Experience becomes better when viewed as a movie rather than a drama
The first aspect that stood out was Yohan's name being rare in k-dramas, which leads me to believe he is a direct reference to Johan Liebert, the quintessential manipulator antagonist though the two diverge significantly. Unlike Liebert’s subtle psychological coercion Ahn Yohan issues direct commands to his targets. In this context The Manipulated feels like a misnomer.
Initially the episodes were feeling dull until I started seeing it under the lens of an action movie. The story begins to gain momentum by episode six then goes down and then up. A glimmer of hope emerges, but the good-natured protagonist just gets hit by one misfortune after another. I found myself deliberately staying stoic to avoid becoming frustrated by the storytelling. In the end the antagonist had a way to burrow under my skin a little. The supporting characters also succeeded in eliciting emotion. Both enhance the show's merit.
The characters fall into recognizable archetypes and stock roles, which makes it feel hollow, but the cast brings enough charm to make it overall enjoyable.
Initially the episodes were feeling dull until I started seeing it under the lens of an action movie. The story begins to gain momentum by episode six then goes down and then up. A glimmer of hope emerges, but the good-natured protagonist just gets hit by one misfortune after another. I found myself deliberately staying stoic to avoid becoming frustrated by the storytelling. In the end the antagonist had a way to burrow under my skin a little. The supporting characters also succeeded in eliciting emotion. Both enhance the show's merit.
The characters fall into recognizable archetypes and stock roles, which makes it feel hollow, but the cast brings enough charm to make it overall enjoyable.
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