This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable but a little too contrived and drawn out
My feelings on this show are overall positive, but I still think that there are elements that feel too artificial and the length is a tad too long. I was only able to complete this drama the second time I attempted to watch it. The first time, I dropped it after the first episode because I couldn't handle how outrageous Duk Mi's fangirling was. After a second watch, I still feel it is a little too over-the-top and contributes to an inconsistent feeling. To me, the idea of the story was intriguing, but unfortunately, I don't feel it was executed to a satisfying level.The show starts by establishing the essential plot element that Duk Mi is a hardcore kpop fangirl - not just a fan, a hardddddddcore fan girl. She's the webmaster of a fan site, has a ridiculous camera/ladder/privacy outfit, and her self-proclaimed, only hobby is following Si An of the fictional White Ocean. It's definitely an intriguing premise, but I personally found it extremely cringeworthy, even beyond just the feeling of secondhand embarrassment. Furthermore, the amount of effort she would have to expend to keep up her activities and fan knowledge in real life, far exceed the time required to form a real, adult career and maintain real, adult responsibilities, so I found it a little too unrealistic. My biggest complaint was how her fangirling personality was shoved to the side once she started a real relationship with Ryan Gold/started to explore their relationship. She suddenly shifted from a "giddy fangirl" personality to just a "reasonable Kpop fan who has a real boyfriend in real life". I couldn't buy this character change either, as up to that point, she had proven herself to be so immersed that she lacked self-restraint in certain situations.
Furthermore, I found some story beats too convenient such that they ended up just feeling super contrived. Eun Gi is Duk Mi's brother, but wait, actually he's not, he was adopted. He loves Duk Mi for real, as in he wants her to be his girlfriend, but wait she doesn't feel the same back, so he's just going to ignore it and go back to being besties-only. Ryan Gold is a foreigner who looks like a Korean and speaks Korean really well. But wait, actually he's secretly childhood friends with Duk Mi and lived with her family for a month when his mom accidentally abandoned him because she got into a serious car accident but ended up recovering. And also, Duk Mi doesn't remember anything because of trauma (and by the way she has a younger brother who died), but wait she suddenly remembers after a short conversation with her father. And Ryan Gold remembers everything too after easily piecing together dreams that he had. Oh and did I mention that Ryan Gold is secretly the brother of Si An?
I could go on, but suffice it to say, I think the artificial-feel of the story is the weakest point of the show. It gets particularly weak near the end, when the main leads have already gotten together already and it's clear the show is just looking for more ways to fabricate more watch time.
In contrast, the production of everything else is what makes me elevate this to a net-positive score. As is usual in a lot of Korean shows, I found the acting to be excellent. The OST was not my cup of tea, but I could definitely sense its high production value. The visuals are gorgeous and speaking towards the actors, as a male viewer, I saw Park Min Young as beautiful as usual, having that stereotypical girly, girl allure. I could tell Kim Jae Wook has that confident, sexy allure as well, for our female fans. Some of the comedy is well done, having that "funny because it's cringy" feel to it. You also grow to enjoy the side characters, even the sort-of-villain-turned ally of Cindy, who even has her own character arc.
Of special note, even though I couldn't totally buy Duk Mi's transformation from only-fan girl to someone else's girlfriend, her relationship with Ryan Gold was surprisingly refreshing in that it had very limited K-melodrama tropes. They respected each other throughout their relationship. Even when they were fighting about things, they sat down and talked about it. There were no ridiculous misunderstandings. The only thing that was contrived was the "amnesia-childhood-friends-relationship". But other than that, it seemed by all accounts a healthy, mature, adult relationship.
Overall, for me, this show was kind of an "OK way to pass the time". I don't hate nor regret that I watched it, but I don't see any elements of this that will make me want to go back and rewatch it.
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A Short, Unmemorable Melodrama
This is a short melodrama that isn't terrible but isn't anything to write home about either. It was originally released as 10 episodes that are 12 minutes each, but has also been combined into a movie. I don't think that it is worth going out of your way to watch but I also do not think that it is so terrible that it is a never watch.Story: You have a male lead and a female lead in Jeju, a place unfamiliar to them, and some of the typical Kdrama romance tropes ensure. The lighting of the show is muted and dark and the pacing is slow, similar to melodramas. Nothing particular special or unexpected really happens.
Acting: Kim Ji Won plays a sort of generic, sweet, bright girl. So Ji Sub plays a generic male who has such difficulty expressing his feelings that he either doesn't talk or gives ambiguous explanation.
Music: I think there is literally one song, so the OST isn't that deep.
Rewatch Value: The story isn't particularly charming or unique to rewatch.
Overall, this is either a quick, forgettable watch or a drama to pass on.
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Healing Story Carried by the Cast's Performances
I started this show on a whim and binge watched it over several days, and do not regret it at all. It was not-at-all what I expected: I expected a simple romance story with a twist where the female lead was in a coma for several years. Instead, what I got was a story about the importance of family and friends and overcoming adversity through shared experiences and love. The characters were all so-unique and likeable: "Jennifer" was one of my favorites, initially seeming to be just a funny, robot-like side-character, but actually hiding sage wisdom and shared pain. I loved both the young and older versions of the main leads: Shin Hye Sun killed it pretending to be a 17-year-old trapped in the body of a 30-year-old, but I also enjoyed Park Si Eun's portrayal of the young Seo Ri. Yang Se Jong's stiltedness was really fitting for being a socially inept human being. The other side characters were fantastic: Yoo Chan was an endearing nephew who simultaneously emotionally supported the lead characters and also had you rooting for him at every turn.I felt this show utilized its run-time very well - during the ending half of the show, I felt like the screenwriter had planned plot threads from the very beginning and the plot threads wrapped up in ways that didn't have me feeling like it was a last-minute-completely-rushing ending, as some other dramas suffer from. In other words, I felt it had a complete beginning, middle, and end, which is no small feat for Kdramas, where many feel contrived in its conclusion.
I feel like there is not much more to say -- this is worth a watch.
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A little uneven, unsatisfying, and unfocused, but overall lighthearted fun
This is a great, lighthearted watch. The show won't blow you away in any category, but it's still good fun. Of the clear positives, Nam Ji Hyun is great as the earnest Bong Hee. I found Choi Tae Joon to be the scene stealer -- of his character Eun Hyun, you really want to hate him, but his motivations for doing less-than-honorable things are quickly explained and he helps hold the group together by playing love doctor, keeping them financially afloat, and supporting them in their main story investigations. Overall, the drama has some romantic moments that touch you and some thrilling moments that make you want more.Unfortunately, there's some strong pacing problems. The thriller plot thread kicks off with a bang, but the story gets established, and the plot quickly gets confused about where it's going and what to do with itself. Similarly, the romance escalates quickly, settling into a "will-they-or-won't-they" equilibrium, but then quickly loses its momentum. Matching this, the last set of episodes felt really out of place, filled with filler to remind you that the show is supposed to be funny and romantic, while not really tying up the story together that well.
I think if the whole 20/40 episodes could be re-evaluated, re-shot and re-edited for its weak parts, this could be easily transformed into a 10 out of 10 show. There is a lot of potential here for a magnificent story, but unfortunately it doesn't all come together. As such, it's just an OK watch.
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Don't Fall While You're Sitting at the Edge of Your Seat
This drama is like a rock you push off a tall mountain -- once gravity kicks in, the rock gets faster and faster, building up unstoppable momentum until it reaches its inevitable end and crashes with a big, exciting explosion. I found myself quickly hooked into this show and constantly wanting to know more: why did a character do what they did? What is the identify of this person everyone is searching for? How does this new information fit into the grand scheme of things? The show answers these questions as quickly as it creates new ones. It is a thrilling ride.Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo absolutely kill it with their performances. Lee Dong Shik is one part genius, one part jaded, and one part creepy -- a veritable mastermind who will have you second guessing his motives from episode to episode. Han Joo Won is a relentless, naive, boy scout who is a natural foil to the years of life experience that Dong Shik brings to the table. Together, they dynamic brings a very compelling perspective to guide you into exploration of the murder mysteries that the show covers and the themes exploring humanity and the meaning of law order. Throughout the series, I had no real sense of how the characters were going to evolve nor how the story was going to end, and I think that's a good thing. The unpredictability of this show gives it a unique quality and it definitely avoids the feeling of a cliched "good guy vs bad guy" story.
The one, minor flaw is that this production does suffer a little from the "ending part is not as great as the beginning part" that most Kdramas seem to experience. I found the ending just a little too tidy and the final episode just felt a tad too rushed for my tastes. However, I think the drama is very cohesive: from beginning to end, its characters are very consistent, yet show change and growth in ways that you might expect for people that go through the experiences that they did. Moreover, the themes and values explored come full circle and have a satisfying conclusion. Overall, this is a much watch in my opinion.
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An Emotional, yet Lighthearted Look at Love and Dreams
This Korean romantic-comedy is a masterful blend of gut-wrenching, sentimental scenes mixed together with funny, playful moments. The stellar acting by all of the cast makes you feel the pain, desperation, sadness, hope, joy, love, laughter that the characters go through. The one weakness of this show is that the ending is rushed, but in my opinion, this is easily forgivable by the strong, character-driven experience that this drama provides.Story: The main focus of the story surrounds the four main characters, the "Fantastic Four" as they claw their way from being poor, unfulfilled young adults towards their life and career goals, while navigating the ups and downs of romance. However, the main charm of this show is in its presentation of the story and the characters. The story commits to semi-realism: the characters wake up with less-than-perfect hair and their pajamas, they go through the feelings of painful breakups and the excitement of discovering a new beau, and they work to make a living even though their ideal line of work is something else. This grounds the story so that you can relate to the characters' trials and triumphs, and I found myself emotionally invested in each character's progress in their careers and love lives. Still, this is a Kdrama, so the leads are still gorgeous idols, so the realism is not one-hundred percent. Overall, I was mostly satisfied with the story, but definitely feel that setup too many plot points and waited until Episode 16 to resolve them, resulting in an extremely rushed finale. Without spoilers, I will mention that there is one particular conflict regarding the main characters, Dong Man and Ae Ra, that I felt was not really resolved, but I forgave this minor point due to how strong the rest of the series was.
Acting: The entire cast did an excellent job that I felt a variety of emotions. For starters, forget the adult actors for a moment: the child actors were absolute gems that really captured the spirit of the young versions of the main characters and really elevated the relationships of their characters by showing you how they interacted with each other when they were young and the extent to which these interactions did and didn't change. But of course the adult actors were also excellent: Park Seo Joon plays the role of a well-intentioned, blunt guy well and I cried for his moments of desperation while cheering for his moments of triumph. Kim Ji Won showed a strong acting range, including iconic Aegyo moments that are immortalized in video clips, times of despair, strength in face of adversity, shy weakness when she is swooning, and romance when she is in love -- this was the drama that elevated her to my favorite actress. Moreover, the rest of the supporting cast is amazing and it would take too long to talk about each one: Kim Sung Oh accentuates his character to add a funny yet meaningful bromance with Dong Man. Song Ha Yoon plays the meek Baek Seol Hee who eventually finds her own voice/meaning in life and demands it. Even the "villains", if they can be called that, are excellent -- the ones that wrong the main characters are truly hateful and the ones are misunderstood are acted in such a way that you deplore them, but then understand their true intentions in the end.
Music: The soundtrack is typical for a K-drama, but I don't think that's a bad thing. You will find catchy tunes such as Kassy's Good Morning, a ballad whose melody fits the gentle moments that the main characters experience. The BTOB song Ambiguous is a direct call out to the relationship of the main characters.
Rewatch value: The series' focus on characters makes this drama easily rewatchable -- you will want to revisit your favorite moments with the Fantastic Four, including some of their funny interactions. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say there is physical humor in addition to the more-typical, verbal humor, and I think it adds a special lightheartedness to the show.
Overall: I cannot recommend this show enough. It is not perfect, but the strong points of this drama are so vibrant that I think it overrides some of the limitations of the series. If you were on the fence about giving this show a watch, I highly recommend that you dive straight into Episode 1 and see what you think.
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Wondrously Unique Story with a Few Bumps at the Start
For me, this show was hard to get into at first because the female lead, Ko Moon Young, starts off as a grade A b*itch -- though there are reasons why, she starts off as being unrelentingly selfish, manipulative, and even obsessive over the male lead, Moon Gang Tae. However, this ends up a little forgiven as the show quickly picks up its stride and turns out to be about the healing power of human relationships, especially as it pertains to mental health.This kdrama is famous for portraying mental health in a positive light and its easy to see why: psychological problems are treated semi-realistically and handled by the fictional psychiatric hospital staff in a respectful, therapeutic way. Underlying these character-driven stories is a fairy tale backdrop, where the individual stories end up being an allegory for the main story. It's a very clever and unique formula.
Ultimately, it is a great show, but for me personally, I think Ko Moon Young's character really took it down a few notches for me. In particular, I felt like the show sort of started her off as having some kind of diagnosable mental illness, but then pivoted to the source of her personality and her issues being trauma that she faced. For me, I think this revelation made it just a little more unforgivable to me that she acted so self-centered and immature in the beginning of the story.
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Great Use of Star Power Blended Together with a Unique Premise
Because I am late to the game in watching older, beloved Kdramas, I am always a little skeptical when considering watching a so-called "Idol drama," where two mega-popular celebrities are cast in the starring roles. In my opinion, some of these dramas are a little overrated because of how beloved the real life actors/actresses are, so that their ratings are always just a little inflated. However, my experience with this show is that it deserves all the hype that it received: take Suzy and Lee Jong Suk, two of the most popular, contemporary Kdrama performers, mesh them together with a skilled production crew, including the screenwriter of the popular Dream High and Pinocchio, as well as the director from Hotel Del Luna, add a pretty unique story and backdrop, and you've got an intensely enjoyable Kdrama.Don't let the title fool you: the plotline has little to do with the similarly named American movie, other than the fact that at some point, the characters do fall asleep. The show explores the fantasy of people involved with the justice system who happen to have the power of precognition. The series blends together the feeling of a thriller, a comedy, and a romance in a coherent way. I found myself enjoying the often-silly humor, invested in hoping that the bad guys get caught and punished, while rooting for the sweet romance between the characters. For me, these contrasting feelings never really felt out of place and the transitions between these moods were well done. My one gripe is that this show suffers from the often-seen, rushed Kdrama ending phenomenon, where I felt some plot contrivances, due solely to the fact that they had to wrap everything up. Still, it wasn't the worst ending I've seen, and everything did make sense.
Acting-wise, I got the sense that the characters were tailor-made for Suzy and Lee Jong Suk - for better or worse, each of them tends to play characters with a certain persona, and I thought they matched really well in this story. Suzy is often the prototypical, quirky but competent, strong-willed, attractive girl-next-door character and I feel that is Nam Hong Ju to a capital T. Lee Jong Suk is often the suave, kinda-seems-arrogant-but-actually-kind-hearted, attractive, and earnest lead and I also feel that that perfectly describes Jung Jae Chan. The rest of the cast is equally excellent in playing the roles they need to: Jung Hae In is very earnest in being the third peg of the precognitive trio. Lee Sang Yeob did his job well as the laughably evil, maniacal bad lawyer. Solid performances for all.
The OST is what I would expect from a Kdrama: well-produced, full of recognizable songs.
Overall, this has sort of become my go-to "background drama": I can turn it on for a casual rewatch and feel good about it. Every element of it just falls into place so effectively that I find it to be a great watch: it's got enough levity that you can laugh. It's got enough romance to live vicariously through the butterfly and warm feelings. It's got enough thriller elements to make you feel indignant, as well as having a sense of justice. Give this drama a shot: I don't think you'll regret it.
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Fun Watch about Desires, Revenge, and Consequenes
This is an enjoyable, short watch about a Witch who grants wishes that come at a cost, and the the people she comes across in her life. Song Ji Hyo and the set designers/costume designers kill it with the Witch aesthetic. The acting is well done and the story has a sensible beginning, middle, and end, which is excellent for an 8 episode affair. The OST fits the fantastical, eerie setting, but was nothing too big to write home about. I found the ending to be a tad contrived, but I can't really fault it too much. Overall, a great experience that doesn't require too much of a time commitment.Was this review helpful to you?
Light-hearted, No Frills Supernatural Romantic Comedy
Don't be fooled by the ordering of the genre tags: this is definitely a romantic comedy first and a supernatural action series second. Is it bad? Well, no, but it's not amazing either. I think it's about as you'd expect with gorgeous actors and a workable plot. Kim So Hyun stars as the cutesy, loveable but sassy, gorgeous female lead. Ok Taec Yeon is the dorky, sometimes shirtless, good natured, earnest male protagonist. Lee David and Kang Ki Young play the silly but endearing side kicks. Kwon Yool, Kim Sang Ho, and Baek So Yi round out the cast with good performances as well.The story has a sensible beginning, middle, and end and is consistent with being about...well fighting ghosts. There are some twists and turns but nothing earth-shattering. A lot of 16 episode Kdramas struggle to wrap up their story, but this one doesn't. It places the story climax squarely in Episode 15 with 16 left to tie up all the loose ends in the way that you would probably expect. I actually found myself thinking that the ending was dragging a little bit, but honestly I think that's because most Kdramas have developed the bad habit or cramming in a billion facts into the last episode.
On the more negative side, I found the soundtrack to be relatively forgettable. All I can hear in my head is the ending/main theme swell of "I'm just waiting for youuuuuuuuuu" but otherwise I barely remember that the show had any music at all. It had a lot of stereotypical, spooky ghost music but I couldn't even tell you what it sounded like (aside from some screaming tracks here and there).
It's a fun watch to just turn off your brain and enjoy something, but don't expect anything groundbreaking here.
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Your Enjoyment of this Completely Hinges on the Last 10 Minutes of this Movie
I think this movie is hard to recommend and equally hard NOT to recommend. Without spoilers, I can't explain why, but whether or not you enjoy this is completely based upon your reaction to the last few moments of this movie. Some people will think it is a masterful ending. Some people will feel completely cheated. Therefore, you won't be able to make an informed decision for yourself about whether to give this a watch or not unless you don't mind directly looking up spoilers on the internet. Personally, I didn't think the ending was particularly clever, but it was certainly unique.This movie felt well-acted, but all the other elements felt average to me.
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Fun, Cooking Romance Carried by Park Bo Young
If you're in the mood for a well-acted, light romance story with a supernatural twist and some cooking on the side, then this is the series for you! I think Park Bo Young especially carried this series and showed why she's in such high demand as an actress.The acting in general is top notch, but it's particularly notable how Park Bo Young is able to act like two completely different people. She plays Na Bong Sun, the shy, sleepy, overly-apologetic line cook and also ghost-possessed Na Bong Sun, the overly confident, eternally-aroused, playful woman. Her performance really makes you believe that two different personas are inhabiting her body, which is something I don't think every actress can easily execute.
The story is generally good with some flaws. At its core, you've got a love triangle between a man, woman, and a female ghost, a related plot line exploring how the ghost died, and some cooking related story beats. The series is pretty funny but itself but the contrast between Na Bong Sun and possessed Na Bong Sun creates some especially comedic moments. I think the issues with the story are all related to the love triangle: essentially, the male lead falls in love with the ghost's persona...but ends up loving the woman's persona, which wasn't totally convincing to me -- there is even a scene near the middle-end of the series where Bong Sun realizes that most/all of the things that the male lead loves about her were the ghost's doing. I think unless we are to say that the male lead is just superficial, I don't think it's terribly reasonable he ends up loving Bong Sun, original persona.
Still, at the end of the day, this was a fun watch. I definitely recommend it wholeheartedly!
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A Decent Production Heavily Weighed Down by Its Script
This drama has a typical, good production that leads to high quality visuals and music, but unfortunately the show also leans heavily on its script, which is by far its weakest point. Taken together, I thought it was a decidedly average series.Let's start with the good. This is Ji Chang Wook at everyone's favorite: he plays the suave, caring, handsome action lead that everyone loves him as since his capstone role as the titular character in Healer. The production team was definitely very aware of this fact and there was definitely fan service in the form of shirtless moments and shower scenes. The K2 also highlights what I think is Yoona's greatest strength: since I was a teenage boy, during the time when she first came out in Girls Generation, I've thought that she is one of the prettiest, if not one of the most beautiful girl-next-door-type celebrities. I think the show was also aware of this as they made her character, Anna become a literal runway model, who is always impeccably dressed even when in every day wear.
But unfortunately, visuals and fan service only get us so far. The script is a complete mess -- allies easily turn into enemies and enemies easily turn into allies in the blink of an eye. An epic revenge plot line could be setup as background for a particular character, only for that character to perform a 180 for dubious reasons. The plot is also too convoluted and shows that the showrunners didn't know exactly what they wanted this series to be, so they mixed everything together in an unsatisfying way: sometimes it's a sweet romance. Sometimes it's a thriller. Sometimes it's a Makjang-like revenge story. Sometimes it's an action series. Sometimes, it's trying to be an analogy to Snow White. It doesn't do any of this particularly well, so it just feels jarring and bad. The dialog does not fare much better. I remember one character trying to order another character's death and it went roughly like this: "kill him! And after he's dead, bring me his cell phone!" It's clear that most of the dramatic tension setup is only done to enable action scenes.
Regarding the fight sequences, I thought they were poorly done, due mostly to bad cinematography. A lot of the hand-to-hand brawls look and feel very fake as you see then punching at air at abnormal speeds. I don't know what it is, but I think is very characteristic of action scenes done for Kdramas. If you compare their cohorts, such as beloved Thai action movies, American Hollywood action movies, or even revered Korean movies like Old Boy, you'll find a much higher level of mastery at shooting action sequences. Since the K2 was so heavily focused on action, and in my opinion it was of low quality, this also knocked the show down several pegs in my rating.
I thought the acting was OK, but overshadowed by the poor script. I don't think Im Yoona as an actress is particularly skilled at portraying complex emotions, but at the same time, her character wasn't terribly complex. Anna was a stereotypical sheltered, innocent, and pretty girl. Many praise Song Yoon Ah for her acting, and I can definitely see the skill, but I found her character unlikeable and sometimes inconsistent. At the end of the day, I think the bad script overpowers anything that anyone else involved in the production could have countered.
The OST deserves a special shout out because "Love You" is the most kdrama-y kdrama power ballad I've ever heard. If you have ever seen the Family Guy episode that explores and makes fun of Korean pop culture, then you have seen the part where they call attention to how at the end of many Kdramas, they put on the chorus of some dramatic song. And Love You sounds EXACTLY like a stereotypical song. Don't get me wrong, it's great. It's just so...typical.
I only got through watching the K2 because I really like Yoona and I mostly enjoyed the show Yong Pal, which was penned by the same scriptwriter. But I can't say that this show was anything special. It might help you kill 16 hours of time, but I don't think it's anything to write home about. It is easily skipped in favor of better done action series like Healer or better Makjang/Thriller type stories.
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This review may contain spoilers
Story that Explodes into a Thrilling Adventure but Concludes by Flickering Out Like a Weak Candle
It's impossible to discuss this show without talking about spoilers. However, I will be clearly marking when I start talking about specific plot points with a separator. Until then, I'll be discussing the overall feel of the series.The beginning of this show establishes an addictive, semi-formulaic, action-thriller that you can't help but become pumped for. Bad guys do bad stuff and get away with it, leaving behind victims. The law isn't able to prove or punish the bad guys. Good guys don't like this. Good guys go full-Batman vigilante by infiltrating the evil operation and taking revenge on behalf of the victims. It sounds really simple but it is an amazingly fun roller coaster ride that has you saying "yeah!!!" when the good guys succeed. The action set pieces, such as the car chase/battles or fistfights are fun on their own right, but the OST dials up the excitement to a million. There is a video-game sounding, retro track that plays when the background of the victim is being explained and they are making the decision whether or not they want the protagonists to get revenge on their behalf -- as the viewer, you quickly become conditioned to say "oh man, stuff is going to go down now!!!". Then, the phrenic action music starts and your emotions go full adrenaline overdrive as you hear the theme song. It is ridiculous how excited I was for this show.
The acting was fully on point, as expected from a Korean drama production. Some people complain that Lee Je Hoon overacts, but if he does, it fits him perfectly in this series because he needs to exaggerate himself when he disguises himself in order to sneak into the baddies' lairs. Some of the action sequences might have been a little better, but overall, I thought his performance was stellar. The rest of the main cast is amazing: Pyo Je Jin was pulled in last minute to replace a controversial actress, and I did not notice at all - if you had told me she was planned to be a female lead all along, I'd have believed you. Esom and Kim Eui Sang also play their roles excellently. Cha Ji Yeon is notable for playing the shady, underground character, very, very well and I thought her maniacal laugh fit her very well. The acting was mostly amazing.
But unfortunately, that is not the end of my review. This show was almost a 10/10, but unfortunately, it was marred by a really jarring tonal shift midway through the series. Episode 9 and 10 felt like filler since we had gotten some real, longitudinal story arc as well as character backgrounds, but they just kind of went back to the "same old formula". But, at around Episode 10, the lead writer left due to creative differences and the change is really, really noticeable.
It is at this point that I need to address plot specific points in order to explain why this was not the greatest event.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ PLOT POINTS STOP NOW
SERIOUSLY THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING
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In the beginning half of the show, each main character's backstory is revealed and is very consistent with their motivations. Kim Do Gi's mother was killed and he never got the chance to get revenge on the killer. Anh Go Eun's sister committed suicide after a sex tape was leaked by a man who secretly filmed her. Kang Ha Na is a stubbornly righteous prosecutor who refuses to bend the rules and relentless. Even the characters who are not as initially well developed are consistent: Jang Sung Chul is the wealthy taxi service owner who also suffered from lack of ability to take revenge, so he bankrolls the operation under the guise of his legit business. Baek Sung Mi is a shady business owner who controls the prison they send the captured baddies that the protagonists successfully take revenge on. It is all very clear what everyone's roll in this universe is.
And then, all of a sudden, some of the characters just completely lose themselves and some of the writing stops making sense. Kang Ha Na's character is the most guilty of this: even though she was initially frustrating to viewers, I think her role was to show us the failure of the "righteous, lawful way". Her colleague's death pushes her to start supporting the Rainbow Taxi protagonists, which I thought was fine, but then she suddenly forgets how to do her job: there is one scene in particular where they are holding Kim Do Gi, and she flagrantly and straightforwardly lets him go, which is noticed by her coworker and that is just somehow...fine? I think at minimum, her coworkers might have some ethical concerns about her actions, and might, you know, start raising questions about whether she is fit to continue doing her job. There are additional problems of this nature: for example, she would use insider information obtained by the Rainbow Taxi team and just send a huge task force to an unknown location...on a hunch? How would she explain how she knows this info? The writing just stops being sensible.
This culminates in the ending, which I am going to call the "maximal happy ending". The ultimate baddie is identified: the true killer of Kim Do Gi's mother, who is already jailed. Therefore, the team is going to take revenge by....tricking him into beating up his own son, who is coincidentally a jail guard, coincidentally has no idea who his father is, even though the Rainbow Taxi team didn't do anything to ensure that the baddie would FOR SURE beat up the son. I watched that scene and it made no sense to me: they couldn't know that the baddie would trick the son in getting close. And this gets worse in my opinion: the team decides they will turn themselves in. However, Kang Ha Na lets Kim Do Gi go and she tries to resign, but her boss inexplicably resigns instead in order to ensure that they bury the investigation they have on the Rainbow Taxi team while the team members themselves agree to shut down the operation....and then one year later, all of the taxi crew have ridiculous new jobs (one of them is a rocket scientist 'cause...you know), and have somehow revived the operation with Kang Ha Na as one of the new members of the crew. Did I also mention that her boss, who resigned, somehow charged the big baddie with framing an innocent man, even though we had already established earlier that the statue of limitations had past? It doesn't make complete sense.
So the verdict? This show has a lot of excellent, amazing elements in the first half to first two-thirds of this show that make it worth your watch. However, the real life creative disagreements of the production team can clearly be felt in the latter part of the show. It was SO close in being a 10/10, fun show. Try it out -- you won't be disappointed.
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A Well-Balanced Romantic Show About Family and Community with a Side of Crime
This show is delightfully unique. At its core, you have a typical Kdrama, featuring a traditional love story that explores family values and community loyalty. And then, the show successfully embellishes these themes with some unconventional twists, such as featuring a single mother and a main plot about a criminal that is surprisingly well-done for a show whose main focus is love.The main story line and plot is relatively straightforward, yet it had me binging the series until I was done. Basically, you just have a mother who is struggling to carve out a life for herself and her son in a small town where everyone knows each other. And then, you add on some neighbors who ostensibly hate the main female lead, an annoyingly persistent policeman love interest, a former love interest, some side characters, and an unsolved mystery about a killer. Although it sounds like a mess, the pacing is so-on-point and plots are weaved together seamlessly. You may find an episode that is completely focused on one character, and yet all the other relationships and storylines are developed at the same time within that episode. I was really impressed at how clean the overall thematic feel of the show was.
I had some minor gripes that were blips that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the show, but were noticeable flaws for me: there are certain scenes where characters make some obviously dumb choices and walk into clearly dangerous situations that is similar to how a lead in a horror movie might intentionally walk into a dark room for no good reason. I found the male lead to be overly perfect sometimes: he has an unrelenting stubbornness that may be romantic but also took me out of the story sometimes because the characterization was just too perfect and unlike any person you would see in real life. I also found the female lead to be a tad annoying at times: she's struggling to be strong, yet there are a LOT of scenes where she is simply just crying.
However, the pros far outweigh the cons. Definitely give this one a watch: you can see why it won several Baeksang awards, including the grand prize.
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