The Epic Journey of the True Son of Bei Liang.
This show is a wholesome package. From politics to scheming and strategies, romance and comradeship, family bonds and the journey of growth +cute beasts and martial arts manuals :).....This has a little of everything in a way that doesn't overwhelm you.This is the story of Xu Feng Nian, the much anticipated future lord of Northern(Bei) Liang. But that doesn't mean he will be under the limelight throughout the show. Each and every person he meets has a character arc that could impress us in the long run. The story is very well developed. The pace may not be uniform but the overall effect is heightened due to this.
This is a show which you must definitely watch once completely before forming an opinion because everything( even what you might think idiotically unintelligible and frustrating) make sense eventually at various check points in the story.
'Once' you finish it I am sure you will hurry to rewatch it and gather clues on what is yet to come.
Can't forget to raise a toast to the stellar cast and their solid performance. Although we have only seen little of some, their roles are too consequential to the storyline to be ignored in the upcoming seasons. So although season 1 has given a worthy closure to the first part of the story, I am looking forward to even brighter follow up seasons.
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OVERRATED and TOXIC
First of all, when I first started watching this bl I immediately loved and adored it. This was due to my idiotic self for not realizing the many flaws and problems this drama has that is hidden under many unnecessary steamy scenes and way too cheesy lines.I know that a lot of people love this show because of the actors, and because of their chemistry on-screen and off-screen, but that does not excuse the fact that this drama has a ton of glaring problems.
1. ROMANTICIZING SEXUAL ASSAULT
This is very clearly shown in the first few episodes if the drama. When Type was asleep, Tharn would always kiss him. There was even one time when Type got drunk, then Tharn gave him HICKEYS. How do people not see that behavior disgusting? Keep in mind that at the time both of them were not friends, and Type clearly did not like Tharn at all. Tharn kissed and gave hickeys to Type WITHOUT HIS CONSENT. This us borderline sexual assault/molestation. What's worse is, they didn't even address this issue in the following episodes, like its a "cute" or normal thing to do to someone.
2. TYPE'S TOXIC BEHAVIOR
People like to defend Type's toxic actions because he has "anger issues" or because he had a traumatic experience in the past. While I agree that Type's trauma and issues should not be overlooked, it does not excuse the fact that he slapped, hit, punch, and kick Tharn many, many times, and he did not even bother to apologize to him after. Another thing that people overlooked is how horribly he treated the girl he "dated". Just because you love someone else, does not excuse the fact that she deserved an explanation as to why he led her on, and why he ghosted her.
3. HORRIBLE CHARACTERS/ CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Both of the main characters are extremely one dimensional, and do not have proper character development at all. Are you saying that Type, a man who was sexually assaulted by a man in the past, and who is struggling with trauma, can just ask another man that he doesn't know or like that much for sex to "get it over with"? I don't think so. Trauma CANNOT be solved in just one day, and it cannot just disappear just because a person is in love. The way the show dealt with his trauma is AWFUL and DISGUSTING. The show just basically swept his trauma under the rug, and they did not show Type battling and conquering his trauma and issues. The message that they are basically saying is that your deep-rooted trauma and issues can just be solved in a day, and will just disappear once you find a person to date.
For Tharn, I already talked about his DISGUSTING sexual assault that was never addressed by the show, so I'm not gonna repeat myself again. I might just be nit piking by saying this but I absolutely despise how everything he says to Type is so incredibly cheesy and unrealistic that it makes me die inside from cringe. Its not cute. Its unrealistic, and nobody in their right minds would ever talk like that all the time. Another one of my problems about his character is that it was never shown hoe he fell so deeply in love with Type. All that we were told is that Tharn finds him attractive. That's all. How did he fall in love with him? Why did he fall in love him even though Type was a complete asshole to him? It's a complete mystery to the viewers. After the first time they slept together, they were immediately so lovey-dovey.
4. HORRIBLE ANTAGONIST
Another thing about the show that fans love so much is the antagonist. I totally agree that the actor who played Lhong is decent, but his character, obviously, is not. I don't understand why the show wants us to empathize or feel sorry for him. Did they forget that he singlehandedly destroyed his best friend's relationships? Did they forget that he paid men to RAPE a boy? Did they forget that he tried to MURDER Type? But because he was a victim of unrequited love, I supposed his actions were justifiable, right? Right? As if.
In summary, this show is bad because it romanticizes and normalizes sexual assault/molestation and toxic behavior in relationships, it handles mental issues and trauma horribly, has underdeveloped and one-dimensional characters, has borderline cringe-worthy dialogue, and has a confusing, lackluster, horrendous plot.
Just because this show is popular, does not mean that it is good. This show has so many glaring problems that fans choose to ignore, and I absolutely hate it. I absolutely despise the normalization of certain toxic attitudes prevalent in bl shows, and I really hope it changes.
My favorite thing about this show is the music. I love the OST and I think Mew is a talented singer.
My favorite character in this show is Type's soccer ball, because I felt the same way while watching the show. Kicked around and played with.
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A wasted premise
[UPDATED] As a Jang Seung-jo fan, I was desperate for "Strangers Again" to work. I ignored all the misfires and the lapses in logic and stayed with it until the 12th episode. But when the ending rolled in, I realized that there was a basic flaw in the character development of the leads.I don't mind flawed characters. I especially love flawed characters who grow stronger in the broken places. The male lead started out well enough as a divorced divorce lawyer whose life is a mess. His ex-wife is also a divorce lawyer who seems to have come out feistier and richer. All the ironies were in place.
But no, after laying a solid foundation for what could have been a smart commentary on life, love and career, "Strangers Again" proceeds to self-destruct.
Jang Seung-jo's Eun-beom is so badly drawn, I suspect he was written as a plot device for Ha-ra's journey. His characterization is utterly illogical: a formidable intellect in court, he doesn't make sense in everyday life. He loves Ha-ra but concocts a hare-brained scheme to break-up his marriage, sets up his ex with his best friend so he stops paying alimony, never told her about his childhood traumas while she was his wife, and turns out to be a serial relationship killer. His redemption is a short footnote in the last episode via a Google search and a trip to the therapist's office. The writer was not interested in his evolution – only the havoc he creates.
Kang So-ra's character Ha-ra is better fleshed-out and is obviously the real center of the series: she may be cut-throat in court but she's not unscrupulous, she genuinely wants to help her clients, and in turn learns life's valuable lessons from them. She not only gets the best lines in terms of self-discovery, she also gets the best meltdowns.
The second leads' story trajectory is hands down the better romance in this series. From irritating characters, the liberated noona and the political conservative blossom into relatable characters as they learn to own up to their mistakes, communicate, and compromise.
Hyperrealism is no excuse for bad storytelling. I want characters with depth whose motivations are well-established. I want a plot that makes sense, even if it is imitating life.
Law practice, love, and divorce are potent ingredients that could've given us an unforgettable series – that's the wasted premise. I was expecting a Matryoshka doll with layers of meanings. Instead I got Barbie and Ken in power suits who are trapped in their own drama.
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If you are looking for pure laughs and great acting from a young cast, definitely check this one out.
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Ruined itself trying to be clever
0/10 do NOT recommend. I spite-watched it until the end just so I could write a review and save others from losing 30 episodes worth of their lives.This drama was a solid good fluffy silly rom/com set in historical period until about half way through and then it devolved into constant plots, tons of lying, lots of schemes and just bs...by the 20th episode I wanted to strangle the writers and by the end of this I want to say they absolutely took a great idea for a drama and DESTROYED everything good about it and left nothing but a mess.
By the end of the drama I didn't want the leads to end up together, they do not have a healthy relationship and ML continues with his lies (the thing she hates above all else) right up until the final moments of the drama.
Dear writers, manipulation isn't romantic please leave this toxic trait in the garbage can!!
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1Healer has everything - a perfect OST, an epic OTP, an amazing cast, and a script that keeps you invested from start to finish. I found myself falling more and more in love with this show after each episode. The battle between good and bad/ right and wrong just grabs you and makes you want to root for the guys fighting to make sure truth prevails.
The acting is top notch. It's adorable, sincere, cool - everything you need to fully invest in the story. The music is beautiful. The synopsis really doesn't do this story justice. You might think that watching a story about reporters would be extremely boring, but Healer is anything but. It's a great mix of action, romance, and mystery. If you only watch one kdrama this year, it should be this one.
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WOW
Ok so first this show took FOREVER to be Eng subbed but once it was I went straight for it. The teaser was intense so it's obvious the movie itself would be too. If you're not into intense sexual content and basically rape this IS NOT the show for you. Believe it or not it had a relatively good storyline/plot. The actors really drew me in throughout the whole movie and I'm not disappointed in any area. I gave it a high rating because it deserves it. The ending alone was satisfying and I definitely recommend because it deals with real life issues such as suicide and kinda shows how you can find love in such rare places.Was this review helpful to you?
Filmmaker Bong Joon Ho once again surprised us with another masterpiece named Parasite. Where powerful social satire meets tragedy. The director did a great job portraying South Korea's current views on society exposing the underprivileged slums of most modern cities and it's citizens living in completely different worlds despite staying in close proximity. You are likely to find it relatable as the themes of this story are not just localized to Korea, but all over the world. Having its fair share of global capitalism and universal materialism, Meritocracy being the biggest trope of this movie.
Now, the best way to enjoy this film is to cluelessly get into it, its charm is to watch it progress and unfold in many satisfying, unexpected ways.
You can definitely see a unique directorial vision as Parasite welcomes the audience into multi-genres and tonal shifts that mix and take its turn after every act. Pure comedy, dark comedy to heavy drama, horror, thriller, mystery, you name it. It is one of the hardest things to pull off but the director converts them smoothly without letting the audience feel indifferent to the transformation. It manages to elicit the full range of responses, making the viewer react with uneasy laughter to unexpected situations that eventually lead to disturbing events full of horror.
Now, who are the real parasites? The poor who attach themselves to the rich or the rich who suck the marrow of the poor?
Satirically, it managed to portray how we may live under the same skies, but have different views regarding life.
--
"You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan. No plan at all. You know why? Because life cannot be planned."
Success and fortune are reserved for those who deserve it, those who develop solid plans according to their talents and abilities and who execute those plans through hard work and determination. Anyone can rise to the top, but for those who cannot escape their sad reality will ultimately turn for the worse and thus start to justify their immoral backstabbing, deceit, and callousness for reasoning that can be only explained by growing up poor without support from others.
The characters all have different aspects to them that will be received and viewed differently due to the viewers own biases and world views. This isn't a bad thing as the movies main point is to deliver a provocative social commentary in various metaphors. And the best way to do so is to create morally questionable characters that will resemble at least one familiar person known to you.
,,Greed is inside each one of us, but the question is, how much are you willing to sacrifice for an idea of life in comfort?''
---
All in all, Parasite is a fantastic case of hard-hitting yet entertaining cinema.
And one of the best movies recently made in Korea.
Thus I will rate it 9.5/10
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ACTING/CAST: All great actors, so nice to see many of them come together from different series.
MUSIC: Great music.
REWATCH VALUE: Yeah, just the parts with Rome and Pick.
OVERALL: I am kinda sad to see the warm, sweet charm of Season 1 disappear. They definitely went in a different direction. Porsche is very moody and not as charismatic as before. Adding more cast has added much more tension. It feels like the innocence was lost between seasons.
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It was better than I though, but kind of worse, too.
Just finished it, and it was better than what I expected. 8.5 is a little strong, and maybe it does deserve an 8 or even a 7.5, but this drama IS charming and sweet. And it wasn't boring!Story :
The drama in 3 parts, to me: the bad one, the transition, and the good one.
The bad one: the first few episodes (the first 2 especially). It was too much, unfortunately. I was disappointed in the visual of the heroine, not about the actress, but the way they made her look. Like her bangs or the way she was filmed.
In the movie, they really tried to make us feel that she was creepy, with her heavy bangs always in front of her eyes and her face looking down. Here, I really don't understand what is so scary about her.
They were so focused on making her pretty, that we are supposed to just watch some normal guys be horrified about a... pretty girl with bangs? It's not that complicated to make her hair fall a little more on her face and make the actress keep her head lower. It's kind of the basics of your job. T^T
I know it's only details, but those details kind of ruined the first few episodes for me. Sawako is, in the beginning, a really nice girl, but also creepy, awkward, and doesn't know what to do with her face. Here, she's just a quiet girl, and people's reactions to her feel over the top (of course, it's over the top in the movie/manga, too, but she IS scary in there).
Then we have the transition, which is when she becomes more confident, it's better, because there are no scenes where she's "supposed" to be creepy, so it works. We just follow the story of a quiet pretty girl and her friends.
That's what saved the drama, for me: Kazehaya, Yano, Chizu, Ryu, Pin, and even Kurumi. They walked out of the manga and were really faithful to the source material. The story was nice, too.
This part is better, though some weakness in acting goes in the way of emotional scenes. But I don't really care as it is a high school drama, and I like watching green actors, too.
Then we have the story that continues where the anime stopped. It's where it gets good. Maybe because there were no adaptations of it to compare to, so it was more easygoing. I really enjoyed it from here!
The acting :
When I first heard about Suzuka Ouji playing Kazehaya, I felt like he didn't suit the role at all. The trailer prove me wrong so I wasn't surprised about the really good job he did here!
Nakamura Riho and Sakurai Kaito were really good, too. She feels less experienced as him (weirdly), but the chemistry was working. :)
At first, Kumada Rinka didn't feel as strong as expected for Yano, but it got better and better through the drama.
Miura Shohei was super charming as Pin, Nothing but good things to say.
Suzuki Jin is... Hmm. Kento is a difficult character 'cause he's too much. I think the actor did what he could. It was a very Suzuki-like acting. I know a lot of people like him, it's unfortunately not my case, but maybe one day!
Kanon as Kurumi was okay. She did a good job as an actress, I just didn't feel the charm of the character through her. But she didn't do a bad job, maybe it's just a problem of chemistry because most of her scenes are with Sawako.
Minami Sara as Sawako was.... disappointing. As I said, the styling wasn't on her side, but the acting wasn't amazing either. I didn't expect a lot. The acting in the drama is VERY green, and it's not amazing, but I don't really care for high school shows, usually. Here it did get to me because I just feel that she wants to look pretty. Pretty tears, pretty smile, pretty when she's supposed to be scary, pretty when she's supposed to make a weird face... I don't know if the director wanted it, her company wanted it, or the actress just do that without thinking.
For me, the fault lies with the director, as he should have told her to do more and to let go of her image. It's a shame because I didn't feel that in the other dramas I saw from her, where she plays stronger characters (from the ones I saw).
The music (and directing?) :
Nothing that especially triggered me, but nothing that I care about either.
Same thing about the directing of the show, which is kind of disappointing because the anime did add something that only anime could. I thought the drama would do that, too, but no.
Rewatch value :
Not really. Maybe some episodes here and there.
Here it is for me! Still an enjoyable show if you go through the first part!
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It's perfect for a break from emotion-filled dramas, or for a weekly/daily 45 minutes of pure distraction.
As already pointed out by other reviewers, each episode is built upon a fix pattern, with a brief presentation of each locked-room case in which the improbable investigative trio gives us hints to solve the riddle. If you aren't a fan of serial doramas, you may find the repetition boring. Personally, now and then I like the familiarity created by schemes and patterns: it's... reassuring, and relaxing.
The actors do a great job. Sato Koichi's antics are hilarious, Ohno Satoshi's robotic ways surreal but very effective in creating a familiar character and yet leaving that trace of mystery which keeps the interest of the viewer alive. I'm partial to Toda Erika because every time I see her on screen she is different. This time it took me almost half an episode to truly recognize her; I once read that she's one of the few drama actresses, if not the only one, who is ready to act with no make-up at all. Her clothes are so discouraging it's evident she does not want to impress for her looks, but for her acting skills.
The editing of this show is original: it cuts scenes and music abruptly. In the beginning I thought it was a mistake by the segmenters, but I later realized it's a direction choice. While I wouldn't recommend this kind of style for every drama I watch, I think it works well here, where no room is left open for unnecessary detail and economy prevails over flowery narration.
The music is brilliant and works perfectly for the show. It combines some elements of the traditional detective/mystery serie a' la Ellery Queen with the contemporary pace and rhythm.
It can be rewatched, given some time has passed and you've forgotten
the intricacies of how the culprit did what (s)he did. I didn't mind the ending at all, I thought it was very much in line with the rest of the show. Suitable and therefore recommended to any type of viewer of every age.
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Sensitive and at the same time ruthless portrayal of child abuse and its traumatizing effect
"Miss Baek" is a KMovie about child abuse. Sensitively, cautiously and at the same time ruthlessly, it portrays the example of two 'victims' - a young girl and a grown up woman (actually also a man). It shows how the system prefers to helplessly look the other way, leaving the children alone in their family hell. It also illustrates how this traumatization affects their future lives, remaining trapped in their frightening dark history, still vividly present for the rest of their lifes.Han Si-mi has received multiple awards for her performance as Miss Baek. But also Kim Si-a in the role of little Ji-eun is just incredible. And the rest of the cast and production, too. Also thank you for the consistently tranquil, unexcited simplicity as well as a to the point, no-frills narration.
Highly valuable. By the way, the story is based on a true event.
------------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Child abuse in South Korea ---
The cane in schools has been officially banned in South Korea since 2010. However, thrashing at home is another issue. Among the cases of child abuse confirmed by the police, more than 80 percent can be traced back to the biological parents as the perpetrators. To this, add the dark figure. Accurate statistics on the prevalence and frequency of violence against children are difficult to obtain, since the police, ministries, child protection centres, independent agencies, etc. each compile their own statistics, which are based on estimated numbers.
Many South Korean parents grew up like that themselves ... and still belief that children are the extended selves of the parents, kind of - not individual separate beings. Social focus is not on the rights of the children, but more so on those of the parents. Upbringing is primarily the private affair of parents and not a matter of legal jurisdiction. In this context there is often talk of the "stick of love". In fact, many parents believe that thrashing strengthens their children's character while showing them how much they are loved.
In many European countries this no less than abuse. And fortunately there is a growing awareness of this in South Korea as well. In media representation again and again one encounters scenes of child abuse, e.g. in KDrama and KMovie. It is common. However, fortunately, it starts to be more and more common, too, that this kind of violence is being socially confronted as part of the storytelling... Statstically, the number of cases with serious domestic abuse being investigated by the police is increasing. Including cases in which parents abuse their children to death. This does not imply that child abuse is increasing, rather that more cases are being reported. An encouraging sign. It gives hope that the dominance of traditional (and often abusing) parenting concepts is slowly crumbling.
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The first time I ever saw Lee Jong Suk was in Secret Garden and I remember thinking, 'this man has the looks to make it big'. Ofcourse, at that time I wasn't aware that he had already made it pretty damn big. Seeing him in Pinocchio, there's no denying that he has a talent for acting, combine that with his heavenly looks and you get an almost perfect package.
Even though the name of the drama is based on the female lead, it's obvious that Dal Po is the star of the show. The plot revolves around him and despite the fact that the side characters bring their own charisma, they are ultimately in his orbit.
Park-Shin Hye came to be a pleasant surprise. I'm not going to lie, I disliked her in almost every show she appeared in previously and due to my bad experience with her acting, I had developed a sort of negative bias for her. However, it's always amazing when an actor or a show surprises you and surpasses your expectations. PSH somehow managed to make In Ha a sweet and likable character who the viewers constantly rooted for. The fact that she has to hiccup repeatedly came out as adorable instead of annoying and I couldn't believe myself when I started to feel affection for her.
A lot of people were even happy that she finally improved her kissing techniques. That, I think is pushing it a little bit because if you look at it closely, her movements are as non-existent as ever, but due to some skillful camera work, Lee Jong Suk's kissing prowess is incredibly highlighted which makes it somehow appear as if she's a proficient partner too. But oh well- technicalities.
However, for me the biggest flaw of the show was that the protagonists were not on equal footing. Dal Po clearly over-powers In Ha in the relationship and he comes out as far less commited and invested in the love story. Which is why the romance factor didn't do much for me. They do the right things, say the right words, their union makes complete sense and yet, there is no emotional connection whatsoever.
In Ha makes so many sacrifices for Dal Po, her affection is completely genuine and she let's him take the spotlight from her time and time again whereas Dal Po seems almost detached when it comes to her.
Ultimately, this unequality between the leads was something that started to rub me the wrong way. There were moments where I wanted In Ha to shine individually and to be given more credit for everything she does. Essentially, she's such a huge part of the show and if we ponder about it; she's the backbone behind Dal Po's success and yet, she's never valued enough. The moment she does something substantial is followed by Dal-Po countering it with something more and it always manages to downplay her importance. This is the reason why they are both outstanding and lovable personas in their own right but their co-existence is rather stiff and unnatural.
So, in my opinion the best way to watch Pinocchio is to think of romance as just a subplot and focus on the main story. I had so much love for almost every single character in the show and they are so thoroughly well-developed that I could write a lengthy character sketch on all of them. The drama is filled with small, utterly poignant moments that move you. The script is excellently written and the story flows with a smooth efficiency. The antagonists are three-dimensional and I never truly disliked any of them. Pinocchio thrives on the emotional interactions between its characters and it shows exactly how powerful familial love is.
Over-all this drama, with its brilliant acting, consistent story-line and satisfying ending, manages to bring forth a current of continous entertainment from beginning to end.
Indeed, a good watch.
Enjoy!
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All Of Us Are Not So Dead
That one girl with the alarm ringtone, girl meet me outside...I ain't finna jump ya! Also Pao, brother why? And let's be honest, most of the characters on this show were very annoying and had me wishing they'd hurry up and get bitten, but when all was said and done, I actually enjoyed myself. Let me explain.Listen, this genre is not for me, so I wasn't gonna watch it. But then I opened Netflix and it was there, and I was like, hey, I know these cast, finally something available in my country, so why not? And frankly, I am not sorry. Yes, I closed my eyes at scenes when creepy music starts playing, was yelling at characters who got under my skin, and was sad in other scenes, but overall, a nice watch for Halloween.
Okay, let me get this straight. So this old guy they called Patron, doesn't wanna be immortal but don't want his corpse to rot? And that's the legacy he wanna leave behind, that he dies but his body lives on? Why not go for the immortal thing? Also did the whole thing feel like some family issue and the whole population was just collateral damage? That mother made her family problem everyone else's, and that old guy.. Really, Bob? That's the legacy you want to leave behind? What the hell is the point of your corpse if you are still dead??? Make it make sense, Sharon!
THINGS I LIKED
- PHU: So like we were all rooting for Phu, right? Dude needs to survive, otherwise what's the point?
- Did anyone else clapped a bit when Korn, Gus, Earth and Aek showed up in that rainy scene all zombie hunter like? Same.
- When Aek saved them from Pao... cuz boy was on my last nerve. I got him, understood his reason and was with him, but damn dude, if you wanna die go die alone, don't be making all that noise. In fairness, he did wanna go alone the first time, but those humans held him back.
- Characters having backstories, and not just surface 2d stuff. It made me care for most of them.
- I like whatever it's happening to Lily, though not gonna lie, I was waiting that whole time for her to eat Win, cuz dude why is you sitting so close to her? And was Night's whole solution to get zombies high and hope they are buzzed enough for them to ran away? Hahaha lmao.
- That one annoying girl who is just there to cause drama and be in everyone's business... girl why? but also thanks for the drama. Girl just won't shut up, so every time she came on screen, I was ready for her to stir things up XD.
- That we all thought San and Non were cheating. LMAO, the delulu was strong in this one. Plus the sister was making googgly eyes at Jean so I was... very sure they were cheaters ^^shame on us.
- That random cheerleading routine. I was confused but also laughing cuz, okay stupid children, why don't you be super loud with cheers when you should be shouting the eff up cuz, you know, zombies are literally outside!!!
- That ending had me so emotional, my poor, brave Non. Season two, please.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
- What part of... 'when bitten, they get infected and become zombies' did most of these people not get? Like, they'd all scream and try to go to their infected friends. Dude, your friend is trying to eat you, why you wanna run to them?
- Stupid characters getting ones I like killed. I was all in for Aek and then it was ruined cuz poor Pao decided to be a dumbarse, No, but how many people did he get killed all cuz he couldn't carry a girl and ran at the same time? Wasting his life and causing his brother more trauma in the process, for shame.
- I will not get into the whole San, Ning and Jean thing, cuz let's be real, all three hit a nerve one point or another. Though they did have their moments.
- Earth leaving everyone to die cuz he's hurting and doesn't care and hate everyone, only to go confront his zombie friend and then start fighting and screaming when the zombie tried to eat him. Like dude dafug you thought was gonna happen? A luncheon? smh.
- That one girl with the alarm clock. And the fact she didn't just hurl her phone away and let it keep ringing and ringing. Ahhhhh.
Anywho, overall, a decent watch. Plotwise, interesting origin story, haven't watched a lot of zombie movies, so this one felt very zombie and good to me. The cast ensemble blended well together, and did their best, some very well. I liked most of the characters and disliked some as well, but it all added to my enjoyment of the series. I don't like horror but I still enjoyed this, so, I'll recommend it to anyone who like any of the cast, or just looking for a decent zombie show to watch .
Happy Halloween
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Overall an enjoyable ride with great acting and scenery but plot and some characters are amiss
I really struggled to decide on a rating for this show. Overall I liked it but there are a couple of things that irked me.There are two main things I really liked in this drama, one of them was the scenery and photography with such beautiful landscapes. The other one was the acting. I think most of them did a great job, but I have to mention especially Ji Chang Wook, Kim Mi Kyung and Kim Do Eun, their characters and the way they portrayed them are of the best of the show for me.
The relationships between characters were very good and I liked the banter and funny bits in this show.
I like slice of life dramas so it's no surprise that I found the plot interesting and entertaining and I thought they generally did a good job in also including the sisters' story lines, although I do wish Jin Dal's story had gone in a different direction ultimately and didn't end up with her ex, but I give it a pass; and I wish they had dwelled more on Hae Dal's past as well as the present relationship with Gong Ji Chan. Other than that I do not have complains about the subplots in this drama, they were all entertaining. I wish I could say the same of the main plot but alas, I can't.
The main plot, this is what I consider the two story lines of main leads love story and the "scandal" of FL are unnecessarily unsatisfactory. I say "unnecessarily" because they had more than enough time to explore this in detail and have a more realistic and natural progression than the one they chose.
I didn't like how the conflict with Yong Pil's father was tackled and solved. If the change of that man had happened slowly from the start of the show and they had shown the change progressively it would have had a pass but as it is, that man didn't deserve redeeming in such a quick way. He was abusive both verbally and physically to both his son and the neighbours and it had been 20 years of the passing of the wife. He never had the excuse, but with the amount of time it had passed even less so. The man doesn't even stop to think twice about how his wife would feel at the way he was acting. I don't think he deserved forgiveness in the manner it was given considering how that plot line was developed. But I wish the story with Yong Pil's father was less melodramatic if it was going to be tackled like that. The show really made me despise him a lot, and I was very annoyed when it ended like that after all the drama. The script just decided to make him think in the end but realistically a man behaving like that doesn't change that easily or quickly, more so when everyone around him is enabling him and he's playing the victim. His sense of ego was way too big to see the light in that manner but of course we were running out of time in the drama so it had to be done quickly.
On the other hand, the plot with Eun Joo was also solved too quickly for my liking, especially when it was a major plot point in the story. This again should have been solved slowly throughout at least a couple or three episodes. I do also partially agree with some of the other comments here in the fact that FL should have been more active in the solving of the issue and that her character did suffer inconsistency throughout. At some points she was shown as independent and head-strong, and at others weak and very passive. There are a few instances in which I could see or agree with that passiveness, in a way in which when you're being attacked constantly it gets to a point you just want to avoid the drama and sit still and do nothing because you are just too fed up. But if they were going more for this idea I think it should have been done better in terms of execution. Her stance changed and was ambiguous at times so it could get a bit frustrating.
So I do think it was solved too quickly but I'm half half when it comes to the "how" it was solved. A part of me thinks it's realistic that we don't even see major consequences other than Eun Joo reading the new's article because life be that unfair in real life too, or because we can more or less imagine how it continues. But another part of me just wishes we had seen the consequences of her actions because she pissed me off so much lol
As usual, SML romantic interest tends to be very pointless and it's not exception here. He really added nothing to the story and had he been just another friend in the group it wouldn't have made any difference to the plot. Also although I do know people in the characters ages that hasn't had a relationship ever, I still think that having more than one character like that is a bit unrealistic. At least they should have mentioned them dating around but not settling or other things like that. Especially in the case of Sang Do I think it would have worked well. Oh, but you want Sang Do be interested in FL? Easy. Make him a divorced man for example, and he had a crush for her when young and when seeing her again he gets a bit of a crush back. I don't know, there are many ways. As it is, his story line was pretty absurd.
The ending is a bit, I don't know, I'm not disappointed but also not super happy and the cameo of whoever-that-woman-was was pointless. It reminded me of that pointless ending in "Behind Your Touch" with another cameo that added nothing to anything. I'm not going to lie I did wish FL had gone with ML to Switzerland. After being apart for so long I get it was not a deal-breaker to have a long distance relationship for some more time, but at the same time she being a photographer made so much easier in my eyes to move with him for a while and work from there. Either way, it was a cliché of one of the leads going away last second and it could have been avoided entirely, but oh well.
This drama doesn't portray the typical romcom love story with fireworks, so if you're looking for that kind of romance this might not be for you. It's a slow rekindling of a relationship in a more muted and realistic way. Sure, especially FL does act more like a fangirl with the butterflies at times but the progression is more subdued.
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