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Sets, costumes, music. It's standard for Chinese dramas, meaning very high quality. The fights are superb, with all the swirling fabrics and blades slicing through the air. And then killing by piercing the body with wires is inventive and very beautiful visually. (My God, what am I saying ?) The first two episodes follow a frenetic pace, after which things calm down a bit, but it maintains its framing, slow motion, high-energy inserts, mini-flashbacks, etc. (Long-focus close-ups, on the other hand, are still illegal. Forbidden !) The most frenzied conspiracy in history. And the editing doesn't give you a second's respite. Great art.There is virtually only one woman in this world, the fierce Zhong Xueman, but on the other hand there are many men obsessed with Xiao Beiming, the “wanted detective”. Men who are extremely devoted or willing to do anything to find him and prove that he is not dead, lost as they are in imagining him gone. Lost to the point of dreaming about him, in a friendly way, of course. These Chinese dramas and their queer baiting are trying; we suspect that they can't do any more, but still, it's trying. Do or do not.
Xiang Hanzhi, aka Xueman, looks very young, and it's quite strange to see a character like hers evolve in this world of men as an equal. That said, the actress is very good in her role as an invincible fighter.
The Mission Impossible-style masks are brilliant ! And very practical. They quickly abandon them, too. You never know what to do with them. Apart from that, the humour is sparse but always effective; we would have liked to see more of these scenes.
There are some minor oddities worth noting, such as Xiao Beiming, who is too ill to move in one episode, then jumps in to save his friends in the next ; and at one point he has to hide or risk being identified and put in prison, but ends up walking around freely among the crowd. Quantum camouflage. Then, when he is taken prisoner, he walks around everywhere with his hands cuffed, but he gives instructions to his former fellow inspectors, which is funny. In France, we have a former president (a scumbag) who was sentenced to wear an electronic tag to avoid rotting in prison like everyone else, but because it annoyed him and he didn't respect any of the restrictions (being at home after 10 p.m.), the courts decided to take it away. Take a leaf out of his book, Xiao Beiming.
It's a shame about the slump in the middle, as episodes 17-18 are more like summaries of the story than anything else. After that, it picks up again, at its own pace, with numerous reminders of where we are in the investigation. So this is not a series to binge-watch, as I did. The series loses momentum towards the end. What a shame. I was a huge fan of the first half.
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(TW: this series deals with sexual assault, alcoholism and domestic violence.)Jeong-woo's courage and patience, though. Everyone condemned him and no one will ever apologise. Then his ‘friends’ don't help him, cowardly and sneaky. It makes me so angry to see their behaviour. The total lack of guilt on the part of the perpetrators is infuriating. I was drawn to the hero's determination. That's the real crux of this series, his determination to prove his innocence, so much so that the background of the characters who take his side is barely mentioned and not exploited at all.
The first episode is exemplary in its abrupt narration; the rest really takes its time, it's too long, far too long. For example, we get a piece of evidence to understand what happened ten years earlier and for an entire episode, it's just there, nothing is done with it, no one studies it. Eight episodes instead of 14 would have worked much better.
Next: the portrayal of autism. Frankly, I'm fed up with it. We're always reduced to circus freaks in perpetual crisis. Here, on top of that, he's some kind of dangerous madman. I'm really sick of it. Maybe one day we'll get a real, honest portrayal, namely a poor, isolated person, nothing spectacular, which is what most of us are, and not a rich kid with his own little painting studio and a dead body in his basement. Pfff.
Kim Bo-ra gives yet another good performance, still with a slight resemblance to Shelley Duval. In episode 7, one inspector asks another if the actress (he calls her by her real acting name, not her character's name) is more popular than Choi Na-gyeom, a character in the series; a strange joke, even sexist... it must have been improvised, I imagine.
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It's not impossible that all the lights in my flat were on and that my cat ended up in my arms during the first two episodes. Me ? scared ? Not at all. When faced with this kind of story, you have to tell yourself one thing : if ghosts existed, there would be hundreds of thousands of them per square meter. We'd spend all our time getting rid of them.The “ignore them, don't talk to them” thing reminded me of King's The Dark Tower, the Vaadasch, the journey from one world to another. The people around us don't know we're there, but they sense us and can become threatening or even deadly if they spot us. Things are going to go badly.
Anyway.
The discreet, cold music reinforces the emotional impact and this rather original vision of the afterlife. A terribly sad atmosphere. In the bus episode, we know what's going to happen, which makes it even more depressing to watch. Silence also plays a major role.
A very beautiful series, admirably well written, particularly thanks to its twist on fear. The ending is heartbreaking. And the poor dog, we can say, was a good girl.
“You must find the light.”
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Highly improbable situations, but it's always good to steal from the rich, steal from these thieves. In reality, their little game doesn't work for a second because these rich people already talk to each other, and because their tiny world works by co-optation, it's impossible to integrate into it. Comrades, you will never be rich.Park Min Young plays her character in such a chaotic way, because she is so devilishly manipulative, that you never know what to expect, and that's what keeps you watching the series despite its grotesque plot twists. She stresses me out a little with her frozen smile that says "checkmate".
Why isn't actress Kim Bo-ra playing the character named Kim Bo-ra ? If it was a reference, I didn't get it.
A "IQ of 167" is still not proof of intelligence. IQ has no scientific basis. Screenwriters : stop. Or else do your little IQ tests among yourselves. The fault lies with the Japanese author, obviously, because 'Confidence Queen' is a remake of 'The Confidence Man JP'. I didn't know that. It's the opposite of Park Min-young's previous K-drama, 'Marry My Husband'. (not seen)
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Before being a story about letters traveling through time, it is above all a love story between two young people whom life has not spared. They find refuge together. And... no spoilers. It's the saddest of happy endings. I didn't know it would go in that direction. It hits you like a punch in the gut. However, my little lovebirds (allow me to call you that), you're waiting for a rotten cat to take care of your letters, so of course it's not working out the way you want it to. That filthy beast. Pfft !
It takes a hell of a lot of commitment to a relationship to send love letters from the future. His declaration, "I want to be your family, if you allow me" and her simple, obvious reaction... I'm melting. They're perfect for each other. And the two actors play their characters on the brink of disaster admirably. Wang Yinglu is completely immersed in her role, deeply moving.
When she is the first person in the world to celebrate his birthday and he cries silently... and he eats his cake while crying his eyes out. It's hard not to shed a tear. Don't make sad stories like that, you don't realise, we watch them afterwards ! Besides, the two are ageing in Veer-Zaara years, it's terrible, this disease. A little-known side effect is that it makes the audience burst into tears, and we don't do enough to prevent that.
"If I ever bring you misfortune, you must leave me."
Ps : Why include a chubby character named ‘fat dog’ who eats all the time ? We'll never know. Even if he served a purpose in the story (he doesn't), there was no need for this fatphobia. Chinese productions have a real problem with this.
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It's hard to ignore the limited special effects, to put it diplomatically.
You have to be really into celestial palace intrigues between millennial beings in an bad RPG landscape. I lasted until halfway through. 17 out of 33 episodes, no less. The cardboard sets, the ridiculous superpowers, the scheming between clans I didn't know existed five minutes ago, death but actually no I'm coming back as a spirit and I'm alive again (are you elves, actually ?), all of that got the better of my patience.
Wang Yinglu is exceptional, naturally. In 'Twelve Letters', that same year, she played a completely different character with great intensity. She's a superb actress. And she undoubtedly deserves better roles than that of a servant to a capricious god.
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The twists feel forced. They had to fill in the gaps.
It's a decent little series, but don't expect too much.
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(Service message : Not a binge-watching series, there's too little action. You can even skip an episode or two without any problem)I'm not sure I agree with the whole parallel between being a fan of an idol and being a lesbian. If you want to talk about coming out, do it, for real. What's with these jokes about colleagues judging her for being a fan of this singer ? I imagine it's well-intentioned, but it doesn't have the right effect at all. Anyway, let's move on. At least the character who 'discovers' it, Ryan Gold, has no problem with two women being in a relationship. (Thank goodness. Expectations are so low, we're easily satisfied.)
Other than that, it's funny and cute, thanks to Park Min-young. How could it be otherwise ? But everyone is adorable. Kim Bo-ra and her little surprised grimaces, her futile pouts, her sweetness. The judo brother at the beginning embodies a gentle and benevolent masculinity, which we love here at the editorial office. (me) But he becomes unbearable and jealous after. I choose to ignore this whole "we're not family" thing, which I don't understand. The editorial team approves of the shots of him in the shower, even if their usefulness in the story remains to be seen. Well done, judo.
Kim Jae-wook, always too handsome to be honest. I'm wary of men like him. He kisses his girlfriend on the nose, just look at how indecent this man is !
Cha Si-an, what a shame, such a kind character, it's scandalous. A pure, innocent little kitten. I am outraged. His place is in a museum among the Greco-Roman sculptures.
Every episode I watched was under codeine, due to the frequency of my migraines. It passes the time. In the dark with the sound turned down low, religiously, tinnitus at its worst. Occasional dizziness.
PS: The fortune teller who speaks French, as a good French person who respects himself (and therefore hates other French people), I can say that this person is talking nonsense. Random words.
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"For the rich, mistakes are just bad memories. For us, they're our downfall."At first, it's hard to warm to this erratic inspector... one minute he's threatening a forensic colleague with a knife, the next he's being attentive to a victim. A truly detestable cop, in other words. (pleonasm)
Then, the cop and the judge agree to sentence a starving man to death, justice in action.
Anyway, what an incredible coincidence that all these people find themselves 20 years later in the same place, at the same trial. Chance works in mysterious ways. Chance, of course. *wink wink* Like the fact that everyone is wearing exactly the same black raincoat. (at least six different people !)
Despite this incredible start, the suspense in this series is phenomenal. You just can't stop watching ; you want to know what happens next. It's really well done. But as usual, it's pure police propaganda and a plea to abolish laws that supposedly protect criminals too much. Classic right-wing scam.
More than once I thought I had figured out who did what (no spoilers), but no ! my immense cosmic brain did not foresee that right after that, they would do the magical twist of these Korean series. And then another. And another. Hold on tight, it's going to twist. The more obvious it seems, the more it will be turned upside down. Like in Mouse, it throws out bits and pieces of events, continues, then comes back, adds an element, and calls everything into question. Only evil geniuses write scripts like this.
It may sound amusing when put like that, but ultimately it isn't. There is suspense, but not for our amusement. It is a terrible story that echoes many true stories about adoption, orphanages and abuse. It is notable that revenge is not glorified. No one emerges victorious from this plot. Strangely the series ends on a hopeful note : caring for the victims before punishing the perpetrators.
Ps : Memories that come back after being repressed by the subconscious are certainly very useful when telling a story with multiple layers, but they are above all scientifically questionable. First of all, the so called subconscious is psy nonsense. Secondly, memory is not a hard drive with videos ready to play ; it is information that we gather and organise according to our personal logic, constantly reconstructing or forgetting. That's my nitpicky or annoying side, sorry.
In no particular order :
-Taecyeon can wear a cap and a mask, but his big protruding ears will always give him away. Poor guy.
-All the phone conversations sound like a voiceover from heaven, which is a disturbing choice.
-Let's salute the work of Park Ji-bin, the vampire who manages to pass himself off as a K-drama actor with brio. Anne Rice has gone too far.
-The little song during the flashbacks : very annoying. Never again.
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It starts with characters who are immediately endearing, situations with potential, beautiful pastel-toned photography, truly a sight to behold. Even though it's visually stunning, even though the two lead actresses are excellent, I have to say that a polite boredom crept over me with each passing episode. Kim Da-mi, always in gentle roles, and Shin Ye-eun, always with natural authority, explore their friendship. At first, I imagined it would be more, but our expectations are quickly dampened : they are good friends, period.When you see all these subplots piling up without being developed, it's a very bad sign. Pure filler masquerading as a slice of life. From episode 3 onwards, I skipped scenes that seemed of dubious interest to me. We have two main female characters, and their friendship or relationship with each other should be at the heart of the story. Not some stupid love triangle with a guy who isn't interested.
The show takes the viewers' time for granted far too much. Between The Murky Stream and this, it's definitely not a great year for Shin Ye-eun.
Also, the pop version of Bach's music, played on the piano, may have its charm for some people, no doubt, and good for them, but not for me. I prefer to listen to Bach himself, if you don't mind, dear composer.
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2 AM Regrets and Social Media Scares......
As someone who loves horror, I feel terrified watching this series. Not because of the story, but I guess because I watched it around 2 a.m. every single night, which turned out to be a very bad time to enjoy this series...The story was actually good; now I have to remove my birthdate from my social media to hide it. It's actually scary knowing the day you were born can become a black magic advantage for some rituals.
My problem with this series is Thup's character. I watched Pooh for the first time in Pit Babe, but for some reason, I still feel like he is acting as Charlie rather than being Thup for this series.
Another thing is the way they wrapped up the series, which made me fast-forward through as many scenes as possible. There are thousands of ways to wrap up this series, but they chose the same way over and over again.
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To tell the truth, I don't think I'm particularly fond of the police. This series reminds me of that with a certain acuity. Cops are detestable. We don't talk to them, we have nothing to say to them, we don't let them in, we haven't done anything wrong. They will always find something to make our lives miserable, so let's not make it easy for them. I was absolutely, totally, entirely on the side of this mother and her falsely mysterious sidekick. What poverty drives people to do, though... The theme is less about drugs than about the injustice of this world where being poor condemns you to death, where being honest makes you lose your job, where family only exists when everything is going well. The cycle of economic and social violence ensures that those at the bottom stay at the bottom.The war on drugs is above all a war on the poor and minorities. And doctors who snitch to the police are no better. And come on, Eun-soo's boss goes in the bin with the rest. We give you a little power, you abuse it, you filthy bosses.
A solid series, albeit a little slow. Some scenes beat around the bush too much, and there's an overuse of the trick of cutting a scene dishonestly to make us believe something else. (I know what I mean)
The ending leaves a bitter taste. Punishing a character once was clearly not enough, they had to insist because, you see, drugs are bad, oh so bad, not good ! Bring on season 2, quickly. I'm in.
However, it's nice to see a male-female duo without any romantic tension. If you see one, you're part of the problem. (What nonsense I can spout)
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I find myself fundamentally incompatible with this type of Chinese drama. Given the rave reviews and ratings, I wanted to give it a chance, but no, the frail woman whispering in the ear of her warrior husband, whom she was forced to marry for the good of the country, because it's well known that nobles care about the welfare of the Chinese nation... I can't watch this anymore.The sets, costumes, music, everything is very beautiful. Normal, shall we say. Unfortunately, I couldn't care less.
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The song "danse avec moi, jusqu'à la fin du jour, dis-moi je t'aime" (in English : dance with me until the end of the day, tell me you love me) during the operation at the beginning, the discomfort !The staging, the sterile atmosphere, the rain, it's beautiful. They're not messing with us. Shoulder-mounted cameras, wide shots, transitions from one character to another with a simple movement, they know what they're doing here.
But they need to stop slapping the main character around, it's not acceptable. At the beginning, she spends all her time screaming and exploding with rage, then gets slapped once or twice, we can't keep writing and filming that.
Getting fired because you're infamous is not very credible in this environment. There's no shortage of nasty, self-important doctors. Okay, she kills bad guys on the side, in her spare time... But who hasn't [deleted by moderator] ? Those two are a perfect match. Unfortunately for me, I don't really understand the nature of their relationship: mentor-protégée, enemies-allies. It's too implicit for my little autistic brain. (It wouldn't be the first time.) In the end, I really don't understand why they're doing all this ; the reasons given don't seem coherent.
In terms of storytelling, this series could have been a film. It's obvious. There's too much repetition when everything is already well established in the first episode. It only lasts eight episodes, yet it feels too long. We're stuck at the same stage instead of bringing in new elements or developing the characters.
There's far too much shouting in this series. And I also hate it when we're shown a scene and then the next second it's all cancelled out because it was just a character's imagination. Stop doing that.
Ps : The policeman bears a resemblance to gérald darmanin (writing his name disgusts me), the French Minister of Justice, who admitted in an interview that he exchanged sex with poor women for social housing, using his position as an elected official. We call him "il ne faut pas dire: le sale vi*leur" (in english : don't say: the dirty r*pist). Never bothered by the law, of course, that's France for you, a country where the parties that lose elections stay in power and criminals become ministers. He also makes disgusting mouth noises in interviews, by the way ! like the policeman. This man quotes fascists in his speeches and admires Napoleon's anti-Semitic laws, but strangely enough, no journalist ever asks him about it.
Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. I hate him. A small brain tumour wouldn't hurt him, with all due respect.
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