AshesandDust

This drama is what i had been missing in 2024! I mean ive got nothing against rom coms buuuuuut i was craving a good edge of your seat thriller and pyramid game gave me precisely what i needed.
Acting is terrific. Bona is such a good actress! There's an intensity in her eyes and she just bring soo ji to life. Her mannerisms, that challenging look she gives baek harin, it brought her character to life. I especially loved how her character is so smart. We need more smart female characters like soo ji. Being badass doesn't mean dressing up like a boss lady and making an entrance. Soo ji is the definition of badass. I also really liked how she didnt immediately want to be all goody goody. She went on survival mode first but realised soon it wasnt sustainable and that is realistic
Myeong ja eun is adorable!!! She is naive fool like soo ji says but that naivety actually became her strength. Loved her character
Baek harin is chilling. I was surprised to find out that this was the actress' debut. Never would have guessed it, she was just that good (she's so pretty too, looks a lot like her sister wonyoung).
Overall i am mighty satisfied with the drama and look forward to seeing more of these actors in other dramas

Im loving our male lead's intense stare! This is what ive been missing in kdramas nowadays, the intensity of the male leads (not that there haven't been any but certainly fewer than id like). Na in woo has been on my radar ever since i first saw him in At a distance spring is green. He's portraying the role perfectly.
And after healer this is the first park min young drama that has caught my interest. Im not a fan of rom coms, nor of melodramas, so im glad she's doing something different since i enjoy her acting

I mean the ratings alone clearly show that the people want captain do back! You dont often get such a powerful duo in a drama and for the makers not to utilise it, especially since voice 4 did not do as well as its predecessors, wellll they need to rethink their plans for s5

Yes please 😭 it really isnt that impossible to show that he survived given how his "death" scene was so sus

Im watching it nowadays! It has been ages since i last watched an anime, definitely feels nostalgic 😅

This was surprisingly good! I dont know why i went into this with low expectations but i really enjoyed this movie. Had always planned on watching the anime, now I'll definitely have to

Season 1 was definitely superior. Leagues ahead of this. But season 2 wasn't as bad as many comments make it out to be. Thing is, when you have an exceptionally good season 1, its hard to top it
Voice 2 is an example of a season 2 done well.
This was uhhhh....well i wont say bad, just disappointing. Had i watched this as a standalone, i might have enjoyed it. What bothered me particularly was that the makers took everything we loved about season 1, and decided not to bring it in season 2. This season was filled with misplaced humour while in season 1 we had a few moments here and there to laugh and take the edge off.
Season 1 had this cute dynamic between so mun and hana and i was excited to see how it would develop in season 2....only to get a do hwi. Really what was the point of introducing new characters? All we needed was a new villain. No new characters beyond that were necessary. And they really didnt do much either so what was the point?
The villain played by by kang ki young was terrific. And he was the only villain we needed. The others simply weren't as good. Honestly could have done without ma ju seok and gelly. Okay maybe not gelly but like for maybe a few epispdes. I honestly couldn't stand her beyond the first few episodes. Her acting was redundant.
The problem is, there are too many villains all at once, that not enough development happens for our counters. The counters simply arent given the screen time to mature their bond beyond what it was in season 1. There were barely any emotional moments while in season 1, every single scene touched you deeply. This season lacked that depth. It was like biting into a cake only to find that it was dry inside. It looked pretty but ultimately wasnt. And this was the same issue i had with taxi driver s2 as well.
If this gets a season 3, im hoping to see the original writer return as the main one so that we can maybe get the same impact that season 1 had.

And yeah im so done with this do hana and do hwi angle. I simply dont see the chemistry while just the one scene where do hana brings so mun back was oozing with chemistry.

Have you seen Blind? That was a good one.
Then there's the more recent one: Revenant.
All of us are dead (if you're looking for zombies)
Hellbound (confusing but another season is coming)
Save me
Hometown (not to be mixed up with hometown cha cha cha) this was so eerie. One of the creepiest villains ever.
Voice (has 4 seasons, ive watched 3, tried watching the 4th but couldn't get into it).
Goedam (not sure what to make of this one. Its creepy but kinda random).
The ghost detective
I'll think up of some more because dark thrillers are my jam but for now these are what I recall

So this is my version of the ending:
Yoon suh knows he needs to disappear, not forever but definitely till things blow over. He doesn't need to convince everyone, just those who are close him and his enemies will be watching his loved ones. If his loved ones think he's dead, his enemies will too. So he stages his death. He records that video, pretends he's the donor so that hana atleast has the comfort that he's always with her. So that if he has to keep up the ruse forever atleast hana will be comforted. Its very much possible because this is the guy who was marrying off the love of his life to someone else. Many years later yoon suh returns to hana's life by chance. (A crossover between shin hye's doctors character and tree of heaven might be interesting too).
I think thats the ending im gonna go with because this one is just way too painful

I simply cannot come to terms with the ending.
The show is definitely a product of it's time. It has over the top scenes, a lot of crying at the drop of the hat, illogical second leads, needless angst, but you know what? Park shin hye and lee wan make it work. Their chemistry has this innocent charm to it. It's just so pure and heart wrenching that despite rolling your eyes at some of the scenes (especially the ones with the fangirls) you just cant seem to look away. Lee wan's gaze has this intensity and coupled with a very young park shin hye with her natural acting and wide eyed innocence, it just works.

And because i cant come to terms with the ending ive formed my own (tagged as spoiler below)

I would love a s3 but only if they include ho yul and beomgyu. Captain lim and ahn junho are still in service so of course we'll see them but i really want the writer to somehow include ho yul and beomgyu

We are not supposed to know much about park il do. In the finale he clearly says that he's been around longer than humans. So how could he be understood? He's implied to be some sort of prince of darkness, an entity beyond our understanding, and im fine with leaving it there. Just like im fine with revenant showing that we often end up creating the evils that plague us because of our greed. They are both very good shows with excellent acting.
I give the guest more praise and a higher rating because the plot was just perfect. And the greater number of episodes allowed the trio to develop the legendary chemistry they had which imo was lacking in the revenant. I also felt that revenant had this epic build up but the final show down was lackluster. While in the guest the finale was everything. The three coming together and their desperation in stopping park il do. The way they held on till the very last moment. That desperation and emotional connection was lacking in revenant.
But at the end of the day, despite their similarities, they are two different shows and i enjoyed watching both.
I respect your opinion as well

To be honest, i think it's about perspective. There's a hint of something being there between hongsae and sanyeong. It may or may not happen. It may be a simple friendship for now but there's potential for it to evolve into something more.
I dont see anything beyond a student teacher relationship between haesung and sanyeongn (or maybe uncle niece) but that's the beauty of it. You can watch something and have a completely different perspective and I respect everyone's perspective on this. Without a doubt, this was a good show that had us on the edge, biting our nails. Im glad our trio pulled through

Yeah and the emotional impact some of the excorcisms had, like the one with the woman who was pregnant. The way all three helped her out of it, i still remember how emotional it made me with the way they literally yanked her away from the darkness. Plus that ost was everything. I listen to it when im going through particularly trying times.

Ooooh you mentioned my mister, now i absolutely have to watch this

Noooo this is definitely not better than the guest. In terms of plot and finale, the guest was definitely superior. In terms of acting, they are both equally good. But maaaan the guest and that finale just hits different.

Finally finished binge watching this and it was so good!
Though i do agree with the reviewer who said this is the guest's younger sibling. That is more obvious in the finale. The guest has one of my all time favourite finales. In fact i would say no finale has managed to top it yet. Revenant was gripping from beginning to end but i do think the final confrontation scene lacked the oomph factor i was anticipating. The build up to it was so good, i guess i just expected a little more
That being said, the show is definite 9/10 and i do recommend it. I especially loved the chemistry between hong sae and sanyeong. It was effortless and just the right amount.
Now that we are done with this, someone ask the maker when they plan on giving us kingdom s3 :P

Finally someone who agrees with me. Dark genre suits kim dong wook the best. Him in king of pigs and the guest was something else entirely

It's just that ive see shows with horrible endings, this doesn't seem that bad 😅

Oh that's fine then 🤣