Reviews

To see all without being seen.

Deep Lurk 深潜 is an intriguing and immersive Republican era spy thriller; one of the few that pulled me in from start to finish. It is set in 1939, at the prelude to the first Battle of Changsha. Changsha was a strategic city that the Japanese tried and failed to take four times from 1939-1944. As a result, they were never able to consolidate their territories in Southern China. At the time, the Republic of China's Nationalist Army had seriously considered abandoning the city but Xue Yue, the commander in charge of Changsha's defense refused to budge. As a result of terrain, Changsha could only be flanked from the east or the west, making it a difficult city to both attack and defend. In this kind of set up, intelligence and counter-intelligence can make a win-or-lose situation difference for both sides.

After a botched assassination attempt on Xue Yue, a traitor escapes to Shanghai with strategic Changsha defense intelligence. Multiple parties converge upon him in Shanghai to intercept the intelligence. The players include both the Changsha and Shanghai station of the KMT Military Intelligence (NBIS), the Wang Puppet Regime, the Japanese Military and hidden CPC operatives. Yun Hongshen, the idealistic young second master of the illustrious Yun family is sent by his father Yun Muzhi to observe. Predictably, this sharp but impetuous young man raring to make a difference does more than that and his path tangles with that off brave young NBIS agent Wen Yeming tasked to hunt down the traitor. An auction for stolen intelligence relating to the Japanese army's plan of attack for Changsha results in a deadly scramble to obtain or retrieve the intelligence. This coincides with the re-emergence of Kunwu, a long dormant Japanese spy and Muzhi's nemesis. Hongshen is lured back to Changsha, where he must crack the code to the intelligence and smoke out Kunwu in order to save his city from the encircling Japanese army. He reunites with Yeming at NBIS where they pit their wits against this master spy who seems to be able to see all without being seen.

The first three episodes are fast paced, exciting and littered with clues and character introductions and needs to be watched (and re-watched) carefully. But the setup and the storytelling is so intriguing I was compelled to re-watch; to make sure I didn't miss anything. It's been a long time since a drama pulled me in so deeply that I was literally unable to watch anything else at the same time. Even though there are some logic holes, the overall plot is tight and riveting. All the important characters are introduced early on and they are multi-faceted and grey with different loyalties and motives that reflect the clash of culture and ideology and the rival factions within the KMT during that pivotal era of change. The narrative brilliantly builds a credible case around several key characters with motive, means and opportunity to be Kunwu and maintains the suspense into the final episodes.

This drama has an all-round stellar cast anchored which by veteran actors including Wang Jingsong and Liu Huan and brilliant character acting by Hou Mengyao's disingenuous Milan, Han Chengyu's ruthless and competitive Ling Han and Zhang Tianyang's well-meaning Yun Hongqi. I really enjoyed watching Hongshen meticulously narrow down the suspect list and try to out-scheme the hidden master spy who eluded his father for years. The young Cheng Yi brilliantly captures how this character's intelligence and survival instinct makes up for his lack of experience and the shattering consequential mistakes he makes along the way. It is a shame that this drama has not enjoyed wider viewership. For this genre however, I don't need romance and I didn't enjoy Ying'er's acting or the couple's chemistry. I was far more invested in the Yun family's close bond and amused by how Hongqi and Hongshen are so different and resourceful in their own unique ways. Zhang Tianyang is a subtly hilarious actor and his brotherly scenes with Cheng Yi are among the drama's best moments for me.

Despite many cut scenes, the pacing, suspense and excitement holds up into a strong finale that delivers a good ending twist that deftly avoids one reversal too many. My only disappointment is that I had hoped for a more complex villain origin story. I won't say more to avoid spoiling the reveal. This is by far the best Republican spy drama I have watched since The Rebel (2021). I am happy to rate it the same at 8.5/10.0 despite its lower budget. It is a good watch if you are in the mood for some mental gymnastics but it can also be enjoyed simply as a fast paced spy thriller.

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Story: 7.5/10
I'm like a little obsessed with crime shows and stuff so I'm being a little harsh. Overall, if this was the first time I saw a crime show, this would blow my mind. But alas, I've seen a few good ones so this doesn't really compare that well.
The story was good in the sense that most questions got answered. You find out who almost everyone is at the end. But what bothered me was that the story wasn't really tightly connected. The overarching theme was really loose and it felt a little bit forced, like parts of it was inserted just because it'll add suspense but it didn't really relate to anything too significant.
The overarching plot was predictable and too typical. I mean it's still a decent drama, I would definitely recommend, but it was a *little* disappointing.
But the individual crimes and stuff, that was kinda neat. Props.
What I appreciated was the comedic relief, they were inserted a really good times so you're not psychologically stressed the entire show. And it really builds on character development.

Acting: 8/10
The main characters really worked well together, not to mention the male leads were definitely eye candy ^^ Character development only really happened for Dr. Qin, the rest kinda helped him a long with it. Which was cute. But development was pretty typical and expected. At least the acting was professional.

Music: 6.5/10
There were not really a lot of memorable OST parts that I could remember. I'm pretty good aurally so I would remember a song that relates a certain scene or whatever. The only vaguely good parts I remember is the quirky tune during comedic relief parts. When ever that music came on, I just felp more relaxed because nothing bad is happening.

Rewatch: 5/10
I don't typically rewatch dramas, but this was short and sweet enough to maybe go and pick out my favorite episodes. What I love about these dramas are that the beginnings are individual crimes and stories so you can watch it separately.

Overall: 7/10
It was a little disappointing that the overarching theme was too loose and typical. It was too predictable and thus a little anti-climatic. But the individual crimes were pretty decent and enjoyable.
If anyone is looking for a good crime show starter or just a laid back drama, this is definitely a good one.

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There are spoilers in this review.

Beautifully filmed and well written.

I was really surprised after watching this movie because I didn't expect much. I thought I would just skim through it and be like meh but ended up watching the whole thing and even liking it!

First of all, acting is pretty good, these people know what they are doing. All characters are well written, lovable and hateful in their own ways. But I am a little bit disappointed with the screenwriting in general. I didn't expect this movie to be so black and white about the moral codes.

One of the messages is that love is timeless. I like that message the most. An old man wishing he was young again so he could love freely. It's pretty sad if you ask me, that just because he is old it's wrong to have those beautiful feelings. So he pours those feelings into a beautiful poem which, unfortunately, gets stolen by his student. It's as if his feelings got stolen and sold, disgraced. And as if that wasn't enough the student also steals the purity of EunGyo. He pretty much tramples Juk Yo's heart, smashes it into a miserable paddle. I don't know, what he does is like peeing on his teacher's face after receiving all the teaching and then stealing the rest what he could. He gets totally swallowed by greed. No wonder Juk Yo retaliates in the end, I'm not sure if he really hoped for such a thing happen in the end or if he just wanted to scare Ji Woo a bit. I don't know, but I kind of feel for him. I mean he got old, lost his glory (to Ji Woo), lost everything and then he realized that he wasn't even allowed to love because that would be simply wrong. If I was him I would wonder about it too. I mean, it's love. And well, Juk Yo wasn't even asking for much, he just enjoyed her presence and the innocence. He was probably reminded of his own youth and all that...

I actually enjoyed Ji Woo's and EunGyo's interactions. I liked it how Ji Woo was annoyed by how easily EunGyo managed get on Juk Yo's good side. He constantly listened to her and allowed he to do whatever she wanted while being extremely strict with Ji Woo. As I watched Ji Woo and Eun Gyo together I was waiting for some kind of atonement for JI Woo's character. That maybe her innocence would touch his heart too and make him view things in different light. But instead, she only turned these two men against each other. Love can be ugly too. It was clear why Ji Woo couldn't write as beautifully as Juk Yo, because his spirit was confined within the society's norms and he wasn't able to break free. Too many superficial things mattered to him while Juk Yo, well he was just a poet who loved writing, that's all.

In a way, I think Ji Woo was a really sad character too, completely trapped. He struggled to get free but he was too petty and close-minded, ambitious without the talent. Juk Yo was trapped too but, at least, he had an open mind. I don't think Ji Woo cared about EunGyo on the emotional level, he might have been lonely, he definitely was and probably smitten by the poem too. He tried to live it but... how can you live the beauty of timeless love without feeling it? Maybe Juk Yo knew it, that what he write could never be lived because once the purity is lost it's lost forever.

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A Come From Behind Story

An all-around good sports story about a losing team who gets a boost from their coach with a scandalous past. The actors did a nice job with their roles. The characters are all likable, except the antagonists who were devilish in their deceit. The only downside was in the story's predictability. It's a typical come from behind sports story. There are a million of these out there. But it was still enjoyable. There are funny moments that carry the story. The seven-man rugby team were cute together and I wonder how many of their funny antics were scripted versus improvised.

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*SCREAMS* A drama filled with action and suprises! I thought this drama was overrated at first since I found the begining of the drama really slow... But after watching 10 episodes I was hooked. Usually I loose intrest after watching 10 episodes since the story gets less intresting. However this story is delicous, so tempting, each episode they are feeding you piece after piece and suddenly you get hooked. It's amazing, one of the most amazing dramas I've ever watched, probably the most incredible story line to involving so many people but yet so intresting.The acting is no joke, I'm highly impressed! It's definitly worth watching over and over. If I had the chance I would buy Healer on a DVD.

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It's better but definitely need more improvements.

After twelve torturing episodes, I can finally, completely say that the only reason I kept watching this series are the great acting of Ohm Pawat and Nanon Korapat. They had one of the best BL chemistry that made me hooked into the series, they both made me laugh, cry, swoon, above all else. Ohm's previous filmography with BL series/movies is one big advantage, but Nanon finally proved once again he's a really good actor, playing all out and no backing down. (That kiss scene in Episode 5 is unlike any other, never been I cried harder watching two men kissing so passionate and loud.) Also, kudos for GMM TV finally trying to test the water with GL story, I like it, I wish sometime they can make one.

But it's all unfortunate that many of the series's plot (outside of Pat/Pran's complicated love story and their endless feud and Ink/Pa's love story) is way too rough and illogical on many parts – on some parts it felt "jumpy" and on many other parts I honestly feels all these Ohm/Nanon scenes are fan service. I was expecting something that can be crunched slower and more smooth. Whether it was Backaof's fault or somebody else, it's hard to tell, because I feel that "jumpy" series are somewhat more common when a production is halted due to the rising cases of COVID, then the crew lost significant time and forced to rush everything, changing and cramming the script just to fit the deadline and COVID restrictions.

Ah, now about fan service. It looks like Backaof and the GMM TV team really discovered the recipe to make their viewers scream, and actually since this is the first BL premiered after the brutal Delta variant, this is all that we wanted and it's worth it. But I hope in the future we can go further and avoid playing "fan service card" too much, because ITSAY just broke all your standard for BL. I want compelling stories not fan services. Bad Buddy *is* breaking standard, but only vis-a-vis other GMM TV's BL series.

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It is up to you to decide whether this is worth your time. I liked it, but you might not.

***Huge Spoilers Ahead***

I don't know if I'm writing what I feel at all, but I decided earlier that after seeing a beautiful ending today, I'd write a review for viewers like us who have loved this show for so long. But honestly, after witnessing how it ended, I have no hope that this review will be useful for them.
After hearing the final line of the 15th episode, I started a bad conflict in my head, and I'm honestly disappointed that the actual ending is so consistent. However, after watching the 16th episode, I realised that the show was a bittersweet version of one that aired the previous summer. And that is the one we are all familiar with: "2521."
I'm not going to compare the two shows right now to show how they're similar. But the real point I'll make is that after watching ending of this show, I realised that while the ML and FL in both shows were the best options for each other, they weren't meant to be together.
And because I finished watching "2521" as part of my daily routine, I don't think I'm as upset by the ending as I was last year. I will also say that I will not be sorry that I watched these two shows in the future, because even with endings like this, I will still say that I enjoyed both of them.
But what if I was asked if I hadn't watched the show and if I didn't know how it ended? Would I knowingly start a show like this? I'm not sure what the answer is to that. Maybe I would have done it then, maybe I wouldn't have, but the chances of not doing it were definitely higher...
Finally, for those who haven't seen this show yet or are considering starting it, the only piece of advice is to avoid making decisions based on how others feel. Read both sides' arguments, then ask yourself what the final decision you're willing to make out of this is.
Lastly, I'll say this: I wish you a "happy watching" experience.

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Is This Worth Watching, Or Is It A “ Lost” Cause?

Screenwriter Kim Ji Hye’s ‘ Lost’ is an odd-fusion melodrama which both feels old-fashioned within its dated outfit choices, haircuts, over-the-top scenarios and dialogue as well as surprisingly boasting an array of well-crafted main characters. However for newcomers or those merely wanting to pick up ‘ Lost’ this leaves us on an ultimate decision; “Is ‘ Lost’ actually worth investing more than sixteen hours into?”

To cut it to the chase the premise of ‘ Lost’ mainly revolves around Lee Boo Jung ( Jeon Do Yeon) a 40-year old writer stuck in an unhappy marriage with her husband Jin Jung Soo ( Park Byung Eun) who has finally hit a rut in reality by realising that she has not truly achieving or accomplished anything in life . By a whim of fate she ends up encountering someone from a different walk of life, jaded 27 year-old Lee Kang Jae ( Ryu Joon Yeol) who fears for what the future may hold due to his complicated past .

One of the strongest gaining factors for ‘ Lost’ was the casting choice . Admittedly whilst the acting can dip a little at times with certain line deliverances, the main cast immediately help to convey something worth watching. Actress Do Yeon was brilliant as Boo Jung playing the role with a level of complex heartache and angst. Her micro expressions throughout the series captivated all of Jung’s emotions flawlessly and helped to make her onscreen chemistry with her costars believable.

Parallel to Do Yeon was evidently younger costar Ryu Joon Yeol who played his role as Kang Jae with a swift touch of moodiness and arcane mystery. As their onscreen personas Do Yeon and Kang Jae’s chemistry is undeniably slow-burn and well-built up, however, this is also undeniably thanks to screenwriter Kim Ji Hye and directors Hur Jin Ho and Park Hong Soo’s approach to the relationship. Rather than enforcing the typical traits of a lusty affair filled with dirty secrets and dramatic sneak out scenes, both characters’ gradual chemistry was surprisingly refreshing . Admittedly the slow-burn approach could work at a snail pace at times but the ability to see both leads reach out through getting to know one another through their deal( as well as having time to talk about their own feelings) offered surprising relief .

One of screenwriter Ji Hye’s major fortes came through approaches to character writing and interactions throughout the show. Whilst certain character did feel more antagonistic for plot-drive than motives, even these individuals were rarely pinpointed as “ villains” by having their own moments of humanity, flaws and strengths.

Ji Hye even took time away from our main couple to focus on an unlikely relationship between Boo Jung’s somewhat staid husband Jung Soo and his rekindled feelings for his old crush Kyung Eun( Kim Hyo Jin).

Yet ‘ Lost’ is evidently not without its more problematic writing flaws. The drama whilst having an intriguing setup is incredibly slow-paced and takes awhile to really build-up more dramatic momentum . Of course some of this is necessary to build plot, however, the storyline also failed sometimes to reach climatic tension or build-up during entire montages and even entire episodes due to being more focused upon very nuanced details rather than keeping the plot moving more actively .

In addition to this there’s also the problem with the over-the-top cliches. Whilst tropes can be fun and intriguing to see how a screenwriter revamps them and did work well to an extent in the setup of the drama, ‘ Lost’ ‘s usage of the tropes ( including the nearly-farcical cliche of the “ slap on the cheek”) often felt mismatched against the stronger and fresher writing attributes of character-build and relationship. The ending certainly matched the more profound writing moments of the series- bittersweet and interpretative, yet oddly appropriate.

Overall the viewing expectations for ‘ Lost’ is entirely dependent on what you’re looking for in a drama series. ‘ Lost’ embodies the classic tropes of a melodrama series from the overused tropes which lack more profound depth, to slow-paced story build-up in order to “ create slow burn tension ”. The acting front is undeniably one of the show’s winning strengths alongside the drama’s more original approach to the adulterous affair cliche. The directors carefully used an artistic touch to the moody and drab cinematography which symbiotically helped to reflect the tension and ambience of the plot. So is ‘ Lost’ actually worth watching? ‘ Lost’ is a drama which is dependent on your patience and tastes. Those looking for a more adrenaline-rushed and quick paced drama with flaring chemistry may be disappointed. However if you have patience and enjoy slow burn chemistry, then you’ll absolutely adore ‘ Lost’. Whilst not flawless this is undeniably one of 2021’s hidden gems.

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Absolutely disappointing and a huge waste of time

There are so many better BLs and even every KBL I've watched has been better than this. People claim this one didn't have much budget but it's the KBL with the best production I have seen. The idea and universe they built was pretty great and it could have been developed so much better.

The acting was absolutely off-putting, the way Yoo Han immediately got touchy and weirdly into Yeon Woo made it so uncomfortable to watch. They didn't build any type of momentum because they were strangely skinship-y in a way no one ever is. Yeon Woo was evidently disturbed by everything but they never really developed it; his actions towards everything eere exaggerated and his reactions were like those of a madman. We know nothing about Yoo Han other than what was rushly showed on ep 8. There was no chemistry between the leads whatsoever and every 'sweet' moment was ruined by excessive glamorizing of the scenes.

Overall, the show had a great premise and a truly amazing concept with the Monos, Probes, color rush, social problematic, etc., but it was terribly developed and totally ruined.

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Ok, so this drama starts off with some good plot- all the story was goin good until episodes 6+ the story just got worse, like Yim’s “lover” and Guide treating his girlfriend shit. The last episode gives off a viewer hungry vibe, they just made Dream run away while Way stands there, then Guide asking Tanai to be his boyfriend. I don’t think the second season will be that good and I don’t think I’ll be watching it.

Other than that, another thing is the filming, i know that they aren’t pros and the best company ever but at least the people who add all those crazy effects can check the recordings. Some shots look lazy and filmed terribly. I’m not trying to shit on the series but come on..

The music was ok, but I think they could have had more dramatic OSTs for more effect than the same one.

Thankyou for reading my review

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i really had high hopes for this drama but honestly don’t waste your time on this
Story
The first 10 episodes were really enjoyable, it followed the plot as promised. But after that the story just became a mess? I never understood each characters main purpose in the story. You could tell the writers tried to make drama with the love triangle, but the love triangle wasn’t even that interesting, it felt so draggy and led on.
Acting
They have so much potential but this drama really hid their potential. There were some awkward moments but they still managed to get though it.
Music
They were played randomly? I don’t get the point of the music. But the music itself was great tho!!
Rewatch Value
Honestly no. I wouldn’t watch this again.

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My main reason for starting this drama is because my friend couldn't even watch 10 mins of it and I like to see just how bad or good something is so I can decide for myself and not write it off based on other's opinions.

As I dont read mangas I dont know the origional story. I set my mind to "NO EXPECTATIONS" and just watched. I really enjoyed this drama. I thought it was funny and a little bit cute/sweet. They could made it a little bit cuter/sweeter.

The cast and OST are great but character wise I didn't like Bi Ryum, (Moo Ra and even more so the CEO) but I found Bi Ryum hilarious. I also enjoyed the bromance between Habaek and Nam Soo Ri and the conflicts between Habaek and Bi Ryum. I will say that Nam Joo Hyuk might have not been the best actor for the role as I couldn't take him seriously for someone whose supposed to play a God but never mind. At times I honestly couldn't see the chemistry especially during the early kisses but I think it gets better as the drama goes on. Also, Shin Se Kyung's lack of expression sometimes put a downer on some scene but I think the other actors made up for it.

I'm kinda disappointed with how the story ended as it could've been way better.

Rewatch? I believe I've already seen it over 10 times since it aired so it's safe to say that I will most definitely be watching this drama AGAIN.

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The mind's eye.

Under the Skin is a police procedural that is built around the use of forensic art to solve cases. This fresh pitch within a well established genre is what makes this an interesting and fairly enjoyable watch.

The drama opens with a classroom analysis of Jean-Louis David's "The Death of Marat", one of the most political and epochal masterpieces of the French Revolution. This beautiful lie of a painting that rearranges the crime scene and depicts the unsightly and radical Marat as a matyr makes the point that appearances can be deceiving. The assassin, feminist activist Charlotte Corday who in her own words, "killed one man to save a hundred thousand" is regarded as a heroine by many. It is clear inspiration for the drama's social commentary that highlights women's issues and the often empathetic portrayal of the perpetrators of the crimes. It is truly wonderful how carefully these recurring themes are woven into the cases and how deftly art is used to portray the distinction between first impressions, perception and different realities for different people.

This is all embodied in the mind's eye of genius artist Shen Yi, who is able to marry deductive observations from the scene and the nature of the crime with intuition to uncannily recreate images of the culprit, at times the victim and how it all went down. Tan Jianci is an actor I have kept an eye on for quite some time and I am excited to see him land lead roles. While he delivers a charming and nuanced articulation of this very reserved "still waters run deep" kind of character, it is not a role that best showcases the range and depth of his abilities as an actor. The real issue lies with the character blueprint itself, which is sad to say rather two dimensional. Shen Yi is simply too good to be true; beyond his artistic genius, he is also a master interrogator, chess player, indeed he is a jack of all skills required to solve the case. I am not quite sure what this elite Beijing Interpol team did without him. He is a loner with no real friends or family, has no vices or other flaws other than nodding off in cars either because he himself or Du Cheng is a snooze fest. Even though justice is blind in so many of the cases, he remains too unquestioningly a truth seeker and enforcer of the law. This is at odds with the many cases that conclude with a sense that the perpetrators were the true victims and it bothered me that it didn't bother Shen Yi.

Where Shen Yi is clearly the brains, Du Cheng is the muscle archetype; the man of action that takes stray bullets and runs into windows as and when needed. Yet like Shen Yi, Du Cheng is a likeable but ultimately hollow character with limited definition and development that comes very late in the game. The relationship between the two protagonist is so tentatively explored and inhibited that they barely make eye contact until we are in the final innings of the story. This is a shame because Tan Jianci and Jin Shijia share a very comfortable chemistry that the production did not fully take advantage of. I am left with a dissatisfied feeling of having been told rather than shown how the unbreakable bond of friendship and trust builds between them. The main antagonist is another shallow and uninteresting character who becomes pretty obvious well before the reveal even though their motive is unfathomable to the point of making no sense. It is fair to say that the characters in this drama are very much like Shen Yi's sketches; they are just nice outlines that lack dimension, colour, weight and substance.

It can be argued that two dimensional characters are par for the course in good, meaty plot driven dramas but unfortunately the plot is where this drama disappoints the most. Even though I appreciate the empathetic spotlight on current social issues, the cases or sub-plots are hit or miss and they don't deepen the main plot. There are only two solid, tightly wrapped up cases that I found very enjoyable. The other cases are rather predictable, had logic flaws and often don't wrap up the issues raised in a satisfactory manner. As for the main plot, the best part of it is how ingeniously the villain is trapped. The mastermind's involvement in the 7-year cold case that brings Shen Yi and Du Cheng together is frankly ridiculous. They were too successful very early on in a very lucrative field to need to engage in such a risky, difficult and time consuming business. There are at least two other potential masterminds, each of which would have made for much more convincing villains in terms of motive, means and opportunity. I feel the finale's message simply panders to the Chinese government's recent data privacy paranoia and crackdown on a big industry.

I can tell that a lot of research and meticulous attention to detail went into the procedural aspects of this drama and setting and artistic aesthetics are phenomenal. Even though the stage is set with amazing props and really nice camerawork, the overall impression is bland. There are no larger than life characters or relationships that will rock your world. There is no tension, no conflict, no suspense build up, the drama doesn't really peak it is just monotone throughout. That said it has some unique aspects and it is well made enough to be a good way to pass some time. I rate it a solid but ultimately forgettable 8/10.

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