Beautifully, cinematically shot with thrilling action scenes, a compelling primary romance plot and secondary conspiracy plot. This had all the elements of a perfect drama.
Even better, there were themes! On how wealth and power corrodes the soul. On the moral cowardice of many and the rare moral courage of a few. On how justice exacts a price. On the abuse many vulnerable children suffer.
Yes there was a core plot for 8 or so episodes and then extended plot ideas for 16 episodes - and somehow they ended up shoving something together for 11.
But I would still urge you to give it a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
While retaining the poetic beauty of the original, this second half is a painful epilogue . . . At this point, I'm convinced the writers are sadists, and I can't stand to watch anymore just to see it all come to a bad end one last time. In sum, the random twists and turns that started cropping up in the last episodes of the first season, multiply in the second half. Hurdle, after hurdle, after hurdle. Just nonsensically raising hopes and dashing them. Will there be scenes that stick with me? Yes. Did I vow to stop watch multiple times? Also yes.
The acting, production values, cinematography, and some key pieces of dialogue are excellent. There are some powerful scenes that will linger on - but we're talking all of 10-15 minutes in 8 hrs of viewing. The key theme of the show is to always persist and survive as there could be the best moments of your life just around the corner.
I feel vaguely guilty, therefore, of not persisting to the end of this one, but frustration and dread was growing with every episode, and life is too short. I ended it at a high point, and I don't have strength to see if things fall apart once again. I would still highly recommend watching the first half/season 1 - it stands on its own and is a true gem of a K -Drama.
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This follows the typical shoujo formula except what attracts our main female character innocent, sweet and good hearted to our non gender conforming lead is - she thinks his gender fluidity is super cool and attractive.
What makes this all work, better than most modern dramas, is that the miscommunications and hurdles make a lot more sense in this context. Of course a non-gender conforming male would struggle with their parents, be more aloof and avoidant, be a bit sarcastic and disbelieving.
Haruka things Hiraku is attractive, cool the best of what our modern cities can offer. And the audience can see it. It's really nice in this modern age to be reminded that right now all around us, especially in cities around the world, people are able to live authentic, creative lives openly and freely. - And that that can be an attractive admirable phenomena. People can be good and open minded. You can be attracted to gender fluid people without othering them or fetishizing them.
There's often a valid criticism of the shoujo formula - where all the girl can offer is her loyal and good heart. But more and more, I feel perhaps that it isn't a cringe message, but healing. I really do think we could use a lot more Harkukas and Hirakus in this world.
It's low budget, and it may not get everything right, but this is worth a watch.
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This is almost like a 'highlight reel' of romantic steamy setups strung together with a plot. If you are a fan of angst, rescuing, attracted to the enemy, doomed romance etc., this has basically every trope available. I also like that the female lead is the wealthy one and the aggressor.
The dynamics reminded me a lot of the K-Drama Queen of Tears, and the main female lead even looks and is styled similar to the one in this show. But whilst Queen of Tears was a couple immature, frozen, unable to touch, this was the opposite. In Bound by Sin they can't keep their hands off each other.
I always appreciate a drama where the adults act like adults: they have adult concerns and they form adult relationships. So, this was a breath of fresh air.
Despite the low production values, the thinly sketched out plot, the hastily put together ending, and a lot of over the top drama. I enjoyed this much more than many long format prestige series.
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(Rurouni Kenshin is one of my favorite mangas.)
A faithful, thrilling rendition of the best scenes of the manga/anime, this string of moments is awe inspiring to watch. The strong themes on life after trauma - paired with thrilling action, compelling romance, and beautiful visuals is hard to beat.
If I had one nitpick, the manga is written by a man, but the story has fully developed women characters and themes, separate and apart from the 'villain of the week.' Yet here, the women become side characters, and strangely, the villains have lots of screen time. There was no need to overload the drama with these disturbing scenes, given the series already struggles to honor the large number of characters included in the manga.
Watching the live action Kenshin reconcile his past, and take a step into a better future with Kaoru and our gang showing him the way, is a rewarding, touching, even sublime experience. When I ended this series, I was incredibly sad to say goodbye to this universe.
It's the greatest compliment I can give when I say I wish there was more . . .
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Everyone is a suspect in this spy thriller of a drama. The twists and turns keep it engaging. As with many dramas, it starts slowing down in the last 1/3, and gets too complicated for its own good. But, it's genuinely unique and striking and worth the watch despite this.
The romances and character development are a weak point. Love is declared not shown, plus the good guys being mostly men and the spies being mostly women is a weird decision that makes all the romances feel a bit similar. Because there is so much action, also the characters are fairly thin and not fully fleshed out.
The writers leave space for there to be a Season 2/Part 2 to this drama, but I don't know if I will stick around for it. I really like character and theme driven dramas. This is beautiful, with a lot of suspense, but ultimately does not say much . .
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Now this is how you tell a modern cinderella story! Jung Yoo Min as Han Yi Joo excels as she seizes her chance to grow some strength against her maddeningly selfish family. Sung Hoon as Seo Do Guk is the perfect partner, truly supportive, protective and considerate. Together, through all the ridiculous twists and turns of the plot they stay true to themselves. This keeps the plot from getting frustrating, you are never mad at the main characters, just the circumstances they find themselves in.
There's lots of protectiveness and rescuing, and it's just all around good fun. A couple points off for 1) incorporating prejudices in about adoption/step family (over and over 'true blood' relatives support each other in the way that not 'true blood' relatives do not) 2) there was a not sex-positive, dubious consent sex scene that was thrown in for no good reason.
Music, cinematography, are all competent and typical of this style of drama. If you like dramatic over the top plots and a strong side of romance this is for you.
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A beautiful short story concept dragged over four hours. The plot, themes and characters are too paper thin to sustain the weight. I would have much preferred a one hour story, in a set of four (as the title 'soundtrack' implies).
Park Hyung-sik plays a familiar character who is boyishly and earnestly in love with the woman by his side and badly trying to hide it. The only one fooled being the woman herself. Unlike in Happiness or Strong Girl Bong Soon, however, that's all there is to him. Han So-Hee is new to me and does a great job encapsulating a head strong, brash girl who is more talk than action. Again, however, that's all there is to her.
The music is surprisingly not front and center and not particularly well-done. The actress doesn't have a guitar or a keyboard, she doesn't hum or sing, she doesn't go on long rants about song structures and the repetitive commercialism of modern pop music. She just scribbles in a notepad. (similarly Park Hyung-Sik fails to convince that he's a genius art photographer).
It has a beautiful, millennial cinematic vibe - a string of suspended in golden air moments. I appreciated the setting of cozy, snowy winter instead of the typical golden sunshine-y feeling of other shows that have tried similar ideas.
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In the theatre style of comedies of old, we have bodily gags, cross dressing, evil cackling villains, and the actors look like they will burst out laughing in every scene. It's a lot of fun for the first 10 episodes, but it drags more and more as all plot points are met with the same delivery.
The gender dynamics kept me from dropping it. The main female lead is bold, a great strategist, and is insightful into the motivations of people. The show makes valid points about the 'woman behind the man' just means that there's tons of talented women adviser and strategists out there that never get their recognition. The male lead recognizes her strengths quickly and finds them intriguing and endearing.
Is it enough? It wasn't for me, I started fastforwarding through scenes or watching out of the corner of my eye. But, to be fair to the show, this is a show that is meant to be watched as you do errands around the house, chat with your family, scroll on your phone. If that's something you need, this could be the show for you.
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These two leads! The romance is very much worth the watch. A great connection between two adults, who are so comfortable emotionally and physically. Credit to the two main actors.
The tension of the first half is addictive as two very different individuals figure out if they fit, and if they are enough. The side actors are not memorable, the music is so so, and the plot is fairly simple . . . but the chemistry!! The yearning!
The romantic scenes are worth a re-watch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 5.5
Take the time to pursue greatness in your youth but don't let a once in a lifetime romance slip through your fingers due to ambition. All will work out in time. Making sacrifices for your country is the highest honor.
Character Growth/Complex Characters: 7.0
The excellent acting between the two leads is so good, that it gives complexity much more than the script/plot would suggest. Jing Jing remains essentially the same, but Mr. Yu does have a crisis and a set of humbling realizations that allow him to be an excellent partner going forward.
Complex Woman/Relationships between Woman: 7.0
Props to featuring women in careers with ambition, but otherwise they mostly just talk about men with one another.
Cinematography/Production Values: 7.5
Clothes and styling were all well done. There was a limited number of sets, but the sets were done extremely well.
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This review may contain spoilers
What if it did all work out, for at least a few golden years?The nostalgia and and wistful longing is painfully strong in this drama. Targeted at adults, it explores common what ifs from teen-years:
1) What if the popular, cold bully in high school turned out to be my best friend?
2) What if that handsome older guy who I have a huge crush on, actually was pure of heart and waited for me?
3) What if I actually could be world class using a talent from my teen years?
Credit to the show, not all of these "what ifs" end up happily.
With the world we live in now, it is painful to look back on such golden times and this emphasis adds another layer of emotional connection for the viewer. Credit to actually honoring the professions featured (fencing and reporting) and not just giving superficial treatment to cut to the romance bits. I was inspired enough by the show to checkout some fencing on YouTube!
The acting for Na Hee-Do is a bit over the top at the beginning likely to create a believable teen and leave room for growth. By the third or fourth episode, I thought Kim Tae-Ri settled into the role wonderfully, and I became extremely attached to her character. Baek Yi-Jin is played a bit more subtly, and I must say Nam Joo-Hyuk at this point has had a great career of portraying angst, protectiveness and 'holding back' strong emotions.
I really really liked two of the songs on the soundtrack which is rare for me for a modern drama. I especially liked Your Existence by Wonstein and Very, Slowly by Bibi.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 7.5
Sometimes life does not go as planned, but the journey can be one to remember. Make sure you cherish those who care and support you. Plateaus happen, but just around the corner could be the success of your dreams. Relationships can be work yes, but they shouldn't make you feel like your life is on hold.
Character Growth: 7.5
Na Hee-Do is the guiding light and has strong moral convictions at the start and doesn't so much grow as come to terms at the very end with the lesson that not everything can work out through sheer determination alone. Baek Yi Jin is the one who grows from being cynical and entitled to being inspired by Na Hee-Do to be more earnest and to seize life.
Complex roles for women/between women: 9.5
There's excellent roles for women and amongst women especially the complex relationship between Na Hee-Do and her mother, and the friendship/rivalry between Na Hee-Do and Ko Yu-Rim. Both allow for a mix of complex emotions and resentments and a lot of screen time.
Cinematic/Production Quality: 9
Excellent as we've come to expect from these dramas with a fair amount of outdoor shooting and a good amount of different sets. Some experimentation with framing scenes in interesting ways such as from the back. The fencing scenes were top notch.
*** A note on the age difference portrayed. I am disappointed the focus of the story is in the ages where the romance is squicky and inappropriate e.g. Na Hee-Do is in school, living with her mom, and in a completely different development stage than Baek Yi jin.
In addition, in real life, older guys who can't make it in the real world and come back to their hometown to hang out with teenage girls are huge, walking red flags.
As the actors were actually much older, and there was a big emphasis on slowing the romantic part of their relationship until Na Hee-Do was more grown up, I wasn't so offended by the inappropriate ages that I turned it off.
However, just focusing the show on a couple years later would have made this much less problematic without sacrificing much.
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If you fall in love with the mermaid out of water storyline in the first couple episodes, you will love the show. She is THE main character, and I loved it. I thought Jun Ji-hyun was electric, playful and a bit sarcastic in a way that was up to matching Lee Min-ho's aggressive acting style. I wanted to watch her all the time. I liked Lee Min-ho's protectiveness/jealousy/action-ness for this storyline where it made much more sense than say Boys Over Flowers or Heirs.
The fantasy elements give an added sense of drama and tragedy but if you were hoping for a full fantasy world, this is not for you. There is barely any undersea water universe/other mermaids or sea creature scenes at all.
The plot is extended with yet another out of place serial-killer type storyline (why??? K-dramas, why???). It really was not needed to add such a disturbing element in.
Music didn't register for me. Some scenes do linger on - again I just really liked the interaction between the two main leads a lot.
I grade on other criteria as well.
Complex Themes - 6.5
Not too much. Greed is relentless through multiple lifetimes - you need to address and confront it not let it fester. Your family is who has your back and sticks with you, not simply who has married in/is a blood relative. Life on earth is wondrous if you can take a step back from it.
Character Growth - 7.5
Jun Ji-hyun shows a lot of different facets to her character, and she gets harder, cynical and a little rough around the edges as the plot goes on. Lee Min-Ho basically is the character he typically plays.
Complex Women Characters - 8.0
The high score is almost solely for Jun Ji-Hyun's portrayal of the mermaid. There are other female characters but they play very supporting roles. The main couple has the majority of the interest/screentime.
Cinematography/Production Values - 8.0
Competent. There were some scenes where Lee Min-Ho came off as very 'cool' in a way that I had to credit the pacing/shooting of the scene. I loved the use of real/in person locations. Lots of shooting outside and in-person gave it a much better 'feel'. It was shot in a cinematic style (focusing/unfocusing in different areas, shooting from different angles) - it didn't just try to capture the whole room clearly in every shot.
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The beauty of this show: Moon-soo is outwardly quiet and shy and Kang-doo loud and reckless. They look like two characters from completely different dramas that lost their way.. And yet, by the end, they are at such ease with each other.
The actor playing Kang-doo especially shines at having an outwardly aggressive personality but hiding a responsible and conscientious heart. He is a great physical actor and he's just electric (even with that extremely ugly haircut)
The actress playing Moon-soo holds her own as someone who has a hidden darkness, recklessness and stubbornness underneath her mousy exterior.
The one drawback to the show is that it's a little long, and all the PTSD flashbacks loose their impact over time. The first time it fills you with horror, but they go back to it again and again and it looses its emotional hold.
As with all the best shows - I wish I could have stayed with the characters longer, and I was really crossing my fingers that they would figure things out.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes - 10
On corruption and passing blame, survivor's guilt, learning how to heal and forgive, on when it's good to be stubborn, when it's good to be sacrificing v. protecting yourself, family dysfunctions, poverty, and coping with illness, death and disability
Character Growth - 8
It's more that each episode reveals one more level/layer to the two characters. Both help each other slowly integrate their outer identity with their inner self.
Female Relationships/Friendships - 9
Moon-soo herself is a great character - someone who is using great willpower everyday to be responsible and keep her head down, yet having this really stubborn, dark more difficult streak underneath. Moon-soo has a really good, supportive female friendship (with someone who is disabled, and a creative, and just a cool character). Moon-soo's dysfunctional relationship with her mother is shown in all its complexity.
Cinematography/Production Values - 9
The mall collapse/construction site scenes were really well done, everything felt a bit grimy and lived in and worn down in a very realistic way. There were also interesting uses of light, music, and camera angles that gave a more 'film/movie' type feel.
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The key to this drama is it's not the real world. It occurs in a world where everyone gets their happy ending, a good lawyer never loses in court, and you can sort out long held trauma and pain with a bit of a chat.
The drama I really wanted was between Kwon Jung Rok (Mr. Lawyer's) two law school friends -their romance was super interesting to me and hinted at real family obstacles, professional conflicts etc.
Instead the drama you get is between the sugary, sweet but somehow endearing and well-acted Oh Yoon Seo. Who has no family, no friends (besides her manager) and is basically a blank slate 'Mary Sue' and Mr. Lawyer who is grumpy but is but also sugary sweet at heart.
The cast looks like its having a lot of fun and will break character and burst out laughing at any moment.
Music is fine - can't think of a rewatch moment.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 6
(What holds all the characters together is a kindness and generosity of spirit even if they are completely different on the surface - and if you talk things out - all relationship problems can be overcome)
Character Growth - 6
(Oh Yoon Seo regains confidence after a bunch of hard knocks and becomes a bit more steelier and resilient than one would expect. Mr. Lawyer reveals that he actually is a big softy at heart in the first few episodes and then stalls as a character).
Nuanced Women -6
(There are a fair amount of women characters but they don't get a ton of screentime. Pluses are Oh Yoon Seo being a bit more multi-faceted than one would expect, and to the general camaraderie between female employees at the law office. Major minus points around the Lawyer Dan who I found completely unappealing).
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(It's competent. But costuming is pretty lackluster, most scenes are shot in a few interior sets (the law office, one courtroom, and both the main character's flats.)
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Great Premise, Builds Addictively, But then . .
How can you tell the difference between true justice and unjustified revenge? When is it OK to forgive?The Rise of Phoenixes stays strong for the first 40 to 50 episodes or so...so many hours of entertainment that I can forgive the show for boxing itself into a corner and then spinning its wheels on how to finish. The premise is so intriguing, and so puzzling (how can they pull this off?) that it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The characters are compelling, though there are far fewer characters than other historical dramas. The main characters are great. Ning Yi does mildly overact/do an eccentric sort of Johnny Depp type performance. Feng Zhiwei has plenty of personality and backstory, and the actress brings it to life. There is a lot of electricity between the two main leads in small gestures and looks, which had a really nice build. The friendship between Ning Yi and Xin Ziyan is also very well done.
The music works with the show, and there are definitely scenes that I will rewatch, though I'm not sure about watching it straight from beginning to end. There are many scenes that I like to revisit again.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 9
(The main theme of the show is forgiveness, justice and revenge. When do ends justify the means? When is forgiving someone betraying other principles?)
Character Growth -9
(The great tension of the show is how the characters rise to the challenge at first, how they become better coordinated, better leaders, smarter and more calculating, and then how they hit walls that cause their faith to shatter. Unfortunately, the show ends up getting stuck far before the finale and the growth stops)
Nuanced Women -6
(Feng Zhiwei is a great role - but she is it. There are very little other women in the show that act as more than plot devices or have much screen time).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
(The costumes are really innovative, use beautiful textiles and fabrics, the sets are lavish, and there are some good exterior shots as well. There isn't as much martial arts as some, more army movements/storming a building/special effects of collapsing buildings)
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