Happy to see that Black Out has become a dark horse in the ratings. Ofc it's not really a hit like Good Partner, but it has tripled its premiere rating due to quality/good reviews alone, which is no small feat. Especially considering that it couldn't secure an air date for a few years after filming.
Surprising. I thought this would be a heartwarming tearjerker from the comments, but it was more of a critique on Asian family dynamics, and touched on issues such as favoritism and greed. I felt quite a bit of frustration towards/on behalf of the characters (grandma included). Still, it's a well made film that resonated with me on some levels.
Ah right, there was a drama with Kang Dong Won and Jun Ji Hyun (it used to be called Polaris). I feel like it's been years since it was announced and I totally forgot about it.
The writers created a series of issues that have yet to be resolved, and blindsided us with this reveal right at the halfway mark. Stage 2 stomach cancer has a 5-year relative survival rate of 35%, and the FL had it 3 years ago. I hate to say this but if the story goes the obvious route from now on, this will go from a 7/10 to one of my least favourite shows of the year. It will be a ridiculous, disrespectful and lazy attempt to gain viewership through shock factor instead of committed storytelling. Seeing how it has gained a lot of buzz from this, I guess they've succeeded.
I am enjoying this as a relatable and rather insightful workplace drama, but the toxicity is hard to watch sometimes - because I know this is a realistic depiction of their work culture. I thought the office culture in my country is toxic as it is, but this drama + accounts from actual koreans that I know are making me thankful that I'm not working in Korea or a korean company. I'm even more thankful that I'm not a woman who works in Korea because honestly, so many sources tell me that a high proportion of their men are absolute misogynistic sh!tholes. Just like half the men in this drama.
Well said. Love Jeon Jong Seo (like in The Call) but here unfortunately she lacks presence to be the main character…
She was great in the movies I've seen her in, but I think her signature "modern woman" kind of energy isn’t translating well to being royalty in a serious sageuk. There isn't the appropriate weight in her voice, the way she walks, or her facial expressions. Her lack of experience is visible next to JCW/the other actors and yeah they didn't really look in love to me either.
Almost 3 episodes in. Unfortunately, I already have many issues with the show. The King's death, even if I was expecting it, felt anti-climatic because of the way he died, and the way it was presented. I'm not impressed by JJS, who isn't giving much depth or charisma to her role - her teenage version who appeared for 15 minutes was more convincing. This is almost fatal because she's the titular character. Scenes are dimly lit but don't appear cinematic - rather, director seems to want them to appear edgy (which isn't really working). And the biggest issue; I don't really care about any of the characters and their fates, because they seem so one-dimensional. Ironically, it was the King that was the most interesting to me.
Also I have no personal problem with sexual scenes but frankly, sometimes they felt more like a gimmick than a genuine effort to enhance the storytelling.
I'm not sure about how they're gonna be handling the subplot of FL being wanted out of the company, it seems a bit sudden and out of place. But if the writing keeps up the same quality in the remaining episodes, this will probably be the best kdrama of 2024 for me (that I watched so far). If not, at least it definitely has some of my favourite female characters of the year (JNR and her daughter).
We had the FL's ex-colleagues show up once to quickly resolve her past work related issues, then the ML's ex-gf showed up, and now FL's ex is coming too? I'm seeing a pattern I don't really like here. Instead of the characters doing things and events occurring naturally, it's more like they're just going about their business and people/things just pop up around them with little to no reason. For people who have watched enough dramas, it's easy to read the intentions of the writer and it's hard not to see this as lazy storytelling. It's kinda like they're ticking things off a checklist as they write the story. The good thing is that the actors (and somewhat the directing) are making it look as natural as possible, or at least they're trying to. But the writer isn't doing them much favours.
The plot is very predictable, plays out exactly as you would expect from the trailer. The action sequences were pretty entertaining, but there's a LOT of plot armour for LJH's character that it's almost ridiculous. Still, it's a decent popcorn movie that's worth watching for the leads.
The romance was by far the weakest and most poorly written part of the first season, and yet from the trailer, the biggest connection between the 1st and 2nd seasons seems to be... the romance. Welp. If they were going to make this a "fate brings tragically separated lovers back together" kind of story, they really shouldn't have half-assed the romantic development in the first place.
I wonder if this is because they're trying to replicate an "American" company without much context and real experience…
I haven't seen WHC1, but apparently the school violence situation in SK is actually pretty bad, that's why there's this entire subgenre of school bullying dramas/movies that's kinda like a dramatized reflection of their reality. Those are upfront about being unrealistic so I'm more tolerant of them (I also don't often watch them since it doesn't rly appeal to me), but I imagine it's much more ridiculous to you lol.
Also I have no personal problem with sexual scenes but frankly, sometimes they felt more like a gimmick than a genuine effort to enhance the storytelling.
Will be putting this on-hold.
...Well, I guess why not lol.