Miss Truth of the Art of Death.
I was excited by this drama because the backstory sounds like a Chinese version of a favorite mystery series "Mistress of the Art of Death" which is also about a medieval female crime solving coroner who teams up with a sexy man to solve cases. Like Miss Truth, the novel is about a strong and smart woman, ahead of her time in both forensic knowledge and life attitude. I was both disappointed and relieved that this drama does not dive into the forensic aspects of the cases with the chillingly thrilling gruesome detail of my beloved novels. Indeed all of the gory props are almost cartoonishly fake and any macarbe detail is rather cursorily handled. While set in Tang dynasty, the story-line barely acknowledges the main historical characters and events of the day. Nonetheless it is a short and very enjoyable watch that really stands out in its repudiation of common tropes.The drama is about a talented and adventurous young lady coroner's journey of self discovery. As she helps solve cases, unearths Marquis Sui's legendary pearl and unveils a grand conspiracy; she also finds herself and discovers the truth of her heart's desires. The drama starts with a bang by establishing Ran Yan's credentials as a brilliant forensic analyst as she is extorted to solve a murder by the criminal underworld in exchange for her shifu's gambling debts. This tosses her right into the crosshairs of both Xiao Song, a nobleman and the emperor's trusted investigator and fixer and Su Fu, a mysterious assassin who saves her life. They are both tasked by different masters to recover Marquis Sui's pearl, which is part of a larger conspiracy that is the drama's overarching plot. The drama maintains an exciting pace, with danger and intrigue lurking around every corner and builds to a strong finish on a high note with a surprise reveal. I was only able to identify the ultimate mastermind by elimination; there were not enough clues or hints along the way to figure out their identity or motives.
As a big fan of strong, smart female characters, I was baffled by how difficult I found it initially to like newbie Zhou Jieqiong's Ran Yan. She is almost immediately and recklessly infatuated with the thrillingly inscrutable Su Fu and is unquestioning of his motives. Yet this sharp tongued vixen is distrustful of and lashes out inexplicably and ungratefully at Xiao Song, who appreciates her talents immediately and employs her as his coroner. This gives her the means to escape an unwanted marriage arranged by her indifferent father and cliche evil stepmother and half-sister. She snidely calls him a merman in a tone that implies fish face or worse, dead fish and bristles when he affectionately refers to her as his foxy lady. Nonetheless they companionably squable their way through a number of well constructed cases and become a likable and effective crime solving team. While Ran Yan is the titular character, veteran actor Toby Lee's Xiao Song is the sleuth that puts all of the clues together and truly anchors all of the cases and the drama. His character was well written and masterfully portrayed - between his teasing banter, merciless goading, stern rebukes and unyielding support he managed the prickly Ran Yan perfectly. While he arguably cut her too much slack, he knows exactly how to get under her skin. He is no doormat either and knows when enough is enough. The surrounding characters are cleverly and realistically written in a way that reacts to the other characters' flaws; for example I could totally relate to the shrewd and loyal Bai Yin's dislike and ranchor toward Ran Yan for treating his master Xiao Song so poorly.
For once, I actually enjoyed the dreaded love triangle in this drama, something I normally have zero patience for. Initially I didn't like Ran Yan so I didn't really care if she made a bad decision. Ultimately she is a resilient, strong willed character who knows her own mind, is not just defined by love and can roll with the punches so there is no tragically wrong choice for her. It is completely in character for her to break all the rules, throw caution to the wind and indulge in a dangerous, exciting and most unsuitable man - something hopefully every woman gets to do at least once in a lifetime! So does she stay with the one who loves her or go back to the one she loves? All I will say is that the triangle was fittingly, somewhat poignantly and DECISIVELY resolved. She totally manned up and picked the one with the nicest chest (a purely subjective but well researched opinion)!
While I never got to like Ran Yan (she is deliberately written to be really not that nice) and didn't emphatize with her, I reluctantly admired and respected her. This drama really showed me, someone who pounds on the table for strong female leads, that I may have been more socialized to like and accept the conventional c-drama female lead than I would like to admit.
I think all things considered (production value was not that high) this drama should be a 7.5-8.0 but I gave it a 8.0 for being so different in the best of ways in terms of avoiding most (not all) cliches, very smartly written and unconventional characters, hot male leads, exciting pace and cases and ending at the climax.
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A Letter to the Ordinary You and Me
I have so many thoughts about this drama that I am not sure I can even fully express it.This drama takes us on a journey with Su Cheng Cheng, an ordinary woman (but also incredibly strong) who gains this filter bracelet that allows her to learn something new about the world and herself with every transformation. Filter is not just about her transformations; it is also about the filters people have on each other that influences our views of each other. Once we have a bad impression of someone, we tend to only view their behaviors in a negative light and vice versa. This drama showed us what we thought was correct might not be the actual truth. Through these trials, Su Cheng Cheng learned what it means to love herself, the platonic loves she had from the very beginning, and a romantic love that shakes her core over and over again.
On the other side of the story, we have Tang Qi, an incredibly intelligent man who can also be awkward. He too had his own filters on which prevented him from seeing the person who was next to him all along. However, Tang Qi proved over and over again that he has the sincerest heart, and he loves with his entire being. He is able to self-reflect and try to see Su Cheng Cheng's POV on why things escalated the way it did. He is one of the best male leads I have seen in terms of development and viewers can't help but fall for him.
This drama has it all; comedy that you don't even see coming, friendship that is mutual and solid, family that is supportive, sci-fi that adds a layer of mystery, case-solving that actually gets intense, introspection about beauty standards, gender, societal norms, and a romantic love that is so pure and sincere that you can't help but smile every time you see Su Cheng Cheng and Tang Qi on screen. It is a story of misunderstanding and a story of relearning each other again. Thank you to this amazing drama and this excellent cast. I was so happy chasing this drama for the past 2-3 weeks and losing sleep was 543753345% worth it.
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I was satisfied with the plot as it was very well rounded and as there were no loose ends. I really appreciate the way it unfolded which was very neat. Everything fell right into place, this drama is one of those that make you feel at ease as there is no unnecessary dragging of the plot and complications that are out of place, everything is gradual and build up in a way that everything happening makes sense.
The characters apart from being well cast, they were all given attention and had a path laid out as they made progress in a heartwarming and natural way. All of the supporting characters were very endearing in unique ways and got to show a lot of their charm. For me, the most wonderful thing was friendship shining through with all of them on multiple occasion showing their shared desire to care for others. As for the mains I was very happy to see that none of their problems were created by misunderstandings or unpredictable happenings beyond their control which always puts me off, they were very considerate of each other and also acted like mature, healthy, functioning adults while their behavior and decisions were aligned with their character and that is a very big win for me. And I have to mention that the main female lead was very wonderfully written, showing a strong, kind, patient side and in so many ways a favorite with a delivery executed in a very graceful manner. Also the main couple was pretty cute without it ever being too much and the actors had chemistry.
Even though I am not the type to ever re-watch, if I ever felt down and wanted a safe bet for making myself feel better this drama would definitely manage to lift my mood without losing any of its qualities.
Over all I really enjoyed it as it didn't get too depressing but was also consistent and had a lot of beautiful moments. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to watch something soft and fuzzy but also with a plot that gradually progresses in a light and neat way.
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But let's get the flaws out of the way first. The biggest problems were the directing and editing. There were so many scenes that could've been amazing if they had only been executed another way. The music was edited in awkwardly sometimes, too. And the fantasy aspect was underused as well as some characters (Jang Bin, Eum Ja, Hwa Soo, etc). As one of my friends put it "this show doesn't seem to know how good it is."
But let's talk about all the awesome that made up for the flaws. I think the cast was AMAZING. Lee Min Ho did an amazing job as Choi Young. (And I'm only saying that partially out of the fact that I think he's really attractive. ^_^) I think it's my favorite role that I've seen him do. Kim Hee Sun also did an awesome job as Eun Soo. She was funny and quirky and strong without being annoying. And she and LMH ended up having some AWESOME chemistry. The supporting cast was excellent as well. The king and queen, the Woodalchi boys, the baddies, everyone. I think this is one of the few K-dramas that I've watched where I wasn't annoyed with some bad actor.
The storyline was also really good. Not always executed well, but still really unique and interesting. There was a lot of really good character moments and character development. It was unpredictable, funny, touching, action-packed, political, romantic... not always in a well balanced way, but the moments themselves were good.
The music was really good, just not always used well. The costumes and sets were beautiful. So, basically, there's lots to like as long as you can get over the flaws. Faith is one of my new favorites.
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This review may contain spoilers
It is really impossible to write a review for this drama without getting my blood pressure up. The people that waited week after week for this drama will truly understand my pain.All the writers of this drama need to be under some kind of witness protection program because they have succeeded in angering so many people including myself that had to sit through 20 eps of this BS. This drama was written under the influence of some serious narcotics.
The acting gets a 9 because they did a good job of conveying the foolishness the writers were spilling out.
Trying not to give away any spoilers, I'm a strong believer of the saying "don't bite the hand that feeds you". Well in this drama there's a lot of biting and chewing and an attempt to amputate the hand that was doing the feeding.
In this drama you get to witness ungratefulness at it's max and decisions that make you question the way some men think.
The drama was good and cute up until about episode 10 when the writers decided to play "how far can we piss off the viewers". In all honesty, the drama could have been done in 16 episodes or better still 10 episodes.
We could have done without all the crap from ep 11 to 19 and 20.
The only take a way is the OST. There are some really good songs in this drama....The drama had some good potential that was played with.
If you want to sit through this be my guest but make sure to drop by for an "I TOLD YOU SO".
Writing this without spoilers was seriously challenging....off to take my blood pressure meds
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Iconic Cult Classic
I will start out by saying this series will not be for everyone, in fact it won't be for most people but what it will be is memorable!Playboyy is NOT your typical run of the mill predictable Thai BL. If you are looking for Boy meets Boy, Boy falls in love with Boy, Boy (maybe) kisses Boy, There is a miscommunication and then they make up and live happily ever after.....this IS NOT the series for you. There is nothing wrong with those types of series but Playboyy is not that!
Playboyy is unhinged, camp, satirical, hilarious, sex positive, fashion forward and unapologetic.
If you scratch just below the surface of the iconic one liners and murder mystery plot you will find that Playboyy celebrates gay sex in all its forms. Playboyy shows you that their isn't just one way to be in a relationship with someone and that none of those relationships are less than just because they are not traditional BL relationships. They are complex and messy and are unique to each couple rather than being cookie cutter.
The series also doesn't shy away from some of the very realistic issues that come from being a gay person or worse yet a gay sex worker in Thailand. How this community is marginalized, abused and struggling to live let alone be accepted. The show also reminds you that money is power and that we can all end up doing things we are not proud of just to survive.
Now lets address the NC scenes. Let me say it one more time because everyone seems to be taken aback or surprised by this....The series is 18+ and it is sex positive! Yes there are a lot more NC compared to normal Thai BL. They are also far more explicit and unhinged. They are not your dead fish kiss, squeal because someone touched me, we are dating and kissing is all we will ever do NC. As I mentioned before Playboyy celebrates all forms of gay sex so you will have crazy unhinged make you scream in shock scenes, you will have sweet romantic scenes, you will have BDSM, role play and the list could go on. This isnt a porn so no you aren't going to see full frontal nudity but you will be asked to use your imagination and think about what the shot would be like if the underwear weren't there!
Yes the show is low budget, yes some of the acting is questionable, yes some times the plot takes a back seat to the NC, Yes there is a lot of broken English being spoken, Yes the NC can get crazy and/or uncomfortable or down right funny. It's for all of these reasons that I say Playboyy is not for everyone. But if you are someone who likes something different, who loves to laugh and scream some times at the same scene, if you want subversive and unique then Playboyy is absolutely for you.
I recommend finding a friend just as unhinged as you are to watch the show with. I will admit that the comment section and the members of the Chaos Train who all watch it as it aired added the icing on top of the cake for me. You will absolutely need someone to talk to about this show with so don't be shy in finding a watch buddy!
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The story was simply genius. The twists and turns didn't seem deliberate, the characters were true to life, the sub-plots were all significant as well! Nothing, and I really mean NOTHING was out of place. No side characters seemed forcefully added or hastily exited (Although the finale did seem to exclude an end to a tiny plot the writers were building, but I'm willing to squelch that itch in my brain). The story itself taught so much! I still remember the great things I learned from I Hear Your Voice and the writers haven't failed to teach me several things in this show either. There was such commendable courage, unconditional love, and selflessness shown in this drama, it simplifies many things that have become complicated in our lives these days. The main pivotal element, that brought freshness and brilliancy to the story, was the drama's namesake medical condition - Pinocchio Syndrome. The inability to lie brings such delightful reprieve from all the deceits and hidden truths and misunderstandings that come along with relationships. If only people were usually so honest and open about their emotions, things wouldn't be so complex. There are some of the most beautiful bonds that I saw in this show that I will never forget. I could go on and on about how remarkable the story of this show was, and still not say enough.
I need to take a deep breath before I begin about the actors. Why? Because I need to make coherent sentences from the heap of positive adjectives that are popping in my head. All I can think of, are words such as - Perfect, incredible, incomparable, outstanding, amazing, brilliant, etc. etc. I can certainly say that from the leads to the guest appearances, EVERY single actor, that worked on this show, deserves an applause or a pat on the back at least. I've never seen such a plethora of great performances, all in one show. Each performance of the actors seems to be imprinted in my head. Lee Jong Suk was positively dazzling throughout the series! And Park Shin Hye pleasantly surprised me with her remarkable portrayal of Choi In Ha. I'd never been a fan of hers, but I have to admit, she gave an absolutely stunning performance. The veteran actors, that were part of the cast, need no extra praise, they were great as always. A special mention for Jin Kyung and Kim Hae Sook though, these two ladies gave such captivating performances as the antagonists that I couldn't help but respect and admire their characters even while hating them. Kim Young Kwang and Lee Yoo Bi looked really promising! I've seen other works by these two, but Pinocchio definitely brought out the best of them, as well as every other actor in the cast.
The OSTs in the drama struck a chord in every situation they were played in. The music really brought forth the emotions and conveyed the intensity of the moments spectacularly. There were so many scenes where I simply shed tears because of the perfect harmony of the music and the script.
Which reminds me to mention the powerful script that the show had! Such impactful words, such brilliant dialogues! The chemistry between, not just the lead pair, but every actor was evident and impressive. I've run out of adjectives that I usually get to use while describing a show, but I still have many things I haven't been able to mention. The list of things that worked in the favor of the show is too long to post in this already too long review. If anybody has had the patience to read till now, I'd like to request you Dear Reader, do not let anything stop you from watching this show, it'll be one of the best you've ever seen. I can guarantee that. I'm off to place this in the top slot of my favorite dramas.
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There's only one bad acting from a supporting character, so it didn't affect the story. I liked how realistic the business feels (although it's still a drama), and how the events happened. I wish the main couple got together sooner because at some point the FL rejects the ML because of some misunderstandings, but he made it clear he wanted her, so there was no point avoiding him. But if we ignore this tiny detail, it's an amazing drama.
We have many steamy kisses and affection, I was so happy about that. I loved the leads and loved their chemistry.
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RUSTED SPOONS
The biggest flaw of the story is giving out way too many golden spoon, it kind of reduced the importance of an otherwise powerful selling point.I will be honest. This is the first Yook Sung Jae series that I have completed (I tried his last show but i cant get past the second episode). This guy is handsome and has the acting chops to boot. Here, as Lee Seung Chun, he caught me in his trap from the very first episode. Something about his pain from being born poor felt effective and believable, and you want him to get out of his desperate situation even if it means somebody else will suffer in his place. As a viewer you'd want to give him the best too.
To be rich, he has to take the place of Hwang Tae Yong, who at first, seems like a despicable character. After a few episodes he managed to switch places, unfortunately for Seung Chun, it is not all greener on the other side as he found out that even the rich Tae Yong has his own personal challenges and demons of his own. Even more unfortunate for Seung Chun, Lee Jong Won's good performance as the new Seung Chun is even better than the original, that you cant help but root for him even more than Sung Jae.
Golden Spoon has managed to convey the rich versus poor comparison very well, albeit, they showed it in a way that poor is synonymous with good and rich is synonymous with evil.
We later found out that there was not only one but quite a few of these golden spoons, which, like I said in the beginning, kind of reduced the importance of the show's most powerful selling point. It felt like a lazy attempt to build the show's tension, to the point that when the last spoon user was revealed, it didnt have the imapct they hoped to create and my eyes just rolled up too high thought it left my skull. It was a waste of cameo from Na In Woo.
Has anyone noticedbhow the seemingly good hearted granny selling these golden spoons is nothing but a creepy Rumpelstiltskin-like character. She just doesn't give a sh*t if the spoon destroys lives, just as long as you buy the spoon. I would have wanted to see her true evil colors, and that she gives all those who used the spoons get what they deserve in return, which comes to that ending that I hated - Seung Chun should have been punished (or at least got the karma he deserved) but instead he got out almost unscathed and looks like he will manage to win the girl after all.
Overall, im still giving it an 8 out of 10. Would i rewatch? Probably not, although Im looking forward to seeing more of Yook Sung Jae and Lee Jong Won's other works.
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A Fresh Breath of Air (no more c-drama cliches)
Rattan introduces not only a new type of genre (science fiction/fantasy) but completely new character dynamics. We truly have a strong female lead here, someone whose backstory and motive drives the whole plot. In fact, the male lead is more a side character who simply accompanies her on her journey after her revival. Some people might be put off by the foreignness of the drama, the fact that there are no old tropes, and I implore those people to spend a couple more episodes watching before coming to a conclusion. At least make it to the halfway point before giving a critical rating.For those who are confused about what the plot is, or feel there is no plot, the drama is also of the mystery genre. Over half of the 30-episodes are focused around discovering who the female lead is and why she does what she does. When the audience finally does discover all the information, the second half of the drama leads the audience to a much faster paced plot where Si Teng meets her goal and deals with the obstacles (or rather people) that arise as well as her budding feelings for Qin Fang.
Even if you're not here for the mystery plot, there's still much to savor from the drama: the beautiful scenery, Si Teng's stunning wardrobe, and the adorable slow-burn romance. A lot of the scenery is very uncommon in Chinese dramas, where instead of the old traditional architecture or modern skyscrapers, they filmed in Xinjiang and remote places like Shangri-la City.
ACTING/PRODUCTION:
The main actors, Jing Tian (role Si Teng), Zhang Binbin (role Qin Fang) and Zhang Yichi (role Yan Furui) are all great at their craft and the interactions all feel very natural. Even the child actors for Wa Fang and young Si Teng act very well. If there are complaints about acting from second leads, I do want to remind that the production team for Rattan doesn't have the extensive budget of other dramas like Eternal Love or Ashes of Love, so please be more lenient. In fact, Bai Jin is even acted by the director himself. Even so, the team went through a lot to get good scenes i.e. for the first scene when Qin Fang revives Si Teng, they filmed at a very high altitude, where it's very cold and they had to bring oxygen tanks.
Not to mention, the two leads have great chemistry. Their off-screen interactions are absolutely adorable. When they first appeared in public together to promote the drama, they looked so happy together that the search Jing Tian and Zhang Binbin acting like newly-wed couple was one of the top 5 searches on Weibo that week. There's also a Happy Camp episode coming out soon if you want to see more of them together!
Interestingly, Rattan was a surprise drama, no one expecting the popularity that it currently has. On Douban (the Goodreads of Chinese cinematography), not only does it have a 7.8 rating, it boasts 140k reviewers (most dramas have around 60k and a 6.5 rating; anything over 7.5 is extremely impressive and rare). All of these are testimonies to the greatness Rattan is.
CONS:
Personally, the main issue I have is that the plot can be very confusing, which knocked down the overall rating from 10 stars to 9. The drama is based off of a novel written by Wei Yu and so sometimes knowledge on text doesn't translate well visually without narration. Especially near the end, where it picks up pace, it can get very confusing what is happening and why it has occurred. I feel like more time could've been taken to go over these scenes and the backstory. There are also some unanswered questions like: did Qin Fang ever realize who Shan Zhigang was? Why does Bai Jin hide the fact that he has powers and what exactly is even his role? etc. I didn't mind as much since I could get the general gist, but I can understand how that may be frustrating to others. The drama may have benefited from extra episodes or cutting out whole sections of plot, instead of following the novel religiously (like the last 2 episodes were kinda unnecessary and made me much more confused).
ENDING:
Finally, about the ending, some of you are worried about it having a sad ending. The director actually filmed two endings. The one in episode 30 is more "sad", i.e. Qin Fang and Si Teng don't end up together in the traditional sense (I still don't think its sad though, it has a nice cause and effect circular nature to it), but there's also a special, which provides another ending, which people have enjoyed much more, where Qin Fang and Si Teng do end up together, so no need to have qualms about that if you don't like tragedy.
CONCLUSION:
WATCH THE DRAMA. Whether or not it ends up following your preferences, I believe the freshness of the plot/setting/characters are all worth a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
Korea once again delivered.
The poster captivated me into watching this and I couldn’t find the right words to describe the series as a whole – it was not perfect but far from bad. I do not know why but it feels like something is missing throughout watching. I wasn't that hooked up, unlike the other ones that I've watched. One thing is for sure, Korea served us one great plot.For the story, I do not have anything much to say. It was cute and somehow fluffy. Once again, I like to point how most Korean BLs including this one stays away from a school setting. I love how each series produced by Korea explores or tackles a unique plotline. Far from cliches and third parties whatsoever. And given that Korea or most Koreans are conservative, I loved how they didn’t incorporate the idea of homophobia throughout the series, it felt like they were in a world without judgement. The story is cohesive.
I like how they incorporated dancing into the story. The character’s lives were completely opposite but they found the right spot to meet in the middle and change each other. The pacing was quite good given that the length of the whole series is just like a movie. They didn’t put unnecessary scenes as fillers to make it longer and they maximized the time they have to deliver a considerably good series.
The actors fit their roles, not to mention their visuals. But in terms of skills, they were able to portray their character nicely, I am satisfied with how they executed emotional scenes, it didn’t feel awkward at all. It seemed natural.
I do not have any comments about cinematography, camera angles, OSTs, and other technical aspects, they were okay to me.
Overall, this is a good watch if you do not have anything much to do. Korea once again delivered a good one. The title really fits the story because they do make each other’s heart dance.
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Coming to the cast. I am not particularly fond of Chae Soo Bin, but this drama definitely changed that. She was perfect both as the robot Ah Ji and the street smart Ji Ah. Yoo Seung Ho was ADORABLE! He was the best thing about the show! I've seen plenty of his works and I think by far, this is my favorite character portrayed by him. This character really suited him so much. The supporting cast was really good. Loved Ji Ah's friend and her brother as well as his family. They were all great. Sun Hye's little love triangle was awesome. lol.
The music was great. Perfect amount of chirp and serious.
I would definitely come back and watch it for the adorable character of Kim Min Kyu as well as certain hilarious scenes. Also, someone needs to invent those things Ji Ah made in the show, but sounds a little difficult from science's POV, lol.
Anyways, if you are in a mood for an easy-watch, this is definitely your show!
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This review may contain spoilers
This darn tear-jerker.If you're looking for a real horror, this isn't it.
If you hate crying, this definitely isn't it.
I'd say for this movie, it's tragedy before horror. Sure, there are some horror elements, however- it's really more sad than scary.
The story is subtle. It's not deep. I have to remind you that this show's literal title is TRAIN TO BUSAN. It's a whole show about characters doing their utmost best to reach the safe zone- Busan. On a train. It lived up to its title, i'll give it that.
The acting and characters were great. Gong Yoo's acting is excellent, as expected. His character's development was amazing. He went from a selfish to selfless man that learned to truly care for others more.
Ma Dong Seok's character is as likeable here as his character in Bad Guys. You'll get fixated with his character for sure. This actor deserves more recognition.
And the most unexpected- Kim Soo An. She's an adorable and talented little actress. Then again, most Korean child actors and actresses raise the international standard for acting capabilities amongst children.
Kim Eui Seong's character is extremely unlikeable, proving that he played his role well.
The music is good. It's suitable when it's suitable.
Rewatch value: 10
Heck yeah i'd watch it again.
I can tell you that I am definitely not a fan of zombie movies but as I said earlier, it's more of a tragedy than horror. So if you're a major zombie-apocalypse-kind-of-movie fan that finds value in the horror aspect and expects this movie to fulfil it to its best, don't expect too much. The makeup is realistic and well-done.
Even if I cry my eyes out again, it's worth the watch.
If you enjoy a little bit of horror, action, thrill, a little wincey bit of comedy and quite a bit of tragedy, give this movie a go. It's one hell of a ride.
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That ending was a... choice
There's a lot to be said about this wonderful yet somehow disappointing take on gumiho and Korean lore, and having just finished it I find that I have surprisingly complicated feelings for something that, in the beginning, I was confident that I would end up either loving or hating it.I feel a bit bitter.
The drama's strengths lie in its production, its cast, and some of its characters. Some, not all. The brothers Lee Yeon and Lee Rang were hands down the most well thought out part of the story as both characters had a lot of depth to them, and their actors had a lot of chemistry on set. From the very beginning, LR's grudge is made clear and we're given context to their very strained relationship. As the story leaves more pieces for us to put together, we come to understand his character a lot more. Better yet, their relationship and LR's character as a whole have by far the most growth out of the whole cast. Even, I as someone who didn't care for LR in early episodes, grew to appreciate his role in the story.
The rest of the cast, for the most part, was a compliment to their chemistry. Ki Yoo Ri and Gu Shin Ju did a fantastic job portraying the slow-developing second couple and, honestly, their chemistry was a lot more compelling than the main pair. They're fun, they're cute, and the more you see them together, the better they look together. The Gatekeeper couple was such a treat, too, in a different way. Watching them fight and bicker and then, eventually, come together again, was so nice. For me, the main problem and the reason I was never 100% onboard was Nam Ji Ah's character. I found her very likable and refreshing in the first few episodes but that started to taper off around episode 4 or 5 where I started to find her grating. The actress's acting was passable, but a lot of times it didn't feel genuine. Her motivation was clear in the beginning - to find her parents - but as soon as they were back, the story forgot about them unless it needed a hostage or a funny little couple scene between NJA and LY. It felt a little strange. Then, this character who in the beginning we were shown was strong-willed, motivated, and could take care of herself was now in constant need of rescuing. And I mean constant. She was practically helpless throughout most of the story. In episode 13 she even fell victim to the 'woman fainting because stress' trope. There were also many scenes where she had to 'play the villain' so to speak and act as Imugi, which... was a choice. She didn't make for a great villain. The acting was cheesy and over-the-top, which I came to expect from other aspects of the show like the dialogue (which was absolutely cringy in some spots) but when you have a villain you want to look threatening, that's not a very good sign. I have more gripes with her character at the ending, too. A lot more.
Before I move on, Lee Tae Ri was an odd choice to play the villain. It's not that he's a bad actor, but he doesn't really have a threatening or large presence. He made Imugi's level of threat seem kinda silly, honestly, so I never felt like there was any real tension when he was on screen.
The plot... let's be honest, it's a hot mess. It's coherent enough to understand and enjoy, simple enough that you've seen this story a thousand and one times already, but if you think about it too long, it starts to fall apart. Just take the very first scene where NJA's parents go missing. We understand that attack to have been orchestrated by Imugi's minion KHR, but who was it that actually attacked them? Who was it that LY saved NJA from that night? They were shapeshifters, we can assume maybe they were foxes like the others? But why did they do it? Why did they listen to KHR? Better yet, what was the point of taking NJA's parents to begin with? Was it just to use them as leverage years later? That seems a bit silly - they could have taken them at any point after Imugi was revived to the same effect. With Imugi's illusions we've seen that he can get whatever he wants whenever he wants it. It just feels unnecessary. I loved the scene itself and it was a great introduction, but there wasn't much reason for it other than giving NJA a flimsy character set-up. In fact, if the parents had just been killed that night I probably wouldn't have much to say about it - it could have been a harsh introduction into the world we were about to step into. The problem is really the fact that it ties back to the main villain.
There are numerous other examples of the show taking weird turns like that or having just badly written scenes, but if I tried to write them all out we'd be here forever. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we never got closure on why NJA's parents visited that island where the Imugi ritual was performed, did we? Why did they bring back her parents if they were going to practically forget about them immediately after? The girl gets to see her mom and dad who she knew were likely dead after so many years and there's a short few scenes about them reuniting and then it's like they were never gone in the first place. They never even get an explanation for where they were or why they were there all that time. Anyway. My point is that there are a lot of holes in the story, and even more bad choices. It didn't make me hate the show but as I saw more of them, I started to realize that this wasn't the drama I hoped it would be.
Let's skip the tedious middle of the story and skip to the ending. A lot of the build-up was instead filled with mushy, cheesy scenes between LY and NJA, the couple with the least amount of chemistry in the story. Then our climax hits and it goes exactly how everyone expects - almost. Going into the last 2 eps, I expected LR to die instead of LY. You know, that old 'redemption in death' trope again. I accepted it. But then LY went through with his initial plan and there was crying and tears and LR held his wine bottle like it was a newborn baby and... that was it. I hoped. To be honest, I was fine with that. LY dying, NJA learning to move on, and their love ending on a bittersweet note might have had me applauding the show for not giving us a candyfloss ending. My favourite moments in the whole drama were seeing LR interacting with his newfound family, upset and lonely over the loss of his brother but finally, after so long, finding happiness in the company of others. He didn't have his brother, but he had a family.
And then they made him a damn martyr and had him sacrifice himself for his damn brother. They gave their most well-developed character a cheap ending. If he had died fighting Imugi, I would have been fine with that. If he died because his time was up (they alluded to him being at the end of his lifespan several times and then they, I don't know, forgot about it? Decided they didn't care?) then I wouldn't even have been upset. But instead, they waited until he had his happiest moment and took it all away, not even giving him a proper goodbye. What message does that really send us? He only lost everything once he grew as a character and became a better person. And I'm not saying that his growth nullifies all the terrible shit he's done in the past - it doesn't, he's a murderer and the fact that he's docile at the end of it doesn't change that - but it's only once he started on a better path that he meets his end, and I'm not sure I can get on board with that.
To me, NJA dying would have made sense. No, not there, I don't think anyone should have sacrificed their lives for LY to come back regardless of who it was. But her sacrificing herself earlier on would have made sense. The Gatekeeper was right - she was the reason so many people were dying, even if it wasn't directly her fault. While I can understand LY's desperation to not have history repeat itself, even if they weren't characters that we saw on screen, a lot of people died in the story. An insane amount, even. Saving her while all of them were dying was in fact pretty selfish of the both of them. A lot of heartache from the characters could have been avoided that way, too. Would it have been a very satisfying ending? Not sure. But what we have isn't really satisfying, either.
I did enjoy some of the scenes after LY returned, but ultimately, I don't think they were needed. Maybe I'm just bitter. If I based my rating solely on the ending, it probably would have been a 6. But I can't ignore the fact that I did enjoy the early episodes, and later on I enjoyed most characters outside of Imugi and NJA. It was a cringy, sappy journey that a part of me regrets going on, while another part is happy to have at least had the journey, even if it led down a road not worth travelling.
EDIT: A FEW THINGS I FORGOT TO LEAVE COMPLAINTS FOR AT THE ENDING:
-LY is supposed to be reincarnated except is brought back as himself but human. An adult. How does that make sense? Why did they not explain that?
-LR being reincarnated as a 10-year-old boy... when he died a few months ago? Does that make sense? No. Nothing does, apparently.
-That very end - so is he not a human after all? Is he lying? I get that maybe he can still use his special sword umbrella but why did his eyes change? Is he still a fox? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?
I'm angry all over again.
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