I was in no way prepared for this week's episodes, especially not Ep 19.
I feel like non-Asians will not appreciate this drama in quite the same manner as those whose ancestors were affected to some extent by the actions of imperialist Japan - although Koreans undoubtedly suffered immensely, the extent of damage done by Japanese imperialism was by no means limited to Korea at the time, spanning across numerous countries in east Asia.
They didn't shy away at all from the imperialist Japan imagery in this show at all, and watching the way their actions are depicted in this drama both make me immensely angry and unsettled. It really is hard to watch during certain scenes. I can only imagine the horror that my own ancestors and of course the Korean citizens of that era would have experienced during those times.
I have never seen such convincingly portrayed villains in a drama, purely because they really were so real during those times. Such kinds of people actually existed and did those horrific things. That realisation is raw, hard-hitting, and surely provides a powerful insight into the war crimes not brought to light to many, even to this day - crimes of which so many people are still suffering the repercussions.
That being said, I did have a good sense of satisfaction upon watching the traitorous Lee Wan Ik's demise during episode 20. It was only fitting that Ae Shin would be the one to end his life, especially following her mother's final words.
Seems like Lee Joon Gi really shines in this element... I enjoyed Lawless Attorney a lot too as a revenge drama. I do plan to watch Iljimae at some point, so thank you for the reminder, haha.
On paper, City Hunter would be the kind of drama I'd like to watch (I also loved Park Min Young in Healer)... but I always struggle whenever it comes to liking Lee Min Ho dramas. I think his acting just doesn't appeal to me personally and I need to be invested/care about the leads to keep my interest in a drama so it's not been for me haha...
Nice article and casting choices! I remember reading the Wolves of Mercy Falls many years ago and had the same thoughts as you that it would be a good drama.
Some picks of mine would be...
Books/book series:
- Divergent: I loved the book series but the movie adaptations were a bit of a let down... it could fare well as a Korean drama or movie given the success of dystopian genre works like Fabricated City and Train to Busan, so I think the effects would work very nicely
- The Demonata: Perhaps an unusual choice given its horror genre but I enjoyed the series a lot and would love to see some kind of adaptation of it. I don't know how feasible it will be given the length of the series though or even casting-wise (10 books)...
- Samurai Girl: I think this would be better off as a J-drama than a K-drama given the setting but I thought it still deserved a mention
I love how immersive this drama continues to be. The cinematography really is on a whole other level and the actors are so great at capturing emotions, be they subtle or not. The OST is honestly the best I've heard in a very long time as well. All of that makes this drama captivating enough to watch that you feel like you've been transported into another world.
Considering watching for Nam Ji Hyun alone but I'm personally not really sold on the rest of this from what I've seen... plot seems too similar to SKL and I'm not that big on D.O's acting out of personal preference
Great article! I appreciate the effort that went into writing this and enjoyed the Healer and I'm Not A Robot references but I haven't seen most of the dramas mentioned so can't relate as such. Any mention of JCW gets my vote though lmao
I read a book called lost you forever and EVERYONE shipped the FL with all 3 men and I couldn’t understand it…
I agree with you about Hina's attachment to Eugene still being a mystery but I kinda like that about her character - her being so hard to read/predict is her charm. I'm inclined to think the attraction is because he stands out a lot due to being a US soldier but originally being from Joseon and because he's not transparently attracted to her or openly flirtatious compared to most men that enter the hotel, and that intrigues her.
Another week of amazing episodes and a very dramatic turn of events unfolding... I'm really hoping we see more of Eugene budging in regards to being so set on revenge and being able to focus on something other than that now that Japan is becoming more of a threat. I'm worried for Ae Shin's identity being at risk though, given that Hui Sung is now suspicious about her use of suits and with Dong Mae being so close to finding out that she was the one he shot.
But YYS continues to blow me away with his acting... I couldn't think of anyone more fitting to take on Dong Mae's role. The scene where he read the letter to Eugene in particular stood out for me, and that encounter on the railway. I wasn't sold on the Ae Shin/Eugene romance initially but it's definitely growing on me... I think it was largely the age gap that had me hesitant, but I have to say the eye acting especially from both KTR and LBH is so convincingly done.
What do you mean by that? No hate, I'm just genuinely curious
That's fair, I can understand that too. I'm conflicted personally because I don't like LBH as a person at all given the scandals but he's a good actor and I liked him in Iris so I'm a little torn... the other actors I'm really enjoying so far though, especially Yoo Yeon Seok
I like writing reviews from time to time and always do my best to give insightful, unbiased and honest reviews and balance out ... but that makes them longer and more analytical so people don't bother reading. I'm the emotional kind of review writer you described
I get bothered by the majority of reviews that are too vague/short/posted too early on, spoilery or either of these two extremes:
1) Overly critical - unashamed bashing/pinning the blame on the female lead... being far too quick to judge without giving the drama a chance... "I don't ship it I prefer [X ship] so it's bad"... common complaints of it being "too slow" or "no chemistry" yet when I see users' favourite/highly rated dramas a lot of those complaints will apply to them too... yes you don't have to enjoy a drama but it's really obvious when it's more of a rant than a review and it's honing in on all the negative without shedding light on positive aspects of the drama to balance it out.
2) Far too biased - sure, I watch dramas for my favourite actors... doesn't everyone? But immediately rating a drama that hasn't even ended or hasn't even aired yet a solid 10/10 JUST because your favourite is in it for the sole purpose of bumping the rating helps nobody at all (this doesn't apply to all, but I notice the majority of dramas with idol actors especially have this issue). You can be reasonably critical and not enjoy a drama but still be a fan of the actors (yes, I'm looking at you, The K2) and not just blindly hype it up (e.g. I really love TVXQ for their music... Yunho is my first ever real bias, I love the guy... but acting is really not his strong point at all and I don't try to act like that's the case just because I love his music). A pretty face (or several) doesn't make a good drama - good acting, solid plot and writing, overall execution, chemistry between actors, etc etc does... there are so many aspects involved in what makes a good drama.
That's why I've averted my focus to Currently Watching articles of dramas that I'm enjoying - there's more of a chance people will read that and I won't be wasting my time writing something lengthy that people won't bother reading. I hope that they're more of use to people so that they can judge whether the drama is for them and avoid leaving reviews that are like what I described... sorry for this lengthy comment haha - I enjoyed the article as it evoked some feelings of my own on the topic
I feel like non-Asians will not appreciate this drama in quite the same manner as those whose ancestors were affected to some extent by the actions of imperialist Japan - although Koreans undoubtedly suffered immensely, the extent of damage done by Japanese imperialism was by no means limited to Korea at the time, spanning across numerous countries in east Asia.
They didn't shy away at all from the imperialist Japan imagery in this show at all, and watching the way their actions are depicted in this drama both make me immensely angry and unsettled. It really is hard to watch during certain scenes. I can only imagine the horror that my own ancestors and of course the Korean citizens of that era would have experienced during those times.
I have never seen such convincingly portrayed villains in a drama, purely because they really were so real during those times. Such kinds of people actually existed and did those horrific things. That realisation is raw, hard-hitting, and surely provides a powerful insight into the war crimes not brought to light to many, even to this day - crimes of which so many people are still suffering the repercussions.
That being said, I did have a good sense of satisfaction upon watching the traitorous Lee Wan Ik's demise during episode 20. It was only fitting that Ae Shin would be the one to end his life, especially following her mother's final words.
On paper, City Hunter would be the kind of drama I'd like to watch (I also loved Park Min Young in Healer)... but I always struggle whenever it comes to liking Lee Min Ho dramas. I think his acting just doesn't appeal to me personally and I need to be invested/care about the leads to keep my interest in a drama so it's not been for me haha...
Some picks of mine would be...
Books/book series:
- Divergent: I loved the book series but the movie adaptations were a bit of a let down... it could fare well as a Korean drama or movie given the success of dystopian genre works like Fabricated City and Train to Busan, so I think the effects would work very nicely
- The Demonata: Perhaps an unusual choice given its horror genre but I enjoyed the series a lot and would love to see some kind of adaptation of it. I don't know how feasible it will be given the length of the series though or even casting-wise (10 books)...
- Samurai Girl: I think this would be better off as a J-drama than a K-drama given the setting but I thought it still deserved a mention
Nam Ji Hyun
Moon Ga Young
Lee Yoo Bi
Ha Ji Won
Go Ah Ra
Kim Tae Ri
Park Min Young
But YYS continues to blow me away with his acting... I couldn't think of anyone more fitting to take on Dong Mae's role. The scene where he read the letter to Eugene in particular stood out for me, and that encounter on the railway. I wasn't sold on the Ae Shin/Eugene romance initially but it's definitely growing on me... I think it was largely the age gap that had me hesitant, but I have to say the eye acting especially from both KTR and LBH is so convincingly done.
I get bothered by the majority of reviews that are too vague/short/posted too early on, spoilery or either of these two extremes:
1) Overly critical - unashamed bashing/pinning the blame on the female lead... being far too quick to judge without giving the drama a chance... "I don't ship it I prefer [X ship] so it's bad"... common complaints of it being "too slow" or "no chemistry" yet when I see users' favourite/highly rated dramas a lot of those complaints will apply to them too... yes you don't have to enjoy a drama but it's really obvious when it's more of a rant than a review and it's honing in on all the negative without shedding light on positive aspects of the drama to balance it out.
2) Far too biased - sure, I watch dramas for my favourite actors... doesn't everyone? But immediately rating a drama that hasn't even ended or hasn't even aired yet a solid 10/10 JUST because your favourite is in it for the sole purpose of bumping the rating helps nobody at all (this doesn't apply to all, but I notice the majority of dramas with idol actors especially have this issue). You can be reasonably critical and not enjoy a drama but still be a fan of the actors (yes, I'm looking at you, The K2) and not just blindly hype it up (e.g. I really love TVXQ for their music... Yunho is my first ever real bias, I love the guy... but acting is really not his strong point at all and I don't try to act like that's the case just because I love his music). A pretty face (or several) doesn't make a good drama - good acting, solid plot and writing, overall execution, chemistry between actors, etc etc does... there are so many aspects involved in what makes a good drama.
That's why I've averted my focus to Currently Watching articles of dramas that I'm enjoying - there's more of a chance people will read that and I won't be wasting my time writing something lengthy that people won't bother reading. I hope that they're more of use to people so that they can judge whether the drama is for them and avoid leaving reviews that are like what I described... sorry for this lengthy comment haha - I enjoyed the article as it evoked some feelings of my own on the topic