IT'S NOT OVER YET......
The first season surprised me on several levels. It was a drama that had no episodes without importance or dragging. The whole story had good dynamics and followed a well-defined course. I always appreciate dramas that use episodes 15 and 16 to conclude the story. Most dramas use episode 16 for conclusions full of amenities and frivolities. However, FlexXCop used it differently, dosing its story effectively in 16 good episodes. It is a drama that deserves the success it achieved in South Korea and has the energy and potential for its second season, which I believe will only be released in 2026.
I liked the villain built in a complex way and shaped by the ambitions and neuroses of his mother, brought to us by Shi Yang with his character Seung Joo. This drama has a high level of quality and deserves only praise, there is nothing to criticise.
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Very corny Western cast.
Yesterday, while watching this movie, I made an interesting self-discovery. To be blunt: I prefer Song Joong Ki's acting in movies more than in TV dramas. His acting in TV dramas is below average, and his facial expressions are the same for sadness, anger, happiness or emotion. In the movies, I see it differently; it seems that the director extracts all the artistic quality he has, and I consider that commendable. Anyway, now I have discovered what bothered me about his acting: the pasteurization that Korean TV dramas suffer. Korea is always more concerned with what the public thinks or will think than with the art itself of the product it broadcasts.About the drama, I found the synopsis interesting and the events very well developed and dynamic. However, it is necessary to mention the terrible acting of the Western cast of the film, all acting in a very corny way and causing embarrassment in every speech. I wonder how NETFLIX selected this cast, based on what?
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HATTORI HANZO FOREVER…
I started watching this drama without any expectations and, before I knew it, I was completely hooked on the story and the characters. The drama, created and developed by the excellent Dave Boyle, presented a sense of common reality of Japanese everyday life in a family composed of “shinobis”, and the storyline was well tied and conducted in just 8 episodes, unfortunately. The fight choreography was so realistic that it became unnecessary to use visual effects to speed them up, where the viewer gets lost in the performances and ends up not watching anything but a bunch of fast movements. Here, Boyle took care to let us enjoy all the choreographies. As for the actors’ performances in the drama, it is noticeable that they were restrained and within the Western standard of acting, far from the theatrical performances that are trademarks of Japanese dramaturgy. Now, I confess I am looking forward to the second season and hope Netflix renews it, however, Japanese dramas tend to end with open endings and continuations simply do not exist. I hope it’s different here.Was this review helpful to you?
Very common drama with Jung Suk in a state of grace.
There are actors and then there are actors, but without a doubt, Jung Suk is at the top shelf. I believe that in the awards season, he and the leads of "A BLOOD LUCKY DAY" will be vying for the Best Actor award for drama. Returning to Jung Suk, he began the drama portraying himself as a sweet and simple prince, but upon ascending the throne, he transformed into a paranoid and suspicious king. However, as the episodes progressed, this image softened. Although I still believe that the crimes he committed three years ago have not been fully justified, I understand that if the characters affected by it have come to terms and moved on, I won't dwell on it.It's incredible how Shin Sae Kyeong's acting falls short, it's uniquely hammy. The female highlights in terms of acting, for me, are the veterans Park Ye Young (Lady Dong) and Jang Young Man (Queen Park).
My favorite character without any reservations was Kim Myung Ha, who was dismissed by the protagonist early on in the drama and moved on without trying to create a love triangle (thanks to the scriptwriters for that). Many times, he brought Hee Soo back to reality. Usually, secondary protagonists are persistent, but Myung Ha was different; he immediately stepped aside and even helped the couple get together in the end. Yes, I still find the lead couple extremely toxic, but that's a discussion for another topic.
It was an interesting drama that delved well into palace intrigues, and Jung Suk was the maestro behind it all.
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Claudia Kim is AMAZING
We conclude the first season here, with more positives than negatives. I see this as a good outlook for the second season. Clearly, it was a drama made for the global audience with touches of Korean style. Many times, I thought I was watching a series from FOX or AMC because of the script style and the pace of the drama. The creature's CGI still presents issues in terms of art and finishing, but it seems to have improved as the episodes progressed. Nothing that deserves more consistent criticism.Now, talking about the story, I noticed something that most people didn't catch, but it's quite clear in episodes 8 or 9. I'll explain: Everyone remembers that it was Akiko who drank the water with Najin. However, in the mentioned episodes above, it shows that Najin was administered to Akiko as soon as she entered the hospital. So, who drank the Najin water from the lab? Tae-Sang is my highest probability. For me, the three characters who extended their life expectancies were Tae-Sang, Chae-Ok, and Mrs. Maeda because the trio has Najin in their bodies. Probably, their Najin is asymptomatic in their bodies, and maybe in the second season, they'll erupt, unleashing a whole hell. Possibly, one of the current favorite actors, Bae Hyun-Sung, will be Ishikawa and Akiko's son.
I conclude the review by saying that although Seon-Jun and So-Hee did very well in their roles, their torrid love story seemed exaggerated and superficial to me, not convincing me. But for me, the highlight of the drama without a shadow of a doubt was Claudia Kim, playing Mrs. Maeda. She took the drama for herself, portraying a chilly and restrained yet villainous and determined character. Moreover, she spoke Japanese with an excellent and well-executed cadence.
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This review may contain spoilers
NOT EVERY HIERARCHY IS EASILY TOPPLED.
I must confess that when I started watching the drama, I saw the terrible rating of the last episode and thought it had been awful, but I found it consistent with how it began and how we got to this point. I noticed several insights for a second season. Some considerations:• Finally, Jae-I realised how toxic, obsessive, and abusive her relationship with Ri An was. It was a relief for her to understand that the two of them together, directly or indirectly, brought misery to everyone around them.
• I noticed an interesting insight left by the writer. Did you notice she rode a bicycle, stopped to sit on the bench near the street stall, and bought that snack with Ri An? Clearly, it was her subconscious showing that the moment she was happiest in all the hell she went through was with Kang Ha. In other words…
• I firmly believe that, in the hypothetical second season, the writer will develop the relationship between Jae-I and Kang Ha.
• I also believe that Kang’s smile and the exchange of messages were not him sending messages to Ri An. I think we will have someone violent who wants something. Kang Ha showed throughout the drama that he was a naive and kind young man.
That said, it is a drama with mediocre performances, but I liked the actress who played He Ra and found the actor who played U-Jin stunningly handsome.
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