Reviews

Started great than fell into every single K Drama tropes

Very Short review here.

It's started fun and fresh. Very cute and funny with an interesting setup of following ex-cons and the challenges they encountered in trying to build a life in Korean society... all that with a fun and fresh romance...
Too bad this drama decided after a couple of episodes to veer away from what made this romance feel fresh and new and focus on basically what all k romances have done for the past 20+ years: the childhood connection, the ridiculous love triangle, the useless family drama (mafia style) in order to get a useless noble hero trope + separation trope and a couple of needless side stories to give some depth to some extra characters ( and I said extra not secondary).

Throw in a couple of side couples I never manage to care about - especially the baby couple... their love story just felt so forced it made me roll my eyes big time - in order to fill the minutes for the empty plot and you get My Sweet Mobster. Not a bad show, not a great show, a somewhat meh-good show that you'll probably forget in 2 months tops and is going to join the long list of shows you watch to pass the time and doesn't make you invested.

Not a show I would recommend... I struggled to finish it. The only reason I did was because I watched it as it aired... but it's definitely a show I would have dropped earlier if all episodes had been available as I would have checked where this series was going after I felt it was started to drag... which is something I started to feel about episode 8.
I'd say, the first 10 episodes are a delight... but after that the drama takes a very quick and steep deep dive into tropey territory and ultimately lost me.

As in most Romance K dramas, this show would have been great if it had only been 10 to 12 episodes at most. Ultimately its length ruined it. I was personally very tired by the end of it... But I do think you should watch it to make up your mind. Most characters are adorable and for some viewers, lots of the flaws can be overlooked, just because you love the characters that much.

It's usually my case... but not this time.
Dear My Sweet Mobster. Our relation was somewhat ok while it lasted... I don't hate you... but I won't remember you.

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Fateful suffering

Pros: The male lead and female lead have good chemistry, she also has good chemistry with the second male lead. The acting is nice. The ost is nice.

Cons: The female lead is attacked every single episode by many never-ending enemies with either a lust for power or a lust for the male lead. It's 40 episodes long so it gets tiring. Also, whenever the people she trusts betray or hurt her, she forgives them and then they move on to the next plot which honestly doesn't make sense to me. Additionally, the male lead and female lead are sometimes petty towards each other leading to unnecessary misunderstandings and further complications that weren't needed in the first couple of episodes.

Do I recommend watching this? It honestly depends. If you are looking for a feel-good drama to pass the time, this isn't the drama for you. This drama will upset you. However, if you like either of the lead actors or want to see good chemistry etc, then this would be a good show to watch. I gave this an 8/10 star due to the chemistry/acting and ost. Otherwise, I would have given this a 4 because the plot/storyline is frustrating.

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Yellow Boots, a melodrama that follows the story of Seol Yeon Hwa who got falsley accused of murderer and how she plans her revenge on those who wronged her, but also how she finds her purpose and the "light" that makes her want to keep on living.


THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST MELODRAMA I'VE EVER SEEN! (and I've seen a lot of them) reasons? Let me list just a few of the many:


The plot. When I first saw the amount of episodes this drama had, I shivered. I thought "is it really possible for a drama to stay to the plot without becoming too dragged out if it has 108 episodes?" My answer, YES. IT CAN. This is a true masterpiece so don't hesitate to watch this drama. 108 episodes may be a lot but it is definitely worth it. Every second of it added to the plot and it never felt draggy at all. Every episode had a cliffhanger that led the plot to the next episode.


It had a great cast. Every actor and actress played their part to add to the emotional feeling of the drama. Every character was well developed and alive. The good ones you loved, cheered on, and cried with, the antagonists you cursed and hated from the bottom of your heart. Those emotions wouldn't have been as strong if the actors and actress didn't do a good job.

The music. This drama had one of the best OST I've ever heard. Begining with the emotional intro song that totally give away a dark and dramatic wibe that the story has, to a more emotional song that plays whenever something sad or unexpected happens. I cried and laughed together with the character in this drama and I bet the music only added to the feelings.

Choi Yu Ra. Yes I know that she plays the main evil character, but seriouly she is one of the reasons to check out this drama. Without spoiling too much of her evil deeds, let's just say it like this "if you think that you know what a real bitch is and how far an evil person can go on living while lying, time after time, then you've probably never seen Choi Yu Ra in action. This woman is the definition of what an evil main character is. Just when you think that she can't get any more messed up she accepts the challenge and proves you wrong. It amazed me just how much a person can get tangled into her own lies, and where in the end, the only thing that can make you stay alive and sane is more lies. This woman is messed up and I applaude to the actress who played Choi Yu Ra for protraiting this pure piece of evilness that added so much emotion to this drama.

If these reasons that I've pointed out doesn't make you get interested in giving this drama a chance then I don't know what will. But one things for sure, in my opnion this is one of the best, if not THE BEST melodrama I've watched.

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Although I had no idea who any of the main actors were in this, the synopsis sounded something like i hadnt seen before so i decided why not give it a try...

Story: The idea really was fresh and had potential. However the episode count really was too much for the execution of the plot. This made continuously watching unbearable. The main plot was the big mystery of who is the main guy's father. This was drawn out till the very end, which made each episode repetitive and also contributed to the unbearbleness. The romance is also put on the back burner. The last episode though is fantastic!

Acting: I wasn't fond of the main leads being together. They had zero chemistry. The female lead's character was really unlikable. I actually preferred the second leads realationship. Thier acting really stands out and they made you root for them. The supporting cast all acted really well.

Music: not memorable.

Rewatch: I dont think so.

Overall this drama could have been done so much better. I recommend you watch maybe the first 10 episodes and skip to the last 2 episodes. Believe me you aren't missing much.

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Underwhelming

I think this is really down to preference. I guess there was no promise of revenge from the start and the drama is meant to focus on Samdal’s self discovery, heading back to her roots. But I was expecting a little bit more drama to be honest.

They created this pretty nonchalant character at the beginning when Samdal was so cool about her ex-boyfriend cheating on her. Then they also built up a story about how bitter and just jealous this Bang Eun Joo was. And it stops there. The rest of drama, we witness all the back and forths between Samdal and Yong Pil in which till this day the break up was still a little stupid to me.

We spent a good amount of time digging way back to why the couple broke up and then got back together; seeing the sub-plots between the other two sisters and their partners; making sense out of why Yong Pil’s dad hated the family. With a lot of draggy built ups and fillers, we’ve finally reached the part where the drama comes to a close. At this point, I had given up hope of seeing any drama comeback from Samdal, the big revenge or karma on Eun Ju and this big mystery of why Samdal couldn’t go back to her hometown and breaking up with Yong Pil. Spoiler alert, none of them was interesting.

This drama is probably nice to watch if you are looking for something to play in the background - uneventful, peaceful and non-dramatic.

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Don't know what to measure in here.

Now that you've read the synopsis, there's nothing left for you to watch, except the intimate moments and the hot actors, haha. The 24 minutes story involves a college student and a man who meet in a basketball court and becomes affected to each other and end up in a relationship.

Their life comes to a point where they're entirely each others but end up finding each other's biggest secret which is a big surprise to both of them and they can't help but continue on their paths. The end! Yes, that's how it ended without any explanation and now I seek the makers to come ahead and make us understand about the essence, please?

Even for a short run time, this thing felt very average for a Taiwanese BL because we have examples of good Taiwanese BL movies like "Dear Ex" , "Your Name Engraved Here-in" who are of very high quality.

Alike any Taiwanese feature movie, they put emphasis on cinematography and sound editing and shady representation of their lifestyles. These are few of the good points about it, along with the acting elements and intimate scenes which is plenty; too much for a 24min movie, like they were smooching each other every other moment. I mean I like sex scenes too (ugly laugh) but this short movie lacked screentime man.

The most meaningful thing was the symbolic representation of uniting a gold fish and a fighter fish.

Tbh, when the protest thingy poped up halfway after the story, I was kinda intrigued because this is an unique perspective in a bl or any love story I have seen but that again was wasted with the half-baked screenplay ending with lots of confusing questions. Xiang as an environmentalist was on one side and...... Won't spoil but I am disappointed to say that they could have done better with the context by making it an hour project.

Well, it's still watchable because of the acting elements and the exploding intimate scenes. So go for it because even if you don't like it, a 24mins piece won't hurt you.

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"I Want to Make Goo-Goo Eyes with Mik"

Thank you to Muse for subbing this! Y'all are AWESOME!!

Wow! I had so much fun watching this lakorn! I mostly loved it. The main couple had cute chemistry and some pretty fun romantic scenes. I liked their playfulness and could feel the sparks. And whoever can turn down a shirtless Mik has lots of will power!

If you have watched Thai lakorns, you pretty much know how most stories will unfold and how certain things will happen. I don't really consider what I have listed below as spoiling anything, but just in case, you may not want to scroll down.







Things I liked:
1. A strong female lead who can defend herself and makes mostly smart choices.
2. A male lead who's a nice guy, but a bit naughty. And he looks good shirtless. Just saying. (Next time I think I'll make a shirtless scene count when I watch certain actors.... A girl has to have a hobby.)
3. The main couple actually talked and shared information and addressed problems together.
4. Cute second lead couple romance.
5. For me, the comedy was fun. It had me smiling, giggling and laughing.
6. Pretty solid plot lines without too many gaps in character actions.
7. Some close encounters of the human kind. (insert extra smiles here)
8. Mostly loved the mother and sister of the male lead.
9. The grandmother character could kick backside as well.
10. I really enjoyed the scenery and location shots.
11. Loved the ending!

Things I expect from most Thai lakorns that check the box:
1. Crazy obsessive girl who wants the male lead. Did I mention she's really craw-craw?
2. Jealousy with greed driven relatives who want to get what the other has.
3. Grandmother who hates and rejects female lead.
4. Minions who can't shoot worth a darn.
5. Everyone gets their karma in the end.
6. The almost kiss....
7. Scriptwriters looking for things to do in last couple of episodes.

Things I didn't really care for:
1. Female lead really beats up on the male lead too much IMO. But, I think that goes along with both of the characters, so I can live with it.
2. I don't think the scriptwriter really showed the second couple male lead character falling for the girl.
3. No one got the crazy girl help. She needed professional help.
4. I think it went a bit off track and repeated plot lines towards the end. But, you see that quite often in Thai lakorns.
I still love to watch them.

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Character wise: At the beginning, none of the main leads are likable. They each have their own flaws which can annoy you. I mean it definitely annoyed me to see one who was reckless while the other didn't want to do anything at all and leave it in the hands of others; however you do begin to see character development in the male lead, Ji Suk. He eventually became my favorite character in this drama because of his selflessness and sacrifice. The female lead, Yoo Ryung, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. This is where the extra patience comes in. Her character can be a make it or break it for the viewers. If you can't stand her character because of her actions, you'll end up dropping this drama because she doesn't have development until after her secret is revealed which is around ep 11. So if you can tolerate the frustration she will give you, then you'll make it to the point where she's becoming a bit more likable. The frustrating second lead Ma Ri just seems like an angry person overall. She's pretty much mad at everything. She does become better towards the last few episodes but the progression for her reaching that point doesn't make sense at all. It's like one talk and she completely flipped 180. And then we have second lead Woo Hyuk which honestly he didn't really seem like he had a big role. He has the looks but that's about it. He attempts to form a love triangle between the leads but it fails just because Yoo Ryung wasn't into the romance department. I will say that the subway ghost does have actor potential to be the next lead character after seeing his acting on here. His acting was really convincing and I say he was able to outshine all of the other characters.

Story wise: It was a good introduction. I think this drama started off strong with the plot, only to fall short midway and towards the end. I liked how these cases, or I called it side stories, ended up telling a story that the leads can relate too, though most of the cases related to Yoo Ryung. The plot began to drag for me as it seemed like every week it was the same old thing and very little discoveries on what the title of this drama was about, "catch the ghost" or in this case subway ghost. I like how you couldn't guess who the subway ghost actually is. The writers make you believe it's person or that person. You always have suspicions. That being said, I'm disappointed the way the last episode was handled. The subway ghost had a big revealing, had a back story, only to be scrapped off in the first 15 mins of the episode. We don't know if he was caught or he died. That remains unknown which is lame because I say he played a vital role to this drama. It's just an okay ending overall, not bad or even sad but just nothing really big to talk about.

SUMMARY: If you can withstand, have the patience, tolerate, the frustrations of the female lead, and secondary female lead, then you'll be able to watch this drama from start to finish. Is it worth it? Well, the progression of the plot is slow, the last episode is missing a lot of important details so it did felt rush, romance is there but maybe towards the last few episodes. You'll probably not missing much if you past on this but if you like the actor or actress, hey give it a shot.

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If you’re not watching Story of Kunning Palace you are missing out in life!!!

Whoever, is trying to find a drama that will send you in comas back and forth, turn your heart inside out and back in, give you series of asthma attacks!!! Highly highly recommend watching Story of Kunning Palace!!!

Story of Kunning Palace is literally the masterpiece of all masterpieces!!! Bai Lu and Zhang LingHe’s acting of course is spectacular!!! Their abiliy to immerse themselves into their characters as if they were actually JiangXueNing and XieWei and expresss such powerful and deep emotions is insaneeee!!! In addition, their chemistry sky rockets into the sky!!! This is what scientists should study!!! And their visuals!!! Do I need to even comment on that!!! I mean whatever scene they are in they look heavenly beautiful!!!

The storyline of this drama is also sooooo well-written and addictive!!! Just the 1st episode and I was completely immersed into this drama!!! The fact that 5 epidoes were cut due to some issues, this drama is still perfectly paced and doesn’t have any missing parts!!! Also each character has their own moments to shine and have a storyline without it being unnecessary and boring!!!! This drama is probs the 1st drama where I never played forward or 2x speeded it!!! In addition, tho this drama seems to be on the serious and dull side, I guarantee you its not!!! There are many scenes that were soooo sweet, romantic and hilarious that’s makes you blush and smile while sleeping!!!! However, there are also scenes that make you hold your breath from the tension and cry rivers and oceans from the story!!!

Ultimately, everything about this drama is perfection!!! The whole cast, storyline, cinematography, OST, costumes, etc is a chef’s kiss!!! Honestly for me this drama is an infinite out of 10 but kisskh only lets me rate it 10/10!!!

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A slice of police life with the past

I can only write this after watching 10 episodes, because I just feel like this drama is worth watching, not just because my bias, Gong Jun, plays the role.

This drama offers a glimpse into the daily lives of police officers with all its problems. The three police officers each have their own dark stories. We're invited to delve deeper into them as we follow them as they solve cases.

In total, out of 30 episodes, there will reportedly be 11 cases explored. So far, the case resolutions are quite brief, about 3 episodes per case. They're not overly lengthy. But if you're into gore or bloody forensics, this won't do; the forensics are more lighthearted here. And that's not the point; the emphasis is more on the investigation, the pursuit of criminals, and the theories.

This drama also offers a slice of life, the hustle and bustle of police life, to the point where they're told to disperse even while eating because of a case. Or those who were trying to get close but were suddenly told to get together, or even those who divorced because they were busy. What's touching is that this division even had time to cook food for the cleaning staff who worked until night or dawn during their hectic case-solving schedules.

It's a police story, but there's a love story, apparently, that doesn't make it in. Wait a minute, the love story is related to the reason the woman chose to become a police officer, so it had to be included. The love story isn't just a romantic kissing scene, either. It's more about an internal conflict due to a misunderstanding in their past. So now they have to face it in their respective professions.

If you're curious, give it a try. There's also the added bonus of Jun2 riding a motorcycle and racing, which is quite eye-opening. Oh well, just watch it. I'd say it's good and very addictive, and I can't wait for the next episode.

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Well, the spinoff from Iris was not close to the original, why? Let me tell you!

Story/Love plot - A forbidden love between two warring organizations? I have to say that this was a great idea. Although this was different from Iris, it made the drama extremely interesting. Whenever there were collisions from the opposing sides, the love story would blossom during the most intense parts of the drama. Well done from the directors part for portraying it as such and the writers for coming up with this idea. Now, the actual drama, pretty good. An easy to follow story line but still throws in twists and turns to keep viewers interested.
Acting/Cast - Not as good as Iris, but the actors/actresses did their part. It was enough to keep viewers interested, but bringing in Kim So Yeon as a guest role showed that there was some wavering for the drama and needed a small help from the cast of Iris(Kim SoYeon was phenomenal in IRIS, but I digress)
Music - Kim TaeYeon sings one of the OST's, what more is there? Hah, I kid, the music was alright honestly.
Rewatch Value - Ehhh... The story drops off during the middle of the drama and it becomes a bit troublesome watching the episodes.
Overall - Yeah, it was ok, nothing great.
Circumstances - due to someone getting injured, production of the last two episodes were stopped for about 2 months, so I have not had the chance to see the last two episodes but I did read the summary, with a relatively predictable ending.

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Story: The story revolves around a young boy who was 'cursed' with a mysterious aura suppressed within him. Because of this curse, he secludes himself from others and yearns to be normal. After he is accused of murder due to his 'curse', he runs away in an attempt to discover the truth behind the murder, and along the way he finds love, friendship and family. In his journey to find the truth, he uncovers more than he has ever imagined - his 'curse'.

Acting/Cast: I literally fell in love with every character in this - from the main characters to even the minor supporting characters. Yang Mi and Li Yi Feng were a very sweet couple but a little dull at times. But I can't help but love them. They have a very rather bitter sweet relationship. Not sure why, but it did get a little annoying hearing her call "Su Su" all the time.. XD My favourite 'couple' were probably Zheng Shuang and Ma Tian Yu... their cute bickering was adorable. I love how naturally they appeared with one another that I always looked forward to watching their scenes the most. Who impressed me the most in this was probably Qiao Zhen Yu - I have never seen him nor heard of him before but his portrayal of his character was brilliant. *SPOILER* He played one of the best villians I've seen IMO. It doesn't hurt that he's quite good looking too!

Music: I actually loved both the opening and ending songs - they were beautiful. Though I don't really know who the singers are as I'm not very familiar with Chinese music. I love the sound of chinese oriental music so much! Even the background music that was played during any battles was rather upbeat and 'exciting'.

Rewatch Value: I don't rewatch shows much because I don't have time to and there's always so many new dramas coming out. But, I would be willing to sit through this again with english subs as I'm sure I must of missed something because I'm not 100% fluent with chinese especially when modern speech isn't used.

Overall: I highly recommend this drama especially if you like the ancient fantasy type dramas (aka wuxia). The story was wonderfully written and the actors did an amazing job with giving us this drama. Like any other wuxia dramas, the costumes are beautiful! I guess the only drawback is the 'awesome' CGI effects that they used - very typical CGI in these dramas. I know some people who cannnot stand the CGI, but to me they were beautifully created so I don't mind too much.

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In its monstrosity hardly dealt with war crime pulled off the dusty shelf in vividly stylized mode

The Netflix production “Gyeongseong Creature” turns out to be quite an idiosyncratic mix. Studio Dragon had the opportunity to experiment and make full use of an illustrious cast. Despite some clichés, "Gyeongseong Creature" is not a banal K-drama that you quickly forget.

Basically it's another hero´s quest of some hero against his will, discovering unexpected sides of himself. It´s another ´mission impossible´ right into the lion's den - in this case: the military hospital of the Japanese colonial army base in the middle of the capital of the Chōsen colony in 1945. It is not the fair maiden who is to be saved, but the kidnapped, impregnated courtesan of the chief of the Japanese police. It turns out that a 'dragon' - in this case an artificially created monster - also has to be overcome along the way. The hero is flanked by a motley crew of long-standing and spontaneous companions...

Now this old wine comes in a freshly spiced-up Korean-style bottle. The personal touch of "Gyeongseong Creature" is precisely that Gyeongseong in those final months of the Pacific War, when Seoul bore that name. The historical setting as well as the historically and socially significant issues of Japanese colonial rule give the plot its selectivity and a quite serious foundation, so that "Gyeongseong Creature" does not simply offer interchangeable run-of-the-mill entertainment. Here, a painful chapter of South Korean suffering is intertwined with personal fates in the form of loosely interspersed critical events during colonial rule that is officially (by Japan) to this day preferable neglected, not to mention rehabilitated. With this Netflix production it has been nonchalantly thrown onto the World Channel to be proclaimed and acknowledged in HD.
This involves in general: the arbitrary racist violence and oppression against the Koreans as well as the systematic torture and execution of suspected resistance fighters in Sodaemun Prison; the forced military conscription and bullying of Korean soldiers within Japanese units; the forced recruitment or abduction of comfort women for (mass rape for the pleasure of) frontline soldiers... And specifically in the case of this story: the monstrous machinations of Unit 731 as part of the Imperial Japanese Army, which went down in history for its inhumane experiments on human subjects. Although these experiments actually took place mainly in Harbin in Manchuria (see side note below), they were for this KDrama also imported to Gyeongseong for a compact narrative stringency.

Against this background, "Gyeongseong Creature" tells its fictional story with artistic license. In some scenes you may get the impression that you have lost your way in a parody. Despite of such incomprehensible human menace and distress, the story presents itself at times completely unimpressed by any seriousness. There is room for humor and coolness, (which sometimes made me think of a parody of 'James Bond' or alike production). There is this reluctant hero who sometimes appears naive, sometimes quite cheeky and self-confident. He´s someone who has learned to achieve his goals, but who prefers to stay out of any trouble, wearing a stylish suit. And then, out of nowhere, he can withstand torture and injuries as if it were nothing at all. You can't really take this seriously. And yet...
In contrast, there is plenty of objective seriousness and expertise from the two foreign travelers on their detective mission. Pleasant extra: a clever, self-confident FL who is quick-witted in every respect.
In contrast, there is also the extremely dark world of medical experiments (and their artistic documentation) – underground on the military site.
In contrast, there are also the monsters, the army and the imprisoned test subjects.
And in the middle of the perfidious chase, the great feelings of humanity shine through: familial bonds and solidarity as well as wounded pride and jealousy act as driving forces, flanked by patriotic resistance and questionable scientific ambition. It's hardly surprising that Cupid also shoots his arrow in passing.

Not only do the individual characters at times feel like caricatures of themselves, Gyeongseong's production, choreographed in light and colors, also seems to come from an unreal fairytale world. While the pawnshop shimmers in all colors, the Japanese research laboratory is stylized as a dark dungeon beneath the military prison. And then there is the Moonlight Bar on the one hand and the police chief's property on the other - each of them control centers with a certain (political) impact. All of this is impressively aestheticized again and again in hand-picked scenes and settings. Sometimes you can feel like you're in the theater and then again like you're in the high-resolution digital world of a computer game.

So is the KDrama worth watching? On the one hand, "Gyeongseong Creature" takes itself very seriously with regard to its historical contemporary themes, but on the other hand, in the clichéd exaggeration of the individual characters, it apparently doesn't. This KDrama mix chosen for "Gyeongseong Creature" is, in my opinion, quite daring. However, I mean this in a benevolently positive way, in the sense of 'feeling free to experiment'. You might have to get used to it - but easily so. The (let´s say) rather 'banal' entertainment element - the Mission Impossible in view of the numerically superior Japanese military and the monster creation - is effectively intertwined with painful historical reality in a strikingly piquant and catchy manner. During the action-packed and visually stunning ride through the episodes, the KDrama subtly but consequently throws its barbs of memory at the audience.

The KDrama surely is offering cinematically solid entertainment with a star cast, but at the same time, based on the different personal backgrounds of the main and supporting characters, it demands acknowledgement of how the Japanese dealt with Koreans at that time. By stylizing the manifestation of Unit 731's monstrous experiments and research in the form of a concrete monster with superpowers, "Gyeongseong Creature" symbolically brings the unsatisfactorily dealt with war crime off the dusty history shelves in an unmistakable monstrosity.


...
Well, a second season has already been announced.
This will obviously be set in contemporary Seoul, though. We´ll see...























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SIDE NOTE: --- Unit 731 of the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army ---

From 1932 onwards, Unit 731 of the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army under the leadership of Ishii Shirō was stationed in Harbin, the largest city of the puppet state of Manchukuo in northern Manchuria. Around 3,000 mostly bacteriologists carried out experiments on living people there. The test subjects imprisoned and tortured there were predominantly Korean and Chinese civilians as well as Soviet prisoners of war. Later, including American prisoners of war, too.
Unit 731 of the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army was disguised as the “Main Branch of the Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department.” In fact, Unit 731 in Harbin is responsible for the most cruel experiments on living humans. Later, field research was also carried out using the biological weapons developed in Harbin. The victims based on this research alone were mostly civilians - tens of thousands came together over the course of the war years.
I would like to ad that the main perpetrators of these war crimes by Unit 731, who had the full support of the later Japanese prime ministers and the Japanese imperial family, remained unpunished in exchange for the research results that they handed over to the USA...


PS:
There was no offshoot of Unit 731 in the fictional Onseong Hospital in Geyeongseong. That's fictional.
There was no Onseong Hospital in Gyeongseong either.
However...


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SIDE NOTE: --- Gyeongseong Japanese Military Hospital ---

The main KDrama setting is a colorful look and feel of Gyeongsong (Seoul at that time). The focus is on the architecture of the Republic's former Defense Security Command Center. On the area between the palace and the old town of Bukcho a military hospital was built by the Japanese in 1928. The Onseong named Hospital in "Gyeongseong Creature" is fictional, but the architecture that takes center stage is in fact related to a real Japanese military hospital before later actually becoming part of the Republic's Defense Security Command Center.
Until about two decades ago, this area was an urban area closed to the public and with bad memories for the people - not only of the activities of the colonial rulers, but also of their own military, which staged a coup against the people here in the 1970s. Furthermore, many South Koreans were tortured and mistreated there (by the security officers of South Korea's dictatorial regime). Until recently, human rights was an unknown concept behind those walls.
The ensemble could have been demolished, but the people decided to preserve the building as a memorial. The historical witness is now part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The bloody past is thus being countered with something positive: the imagination and emotional power of modern art.

Here, with the KDrama "Gyeongsong Creature", the dark past of this military area bearing a bloody and painful past, which began with Japanese colonial rule and was later continued by South Korean government officials, comes to life again with artistic license, too - as representative contemporary witness in HD.

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Is This Really Love? Or Interest In Love?

Ahn Soo Young is a beautiful, hard-working 4 year employee as Chief Bank Teller at KCU Bank. Due to her past experiences and personal difficulties whilst growing up, she does not believe that she is destined to be happy.

Even with her stone face and distant demeanor, Ha Sang Soo under her mentorship when he first joined the bank, gradually found himself drawn to her as he grew through the ranks at the workplace. One day, he finally musters his nerves and asks Soo Young for a date. However, he was late arriving the dinner venue and was seen by Soo Young hesitating for a moment before entering the restaurant. Soo Young re-acts in a devastating manner and hence the possible relationship between her and Sang Soo spirals off to different directions. They then inadvertently paired themselves with respective partners whom I found were really well suited to them. However, like a ‘moth to the flame’, Soo Young and Sang Soo continues to be drawn to each other.

Soo Young has self-esteem issues and does not easily give herself permission to be happy. Sang Soo is a guy who takes life and relationship seriously, making him cautious in his thought process. Will such two un-confident energy ever find love?

I found this drama really angsty as I yearned to see the two main leads coming together. One might even find many moments really slow, but these are the moments where this type of drama requires one to sink into the scenes and emotions, which had my attention. Whilst waiting for that moment, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories with the second leads as well as the entire ensemble of family, bank colleagues and office politics. The entire drama was cleverly weaved in these really complicated relationships. Moon Ga Young was ‘horribly’ good as Soo Young and Yoo Yeon Seok (normally, whom I always enjoy watching his macho go-getter roles) was ‘horribly’ good as the mild, cautious and hesitant Sang Soo. So frustrating to watch and yet able to make me appreciate the flow and the tension.

This is not your normal love story drama, and this is why I enjoyed this so much.

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great start, terrible ending

Overall: I was really impressed with the first episode and the first half of the second episode. Unfortunately, cliched writing really let it down. Aired cut on SUKFILM YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYfaogVGCvwTczUW4K1YELu_cWQfUQ21a&si=Wv8xKJkU1Fq2v-5t and uncut with channel Membership https://youtu.be/ync6RU2p-Mg?si=veM-TZOGJ6Q67cI5 (I have watched both the cut and uncut versions)
Update - since they are airing more episodes I have increased my rating to a 7

Content Warning: coercion

What I Liked
- tension/chemistry
- indirect way at first to say he didn't have money, used context clues instead of exposition dumps
- clear communication at the start of episode 2
- intimacy

Room For Improvement
- didn't love that they were doing something before what happened at the end of ep 1
- characters started doing "because the writer said so" stuff in episode 2, why would he write that right next to the other guy? why did all of a sudden feelings change and he ran out to meet him? he just left his phone screen visible on the table when he left, etc
- cliched female characters as potential/actual antagonists
- this is obviously an indie production, but I think they could have collaborated with a coffee shop to get a free location in exchange for naming them as a sponsor/publicity, also subtitle errors in episode 4 made the plot confusing (also had some missing subtitles)
- that ending was such a letdown, cliched and unsatisfying (update: they decided to release more episodes)

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