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Unlikely blend of romance and mystery
I'll admit I gave up on this show twice when it first aired. That's because I didn't even get through the first episode. I only returned to it 3 years later when it was on Netflix and I had run out of things to watch.First off, the synopses found online for the show really don't do it justice. The drama is an unlikely mix of romance, underdog, and murder mystery. The real hook (for me) is the serial murder angle, which only appears right at the end of episode 1. Just based on the dongseng-noona romance alone, it's not my type of show even though I really like both Gong Hyo Jin and Kang Ha Neul. They're both excellent actors. However, the unlikely pairing of the romance with the undercurrent of a serial murder hooked me because the killer isn't revealed right until very nearly the end. I hate similar cop-serial murder mysteries of late where you know exactly who the serial killer is and part of the appeal of those dramas involves seeing it through their eyes.
All the characters in the village are loveable even though they don't start off that way. I like the folksy vibe and country-side setting of this and similar shows such as Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Our Blues . If you enjoy serial killer shows, suspend your skepticism and give this a try because it's not a straight cat-and-mouse show but also has romance and underdog drama, with a small slice of comedy thrown in. This show has something for everyone!
I deducted 1.5 stars because I felt the last 4 episodes were unnecessary. They dragged the show out beyond 16 episodes and went in a ridiculous direction.
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A live manga or 1990s Kdrama?
I've watched a lot of J-drama in my life but haven't for many years now. I now watch far more K-drama which is plentiful and accessible in terms of speed of subtitling. Thank goodness for Netflix. To be honest, I only watched this because it was on Netflix but I'm glad I did.Watching this show however you first have to suspend belief. The acting is over the top and the characters are very one-dimensional, and the plot is so stereotypically straight out of a 1990s Kdrama. The antagonists are evil and scheming without any redemption, the supporting characters are around to provide comic relief, and the tortured Tsubaki and Nao who have to grow and learn, are so tortured by their past that they can't function as normal human beings. You have to suspend belief and treat it like a manga with all its cliques. The relationship between Tsubaki and Nao is farcical and almost borders on abuse. In true manga style, Tsubaki has a one sided smile and hair covering one eye. The show has also taken Kdrama cliques and one-upped them. For instance, the signature guy slams fist into wall next to girl to make a point was borrowed straight out of the K-drama clique playbook, and similarly, the K-drama back hug clique. I have not seen these cliques in other Jdramas.
However, something about the show is strangely enticing and watchable precisely because it's so retro. It is very fast moving as there are only 8 episodes so easily bingeable in a weekend. If you have a spare weekend, it's worth a watch!
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Wasted potential
I don't know how people are saying that they've completed all 12 episodes when there are only 10 episodes broadcasted till today.Anyhow, I don't understand the high rating. This show has so much wasted potential. It could have been a mindf**k show with the time travel theme, it could have been the exploration of parent-child relationships, it could have been a show about an elaborate fraud scheme, it could have been a super-hero show, or it could been about mental health and healing. Or it could have been about an epic love story. Even Jang Ki Young was a disappointment if I was wanting to watch an 'idol' drama.
It has been NONE of these. At most I would class it as a somewhat interesting love story, sans romance. I keep watching and waiting for any one of these to emerge, but none has. The only reason I'm continuing is because I just want to see how bad it is at the end.
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King Taejong - again!
By now, this story is really familiar. In my mind, it's a better version of King of Tears. That series focused on the fight between the brothers and his conflict with his father. There was some mention of his conflict with his wife but the entire drama set was dodged in real life by scandal after scandal. It's sad because that was a great drama that suffered from poor ratings as a result of incidents outside its sphere.This series, in my opinion, takes off from King of Tears which first highlighted that perhaps the king wasn't totally in control but was mostly manipulated and helped by his wife and her powerful family. This drama focuses on the conflict between husband and wife. There's also fantastic acting by Reborn Rich grandfather, Lee Sung Min and I'm a great fan of his. There's a prequel which focuses on the love story between husband and wife - I wonder why they had it as two separate series. 12 episodes for one drama, especially a sageuk, is really too short. I think it would have been better for the flow of the story to have included those 2 episodes into this one instead.
Anyway, one final thought - this drama highlights the control and subjugation of a powerful and strong woman. Sadly, she wasn't allowed to leave an unhappy and toxic marriage but had to stand by watch as she was repeated subjugated, humiliated and demeaned. In today's terms, she would have been within her rights to seek a divorce. I wish women had the right to do so in those days without suffering the consequences such as being financially cut off and facing social derision..
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Great crime drama
This is a fantastic fantasy crime drama - great pacing and no wasted moments. The story is a bit predictable in the first few episodes when they are crime solving but thereafter when the reach the main plot point (the body swap), the plot development is solid.There are subtle social issues touched upon such as the strong chauvinism in a male-dominated workforce and vocation. For that, I give Ayase Haraku a thumbs up for a solid performance not only in acting as a suppressed feminist but also as a neurotic detective and then an over-confident killer. To begin with, I only watched the drama because of her and I wasn't disappointed! Issei Takahashi however is prone to overacting. I cringed every time he came on.
I've also deducted points for the hackneyed work of the music supervisor/editor. For goodness sakes, stop playing sound effects to emphasise a certain look the killer gives or inconsistencies in his testimony. We're not idiots. It's the equivalent of putting emojis to highlight clues the writers want us to take note of. Yes we get it, he's the one. That's childish and takes away any enjoyment I had in trying to figure out the clues myself.
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Quirky and educational
This show starts off slow with a lot of over-acting but once you get into the hang of it, it's pretty entertaining. The drama starts off trying to be a comedy with a background of mystery. The premise is a top neurosurgeon (Jung Yong Hwa) comes in to help the police solve crimes related to the brain ailments. I'm particularly surprised by the over-acting of Jung Dong Hwan. He's such an established actor; there's really no need for over-acting.The pacing gets better around episode 3 when the mystery and crime-solving comes to the forefront instead of being buried in the exposition of each character. Having a story of the week really helps prevent the overall series from getting caught up in the over-acting. Once the show got underway, I enjoyed the weekly lessons and brain science that the neurosurgeon character played by Jung introduced.
Jung Yong Hwa hasn't acted in a lot of dramas over the years, and in this drama, he's as prone to over-acting as the other leads. I can't say that this drama is his best work (I still like Heartstring because the role reflects what he does best - being a kpop idol) but I do enjoy the wide variety of drama roles that he attempts. I got to give him credit for trying new things and sometimes they work out (Three Musketeers, the Package), and sometimes they don't.
In short, don't take the drama too seriously. Watch this drama for a light laugh and take it with a huge pinch of salt.
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Is this a teen drama?
I tried so hard to watch this. However, it’s a teen drama and I don’t do HS dramas. If I wanted to watch a HS drama, I would watch a HS drama. Friends told me I have to wait until epi 9 before it gets good. It’s already epi 5 and no Zo In Sung.Contrast this with the other superhero show broadcasting now, Uncanny Counter 2, which as been action from the get go. (That show suffers from other problems but action wasn’t one of them) No need for patience till almost midway through the season. And 20 episodes? Come on, do better with the editing seriously.
This is also a rip off Fantastic 4 and other broody teenage superhero movies trying to tame their super powers. Heroes, the American TV show, especially comes to mind. This is such a rip-off.
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Interesting themes
This could have been a great movie. the premise is great - a second chance to interact with your deceased loved ones in an AI generated world. However, because it's in an anthology format, just as each character is developing, it's disrupted to move on to another story as it chops and changes between stories.In comparison, Yonder had the same premise but executed it much better as they focused on deeply exploring the experience for one family, and surrounding context. Even with Yonder, I felt more could have been done but perhaps that showed a lot of understanding (or more accurately, dreaming) of the underlying tech and how it affects society.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting premise
I am not going to wade into the "which is better, the original Chinese drama or this" controversy. I have never watched the Chinese original (and don't intend to) so I can't comment.The only thing I want to touch on is the mental and social commentary stemming from this drama. First, I find it interesting that this 'alternative' family arrangement has been highlighted, perhaps as the writer's hope that single-parent families and alternative family arrangements will one day become normalised in Korea. It is often not their fault that such families end up the way they are, and they shouldn't face discrimination because of it. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a happy 'standard' family and as society, we shouldn't comment on what makes another family happy.
Second, what really bugs me is the lack of acknowledgement of mental health. San Ha's mom clearly has narcissistic personality disorder in the way that she manipulates everyone around her and never admits her responsibility for her own situation. Threatening suicide is one such example of manipulation. She needs psychiatric care. This in turn has caused San Ha untold mental anguish as manifested through his constant anxiety and insomnia. Just 'talking it out' won't make either sets of symptoms go away. This is unrealistic and I wished the drama could have handled it better.
Especially in a high pressure society like SK where there is already such a high incidence of suicide and other undiagnosed mental health ailments, this is the best opportunity to normalise help-seeking. As a doctor, Sanha really should have known better than to play to manipulation. There isn't even a need to make a big deal out of it - him putting his mom in a psychiatric ward would have made me feel so much better about her ending rather than letting her run away again!
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Touching show where the acting is the highlight
I love shows by Lee Kyu Hyung. I don't get is why this actor is so talented but has only acted mostly in guest or support roles. He's such a versatile actor - character actor, romantic lead, crime and mystery, comic, tragedy, etc. He's not idol material but he still cuts a dashing figure. He definitely deserves a show where he's the main lead, and this show hasn't failed to disappoint.I also love Go Bo Gyeol who is a way under-rated actress. She come across as fragile and looks very young but she is anything but. She too has been relegated to support roles as villain or the jealous girlfriend but she is capable of so much depth, as this step mom role shows. The conflicting emotions she feels as a step mom who wants to do right by everyone can't be easy but she pulls it off.
In terms of plot, the entire series was good. Many episodes made me cry as it reminds us to cherish those we love as we never know when and if we'll see them again. However, the last 2 to 3 episodes just dragged things out. This is another case of bulking up episodes to make it to 16. I'm so glad cable TV came along and Korean drama series were cut down to between 8 to 12. That would have been a good outcome here. Hence my rating dropped from 8.5 to 8.
In short - definitely give this a watch if you like the actors or if you want a meaningful show about family.
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Second chance first love
There have been so many second chance first love stories and this is no different. To be honest, I was drawn in by the Utada Hikaru song First Love which I listened to extensively in the 90s and it has a special place in my heart.This drama definitely looks like it was stuck in the 90s - young girl and young boy meet, fall in love. Tragic circumstances cause them to be apart. They meet up again 20 years later. Typical plot from 1990s Korean drama.
The only part that this show does well yet also poorly is giving equal screen time to the 90s set of actors and story, and the-now set of actors and plot. It starts off a bit jarring where they can suddenly move from the 90s to now and back again without any transition. It helps a totally different set of actors are used rather than attempting to age or de-age actors or using different colors or dressing/makeup as as some other dramas have done. Once you get used to the lack of transitions and know which era's story is unfolding, it makes for interesting and light viewing. Things develop at a good pace because you're essentially watching two different stories unfold.
I like the drama because it's easy to watch and moves fast - thank goodness for only 9 episodes! I also like the themes - lost youth and unfulfilled dreams but now they have the chance to right the past but will they? The theme is also relived through their next generation (secondary leads) who are at important junctures in their lives - will they take the same missteps?
Watch out for the mid credit and end credit scenes in the last episode! Don't miss them!
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NOT Eternal Love
One earlier reviewer put it best. This is not a love drama, it is a revenge drama. Think of Eternal Love but starting off on the grasslands and then moving on to the palace. It had the potential to be Eternal Love but it doesn't even come close. Even though I'm not a fan of xianxia, something about the pacing of this show and the growth of its characters just don't reach the level of Eternal Love. The pacing too is not as good as it doesn't explore many different locations and sub-stories.In terms of political intrigues, there was nothing mysterious about trying to identify the real big bad or clever about the schemes. It was just evil plotting and childish too. Neither the level of court politics nor concubine politics comes anywhere close dramas such as Yanxi Palace, Empresses in the Palace, or Scarlett Heart.
In addition, the characters are not as loveable. I didn't start off liking the leads in Eternal Love but I grew to as I felt they developed and matured. I can't really say the same for this show. Except for the Princess who grew as a person, the rest of the characters didn't.
Overall, watch it if you have withdrawal symptoms from military and political dramas otherwise give it a miss and watch the Long Ballad instead. It also starts off in the grasslands and moves to court (well, sort of) but has far more destinations and sub-stories that keep the pace quick and engaging.
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Not a sports drama
I put off watching this show for 2 years until the Christmas break because I'm not interested in sports. However, as other reviewers have stated, you don't need to understand baseball or even like it in order to watch this. In fact, for a baseball show, there's surprisingly few scenes of baseball matches. This show runs along the vein of strategy-based shows where the protagonists use their brains to plot and thwart the plans of villains. It's reminiscent of shows such as Dae Jung Geum, Dong Yi, and Tree with Deep Roots (notice how I'm giving sageuk examples, simply because such shows haven't been written with modern Korea as a backdrop.) which are very machiavellian and leave you marvelling at how they put down the jigsaw pieces and everything falls into place when you least expect it. This show won't leave you warm and fuzzy (e.g., Hospital Playlist, Prison Playbook) but will leave you feeling satisfied. The acting is top rate, even from the relatively young actors. Don't put it off any further, give it a watch!Was this review helpful to you?
Best mental health drama ever
I don't know why this drama doesn't rate higher. I loved Hospital Playlist and really missed that. This has huge Hospital Playlist feels - the camaraderie between the staff, the going in-depth to understand the context and personal circumstances behind each patient. The staff strive to give patients the best level of care and address their problems not just solve the symptoms.In addition, this show is about mental health. There's so much stigma surrounding this topic in Asia and particularly with psychiatry (as opposed to psychology).It's great to see a show treat the topic sensitively with the dignity it deserves, yet highlights why mental health is also a valid medical condition and should not be ignore or stigmatised.
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This review may contain spoilers
Fantastic romcom chemistry
I have repeatedly said in my reviews that I take the MDL ratings with a huge pinch of salt because this platform is distinctively skewed towards younger viewers who love idol romance-melo dramas. Here I'm proved right again.============Spoiler starts================
This drama has SO many tropes that I've lost count. Super handsome chaebol/rich male lead falls in love with very poor girl who isn't that pretty, except after he pays a lot of money to dress her up. Somehow he loses contact with her after a fascinating love-at-first-sight encounter and somehow she ends up in - no surprises - his company and works as his employee. They are continually thwarted by a rich girl he's force by his family to marry and his rich family. What happens next is no one's guess.
===========Spoiler ends=================
Such tropes are at least 25 years old, aka so last century. YET despite that, I am STILL watching this drama. Because the leads are great and their chemistry is SIZZLING. I have been following Ahn Eun Jin in all her dramas and even Jang Ki Yong. Despite his model background and stiff start to his acting career, he's improving by leaps and bounds with each drama. He still has a long way to go compared to Ahn Eun Jin but he is making good process. Of course, his pretty face certainly helps.
If this is even remotely like the very cheesy yet super fun Business Proposal that celebrated and really hemmed up such tropes, I am in for a treat! I am certainly looking forward to the rest of the season!
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