Kachiiing
United Kingdom
The main story is of a serial killer, using an iron ball to satisfy his sadistic pleasures. When Jin Hyuk's wife is murdered in the opening scenes, the game is strong and you watch him (Jin Hyuk, not the serial killer^^) team up with Gwon Joo, who's cop father was also murdered by the same guy, as she heads the "Golden Time Team" at their local precinct.
A team that is dedicated to reaching any crime scenes within the golden period before it ends for the worse - 10 minutes.
With this set in place, we have to sit through this team being put into use, with my favourite side story, of a foster kid behind abused by his mum, in a repeat cycle of what happened to her so he called 112, to my least favourite set in a mental centre, where homeless people are being fleeced and then killed. Seemingly random, but providing leads to the serial killer. I didn't know whether to be pissed or happy. Happy, is what I went with. Imagine if I had sat through all those cute, protracted spin-offs and there wasn't a point?
The serial killer does not hide.
No, he is almost luxurious in the way he hunts and reveals himself. Extremely arrogant of being untouchable (typical privileged Korean kid, lol^^) However, he was willing to lose that power, just so it would create maximum torment within the two he was obsessed over. Jin Hyuk and Gwon Joo. One of the best scenes including Mo Tae Gu (and there were many) was when he was wheeled out of hospital, escaping, but yet he roared because he didn't want to escape, but be back in their clutches. Wow!
Kim Jae Wook is excellent, the best thing in the last four episodes.
Lee Ha Na has this breathy style of speech she adopted here, which I grew used too, so I was cool with the girl by the end.
Jang Hyuk was in the middle of these two, somewhere in terms of acting talent and commitment.
I could see myself rewatching the first two episodes, and the last four alone. That's it. For that, I will give a high rewatch score.
If you like crime/detective dramas, this is the best one out of 2017 for sure.
But the year is early yet 8D
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Dramaworld is totally meta and makes fun of a lot of tropes. Tropes that you find in KDramas that is, ie, piggyback riding, karaoke scenes, getting drunk on soju, chaebol family, scheming female second lead - however the ending gave a twist, that you don't find typically in KDramas. If you've watched Dream High, you know what I mean^^The acting in this was atrocious at parts. Wooden. But it gave me a meta feel still, because there are wooden characters galore typically in KDramas, and I thought it was a faithful representation, lol. The story is ambitious and follows Claire as she enters "Dramaworld" and tries to fix it before it ceases to exist forever. She meets another facilitator, Seth, who seems like a good guy, and he appears to be helping her on the surface. But is he really? *At the risk of putting spoilers, I'm not saying anything more*
Towards the ending, the story broke the fourth wall, which requires a lot of explanation and set-up, but there was no time here. By fourth wall, I mean the characters in the drama (well Joon Park) became aware he was a character in a drama. Although good ending, one has to wonder - is Claire's life now a drama? The ending is so ambiguous and not explained properly, I don't even consider it a spoiler talking about it, because it's open to interpretation.
Also, I was cringing towards the end. SERIOUSLY cringing.
However for a web-series and a collaboration between America and Korea - I see this as a stepping stone onto something more awesome. Watch this if you love meta references and you will be swept up in nostalgia :D The reason why my re-watch score is so high (practically unheard of), is because it's short, sweet and I can see myself revisiting the bits I liked, or just watch the Seth bits^^ (Justin Chon and Liv Hewson did a good job)
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"W," one muttered. "Why is the show called W?"
The other snapped their fingers. "W sounds exactly like 'Double U' - Double universe. Get it?"
"Clever!" came the reply.
........Except it was not.
Oh, it tried to be. From the offset, rules were made, broken and shaped into something else entirely. This constant shift in dynamics between real world and manwha world kept us on our toes. But two flaws held it back.
One - All of the characters in both worlds were flat. All of them. Except maybe one, but more on Oh Seong Moo later. Kang Chul was particularly tragic. To become self-aware of his own cartoon status, to gain a strong purpose to kill the creator - but then being reduced to nothing more than being Yeon Joo's chew-toy. She wanted romance, and romance was to be had! The plot would've been more interesting if he'd objected to his secondary creator's will (especially in the second half, when he had no recollections of their "romance") and resented her throughout. Muhahahaha. You can tell how sick I was of every romantic scene between them. Every-time manwha world tried to insert conflict, namely by having the killer after them, the end-goal was for their insipid reunion, that I stopped caring by episode 5. Seriously.
Yeon Joo. Man, I had major issues with this character. As I said to a fellow MDLer..."In the latter episodes, just to be walking around in pretty dresses, doing nothing but sleep and talk with Kang Chul - how is that inspirational? A woman with that much brains, will always seek for extra stimulation, not just be relegated to "Barbie" territory with fluff in her brains. Why make her a doctor in the first place? Just make her anything, if it doesn't matter so much."
I still stand by those words.
Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo's acting left a lot to be desired. They tried their best, excelling in certain points, but I was convinced by neither character in the end.
Oh Seong Moo/Hang Sang Hoon was a character portrayed well, by the actor, which is why he's my favourite, closely followed by Crazy Dog, who voiced every frustration with W's turns - he even voiced a fantastic thought. "Even though I hated the beginning, I must be respectful of the final episode"...and then, "That's it?"
Lastly Su-Bongah because he spent the majority of the episodes frightened out of his wits.
In some ways, the reason why I'm giving a high score of 6.5 is purely because the show tried something new and had an exciting soundtrack. My most appreciated scene in the show, was when Seol Hee was fading and drew attention to herself. Her will to survive was stronger, than the will of the show! And she wasn't even self-aware like Kang Chul. The only (truly) impressive dimension I saw.
Also the ending? More questions raised, than answered.
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That said, I didn't hate a single character, and I was supporting many pairings! How nice is that? To have a drama, where there isn't an evil stepmom or a jealous ex, waiting to swoop in and create un-necessary drama. For once, everyone was quite accepting of each others choices (with a few hiccups) and that was lovely to see.
Special mention to Chief Kang Woo and Tae Yi Ryung, very sweet side dish I must say.
For me ep 2, 9 and 10 were the weakest and ep 12 was the strongest. A big draw for me was the mystery of Cha Hee Joo/Hanna and that's what kept me watching for a while.
In the beginning, I felt the chemistry between Joong Won and Tae Yang was just right, but then for a few episodes I felt the romance was more of a very good friendship and I was finding it hard to connect to So Ji Sub's real emotion. The kisses were trademark Hong-style too. Wide eyes, arms by the side etc etc.
However by the end, I realised I was going to miss all the characters all the same, and although the saccharine lines were a bit much to swallow towards the end, I appreciated everyone's hard work and I reached the finale!!!
This drama is well worth the watch. Most likely drama of 2013, lol, though I haven't watched any other releases of 2013 yet. I don't give praise away lightly, so this drama has something going for it.
Enjoy watching everybody else. It will be a treat of epic proportions.
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Original score in 2011 - 10/10
If I were to rate it now - 6/10
The FL is a pathological liar. I never picked up on it b4. She is asked to tell the truth 4x, she still lies. She pawns her wedding ring, and lies about that. She lies about several things. In the beginning you (kinda) get her motivation, but the levels of cruelty she goes too, WOW. However, I suppose we're meant to detect she has a good heart. As a rule, I like these kinda ppl in my dramas, but I'm not rooting for their eternal happiness, tho in the past, I clearly supported her all the way - so I can't help root for it, like I once did.
The ML is pitiful for all he went thru. All the lies. All the deceit. When he FINALLY got the microchip (felt an age), I went into the thrill of him seeking revenge. Turns out he loves her still. The thrill was a former echo of what I felt. Not as intense, but appreciated. Wu is a great looking guy, when he was on his knees yelling to heavens, you can't help but admire his physique than his acting. He is a good actor tho.
What surprised me - I remember when younger, I was VERY bored with villager drama. This time round, I was very interested in it. WHAT A SURPRISE. I did fast-forward gardener bits, (2nd ML) when he had his own spin stories that lasted 10+ mins. Like I don't mind the guy, but I'm fast-watching this u know. I'll like to stress, when I originally watched this, I didn't fast watch.
The little kid!!! I remember I loved him soooooo much when I originally watched 9 years ago. Now I was this close to finding him annoying. (gasp, my maternal side gone). If he was few years older, he'd be annoying for sure. Why? He kept insisting calling his dad, "alien daddy" (which yh fair enuff, he is ur real dad) but the lil kid is constantly told not too. He keeps throwing tantrums and acting clingy. But then when he withdraws this amount of love, I felt it deep.
Look, I still love the kid. Not as much, but he's so frigging cute
Will I ever come back? YES
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Shock horror. As a girl that thrives off romance, it made me consider if romance was the be-all, end-all of life. Frequently, I find myself complaining how horribly it's done, when it IS included, and here I find my answer....don't include it.
The movie, without question, didn't need it!
The biggest reason why this movie was a success, was because of the simple reason behind it. Seo-Mi (the child) is kidnapped, and Cha Tae Sik, this rather secluded pawnshop-broker suddenly erupts into the pent-up ball of man-energy, fighting like a ninja and seeking retribution. His entire motive of entering this shadowy world of drug-dealing was to safe one little girl...but it ended up so much more than that.
Yes, the movie tackles drug-dealing, child trafficking and combining them together in a neat little bow, if that's possible. The whole "harvesting organs" bit came as a total surprise, but I'm glad it was included, because that became an important issue as the others!
My most favourite scene from this beautifully created film, was the most understated. It's a scene that's around halfway through the movie, almost thrown in there as second thought, but for me, was the most cleverest scene out of the entire movie, and if I'm honest, quite a few other movies too.
Why?
Because of the two-fold subtext it provided.
It's the "breakfast" scene (or was it dinner?)....anyway, it's the one where all the children are seated around the table with the curved knife ajussi. The old crone (aka dodgy ajumma) brings in a girl, and tells her to say good-bye. She's dressed in her best clothes, and looks really healthy, and the ajumma tells everyone, she's going to a new home. The girl's parting line is: "Thanks for the nails!" waving her fingers at our very own Seo Mi, who nods her head graciously.
She gets up, and puts a plaster on ajussi's forehead. "If I'm good, do I get to see my mummy?" she asks.
BAM! WALLOP! ZING! Just like that, two subtext planted side by side. When Won Bin sees those nails again (later on the movie), we as the audience realize exactly what happened to the girl, almost step-by-step, without having to actually see it. The curved knife ajussi, with that one scene where Seo-Mi puts a plaster on him, is enough for us to understand why he did what he did, again, later on in the movie.
No superfluous scenes needed. One little kitchen scene is what made the entire movie for me, alongside great acting through-out. I think you'll see when you watch it!!
10/10. Simple as. Great movie, just goes to show romance (sometimes) is not the answer to enticing an audience ^^
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Why did you keep me trapped?
Mostly because of Uee. To be able to capture the quiet moments of suffering (from cancer) is not an easy thing to achieve. To be able to cut off your hair and take of your make-up (both which required NO dialogue) but show such complexity of brevity - wow. Secondly because of Shin Rin Ah and Lee Seo Jin in equal measure. They literally propped up Uee, with stellar acting of their own. These three's characters in particular were well-developed, and made up for the fact that some secondary cast members (Na Yeon and Jung Hoon - also that rent-a-loan-shark he hired for example) were not written very well - they just provided cheap antagonism to "prevent" the couple from getting together and were slight irritants. Luckily, their screenplay was diminished as time went on, and Jung Hoon was packed off to America. (I also have to do a quick mention to his mom - that girl power moment when she told Ji Hoon's father he was going to die alone - give this woman a medal!) So yes, a medley of multi-dimensional characters and flat characters, that made me reduce the acting/cast score by 0.5.
The story is a typical cliche contract marriage. Execution is on point. I'm always a fan of the cliche, if it's executed very well - and let me tell you - it was!!! Bear with the first few episodes, as that will be the most easiest point to drop and move on - but as you go on, the acting will cinch it for you. If it doesn't - then your heart is made of stone :P
I don't see myself rewatching this anytime soon (I'm still happy I finished this!), but definitely maybe in about 5 or 10 years, I can see myself coming back. Which is why the rewatch score is so high.
Overall, thank you show for being awesome^^
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What a movie. The Japanese can definitely do romance!I was deliberating whether to give it a 9, because although the story was very cute, it didn't strike me as special. I did half enjoy watching it though. It didn't feel like the actors were acting ;)
But as we moved to the latter stages, I knew this had to score high. It tugged my heartstrings, and a beautiful love shone through. How could I have labelled it as mediocre in the beginning?
I've seen Hiroshi Tamaki in Nodame, and loved him in it. I loved him in this also, albeit a different way, and he gelled well with the female lead. Who by the way, is GORGEOUS, however geeky they make her look.
Enter this with no expectations, and you will be blown away. Thankfully, I didn't read any spoilers beforehand, though I did get an inkling, when she coughed up blood when she lost her baby molars. I was thinking...hmmmm.
Looks up. Did I give anything away there? Nah. Not really :) What a gorgeous movie. For the first time, I truly believe Japan can do romance better than Korea, if they wanted too :)
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This drama had a whole block of realism, but I wouldn't say it's deep or heavy in any regard. On the whole, it's light, breezy and follows a girl's life, as she deals with an ex, a guy she is pretending is her fiance, HER REAL BF, and then those cursed in-laws that seem determined to ruin your life at every turn. There are a lot of memorable scenes in this drama, like Jang Mi wading into the pool and running away in a bridal dress to a beach etc etc.
It's a great drama!
However, I felt some of the supporting cast were not as developed as they could've been. Some of them were literally cardboard templates, but for the "light and breezy" theme it works. Also, this is more on a personal note, I'm not sure how I feel about the advertisement of plastic surgery in this drama. Some procedures can be done under 20 minutes, so it's shown on par of having your hair dyed or getting a pedicure done. For me, this settles in uneasily, because on a broader sense, it shows society is becoming more aesthetically driven, and soon, there will be peer pressure to get these procedures done.
Although I have no problems with plastic surgery per se, I would hate for that day to come, when someone says to me, "Hey, you have a deviated septum/ or a high widow's peak...have you thought about going under the knife? Everyone does it!" Because I think that's where society is heading. But oh well! Maybe it's just me, who needs to embrace the concept of "changing your face to suit the occasion, like one might change their socks everyday"... How old-fashioned am I! :)
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Cons: The directing in the first few episodes was perverted. A pointless hot pink underwear gift, with a trunk for penis placement. The female lead grabbing her brother's crotch. Having a tight corset around her waist, pushing her breasts up and out, even if she wore a T. It made me think the director was a pervert, and KYJ was being taken advantage of. Then I figured, she's been in the industry for a while, and to give her credit. I'm sure she'd walk out if she felt being taken advantage of. Thankfully, it died down after first few episodes. I would have given a higher score, if I actually realised what link the Doctor neighbour had with her mum's accident, and what that accident even was? Did a building collapse? So unclear. The Doctor was an instigator for that accident? What?
Overall, I'm happy I finished this, it was an easy watch but it's very average.
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EDITED:
I'm sorry. I have to give this 10/10. Despite it having flaws, the one point I deducted were made up by the fact, that I watched Bright Girl first, and to see the evolution in their chemistry (we might never see this pairing together again...weeps) made this drama extra special for me, and one I won't be likely to forget. I can see myself rewatching this 10 years from now, and still being swept in a great (er) wave of sentimentality.
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Well, gather round folks. I will explain it one time, and one time only. If you miss it...well tough. Happily go read a review where this drama is rated "Poor." Find a like-minded sprit and write OVERRATED all over your wall, so you get 13 likes & maybe a smiley face.
Because now we're entering a hater-free zone.
YB was a drama I entered with low expectations, because one of my frenemies liked it, and anything SHE liked, must be cr*p. The first 3 episodes did enough to keep my watching, though I didn't take an immediate shine to Park Shin Hye. Pretending to be a nun...pff. Anyone can tell that girl is durrty ^_^ (Don't believe me? Watch how she dances)
I desperately didn't want Jang Geun Suk to be the lead (wanted Shin Woo instead) because he looked like a grease monkey...but one surly look, and I resigned myself to fangirling. ;)
There were points in the drama I wanted to quit (because Hwang Tae Kyung was freaking me out by operating on pig-rabbits) and it looked like no-one was going to confess, and we were getting nowhere..
But then episode 10 happened. Suddenly things were HAPPENING, yo. Jeremy finds out she's a girl (JEREMY IS THE BEST COMIC-RELIEF BTW) and Shin Woo confesses but sounds so stalkerish/mean doing it, I went right off him...Lovely bloke otherwise!
Special highlights were when Go Mi Nam was shooting her/his music video and Jang released this really gorgeous smile. Jang (again) being chased by a wild pig after miming to "Breathless" by Shane Ward (bet he WAS breathless after that debacle). Any scene with Jeremy in it!
Still hoping for season 2, but it's fading each year. Oh well. I'm sure the Hong sisters wouldn't know what to write next anyway :P Or that's at least what I keep telling myself...
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Lol, this movie taught me something new. I never knew you could stay in high school till you're 21+, usually there's a cut-off age around 19 or something....isn't there?
It's well worth the watch, coz Gong Yoo is in it, and it's funny coz he looks exactly the same 10 years later! (Good genes) It's also interesting to note he stared in Coffee Prince 4 years after this, and in that time he went from playing a crabby high school student, to a magnetic, sexy romantic lead!!!
I laughed, there was lots of funny moments, but at times I did feel like something was missing. Other people have every right to disagree on this, in fact they have, so don't take my word for it. It's up to you to judge^^
But it's a good movie to have saved for a rainy day.
PS: Kwan Sang-Woo is SO hot in this!!!!
Also this was 3rd best-selling Korean of 2003 (source wikipedia) so it deserves a look in, for that fact alone, no? :D
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It actually kickstarts with the kidnapping of a young girl, and the thriller starts.
In the first two cases, they did a slow reveal of who the killer was, which was pointless in my POV, because I figured out who was the killer and burglar respectively, in like, 2 seconds. In the first one, the second the bus driver said, "No-one got on at that stop" it was bloody obvious who it could be (hint: it's not the bus driver.) In the second one, there was no witnesses except the rich boy...and lo be'hold - it doesn't take a genius to figure out who it could be. I felt like my intelligence was being mildly insulted, but the walkie-talkie side-drama, kept my score around 7/10. You know - that awesome thing that can communicate with Lee Jae Han in the past :)
In the last two cases, they revealed who the culprits were straightaway, so I just settled in to watching the net closing in on them! It was actually kinda fun. My fav bits were the flashbacks on how the crimes were committed, and the human emotion it wrought. We really were spoiled! Also any scene with Lee Jae Han in it. The time looping was very impressive.
Questions that I still want to know the answers too:
1) Park Hae Young's phone kept ringing at 11:22, just before the 11:23 transmissions, 2 or 3 times. Who was it? Why was it never mentioned again? (That bugged me the most, surprisingly)
2) Does this have a second season? :)
Extra mention to Cha Soo Hyun, she was brilliantly acted by Kim Hye Soo. That woman!
Also strangely - my most favourite character besides, LJH, was Ahn Chi Soo. He wasn't quite a good guy, nor was he a full out blown bad guy (I love how he supported the Cold case team sometimes, at odds with his jerkface boss, Kim Bum Joo) and the reveal with his character in ep 11 (was it 11?) was my fav cliffhanger of the show. I like people who straddle both light and dark, in the murky grey area.
The soundtrack was great. Really elevated the show throughout. I didn't even realise the last episode was 1 hour and 1/2, I was so amazed that a show, could still remain exciting to the end, raising questions, instead of solving them! Kudos Signal team. You outdid yourselves!
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