Jo Jin-woong’s scandal ruined one of my favorite shows for me, which feels so unfair to all the people involved who did such a tremendous job 🥲 I had looked forward to the second season for so long… The irony of portraying one of the most righteous characters of the century in a show that, more than any other, demonstrates how powerless people can stand strong against injustice … it’s beyond me. I never wait ten years for a piece of fiction. This was the one and only exception because I truly loved the message, the characters, and the way the show restored my hope in humanity. And now it feels as though all the fans’ waiting, and all the hard work of the cast and crew, was in vain. I know there are bigger issues in the world than a cancelled celebrity and a drama that may never air. But every fan of this show will understand why this leaves me feeling so empty.
That’s so disappointing, Bong Seok is the soul of Moving 🥲 I don’t see them shooting this without him. The second season would focus on the kids and how they come to discover and use their powers. The parents’ stories were told already, so that shouldn’t take the center spot anymore…
I REALLY tried to love this drama especially how people say its the best drama or its 10/10 but I just... couldn't.…
I feel you, I think watching Xianxias like fairy and devil or the untamed where the plots are just sooo rich and the world building is more consistent, other fantasy works fall short in comparison
I LOVEEEEEEEEDDD S1, but hated s2💔 and no i didnt “not understand the plot” or “hate go youn jung”…
I felt the same way 🥲 I stopped watching after ep 19 and never looked back. Love So Min so much and while season 1 wasn’t entirely perfect, I loved how their relationship developed slowly. I loved the camaraderie, the loyalty, their friendship and slow-burn love. Hadn’t I known about the blatant disrespect towards So Min, I might have watched season 2 to get a sense of closure, but nope
She was sent to that general's place so that she can be at least his namesake student so that in the future, when…
I read a lot of reddit discussions back then and never came across this reasoning. From what I researched, there wasn’t much historical accuracy. She’s from an aristocratic family. Aristocrats were the ones who owned capital (physically, socially and culturally). Hence, they held more power than the king himself in the period of history that this show depicts. This adds to the illogical plot: a woman from a family of renowned scholars wouldn’t have been sent to a general whose family wasn’t anywhere as prestigious as hers. Also, why would being the teacher of someone prevent them from committing treason? If they’re hungry for power and they have the means to revolt + the public’s support, why wouldn’t they? There were kings who killed their brothers and usurped power. But let’s say we don’t expect historical accuracy in a drama (I for sure don’t, though it’s a plus if it’s there). The premise is still lacking (a mute girl who falls in love, regains the ability to talk, then does nothing until the end but to tempt the sense of righteousness of a general who can’t have her) and the outcome is disappointing (their deaths don’t change anything). That’s my take, feel free to have yours. I personally don’t believe that it speaks for a drama if you have to go and do your research to be able to enjoy it. If there’s a feeling that things don’t work for someone personally, they don’t work.
Watching this after almost three years now. Back then, I had seen a few spoilers and didn’t really want to watch it. Giving it a go now cause I need something to binge and, seeing So Min is her current project, I felt like watching her do a genre other than rom-com (which she’s stellar at, don’t get me wrong). My 2 cents after 12 eps: - So Min is great as always - Jae Wook portrays the stubborn, moody but overall charming Jang Uk really well - love most of the supporting roles - however, lots of fillers - the hero’s-quest-plot is not executed as well as it could’ve been. Jang Uk, up until now, has for the most part been very, very lucky - the show doesn’t consistently stick to the rules of its own world - I’m reluctant to watch the second season for reasons that have been mentioned by other viewers a lot … it’s just weird and I feel like the authors had other plans for the plot development but then ran into scheduling conflicts with the main cast. It’s such a mood killer for me 🥲 - question: can I stop after season 1?
It’s strange. This is one of those dramas that leave a deep impression. I was annoyed all the time while watching it. Aside from the more seasoned actors, the acting was very lacking in the first half. Relationships were established because the script told us so. These two have met in the forest and one has saved the other from a beating, so they’re going to be bffs. Just like that, much of the story is told because it’s a) based on another drama that is has to follow, b) because this one ingredient is needed at this or that point and c) because the show feeds on tragedy, so it has to utilize it.
Because of that, both plot and characters suffer. Character development either happens in a flip of an eye or happens during the months and years that the drama skips between the acts. The drama is too fixated on telling its tragic tale and it’s especially obsessed with its male lead, so it almost completely leaves out the female lead’s backstory. In fact, I would say that this drama is guilty of writing yet another female character just based on the male character. Because he is to have a scar that he’s insecure about, she has to be a cosmetician who’ll figure out how to make her own make-up from scratch to cover up the one flaw that society treats him as a monster for. I know, it’s a story, but stuff like that really gets me fuming because it’s just such lazy writing. In the original version, the female lead was a history professor which makes so much more sense.
I could rant forever. The characters’ actions don’t always make sense. The director is obsessed with close-up shots and definitely overuses them. But I still understand why this drama still lingers with me and others after 10 years. It was definitely very, very special. For me, for audiences, and the cast members as well. It was the drama that made IU a true actress. You can totally tell how immensely she improves during one and the same show. She completely crushed me at the end. There’s also something about the show’s overall cinematography, its soundtrack and how it switches between serene moments and gut-wrenching ones deliberately, but effectively. I still listen to the soundtrack and try to picture a different premise, more backstory to the female lead, a reason for why she of all people on the planet had to go back in time. I imagine more rational characters who can handle court politics and schemes at least in one or two instances and who are not always victims to the enemy’s ruthlessness. I add a few more satisfying moments and an ending that would give the characters and us something like a closure. It could have been a perfect drama then.
I remember watching this back then when everyone was talking about it. I didn’t get the appeal, to be honest. At least, as a non-Chinese-speaking person. I think this drama really shines because of its poetical language which I sadly can’t appreciate. Otherwise, it was very slow-paced. The premise of this girl who couldn’t speak at the beginning but then suddenly could didn’t have any purpose. It also didn’t make sense for her to be sent to a general to get tutored if she wasn’t going to be trained in martial arts and military strategies. She is just there. She exists, looking pretty and writing poetry. The love story left me deeply unsatisfied too. Also, it’s a Chinese phenomenon, I suppose, but a character who is heroic and righteous and only thinks about how to serve his country is not the type of character I enjoy. There’s no development, no personal motive or desire. But hey, that ONE scene at the end (if you know, you know) was one of the most beautifully shot in Chinese drama world. I return to it every now and then, especially because it has been imitated by so many other dramas ever since. I also love the motif of ‘beautiful bones’ which I think is the original title. Who came up with the trivial ‘One and Only’? The original title sets much more accurate expectations: You’re going to get a show that’s going to deliver poetical language and a male lead who has ‘beautiful bones’, aka he’s a true champ.
Rewatched this for the fifth time and, even though it has noticeably aged, it’s still one of the best Korean dramas ever. I watched soooo many movies and TV series throughout the years and I’ve rarely come across a story that gets the blend of so many genres all-in-one so well. Such an amazing plot that keeps me hooked even though I know what’s going to happen next. Such outstanding acting, endearing characters that actually learn and grow with each episode, and themes that will never lose their relevance: Is it possible to keep living with an open and compassionate heart if you’ve been wronged badly? Why does a criminal become one? Can law be fair and objective, but still have mercy? I think I’m ready to declare this show my favorite. Not because it looks amazing or doesn’t have any beauty flaws, but because I’ve never felt the need to rewatch a drama this often.
I feel like this is the only noona romance that's worked for me so far 😭 in all the other ones, the ML feels…
Yeah this is my favorite too. Objectively speaking, it’s weird cause the guy is still in freaking High School at the beginning of the drama. This is also one of those 2000-2010s dramas where it was okay and even romantic if a hot guy stalked a woman 😂 but I can’t help it, I love this drama, it’s Lee Jong Suk’s best work for me.
I was wondering, some of the characters have quite different accents; they sound a bit Thai to me. Does anyone…
The actress playing Maggie is Thai, if I’m not mistaken. In the drama, her character is Chinese-American, but she seems to have a slight accent. Several of the other actors are from Hong Kong, whereas the main actor speaks with a strong Northern dialect. This was a deliberate choice. The city in the show is fictional, with a Hong Kong–like urban vibe and a mix of languages and dialects. This is my interpretation, but I think it’s a stylistic decision meant to create an alienating effect: the culturally hybrid and futuristic setting creates a sense of unease and artificiality. If you think about it, many things that happen in the show are not natural. The male lead is a time-loop perceiver, and MOMA is a company specializing in RNA technology. They manipulate DNA in an effort to prolong life or even reverse death. It seems fitting, then, that the show would also “manipulate” its own setting into something deliberately artificial.
Actually I don't argue with you and this is your opinion but I need to say ..... First of all, who told you that…
Of course, we’re talking about our personal opinions :) I can totally see the merits of this drama and why so many are loving it.
For me, a hero who is too perfect ends up feeling bland and forgettable. Ding Qui is perfect from head to toe: his styling, his looks, his seriousness paired with slight goofiness, him outsmarting everyone and almost always being a step ahead. I was never worried for him. Technically, up until episode 14, nothing mattered anyways because only the 5th loop matters, right? As for how I could tell he knew all those things: when people cited writers, thinkers or scientists, he always knew the said books and quotes. I myself have read tons of books and didn’t know any of those, why should a detective? He also knew how to handle nitrogen and how to mix a solution that could melt metal.
In the end, it boils down to personal preferences. For my taste, I prefer less perfect heroes. A protagonist that I root for doesn’t know everything, he/she makes mistakes, has a backstory and personal motives. He/she can be in grave danger and if he/she is, I want to lose my sense for the reality that it’s just a fictional character I’m watching. That’s what made Signal (another time-bend drama) and Blood Free (another sci-fi show about shady scientific experiments) amazing and this one less thrilling and captivating in comparison.
Started out interesting, but unfortunately took a turn for the worst telenovela-esque twists. People end up being blood-related. Someone is the brother of a long-lost friend. Someone else is the presumed-to-be-dead father of a girl who was given up for adoption as a child. And oh! The same man fathered yet ANOTHER daughter in the US, left her and her mom in poverty despite a very successful career as a scientist, then one day gained the ability to perceive time loops and helped them win the lottery. But it doesn’t end there: the dead body of a loved one is kept in a frozen tank. The lover, a genius scientist, goes nuts and murders people because that’s how he’s going to resurrect his loved one. Sounds ridiculous? Wait for it: our male lead is not only well-read and knows every philosopher, detective novel writer and biologist out there, but is also amazing at every martial art and, if that’s not enough, he’s sort of a chemist too and knows how to mix a chemical solution that can melt metal.
Hear me out: I love fiction. I also love Sci-Fi. A drama doesn’t have to be realistic to be entertaining. But this one ist just way too over-the top. The music is cringe, slow-motion is utilized too often, the romance just doesn’t romance much and no character has enough depth to make the audience care for them. The antagonist is the only character with something called a backstory. I wish the show would’ve been a bit braver on the character development front. There are the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys only live to bring down the bad guys. And they succeed. That’s it. I feel like, with what we know about story-telling, the show doesn’t deliver enough, especially given its high-scale production and huge potential.
I never wait ten years for a piece of fiction. This was the one and only exception because I truly loved the message, the characters, and the way the show restored my hope in humanity. And now it feels as though all the fans’ waiting, and all the hard work of the cast and crew, was in vain.
I know there are bigger issues in the world than a cancelled celebrity and a drama that may never air. But every fan of this show will understand why this leaves me feeling so empty.
- So Min is great as always
- Jae Wook portrays the stubborn, moody but overall charming Jang Uk really well
- love most of the supporting roles
- however, lots of fillers
- the hero’s-quest-plot is not executed as well as it could’ve been. Jang Uk, up until now, has for the most part been very, very lucky
- the show doesn’t consistently stick to the rules of its own world
- I’m reluctant to watch the second season for reasons that have been mentioned by other viewers a lot … it’s just weird and I feel like the authors had other plans for the plot development but then ran into scheduling conflicts with the main cast. It’s such a mood killer for me 🥲
- question: can I stop after season 1?
Because of that, both plot and characters suffer. Character development either happens in a flip of an eye or happens during the months and years that the drama skips between the acts. The drama is too fixated on telling its tragic tale and it’s especially obsessed with its male lead, so it almost completely leaves out the female lead’s backstory. In fact, I would say that this drama is guilty of writing yet another female character just based on the male character. Because he is to have a scar that he’s insecure about, she has to be a cosmetician who’ll figure out how to make her own make-up from scratch to cover up the one flaw that society treats him as a monster for. I know, it’s a story, but stuff like that really gets me fuming because it’s just such lazy writing. In the original version, the female lead was a history professor which makes so much more sense.
I could rant forever. The characters’ actions don’t always make sense. The director is obsessed with close-up shots and definitely overuses them. But I still understand why this drama still lingers with me and others after 10 years. It was definitely very, very special. For me, for audiences, and the cast members as well. It was the drama that made IU a true actress. You can totally tell how immensely she improves during one and the same show. She completely crushed me at the end. There’s also something about the show’s overall cinematography, its soundtrack and how it switches between serene moments and gut-wrenching ones deliberately, but effectively. I still listen to the soundtrack and try to picture a different premise, more backstory to the female lead, a reason for why she of all people on the planet had to go back in time. I imagine more rational characters who can handle court politics and schemes at least in one or two instances and who are not always victims to the enemy’s ruthlessness. I add a few more satisfying moments and an ending that would give the characters and us something like a closure. It could have been a perfect drama then.
The love story left me deeply unsatisfied too. Also, it’s a Chinese phenomenon, I suppose, but a character who is heroic and righteous and only thinks about how to serve his country is not the type of character I enjoy. There’s no development, no personal motive or desire. But hey, that ONE scene at the end (if you know, you know) was one of the most beautifully shot in Chinese drama world. I return to it every now and then, especially because it has been imitated by so many other dramas ever since. I also love the motif of ‘beautiful bones’ which I think is the original title. Who came up with the trivial ‘One and Only’? The original title sets much more accurate expectations: You’re going to get a show that’s going to deliver poetical language and a male lead who has ‘beautiful bones’, aka he’s a true champ.
I think I’m ready to declare this show my favorite. Not because it looks amazing or doesn’t have any beauty flaws, but because I’ve never felt the need to rewatch a drama this often.
For me, a hero who is too perfect ends up feeling bland and forgettable. Ding Qui is perfect from head to toe: his styling, his looks, his seriousness paired with slight goofiness, him outsmarting everyone and almost always being a step ahead. I was never worried for him. Technically, up until episode 14, nothing mattered anyways because only the 5th loop matters, right?
As for how I could tell he knew all those things: when people cited writers, thinkers or scientists, he always knew the said books and quotes. I myself have read tons of books and didn’t know any of those, why should a detective? He also knew how to handle nitrogen and how to mix a solution that could melt metal.
In the end, it boils down to personal preferences. For my taste, I prefer less perfect heroes. A protagonist that I root for doesn’t know everything, he/she makes mistakes, has a backstory and personal motives. He/she can be in grave danger and if he/she is, I want to lose my sense for the reality that it’s just a fictional character I’m watching. That’s what made Signal (another time-bend drama) and Blood Free (another sci-fi show about shady scientific experiments) amazing and this one less thrilling and captivating in comparison.
Sounds ridiculous? Wait for it: our male lead is not only well-read and knows every philosopher, detective novel writer and biologist out there, but is also amazing at every martial art and, if that’s not enough, he’s sort of a chemist too and knows how to mix a chemical solution that can melt metal.
Hear me out: I love fiction. I also love Sci-Fi. A drama doesn’t have to be realistic to be entertaining. But this one ist just way too over-the top. The music is cringe, slow-motion is utilized too often, the romance just doesn’t romance much and no character has enough depth to make the audience care for them. The antagonist is the only character with something called a backstory. I wish the show would’ve been a bit braver on the character development front. There are the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys only live to bring down the bad guys. And they succeed. That’s it. I feel like, with what we know about story-telling, the show doesn’t deliver enough, especially given its high-scale production and huge potential.