Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun
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This review may contain spoilers
THE MOST DISAPPOINTING SEQUEL IN THE HISTORY OF ALL SEQUELS
I have A LOT of grievances with this drama. I was invested in the story and worldbuilding that happened in the previous season, and I was genuinely interested to see what will happen with the trio in this season. But apart from the initial animation that gives a recap of the previous season, it just goes downhill from there on. I understand that there might be budget constraints and shitty set pieces and all of that, but a good story??? A tighter plot? How could the makers skip on those things by giving the excuse of low budget? It was just shit okay, and the viewer did not deserve their patience to be tolerated at this level after giving some 80-odd minutes of their time for each episode. I understand the last season needed to have these long episodes, because they packed a shit ton of stuff in each episode, and because there was so much worldbuilding to do, the long episodes made sense and weren't boring. But this was just torturous to watch, even on 2x speed. Just sad and bad and annoying AF.First, let's get the acting out of the way. S1 had Song Joong Ki as the ML, and he played both Saaya and Eunseom so well that I could totally believe that they were two different individuals. I'm not saying that Lee Joon Ki is a bad actor or that he can't act or anything. It's just that the transition from the 20-year-old Benetbeot brothers to the older, more mature brothers never felt believable. I blame the shitty writing for this. And then there was Kim Ji Won as Tanya in s1 who was replaced by Shin Sae Kyung. I try really hard to like her, but she's not meant for roles like these, where the actor needs to appear strong. Its just so meh. She was able to portray the kind, softhearted religious leader very nicely (thanks to her features), but that was pretty much all to it. Behind the soft exterior also lies a shrewd politician and that aspect of her character was completely LOST because the actress could just not make it believable. The stars of this season were Tagon and Taealha, HANDS DOWN. From being a revered hero to becoming a Macbeth-ian character to regaining his shrewd and clever self just to protect everything that he built from scratch... Brilliantly played by Jang Dong-gun. And then there was Taealha... she was my favourite character in the whole series, from a fierce warrior to protector to a conniving leader, calm under pressure... she played her part with perfection. There was never a dull moment in watching her. The rest of the characters were just meh; they were as good as cardboard cutouts, so no complaints to the actors who played them. They had nothing to begin with; what else would they do with such shitty characterisation anyway. Speaking of shitty characters, WTF WAS KARAT EVEN? Why was he there? Just because you need to bring the Momo Tribe reference does not mean you introduce the most random character who has no job but to insult people and bring some form of comic relief. It was not even comic. Just shit. Even the Neanthal people were shit.
Second, the story. What story? Where story? The makers just ignored that a fantasy series as this requires a legit story to back it up. Without a story, a fantasy drama is just stupid. And guess which drama falls into the same pitfall? This one, of course! The first episode... the very first episode of the series, and you get to see an Eunseom who is FLYING from a horse to kill enemies. WHY WHY WHYYYYY. This is not the Eunseom that we knew. Yes, it was all scripted that this character is meant for great things in the future and he's going to be the Numero Uno and what not, but FLYING? FROM A HORSE? NO. STOP. And it just goes downhill from there. There's no plot twist, no political intrigue, no nothing. The ML and FL were winning from ep.1, and that was such a letdown, that as an audience, I was rooting for Tagon and Taealha more. They had more motivation to retain their kingdom than Eunseom ever did. We never get to know why Eunseom wanted to capture Arthdal, except that its Tagon's kingdom that's why. I mean, how does this make him any different than Tagon? And while the idea of Tanya's motivation to group the common subjects together to protest against the King was interesting, the way she did it was just shit. Didn't work for me at all.
Third, the music. WHO PUTS ENGLISH SONGS IN A FANTASY DRAMA SET BETWEEN THE BRONZE AND IRON AGES? WHY? Every time the BGM started playing (which was whenever Enuseom did any flying on screen), it literally hurt my ears. I skipped scenes because of the BGM; that bad it was.
Fourth, cinematography. Shit cinematography. I hated the yellowy, sepia toned look of the series. Arthdal means civilisation, so less trees, so more sepia tone. What the... why even.
Last but not least, let's talk about Saaya here. WHAT HAPPENED THERE? The story starts 8 years after Tagon becomes King of Arthdal, and the next thing we know is that Saaya is in cohorts with Tanya and Mubaek and they're all scheming to get rid of the king. How? Why? The last time we knew, Saaya swore himself to be faithful to the King. And now this. And then he's the blandest doormat there could ever exist, who's just yes-manning to every plan that Tanya makes. Saaya was a guy who could think. Where did his brains disappear in this season? I get it, that he's in an identity crisis and that he can't figure out his path and all of that heroic tribulations, but treat him better? He's either running away or getting saved. Like stop already. And then whatever happened to the curse that Tanya put on Saaya in the first couple of episodes in s1? Those details are lost and forgotten. Instead of building a mystery around the whole Neanthal lore, they just IGNORE it. So frustrating. I loved his character in s1, and SJK looked ABSOLUTELY ETHEREAL playing him, but here's LJK playing him, and while he does a good job in his own way, there's just so much lacking. It felt like the only characters who have matured in the series were Tagon and Taealha, and the 3 Children of the Prophecy were just overgrown kids who were just playing Barbie doll roles of their favorite kind.
After all of this rant, I will still go back to watch s3, if there ever appears one (the ending of s2 totally hinted a sequel coming up), because I AM INVESTED IN THIS WORLD. But a sincere request to the makers: please don't ruin our viewing experience just because of your laziness and shoddy writing. The characters of Arthdal deserve more love and care than just copy-pasting the most obvious "Avengers"-like superhero tropes available in pop culture. Please give us a better ending to this saga.
If you're a story buff like me for whom not knowing what happens next is fatal, then watch this season. But frit your teeth and be prepared for some major heartbreaks on the way.
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THE LEAD COUPLE'S CHEMISTRY SAVES THIS DRAMA
It's extremely disappointing when a good concept, a good story, and great characters are WASTED AWAY because of LAZY writing. The drama should've finished at ep. 30. The last 6 episodes are just an extended epilogue, and were so completely unnecessary. ππWhat saved this drama, was the lead couple's chemistry. THOSE TWO WERE SUCH A TREAT FOR THE EYES. And I loved that their romance was not all sugary sweet, but with a lot of tiffs between them and quite competitive from the get go. And their acting never felt fake, although Luo Yun Xi was a little too camera conscious for me at times (his poses are too picture perfect and don't look natural after a point).
The 2nd couple's romance was just meh. Initially I liked it, I thought the Opposites Attract theme would develop more, but the characters fell flat after some episodes. And that's where the character development went down... The girl, Xi Li was an absolute whiner, and the guy, Li Xiao Chan was just a cardboard character (who is he as an individual, his life in college, we don't know anything except that Xiu Li liked him from the get go). Xiao Chan and Yuan Shuai's brotherly camaraderie was not bad.
Finally, COULD THEY HAVE ANY MORE PRODUCTS TO ADVERTISE IN THIS DRAMA?! I get it that there is the occasional product placement, but why so much and so evidently???? Wearing CHANEL earrings or showing MIHOO face masks AT EVERY OTHER EPISODE was just too much.
Then there was the character of Du Lei. He was such a lovely character, he was the most layered one with different personality traits, had a proper history, and a believable character growth arc, I was legit suffering from the 2nd lead syndrome after seeing his side of the love triangle. But nope, the writers had to treat him unfair, and they had to ruin his character at the end. It was just so frickin' unfair.
Lastly, the sub plot resolutions were so hurried and untidy and inconsistent. Felt as if they wrote a shabby draft overnight just to meet with the deadlines.
I wish they were more consistent with the writing, and dealt with the story with a little more care and EFFORT as they had put in the first couple of episodes. Overall, just watch it for the lead couple's chemistry.
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Let this Drama Sparkle for You! JUST GO FOR IT.
Joined late to the Twinkling Watermelon Fan Club, but here I am. One of those rare, well-made, earnest kdramas that remind us why we love watching these dramas so much. The fantasy element sounded outlandish at first, but kudos to the writers for incorporating it so seamlessly into the main narrative. I loved how the plot twists were not very concealed, in the sense that we all could figure out what would happen next, but the way the plot twists were placed and executed is what made the watching experience novel and quite unexpected.Full points to the actors for doing such a lovely job. Personally, for me, Ryeoun felt like the weakest actor amongst all, but that doesn't mean he did a bad job, he was just 2nd best among the rest of the best. Even the supporting cast did a great job. Also, a big shout out to the stylists, getting the 90s chic bang on, with the outlandish hairstyles and baggy clothes and tacky colours.
The OST is not the kind of music I listen to, but it does stay with you long after the drama is over.
The best part of this drama is that it is earnest writing, and the humour (even though very overdramatic) is so earnestly done, you can't help but laugh at their stupidity. Life feels a little empty now after finishing watching this.
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Music Conquers All
This is an old drama, and I was extremely intrigued by the plot, so decided to give it a go. The first episode was quite confusing for me, the characters just come and go on in the screen, and no explanations are given as to who is whom. The overall pace of the drama was also a little slow. The editing was also quite jarred, so there were times when the scene cuts were very random. Also the way each episode ended was so annoying, with it stopping at one random scene, and that loud piano shaking the viewer out of their senses. Not necessary to end each episode with a loud BAM on the piano.The acting, on the other hand, was superb. Top notch acting from all the actors. Yoo Ah In deserves special mention for the absolutely brilliant job that he's done here. The facial expressions of the actors while playing the piano were a bit too loud and exaggerated, but that's okay I guess... It's an old drama, and a melodrama at that. So this much leeway the show deserves I guess. Apart from the lead characters, the rest of the characters felt very unidimensional to me. They were just rich and bitchy. I was annoyed with the Seo family till the very end. Despite these flaws, the actors acted their parts well. No qualms on the acting department.
However, the main star of the show is its OST. It's very rare that k-drama OSTs are musically good. They are either too kpop-ish or they're just loud. But this one does such a brilliant job of maintaining the "Forbidden Affair" theme musically. The music is taut with tension, and so measured, and yet packs so much passion into it.
The ending of the drama was a bit meh, I didn't like the way it ended. The pace was also inconsistent, it got slow at parts, but it still managed to hold the attention of the audience. And that was just because of the OST that stringed each scene and character so well with the progress of the story.
Overall, watch it for the lead couple's acting, and for the interesting subject matter. The lead actors acted really well, and the director treated their romance with care and consideration. It never felt overtly raunchy or oedipal. A decent one time watch.
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INTENSE AND DAMN GOOD
I generally watch k-dramas because they have a way of easing the viewer into topics, even though the topics dealt with in the shows might be intense and serious. This one does nothing of that sort, and it just continues to hit you in the face (in a very good way). And it's kudos to the actors, the director, and the writer for that. This has been an intense watch right from episode 1. The topics dealt with in this series are intense (bullying, drug abuse, parental abuse etc), but that does not mean that the show gets boring. It is the writer's credit for keeping the audience glued to the story despite having a pretty dark and gloomy setup, right from the get go. We have the protagonist, Yeom Si-eun, who is the topper of his class, but a loner; there's Ahn Soo-ho, who's always asleep in class, but the chirpiest (of the 3); and there's the newcomer Oh In-beom, who changed schools because he was bullied in his old school. The three become fast friends, and the rest of the drama is the story of their friendship. The first few episodes kinda ease you into watching the drama for the characters. The acting of all the characters are just top notch, each one packs a punch in their own ways. Anything more might appear as a spoiler, so this is all there is to it.All that I can say about this drama is, the drama blurb is quite misleading. The story takes its own turns and gut punches you in its own ways. Was it a satisfying watch? Nope. Was it a quality watch? Fuck yes, absolutely. I am extremely glad that the director did not succumb to the demands of the formulaic high school drama, and stayed true to the characters till the very end. Kudos for having the courage to do that.
Overall, a 10/10.
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Action packed
This drama promised action, and action it had, from the get go. The action choreography was just out of this world, *chef's kiss*. The acting was also quite good, with Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi being the best action pair one could ask for. I loved how the women were also quite well equipped to handle their own, and not mere sidekicks. I just wished Kim Sae Ron didn't have this abrupt exit though.Let me just take a moment here to shower praises on the lead actors' bodies. They have WORKED OUT FOR IT, and it shows... Every muscle, every sinew in their bodies are so fucking well sculpted, it was a feast for the eyes π I was particularly impressed by their running shots - most of them were taken in a single shot, and they sprinted the whole time. Just goes on to show how FIT AND ATHLETIC the actors were for this role. It was a short watch, but packed with a lot of suspense. Till the last half of the last episode, I was unsure if it will get over in one season or if there will be a 2nd season chasing the villain. Also Park Sung Woong as the villain was a delight to watch. Cold, killer eyes and that maniacal smile was enough to protray all the malice that his character demanded. This was quite the refreshing watch after a series of average to bad Cdramas binge sessions. Overall, would totally recommend it for the action scenes and the easy camaraderie between the two lead men.
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Han Hyo Joo outshone Park Hyung Sik in this one
I started watching this drama for PHS (because he's my latest binge obsession) but ended up falling in love with Han Hyo Joo instead. Daaaammmnnnn gurl what a boss woman. Loved her character and her acting in it. I loved that neither of the leads treated the other like damsels in distress, like they were two independent, grown ass people who knew well enough what the other person is capable of, and that's where their camaraderie shone best. I don't know why people are saying they had no chemistry. They forget that the leads agreed to a MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE and such relationships don't come with roses and kisses from the get go. It develops over time, and I loved how the drama was able to show that development without being over the top dramatic about it. Proper ass-kicking, on-charge power couple they were.In terms of the story and everything else, it was basically Sweet Home but in a high rise apartment, so basically fodder for more ethical and moral questions than the usual. The story didn't wow me, I was more wowed by the leads, and by Han Tae Seok and his wit. The acting was quite top notch, so no complaints on that. The OST was interesting, it lingered throughout the drama. Just don't understand why the drama was called "Happiness", kinda seems a stretch of a name compared to what they were portraying.
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A Mediocre Saegeuk Drama that does Mediocrity well.
I started watching Tangerines and decided to skip that and watch this instead because Tangerines made me ugly cry, and I didn't want that. Now while I picked this because it was a stupider and lighter watch, I was pleasantly surprised by it. Unlike many other kdramas that have crossdressing, here it didn't feel forced or outlandish. Jeon So-nee's voice, her stature, and her general body language made all of it look very believable. And I loved the dynamic between the two leads, it wasn't the most saccharine sweet, but it was solid camaraderie. What I didn't like, however, was how their pair came to be.This drama also got me into a PHS binge spree, and I ended up watching everything else that he's acted in. Personally, I feel that PHS fits this role with perfection, he's got a very Royal, Princely aura around him, couldn't picture anyone else in the role of a Seja Joha other than him.
What worked for me was that the series was a well-made mediocre series. It knew it wasn't out there to be the BEST KDRAMA of the year and the writers worked with what they had, didn't cast large expectations. So what you see is an earnest effort to make a decent saeguk mystery, which was good. This is the kind of drama you watch when you want to just chill and go with the flow of the story.
Overall it was an okay, decent watch. Liked the acting of everyone, the ending felt a little weird but not bad, very neatly tied everything in place.
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The Series should've been titled "Serious World" instead of "Wonderful World"
I really wanted to like this drama, but it was just taxing. Finishing this was extremely tedious, and this coming from one of Cha Eunwoo's fans is quite something.Story: the story was pretty simple, it's pretty much what the synopsis in MDL reads. given that there are not many "events" happening or not many plot twists in every episode, this story tried to bank heavily on the 'emotions' quotient. But that was both its boon and bane. It truly revealed the acting abilities of the actors, all of whom played their characters with such perfection that it was very good to see mature, serious performances like these on screen. But on the other hand, the more the series tried to invest in emotions, the slower it got, and hence, more boring. If there is a pause of a minimum of 20 seconds between one actor's lines and another 20-second pause before the next actor speaks their lines, then you know something is wrong here. And then every crying scene (and there are PLENTY) lasts for a minute at least... its just a bit too much. In the middle of all this slow slow emotion-building exercise, the story gets lost completely, and we are left to watch just people crying. So yeah, in terms of the story, nothing really happens.
Pace: In case I haven't said this enough, this drama is SLOW. It starts off slowly, builds up slowly, but by the 6-7th episode, picks up pace. But then again, he decides to slow things down and it becomes a slow burn again by the 9th episode; episodes 10-12 are painful to watch. I ended up watching the last 2 episodes at 1.5x speed, and they made so much more sense at that speed.
Acting: Really lovely acting by all the actors. This was one of the most understated roles that CEW has ever played. Funnily, its not like he has done anything different in terms of how he acts, but it was more like his brand of acting got cast in a sombre, no-nonsense role, instead of being cast in the same old brooding lover boy role. But either way, it was only the acting of all the actors that made the series watchable.
The OST was quite nice, especially the cover of "What a Wonderful World."
Overall, if you want to watch it because of CEW, you can, but otherwise, not watching it won't be a loss either. If at all you want to watch it, watch it on 1.5x or 2x speed, that's a better alternative. But on an ending note, this drama deserves praise for being quite liberal thinking... full 100 points to showing strong, independent women; grey areas of marital relationships; dicey family relationships; and people who are not completely good or bad. These nuances made the drama quite watchable. If it had been a little faster, it would've been one of the best dramas I've watched this year.
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Short, Crisp, Spicy: Watch it for Nam Joo Hyuk!
As an ARDENT Nam Joo Hyuk fan, I was a little late to the watch party, but I'm glad I watched this and didn't skip it. Let's get straight into the pros and cons of this series:Pros:
Short episodes: Each episode was 40-45 mins long, and it had just 8 episodes. Quick and easy watch, loved the length of the series.
Acting: The cast had all good actors, lovely job done by the actors. Of course, I must mention Nam Joo Hyuk and how BUFFED UP he's become for this role. Full ogle fest! Also NJH has improved so much... It was so good to see him emote with his eyes throughout the whole drama. One minute, he's got kind twinkly eyes, and the next minute, he has the coldest, deadset eyes, that just brims with anger and vengeance. Brilliant piece of acting by my boy! Yoo Ji Tae also had a strong presence. Special mention to Woo Hyun Joon who played police officer, Nam Yeon Gil. He had a very limited screen time, but in whatever he had, he made his presence felt.
OST: The OST is actually good here. I am not a big OST person, most often I am annoyed by the loud kdrama OSTs, they feel like a hindrance to the watching experience. But here, it was quite muted and appropriate in maintaining the tone of the drama.
Action: Finally, some good action choreography in a kdrama. Also, these guys didn't shy away from showing gore. It wasn't overdone either, so whatever was done, made sense.
Cons:
Story: I understand that it is adapted from a webtoon by the same name, but that's exactly what became its greatest bane. The script had no movement other than whatever was written in the web series, so you can understand while seeing the drama, that it is just stringing together panels into a plot. That's what makes the plot so flimsy. There was potential for more character growth or more development, but the writers didn't bother expanding more on it. Random people appear out of nowhere with just one-line explanations of who they are, much akin to how characters are introduced in a comic. While I like that they didn't explore 50 different things in the series and stayed true to the main plot point (aka the Vigilante and his own ways of serving justice), I wish there was something more to the plot though... it was a little too straightforward at the end of it all. But there's a s2 coming up, so hopefully, they might play on things up a little more then.
Acting: I didn't like Kim So Jin... didn't like her look, or her acting. Her character was an interesting one, I won't lie. But I didn't like Kim So Jin in it, she screamed a little too much, and it didn't look natural enough to me. Also I didn't understand why Nam Joo Hyuk and Yoo Ji Tae had to shout more than half the time to make their point across. Whenever those two conversed with each other, they shouted at each other, which got pretty annoying pretty quickly.
Overall, it was a pretty quick and easy watch. Quick and spicy, watching the show felt like eating a packet of chips. Its good as long as it lasts, and then it gets over quickly, and you move on to watching the next drama. A solid one time watch.
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A Mature Love Story, feat. Park Bo Gum's smile
The reason why I decided to continue watching this drama was purely because of Park Bo Gum's smile. I FELL FOR IT. HARD. That is also the only reason I decided to stick to it till the end.In terms of the story, there truly isn't much. And the drama also isn't the kind of drama that boasts a grand and impressive narrative. The whole drama can be summarized as what being in love looks like. While that is understandable and I really liked how everything was very mature, it was just soooooooo slooooooowwww.
The cinematography was one thing that really stood out for me. It had these beautiful postcard framed shots, truly lovely to look at. And to add the photography hobby into the mix to show more picturesque shots... Quite clever.
Now we come to the actors... GUESS WHO'S GOING TO BINGE ALL OF PBG'S DRAMAS NEXT. I was a little uncomfortable seeing how malnourished he looked in the first episode, but that short bob was quite interesting and "exotic". But damn that smile made my day. Even his character was so earnestly written, it actually shone through the series. Song Hye Kyo's character also was interesting. I am a fan of these kinds of understated, less talkative, mature female characters who talk less but are strong-willed. And Song Hye Kyo was able to pull it off quite well, seeing that this is her forte. The chemistry between the two of them though... *chef's kiss*. Often in mature kdramas, they make up for the lack of chemistry with some kissing... but here, you could actually feel how much the ML and the FL cherished each other. Full points for such an earnest performance.
Her ex-husband's character was a bit meh, but that's okay... the series justified why. I didn't really like the chaebol eomoni angle, it was a bit too much. But seen in the korean cultural context, it makes sense, i suppose? I don't know... But the best part for me was the friendships depicted in the series... it was quite nuanced and layered, and not the straight-up "oh, I'm your best friend, and I will be there just to cheer you with pompoms" kinda depiction. The actors who played PBG's parents were the MOST REAL characters in the entire series, even more so than the protagonists, might I suggest. Lovely, lovely acting by the two veteran actors there.
As for the OST, it's one of those very well-crafted albums. It is expected to hear a song explode right after any major event in the series, like BAM! And in a few series, this can be quite the hindrance (case in point, Something in the Rain). But here, because the songs were very mellow, the effect was much mitigated. Eric Nam's song and SaltnPepper's Take Me On are the best in the album IMO.
Also, as a side note, the opening credits' animated videos of fairytale tropes are quite beautiful. Nothing extraordinary, but just very aesthetically pleasing.
Cons of this series: It's a meditative watch, not fit for binging (although I did binge it at an alarming rate).
There's nothing much going on in terms of the story. Its just two people in love and... that's pretty much it.
I do wish there was some editing involved. Towards the end, it felt unnecessarily long; for example, if you skip 10 seconds, you will still not miss any dialogue. It basically takes 10 seconds or more for the actors to move past looking at each other and do things (be it talking or moving or whatever).
The pacing... it was soooooo sloooooowwwww.... like so slow, so slow... they paid so much attention to showing the couple that they didn't bother with the story at all. As a result, towards the end the conflict resolved rather quickly (in just 2 episodes) and shoddily. I understand that in a mature drama like this, there is no space for the outlandish ML FL heroics, but some nuanced storytelling to the conflicts would be better.
The treatment of foreigners is still a pain to watch. SO MUCH TYPECASTING. >_<
Over all, the drama was a really nice, soothing watch. Best to watch it on rainy days, with a coffee mug and your partner by your side (if they're into kdramas that is). The first episode is probably one of the dreamiest episodes I've seen in a long time in a kdrama. I personally feel, the drama was able to sail its way through because of PBG's smile. If the makers of this drama focused on one thing intently, then it's the visuals. Be it the actors' visuals, or the interior design's colour palettes, or the locations, or just the camera frames, they made sure it was so aesthetically pleasing. The series proved how aesthetics can aid in falling in love.
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Mature, Understated, but Beautiful
If you're looking for a romantic drama or a mystery/thriller drama, then look somewhere else. This felt more like a meditative exploration of what relationships can look like. I personally loved it. I loved that it was a wholly mature, no emotional melodrama BS that kdramas are known to dish out on popular demand. I wish they delved more into the backstory of NM agency instead of being this shrouded in mystery organisation. That would've added more depth to the story. Other than that, I loved the acting, the cinematography, the story, and most importantly, the framing of the story. Its not always that we see mature, muted, understated kdramas, and I truly think we need more of these.Was this review helpful to you?
B.O.R.I.N.G.
I am currently on a Luo Yunxi marathon and decided to watch this drama solely because of the poster. He sports fringes and wears glasses AND LOOKS SO CUTE. But that was all that was to this drama. This guy is a good actor and even when he can't save the drama, you know the drama's just BAD. The FL, Cheng Xiao, CANNOT ACT. How can a person have the same facial expression irrespective of whatever emotions she's emoting? Even when she's crying she looks the same.The ML is supposedly a disabled character, he does not have his lower leg. But what disability, where disability, which disability? He uses the walking stick like a fucking prop and not as a support... At least limp while walking? What is this superhuman portrayal of a disabled character? One badminton match lasts TEN MINUTES in an episode... WHYYYY??? And
This brings me to the pace of the drama. This drama is SO SLOW, I get it that you want to take time to build the characters and the setup and all that. But it's just unnaturally slow. A watcher like me, who does not skip even 10 seconds of an episode, was skipping MINUTES to just get through to what happens next. Because there's literally NOTHING GOING ON IN THE LARGE PART OF THE EPISODE. The story wasn't that bad actually. If it was paced well and sped up to 5 times faster, then it would've gained traction with the viewers. But the pace was so abysmally slow, I just lost interest at the end and gave up on it.
The chemistry between the leads was also so meh; they had none, actually. And this is saying quite a lot, given how charming and flirty LYX can be onscreen. The two leads are just too self-absorbed and expressionless to react to anything that the other person is doing. In comparison, I liked Chu Chu's character far better. She had more sass and acted better as well. The third friend, Oscar, was a cardboard cutout character. And he's dressed like Elvis Presley for over half the time because he's a Rock and Roll singer? WAAAOOOOOO, talk about a caricature character... *eye roll* *smh*.
The OST was also dumb; who writes a song with the lyrics, "I love you, I need you"? How old was the songwriter? Thirteen?? Everything was just so wrong. There was nothing to invest in this drama. NOT WORTH THE WATCH. Watch Love is Sweet or Till the End of the Moon instead. They're eons better than this snooze fest of a drama.
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As for the cast, of course, I chose to watch this drama for my darling Wooky! He's such a lovely thing to watch on screen. I just don't get WHY he does not choose more meaty roles, and ALWAYS plays it safe. Going by the blurb of the series and his image in the poster, I really thought that he would be an anti-hero sort of character, like Seon Seok-goo in My Liberation Notes. But the blurb was all that was faulty with him. All throughout the series, he was the NICEST boy there could ever be, who was so unfairly wronged by the system, that one would think that he was a puppy without any agency of his own. It's alright if the director wanted to show him as a nice guy, but don't make the blurb SO misleading, please? It wasn't fair for the character tbh. His romance angle with Choi Soo Young was also meh, it was so extremely predictable, there was nothing worth rooting for. I actually ended up liking the doctor, he was this understated character, but quite sensible. Even if his character didn't have much screen time, he did a pretty decent job playing an introverted doctor. This might come up as offensive, but I did not like Song Dong Il as Kang Tae Shik - both the actor and the character were too much for me to take.
One thing that I really liked was the drama's investment in the hospice staff, which was quite good. Although all the stories eventually ended up being preachy, kudos to the script-writer for showing other stories other than the main characters' stories. I don't know what happened with Ha Joon Kyung and Jang Seok Joon, as I didn't finish the whole thing. I was interested to know, but the overtly preachy tone overshadowed everything else, and I lost interest.
The OST was nothing to write home about. The mini-play in the middle of the drama was SO STUPID AND UNNECESSARY. The only reward received from watching the entire mini-play nonsense was seeing Ji Chang Wook looking absolutely stunning in a suit. But then he looks good in anything, without anything, in whichever way he comes on screen really. So yeah, too little returns for too much investment.
Finally, using animals to persuade the viewer to tears was NOT CALLED FOR. Overall, not a binge-able drama. If you have time to spare, and you are REALLY in love with Ji Chang wook, then watch it. Otherwise can miss it.
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A Makjang that features Park Hyung Sik as a grey character? Okay I'm in!
All hail Park Hyung Sik for single-handedly carrying this drama through. I saw this immediately after Bong Soon, so you can understand why I absolutely fell head over heels in love with a long, black-haired PHS.I saw the first episode, and I thought this was another version of Song Joong Ki's Reborn Rich. The vibe of both dramas is similar, but this is a little different. The first couple of episodes, when the context is being set up, are absolutely brilliant. It seems like the drama was bogged down by its own expectations. It built a plan so huge and vast that, as the story proceeded, it wasn't able to achieve the scale that it wanted to. The characters are essentially all sad characters; everyone is powerless, but everyone is also a schemer, and at the end, no one really gets to have the last laugh. The battle between Seo Dongju and Yeom Jangseon was brilliant, and it made me want to root for Seo Dongju, even though I knew that he wasn't the nicest guy out there. So points to the writer for making a flawed character memorable enough that you want to see what stunt he's going to pull next. Apart from them, there wasn't any character memorable enough. The chairman was a cunning character, but again, not a nice guy. He had his preferences and biases, gave no shit to the women in the house, and was only interested in using people to his interests. I really did not understand the logic behind why Seo Dongju (who is so particular about whom to support and how to do it) decided to stick to Chairman Cha even after all the mistreatment. The writers portrayed it as if SDJ REEAAALLLYYY wanted to work for the chairman, because the Chairman is the best boss ever. That just made no sense at all.
The second tiff that I have with the drama is with Heo Ildo's character. I kinda understand where his intentions were coming from, but still, the way they portrayed him as this villainous character in the beginning, the redemption arc towards the end felt forced.
The final tiff that I have with this series is the romance part of it. For two people who are shown to be SO PASSIONATE in the beginning, they shouldn't be able to keep their hands away from each other, especially if both are living in the same house. But their romance just fizzles away, and the FL just becomes a cardboard cutout emotional support therapist for the ML.
The series had the potential to write many powerful female characters, but they all ended up receiving cardboard cutout treatments... such a wasted opportunity. Furthermore, several characters like the Administrator, the Hacker girl, Cheon Guho, or even Madam Pi, were just random people thrown here and there without any backstory or explanations. I would've personally loved a backstory of Cheon Guho and why he chose to stick by Yeom Jangseon through everything.
But the OST was good, and so was Park Hyung Sik. He was the reason why I watched the whole thing in 2 days straight and persevered through the dragging episodes from 8-12 (didn't see the point of dragging out a subplot for so long, they could've just ended it quicker). His hairstyle deserves another essay, and so does his wardrobe. His stylist needs a raise. And his acting was both cute and evil, the λ―ΈμΉλ (mi-chin-nom) smile with the demented eyes was ON POINT.
Overall, it was quite an interesting take on the makjang genre (based on the few that I've watched) in the first couple of episodes. But it suffered the curse of the mid-series boredom and picked up pace only at the 11-12th episode or so. But by then, it was too trope-y to be excited over anything. The treatment of the series was also VERY manhwa-inspired. I actually thought that this was an adaptation of a manhwa, but it apparently is not. Either way, its a decent one time watch. Watch it for our Hyungsik-a <3
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