262
631
132
10
11
14
11
3
10
28
6
13
1
2
16
23
7
4
3
2
2
4
6
1
1
2
6
14
17
34
10 episodes long exposition of the plot that should happen after the last 4 minutes.
I am honestly not sure how I feel about this show. It had an interesting premise, some nicer plot twists, but nothing was set and built properly - neither the sci-fi elements, nor the world presented, or the characters we followed and there was no conclusion to it all.The biggest issue I had with this show was how the plot was paced. The first 5 episodes felt like nothing more than a too long exposition. Everything that happened in the first half could have been summed up in max 3 episodes and we would not miss any context nor important information. Then episode 6 felt like the plot would finally move forward and we would slowly start getting some answers, but in episode 7 to 9 we went back to big nothing. It was simply impossible to give a satisfying ending with that set up, and we ended up with no answers, more questions and new characters introduced in the last 2 minutes.
We literally spent more time watching Seo Kang Joon look at his screen at work, than some of the main characters’ scenes combined during the first half of the drama. Know your priorities, guys. Use your screen time wisely. Don’t waste 10 minutes of the screen time in the last episodes for the lovey dovey stuff, when you still gave the viewers zero answers for all the questions you presented.
The idea of time travelers setting up a device in the past that will protect the Earth was interesting. How the present people knew enough about how Grid works to operate it and make it run, but could not truly grasp how it was built to use the technology for other things.
I understood the desperation to find the inventor, not only because of the circumstances and the crime committed when the Grid was set, but also for the knowledge they possess about future technologies. How much could the Earth change in the present if we understood the scientific and technological discoveries of the future? Sadly, this was never truly explored, just hinted with a few lines side characters said here and there.
A lot of characters were rather useless. Song Eo Jin is the main character, but did he do anything? No. They could literally remove him from the show and nothing would change. His character was not essential to the story and the few things he “contributed” with could have been done by literally any other character.
Another issue were the characters - a lot of them either had no personality or barely any personality, clear motivations and reasons for why they do what they do.
The acting was fine. A lot of the characters were so bland it’s hard to judge the delivery. My favorites were Kim Sung Kyun as Kim Ma Nok and Jang So Yeon as Choi Seon Wool.
The production was good. They did not try to overdo special effects - added just the right amount in the scenes that truly needed it. Loved the whole set design and scenes that were happening in the “alternative” present times. I feel like it showed a realistic portrayal of what could potentially go wrong without going over the top.
Overall, I would not recommend it. I would say it’s a slow mystery with just some action and sci-fi elements, mostly present in the last 2 episodes. They waited too long to start explaining things, so at the end everything was left to interpretation and the few answers we’ve got felt rushed. I don’t think I will ever move on from the disappointment the last episode was.
ps. They did not announce from the start it will have 2nd season, so I am judging it as a stand-alone production. And as such, it sucks.
Was this review helpful to you?
Beautifully shot basic story.
A perfect historical drama for a novice, who never saw any. It combines all the most popular, but also cliche plot lines, without being too gruesome and heavy with tragic stories. We have smart and moral Crown Prince, pushover king, evil ministers, sus Queen and "queen to be", childhood connection and sweet romance with just enough love triangle to keep it going.That said, for someone who saw a fair share of period dramas, this was just not enough. The plot was amazingly predictable, the political schemes were underdeveloped in favor of romance, which was a pain of itself. The whole middle part was barely anything more than Won Deuk and Hong Shim being awkwardly cute with each other.
The show being so focused on romance was the biggest problem for me, since I felt close to no chemistry between the leads. I'm not the biggest fan of Nam Ji Hyun, and this show just made me more sure why. While she is a good actress, and her delivery is great, I feel like she never had a good chemistry with her co-actors up till now. Not once watching her drama I was interested in romance, because I never felt the sparks on the screen.
Acting wise, the whole cast did an amazing job. Do Kyung Soo's role was not the most challenging, but his performance was great. The highlight of the show were his scenes with Kim Seon Ho. If the show focused more on them working together to discover the ploy of the bad guys, and develop the political background a bit more, this would be a fun watch. Make the plot happening in the village a lot shorter, come back to the palace quicker and truly dive into the conspiracy part - that would save the drama.
I also wished we saw more of Moo Yeon. His character had the most depth behind his actions and sacrifices, and it's a shame it was not used to its full potential. His connection to all the characters made me curious about his future and the choices he will make. I wanted to know more about how he deals with the situation he is in, and what will be the end result of it.
One thing that the show aced was scenography and cinematography. Truly stunning views and scenes, that made me take screenshots all the time.
Soundtrack wise, I do not remember one song from it. They were fitting for the situation, but not memorable.
Overall, there are plenty of better historical shows both in terms of romance and political schemes. I have watched the whole second part in 1.5x speed, since the show was directed in an extremely "slow" way. Everything seemed slow: the shots, dialogues, action... 1.5x speed truly did not feel that fast. It's a shame, since the cast was outstanding in many ways, but the predictable and not well balanced writing made the drama average at best.
Was this review helpful to you?
At first I was not sold on the cast. I loved Namtan as Mind, but could not get into her acting as Mean. Luckily, I got on board in later episodes. I also felt like Krist is a bit too old to play a high schooler, but again, got used to him as I watched more episodes. They both did an amazing job in conveying all the emotions and bringing these characters to life. For sure I liked Kay and his portrayal of Gun more than Sungjae’s performance. Jan did a stunning job as Tida. I hated her quite a lot, but still felt slightly bad when things started going against her wishes.
I think the only problem I had with this version was that I did not care about the romance at all. I much rather watch the friendship blooming and skip any romance altogether. While the guys looked truly in love with Mind, I could not feel the same emotions from her. I saw she liked them and felt a lot of gratitude towards them, but the romantic feeling was not there for me.
The plot is for sure intriguing, but not exactly on the realistic side. Did it bother me? No. It was cohesive and exciting. I can imagine how nerve wracking it must be for someone who has not seen the Korean version. The anxiety that keeps one on the edge of the seat every time Mind almost gets caught. I wished I had never seen the Korean version to appreciate this one more.
The leading premise of the show is clearly “bullying is wrong”. That said, I appreciate how many times the “kids/teenagers” made exactly the same mistakes, judged each other before even trying to find out the truth, called each other names and blamed each other without proof. It made the message more realistic. Many young people claim they would never partake in bullying, but they are… They just think their reasons for it are valid and the person deserves it. It’s not easy to change and it’s not easy to see faults in your own actions.
Overall, I would for sure recommend this over the Korean version. It's produced with less over the top style and is more grounded in reality. The characters are more likable too. The only thing that drove me mad were these long af bangs Mind/Mean had. Poor girl, my eyes hurt every time I looked at her.
Was this review helpful to you?
Since the disaster happened relatively fast, I didn't have enough time to get to know the characters. They all were just nameless random people to me. I didn't care about the mains more than any other background person running away. Will they die? Will they survive? Who knows? But also, who cares?
The political aspects just frustrated me to the bone. Since various terms and procedures had to be explained to the viewers via narration, everyone making the important decisions about the disaster looked incompetent - everything had to be explained. The president was spineless until the plot decided it was time for him to act the role. The same "miraculous change" happened to the main hero, who was first to try to leave and then out of a blue first one to try to save others. The "development" of the characters just happened in between scenes, and there was no nice and logical progression.
The acting from the main cast was good, but some of the supporting actors could tone down the over dramatic acting a bit.
Overall, a nice movie to play as a background as you do other daily activities. Far too long for what it presents and offers.
Was this review helpful to you?
If you want to watch it because you loved the Sungkyunkwan Scandal, don't bother.
If you want to watch it, because you like the comedy aspects cross dressing scenario brings, this ain't for you.
BUT, if you want to watch a light, fun and unproblematic show without much melo that will just simply make you happy and entertain you, this one is a perfect choice.
The best aspect of the drama were the characters and their friendship, and I don’t only talk about the main cast. The drama focuses on the relationship between Wen Xi, Cheng Jun, Lei Ao and Le Zuan - who they are and what their convictions are. Each of them lives a vastly different life, yet together they were able to create this light and cheerful chemistry on screen. We follow them as they navigate and try to change the current school system by challenging the school president (ma boi best boi Zhi Sheng) and trying to uncover the truth of the past events.
Compared to other historical shows, or even to the Korean version, this one stays away from heavy politics and all the branches of corruption. We still get the basic storyline, but it's not nearly as overwhelming as it sometimes happens in similar productions.
As I said at the beginning, there is barely any romance. Did it bother me? Not really. At some point I started laughing and questioning if we will even get any romantic scenes before the show ends. Still, the interactions between the characters were entertaining and amazing to watch even if it was heavier on friendship rather than romance for the majority of the episodes. No painful second lead syndromes. They didn't feel that much pain, so I could watch with a calm heart too.
Overall, the show is just extremely pretty and PG. Jing Yi is cute as Wen Bin and stunning as Wen Xi. Wei Long is purely adorable and his smile can melt any heart. Richards Wang, even though he plays the "strong" guy, made me want to protect him, as his character was just so pure. Wen Jun fitted his role perfectly, guiding and uniting the characters and being the voice of reason. The set and costume designs were beautiful too.
I started this drama with zero expectations, and this might be the reason why I enjoyed it so much. Even the flaws were charming. The last episode was slightly disappointing, but that also just made me laugh and be like: sure.. makes no sense but I'm okay with that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Was this review helpful to you?
Lonely Enough to Love, also known as Dating is Annoying, But I Don't Wanna Be Lonely (which is a superior title, and that’s the fact) had a great, funny and exciting beginning, but lost its way half way through.
It started as a simple romantic comedy that exaggerates the clichés making them more of comedic scenes. It was a perfect watch after a day full of hard work. I could just laugh and enjoy the “easy to follow” plot. Later they introduced many side plots, yet none was explored enough. Instead of giving each tenant one dedicated episode, they gave a few scenes here and there, but by the end, I was not sure what their stories were truly about and what the writer wanted to tell me through them.
The love triangle was painful to watch, since I adored Hyun Jin, but could not relate nor truly understand Kang Woo. Both him and Na Eun had a complicated relationship with their parents, but it was presented in such a messy way, I kind of don’t really understand what is going on and where they are standing and what they wanted to do with it.
There is not much to say. It had great potential, but it was mostly wasted. Most characters were interesting in one way or another, but nothing was done with it. The whole show felt like just an introduction to the story.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best parts of the drama for sure was the acting. Dare I say, this was the best Seo Jin Goo’s role. While I am sad we did not get more scenes with the mad king (boy he was an amazing character and interesting to watch), Jin Goo's emotional scenes as Ha Sun were just as captivating. The duality in his performance left me in awe. I also appreciate that we as viewers could easily see which character we were currently watching on the screen. They had distinguishing characteristics, so I was never left in confusion.
That said, the whole show was stolen by Haksan, the loyal Chief Royal Secretary. The most complex character in the drama, with an amazing development and true depth. The internal and external conflicts he had to face were heartbreaking and made me cry more than once. I always anticipated his scenes and wished there were more of them, even though he was already one of the main characters. Kim Sang Kyung truly aced the role.
The weakest parts of the drama were romance and the villains. While Queen So Woon might have been a loyal and nice person, there was not much to her character, except for being the support for Ha Sun.
It was interesting to watch the villains try to win, but from the get go it was obvious they had no chance in this fight. All of the battles were too weak and they lost too easily and quickly.
All things considered, somehow this drama worked perfectly and was a true enjoyment to watch. Would recommend watching it for sure and I'm extremely happy I decided to try it myself.
Was this review helpful to you?
The most preventable outbreak of zombies ever.
The fact it all started because rich folks found a suspiciously looking fish and decided to eat it anyway. What could possibly go wrong? Apparently many things.Was it anything more than a fun zombie movie? No. Was it a fun zombie movie? Yes. And that’s completely fine. The action scenes were actually good. The fighting seemed realistic at least in terms of choreography - punches, kicks, using whatever you have around you to defend yourself. We did not see people flying and doing 4 pirouettes before kicks for aesthetic reasons.
The make up and special effects used for zombies were also fun. Especially the final stage of mutation, which I wished happened earlier. Blood and gore was mostly realistic except a few extremely obvious cgi splashes here and there. The move was dark enough though to ignore them.
The plot was nothing more and nothing less than “trying to survive”. What stood out for me is the fact we from the beginning start with the post-apocalyptic set up caused by climate change. There is no unnecessary time wasted on setting up the world, explaining the changes that happened because of the zombie outbreak - the world looks like it survived 3 zombie wars before we even see the first zombie anyway.
What’s most important - the characters are good. Yes, Sing was a bit too indestructible, still interesting to follow. The fact Mark is good looking does help too. That said, the best character was for sure Buddy. It’s a child so of course he makes a few extremely dumb choices, but they are in the realm of my understanding based on the shock this tiny human must have survived.
On the not so great side - what was that right before the credits roll scene? That makes no sense. It’s a clear way to set up the second movie (which I would not mind watching), but it could have been done in a better way. Based on the fact our lovely ML left the mutated fish at his house, and it seems like theft is common, we can assume the fish was in fact eaten, and now people eat each other even outside of the hospital - aka perfect setup for the bigger, more epic zombie sequel.
One major complaint - there was a moment in the plot when non-infected people started fighting with each other, while they were also fighting against zombies and it made exactly zero sense. Why are you fighting guys? More brains, less muscles please. And these slow motion close up punches? Stop.
Overall, it was fun. Requires zero brain power, keeps the tension high for most part. The characters are well grounded and likeable, you do want to see them survive, which is always a plus for a horror movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
Enjoyable, but not groundbreaking.
Realistically speaking, I knew where the plot was going since episode 2. I did not mind it and I was ready for an exciting ride. While it was entertaining, the show lost me a few times.Plot wise, I’d say that’s the glow-up I enjoy watching - when with a new hairstyle come deadly skills and not rich boys. Yoon Ji Woo’s story is quite a chaos filled with questions: who did what, why and what will she do about it? We follow her on the journey of discovering the truth behind her father’s death, which became her sole life mission. Observing her trying to fit into two completely different worlds - crime driven gangs and justice and revenge driven police, made me binge watch the whole show in one sitting.
Honestly speaking, none of the characters had true depth, nor novelty to them - I’ve seen them in similar stories. You know what the characters will do, before they do it. That said, it does not take away from the entertainment value. Action genre was never a plot focused deal for me, I just want to get my blood boiling with fun fighting scenes, countless backstabbing and revenge. My Name delivered in these aspects fairly well.
The strength of Han So Hee’s performance were her physical abilities - the fighting scenes looked really good. We could see her using the skills she learned at the beginning throughout the show. While she nailed the action, some of her emotional scenes fell flat and I could not connect to her character.
Park Hee Soon served us an outstanding performance. It’s not often for me to feel bad, or rather feel anything towards a character like Moo Jin. For making me feel things, I thank Hee Soon.
Production wise, it’s Netflix, of course it’s good. Personally, I didn’t like some of the editing, especially around the training and the undercover beginning - it was too much too fast. There were also some weird choices made by making the camera go out of focus in some scenes.
Truly enjoyed the soundtrack. Just a few notes made me feel excited and ready for some bloodshed. They perfectly supported what was happening on screen, elevating the overall quality.
So, what did not work out? Not enough backstory of Ji Woo’s father. We did not really get to see him do much, either in terms of his daughter nor his work. Some flashbacks here and there are not enough for me to understand why he was such an important figure in so many people’s lives. He was the catalyst of the whole plot, but at times I didn't quite understand why.
Some turns the plot took were truly ridiculous and brainless. “Okay, it makes no sense” was the only response I could give. Some plot lines - unnecessary. I hoped the writing would emphasize more on the internal conflicts Ji Woo felt - girl was dealing with a lot.
The ending was so mediocre I could not stop myself from feeling disappointed. It’s not an open ending, but since they did not really explain many aspects surrounding Ji Woo, it felt like it. The plot is finished, there is not much that could potentially be explored in another season, so what now? Why couldn’t they give some proper closure?
Overall, I loved the fighting, the connection between Ji Woo and Moo Jin and their dynamics, the visual aspects of the show and the performance. The writing could be a bit more polished - cut some parts out, develop some more. Would recommend it if you feel like watching an action flick and want to be entertained. If you are looking for more, you might be disappointed by the plot.
Was this review helpful to you?
When the daddy turns dad, and the thriller turns makjang.
I went into this drama for the most shallow reason ever - Yoo Yeon Seok looked extremely hot in the trailers being all possessive and domineering. And since that was my only expectation, I’d say the drama did not quite meet it. It gave me other things to enjoy though.Was it a fun watch? For most of it. The middle part became a bit too repetitive, and the ending went straight to fancy makjang territory. Some twists were more predictable than others, but overall it was a rather engaging watch. Did the plot make much sense? Not really. I mean, the majority of the characters did not even have half of the working brain cell and watching them making the wrong decisions over and over again, and being so painfully blind to the most obvious things was probably one of the most entertaining aspects of the whole drama.
On the top of that clownery we have Baek Sa Eon - for a smart guy he was really dumb. Did I care? Nope. Why? Because he was hot. Yes, that was my reasoning. Baek Sa Eon during the first few episodes was THE hot possessive toxic oppa and for that I am grateful. Whenever he went just the right amount of unhinged when something concerned Hui Ju, I went - yes! The angst, the low-key anger issues, the suits and them hands (the production team knew what they were doing with all the close ups of his hands). Exactly the guy you love to watch on the screen, and would avoid in real life. And then he did 180 in the second half and I became convinced that the perfect husband was cosplaying as toxic oppa.
Hong Hui Ju was honestly a placeholder. She had a few great moments here and there, but at the end of it all, she was just an overcooked potato. Which is fair - with the amount of trauma and abuse she went through, if she had more of a spine, she would leave. Since she stayed, we should not be expecting her to give us much spunk. Being in danger was her full time job, and saving her was Sa Eon’s life mission.
Surprisingly, the characters I got really attached to were Sang U and Yu Ri. The investigative duo with such fun chemistry. Waiting for Netflix to contact me, because I have the plot for the spin off of them already planned in my head. The way he became so conscious of her presence, and she was so oblivious about it all is my type of a connection.
The villains were villaining, but they were also so generic I did not really care for their shenanigans. So much happened plot wise, and yet it kind of still feels empty? When the Phone Rings had an extremely strong beginning, and lost its focus half way through. The issue might have been how packed the plot was -, they did not really have time to explore on a meaningful level any of the plotlines. One thing happened, and we moved to another thing - nothing felt developed, nothing had a proper closure. All had a closer, but none truly had THE closure.
Performances were mostly great. Yoo Yeon Seok aced that silent anger and concern. Whatever scene he was in, he delivered. On the other hand Chae Soo Bin… I know she is a great actress. I loved her in all the previous titles I have seen her in, but this role was just not it. Would I dare to blame the directing? Yes. Even though I thought the drama went downhill in the second half, her performance got so much better. First few episodes she was just a surprised big eyes victim with no facial muscles working.
Production was fine. As I already said, I'm grateful for the close-up shots of Yoo Yeon Seok’s hands. Some of the editing was questionable - too much repetition of what happened in the previous episodes - the viewers do not have goldfish brains like the characters, we do not need constant reminders.
Overall, what I thought would be a fun wattpad-esk romance with an entertaining dynamic between Sa Eon and Hui Ju, turned into a family mystery makjang with low level of brain energy. Still had fun though.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The production as rough as the relationship between Wu Suo Wei and Chi Cheng.
Why, oh why did they not keep it short and simple? You truly do not have to adapt everything that is in the novel. You can in fact just pick one aspect and make it happen. We had so much going on, but somehow nothing was really happening.Revenge Wu Suo Wei planned, Chi Cheng family drama, whatever was going on between Chi Cheng and Cheng Yu, second leads romance, Yue Yue and whatever she was doing, the snake business, the art business, Wang Shuo and his drama, Wang Shuo’s bro who was there to look hot, make Chi Cheng jealous and make us hope they would develop his not so bro like relationship with Wang Shuo, Wu Suo Wei’s mother’s health issues… I am sure I am missing some other side plots.
I could feel that people involved in this production actually cared about it, but maybe they cared a little bit too much so they were not able to let go of some aspect that would in fact improve overall quality. The actions and decisions were as misguided as the ones of the characters.
If we just focus on the love and chemistry between Chi Cheng and Wu Suo Wei it would be perfect. I adored the love and devotion I saw in Chi Cheng’s eyes when he was looking at Wu Suo Wei. The way on his side the connection moved from pure curiosity, to lust and then to love was done in a perfect manner - be it performance or pacing wise.
And then we have Wu Suo Wei who not only had to deal with his unexpected growing fondness towards Chi Cheng who was by all means his enemy, but also his newly discovered interest in men. Baby boy went into complete panic mode more than once. But the fact these two ended up completely in love is undenied.
Then we had a second couple and I’m only left with disappointment. I love Guo Cheng Yu, I love him the most out of all the characters. He was the true man of the story. Every new scene with him made me just love him more and more. The way he did not take advantage of Doc being drugged, the way he took revenge on Doc’s ex - how patient he was during the relationship - he kept gaining points from me.
But then we had Doc - Xiao Shuai… oh boy. He did not deliver on the romance at all. First of all, I rather have no kissing scenes than watch a scene where one clearly is not enjoying whatever is happening. I could sense how awkward Liu Xuan Cheng felt while filming it, and I should not be feeling what actors are feeling, I should be feeling what the characters were supposed to feel. Liu Xuan Cheng did the best in the silly down to earth scenes between him and Zi Yu and their friendship baby girl energy. But when we talk about any more serious scenes, emotionally heavy ones or romantic ones - he failed, over and over again.
Yes, Chu Cheng did a number of questionable things, so did Wu Suo Wei - that’s not the issue. The bigger problem was how writing wise they were not always consistent with how the characters were written in the first place. Example: Chi Cheng could not bear to actually hurt Wu Suo Wei and he did not want to force Wu Suo Wei to sleep with him. And yet that’s exactly what he did by scheming and manipulating Doc. If your lover's reasoning for sleeping with you is anything other than them actually wanting to sleep with you, you are doing something wrong.
Any other dynamics worth mentioning? Whatever was going on between Chi Cheng and Cheng Yu. I am sure these two characters at least once thought about sleeping with each other. No way their feelings were not even slightly complicated in their past. I loved it. I also loved the friendship between Wu Suo Wei and Xiao Shuai, even if some of their schemes “against” each other that were aiming for their own good, would for sure cross my personal boundary.
And here comes the biggest surprise, I actually ended up adoring Wang Shuo. This idol snake stole my heart. He was the greatest source of never ending entertainment. The cheekiness and boldness that was covering up his deep sense of insecurity was one of the best aspects of the drama. I wish we saw more of him and his “bro not really bro” with whom he clearly did not have bro chemistry going on.
Yue Yue was boring, the off screen conclusion of her character was boring.
The sick mother plotline was annoying and I wish it was shorter. The lack of communication and the whole plot was so poorly written and annoying, I was rolling my eyes so hard I could see the neurons dying in my brain. That said, the actual conclusion and the death of the mother was shot in a beautiful and touching way - cannot deny that.
Production wise… questionable? The dubbing was painful. But it is something you can get used to. By episode 3 I was not bothered by it at all. Honestly, compared to others the dubbing did not bother me that much. What bothered me was the song choices, especially two tracks. One gave Twilight vibes, the other gave me hallmark christmas movie vibes. It does not matter what scene they were playing for, I could not stop laughing. On the good side - I actually liked the set design and the outfits the characters were wearing matched their personalities perfectly. Yes, a bit too… on the nose? But somehow it matched the overall tone of the story - it was cliche, but fun.
On the sad note: not even the strongest toxic gege can fight censorship. It is a proper BL, don’t get me wrong. We get plenty of kisses and intimate scenes. But we also get less and less of them as the show progresses. In later episodes we could see how they cut the scenes shorter and the transitions were not smooth at all. I get that external limitations of what they can show are something they could not do anything about, but you can always be smart while filming. Film scenes in a way that even if you are later forced to cut short, they still feel completed.
Then there is the issue of them being casual about really serious topics: Chi Cheng making gang rape happen. Wu Suo Wei pretending he wants to kill himself in front of Doc, who in fact in the past tried to off himself. I know they tidied up a lot of "problematic" things from the novel, but then why leave these few scenes that are simply not necessary anyway? It's like you deep clean your house, but leave a shit in the middle of a living room. I’m not necessarily against dark romance and I enjoy problematic relationships as forms of entertainment too, but they need to be presented in a proper context. Here they made the story more cute, at times even wholesome, but still left some bits of that typical darker story. It just did not mix well at all.
Overall, it was fun, but so unnecessarily long. Maybe if they actually kept the plot more tight and made the show shorter, the censorship police would not have caught them fast enough and we’ve got the whole show without the obvious re-edits and cuts done in the second half.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Tale of Green Privilege.
I am salty, not gonna lie. I was totally in love with the show for the first seven episodes, but the last three were simply a writing joke and left a bad taste in my mouth. For me, the writers completely failed to deal with and give a proper closure to a topic they decided to showcase.Starting from the positives, I have to talk about acting. I usually keep my standards rather mid range with Thai BLs - here they exceeded my expectations. The performances weren’t Oscar worthy, but damn they were good. I see a trend in Thai BLs with casting new yet extremely talented actors for the main roles - Zee, Win and now Mix. Some actors did a better job than the others, but overall everyone portrayed their characters well.
The production value and the attention to creating realistic settings was quite nice. The village seems like a real close community - the interactions and relationships felt genuine. Loved the kids and how each one of them had their own individual characteristics, and they were not just “a group of kids”.
The slow progression of Tian and Chief’s relationship (excluding episodes 8-9). They were adorable. Well paced and natural way of presenting two people falling in love. Ain’t no “love from the first sight” or “forcing your presence on the other person until they give in” (which is done in many shows both in the physical and emotional aspects). Just two people working around their insecurities while the attachment and emotions grow.
“Your feelings come from your freaking brain” aka clear message that Tian is just Tian, and his character development and feelings come from him and not the heart he received from Torfun. All the similarities in his behavior towards other people did not come from the heart - it was Tian acting on what he read in the diary. I truly appreciate that they clearly expressed that Tian is his own person.
Onto the bad aka everything that happened after episode 7: complete lack of consequences (both legal and social) for people who broke the law. In real life, Tian would be hated by society - a rich kid who got away with breaking the law (organizing an illegal car chase in which someone died, and with how it was presented, it was not the first illegal car race he organized and took part in) thanks to the parents' money.
And I’m sorry, but feeling guilty is not enough of a punishment. We have legal systems for a reason. I’m all up for a redemption arc, but a character needs to pay for their crimes first. Same goes to his parents - all they did the whole show was bribing people for various reasons. The whole show could have happened only because Tian’s parents were able to buy his way out of trouble with money, and the true victims were simply forgotten. Torfun got no justice, nor did her family and friends. Everyone involved in her death got off scot free. That part of the plot and how writers dealt with it just simply angered me and ruined the show.
For everyone who claims that since Tian was not behind the wheel, he should not be held responsible for everything that happened to Torfun, remember that Tian was the one that suggested the car chase. Him and Tul organized the whole thing. When Tian started to feel unwell, Tul suggested forgetting the race, but Tian said no, because he did not want to look like a coward (to this random person he met in a bar and will probably never meet again - pride much?). He sent his friend to take part in the car chase on his behalf. He is not blameless.
And yet, he hasn't once been criticized or even scolded. Everyone just kept telling him how he was not at fault, how Torfun would forgive him, how he should stop feeling guilty, and my favorite and most disrespectful line of the whole show “Maybe, Torfun was the one who chose to give the heart to you” - it came from the person who was close to Torfun, someone who in first episode said “Everything can be settled with money. Easy, isn't it? I will never forgive the person who did this to her” - newsflash Chie’s, Tian was one of the people who did this to her, and his parents were the ones that used the money to make it go away.
Then there is the whole aspect of Tian wanting the freedom of choice, when everyone around him made the decision for him. This could have been a really good arc if they actually showed Tian being capable of making these decisions. Up till the end of the show, while his intentions might have been good, they often led to putting others in danger (sometimes almost dying). Tian is not exactly a responsible human being. How many times his actions need to have negative consequences until he starts to release, maybe double or even triple checking his ideas would be a good way to go?
All the problems I have, were the result of episodes 8 and 9 happening. It turned from a really wholesome story of self-discovery, development and improvement, to overdramatized mess with no cohesiveness. I loved and adored Tian in the first seven episodes, to be left with no sympathy by the end. I just could not stop feeling bad for Torfun and how poorly her character was treated in the show - all as a way to make Tian look better.
The last episode was quite enjoyable. Full of clichés, but since the cast have good chemistry, it did not bother me that much. The MVP was Tian's mom at the airport. Her reactions were comedy goals.
Overall, I have no idea. I am extremely conflicted - it’s not like the whole show was bad, good or decent. There were things I loved with all my heart (Tian’s and Longtae’s friendship being truly the best part of the show), but some were laughably bad (I did laugh throughout episode 8-10). I guess this show just made me feel frustrated on a whole new level just because of the two episodes close to the ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
RamKing is life and Thara is amazing.
Now that we have that behind us, let’s talk about the drama itself. It was a mess. They didn't try to be serious for sure, and some silly scenes were borderline dumb, but somehow it did not bother me. But then… My expectations were extremely low to begin with. There was an imbalance in the quality of writing between couples. Some were good and executed well with interesting characters, some were based fully on cliches and made me want to either sleep or smash my head on the wall.Let’s talk about couples. The leading babies, Duen and Bohn, had a strong start. Their interactions were funny and cute, but then, it led to nowhere. About halfway through the show I was asking myself: what is happening with them, why does every episode have more or less exactly the same plot for them? There was not much creativity behind who they are, what they do and how they behave. They are basically every cute BL couple from every BL put together to create this monster. Not to mention how frustrating their dynamic was - Bohn always being jealous about the smallest and most random stuff and Duen apologizing and pleading.
King and Ram… how were they so good? How could the same person write them and Duen/Bohn? The quality is vastly different. There was something fresh and fun, yet cute and innocent behind their interaction. King was a perfect senior who, with his mature and bubbly personality, brought some peace and happiness to the soft boy Ram. Since season one focused on Ram's development, I can’t wait to see what will happen to them and King in the 2nd season.
I don’t have anything to say about Boss and Mek. Their story might have been amazing, but I did not witness it at all. Sadly, I could not look past Mek’s dubbing, and skipped all his scenes. I just could not focus on whatever was happening because of the poorly done dubbing.
I also have a complaint about Thara and Frong - there was not enough screen time for them! Another pairing that, to some extent, relied on the stereotypes, but brought a bit of a twist to it. The slow, but adorable change we saw in how Frong treated Thara made my heart melt a few times. Loved how they became so open and were able to communicate with each other, say sorry when it was required, and support each other when needed.
The acting would be fine if it was not for Poy. His crying scenes were some new level of comedy. The rest did well. I did feel a bit awkward with Talay's delivery at times too, but since his character was so nicely written, I could ignore it.
The editing, set design, directing - everything was meh. It was not bad, but it was not good either.
Overall, it’s a nice “I want to watch some sweet show that does not require a lot of brain power and I am willing to skip 50% of the scenes if needed”. There were some scenes more ridiculous than others (the fact Duen was hit by a car in episode one and it was never addressed still makes me laugh), but I guess the confusion it created in my brain was also its charm?
Would I recommend watching? Yes and no. Watch RamKing and TharaFrong, feel free to skip the rest.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Call has a lot of pros, not gonna lie. The acting is amazing, especially from Jeon Jong Seo. Her character is truly the best part of the whole production. You end up loving and hating her at the same time. Jong Seo's portrayal of the initial vulnerability that moves into the direction of desperation and then madness is an intriguing ride.
Park Shin Hye is good. As good as in any other production she was in the past few years, as she is playing exactly the same character. Kind of strong and driven to survive, but not really. Sometimes making smart choices, but that are built on a chain of dumbness. There isn't anything fresh or interesting about her.
The other characters are barely there, only serving the purpose of moving the plot forward or being an external motivation for the two main characters.
The visuals - truly stunning. That's the part of the production that shows a lot of work and planning. The moments when two worlds are colliding and affecting each other was done in an exciting and beautiful way.
So what is the problem?
I'm fairly certain that Lee Chung Hyun did not have a storyboard for this project and he could not decide what exactly are the rules of the time. He presents a linear concept of time (compared to "alternative universes"), when past events affect future events. One reality, but two different points in time. But the way the movie presented the concept was as if the two timelines were parallel and progressing the same way.
Currently happening event in the past affects the currently happening event in the present, but we don't see how the past plays and affects the present in between these events, as if the time between these two events does not exist. The past is the past. Seo Yeon should have access to all the information about the events that happened, not just the ones currently happening in the parallel timeline. Not to mention the fact Seo Yeon had no memories of the past events that affected her. Why?
All events in the movie happened in the linear way, except for the ending. Which was also not explained. The plot twist just opened the door to so many plot holes. If you could call the past at any given time on that timeline, why didn't Seo Yeon use it to her advantage?
The more I think about the way the plot was structured and the time connection explained, the more I get annoyed. It truly looks as if no time was put into making sure the events follow any line of logic. On the surface, it's the basic "action-reaction" deal. But when you start asking questions, you see that time travel/connection plot lines cannot follow this simple logic, because that's what makes them illogical. As time is not that simple...
Anyway, I can see why people enjoyed the movie. It was entertaining for most parts even though quite predictable. If you won't try to understand the logic behind the events or the rules of the time aspects, you will like it. So, the piece of advice: put your brain on the shelf before starting it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was it scary? No. Was it innovative? No. Was it fun? HECK YEAH.
I truly do not have much to say. It was a series of short (most are around 5-6 minutes long) stories presented to us without much context. The urban legends they are based on are not explained, and I myself recognized only two from episode 3 (Special Guest) and episode 6 (Dimension). Did it bother me that I was dropped into the dark and by the end of each episode I was still in the dark? Not really.I saw a lot of people commenting on the lack of the lore explanation before each episode, but most of the time there is nothing to explain. Urban Legends usually leave more questions than answers, as they are supposed to be simply entertaining and not complex masterpieces. For example, the Dimension is based on the elevator game. Follow the rules and you might end up in a different dimension. If you break any: you're dead. That's it. That's how creepy pastas and urban legends work: they have little content, no explanations and a lot of "plot holes", but they are fun to read (or watch, in this case).
The story that stood out the most to me was Dimension. It got me excited. The choice for the music was true perfection, I was smiling the whole time (damn... this makes me sound like a psychopath when you think about the content of the show and this episode). I also appreciated how the stories were all connected and clearly took place in the same area/universe, as they referred to each other.
The production value was inconsistent, that I must admit. The directing and editing itself was nice and the team did a good job with creating some interesting pictures, but at times, they tried to do more than they were capable of. The CGI was painful to watch in a few episodes. Thankfully, more often than not, they used practical effects, which saved it. Being perfectly honest with you guys, I enjoyed the bad CGI. The whole show was a fun, silly ride for me so the "creepy CGI baby" was just a cherry on top.
I would recommend it to anyone who likes silly creepy pastas and urban legends and does not expect any complex and interesting lore. It's fun and entertaining, and even though it's supposed to be a horror, it brought me more laughter than scares.
Was this review helpful to you?
