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Revenge destroys those who engage in it
Excellent writing. A drama that tackles important problems and makes you think. Nearly perfect, imo. Gripping, intense and intelligent (expect those moments when Kim Nam Gil becomes an immortal superhero fighter but after Good Boy we don't care about that lol).Kim Nam Gil and Kim Yang Kwang are perfect in their roles. It's very difficult to make a villain role well without resorting to the usual twisted grinning psycho mannerisms, but Kim Yang Kwang supercedes all that. Remarkably. Kim Nam Gil is back with another emotional, controlled and fully immersed role after Through the Darkness (we will now forget that Fiery Priest 2 ever happened).
I give this drama a rare 9/10. Binged it in 2 days without needing any breaks, without skipping any parts. The reason why this is not a 10/10 is that the Gong and Go gangster crews had too much screen time. They were less interesting, and I think this drama would have stronger without them.
The writer deserves an award for the script. How tackle an eternal problem in a way that makes strong story and experience, is not an easy task. The director created many magic moments and the pacing was perfect.
Some of the most memorable moments and aesthetics: the moment when Kim and Gong lied dying on the floor facing each other. Kim Yang Kwang in all-white in the smokey haze, looking like a god almost, blood oozing from his chest.
The most memorable line: Revenge destroys those who engage in it.
After all the morally questionable revenge dramas this is something that can't be said often enough.
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Interesting premise ruined by sloppy writing
Frankly, I'm glad this is over and it definitely will not linger in my mind unlike more substantial dramas.The dual personality problem promised psychological depth which in the end didn't get explored deeply enough. I was expecting a lot of character growth to take place but it didn't happen.
I enjoyed the first episodes but somewhere around ep 6 the plot went haywire, sidetracked from the main characters and got rather nonsensical tbh. What I liked most is PJH's acting (of course). Also liked the very strong FL lead: more of this type pls! Hwang Hee's acting in the last ep showed an amazing range of emotions. Hopefully his next role is not a villain role. The queen character was unlikeable all the way. The more a drama has purely unlikeable characters the less I tend to enjoy it. It would have been more interesting if Yeon Wol's warrior protectors (Wind Knife) had had a bigger role in the drama. Almost nothing was portrayed about their aims. What was shown came too late, in the last episodes.
The court scheming and politicking was boring. In a purely fictional drama, why give it such a big role. All in all, the psychology of Sajo Hyun / Ak Hee got only a superficial treatment. The damn shaman was a main character when a small support role would have sufficed. No offense to the actress who did great like she always does. 7/10
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Breakfast at Tiffanys's inspired k-drama
Doona is a slice of life drama with a very carefully built slightly melancholic ambience. Fantastic acting from Suzy and Yang Se Jong. This reminded me of Age of Youth, which I like a lot. Especially the second couple. Maybe it was somewhat difficult to relax bc from the beginning it was kinda clear there would be no happy ending. But all the time I when I was watching I was getting Breakfast at Tiffanys vibes. There were definitely similarities, but that just made me appreciate this drama more. Especially Yang Se Jong's character was very similar to Breakfast at Tiffany's male lead, outsider-ish, ordinary and rooted. Suzy's character was unconventional and slighly unbalanced like Audrey Hepburn in BaT. Also, both were tied to a man from their pasts. I really enjoyed this a lot and I think the writer and director created a very good, unconventional k-drama. I'd give a Daesang for Suzy for her role. I know more trashy and popular dramas will get the awards make the headlines, but I guess that's okay, since this was just right for me.Was this review helpful to you?
Quiet and slow drama which is perfect for book lovers
This drama is really different. The main character is the small town, in a sense.There's a quietness and slowness and an overall ambience in this one, it's very controlled in an artistic sense. The drama uses a lot of season metaphors, and as a season it's definitely November with November feelings. Cinematography is beautiful. The drama is slow so I felt it was better to also watch slowly, some 15-20 mins a day. That way I could enjoy the townspeople interactions, and the range of characters. Lee Jae Wook's acting and character were particularly delighful.
What also was really likeable and fun, was the book club, with the old and young members mixing. And the bookshop as a setting, cosy and warm. In contrast FL's house and family were cold and icy.
The two main characters past and traumas were less interesting to me than the townspeople scenes. The drama wasn't really that romantic - I had expected more and the romance was kind of empty (purposefully and in line with the psychology and past of ML & FL characters but still something of a letdown). I didn't fully understand the main characters, especially the ML remained a mystery. This is because we get to learn about the main characters and the two families' past very slowly. The past comes to light mostly in the latter half.
So this takes a lot of patience and it's not for moments when we need entertainment or quick rewards. It's a perfect drama for book lovers and I definitely didn't waste my time putting an effort to watch such a different drama.
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Who is the Wolf King
Crime & action drama that is not boring for a minute. The police are hunting for the leads the Northwestern Wolves gang . WZQ's character is a cop who goes undercover to the gang to find the Wolf King and his mother who also was an undercover police and has gone missing.I liked the fact that the police were as smart and insightful as the gang members in the cat and mouse game. Especially the veteran police chief actually calling the shots was satisfactory to me. Oftentimes the police bosses in crime dramas are just bullies and obstacles.
But overall this drama is lacking in character depth. The first half is more interesting than the 2nd half. Lots of new antagonists appear out of nowhere as older ones are killed off at a steady pace. A high body count in this one.
WZQ acting range is great, and one the reasons why I chose this one. But lots of screentime with close up shots are dedicated to obnoxious villain Fei for reasons known only to the director. The character was not interesting at all and almost became the main character.
I wouldn't whoheartedly recommend this but if you're longing for action and adventure you definitely will be entertained.
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