Homecoming
Hometown is a psychological thriller that revolves around three main characters; police detective Choi Hyung In, convicted mass murderer Jo Kyung Ho, and his estranged sister Jo Jyung Hun. The premise is based on the preliminary investigation of a murder case which escalates into the search for a missing schoolgirl and subsequently the mystery surrounding the abduction of her classmate. Both events spark an explosive chain of events with wide-reaching implications for their family, friends and the community they belong to.Originally an OCN production, it was eventually broadcast by sister channel, TVN. Directed by Park Hyun Suk (Stranger 2) based on the screenplay by Cho Hyun Hoon. Initially credited via his pseudonym of Joojin, the screenwriter was removed from the production credits altogether once his real identity had surfaced which resulted in controversy and public backlash due to his past sexual harrasment case. Choi Seong Gwon is engaged as the composer for the drama.
What to watch out for
The story is set in 2000 with a re-telling of events taking place in 1999 and frequent flashbacks to multiple timelines in the 1980s, particularly to a terror attack on a bus terminal in 1987. The storytelling is non-linear for the most part, which utilises parallel and converging plots based on the shared narrative of the three POV characters.
The eponymous hometown refers to the fictional town of Saju which is located in Gyeongsangnam or South Gyeongsang province. Nearly all characters in this drama speak the distinctive Gyeongsang dialect, as opposed to the central dialects (Seoul or Gyeonggi) that most viewers are perhaps used to.
Elements of mystery and horror are present throughout but, rather than outright terror and fright, the drama projects an overall eerie, ominous and psychologically disturbing aura. By the time the halfway point is reached, if not earlier, viewers should be quite aware of the direction of the story.
Expect trigger warnings in the form of drug references, abuse and bullying, as well as some violence resulting in depictions of blood and gore in certain scenes.
What I Liked
I enjoyed the storytelling approach which feels distinctively neo noir in terms of the visual language, compelling dialogue and the variety of complex characters written in the screenplay. We have the hard-boiled detective who does the nitty gritty legwork, the charismatic yet sinister psychopathic mass murderer and the frantic family member of the victim. Add to that an extremely detailed worldbuilding and a whole host of intriguing side characters ranging from the questionably dubious to the downright bizarre that make their truly disquieting presence felt.
The first 8 episodes of the drama felt the most captivating for me. This is largely because of the mystery surrounding the events at play and the infusion of a rather horrific scene that reeled me in right from the start. It is also during this stage that I found myself still able to sufficiently keep track of the happenings which connect the dots to the grand scheme of things.
The cast is, without question, absolutely outstanding. Yoo Jae Myung’s portrayal of Regional Investigation Unit’s Detective Choi Hyung In is utterly convincing. He made me believe that he truly is a seasoned yet somewhat traumatised cop, in a gripping performance that is reflective of his experience in the industry.
Likewise Uhm Tae Goo delivers a compelling depiction of convicted killer Jo Kyung Ho. This is my first time watching him and what a talent he is. The most nuanced of the main leads, his subtle interpretation of the intricately written role and the delicate articulation of his lines through a deceptively calm demeanour and soothing voice literally enthralled me into a false sense of security.
The drama also features the award-winning Han Ye Ri, fresh from making her Hollywood debut with the critically acclaimed Minari for which she garnered 4 nominations. She provides another fine performance through her captivating portrayal of Jo Jung Hyun, a woman struggling to break free from the burden of truth and her tormented past that threatens to overcome her seemingly bleak and hopeless existence.
I truly enjoyed the brilliant original score composed by Choi Seong Gwon. This is not easy listening music for relaxing with a glass of wine but the kind that elevates the sense of foreboding and completely immerses the mind into the dark and ominous atmospherics throughout. The soundtrack also features two OSTs performed in English that actually sounds more contemporary than the retro settings of the drama.
유라 Youra - Remember
문수진 Moon Sujin - Hide and Seek
What I Didn’t Appreciate As Much
As riveting and morbidly entertaining as this drama was, I would have preferred for the “supernatural” aspects to be the main focus and potential for driving the story development. This would have provided a different spin and a breath of fresh air to the genre. However, although the story takes a more familiar course, the sense of unpredictability still remains and even culminates in a rather surprising and unexpected outcome.
Speaking of unpredictability, either the rationale behind certain plot points or much-needed connecting scenes were sacrificed as part of efforts to induce viewers’ intrigue and suspense as well as, in my case, confusion. Perhaps this was also attributed to the shorter duration of the drama, at 12 episodes. A number of key events shown, particularly from episode 9 onwards, were never fully or properly explained. Without giving spoilers, let’s just say that viewers will have to formulate their own hypotheses as the story unfolds because ultimately the ending does not provide clarity for all the questions asked.
Adding to the air of uncertainty is the countless switching of timelines, sometimes captioned for viewers’ benefit but at times they occur unannounced. It certainly doesn’t help when the disparate scenes are acted by different sets of actors that I end up having to pause and rewind simply to ascertain who exactly these characters are.
Conclusion
On the whole, Hometown is a very good drama with high production quality and a top tier cast whose performances are deserving of praise. The slightly over complicated narrative, uneven storytelling, somewhat surrealistic setting and arguably lack of logical clarification particularly during the final quarter may give rise to bewilderment for some viewers, as it did for me. This perhaps hints at the drama's selective appeal, particularly for those who are fans of the genre rather than the casual watcher. Notwithstanding the issues, I still had an enjoyable (and moderately spine-chilling) time watching this absolutely binge-worthy drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
-Story
i thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It has a good plot line (i know the synopsis told a lot but when you watch it, it's really not much) that also sets its pacing well.
We're introduced to YunXi, the daughter of the Imperial Doctor and FeiYe, Duke of Qin and the King's younger brother. The King and his mother does not believe him to be his actual brother because of an event. To help the King, the Queen Dowager ends up arranging him to be married to YunXi, who also harbors a secret. Their story then develops from there.
Apart from this, there is also the politic side of it, FeiYe's hidden secret, the secret plans from different Kingdoms, the King's own plots, and also those of his sons.
-Acting
Super well done! They really played out their parts. I especially fell in love with our main girl. For most light hearted historical dramas like this, i find it hard to continue watching the main girl but for this one, i really ended up enjoying all her expressions, her scenes, and her emotions. FeiYe is your typical stone faced male lead at first but quickly ends up warming up. Their little romance is adorable to watch! and honestly, despite the amount of troubles that come between the two, they never really end up having bad blood or angsty scenes (even with that slight betrayal tag).
Another reason i stayed till the end of this drama was because of Qishao ;_; developed major second lead sydrome thanks to him. He played his part out sooooo well, i absolutely loved all his scenes!
and the side characters in this did not lose out too, they were well focused and planned out.
Opening and ending theme song for this was great and the music that played during sad scenes matched well.
Rewatch? i'll come back to this when i miss the second lead and the chemistry between all the characters here.
One thing- THE ENDING- its a really open ending (Eps49/50 are both different endings). I love this drama, not intense love but happy love. I'm really sensitive and it was only at the last episode that i cried my heart out.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
From a cold general to one who loves and cares for his wife, and their encounters
For ancient drama I give this a solid ten ! First all of it wasn't draggy at all , despite it being 30 episode.Storyline- The daughter of the Shen family has to marry a general far away. This general is heard to be ruthless in battle, giving him the nickname Devil. The female lead ends up going in her sister place, because her sister didnt want to marry a ruthless monster. Female lead didn't want her mother to suffer so she accepted the marriage. On the way, she is met with some other tribe people, the male lead ends up saving her( she didnt know who he was atm) She and her maid makes their way to the general's house. From getting to knowing the general, to being with him on the training ground their relationship grows and blossoms.
Romance- This one had quite a lot of kissing. They are a pretty cute couple. They have good passion. It's really cute to see their love develop for one another. It is most definite that the male lead loves the female lead a lot and is very patient with her. She can be over bearing somethings but the male lead still supports her. Their kisses gets better as their relationship blossoms, which is very cute. Its quite natural, like a everyday couple. Their relationship has it ups and down.
Reason why this drama is good
Wasn't too heavily focused on one specific topic. The underlying story was the general wanted to investigate what happen to the 8th king's family. Others included the female lead and male lead in their training ground, when she goes back home to live, finding her old friend, starting up her own business and some more.
Starts off with a bang, already have a kissing scene in ep 4 lol
Male lead and female lead's love for one another.
Some things that i didnt care for
- ugh hated with a passion her two annoying sisters! same dad different mom. They were quite annoying , but its very limited. I cant stand those drama who has a lot of the evil people getting their ways.
This drama surpassed my expectation. I loved it!
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This was a popular series, and deservedly so! As you can see, my ratings are all over the place, so I will explain why.I loved the music. For me, Mew (Tharn) carried this show, with brilliant acting = A+. Mild (Techno) was great = A+. Gulf (Type) was really good, too = A. Kaownah (Lhong) was a great singer and a decent actor (although, with all the crying, some real tears would have been welcome) = A-.
The chemistry between Mew and Gulf was off the charts! (That ice cube kissing scene in the last episode was epic.)
Now, for my issues with the series (hence, some of my lower ratings):
Despite some great performances, THE STORY WAS SO BAD I nearly dropped it after about four episodes. Here's why:
1) THARN'S MOLESTATION OF TYPE, WHILE TYPE WAS SLEEPING (And yes, that's what it was.)
For someone who was supposed to be the "good guy," this was not cool, not funny, not appropriate. Can something like this be portrayed in a drama? Yes, of course it can. But it should be presented as what it is, a molestation. Not as something cute, that can just be dismissed as "oh well."
2) THE WAY TYPE'S CHILDHOOD RAPE STORY WAS HANDLED.
At first I was intrigued, because Type was obviously scarred, and his intense hatred of gays made sense. All good. Then, without any buildup, Type has no issue with getting a blow job from his hated gay roommate. Then, in the next episode, he comes out and asks Tharn for anal sex (with Type as receiver), just one time, to "get it over with, once and for all." Are you kidding me? This was a childhood rape victim? And, Tharn's going along with it was almost as incredulous.
I seriously think (and wish) that the author would have had a better story, had she simply made Type a bigoted homophobe who eventually came around. That in itself would have been dramatic enough. As written, the "rape victim suddenly turned gay" storyline was not only unbelievable, but incredibly insensitive and offensive to actual victims of childhood rape.
3) THE TIMELINE.
I was confused (and still am) about what the timeline was for this story. There was no "six months later" that I could see. So, even if we allow for some time lapses here and there, we saw absolutely zero development of Type's character. He went from understandably hating gays, to suddenly having sex with Tharn. So, how exactly did this happen? We got no explanation.
4) THE ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THARN/TYPE.
Not talking about the sexy hotness. That was there in spades, no question! But, it was never explained why Tharn was so taken with Type. Let's face it, Type was a hot mess on many levels. Did Tharn just think Type was hot? What in Type's personality attracted Tharn?
5) LHONG'S ENDING.
Why on Earth didn't Lhong end up in prison, or committed to a psych ward?????
The following were not dealbreakers, but I found them a little hard to swallow:
a) MEW PLAYING A 19 YEAR OLD. Sorry, not buying it. Mew is 28, and he looks 28. Don't get me wrong, 28 isn't exactly old, but it's nowhere near 19. Mew looks like a hot, sexy 28 year old. He looks like he should be a teacher in the college. (That said, I had no problem with Mew/Gulf. Gulf is 21 but could easily pass for 24-25. They look fine together.)
b) TAR LOOKED 14. (Apparently he's 25 or something, a few years older than Gulf. But that's not the point.) Tar looked completely juvenile and the idea of Tharn falling for him -- to the point of being destroyed when Tar left him -- was almost laughable to me. To go along with that...
c) THE BED SCENE WITH TAR/THARN WAS SILLY. Tharn was there begging for Tar to let him up when, in real life, I'm sure Mew could have thrown him off with almost no effort!
d) TYPE HITS THARN IN THE BALLS IN THE BAR BATHROOM. Why? Totally uncalled for.
e) LHONG/TYPE IN THE LAST EPISODE. Type looks like he could easily kick Lhong's ass, but he sat there being strangled, without fighting back even a little.
f) LHONG DROPPING THE GLASS. Really? It was dumb when Pete did it in LBC (especially since he and Ae had already slept together, but I digress... ) and it was dumb here. And then, Lhong uncomfortably makes an excuse and practically runs out of the room. Tharn and Type just shrug it off. Seriously? Was there anyone who didn't know right then and there that Lhong was hopelessly in love with Tharn?? Without the glass drop, Lhong's devious behavior would have been even more of a surprise.
g) THORN, THARN'S OLDER BROTHER. Not only does the actor who plays Thorn NOT look older than Mew, but he is actually younger in real life.
With all that said, I can't say I didn't enjoy the series. I did. There were really great moments. But, despite all the good, it had some real flaws.
Was this review helpful to you?
Realistic romance-action drama
I am really shocked to see low-scoring reviews for this drama. It has everything you want. It has bromance, romance, and action. The acting is great. Both lead and support actors/actresses are nailing their parts. The pace of the drama is realistic. It is a modern drama, and as a result, nothing magically happens. It takes time for emotions to be developed and mature.If you follow the pace of the drama, you will cherish every little development between the leads. I believe people who drop this drama or don't find it satisfying are the ones who are skipping along the episodes and missing important hints.
My advice is to take your time watching this drama, experience the lead's ups and downs with them, and you will have a magical time riding their emotional waves. This is a masterpiece.
Was this review helpful to you?
1
1
1This review may contain spoilers
The Ten Commandments of TBL
These are the commandments that have been handed down to us by the gods of Taiwanese BLs. They shall be the commandments by which any present and all future TBLs may be judged.1. Thou shalt violate an apparent taboo. So it is that a stepbrother may lie in the Biblical sense with another stepbrother, or a stepfather with a stepson, or a teacher with a student. But a real taboo, thou shalt violate not. For it is a sin. Our purpose here is titillation, not transgression.
2. Thou shalt not utter the word ‘gay’. For it is a sin. Thou mayst love another man, but if anyone shall ask of thee if thou dost, thou mayst answer, “I like not men, I like only you.”
3. Thou shalt always include more than one same-sex couple. For it is the law. The number assigned to thee is two. One is too little, for it adheres too close to the earthly realm; three too much, for it adheres too close to the realm of Thai BL.
4. Employ thou a verily bright colour saturation in thy film, to mask the limitations of thy capital and thy cinematographer.
5. Apply thou, always, a verily thick, sweet, intrusive, and insistent music over thy graven images, to mask the limitations of thy talent and thy words. Drown out all the tender and vital moments of thy show with melodies made by AutoTune Pro, and lyrics conjured by Google Translate.
6. Remember thou that there exist only three acceptable settings for a TBL: a school, a university, and a criminal enterprise (the Lord doth favour the mafia). For these do encompass all of life. Thou mayst aim for complexity by leavening one of the first two settings with the third. Leviticus doth indeed condemn leavening, but it is not prohibited by the gods of BL.
7. Thou shalt have no balance. Remember thou that men must fall over and into each other at every step, puddle, path, street, game, instrument, opportunity, or obstacle in existence. This, and this alone, shall be the occasion for their first kiss. The said kiss may be accidental, forced, or incite a wide-eyed surprise. But a loving nor sensual kiss it may not be.
8. Thou shalt depict at least one instance of fornication in thy tale. Or two, if thou hast taken care enough to inscribe a story for the second(ary) couple. But the act shall not unfold until the penultimate chapter. Thou shalt tease thy viewers for ten long hours, and grant them gratification for ten short seconds, which to most shall be proof positive that Moses was heterosexual. Thou mayst inflict additional torture upon thy viewers by interrupting the said gratification with deafening music and wanton cuts.
9. Thou shalt choose from the following any number of ornaments to embellish thy tale: gentle wiping of the lips (for there is a general want of raiment in our kingdom), gentle forehead kiss, gentle lock-of-hair restoration, gentle somnolent confession, a gentle fever, a gentle towel bath for said fever, a gentle pour-over coffee, a gentle post-modern coffee-shop to house that coffee, and forget not thou, a not-so-gentle last-minute conflict, a forced separation, or a wandering to parts abroad wherein shall cease all modern communication. If imagination thou lackst, thou mayst construct a story from these elements alone.
10. Thou shalt by no means indicate homophobia in thy tale, unless it furthereth thy plot and our cynical purpose. Friends and family shall be universally supportive, unless it force a separation between thy characters. (Parents and spouses shall be left otherwise dead, be it from accident or ailment, to anoint the show with cheap sentiment.) Remember thou, always, that this is a world of pandering fantasy, not reality.
Biblical Proportions:
Commandments Broken: 8 (partly).
Commandments Obeyed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (again and again and again), 9, 10.
Observations:
Well, this one is for the books. Every TBL commandment was kept to the letter, except, in small part, for the 8th, and that too only because the love scene between the teacher and student came so early. But then, that scene was so badly done that I wonder if the commandment was broken after all.
There is no writing in this show to speak of, no script, no real story-telling, no serious attempt at characterisation. Nothing. Just the loose outlines of an imaginary BL... The experience of watching this show is something akin to ordering a small package on Amazon. You order a simple toothbrush, and are shocked to find, the next day, a huge cardboard box sitting at your door step, only to realise that, when you open it, there are 7 smaller boxes inside, each stuffed with shredded paper and bubblewrap. By the time you get to the final box, you forget what you ordered, what has arrived, and what you were looking for. You just know there is a huge mess to clean up, and that a lot of trees have given up their lives for it.
The men are beautiful, two of them quite sexy, and for that reason, I gave 'casting' a 5. If any of the actors start *acting*, someone please let me know. I'll be sleeping in the back.
There will be, I imagine, a lot of hand-wringing and pearl-clutching about the teacher-student relationship. But, as the first commandment states, this is just an apparent taboo. No trust has been broken, no consent violated. The age gap is dimunitive, the "teaching" is more like tutoring (lasting a mere few weeks), and both men are above the age of consent. There are no interesting or troubling power dynamics at play here. Nothing to be outraged about. It's just dull.
Finally, for fucks' sake, just say it. It's not the fucking plague. And we are not in Florida.. So say it. Yu Xing is gay. Come, say it with me: "gay". See? The world didn't fall apart.
Verdict:
This is a dreadful show. It might even be one of the worst BLs to come out of Taiwan. Avoid it. Avoid it like radioactive waste.
Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Blessed Art Thou, O Lord
DON'T SAY: That Don't Impress Me Much
Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
Exciting, yet gloomy thriller. The murder case being tried by a jury is just a kick off for more…
"Blind" is a fabulous, exciting, somewhat dark thriller."Blind" weaves its fictional story around 'survivors' of brutal child abuse and severely traumatizing exploitation as kids. These 'survivors' meet each other and their perpetrators 20 years later as adults. Each of those involved tried in his/her own way to come to terms with the past and lead a more or less normal life. Not only the abusive childhood, but also its psychological effects on their later life are a severe issue - and become a topic here. In addition, in this context complex interdependencies between the perpetrators of the time are dissolved and - against the background of a brutal variant of public vigilante justice - the original roles as perpetrators and victims are turned upside down.
"Blind" is haunting. The focus is on a murder case that is being tried by a jury. More murders follow. The dramaturgical setting is to some extent perhaps a bit reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel - insofar as suddenly almost everyone in the case-related group of the selected jury could be the perpetrators... the distribution of roles between judges, investigators, victims and presumed suspects is also becoming increasingly opaque and fatefully intertwined. To pretend that one can turn a 'blind' eye to what used to be is no longer possible. Everyone must now look at the past and (even if it is perhaps a little late) bear the consequences. Magnificent.
----- SIDE NOTE: ---Child abuse - a sad and highly topical issue in South Korea ---
The thriller obviously saddles its story on the unspeakably sad topic of child abuse, which due to its unbroken topicality has increasingly made it into South Korea's series and film productions of recent years (among others "Children of Nobody" and "Mother" as drama or "Miss Baek" and "Bring me Home" as movie.) Many a well-established member of society prefer to look the other way when unbelievable deals are being made concerning minors, as long as they might even benefit themselves. And any 'survivors' can be glad if they manage to split off the traumatic experience to some extent - nevertheless most often PTS comes right along. Usually, those ´survivors´ until old age are psychologically still stuck in that desperate helplessness and inner agony of the past.
A South Korean government study from 2021 reveals, that abusive trafficking in minors has been rampant and even increasing in recent years. There is an acute need for action regarding more effective education in all public areas - from prevention to investigation and criminal prosecution up to employee training. A big problem with this: usually police officers or other officials are directly involved and work together with the traffickers, who specialize in the ruthless exploitation of minors. If the children and young people survive this, the psychological consequences of these deeply traumatizing experiences will be very hard - if at all - to be overcome. They are left helpless at the mercy of adults (who actually should take good care of them) and utterly hopeless in the face of a society that turns a blind eye to their torment. The only thing that is left: feeling betrayed and/or obviously of no worth whatsoever...
--------------------------
PS:
It may be that in reality a larger task force would have been set up to investigate the serial murders of the jury members. In my opinion, however, the KDrama didn't take anything away from keeping the circle compact in order to tell the story in its essential entanglements in a powerful way.
P.P.S.:
At last, I don't want to leave a pleasant detail (I think) unmentioned. We have seen it so often in KDramas: within the social ranking in South Korea, the older colleagues are obviously allowed to rebuke the younger ones with a shove, a kick or a snap on the forehead. (In view of my German socialization background, that is unheard of, but ...) In "Blind" one can now observe (among other things) that a transformation in this natural ranking behavior may be starting to happen within the younger generation: a colleague police officer in "Blind" actually gives back to his colleague and stands up for himself. So far, I have seen this rather rarely, if at all. Until now, as a rule in comparable situations, the fist usually remained in the pocket. In the mass consciousness, KDrama is relating to, starting 2022 such physical rebuke might obviously no longer be tolerated as a matter of course. Stand-up-for-your-rights seems to/wants to become possible - like a wind breeze of change coming up within a hierarchical tradition since centuries chiseled in stone...
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I'm not going to be writing a really long review but I'm just going to say that this drama was so good! This drama made me cry, laugh, feel fuzzy in the inside! If a drama or movie made me cry, then I would rate it a 10/10! Of course there are some flaws but I really enjoyed it! The story was a bit like Love O20 with the game and stuff, the acting was really good it seamed real, music was good too, i would totally rewatch it but probably from the middle onwards. Overall, I really recommend this drama if you love romance dramas like me. It's really hard to find a good drama that has at least good looking main leads. I hope they would have a season 2 for this drama!
Was this review helpful to you?
even appeared and I stopped watching. The first 15 minutes were slow, If I had known that I was a little bit more patient or gave this drama an actual chance then I would find myself falling in love just a few minutes after dropping. Why? Chen Berlin who is known as Li Da Ren in this gem of a drama appeared and he just lit the whole drama up.
I finished the first episode and I was already falling for this drama truly, madly and deeply. I found Ariel lovable! and Chen Berlin dashing!I would slap myself silly for not continuing after those 15 minutes. If only I gave the drama a real go then it would have been in my life longer. We all make silly mistakes and I should really watch 3-5 episodes before thinking about dropping.
So this drama is about two best friends who have known each other for about 10-15 years and one thing is certain from the very start.
Li Da Ren loves and has always loved Cheng You Qing. It is also obvisous that You Qing feels the same but she's a woman and she's naive and I guess you could say she's scared about losing Da Ren. Li Da Ren starts to date a girl called Maggie who is very annoying and If I ever come across a girl like Maggie I will run for the hills. The thing about Maggie is she plans and she plots. Maggie wants the perfect boyfriend/husband and this girl has a list of qualities her perfect man has to have and it just so happens Li Da Ren ticks all of her boxes (He would tick mine too) so this begins the love triangle. Even though I said "I would run for the hills" I would say she did help You Qing wake up a bit but You Qing is very complicated especially in her love life. This is when her ex-boyfriend comes back and they had/have a very intense relationship. You know the type one minute they are arguing and the next they are sucking each others faces off.
Throughout the whole drama we are rooting for Li Da Ren to win his girl! We want Cheng You Qing to wake up and realise that Li Da Ren has always and will always be there for her. He is her soulmate. This is the type of drama where you watch one episode and you don't go "I might watch episode 2 tomorrow" no...you say "Next episode NOW!" and you keep on saying that until you realise 13 hours of your life have passed and the drama is over. The couple is no more and you
won't see anymore Li Da Ren and Cheng You Qing scenes. You will find yourself depressed and it will probably take you about 1-3 weeks to find another drama. However those 1-3 weeks of depression are worth those beautiful 13 hours.
P.S:. If you think Ariel and Joe Cheng are IT then think again. It's all about Chen Berlin and Ariel!
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
because its so unpopular..or lets say one of the mdl underrated of 2012. (seen only by 40 mdl users)
Expect not to see any eye candy on here and it was evident on the poster.
I think somebody who come across w/ this drama with an impression like this..
"ooh The chaser? hmm ahjussis?"
*reads synopsis
*looks on the cast
"oops theres no hottie nevermind lol"
Oh well..anyway
for anyone who likes another revenge drama should give this a chance.
It was very relatable with emphasis on importance of living w/ family.
If i would think of a drama that shares some similarity...hmm
Think of city hunter w/o a superhero thing and the rom com stuff and add
the movie "the Crucible" not exactly but just to show some idea.
i will give you some hints on how entertaining this is
- after the 1st episode there is no break on tension or a big pause on plot,
it keeps moving in a above average pace on first 60% of the drama,
- it was so complex and every character interwind in the plot/ very well deveveloped and no weak performance.
- the politics scheme is easy to follow as it really happening on real event.
The Story: It was compelling and there is so many situations/happening in an episode w/ no dull momnets but its up to you.
Since its only 16 episodes...its not so dragging if you spot one.
The Cast/Acting: lets us not so bias if there no fave actor in it but what important is the character developement
and the performance they made. The Main villain has to be one of the great one you will see in a dramaland that isnt annoying.
The Main lead is very relatable and his character will make you symphatize w/ him greatly.
Music: entertaining as what you could expect in a tense drama
Replay: there is a part of me that even i watched this again...it isnt as entertaing as before since i got everything
from my first viewing, anyway it was a satisfying drama....w/ a fulfiliing conclusion as a whole but again its up to you =)
note: I heard this got Daesang award yay!
my other recommendation:
The Devil
Resurrection
Equator MAn
City Hunter
Giant*
Was this review helpful to you?
The actors put their heart&soul into it. Soundtrack + camera provide a unique ambience. A Classic.
"All In" is a timeless classic from the early days of KWave. Via main plot and various sidelines involved, you dive into the subculture and parallel world of back room and casino gamblers. In the course of the story, the glitter and glamor of the casino world increasingly take their place, all the way to Las Vegas.Besides the gaming milieu, the series provides insights into the life of simple, poor young people in the late 1990s, which were shaken by the Asian crisis, and offers interesting local color. The well-established KDrama leitmotif 'Orphanage' also has its place here again. Soundtrack and camera capture the action in an atmospheric and impressive manner.
The actors put their heart and soul into it. In the case of "All In" the milieu-specific ambience was supposed to appear as authentic as possible. Therefore, in advance of shooting Lee Byung-hun and Son Hye-gyo (as adults of the main protagonists) went through an intensive training program, including in a casino in Las Vegas: Lee Byung-hun concentrated on virtuosity Card shuffling techniques and the eye dramaturgy of professional players at the gaming table (he won the Grand Prize at the Baeksan Arts Awards that year, as did the drama itself). Song Hye-gyo, on the other hand, was trained as a croupier and not only convinces when she sorts the chips at a breakneck speed.
The opening scene with a helicopter over the Grand Canyon alone is reminiscent of the beginning of a blockbuster à la Tom Cruise or something similar. "All In" isn't just romance, it's also packed with plenty of action, including brawls and gunfights. It's also about friendship among men. As a milieu study of the gamer's world, it's ultimately about gangsters and mafia, too. (Perhaps it is no coincidence that "the godfather" has a guest appearance in the story: it is shown as a movie in the cinema that shaped the youth of the protagonists.) But of course it's also about great love - in the progress of the 24 episodes facing one obstacle after another - it´s makjang after all...
At the time (2003), this KDrama triggered a veritable All-In-Syndrome in South Korea. The filming locations on Jeju Island became a hotspot for fan tourism. The ratings on public television back then are legendary (at around 47 percent).
Was this review helpful to you?
That was a big waste of time
(6/10) Story: Maybe this story wouldn’t have fit into a typical 90–120-minute film; however, 46 episodes were completely unnecessary. There was excessive screen time for side characters, especially the second female lead, who sometimes took up 90% of an episode. I’m all for developing characters beyond the leads, but in most cases, there was no real development. And when there was development, another misunderstanding or miscommunication would undo any progress.I think this could have been a 16-episode drama. I’d compare it to My Sunshine (2015), which had an extremely similar storyline but managed to tell it in 32 episodes. The only thing that kept me watching was the fact that there was nothing better airing at the time.
(10/10) Cast: I was so happy when the cast was revealed. Seeing Hans Zhang and Janine Chang reunite was awesome. The last drama I've seen with them as co-leads was The Four (2015). How unfortunate because I gave The Four a 9/10 rating but this drama was a disappointment, though it isn't the actors' fault.
(10/10) Music: Not something I really noticed or cared about. I don't think the music would bother anyone though.
(1/10) Rewatch Value: Totally not worth spending 46 hours on. Even if there is nothing to watch, this was too frustrating. But it did give me something to waste my time on which is why the overall score I've given is a 6.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
✨Don’t ask questions. Just vibe. ✨
This drama? Absolutely ridiculous. Unapologetically over the top. And exactly what the doctor prescribed for a lazy Sunday with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream. 🍦 I mean… people casually waving guns and machetes like they're in a Spicy Telenovela: Martial Arts Edition?? I was howling.The OST? On actual steroids. I swear the composer was like “give me ADHD in audio form” and hit export. And you know what? We vibed.
Brains? Logic? Emotional continuity? They said: “Nah, we don’t carry those in stock. But here—have some fiery chemistry and bloodstained love stares instead.” And I ate it up.
It gave me major Be Your Knight vibes, which totally tracks because apparently it’s the same director. There are certain things you expect from these dramas: chaos, slow-mo walks, inappropriate background music—and it DELIVERS. 💀
If you come in expecting Shakespeare, you’ll cry. But if you come in with a light heart and zero expectations of realism, you’re in for a wildly fun ride. I’m still wheezing at the romantic theme swelling as the leads lock eyes… absolutely soaked in someone’s blood after just wrecking a dude. Iconic. Cinematic. Absolutely unserious. 10/10 would rewatch this chaos and I'm only on episode 8 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Will update this once I finish it.
Update:
Ok, just finished this and can only say it was a good entertaining watch y’all. The drama stays consistently unhinged till the very end, and dang, I was really invested in the side couple — they had great chemistry. Too bad, cause judging by their chaotic tendencies, they were clearly doomed according to cdrama law (if you're not the main couple and have too much chemistry? yeah, you're done 💀).
Plot? Surprisingly engaging. Characters? Unfiltered madness but somehow loveable. If you’ve been around the mini-drama block, you’ll recognize half the cast — it’s basically a chaotic family reunion with more blood and fewer brain cells.
Now. THE AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL THEY’RE CHUGGING??? Broooo. If they had three livers each, they’d still be on life support. I just mentally replaced it with apple juice to survive those scenes, cause the real thought makes me 💀
And let’s talk about the OST (again) — it went from “Final Boss Battle” to “Haunted House on a Hoverboard” to “Cyberpunk Romance at High Noon” with zero transition. My brain was overstimulated like I was on five tabs of caffeine and a carousel ride. I’m CONVINCED they cranked the volume so high just to distract us from the unhinged lines being said.
But let’s be real, I got exactly what I came here for:
✅ Hot eye candy and surprisingly dope fighting scenes
✅ Men losing their absolute minds over women
✅ Romance and kisses (PSA: the leads only start kissing properly after ep 23 — before that it’s giving CPR dummy)
✅ Iconic supporting cast
✅ And yes, a blessed happy ending for the main couple
Was it messy? Yes.
Did it make sense? Absolutely not.
Did I have a damn good time? 100%.
This ain’t high art — it’s high chaos. And I devoured it.
Was this review helpful to you?
