BEFORE YOU CONSIDER THE MDL's RATING...
I liked it. You might like it too. It's a hit or miss.The major let down for most people who didn't enjoy this was the pacing of the story. The answers to the snowballing mystery were initially given too slow. And when this happens, the audience are bound to lose their attention and forget what the original suspense was about.
I personally did not mind this. The writer still managed to hook me into the mystery. and as each week passed, I found myself growing more and more ravenous for answers. For some, this will deter them from coming back to watch it due to the lack of trust in the plot as the answers to the mystery weren't delivered in a timely manner. But for myself and others alike, this will compel us to drop all our work and chores to stream it the second it the episode is available.
This show is definitely a hit or miss. It is one that requires patience to be enjoyed. The story slowly builds up with suspence and only rewards the audience with answers until the last remaining episodes. It is really down to preference, but for me, when the answers to the main mysteries were rewarded (after sitting through 10 episodes of confusion, frustration and having absolutely no idea to what is going on in this unpredictable plot) it felt very liberating.
The acting was decent. I liked it. This wasn't a surprise as I was familiar with Cho Yeo Jung from Parasite and Kim Young Dae from Extraordinary You. I haven't heard of the other lead actors until now, but they did a good job.
The show didn't have a particularly wide range of music scores, but regardless I found the OST enjoyable, especially the ending theme 'O.V.E.R.' by Suran. The song gave me a lot of sweet psycho vibes, which suited this drama very well.
I'd say give this show a chance. As I said, you'd either really like it if you have patience, or drop it. I mean, the worst possible outcome is that it's not your cup of tea, and that's okay, at least you gave it a shot.
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STORY
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When three unrelated strangers, Shin, Neo and Miw, were forced to run together from a gang due an unexpected incident occurred. Is it luck that one of the three is the son of the gang leader (Shin) that is after them? Or will the other two (Neo and Miw) take advantage of the son of the gang leader to gain the upper hand? That seems to be the consistent theme all through out that will make you think, is the son will betray his new found "friends" to gain his father's approval? Or will he help his friends to eventually escape the gang who is after them? So how unrelated the three truly are when you learn that there is one person among the three that is common to the other two. Is it really that fate that jokingly put them together, or it is just a matter of time that the paths of the three will eventually crossed?
On the surface this would be a typical gang-related series that you took one of ours, then you should be eliminated. But that is not the case here. You will realize that each of the 3 has a past that is somehow connected to a family member that led to their current state of "misery". And as the saying goes, "misery loves company". All of them has this unspoken goal: to prove to the world that I am more of what is my past. It is through this misery that they find comfort and sees each other eye to eye. But will this bond be enough to get themselves out of the hole they are in? Or will this gathering will be their demise?
Truly, this is a series of crime committed after the other and seemingly unending violence, loyalty and standing your friends, making up for the mistakes you made with your family and achieving a dream. All of those inter-woven in a seemingly complicated plot. But once you were able to figure out what and where it needs to go, you will see perfectly created canvass of real life SURVIVAL.
After the violence and deaths that had happened, will there still be a happy ending for anyone? And will anyone be truly free from their past to build a new future? This what you have to find out.
I deliberately left out the sexual relationship among the 3 as for me, it is not that important than what was formed among them. And that is what I want for the viewers to focus on. The sexual tension is just an icing on top. To mellow down your adrenaline pump and redirect it into something equally exciting. Can it be left out? NO. As it serves the catalyst of the whole story, beginning for series of unfortunate events.
ACTING/CAST
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Let me start the review of the cast and their acting from MY most favorite to the least.
JENNIE as MAE - this is definitely a breath of fresh air. For the longest time I have been watching Thai series, may it BL, straight or mixed, this is a first that humanizes a trans-woman and gave some sense of dignity. Unlike what I watched before that a trans woman often gets ridiculed, a butt of jokes, mocked and treated like lower than a second class citizen. Here, you can see that a trans woman also have a dream, gets hurt, struggles, fight back when pushed against a wall... just... like... any... other... human. Jennie gave life to Mae, her chasing an identity she had dream for so long, the pursuit of what she thinks can make her happy, pay back the kindness of the people that shown it to her. Her character is one of the most develop in this series. She starts of with a meager job and when the unfortunate happened, she "man" up. As the series progress, she becomes tougher and tougher, often times at conflict with morality where is currently placed herself in. Can she attain "justice" by inflicting injustice to others, this the main theme of her character. And she has the most important role here! For that, kudos to the team behind this!
GUNsmile as TER - Is another character that transitioned well. From playing Prem in SOTUS with anger management issue, to a wacky ghost friend in He's Coming To Me, he is turning into one versatile actor. What helped his role here as Ter is his role as Prem. A no non-sense guy that is willing to do anything and everything to complete the task he was given. And how he takes care of Mae here, reminds me of how he treated Wad (Fluke of SOTUS) after both of them were engage in a fist fight. It started as a promise with a friend that eventually led to something more. His role turned a mere "baby-sitter" to protector to a support buddy. You can clearly see as well how he changed from a strong-willed gang member that nobody can changes his mind if he sets his mind to it, to being influenced in thinking things through with logic and sense of responsibility. And he is so handsome in the last episode, Gunsmile should smile more!
TAY as SHIN - If you have been following him, you most probably know that he is connected to New. And perhaps you seen his acting developed from to Kiss Me Again, to the Our Skyy special, truly he can deliver what is required in acting in a romantic role. But this time around, it is way different. Here, you can see a nerdy looking, naive, detest violence and to a degree, a gullible guy. If you watched him first here then watch him paired up with New, all of the characteristics of his role here is the exact opposite. And that speaks volume on how good an actor he is. Shin character here is torn between friends and a father. Often times you can see him struggles and even second guesses his decisions. One can also see the situation he is in, a normal life or a life of a gangster. Early part of the show, it is establish who he will chose between the two. But towards the end, you might think otherwise. It is only in the last episode that was clearly shown who he choose between his friend or his father.
MILD as MIW - I watched this girl first in Kiss Me Again as Sandee, you can see her assertiveness in getting a thing done. Bossy at times. But lack of airtime can make you wonder, "Is that all she got?". Then I watched "Happy Birthday the series". Oh boy! I was impressed how she transitioned her character from Sandee to Tharnnam. From then on, I know she is a versatile actress that dares not to be stereotype as far as a character that she can play. Her role here as Miw is an edgy, sassy and you can see also a vulnerable side of the character which she gives justice. Now as she reprise her role in "Dark Blue Kiss", personally, she sets up a high bar that she needs to overcome; but I don't mind being the good old friendly Sandee to Pete and Kao. It will speak the consistency of her acting. Miw here is constantly veering away from an ugly past, trying to prove to others that she more than what she was used to be. Often times, you would see her "battle" through to prove her worth, and in the end, she did. With her looks here is inconsistent in what she is trying to be. It is a demon that she is constantly trying to get rid off. Nothing but praises for Mild's portrayal of Miw.
JOSS as NEO - To be honest, this is the first series/movie I watched him act. And I am impressed as well. His acting as the leader of the group was done with credibility as he shows when to stand by his decision, when to level with his friends, when to be soft and caring. He is the perfect lead role an action themed series or movies as he got the looks of this bad boy image, the body and his height suits that kind of character. I hope to see him more acting with a similar theme like this one. What I like also about the production team is how they make Joss looks like, with little or no make-up at all. You can see numerous close-up scenes the blemishes on his face which makes the character more credible like who wears make-up in a gun fight, right?
TOPTAP as PP - For two series I watched him appeared, Water Boyy the series and SOTUS, you will develop a feeling of disliking the character. That is no different from this one. BUT WAIT! There is definitely more than being disliked. and sure enough, he can be adorable too! When a role demands to be hate, like Joffrey Baratheon, and viewers hate you, then you are doing a great job. But his angelic face does not really suits a role of an antagonist or to be disliked. He needs more role of a bubbly, adorable roles that when he smiles, one can melt easily.
PRAME as LUANG - When he appeared as Nack in The Gifted the series, it felt that he could have shown his acting more, only if he was given more airtime. But given what he has in that series, he was able to show a couple different side of the character. But for Luang, it is just a one layer character, it lacks diversity in his emotions even a back story is not that solid. Even when Luang is one of the important character that helped the 3 extensively.
MUSIC
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I really don't expect a memorable music or song from an action series, after all, the show needs to pump as much as adrenaline into your body and not a second to waste mellowing down, smelling the flowers on the roadside. However, how I wish they production team put more of the heartbeating background sounds that will leave you at the edge of you seat waiting what will happen next. There were a lot of gun pointing scenes, as expected from this genre of show, but you know already what will happen next since it lacks the suspense factor of a background sounds.
REWATCH VALUE
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It is really hard to rewatch something that there is a definite ending. All lose ends are tied up and when mystery that was set early was completely resolved. BUT, it doesn't mean that you will be wasting your time watching this.
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The story obviously isn't original- this drama is made with all our favourite drama tropes in mind- but the format made it very entertaining. I'm actually really surprised this doesn't have higher views on here, how many times have we watched a drama and had second male lead syndrome? Well with this drama that's impossible, as you can make your own ending.
Will she go with the cute underclass-man, the childhood friend who would do anything for her, the cool school sports star, or the protective bad boy? You decide!I watched all the possibilities but my heart is with Jooho as I'm a sucker for the bad boy type.
Random dance numbers aside, Click your Heart is a well put together drama. It's short, sweet and easy to watch. I really hope there are more like this in the future.
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Story: While it's your standard normal-guy-turns-hero-to-save-the-world tale, each character's history and individual story arcs are noteworthy. This drama is very character-driven, which makes for very passionate touching scenes, but also very whimsical humorous scenes. Be prepared to laugh and cry with the entire cast. I repeat: Laugh. Cry.
I'm a sap so I might be the only person to cry, but the brotherhood, loyalty, and romance in this drama had me in tears. The number of reincarnations takes a little getting used to, though. There may only be a few characters, but there will be twice as many names...
Acting/Cast: This is my first time watching Hu Ge in action, and I now understand why he's so popular. It's not just because he's fairly good looking, but because he can ACT. How 'bout that? Not only that, I feel that the entire cast was picked well. They all fit their roles, and executed them so nicely...
Music: Just one sentence: I watched the drama because I came across the soundtrack. (One more sentence: With a soundtrack that good, there's no way CP3 would be bad.)
Rewatch Value: Not that high, because at some points it feels elongated. Fight scenes get lengthy, serious talks get stretched out, misunderstandings between characters wastes some time...But I'd rewatch it if it meant I got to skim through all those things.
Overall: Some characters and their respective arcs get a little too much attention, while others hardly get the screen time they deserve, so I'm a little sad about that, but within that short time you really get to appreciate their character. The slightly-weird CGI may be an initial turn-off, but stick with it and you won't be disappointed.
PS: There may be some plotholes that make you scream "YOU IDIOT, JUST ____ ALREADY!" but thinking that won't change things (unfortunately), so take the plot as it is. It was based off a video game so you might have to give it a little slack when it comes to patching up plotholes... =_=;
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1we met
I really wanted Lee Jung-jae to kill it in something outside of Squid Game, and while this wasn't a disaster, it definitely felt like a bit of a slog. The setup isn't even bad on paper. You have an aging actor tired of being typecast as a detective who just wants to do a rom-com, paired with a reporter who gets stuck covering him. It should have been a sharp look at the industry, but it just felt a little exhausted from the start.I actually liked that it felt adult for once. It didn't rely on forced skinship or some rushed, fake romance to keep things moving, which was refreshing. But that just makes the male lead's behavior even weirder. He spends half the time throwing literal toddler tantrums, and it’s so jarring. It is hard to fully buy into a "mature" dynamic when one half of the couple is acting like a child.
The writing is a bit of a waste for a cast this good. I adore Lim Ji-yeon because she usually brings so much intensity to her roles, but she is just kind of stranded here. It’s like she is acting in a prestige drama while everyone else is in a sitcom. The only person who actually got the assignment was Jeon Sung-woo. As Director Byeong Gi, he was a total standout and honestly the only person who felt like a human being in this mess.
And I'm not here for the "oppa is too old" or "not hot" complaints. That is just shallow noise that ignores the real failure of the show. The problem isn't his face or his age; it's the fact that the script is a total mess. One minute it's trying to be a serious political thriller and then it jump-cuts to some slapstick about a fake detective show. It tries to talk about fame versus reality but stays so surface-level that it ends up feeling a bit mid.
The final episode was actually one of the better ones, which I appreciated. It finally felt like things were coming together, even if it took too long to get there. Ultimately, there is nothing here that I really hate. It isn't offensive or unwatchable. The real issue is that there is just nothing here to really love. It’s a fine watch, but it feels like a waste of some of the best actors in the business because it never gives you a reason to be obsessed with it.
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WHAT THE F*CK!
What the Duck should have been titled What the F*ck!This whole series is filled with a lot of 'what the freaking f*ck' moments.
I had high expectation for this series, after all its only one of the few that's not set in high school or university. In paper, that should have been a refreshing change, but instead what we get are bunch of cliches and annoying characters all rolled into one annoying series. Let me break it down by the shows couples (or triple).
First is Pop and Mo and Oat. Pop is a vain and an obviously gay guy but with a mustache of a martyr gf in Mo, who followed him in his dreamjob which he failed to get so he went for a catering job instead. This is where he met this despicable guy Oat, and because this is a BL series, of course he would fall for Oat even if nothing about this guy is worth adoring - not even a dose of redeeming quality. The fact that he dropped Mo's ass like its nothing and chose Oat is just a lazy storytelling.
Second is Pree and Rambo and Pent. These 2 (err 3) are so sexy and their sex scenes are just so hot that i wished they just made this series a soft porn movie with these 3 and remove all the other things, then id rate it a 10. Alas, they just have to give these guys speaking parts but all i can remember Pree and Rambo did was cry, cry and cry. I should mention that this couple ended their relationship because Rambo was supposed to marry this girl and Pree was so self-righteous that he cant see beyond his reasons. But then later, it was revealed that he was still inlove with another guy and is willing to pusue/steal it from his sister! And then he got the audacity to be more pissed off when he found out that Rambo had sex with other people while they were broken up. See i told you another 'what the f*ck'!
Third is the 3 stoogees. Like honestly, do they need these 3 stupid guys just to drive the plot? Their attempt (and the show's) to be funny always ends flat and these guys are really just annoying and nuissance. After watching the first two episodes, it took me months to move on to the next episode because i am just so annoyed by these 3 (and those bitchy flight stewards) that the thought of continuing watching this series just made me cringe everytime.
Did i mention that Pop is ready to give up on his dreams just because of a guy?
It is also worth mentioning that sitting through 20 friggin long episodes is just so hard to do because nothing really happens throughout. They could have condensed it to 6 or 8 episodes without losing its essence. Oh, and they left Season 1 without really finishing any storyline, meaning they are forcing you to sit through another 8 episodes which to be honest, is just so hard to do (Im trying and i really cant even finish season2's first episode after 6 tries)!
Ok, i already said way too much and i can probably say a whole lot more bad things about this series, and i guess no one would read this anyway, but if you are, and you are thingking of watching this, do yourself a favor and stay away. Just watch a rerun of Love of Siam.
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Like UNNATURAL, MIU404 takes a social commentary approach to the traditional police procedural / crime dramas. The first few episodes are seemingly disconnected in storyline (ie. each episode has its own crime to solve), but as the story goes on you'll see how the bigger picture connects. There's more at stake than what meets the eye. And the plot and acting all play critical roles in conveying that to the audience.
I particularly enjoyed the lines said by the MIU captain. I think the scriptwriter really made good use of the character to bring out her worldview and her morals/ethics. The amazing storyline aside, MIU404 is essentially Nogi Akiko's letter of complaint about the current police hierarchy, how the Japanese society treats juvenile crimes, as well as the problems with fake news and internet trolling... and I love it.
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An underrated thriller with a shoddy ending, yet lived upto the mystery genre.
This drama is definitely one of the most underrated gems of the year 2021. I am disappointed at the fact that very less people were watching in real time and not sure whether it'll get recognition now that it's over. I think the cast is the reason but wth; these are all brilliant actors.A lot of people might consider it's a makjang or chaebol drama for the dark complex synopsis but trust me it's not. It's rather a mystery thriller with a touch of makjang, let's say 30%…? Well again, this drama lives upto the mystery genre.
THE ROAD: THE TRAGEDY OF ONE is about the family, social, political, business and hierarchical affairs involving people of a posh place namely, "Royal The Hill", where top 1% people of South Korea inhabit. This is an adaptation of the famous Japanese thriller novel "Ichi no Higeki" by Rintaro Norizuki published in 1992.
Baek Hyun Soo (Ji Jin Hee) is a famous news anchor with tragic past of youth who holds enormous influence on the netizens that he's built over decades by the means of his work. Married to his enemy's daughter, Seo Eun Soo (Yoon Se Ah), Hyun Soo has always thrived for justice. But as soon as he tries to unmask his own father-in-law, Seo Gi Tae (Chun Ho Jin), things become awry and making everything a mess. On a torrential rainy night a tragic incident takes place and the secrets connected with it result in silence, avoidance, and confusion, which eventually leads to another tragedy.
The Cast is full of veteran actors and in fact, the side characters or minor roles are played by actors with good amount of experience. This fact makes the drama even more interesting even before you start. If cast is the reason the drama isn't getting recognition, man that's an act of foolishness because the cast is very apt and all of them are very skillful actors. They're not just old by ages, also by the time they've spent in the industry. Their performance in this drama is stupendous.
Traumatized by his past Hyun Soo often gets flashbacks of that one horrible day of his teenage that changed his entire life making him run away from everything. Since then, he's always sought escape thinking he can someday finally fix his life but could never reach the end. Eun Soo, a miniature artist, loves her husband and son and can go to any length to protect her family. She's always careful about maintaining her dignity but also has her own insecurities. Chairman Seo Gi Tae of Jaekang Group is very influential and can wield any kinda card to get his work done. Aware of Hyun Soo's intentions, he draws a big picture to prevent his forthcoming downfall. Cha Se Young (Kim Hye Eun) is an announcer and highly ambitious woman who is never satisfied despite owning everything. Her greed and evil motives lands her in many odd situations.
Apart from the main cast,Choi Nam Gyu (Ahn Nae Sang) playing Se Young's husband, Shim Seok Hoon (Kim Sung Soo) playing Metropolitan Detective, Kwon Ye Jin (Baek Ji Won) playing News Desk Chief, Bae Kyung Sook (Kang Myung Hun) playing Chairman Gi Tae's 2nd wife and Hwang Tae Seob (Kim Roe Ha) playing the assemblyman are some other major characters who contributed to the drama's quality. Even the 2 child actors were good.
It's definitely a thriller with lots of makjang elements such as marriage problems, extra-marital affairs, cheating your partner, infidelity, rich family affairs, dirty secrets, power politics, hierarchical dispute, birth secret, drugs, alcohol, hypersexuality, high ambitions, political fights, corruption, pseudo journalism, scams, etc. Still a thriller, I repeat, with lots of twists & revelations plus a steady plot development that's worth anticipating about.
First 2 episodes are honestly kinda slow as well as confusing because it's anyways the introduction of the drama and there are lots of going back and forth in time to showcase the past connections. This particular thing is also included equally throughout the 12 episodes which might be unbearable but flashbacks are very common for individuals with PTSD. Yes, the lead character, Hyun Soo suffers from trauma and goes through frequent flashbacks even after 2 decades.
Story and screenwriting are very good with a steady and definite plot development and harmonic progression. The plot becomes somewhat blunt and boring in the episode 9 but even a major revelation at it's end again picked up my curiosity. Since it's only 12 episode I was a bit scared the finale week (11th & 12th) would be rushed but thankfully it wasn't the case. The destination goal of the drama started unfolding after the 2nd half of the 10th episode and almost everything was crystal clear by the end of 11th hence creating scope for the finale episode to come out smooth. However, I am a bit disappointed with the finale episode. It wasn't exactly bad but the way the writer wanted to end is unusual for a Korean thriller drama. I understand that in real, that also is a possibility and that's evident but still...... The main culprit was revealed in the 12th episode to the audience and everything was explained but...... Idk how to tell this without spoiling. Anyways, not gonna say that they messed up.
Direction ia amazing. All the techniques used to make the drama interesting plus intriguing, yielded good results. Synchronization and linking and of events, pacing and screenplay are very well done. And another important aspect of mystery/crime thriller dramas that's sound editing, is also excellently executed. Intense sound effects with deep background scores make the screenplay more thrilling. OSTs are also good and suit the mood of the drama. Cinematography is something that's been aptly worked upon and the dark aura helps keep the suitable scenario.
"Memories" by Yi Sung Yol is deep, sad and tragic track. "Find the Way" by Jung In is also good.
Again, it totally defines what exactly "mystery" genre should be like. There were lots of revelations in here and till the end there were lots of questions like why, who, how, what, etc that left me astonished. It's very unpredictable throughout because everyone seemed to be possessing some secrets and everyone tried to climb up the ladder and save themselves like crazy. Also, there are few things they had been showing us till the last episode without much explanation but they were eventually made clear in the finale. I started the drama a week before the finale so I thought people would be making theories and going crazy but sadly, coming here I see very less are watching it.
Also, this drama has a bisexual and a lesbian character who are involved with each other but that's not shown in a good light, rather it's another dirty little secret of the story.
This drama deserves a lot more than this and tvN's to be partially blamed too because it seems they're not promoting it well unlike it's other big budget ongoing dramas. I expected it to at least do well in Korea if not internationally but things didn't go well may be, hence making it one of the most underrated of this year. I could have given it 8.5/10 but outcome of last 15 mins was a bit unusual even though it's somewhat realistic.
I know that at this point filthy rich, posh village stories with luxurious group of people, gorgeously dressed women, family secrets, fight for assets things have become old and usual but this drama stands out to be different from the trope because of it's thriller elements and definitely worth the one time watch. So please give it a try keeping in mind that the first 2 episodes might not interest you but trust me, it gets better with each episode.
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The main attraction of this drama is definitely the satires. The writers are commendable for being able to continue the bold use of candid humor throughout the drama without making it revolting or tiring at any point. This drama takes in many typical elements like-naive main girl, arrogant main guy, evil opponents, traumatic past etc. - smites them with absurd derision and serves as a great amusement to the person savoring it!
Another good point is the attention paid to the legal details. Although the principle selling point was to be the humor, the writers did not forget to focus just as much on legalism as to be expected in a legal drama.
The characters are simply outstanding. The lead character Komikado is whacky, cynical, wasteful and indulgent. He is not only the center source of interest and excitement but also of contempt and resentment. The preposterous remarks delivered by him are unbelievable and unforgettable.Mayuzumi as an upright, honest lawyer has nothing surprising to offer but her existence is certainly indispensable in emphasizing the contrast with Komikado and maintaining the balance of craziness with rationality. The supporting characters are equally capricious and funny and enhance the pleasing power of the series.
The cast is exquisite. Sakai Masato has done a splendid job in the role of Komikado which is entirely different form his past images. He is so magnificently convincing in this drama that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else to be more fitting for this role. I liked the acting of Aragaki Yui here more than in any other dramas I’ve seen so far. Satomi Kotaro, Koike Eiko, Namase Katsuhisa, Taguchi Junnosuke -all are impressive and persuasive in their respective roles.
Overall it an excellent drama and if you are in the mood to watch something that will make you laugh out loud in every episode then Legal High is a must for you.
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I didn't like the first few episodes, it seemed like the directing was off. During the introductory phase of the drama, the audience has to learn who these characters are and a bit of context to the background and circumstances our characters face. Instead, it felt like a nosedive into the first episode. No joke, I thought I was playing the incorrect episode when I first started this drama. Thankfully, this wasn't an issue that was so bad I had to stop watching.
At times, the editing can get pretty choppy and weird. I remember shots jumping from one clip to another really oddly. It's not a huge problem, it just pulls you out of being into the atmosphere of the drama.
The last gripe I have are the last few episodes. It really fell from grace; they made some pretty poor choices and it made me skip around the last 3ish episodes til we got to the end. I've heard that this was cut from originally being even more episodes. I'm glad they cut it but they honestly needed to cut it some more to eliminate some of the BS that they included during the last episodes.
Even though this drama clearly has some faults, it excels wonderfully in some areas!
The characters are really, REALLY good (especially Zhao Xiao Tang, I absolutely adored her!!!). Each one of the supporting characters has a distinct personality and various problems they face, and you'll actually be invested in them! A lot of the time I don't really care about subplots, but everything happening to the side characters felt just as important as the plot with the main character. This drama also did a really good job creating a super cute friendship between the roommates.
Mu Cheng He and Xue Tong's relationship is truly SO cute! It's rare to actually find a depiction of a relationship that is so healthy in dramas. Initially, you might expect a teacher-student relationship to be toxic but I'll assure you this one wasn't. The only thing I'm upset with is how Mu Cheng He's character developed. It seemed like we were so close to seeing how he grew as a person but we ended up not getting any of it. The audience wants to see "show" not "tell", but his character development ended up being completely "tell" which was unfortunate.
I also really like the atmosphere this drama created. It really felt realistic and a slice of life. A lot of dramas nowadays are over the top and fall into situations that are completely implausible. Here, our characters face real problems that the audience really might relate to. The drama also touches on important themes like family, friendship, grief, addiction, etc.
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A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love
39 people found this review helpful
As the J-netizens said, I would like to think Yuri was the heroine of this drama. I loved how supportive was everyone of him. There isn't a single bad character here. And all 3 rivals were nice, handsome guys who wanted nothing more than Junko's happiness. Each one of the guys had their amount of support from the netizens, I am not sure who was the most popular. But since episode 1 I had my favorite, and that is because I am a huge fan of manga-Shinkumi <3
I have yet to watch the final episode subbed, but just watching it raw I loved it (I covered my eyes but peeked between my fingers in the last scene). I'll write a proper review (with a proper rant over this actor whom I fell head over heels) when I finish the last episode subbed.
Favorite scenes, in no particular order:
- The "heroine in a dating game" (but the whole study camp made me happy)
- The "betrayed" look in front of Junko's house
- All the hugs (kyaa they were all amazing, the most romantic I've even seen)
- every time my fave smiled
- Nishioi and Miwa were funny, but together they were hilarious
Favorite drama of the year? XD too early to tell but I loved it so much I am having drama withdrawal symptoms ^_^ And listening to the OST ("Happy birthday" by back number) isn't helping ^_^
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His: I Didn't Think I Would Fall in Love
39 people found this review helpful
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This review may contain spoilers
My Journey to…Nowhere?
Let me start with the positive marks. This drama is seriously gorgeous when it comes to visuals, with the attention to cinematographic detail you see in movies more than TV shows. You could even put the drama on mute and still enjoy it just for how gorgeous so many shots are. This is clearly where the director’s talents lie and was my favorite part of the experience.The second thing I can applaud is the cast, who all performed their roles to the best they could as the characters are written. I have to give special mention to Ryan Cheng who was so perfect in his role as Gong Shang Jue that unfortunately the others, even though they were good, were eclipsed by his performance. But really it is on a scale of “pretty good” to “excellent” with no major weak points in acting.
The story starts off exciting in its first episodes with a great focus on Yun Wei Shan being sent on her mission amongst the potential brides, but is soon dragged down to an extremely slow pace it suffers from until the end of the drama. Most episodes follow the same formula of going around in circles, with too much exposition and endless conversations (that were so whispered it was sometimes hard to hear over the background tracks) only to finish up on a cliffhanger to keep you hooked in, and then do the same the next episode. The show often gets lost in flashbacks and forgets to move forward in the present timeline leading to a feeling of “is anything actually happening?” throughout the middle of the drama.
As for the characters, some arcs are better than others. Many have complained about the frustrating arc of the ML character Gong Ziyu who takes a very long time to catch up to speed with the plot, appearing not just trusting and naive but oblivious to a degree that strains belief, only to develop very abruptly in a way that wasn’t convincing. But even worse is the characterization of the FL as Yun Wei Shan, who gets overshadowed by the Gong men family drama and rarely feels like the lead of the show she is supposed to be. For many episodes she plays the role of sidekick to accompany ML on his three trials, so he can grow into his position as Sword Wielder. By the end it feels her character and the Wufeng side of the story got a background seat to the story of uniting the Gong men against a common enemy. Despite being lead it feels as though Yu Shu Xin is not given her time to shine.
As for the plot, instead of presenting a focused mystery that builds with suspense and ends on a satisfactory note, the story gets tangled in its own web of its too many suspects and possibilities, leaving the audience to overcompensate and come up with theories that had way more depth than the show provided, such as the theory that Zi Yu was playing a big long con, or that Gong Zi Shang had more sinister involvement beyond her over-the-top comic relief role. The writer relies too hard on cliffhangers for his own good, so much so that he can’t stop himself from including one even at the last minute. An open ending works for some dramas but here it leaves a bad taste. Aside from the Gong men coming together and Ziyu becoming sword wielder, nothing has really changed and it seems implied the terrible cycles we started with will only continue…YWS’s potential sacrifices didn’t amount to much and in the end the writer lets her fate become another unsatisfying mystery.
To sum it up, this is a beautiful but slow watching experience that lacked focus and didn't end up having the depth I hoped. I doubt a Season 2 would happen but if it did I can't say for sure I'd be interested in watching.
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EDITED 4/20/19: Everything in this review still holds true! The second half and ending are fantastic. Give this show a chance!
Story: 10/10
I like the story. It's the typical "there's an injustice, someone dies, a cabal of corrupt higher officials from the police/prosecution/rich people cover it up" storyline that seems super common among Korean crime dramas (and for good reason.. funnily enough this drama is airing as the burning sun scandal is being exposed in Korea). The execution is less serious for the most part (it lives up to its comedy tag), and sometimes bridges into being a little campy, but they always bring it back so that the more emotional scenes never feel forced or out of place. The emotional scenes (character backstories) are engaging and genuine. I'm hard to sell on edgy, tragic character backstories, because they're a) super common and b) often used as an excuse for why [this character] is now a douchebag in the present, but the backstories in this show (especially Father Kim and Detective Dae Young's) are less of that and more of a glimpse of what their characters are suffering with alone.
It's not extremely suspenseful or mysterious, and there's no doubt who the bad guys are from, like, the first few episodes, but it's a solid plot and the writers throw in enough important events to keep it moving along. It's not boring, and it provides plenty of scenarios for the characters to shine.
Acting/Cast: 10/10
This is definitely the star of the show for me. I tend to be a character-focused watcher, with a good plot being an added bonus, but this drama really blows my expectations out of the park for character writing and acting. Usually there's at least one (usually multiple, if I'm being honest) actor/character I think is unrealistic or wooden, and it puts me off, but all the actors are absolutely fantastic.
I've never seen any of the main actors before, but I've been especially appreciating Kim Nam Gil and Kim Sung Kyun's acting. Kim Nam Gil is the obvious star of the show, with perfect execution in the comedy scenes and a heart-wrenching look in his eyes in the more emotional ones. Even Lee Na Hui, whose character is my least favorite out of the three (and, honestly, kind of annoyed the hell out of me for at least the first 15 episodes, but that's just personal taste), acts well enough that I only disliked her character just because her personality wasn't my type, not because her acting was poor or the character was poorly written. She's growing on me. Even the weakest actor IMO (I won't say who) isn't anywhere near the level of annoying over-acting that I dislike in dramas. The cast is a solid A, with even side characters' actors delivering a convincing and engaging performance that adds value to the scenes they're in and makes the characters likable in their own right, instead of being treated like convenient props to further the main characters.
Every interaction feels genuine, and every scene runs fast enough that you're never left thinking, god, this dialogue is dragging and the characters won't stop staring silently/dramatically at each other. (Plus, I'm not an eye-candy watcher, but Kim Nam Gil is almost ridiculously cute in every scene he's in. Watch out for the scenes when he fights and his bangs fall into his eyes. Cute, right?)
The fight scenes are also an absolute delight to watch, even if you're not a fan of gritty action (the show has a martial arts director on set, so the choreo and execution are great.) Filming technique, cinematography, the occasional unique lighting choice, and other visual cues are used well in each scene.
Music: 10/10
OST usually isn't a huge factor in how much I like a drama, but a good one is always a plus. This drama's OST is great: the emotional scenes are paired with delicate orchestral pieces, and the fast-paced and fight scenes aren't afraid to use rock, rap, and raunchy songs with an exciting beat. I downloaded the ending song to my phone.
Rewatch Value: 10/10
...I've been rewatching each episode probably at least twice each after they air, and the whole series when I feel like it, so there's not much else I can say about rewatch value. They're just funny as hell, and I'm a sucker for humor. The scenes don't feel like they get old, and even rewatching a stupid joke for the 4th time is at least 50% as entertaining as the first time. As long as the writers don't drop the ball by a huge amount in the second half (and, honestly, even if they do) this is probably going to be one of my comfort rewatch series and one of my all-time faves.
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This drama started off cute and light-hearted with Ariel and Vin bickering. We also saw a lot more of the masked hero doing his thing. However, the plot wasn’t very deep at this point in the story. So, it started to lose its spark around episode 10-15. Around episode 20, we got a new setting and therefore the story picked up a bit but…it slowed down for another 10 episodes until they decided to quicken the pace again. It felt like I was on a rollercoaster for children; small build-up and boring falls that repeats five to six times. The overall tone of the story changed near the middle of the drama; it went from lighthearted to a more dramatic feel. The scriptwriter did try to insert random comedic parts, but they felt forceful and unnatural. Everything did unravel throughout time and many different issues do come up to provide depth and conflict to the plot, but I lost interest as the plot became more complicated. Not because I dislike conflict and details, but mainly because I found the story to be losing its focus. Too much was going on and I didn’t find the conflicts to be a great addition to the overall plot. Especially with Ariel's identity as the Divine Maiden. I think they could've delved more into it and given her more of a role to stop everyone from trying to hunt her. Could she have learned martial arts/self-defense? Yes, but did she? No. She left it all to Vin (and Austin) and was ultimately a damsel in distress at the end. Besides having an" extraordinary sense for business" she did very little to change her fate.
If you’re looking for a drama where the main couple is together often then look elsewhere. After the first 16-18 episodes, we rarely see them together. They meet and get separated frequently. This doesn’t bother me much if they carried the plot well (but they didn’t) and I got frustrated near the end when the reasons for their misunderstandings could’ve been omitted (i.e. unnecessary love triangles). This also could’ve given the director/writer some more time to dedicate giving their audience a more satisfying ending. I’m quite bitter to have spent so much time watching this and get such an awful ending. I actually laughed when I watched the ending because of its mediocrity. In short, it was a cop-out. Either the director/writer did not plan accordingly to provide a substantial and fulfilling ending, they overspent and decided to make the last episode a cop-out, or both. I don't mind tragic/sad/happy endings as long as they're done well, but this ending was none of the above. It was a badly written and executed ending. They took no responsibility for anyone’s story and provided a distasteful ending. For those curious, I’ll provide a comment below to spoil the ending if you wish to read it.
I was excited to watch Vin Zhang as a lead. I believe there’s a lot of talent that hasn’t been shown as he’s (in my opinion) slowly being type-casted. In the beginning, he would bicker and tease Ariel, so it was refreshing compared to his recent angsty roles. However, this changed quickly, and he lost his shine as the plot thickened. Which was a massive shame. Watching Ariel is the same as watching her in her previous dramas. She’s great at acting out a “dumb” and cute role. Due to her experience, she is also one of the best actors in the series. She portrayed her role well and did well with her more serious parts. But I do want to note that I have a really hard time taking her seriously when she’s trying to be tough. This is mainly because I think she has a face suitable for dumb/cute roles. Sorry, Ariel. Vin’s shine seems to be passed to Austin in the latter part of the drama. Austin has turned into someone who would bicker and tease Ariel, but I didn’t find him to be too memorable in this role. Then again, none of the roles are memorable for me but are these a fault to the actors themselves? No. They did well to portray their roles. I just found the roles to be poorly written...or just poorly implemented into a poorly written plot. I do want to note that I found Austin's character to more interesting than the leads near the end...so I guess that's saying something.
All-in-all, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for a great plot and a satisfying ending. I think there are better historical romances to dedicate your time to but of course, everyone’s taste is different. So, I would recommend this if you’re looking for a semi-lighthearted historical drama. Just be prepared for an extremely poorly written ending because that's one thing we can all agree on whether we enjoyed watching this or not.
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