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The special effects were done very well, I was a bit worried at first that the special effects would be awful and it would ruin the drama entirely but thank goodness they were good and made the scenes very realistic! It had been a long while since a drama had made me sit on the edge of my seat in suspense and left me watching the next episode straight after until 6am ;'D
Yes there were unrealistic elements and plot holes in the story, some story parts felt a bit unnecessary and rushed, I wanted them to focus on the other minor character's growths, but we only touched on them, the main focus was put on the hospital which I think fair enough, it works but i think it would have worked even better if they had shifted their focus on other characters and their stories!
I hadnt seen Jung So Min in anything since Playful Kiss but she played her role exceptionally well and nailed the Busan accent! The chemistry between her and Kim Young Kwang was adorable, and the romance that we got was cute, I just wanted more! I know I know, its a disaster drama, obviously the medical side of things and saving lives is probably more important to focus on but ahhh they are both so cute! if we had that litttttlleee more i would have been satisfied!
The other actors did really well! They were actors that I hadnt really seen in anything else before and I'm reeled in and want to watch them in their dramas too!
The music was OK, it suited scenes and were soothing to listen to but they werent very memorable, I think i was too invested in watching the actual scenes to pay enough attention to the music!
I'm not sure if i would rewatch this again, it made me think alot about earthquakes and kept me up at night or entered my dreams about if it happened to me so i was a bit unsettled in that sense, maybe, maybe one day i would rewatch it but skip through it for the really good parts, im not sure if i can sit through it all again.
The antagonists in this were characters I hated watching! so i wouldnt want to rewatch their scenes!
I also wished that they had shifted the story so that Jung so min's character was the main focus rather than just Kim Young Kwang's character i think it could have been a much more powerful drama.
brb, whilst i go fangirl and watch all Kim Young Kwang's dramas!
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Rollercoaster that started off strong and finished meh
This series shouldn't be tagged as romance as the majority of the story lacks any sort of romance, it should be tagged with "slight romance". Instead the genre should be mystery and drama. The first 19 episodes is quite good, keeps you at the edge of your seat but then 2 to 3 filler episodes show up which feel forced and sudden just to let the FL make some allies and pull some strings. This could have been implemented earlier. After that the script suffered quite a bit with so many coincidences and things just magically getting fixed jut at the right moment. After episode 19 you suddenly feel like you're watching a makjang things become over dramatic, FL's personality wavers, etc. But at least it had a happy ending (though I'd say the ending was a bit weird because some ppl that weren't supposed to be there were there, I understand its a sentimental/artistic choice but still felt weird)What I loved about this:
-Hanyan's mother's acting. *standing ovation* it was superb! You really hate her in the beginning but she slowly grows on you and for a lot of ppl you might end up loving her
-The leads were actually rivals/enemies of sorts and they didn't back down and trust each other for a while. I like slow burns like that because their union feels stronger than anything else.
-Both leads were somewhat morally grey, leaning towards white. I feel like ML wasn't even that grey, he just kept secrets. But FL did some scheming and was ruthless at times which I quite liked
-all bad guys got what was coming to them.
-Happy ending yeyyyy!
-cute babyyyyyy
What I disliked:
-Hanyan's father's acting. omg! just see it and you'll know
-This series is all about girl power actually and I love that but! the forced fed feminism in some scenes... I'm a feminist and they really put me off and ruined my immersion, the message was great its just the way that it was handled I think was terrible and not at all something that fits in a Historical fiction. Yes, its fiction, but if you set a rule for your fictional world you should stand by it and not break it only for a few characters/when its convenient.
-the rollercoaster of a script it had. like it was great one second and super cheap and cheesy the next (especially in the last couple of episodes)
-the FL's personality is this: Kind but willing to do anything for her loved ones (who are very few) and to survive herself. At least that what it was set as from the very beginning throughout most of the series. BUT... around the 3rd quarter her personality shifts back and forth and it feels like a different character each time. I understand ppl have complex emotions and they don't act the same way all the time but for fictional characters they need to have a very very plausible reason for a sudden change and her reasons didn't convince me enough.
Overall, I do recommend you watching this, but don't be expecting way too much. Its great when you underestimate it and don't try to think too much about how X happened when Y.
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1Beautiful cinematography, very angsty, love-hate relationship
This mini drama is about the female lead who is married off to the enemy’s kingdom as a peace treaty. After three years of hell in the palace, she manages to escape. With tons of injuries, a man uses his medicine skills to heal her, in the process changing her face. Just when she thinks she is safe and sound, her husband (the male lead) shows up and thus their cat and mouse game begins.POSITIVE:
- 100% angst vibes.
- Love-hate relationship.
- Face swap trope.
- Villain/morally grey male lead (basically a total red flag).
- Beautiful cinematography.
- Cat and mouse game between the leads.
- Soft, beautiful and strong-willed female lead.
- Selfless second male lead.
NEGATIVE:
- Very dark vibes, definitely not for the faint hearted.
- Not much soft and sweet romance.
- Male lead who is perhaps too dark which makes it harder to ship him with the female lead.
OVERALL:
If you are looking for a very angsty, love-hate relationship with a morally grey male lead and beautiful cinematography, watch this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Overpromises but under-delivers - a confusing tale of lost potential and underutilised characters
(Brace yourself, I was a Lit student so here's my walls of text. Sorry for typos etc.):Enjoyable fantasy drama with a lot of undelivered potential, saturated with fan service moments, over the top product placements #coffeebay, misuse of secondary characters, all in support of a no longer justifiable love story of star-crossed lovers aka the Mary Sue leads.
I'm being generous in rating this an 8/10 (7.5 as a review) as I feel that all things considered the drama waivered about 4 episodes in with the start of the lovey dovey fan service moments, which, at the time I didn't mind, until the drama's quality continued to decline about episodes 7 to 8 and by the time of my bitterness in writing this, having just watched the ending, I feel that this drama should be rated at around 7.0 to 7.5 and that's if you aren't forgiving of the fact that this drama has a lot of plot holes and fails to continue its strength in storytelling Korean myths/folklore.
The premise of an action filled drama with a compelling love story backdrop about star-crossed lovers with intertwined fates was enough to entice me as I'm a sucker for those types of "fated to love you"/"loving you against all odds and through time, here and now" stories as a romantic. BUT to sum up, "Tale of the Nine-Tailed" to me initially felt like hopping on a rollercoaster, excited and anxious, then you get taken for a ride and reach a few heights, mid-heights, before then you're told to exit even though you've only had two minutes of enjoyment.
In sum:
* Weak, and illogical storytelling
* Underutilised secondary characters
* Underutilised fantasy/thematic elements
* Mary Sue leads who get what they what in expense of dispensable secondary characters
* Arbitrary, inconsistent and underfleshed rules of TONT fantasy land that make zero sense when you consider things altogether
LOVE/CHEMISTRY:
Look, I was aware that there were some people criticising Bo Ah and Lee Dong Wook as having no chemistry from the first episode in. I beg to differ. I did actually think that they had chemistry and felt that some of the initial judgment were a bit harsh as this was a new pairing. My favourite scenes were of Bo Ah as Ah Eum and their flashbacks as those really cemented the "star-crossed lovers with intertwined fates" theme. I loved the lake scene and especially Yeon crying as he gives Bo Ah the fox bead. I especially loved the parallel in Bo Ah crying and in the fox bead coming out, proving to Yeon that she was his reincarnated lover. I thought that that was one of the best scenes of this drama. I was also aware that at that point, some watchers thought that the reveal occurred prematurely and I disagree as at that point there was still a lot to play with.
BUT after that episode everything started to slow down and focus only on the "instalove" and THAT is the biggest weakness of their romance. The reliance on the past as a foundation of their present love. Although Ah Eum was clearly Ji Ah, she was still a different person, but the "instalove" prevailed and after the finding of the fox bead that that suddenly meant that although Ji Ah was still a bit embarrassed that essentially she already at that point loved loved loved Yeon, which made bloody zero sense. There were very little moments of building tension that is required when creating romance. The greater the tension, the better the climax.
Here, what annoyed me was that the writing was pretty much telling whoever's watching to assume that their intertwined past was enough to support their present romance and that they didn't need to talk in depth about that past apart from road trips here and there, over the top and cheesy dates featuring sponsors (I see you Coffeebay!), and out of the blue confessions that for Ji Ah's initial characterisation seemed out of the blue for her to say.
Conclusion - the romance lacked the necessary foundation for me to care, at least, to really care about why they loved each other so much because it wasn't believable. Why did they fall in love with each other in the present? I still don't know. Sure, Ji Ah was saved by Yeon and for that she might have been grateful, but why was she so open to loving a fox/non-human when she lost her parents to supernatural creatures? Wouldn't she harbour hatred against them? Why was it so easy for her to come out of her initial "strong girl" characterisation and suddenly become a lovesick girl whose only concern apart from the rescuing of her parents is her one and only love who she loves partly because there's an internal consciousness in her that remembers him (at least that's kind of implied) and partly because he's Yeon, the lead.
JI AH & YEON:
This is getting too long already but Ji Ah started off as a promising character. She was strong, got her shit together, but also had vulnerability from losing her parents and navigating her life all alone. But when she fell in love, and fall in love she did, she lost her strength and became a lovesick girl. The individual traits that defined her disappeared, and her love life became the focus of the show, so much so that that became her identity and the Ji Ah before Yeon became non-existent. Her life at the broadcasting station was very little spent, and really, I can't remember what was even the point of establishing that she works at the broadcast station when we saw very very little of what she did. The thrill of episode 3 in seeing Ji Ah as someone who was proud of her work, because it was rooted in something personal for her (finding her parents theme) was so admirable because she was a PERSON, her OWN PERSON, and not a person in love whose only identity is being in love.
Yeon, on the other hand, I thought was just a guy who was doing his best with all the responsibility bestowed upon him, and with very few people who could really understand the depth of that responsibility. BUT, now I have to agree with those other bitter watchers who say that he was selfish. He only did care about his own wants regardless of his self-sacrificing nature. At least, episodes 14-16 really shows that all he cares about is his lover and it doesn't matter what gets in the way, as long as he is happy. Actually, look, that is probably unfair, BUT the writers also ruined this character because Yeon lost his cool guy demeanour and became 50% baby and 50% cheese, which, to be fair, was funny in very small doses, but quickly became irritating because it made him look like an idiot, and made Rang's frustrations against him much more justified.
Also, what annoyed me was how readily okay the leads were in dispensing their friends. Of course, in fantasy land, sacrifice for a good cause is an honourable way to go, and dying for a great benefit is looked favourably upon, but where is the benefit in dying for the leads whose love story never really developed into a mature romance apart from the cringy sweet fan service moments? What was so important in their love story apart from the third party Imoogi that made sense for these secondary characters to be so readily available to risk their life for the happiness of one? Because they're a main character? It just does NOT make sense. Had the romance been stronger and believeable, and had there been greater foundational work emotionally, I would be all support but there was literally nothing apart from the third party Imoogi ruining their love, whose a questionable mission was never ever fully explained, that tested their love.
STORYTELLING:
What absolutely annoys me about the storytelling in this drama is a lot is implied, and nothing is explained. No debrief, nothing. Nada. There are many examples of this that sometimes you're like "Huh, they didn't explain that but oh, it's a new episode so let's just accept that that's what happened."
One such example is the rift between Yeon and Rang which was explained in one episode that although Rang believes Yeon abandoned him, that he didn't and never has. YET, we never get a full on explanation of why Rang believed this and what exactly happened in between those times. There was no debrief and after a few lines here and there, we are just made to accept that Yeon NEVER abandoned Rang and that Rang was just being an emotional baby.
Going back to Yeon's characterisation, the writers made him and Ji Ah too perfect that they made little to no mistakes and received the best of luck in almost all aspects of their life that they lacked relatability and became Mary Sue. It would have been more compelling had Yeon had to abandon Rang for a good reason and that his mistake in doing that led to the brothers' breakdown. Yet all the mistakes in this drama are mistakes that everyone else makes but the leads. It would have been better if the leads weren't so "perfect" - if Yeon had used Ji Ah to capture the Imoogi as his duty to the Gods before falling in love with her, if Ji Ah wanted to use Yeon to defeat the Imoogi but ended up falling for him.
I also didn't get the purpose of the Imoogi. For all the foundational work in trying to prove that the Imoogi was an all evil being, the taking Yeon's body to cause chaos to the world plan felt 'meh'. Personally, his plight would have been more believable had there been a long enough flashback scene where he speaks to Bok Gil and we were given enough view of the past for us to understand why he so badly wanted Yeon's body and why he had initially taken over Bok Gil's body. What I feel the writers could have done was shown a lot more of the past to set the foundation for the present.
Another example of the implied but not explained storytelling is when Ji Ah loses the fox bead to the blind fortune teller. First of all, how did she even know that she had it. She just said yes to the exchange and got Yeon. And although there might have been a scene where they discussed this, it was very brief and probably did not explain why she thought that the fox bead was useless. Also, if she's a director on the supernatural, wouldn't she be aware of its value so what was the point?
Another thing that wasn't explained was that the Imoogi wasn't able to read her mind? Why was that? I was hoping that here at least, and pertaining to the Princess Bari myth that she would have untapped supernatural connection, but alas, nothing. Nada. This was not explained. She was just a useless human after all.
OTHER COMMENTS (Okay I'm sleepy and I just need to get this out of my chest now. Tomorrow is a new day haha)
* There was also so much potential to delve into the stories of each individual from TOTNT that would have supported the creation of the fantasy world and probably helped establish in the believability of the rules of TOTNT's fantasy land. For example, Snail Bride could have got a flashback of her own instead of just having stories told about her. Green Evil Spirit could have also had a flashback about her own story. And definitely about the Imoogi exiting the well, and meeting Bok Gil, and even Bok Gil's own flashbacks with his wife. Even Moon Guy only had one episode and only appeared in the ending. The drama could have all these elements and could have allowed them to have greater importance instead of just making Yeon the main character who is an all-powerful, all-everything lead that saves the day and gets the girl.
* Continuing on from the underutilised characters. Soo Hoo could have been developed greatly - they could have given him the ability to heal, or at least allowed the side characters to also have powers. Ji Ah's friends could have also been a lot more useful and not just used as character decorations with very little screen time that it was actually hard to believe that they were at all even friends. Also Ji Ah's parents appeared only once or twice after getting out, what was even the point when it was almost as if they weren't even there??? The writers could have given them greater importance or even connected them to a fantasy source, because, after all, Ji Ah's mother had nightmares about her own child. Why was that? Again, that wasn't really ever fully explained.
*The fox bead - as much as this was set up as a very important element, it came and went and only appeared in the final episode, and again with very little explanation. If you're going to set up an important element (the fox bead is a love motif), you can't just forget about it and then realise that you set it up and tack it on the ending. It does NOT make sense.
* What happened to the villagers in episode 3? Whilst it was implied that they became the sacrifice that turned the Imoogi, there was no debrief about Ji Ah's story project there and about that island? Nothing.
* Also how did Yuri even fix her mess with her adopted parents? Shin Joo said he'd fixed it but why wasn't that even show. Even as a subplot, that was important in Yuri's characterisation. Why did they just ignore that?
--
Okay, that's all I can fit in. I feel better writing this review and getting those feelings out of the way. Don't get me wrong, there were some very good moments that I enjoyed, some cheesy moments that I enjoyed, but I couldn't forego logic for so long so here's this review.
Would I recommend this drama? Look, we all have different tastes and for the most part, I enjoyed watching this, but the ending really did leave a bad impression on me as I felt that my investment in the drama became exploited all for a "cool"/"unheard of" k-drama fantasy ending. If you choose to watch it and you start noticing what I've said, it's your choice to stick out; however, if you're part of the other camp that is able to turn off your logical reasoning and support fan service moments then by all means, watch this, be fan and go enjoy it. Otherwise, if you're on the fence, what's a few hours here and now?
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The movie starts off rather slow with Yoko Moriguchi (Takako Matsu), a middle school teacher, delivering a farewell speech to her students, declaring the day to be her last day at school. Her students, however, seem to be less concerned and engage themselves in gossips, arguments, texting and other activities. Moriguchi nonetheless continues with her speech, recounting her past— her affair with a teacher, how he contracted AIDS and passed away, her pregnancy, her decision to live as a single mother, and the tragic death of her dear daughter. It is only when she reveals something shattering that she manages to catch the attention of her students, leaving them gaping and utterly shocked. She tells them that she believes her daughter’s death was not just a mere accident as claimed by the police but rather a murder, and that the murderers are present in the very class among them. What’s more, she notifies them that she had injected HIV tainted blood into the milk that the murderers, her very own students, whom she has labeled as A and B previously drank. And this shocking declaration is enough to send chaos across the class, leaving A and B extremely panicky and terrified.
From the very beginning, this movie creates a mystifying atmosphere which gives us, the viewers, the hint of something very big and unpredictable lying ahead. And then as the story unfolds, we are taken to the world of the victims of the revenge and those related to them, and get a clear cut picture of the respective motives which drove A and B to commit something as dreadful as murder. The movie also depicts human emotions such as angst, fear, loneliness, hysteria, pride and horror in a very realistic manner and a very few movies achieve that, we all know.
Now coming to the cast, I’m speechless. Takako Matsu just blew me away with her superb acting. She played her role brilliantly, and now it’s difficult for me to imagine some other actress performing in her place as the character ‘Yoko Moriguchi’. I am looking forward to watching more movies starring her. The supporting characters also had done an amazing job. Each of them really got into their respective character.
They say what you see depends on what you’re looking for. I was looking for nothing much to begin with but the visuals blew me away. The visuals are what makes this movie effective and dynamic. Watch the movie and you will know what I mean.
Speaking of the OST, it is good. It is not something revolutionary but that’s all right. I don’t remember any particular song or music except the one that played in the beginning.
All in all, ‘Confessions’ is a brilliant piece of psychological thrill with a tinge of tragedy and drama. You ought to grab this one if you like psychological thrillers, and even if you don’t and want to have a taste of them, you may begin with this one.
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An “ Uncanny” Tale of Family , Friendship and The Supernatural...
Looking back retrospectively , Uncanny Counter has an undeniable amount of character progression since episode 1 for our main high-schooler hero Mun( Jo Byung Koo) as well as his fellow counters Mo Tak ( Yoo Joon Sang), Ha Na ( Kim Se Jeong) and of course Chu Mae Ok ( Yeom Hye Ran), yet, it’s crucial not to sugarcoat the fact that at times , the storyline felt a little inconsistent and slow- paced ( especially by the second-half )as well.
Of course it’s wrong to say that the scriptwriting was dire, as the story and characters were fairly well-written. Thanks to the collaboration of screenwriters Jung Do Yoon ( Witch’s Court, The Time We Were Not In Love), Yeo Ji Na ( Il Mare) and Kim Sae Bom ( Hello Schoolgirl), the wonderful talents of the cast and director Yoo Seon Dong ( respectively who has also worked as a screenwriter on productions such as Shoot My Heart),the show was interwoven with enough action and fights in episodes without falling down the trap of becoming a mindless and dull action show.
Uncanny Counter had an evident story plot with the Counters chasing after the “ big bad” antagonist of the series from episode 1, as well as learning more about themselves through becoming a surrogate family for one another in the process. This was an undeniably sweet progression for our characters , however , there was a little bit of repetitiveness before the half-way mark with the typical episode progression of the counters chasing after a / the “ big bad” spirit , a conflict or event gone wrong and one of the main characters beginning to doubt their abilities or recollection of events ( particularly for Mun).
As a consequence the show sometimes felt a little lagging in the second-half, consequently meaning that there were some undeniably inconsistent moments for our heroes as well as deeper questions about the other-side. Just some of these include; Mun’s presumable absences at school ( during certain missions) not being raised or alerted , Mo Tak’s slightly lacklustre reactions towards certain events in the storyline, the fate of Ha Na’s family ( and considering the final ending, if she could’ve have been granted the same wish) , the relationship between Mae Ok and her husband as well as questions about the other side( not least what happens to the guides when their Counter fades, who controls the guardians and what happens to the spirits of the Counters). Whilst some of these point are mainly minor , they do point out some slightly loose ties within the overall story arch.
Overall although not a flawless production ,Uncanny Counter was a good drama and its success has certainly been sealed by the unusual decision ( especially for OCN) to bring out a second season
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Perfect chemistry
Song Wei Long and Zhao Jian Mai have perfect chemistry! Every time they are on screen together, you literally get sweetness overload. There were so many sweet moments and scenes that made me swoon and kick my feet. I totally loved their love story. There is something to be said about being with somebody who always chooses you and shows you they love you in so many ways. That is top tier love.Now, let me be honest in saying there are some parts of this show that were a little off-putting, like the background effects in some scenes. Like who are they kidding with those green screen scenes? I am sure they have a better budget and tech than that?! That was just poorly done IMO. Some plots were drawn out and unnecessary too and I thought didn't really contribute or felt like was completely addressed.
But I would still recommend this for the love story, the OST, and just the over all vibes and visual of the main leads.
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Superb casting, acting, script and directing
It’s available as VIP on YOUKU app. The money I spent for the last three episodes is well worth it. This series was well constructed and casted perfectly. The character and story development is smooth. Each actor brought their character to life with so much emotion and simple gestures.I’ve never cried so much. Each episode is so emotional, both happy and sad. 10/10 recommended
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Excellent drama! Despair Recognizes Despair
Just finished the drama and - wow.Boy, With Caution is the kind of drama that doesn’t need a long runtime to leave a deep mark. In eight episodes, it builds fully realized characters, explores loneliness, abuse, regret, responsibility, and the complicated ways people try to save one another, and never reduces any of it to easy answers. The romance matters because the people matter first. The acting is restrained and exceptional, the atmosphere is haunting, and even the quietest moments carry weight. I went into this expecting an interesting short drama and came out feeling like I had watched something genuinely special.
Ongoing reviews:
Halfway through and I’m completely hooked. The dark, melancholy tone, the loneliness, the despair that is so profound it has its own frequency, the being deeply misunderstood…all of it is amazing.
The teacher/student dynamic is concerning for the reason it appears - authority imbalance. Nothing excuses that. But keep in mind the student is 21-years-old. He is an adult. Again, that doesn’t excuse the power imbalance, but they are both adults.
Two episodes in, and Boy, With Caution already has me completely.
What hooked me first wasn’t the plot. It was the atmosphere. The music, the pacing, the expressions, the body language—especially Jang Ki Woo’s. Before the drama ever explains what is wrong in his life, you can feel that something in him has collapsed. He carries despair so quietly that he barely needs dialogue to communicate it.
And that becomes the heart of these opening episodes.
Jang is struggling with his own sadness, regret, loneliness, and the aftermath of his divorce, yet when he meets Lee Hyeon Jae, he immediately recognizes something familiar in him. Lee is surrounded by adults who either fear his father, protect his father’s reputation, or treat Lee himself as a problem to be contained. Jang does something much simpler and much rarer: he actually looks at him.
He notices when Lee is missing. He questions whether Lee really stole a phone instead of accepting the convenient story. He brings him food because he thinks he hasn’t eaten. He sees the bruises on his face and wants to know why they are there.
When Lee asks whether he is getting special treatment because he is the chairman’s son, Jang tells him no—he is getting special treatment because he needs it.
That line got me.
What makes their connection work so well is that it doesn’t feel forced or prematurely romantic. Right now, it feels like two people living on the same emotional frequency. Jang recognizes Lee’s despair because he understands despair himself, and instead of retreating into his own pain, he reaches toward someone else.
Lee, meanwhile, is beginning to realize that this may be the first person in a very long time who actually sees him as a human being rather than as the chairman’s troublesome son.
The story around them is already darker than I expected: abuse, school politics, drug rumors, violence, coercion, family secrets, and an institution more interested in protecting status than protecting a student. But the drama never feels melodramatic just for the sake of being dark. The emotional tone feels controlled, deliberate, and deeply sad.
I also appreciate that Lee is clearly an adult despite still being a high school senior. That matters given where the story is headed romantically, and the casting supports it rather than asking us to pretend a visibly older actor is a child.
I am only two episodes in, so obviously there is a long way to go, but these opening episodes are extraordinary.
The acting is subtle. The atmosphere is beautiful and heavy. The emotional connection already feels earned.
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With Hikuma-sensei on top, each of those characters captured my attention. Those guys who were like some little immature gangsters who deserved to be beaten up, ah those 5 guys, their growth through the drama was amazing, how they become mature, serious young people with dreams, will and persistence, how they opened up to each other and sensei, how they were inseparable as a team, their friendship is for sure one of the most beautiful I've seen.
So many funny moments, sad moments, heartbreaking and heartwarming, fluffy and hilarious, important and full of meaning, this drama simply is a full package. It gives you with such simple, ordinary and already seen plot, everything you need and want to see in one drama. Well except romance, here it just wasn't needed and I'm glad that there wasn't any romance going on cause it would only destroy those precious moments between students and teacher.
I'd like to mention this old man, this fantastic actor who I love since I've watched him in 'Professor's Beloved Equation'. He gives such natural vibe every time, it's like he is there with all his heart and mind, incredible. And in this drama he was marvelous, his portrayal of a teacher who came to school full of delinquents to help them form a brass band was really impressive. I totally wanted Hikuma sensei to be my teacher, to be my friend, I wanted so much to talk to him and be the part of a band, one lovely good man who believed in his students till the end, who fought and didn't give up, who taught them so many life lessons, who helped them and always was there, I don't think that in real life is some teacher like he was. And with Terao Akira Hikuma sensei completely came to life.
Other characters were very well written and developed specially our five main guys, in each episode there is a story about one of them, explaining how and why they're this way in the present and with each episode every one of them grows and matures.
With some really breathtaking sceneries and nice usage of colors, with melodies that will take you to some amazing classical event and bring you vivid imagination, with fantastic script, deep lessons and with great characters, Aegoba will become that kind of drama that will hold a special place in your heart. I know now already how much I'm gonna miss all of them and their world, that wide world Himua sensei showed to us.
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This review may contain spoilers
Historical and/or political drama are not necessarily my cup of tea, so I usually avoid these genres. I started watching this drama solely because of its popularity, a recent show, a romcom genre, and the ending. I surprised myself I binge-watched it in 3 days!Like:
- Eye-catching front cover (see my comment on costume below)
- Straigth-forward story line, no plot twist, no shocking surprises, no betrayal. Secrets here and there revealed little by little like pieces of puzzles.
- Not dragging, no filler scenes or conversation.
- Perfect casting, every actor/actress fit their roles well.
- Great chemistry between ML and FL
- Some reviews/commentsI read about actress Shin Se Kyung, that she was bland or stiff in her role as FL. IMO she nailed it perfectly. Hae Ryung role is non-chalant and no-nonsense, which distinguished her with from most women in the drama Joseon Era. We can see her character intro in the beginning when she prefers to read a thriller novel to a group of women who prefer to hear romance instead.
- Some reviews/comments I read about actor Cha Eun Woo's bad acting skills especially in the beginning of the drama. IMO Prince Rim is supposed to be socially inept being confined all his life and only communicates with his subordinates whom have been with him for a long time. There should be a character growth for Prince Rim once he is introduced to outside world thru Hau Ryung, other historians, the French guy, the epidemic area, and Seoraewoon. and how the plot develops. Cha Eun Woo did an outstanding job acting the character transition. I actually cried when Prince Rim broke his heart due to the King's banning him writing romance novels and confiscated his writing tools.
- No love triangle (although there are potentials), so no Second Lead Syndrome
- Amazing friendship and family relationships, and loyalty.
- Happy ending for OTP and most other roles. No death.
- At some point of the drama, some roles become ambiguous , you will be uncertain if they are protagonist or antagonist. The ambiguity adds the spice.
- Beautiful cinematography
- Brilliant costume: I like they chose pastel colored costume for the OTP, symbolizes their delicate and sweet romance. Even the light blue color for the female historian uniform is distinguished from the male historian uniform.
- The OST is easy on the ear. Some notable songs are "My Dream" sung by Yoon Mi Rae, the queen of OST; "Come Here" sung by Lee Seok Hoon, and "Please Remember" sung by the ML Cha Eun Woo.
Dislike:
- I have not found any
Note:
- Probably should add a tag of noona romance, as ML is 20 and FL is 26. It does not seem a big deal in the story since their age gap is never opposed in the drama, and one arranged marriage candidate for ML is older than him (Sa Hee).
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IT WAS AN HONOR TO WATCH THIS SHOW.
For those who are wondering and debating whether this show is worth it, it took me months to convince myself to watch this considering it's about middle aged men and i'm in my 20's and had no romance, sci fi, thriller tags. but how glad i am i finally did! So please watch this. This is a must watch. There is NO korean drama like this. It's the first of it's kind and i wish with all my heart this becomes the standard of korean dramas from now onwards. this is a therapeutic show in my eyes.
This show is all sorts of beautiful. This show is not about solutions, not about how life should be, not about closure or happy endings or sad endings or a directed story told in a few episodes. This show is a chunk of life shown of people at different stages of their life. This show is the most realest show i have ever watched. It made me laugh and cry. The storyline, the direction, cinematography, the music, everything was just perfect.
This show not once glorified life. It showed it how it is. That's the beauty of this show.
The emotions in this show are so overwhelming it's crazy. I felt so attached to the characters it's so sad this show ended but what an ending it was. It makes me believe. Makes me hope. It taught me so many life lessons. Seldom is a show this beautiful made that encapsulates life so beautifully by keeping it 100% real.
The love in this show is the most deepest i have ever seen in any. It is a show with the most meaningful love and it didn't even have to be a romantic drama. Everyone can interpret love differently for this show. I choose to interpret it as love between a man and a woman who felt their souls being attracted to each other. Without any skinship, any cheesy romantic words, this show was able to show the love that if one finds it in life, they have it all. The most purest of all loves. The two souls who met each other in their most broken states, healed, filled each other despite. Souls that helped each other grow. The love in this drama is unlike any other. Most deepest, most heartfelt, most relatable.
The cast was beautiful! absolutely perfect. the best acting i've seen. IU's role was so different than her previous ones and she proved how good of an actor she is. she was FANTASTIC. Lee Sun Gyun was a treat to watch. This was the first i saw of him ever since Coffee Prince and i knew instantly why back then i had a second lead syndrome. He was INCREDIBLE. His every nerve expressed emotions. His eyes spoke millions, his walk, his talk. He was a show stealer. Plus, he has the best voice ever. Calms your soul and his character with that voice just melted me. (considering i'm in my early 20's, Ahjussi, saranghae :P ) .
VERDICT: WATCH THIS SHOW. LEAVE EVERYTHING AND WATCH THIS SHOW. this show is LIFE!
Thankyou screenwriters, producers, directors, the entire cast, the entire team behind this show for making one of the best shows ever and thankyou for giving us this masterpiece that is full of life lessons. I repeat, it was an absolute HONOR to watch this show.
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Must Watch!
This is a perfect korean drama to watch. It has good amount of comedy, friendship and romance. Its perfectly done. I want to thank the writer for writing such a beautiful story about youth. This drama not only showed the positive side of youth but also also showed the darkness of youth. Everyone of them had a dark side in their life. Overcoming the hardship is all about youth. I was amazed by the acting of baeinhyuk. He is such a good actor. And the way he portrayed the character was so perfect. Park jihoon was also good. I loved how beautiful their friendship was. The last episode was too beautiful. Two different people of two different background having different problems in their lives met and their relationship was not good. But the way they overcomed it and became happy in their own lives and solved their problems because of the existence of each other is so overwhelming. Baeinhyuk and park jihoon are the real heroes. The OST was beautiful tooWas this review helpful to you?
Subtitles Are SO Bad
The subtitles are ridiculously bad. I mean, really REALLY bad. The acting is also pretty flat all around. I had zero buy-in with the MLs because they have no chemistry at all. Not even a redeemable hint of chemistry from the first meeting to the present. Also, there are inconsistencies throughout that should have been caught in the scriptwriting. For example, blood where blood shouldn’t be and absent where it should be; bruising absent when there should be; a 7-year flashback that doesn’t add up, etc…Really, the whole first episode was a mess. Dropped.
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