itself. She doesn't require saving because she is the savior. She is a Queen in every sense of the word and honestly, I would rather kill everyone -love interest or not- if they dared hurt her. My heart clenched whenever she faced a setback, my fists pumped and I screamed joyfully every time she was victorious, I cried with her, I smiled with her and I rooted for her every single time. I can honestly sing odes in way of her perfection and it would still not be enough.
Before I started with the drama, I had heard a lot of praise for Ji Chang Wook and when I saw his face and got a glimpse of the character he played I had instantly stuck my nose up, jutted my foot out and turned the other way. I thought that there was no way that I'd ever root for such a privileged, weak and spoiled wimp of a Prince. It didn't help that I had hated characters like him in the past (See: Goo Joon Piyo from Boys over flower, Mike He from Full house, Yune from MiSa) but as I watched, piece by piece the ice around my heart fell off until I was effectively boarded and happily sailing on his ship.
Ji Chang Wook is a gem and I truly believe he deserved a Daesang too. Ta Hwan is a highly flawed character and an anti-hero at best. He's selfish, cowardly, naive and obsessive. For one good deed is followed by a hundred missteps on his part and there were multiple times where I wanted to just slap him senseless. But despite all this, JCW made me fall in love with him. A lesser actor or any other actor for that matter, couldn't have even dreamed to do the same.
He's the type of character that you'd love to hate and hate to love but soon enough you see the deep scars he harbors, the purity of his heart and you understand him. In a palace full of people under his command, he's utterly lonely, horribly abused by everyone he trusts, constantly forced into his insecurities and you cannot help but weep for him and the pain he has had to suffer. Once you understand him, every horrible action he commits doesn't make you hate him, rather it breaks your heart. I had so much affection for him that I bawled every time he was either volatile, helpless or bordering on insanity. I honestly prayed for his relief.
As for the other male lead, I had my doubts about Joo Jin Mo at times but soon, I realized that he held his own too. Even though I felt like Wang Yu was way too likable I did come to adore him. The loyalty his men showed to him, his persistence in fighting for his country and his devotion to Niang warmed my heart. Plus, the guy has really beautiful and expressive eyes.
As far as the couple ships are concerned, Ta Hwan and Niang was the only one that made sense to me. Sure, Wang Yu and Niang have some heart warming moments and their love for each other is supposed to be strong but the moments between Ta Hwan and Niang are simply emotionally intense. There is so much misery between them but their relationship is powerful. She builds him up when he's nothing, she's his support system and his love for her is obsessive because in the midst of so much cruelty she is his only friend and confidante. The only time he attempts to be selfless is when he's with her and she makes him want to be a better man.
Tbh, they both were my babies and they absolutely dominated the show.
The beauty of this show is that everything bad that could possibly happen; happens. In most shows you don't have to guard your heart because you're sure that when things are their absolute worse, a convenient plot device will somehow come in handy and save the characters from catastrophe but here, there is no such luck. The villains are extremely fleshed out and three dimensional which makes it all the more easy to despise them. This drama truly depicts that 'evil is bad that believes it's good' and that is the most dangerous thing about the awful one's because somehow they all have reasons that are wholly justified in their eyes. People I liked transitioned into horrible power hungry monsters and people I hated with a passion tried to force me to feel pity for them. It was such a mixture of charcoal and pristine that I was constantly in a whirlwind.
I'm not going to lie; I bawled a lot in this drama. However, none of my tears flowed when people died or were killed rather they were for the tiny moments; the moments where the helplessness of the characters was shown, the moments where they are trying their best to hold on but falling apart, when they are striving to fight madness but stumbling and it's so beautifully heartbreaking that it wrenched out sobs from me.
This drama is filled with small immensely impactful scenes that combine to make the whole production powerful.
The side characters are very strong and multiple story-lines make the drama diverse and interesting. I majorly love me some Tal Tal; the smart, loyal and brooding man that you just can't get enough of. Wang Yu's men were always a source of happiness; Jokho and many others too make the list.
One thing I agree with many reviewers was that I too wanted the MC's to take a breather. From start to finish they are battling complication after complication and I desperately wanted the sweet moments to be drawn out and for them to bask a little more in the fleeting happiness they were granted. I mean, I wanted to see the faces I love express joy so badly that after finishing the show, I spent hours watching behind the scenes and blooper videos to lighten my heart and seeing those actors laugh and goof around filled me with inexplicable warmth.
As far as the ending is concerned, I'll dole out the same advice a friend gave to me and that is to not dread the tragedy too much for it's something that's bound to happen and you might actually find it quite acceptable. Who knows?
I have said so much, yet I feel that there is so much more to say. I am positive that I can write a thesis on my love for this drama and still not be satisfied so I'm going to end this here.
Every single second of this is nerve wracking in some way, the violence isn't over-produced, the action scenes are beautiful, the dialogues are excellent and although I never really re-watch seasons even when I say that I will, this is one season that I'm absolutely certain that I will binge re-watch and will most probably once again, be strung like a live wire because of all the feels.
An undeniable must watch.
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In short: This drama will bring about a physical reaction in you and you still won’t regret watching it one bit. You can quote me on that.
I think the title of this show pretty much tells its entire story. “Mother”. The amount of importance this word holds. The responsibility, love and sacrifice that comes with it. How some women can never be worthy to embrace it while some own it and wear it as a second skin. This show highlights how much a mother’s actions can define a child’s life. How sensitive the stage of childhood is and ultimately, how family can transcend blood.
I haven’t watched the original so I can’t make comparisons but judging this drama on its own standing, I will say it was one of the most beautifully written, directed and acted pieces of production I have ever seen. No amount of praise is enough for the actors. I am not a fan of Lee Bo Young but she embodied her character perfectly here. Lee Hye Young, my favorite veteran actress once again brought forth a character I will forever remember and treasure and finally, the star of the show: 7 year old Heo Yool. I am still speechless at how a child so young could execute such a difficult character with such mastery and that also in her first role ever. I am going to follow her career throughout her life and I’m positive that she’s going to take the world by a storm and I can only hope she wasn’t scarred by playing the widely complex role of Kim Hye Na.
The drama comes with excellent dialogue and symbolism. It is also morbidly suspenseful, as in you desperately want to know what happens next but are afraid to find out at the same time. I really don’t have anything to complain about and the only reason I took one star back was because so many emotionally powerful things kept happening throughout the show that by the last two episodes, I was just spent and exhausted and my capacity to react had vanished which is why I watched the end with a sort of indifference.
However, I will say that even though the process is painful the drama ends with a sweet relief that we all earnestly wished for.
A must-watch.
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This drama is a total hypocrite. It tells one thing and shows something entirely different. Supposedly, it tells the viewers that it's against patriarchy with the 'girls can be great at computer science too' bullshit. It preaches 'brains over beauty' and all that spirtual crap however, it 'shows' an entirely different story; for this drama, in its core is wholly patriarchal. The main heroine only truly gets acclaimed for her beauty and even though she is supposed to be this smart person with a trillion scholarships, we don't really see proof of her intellect. Sure, she wins a few games against other weak ass females but the moment she goes against a powerful male opponent, she loses which is why her MegaGenius boyfriend has to sit by her and dictate all the moves and only then, she claims victory. Like okay?
The male character is honestly, so overhyped and again, if we really try to find the heroine's contribution to the plot, you'll find none. She is supposed to be this brilliant computer junky and yet, when she does the internship (in a company filled with men) her sole job is to bring food, drinks and matresses to the guys who work day and night. Like??
So even though, on surface it looks like this unique drama with a never before seen plot, in its core, it is still filled to the brim with superficiality.
Now, lets talk about the cast and characters. The main guy is literally a robot. Like, the kid has no emotional depth whatsoever and so clearly the actor didn't have to tire himself by actually acting because all his role requires is to be a pretty but expressionless face. To make matters worse, he's a chauvinistic a-hole. And not in the 'bad boy' way, where you love and hate them, no, in his case you're just annoyed by him. He is literally so perfect and the only flaw he has is the fact that he can't cook. I mean, come on.
To be honest, between his extra hairy armpits, pre-pubescent face and red ears, he isn't really much. Also, what irked me is the fact that he treats his girlfriend like a pet (dog). (No kidding, she actually herself makes the comparison once.) And he's full of himself, sadly, without much basis.
Like the girl is having a fight with her best friend and instead of really consoling her or saying some meaningful shit he says, "She's a very small part of your life, while I'm your everything. From now on, you're not allowed to shed tears for anyone else." Now this is the exact fucking quote, no lie and the braindead heroine actually feels comforted by this. Deceased.
I mean don't get me wrong, I love his type; the cold, uncaring, perfectionist asshole who eventually thaws towards the heroine. We have Simon Bo, Kang Ma Roo and so on but all these characters have different sides to them and they show complex personalities, Nai is the same from beginning to end and I can't believe I'd tolerate a lifeless and boring as hell person like him in real life.
Now, the heroine: Sure, she's cute, quirky and very gorgeous and unfortunately, the only one acting in the show. But soon, you realize that she's recycling her facial expressions, so much that her acting becomes quite monotonous after a while.
Speaking of monotonous, the whole show is dead asf. Here are so irrelevant scenes that you just stare at the screen trying to comprehend why the hell are you being shown this unnecessary shit. The game scenes are depthless. The fighting scenes lack vigor. And I wanted to bang my head against a cactus, everytime the heroine interacted with her friends because all they did was act like juvenile brats and gushed about the main guy. I mean, you guys are supposed to be these tech savvy college students, the least you can do is show an ounce of maturity, but no. Too much to fucking ask.
Furthermore, I think I froze because of all that ice between the couple, tbh. There is no heat or chemistry whatsoever and they remain awkward and detached throughout. The affection seems forced and their union wasn't natural at all. Atleast the guy has one quality; he's an excellent kisser but the girl literally stands like a dead fish in response. No, even a dead fish has some sort of pucker going on, this girl just has her lips in a straight line and proudly shows that kissing her is akin to that of kissing a cardboard box.
For me, romance or basically any sort of relationship can only thrive and grow stronger if two people go through complications and get out of it together. Or if, they do selfless and thoughtful things for each other, no matter how small. Here, everything is rainbow and joy- literally no problems at all- and the best things the characters do for each other is treat each other to meals. That's all. Which is why their relationship is so flat, unrealistic and plagued by stangnancy throughout the show. Tsk, tsk.
The only thing fairly enjoyable was the actions of the hero's friends. Those three made me laugh a bit from their silly antics but that's about it.
Rewatch value? This stuff doesn't even have 'watch it once' value. The drama truly highlights that people will always be attracted to surface beauty no matter how much substance it lacks. This is an absolute fail and I only recommend it for people who want mindless fanservice and zero plot.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ok wow. Black is a conundrum with equal parts things to love and equal parts things to hate. It is excellent at times but tragically bad at others and after you’re done with it, you’ll find yourself fully understanding where both the highly positive and negative views are coming from. Your final rating will simply depend on the aspect you choose to focus on. So here’s the spoiler-free break down of the good and bad that comes with the show:The Bad:-
Bad Acting and Annoying ASF Characters:
1) Our Female Lead:Kang Ha Ram was your everyday damsel in distress/dumb but kind/self-sacrificing/self-blaming/bumbling-fumbling idiotic heroine who should’ve been as unmemorable as they come. And she really was that way as long as Go Ah Ra didn’t attempt to “act” but then somebody gave her the awful idea that she should “try and make an effort” and that’s when things went sour for me. Her acting was so monotonous and try-hard that at times I too wanted to stab my eyes with a metallic chopstick. Just at the slightest inclination of danger, she started this weird hyperventilating/gasping/whimpering regime and trust me, nobody wants to hear that kind of constant panting in the ear in, what is supposed to be, an emotionally intense scene. Simply put, it made me feel violence.
2) Kim Won Hae:Ladies and Gents, let me introduce you to the supporting ahjussi version of Lee Jong Suk (minus the looks ofc) He has the classic “same character, different drama” thing going on and that’s why what was supposed to be the role of a quirky and passionate police officer soon turned into the “same ol’ bs” for me. It didn’t help that I had watched two of his dramas (WYWS/CHIEF KIM) back to back (in which I really liked him) before Black and his acting chops (or lack thereof) were quite apparent to me .
3)The Second Male/Female Lead:The second female lead was a slightly updated version of Kang Ha Ram. Atleast, she had some reason for her constant hyperventilation. The poor woman was literally used as a plot device for the show (with zero character development) and spent the entirety of the drama getting abused/hit/humiliated/kidnapped and you know the routine…The second male lead was the male equivalent of the female and second female lead combined so you know there’ wasn’t much hope to begin with. There was equally bad acting done by all three of them to wrap their disastrously written characters with a sparkly bow on top.
4) Side Characters:There are a lot of side characters with straight up cringey acting which made me question my own existence. Like why? Their roles weren’t even hard. It was like watching a bad rehearsal instead of the actual thing.
-Pacing and Plot Development:
Black’s pacing is admittedly very messy. The drama starts being all over the place, it’s draggy and confusing and you almost want to drop it but then episode 5 kicks in. And somehow it turns from “meh” to “holy shit that’s awesome”. And then just when you’re ready to give it a 10, the drama reaches the 12th episode mark and things start to go downhill. The last couple of episodes were probably some of the most badly executed/poorly written/sappy and disappointing episodes I’ve had the displeasure of witnessing in a drama. The ending was also done in poor taste. Some of the reveals could’ve been brilliant but the show failed to pull it off, so much so, that when everything finally hit the fan, I was almost yawning like “So this what was all the hype was about?” Not impressed.
-Bullshit-O-Meter on Level 100:
Honestly, if you’re watching the show objectively you’ll find a lot of loopholes and things that don’t add up. Some scenes were flat-out ridiculous and laughably unbelievable. There’s a level of “illogical” I can put up with under the label of fantasy but when you just start bullshitting your way through things, just to wrap it all up, I’m sorry but I’m not buying. The amount of convenient plot devices in the last coupla episodes were tragic and the poor props used by the production team just made things more tacky.
The Good:-
Well Done Anti-Hero/Male Lead:
I simply adored Grim Reaper 444/Black. He was the life of the show and could often be seen carrying it on his sexy back. I actually think Song Seung Hoon pulled it all off quite brilliantly. I loved the way he went from this cold/blunt/almost selfish jerk to this kind hearted man. I loved everything about him- his hilarious antics, his cute attempts to adjust to the human world, the way the actor delivered his dialogues and his poignant expressions that actually made you “feel” so much for him. He pulled both his roles as the “clumsy police officer” and “the stoic Grim Reaper” perfectly. Even though his character took some hits because of the bad writing towards the end, they weren’t nearly big enough to downplay all his awesomeness. Plus those black suits were mighty good to him. I couldn’t get enough.
-Suspense/Mystery:
Even though the ending reveals and the wrap-up could’ve been much much better, the journey towards the revelations was excellent. There were some genuine thrilling moments and the show executed the suspense marvellously. I was dying to know what was going to happen at times and was clueless about how it was all going to end (except one of the big reveals that I had figured out quite early in the show). The way some things connected to each other in some of the individual cases had me gripping the edge of my old rusty futon. As a hardcore fan of the mystery genre, I really appreciated some of the twists and turns the story took. After a very long time, I had myself a show where I was genuinely interested in knowing the results. I was badly anticipating the “wow-wow-superwow moments” and even though the results disappointed me, I’d never for a moment take back the beautiful process.
-The Middle:
For me the middle of the show (ep 5-11) was definitely the best of it. There were some legit interesting cases that our main guys took over. The show pulled off the darkness and violence of every crime quite nicely and ended up being fairly impactful. In this phase of the show I was sure I was going to give it a solid 10; for the execution of these episodic stories was far better than the over-arching plot.
-Black’s two “Reaper Best Friends”:
Jo Jae Yun is my favorite supporting actor and I’ve loved him in all his roles. Joseon along with our adorable Rapper brought some much needed comedic relief and warmth to the show. Their interactions with Black made my day.
-The Killers:
A few of the killers/criminals in the show were just the right flavor of creeptastic.*Scarface, I’m looking at you.” This did wonders for the psychological aspect of the drama. You get a glimpse of how horrible some humans can be and it is ugly. I loved it.
-OST:
The OST was very appropriate and the soft vocals gave a very melancholic feel that was just right for the show. The instrumentals helped too.
-Leo:
Lmao ok so he was actually quite irrelevant and one-dimensional but still oh so cute. I’m a girl. I have two eyes and two ovaries. I liked what I saw.
So anyway, that’s about it folks. That’s all you need to know about Black. Do I recommend it? Actually, yes.
If you can look over some things/don’t mind one and a half hour episodes/ are a fan of mystery and crime, then definitely give it a go. Chances are you will really enjoy, if not most, then at least some of it. Do I think it deserves to be one of the very top rated shows? Personally, no. Not by a long shot.
Best of luck!
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There are a lot of things that make a drama great: direction, screenplay, plot- among other things. But then there are dramas like Fated To love You, that don't need anything else except the one thing they have: phenomenal acting. Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk are simply brilliant at what they do. Which is why, what would've been an otherwise mediocre drama ultimately, became an excellent show.
Lee Gun is, to be frank, a weirdo. There's extra and then there is this guy. From his ridiculous pretend action moves, obnoxious laughter, tacky slow cap to his nonsensical rambles- he's truly one of a kind. But these eccentricities are what make him so completely endearing. His laugh, when he is happy, is so contagious that it would split your face in a huge smile. While the same laugh, when he's upset, would break your heart into smithereens. The pure and untainted love he has for Mi Young will warm your soul and his kind, kind heart would grant him a permanent spot in your heart.
Mi Young, on the other hand, is just precious. Jang Na Ra’s acting is so utterly genuine that it's impossible not to fall in love with her character. Mi Young is gentle, fragile and innocent and yet, there is a silent strength to her. The way her personality develops throughout the show is amazing. She grows from a girl who hides from the world to a woman who's confident in her skin and the change is totally believable.
Their relationship is goals and their chemistry is fire ( damn those kisses ????). There is a total balance of power between them and that is what makes the romance so great. He is a billionaire in his own right and she's a very successful artist. There are many scenes where our guy takes the back seat and let's our girl handle the reins. They are strong for each other and they're strong together and it's all just varying degrees of perfection.
Fated to love you has the best second male lead to date. I love Daniel Pitt. Literally every time he came on the screen I was like ‘It's okay if you didn't get the girl, darlin’ I'm still here and I'm ready to be yours.’ lol. Usually in romance dramas, I find the second male and female leads kind of annoying but surprisingly, in this show I wanted to know more about Daniel and Se Ra’s story and when it finally unfolded, it was completely heart warming.
Secretary Tak, Dragon, Mi Young’s mom and her crazy ass family, Grandma Wang, The triplets, The Lawyer- basically every character in the show is lovable.
Hamo Hamo.
Goodbye My Love sung my Aille is without a doubt one of the best OST’s ever. No matter how many times I listen to it, I can't get enough. The background music throughout the show is perfectly timed and exactly what a particular scene needed.
All in all its little bag of tricks, its quirkiness, its over the top-ness and ultimately its authenticity is what makes this show a true gem.
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If you're like me and you've watched your fair share of crime dramas you won't find the premise of this show exactly unique. You'll be able to guess most of the plot twists (if not all) and see a lot of things coming beforehand. Defendant comes with it's flaws. There are a lot of convenient coincidences that aid both our good guys and the baddies. Sharp tools just happen to be lying around jail cells just waiting to be used by the inmates, a circuit somehow just happens to break resulting in a power black out whenever it is needed, a very useful recording device disguised as a pen just happens to travel around wringing confessions from the evil doers left and right and our antagonist somehow conveniently transforms from an up to no good loser to an identity stealing mastermind overnight.
How very interesting.
However, with its slightly rocky plot comes a masterful execution. Even though you know what's going to happen, when it actually happens it feels like a completely new and exciting experience. Our good guys seem to be trapped in their own version of real life flappy bird. It's one step forward from the abyss of doom and twenty steps backwards. So when convenient coincidences happen to rule things in their favor, I'd be damned if I have a problem with it.
This is the kind of show that banks on the watcher's heart rather than the mind. It will make you blinded with emotion and leave all logic behind. But the real reason this show is a hit is the excellent acting put out by all the actors.
Ji Sung as always is phenomenal. From Secret to Kill Me Heal Me and finally to Defendant, you can see his acting evolve and grow more powerful. He's an extremely skilled performer and many a times I suffered through a serious case of gooseflesh while watching him. By the middle of this show I was completely invested, horribly torn apart and crossing my fingers for him to turn the tables on all the assholes that had done him wrong.
Usually in melodramas, when you see the main character go through tragedy after tragedy, it turns from heartbreaking to frustrating real quick. Soon you go from wanting to wipe the hero's tears to slapping his mouth shut and putting an end to the sob fest. However, Ji Sung got me every time. His pain, helplessness and tears always made me wail like a baby. I didn't realize I was rocking so much H2O in my body until it came out gushing from my peepers. I think I felt quite a lot dehydrated after finishing this show.
Uhm Ki-Joon with his Cha Min Ho put out the acting of his life. He's heartless, ruthless, evil without a cause and at last, pitiful. He's probably one of the best antagonists of Dramaland and undoubtedly one of the most hated characters. His impulsive acts of violence leave you shaking with fury and you'll find yourself thirsty for his demise.
A lot of people thought that his situation was a little unrealistic but as a daughter of a detective, I can say that I've seen many real life cases where the criminals start with seemingly minor and thoughtless crimes and commit far worse atrocities to cover it up. In Cha Min Ho's case, he sticks to it to the very end. His bag of tricks is endless and you never find a peaceful moment with him.
Even though this show truly focuses on the two main men, some other characters will weasel their way in your heart and take permanent residence. These were the characters that I wanted to hide in my back pocket and protect from all the cruelty of the world. And even though my wishful thinking did not save all of them, I treasured every moment they were on-screen.
My precious and loyal Seong Kyu, my shady but hilarious Optimus Shin Cheol Sik, Prosecuter Choi Tae Hong who never once lost faith, Jeong Woo's merry band of prison inmates and the resilient Seo Eun Hye all brought their own flavor to the show.
This drama has a deep underlying message about how family makes or breaks you. How people are willing to go to every length to save their loved ones and how it's never too late for justice. With an extremely satisfying ending; giving closure to all the characters and answer to your every question, Defendant takes a spot among dramas that are consistently amazing from start to finish.
A dark and gritty suspense drama that comes with its share of heartbreak.
An absolute must-watch
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