I was a bit put off by the overly aggressive wacky-zany vibe they were pushing in the first episode, but if there's one odd quirk that Kdramas have taught me to expect, it's that first episodes are usually the worst and it isn't fair to judge a show until a few more episodes are under the belt. Luckily, things did improve, and the show became quite cute and endearing. The dramatic parts don't hit with much punch, but the feel-good parts are just right. You will have to suspend your disbelief that someone with the FL's body could ever be a weightlifter, though, as she didn't exactly bulk up for the role.
I didn't really see the point of centering dramatic moments around the completely fictional malady the show is named after. It plays fine in comedy scenes, but does nothing but lessen the credibility of the dramatic heart of the show. The plot and acting of this show were too over-the-top/melodramatic for my tastes, but I will say this: the villains of the show are the highlight, by far. Whereas many Kdramas hold viewers' attentions in anticipation of the romantic leads getting together at the end, the real catharsis at the end of this show is seeing justice prevail and the "bad guys" get their comeuppance.
It is so refreshing to watch a Kdrama that isn't wall-to-wall Kdrama tropes. The quality of writing and acting are more akin to a movie than a typical TV drama, and you can really appreciate the actors relishing the chance to act in a more realistic style.
The only flaw here is a big one -- the soundtrack. There are only a handful of songs, and they get played over and over (and over) to the point of nausea. A couple of them aren't so bad, but the theme used in the opening credits is awful and gets played constantly throughout the episodes as well. I found myself cursing that song out loud every time it appeared (there was a LOT of cursing).
I see a lot of comments about how this movie will make you happy and sad, laugh and cry in turns, and that's true, it is an emotional roller coaster. But what I'm not seeing a lot of comments about is just how furious this film will make you. I want to like this movie more, but the law enforcement and legal systems as depicted in this film are such devious and cruel mockeries of justice that I don't think I'll ever want to watch it again, it made me so angry. The resolution of the film is meant to offer some solace, but by then the damage has been done, and none of the guilty parties are held accountable. Infuriating and sickening.
This is a good movie, but it left me feeling completely furious with the leniency given to the rapist. The real case this is based on is just as infuriating, and it makes me sick to know that the inhuman %$#@ who did this has been walking free and living less than 1km from the victim's home for over a year now.
This is a well-produced, nice-looking drama that doesn't have any significant flaws, but it also doesn't have anything exceptional in it that makes it rise above average. The epitome of "OK."
I completely agree with the full-length review by hurudnas above. This was a good movie that was technically well-made, but it was hampered by weak development of most of its characters. Indeed, it was the mostly two-dimensional characters moreso than the fantasy plot and super-hero action that betrayed this story's roots as a manhwa. It's a shame, really, because with a little extra care taken in the story/script to give each character a moment or two there to allow their personalities to come through in a natural way that would endear them to the audience (and not through the forced melodrama of the trial flashback scenes), this could have been a great film rather than merely a good one.
Despite all of the behind-the-scenes drama, this was OK up until the unforeseen departure of one of the main cast. I'm sure the writers did the best they could in a bad situation, but the re-worked conclusion was just...boring. It's a shame that the actor in question wasn't more of a professional.
I stubbornly stuck with it till the end, but this drama never grabbed me and I found myself checking my watch more than once per episode. I was actually relieved that it got shortened by two episodes.
I normally hate Japanese live-action productions that try to imitate an anime or manga style, but this series somehow nails it. The acting is completely unrealistic, over-the-top and ridiculous, but that's the point. This isn't a live action comedy, it's a manga come to life. The MVP award goes to Sato Jiro's narcoleptic chain-smoking "Mad Hori" character, who stole every scene he was in.
I watched 3 episodes and have decided to drop it, which is something I almost NEVER do. I simply didn't see the point in continuing. This is a technically sound production, but the story and characters are awful. First of all, this isn't the type of horror story that has any interest in frightening the viewer - there are no attempts at being scary - and it instead has focused on attempting to shock or "gross-out" the viewer with random acts of violence and gallons of blood. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but since the characters are so paper-thin and the plot so unbelievable, even a relatively short 6-episode series seems about 3 episodes too long. (After 3 episodes, the protagonist might well be the least developed character in the entire cast, basically amounting to "the one who looks shocked all the time").
Hmm...it seems that everyone likes this movie a LOT more than I did. It was OK, but as a comedy, it felt to me more like "Sunday-comics-funny" than actually funny. In other words, it was clearly apparent at all times that is was a film in the comedy genre, but under no circumstances would it ever induce actual laughter. A mediocre film at best.
It's a good movie overall, but I was really annoyed by the message the film seemed to be sending that the only way to be driven to succeed as a writer is to be treated like crap by your family. I got the feeling that the film's screenwriter thought the audience would agree with him that Ryunosuke's father was justified in leading his son to believe that he had been disowned since it was ultimately "for his own good," and then again when Ryunosuke did pretty much the same thing to his adopted son. Sorry, not buying it. Telling your children that they are destined to fail and you never want to see them again is NOT the best way to show your love for them, period. Terrible parenting.
I was fully prepared to rate this lower than I did right up until the twist, which helped justify some things that earlier had seemed to be lazy contrivances on behalf of the film's writer.
The only flaw here is a big one -- the soundtrack. There are only a handful of songs, and they get played over and over (and over) to the point of nausea. A couple of them aren't so bad, but the theme used in the opening credits is awful and gets played constantly throughout the episodes as well. I found myself cursing that song out loud every time it appeared (there was a LOT of cursing).