Generally speaking, I liked the drama and the main lead actors but Ella's acting was a serious flaw since it can be overdone sometimes.
If you want to like this drama you have to stop comparing it to the 2007 japanese version; They may share the general story and characters but there are huge differences between them so watch this without previous expectations and you will love it; just feel the events like you've never watched the japanese version and you're going to fall for it.
However, the ending sucked: it's a warning for endings lovers, if you want to like this drama forget about its ending.
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My favorite Mr Gu drama
So far this is my favorite Mr Gu drama there is. I did watch 3 out of the 4 Mr Gu dramas and one is dropped and the other one is on hold (Miss crow and mr lizard). This drama is very simple in terms of story line but both main leads acting is amazing. Shen Yue has improved so much on her acting since Meteor Garden and Jasper is very sweet and caring so the chemistry for me is amazing.The female lead is very simple , there are no clumsy scenerios , no jealousy or acts likes shes dumb. Male lead makes his mistakes here and there but they dont become toxic behavior or too much to handle. Both of them make a good couple in the drama and I enjoy that alot. Plus in comparison to the korean version this drama wins by far. The lead is not abusive nor rude to the main lead which was a problem to me in the version. I think all sweet scenes between both leads gave an amazing warmth feeling and made me love them together in the drama.
Second lead couple
I love it , bodyguard/ chofer with love story with a rich not spoiled girl is amazing. The thing with all couples in this drama is that the issues they have are not dragged to 5 episodes but for atleast 1 or 2 which I love. I think the 3 couples in this drama acted well.
Probably the only issue I have is the second male lead which was annoying. I think his character or maybe his actions very unnecessary instead of him making some sort of tension he became very annoying and actually toxic. This drama is not real all scenerarios are pretty impossible but he is another level of crazy. Definetly no second lead syndrome
This drama is not out of this world but is a sweet short drama to watch just to get the feels of a good day.
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The first part had Yeon Woo Jin and he was simply amazing, I started that drama already crying, but it gets so good and the end was amazing and touching. I sincerely watched more for him than for her, but they made a cute couple and I liked the way she was willing to fix her mistakes to make him happy the way he did for her.
The third one had Bae Soo Bin and Han Seung Yeon and I loved this part, the girl was an amazing actress, even though the end made me cry, she has talent and I would love to see her acting again. This story was different, but it was so sweet, it could be seen as a one sided love, but we've our answer in the end and they made a cute couple.
The fifth part was only good because it’s impossible to hate Chang Wook falling in love and looking at the girl with those eyes, the way he looks, OMG, I’m starting a goal in life to find someone that looks at me like he looked at that girl, gahhh, he kills me. He made that last part watchable, because the girl's character was very annoying and stalkerish, she gets better in the last episode, but still made some things that made me want to beat her.
So, even though all parts were good, the 2# and 4# part didn't touch me that much, because of the main couple. The forth made me cry my eyes out because of her father, so he was good, but I didn’t care for the leads, the second part I didn’t love and didn’t hate, it was just there, but I really, really recommend the complete drama, with great male leads and great stories.
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This review may contain spoilers
In the foot steps of The Confidence, with a twist!
Having watched The Confidence in June 2022, I was happy that Unexpected Falling came out recently. The cast consisted of almost the same actors as The Confidence. Cai's performance was remarkable as she used alot of her facial muscles and eyes to speak her thoughts. Peng grew into his role to put up a good performance. He initially reminded me of Feng in The Confidence. I enjoyed watching their interactions as both of them had alot of lines with each other. I liked that they spoke their own lines while a few others had their voices dubbed. Peng and Cai have good voices. I also like the music and songs particularly the ending song sung by Cai and Peng. I found out that Cai did train as a singer in her early days. The older actors were all veterans and their performance did not disappoint. Sadly one of them had passed away during the production.Both The Confidence and Unexpected Falling have male leads that are imposters. But in Unexpected Falling, the male lead was hired to investigate the financial scam and eventually he unmasked his fake role as he loved the female lead who was kind and righteous. The male lead became himself to win the love of the female lead.
Although Unexpected Falling was not as thrilling as The Confidence, the drama also kept me thinking initially if the female lead was her dead husband's accomplice, if her best friend was sincere and if the make lead was a two timer. The story unfolded gradually without unanswered gaps. I liked that there were no long, repeated flash backs. In fact, the female lead's dead husband did not even have a face although his name was repeatedly brought up in the story. He was a lead character that had died. The director deliberately kept viewers in the dark about how he looked like. I think this is a first!
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Brilliant
Absolutely gorgeous actors and acting...its very unique and not your typical BL. I love he cast and the originality of the story. Their is definitely the chemistry between the main actors and they act in sync. It was a binge watching for me as i found the story shows us there is more to us human beingsWas this review helpful to you?
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The main characters are three women, friends since their school days, and we follow them during their work lives and private lives, for example at the restaurant where their friend Ma-kun works. This set of characters is, I believe, not unusual, but it is an interesting drama, if a little bit predictable.
It is a love story, sure, but even more than that, I think it is about what a Japanese woman can and cannot do, in the eyes of those around her. This topic is also not unique, but this drama deals with it seriously without too much silly nonsense. Living up to gender roles can be a burden; this drama doesn’t try to make a joke out of it. I liked that. One of the women learns that her position at work is directly related to her marital status. Another one is a housewife whose husband can’t understand that she longs to feel “a connection to society”. The last of the three friends isn’t married and everyone is worried because she’s already 39, and a woman’s “market value” decreases rapidly after 35. Because what you learn here (if you didn’t know already from other j-dramas) is that marriage is extremely important. On the other hand, there’s this idea about freedom, independence, personal choice and the right to decide for yourself what “happiness” means…
As for the romance in this drama, I like it! The main focus is on Ogata Satoko (Amami Yuki) and Okamura Keitaro (Fujiki Naohito), who are colleagues.
However, Ogata is a psychiatrist and Okamura is a younger psychologist… so they are different when it comes to social status, income and age. Okamura is also very much into ecology, to the point of being called “stingy” by workmates and ex girlfriends, and at first, it looks like he doesn’t have a lot going for him. They have this relationship where they are constantly irritated and bickering with each other, but in a “good” way. Because even if that guy can be very nit-picky about certain things, he’s honest, smart, caring and gentle, and he’s cute and he likes kids… The more I watched him, the more I liked him, and I enjoyed how their relationship played out.
If I would mention any weak point, then it would be that the “twists and turns” of the drama are a bit too simple and obvious (but I was never bored because I liked and cared about the characters), and also the lack of, well, passion. I’ve learned not to expect j-dramas to be “hot”, but still; a little bit more intensity and chemistry between the two leads (who are both hot and excellent in their own ways) shouldn’t be too much to ask for, and it was perhaps what was lacking for me to give this a higher rating. (I could give Fujiki Naohito a 10 for being impossibly cute when he smiles, but I don’t think that would be fair…)
I’ve got nothing to say about the music, it was okay I guess. And although I enjoyed watching this, I don’t think I would be interested in rewatching it.
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Amazing and Talented Young Cast, but the Storytelling couldn't keep up with them.
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75In the early episodes of “Taste”, it reminded me of another K-drama, “Celebrity”. Set in high school, teenager Bambi has always wanted to be popular and famous. But no matter how much makeup she puts on or tries to distinguish herself, nothing is working for her.
This is until she becomes the Princess of Trash, and with this viral fame befriended a group of rich and popular kids. You know the drill, her eyes are really open now into a world she’s not familiar with. She wants to not only stay there but climb to the top.
I binged through the first 4 episodes of “Taste” easily. We are slowly introduced to the dynamics and the background of the teenagers. We also follow the initial steps Bambi took to distinguish herself. You may not agree with her ways, but you can’t deny her courage and persistence in achieving her dreams. However, the second half of the drama falters. It became too melodramatic and lost the initial fun. The pacing also slows down. It’s already a very short drama, yet these 8 episodes feel very long. “Taste” was unable to find the balance in the latter half when it dived into the consequences of actions. The tone shifts understandably as it should be, but the execution is where I have trouble with. Of course, it also could be because I was very tired after work, and I just couldn’t focus more on the serious stories.
I actually like all the characters, though not all are saints. They are grey and interesting. I wish the drama would be longer so that it can develop the relationships and friendships between them better. At times, things seem to move really fast, and at times, it has no development but harps on the same tune. I want to know more about the friendship between Pure and Namkhang instead of just a couple flashbacks. I want to know more about Tokyo and his boyfriend. I want to know more about Bambi and Mhong, similarly I want more than just flashbacks. I want a little more development between Diesel and Dream when they were gaming, since after they met in-person, all things happened too fast. So much is being glossed over with a couple flashbacks here and there.
On the other hand, I think the major strength of this drama is the incredible and talented young actors and actresses. I have to say, I am incredibly impressed. Before watching “Taste”, I think I only recognized Phuwin and Charlette (I might have seen the rest in other roles that I don’t remember). I’ve seen Phuwin in a few dramas before and was very surprised to see that he can really act. I’ve seen Charlette in “Bangkok Blossom” and already knew she could act. But I have to say, she was more amazing in “Bangkok Blossom” due to her character, but she’s good in “Taste” as well. Mabelz as our female lead was amazing. Her big eyes are mesmerizing. I have to say she was a big surprise because as I went through her drama list, this is only her second drama and first main role. Oh and I discovered the cute patootie, Tony Anthony. He’s the sweetest guy in the whole drama, and he’s just so adorable. LOL. The rest of the supporting cast is awesome as well and they are all very charismatic. What a talented cast!
This is not a cheap production. You can see there’s some money poured into the drama with beautiful costumes, hair and makeup, lighting and sets. I guess they make good use of the money they get from all the advertisements. Unfortunately, I was unable to find good English subs for this drama. I watched the second half with very poor AI-translation and that’s not helping when I already was having a hard time enjoying the last few episodes
“Taste” has the potential to be a much better drama especially with such a talented cast. It has the ingredients of very interesting characters but does not have enough time to develop them all. This could easily be a 12 to 14-episode drama with better developed stories and pacing. I am disappointed to not rate this higher because I did have a hard time watching the last few episodes. It’s not a bad drama, but the first few episodes raised my expectations and I was disappointed. I was debating a 7.5 or 8.0 rating for a long time. I am going to settle with 7.75 (rounding up to 8.0) because I like the cast so much.
Completed: 7/18/2025 Review #604
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This review may contain spoilers
Such a great series! I really, really, really, really wish this had more episodes! There was so much more to explore, about the backgrounds and experiences of both Mimi and Tan. What I really loved was, the issues that they faced were so real, I am really glad they addressed that. I think the main problem Tan and Mimi faced between each other was expectations, because they had a mental image formed of the perfect person in their mind, the person in front of them became annoying, but that's not reality, and coming to terms with that was what was shown in this drama.
I really wish they would have explored the drama more.
Thinking back the premise is excellent, I don't have to think twice about what will drive the story forward. Although the DJ by night/rude classmate by day concept is kinda trope-ish the execution was so fresh and realistic!
Thinking back, the characters are really beautifully created, Mimi and Tan are different in so many different ways, Tan grew up lonely and unloved by family, while Mimi's family practically baby her unto this day, resulting in such contrast in their personalities, Tan is brash and can't look around at others to save his life, while Mimi is extremely sensitive and so affected by her surroundings.
But on the other hand similar too, they are both kinda loud when annoyed and both fall asleep in extremely similar ways, and I think (although its not explicitly shown in the drama) from the conversations they have over radio, they can really sit down and talk, which i think is a precious thing to share.
The execution was in a troll-ish/comedic vein, and I was practically smiling every second, but I seriously would not mind watching the same premise in a more serious light for 10-16 episodes.
Regardless, Thanks so much to the production team, for bringing such memorable characters to the screen for us.
And 10/10 acting by Singto and Jamie from beginning to end. 10/10 for the chemistry as well!
I smiled the whole way (And even squealed several times). Looking forward to their future work!??????
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the best drama 2023 so far
i love hidden love. i can say that this is the best drama 2023 and this this the first time i started to watch chinese drama. i can rewatch this drama more than 10 times until now. i can't move on from this drama. everything is excellent, the story, the acting/the cast, the ost everything is perfect. i love hidden love. i love hidden love. i love chen zhe yuan and zhaou lusi. they can play the role very well. With a total of 25 episodes, I think this Hidden Love drama is really light. The conflict is not too heavy that makes us stressed, instead it makes us smile and smile to see Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xuso you guys have to watch hidden love. I'm sure you guys must love it as much as I do.
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This review may contain spoilers
Excellent except for a predictable ending
This drama scored well on many hygiene factors: beautiful costumes, spectacular special effects, an excellent cast, handsome male lead, pretty second female lead, a popular female lead, lovely music. The story was intriguing - it's was like an onion, you just keep peeling layers after layers to get to the core. Secrets were being revealed one at a time to finally give the complete picture. Aside from the mysteries and secrets, you got to see the typical dramatic spice-up - love triangle, jealousy, saving the damsel in distress... The main male and female lead were suspicious of each other but they eventually fell in love.However, the ending was somewhat predictable - all in line with today's trend. So if you watch enough of Chinese drama in recent years, you would know how it would end. In some way, it took the shine off the drama.
Bai Shuo was the second daughter to the Governor. When she was a child, her sister and she were almost killed by a demon and was saved by a god. She promised to repay him. Motivated by this, she strived to become an immortal. Mistaking Fan Yue who was the demon leader as an immortal, she sought his help to attain immortality. Chong Zhao was Bai Shuo's childhood fiance and was determined to protect his fiance from the demon leader. Together, they uncovered the secrets of the ancient gods, how they were related to them, and the divine responsibilities they were entrusted with.
The drama had some major flaws. A fraudster priestess was passed off as the personification of heaven law to bring the couple together. This was absurd, distasteful and unconvincing. There are already enough gullible people in this world without the screenwriter introducing such stupid ideas into people's head. A fraudster should stay a fraudster in the story - better still get punished accordingly.
And what is today's trend? The second lead/s die; the hero or heroine dies as well but get resurrected. That is typically how Chinese drama ends these days.
Overall, I say, this drama was still one of the best fantasy Chinese drama. Debating whether to give it a full 10 or 9.5, I decided to give it a 9.5. As with a lot of recent dramas, the drama had an excellent start but somehow tired out in the last couple of episodes. For that and the predictable ending, I took 0.5 points off.
If you are not a drama addict as I am and have not watched as many Chinese dramas as I have, this could be an excellent drama to follow.
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PLOT: Interesting start, but loses steam down the middle and ends with a crash.
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The premise of the show is refreshingly original: two babies --a boy and a girl-- are born on the same date and time to different families. Both suffer from unexplained periods of sickness, causing their parents to seek an explanation from a creepy Shaman. Coincidentally, the same Shaman sees both cases separately and reveals that their child has been born with half a fate. Which means, our protagonists are bound to "steal fortune" from each other in order to survive. So whenever one of them gets lucky, the other is met with misfortune.
Sounds pretty interesting, right? Well, it could've been had they focused on that aspect of the story. Unfortunately, the concept got lost and buried by ambitious writers who had neither the plan nor the talent to pull off their convoluted story.
The show suffers from a cast of characters that act and react in ridiculous ways to dire situations, rendering them borderline stupid. We also get a mob of undeveloped antagonists with questionable and vague motives, a painful dose of lack of chemistry between the main leads, dubious acting from most of the cast and a plot so convoluted, you don't know what's going on half the time. Not only do plot-points get abandoned without a reason, but tough decisions taken by characters lack logic and bear no consequences.
Despite all that, perhaps the BIGGEST flaw is the inability of the writers to commit to a tone. That's not to say the story can't be funny and heartwarming, or that horror and romance can't work together. There have been shows that have managed to pull off the change in tone flawlessly. But alas, it is not so with this one.
Though the story kicked out strong, using a dark undertone to build a sense of excitement, the atmosphere was soon broken and the narrative got twisted into a "parody", which turned the drama into one big joke.
So when the writers attempted to re-inject "horror" into the show, it failed to make an impact. Death was treated with so little consequence, it became meaningless. Antagonists where likewise hard to take seriously when the protagonists' reaction towards them was reminiscent of how Shaggy and Scooby-Doo acted when confronted with their own childish enemies... The conflicts were built up, but the resolution was weak and, therefore, wasn't a worthy payoff. Even the melodramatic scenes and romance were over-dramatic and hard to swallow.
Overall, the constant changes in tone were as subtle as a bull strolling through a china store...
MAIN CHARACTERS: A mixed bag
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Yoo Phillip (male lead played by Park Shi Hoo): He's introduced as an unlikable character and thus, it takes a long while to get used to him, let alone warm up to him. In a nutshell, he's extremely lucky, famous, cowardly, self-centered and selfish. Although we later learn that he's not a stranger to suffering and that, underneath his narcissistic nature, lays a man afraid to get hurt by those close to him, I can't promise that you'll like his character. I did find him tolerable after a while, but I think the biggest reason I disliked him had to do with his comical acting. I've seen Park Shi Hoo before, so I suspect the director is to blame. I also might've suffered from a bit of cultural shock because whoever did his makeup, had an incredibly heavy hand. Either that or he was sponsoring a lipstick company... which would explain A LOT.
Ji Eunl Soon (female lead played by Song Ji Hyo): She's something of a mixed bag. Although she's more likable than the male lead, that bar is pretty low. For most of the show, she's stuck in the role of the underdog. Given how much she's suffered, you can't help but root for her and wish her happiness. However, as the series progresses, she stopped making sense. Her actions and reactions took an "idealized" tone that I couldn't buy. Someone who's been through the things she had would naturally feel resentment, but not Eunl Soon... In the end, she's riddled with the same traits other k-drama female leads suffer from. She's insanely goodhearted, sacrificial in nature, suffers from a hefty dose of low self-worth (perfect for the male lead to swoop in and pull her out of her shell), turns passive when it matters and remains incapable of hating (or at least resenting) anyone, even when they most certainly deserve it... All in all, she started out as someone I wanted to root for but I ended up getting frustrated with her by the end.
Sung Joong (second male lead by Lee Gi Kwang): This series will give you second lead syndrome and with good reason. Sung Joong is the most relatable character and the one who makes the most sense. His motivations are clear, his emotions are properly conveyed and he acts and reacts as a normal person would. He's also active in the pursuit of what he wants and he's kind, mature and understanding... However, if push comes to shove he'll fight to protect those he cares about, even if he has to break his word or emotionally hurt them in the process. All in all, his character may not be the most original, but he is consistent. Ironically, that in and of itself makes him feel out of place. He's a sane character trapped in a universe populated by wacky characters. It's like he was conceived for another story but got stolen and forced into this narrative with a hammer. Sung Joong... you deserved much better!
ANTAGONISTS: Shallow, underdeveloped and too many
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As to avoid spoilers, I'll talk about them in general. The main issue I have is that there are way too many opponents for such a short story. However, there's no hierarchy to them, so it's hard to gauge their threat level or even focus on their motivations (or lack thereof). The result is a story that gets more confusing with each passing episode, with antagonists that bring little to the table. Some of them are mildly interesting, but most are quite generic and forgettable. How they end up being taken care of also leaves a lot to be desired in the imagination department.
Take note that confusion and intrigue are two different things, and this one suffered from the former.
PORTRAYAL OF ROMANCE: prepare for a cringe-fest
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I'm still uncertain of whether the romance was intentionally portrayed as a parody... or if the writers wanted to integrate a sweet story but failed spectacularly. The scenes that were supposed to be romantic were funny at best... but at worst, they rolled into the cringy zone and got stuck there. In fact, every painfully long kissing scene had me praying for it to end.
I don't think the story made proper room for romance. It might've been a lot more fun if the two leads had kept their relationship platonic and focused on building a friendship (or even a rivalry) instead.
Since I couldn't think of any highlights, here are some drawbacks of the romance:
-There's a lot of lying going on in their relationship, which translates in unmotivated lack of trust.
-It's never very clear why they got together. I felt neither chemistry nor real romance whenever they interacted. They just sort of... got together without rhyme or reason. Fate, maybe? (Interestingly enough, even the characters seem to question why they got together... so that says something).
-They had very little in common and no shared interest.
-Their interactions were often quite cringy.
-Second lead was much better but, to be frank, the main female lead didn't deserve him either. He was just too good for this show.
OVERALL: Good concept, terribly painful execution
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The main concept (sharing half a fate) had so much potential it hurts to see it wasted. Despite the original concept it promised, I can't in good conscience recommend this drama since it didn't deliver at least a decently structured story.
Though it started very strong, it lacked consistency which spelled its downfall. The romance felt cringy and out of place; the horror felt childish and cartoony, and the melodrama felt like a bad soap opera at best and like a ten-year old's first fanfiction at worst...
Honestly, I struggled not to drop this one and ended up muscling through the latter part of the story. If the show had focused on only two antagonists, then maybe the story might've been clearer (and cleaner)...
Then again, I would've focused only on the heart of the story --the protagonists sharing half a fate. That would've made for an interesting story without over-complicating it with ghosts, nightmares, possessions, psychopaths, frenemies, stalkers, dysfunctional families, abandonment issues, struggles with self-worth, competitive rivalries and all the other crap they threw our way.
This was a story that lost its way and shattered into mediocrity.
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Funny, fluffy, with some serious drama too...
This is such a sweet hidden gem, with drama, fluff, more drama and more fluff... Oh and some humour too.Though the main theme is a little bit out there, taking body swap just one step longer having two people in both bodies at once. Making way for som fun, fluffy, (yes I said fluffy again), and awkward situations with a focus on time zones instead of the oh so popular over used gender. giving us a lovely bickering couple who can bicker a lot without actually meeting each other... Watching these two use all kinds of self harm to fight each other is funnier than I thought it would be, and though there may be some slight second hand embarrassment that would otherwise bother me, it could be my mood, but it did not bother me at all.
Both leads are lovable, and there are no purely annoying characters as each supporting cast seems to do their role well, all are well casted, some I would say extremely well casted (Patrick Shih) and the movie is well written with good pacing keeping me curious and interested from start to finish.
I am willing to admit that some parts of the plot are a tad predictable, however they do have their own touch as well as great visuals and again fluff, fluffily, fluff... Ok there is also a guy in a coms, loneliness, a guy who crosses the line here and there, people being treated badly, lack of privacy and death... but it is well imbedded in fluffy cover of white snow... Making you forget all that stuff and only remembering the fluff... Just kidding... the pain and struggles are very much real and are well balanced by the fluff, how well is up to you to find out if you watch this movie.
If I should complain about one thing it is the idea of you must love yourself to be loved that is repeatedly mentioned here.... I say a person who truly cares will love you no matter how much you hate yourself... So forget pressure about having to love yourself or find yourself to be loved, that you can do regardless... So just take the love stuff out of the equation.
Definitely a movie I recommend, and it is even available with subs free and legally on you tube!
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Things happen here and there.
Some scenes scared me, there's a lot of jumpscare.
As the movie goes i started to understand what's going on. It was funny then scary then funny again then heartwarming. The plot twist were really unexpected!
The ost was really good! Especially the one playing at the end.
However the poster is misleading. It made me think that the pink hair girl is the FL, but she actually isn't.
This is a movie that needs to be watch few times so that i could understand. But i can't stand the scary scenes, i don't think i could ever rewatch it alone.
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A “ Bloodcurdingly” Dire Drama...
Upon paper, Blood actually has quite a good plot premise; vampires created in a “ I am Legend” - style way by infection (rather than the traditional manner in most vampire shows) , a protagonist infected since birth who wants to defy his fate and help others by becoming a doctor , as well as a female lead who actually had the potential to be a strong and independent asset within the show rather than just a mere love interest .Instead, there is a sense of discordance within the overall drama between Ahn Jae- Sung’s moping upon screen for nearly half the series around a hospital (which after the first few episodes no longer seem to have something called “ A and E” or a regular flow of surgery operations )and Gu Hye Seon raising her voice as she flouts about the hospital stalking Jae-Sung as Yoo Ri Ta, without a second glance at the fact she’s in a senior position and in reality would be inundated in a pool of work requests and submissions.
It isn’t that Jae-Sung is a bad actor as he’s proven his talents before in shows like The Beauty Inside (2018) as one of the suave Male leads who was comically charismatic . Yet there’s no sugarcoating that Jae-Sung ‘s performance as Park Ji Sang was not one of his best and for a major proportion of the show, Jae- Sung came off as rigid and tight. Similarly whilst Gu Hye Seon is renowned for her performance in Boys Over Flowers (2009), she channelled her character, Yoo Ri Ta through a mixture of a deliverance of yelling her lines and stoic expressions as well.
Admittedly this also a fault of the director, the story writing and characterisation of the overall drama as well. Rather than directors Lee Jae Hoon and Ki Min Soo pulling up Hye Seon and Jae- Sung’s performances over minor errors in earlier episodes to improve their performances and avoid later mistakes, they seemed to be too obsessed with the thought of trying to deliver a contemporary drama which they thought that Korean audiences would lap up after recent waves of western vampire franchises in Korea.
Yet the scriptwriters must also be put under the interrogation light here for their part as well in regards to the lack of characterisation and plot as well. Rather than Park Jae Bum actually allowing us to see Ji Sang’s own personal struggles as well as a sense of attachment towards Ri Ta’s own experiences as a development within their relationship, the scenes that viewers do see ‘ moments of the past’ are neither talked about or mentioned again leading to a very rigid “ romantic’’ ( if you can call it that ) relationship between both characters for a major proportion of the show. Perhaps the one saving performance of the show was Jin Hee who was actually fairly good within his performance, however, the same cannot be said for his character Lee Jae Wook who had the potentially to be possibly one of the most intriguing characters of the drama, yet typical to the cliches he was forced into a lacking sense of depth and purpose within the show.
For most of Blood, Jae Bum seems obsessed with trying to cram in a myriad of useless plot points amongst only a couple of useful ones before rushing to the action and ending by the finale. Rather than building or progressing the show over a course of sixteen episodes, there’s little explanation or reasoning behind a lot of the events of Blood; presumably Ji- sang not ageing at the same rate of humans ( and if this applies to all vampires in the show), the actual motives behind our antagonist and of course what was up with the ending as well.
It is wrong to say that Blood is entirely unwatchable as it did actually have some good points such as Kwon Hyung Sang as the much needed comical relief of the series ( for most of it at least) and an intriguing plot premise, yet rather than Blood being one of the best cult classic Korean dramas of all time, it’s a farce of itself with dire acting, directing and writing. Overall it’s fair to say that Blood is a perfect drama to binge watch if you’re bored and looking for something to watch, but it is certainly not worth investing time and effort towards.
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