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Good but not stimulating
This series is a bit difficult to describe because the acting and character chemistry were pretty good. The plot (with exception of the ending) flowed relatively well. But for a 29-episode series, it was lacking that "entertaining" factor and the entire series felt like it was playing to a single note. The drama wasn't dramatized enough and the humor wasn't humorous enough. The cases and mysteries that revolve solely around the protagonists were interesting in the beginning but started to falter when they began to poorly insert new characters. And the ending is really where it begins to crack because there wasn't great character development for the aforementioned new characters and some existing ones. They made attempts to do so with some flashbacks but unsuccessfully. However, as with other average series, this one was still entertaining enough to complete with some time skips. Not much actions scenes and no romance (which I usually prefer).Was this review helpful to you?
At the same time, although there really isn't a glaring lull, the first half of the series was particularly prolonged and the flashbacks bordered excessive. I did find myself fast-forwarding every so often but not in the way where it deterred too much from the enjoyment. Instead of repeat flashbacks, providing more background on some of the supporting characters would have taken this up a notch.
Nevertheless, would recommend it for the days when you're in the right mood for its pacing.
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What really makes this one great however, is how all the actors do a fantastic job in their roles and the chemistry between them is what will trigger emotions. Character developments were also on point. They do a decent job with showing empathy for both sides as well as the hypocrisy of those who only know how to feel sorry for themselves, cry victim when they get a taste of their own medicine, and those who cry about life but do nothing except to hope others will take care of it for them.
The only flaw that is difficult to describe is that while the story itself flowed well, the actual transitions felt blotchy at times so it didn't feel natural. This also impacted the romance aspect which wasn't that impressive to me personally but Lee Ha Nee is still one of my favorite actresses. This is why I labeled the review as straightforward. Even though they tried to keep the viewers in suspense at times, it doesn't require much thought process and there's no deeper meaning to have to uncover. You just kick back and enjoy the ride.
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When I first saw this years ago available for stream on Netflix when they still used the star system, I kept avoiding it. The title and the cover did not appeal to me at all. But after exhausting the other high-starred foreign films and enjoying them, I finally caved on this one. Ultimately, the concept of don't judge a book by its cover came into play once again.
This slice-of-life was really well put together and had that magical ability to make you laugh, smile, and cry. For me, one who is far from her teen years, it also instigated self-reflection and a look-back on how much has changed since then.
The plot is seemingly simplistic- a reunion of a group of women who knew one another in high school. It sounds a little bland and a little predictable but it really is much more than that. If you're like me who isn't usually interested in these types of plots, you may also be pleasantly surprised at how much you'll enjoy it.
This is one of the main ones I have recommended to many as an intro into Korean films, all of whom have varying preferences in genres, and I've only ever received positive feedback from them.
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This chronicle of Ji Gong's deeds/travels was still as fun to watch today as it was so many years ago. It is on par with the classic version of Journey to the West and I was ecstatic to find the series on YouTube.
It's worth a search on the internet for the history of this legendary rebellious monk who goes around helping people in need while tricking others out of hurting others. He offends other monks with his ways but is also admired by them. Sad that even those in my generation, particularly those born in the US, likely never even heard of him.
There is also another 20-episode Ji Gong series starring You Benchang in 1998 as well, where he continues to work his magic. It's not necessary a direct sequel, but I considered it as one for this particular actor.
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When I read about the "pink rabbit" in the synopsis, it lowered expectations initially. But I loved it- it added that special element.
Despite the humorous over-exaggeration and the simplistic feel, they managed to incorporate some depth with every personal story. The supernatural aspect was also done much better than many of the more mainstream series in its genre as they didn't attempt to dramatize or glamorize it. And those subtle aspects where they somehow managed to cast actors that actually resemble one another between their youth and later years was also really appreciated. All the characters were likeable in a natural way and the actors fit really well in their roles.
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All of the actors were a brilliant combination and the little girl was not only adorable but amazingly emotive.
No matter what genre you usually prefer, this is one of the few that will cater to most. Don't expect hardcore prisoners, sob stories, exploitation of the handicap, or anything else that is heavy in theme. It isn't trying to be anything. Only for you to follow a turning point in an accused man's life who loves his daughter and experience the impact these two will have on those around them, including you as the viewer.
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Not someone who goes for the romance-heavy genre, but this one was fun and it tugged at the heart-strings. One of its main strengths here is we have a great lead-couple combination and a well-paced relationship development. The star for me is the male lead. I thoroughly enjoyed his micro-expressions, his way of speech, and never got tired of his get out of my face hand gestures. The female lead had the more obvious and emotional expressions which worked great alongside his. Both were pretty well-balanced in personalities. None of them were overly arrogance, overly kindhearted, etc. as you sometimes find with characters in the same genre. It felt natural and the straight-forwardness of their interactions is my cup of tea.
Initially in the early episodes, the female lead's clingy ways were a bit off-putting but given her situation, most people would likely be just as desperate. She won me over in due time.
The blanketing story of our lead female encountering ghosts and assisting them with their requests was done much better than expected. It is imperfect with its inconsistencies, such as the portrayal of them looking horrifying at times and them semi-normal at other times. There also isn't much explanations about their existence. But it isn't meant to be a horror genre and the blend of humor around it forgives this. Instead, it worked very well with the plot momentum and prevented it from having romance drag.
It definitely should be mentioned as well that one of my favorite things about this was the many hilarious statements in the script. One of the earlier ones that come to mind is "I didn't listen to you because I cared. I listened because I've got these ears attached to my head."
While the series has its scattered flaws with an imperfect pacing towards the end, it was one of the rare romance-heavy ones that I enjoyed in its entirety.
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This review may contain spoilers
This series has a little bit of everything so difficult to describe. So let's just say it has a nice combination of that bit of everything when it comes to a crime drama. Nothing was overwhelmingly focused on so it kept my attention at each episode. The dynamics between all of the actors/characters was good and our main defendant did a wonderful job at his role. There wasn't any particular character that was just miraculously tough or continuously useless all the time which was nice.My only negative comments would be the very slightly overly emotional aspect of our main defendant in certain scenes, but also realistic if one can even fathom being in his shoes. I would have appreciated a more brutal and prolonged punishment of our antagonist as he seemed to have been let off a bit too easy. This applies as well to the prosecutor who was supposed to have been a family friend who was apparently forgiven so easily. The guy couldn't properly play the good person or the bad person and only ended up making the choice he did when he realized he was losing. The comedy aspect was a bit off with timing occasionally but was still fun to watch.
Nevertheless, definitely recommend. It does justice to its plot summary.
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The main character was slightly bland but acceptable as that is part of his character. However, the prison guards and the prisoners which had the majority of screen time really made the drama worthwhile. There was a good blend of tearjerker moments and laugh out loud moments. There was a slight discomfort in the ending as I had hoped there would have been better follow-ups on the characters that grew on me, but wasn't bad enough to ruin the series as proven in many other series.
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A Good Casual Watch
After several starts and drops of various historical dramas, this one was finally able to keep my attention long enough to become invested. The first couple of episodes may be slightly off-putting but it does evolve well and the layer of corniness is part of its charm.Positives:
- There's a good blend of serious moments and light-heartedness/comedy.
- Most of the actors did a good job with their roles.
- The mystery aspect was decent as well as the action scenes but nothing to write home about.
- Almost no romance.
- A good series if you need a break from heavy politics and melodrama.
Negatives:
- The biggest negative for me was the ML (Ding Yu Xi). His acting became increasingly not believable and he only seemed to utilize 3-4 different facial expressions throughout the series. Unfortunate because this really brought the series down a few notches. (And this is already overlooking the extreme corniness to his cat-human form).
- The story takes a somewhat convoluted turn somewhere in the middle, and the flow became messier. It's as if they spend the first half working on the build-up and then just decided to throw everything that was necessary for the plot all in at once, just to be able to complete it.
- While I may able to overlook things like poor villagers suddenly being able to build a hot air balloon in almost no time at all, it was difficult to overlook the reactions to character deaths. There is almost a zero grieving period or any needed emphasis on the deaths of even relevant support characters. Providing flashbacks that doesn't trigger any emotes doesn't cut it, and the almost instantaneous leap to laughing and having a good time shortly thereafter was just not okay.
However, it is a good series that one doesn't need to take seriously and is good for a casual watch. Despite some significant negatives, it still did provide some actual laugh out loud moments.
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The first few episodes were a bit lackluster as the tragedies were done in an over-simplified and overly dramatic way. But it does start to pick up in quality once the king comes into the picture. What makes this series a bit different from some in this genre is that although there are the usual politics, it doesn't feel quite as heavy. It helps that there are plenty of humorous characters and moments to help break up it up. There is also a unique incorporation of a women-only investigative team, so there is some "detective" aspect to it as well.
The majority of the actors does a great job in their respective roles. I want to list them all to emphasize this but there's just too many. Instead I'll discuss the only actor that was obviously mediocre, and she happens to be one the series is titled after.
The Dong Yi character stayed relatively flat even when her status changes and although I think this was intentional, it gets old. This may not have been as glaring if the actress was better with micro-expressions or was more versatile with them. She makes the same few expressions ALL the time no matter what the situation is and it becomes more and more noticeable. It didn't help when they used a freeze frame of her with her usual eyes wide opened at the end of most episodes. Why they thought this would be a good cliffhanger is beyond me.
The other aspects that are off is how no one ages appropriately and time skips are pretty abrupt. As an example, one minute someone stated they were pregnant and minutes later, the baby was in their arms. Some portions of the episodes are binge-worthy and sometimes there is a a bit of a drag but it does move along.
Don't let this deter you from giving this one a try though especially if the female lead doesn't bother you as much as it did for me. Although she was a bit mono-toned, she's surrounded by many interesting characters that make up for it.
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Is the script written so poorly at times that it is just corny? Yes.
Does many of the elements in the story make sense most of the time? No.
Does the special effects look super low-budget at times? Yes.
However, I surprisingly found myself continuing on to the next episode and the next without the thought of dropping it. Because despite having to shrug off the major flaws, it was still an enjoyable watch. I laughed at times, teared up ever so slightly at times, and rooted for the camaraderie within the team.
The bromance was sweet, using the undeniable formula of pairing opposite personalities. This was one of the obvious draws from the series but the rest of our "superhero" team was fun to watch as well, each one with their own supernatural or intelligence skill set. It should be noted however that although I still enjoyed Zhu Yi Long's acting here (more in The Story of Ming Lan), he really should have learned how to swing a prop sword better.
The mini-plots within the underlying one can feel a bit blotchy but the overall one still wraps up well enough. There was also just enough intrigue for me to follow through to the end. So if you're one who can overlook some of these issues and not ask too many questions, it was a fun one to sit through without having to use much brain power.
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As with many superhero stories, you go in knowing it will be more entertainment than realism. The concept is great, especially since I have a soft spot for vigilantes but the execution in this one wasn't done well. Because it revolves heavily around the taxi, it does have a hint of resemblance to Batman (which they reference themselves in the series). The first couple of stories were satisfying and the exaggerations went well with that dab of comedic undertone. However, it just felt more and more lame as they entered heavily into the cloud-based firm revenge. While the script being overly basic can be overlooked, when the characters themselves began to lose their flavor, that's when there's really not much else to look forward to.
- The prosecutor was irritating from the beginning and she could have been written out completely with minimal impact.
- They try to humanize your mains by incorporating some type of trigger that causes them to relive their traumas but the way it was executed just made them again, lame. For a team that is supposed to be superior and calmly collected, and who's been doing this for a while, a whistle from some traffic cop is going to cause your main dude to pass out? Then your female main who's seen that online video over and over again in the past, is suddenly so traumatized by coming across it again during a job that she just abandons ship and locks herself up? While trauma does impact someone for a lifetime, this was incredibly excessive.
- The sister's suicide. They paint her out to be a sweet, loving person. But anyone who has enough right mind to make a last meal for a loved one, tuck a blanket over them, and then decides to publicly jump off a building and plop herself horrifically in front of the same loved one, is just a selfish ass.
- Oh, how the flashbacks were misused much too often. Instead of adding anything to the plot, they were just fillers to prolong the minutes. I also didn't buy into the dramatic music that tried to convince the audience into thinking the scene was eventful.
If they had maintained the same pacing as with the first couple of stories or didn't reduce character developments, it would have been much more entertaining. Unfortunate.
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Okay, I really, really tried and wanted to finish this series. Accepted that this was the feel of a daytime soap opera where everything is dramatized and nothing really made sense or flowed well. They threw in as much dramatic effects as possible with car chases in miraculously empty highways, doppelgangers, coincidences that should only occur in a town with less than a hundred population, etc. It really did no justice for two of the mains portrayed by Ji Sung and Kim Min Jung, as they are the only ones to look forward to on screen. The rest of the mains were incredibly annoying and hypocritical and were a really poor balance to the "Devil Judge". They come off as arrogant and self-righteous fools who only create more problems than solve any. They whine, cry, criticize, and complain but have no abilities to do anything about the situations, and yet they end up relying on the same ones they continuously bash over and over again.
Even ignoring glaring issues like with the Park Jin Young character who is supposed to be a judge idol but yet, he can just casually go on his investigations without being recognized? Or the fact that while he apparently worked so hard to become a judge (even though it was handed to him), he gave attitude to his employer over and over right off the bat? And despite being overly vocal about being lawful and moral, he judges his boss pretty much immediately, plants a listening bug in his office, and then invades his privacy in his own home while he was being taken care of? Then there's his equally arrogant cop girlfriend who illegally provides him with information and equipment.
What finally made me throw my hands in the air in defeat was when that incompetent and useless cop girlfriend decided it was a fantastic idea to approach a mob of troublemakers by herself, leave the handicap niece in the car, and expect things will go smoothly just because she whipped out a gun? Then, when the guys come to their rescue, she turns around to point a gun at the uncle because he's pissed off and has the assailant by the neck? Then says she's going to arrest HIM instead? Furthermore, the niece also acts up like her usual prissy brat self even though she's the one who called him begging for help?
There's just too many annoying aspects to list and I can't stand characters who want to juice the hell out of their life traumas as if they are the only ones in the world who have them. The overall plot had good potential and Ji Sung and Kim Min Jung carried their roles well, but the annoyances from the others have become overwhelming and I'm done trying.
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