89
363
11
1
2
8
2
1
6
4
3
1
3
9
5
2
4
4
2
3
4
1
5
14
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!
This drama is a standing example of how the brightest of the stars can't outshine bad writing. From start to finish, it's a masterclass in how to do absolutely everything wrong. I wish I could sugar coat it, but I can’t even count a single redeeming moment on all ten fingers.
First off, the plot or rather the lack of it. The premise is 12 angels fighting against evil spirits to protect humans. Sounds interesting, right... But the character introduction was an absolute disaster. In episode 1, I found myself remembering who was who half the time, except for Tiger, because they had given him a loud tiger-print suit. Halfway through me playing Dora the Explorer, I notice it very late that 4 zodiacs have died, and they give that information in a glorious flashback scene of 2 seconds at the introduction. If you miss seeing people lying on the ground, you have missed a very important detail.
I failed to understand and comprehend all the characters' motivations or the conflict driving the plot forward. Also, we are bombarded with endless flashbacks that are so irrelevant and at the wrong time. Imagine an intense fighting scene playing, and suddenly you are transported to Tiger's younger self, eating and reminiscing about an old memory.
I felt the writers were in a constant state of doubt on what to do next, and the best plan they came up with was to confuse the audience with the randomness and leave us bewildered as to why we are still watching this.
They finally decided to grace us with the backstory in the very last episode because why make any sense until the finale, right? That crucial info clearly had to arrive fashionably late, just to keep us delightfully confused all season.
Coming to the team dynamics... sadly, we see nothing substantial.
Somehow, everything was about the leader Teasan (Tiger), who, in my opinion, wasn't a good fit for that role. Marok, the manager, was more logical than him and apparently has a better understanding of the team. When you put a show centring a team, show the TEAM... show their strengths and weaknesses and not just their leader acting like a monarch and his only concern is the restaurant lady.
I expected each of them to show distinct personalities and thematic connections to their animal traits based on their zodiac signs, but they had zero impact. The fight scenes were badly choreographed, especially those of Teasan's.
Second glaring issue (when I say glaring, it is in your face glaring) was the visuals. Again, I don't want to sound harsh, but I dressed better in my fancy dress competition when I was a child than the costumes here. And guess what, my family was working with a shoestring budget. The wigs and the costumes were laughable. You can argue that I am a naïve drama watcher who didn't understand this niche plot, but you can't defend the visuals. It's like 5-minute DIY crafts.
Also, the magic weapons looked like child props bought at discounted rate. I will not get started on CGI because I literally have nothing nice to say. Everything was so underwhelming, taking into account that they had PHS and Seo In Guk as the cast!
I want to take this moment and ask the team - "Where did the damn budget go?!!"
Humans tend to desperately find a silver lining in everything and I did too. The only thing I liked was that Park Hyung Sik's character Ogwi had wings and that he looked really good with those red lenses.
I was excited to see him in an antagonist role, and was intrigued by his backstory, but the lack of context in both present and past just somehow wasted that potential too.
Coming to Romance, Hyung Sik had better chemistry with the rooftop than with Miss dragon. I mean, that's the only explanation I have for him standing there for 3 episodes and doing nothing to save this sinking ship. Jokes apart, the chemistry between them was non-existent. There shouldn't have been romance in the first place, but if you are serving it, at least build it up gradually.
We had another antagonist, Samin, who was as unimpressive as everything else in the drama. His character lacked the command and curiosity that were needed to make him a good villain. We are told reasons for what he does (vaguely) and why, but they feel empty. Somehow, things were very convenient for him and I just didn't care about him at all.
Acting-wise, it was just something else... in the sense that I would rather forget it. With the script like this, all the big names seem weighed down. The overall performance felt very stiff. I want to see the reading room footage, just to understand what convinced the entire cast to say yes to THIS script.
Production-wise, it was atrocious. I have seen a fair share of low-budget dramas, and they are better than this. I know they were aiming for the stars but sadly it turned out tragic.
Overall, this was a disaster dressed as ambition with a star cast. The only thing consistent here was the disappointment. This had every ingredient to become an epic fantasy drama, but I will remember it for all the wrong reasons. I can't even say it is entertaining because it is anything but that !
I see a sea of wasted potential and missed opportunities, with a sinking ship stranded in the middle with 12 angels, a snake and a crow sitting on the damn deck (because apparently misery doesn't love company...) all flailing desperately just to survive!
Will I recommend this? NO.
Thank you for reading my review! <3
Usually, I am a sweet person, but the number of crash-outs I had yesterday after my binge-watching session is the reason for this sarcastic/harsh review.
If you enjoyed the show, please take this as just one opinion among many. :))
First off, the plot or rather the lack of it. The premise is 12 angels fighting against evil spirits to protect humans. Sounds interesting, right... But the character introduction was an absolute disaster. In episode 1, I found myself remembering who was who half the time, except for Tiger, because they had given him a loud tiger-print suit. Halfway through me playing Dora the Explorer, I notice it very late that 4 zodiacs have died, and they give that information in a glorious flashback scene of 2 seconds at the introduction. If you miss seeing people lying on the ground, you have missed a very important detail.
I failed to understand and comprehend all the characters' motivations or the conflict driving the plot forward. Also, we are bombarded with endless flashbacks that are so irrelevant and at the wrong time. Imagine an intense fighting scene playing, and suddenly you are transported to Tiger's younger self, eating and reminiscing about an old memory.
I felt the writers were in a constant state of doubt on what to do next, and the best plan they came up with was to confuse the audience with the randomness and leave us bewildered as to why we are still watching this.
They finally decided to grace us with the backstory in the very last episode because why make any sense until the finale, right? That crucial info clearly had to arrive fashionably late, just to keep us delightfully confused all season.
Coming to the team dynamics... sadly, we see nothing substantial.
Somehow, everything was about the leader Teasan (Tiger), who, in my opinion, wasn't a good fit for that role. Marok, the manager, was more logical than him and apparently has a better understanding of the team. When you put a show centring a team, show the TEAM... show their strengths and weaknesses and not just their leader acting like a monarch and his only concern is the restaurant lady.
I expected each of them to show distinct personalities and thematic connections to their animal traits based on their zodiac signs, but they had zero impact. The fight scenes were badly choreographed, especially those of Teasan's.
Second glaring issue (when I say glaring, it is in your face glaring) was the visuals. Again, I don't want to sound harsh, but I dressed better in my fancy dress competition when I was a child than the costumes here. And guess what, my family was working with a shoestring budget. The wigs and the costumes were laughable. You can argue that I am a naïve drama watcher who didn't understand this niche plot, but you can't defend the visuals. It's like 5-minute DIY crafts.
Also, the magic weapons looked like child props bought at discounted rate. I will not get started on CGI because I literally have nothing nice to say. Everything was so underwhelming, taking into account that they had PHS and Seo In Guk as the cast!
I want to take this moment and ask the team - "Where did the damn budget go?!!"
Humans tend to desperately find a silver lining in everything and I did too. The only thing I liked was that Park Hyung Sik's character Ogwi had wings and that he looked really good with those red lenses.
I was excited to see him in an antagonist role, and was intrigued by his backstory, but the lack of context in both present and past just somehow wasted that potential too.
Coming to Romance, Hyung Sik had better chemistry with the rooftop than with Miss dragon. I mean, that's the only explanation I have for him standing there for 3 episodes and doing nothing to save this sinking ship. Jokes apart, the chemistry between them was non-existent. There shouldn't have been romance in the first place, but if you are serving it, at least build it up gradually.
We had another antagonist, Samin, who was as unimpressive as everything else in the drama. His character lacked the command and curiosity that were needed to make him a good villain. We are told reasons for what he does (vaguely) and why, but they feel empty. Somehow, things were very convenient for him and I just didn't care about him at all.
Acting-wise, it was just something else... in the sense that I would rather forget it. With the script like this, all the big names seem weighed down. The overall performance felt very stiff. I want to see the reading room footage, just to understand what convinced the entire cast to say yes to THIS script.
Production-wise, it was atrocious. I have seen a fair share of low-budget dramas, and they are better than this. I know they were aiming for the stars but sadly it turned out tragic.
Overall, this was a disaster dressed as ambition with a star cast. The only thing consistent here was the disappointment. This had every ingredient to become an epic fantasy drama, but I will remember it for all the wrong reasons. I can't even say it is entertaining because it is anything but that !
I see a sea of wasted potential and missed opportunities, with a sinking ship stranded in the middle with 12 angels, a snake and a crow sitting on the damn deck (because apparently misery doesn't love company...) all flailing desperately just to survive!
Will I recommend this? NO.
Thank you for reading my review! <3
Usually, I am a sweet person, but the number of crash-outs I had yesterday after my binge-watching session is the reason for this sarcastic/harsh review.
If you enjoyed the show, please take this as just one opinion among many. :))
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