Além do Mal (2021)

Série muito empolgante, impossível parar de ver

Meu deus que série!!!! Comecei a assistir e simplesmente não conseguia mais parar e quando parava ficava teorizando sobre ela. Não sei nem como descrever, fazia muito tempo que eu não me empolgava assim. Todo episódio você é levado a achar algo, pois o público só recebe parte da informação, mas nunca nada é como parece ser. Eu realmente achei no episódio 2 que o Dong Sik era o assassino e a série seguiria um estilo Hannibal, mas não foi bem isso que aconteceu. Quando revelam o assassino achei que ficaria chato, mas que nada, continua interessante e quando Joo Won e Dong Sik finalmente se unem a série atinge o ápice. E o que falar da química entre esses dois kkkk várias cenas eu fiquei torcendo pra eles se beijarem, eles tinham uma tensão incrível. Também quero dar destaque para as maravilhosas atuações, nenhuma fora de tom, todas perfeitas,
Yeo Jin Goo é tão novinho e mesmo assim entregou tudo e Shin Ha Kyun também foi incrível, e a série foi muito bem dirigida. Outro ponto de destaque é a ótima trilha sonora, confesso que estou bastante viciada e não paro de ouvir. Enfim, pra mim essa série é nota 10, gostei demais, amo esse estilo de série, mas raramente encontro uma tão boa quanto essa, então estou muito feliz de ter assistido e já vou começar de novo, vale a pena demais.

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Todos temos monstros dentro de nós ou nos tornamos?

Para essa resenha preparei muito, mas daí me perguntei “Conseguirei descrever tudo, até os sentimentos?”, penso que não, então tentarei o máximo que puder.

Sobre os personagens, todos são incógnitas até certo momento, incluindo Dongsik e Joowon, geralmente o roteiro nos entrega tudo antes de seus personagens aqui não. Pensei que como os outros o maior foco seria os assassinatos, mas não, são as pessoas. Joowon é arrogante e emocional, mais ainda quando cisma com um culpado, sem ter objetividade, Dongsik já é mais calculista, mas então de repente os dois trocam suas personalidades, me fez sentir que os dois se completavam. Amava como Dongsik e Joowon viviam perguntando um para outro “Está preocupado comigo?" Em seguida negava, porque estava na cara que era ao contrário. Com certeza são a ou uma das duplas mais intensas que já vi em doramas. Tão intensas, como sempre explosivas e emocionais, toda vez que os personagens batem de frente são cenas de tirar o fôlego.

Há coisas que podem passar despercebidas como, muitos títulos de capítulo usavam a mesma palavra em coreano, com significados diferentes, que dão a impressão que o que importava é a interpretação delas. O título em coreano em si, chamasse “Monstro”, descreve muito bem isso, dando a dica ou melhor as perguntas que devemos nos fazer do começo ao fim. Até onde nossas ações nos levam? O que é certo e errado? O que é ser humano? Todos temos monstros dentro de nós ou nos tornamos?

Enfim, as atuações de Yeo Jin Goo e Shin Ha Kyun tem grande importância, esse é o motivo de sempre está de olho em seus próximos trabalhos, talento puro. Com certeza entrará para um dos meus favoritos e já espero prêmios.

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Esse provavelmente foi o 10 mais fácil que eu já dei pra um drama investigativo.

O plot desse drama me interessou desde o começo e pelo elenco eu já sabia que podia esperar muito dele e não me desapontou em momento nenhum. O Yeo JinGoo e o Shin HaKyun foram simplesmente perfeitos nos papéis.

Ver a evolução dos dois protagonistas, principalmente do Han JooWon, foi ótimo e dava pra perceber o apego e a amizade que os dois protagonistas formaram ali.

Quanto aos casos, que são basicamente dois, no fim das contas, sempre conectados, não desapontaram, nem quando você acha que tudo se resolveu muito cedo, algo muito maior vai acontecer.

A equipe de policia de Manyang, e a JaeYi também, agregaram muito ao drama, todo mundo ali foi bem utilizado onde deveriam e ver a ligação de cada um até o fim, foi ótimo.

As atuações nesse drama são perfeitas, não teve um que não conseguiu me convencer e honestamente, esse deve ser o melhor papel da carreira do Yeo JinGoo, especialmente nos episódios finais.

No geral, se você curte dramas policiais, com suspense, esse drama vale muito a pena.

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Tinha expectativas, e o primeiro episódio me prendeu bastante, de cara já gostei dos personagens e suas personalidades. Das boas atuações e da trilha sonora também.
Porém o enredo se arrasta demais e parece não sair do lugar, quase peguei no sono em vários momentos, e olha que sou do tipo que tem paciência para desenvolvimento lento.
Fica naquele clichê de: Quem será o assassino? pois têm vários suspeitos, mas no fim é quem menos esperávamos...
Só que a partir da revelação do culpado é que o enredo enfim começa a caminhar e se tornar deveras instigante. Porém não consegui engolir a conveniência de roteiro em que o pai do Joo Woon que segundo o próprio filho não confia em ninguém, gosta de perfeição, é da polícia e não ter sequer pensando em procurar alguma escuta no carro, e ter revelado o seu maior segredo, pois pelo que se conhece do personagem ele deveria ser muito, mas muito cauteloso MESMO, ao meu ver.


O que pude tirar de mensagem é que: as coisas estão muito além do que imaginamos, e a ganância e vingança podem nos tornar o pior do ser humano.
Enfim, com paciência e ignorando algumas falhas, é ok.

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Todo mundo é suspeito

Apesar de não ter sido muito comentada, essa é uma das minhas séries prediletas de 2021. Para quem gosta de um bom suspense policial, cheio de intrigas e reviravoltas, Beyond Evil é um prato cheio.

A história começa com um assassinato em série e busca de dois investigadores com personalidades bem diferentes para capturar o culpado. Porém, com o decorrer da séries, muito mais tempero vai sendo adicionado e você começa a questionar a inocência de todos os envolvidos.

Além da trama, que foi muito bem trabalhada, vale destacar que a atuação dos dois atores principais está fenomenal! Eu já conhecia o Yeo Jin Goo de Hotel del Luna, mas o papel do detetive Han Joo Woo é bem mais desafiador e cheio de emoções. Porém, o grande destaque ficou para Shin Ha Kyun, a forma como ele muda de expressão nos deixa confusos e sem saber sua real intenção. Sua interpretação foi brilhante.

Por fim, a produção da série é muito boa, a forma como as cenas são construídas e como os episódios sempre terminam com aquele gostinho de quero mais, contribuem para que Beyond Evil tenha todos os elementos de um bom suspense.

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The Daesang for the 57th Baeksang goes to…

Shin Ha Kyun, of course! I can’t think of any other more worthy recipient of this prestigious accolade. He truly is the driving force behind Beyond Evil because without him, this drama would have ended up being Not Quite Evil. In fact this drama isn’t as much about evil as it is about filial piety (or lack thereof) and shady business ethics, with a dose of mental health issues included. In any case, I hope he gets a nomination at the very least because he is definitely deserving of the recognition for all the good work he has done here, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself watching his performance in this extremely well made production.

This drama is set in the small town of Manyang, which has a sinister history of mysterious killings and gruesome mutilation of young women that remain unsolved until the present day. Part of this local community is a close-knit group of childhood friends, most of whom grew up to become members of the police force, while the others comprise the local butcher and convenience store operator, respectively. One day, a young hotshot police detective gets transferred to the Manyang police substation and all hell breaks loose in this sleepy town.

The plot is exquisitely written, despite not being groundbreaking, and we’ve seen this premise in many psychological crime thrillers. A small town with a hideous past and its suspicious inhabitants harbouring many unknown secrets, the perfect recipe for a can of worms that would’ve been better off left unopened. Except, in this case, it gets much more convoluted than that - a decades’ long conspiracy that culminates in a scandal of the highest order. This is very much a character driven drama and represents an in-depth case study of the complicated dynamics among the central characters. This is a complex and slowburn psychological whodunnit with dark humour and suspense along with themes of friendship, familial bond, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption.

Helmed by the young director Shim Na Yeon, a relative newcomer to the industry whose recent works cover mostly youth-themed melodramas and romance, and written by the experienced Kim Soo Jin whose previous crime dramas include Mad Dog and Life Special Investigation Team. Being part of the spring drama lineup of JTBC Studios, this drama features commendable production values. The cinematography showcases excellent shots of the Manyang town landscape, including the beautifully tall grass fields where multiple crime scenes have purportedly occurred, and the scenic port city of Busan for a story arc that lasts a couple of episodes. Other than that, the majority of the drama is set in the bright interrogation rooms and gloomy holding cells of the Manyang police substation, Munju police station and the Seoul police HQ. There are countless scenes of barbequing meat and drinking at the Manyang diner-cum-butcher shop as well.

The drama’s true strength lies in its cast and their superb acting, as well as the overall quality of the dialogue. Ever the consummate pro, Shin Ha Kyun does what Shin Ha Kyun does best. For the uninitiated (and for the purpose of managing excessive shock or awe), expect visceral intensity and raw emotions conveyed via truly immersive wholehearted portrayals. For regular viewers and admirers, his execution here is even more elevated from his usual performances in Less Than Evil and Pied Piper. His characterization of Lee Dong Shik is a delicate balancing act between nuanced and downright insane, and will probably represent the standard of acting for this genre in years to come (a close comparison would be Lee Hee Joon’s characterization in Mouse, so there’s potential in this area). Depicting a flawed anti-hero complex and emotionally traumatized character shouldering the burden of a profoundly tragic past is certainly no mean feat and Shin Ha Kyun does it magnificently indeed.

Of the 2 MLs featured in this drama, the other lead is the character of Han Joo Won who is decently portrayed by Yeo Jin Goo. Those familiar with his works would no doubt witness the same signature aspects of his acting. Since Hotel Del Luna (and even earlier, The Royal Gambler) he has perfected the art of the “intense gaze”. Not many actors can pull off this trademark look. An added bonus in this show, he does a near-complete character change that lasts a few episodes at the midway point. Despite not being a fan of the character - he comes across as aloof, sanctimonious, petulant, selfish and entitled, who possesses an unhealthy and somewhat irrational obsession for solving crimes while incessantly defying his own father at every turn - I do appreciate the characterization. The chemistry between the two men, Lee Dong Shik and Han Joo Won, is on point and works very well.

They are ably supported by the rest of the cast comprising the experienced veterans Chun Ho Jin, Choi Jin Ho, Kil Hae Yeon, Heo Sung Tae, Kim Shin Rok and Lee Kyu Hoe. Their versatility truly shows in playing a mix of understated, layered, OTT and mentally unstable characters. I’m also quite impressed with Choi Sung Eun in particular, whose portrayal of Yoo Jae Yi is very powerful and convincing and she stands out as the strongest female character in the show.

Aside from the acting, one aspect that probably doesn't get enough appreciation and recognition is the music for the drama. Kudos to the music director, the hugely experienced and prolific Ha Geun Young, who has done a fantastic job of arranging the original score with an infusion of contemplative jazz performed by a big band ensemble. There's more than a hint of cabaret and the vibe of classic film noir that somehow perfectly captures the essence of the drama. In addition to the music score, the accompanying original songs are terrific as well:

1. Choi Baek Ho - The Night
2. BIBI - Timeless
3. Car The Garden - Empty
4. SunWoo JungA - The Road

All things considered, Beyond Evil has been a hugely satisfying watch and certainly went beyond my initial expectations. I sincerely hope this drama and Shin Ha Kyun will be part of the nominations to be announced next week for the 57th Baeksang Awards this year. They absolutely deserve it!

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The Most Formidable Bromance of 2021 that will bring you to your knees

Where do I even begin? This is the best detective thriller drama I have ever watched. There, I said it.

How many of you have grown tired of watching crime shows that just don't feel exciting anymore?

So many times, crime dramas get lost in the 'next big moment' and finding the thrill factor that they stop connecting with the watcher.

Beyond Evil is a beautiful mix of emotion and supense. It's a blend of heartbreakingly slow, full of feeling moments and bone chilling darkness. It's not a super fast show. It takes its time as it unravels, develops and comes to fruition gorgeously- like a well simmered pot of stew.

The drama's biggest strength is its unforgettable characters and the mindblowing acting by the cast.

In the beginning it induces your trust issues in a gut punching manner by introducing its two seemingly morally grey and unreliable protagonists and then slowly but surely brings to light one of the best friendships the Korean cinema has ever seen.

Both the main leads are phenomenal, each holding their own and being a massive force to be reckoned with.

Shin Ha Kyun put out acting worthy of a Daesang. His reckless, passionate, wildly fearless and courageous detective with the biggest smile and eyes full of pain doesn't take long to cement his place in your heart.

Yeo Jin Goo, on the other hand, while young, owned his role phenomenally. His character Han Joo Won, a prickly, seemingly cold catlike man with heart of platinum and a strong sense of justice is extremely easy to fawn over.

Together, these two are a storm- infinitely badass with balls of steel; a dynamic team that you can't help but fall in love in with.

Aside from the two, all the supporting characters bring their own flavour to the screen. While their little self-proclaimed 'Avengers' police team brings instant warmth to your heart, the antagonists are blood boiling-ly good in equal measure.

The music is fantastic- sombre and dark at times; sometimes cheeky and playful and other times enough to wreck you. There are a lot of stunning shots and the drama is both extremely well written and directed.

The character development is amazing and the bonds these characters form among each other is a powerful thing to witness. There's so much nuance in these relationships and it's hard not to catch feelings and let go of your heart when it comes to a show like this.

Honestly, for me a good psychological thriller is hard to come by and this was by far one of the best. I was so invested in it that some of the scenes made me bawl my eyes out, while others made me laugh, giggle, swoon and shout HOLY FUCK at the top of my lungs.

They nailed both the emotion and the 'whodunnit' aspect in a way that's very unique to the genre.

It was a wild, crazy, full of thrill and heart ride that I almost don't want to get off of.

Surely, a must-watch. Highly reccomended for fans of psychological thrillers who like their dramas with a little extra oomph!

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Brilliant acting, but goes around in circles

I started watching this series due to all the hype and awards. It's a psychological thriller (not a mystery) so you do need patience and the willingness to understand the motives, behaviour patterns and relationship connections for all the characters. It's a very intricately woven story, with a lot of nuance and some phenomenal acting from all the cast members.

However, I found the pace inconsitent from episode to episode, and it was annoying to have a lot of the story told with flashbacks ranging from months to years to days to hours! It also had a gimmicky approach towards some of the characters, making you suspect this character and the other character quite randomly, and then the story heading in a completely different direction. They could have done without these gimmicks.

Overall, it's a good, though slow, watch and worth it purely for the performances of all the cast members.

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Not Perfect, But Still Above the Average of Most Kdrama

I find the episode 1 quite good, nice story background, character background, Shin Ha-Kyun acting, etc, rate it 8/10
Then in episode 3 and 4, quite draggy, it could be compressed into one single episode.
The best episodes are episode 7 and 12, I would give those episodes a solid 9/10

The rest episodes quite weak and draggy. Sometimes they just confronting each other while the evidence still not enough which becomes repetitive. And then the kept secret for later episodes, makes the earlier episode quite draggy because they can't talk about it yet. So the story building things not quite good.

And the last episode is quite nice closure, not great, but still good, I give it 7.5/10
Shin Ha-Kyun's acting the most shining one. On those episode 7 and 12, there are also some great scene throughout the series.

If only they can maintain the interesting things on each episode, I would have rate it higher.
For overall series, I would give this 7/10

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ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING & MUST-WATCH!

so i’ve never written a review on here before, in-fact i just got into kdramas within the last month and have only watched a handful so forgive me if this isn’t the most “together” or intellectual review but all i have to say is WOW.

STORY — i can’t speak highly enough about the story. the fact that this was written and directed by women!! heck yes!! i typically get bored with things extremely quickly and tend to go on my phone and this didn’t happen once with this drama. every single scene meant something. there was nothing added just to fill up time. everything was important. everyone was important. every single character was vital to what went down throughout the sixteen episodes each in their own unique and intriguing way. the way the writing, directing, and acting showcased everything perfectly is absolutely mesmerizing. there wasn’t a single weak point in the show. i also liked how even though there were subplots with side/supporting characters, as i said, they weren’t there to just fill up time, but ending up playing a huge part into the overall story in the end. the parallels that ended up coming together in the episodes (especially the first few episodes versus the ending) were MIND-BLOWING.

ACTING — i could go on and on and on about the acting in this show everyone did phenomenal but there were four people who specifically stood out to to me:

shin ha kyun: as i said im new to kdramas but did this man blow my mind??? oh my goodness. the emotions he portrayed as such a tortured man dealing with so much. he delivered every line perfectly. AND THE SMILE. you know the smile. insane. i heard he got nominated for a big award. so deserved.

yeo jin goo: another mesmerizing performance by the other lead character. absolutely phenomenal i loved to see how much his character evolved as the story went on and how different circumstances changed the way he ultimately ended up. his acting in the last 3/4ish episodes some of my favorite in the entire drama. he killed it.

choi dae hoon: i’ve watched this actor in CLOY and FOE and if i’m being honest he didn’t stand out in those to me - i barely noticed him if im being honest. however, in BE he blew my mind. genuinely one of the best performances of the show. he had so much he had to do and the role was such a heavy one and the way he portrayed a character dealing with all of the emotions he was and making you sympathize with him was so crazy and he deserves all the praise!!

choi sung eun: she was phenomenal. another actress i’ve never seen before but her whole demeanor was amazing. i loved her character a ton and i want to say its all thanks to the actress. each emotion came across perfectly and i felt like i could somehow relate and understand every single one of her actions. i hope to see her in more projects!

special mention to lee do hyun he was great in his few scenes and as a fan of his, it was nice seeing a familiar face!

OST — im quite new to this but i loved the soundtrack. i loved the whole vibe and it fit extremely well. left me unsettled and intrigued as if i was one of the characters.

REWATCH VALUE — i can guarantee once this has sat for a little bit i will be rewatching. the plot-twists were great and i can’t imagine how cool it will be knowing everything ahead of time. i might have to make someone watch this with me and then i watch their reactions for the first time because i was a mess on multiple occasions.

OVERALL: i’ll put it simply. if you are on the fence about watching this - WATCH IT YOU WONT REGRET IT!

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It's been a while

SPOILER FREE
Everyone can appreciate some aspects of this drama, like the acting or the OST, but plot-wise this is not a drama for everyone. Beyond Evil is a character-driven drama, that some may find slow paced. Anyone who likes multilayered and morally gray characters will appreciate it. The acting (especially from the two main leads) is probably one of the best I have seen.

SPOILERS
It's been a while since I saw such an intriguing series. Was it perfect without even a single flaw? No. However the flaws were minor, so I didn't really care about them.

Beyond Evil is a gripping drama from the beginning. There are not enough words to express how much I loved watching this series. The plot is very well written and the characters are so interesting and complex. The acting is outstanding. Shin Ha Kyun delivered one of the best performances I have ever seen. He is an amazing actor, and Yeo Jin Goo was such a great choice to play Han Joo Won. I don't know who thought of putting Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo together in a series, but whoever did, thank you very much! This series would definitely not be the same without this great cast and the phenomenal chemistry of the two main leads.

Generally, I don't pay too much attention to the directing, since most of the times it is good or at least decent. Nonetheless, it was impossible not to notice the great directing of this series. I loved how it was like seeing the POV of another character and it led the viewers to certain assumptions to distract them from the truth. The color tones were all so dark yet not too dark, which made the series even more appealing and disturbing (especially in the first episodes). The OST fits the series in an unimaginably good way.

Did this get draggy, tiring or just not as good comparing to the first half? Kind of, but it was inevitable. This isn't a series that reveals everything on the last episode, so of course every single clue added a piece to the puzzle and when things started getting clearer it was natural for the series to not be as mysterious as it was in the first episodes.

What I really loved, is the fact that everything was revealed slowly but surely and we didn't wait till the last episode to find out who the killer is.

I loved how Beyond Evil tackled many issues like the stigma that follows a falsely accused person or the pain that people who are left behind are going through.

Am I being objective giving this series a prefect 10? Probably not, but reviews are not objective anyways and this is a series that I will remember for quite a long time, so why not?

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