This review may contain spoilers
THRASH OF 2023
Writer: Producer-nim we have an interesting concept to make the drama on .Producer : Okay Ms. Writer, let's proceed .
Writer after 2 months: Sir , I forgot to write the ending or any explanation regarding vampires plus the ML dies in the last episode.
Producer: Somebody bring me my shotgun.
Writer :Sir , before you shoot me , how about adding some thrash side characters , they would keep the gag in check ?
Producer: Good idea, now someone bring me a katana . 😡
WHAT A JOKE This drama was .
I skipped it post-episode 10 .
The worst drama of 2023 so far.
Zero chemistry b/w the leads.
Zero character development.
Wasting the talent of great actors like Ok Tec Yeon, Amazon should be ashamed of producing such dramas.
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Best Drama of the Year 2023
This is the best Chinese drama I've come across and even as a whole any industry-wise.A real Gem.
It is based on a novel.
The story goes into a bit of narration but with time lapses from 2008 to 2022.
The leads are 2 FML.
Both surprisingly share equal onscreen time.
Both are fresh law graduates and it shows their struggle in life.
How both of them make different choices and what leads to them where they end up at last.
This drama has quite a lot of ups and downs with the characters just like any real person would.
You rarely see such writing depth anywhere.
Each and every character stays true to what they could potentially evolve into, lose their path midway and then make strong comebacks.
Phenomenal writing I must say.
The novelist deserves an award, and I'm dead serious.
Also one of the unique parts of this drama is the involvement of side characters, each side character has their own personality, which they maintain throughout the drama.
We have a 3rd couple whose screenplay is considerably low but ironically they're the best couple in the drama.
~ What the writer does is, give two the perspective of the two FMLs, involve them in certain real-life situations according to their personality, and develop their characters throughout while comparing them to the 3rd couple which gives us a fair idea of how distinctive people can be.
And how we should appreciate the choices we make, but there are consequences to those choices and how the 3rd couple is what's required most of the time.
The hidden message after all.
The drama focuses on how we live our lives by trial and error method.
How the young period and your 20s are for you to explore the world and find what you really want and never settle for anything less.
How the things we're meant to pursue change with time.
How it affects our life overall
How in the end, the family becomes important despite the differences, the ego and the choices.
How marriage is a crucial part of your life.
And how dating affects you, how the way we select our partner develops us or stops our growth.
How the arguments could create differences but that's part and parcel of whatever you're trying to achieve.
How feminism destroys your thinking criteria when it really matters
How important it is to be kind and forgiving.
How the corporate work culture can be toxic and how to counter it, learn and grow from it.
How important it is to have a mentor in your life.
How you would end up making a perhaps wrong decision in love, or that your feet would get cold and why it shouldn't.
How you end up using some people and how the others end up using you,
There's balance in everything.
How necessary it is to be versatile.
How chasing money blindly won't give you the satisfaction you want.
How the meaning of life lies in experiencing rather than the focus on winning
How the world is filled with all kinds of people.
How Growing up means facing them with an open heart.
Fight with them if you want,
Get away if you don't.
Wave goodbye and walk freely.
By no means this drama is perfect.
The reason is, that this drama wasn't made to be perfect at all.
It was made to be realistic and fun while being inspirational
So that you feel that you're part of the journey, both the FMLs make.
Since I've mentioned all these appraisals, one of the most annoying or missed parts of this drama to me was, that they didn't focus on the ML as particularly as they should have with the character development.
Or you could say there was no ML but the brilliance of his acting and the impact he left onscreen, left us wanting for more.
You would have your likes and dislikings with certain traits in this drama but the best part is characters do evolve, and while some don't,
which makes you piqued.
~ Also, I really love the ending song of this drama.
Such beautiful lyrics and the voice of the singer.
Mesmerizing.
~ The cinematography is top-notch, not even a single scene felt rushed.
The direction was focused on the story as a whole and the episodes do end up abruptly but that's the new charm.
Rarely do you see such happening, since everything these days is to grasp your attention and bind you to look forward to the next episode.
This drama doesn't even try to fake end things on a cliffhanger.
~ The actors, gosh this has to be one of the greatest castings ever made.
Each and every actor played their role in the most significant and impactful manner they do.
You could feel connected to each and every one of them and their perspectives.
Even I as a viewer feel proud of them.
I can add a lot more.
This drama has so many things to give to a viewer that it can be rewatched multiple times...
But I'm just glad I somehow ended up watching it.
I don't remember how it came to my watch list but there was this sudden instinct after looking at the poster and the title that there's something special about this and Boi, it was the best decision I took to watch something this year.
Also, Don't let your quick evaluation of binge-watch destroy your expectations of this drama.
The plot changes a lot every 6-7 episodes and it's worth it.
I had a great time watching it and hope you do as well.
Till then.
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SLOW BURN COVERING UP THE DISASTER IT COULD'VE BEEN
First of all, If you've watched Season 1 thoroughly in a consisted manner and thought process, you'll agree to what I'm about to say. I had a hard time writing this review but I will be honest, many people will overrate 2nd season but I'm not gonna do that.Season 1 was so good that it makes Season 2 look worse in front of it.
The direction was an absolute disaster in the first half of this drama.
It was so slow and inconsistent.
They made a 12 episode drama be stretched to 16 episodes and that's the biggest problem in this drama for me.
There were few episodes where I was awestruck and a few where I was so disappointed by the quality of writing and direction in which the whole plot proceeded.
And this is more disheartening when you've everything, all the cast from season 1, a great plot but what goes wrong?
The direction which is the most important part of any cinematographical scenario.
Perhaps that's why they say that to continue a sequel to a legendary plot is so difficult .
Acting was top notch . No holds barred that was the only thing perfect in this drama.
Elaborating the writing part, the writer tried to touch every controversial aspect of government officials and the issue of investigative rights, What made it fail was the direction.
The damage in the first 8 episodes was so grave that the nothing the writer could do to improvise it in the 2nd half.
All in all , we were left with a half heartened try and rushed the final 2 episodes.
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My Disappointment Is Immeasurable And My Day Is Ruined ( WATCH THE ORIGINAL )
What a horrible remake of a legendary script and such a great drama from 2020.This drama is broken.
From script to screenplay to the main plot which involves ( time travel) everything is compromised, and the sole focus is on melodramatic romance which is ironically half baked in itself.
Horrendous.
And this is not the actor's fault, it's the director.
Just imagine if you had the opportunity to create a remake of such a great script, Nothing could go wrong if you inherited the direction but Nah, they had to insert the typical Korean flavour of melodrama in a time travel thriller, can you imagine?
I'm so disappointed I don't even want to write this review.
The times when you expect the best from the Korean drama industry are when they disappoint you the most .
The script has so many gaps, and once completed you don't feel the connection at all.
It's broken.
Even the side characters, oh yeah I completely forgot about them.
These guys abandoned them, with zero focus on side characters, can you imagine?
I wish I could shoot the director, and I'm not even kidding .
Don't watch this.
Just watch the original version of this drama named 'Someday or One Day' if you still haven't.
There are two versions of it.
Watch the drama first, the movie is secondary and is based on an alternate universe.
Overall, this drama lacks the charisma the original has.
Not a worthy remake at all.
I'm not saying this can't be watched, but why compromise on quality when you've something 1000 times better?
It's not everyday Taiwan produces a better script, acting, direction and songs than South Korea
.
' Someday or One day ' was the drama of the year 2020, and definitely deserves to be seen ahead of this.
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Old wine in new bottle
So the writer had 2 different scripts for the same scenario and Netflix decided to experiment with the what ifs?1st season was better, especially the first 8 episodes after that it was a downhill
And the second season is mediocre at best, there's no flow to it.
It's the same story done differently and they still managed to do it shabbily.
The direction is such that they're trying to fix and experiment with whatever they can in the 2nd season, hoping it will go right.
which is so wrong.
They could've done better with this one, especially after the audience's response.
The actors did their best with whatever they could, with plenty of flashy scenes like those imaginative temptation ones, again something which is unique for this one.
You know what, they can reboot it once again and do a better job.
The plot has potential.
As a frequent drama watcher, it stings when I see such good scenarios just wither away with mediocre everything.
The Chinese have so much potential but waste it more often.
Learn from your neighbours, the Koreans.
Anyway.
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Flawed but beautiful.
What a sublime drama, short and sweet but flawed.The screenplay could've been much better, this is the type of drama which leaves you wanting for more.
The chemistry is the real deal.
Jung In Sun is the cutest actress I've ever seen, her acting is quite stable and she generates the sweetness of a character by alleviating it to another level.
I wish she did some serious selection of scripts !!
She needs much more exposure .
As for Lee Joon Hyuk, it was a different script, generally, he does more serious roles.
Overall it was vibrant, different, dark at times, cliched and flawed but enjoyable.
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SOMETHING NEW
SCAMS is a fresh take on the scamming dimensions,portraying how one enters into this field, what happens usually and what the culmination is at the end.
The drama's first half is aesthetic to watch, crisp and to the point.
Each episode features 20 mins of fine art.
The problem starts in the 2nd half, the plot gets too slow, characters and plot development die, they are mismatched by passing onto the side characters, and in the end, what we're left with is a pigsty with 1 too many episodes left.
The end is ironic but confusing and definitely forced.
It reminds me of the movie Parasite which goes through the same pattern in a way,
how everything that could go wrong will always do.
Overall, Scams is worth watching.
It had the best cinematography as far as J dramas are concerned.
PS: Special mentions to the acting cast, everybody did a phenomenal job, especially our MC and his boss.
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THE LEGENDARY AND GREATEST K DRAMA OF ALL TIME
STRICTLY FOR MATURE AUDIENCECriminally the most underrated and greatest K-drama I've seen.
Deserves Baeksang award for everything category( Though it won for best drama overall)
It haunts me how good this drama was and I'll never find something like this.
To have experienced such a unique direction and style of writing.
The perfect blend of Black comedy.
Everybody in this drama has definite screen time.
Everybody plays an important role.
All I can say is this is the first drama where all the actors have given a STELLAR performance.
It's mind-boggling in away.
To have such an artistic imagination and create something like this, it comes once a decade.
The ending is kinda indefinite but positive.
The social satire is on another level.
You'll start to closely look and ponder at things like Money, Fame, Power, Social difficulties and most important of them all Life in a different manner.
The essence of this drama is the hope some people might need in their lives.
And for some, it might be a reality check.
It depends on what you see and how you see i.e. your perspective.
A must watch for everyone. People should recognize something this brilliant and unique.
This piece of art deserves praise at every moment. :)
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Which concludes to yourself being aware of how great and soothing this drama is.
Season 2 is not as great as season 1 but definitely good.
If not a 10, it's a 9.
We've our usual Kuwano and some new female characters with quite some familiar reference characteristics to season one, but still, their character is fresh.
The 2nd season is not a continuation of female characters from season 1.
Whole new story, same layout with Kuwano being difficult but more amazement of how one can write such an awesome plot.
When I heard a 2nd season was coming, I was hell lot excited to see it .
Don't miss out on this ^^
Gives the same slice of life as season 1, on par with it as well! ^^
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UNDERSTANDING LOVE AT A DEEPER LEVEL
What is love ?Is unorthodox love accepted ?
We are represented by the people around us and judged for the same .
Whether it's family , work or personal everything holds a view and opinion .
This drama is really wonderful .
You would see lots of people being dissatisfied with the ending .
But the director had the guts to convey what really happens .
Are you the kind of a viewer who watches an idealist romance ?
Everything has it's ups and downs .
This drama portrays the good and the bad with such convenience that it's baffling .
All the moaners in the review are immature to accept the beauty of this drama .
( These are all weak people and not smart . Like you average viewer with the disability to assess and tell diamond from carbon )
This has an indefinite ending .
Coz people really don't have answers for everything .
Life and relationships are stories .
And not all stories have a definite ending .
It does get slow but the director is giving you time to think what you could've done in that situation .
This drama comes with an art of reflection for what to do and what not to do .
PS : Cinematography is one of the key element of this drama . Purely phenomenal !
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I don't know why they named it this . It's a total bluf , You know how catchy title's attract you xD
Like if I made a drama named gangster , you would watch it asap, right ?
That's how it works .
Anyways ,maybe it should have been better to name it this :
" Machiavellianism "
If you don't know the meaning it's :
Machiavellianism in psychology refers to a personality trait which sees a person so focused on their own interests they will manipulate, deceive, and exploit others to achieve their goals .
So this world defines this drama . This is what happens . Here they manipulate the truth .
This drama is a prime example of how things starts with a small butterfly affect and what can be it's consequence ?
It's perfect till episode 24 or 26 . But since the male lead leaves the show , it's ending is a bad presentation . It's absurd .
Time is worth it to watch . The reason I loved it was the far more realistic approach of how things happen but with that ending they totally took a U turn and Middle fingered us with such an absurd superficial ending .
Also the best thing about this drama is the acting . It's one of the best with such a whole new cast fot the first time in recent years .
Otherwise whatever drama I see , there's always a a same cast person , it's like this industry has become a monopoly of some support characters who always play such role .
Final Call
6/10 ( coz I loved Kim jyung Hyun's acting . He's the sole star of this drama with such a perfect acting an also the plot )
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A normal affair tale which tries hard to show the cheater regrets it but fails ultimately .
Weak Premise all the way. ( Anything above 7 is overrating for this drama)Starts off with the most suspenseful way but then goes all the way down, with no conclusion other than what's visible.
This drama seems to be tough to digest for female viewers xD
But it's damn interesting at one point.
People don't seem to realize how selfish they can be.
If you're looking for something righteous, don't watch this.
This is a depiction of many of corporate affairs.
The baseline of this drama is the mystery and the outcome it will disclose.
Don't be a butt hurt over a drama and enjoy.
Laugh and see the manipulation in this drama xD
Life isn't your everyday bubbly garden but an ugly mud pool.
Denying the fact that affairs happen and getting butthurt over such things will only make yourself end up in misery.
Although the writer has messed it up in every way, the sole worth of watching this is the affair mystery.
This is a woman-centric drama.
Still, this is one of the rare cases where I'll say the writer being female has totally feigned ignorance to the male protagonist.
He's left like an emotionless bastard, his facial expression are zero.
I wonder how can you write such a sleazy character but nonetheless it went okayish.
I won't go into description coz there's nothing really to talk about, it's what it is if you've read the synopsis and it stays the same till the end.
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Pristine Romance
' One night spring ' is the best ever depiction of love and family altogether .I feel so full that not even half the words I've would be able to describe this drama ,
but one thing I can tell you for sure .
You'll grow up to be a better man/woman after watching this drama .
You'll be more understanding .
More like , You'll be a better person . ^^
This drama makes you grow and only a few of them have the tendency to do that ^^
A MUST WATCH .
Han Ji Min and Jung Hae in have an unbeatable chemistry . ^^
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Good but not the Best
When this started I had great expectations from this drama.Multiple couples, senior and junior office romance.
This drama was constructive as it mattered and then deconstructed abruptly I would say.
Eventually, the other couples pulled it better than our Leads.
The ending was absurd and definitely rushed as they wished to give a happy mappy conclusive ending.
The acting was great from everybody, actually, I would say that the FL was the most average acted in this drama, apart from her everybody was terrific, maybe it was her role but she sure has issues as we've seen in other dramas of hers as well.
If you're looking for an average office romance, this can fulfil it. :)
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Poster's never lie
This drama with the catchy poster and synopsis was enough for me to go for it.And it didn't disappoint me.
The mature plot of an affair which is pure.
The whole essence of this drama is in the fact that
People change, things revolve ultimately.
You don't hate, you forget and forgive.
You learn to live.
The 1st half of this drama has much more to offer with the character and plot development.
But the 2nd half loses that momentum completely with too many flashbacks.
Still, it's a great concept.
Kim Ha Neul 's choice of drama is often these difficult plots.
She wasn't at her best in this drama but still decent.
As for Lee Sang Yoon, his character was quite dull TBH.
The writer could've been much better at making expressive character but the focus was solely on them as a whole not as individuals which I think took turns to lose the edge.
The biggest thing you'll be baffled to find in this drama is that there's no forced hate.
People are quite understanding which is quite contrary to real life.
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