Both witty and touching.
A gentle, reflective and quite tender story of opposites attracting and squabbling their way to romance.It is pretty slow paced; some might find it dull, but personally, I didn't. It is realistic, based on their lifestyles. Some very funny and touching parts.
Great casting. Maybe it's me, but perhaps having worked together on The Witch Pt1: The Subversion, made a difference, because Choi Woo-shik (Woong) and Kim Da Mi (Yeon-soo) just clicked. It felt like a real relationship ~ very believable.
Her character could be intense and irritating, but the foundations of her personality become clearer with each episode and I went from not being keen, to really liking her. Dry, assertive and great expressions.
He was a perfect fit for the talented, humble, simple and uncomplicated loner, Woong.
Woong's parents were a delight, their relationship is definitely a couple goal!
Lots of nice supporting characters (and cast), with no real nasties, but some sad circumstances that lead to irrevocable hurt that's carried into later life.
There is a love triangle, but it doesn't exactly take centre stage and, again, is quite realistic. It doesn't make the person mean or vindictive. Friendship remains both important and intact.
Allowing others to make their own decisions, without assuming our own valuations of self-worth are shared, comes over strongly in this too.
If we are satisfied and happy personally, that is enough and should not be benchmarked by the aspirations or desires of others (peers, family or anyone).
I liked that both MCs had struggled to reach their more successful adult selves. Slowly opening up and becoming honest with one another and themselves.
The final episode was my favourite. Everything really came together and several moments had me reaching for tissues. It amusingly came full circle in many ways.
Lovely.
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Made me happy, made me laugh, made me anxious
The pace isn't fast, there is only mild unpleasantness, no action and the acting is sometimes short of totally natural...But...
It is one of the best dramas of this type I've watched for quite a while. I fell in love with it.
I always moan that BL dramas out of S.Korea are not long enough and it feels like the genre isn't taken seriously, but seen as popular and therefore shows should be produced. This changed that completely.
The characters are so likeable and the actors came across as genuine friends.
Their different personalities were realistic, as were the problems some faced.
A lesson in fitting in, being different, learning to be true to ones self, taking responsibility for our own actions, forgiving and mending fences.
The cast fit their roles and I loved them. Lee Sae On played Woo Tae Kyung, so well; a loner by choice, socially awkward, disarmingly honest and (as described in one very funny scene), pretty. He was also strangely confident in who he was and I thought showed courage on several occasions.
I also thought Kang Yoo Seok made Noh Shin Woo into a character whose brusque personality was understood immediately; I liked him and wasn't put off by his behaviour.
In fact every main actor made me feel invested in the characters they portrayed so well.
My personal favourite was Namgoong Shiwoon (Go Woo Jin), whose effervescent, slightly crazy, yet actually mature outlook on things, was the glue that kept their student council group together and helped his friends to develop.
The teacher in charge of the Student Council was a model for real teachers ~ supportive, non-judgemental and frank.
Some might feel that it was too fluffy to seriously portray life in an all boys' school and tackling issues of coming out, being harassed for being gay and online bullying. However, whilst there are extreme cases of that in real life, I also believe it happens on a more low key scale too and those instances shouldn't be ignored or undermined because of it.
I laughed a lot and found scenes that were emotional and heart warming too. I also had no idea who Tae Kyung would choose to be with, until he did.
Would it win awards? No. Could it make you happy you watched? I hope so... it did me.
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Youth not being what it's cracked up to be...
The realities of life on a university campus, where the main characters struggle with their individual issues, misconceptions, relationships and futures.Well acted and a strong cast. There are some very abusive and parasitic 'friends' of character Yeo Joon and I have to say, apart from their personalities, the look of them really added to the level of disgust I felt at times.
However, in some ways, that is stereotypical, as people who use and bully others do not always look the part.
Park Ji Hoon perfectly portrays his role as Yeo Joon; a wealthy background, good looks, a bright personality and model student. However, unbeknown to others, he is estranged from his family and lonely.
This character was really brought to life by PJH ~ his mannerisms and ability to shine brighter than the sun one minute and have the saddest eyes in the most hurt face, the next, was captivating.
The relationship between Yeo Joon and the anxious, unsure Kim So Bin (another worthyy performance, from Kang Min Ah) was very sweet and the actors made it believable. They take a lot of strength from each other, which was so nice to see. I also liked that even though she is a couple of years older, she is happy to be lead as well as lead, and listens to Yeo Joon.
The relationship with his polar opposite, Nam Soo Hyun, was one of my favourite things, as Joon seemed able to relate to his frostiness more easily and I felt was drawn to the fact that his cheerful exterior and money could not buy Soo Hyun's friendship.
There is one sided love, with some friendships bordering on more, but the fear of loss preventing the move forward.
Adult responsibilities having to be taken on too soon, with the onus of providing for family whilst juggling studies, also features.
Jealousy, resentment and low self esteem are in some way part of several characters, with each reacting to these unpleasant traits in different ways and affecting how they perceive and interact with others.
There are some unpleasant and painful scenes in Yeo Joon's childhood and adult life, with the problem of violence in the home being tackled and pretty well, at that.
There are some laugh out loud moments too and some very warm moments, as barriers get dismantled and characters open up.
I also like that abusers didn't always get away with stuff and had to deal with the consequences of their actions.
The title eludes to the fact that youth is supposed to be bright, fun, carefree and happy, but up close, for too many, it is anything but.
When the young are betrayed by those who are supposed to nurture them, or forced to take on far more than they are mentally capable of dealing with, youth is in fact hell.
The drama also highlighted how wealth does not necessarily equal happiness.
The only aspect I found irritating, was how slllllllowly So Bin walks in it! Honestly it drove me nuts and once noticed, I couldn't un-see it, almost every time; and, whilst I liked the pop music score, I didn't like the mismatched violin and harmonica pieces. I love both instruments, but I felt that the pieces picked were too old fashioned sounding, for a drama of this era.
All in all worth watching.
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Song Ji Hyo and Ha Do Kwon made a great team too and their characters balanced each other.
The story is a good idea and captivating.
I did, sadly, find Nam Ji Hyun's character a bit irritating, especially when she often spoke with a childish voice.
Nice twist to the tale too.
Overall not a bad watch, the stories that lead to wishes being made are varied, but often quite miserable.
The wishes come at a price, but not one that the recipients are not willing to pay. The slightly fluffy revelations around this, I found a bit disappointing to be honest. It was like a dark drama that the writer had a change of heart about.
As always, I hated the school bullying and the way in which the useless teachers seemed blind to that particular young character's suffering.
Why do K-dramas constantly portray their schools as having bullying issues, with there rarely being any recourse and with staff who don't deserve to teach; as though that's entertaining, acceptable and something to be proud of? It is actually shameful. I'm so bored and turned off by it too, now. Spoilt it for me.
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Traces of reality
A drama of peaks and troughs, in that there was a slower pace during scenes of plotting and vulgar celebrations while ordinary people suffered. The pace accelerated quickly during trials and action scenes. Excellent portrayal of threat, corruption and suffering in a dystopian world.There were actually references to the realities of the inconsistent S.Korean laws and punishment for crimes, where, for example, sentences for GBH and sexual assault, are vastly different when they involve alcohol. Someone abusing, or causing grievous bodily harm to another person, whilst under the influence, is not deemed to be in their right mind and so gets a lesser sentence. Yet someone using drugs, who doesn't affect anyone else by doing so, gets a hugely inconsistent sentence in comparison. Drunks even get away with murder. It is farcical and sickening.
The dystopian society setting for this story is multi layered. There are the filthy rich and country's most powerful, who abuse the poor, their position and are covered in bribery and greed; the ordinary, blue collar, working, middle class who are largely unaware of, or unaffected by, the abuse of power (apathy); and the poor, who bear the brunt, as usual.
There are horrendous examples of what it might be like if the wealthy ended up with total control.
The ex-actor President figure, with his OTT cheap rhetoric, greed, nationalist diatribe against foreigners and zero conscience, was like a cross between Trump and Hitler. The types in society who latch on to that and use it as an excuse to maim and murder, are portrayed excellently. Cowards and thugs.
An excellent, amoral, mentally unhinged, inferiority complex ridden and purely evil female character, who is a great puppet master, is portrayed really well by Kim Min Jung. The times I wanted to climb into my TV and punch her!...
The whole cast were great, with neither Ji Sung nor Jin-young overacting, although there were times scenes of grief were stretched out too far, for me personally ~ but that's down to direction, not acting.
The pivotal story of a fire years before, is always in the background. Ji Sung's cold, menacing and detached character of Kang Yo Han is really good.
I honestly wasn't sure about him until a lot further into the drama.
The dynamic between Ji Sung and Jin-young's characters was brought to life by the actors, who I thought worked really well together.
There's a little romance, but I never felt sparks between Jin-young and Park Gyu-young ~ a kiss was decidedly mediocre, considering it was between 2 people that had avoided their attraction to one another for years, over fears of wrecking their friendship, and were no longer teenagers. Their chemistry as the closest of friends, however, was really good.
There was a scene where Elijah was alone with Soo-hyun on Ga-on's rooftop apartment terrace and when they left, I immediately wondered how the hell they got up there (never mind down again), with a wheelchair (no lift). That to me is lazy directing. There were several occasions the story veered a little too far away from what would actually be possible.
Overall I enjoyed this drama a lot though. It felt great when Yo-han found loop holes to exact punishment on criminals, that those he was ultimately after, were trying to protect.
The power of the media (but also the need for it to be independent), of spin and of how it is more than possible to frame someone by manipulating facts, should be watched with a huge dose of caution about the realities of such things, which are prevalent in today's societies throughout the world.
Dictatorships brainwash and control their citizens. Those of us lucky enough to live in democracies, should fight to ensure life stays that way and be thankful for it.
It also spotlights the realities of baying for blood, when it's others who will carry out and have responsibility for taking that person's life ~ regardless of why.
Some scenes are difficult to watch, but fit perfectly, are not done purely for effect and carry a heavy message, if looked at as more than just another action/thriller drama.
The OST is near perfect too.... Huckleberry Finn and more, were a genius choice.
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Undeniable chemistry.
Witty, intelligent at times and interesting.Message I got was that people shouldn't be labelled just because their tastes may be different to our own, or seem bizarre to others.
What adults choose to do in their private lives should not be for others to judge; as long as no one is forced, hurt or worst, in the process.
Some steamy scenes where the sexual tension was palpable. I did wonder how it never prompted either to broach instigating sex. That question is actually raised.
Character Ji Hoo's ex girlfriend is a real peach and whilst I get the whole guilt around that, I couldn't understand Ji Hoo's ultimate thoughts regarding Ji Woo, at one point.
I loved the character of Ji Woo's mum ~ it's no wonder she is as assertive as she is, with her for a role model.
The issue that friend Hye Mi encountered, was probably better left out. It did nothing for the story and for me wasn't something to be treated lightly, which it was... annoyingly so.
S.Korea often seems strange to me, in terms of not seeming to mind that their dramas and film regularly portray their society as extremely judgemental, misogynistic, 30 odd years behind the times in terms of a person's basic rights and full of bullies. Women are treated like it was the norm in our society to, back in the 80s/90s, except it never seems to be questioned, labelled as inappropriate (never mind wrong), or addressed. I have tge biggest problem with the latter.
I'd like to know what Koreans think of it.
Nice cast and whilst I wouldn't watch it again, I didn't not enjoy it.
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I got pulled in and didn't want to leave.
I shall be honest; I watched this because I am working my way through all Nam Da Reum's dramas (almost done them all now). It's been on my list for a while and whilst I like the entire cast, for some reason I thought it would be dull or maybe even depressing.How wrong can a person be?!
I ended up absolutely loving it.
The 2 lead characters are very naturally played by actors that feel made for their parts. Their chemistry, projection, expressions, are all excellent. I fell in love with Lee Kang-doo (a very endearing performance from Lee Jun-ho ~ such a good actor).
Supporting parts are very good and well acted too. I did feel the brother/sister company heads were a bit kind of obvious (Jung Yoo-taek's constant angry outbursts, shouting and huge inferiority complex, really got me riled up at times). Both were arrogant and haughty, although Jung Yoo-jin was the typical kind of power woman who treats a subordinate male, better than a female counterpart.
Ha Moon-soo's mother, Yoon Ok, angered me the most. Understandably, any parent who has lost their child will grieve, go through depression, anger and never really get over it. However, she wasn't the only parent to suffer at that time; her husband lost his child too and Moon-soo her sister. She appeared to be addicted to the grief though, wallowing in self-pity, living through a bottle and taking it out on any and every one. She needed a good slap, plus copious amounts of therapy.
My favourite supporting character though, was the street pharmacy Grandma. That actress made that character so real, believable and incredibly warm, even though she was cantankerous, quick tempered and tough as old boots. So wordly wise, intelligent and astute ~ I loved her.
The present day architect, Seo Joo-won, I found a little too good to be true. He carried around the baggage of bitterness and guilt, the latter being misplaced.
Everyone is linked by the one tragic event and those links, and how they have affected the various characters, are uncovered as the story unfolds.
It is not fast paced, but is well paced. The story is revealed perfectly for me.
There are some well used drama aspects, but overall it is well written and directed.
Some may feel the subject matter isn't portrayed seriously enough, but to my mind, being a drama and not a documentary, the screenwriter got it right. It's a romance for entertainment, at the end of the day, and I personally stop watching when something is too depressing or melodramatic ~ that's not escapism to me.
The final episodes did introduce a couple of plot twists that I felt were unnecessary and OTT, but it was all brought together in the end.
I mostly enjoyed the soundtrack, but some of the instrumental music I found a bit depressing sounding, which didn't fit with scenes it accompanied.
I would certainly watch this drama again and recommend it.
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Overly cheesy bits didn't fit
The cast and acting made this drama, more than a story that was intriguing, but peppered with scenes that made me sigh (not in a good way).The child actors who set the stage in the early episodes, were excellent, especially Choi Myung-bin, who in effect had to play 3 different characters.
There are some very bloodthirsty scenes in amongst the saccharin and the speed with which that changes, results in the odd case of whiplash!
There are moving moments as well, two in particular, near the start, got me. I was actually shocked by some of it, especially when they go hand-in-hand with the aforementioned cheese.
The story in itself is good and pulled me in. It's hard to find a female actress who can convincingly play a young man, but I thought Park Eun-bin did well. She didn't try to be macho, instead playing it reserved, stoic and frosty. It wouldn't be impossible to believe, there are after all, effeminate men (and that does not equal gay). Back then few got close, so I chose to go with it.
What that character goes through is awful really. Dreadful royal family under the thumb of one particular member, who takes the prize for best human without a heart. Surrounding characters are a mixture of funny, scary, torn, mysterious, cowardly and barking.
What I disliked, however, were the awful slow-mo scenes of falling into arms, pulling into arms, meaningful stares and hand holds, backed with whooshing music. The terribly overdone squeezing of clothing and clenching of fists, is in there [often] too.
PEB's chemistry with Rowoon was ok, but wasn't electric.
I liked how he portrayed his character, although my 2 favourites were Nam Yoon-su as Prince Lee Hyun and Choi Byung-chan as the mysterious Kim Ga-on.
There was a lot of action, yet I didn't feel the threat that should have come across in more scenes, as there were few build-ups.
The ending fit where the story wanted to go, but I thought it a tad far fetched, even for this plot. It wasn't awful though. I did enjoy the final scenes of the last episode.
It's a mixed watch; not riveting, but by no means awful either.
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Tried to be a little too clever
Not a bad watch overall, but it got quite confusing at times, in terms of what was role play and the real thing.Some interesting characters, the females weren't just eye candy and reliant on the guys, but intelligent and outspoken in their own rights. I particularly liked Kang Sol's personality, as coming from a poorer background gave her a totally different personality and perspective to her peers.
Character Joon Hwi was suited to Kim Bum's poker face, when he was up against it and his cheeky, arrogant side, when messing with people.
It is a drama and I didn't feel they were going for realism. There were some light moments in an otherwise 'whodunnit' classic format.
I didn't dislike it and thought the cast were good, but felt it got a bit convoluted and I lost concentration and interest at those times, as some aspects felt laboured.
The usual jealousy, pushy parents, cover ups by the wealthy and abuse of the poor are all in the plot.
Not one I'd watch again, but not disappointed I chose it either.
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Compelling
If anyone watches this gritty and hard hitting drama without feeling some kind of emotion, they are not human. Mainly because its core lies in the realities (for possibly a few, but that's still too many) of military life (not just in S.Korea).Fear, powerlessness, helplessness, abuse, bullying, trauma and cover ups, are all presented in a tight, excellently paced and acted drama.
I feel this series is quite brave, as it doesn't pussy-foot around so many of the wrongs Koreans know exist in both their national service and culture.
Excellently written and produced, with an OST that never did anything but compliment what I was watching.
All the darkness and hurt is tempered by sublimely introduced sarcasm, wit and affection.
So many characters are pit against one another, through no fault of their own and with no choice, in an environment where seniority holds all the power and with no easily accessible recourse. Cascading down from the top of command, all the main characters are subject to being humiliated and mistreated by their immediate superior.
The closing 2 episodes are shocking and heartbreaking, as that helplessness and despair bursts out in an explosive finale.
The dialogue and story of the Series 1 closing scenes, should really make the real-life powers that be wake up, feel ashamed and strive to clean up their house.
I am so needing S2. A must watch.
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Slow paced
Great cast of actors, all of whom kept me watching more than the story did, to be honest.Occasional bit of uncomfortable character portrayal from Yoo Ji-tae; maybe he was directed to be a little OTT at times and that's why.
Woo Do-hwan was excellent as the cocky, detached and guilt-ridden younger brother, seeking the truth about what happened to his estranged sibling on the fated flight this drama's based on.
Lovely seeing Ryu Hwa-young, who I thought acted well alongside WDH. Her acting is subtle, with some great facial expressions.
It has all the right ingredients for a mystery; twisting plot, corporate greed and conniving, fractured families, betrayal, outcast private team of insurance fraud investigators, made up of different personalities, with friendship, loyalty and humour in the mix.
The plot was pretty good, with twists and turns.
For me, however, the pace wasn't the problem, but the length of the show. 16 episodes was too long and the story ended up being drawn out. It became too convoluted at times.
The last 2 episodes, like earlier ones, were very good; if only they'd left out parts that felt like padding, rather than valuable additions to the story.
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Humans being typically, mindlessly violent
There were not many surprises for me, in this violent and unsettling horror drama.It is the usual portrayal of people manipulating events, putting a divine angle on them and then basically running their part of the world, as they see fit, under the guise of it being in the name of their God.
It happens for real, of course, minus the supernatural element we have here.
Hypocrisy overflows like Niagra, with the scum and thugs of society using the punishment of sinners as an excuse to gleefully maim and murder. "Where is their punishment?" I ranted!
Yoo Ah-in's character is suitably dark and creepy. He rarely over-plays his characters and this was no exception.
There is a time jump part way through, with new characters. I wondered what happened to some and there is one in particular whose identity I'm not sure I understood correctly.
Some people are truly disgusting in this and there are the usual onlookers, making no effort to protect or assist the most vulnerable and outnumbered, against mere mortals.
As with several relatively recent Netflix series (Sweet Home and The Uncanny Counter particularly spring to mind), I just hope they make a S2 with a cast that flows, otherwise the ending is less than satisfactory, with more questions than answers.
A good cast and plenty to shout at your TV about.
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As warm, witty and moving as S1
I'll be honest, S1 seemed brighter and had more impact, but S2 is excellent in its own right.The same great wealth of characters, excellent relationships between the main cast friends, lovers, families and the hospital's patients' too, with their individual stories.
As with S1, I didn't feel it got too overly melancholic, or ridiculous. When people grieved it felt real, not over acted.
The ongoing plot lines of S1 were picked up well and concluded, so I can't imagine there'll be a S3. I shall miss them and the weekly band meets. I will definitely watch both again one day.
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Alternative to a crap legal system
With a high budget feel, great stunts, bags of action and a credible cast, this was a pretty thrilling drama.Plenty of revenge providing satisfying viewing when a multitude of incredibly unsavoury characters, got their judgement calls.
I honestly felt like this drama was giving a pretty big finger to the country's very flawed legal system, which favours wealthy and connected citizens over guilty ones.
It was a little odd, therefore, to include details and phone numbers for various crime departments at the end of episodes. A Premium Taxi Service one would be better.
Some of the cases made for very disturbing viewing, from violent bullying to rape, sexual assault and murder.
It is a very violent series, so those affected by realistic cases and cruelty, should avoid it.
It's pretty OTT, but for the vast majority of the time, gets away with that comfortably. It feels weird to say I enjoyed it, but I did, more than not.
I only rolled my eyes up in disbelief a couple of times and was made to laugh occasionally too.
One episode near the end even made me cry; because the hurt was understated and realistic, not melodramatic.
At one point, when the initial storyline was wrapped up, it did drag/dip somewhat and I thought they shouldn't have stretched it to 16 eps. However, it then picked up again and I enjoyed it to the end.
There is one factual case in a latter episode's epilogue, involving a trumped up, wrongful conviction. This resulted in an innocent man spending a long time in prison and it also really disturbed and angered me, because it involved an 8-year old child. What the police back at the time did, was shocking, shameful and unforgivable.
It really is like the writers (they were changed part way through following a disagreement between the original and director) want the country to recognise how flawed and corrupt their systems are, and how they let people down. An argument for the statute of limitations being dropped was also featured, which is applied by many countries and enables perpetrators of older cold cases to get off . Same applies to double jeopardy really.
I loved both Lee Je Hoon and Esom in this; perfect for their roles. Not a weak actor in it.
Whilst the action was often pretty fantastical, it's still a thought provoking watch.
The OST was suitably heavy rock orientated, in fact sometimes a little too much so, but overall pretty good and appropriate.
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Pointless
I honestly wonder what on earth I just watched. Cast, acting and some of the OST aside, this is one of the worst storylines I've ever encountered.Apart from Won Tak (whi is by no means faultless), every other character was totally unlikeable... selfish, arrogant, immature, greedy, heartless and/or oblivious. That's not even touching on a so-called Doctor cornering a patient into sharing extremely personal info.
Personal character attacks that were laughable, discussing third persons like they didn't have a say or weren't there and laughable dialogue. Worst of all, for me, is a virgin unsure of whether she's been raped and yet happily staying around the suspects for years. SERIOUSLY?
Then there's the shotgun.... safer than being left behind, a 'secret', yet openly carried and seemingly taken everywhere. Most cast members took a turn at wielding it as though it were a fairground prop, rather than a loaded weapon capable of blowing someone's head off. No one seemed that scared of it though, happily allowing 'friends' their turn.
What exactly this drama was trying to say, is totally beyond me. How not to behave under any circumstances, possibly.
The ending was woeful too.
Complete waste of time, even with short 15-min episodes.
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