i think what made s1, and by extension the webtoon as well, work so well, is that you formed a connection with the green house tenants. you're rooting for them, and you want to see them survive. furthermore, in the webtoon, what was even more compelling, was seeing hyun soo develop relationships with certain people in the apartment. he goes from wanting to die alone to wanting to live for the people he strives to protect. the moments that he slowly realizes that he has people who want him to be alive simply because they care about him are the heart of the story. the show, however, takes a very different route for hyun soo as a character, as those relationships that he forms in the webtoon are practically non existent in the show. he is still very much the loner that he was in the beginning, and maybe even more so to a heartbreaking degree.
even though it's quite different from the webtoon, i thought it was still an interesting take on his arc, possibly even a little more realistic. in reality, who would feel at ease living around someone who was on the verge of turning into a monster? the complex feelings that hyun soo has about how he views himself, monster or human, are thought provoking and i wanted more of that!
but i don't think the show really allows his arc to develop and live up to the potential it really had. why? well, as many others have pointed out, he was very much sidelined from his own show. yes, sweet home isn't necessarily only his story. it's a commentary on the darkest sides of humanity. however, you cannot deny that he is the protagonist, and unfortunately, with such limited appearances, it feels like we barely get to explore his story at all this season.
this show has a problem with a bloated cast, as it spends a significant amount of time introducing characters left and right without any of them ever making a lasting impression. i spent more than half the season wondering if i'm supposed to care for these people (spoiler alert: i did not).
honestly, despite the complaints, i was excited for this season because i wanted to see how they would expand this world, and even though i'm not that satisfied, i'll still tune in for season 3. that being said, this show made me want a continuation of the webtoon more than anything else. after re-reading the ending to sweet home and the ending to shotgun boy, i'm still holding out hope that someday we'll get to see more of webtoon hyun and the gang soon.
on episode 6, pretty good so far, but i just had to say that her best friend is so annoying. why does she have to be such a downer regarding everything the female lead does lol. if my bestie got paid to date a celebrity i would be hyping her up, like what??
for me, this was a 6/10. i loved how the relationships formed in the beginning, and how the fl was slowly but surely getting used to life in the town. the budding romance between dae beom and yeo reum was adorable, and i couldn't wait for more moments between them. however, while they had their moments, that was just all it was. nice moments in a lackluster show.
the only reason i kept watching was for im siwan and the chemistry between the two leads. i honestly think if the ml was portrayed by anyone else i would have dropped it way before, maybe waited until the end to see if it was worth watching or not (spoiler alert: i don't think it was). slice of life can work alongside other genres, like romance, but the switch between that and the mystery gave me whiplash. what's the point of having a mystery if the audience has to be told everything instead of figuring it out for themselves?
they waited until the last possible second to reveal who the criminal was, with no buildup whatsoever, making the usual fun in solving a mystery completely lost in this one. furthermore, the motive behind the second murder was so stupid and for what? the perps could have sat still and nothing would have happened to them. which further makes me wonder what the point even was to add this subplot in the first place. yes, it was in the webtoon, but i definitely think there was a better way to execute this part of the story.
additionally, i absolutely detested the secondary romantic sub plot. i hated how jae hoon kept going back to bom even though she never apologized for treating him like that. yes, she had her reasons, and i feel bad for the shitty cards life dealt her. however, it does NOT excuse the amount times she's left him behind. like he said himself, he's never a priority to her, which is why i don't see this relationship working out. they're young and in love (or at least he is), but young love isn't always the end all be all. tbh i wouldn't have minded if he stayed in the US. now THAT would have been a realistic ending.
overall, this show had the atmosphere, characters, and potential. but in the end, it just let me down. i have to say that out of all the dramas that aired this year, link: eat love kill did the small town mystery/thriller romance better.
even though it's quite different from the webtoon, i thought it was still an interesting take on his arc, possibly even a little more realistic. in reality, who would feel at ease living around someone who was on the verge of turning into a monster? the complex feelings that hyun soo has about how he views himself, monster or human, are thought provoking and i wanted more of that!
but i don't think the show really allows his arc to develop and live up to the potential it really had. why? well, as many others have pointed out, he was very much sidelined from his own show. yes, sweet home isn't necessarily only his story. it's a commentary on the darkest sides of humanity. however, you cannot deny that he is the protagonist, and unfortunately, with such limited appearances, it feels like we barely get to explore his story at all this season.
this show has a problem with a bloated cast, as it spends a significant amount of time introducing characters left and right without any of them ever making a lasting impression. i spent more than half the season wondering if i'm supposed to care for these people (spoiler alert: i did not).
honestly, despite the complaints, i was excited for this season because i wanted to see how they would expand this world, and even though i'm not that satisfied, i'll still tune in for season 3. that being said, this show made me want a continuation of the webtoon more than anything else. after re-reading the ending to sweet home and the ending to shotgun boy, i'm still holding out hope that someday we'll get to see more of webtoon hyun and the gang soon.
the only reason i kept watching was for im siwan and the chemistry between the two leads. i honestly think if the ml was portrayed by anyone else i would have dropped it way before, maybe waited until the end to see if it was worth watching or not (spoiler alert: i don't think it was). slice of life can work alongside other genres, like romance, but the switch between that and the mystery gave me whiplash. what's the point of having a mystery if the audience has to be told everything instead of figuring it out for themselves?
they waited until the last possible second to reveal who the criminal was, with no buildup whatsoever, making the usual fun in solving a mystery completely lost in this one. furthermore, the motive behind the second murder was so stupid and for what? the perps could have sat still and nothing would have happened to them. which further makes me wonder what the point even was to add this subplot in the first place. yes, it was in the webtoon, but i definitely think there was a better way to execute this part of the story.
additionally, i absolutely detested the secondary romantic sub plot. i hated how jae hoon kept going back to bom even though she never apologized for treating him like that. yes, she had her reasons, and i feel bad for the shitty cards life dealt her. however, it does NOT excuse the amount times she's left him behind. like he said himself, he's never a priority to her, which is why i don't see this relationship working out. they're young and in love (or at least he is), but young love isn't always the end all be all. tbh i wouldn't have minded if he stayed in the US. now THAT would have been a realistic ending.
overall, this show had the atmosphere, characters, and potential. but in the end, it just let me down. i have to say that out of all the dramas that aired this year, link: eat love kill did the small town mystery/thriller romance better.