Caçadores de Demônios (2020)

Decent action kdrama with weak writing, fight choreography and visual effects.

This kdrama is definitely good and at least worth of a single watch. The main cast and characters are written well and acted extremely well. They are extremely talented and it shows in their performances.

I would like to first start off this review by pointing out the bad things about this drama. This review will contain spoilers.

--------------SPOILERS AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ----------------
Bad:
1. The immense plot hole with the murder of Kim Jung Young in Episodes 12 and 13. The characters are told it is a suicide, yet the main piece of evidence against it being suicide is that she was shot from OUTSIDE her car THROUGH THE GLASS, which would have shattered it. She is also facing her shooter, but the gunshot wound is to the side of the head. This evidence is never mentioned. You could argue the police covered it up, but if they did then it was not mentioned at all. At other crime scenes through the series, you see other detectives and crime scene staff there. These staff would have seen the ballistic forensic evidence and would have concluded foul play, not only with the shooting occurring outside the car but with no mention of other evidence such as powder burns, fingerprints, etc.
If you're going to involve police work, crime scene investigation and deduction, then please write it so it makes sense. This will only help flesh out the world of Counters and how they have to skirt around the normal world.
Another plot hole that is not explained is how Dong Pal is also So Moon’s partner somehow? You just see him come back to Yung after Jeong Ju dies, but there are no more Dong Pal appearances nor any talk about how a counter has two partners. This pretty big plot development is just not mentioned again.

2. Fight choreography is lackluster. I kept getting frustrated with how little the fights make sense and are quite boring. They more or less slap each other a couple of times, throw each other around, and get injured when the plot demands it. There is no interesting shots/cinematography or super cool special effects. Yes, they have the Yung territory and some psychokinesis, but that rarely makes the fights interesting. The characters are portrayed training extensively, yet very little evidence of practical striking and/or grappling exists. Perhaps I am spoiled by MMA and martial arts movies, but IMO they could have done so much more with fight scenes, such as using real world striking and grappling techniques, fighting with objects, etc. The final fight scene is just so lame compared to what it could have been. Basically an empty arena and the counters kind of throw themselves at Shin without any interesting plan other than bum rush the guy. Nothing from the environment is really used besides some rocks or something.

3. Mo-tak does not visit Kim Jung Young in Yung. I did not understand how there is no scene where they meet each other while other characters (except for Ha-na) get to do so. This is more of a personal opinion, but I do feel this story beat would have hit harder for both characters had it been included.

Good:
1. Acting is pretty incredible in my opinion. The cast does a good job portraying the comedic and "super serious fight time" aspect in adapting a webtoon to live action. This does mean however you do get the over the top webtoon/anime style emotions and some plotlines.

2. The writing between the main cast also makes their team chemistry organic. It feels like they care for each other and work well together as a team.

3. Visual set design is pretty and varied. The different locations showcase the different worlds characters live in, and there are few times where you feel as though you’re watching something on a set, rather than something that is “real”.

Meh:
1. The overarching plotline(s). I understand that it is a webtoon based drama, and as such falls into the tropes in kind of a predictable way. While the counter plotline felt a little shallow, the real world plotline could have been so much more fleshed out and done better. The RW seems shallow and crafted to be around the Counter’s world, rather than something separate that they have to deal with in their work. Ji Cheong Sin’s duality could have been explored more instead of only for a couple of episodes just to make the heroes fail in that moment. Same with Mayor Shin. Villains here felt quite one dimensional instead of having complex stories that make them more interesting. Their motives and means of conducting their shady business does not seem realistic either. While they may be kind of constrained by adapting the webtoon’s writing, there is an opportunity here to craft a truly impressive world of Counters.

2. The visual effects. The only kind of cool thing is the territory because of its glowy matrix style light, while visual effects in fight scenes amount to nothing more than a couple pebbles and rocks and the “push” psychokinesis effect. With more interesting fight choreo, the VE team could have definitely had room to shine.


Overall:
It’s decent. I would say don’t expect too much besides a decent superhero type drama with some action and plot. It did not blow my socks off, but it did entertain me for a while. Temper your expectations and look past some of its lackluster elements and it’ll be fine.

Leia Mais

super drama de super héros

C'est un peu la tendance en ce moment, c'est comme ça, cela vient par vague. Les super héros de la mort qui tue il y'en a eu pas mal mais avouons le, tous ne se valent pas. Il y a les top comme "Taxi Driver" (super héros sans pouvoir un peu à la Batman) et les flop comme "L.U.C.A." ou 'Rugal". Et puis, il y a les très bon...comme celui dont nous allons parler. Let's go!

Basé sur un webtoon "Amazing Rumor" par l'auteur Jang Yi, le drama nous conte l'histoire de So Mum, un lycéen handicapé suite à un accident de voiture, causant par la même occasion le décès de ses parent, et de sa rencontre avec un mystérieux groupe de personnes aux pouvoirs supernaturels. Très vite, So Mum se découvrira lui aussi investi de ces puissants pouvoirs. Un don au service des cieux contre les démons.

Lu comme cela, nous avons de suite sauté sur le drama. Et nous ne l'avons pas regretté.
L'action menée tambour battant et des scènes de "fight" réussis et agréable à regarder. Comme toujours, une réalisation soignée rend ces scènes attractives et pleine d'adrénalines.
Des personnages sympathiques et avec lesquels nous avons pris grand plaisir de suivre leur histoire, leur passé et leur interaction. Des interactions parfois drôles, parfois émouvantes.

So Mum évolue et gagne en assurance, devenant au fur et à mesure le pilier central du groupe. La tristesse de son histoire incite le spectateur que nous sommes à vouloir le voir réussir à tout prix. C'est avec impatience que nous attendions ces scènes où So Mum délivrait parfois sa rage, parfois son envie de sauver ceux qui lui étaient chers. Sa relation avec ses deux amis d'enfance, Im Joo Yeon et Kim Woong Min était super rafraichissante et poignante. Plus d'une fois des larmes m'en sont venues. Des amis comme cela, j'en veux bien (oups, j'en ai déjà hahaha).
La relation qui m'aura aussi vaincu par l'émotion forte qui s'en dégageait naturellement a été celle de So Mum et ses grands parents, surtout sa grand-mère.

Le reste du groupe était fort sympathique. Un groupe soudé et prêt à se serrer les coudes est toujours le bienvenu. Bien qu'émotionnellement moins intense que dans "Taxi driver", leur lien et affection furent une force non négligeable lors des combats. So Mum, par exemple, mené par ses ressentis, a souvent explosé et démontré un énorme potentiel lorsqu'on s'y attendait le moins. Leur lien était définitivement leur atout majeur. J'ai beaucoup apprécié cet aspect jeux vidéos, où chaque protagoniste a une réelle place au sein du groupe, avec une fonction bien précise comme Chu Mae Ok en tant que guérisseuse ou Ga Mo Tak en tant que "bourrin musclé" (et pinaise, pour être musclé, il l’est) ou bien Choi Jang Mool pour les ressources du groupe.

Le scénario est arrivé à nous étonner et à nous prendre par surprise. Chaque épisode apporte son lot d'étonnement et de questionnement. Je n'en dirai pas plus afin d'éviter les spoils, mais l’intrigue est bien construit et tient en haleine jusqu'à la fin.

- Cho Byeong Kyu qui a joué dans l'excellent "Hot Stove League" avec mon chéri adoré Nam Goong Min et "Arthdal Chronicles", a été incroyable dans son jeu. J'ai était bluffé par ses intonations douces et qui soudainement explosaient avec rage. Ses expressions angéliques ne nous préparaient pas du tout à son rôle de leader, à ses accès de colère. 

- Yoo Joon Sang est bien connu dans le monde de dramaland, notamment dans « Falsify » ou « Pied Piper » mais surtout surtout dans l’excellentissime drama qui nous a permis de le découvrir « My Husband Got a Family », quand je repense à sa bouille un peu maladroite dans ce drama et « The Uncanny Counter », je ne peux que dire « Whoa ». Et puis 51 ans, avouons le, il ne les fait pas du tout! 

- Je suis ravie de voir enfin un rôle principal pour Yeom Hye Ran ! Elle n’avais jusqu’ici joué que des rôles secondaires dans les dramas comme « Goblin », l’inoubliable « Prison Playbook » ou plus récemment « Mystic Pop-up Bar ». Souhaitons lui beaucoup de rôle principal à l’avenir !
- 
Nous ne présentons plus Ahn Suk Hwan. Vous l’avez forcément déjà vu dans un drama. Un acteur qui a toujours su nous surprendre et que nous voyons toujours avec plaisir, comme dans l’emblématique « Boys Over Flowers », le génial et tellement triste « Rooftop Prince », des sageuks comme « Six Flying Dragons » ou « Hong Gil Dong »…et j’en passe.
- 
Kim Se Jeong est une actrice récente, depuis 2016. Je ne la connais pas beaucoup si ce n’est que je l’ai vu dans « School 2017 ». J'attendrai d'avoir plus de recul pour pouvoir en parler.

J’ai été aspiré rapidement par l’histoire, les retournements de situation nous scotchant et nous obligeant à vouloir en savoir plus. 
Il y a par contre des « faiblesses » qui m’empêchent de le mettre sur ma top liste. Bien que la relation entre les personnages soit bien présente et forte, les liens entre chaque personnages forts et parfois émouvants, je n’ai pas été aussi touchée, comme pour « Taxi Driver » ou « Missing ». Il manquait ce petit quelque truc pour rendre le drama épique et incroyable.

Il y a aussi des moments de ralentissement. Des moments qui ne nous semblent pas nécessaires ou mal exploités. Nous ressentons de l’empathie pour So Mum et beaucoup moins pour les autres. Leur passé ne sont pas assez mis en valeur. Par exemple dans « Taxi Driver », la douleur de Go Eun nous donne des larmes dans les yeux et nous n’avons qu’une seule envie ! Que le criminel soit violemment châtié. Ici, Ha Na souffre aussi de la mort de sa famille. Et pourtant, le temps qui lui est consacré me semble mal exploité. Je n’ai pas réussi émotionnellement à ressentir sa souffrance. Pareil pour Mo Tak et Gi Ran, leur relation n’était pas assez profonde, il m’a été difficile de ressentir leur affection et donc de compatir par la suite…


J'évite habituellement de parler des sous-titres. Je respecte beaucoup le travail des fansub, même si on y trouve des fautes ou des erreurs. Par contre, je ne mentirai pas si je disais que les sous-titres de NETFLIX sont vraiment frustrants! La personne qui a traduit ce drama soit ne s'y connait rien en traduction, soit ne s'y connait rien dans la culture asiatique, j'éviterai à, l'avenir leur sous-titre...

Il n’en reste pas moins que le temps passe vite et qu’on passe tout de même un bon moment avec ce drama.

Leia Mais

Wholesome and Gruesome go hand in hand for this one

Though the times I watched this drama weren't easy and I had barely any motivation to smile or engage in anything, I found myself enjoying this Drama, even laughing and crying whilst following the characters throughout the story. The concept and idea of this story, although I have not read the webtoon I find the overall implementation of it very felicitous.

The subject and main story seems to be on the heavier side, with death and tragedy not far. Nevertheless the drama itself, the lighthearted jokes and scenes as well as the mood set make it an "easy to enjoy" Drama.

generally speaking the cast seems to be in line with eachother, their characters and the storyline, making this drama, though scifi/fantasy, very believable and relateable. I was specifically impresed with Jo Byeonggyu's outstanding acting and couldn't imagine anyone else fit for the role.

Leia Mais

A perfect fun and suspenseful watch

Last year I saw this coming out, and I thought to myself, "Ah, another action Netflix kdrama..." and never gave it a chance. Until recently I thought it was some mediocre action drama that I would not enjoy, like most action kdramas. Then I saw a review that was so enthusiastic about The Uncanny Counter, that I decided to give it a go on a random evening.
Oh boy, was that person right! This show was such a refreshing breath of air finally, a good action kdrama that I managed to finish. One that I LOVED. Honestly, might be the first one as well.

I don't even know where to start. There are many kdramas about Grim Reapers and the evil spirits etc. but The Uncanny Counter successfully fused the supernatural, with comedy, family-drama, action and politics. While watching I was sometimes worried about how the writers were going to continue with the story, because there were so many different starting points, from the evil spirits to the mayor and politics and all the personal problems of So Mun and the other Counters. But man, they told the story with such mastery, it was smooth af.
I liked that everything was kind of connected, but wasn't necessarily intertwined. Honestly, we had everything: comedy, a lot of heartful and sad moments, hype moments and moments of frustration. Even though towards the end it kind of dragged (really just a tiny bit, maybe I'm just sensitive) they always threw in something new. Like holy freak Son Ho Jun appeared I was so happy like AHH (they could've just not decided to kill him though like...). Sometimes I was really frustrated because nothing seemed to work out and maybe there were some parts where I was like "okay, but they could've done that...", but honestly it's completely forgivable.

Cho Byeong Kyu? Eh, hello? Why didn't I notice earlier that his acting is... amazing? Maybe because he always played smaller roles, but damn, he delivered. He did a wonderful job, especially bc this is his first main MAIN role. All the other Counters were so perfectly casted, the chemistry was perfect and their relationship adorable. Please, give me the second season already.
Shoutout to all the antagonists. The actors and actresses were INSANE (sometimes those scenes scared the heck out of me, like it's disgusting, bc in my head it was a comedic show...), especially Lee Hong Nae, he creeped the heck out of me, but in those more humane moments I could still feel his sadness and fear (even though I couldn't empathize ofc the story didn't allow me to, but his delivery was really good). He definitely stole the show.

I would rewatch this without a second thought. Yeah, it was that good. One thing I liked (and this might just be a very personal thing) is that we could feel with the characters, but it wasn't extremely relatable so that I'd bawl my eyes out. It was enough to make me teary eyed, but the things that happened were enough distanced (idk how to say it...) so that I wouldn't invest too much of my emotions into the characters and their sadness. In other words, it's a really good watch, where you could just stop and go about your daily life, without feeling like something is different... It's good entertainment, but nothing life-changing. And sometimes (or very often) this is just something that we need :)

Leia Mais

Worth to watch!

Another 10/10 drama!

The acting of everyone was awesome, from the students, to the counters, the side characters, and especially the villains! A roller-coaster of emotions for this series. I love the friendship that the counters have, the strong bond of Im Ju Yeon (Lee Ji-Won), Kim Ung Min (Kim Eun Soo), and So Mun (Joe Byung Gyu). The powers were cool, although I wish they give more background to it. And I also love all the action scenes. The bullying really made my blood boil. The actors were so great I want to punch them. Kudos to their acting! But out of all the characters I found the 2 evil spirits the best acting (Ji Cheong Sin and Baek Hyang Hee). Really recommendable!

Leia Mais

easily one of the best kdramas i've seen

i dont know why this drama dont have the recognition deserved, ITS ONE OF THE BEST DRAMAS! i confess had dropped in the first ep, but after i gave a chance and no regrets. each caracter have your only history and personality, what makes you love they and even untill identify with one of them, and honestly i like that very much cause you fell more conection and affection for them, and that make have to very chemistry between they too.
the story is sooo captivating and creative, you never get bored with the eps.
pls just watch it right now, i have 100% confidence you'll like this if you already like dramas of fantasy, action and mistery.

Leia Mais

This is a fun show with heartfelt moments and a good mix of action and comedy

Looking for something heartwarming? Looking for some fast paced action?
I feel like this show has a little bit of everything mixed in with it. There are kickass moments where you're rooting for the good guys and get to see justice served, but also unexpected heartbreaking moments. And if you're in the mood for utterly ridiculous comedic scenes? Those are there too! Some of my favourite comedic scenes include the team raiding a press conference and the mayor getting waste water dumped on him and an epic money heist which hinges on the ability of a certain strong dude to fake leg cramps. The show actually reminded me of the Fiery Priest, which is full of some truly epic comedy gold. (The fart scene in the vault? A classic.) But back to the Uncanny Counter.

So Mun is a really good main character - and despite getting superpowers all of a sudden he's not some perfect protagonist. You can see So Mun growing throughout the show from being this impulsive, naive kid who runs into dangerous situations by himself like a dummy to learning to be patient and relying on his teammates. His teammates are also complex characters with their own backstories and their friendships and personalities are part of what make the show worth watching.

You also get to see other people mature through the show, including the mayor's son who starts out as this major bully and transforms after being shown true kindness for the first time in his life when he is at his lowest. I feel like there was this theme of redemption with him and So Mun was a driving force in that. I don't know if he'll show up in season two but I really want them to be friends.

One of my only gripes with the show was with the Yung people and their unreasonable rules, where the Counters weren't even allowed to protect people and were just supposed to rid the world of evil spirits. I'm glad that later on they got permission to deal with the bad guys but that was seriously wack - also the way they welcomed back So Mun so suddenly after kicking him out seemed so fake.

In the last few episodes a lot of stuff happens and I found the reveal about So Mun's powers kind of weird / sudden. But I thought the show ended well and despite this being a show where you sort of know the good guys will triumph in the end, the journey there is fast paced and unpredictable with some major plot twists along the way. I'm not about to go binge read the webtoon, but I would watch season 2 if it comes out.

I would give this a solid 7.5-8.
Category: Comedy, supernatural, heartwarming, action

Leia Mais

dragged for too long.

liked the idea (ik the story is from a webtoon) demon hunting, counters with unique powers according to their personalities. it started off well and was heading to a good buildup of events but then it went downhill around ep 9. tbvh the entire show could've been winded up by 8-10 eps. a lot of eps in the middle felt like fillers and i felt like i was watching the same thing again and again. the entire setup felt like smtn new at the beginning but towards the middle it felt like i was watching just another weak PPL fighting rich powerful corrupt PPL and getting pushed till the last ep like a Tom & Jerry ep. had great potential but not pushed towards the right direction.

Leia Mais

Amazing show!

I just finished watching this on netflix and loved it!
I can't wait for season 2 which is supposed to start around September 2021.
The cast did an amazing job.This is my fist time seeing Jo Byeong-kyu and Lee Hong-nae ,and I am pretty amazed by their performances and would love to see them again soon.
Also,shocked to see Ahn Suk-hwan in such cool way,as I have seen him mostly in historical dramas playing the bad guy.
Now,the show does have a lot of disturbing scenes (which I am used to),but might be too much for some people,especially how people with power treat their employees.I see this so often in kdramas that make me believe that it might be real,which is terrifying ,same with kids beings abused by their own parents/relatives.

Leia Mais

Took me only 2 days to finish this

I have watched more than fifteen k-drama's till now. But this is the fastest I have finished watching any drama. Why? I don't even know. The story is so amazing that if you start watching it you just can't stop. The excitement & curiosity of knowing what happens in the next episode keeps you attached to this drama. Most of the the things about this drama was great. This drama is so fun to watch. All of the things more or less makes makes though this is an sci-fi, supernatural drama. The story is simple & fun to watch. What I meant by simple that the story is easy to understand.
If you are thinking about watching it then please do so. I can assure you that you won't regret it for sure. And rewatching this drama will be also very enjoyable!

Leia Mais

THE EXCITEMENT REALLY NEVER ENDS!!

At first, I was skeptical of this drama, but the first episode grabs onto you like a hook! The Uncanny Counter is amazing, one of my newly found favorites. I looked forward to every weekend just so I could watch this show and figure out what was going to happen! A true nail-biter!

The plot was nicely done, I felt as if I understood everything I needed to know, and the progression of the characters was quite lovely. The highlight of this show, in my opinion, was the friendship. Onto character progression, Hyukwoo had a nice character progression, as he went from being a huge bully, and generally just a character you dislike a lot, to the one you start feeling a bit bad for and start liking because he starts being nicer, it was a nice touch. (a bit cliche, but it still gets me every time) I also liked how Mun became a counter out of nowhere, and his progression of becoming better, and settling in with his powers as a Counter, and figuring out all the new things he can do with them. The uncertainties the rest of the group had disappeared as Mun learned.

Uncanny Counter has a pretty good mix of Thrill, Political Corruption, Supernatural, Friendship, and light-heartedness, and it makes the drama itself great to watch.

I love this cast a lot, not just the actors/actresses, but the characters they play as well. They all work well together, and their characters were so nicely fit together, it was almost as if they were a family, and in my eyes, they really are a family. I truly love every member of the Counter squad, they live in my heart. I also love Mun's two best-friends, they are so wholesome and never failed to give me a smile! The casting on Uncanny Counter is splendid, and I couldn't imagine the cast being anyone else!

Overall, I 10/10 recommend Uncanny Counter, it's an amazing show, and I would, and probably will rewatch it again down the road. You will not regret watching Uncanny Counter!

Leia Mais