roddib

Lacking in both story and characters

This was more like a parody of a historical drama Queen Woo than the actual drama. Putting this much money in the hands of virtual amateurs was a very bad decision. And giving them the best kdrama actors, to only appear in short and random moments. Queen Woo is the ultimate failure in storytelling. All you get is violence, shock effects and 2 minute characters. A drama that is unique in a very bad way. Queen Woo lacks a fully developed storyline. We don't get to know the characters, which is highly unusual for a k-drama. We don't even get to SEE the characters actually, because it's all in the dark.

We hear that writer rewrote this 90 times. I'm tempted to say that obviously the rewriting involved removing all the dialogues. Because the characters mainly do not speak. If they do, it's max 2 sentences per each character. Except for the soldier arguing about pay - he's not exactly a comedic sidekick but close to one. And the only character getting something of a distinct character,

This content and situation would easily have made a good 20-40 episode sageuk. We would have learned all about why the clans fight with each other, what is at stake. We would know how the situations and strifes evolved, from the very start. We would have started from the childhood of the main characters. We would get to know all the characters, including supporting ones, through and through. We would have deeply cared about happens to them. We would have understood every party's motives and goals, and had the chance to reflect ourselves on where people make mistakes. We would have been shown how the new king or prime minister is just as ruthless as the previous one after all this fighting (as in Empress Ki).

Many who say this is "one of the best historical dramas" or "refreshingly different historical drama" have not actually watched the classic sageuks at all. With classic sageuks I mean (of course) Six Flying Dragons, Tree With Deep Roots, Scarlet Heart Ryeo....I don't think I can ever forget the personalities of the main characters in these dramas. Now we get 2 minute characters. And a lot of meaningless killing and violence which we're supposed to enjoy? (with the 2 minute characters).

There was no build up to the important moments, like putting the swords on the table. Who were the 2 older guys with the swords? Nobody knows, nobody cares. The queen's explanation of why she chose to go into war came like an afterthought, in the last episode. One minute given to that. Which actually needed an extended buildup. And her addressing the army should have been a long speech, with an extended buildup (again). I doubt the armies would have followed a woman if they were just addressed at the door for one minute when the enemy was already there.

Eun Pa Sol was given the most screentime as the key person trying to solve the kings's murder. Plot twist: no, actually a weird traitor who kept his grandpa's skeleton in his closet. So why did he end up supporting the queen? Nobody knows, nobody cares. What was the point of introducing the cult? Just to shoot an impressive scene of some crazies wallowing in the pool. And then a fight afterwards, none of it visible bc the screen was all dark. We got more of the gritty sex scenes which from a mind so dirty no amount of soap will help to clean it. The sex scenes were like a nail which busted the balloon, bc of their out of context and degrading nature.

JWC proved his virtuoso acting and I hope all the k-drama veterans at least had fun sitting together and drinking after each days shooting. JJS as FL: I don't know how people don't see or hear how she is just not good enough in this role. The mistakes and awkward moments (scenes and lines that needed to be reshot) are in plain sight in Queen Woo, imo Just like in Wedding Impossible she's just saying the lines in a completely flat tone, there's no sparkle in her. I guess people just buy the idea of what she's supposed to be and don't see the failure in delivering it.

Although this drama isn't actually boring and the fools will lap it up like dogs on a hot day, I assure you it's not good for your immortal soul. Congrats to those who can edit it their minds to make a fully fleshed out story and characters. That's a talent I don't have, all I saw was a sketch of a drama instead of the actual drama.

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Psychological thriller from the writer of Just Between Lovers

This is a psychological thriller with hitchcockian undertones. I'm stunned by how original and interesting this is. Capturing. The writer and director have achieved an amazing series. I guess pychological dramas are not everyone's piece of cake (comparing to likewise low ratings of Cheese In the Trap) but this is definitely amongst all time top serious k-dramas for me. It's offering a lot of food for thought. I don't think the descriptions the drama or its themes do any justice to it - jealousy and vengeance are too superficial ideas/drivers and this drama is much more deep and layered to be described in those terms. If something, it tells that some people just don't seem to have the gift for happiness. Looking for another person to deliver all the goods things in life is a doomed mission. Happiness is a choice as much as anything else. The writer would deserve the award this year, that much is already clear. All the actors are great in their roles. There is no overacting . I was always wondering why didn't we hear more of the Leo in "Black". Here he is now, maybe still starting but starting good. Poor Kim Bo Yun always has these roles as the obnoxious mother - she's good but I'd like to see her in the "good mother" role for a change :)

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Not for binge watching, maybe a little outdated

I started this when I was sick with flu and watched some 20 episodes in 2 days. The first 10 episodes were really good with constant twists and turns. The middle part from 20-40 felt very repetitive with war after war and neverending palace plots. I skipped all fight scenes and Tanashili scenes. They were just too predictable and devoid of meaning. (=Outdated in terms of current expectations). The last 10 episodes were again a rollercoaster. I think it's best to watch this drama as it originally was meant to be watched, 1-2 episodes per week. Probably only then is it possible to appreciate the big scale of the production and the effort that went into making it visually outstanding.

Regardless of this perhaps being a classic and must-watch, I felt the characters were rather one-dimensional and there could have been more shades to the culprits. Now they are just mainly hatable monsters. I have to say I didn't feel much empathy for the main leads. There were some scenes that stood out for both Ji Chang Wook and Ha Ji Won, but the space they were given to portray character depth was rather limited (in comparison to action scenes). Therefore Tal Tal emerged as one of the most interesting characters, as there was slow progression in his coming to the fore. All in all, with the ending (not an actual victory) and the permanent wars and power struggles and last speeches of the Empress Dowager and Head of Eagle House, I felt the message was one of there being always shadow forces and continuity in power politics regardless of people in charge changing.

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Serious drama about early onset Alzheimer's

I liked the topic of this drama. The drama is for someone who prefers more serious topics. It also portrays individuals' ethical struggles, which is also interesting. The drama portrays very well the experiences and behavior of someone getting Alzheimer's in their 40s. The subplot about the mystery around the male lead son's death and the changes in his attitudes toward his law cases are also interesting.

ML is a great actor, and it's good to see him even in a bigger role than in Misaeng. The problem in this drama is that there are just too many flashbacks and scenes centered around the painful moments of confusion and distress caused by the disease. We would have got it with much less time spent in those moments and the endless repetition of them. Also the family theme gets too much space. It's more central even than the law cases, understandable, but not something that could well carry a drama and keep it interesting. Yes, discovering the importance of family is basically a nice theme but I just ended up skipping almost half of the scenes in the latter half of the drama.

Junho in the role of the junior lawyer doesn't get much screen time and slowly advancing relationship between the secretary and Junho also gets very little screen time. Junho is just in a balancing support role as the ML's wingman, he brings some fun and relief into the drama within its overall darker theme. There's not much there for him to show his talents (although he's very good in the drama nevertheless), since we get no background story about Junho or the secretary. That's an opportunity lost, as they were basically the most interesting characters and knowing more about them would have been nice. The two female leads, the ML's current and ex-wife, get a lot of individual time, but also nothing much to work on, so the time spent on them is too much compared to the law cases.

Overall, I'm still glad I watched the drama. Because of the poignancy of the topic I give it an 8, although the drama obviously has severe flaws - the worst is that there is too much empty time, just background music playing and nothing happening or advancing plotwise.

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Junho in a double role

This is a small and lighthearted indie (?) film. It's an easy and nice watch. I've always preferred this type of smaller films to big productions.

Junho is great in the double role as the world weary disillusioned artist Nero and the boyish naive student. There's criticism, even satire, of the artworld. The characters all face major challenges which makes this work well as a drama but luckily the way the stories are told is not too depressing and the ending is optimistic. The female characters are left rather shallow but since this is not primarily about romance, that's fitting.

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Excellent drama about archeology fieldwork

This drama is a highly worthwhile watch. Its a deep dive into archeology. And, spanning 36 episodes, it is keeps up its its momentum, entertaining and interesting all the way. The whole drama spans some 10+ years, in which the main characters, 3 archeology students, become professionals and experts in their field. The mystery that launches the narrative involves a murder of sorts, the murder of history, as previously unseen and unresearched historical figurines are auctioned in a foreign country. The police and archeologists manage to salvage and bring back the artefacts, and start delving into the mystery of their origin.

We are following 3 groups of people: archeologists doing their work in the field, tombraiders stealing the treasures and selling them for the highest bidder, and a police special unit hunting the tombraiders. All three groups have their main characters, but surprisingly, the most in-depth and interesting characters are the main villains in the tombraiding group: Mu Jianhui and his companion in crime, Guang. Mu Jianhui is highly intelligent and fights and plots his way from poverty into respectable collector and benefactor status. He is perhaps the least black and white villain I've ever had a chance to see; we see a whole human being with strengts and flaws. We see him being a very good supportive man to Guang, and the people around, whilst involved in criminal activity. Their friendship and the family they build together offer the most emotional and heartbreaking scenes of the drama.

The 3 archeologist friends are less multidimensional characters although their camaderie is also fun and interesting to watch. I didn't much care about the romance plot between Fan Kung and Luo Qing, it was half-hearted at best and childish at worst. The police group's leader is also a less interesting character, we get to know very little about his background or family. He goes around tirelessly but I didn't learn much of his personality, except that he perseveres.

The police are always one step behind the tomb raiders, underresourced and facing dangerous situations. They face competing tombraider groups, infighting and murders, during the duration of the drama. In the end they manage to track down the main robber barons (thus, happy ending).

What to me is the most pleasurable aspect of the drama is that we are always there, in the villages where the archeology fieldwork takes place. We learn about how archeologists study the environment, measuring and observing how densely packed the groud is, in trying to deduce where tombs could be situated. We meet a lot of village people with their own concerns. All portrayed in a sympathetic light, both those aiding the tombraiders and those who engage in hunting them and protecting the tombs. The Lost National Treasure a very rich and colourful drama.

There's a lot to say but: great drama!

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Unlike any other crime drama

Under the Skin (1-2) is a unique and fascinating police and crime drama. The heavy focus on aethetics and ambiance makes it different from the conventional police procedural dramas. It doesn't try to be realistic and isn't, in the way the crimes are solved.

Producer Zhang Yiyun explained:
“Traditional crime dramas often focus on realistic styles, hardcore reasoning, and strong plots to tell stories. But we’ve been exploring how to create a non-traditional crime drama in terms of narrative style, visual aesthetics, and thematic expression. For example, we avoid overly complicated cases, gruesome criminal methods, or overly brain-twisting reasoning processes. Instead, we focus on the dramatic changes in character fates and relationships, using them as the core suspense and plot twists. The show emphasizes the emotions and humanity behind the cases.”

Much of the drama revolves around forensic artist and psychological profiler Shen Yi's thought processes and observations, which he expresses in visual form in his drawings. Captain Du Cheng is the more solid bread and butter police. Their teamwork and differences are enjoyable and the essence carrying the drama which consists of episodic cases.
The pacing is excellent. When the most interesting aspects of a criminal or a case are revealed, the plot moves very quickly on to a new case.

I enjoyed S2 even more than S1, bc they really went head on to unchartered waters. There was an even heavier focus on psychology, aesthetics and cinematography. Some scenes are utterly poetic, like the garbage magic garden (case 2), the streamer girls' doll room, and the wedding-that-was-cancelled decorations.

We learned more about how Shen Yi did his psychological analyses. The scenes with Shen Yi getting face to face with suspects in their own environments, encouraging suspects to open up and tell their stories, telling allegorical stories to them, explaining the meaning of artifacts in their homes, are my favorite ones. Priceless, really.

Shen Yi was the key character this season. The police chiefs were hoping that Shen Yi's insights into the human psyche and way of interpreting traces could be turned into a manual that helps also other police in psychological profiling. Shen Yi's writing of is the "Human Atlas" that is talked about in the last episodes. In the end Shen Yi's art, his "portraits of the heart" as the second level of portrait drawing, constitute this atlas.

The cases I enjoyd most are the AI chatbot case, the opera case and gene editing case.

The last case about gene editing was again very realistic, as was the AI chatbot case. The means for tampering genes with the CRISPR scissors already exist and gene therapies are introduced without much or any long-term testing. Although I absolutely hated it when Shen Yi didn't seem to dispute the Fenk Kai Yi the Mad Scientist's claim that all humans are by nature evil. But he was actually just listening and making his own observations and conclusions, as always. In the last episodes Du Cheng also finally had the opportunity to shine, something I had been wanting to see more. In the last episodes he emerges the strong pillar that he was in S1. The moment when he takes SY off the case bc derailment in wrong direction, was very satisfactory. The friendship between the Mad Scientist and SY on the other hand was difficult to swallow, as it made SY look weaker. As if he had actually been choosing and believing the freak. I wanted to yell "go back to your teammates" at the screen.

But the season ended beautifully with SY and DC honestly talking things out and summing up how they complement each other. Those last dialogues were exceptionally fine writing. I'm ready for S3 and even more experimentation from the writer and producers. The team made a fantastic drama. As for the the last scene (SY stabbing DC), I think the meaning was again to say that within every human being is both good and evil and that they'll explore this further in S3.

Zhang Lai said: "Writing about crime is not to showcase evil, but more importantly, to explore the multifaceted nature of humanity. Good and evil stand side by side, but love is the antidote to redemption, and the law is the thunderbolt that punishes evil. This is our ultimate message."

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The story of drug lord Liu Zhao Hua

An ambitious large scale production. The story moves across 4 different locations and sums up to be quite a journey. It tells the real life story of drug lord Liu Zhaohua. The drama follows the real events, his life and personality fairly closely. (e.g., the real Zhaohua did have 3 wives) (seehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Zhaohua)

The sheer amount of cast made me confused at times, especially as regards the villains. But this is something not to miss, as the artistic level is quite high. The story becomes more solid and exciting as it progresses. Overall the director had free hands in making this and many scenes are just irrationally and unexplicably good. Like the one in which Lin Qiang Feng free style raps with his musician female friend, or when the normally restrained drug police Li An and Lin Qiang Feng sit down together for a beer in their trip to Myanmar. I wish I had written down the lines, they were so good. And the heads of the drug police force decide on their their two teams' next moves and strategies whilst playing ping pong.

The acting is remarkably good. Duan Yi Hong portrays a very unusual hero as the senior police officer tracing Shao Hua for 5 years, many times almost catching him but not quite. Our hero is a very quirky character, who almost never seems to take anything seriously but laughs his a**s off when there is nothing to laugh about. And who likes to sing a lot. But deep down he's very shrewd and above all persistent.

Qin Hao does yet another fantastic role as Liu Shao Hua. Shao Hua turns out to be a chameleon who sheds his skin and becomes a new person blending in and upgrading himself and his operation in every new environment. When we are shown glimpses of Shao Hua as he was in the beginning of his journey in the first episodes, in the final episode, when his brother watches him in TV from jail, the difference is so big it made me dizzy.

The actors who portray Shao Hua's wives are all exceptionally great in their roles. Others that deserve special mention are Shao Hua's 2 drug manufacturing mates. They have many great scenes, especially in the Myanmar location.

For avoiding the confusions I had, it's best to first read about the real life story of the drug lord Liu Zhuo Hua. The essence of the drama is in highlighting the difficulty of fighting drug crimes. The manufacturing mostly takes place in the Golden Triangle, where lawlessness and local armed gangs rule and Chinese police do not have full jurisdiction to operate. The police teams in Narcotic Operation sacrifice quite a lot in going full in the chase of Liu Zhao Hua. The ending shows glimpses of what appears to be real life film shots of police doing drug raids.

Why I give 8/10 to this instead of a higher rating:

- the background music is immensely irritating, mostly
- lots of characters, most of whom we get to know only superficially
- first 5 episodes are quite difficult to follow and to get into

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Interesting drama special about crime psychology

The drama revolves a lot around the question of how to tell whether someone is lying or telling the truth. This makes it interesting and fresh. There's also a murder plot as the female leads mother has gone missing in her childhood and her father has been suspected of murder. The family theme is well intertwined with the crime psychology thread.

The father actor is particularly great. All in all this is a good and worthwhile drama to watch. It's not a gamechanging drama, but if like me you are tired of the whodunnit murder mysteries, the focus on psychology makes it different. It offers some food for thought, as the message is that not all lies and lying are necessarily bad. Sometimes lies are meant to avoid hurting other people unnecessarily. The drama has a very satisfactory ending leaving watchers with good feelings.

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Feels like a classic sci fi series

Search is a rare gem of a drama. It's intense but not stressful. No boring moments, not a single weakness. There's action but the relationships between characters (including human-animal) are much more important. There are zombies but they have little screentime, there is a mystery to be solved. Zombie attacks are kept to a minimum so the suspense is more psychological than relying on shock effects. That makes it all the more interesting.

Altogether this has more a feel of a classic sci fi series (like the original Star Trek) than anything else. The characters are on a limited space, they have to fulfill missions, they are tested.

The crew of actors couldn't be better. An all-stars cast such as this is a rare and wonderful thing. They complement each other so well. Jand Dong Yoon is a great natural talent and it's great to see how much effort he has made to learn the dog handling. Krystal, Park Yoon, Lee Hyun Hook and Moon Young Hee - we gradually learn about their characters and backgrounds in a very satisfying way.

I didn't want to pause watching the series, it had me hooked for the full 10 hours. That was the perfect lenght too. The slowly revealed plot was well written. The romance is present as a possibility, it's not really essential to the drama. This is a decision that leaves a lot of room for viewers' anticipation and imagination which is more satisfactory often than showing explicit romance and using breakups as the sole plot moving devices. (The last sentence is a reminder to myself to look for similar OCN dramas).

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Sweet and lovely romance and suspense drama

This is really a sweet slow burn romance drama. But not too slow since we get to enjoy some of the couple's good times as well from early on which I really liked.

This is a rare drama in that it doesn't get boring or repetitive at any point. The main couple's romance is quite lovely despite not much actual chemistry being there.

Plot: The good thing is that there aren't many plotholes, the bad thing is episode 15 where there's a 2-year time flip. Would have been much better without that, bc it made me loose faith the in the couple.

Acting: The FL was good at start, but somehow resorted to "cute" childishness toward the end - when she should have been matured by all her experiences and difficulties. Kim Dong Wook is very sympathetic here like always, even if dryish :) But sympathetic-dryish is better than overdramatic or overacting :)

Overall: The (memory/no memory) plot sounds pretty crazy and is perhaps the reason I didn't choose to watch this earlier on. But it's not as central as the suspense plot, which is really good - not too suspenseful but good at keeping up the interest and well embedded in the overall story arch. The social message about the cruelty of the public towards celebrities and excessive interest in their private lives is very much on point. As we have recently witnesses similar things occurring, scandals based on mere lies and rumours and/or impossible moral demands and standards.

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Noir crime drama with arthouse-cinematic qualities

A sad story of wrongfully accused two brothers. A police officer working in a contention center instinctively knows they are innocent and tries to get to the bottom of what really happened. We see Du Xiang Dong courageously pedalling on his bicycle for hours on the misty mountain roads. The case strecthes for decades and Du Xiang Dong's life is always shadowed by it.

As is typical for c-noir dramas, we have a cast of characters with intertwining lives. The acting of all of the cast is nothing less than perfect. None of the characters are stereotypically good or bad, even the police. They're human and make human choices and human errors. Shi Peng Yuan is in a main role a second time together with Qin Hao after the Bad Kids, they're both so good in this too.

The cinematography in A Life For a Life is simply breathtaking. The location and the feels it provides always have a big role in the Light On series and for the viewing experience. This one's in a lush mountaineous region and the main settings are the prison and a steel factory. The order in which they portray the story is unusually well thought out. A dark and heartbreaking story yet I enjoyed every minute of it. Some melodramatic touches and music further underline to the arthouse-cinematic qualities of this drama.

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"The dark side of human nature. Everyone has it."

As the quote above reveals, this is on the darker side or noir crime dramas. There's a closed room murder mystery with only 3 possible suspects. Police officer Chen who has kept himself busy guarding sheep from sandstorms and robbers is called in to reinvestigate, as not everything seems right with the previous investigation. This sets off a chain of events which ends with the same murder scenario repeating itself.

Chen Jiang He is delightfully temperamental but also a broken humbled man, due to an accident involving his senior police officer. He believes that patiently finding out about the lives and motives of the people surrounding the murder mystery will eventually lead to a breakthrough. We gradually get to know the families of the 3 suspects and their histories. One thing I particularly liked about the drama is how there were no boring psycho killers. The sad incidents resulted from partly accidents, partly deceptions and selfishness.

The plot tightens toward the end, and the last 3 episodes are particularly heartbreaking.

The mountaineous half-desert location is very beautiful and also very harsh. We see and almost feel the dust and sand in the air. Watching Sandstorm felt like being there. Highly recommended for friends of c-noir.

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Intense and gripping adventure drama about gold fever

An adventure drama that is intense and gripping to the max. The location and setting in the rain forest is magnificent and means a lot for the watching experience. We are practically there, in the jungle, at the deserted gold mine at the riverside, far away from roads and human habitation.

The plot focuses on how the prospect of finding the big gold nugget drives people to extremes. It gets in their head, and never lets them go. This depicts the gold rush madness in a realistic manner (see note). It depicts older and younger dreamers in the middle of jungle working at panning gold without machines. The work requires organization and rules and agreements, but we are shown how in the circumstances all ties and agreements dissolve as soon as they're made. In the end it's every man for himself. Gold madness makes stealing and killing seem like nothing.

All of the characters are various grades of selfish, dishonest and cruel. Or become that way, in the field. Our main characters are 3 youngsters, who come as newbies to the panning site, and form a friendship. Their bosses and site managers get as much screentime, since this is an ensemble drama.

This is very fast paced, and I felt this could have easily been twice as long. There are relatively few quiet moments. Those would have given us some more room to get to know the 3 friends and their backgrounds better. The ending of the drama is good, and exactly as it should be. The most experienced panners decide to blow up the mine, because they have seen enough of the madness. Based on earlier experiences, they know very well what would happen next with the discovery of the main big gold vein.

What I didn't like: the editing is somewhat choppy, and the shifts between scenes often feel quite abrupt. That's why I'm only giving this 8.5. although it could have easily been 10, with better editing and less rushing.

Note: Once, I was on a hiking in a trail in a gold panning area. The panners were very welcoming and asked us to visit their encampments. One panner had just that day lost all of the gold he had managed to dig up that summer. Someone had come when he was away digging and stolen it all. He was devastated but tried to be cool about it. Another panner had just opened a new area and he found a relatively decent sized nugget the very day we were visiting. He insisted on giving it to me as a gift. Because, he said, he didn't want to go crazy over the gold. And wanted to remind himself that whole point was to enjoy being there in the wild and in the nature. This is why I can honestly say Gold Panning is a magnificent and realistic drama about gold fever.

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