Viver (2018)

I am NOT one of those who watched it for LKS. Even though i am a huge fan of LKS, the character and the story seemed a little how do i put it, not fitting any of his earlier characters or his face (Having seen him through Running Man, this character was extremely unexpected and unimaginable). I was attracted to the story, stayed for the characters and was impressed by LKS (definitely upset that he didn't get a mature relationship). This story is about the daily life, hard-work and sacrifices that police officers go through. The direction and editing was well done and the brilliant actors kept us entertained till the end.

Genre : Crime, Slice of Life

Story : Two youngsters decide to join the police force and meet people while growing up in their jobs. The story starts with a small description of their earlier lives and the reason why they decide to join the police force and the character growth of each of the characters through the drama is heart-felt and sentimental. The MVP though are Bae Jong Ok who is a badass detective and Bae Sung Woo who is a troublemaker of sorts. All the characters play their part in the story and every character is given enough importance to make us connect with them. If you want a drama that makes you understand the life style of a korean police-man, i would strongly recommend this.

Actors : Lee Kwang Soo has a funny face but the character growth he showed towards the end made me appreciate him as an actor. I have seen him in his earlier dramas but this showed his true potential as an actor. It would have been better if he gets a better role with a more matured love-story.
Jung Yoo mi is a really versatile actress.

Will i watch it again? Probably not.

Will i recommend it to anyone? Yes only for the amazing story.

Leia Mais

Wow it seems that this drama make it 3 for 3 of me writing a review this year. But this drama got the first 9.5 I have given this year we’re the highest score I have given has been a 8.5.

This review may not be quite cohenrent because I’m a total mess right now. But I feel like I should pour this out right now.

Coming into this drama you should prepare tons of tissues. Trust me I’m not a cryer but this drama has me in tears ( granted I just gave birth so I may still be quite hormonal. )But don’t dismiss my warning you need tissues. I really want to go to Korea and kiss Noh Hee Kyung for her genius and her ability to hit the right cords with slice of life dramas. If you don’t believe me you should try a few of her others works like Dear Friends, It’s okay, that love, that winter, the wind blows or Padam, Padam or even The world that they live in to cite a few from memory.

Writer-nim has just knows that perfect balance to just draw you in and make you feel for her characters. What to say about Live. Forget all the pretty boys and the young characters love stories or whatever. This drama which I believe was supposed to be more of an ensemble drama got truly dominated by the veterans cast, yes the veterans in this just shined and outshine the young crew. The ply of the new recruit is hard but you kinda easily get stuck on what annoys about them, like Sang Soo irrational need to be complimented and that annoying ways of feeling like the eternal victim that the world should revolves around. Kwang Soo did impress me in his first serious type of role but he did not draw me in. I didn’t feel for his character even thought I empathized with their circumstances.


What truly pull me in was Oh Yang Chon a good and mostly overzealous cop and his family and his circle of friend ( excluding the new recruits.) that truly made you cry, laugh. Oh Yang Chon and his wife Ahn Jang Mi truly make you go wow being a civil servant in South Korea truly is a thankless job. I mean in the climate in wich we live these days in the west you get a lot of the law enforcement protecting it own. But you don’t see it in this drama this family of cops is incessantly thrown under the bus by their higher up and the thankless public. I truly loved that the writer and the director didn’t try to romanticize the jobs they were doing.

Truly I’m feeling too emotional right now so I may edit the review later when I have calmed down. But for now I tell you don’t dismiss this drama go watch it. And truly if you see and of brave law enforcements unsung heroes say thank you.

Leia Mais

Slice of Life Police Procedural That's Sympathetic to Both Law Enforcement and Citizenry

The Good:

• No serial killer cat-and-mouse, genius detectives or glory hounds. Police work is everything from dealing with drunks to navigating departmental politics to high profile/high risk cases and it's all treated with the same gravitas.
• You may love-to-hate or hate-to-love some of the cast, but they all have reasons for the way they act and interact with each other and their conflicts and hang-ups stem from more relatable issues than Kdrama tropes.
• There's no easy answer to systemic societal problems and the narrative doesn't pretend to have any. Sometimes people make bad choices, sometimes they make good choices and sometimes there aren't any choices at all; just consequences.

The Either/Or:

• Because of the profession the issues dealt with are more serious than most slice of life dramas.
• The rookie romance love triangle is fine, but it could have been easily omitted without changing anything important in the story or characters; which is usually a sign that something should have been omitted.

The Bad:

• The final episodes take a dramatic turn which doesn't match the tone of the rest of the story. It's not completely over the top, but the main point - that guns can save as well as kill - was already adeptly proven reviously.
• The character stories could have been more tightly wrapped up instead of said dramatics.

Takeaway:

• It's a realistic and relatable depiction of broken people in a broken system trying to help each other without getting too artsy or pedantic in presentation. Highly recommended if you enjoy bleak but hopeful and occasionally philosophical slice of life dramas like Misaeng, Black Dog and My Mister.

Leia Mais

Live is a perfect depiction of an imperfect country. It addresses heavy, sensitive issues (often taboo subjects in Asian cultures) with authenticity and compassion. For eighteen episodes, an overwhelming snippet of what it is like, and what it means, to be a police officer is shown through the perspectives of veterans and rookies who must tackle anything from everyday crimes to harrowing cases that shake them to the core. An important question arises. Why do they continue to run and risk their lives? Surrounding them are higher-ups who are willing to sacrifice them in a heartbeat and a society that never praises them for the hard, dangerous work they do out in the field but curses them as a whole for individual errors which mass media spreads like wildfire along with misconstrued information. It seems defeating. So, why?

There is so much material to unpack. I never felt like the plot dragged, and there definitely was not a dull moment. Rather on the cases and criminals, there is more of a focus on the ripple effect of a crime. How does it affect the victims and their families? How does society respond and view these victims? How do police officers, whether veteran or rookie, feel as they see these crimes happen day in and day out? I’d put a trigger warning after episode two. A majority of the cases involve sexual assault, rape, and abuse of all types. It is rather graphic, so it may be distressing to see. Its realistic approach shows heinous violence can happen to anyone and anywhere. Oddly enough, I found this drama educational because it touches on conversations, for example, consent, that should be held, especially with parents and their children. I really enjoyed the writing that gives food for thought.

I applaud the cast for their outstanding acting and intense on-screen presence, especially Bae Sungwoo. Their portrayals of ordinary police officers who are simply doing their best to survive and do their job is relatable and realistic. Live continuously reminds us police officers are human beings like you and me. They are daughters and sons to someone, mothers and fathers to others. They are not superheroes who are unperturbed by violence and death. They have weaknesses, too. Not even academy training or decades of experience can completely encase their hearts in stone. I loved how the screenwriter shattered the rookies’ expectations of being a police officer. There is no glory. To wish for a big case to crack in order to achieve merits, it requires a victim, for someone to die or someone to be traumatized. I enjoyed the journey the mentees went through with the help of their mentors who shaped them up to become wiser police officers. I also liked the mini arcs most received because character development is always more than welcomed. I adored the interpersonal relationships among all those in the division. Witnessing the camaraderie slowly built over the duration of the drama warmed my heart. Seeing the officers struggle through the downs of life yet being lifted back up with the help of their fellow colleagues tugged on my heartstrings.

I definitely am someone who watches with my heart rather than brain. Live made me laugh and cry, as I intently followed everyone’s growth. Some parts I simply let pass by with not much thought since I knew they were needed to move the plot and development along. I felt like the police procedures were quite accurate, so there wasn’t anything major to nitpick. The product placements fit well, actually, and I am used to them. With any Korean drama based on crime, I expected the name-calling, boisterous voices, and slapping. These are, I guess, normal when it comes to portraying the police, so they are stuff to keep in mind, if you’ve ever been annoyed with them.

Overall, Live is one of the better ones, of its genre, out there. It shows you the no-frills lives of police officers without mastermind criminals and cat-and-mouse games. I liked how it shined a light on the patrol division, the one that gets to the crime scene first and interacts with the community the most. The officers respond to every single call with the same passion and sense of duty, the very things that may waver when up against the flawed system but remain resilient in the face of protecting their fellow citizens’ lives.

Leia Mais

I can start of by saying that even though I like slice of life, I really dislike police series, or rather, I really dislike realistic police series, main reason as to why I stopped watching the acclaimed american series The Wire after only a couple of episodes.
This drama is as realistic as it gets, there's no extra comedy or extra sweet romance or super dramatic scenes just to push the story forward(though it obviously has some drama), it's just the daily life of police officers and what they go through.
So why did I watch it? I don't know, there are many things that can't be explained in this world and this is one of them but I did and I'm really glad I did.
After episode 1 I thought the series was decent and decided to try another one. After that I found it interesting and started to get attached to the characters and by the 3rd episode I was completely hooked.

The story, even though there was no real goal to it, was really great. I never felt bored, which I easily am in shows like this(which is why I usually dislike them), I was interested in everything that was going on and really cared about the characters, which for me is about as good as it gets.

The acting was superb and I truly mean that. There were no exaggerated acting which can be quite common for korean dramas and can often be entertaining but would not have been a good fit for this series.
I could not find single fault in the characters' acting, everything was really realistic, in a good way.

The music choice was exceptional, the mix between western and eastern music fit really well and gave every emotional scene extra depth.

As for rewatch value... Will I watch it again? Most likely, though in a few years or so. Will I go back and watch specific scenes as one might do for melodramas and such? Probably not. Still rewatchable though.

In conclusion, as you might've figured out I really enjoyed the series even though I didn't expect to, which to me is one of the highest praise a series can get. So please, even though you might not usually enjoy series like these, give this one a try. Who knows, it might surprise you, just as it did me.

Leia Mais

a very very veryy good slice of life!! if you're into slice of life, or want to start watching one this is a really good one. it's of course, about life of police officers. each cases are very very good and all characters for me are very likeable with their own background story that will give you mixed of emotions. you'll laugh, you'll get mad and you'll cry. this drama also have lots of heavy issues as in the our society issues. from corrupt officers to public sentiment for certain cases. these really just give this drama more realistic view. acting are of course beyond amazing and i love the osts too. the only reason it doesn't get that high rating from me is probably because i lose interest for awhile in the middle and i had to put in on hold, maybe because i'm not in the mood for slice on life. but thats on me. the drama itself is amazing!

Leia Mais

The best Korean drama to talk about local police

The 2018 Korean Live drama consists of 18 episodes of 70 minutes. I can say that this drama is the best Korean drama to talk about the country's local police. It contains difficult and unpleasant feelings and shows the audience in the best way that the work of the local police is very difficult. I can say the story and the drama's osteo were at the top and the actors' roles were generally excellent and the kimster between them was very good as well Kimsteri was very good between them, and this drama, apart from the tragedy, was one of the best comedy dramas and was not deprived of laughter and pleasure to the audience

Leia Mais

les débuts de jeunes dans la police de patrouille de Séoul...

En fait il n'y a pas d'histoire !
  ça commence avec la recherche désespérée d’un boulot par  deux jeunes gens, Jeong-O et Sang-Su, qui  finissent par intégrer l’école de police parce qu’il faut bien manger !
Et ça continue avec l’école, la formation (pas rigolote) puis l’entrée dans le service actif comme stagiaire, ou cadet.
Pendant un peu plus d’un an on va les suivre, et rencontrer avec eux les autres, plus anciens, les officiers, se confronter à une hiérarchie débile, affronter des scènes de crime, des bagarres d’ivrognes, des querelles conjugales, des violeurs et des voleurs, mais des moments de joie, de rire et d'amitié…
On va entrer aussi dans la vie personnelle de quelques uns, voir comment ils se débrouillent pour assumer travail et famille… On va voir ces jeunes gens évoluer, et finir par donner un sens plus élevé à leur travail de police. On voit aussi les chefs, après 20 ou 25 ans de maison, obligés de s'humilier pour plaire à la hiérarchie, tout en gardant fermeté et humanité envers leurs subordonnés.
Il y a 18 épisodes et j’aurais bien aimé qu’il y en ait 3 ou 4 de plus !!  (et je ne dis pas souvent ça ! ) Parce que ce n’est pas comme si une intrigue commençait et finissait, c’est la vie qui se déroule avec ses aléas ! Il y a de grands moments de tension, ou d’émotion, ou de franches rigolades, un tout petit peu de romance, beaucoup d’humanité  !
 Et pour une fois il n'y a quasiment pas de beuverie systématique (du moins entre les protagonistes)  car, dit en passant, ce recours systématique à l'alcool me fatigue un peu dans les dramas ! Mais revenons à nos amis :
Je ferai la même critique que pour « Prison Play book » : ce drama semble être fait à la gloire de la police de patrouille de Séoul et celle que nous suivons est parfaite en tous points !     Mais je ne l’ai pas lâché, ne me suis pas ennuyée une minute ! C’est cru, c’est hard, c’est drôle, c’est vivant et parfaitement interprété par les deux jeunes et quelques vétérans qu’on a beaucoup vus et qui sont vraiment d’excellents acteurs ! Si vous cherchez la romance gentille, passez votre chemin, mais si vous voulez une ouverture sur ce qui pourrait bien être une réalité de la vie coréenne, c’est ce qu’il vous faut !
Les chansons ne sont pas gênantes, même si j’aurais préféré qu’elles se cantonnent au générique !  

Leia Mais

It's a Good Slice of Life

drama ini ga hitam putih tentang bad cop, good cop tapi lebih nyeritain kehidupan polisi di kota besar. ada yang rookies, senior, korup, ya-gini-gini-aja kind of police officer. naskahnya ditulis sama noh heekyung yg juga nulis it's ok, it's love. walaupun main role ada di jungoh (jung yumi), sangsoo (lee kwangsoo), yangchon (bae sungwoo), dan ahn jangmi (bae jongok) tapi porsi pengenalan setiap tokohnya detailed. as expected, drama yg ditulis noh heekyung tu well-written. pacenya lambat, genrenya aja slice of life. dari jungoh sama sangsoo jobless sampe akhirnya mutusin masuk akpol tuh gabisa satu episode doang. plus pointnya lg romancenya dikiiit. tp yangchon x jangmi nih standout bgt dibanding sangsoo x jungoh. kinda feel sorry baru nemuin drama ini di 2021 padahal bagus bgt tp kok bisa fly under my radar...

Leia Mais

Just simple n short review

Acting 100%
Ost 100%
Story 100%
Every ep have nice plot n heartwarming story tht make me cryyy♥️😭 really love itt. Why underrated kdrama always like thisss. and next monday last ep of lks in rm :'). The ost is so niceee! N their acting is so good. I love all character in this drama. This drama not boring at all because every ep have something tht will make u cry n want to keep watch it. I love lks acting n so many experience actor in this drma like song dong il,jang hyun sung n lee eol. This actor is legendd always see them in best kdrama!! I cry every ep 😌

Leia Mais