When Technique Is Used to Hide a Hollow Story
It's long, so I'll just get straight to the point.
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🍅 Directing
It’s unbelievable to see that the director of Rebirth is the same person behind "The Double", "Moonlit Reunion" and "Generation to Generation". I actually like those three dramas, but this one just doesn’t work.
On a second look, I can still see traces of his style, especially from "The Double". But honestly, it feels like he got the wrong material to work with this time and is trying to cover it up with excessive camera work. His camera technique just becomes something convenient for him to reuse, but he doesn’t bother to align his visual approach with the story itself. There’s a lot of panning, zooming in and out, swirling, tilting, extreme close-ups and different camera angles thrown in, but most of them do not serve the story. At this point, it’s not really about technique anymore, it just feels like they have too many cameras on set. The story itself has nothing meaningful to convey, so all those camera choices end up feeling exaggerated rather than impactful.
Like I said, this feels like a cover-up. The director doesn't seem to care much about this project. Compared to "Generation to Generation", which just finished airing, it’s clear he put much more care into that one.
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🍅 Plot
The bigger issue is the plotting. They took many wrong steps with the story. There are unnecessary plot points as well as a few cheating moves, which I hate.
In ep 1, they make it clear that the ML is absolutely dead, but they still go against all logic to bring him back just so the drama’s English title can be Rebirth. This feels like a cheap reason. (I don’t know if that’s actually the reason, but at this point, I don’t see any other solid justification.)
Then there’s the 'memory loss' plot. This dementia thing, whether real or fake, has become an old trick that’s been overused in dramas. When it’s used, it often just becomes an excuse to make characters act stupid, misunderstand things, and push the story into forced, soap-opera territory, only for everything to reset once the memory comes back - which it always does. This kind of convenient memory loss breaks the tone for me and makes the whole thing feel like child’s play.
(Note: Meanwhile, I’m watching "Veil of Shadows", which also has a memory loss plot, but it’s an example of how this plot can be done well. There’s a solid origin for that and it’s a component of the core complex part of the story that needs to be resolved. They take it seriously and deal with it head-on, instead of using it as a meaningless trick or a cheap excuse.)
Then there’s also the 'being blind' plot… another overused plot device. I’ll just stop here before my rant starts to sound as repetitive as the drama itself.
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🍅 Acting of FL & Character Design of 2nd FL
As for the acting, it’s not there yet. The FL is clearly lacking.
In ep. 1, when she holds the ML in his last moments, the weakness in her acting is obvious. Her wide, bulging stare doesn’t support the emotion at all. It feels off and I can’t feel that the scene or the emotion is real.
Then, when she tries to be serious and solemn while interacting with other characters, it also feels off, like an imposter forcing herself to be something she isn’t. She’s so forced that I can’t feel these are truly her character’s traits. It shows that she’s not fully one with her character.
Outside the story, I came across some discussions comparing this FL with Ai Mi in terms of their study choice and career path, saying something like this FL made a better choice and her career looks promising. When that info passed my eyes, I didn’t pay much attention. But now that I’ve come to know her for the 1st time through this drama, it comes back to mind. I get why people compare them since they’re almost the same age. However, when it comes to acting, she’s nowhere near Ai Mi yet. Her performance feels unnatural. Anyway, since she started young, maybe in 5 years she might grow into a great actress.
Another actress I want to mention is the 2nd FL. I first saw her in "Fated Heart", where her character and storyline were actually quite interesting, but not so much here. She takes the rebellious, frustrated side from her role in "Fated Heart" into this one, but the writing just doesn’t support her this time. The character ends up feeling flat and one-dimensional.
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It’s honestly a shame. I like the ML and I like the director’s previous works. I can see potential in the FL, even though she’s not there yet. I also want to root for the 2nd FL, but the way her character is written makes it hard. And the plot is too conventional and relies on the same old cliches, which makes the excessive camera work in this drama just another cliche as well.
------------------------------------------------
🍅 Directing
It’s unbelievable to see that the director of Rebirth is the same person behind "The Double", "Moonlit Reunion" and "Generation to Generation". I actually like those three dramas, but this one just doesn’t work.
On a second look, I can still see traces of his style, especially from "The Double". But honestly, it feels like he got the wrong material to work with this time and is trying to cover it up with excessive camera work. His camera technique just becomes something convenient for him to reuse, but he doesn’t bother to align his visual approach with the story itself. There’s a lot of panning, zooming in and out, swirling, tilting, extreme close-ups and different camera angles thrown in, but most of them do not serve the story. At this point, it’s not really about technique anymore, it just feels like they have too many cameras on set. The story itself has nothing meaningful to convey, so all those camera choices end up feeling exaggerated rather than impactful.
Like I said, this feels like a cover-up. The director doesn't seem to care much about this project. Compared to "Generation to Generation", which just finished airing, it’s clear he put much more care into that one.
------------------------------------------------
🍅 Plot
The bigger issue is the plotting. They took many wrong steps with the story. There are unnecessary plot points as well as a few cheating moves, which I hate.
In ep 1, they make it clear that the ML is absolutely dead, but they still go against all logic to bring him back just so the drama’s English title can be Rebirth. This feels like a cheap reason. (I don’t know if that’s actually the reason, but at this point, I don’t see any other solid justification.)
Then there’s the 'memory loss' plot. This dementia thing, whether real or fake, has become an old trick that’s been overused in dramas. When it’s used, it often just becomes an excuse to make characters act stupid, misunderstand things, and push the story into forced, soap-opera territory, only for everything to reset once the memory comes back - which it always does. This kind of convenient memory loss breaks the tone for me and makes the whole thing feel like child’s play.
(Note: Meanwhile, I’m watching "Veil of Shadows", which also has a memory loss plot, but it’s an example of how this plot can be done well. There’s a solid origin for that and it’s a component of the core complex part of the story that needs to be resolved. They take it seriously and deal with it head-on, instead of using it as a meaningless trick or a cheap excuse.)
Then there’s also the 'being blind' plot… another overused plot device. I’ll just stop here before my rant starts to sound as repetitive as the drama itself.
------------------------------------------------
🍅 Acting of FL & Character Design of 2nd FL
As for the acting, it’s not there yet. The FL is clearly lacking.
In ep. 1, when she holds the ML in his last moments, the weakness in her acting is obvious. Her wide, bulging stare doesn’t support the emotion at all. It feels off and I can’t feel that the scene or the emotion is real.
Then, when she tries to be serious and solemn while interacting with other characters, it also feels off, like an imposter forcing herself to be something she isn’t. She’s so forced that I can’t feel these are truly her character’s traits. It shows that she’s not fully one with her character.
Outside the story, I came across some discussions comparing this FL with Ai Mi in terms of their study choice and career path, saying something like this FL made a better choice and her career looks promising. When that info passed my eyes, I didn’t pay much attention. But now that I’ve come to know her for the 1st time through this drama, it comes back to mind. I get why people compare them since they’re almost the same age. However, when it comes to acting, she’s nowhere near Ai Mi yet. Her performance feels unnatural. Anyway, since she started young, maybe in 5 years she might grow into a great actress.
Another actress I want to mention is the 2nd FL. I first saw her in "Fated Heart", where her character and storyline were actually quite interesting, but not so much here. She takes the rebellious, frustrated side from her role in "Fated Heart" into this one, but the writing just doesn’t support her this time. The character ends up feeling flat and one-dimensional.
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It’s honestly a shame. I like the ML and I like the director’s previous works. I can see potential in the FL, even though she’s not there yet. I also want to root for the 2nd FL, but the way her character is written makes it hard. And the plot is too conventional and relies on the same old cliches, which makes the excessive camera work in this drama just another cliche as well.
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