This review may contain spoilers
It's a happy ending drama , but after watching the last ep. I am disappointed & confused.
Why I am disappointed & confused because when she transmigrated from 2026 to 1983 after she fell asleep I knew that in the last ep. she will wake up from the sleep & it will be like a real dream , but after few eps. it felt for me like maybe fate have given her second chance by having her reborn in the year 1983 by transmigrating her in the body of a girl whose name is same like her , but no , what I expected , it happened like that. If she may have transmigrated into a book whose character name have same name like her , then I wouldn't have been disappointed. But she got transmigrated in real life from 2026 to 1983 where she had mother , uncle , aunty , a nice family , made friends , met Zhou Cheng who fell in love with her & she also feel in love with him & they got married , became a successful businesswoman , but at last she again back to her real year 2026. If she is bound to come back to the year 2026 , than what's the point of going to the year 1983 , like fate have given her a second chance.Was this review helpful to you?
THE DISRESPECT
disrespect to the original source, to the fandom, and to the story.KIM DOKJA WOULD NEVER SAY THAT HIS FAVORITE NOVEL IS THE WORST!
they changed so much about the story and weapons. this can't be called an adaptation, this is the director's not-so-fan fiction. we can't (fans) even describe how disappointed we are. if only we can rate it to -1000000/10.
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Story 10/10 : WOW! JUST WOW. The story is very unique(at least for me). It intertwines both the past and the modern time in a very, very interesting and easily understandable way.
Cast/Acting 10/10: The cast was lovable and the actors made that happen extremely well .
Music 8/10: The music was great and served its purpose quite well. However, it wasn't 10/10 material for me. Just my personal opinion, don't know why or how, but thats just how I feel.
Rewatch Value 5/10: I'm not a rewatcher so I most likely wont watch this movie again.
Overall 10/10: This movie stunned me. I don't know how to describe it, but it was amazing. It's not action packed, but more about friendship and the effect of years on people. I especially enjoyed their transformations.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Shakespearean Genius of a Drama
Shakespeare wrote these lines:"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts."
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."
"O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!"
"My brain more busy than the labouring spider. Weaves tedious snares to trap mine enemies."
And these words are apt to describe the world of The Double, a drama about betrayal, intrigue and revenge. The forty episodes go by fast. Everyone is acting a part or is a part of a scheme. There are movers and shakers (or they think they are) and there are pawns. By the end of the drama, each main character has fulfilled their version of the Shakespearean quotes I gave above.
The characters started simple enough--a wife, a cowardly husband, a debonair high-ranking duke, intrusive and selfish family members, royal bickering, evil princess. However, as the story moved forward, each layer was peeled off and the characters became Shakespearean in their clever verbal sparring, motives, and for some, a slow descension into madness.
The Plot in a Nutshell
The story begins with a woman, Xue Fang Fei, a woman of Talent (cai nue), who loved her scholar husband so deeply, she had suppressed the whole personality to be just a wife, supporting his scholarly ambition with many sacrifices, including pawning her personal property. However, after he became an Imperial Scholar, he (and his family) betrayed her with rape, humiliation (loss of reputation) and finally, the man who professed to love her, whacked her on the head and buried her alive.
Xue Fang Fei survived and was saved by Jiang Li, the daughter of a minister who had been sent to a nunnery-like place for troubled women, also by her own family. Jiang Li had also been suffered from injustice and was bullied. Shortly after, Jiang Li died and Xue Fang Fei assumed her identity and started her journey to avenge Jiang Li and herself.
The Characters
This is the best part of the drama. Every character was memorable and unique. Our heroine, XFF/JiangLi played everyone like a chess game, yet she was also a pawn piece for Duke Su, who had been playing a long political game with various court family factions. XFF/JL first intrigued him, then his interest grew as he realized the dangerous game she herself was playing. Duke Su loved watching plays and this "Jiang Li" was fast becoming his favorite play. So he interfered (and aided) with her plans over and over and through much verbal sparring, the two started the world's slowest burning romance. The chemistry between the two were SIZZLING HOT--the way their eyes met, the puns with words like Qi (chess) with Qi (wife), the progression from sharing of cups to intimate clothing without ever once any actual romantic moment had this viewer laughing and squeeing like a young girl reading her first romance.
KUDOS to WJY and WXY for their portrayal of the amazingly resilient and smart XFF/JiangLi and the crafty and deliciously debonair (every entrance he made was grand) Duke Su and his fan (oh, that fan). WJY as the sincere, eloquent, determined and vengeful, yet at the same time vulnerable XFF/JiangLi was a master class of acting. WXY had such stage presence that, even though his scenes were limited, he commanded everyone's attention and totally owned all the ladies' hearts. Every move he made was perfect , from the narrowing his eyes to the micro-expressions, to the callouses on his hands when he caressed Jiang Li's hand.
The two characters who ultimately stole the show were Shen Yu Rong (the ex? husband) and the Evil Crazy Princess who had corrupted him. I'm going to warn you that the Director had a hard-on for SYR. He had given this villain so much depth, one could end up caught in his web of self-deception. Shen was a villain and also a tragic figure, blinded by power and a need to prove himself the stronger man. Through that one act of ridding his wife, he lost all the happiness he had before becoming the Princess' dog. His final descension into total self-absorbed power-madness was mesmerizing on the screen. Like, I said, the Director had it bad for SYR.
The Evil Princess was also another revelation. She was totally villainous and just as blind to the fact that she wasn't as in control as she had thought. She remained a pawn for all the men around her and her final realization of how she'd lost the game to XFF (she took the latter's man but couldn't make him love her) was tragic to watch.
KUDOS to the two actors' portrayal of these two villains.
BIG SPOILER
If you just want the best ending to this slow-burn romance, watch Episode 40 and stop at Minute 31:16 (or thereabouts). The events after that are stupid and unnecessary. Click Off at that point and just go to the extra half an episode, 40.5, that they shot as fan service of the two lovers. I took off .5 because of the way it ended after Minute 31:16.
I highly recommend this drama if you enjoy twists and turns, clever manipulations and characters with layers. The acting is superb. The script is great. The director wanted to be artsy and framed many scenes like a stage (curtain on top, side panels/pillars, railing at bottom). An example is the Evil Princess room/hallway scenes. The zoom-ins can be very distracting as the characters look straight at the camera, breaking the fourth wall. The closeups are too close, cutting off the top of heads in MANY shots. I'm not sure why the director decided to do this. Eh. Stupid choice, in my opinion, because the shots were jarring. Overall, the cinematography was gorgeous when needed, but not overly expansive. The costumes (esp on Duke Su!) was really beautiful.
If nothing else, watch Duke Su, Duke Su, Duke Su. His fan. His eyeliner. His voice when he says "A'Li," his whipped-puppy expression when his lady love called him "Xiao Heng." That is all.
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I won't talk about the action and cinematography much, just say it was stunning. If China is best at portraying colours in their wuxia, S. Korea is great at using different seasons to depict it. This type of experience is what differentiate watching movies from watching dramas.
Acting: great on all fronts. I was initially no big fan of Lee Byung Hun but he really commands the scenes he's in, from the first time we meet him. First time seeing Jeon Do Yeon and she was great. Seeing Kim Go Eun again is a treat and she never disappoints. You don't feel that she's acting with other big stars she's just immersed into the role. The rest of the cast fit their roles as well.
The story itself is nothing new, starting with betrayal the revenge that follows. The extend to which the character was willing to go for revenge it insane. It's really hard to judge it.
What attracted me most and kept my attention is the complicated characters and the disturbing love story. Deok Ki is corrupted and disgusting in every way, yet his love is so real and pure. As illogical it is, I just totally bought it. Same goes for Sul Rang, that carried true hatred towards him, leading to an insane revenge plan, yet wishing she could forgive him. This is the type of intense crazy romance I totally enjoy watching. There's something so raw and desperate about it. Hong Yi went through many phases in the movie, but I just love her in the last fighting scene, cold yet emotionally intense! Her side love story however was a bore, with typical kdrama cliché that I totally could've done without. Still it didn't remove anything from my enjoyment, it just wasn't too logical. However I find the main leads' love story also illogical but I totally buy it and believe it.
After finishing the movie I read many comments complaining about the movie calling it a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon copy. While I agree it alludes to it, the movie stands on its own telling its own story. Definitely worth a try.
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Grief, loss, and acceptance
What I like most about this show is its level of depth- enough material for me to think about, but still at a level I can understand without overanalyzing.Early in, the show presents a sort of preamble, with a tragic story of two friends driven apart by a misunderstanding. It clearly has some parallels to our main character’s past, because he keeps thinking about it. Tang Lici, who seems to know everything, can summarize the situation in a single line- yet fixing it proves to be much more difficult.
Grief, guilt, loss, acceptance, letting go. These are all topics that resonate with me on an emotional gut level, and watching the characters struggle with them felt meaningful and almost personal. It was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.
The show also toys with several other concepts like morality, human nature (born good!), the impact of kindness, friendship, and the complexity of human emotions. The ideas come and go rather than being constant themes, but I still found them interesting and thoughtful.
Exploring complex topics requires multidimensional characters, and that’s something this show does well. The main protagonist, Tang Lici, is powerful and clever, always a few steps ahead of everyone. I wouldn’t exactly call him relatable- I certainly couldn’t figure anything out with him, I was just watching him do his thing- but his emotions and struggles are. I really felt for him. He always seems perfectly fine, but he’s really not.
Tang Lici is initially cast as somewhat morally gray. He himself freely admits it. But I didn't think that that’s actually true. He may be a mastermind type who "uses" people; but from the beginning, his plans always try to keep everyone safe, and they usually serve the greater good. He just can’t be bothered to explain this all. If he has a flaw, it’s not lack of conscience or compassion, it’s hubris.
But to explore these ideas of morality, the show still gives us a foil in Puzhu, who’s saintly views on righteousness are clear to all. Puzhu actually comes across as preachy and naively self-righteous, especially compared to Tang Lici. But I think that’s sort of the point. He ends up having an interesting backstory and character arc, which I enjoyed watching.
Puzhu is just one of several characters who turns out to be less straightforward than he at first seems. I think this show does side characters well; even if they sometimes disappear from the story for a while, many are still given multifaceted personalities, character development, and their own story arcs. Zhong Chunji is a good example. She’s trying to be a good person, but she struggles to find her place. (Her sifu is, btw, absolutely lovable and adorable).
Other fun support characters include Chi Yun, the classic dumb but lovable brother-in-arms- at times this character archtype feels a bit forced, but he is actually pretty funny sometimes- and Sheng Langhun, who’s life was ruined by a random act of cruelty, but now gets to build friendships and grow a personality again. These two and Tang Lici get to be three musketeers for a little while in the middle, which is fun to watch. They and several others form a growing cast of friends that make Tang Lici’s jianghu journey less and less lonely.
And then there’s A-Shui. At first I was annoyed by her overly meek and demure mannerisms, but she soon proves to be smart, insightful, and perceptive. She’s not bad, I just initially did not like that she seemed poised to be Tang Lici’s love interest- she didn’t seem good enough.
But this show is not focused on romance, so their interactions and feelings for each other are not particularly played up. It’s more like, any growing affection between them is yet another part of Tang Lici’s personal journey. I was ok with that. Actually there are several other “relationships” in this story that get a similar level of (non) focus, which I rather like for being realistic and relatable. But fans of romance might be more disappointed by the hints + lack of development than if it hadn’t been there in the first place.
Overall, I wouldn’t have minded even more screentime and follow-through for some of these side characters, but their development was already way better than a lot of other shows. They’re more than just sidekicks.
On the villain side, ex-friend Liu Yan is flat out crazy. He gets a lot of leeway in my book- he was clearly so traumatized that he lost a few screws and became totally unhinged. Still, his repeated willful ignorance and self-contradictions really tested my patience sometimes. Ultimately, I could not fully hate him, but it was ok because neither could Tang Lici. Even his little pet red harpy in a harp chair got better.
As for other villains beyond that, I found them quite interesting, but I could still wholeheartedly root against them. I think that’s the best of all worlds.
The plot moves along at a decent clip, with backstory and secrets revealed at a good rate. I found the story engaging and interesting. It gets a little bit loopy towards the end (think time loops), but by hanging my logic on the wall and not thinking too hard, I could still enjoy the show quite a lot.
Some of the ideas explored are pretty heavy, but I didn’t find the show too dark or depressing. It has some decent humor in the first half, and sufficient happy or joyful scenes. It’s heartwarming to watch Tang Lici getting softer throughout the show, and more expressive about caring for his friends.
I also wasn’t too stressed for the first 30 or so episodes. My heart broke for Tang Lici and I cried a lot, but he seems so confident and in control all the time, and he also has a lot compassion, so I felt somewhat assured that he would take care of everything in a satisfying way.
That said, my stress absolutely skyrocketed in the last 5 episodes. This show doesn't tank as badly as some others towards the end, but I was still pretty disappointed by how rushed things felt, how artificially dire the situation became, and how all these side characters I had gotten so attached to seemed to just fade into the background.
Acting-wise, this show has a lot of familiar faces. I had actually not seen Luo Yunxi before and I think he did a good job- I believed both his “mastermind” Tang Lici as well as the innocent one from the flashbacks. My only problem was his flute playing which looked very fake. Overall, I thought everyone did a pretty good job. There is maybe a bit too much of people speaking slowly with pauses, like everything they say is significant and profound. Anybody talking like that in real life would get laughed at. But if this sort of “trying too hard to be deep” is the price to pay for a show exploring some more thoughtful ideas, I’ll take it.
For other production-level stuff, the fighting is heavily CGI-based. Luo Yunxi does more elegant hand motions and floating in air than actual combat. The CGI sometimes looks fake and sometimes seems a bit random, but overall I thought it looked pretty cool and really liked it. I admire the vision to choreograph such elaborate wirework around CGI that gets filled in later.
The costumes are really over the top. Sparkles, beads, metal accents, feathers, fur, you name it. I rather liked them, but maybe am even more impressed that the actors can walk in them.
I also love the music. Especially the ballad and its instrumental, but in general there are a lot of great songs and background musics. More importantly, they are used well to create the right emotional impact at the right time.
Overall I like this show most for its exploration of guilt, grief, and acceptance, which hit some emotional core for me, as well as the focus on personal journey and the development of side characters. Also because there are cats. I might have given it an even higher rating if it hadn’t fallen apart a little towards the end.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
I’d consider this ending to be bittersweet.
The last few episodes are quite a roller coaster; they even kill off two of the most lovable characters in a row. I almost threw a slipper at my screen. Although the deaths are done well, I had gotten way too attached to the characters.
Things get more chaotic closer to the end. I thought Xifang Tao's story would have more depth and development, but for some reason they didn't go there, and then I didn’t fully understand the entire scene that ends with a cat flying at Jeremy Tsui. The final battle is poorly done with bad CGI (did they run out of budget?) Ultimately, a classic big sacrifice by our hero: Tang Lici rewrites history to wipe himself out and give everyone else a new story.
This bothered me not only because it leans into the time loop stuff, which is a logical conundrum, but also because I personally feel like peoples’ experiences make them who they are. So this is essentially like killing everybody. Even though we see a good 5 minutes of everyone happily living their new lives, they’re not the same people that I got to know and love.
And also. The way that every single love story in this show essentially fizzles out (except Chi Yun’s which ends in tragedy) is somewhat disappointing even for a non-romance buff like me. I appreciate how realistic it is- people really do just drift away and don’t come back. That’s life. Still, I watch shows to feel happy and get an escape from reality, and this was a little too realistically depressing. Having it all wiped away by a deus ex machina time bomb doesn’t really help the sour feeling.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting exploration into marriage without intimacy, before nosediving into absurdity.
This series took an interesting look at marriage and how things can break down over a lack of communication and intimacy.Considering how things went for the two couples profiled in this, I thought their marriages had reached the point of no return. Makoto's wife was more interested in her career than having a family, and in turn denied him emotional and physical intimacy.
And Michi's husband did not want kids at all and rather work a mediocre job and play video games, while at the same time denying her emotional and physical intimacy for more than two years. In the mist of all that he decided to physically cheat on her with his colleague and had little remorse for it until she (Michi) started to pull away from him.
Makoto and Michi became emotionally involved due to their loveless marriages and ultimately divorced their spouses, but break up with each other after the divorces. Still they continue on with their lives. Makoto working on growing his career and Michi doing the same, but also learning how to stand on her own. I thought the story ended in a good place at the end of episode 10 and should've stopped there. I didn't understand why another episode was needed.
Imagine my surprise when the main couples spent all of episode 11 ignoring what had destroyed their relationships in the first place, some of which were things that could not be overcome i.e. one person in the relationship wanting kids while the other didn't and extreme selfishness by one party in the relationship. Only to get back together in the end.
It was good to see Michi try to work on herself. Thus, it was extremely disappointing to see her reunite with Yo just because he told her he loved her. SMH. Very elementary and immature of her. This guy never worked for their relationship, except when that work would result in him getting what he wanted from her. Their relationship was never about them or even her. It was always about him. Moreover, he was unambitious, emotionally stunted and extremely selfish. In no way a match for what she envisioned for her life. It made absolutely no sense that he'd suddenly decide to leave the coffee shop and open his own. Honestly, I don't know how the shop he was working for stayed in business when there was never any customers in there.
This had to be one of the worst series I've ever wasted time watching and it was all due to the ending. I honestly had no investment in Michi and Makoto. I didn't care whether they ended up together or not.
However, I did think enough had been shown to logically conclude that both of their marriages were irreparably damaged and that they needed to move on. What a cop out to have them a) still interacting with each other, not just their exes, but the exes of their former "lovers" and b) to have the suddenly realize they belong together and reunite with their spouses. It made no sense whatsoever. Overall, the only good thing about this was the acting, which was actually pretty good. That aside though, this is not a series I would recommend and is obviously not worth a rewatch.
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STORY
At first, this drama was full of mysteries and you just couldn't wait for the story to unfold, but once they were fully revealed, the excitement dies down quickly. After the mysteries were unfolded, the writers should've then started to develop the romance more but that didn't happen, unfortunately. I guess I was expecting for this drama to be made up of at least 50% romance because, well, the genre IS romance & comedy. But it was more like 15% romance lol. The romance between the leads was very subtle and slow - as in, it doesn't develop until much, MUCH later on, so that was quite disappointing. It disappoints me even more that the main lead and supporting character had more intimate (but dull & unromantic) scenes together than the lead couple. Suho and Ha Yeon Soo actually look very cute together. They have chemistry and there was so much potential for this on-screen couple but the story was just really lacking romance. I guess it focused more on Lee Yoo Chan's past and his journey being a CEO at his own company. I also wished Bora had more character development or stories behind her character because she's one of the leads, but it seemed as if the writers began to neglect her character a little bit later on. She sometimes felt more like a side character.
Some episodes were completely dull. There were sooooo much fillers. The amount of time they spent on Min Tae Ra and the artist she admired was ridiculous. Although, I did find the NEXT IN employees and Bora's friend, Miso, and Cha Do Jin more entertaining than the main story sometimes, just because the episodes would get really dull and those small characters made it a little more interesting and bearable to watch.
ACTING/CAST
I wasn't too pleased with Suho's acting here. I love Suho as a singer, but as an actor... not so much. I don't know what happened to him here. His facial expressions seem really unnatural and awkward sometimes. Is he really lacking acting skills or is it just because he didn't really fit the role of Lee Yoo Chan? Or maybe his character was just poorly written?... I was kind of able to empathize with Yoo Chan because of what he had been through but he was still pretty unlikable most of the time. They should've made him a little bit more likable, at least. Not gonna lie but... if it wasn't for Suho's charming face, his character would've been way more unlikable for me lol I just couldn't seem to hate his character because he looks so angelic haha.
MUSIC
On a positive note... I really liked the OST. The songs are very calming and catchy. A lot of times, I found myself listening to Hard for Me by Cheeze and also Do Young's ver. of that song. Also, Kei's Let's Pray was a really cute song too.
OVERALL
This drama had a lot of potential but it just didn't work out for me, unfortunately. I'd say it was poorly written. I kept hoping it would get better later on because the whole concept of the show is actually interesting, but it didn't get any better. I honestly just continued to watch it just for the sake of finishing it. At least the ending was somewhat satisfying, though.
Would I recommend it? No. Save 16+ hours of your time and watch something better. But if Suho's your bias and you feel that you just really gotta watch it, then go for it lol.
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Main Ingredient? LOVE!
What can you do when your mom sends you far away from the city as a punishment? Live with it. Or you could run away, but that probably wouldn't be the best idea.Moo, who has that problem, was sent away for not being a good student and skipping classes due to trying to reach his dream of becoming an idol. When his mom finally gets tired of it, she sends him away from Bangkok. Now, in a secluded area where the nearest convenience store is a 20 minute walk, he must learn to live here where he has a crappy room and bad internet.
Kang, a guy who helps his mom run a restaurant. Nothing much to it besides the fact he's a good artist.
When their paths meet, what could happen? Will there be love brewing? We'll have to wait and see over the weeks that this comes out.
This drama had reminded me so much of msp. Not necessarily the plot but the way that this makes me feel takes me back to when I was first watching My School President. I love Sea and Keen as a pairing so much!! Kang and Moo matched each other so much, and their visuals together are just amazing overall. This series may just be my top 5, maybe even 3, bl series of 2024
Who would I be if I forgot about the side couple? Payos and Potae are such cuties and seeing them together was great, I hope to see more of them together in future series.
As the first half of 2024 is coming to an end, the last day of June being my birthday and being the last day of the first half of 2024, Only Boo is beginning to wrap up with only one week until the final episode. It's sad to say and I will for sure miss these two, but I'm so glad that I joined this journey and watch these two characters grow as they realize their love for each other.
This series was a roller coaster of emotions from tears of joy to tears of sadness. If I had a chance to watch this all over again for the first time, I would. My cuties!!!!
(For those who don't know: The Trainee with OffGun will be overtaking the Sunday spot, June 30th, my birthday😋)
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Meh-drama: Lackluster Plots, One-Dimensional Characters, and a Blatant Maturity Gap
This entire drama was such a meh, and I definitely have lots of complaints about it. First of all, literally nothing happens for the whole duration of the drama, yeah it has fluff (cringe fluff) but its kinda boring seeing the same thing happen three times. The main CP have a very large maturity gap, it gives 19 and 30 yr old, for the most part its just blush blush tee hee I've never been in a relationship before but it's very noticeable and I kinda really got sick of it really quickly. The characters are also very 1D and lack depth, MQC's only personality traits are doctor, chef and voice dubber and it's all based of their careers. MQC is a very unrealistic character who is magically good at everything and there are no challenged whatsoever in the relationship. The 2nd and 3rd Couple were also very forgettable and it kind got to the point where I really just did not care about them. I watched this whole drama on 1.5x speed, and I only finished it because I am a big fan of TJC. I do not recommend this to even people that like romance and fluffy, overall I rate it a 5/10.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I don't even know where to begin with this drama. Ever since I saw its teaser on Netflix, I was absolutely stoked, for multiple reasons. The production looked fantastic, it was shot in Taiwan , and the premise seemed extremely interesting and unique. My thoughts going into the show was the standard "genius detective that gives little regard to societal rules." As a friend pointed out, something along the line of characters such as Sherlock in "Sherlock BBC" or House in "House MD."I couldn't have been more wrong. The first thing that this show really nailed home was the depiction of Asperger's. The lead male actor, Henry Chang, did a fantastic job with his character Fang Yi-Ren. From the little awkward quirks, to his inability to properly interact with society, and his ineptness in dealing with human emotion, he really brought his character to life. The show did not romanticise the disorder or the supposed intellect that comes with it, but instead demonstrated the internal and external struggles of someone who has it. Chang's superb acting portrays these complexities and layers in his character in a way that never felt cringey or was "overacting" to me.
Fang Yi-Ren's direct foil was Xu Hai-Yin, played by Tiffany Hsu. While Chang's character was trying to understand emotions and be a "normal person", Hsu's character used empathy to her advantage to get whatever she needed to report about. She plays the ballsy reporter that will do what it takes to rise up in this world, even if it meant obtaining information illegally. Her background felt a bit forced to me in relation to the story's overarching theme, but received a satisfying closure in the end. While dialogue between the two characters were written to be awkward and stocky, their chemistry was surprisingly fun to watch and grew even better as the show neared its end. Chang and Hsu complemented each other well and I would be stoked to see them act together again (rumours of Season 2?) in the future.
Nearly all the side characters, their background, and their role were memorable to me. The story, as unusual as it would be to happen in real life, was something I hadn't seen before and it was clear to me that the writers spent a lot of time thinking and researching everything to the best they could. The last five to six minutes of each episode actually dives heavily into the behind-the-scenes and the film team shared much of what they did, such as interviewing mental health workers, reporters, policemen, or the extent they went to to try to get a "message" across. And as a viewer, I can say they definitely succeeded in this regard as I am still thinking about this show long after I finished it (in a day) and probably will for quite awhile.
At the same time, the really only "con" to this show is that the writers were trying to accomplish too much with too little episodes and more casual watchers might not find the experience as satisfying. The overlapping themes and subtle details were very thought-provoking, but not everyone prefers to ponder over such things or look for such aspects in a drama. There were also clearly parts where they were trying to tie up loose ends that felt slightly forced to me. If there were more episodes and they had the ability to shoot more scenes and "fill up" the story, I think the drama's emotional impact would have been a lot greater. More time to bond with the characters would have been nice as well. But for what they managed to accomplish in eight episodes is already quite impressive to me.
All in all, the show has amazing acting (seriously still impressed with the Asperger's portrayal), beautiful cinematography, intriguing detective cases, and a murder mystery that definitely kept me on my toes up to a satisfying ending. I think, what's also the MOST impressive to me, is that it is a Taiwanese drama that has all of these. For the longest time, I could not find a Taiwanese drama that I could sit down and finish without being disappointed or cringing at the acting or story. I say this as a Taiwanese citizen who is often letdown by the garbage one's country can produce. But I'm so happy to say that The Victim's Game proved me completely wrong and I would be absolutely ecstatic to see more Taiwanese dramas trend towards this direction in the future. Or, maybe Netflix funding is just something to behold.
Highly recommended drama and I will be rewatching in the future. I would love to continue to discuss it with anyone who would spare the time to watch it.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Here are two central themes of the story that I wanted to talk a little more about in a way that I feel the drama didn't completely do and that would be better understood from a citizen's perspective.
The first victim, You Cheng-Hao (River Huang), chose death because she felt that she was trapped as transgender (male to female) in a society who shunned her. Her parents disowned her, she was forced to live a hard life in a host club, and even the customers mocked her as a "gay" when she was just trying to be herself. The reason behind her character couldn't have been more clear to me, as despite Taiwan being the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage, a lot of discrimination and legal issues still exist.
The perpetrator, Li Ya-Jun, was not only a depiction of mental health issues, but also on the struggles and likewise discrimination of illegal and foreign workers, which is quite prevalent in Taiwan. They are "nobodies," as one of the characters say, and being treated as essentially human trash in Taiwanese society led Ya-Jun into finding some kind of worth in her supposedly meaningless life.
Each of the "victims" had their own story and background that I assume the writers wanted the viewers to be able to empathise with. I certainly did with cancer patient...that one hit home.
To end with before I go on for too much longer: In one of the ending interviews, the screenwriters mentioned that you could see a part of each of the victims in the main lead, Fang Yi-Ren. That's still something that I'm thinking about and there is still so much to unpack in this amazing show. I hope that everyone who watches it will enjoy it as much as I did!
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This review may contain spoilers
An OK Drama
Bulgasal literally means 'impossible to kill'. This drama is based on a Korean folklore. Bulgasal is mythical immortal creature or monster that feeds on human blood. This folklore dates back to the late Goryeo period.Bulgasal: Immortal souls is directer by Jang Young Woo and screenwritten by a husband-wife team Kwon So Ra and Seo Jae Won.
Dan Hwal played by Lee Jin Wook was a human who was born with Bulgasal's curse. He bacame a Bulgasal himself after a series of incidents 600 years ago which led to him losing his family. He is now in search of a woman, who he believes to have killed his family and turned him into a Bulgasal in her past life. She has now reincarnated as Min Sang Un played by Kwon Na Ra. Hwal needs her soul to break free of his curse of immorality and leave the world.
The first episode is set in the late Goreyeo period, when monsters were alive. It shows the original story of Dan Hwal from birth to how he became a Bulgasal. Honestly, though a lot happened in the first episode, I didn't really feel anything. It felt really uninteresting and slow. There was a war inside my mind whether I should continue this show or put it back in my PTW list (I don't drop dramas) after I finished the first episode. Then, I decided to give the second episode a try. Most of this episode was set in the modern times and in this, unexpectedly the whole look and pace of the drama changed. It became more and more interesting and intriguing in the next episodes. It's really unpredictable what will happen next and arouse our curiosity. Each and every episode arises new new questions which keeps the story compelling.
After starting this drama during the airing time, I realised that it was not a good decision because we will be at our wit's end wating for the next episode. The whole drama was fairly fast paced with no lagging.
Both Lee Jin Wook and Kwon Na Ra are veteran actors. As I usually watch C-dramas and only recently ventured into the lands of K-drama world, I have never seen them in any drama except Lee Jin Wook in Sweet Home (which I never completed). I liked his acting in Sweet Home and I think I know why he is cast for this role. Dan Hwal's character needs a commanding as well as terrorising (sometimes calm and caring too) look which Lee Jin Wook had.
I'm not really a fan of Kwon Na Ra but I canno't deny that her acting was nice in this drama. Eventhough the she was a bit annoying at first, she fairly pulled off her emotional scenes. But she dosen't make up to the list of my favourite actresses.
The actor that I liked the most in this drama is the villian's. I won't say who it is (probably you know whom I'm refering to) but, his acting is just superb. He nailed his character and this is what I really want from an villian character. His look, gestures and everything is really apt for his character.
Also the supporting character play a major role in the story of this drama, especially Min Shi Ho (Min Sang Un's current life sister) played by Gong Seung Yeon, Detective Kwon played by Jung Jin Young, Nam Do Yoon (an orphan who is often abused) played by Kim Woo Seok and Lee Hye Suk. Without them, the drama would feel incomplete. I really liked their bond between eachother. I won't elobrate their relations to eachother in their past lives as I don't want to spoil the fun for the future watchers.
The cinemaorgyaphy is awsomely done. It correctly captures the feelings of a scene. Also the background music is really eerie which well fit the atmosphere of the drama and makes our hair stand on end.
Some other OSTs from this drama:
"Leave" ( 하루) by 4Men
"Tunnel (with Kardi)" (터널 ) by Kim Ye Ji
"Can't Forget You" (잊을 수 없다면) by Min Seo
"Beyond The Time" by Jannet Suhh
All the OSTs are nice. But, Leave and Beyond the Time are among my personal favourites.
The main story arc sometimes feel difficult to understand and is confusing. It is like pieces of puzzles which we, audience, have to join and understand. Although there are only a few main and supporting characters, I was confused of their relations with eachother in their current and past lives at first.
Another problem lies in the romance part. There was absolutely no need of romance. Sometimes it works but sometimes not. If we understand the underlying logic in the romace part, it can sometimes be heart fluttering. But, this is not a drama for romance lovers. There are not kiss or intimate scenes. Just some piggy back rides and hugs.
However, I have to give a warning to everyone who is thinking of watching this drama. This is really bloody. This drama gives you pain and shocks. There are many scenes of self-inflicted wounds, deaths, monsters and many more scenes which give you goosebumps.
This drama is an ok drama for me. It had really great potential which is ruined by substandard direction and writing. It could have been a lot better. However, this is a recommended drama for mystry and supernatural genre lovers.
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Love it and enjoyed it, amazing acting
Watched it in the cinema with friends on the first release day in Hong Kong and it was a pleasant experience. I love how good the actor's acting are when it comes to expressing all the detailed emotion. Especially when i had enough of BL drama full of sexual scenes, this movie certainly gave me a refreshing break. If you are hoping for some crazy hot and spicy love story, sorry but this is not one of those. But you are looking for beautiful scenery, music, people and subtle emotions, this is certainly a must watch. The lyrics in the theme song pretty much stated out the whole story line.Was this review helpful to you?
Acting. So-so. You can clearly tell that they don’t have much experience since they act so scripted/directed and not natural. But it’s still okay and tolerable.
Music. The ost is good and memorable even if I can’t understand Thai.
Production. I think this series has a low cost production and it shows. TeeMork and GordMorn have so much potential. They deserve better storyline and production.
I think the reason I watched this is because I don’t have so much option when it comes to BL series. I’m a sucker for BL series. Most likely I will not watch this again.
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