Unidentifiable

A small detail that I just loved - as a child, he felt the need to cover the lady from the lake's feet. And then, years later, the victim's sleeping mother at the hospital, he did the same thing. Just. Treating them with respect. Beautiful.

Very versatile actor

I got some very Stranger/Forest of Secrets vibes in some scenes. Not in the characters, but in the way the ML approaches crime scenes, thinks them through and gets mistaken for someone suspicious by lurking there after dark haha The camera angles of those scenes too

It's definitely got a very irreverent tone to the humour. As far as action goes, it's not very serious. So while yes, there is violence - the tone itself is not particularly violent. If you're not expecting it, that may make it feel even more jarring, at least at first.

Despite this, there are the typical violent bad guys, the kind that pop up in every single kdrama of this genre. They are pretty mild in the scheme of things, as they are by no means complex, but I do know that my perspective is pretty skewed, so you might have a different opinion there.

I am loving this, though. For the main character - or well, for his two personalities. This is definitely the most compelling representation of multiple personalities that I have seen, though I can't speak on how accurate it is. I do think, that if you can handle the violence in the opening episodes, that it is definitely worth the watch. Things really pick up (in my opinion) after episode 3 - that's the episode when we get some answers to the things that feel kind of random in the opening episodes.

Also, I need to clarify, that I have yet to catch up, so I don't know about later episodes, and of course, half this drama has yet to air.

Sees it stars Bae Doo Na: I will be watching this.
Also sci fi, I love sci fi, though I mostly encounter it in books. Sci Fi in film can be incredibly hit-or-miss.

Definitely my best drama for this year, probably ever. The only one I finished in one go, without putting it on hold for a few months (I'm a chronic dropper). It has absolutely everything I would want in a drama - honestly, the whole time, it felt like a movie. I'll probably be re-watching it in about 6 months.

The last four episodes were painfully tedious. To much time was spent on revealing an obvious murderer. If it had chosen to focus on the characters, this show would have been so much greater. But no, it was focused on a mystery that was incredibly boring.

I loved loved loved the idea of the wild, ambivalent nature of mountains (I hope that's the right word, I'm struggling to describe it)... the view was pretty, the soundtrack managed to capture the scale. The cast in a decent job.

I feel like it tried to do both too much, and too little.

My biggest gripe is the ending. Yeah, the killer was apprehended. But then what? Yi Kang was magically cured? I feel that contradicts the message about mountains, not to mention that there was a very strong opportunity for representation lost. Life is not always kind - people don't just get cured of their disabilities - yes it sucks, but life carries on. Don't just... wipe that away. It completely removed all consequences. If enough time had been devoted to an explanation, I /might/ have bought it, but that did not happen.

And Hyun Jo being alive like that - the just felt cheap. I've been waiting episodes for him to wake up, but writer, if you're gonna do that, give a few episodes to let it land. Pulling a "Oh, but he didn't really die" at the end is something that got old last century.

Alright, I got that out of my system.

I haven't encountered any other Kdramas like this, so I do appreciate that it tried to do something new. Although it did fall flat, there are plenty of good moments.

Eh. I really did enjoy this, at first. There's a reason I rarely finish dramas.

Definitely something I'm waiting to binge...

If Hyun Jo is gonna wake up, it will either be in tomorrow's episode (14) or the ending for this drama will be way too rushed. But yeah, definitely felt the sluggish pacing this time.

Unpopular opinion: This was really boring.
I mean, I get why people enjoyed it. The visuals were really polished. But to me, it just felt slow. Very little surprised me, and I really wanted the pace to pick up. Maybe I just wasn't invested in the characters. I definitely wasn't invested emotionally.
I wouldn't call this bad, but in my opinion, it's definitely not the best drama of this year. I rate it 7.5 - still a decent rating.

I've lost count of how many death games I've seen or read (admittedly, most of those from Japan)...
At the surface level, this doesn't look particularly interesting. Is there a reason this got so popular, or is it just chance?
Basically, I'm wondering if it's worth the bother. Death game tropes get old after too much repetition. The only thing that would keep me interested would be the characters. How well are they written?

I know the feeling.
After something amazing, I instinctively look around for something similar out of the desire to just find more, but such searches are never successful. I suggest going for something obviously different, such as a fast paced thriller, so that you don't try in vain to compare.

I love the FL. So refreshingly straightforward.

I've caught up and yeah, I fully agree with your assessment.

It's a slow, meandering mystery thriller... which in itself will drive a lot of people away, as thrillers are generally fast paced. This narrative requires a lot patience, and I find this to be oddly appropriate to the setting, as mountains are very ancient, patient things. I love how the odd, super surreal supernatural elements take place on the mountain, because honestly, I've found mountains to be some of the most spiritual feeling places.

Honestly, the CGI... isn't that bad, for a drama. And it's not too in your face about it.

I was referring to product placement in other dramas compared to how it's used here. xD

But yeah um, definitely draws attention to the product, but I'm not sure if I can look at them without imagining someone foaming at the mouth anymore. Not that it matters, I haven't had a yakult in like, 10 years.

I can't help thinking about all the times I've seen blatant product placement for yakults in the past... Oh! The irony.

I see, yeah.

I disliked Mouse because it was just... full of tropes, clichés and plot holes. Something about the tone felt off from the first episode. Like it was trying too hard.

I admit, I haven't seen enough of Jirisan to really judge, but after just 3 episodes I am absolutely loving it - even if the quality drops significantly, I think I'd still enjoy it. There's something about the story telling, about the narrative being unafraid to take risks that is making it so refreshing.

Back in 2019 when it first came out, my tolerance for horror was significantly lower than it is now. Maybe I should try again. I was always going to anyway, as Bae Doo Na is my favourite Korean actress.