A Great Action-Packed K-Drama?
Vagabond is a great action-filled drama to me. If you are into fights, gun battles, and car chases, Vagabond wouldn’t bore you. But it is not just senseless violence either. There is a plot behind it and a convincing storyline of why things happen the way they did. So, it is intriguing for me as I’m led down the line of a corrupted government and shady business dealings whereby everybody is selfishly looking after their own personal interests except for a few upright characters. I’m also not a big fan of Lee Seung Gi and Bae Suzy but I think they did well in Vagabond as 2 unlikely partners. They work together very well for the intense action needed in this drama.Great… But It Has One Major Setback
I think this would put many people off from watching Vagabond – an ending that is left hanging. It is an ending that is tailor-made for a Season 2 because Hae Ri doesn’t know that Dal Gun is alive while Edward and Hong are still roaming free despite their involvement in the plane crash. So, if you are expecting a neat ending that ties up everything whereby the bad guys are sent to jail, you will be disappointed.
Since we don’t know if there will be a next season, you will have to watch Vagabond with the expectation that there is no happy ending to make you feel good. It is inconclusive that leaves you neither here nor there. The fact that Dal Gun and Hae Ri have turned into a mercenary and lobbyist respectively in their quest for revenge may also leave a sour taste in the mouth for some because it is as if they have turned into the very people they hate.
Furthermore, Vagabond is not a romance drama like Her Private Life or What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim. It is an action drama with hardly any romantic scenes although you can sense there is an underlying attraction between Dal Gun and Hae Ri. However, this attraction is not fully developed throughout the 16 episodes which some viewers might find lacking. Personally, I feel that if there is more to their love story, then the viewers’ feelings could get more intense as the drama moves towards the end.
My Verdict On Vagabond
I would recommend a watch for Vagabond despite its open ending. It is fast-paced and the storyline is good to start with especially for the first 10 to 12 episodes. There is a bit of twist and turn in the last few episodes that seems to just lengthen the show but I feel that the bulk of the story has already made its impression on me that I can easily continue all the way to the end. The political power play can be a bore to some but it is the background required for the reason the truth on the plane crash is hidden and for it to eventually unfold.
The bottom line is watch it for the action and plot but be forewarned about the ending. Then, you won’t feel that you have wasted 16 hours of your time for nothing! ?
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Vagabond is a drama about government corruption and conspiracies that starts to unravel after a plane crash. The drama is packed with action and it has great cinematography and music. The actions scenes are very well choreographed and realistic. Although the main leads get closer and it is obvious that they developed romantic feelings, there’s no romance. All the main and supporting cast was great bringing their characters to life and the plot was consistent with the conspiracies that abound. The overall acting by the grieving families was fantastic and makes the viewer feel the pain and frustration as they navigate and participate in the process of finding the truth about the plane crash. The drama could’ve had a rating of 10 if it would not have been that it ended with a cliffhanger that gives the impression that there will be a second season. Overall, it is very entertaining, enjoy it! Esta resenha foi útil para você?
WE WANT SEASON 2
I am writing this review 2 years after I watched the show, LOL. But after watching Lee Seung Gi's "Mouse", I suddenly wanted to write a review for this show as well. LSG is such a versatile actor. He can sing, act, host, dance - there's nothing he can't do. He was the main reason I picked up this show in the first place.I'd really like to say that LSG and Suzy had the best chemistry EVER. Some might not agree with me, but I think LSG is the best actor Suzy has had chemistry with.
The plot was something that had never been seen in any of the kdramas, and that's why it was a refresher. Lot of action and thriller - my favourite genre - so absolutely loved it!
My only reason of giving this show a 9.5 is because THEY AREN'T COMING OUT WITH S2! WE NEED S2 ASAP!!
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The ending
The drama had an amazing plot line and an amazing cast. The plot twists, the story line, the acting everything was just really good. When it comes to wrapping up the drama, it really disappointed me. I had waited every week for this show while it was still airing just for the drama to not even have a proper ending. The cliffhanger trend is really horrible and I do NOT understand why the directors chose to end it on a cliff hanger when it wasn't even going to have a season 2. It was really pointless. I waited almost 2 months for a happy ending for the 2 leads but instead got a vague ending with literally no meaning. So disappointed cause it could've had a nice wrapped up ending. It's been years since the drama ended and I am still angry. Anyways the drama was really good just could've had a better ending.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
The Morality of Democracy
You're free to enjoy this as an action with romance and light comedy, but it's really asking the question of what a democratic nation's priorities should be. What it's prime directive should be and how smoke and mirrors can easily fool its citizens, as they don't want to believe complicated plots.What makes this show work is that it has a good moral story combined with action scenes to keep the pace and light touches of romance and comedy to settle you down. The moral dilemmas visited in this series are the ones we need to solve in the next few decades. If greed motivates a leader is that really worse than some ideology of a great nation. What influences do global conglomerates have on local economics? Can our journalists really uncover or even see all the angles? It forced me to think about these and not all have clear cut answers.
Don't look for realism in the action, don't question whether this is possible. It's not as over the top as some of the McG repertoire such as Charlie's Angels and the Fast & Furious series, but it's still up there in the realm of "just not possible, but looks really cool". But the actions sequences have that feel where you keep rooting for the underdog(s) to make it out alive. Given the constant threat of people with a lot of power and money, that's not always a given and that keeps you worrying.
The show also makes crafty use of hindsight: showing a surprise and then explaining it afterwards. The chemistry between the two leads works well, though the female lead sometimes drops the ball when displaying emotions of loss.
Perhaps the best trait is that the show starts with its ending and by the season finale, you hardly remember it. Then - it's all brought into focus and the realization creeps up, that this whole season was really a setup for season 2. Don't worry, season 1 got tied up pretty neatly, but I am really looking forward to that next season if it comes. It is deserving of one.
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A season two would not be too much
The story is overall good. However, it may be too cliché and some scenes are not realistic but very much bearable and still very enjoyable. Furthermore, until the episode 12, the political aspect is boring (I've almost skipped them all). Aside of that (political aspect), everything is capticating in the story. Basically, the team of the hero is searching the truth despite of all the obstacles (manipulation, betrayal, corruption, fighting/killing) in their path. The last three episodes were the best because since the episode 13, even the political aspect becomes surprisingly interesting and entertaining. The twist is what I've also enjoyed a lot! A second season will be welcomed, without a doubt!The acting is great, they are doing a good job in their respective roles. The music is very good
Would I want to rewatch it again ? Certainly not the episodes in the middle of the drama but the firsts three episodes and the last three episodes yes I would.
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The story caught up on me from the very beginning, and the cliffhangers just kept me coming for more and more. The action is quite amazing and the fight choreography is also good, except I didn't like the excessive use of shaky cam, it threw me off so often. The music is great to listen to and the acting is, I would say good enough to watch without any problems. The lead of course screams so often, not sure if it is over the top or whether he is just venting off by screaming.
Oh and note that the story doesn't end at the end, in fact, it just opens up more corruption within the country. So I really hope there will be a second season.
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Please be warned! This ending will NOT leave you satisfiedIt will make you question why you spent 16 hours watching a beautifully crafted show end so abruptly.
The ending made no sense, and given that it seems there will not be a season 2 (at least in the foreseeable future), the ending was extremely poor. They should have just ended the show after 13-14 episodes when things were going good. The ending was not even in keeping with the tone of the rest of the show. It came out of the blue, knocked you off your senses, mocked you for leaving you unsatisfied, and disappeared into the oblivion.
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One of the best dramas I've seen. Beautiful shots and the colouring is awesome, I love how the ending and beginning are entangled, and it'd filled with action and plotting. The plot twists makes you wonder who is right and who is wrong. Of course Lee Seung Gi and Bae Suzy are fantastic, but I like the way the drama also gave more than enough screen time to other actors and behind the scene plans at different intervals of the drama. I do wish there was more romance, though you can still tell the affection between the leads. At the end, wonderful story and portrayal, magnificent show. Can't wait for season 2 XD
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shitty ending, unrealistic plot progression
the action is very well done but a few things about this series put a bad taste in my mouth. so much of the police/investigative work feels like it was written by people who never actually researched how these things operate, (unless the standard is different in SK). i can't count how many times i rolled my eyes at or laughed at or wanted to skip through scenes where the plot was thoroughly unconvincing because of this. whenever a series does that, it just pulls me out of the story and makes me focus on more technical aspects. secondly, too much of the plots' progress was due to happenstance. while it did have good writing in there, ultimately, the "conveniently finding an answer to this problem that doesn't really make much sense in the bigger picture" got in the way of my ability to enjoy the series. there's also a lot of weirdly placed english in there and being a native english speaker, it was a bit hard to take seriously. but the final straw was the ending. it felt so detached and the lead up was very choppily sewn together. the only thing that would make me see this as slightly less of a problem is if the series gets a second season, otherwise, it's a very poor ending to an interesting premise. the acting was pretty great, nonetheless. and the music was very moving at parts. but all in all, good, suspenseful action isn't enough for me to give this a higher rating. perhaps these things aren't things that bother you too much, so watch for yourself and judge.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Though I'm a bit disappointed to find out that this is a multi-season drama. Part of the reason I watch far more k-drama than American shows is that American shows are too long to keep up with and they never know when to end, until eventually to the point where they end up sucking. Most k-dramas, on the other hand, have a set ending at about 16 or 20 episodes. They are easy to get into and can be very satisfying when the writer knows where they want to end it and knows to do so within that singular season frame. Kind of stinks that the trend is going toward multi-season now. There is also so much uncertainty with multi-season, like the possibility of never finishing if the drama wasn't popular enough (which I know is not the case with this one). Or even if it was popular, we may not see another season for another five years. Looking at you Signal. *sigh*
Yes, this was more of a rant than a review, but felt compelled to. Anyways, great fun drama that is highly recommended if you don't mind waiting who knows how long until it will eventually conclude.
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