karma well delivered
i would say that the weakest aspect of this series is the writing. if it weren't for the well-known cast, it probably wouldn't have even made it onto my watching radar. it also doesn't help that 99% of the characters are irredeemable because of their past actions. the only thing i actually like about the writing is this approach - there's no sugarcoating the characters or their motives. also, the new title fits the plot perfectly. i would especially like to highlight shin min-ah’s acting; she's the key piece that holds everything together.Was this review helpful to you?
simple but works
i am so glad that kim woobin is healthy,, and starred in this film about catching predators. he filled the role of righteous cop, perfectly. for a second, i forgot that i was watching a character. the biggest complaint i have about this film is that it is maybe too long. it takes some time to warm up to the characters since it's so action packed.if you're triggered by SA, including every mention of SA then this film isn't for you.
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I Don’t Even Know What to Say Anymore
I 'll keep it short.This drama lacks:
1. Proper pacing - The first half feels way too dragged out compared to the second. This could have easily been fixed by shortening some of the cases. Also, don’t even get me started on the excessive screen time given to background characters
2. Chemistry between the leads - At times, it was almost funny watching them worry about each other while maintaining completely stone-faced expressions
3. A solid cast - There were noticeable loopholes in both the supporting and main cast’s acting performances
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s(e)oul healing
the only thing this drama seriously lacked was the spacing. don't get me wrong, i liked the beginning and the ending of the show, but in the middle, it almost lost my attention. i would've trimmed the series by one to two episodes to keep it up with the spacing. i consider the cast highlight of this series, especially park bo young's acting. i'm so glad that she left romcom days behind and now takes on the slice-of-life genre, which suits her way better. i never make a ship as my sole purpose to watch the series, so i really didn't mind slow relationship developments. for me, the most important things while watching the slice of life genre are feeling a connection to the characters and seeing them heal and grow throughout the story, which happened in this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
chop like ten episodes and we're good
the main issue i had with this drama was the writing. i don't understand how writers who aren't capable of writing complicated main characters, keep writing them. also, when are we going to get rid of stereotypical side characters? i'm personally tired of watching the same subplots in every slightly historical drama. breathtaking cinematography and acting were the saving graces of this drama. however, dubbing will never stop annoying me.in conclusion: watch at your own risk
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The Fate of a Cash Grab
Don't get me wrong. I liked this season, but my biggest issue is the lack of continuity in the writing between season 2 and season 3. By the end of the season 2, they hyped up an upcoming plotline that ended up having almost no importance this season. Overall, writing was over the place. Instead of going with one long storyline and multiple side arcs, we got what I liked to call chopped short stories. Also, I'm one of these people who didn't tune in for the romance. Every time writers focused on it, I was reminded that LJH and PYJ have zero chemistry.Honestly, I'm kind of glad it seems like TD is done. The writers were struggling with this season. That said, you never know with SBS. They tend to milk their original series until there’s nothing left (example Penthouse).
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Finally a good drama for romance lovers
I’ll start by saying I’m glad we finally got a romance K-drama without a weird ending. The writing was filled with comedy and drama at the same time. Kudos to the writer for not dragging out the depressing parts or falling into the usual trap of historical k-dramas: first half falling in love, second half watching the leads suffer like Adam and Eve. Indeed, there was some suffering included, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. The leads had great chemistry, which helped cover up a few acting mishaps (reference to last episode). The ending felt a bit abrupt, but at least I didn’t feel like I wasted my time as it is the genre causing the most k-traumas. I recommend this series to everyone who's looking for an easy watch in historical fantasy genre.Was this review helpful to you?
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hit or miss???
it faces the issue as majority kdramas released this year. it's too predicable. here are some examples:- FL falling in love first and harder (in the scene where OWS admitted her feelings towards SDY , he looked like he could care less)
- SML /OWS's husband getting k!lled off after receiving typical redemption arc (i hated both of these things)
- the other brother kwording his brother and stepdad (they should've played around with this plot)
also, there were major issues with the writing in the second half. they focused heavily on the antagonists, instead of the leads. leads' relationship wasn't developed at all. the last scene they had together felt like they went back to zero.
honestly speaking, this series was heavily carried by the acting. so kudos to actors. if the cast was different, i wouldn't have finished it.
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headache at times...
I think when I'm writing this I'm speaking for the whole fandom. This series is far from perfect. I would say the best part of this series was the acting. Also, the chemistry was glowing trough our screen which was nice to see. Freen and Becky did a wonderful job on what they had to work with. I am looking forward to their next project together. Now, at first, the plot was promising but it fell flat and dragged out in the end. We hardly even got to see mon and sam happily together in peace. I won't lie. Wedding ending was nice but it felt rushed. I blame it on writer who focused too much time on sam's emotional abusive grandma and manipulative kirkWas this review helpful to you?
Waste of Time
With the current state of the Korean industry’s treatment of women, this series comes across as tone-deaf. If the main character were a man, the detective would have simply accepted the hush money and let the whole situation slide. Also, the portrayal of the main character also gave me a major ick that is describable in one sentence: women written by men. I can’t believe SHS accepted this horrendous role. If you plan to watch this, don't.Was this review helpful to you?
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Acting was phenomenal
I’ll start by saying that all three female lead actresses absolutely crushed it. The ensemble was solid. However, their roles needed to be executed perfectly and thankfully, they delivered, both in terms of acting and chemistry. The dynamics between the leads and their love interests were strong and interesting. Surprisingly, I enjoyed all the kids-centered subplots. For once, these were useful and helped to move story forward. My biggest issue lies with the writing of the third couple, who, for some odd reason, ended up together. If you’ve finished the series, you know exactly who I’m talking about. That man needed therapy, not the tired “love fixes all” trope to excuse his deeply unhealthy obsessions with dolls. Don't even get me started on them having a child (pro-life propaganda spotted).Overall, it was nice to see another female centered slice of life drama, since we don’t get many of these in a year.
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inject it into my veins
i adored both lead couples and their dynamics because they didn't lack chemistry, acting, or storytelling. however, i wish they had promoted the younger brother and xu jiajia as the side couple considering how much impact their story had on everyone else's. the reason why my rating isn't higher is simply because of xu jiajia's dad. that man didn't deserve the ending he ended up getting. surprisingly, overall, this drama was a great watching experience from the start until the endalso, li mo should never quit making these hidden gem slice of lifey cdramas
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Hot Mess
PS: it's my first time writing a review so bear it with meI must say that I feel underwhelmed about the whole drama. The casting choice was good and the special effects were all well done but something important was missing from the plot.
I liked the topics that were addressed and how those were adressed. From the characters' pov, the story was confusing and jumpy. It felt like a lot of important scenes were removed from the script. Instead of those, there were only action scenes.
Regardless of this factor, I completed it. I don't know if it was the smartest move to leave this drama with an incomplete ending knowing how past netflix series have been treated. Would I rewatch it? No, because I would grow to hate it
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the theme will expire if you keep going in circles
let's start off with the bad things about this drama. leads' story lines went in too many circles for my liking. this could've cut the series by 10 episodes at least. however, SY and LY acted the hell out of these characters. it's probably the best acting that i've seen from both of them. surprisingly, i enjoyed the side couples' story lines. the other story line that should've been shorter, was her mother passing away. k!lling an elderly person has become a standard so it ends up giving NOTHING to the story. the music was really off putting at the times. they were targeting international audience but it fell flat. i would've preferred if they used already existing english songs.also, this drama have so many incredible one liners "the harder i work ,the harder i will fall", "the snacks will expire if you leave them out for too long", "it's your business if you you wish to stay in the past but i'm not obligated to wait for you in the same place" etc
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surprising news: netflix destroys yet another series to promote a remake
this whole season feels like "buy one get one free" offer. my criticism towards previous season felt really justified after finishing this dragged-out season.no eul, in ho and gi hun heavily carried this season. i wish we could've learned more about in ho, since he's the most complicated character in the show. also, no eul was handled pretty poorly, but it was nothing compared to all other additional characters - or should i say, cannon fodder. they literally had no purpose other than to provide cute tiktok edits or pro-life propaganda (which no one really dares to bring up).
this season's saving grace was gi hun's character development. for the first time, viewers can see him struggle with the games in the way that has never shown before. in previous seasons, he had hope for a better tomorrow. after his failed attempt at leaving the games, gi hun becomes more vulnerable and unstable. unlike others, he never loses focus on why he first joined the games, which was to support his family financially. this is beautifully shown through him keeping jun hui's baby alive, which in the end cost him his own life. the scene where other players try to kill a baby to win the games was probably one of the most fcked up scenes i've seen in a TV series in a long time, but it was also so well written that i can't complain. as a viewer you can tell this scenario was written by someone questioning the future of the humanity.
honestly, i don't see anything wrong with the ending. there's no what ifs or buts. i'm just glad that the baby and junho survived. i had no hope for other characters. season 2 and 3 point was to promote the american remake anyway. hopefully, hwang can have a nice holiday on a remote island [without the games] as he wished for.
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