The Beauty Of ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’…
“My name is Woo Young-woo, as in flower and luck. It means a lucky charm as pretty as flowers. But perhaps Young-woo as in clever and foolish would’ve been a better fit. Woo Young-woo, who remembers every single book she’s read since birth but can’t even go through a revolving door. Clever and foolish Woo Young-woo.” - Woo Young Woo ( Park Eun Bin).
Legal romance drama ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ attempted to make some big steps in the world of procedural dramas with a positive representation of autism and some complicated legal cases. However while the sixteen-episode series certainly soared far and high with its subject, plot and acting performances, it certainly had a few issues along the way also.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is mainly focused upon upcoming law attorney Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin- ‘ Operation Proposal’, ‘ Do You Like Brahms?’ and ‘ The King’s Affection’) at Hanbada Law Firm. An intelligent and top-achieving law graduate from Seoul National University, Young Woo finds it hard to navigate her way through social and emotional situations due to being on the autism spectrum. Struggling with earning respect from those in the law profession as well as clients, Young Woo’s journey to make it to the top is far from easy or straightforward. However, with the surprising support and camaraderie of fellow coworker and young lawyer Lee Joon Ho ( Kang Tae-oh- ‘ My First First Love’, ‘ Doom At Your Service’ and ‘ Run On), Young-Woo is determined to continue persevering and to overcome social prejudices.
Probably best known for ‘ Innocent Witness’, screenwriter Moon Ji Won is likely not a familiar name for many K-drama watchers. Nevertheless, there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Ji Won’s writing decisions as well as subject matters. At heart, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a fairly lighthearted watch. Of course, this isn’t to say the series isn’t afraid to delve into some deeper issues. (Screenwriter Ji Won was fairly open about addressing topics such as stigmatisation, assault and crime to name just a few.) However , it is important to acknowledge that ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ doesn’t expect or require viewers to have in-depth knowledge about everything addressed. Instead, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a procedural drama with a big heart and attempted to remain fairly accessible to a wide audience .
It is infectiously feel good ( if not a little tiresomely at times),comical as well as surprisingly touching with its open address of real-life issues.Nevertheless, the show does admittedly run into trouble in a few moments with accurate depiction and has divided some viewers over its “factual” representation. ( Especially with regards to the portrayal of autism throughout the course of the series.)
Delving into ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ would not be complete without talking about the title namesake and main female lead, Woo Young-Woo. Played brilliantly by actress Park Eun Bin, Woo Young-Woo is a character who could’ve easily gone of one of two ways. Young-Woo is shown to be a quirky individual. She has a complete obsession and fascination with aquatic mammals ( especially whales) and has a meticulous routine with the order of things in her bedroom, as well as partaking in eating her father Woo Gwang-ho (Jeon Bae-su)’s carefully prepared kimbap on a fairly daily basis. However as the plot premise would suggest with Young Woo’s new profession, one of the female lead’s major growth points comes through having to acknowledge that real-life can rarely be so structured.
The motif of whales in the opening and ending credits, their symbolism on objects as well as passing dialogue at times by Young-Woo can often be said to wonderfully coincide with Young Woo’s character growth and journey. ( Whales are symbols of extraordinariness, strength as well as change; traits that perfectly epitomised Young-Woo’s personal journey .)
Additionally, there were moments in ‘ Extraordinary Young Woo’ which could feel a little frustrating with little frustrating to see Young Woo having taken one step forwards and one step back at times. Although in retrospect, it did help to add a touch of realism to Young Woo’s personal struggles. ( One of the most heart-wrenching moments of the series occurred when Ji-Woo openly spoke out about social stigmas held against those with autism; “ Even now, hundreds of people click the like button on a comment that says, ‘It is a national loss if a medical student dies, and an autistic person lives.’ That is the weight of this disability that we bear.” ) As mentioned previously, her autism is admittedly a topic of debate for a lot of viewers with regards to its accuracy but regardless of opinion, it seemed as though Moon Ji Won’s depiction of an autistic and successful female lead was well-intentioned.
Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding her surprising ally and coworker Lee Joon Ho, played fairly consistently by actor Kang Tae Oh. Lee Joon Ho is what many viewers would define as the “ nice guy” archetype; sweet and a good person to have in the female lead’s corner as well as a potential love interest for the writing of the show but a little staid at times also.Of course, this is certainly not a bad writing decision per say. He was fairly supportive, kindhearted, had his own struggles at times as well as remaining non-judgemental when it came to first meeting Young Woo and learning of her autism, instead valuing personhood rather than her disability. ( “I want to be on the same side as you, Attorney Woo. I want an attorney like you to be on my side.”)
However considering Joon Ho’s relevance in the storyline as well as the focus on empathy throughout the series , it felt odd that the narrative didn’t delve slightly deeper into some of these writing traits. Aside from that, his potential romantic relationship with Young Woo was admittedly a subject of debate for a lot of viewers. Although some saw this as a positive and healthy relationship as well as a good message put across for autistic characters to have love interests, others have noted that the potential relationship seemed a little enforced and took away somewhat from the initial camaraderie between the main leads.
In addition to the main leads, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ boasts an eclectic group of side characters also. Woo Gwang-ho, played by Jeon Bae-su, was a surprisingly heartwarming side character as Young Woo’s single father, senior attorney at Hanbada, Jung Myung-seok ( Kang Ki Young) was Young Woo’s stern boss and mentor, Choi Su-yeon ( Ha Yoon-kyung), played the role as the female lead’s coworker and her former classmate at law school, Han Seon-young ( Baek Ji Won) was the CEO of Hanbada law firm and her father’s old friend from university, Kwon Min-soo ( Joo Jong-hyuk), Young Woo’s peer at work, and Dong Geu-ra-mi ( Joo Hyun-young), Woo Young’s close friend and associate.
The narrative of the series unsurprisingly takes an episodic format; a situation or dilemma case is presented to the characters and the audience, Young Woo’s approach or reaction to a situation is often seen as unconventional or comes under scrutiny by those around her, Young Woo is forced to work hard to prove her approach is okay, and then she is forced to confront or resolve the issue or dilemma of the episode, often resulting in a bittersweet outcome or a surprising turn of events.
Perhaps the one problem with the narrative structure came through feeling a little predictable and repetitive at times. Early episodes rarely fell into this trap but later episodes did noticeably begin to heavily rely on niche tropes which while having the possibility to be intriguing in the frame of ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’, were often slightly niche. ( Cliches such as the “ traumatic backstory”, an “ envious antagonist” and the “ enemies to lovers” being noticeable in particular.)
Stylistically under the directing reigns of Yoo In Shik, ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ was a fairly slick and glossy production. The palette scheme was multifaceted; ranging and varying from scene to scene and heavily dependent on changing mood, tone and atmosphere. Although this was a fairly standard approach, it certainly did often help to animate scenes to life for viewers. (Standout examples include the ever-changing neutrals of the law firm feeling warm or harsh, the friendly and comforting tones of Young Woo’s family home and the use of rain, sunshine or nighttime background to reflect the feelings and emotions of the characters.)
The comprised OST for ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ was typically upbeat and lighthearted. A few of these tracks often bordered on being overly chirpy while others were bittersweet and serenading. Admittedly there were a few songs throughout the sounds track which did feel a little indistinguishable from one another but this was also dependent on personal taste. However, there were some songs such as Beyond My Dreams" (상상) by Sunwoojunga and “Tuning In To You" (기울이면) by Wonstein which did stand out.
‘ My Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a procedural series filled to the brim with heartfelt moments and empathy. Naturally the series did have its ups and downs ( especially in the latter part of the drama), but the main cast were fairly consistent throughout with their onscreen acting . (Especially actress Park Eun Bin). Overall, a fairly good watch though a little rough around the edges.
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A Wasted Journey Down The Rabbit Hole...
Filmed by director Baek Soo Chan ( A Girl Who Sees Smells, Reunited Worlds ), written with a fairly, fresh unique storyline by Kim Kyu-Won and having brilliant casting choices of Joo Won ( Bridal Mask, Good Doctor), Kim Hee Seon (Room No.9, Angry Mom) and Choi Won Young ( Sky Castle, I Remember You and Mystic Pop- Up Bar) , Alice truly had all the given possibilities of being an avant- garde masterpiece.So, what went wrong with such a good show? Well, it would seem that there were a couple contributing factors for the show’s own demise, not least; characterisation, inconsistent plot and lacking dramatic tension.
To give the show some credit, the beginning did build- up a lot of intriguing plot for viewers; a nearly apathetic detective ( Joo Won) who after witnessing the death of his mother nearly ten years ago, is confronted with the past and the future with the mysterious meeting of his mother’s doppelgänger , a physicist interested in time travel, and apparent time travellers from the future who may have played a part in the death of his mother . Yet, one thing which did grow slightly apparent about this show from episode one, was the lack of creativity with cinematography, something which for a show about time travel ( apart from the old “freeze in time” scenes), there was little added to express this.
Additionally, a lot of drama watchers that I’ve talked to about this show, have seemed to sugarcoat a lot of the inconsistencies which began arising the beginning of this drama ( not least the exact extent of the laws of time travel and the strength of Gyeom’s powers), however, it can perhaps be overlooked slightly in the beginning with the abilities of our acting cast ( well, to an extent). As per usual, Joo Won was brilliant within his portrayal as an intelligent detective yearning for the truth behind his mother’s death. In fact, there is little to really fault about Joo Won in his portrayal, but, rather how the scriptwriters decided to continue onwards with Joo Won’s character, Park Jin Gyeom. There were a lot of moments which the scriptwriters didn’t even try to explain to us as viewers; Gyeom’s random emotional outbursts as someone apparently apathetic( yet his lacking emotional relationships even with the possibilities that could have been explored with his own father ), his lacking intelligence within moments in the show ( such as his inability to draw the conclusions of a simple DNA test with his mother’s doppelgänger)and of course the exact extent of his powers; something not explained even by the confusing ending of the drama and Gyeom’s character twist ( equally making little sense in regards to Gyeom as a character or the exact reasons behind his actions).
En par with Joo Won as an equal , undeniably was Kim Hee Seon. Whilst I’ll be honest in saying that I had to watch a couple of clips from older dramas/ movies to know her past works, Hee Seon was certainly was well-cast within her dual role in the drama. Whilst Joo Won also had to conflict between playing a younger and older- self of his character in the series, Hee Seon had to go one step further in the more complicated matter of playing two carbon copy characters with ( though not specified)presumably different ages and personalities. This is a hard feat for any actor, and it’s fair to say that it was believable upon Hee Seon being two different people here; a mother/time traveller and, of course a young and intelligent scientist . Sadly in a similar manner to Jin Gyeom as a character, there were too many plot holes associated with both Yoon Tae-Yis. Whilst the show offered some explanation towards how these two characters are identical copies of the other, there was little rational or plot build- up for viewers to this moment, in a similar manner to the emotional context of whether Doctor Yoon played a part in the discovery of the agency as a consequence of her works, her questioning intelligence and the revelation of her emotional trauma seemed to not truly flesh her out as a character at all in the drama . (This also adds on a side note, what exactly happened to the Book that the characters stressed as important by episode 16, seemingly disappearing from the storyline until last minute.) Then of course there’s the additional “ platonic, yet mutual feelings angle” the drama took between the relationships of Jin Gyeom and Doctor Yoon. Whilst to an extent it was easy to understand where Yoon’s misunderstandings came from before learning more about Gyeom , Jin Gyeom’s own misleading assertions towards Yoon being somehow linked to his mother, took the show on a slightly disturbing ( though thankfully only suggested) factor when considering that Doctor Yoon is still identical to his mother.
Thankfully, the show didn’t extend too much into this near-incest relationship, but, it is noticeable in later episodes how the driving action of the plot drives to a near halt in order to focus on their “ affectionate” relationship rather than actual plot development like earlier episodes . However, in order to appeal for viewers, the writers did attempt to present a love interest for Gin Yeom through the introduction of Lee Da-In as Kim- Do Yeon. Whilst Da-In certainly wasn’t awful within her portrayal, her character was simply unnecessary to the plot; She had no character development and most importantly, no actual contribution to the plot as well.
On a more positive note , Kwak Si-Yang’s performance as Yoo Min- Hyuk , a time- traveller and agent for Alice , was brilliantly angst-ridden, adding to some complex and emotionally- driven scenes between his character’s horror and realisation with his actions after he finds out a shocking truth. Although undeniably Min- Hyuk probably had some of the best ( and possibly only ) decent characterisation in the show on his road to redemption with Gin Yeom, the scriptwriters didn’t give Min- Hyuk any justice as a character. This is something which felt quite detached both emotionally for viewers and the scriptwriter, with the decision for the relationship between Min Hyuk and Gin Yeom to be carried out with little build-up or development, apart from the cycle of Gyeom being weary of Min Hyuk, beating him up and repeat. ( For viewers who know this secret, I am sure that you can agree with me that the ending which could have been emotionally touching, completely killed this relationship with little sense considering Gyeom’s reaction.). Additionally, of course, Kim Sang Ho and Choi Won Young’s roles on the sideline added some emotional angst and sincere questions throughout the drama through their performances .
Overall, Alice had a lot of intriguing premises and ideas, and a fairly good cast yet, lacking characterisation, inconsistent plot and a rushed ending with little sensical plot ( especially regarding the laws of time ) and emotional deliverance, added to the wasted potential for a good show by becoming dire .
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Does ‘Police Academy’ Need To Be Interrogated In Room 101?…
‘ Police Academy’ is a fairly lighthearted approach to the “detective and crime” genre- sweet and surprisingly heartfelt in parts, comical in other scenes and undeniably with more irritating flaws also . So this leaves the ultimate question; is ‘ Police Academy’ worth watching?
The acting front is solid enough here. There are a few slip-ups when long dialogue pauses or line deliverances felt a little mismatched against foregrounded scenes, but Jung Jin Young certainly exceeded expectations as main lead Sun Ho. The idol actor added a level of angsty-sweetness to his onscreen persona .
Sun Ho was a subverted example of the “ main lead with a tragic past”. He didn’t follow the stereotypical routes taken in fiction of being jaded, arrogant or the “ apathetic prodigy” but a fairly normal and confused teen. There were some surprisingly touching scenes ( never to be explored or seen again ) with surrogate father figure Yoon Taek II ( Oh Man Seok) as well as his fraternal-style relationship with best friend Yoon Seung Bum( Choi Woo Sung) helped to foreground some functionality within Sun Ho’s everyday life. However for our main character to befriend fairly positive influences such as Seung Beum and deal with a pretty austere paternal figure such as Yoon Taek this ultimately begs the question; “Why and how did Sun Ho learn to hack and get involved with the authorities ? “ There’s the argument by some viewers that " it is a take your brain out comedy" and “ Sun Ho did so because he was bored”", however, the show never really tied this major point concisely. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if the drama hadn’t carried this over more as an important role in later episodes with sporadic and partially-inaccurate terminology and tech setups , only adding to the confusion as to Sun Ho’s involvement in this world .
This then leads us to talking about his “reasons” for training to become a police officer . A character doesn’t always necessarily have to go down the “ vengeance backstory” route, but it was an odd move that the drama didn’t interlink or at least explore more about Sun Ho’s backstory, his parents as well as some sense of relief and poetic justice for Sun Ho’s goal to become an officer . Aside from the prosaic reasoning in the show that “ the girl I like is pretty and can fight , I want to have a goal and follow her too.”
On this subject there’s evidently also the problem revolving around Kang Hee. Idol actress Krystal isn’t too bad here. This is admittedly not one of her most captivating performances, but not unwatchable either. Our female lead Kang Hee is a bit of a mixed-bag. Despite being Sun Ho’s "dream girl", Kang Hee does have a more evident character drive than Sun Ho in parts. Her mother is far from being a good citizen and Kang Hee has often put academic pressure on herself to succeed in order stray away from being labelled as her “mother’s daughter”. ( A relationship which was given a patchwork happy redemption arc later on without a lot of explanation)However here’s where we hit a major rut with Kang Hee; she isn’t a likeable character.
Of course we are supposed to like her in theory . She’s intelligent, a talented fighter and witty. However the problem with the female lead is that whilst she does have a ‘’complicated ‘’ past which helps to explain some of her motives, she never seems to learn to grow, accept or develop. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if the show pointed this out or made Kang Hee mature by accepting her own mistakes or begrudgingly understanding the errors of her ways, but sadly Kang Hee rarely escaped her one-dimensional character depth throughout the drama.
Then there’s the potential ‘’ onscreen relationship’’ between Kang Hee and Sun Ho. The setup itself is simple enough; Kang Hee is Sun Ho’s crush and his raison d’être. The female lead has rarely noticed Sun Ho up until the storyline of the series, but this soon changes when events begin to unfold. It’s a straightforward enough concept and whilst Krystal and Jin Young’s onscreen chemistry was decent enough, the relationship often hit a rut due to a lack of definitive development as well as hitting an anticlimactic conclusion.
Meanwhile away from the problematic romance factor of the drama there’s then the topic to discuss about Yoo Dong Man ( Cha Tae Hyun) also. Aside from serious questions being raised about how Dong Man wasn’t picked up by any of his colleagues for his initial attitude to Sun Ho, Dong Man is your typical seemingly “ gruff and arrogant cop with a heart of gold”. It was evident that the drama would go down the route of exploring Dong Man’s gradual buddy friendship with the male lead and it was undeniably sweet. On the other hand there was lot left in the air about exploring more complicated depth with Dong Man’s character; his past, rivalry, rookie days and his own complicated feelings when the antagonist is revealed in their midst was often left as unexplored territory.
The antagonist(s) and “climatic tension” of the drama were fairly predictable- not bad per say, but simply existing for the sake of “ plot drive” rather than being given depth or more prominence. As a consequence the ending was quite anticlimactic. Sweet and on a happier note than possibly viewers were anticipating but nonetheless cliche and slightly disappointing.
Whilst ‘ Police Academy’ did offer some enjoyment through its impressive cast lineup and style, the drama’s ability to tackle character writing, depth and plot tension and climatic build seemed sporadically thrown together and lacklustre often resulting in anti climatic solutions or endings . Overall ‘ Police Academy’ was mediocrity at its best- okay if you’re watching just out of boredom and not bothered about writing during a binge-watching session but those looking for a drama with an enjoyable police buddy element and depth may want to look elsewhere.
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Is ‘ Don’t Lie, Rahee’ Actually Worth Watching?
Produced as an original miniseries by Naver TV Cast, ‘ Don’t Lie, Rahee’ ( ‘돈 라이 라희’) is a fairly lighthearted yet niche setup with an abundance predictable cliches along the way.
The series focuses upon the titular female lead and influencer Noh Ra Hee ( Kim Na Hyun). Despite having other 100,000 subscribers and a popular image, Ra Hee struggles to maintain her perfectionism . Instead Ra Hee has turned to fabricating a web of lies in order to boost her influencer persona. However when a particular lie leads her to running into childhood friend and her first love Seol Ho-won ( Kim Ji Woong), Ra Hee finds it even harder to keep her hidden secrets …
‘ Don’t Lie, Rahee’ is notably a simplistic and lighthearted concept. Whilst the series was surprisingly compacted into its short duration time of four episodes, this did admittedly present a double-edged sword. A shorter and easygoing setup allowed the miniseries’ narrative to be expedited and wrapped up quickly, but it also highlighted a major dilemma also; there was no real sense of impending doom or growth ( even in a short space of time) for the characters.
It is important to reiterate that ‘ Don’t Lie, Rahee’’s storyline and execution was limited from the outset with only four episodes . On the other hand whilst extended time can be a contributing factor towards writing a detailed and well-executed plot, certain short stories and mini dramas have proven time and time again that writing and the usage of plot is key also.
One of the most notable things about ‘ Don’t Lie, Rahee’ is that even in a very short space of time, the series often struggled with trying to buildup the dilemma surrounding Rahee. Of course this isn’t to say it wasn’t apparent from the outset or nonexistent but aside from some cutesy exchanges between Ho-Won and Rahee onscreen, a multitude of selfies taken by Rahee, or a heart to heart chat with Rahee’s close friend Go Min-yeong ( Choi Yeon Soo), it was hard to really pinpoint precise moments ( aside from the final episode) when the storyline really permitted a climatic build or sense of unease for the audience.
The acting of the miniseries is admittedly decent enough. There were admittedlt a few abrupt moments of awkwardly delivered dialogue and interactions but the main cast, specifically Kim Na Hyun and Kim Ji Woong, were certainly charming enough.
Former SONAMOO member and actress Kim Na Hyun ( ‘ The Miracle’, ‘ Café Kilimanjaro’) played main female lead Noh Ha Ree.
As a character, Ra Hee is fairly hard for audiences to warm up to. Initially whilst she is supposed to be haughty, fractious and evidently flawed through her multiple shared falsehoods, it was difficult to really feel pity for Ra Hee during seemingly sympathetic moments in the final part.
Perhaps one of the key reasons for viewers feeling somewhat disengaged from this seemingly “ quintessential” character came through the fact that there were few redeeming moments or even opportunities to see past Ra Hee’s false pretences early on.
Of course throughout the narrative, we are supposed to see Ra Hee “ grow” by her rekindled feelings for Ho-won as well as her confession in the final course of the narrative. On the other hand whilst this did resonate a certain sympathetic tone with audiences, it was hard to really grasp how Ra Hee truly matured or developed as a character, or at least painted in a more sympathetic light early on by foreshadowing or trying to build up her storyline subtly more even in a short space of time.
Costarring alongside Kim Na Hyun was idol-actor Kim Ji Woong ( ‘ The Sweet Blood’, ‘ Kissable Lips’) as leading man Seol Ho-Won.
Reserved, slightly brooding, good-looking and altruistic, Ho-Woon embodied all of the stereotypical tropes surrounding a main lead and a potential love interest with differing results. Whilst is arguable that Ho-Woon was a a necessary component for the events of storyline and for Ra Hee’s character , Ho-Woon was a shoehorned archetype. He was kindhearted and sweet but aside from his ambivalent feelings for Ra Hee and helping her in different ways, Ho Woon rarely had prominent flaws or at least notable drives as a character. Instead Ho Woon came across as a carte blanche main male lead; necessary for keeping the plot afloat, but rarely sticking out as a sentient or driven character.
On the other hand it is undeniable that the chemistry between lead actors Kim Na Hyun and Kim Ji Woong was prominent throughout the short series. Despite some limited dialogue and situations, Na Hyun and Ji Woong were able to power through with surprisingly natural and coherent chemistry from beginning to end.
The quality of production and filming is admittedly to be expected for a miniseries. ( Although notably slightly glossier than some productions due to the corporate funding by Naver.) It’s slightly limited by settings and quality of camera angles and gradients in parts, but certainly not bad either.
Overall ‘ Don’t Lie, Rahee’ truly epitomizes a “ binge-watch” miniseries; shortly compacted into less than twenty minute episodes and easy enough to watch in one sitting. The acting is solid enough and whilst there were a few questionable moments, the chemistry between our main leads was surprisingly dynamic. The storyline is limited by certain elements of writing, execution and buildup, but did offer enough opportunities in for those willing to disengage and embark into a lighthearted and fluffy viewing session.
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“Spellbounding” Performances...
“ The Witch Part 1 ; Subversion” (2018) has been sitting on my “ To Watch List” for the past year or so , yet , I could never quite find the right opportunity to properly see it. By chance a couple of weeks ago, however, I finally had the opportunity to sit down and watch it properly, when a film channel in my country was airing the movie late one night .Having always been quite a big fan of Korean revenge thrillers and horror movies such as Oldboy (2003) and The Tale of Two Sisters (2003), “ The Witch Part 1; Subversion” lived beyond my expectations with an actually intriguing and grappling storyline by screenwriter/ director Park Hoon Young. This is because whilst the movie was brilliantly focused upon bloodthirsty violence, there was a good amount of time to see and understand our main female lead Ja Yoon ( Kim Da-Mi) through her interactions , as well as fairly difficult themes being tackled such as mortality, dementia and illness being shown throughout the movie as well.
On the other hand, I must admit that it did take me awhile to recognise that Ja- Yoon was being played by the same Kim Da-Mi from Itaewon Class , due to appearing strikingly younger without the makeup or hair dye. Yet as Da-Mi has proven before during her performances , she doesn’t merely act and her role here is no exception . In the movie, Da- Mi truly stepped into her character and her performance as Ja-Yoon; a seemingly naïve and talented schoolgirl with a secret which becomes more intricate as the duration of the film progresses .
Another immediate note of praise must be given to Da-Mi’s costar Choi Woo Shik. Admittedly, Woo Shik has always been under my radar as a good actor for awhile after seeing his lesser-known and brilliant performance as the seemingly innocent Male lead in Hogu’s Love and then his diverse roles across several Asian films and movies. Woo Shik’s role in “ The Witch” is no exception as the sardonic, near-psychopathic and ruthless physic
(referred to only as “ Nobleman” during the ending credits), determined to destroy any sense of Ja-Yoon’s normality by revealing her hidden secrets. Naturally Jo Min Soo and Park Hee Soon cannot be forgotten by animating the movie with being the seeming mysterious antagonists, Dr Baek and Mr Choi , and the underrated role by Da Eun as the mysterious accomplice of Woo Shik’s character, certainly shouldn’t be overlooked as well.
Yet whilst the movie was undeniably brilliant by its transition from a seeming teenage comedy to horror over the gradual halfway point of the film, “ The Witch” was undeniably flawed from its lacking sense of greater purpose with its cliches. That’s not to say that these cliches didn’t add anything to the characters or storylines, however, there seemed to be too many loose ends with some of these flaws meaning that it took away a lot time from intriguing focus and the actions the storyline.
Overall the Witch; Subversion Part 1( 2018) wasn’t completely flawless ( from cliches that have been seen and done before to arguably some shakier performances by Go Mi Shi), however, the film was filled with an intriguing storyline, action and fairly spellbinding performances by the majority of the cast ( particularly Da-Mi and Woo- Shik) and definitely worth a watch.
Although Woo- Shik will be a sad loss to not being the sequel, so long as Park Hoon Jung maintains the quality of screenwriting , Part 2 will be equally brilliant with the added performances of Jin Goo, Park Eun Bun and Lee Jong Suk appearing in the next part.
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The Eternal Search for ‘ Happiness’…
Against its seemingly antithetical title screenwriter Hang Sang Woon and director Ahn Gil Ho’s‘ Happiness’ attempted to mirror similar issues from prejudice, isolation and loneliness which occurred particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The unusual combination of genres highlighted a hellish fight to not only escape from the “infected “( the mysterious disease ravaging the population and leaving the infected in a zombie-like and feral state with few lucid moments ), but surprisingly a bittersweet love story between its main leads also .
The TVN drama presented an odd accumulation of fast-paced thrill and tension through its plot twists as well as tender and bittersweet scenes by taking a moment to slow-down the storyline and allow viewers’ to contemplate and soak in events. Yet like most intriguing fusion-genres in execution ‘ Happiness’ could sometimes not escape certain pitfalls of writing errors and character-drive along the way.
Of course ‘ Happiness’ offered viewers a fairly impressive lineup of acting abilities and most notably our main cast. Actress Han Hyo Joo brought forward Yoon Sae-Bom to life through adding an unlikely sweet charm to her onscreen persona ; a professional counter-terrorist operative whose pursuit of happiness by moving into a new apartment proves only to be a blunder during the events of the series. Sae-Bom’s reactions and interactions with others throughout the series could often feel prosaic during early episodes; initially driven for the “sake of plot “ rather than upon reflection of viewers getting to understand more about the female lead through subtle character growth . Nevertheless as the series progresses Sae-Bom provided to be a major asset to the plot and allowed some time to focus on developed sides of Sae-Bom’s personality from altruism to stubbornness in order to present some focus on the importance of humanity and depth within the female lead.
Costar Park Hyung Sik’s reprisal of an intriguing role was highlighted through his onscreen persona Jung Yi-hyun ; a suave and observant detective investigator who had shared-history with female lead Sae-Bom from their school days and provided to be one of the first key characters to come across findings of the mysterious disease during a case. Yet whilst Yi-Hyun was undeniably an intriguing character he could often suffer from the fate of many main characters through becoming an inherent “ plot device”; necessary to keep the storyline moving, but sometimes lacking in more subtle character development. Naturally Yi-Hyun did have golden opportunities to be explored in more depth during some key moments in the series but this could sometimes lack greater exploration.
As far as the chemistry between our main leads is concerned ‘ Happiness’ admittedly was a bumpy road- good onscreen chemistry between Hyung Sik and Hyo Joo could often fall victim to more staid cliches and setups which did not always weigh up against the more heavy-hitting moments of the series. Naturally later episodes took a little more time out to focus on some subtle relationship development between the main leads but often this was interwoven with more serious scenes and storyline moments also.
the supporting characters of the drama also have an intriguing part in events of the drama from Han Tae Seok ( Jo Woo Jin); a discharged military informant agent to the residents of the apartment ( some of which are admittedly less well-defined than others.)
Ahn Gil Ho plays upon subtle palette changes and lighting tones throughout the mis-en-scénes of the drama - key scenes crafting an important ambience throughout the series through this setup and pragmatic choice of OST, whilst some quintessential moments admittedly lacked the same ingenuity when required.
‘ Happiness’ offered viewers an intriguing concept with a dash of profundity and romance in between its zombie-style thriller setup- it isn’t inherently terrifying , but director Ahn Gil Ho and writer Hang Sang Woon are able to add a touch of suspense and sweetness in an intriguing and pacy storyline. The writing could sometimes wane through the pressure placed initially upon odd tropes, cliches and setups( especially for our main leads) during early episodes.( Alongside the heavily dominant setting of the apartment growing slightly bland.)However later scenes spent time focusing upon the storyline in more depth; brilliantly brought to life by our main cast’s dynamic performances by our main leads and the interwoven cinematography of the director. The ending was admittedly filled with a few loose ends but did deliver a sense of completion for the series. Overall whilst ‘ Happiness’ wasn’t without its more evident writing faults the drama offered an intriguing storyline with contemplation with a good cast and intrigue for viewers, as well as allowing room for philosophical thought towards the true definition of happiness in life.
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A ‘ Door’ Into The Realm of Disappointment…
Based upon the eponymous novel by Robert A. Heinlein, ‘ The Door Into Summer’ ( alternatively known as ‘ Natsu e no Tobira: Kimi no Iru Mirai e’ or ‘ 夏への扉 キミのいる未来へ’) seemed to initially offer viewers an intriguing premise under the directing reigns of Takahiro Miki and the writing of Kanno Tomoe.
However despite the movie’s impressive plot premise and the casting choice of renowned actor Kento Yamazaki ( ‘ Orange’, ‘ Alice In Borderland’, ‘ Death Note’), ‘ The Door Into Summer’ soon suffered greatly under the aimless direction of plot holes, lacklustre genre exploration, character and plot growth as well as pacing also.
The movie initially focuses upon young scientist Takakura Soichiro ( Kento Yamazaki). Trying to complete the research of his late paternal and mentor figure Matsushita Kazuto ( Hidekazu Mashima) upon plasma research in 1995, Soichiro’s plans are scuppered when he’s betrayed from the shadows and loses control over his research . With no other options, Soichiro is subdued into a cryogenic chamber. Waking up nearly thirty years later in 2025, Soichiro discovers that the world has changed significantly as he desperately tries to find a way back to 1995…
Perhaps one of ‘ The Door Into Summer’’s greatest downfalls and arguable strengths came through its emotive moments. Admittedly it isn’t out of a question for the science-fiction genre to explore and widen the scope of expectations with presenting the emotional conflicts and struggles of humanity. In particular one of the most heartfelt moments of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ came through Soichiro’s relationship initially in 1995 with his adopted feline friend Pete and being able to relate to his cat’s emotional struggles. In the latter-part of the series this relationship was replaced by Soichiro’s android friend PETE ( Fujiki Naohito); one of the few characters who could offer viewers surprising comic relief and emotional complexity at times also .
Nevertheless ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was a storyline that was supposedly focused upon elements of time travel and pseudo-science. However whilst the lingering presence of humanoid robots and time travel are intriguing plot hooks for viewers, Kanno Tomoe’s screenplay greatly struggled under the cataclysmic weight of plot inconsistencies and lacklustre loopholes as well as logic .
One of the major problems of Tomoe’s world-building and “factual “ science came through its lacking and quintessential presence in the main events of the storyline. Perhaps the major source of the problem can be found that ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was heavily dominated by its emotional aspects. However rather than using this as an opportunity to explore characters or even widely offer an edge of complexity towards Soichiro, Kanno Tomoe ladened the narrative in parts upon Soichiro’s insipid, potential romantic relationship with main female lead Matsushita Riko ( Kiyohara Kara).
This was a notable flaw throughout Miki’s movie; there was rarely a sense of plot. Seemingly quintessential characters and events were rarely developed and whilst the movie did attempt to present a gradual “ villain” , ‘ The Door Into Summer’ could often feel aimless and directionless within its messaging and plot development. In particular the ending of the movie notably presented the outcome of the plot’s aimless narrative with an anticlimactic and lacklustre conclusion.
In addition to this there’s also the issue of the lacking opportunities to really flesh-out characters and in particular the main male lead of the series. For a a main character who is supposedly constantly looking towards advancement , Soichiro’s uninspiring and tailored reaction towards the near-future, technology and the world around him felt somewhat regimented rather than befitting for his seeming character archetype.
The acting of the series was admittedly a slight mixed-bag. Kento Yamazaki’s role as Soichiro was admittedly somewhat uninspiring with certain line deliverances feeling enforced. The supporting cast such as Matsuhhita Riko played by Kiyohara Kara and Natsuko as Shiraishi Rin in particular were decent enough with their performances but rarely brought forwards a dynamic charm due to limited screenwriting opportunities. Perhaps one of the few standout performances of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was Fujiki Naohito as PETE but due to limited dialogue and depth opportunities, Naohito was rarely a wider scope to exploring his onscreen persona with tact.
Perhaps one of the few saving graces of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ under the directing reigns of Takahiro Miki came through the movie’s impressive and glossy CGI, cinematography, slick shots and fuzzy retro and nostalgia shoots also. Although admittedly a somewhat generic approach with certain filming techniques, Miki did help to captivate a certain aesthetic throughout the filming of the series. The OST of the series was slightly dull in comparison to the slick shots of the movies; synchronic in parts, but rarely giving viewers an opportunity to feel the emotional weight and impact of scenes either.
Overall ‘ The Door Into Summer’ is a film which whilst boasting some impressive filming shots, scenery, CGI and some familiar faces, often felt heavily burdened by its writing. The elements of science-fiction present within the narrative of the film are approached tactlessly with aimless plot motivations rarely giving further insight into the growth of characters or tension either. The ending of the series will likely offer viewers with a final admittance of the narrative’s disappointing deliverance despite its unlimited potential.
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Well, I Certainly Won’t Be “ Hiccuping ” To Say That This Drama Has Its Flaws...
With numerous reviews over the years upon the drama, it wouldn’t be surprising if this review easily becomes disregarded amongst others. Nevertheless, it’s important to give an honest and objective verdict on whether “ Pinnochio” still lives up to its legacy as a “ good” series , or is overrated for what its worth.
Pinocchio tells the story a man ( Lee Jong Suk) whose life was devastated by corrupt reporters. Seeking revenge since childhood, he takes up another identity as “ Dal Po” ; the deceased son of an old man suffering from denial and mental illness called Choi Gong Pil ( Byun Hee Bong). Together with his “ niece” and sufferer of the fictionalised illness “Pinocchio Syndrome”, Choi In Ha ( Park Shin Hye), the two go on a journey of self-discovery that forces them to face some uncomfortable truths.
Undeniably the most intriguing concept present within the show was the ideology of Pinocchio Syndrome; a (fairy tale-inspired) condition which causes the individual to hiccup whenever he or she lies. As someone suffering from the condition, In Ha is often subject to discrimination and prejudice by wider society, however, this concept of the show did lack genuine or factual explanation to viewers towards its causes- is it hereditary, psychological or just a cause of random gene mutations? Although it is notable neither of In Ha’s parents suffer from this disease, it did remain a lingering question towards exactly how and when In Ha was diagnosed with Pinocchio Syndrome and the actual science behind this fictionalised disease.
Instead, the fantasy concept of Pinocchio Syndrome is truly reduced to more than an asset plot device to accompany more prevalent focal point of journalism within the show. The aspects of critiquing the competitive and exploitative natures of the industry of media did notably help to present a surprisingly realistic and somewhat fairly profound depth to the storyline.
Dal Po’s entire character is driven by his enmity and obligated feelings of revenge for his family . Yet by becoming the very thing he hated more than anything in the world, he stumbles upon the truth that the world of journalism is not as black and white as he originally had the preconception of ; news outlets, individuals and reporters may twist certain stories for their own gain whilst the true victims remain without voices. Whilst Lee Jong Suk has often had a mixed bag of performances over the years, his role as Dal- Po did seem to capture multifaceted and depth to his character. This is because Dal- Po is still motivated by his intentions for revenge, but he also learns to forgive and learn that sometimes honesty is the greatest weapon of them all.
Yet this also moves us on to the obvious problem of the drama. The ridiculous amount of cliche coincidences happening in the subtext of thirteen years of secret messaging between the second male Beom Jo ( Kim Young Kwang) and In Ha, the notable “ chances” which arise for Dal-Po being able to land a job as a journalist despite his limited qualifications ( regardless of his intelligence) and of course the sudden reversal of “ external forces” which kept away characters such as Dal-Po and In Ha from developing relationships in order to suddenly have a “ happy ending”. Although a preferred choice for the dramatised events of the series, it was initially off-putting at times within the cliche and unrealistic setups which suddenly manifested without prior build-up.
Yet perhaps the biggest problem in the series was the dragging sensation of storyline in places. Initially this is somewhat ironic for a show which has surprisingly quite good pacing for the majority of the show , but the duration of episodes in addition to transition in places upon plot devices, over actual characterisation often resulted in this problem.
The biggest example of this problem can be found through In Ha as a character. Although Shin Hye can’t be faulted within her stellar performance and her character does initially having an interesting backstory, her actual relevance to the storyline often felt minimal and intrinsically quite lacklustre. In Ha simply does not have notable character growth in the series. Arguably a lot of In Ha’s problems and the drama wouldn’t have been as effective without In Ha having remained the same, however, this is also a somewhat nonsensical venture into In Ha as a character. Considering her experiences and scenarios growing up, In Ha neither really seems to be given the chance to confront them openly and actually learn and develop, often resulting in her character coming off as a plot device in order to keep the story motivated such as her relationship with her mother and Dal Po , than an individual in her own right.
In terms of the latter mentioned point , the relationship between Dal Po and In Ha was a little questionable over the course of the series. Although not relatives by blood ( giving the obvious explanation against the otherwise incestuous proposal) , a lot of viewers often forget that In Ha and Dal Po grew up together for more than thirteen years as uncle and niece as well as during their younger years having a notably fraternal relationship - the pairing between the two characters just felt odd and mismatched. Actors Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye did help to cover up some of the more awkward onscreen moments through their performances and the show acknowledged it to some extent , it still seemed oddly problematic to romanticise this pairing in the first place as well as the striking differences between both characters and their personalities.
Perhaps the most praiseworthy relationship in the show occurred between Dal-Po and his biological, revenge driven brother Ki Jae Myeong(portrayed by Yoon Gyun Sang), provided the zeal of the revenge story and the clear differences in motive and experiences of both brothers.
Dal-Po seeks revenge in a similar manner to Ki-Jae, but in the process considers and acknowledges reconciliation and forgiveness against certain individuals due to being distracted by a kind-hearted “paternal” -figure and surrounded by a fairly loving family . On the other hand, Ki-Jae’s experiences was solely driven with cause of distraction for revenge with a carte blanche given by viewers just to see how far he can gross the line of morality. This presents an intriguing relationship between brothers with Ki Jae oblivious for a major proportion of the series due to not knowing Dal-Po’s true identity. Jae Myeong’s performance was surprisingly good and a honest gift to this drama by making up for some of its more evident flaws .
So, was a “ Pinocchio ” a good series, or another overrated drama? It’s fair to say that the concept of the show was intriguing by tackling difficult issues of manipulation, injustice and exploitation, the OST was quite good, and there were some particularly well-written characters such as Dal-Po and even In Ha’s mother, Song Cha-ok ( Jin Kyung) who was surprisingly given some profound depth despite her antagonistic role in the series. Nevertheless, “ Pinocchio” isn’t as flawless as watchers truly make it up to be- the ridiculous coincidences took away from the surprising twists of storyline, In Ha as our female lead was severely underdeveloped and the relationship between both characters was ultimately a little uncomfortable considering the angle of the storyline. It is probably fair to say that “ Pinocchio ” wasn’t a dire or terrible drama by any stretch of the imagination and had many likeable assets , but it certainly was overrated within being passed off as a “ flawless” drama by some fans.
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Should You Keep A “ Distance” From This Drama?
There is undeniably something poignant about the plot premise of ‘ At A Distance, Spring is Green’ as the series pursues the soul-searching quests of our tritagonists trying to guide themselves through friendships, love and their own personal conflicts in different ways.
Yet in between the vivid spring palette scheme of director Kim Jung Hyun ( Secret Garden, Legal High) ‘s cinematography , ‘ At A Distance, Spring is Green’ doesn’t escape from the realm of scrutiny either. The divergence from the original storyline by conservative production channel KBS ( including changing platonic friendships to romantic pairings and even a character’s sexuality),unsurprisingly has sparked a lot of controversial debate over the handling of characterisation and plot throughout the drama.
However against the more heated feud surrounding the drama’s storyline , our main cast offered refreshing performances as their onscreen personas . Idol and former child actor Park Ji-Hoon delivered a beguiling performance as Yeo Joon. Throughout the drama we learn more about Yeo Joon away from his cheery and fake facade of similes. Foregrounded as a byproduct of an oppressive and dysfunctional family consisting of his older brother Yeo Joon Wan( Na In Woo), as well as his parents Cha Jeong Joo ( So Hee Jung) and Yeo Myung Hoon ( Kim Hyung Mook). One of the major drama subplots surrounding Yeo Joon’s family did undeniably have some surprising twists, but this subplot was sadly underdeveloped as a consequence of the predominating screen time into Yeo Joon’s “ romance” with So Bin ( Kang Min Ah).
It wasn’t the case that Park Ji-Hoon and Kang Min Ah had terrible onscreen chemistry. Kang Min Ah is a brilliant actress and she certainly helped to convey sweet moments between their onscreen personas ( one of the loveliest scenes of the drama being when So Bin gave Yeo Joon a hyacinth). However, the plot often seemed to struggle with conveying a symbiotic and mutually respectful relationship between these two characters with Yeo Joon (in early episodes) manipulating So Bin’s feelings, and then So Bin happily going out with someone who infringed upon her self-respect . Aside from diverging from the original webcomic the pairing between these main leads was similar to So Bin merely acting as an emotional band aid for Joon’s emotional wounds; quick to slap on top in order to make their relationship seem “ soulful”, yet often
resulting in a one-sided investment of only So Bin hearing out Joon . Whilst in the later storyline Joon did arguably “ support” So Bin, this was in a fairly manipulative manner towards humiliating someone who caused her to get into a tricky scenario rather than trusting and listening to So Bin and working out their problems together. Instead whilst it is understandable that Joon needed some respectful boundaries with So Bin ( and vice versa), it provided a sense of distrust within their relationship by Joon often considering Soo Hyun ( Baek In Hyuk) more as a “trusted” confidant than So Bin throughout the drama.
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However arguably one of the most enjoyable feats of the drama was Yeo Joon’s gradual relationship with his older brother Yeo Joon Wan ( Na In Woo) and then of course his friendship with Nam Soo Hyun. For the former, Na In Woo was really dynamic at capturing his persona Joo Wan’s stoicism by his expressions rendering something which is “ more than meets the eye” in early scenes. His heart-rendering journey from being the “ estranged” and “ heartless” brother of Joon to expressing his actual worry and emotions as truths come to light was one of the few beautiful moments of character development in the drama . However the ultimate show stealer was of course Joon’s oddball friendship with Soo Hyun.
Ironically this gradual “ blood brother” bond was more intriguing at times than the predominating relationship of Joon with So Bin, as a consequence of being able to contrast and present the characters for all their flaws and strengths. In Hyuk is captivating as second male lead Nam Soo Hyun. A distinctly subversive character; he doesn’t beat around the bush about Yeo Joon being used for his money, his irritation at Yeo Joon sucking up to him and also acknowledges his own social stigma of being " arrogant" on campus whilst struggling to play a fraternal and paternal role for his brother Nam Goo Hyun( Kim Su Gyeom). However one of the biggest problems with Soo Hyun came from (controversy aside), his lacking focal investment with his equivocally intriguing backstory being disregarded in favour for the “ romantic” moments of the drama.
The “ romantic pairings” present in ‘ At A Distance, Spring Is Green’ seemed to provide an ultimate foil at times to greater development with our characters (especially in regards to our female characters) , with the biggest elephant in the room being So Bin.
Respectfully whilst we do get to see insights into So Bin’s life through her interactions with roommates Wang Young Ran ( Kwon Eun Bin) and Gong Mi Joo ( Woo Da Vi) , her " crush and best friend" Hong Chan Ki ( Choi Jung Woo) and some abrupt glimpses into her ” difficult“ past, there’s little to truly put together about So Bin’s greater sense of purpose in the drama . There is the evident argument that whilst Yeo Joon and Soo Hyun represent the problems of loneliness and economic injustice, So Bin is supposed to show the “ average Korean student”. However unlike her counterparts So Bin rarely has this greater calling towards why she was even studying in the first place, her sense of personality outside of her interactions with her roommates, classmates and romance also and being able to have a more profound backstory . Arguably there was a quick passing comment by So Bin that she wasn’t entirely sure about her future and we did get to see abruptly little snippets of So Bin’s past catching up on her , however, perhaps if the series had gone more into So Bin’s reasoning either to ” prove everyone wrong“, her struggles with feeling motiveless or if this was previously rooted from academic or social pressure in her backstory , So Bin would have felt less like a “ emotional band aid” for an enforced romantic pairing, and more of a sentient individual.
This was also a case and point problem with the " unrequited feelings” of Gong Mi Joo towards Soo Hyun. It wasn’t necessarily that Mi Joo was an unlikeable character. In fact actress Woo Da Vi was brilliant at portraying an otherwise paper thin role of the ” superficial rich girl” . However for a major proportion of Mi Joo’s character arc, she was often fractious by her “schoolgirl crush” as well as her motiveless and unhealthy obsession over Soo Hyun. If Mi Joo had tried to understand more about Soo Hyun beyond “ he gave me the drink at the convenience store and is good looking” by asking Young Ran ( and perhaps acknowledging at least their different outcomes), maturing slightly after her previous breakup or even being able to venture more into her backstory, then perhaps Mi Joo would have felt like a well-rounded character. However, it was tiresome to once more see the second female lead be stereotyped as “ pitiful” and “ needy” before being disregarded nearly entirely when she wasn’t “ necessary to the plot”.
Arguably one of the few female characters in this drama who was given justice for a major proportion of the early storyline was Young Ran. The best friend of Soo Hyun who proves herself to be a supportive and a down-to -earth friend, it is disappointing that the show did not take more time to invest in her character arc aside from playing match maker and her seemingly “ unseen” future . The ending overall was a little underwhelming to say the least- not bad per say, just failing to wrap up key character points and moments.
So is ‘ From A Distance Spring Is Green’ actually worth watching? It is evident to see where this drama has its own alluring appeal for certain viewers by really good casting , beautiful cinematography and the portrayal of hard-hitting issues ( such as abuse, bereavement, economic and academic pressure ) in an attempt to take off the audience demographic’s rose-tinted glasses associated with youth. On a more pessimistic note, it is evident to see how this drama struggles with mixed-criticism by viewers with the adapted storyline straying away beyond recognition from the webcomic, mismatched pacing in parts ( due to the investment in lacklustre pairings) , the “ mismatched” main pairing ( which dominates a high proportion of screen time) as well as stereotyping certain characters into mundane one-dimensional roles , diminishing from fortified character development as well as more original takes on the youth genre . Overall certainly not an unwatchable drama but perhaps not as impressively original, or well-crafted as viewers were anticipating either.
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The Drama That Will ‘ Reset’ Your Expectations…
Time loops and time travel in drama screenplays can often be a tricky subject to execute and director Sun Mo Long and co-director and screenwriter Lao Suan’s ‘ Reset’ was no different. Nevertheless whilst the series did fall victim at times to its own loose pacing and some tediously dragged out plot points, ‘ Reset’ offered viewers with a fairly suspenseful and intuitive take upon the niche of time loops.
The series revolved around Li Shi Qing ( Zhao Jin Mai) and Xiao He Yun ( Bai Jing Ting); two young bus passengers who find themselves involved in a fatal accident. However rather than perishing to their seemingly predestined fates, Shi Qing and He Yun find themselves trapped in a “ Groundhog Day”-style time loop. As Shi Qing and He Yun attempt to go to great lengths in order to avoid being involved in the accident, the main leads discover that fate has an odd way of catching up with them even when they least expect it..
‘ Reset’ notably incorporated multiple genres into its storyline. Suspense and mystery greatly dominated the events of the narrative , whilst elements of potential romantic chemistry lingered on the sidelines. However surprisingly even during lighthearted moments of the storyline, screenwriter Lao Suan did offer certain opportunities to flesh-out and explore its side characters and antagonists with some surprising heartfelt and tour de force moments also.
As for the pacing ‘ Reset’ was admittedly a slight mixed-bag. Whilst the series could be very quick-paced as well as knowing when to offer respite, the beginning did suffer slightly under the weight of tedious scenes, dialogue exchanges and tension. Admittedly whilst certain elements were necessary for building up the events of the storyline , this did bring about a somewhat laissez-faire structure with pacing often feeling slightly tedious or loose. The finale of the series was admittedly filled with some unexpected turns, but did lack an element of regimented structure by instead feeling somewhat dragged-out.
The acting of the series was admittedly fairly good. Whilst there were some less impactful deliverances of dialogue and interactions onscreen, the main leads did arguably offer brilliant performances. Bai Jing Ting delivered a loveable charm to his onscreen persona as game designer He Yun, whilst Zhao Jin Mai notably had a sweet and charismatic air onscreen as Li Shi Qing.
The chemistry between the duo onscreen could often feel somewhat stunted in parts. Whilst there were some surprisingly heartfelt exchanges between their onscreen personas, the questionable kiss exchanges and affectionate moments between both main leads at tones could admittedly feel insipid at times.
As for their characters, ‘ Reset’ was a strange amalgamation of dynamic writing opportunities for its side characters and antagonists , whilst its main leads could often lack opportunities for being truly fleshed-out. In particular, this became noteworthy with main female lead Li Shi Wing; naive, seemingly fractious and somewhat altruistic but lacking any greater sense of depth or character development throughout. Arguably whilst viewers did see some greater writing opportunities with He Yun and his own personal drives, the main lead did suffer a somewhat similar fate with being underdeveloped.
The cinematography of the series arguably remained one of the drama’s most stunning attributes. Through the directing reigns of Sun Mo Long and co-director Lao Suan, ‘ Reset’ did offer viewers with a notably stunning array of slick and professionally cut editing and scenes. The OST was admittedly just as pleasing with scores and tracks that whilst slightly generic in parts, did help to reflect the mindset and set the tone for the events of the storyline.
Sun Mo Long and Lao Suan’s ‘ Reset’ offered viewers with an intuitive and surprisingly suspenseful take upon the old trope of time loops and time travel. In execution, the series is admittedly weaker with lacking character development for its main leads and somewhat inconsistent pacing, but the slick cinematography and opportunities to see unlike side and antagonistic characters grow did offer some great takeaways from the drama also. Overall whilst ‘ Reset’ was not a drama without some prominent flaws , the series was admittedly a fairly good watch and engaging with its audience.
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Will You Become “ Mad” At This Drama?
It has been said countless times before in the reviews, however, novice screenwriter Ah Kyung’s ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did surprisingly start on a fairly high note. The storyline incorporated the more avant-grade archetype of the ‘ unconventional lovers’ where both leads suffer from mental health issues. ( A tone reminiscent of Rain’s movie ‘ I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok’ [2006] .)
‘ Mad For Each Other’ focuses upon Lee Min Kyung( Oh Yeon Seo), a woman suffering from repressed trauma, social anxiety and paranoia as well as her matched “ potential love interest” Noh Hwi Oh( Jung Woo), a suspended cop who suffered from anger management issues. In between the more questionable faeces jokes of the first episode, ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did seem to have a lot of potential towards being an intriguing love story. However the drama slowly began on a downwards slope as a consequence of cataclysmic screenwriting and certain acting performances in later episodes.
This problem became particularly prominent with Min-Kyung. Oh Yeon Seo isn’t entirely a terrible actress, however, her over-the-top expressions and reactions as her onscreen persona can quickly grow tiresome for some viewers.As a character it is understandable that Min-Kyung suffered from low self-esteem and so her journey to developing an “affectionate relationship “ with Hwi Oh was always going to be a rocky road.
However, it was an ineffable screenwriting decision that one minute Min Kyung seemed to be presented as an unfortunate young woman suffering from social anxiety who is trying to get over her trauma , and then later in the same storyline she is dumping Hwi Oh,getting triggered at Hwi Oh trying to help her, running away and then yearning over Hwi Oh once more.
It is understandable that Min-Kyung is supposed to be a flawed character and struggles throughout the drama to make her own moral judgements, however, rather than using previous exposition ( such as Min-Kyung learning self-defence lessons from Hwi Oh) in order to allow this character to develop as an individual or defend herself, the show enforces the stereotype of the “ fickle female lead” into the mixture in order to allow Hwi Oh to become the “ dashing hero”. ( In a montage during the finale which was an unintentional laughable parody of an 80s car chase scene.) There’s an evident difference between low self-esteem, and a lacking of self-respect; something that screenwriter Ah Kyung seemed unable to distinguish between with Min-Kyung as a character.
Oh Yeon Seo’s costar Jung Woo seemed to carry a fairly “ down-to-earth” ambience as his onscreen persona Hwi Oh. However similar to Min-Kyung’s more “turbulent” moments in the drama , Hwi Oh was the epitome of “ writing gone bad”. As it happens it wasn’t necessarily that this character had a” dire” creative setup in the beginning . Hwi Oh ( similar to Min Kyung) showed a gentler side to his cantankerous personality ( such as promising to help Min Kyung with her self-defence lessons)throughout the majority of the drama.‘ Mad For Each Other’ seemed to particularly struggle, however, with Hwi Oh’s intended character development across the show.
Hwi Oh just seemed to raise one question above all; “ how on earth did he pass police academy exams and become a police officer in the first place, when he often allowed dilemmas ( especially the incident with the ex-boyfriend and Min Kyung entering the abandoned building)to boil over?” It’s easy to put together that Hwi Oh is supposed to fit the “ disgraced and renounced cop” archetype because of his short-temper. However it was hardly to truly comprehend what even motivated Hwi Oh to becoming an officer, or even truly understanding why we should feel pity for Hwi Oh over his role in the first place when he often was pretty dumb with his strategies ( case and point with the car chase with the ex-boyfriend) , acting aggressively ( at times) towards Min Kyung and then not thinking to even try putting together concussive evidence and case reports towards Min Kyung’s- ex’s records. This isn’t stating that Hwi Oh should have been the “ police prodigy” archetype, however, even if the show had perhaps delved into something that Hwi Oh had flourished with his job as an officer ( such as fighting or capturing criminals), and then something he struggled with or was mocked by his peers ( his strategies or even just struggling with a desk job), Hwi Oh would have felt been more sympathetic for viewers as the “ flawed cop” trope that the show seemed to struggle to concisely execute.
As far as their relationship is concerned, the best way to describe the pairing between Min Kyung and Hwi Oh is “ flawed for all of the wrong reasons”. Relationships are naturally messy in real life and it did present
a potentially interesting setup to see two unconventional characters, helping to support one another but whilst there were undeniably elements of Hwi Oh and Min Kyung learning to lean upon one another over the course of the drama, their pairing was undeniably oppressive for both parties. Hwi Oh could often been controlling and inflict aggressive conduct ( anger issues or not) towards Min Kyung, whilst Min Kyung often lashed out before neglecting Hwi Oh and then loving him again because it was “ necessary to the plot”. It wouldn’t have been too bad perhaps if the drama had allowed these characters to recognise their mistakes, show remorse or at least acknowledge their wrongdoings, however, the fact that both characters were quick to bury their problems under the sand in order to “ be together”, made this toxic relationship hard to watch for the most part.
Oh boy, then there’s the incomprehensible side characters. On a more positive note ( and against all odds), the occasional appearances of the irksome gossipy residents and Hwi Oh’s police officer peers were arguably more entertaining at times than our main characters. However, then there’s Soo Hyun ( Lee Soo Hyun); the definition of the “ prosaic filler character”. It isn’t inherently that her scenes were “ bad” or “ terrible” and the setup of her character trying to work multiple jobs and aspiring for higher goals , was an intriguing setup. However the show didn’t really give Soo Hyun enough time to really be “ fleshed out” or understand her motivations as a character aside from being the “ girl who pops up on the screen and starts randomly singing just to promote that the actress is an idol singer”.
Also on the sideline of prosaic side characters was the therapist ( who quickly became elusive to the majority of the events of the storyline apart from arguably having the potential to play the most important role), a psycho and then “ Samantha” ( Ahn Woo Yeon). Now, there’s two decisive arguments with “ Samantha” as a character; the positive by an attempted representation of diversity within South-Korean society, the second being distasteful for some viewers through the comedic scenes . Despite covering over more hard-hitting issues such as mental health issues, cyber bullying and transphobia, it seemed as though the drama often struggled to truly convey these messages more profoundly. This isn’t due to the nature of the drama as a “ comedy” but rather the styling it took as a “ lighthearted” show, rather than allowing or pertaining more “ bittersweet” elements to enter the storyline. The ending wasn’t bad per say, just more “ questionable” considering the storyline arc.
It’s establish that this isn’t to concisely rule that “ Mad For Each Other” is a “ terrible” show as some watchers may enjoy the comedic scenes and setups, however, “ Mad For Each Other” is arguably more of a “throwaway” drama - easy to binge-watch and certainly with a fairly catchy OST, but leaving a bitter taste for certain watchers by sporadic plot logic and one-dimensional characters.
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The Woe And Joys Of Adolescence …
Teen and high school storylines are not an unfamiliar subject in South-Korean popular culture , with myriads of teen films, productions and dramas being churned out every year en masse in South-Korea. However whilst many South-Korean film and drama enthusiasts find themselves drawn again and again to these setups , the typical depiction of “squeaky clean” high school life has left many enthusiasts torn about whether South-Korean directors and producers should try to push the boat out towards a more “ realistic” presentation of teens.
‘ Adult Trainee’ can be found somewhere between daring and eye-brow raising - belonging in one of the notably categories of South-Korean “ teen productions” which attempts to market itself at an older age demographic as well as being “ raw and truthful”.
This is certainly reflected within casting choices of rookie and lesser-known actors as our main lineup . However whilst this does create certain benefits for the storyline by respectfully a more mundane presence of the characters onscreen ( aside from the initially controversial casting decision of Miyeon), certain line deliverances and scenes admittedly could differ within quality and performance. Of course this isn’t to critique the cast or bring down their talents as actors. However it is crucial to point out to those expecting impeccable performances that you may be slightly disappointed by the final result.
The storyline itself is composed of three storylines ( and evidently three “main couples” ). Rising rookie actor Ryu Eui Hyun is the notable main character of the first few episodes as Seo Jae Min; a high-school boy addicted to sexual gratification and attempts abstinence in order to focus upon spending more time with his crush. Yet before we could even delve more into the highs and lows of Jae Min’s tale we are suddenly whisked away to another school and experience through notably conservative high schooler Yu Ra ( Jo Yoo Jung)’s exploration of casual relationships with a boy, as well as our final story through the problem of single high - schooler Na Eun( Kwon Young Eun)’s first experiences of love and feeling self-conscious about her body.
The seven-episode miniseries wasted no time within diving into each storyline and their problems, yet with a short time to cover these plot points and characters, it should come as no surprise that these executed plot points and characters could often feel incomplete.
Admittedly‘ Adult Trainee’ does interweave the subtext with some more “risky” issues of teen relationships. However it often felt as though the show wasn’t entirely sure which direction to go with these messages at times with more serious scenarios often being “ fixed” by feelings, romantic relationships or love, rather than taking the screen-time to focus upon character-building or growth.
In the miniseries we rarely saw these opportunities to understand more about our main characters’ social and emotional interactions.
Admittedly‘ Adult Trainee’ does interweave the subtext with some more “risky” issues of teen relationships. However whilst these “ problems” did touch upon some realistic issues for teens and helped to motivate plot-angst , ‘ Adult Trainee’ rarely took time to diverge from problems defining the characters. More realistic teen issues such as relationships with friends or family, likes, dislikes and searching for personal identity were rarely touched upon and even our main characters often felt shoehorned into particular tropes such as the “ infatuated teenage boy”, the “ goody-two shoes high-schooler” and the “ bullied girl” rather than well-defined or subversive approaches to the cliche archetypes.
In between the more “heavy” topics in ‘ Adult Trainee’, the miniseries does interweave the plot with notably more comical scenes. The comedy is fairly lighthearted- enough to generate perhaps a chuckle for audiences and necessary to take the weight entirely off certain issues , but admittedly variable in quality from scenes and context.
The ending of the series acted as a deadlock for ‘ Adult Trainee’ - enough to just briefly finish off some plot points of the final storyline, but admittedly lacking in an over-arching sense of fulfilment and satisfactory completion for audiences.
So this leaves the ultimate question; is ‘ Adult Trainee’ actually worth watching? ‘ Adult Trainee’ is a short miniseries which attempts to present itself as a more “ realistic” depiction of teenagers. ( Alongside comical scenes which may differ for audiences dependent on personal tastes.)Acting performances admittedly did vary from certain episodes and scenes but a possibly unfamiliar cast lineup for audiences will likely give the series some fresh appeal. The more “ daring” messages of the series whilst addressed, admittedly did feel slightly downgraded and lacked an impactful punch. As a consequence whilst the split narrative of the series for different episodes spiced up the storyline, characters often fell flat due to little time for audiences to digest their personalities and growth onscreen by instead often being shoehorned into romantic setups.
Overall ‘ Adult Trainee’ was the epitome of a “ binge-watch” drama to watch when you have nothing else to do; not unwatchable and certainly entertaining within its different plots, setups and heartwarming messages , but admittedly lacking in more subtle character growth, plot buildup and diverse as well as more relatable and realistic issues for teens.
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Soundtrack #1; A Discordant Love Story…
The recent venture of juggernaut industry company Disney into the world of K-dramas has marked an onslaught of mixed reception from viewers and critics alike. Nevertheless with a recent investment by the international streaming service Disney+ into copartnership and copyright deals with South-Korean producers and companies, it is hard to ingore the recent presence of Disney within the world of K-dramas. Indeed, the latest series to come out in selected countries from the streaming service, ‘ Soundtrack #1’, is no exception. A stipulated love story between two friends, ‘ Soundtrack #1’ is a short and benign romance drama which while bittersweet in parts, could often feel contrived by its setup and characters.The narrative of ‘ Soundtrack#1’ focuses upon two close friends. Lee Eun Soo ( Han So-Hee- ‘ The World Of The Married’, ‘ Nevertheless’ and ‘ My Name’, ) is an aspiring lyricist. Nevertheless despite having the ability to pursue her dream job, Eun Soo is struggling to find a source of inspiration and has hit a difficult period of writer’s block.
Thankfully Eun Soo has found comfort and support by relying upon her friend and photographer Han Sun Woo ( ZE:A’s Park Hyung Sik-‘ The Heirs’, ‘ Strong Girl Bong Soon’ and ‘ Happiness’). However as Eun Soo and Sun Woo attempt to navigate their current relationship, it becomes apparent that romantic feelings between friends aren’t always so easy to navigate.
‘ Soundtrack #1’ came together as the byproduct of screenwriter Chae Yoon (‘ She Would Never Know’) and director Kim Hee-Won ( ‘ Fiery Priest’, ‘ Vincenzo’ and upcoming series ‘Little Women’). While Hee-Won was certainly not treading upon unfamiliar ground with the romantic melodrama ‘ Soundtrack #1’, it certainly seemed an intriguing choice to pair up Hee-Won, a director known famously in recent years for her witty slapstick comedy-style and revenge dramas, with screenwriter Chae Yoon, who is associated with the lighthearted romance series ‘ She Would Never Know’ for ‘ Soundtrack #1’. Nevertheless despite the eccentric pairing choice, it is arguable that the contrasting idiosyncratic styles between screenwriter and director helped to bring a certain flair to the miniseries.
Perhaps it is important to establish that ‘ Soundtrack #1’ doesn’t push boundaries within its initial setups and plot premise. It is a basic and conventional romance story. In particular it was evident to see the influences of screenwriter Chae Yoon within ‘ Soundtrack #1’. The similar rhetoric of the male lead attempting to escape the friend-zone with his lifelong friend and crush, convoluted feelings developing between close friends and of course repressed feelings causing complications along the way were certainly similar to Yoon’s previous screenplay .
Nevertheless it is hard to deny that despite the lighthearted angst of ‘ Soundtrack #1’, there was a distinctive trait of interminable melancholiness and yearning within ‘ Soundtrack #1’. Director Hee Won’s classic touch of internal and external conflict have become reoccurring themes throughout several of her projects. Although ‘ Soundtrack #1’ may not possess a tale about a character with an eventful past or a personal vendetta, it certainly did highlight the complications that can arise within feelings, careers and between contrasting elites . ( For example Sun Woo’s internal disillusionment and fixation upon his work and coveted feelings for the female lead helped to perfectly contrast Han So-Hee’s external struggles and uncertainty as a songwriter.)
Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding casting choices. Han So-Hee has admittedly triggered mixed-responses amongst viewers and critics alike for her initial performance as main female lead Eun Soo. The actress’ previous career trajectory has seen her star in a mixture of different genres and styles with her recent performance( at the time of writing) in the revenge-thriller ‘ My Name’ being widely praised.
Nevertheless it is hard to deny that despite Han So-Hee’s talents within certain roles and genres , i her performance within ‘ Soundtrack #1’ could often feel somewhat lacklustre with line deliverances and emotional intonations initially. So Hee’s performance did admittedly improve somewhat in the latter-half of the miniseries with a level of heartache being conveyed within her onscreen persona but it is perhaps fair to say that Soo Hee’s performance could feel somewhat lacking at the best of times.
Costarring alongside actress Han So-Hee was ZE:A’s Park Hyung-Sik as main male lead Han Sun Woo. Hyung-Sik has certainly gained a lot of experience within the world of rom-coms and melodramas and this certainly did allow the actor to approach his onscreen role with an easygoing charm. However despite Hyung-Sik’s talents, it is difficult to deny that there were times where the actor could feel somewhat stilted by certain dialogue deliverances .
Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding Hyung-Sik and So-Hee’s potential onscreen chemistry. There was certainly nothing wrong per say with Hyung Sik and Soo Hee’s onscreen dynamic. Although there was an initially inconsistent start , the onscreen chemistry was decent enough. However it is still hard to ignore that while their potential was certainly not unwatchable it rarely felt coherently natural. Perhaps it can be said that these problem boiled down to the flaws of limited screen time . Throughout the duration of the series, an onslaught of variable acting performances by the main cast in addition to the limitations of a restricted time frame rarely helped to allow this onscreen dynamic flow naturally.
Under the directing leadership of Kim Hee-Won, it is clear to see that the four-episode formula and short episode lengths for ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was a double-edged sword.
Of course, it naturally enforced the narrative to be compact and concise within its restricted time frame and duration length. The series was rarely caught up in the trap of being lost down the rabbit hole of an abundance of unnecessary subplots and irrelevant characters. ( Instead these subplots were only briefly touched upon such as So Hee and Sun Woo’s work careers.)
Although there were supporting characters within the series such as Composer Kang Woo Il ( Kim Joo Heon-‘ It’s Okay Not To Be Okay’, ‘ Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ and ‘Juvenile Justice’), Sun Woo’s business partner Yoon Dong Hyun ( Yoon Byun Hee- ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘Mr. Sunshine’ and ‘ Vincenzo’) and several surprise guest appearances ( including Yoon Seo Ah, Seo In Guk, Lee Jung Eun, Park Hoon and Park Min Jung), these secondary characters were rarely featured beyond their necessary face value in order to trigger or intensify certain plot events.
On the other hand while a restricted time space did allow the narrative to be more cutthroat with its themes and storyline, it did certainly highlight some specific drawbacks also as a consequence of this compact formula . A limited time frame rarely allowed viewers to see the onscreen relationship between characters being explored beyond their necessity to the plot, hardly allowing opportunities for ‘ Soundtrack #1’ to subvert all of its cliches or experiment with new formulas. Naturally,this could sometimes lead to certain narrative points such as the later development of Eun Soo and Sun Woo’s relationship feeling somewhat rushed.
When it came to filming and production it is certainly noteworthy to point out that Hee Won’s stylistic approach to the series helped to captivate the journey and feelings of characters throughout.
Slick editing and glossy gradients helped to animate scenes to life with specific palettes and tones popping out onscreen. Additionally this helped to differentiate between idealism such as through the eyes of Sun Woo as well as the stark reality presented by Eun Soo throughout the series. ( Perhaps one of the most memorable contrasts can be found in the first episode of ‘ Soundtrack #1’ during Sun Woo’s photo shoot of Eun Soo. Through the literal lens and vision of the male lead, Eun Soo is adorned in a flowing white shirt and smile, giving off an ethereal ambience and air of confidence. In a contrasted scene, viewers are shown reality from the perspective of Eun Soo, adorned in drab clothing and hunched over a computer screen.)
With the title name such as ‘ Soundtrack #1’ it should come as no surprise that the series is heavily invested within using imagery and the OST synchronically. For ‘Soundtrack #1’, this came through an onslaught of schmaltzy and sugary love ballads and solo tracks.
Of course for a series predominantly focused upon young love and relationships, this isn’t an entirely odd choice. However rather than selecting an impressive score for the series or at least choosing songs than could’ve heavily fomented emotional and tear jerking scenes, ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was caught in a slight rut with some of its chosen tracks being unimpressive. Perhaps the few exceptions to this can be found through lovelorn ballad “ Wanna be your lover”[ “이젠 친구에서 연인이 되고 싶어”] by Monday Kiz , LeeHi’s upbeat track “We'll Shine Brighter Than Any Other Stars” [ “우린 어떠한 별보다 빛날 거야”] and Prerettiest One’s acoustic guitar song “ Standing Egg” [“ 너만 예뻐”].
‘ Soundtrack #1’ is a series which does little to diverge away from the expected tropes and basic setups of romance dramas. Although there an were certainly some questionable acting moments at times and the limited time frame for the narrative often led to events feeling rushed, ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was surprisingly able to attain a balance between lighthearted fluff and bittersweet angst. Additionally, the collaborated efforts of Kim Hee-Won and Chae Yoon allowed the narrative to explore an idiosyncratic perspective by both director and screenwriter upon romance and repressed creativity. Although perhaps ‘ Soundtrack #1’ was let down at times by its OST and pacing at times , the four-episode miniseries certainly will offer viewers with a decent and quick binge-watch.
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“ Meteor Garden”? More like a “ Meteor” Destruction Site, If You Ask Me...
It seems when coming across Meteor Garden(2018) , you come across two types of fans; the diehard lovers of Meteor Garden, who most likely haven’t seen other versions before , or the biased haters who constantly draw-up the parallels between their “ favourite” version and Meteor Garden as well.In all honesty, Meteor Garden (2018) isn’t an entirely terrible drama in its own right ; it adds a much needed modern generational update from the 90s manga and the original ‘00s drama versions through technology, as well as thankfully getting rid of some of the more dire cliches ( including the amnesia trope) than some of the other versions. Additionally whilst a lot of critics seemed to be quite cutthroat about the casting choices ( particularly Sheng Yue) , Dylan Wang certainly wasn’t a bad choice for Do Ming Si . Although he was certainly not as memorable as his predecessors, Wang actually added quite a much needed light-humoured and boyish manner to his performance as our lead Male lead ( which may have been one of the few enjoyable factors of the show).
On the other hand, there’s no denying or sugarcoating that the Chinese version of Meteor Garden lacks a lot of originality, cultural insight and storyline than the other adaptations, sometimes making this 50- episode version feel very disjointed and dragging after the halfway point due to gradual fading interest in a lot of the storyline and characters.
This ironically also moves us onto the second problem of the show being how “ toned down” some of the riskier issues of the show actually were ( including the main driven plot point of the extent of bullying) as a consequence of Chinese censorship. Naturally this isn’t entirely the fault of the scriptwriters, as one writer joked and revealed shortly after a flood of complaints from critics upon these issues, how they had quite literally been told by the censors that “ they can’t have bullying”, “ there can’t be evident gaps between rich and poor”, “ violence is wrong” and a man dating several women will send out “ bad messages” if they included any of these themes in the actual script . ( For those who don’t know, the Taiwanese version created controversy and was banned upon most mainland Chinese airways for these exact reasons when it was first aired).
This doesn’t defend the problem, however, that there’s little sense of cultural reflection or intrigue around Meteor Garden (2018) . Even Chinese netizens pointed out that for a show centred in one of the world’s leading consumerist and fashionable cities , Shanghai, a lot of the outfits, hairstyles and accessories of the drama felt too outdated and unfashionable ( leading to the popular joke that the fashionable “ F4” were the “ four country boys”) for modern Chinese youths and unlike the other versions, the drama simply didn’t kept on culturally with the latest fashion.
Whilst there’s no denying that every adaptation is based upon romantic cliches and tropes from the original Hana Yori Dango manga, most of the versions have at least brought something fairly new or different to the table. The Korean version( Boys Over Flowers -2009), brought us elements of the infamous aspect of “ Chabeol” heirs and a fairly intriguing love triangle , the Taiwanese version (the original Meteor Garden -2001) became a cultural sensation across most of East Asia as one of the the first big “ idol dramas” to hit Chinese airwaves with Do Ming Si as a fairly dark character, and Ze Lei as a gentler version than the original manga whilst finally the Japanese version (eponymous to the manga as Hana Yori Dango- 2005-2007) played fully upon the Tokyo cultural aspect of living conditions for most Japanese families within small flats ( a running gag in the show) and Tsukasa as the lovelorn Male lead, and Rei as the cool and mysterious love interest.
Yet the Chinese version really has little to really offer ( apart from the evident name changes) on this front; the aspect of the show being set in a University is copied from the Taiwanese version , and the “ spoilt brat heirs” montage is directly taken from the Korean version and even the ending nearly directly copies the Japanese version without a second thought.
Although a respected actress , Sheng Yue really doesn’t add anything new or different to her version as Shan Cai in any manner of performance or character progression ( unlike her previous incarnation by Barbie Hsu and respectfully Mao Inoue ) being thrown out the window after the first few episodes. Similarly , the remaining members of the F4( played respectfully by Darren Chen, Connor Leong and Caesar Wu ) have always been portrayed in most of the adaptations as unrepentant bullies who gradually grow upon viewers through their often respectful and loyal feelings towards certain topics and especially through their gradual friendship with female lead. In the Chinese version, however, the F4 , just didn’t share the same level of bonding or actual development as the other versions; instead inexplicably “ perfect “ because of their skills and only “ falling” short of these perfections when it was necessary for the plot.
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Whilst respectfully it is quite fun for fans of any of these versions to see little homages or scene parallels ( such as wearing a similar outfit or being in a similar setting ) to their favourite scenes, there is a difference between putting in small Easter eggs or homages ( such as Barbie Hsu’s sister appearing as a character) and then directly copying dialogues, scenes and scenarios nearly word for word. There’s just nothing new, unique or intriguing which the Chinese version brings to this latest version.
To put into refined words, Meteor Garden is a hot mess . Whilst it certainly isn’t a drama beyond salvation ( due to some fairly comical moments thanks to Dylan Wang) and certainly shouldn’t be disregarded as being “ dire and beyond watching ”, there’s just nothing to really add or show in this version which hasn’t been brought up before by the respected Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese adaptations as well . Hopefully the Thai version will bring something new or at least intriguing to the classic tale of Hana Yori Dango/ Boys Flowers , as Meteor Garden (2018) just didn’t quite bite the bullet for doing any of this.
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Is This A Drama Series Worth Investigating?
Loosely based upon the real-life exploits of Tokyo Shimbun reporter Isoko Mochizuki, director Fujii Michihito’s drama ‘ The Journalist’, is adapted in-turn from his 2019 shared-titled feature-film. The Netflix six-part drama offered a golden-opportunity to the director in order to “flesh-out” weaker moments from his original work by offering viewers a vivid vignette of the world of corruption and journalism. Yet despite a brilliant performance by actress Ryoko Yonekura , Yamada Yoshitatsu and Kodera Kazuhisa’s sultry and harrowing storytelling could feel somewhat niche by the second-half.
The storyline focused upon highly-revered and inquisitive journalist Anna Matsuda ( Ryoko Yonekura). When confronted with the shady dealings of a political crime at the heart of Japanese society, Matsuda alongside cynical government official Shinichi Murakami (Go Ayano), guilt-stricken bureaucrat Suzuki Kazuya (Hidetaka Yoshioka),Kazuya’s wife , Mayumi (Shinobu Terajima), and university student Ryo (Ryusei Yokohama), find themselves fighting against a common enemy through Shinjiro Toyoda (Yusuke Santamaria); a PR specialist and official adviser to the prime minister.
Perhaps one of the greatest takeaways from ‘ The Journalist’ came through raising ethical and moral questions towards the universal problem of corruption; especially at the top of worldwide governments. However whilst the series did allow food for thought for its audience, it is noteworthy to point out that no trope or cliche is left upturned in Yamada Yoshitatsu and Kodera Kazuhisa’s screenplay for the reboot. Whilst an artistic licence does allow influences from similar storylines and productions to worm into the series in parts, ‘ The Journalist’ ‘s regimented paper trail to corruption led to some tedious and over-stretched moments throughout. Dialogue , interactions and Matsuda scrolling over documents for a torturously long period onscreen against suddenly falling asleep on her desk and then repeat, could often feel as though the series was trying to heavily pound the insertion of “the devil being in the details” rather than expediting certain events of the storyline.
‘ The Journalist’ is admittedly self-conscious from the outset. Rather than allowing the series to spiral into an over-the-top parody of conspiracy theories and rushed plot, the miniseries allowed itself to be compacted into six episodes. Yet whilst elements of the series’ appeal with Yonekura and Terajima taking frontal stage did begin to make the series feel as though it was a reconstructed reenactment , the actual focal point of the series, the corruption, was rarely covered. Instead, whilst the series did offer opportunities to present the climatic buildup of events and revelations, the brushed over and lingering presence of the main plot drive created an addictive yet slightly farcical edge during later scenes also.
Nevertheless,Fujii Michihito’s return to the director’s chair did certainly present its perks also. Respectfully choosing TV veteran Ryoko Yonekura instead of her movie counterpart South Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung, allowed golden-opportunities to explore the emotional, sentient and conventional range of the main female lead. ( Even if hard-nosed Anna can coincide her psychic ability to arrive at people’s doorsteps just at the right moment.) In addition to this Fuji combined a heavily aesthetic approach to the series- artistic cuts and editing combined with a nail-biting score did deliver a tense atmosphere for viewers. However, the second-half delivered a somewhat languid finale for the series with slower pacing attempting to slow down and make viewers take-in the storyline, but slowly becoming somewhat tiresome and repetitive.
Fujii Michihito’s ‘ The Journalist’ did present a necessary revamp in parts in comparison to its movie counterpart . The six-part series delved into relatable and harrowing issues striking a chord for viewers worldwide . Yet whilst Fujii Michihito’s moody cinematography and in particular Ryoko Yonekura’s brilliant acting did keep viewers intrigued and enticed, niche storytelling and archetypes could make ‘ The Journalist’ feel slightly cyclical and dragged out in parts also.
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