I cannot begin to express how disappointed in this drama I am. Even after the tearjerker tonight. And I did cry. I was looking forward to a high tech, well written, crime noir and, instead, I get a makjang melo fest. I really don't fault the acting in this. It's the writing that's just awful. WHY did YSH sign up for this smaltz? I wanted something great for him in his first drama. So frustrating. NGM proved to us in Smelly Girl how well he can do an evil character. I was looking forward to something multi-dimensional from him here, hopefully even more so than the great character he gave us there. There is a ton of character building possible in villains and in this one, with the horrible abuse he has grown up under, there should be immense conflict. The writer is totally ignoring this and giving us a straight up cartoon character villain instead.
In the beginning we are shown a JIn Woo with a brilliant mind. He counts cards and makes tons of money to fund his agenda. He reads books and absorbs law texts like candy. But he goes into trial completely unprepared, spouts off emotional tirades with not a word of legalese to back it up (wth with his closing statement?), seems infinitely unprepared for every single event (yeah, all part and parcel of typical makjang)....where did this brilliant mind go? He had 4 years to prepare for this and I see nothing as far as evidence he has accumulated. And....at every single turn, what little evidence he does get is stolen for lack of making copies? Or having basic protection? My eyes feel like they will fall out of my head they are rolling so much. And the incessant flashbacks of the Oh So Happy and Jolly Daddy and Son dancing and frolicking with one another. ??? Ugh!!!!
Sorry to tirade like this. I wouldn't be SO upset, if I didn't expect so much more and want so much more from this. Now with his early onset Alzheimers, we are going to be beaten to death for 10 more episodes as he races against the clock, but for the next 8.5 or 9.5 he will be defeated and beaten down at every turn as we watch him disintegrate even further each week. It will be a weepfest for sure. Lord. Don't yell at me, I am too depressed already. I will pull up my big girl pants and come back next week with hope anew for SOMEthing to change! If not the drama, my attitude!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
Alright... I just finished episode 10 and it seems my complaints have been heard because not only they gave it…
I love your take on it...great perspective. And you are right...my frustration is MY expectations for the character and the story. We were led to believe this character was going to kick ass and he's just getting his ass kicked! We want a hero and we get a little boy being beaten to death in front of us. I like your analysis of the character and the writer. Of course (see my tirade above) MY expectations of what I WANT the character to be are being destroyed by the writer and I end up frustrated and unhappy with the drama. As, I'm afraid, many are. We all wanted our boy to have a great drama, being the hero, fighting crime, defeating bad guys, leaping tall buildings in a single bound. It's not happening (so far). I'm going to hang in there and keep your analysis in mind...despite my preconceived desires!!!! :)
started out with promise. Then....it just kinda fizzled...for me anyway. Great concept and I went into it with high hopes. The first few episodes I was really happy with, but, I don't know what happened, can't put my finger on it, but somehow it just lost something. It went in a direction I didn't expect I guess. Still not bad...just not as good as I hoped it would be.
i'll be the only downer here. Totally not my cup of tea. I found it incredibly boring. almost 2 hours of watching people have conversations about virtually nothing. Maybe I'm just in a bad mood?
wow. I'm not sure how to describe this drama. It says it only lasts an hour, but I feel like it was 2 because of the incredibly detailed development of the characters and the story.
First of all, it was brilliantly written. It's disappointing that this, as well as Haneuljae's Murder (and a few others), had a writer I would love to see more of, yet I found nothing online about either of them. I love the format of each character narrating what happened, their feelings, the petty misunderstandings and jealousies that grew out of all proportion to reality, thereby fueling a doomed prophesy of their own making. Fascinating character study of each person and each of them were fully developed. I felt completely immersed in the story as a result.
So this and Haneuljae's Murder are the winners equally for me in 2013's Drama Festival. For writing + acting + production these 2 excelled and I see why they saved them for last!
9 out of 10 of these I've gone through now and this is my favorite. Also, the most intense so far and dealing with very difficult issues. On the surface, a forbidden love between 2 people with a 20 year difference in age, but so much more is involved here. Both of these tragic souls were damaged by their experiences in the war. Both of them alone and terrified. He found her at a crucial time in his life (and just where did his baby sister disappear to? did I blink and miss that?) and then she disappeared. He was left alone again and terrified. I don't think that child in him ever grew up, was ever able to move emotionally away from that moment in time where he went from free fall into a remembered safety of love and family and then just as suddenly lost it again. When they meet again, age causes his feelings for her to evolve into love, the need to possess and never lose this one person who gave him a feeling of safety and belonging. So he went to terrible lengths to secure that safety by his marriage. It was a doomed relationship, especially given the era and the country they lived in.
I don't want to judge the right or wrong of that relationship. I don't think that's what this story is about and it's sad that, for most, that's what it will come down to...the age gap, the obsessiveness of his attachment as wrong or twisted. There is some validity to that. But I think the writer also wants us to see beyond that to the root reasons why these 2 ended up like this" the eternal damage caused to the minds and emotional health of people who never are able to recover from trauma as great as so many of these people endured.
There are a host of ills people commit as a result of childhood or adult traumas and war. Yes, many have the strength of will to survive those things, to find something inside themselves to hang on to and win against the memories and the damage. But many many others never get past the devastation and I'm not sure I can sit here and judge them for it. There was so much hinted at in this story that could not be covered given the format..like where did that baby disappear to, why did Jeong Bun disappear leaving him so alone again, where was her child MiSu when she met him that first time, what was the Aunt and daughter accusing her of as to the death of the Aunt's child? But it's the skill of this writer that those hints create entire new scenarios in our minds that we can find our own answers to, in order to fill in those blanks and understand even more about the terrible things these characters lived through. The ending was horribly tragic for everyone involved.
The cinematography and production on this episode were exceptional, as they have been in most of these episodes. And the acting was superb. In addition to the hints the writer left us, the portrayals by these actors with their bodies and their facial expressions gave us even greater insight into who they were and what they were thinking. Seo Kang Joon was only just 20 and had only a year of acting under his belt, yet he was incredibly good in this part. And Moon So Ri....if you have never seen her in other parts, try Oasis. Her performance in that left me absolutely speechless with wonder! (you can tell I'm not exactly speechless!! :) )
I highly recommend this episode of 2013's Drama Festival, though all of them are worthwhile. For the exceptional quality of the acting and writing alone, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. 9/10 for me.
looks like another safety video...this one on food safety and sponsored by Korea's Ministry for Food and Drug Safety. We didn't have videos like this at my work!! :) That said, not worth watching at all. The first ep alone will tell you that. this is the second of these that DramaFever has posted. Why????
All in the eye of the beholder...like every kdrama ever watched by a kdrama addict!!!!! I loved it. Yeah there were parts I fast forwarded through. About 2/3 of the way through, I had had enough of that wasted space that was her ex, and his sleazy wife and obnoxious mother, so I just skipped forward through their scenes stopping every now and then to get the gist of it. Also the brainless, empty headed great aunt was annoying, but it was hard to skip much of her scenes since she was always around the grandma and our lead.
The story was actually excellent. I detest 50 episoders with a passion but love Ji Hyun Woo with a greater passion so decided to try to hang on and see how it went. And if you love JHW like I do...wow, he was gorgeous in this. This is also a makjang, cliche ridden drama. Yet, surprisingly, but for certain characters and certain events, not so OTT that you want to pitch something through the tv screen or that your eyeballs will fall out of your head from all the rolling they do. I was very surprised to see Seo Young-Hee as JHW's co-star. She has quite the resume, and I have seen several of her movies (The Chaser, Bedevilled, Rough Play, and Madonna is on my list) She is quite the chameleon. This was out of the ordinary compared to what I have seen her in before. She was quite good within the parameters of what the drama wanted. Being that the main couple had enough obstacles thrown at them that any sane couple would have jumped off the nearest bridge, I think they did a great job of making their characters believable and convincingly in love. I thought they had terrific chemistry.
There was a surprising factor in this drama....the realism of the medical aspects. In most dramas you see medical equipment that looks like it came out of a recycle bin where the hospital dumped it 20 years ago. The nurses in this looked like they were actually real nurses doing real care. I suspect they were and big kudos to the drama for this aspect! Another thing...wardrobe. Amazing wardrobes for both the lead and the psychotic ex girlfriend. Very unusual to see the variety and quality that was on display in this drama. The sets were also excellent with a lot of detail.
The ending was SO typical of these dramas. 50 hours of torture, the obligatory year separation, and 5 seconds of resolution. Yeah...there is where you want to throw things. Still, it was a lovely ending and I loved every minute spent with that couple. My heart ached for them. I also loved the secondary couple played by Ryu Jin and Kim So-Eun... I thought they were adorable together and provided a calm grounding middle for all the garbage going on around them. I cheered for their relationship. So-Eun was absolutely adorable in this.
I loved almost all of the main characters and the actors that portrayed them. WITHIN THE PARAMETERS of this kind of drama, everyone was very believable in their parts and did just a great job! Cha Hwa-Yeon as the poor tortured mom was fantastic. Yes it was OTT what happened to her, but...gotta go with it sometimes. Honestly I could go on...but I better not! I think if you are in the right mood you will really enjoy this. 8.5 for me.
Very quiet movie showing the bravery, desperation, second thoughts, and love of two couples who are trying to save one little girl's life at the cost of their own emotional well being.
Very sweet, happy sad movie about first love, true love. It can happen at any age and the fact that they know their time together is so short makes it all that much more intense. It was great to see Ji Hyun Woo so young and SO full of life. He seems so subdued and quiet in his adult years.
Not a movie for everyone for sure. This is one of those 'character studies'. You know when you are in college and you have to read those short stories or short novels and they don't seem to have any beginning nor any end? It's like you start in the middle of the story and then it just stops when you are finally getting to know and understand the characters? That's this film. Of course, the advantage with film is that you get to have facial expressions and body language to help you and that is what this film excels at. It starts out with 2 people meeting for what seems like a random reason. I spent half the film trying to figure out why she went after him for that money when a whole year had passed. Did she really need the money? Or was there an unresolved issue between these 2, at least as far as she was concerned, that she suddenly decided she had to find an answer for? There was definitely something going on between them...a sense of pain from both of them and a lot of unanswered questions where their relationship and how it ended were concerned. With her iciness and his cheery walls, these are 2 people who find it very difficult to share their thoughts and feelings. I think their feelings for one another were, perhaps. stronger than they thought....at least where she was concerned maybe.
Both performances were so well done. It took me a while after I watched the movie to realize just how good. Looking back, virtually all of the dialogue was useless on the surface. It was the subtle attitude of the conversation, the bottled up frustration of Hee-Su, the carefully presented light heartedness of Byeong-Woon, that gave us hints of something else going on inside these 2. Hee-Su seemed to be constantly on the edge of an explosion, she was so tightly wound. Byeong-Woon was too desperately cheerful and carefree in a seemingly intense need to hide the truly dire circumstances he is living in. He has friends who love him, but cannot help except in these small ways to repay his former kindnesses. He has family who have deserted him. He has no prospects, no future, and invents precarious schemes like a makgeolli bar in Spain as a cover for this. He is the saddest one in this, while on the surface seemingly the one who is happiest.
The ending will leave us with questions. Their story is not over. The fact that she keeps the new IOU tells us that. We just dropped in for a day in their story. There is more to come. I guess we have to write that part ourselves.
Absolutely loved it. Minimal cliche crap. Stunning chemistry between our 2 leads. I could have done without her snarky exgirlfriend, and without her exboyfriend being such a loser...and could have done with a lot less of them screen time wise too...though I love both of them as actors. For just pure enjoyment, it's the best I've seen in I can't remember when. This is the happiest I've seen Ji Sub ever I think...even though there is always that underlying sadness about him.
got sick of mom crying all the time...but just finished watching this Drama Special on YT. Dark Twisty cautionary tale of how a parent's attempts to provide the 'best' education for her kid twisted him to the dark side. Good job by the 2 kids.
More terrific choices. You will LOVE 1988 and GKP in it! KHN is amazing. What a talent. He's a standout in everything he is in. And I think I have seen darn near everything he has been in drama wise anyway! I really liked Im Je Yeon in High Society and have a couple of her movies on the list. Seo Ye Ji is a beauty. I only really remember her from Last and look forward to Moorim. Byul I know I have seen, but I have no recollection of her. I'm really enjoying this series of posts. So many terrifically talented young actors!
In the beginning we are shown a JIn Woo with a brilliant mind. He counts cards and makes tons of money to fund his agenda. He reads books and absorbs law texts like candy. But he goes into trial completely unprepared, spouts off emotional tirades with not a word of legalese to back it up (wth with his closing statement?), seems infinitely unprepared for every single event (yeah, all part and parcel of typical makjang)....where did this brilliant mind go? He had 4 years to prepare for this and I see nothing as far as evidence he has accumulated. And....at every single turn, what little evidence he does get is stolen for lack of making copies? Or having basic protection? My eyes feel like they will fall out of my head they are rolling so much. And the incessant flashbacks of the Oh So Happy and Jolly Daddy and Son dancing and frolicking with one another. ??? Ugh!!!!
Sorry to tirade like this. I wouldn't be SO upset, if I didn't expect so much more and want so much more from this. Now with his early onset Alzheimers, we are going to be beaten to death for 10 more episodes as he races against the clock, but for the next 8.5 or 9.5 he will be defeated and beaten down at every turn as we watch him disintegrate even further each week. It will be a weepfest for sure. Lord. Don't yell at me, I am too depressed already. I will pull up my big girl pants and come back next week with hope anew for SOMEthing to change! If not the drama, my attitude!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
First of all, it was brilliantly written. It's disappointing that this, as well as Haneuljae's Murder (and a few others), had a writer I would love to see more of, yet I found nothing online about either of them. I love the format of each character narrating what happened, their feelings, the petty misunderstandings and jealousies that grew out of all proportion to reality, thereby fueling a doomed prophesy of their own making. Fascinating character study of each person and each of them were fully developed. I felt completely immersed in the story as a result.
So this and Haneuljae's Murder are the winners equally for me in 2013's Drama Festival. For writing + acting + production these 2 excelled and I see why they saved them for last!
I don't want to judge the right or wrong of that relationship. I don't think that's what this story is about and it's sad that, for most, that's what it will come down to...the age gap, the obsessiveness of his attachment as wrong or twisted. There is some validity to that. But I think the writer also wants us to see beyond that to the root reasons why these 2 ended up like this" the eternal damage caused to the minds and emotional health of people who never are able to recover from trauma as great as so many of these people endured.
There are a host of ills people commit as a result of childhood or adult traumas and war. Yes, many have the strength of will to survive those things, to find something inside themselves to hang on to and win against the memories and the damage. But many many others never get past the devastation and I'm not sure I can sit here and judge them for it. There was so much hinted at in this story that could not be covered given the format..like where did that baby disappear to, why did Jeong Bun disappear leaving him so alone again, where was her child MiSu when she met him that first time, what was the Aunt and daughter accusing her of as to the death of the Aunt's child? But it's the skill of this writer that those hints create entire new scenarios in our minds that we can find our own answers to, in order to fill in those blanks and understand even more about the terrible things these characters lived through. The ending was horribly tragic for everyone involved.
The cinematography and production on this episode were exceptional, as they have been in most of these episodes. And the acting was superb. In addition to the hints the writer left us, the portrayals by these actors with their bodies and their facial expressions gave us even greater insight into who they were and what they were thinking. Seo Kang Joon was only just 20 and had only a year of acting under his belt, yet he was incredibly good in this part. And Moon So Ri....if you have never seen her in other parts, try Oasis. Her performance in that left me absolutely speechless with wonder! (you can tell I'm not exactly speechless!! :) )
I highly recommend this episode of 2013's Drama Festival, though all of them are worthwhile. For the exceptional quality of the acting and writing alone, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. 9/10 for me.
The story was actually excellent. I detest 50 episoders with a passion but love Ji Hyun Woo with a greater passion so decided to try to hang on and see how it went. And if you love JHW like I do...wow, he was gorgeous in this. This is also a makjang, cliche ridden drama. Yet, surprisingly, but for certain characters and certain events, not so OTT that you want to pitch something through the tv screen or that your eyeballs will fall out of your head from all the rolling they do. I was very surprised to see Seo Young-Hee as JHW's co-star. She has quite the resume, and I have seen several of her movies (The Chaser, Bedevilled, Rough Play, and Madonna is on my list) She is quite the chameleon. This was out of the ordinary compared to what I have seen her in before. She was quite good within the parameters of what the drama wanted. Being that the main couple had enough obstacles thrown at them that any sane couple would have jumped off the nearest bridge, I think they did a great job of making their characters believable and convincingly in love. I thought they had terrific chemistry.
There was a surprising factor in this drama....the realism of the medical aspects. In most dramas you see medical equipment that looks like it came out of a recycle bin where the hospital dumped it 20 years ago. The nurses in this looked like they were actually real nurses doing real care. I suspect they were and big kudos to the drama for this aspect! Another thing...wardrobe. Amazing wardrobes for both the lead and the psychotic ex girlfriend. Very unusual to see the variety and quality that was on display in this drama. The sets were also excellent with a lot of detail.
The ending was SO typical of these dramas. 50 hours of torture, the obligatory year separation, and 5 seconds of resolution. Yeah...there is where you want to throw things. Still, it was a lovely ending and I loved every minute spent with that couple. My heart ached for them. I also loved the secondary couple played by Ryu Jin and Kim So-Eun... I thought they were adorable together and provided a calm grounding middle for all the garbage going on around them. I cheered for their relationship. So-Eun was absolutely adorable in this.
I loved almost all of the main characters and the actors that portrayed them. WITHIN THE PARAMETERS of this kind of drama, everyone was very believable in their parts and did just a great job! Cha Hwa-Yeon as the poor tortured mom was fantastic. Yes it was OTT what happened to her, but...gotta go with it sometimes. Honestly I could go on...but I better not! I think if you are in the right mood you will really enjoy this. 8.5 for me.
Both performances were so well done. It took me a while after I watched the movie to realize just how good. Looking back, virtually all of the dialogue was useless on the surface. It was the subtle attitude of the conversation, the bottled up frustration of Hee-Su, the carefully presented light heartedness of Byeong-Woon, that gave us hints of something else going on inside these 2. Hee-Su seemed to be constantly on the edge of an explosion, she was so tightly wound. Byeong-Woon was too desperately cheerful and carefree in a seemingly intense need to hide the truly dire circumstances he is living in. He has friends who love him, but cannot help except in these small ways to repay his former kindnesses. He has family who have deserted him. He has no prospects, no future, and invents precarious schemes like a makgeolli bar in Spain as a cover for this. He is the saddest one in this, while on the surface seemingly the one who is happiest.
The ending will leave us with questions. Their story is not over. The fact that she keeps the new IOU tells us that. We just dropped in for a day in their story. There is more to come. I guess we have to write that part ourselves.