This was a fun watch but not sure if I'll watch S3 even though the drama concept is still interest me. Reasons…
The charm of the idea for all of us is the vicarious satisfaction we get - denied to us in real life - when the Rainbow Taxi team takes down the bad guys with such style. I really appreciate the show runners picking cases that feel outrageous but are in fact true and recreate them faithfully. That each case in S1 however insane was real was mind blowing to me. I similarly appreciated them showing the full ugly truth of Burning Sun case in S2.
However, the problem is that in S2 the revenge arcs, while satisfying, were so very filled with loopholes, inconsistencies and plot conveniences that it felt like fantasy/wishful thinking and felt insulting to the real cases and the real pain people suffered. Some plotting was so simplistic that it felt insulting to the viewer as well. The writer wanted this season to be lighter so comedy was sprinkled throughout but that further took away the seriousness because it didnt always work. Anyhow, just my opinion albeit a minority one - Im mostly done with Taxi Driver as a show.
I knew going in it was messy but turned out to be outright nuts how things kept escalating.
For a short drama, this was well crafted but of course understandably the plot has single focus a la M&B books. I loved the choice to trickle the backstory to us while the main romance develops, giving us context bit by bit.
I'll be honest I didnt see what was so special aabout Da On, for 3 guys going crazy. This caused me not buy into a lot of stuff - that contract made no sense, Jae Min saying he'll have DaOn by his side by not dating him made no sense, Su Hyeon choosing to not confess made no sense, the two hyungs pining over this one man for 7 years made no sense....! Anyhoo - Jae Min covered up his obsession by faking concern and making Da On become dependent, thinking this will keep Da On attached to him. Su Hyeon puts all his might to get back Da On by being entitled and demanding, not surprising given how he grew up. He thought just like his father, ordering someone to become something was the solution not knowing being vulnerable would have made things easier. Seong Hyun was just a golden retriever bf in love!
Performance wise, the two hyungs were awesome. Jae Min going full-on psycho was super well done by KHY. I personally thought CJW had the best screen presence. I am sorry to his fans, but KJS was the weakest link - blank face, expressionless eyes, self conscious body language and stiff dialogue delivery - a real disappointment
avistaz got it 720phttps://i.imgur.com/HWjA0ql.png sample imageshttps://i.imgur.com/6NXibgC.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/cFkfgJp.pngBut…
Thanks but true, no way do i want to re-watch even for YJH. Getting access to avitaz is impossible for me due to country restrictions so sadly out of question even if i manged to get an invite (I would want to join for the j-drama availability on that platform)
An outstanding drama in the noir genre - rivals kmovies in its gritty vibe, relentless tension and twists. Ji…
I gave it 10 but its more a 9 plotting wise - IMO, the two places the show falters a bit in terms of plotting: the police association giving out info on serving officers so freely and EuJeong suddenly ratcheting up the intensity of her relationship with GC in Ep 8 and GC believing it. I struggled with buying both these aspects. Regardless, the drama still kept me hooked
An outstanding drama in the noir genre - rivals kmovies in its gritty vibe, relentless tension and twists. Ji…
The ending was perfect imo. the marriage not making it felt right.
Junmo had changed too much, Eujeong was horrified by this new Junmo but was still willing to try. Alas, Junmo had turned the page on their marriage after seeing that she definitely did have unresolved feelings for GiCheol . We see in the 2nd episode how taken aback he is on discovering their close relationship which clearly she had hidden from him. It was all downhill from there. We see at every turn Junmo resists any intimacy with Haeryun despite which he ends up with a clear fondness for her( for me it wasnt romantic perse). But cant say the same for Eujeong - was she acting or was actually conflicted, struggling to sort her real feelings . The actor's shortcoming in portraying Eujeong's inner struggle also makes this part weak. Junmo notices several things that make him realise her conflicted feelings (the necklace, her willingness to protect GC, the faintly accusatory look in that last scene).
Junmo shooting GC in the end makes sense as well - he did not want Eujeong to suffer the trauma of GC committing suicide before her eyes and wanted to give GC the gift of final release. The camera panning to the wedding ring and the watch makes the point imo (both symbolising his deep relationship with the other). As he says, GC keeps making wrong choices - if only GC had taken the chance given by Junmo and fled somewhere to make a new life.
An outstanding drama in the noir genre - rivals kmovies in its gritty vibe, relentless tension and twists. Ji Chang Wook is mind blowing in portraying the complex character of Junmo. Wi ha Joon had a more straightforward job but was as wonderful in bringing shades to a drug lord.
The surprise package was BIBI. Relatively small role with no backstory but she grabs your attention in every scene and never lets go. Sizzling chemistry with JCW. The other standout performances were by Im Sung Jae and Lee Shin Ki. The weak link was Im Se Mi who I felt fell short of making Yoo Eujong feel real Now my thoughts on the characters and ending in the spoiler comment below
I watched 9 episodes but had to drop it even tho just 3 more eps were left.
I actually thought the ML & FL had chemistry when they were antagonistic to each other but somewhere around the time they started getting together, the magic went poof. It doesnt help that Ye Seol turned super annoying with her aeygo pouts, overdone dismay and avoidance. Anyway, in short the romance just failed to fire for me.
I felt the FL was miscast - Seo Ji Hye imo does not have the crackling charm or screen presence to carry off Ye Seol especially when she turns softer.
Went into it blind after just seeing it has 2 of my fave actors....what on earth did I just see. Disturbing yet boring about sums it up. Just why did Eita & Arata pick this up is all I want to know. The material was bad enough, bu the director's heavy handedness and the movies jerky flow made it 100 times worse. Not recommended AT ALL
Daily dramas with messy plotlines are my guilty pleasure. This one had a interesting & super messy set up and I found it on MBC's YT channel so thought I'd give it a go. However only 50% of most episodes have been uploaded so much of juicier stuff is gone :( That is awful enough, but I have rarely seen a more passive lead pair! Jang Jae Yeong and Han Kyung Soo both have absolutely no back bone or will to take even a teensy bit of action to handle their many issues
However, the problem is that in S2 the revenge arcs, while satisfying, were so very filled with loopholes, inconsistencies and plot conveniences that it felt like fantasy/wishful thinking and felt insulting to the real cases and the real pain people suffered. Some plotting was so simplistic that it felt insulting to the viewer as well.
The writer wanted this season to be lighter so comedy was sprinkled throughout but that further took away the seriousness because it didnt always work. Anyhow, just my opinion albeit a minority one - Im mostly done with Taxi Driver as a show.
For a short drama, this was well crafted but of course understandably the plot has single focus a la M&B books. I loved the choice to trickle the backstory to us while the main romance develops, giving us context bit by bit.
I'll be honest I didnt see what was so special aabout Da On, for 3 guys going crazy. This caused me not buy into a lot of stuff - that contract made no sense, Jae Min saying he'll have DaOn by his side by not dating him made no sense, Su Hyeon choosing to not confess made no sense, the two hyungs pining over this one man for 7 years made no sense....!
Anyhoo - Jae Min covered up his obsession by faking concern and making Da On become dependent, thinking this will keep Da On attached to him. Su Hyeon puts all his might to get back Da On by being entitled and demanding, not surprising given how he grew up. He thought just like his father, ordering someone to become something was the solution not knowing being vulnerable would have made things easier. Seong Hyun was just a golden retriever bf in love!
Performance wise, the two hyungs were awesome. Jae Min going full-on psycho was super well done by KHY. I personally thought CJW had the best screen presence. I am sorry to his fans, but KJS was the weakest link - blank face, expressionless eyes, self conscious body language and stiff dialogue delivery - a real disappointment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqewffaNcWw&list=PL99F59E6DF6E846C1
In many episodes, some parts are not properly uploaded and so dont play at all. I got frustrated and dropped it around EP 50
Junmo had changed too much, Eujeong was horrified by this new Junmo but was still willing to try. Alas, Junmo had turned the page on their marriage after seeing that she definitely did have unresolved feelings for GiCheol . We see in the 2nd episode how taken aback he is on discovering their close relationship which clearly she had hidden from him. It was all downhill from there.
We see at every turn Junmo resists any intimacy with Haeryun despite which he ends up with a clear fondness for her( for me it wasnt romantic perse). But cant say the same for Eujeong - was she acting or was actually conflicted, struggling to sort her real feelings . The actor's shortcoming in portraying Eujeong's inner struggle also makes this part weak. Junmo notices several things that make him realise her conflicted feelings (the necklace, her willingness to protect GC, the faintly accusatory look in that last scene).
Junmo shooting GC in the end makes sense as well - he did not want Eujeong to suffer the trauma of GC committing suicide before her eyes and wanted to give GC the gift of final release. The camera panning to the wedding ring and the watch makes the point imo (both symbolising his deep relationship with the other). As he says, GC keeps making wrong choices - if only GC had taken the chance given by Junmo and fled somewhere to make a new life.
The surprise package was BIBI. Relatively small role with no backstory but she grabs your attention in every scene and never lets go. Sizzling chemistry with JCW. The other standout performances were by Im Sung Jae and Lee Shin Ki. The weak link was Im Se Mi who I felt fell short of making Yoo Eujong feel real
Now my thoughts on the characters and ending in the spoiler comment below
I actually thought the ML & FL had chemistry when they were antagonistic to each other but somewhere around the time they started getting together, the magic went poof. It doesnt help that Ye Seol turned super annoying with her aeygo pouts, overdone dismay and avoidance. Anyway, in short the romance just failed to fire for me.
I felt the FL was miscast - Seo Ji Hye imo does not have the crackling charm or screen presence to carry off Ye Seol especially when she turns softer.
That is awful enough, but I have rarely seen a more passive lead pair! Jang Jae Yeong and Han Kyung Soo both have absolutely no back bone or will to take even a teensy bit of action to handle their many issues