Raw cinema

First off, I need to confess that I really like period drama. I'm a real nut when it comes to period drama so I'll watch even the most boring period drama/movie to the very end (I think I've only ever dropped one - some forgettable pained movie with lots of over-acting that was made in 1983).

This wasn't the most boring period drama I've seen but it was tedious - but that was (in my opinion) entirely the point of the movie. It was meant to depict the rawness of life during that time and especially the war, without any of the gloss that you've normally come to see in the recent movies/dramas that are filled with idol actors meant to pretty up the show, or breath-taking cinematic scenes comprising stirring music, beautiful costumes and makeup, glorious scenery, or perfectly choreographed fight scenes. Rather, it paints a realistic (notice I didn't say accurate because this is not based on historical events, just based OFF historical events) depiction of life back then. Lots of blood and gore, plain underwhelming costumes and even brutality and barbarity.

I'm in it for Kang Dong Won and Cha Seung Won and they didn't disappoint. Not something I'd re-watch in a hurry was it was just ab emotionally exhausting albeit fulfilling (and somewhat long) ride.

Leia Mais

Interesting themes

This could have been a great movie. the premise is great - a second chance to interact with your deceased loved ones in an AI generated world. However, because it's in an anthology format, just as each character is developing, it's disrupted to move on to another story as it chops and changes between stories.

In comparison, Yonder had the same premise but executed it much better as they focused on deeply exploring the experience for one family, and surrounding context. Even with Yonder, I felt more could have been done but perhaps that showed a lot of understanding (or more accurately, dreaming) of the underlying tech and how it affects society.

Leia Mais

Interesting premise

I am not going to wade into the "which is better, the original Chinese drama or this" controversy. I have never watched the Chinese original (and don't intend to) so I can't comment.

The only thing I want to touch on is the mental and social commentary stemming from this drama. First, I find it interesting that this 'alternative' family arrangement has been highlighted, perhaps as the writer's hope that single-parent families and alternative family arrangements will one day become normalised in Korea. It is often not their fault that such families end up the way they are, and they shouldn't face discrimination because of it. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a happy 'standard' family and as society, we shouldn't comment on what makes another family happy.

Second, what really bugs me is the lack of acknowledgement of mental health. San Ha's mom clearly has narcissistic personality disorder in the way that she manipulates everyone around her and never admits her responsibility for her own situation. Threatening suicide is one such example of manipulation. She needs psychiatric care. This in turn has caused San Ha untold mental anguish as manifested through his constant anxiety and insomnia. Just 'talking it out' won't make either sets of symptoms go away. This is unrealistic and I wished the drama could have handled it better.

Especially in a high pressure society like SK where there is already such a high incidence of suicide and other undiagnosed mental health ailments, this is the best opportunity to normalise help-seeking. As a doctor, Sanha really should have known better than to play to manipulation. There isn't even a need to make a big deal out of it - him putting his mom in a psychiatric ward would have made me feel so much better about her ending rather than letting her run away again!

Leia Mais

Great acting

I have just finished this show. Had put it off because the first 4 episodes were just too tragic and I had to take break until it finished broadcasting then I could binge watch. Basically, the good guys could never catch a break right up to the last episode, so its very frustrating to watch and unless you're a sucker for punishment, I don't know who else would watch it (other than to see more of Cha Eun Woo on screen!) Really glad the whole series only comprises 14 episodes.

The story is middling - nothing really mysterious about it other than brooding young males and overwrought mothers. At the end, you don't get the supreme satisfaction associated with great revenge dramas (e.g. the Glory) where the bad guys get their just desserts - and then some. It wasn't too difficult to guess who was at fault although we did want to find out how and why.

However, the acting is top notch. Cha Eun Woo really CAN act! I was pleasantly surprised after a very stiff performance in a Good Day to be a Dog although he was passable in Island. Perhaps he learnt from one of the best in the business - Kim Nam Joo. I feel privileged to watch another stellar performance from her. In fact, I feel that she's done better this time than Misty.

I'm so glad that this show didn't turn out to be another younger man-older woman romance. Thank god there is NO romance and it's all dark and tragic. That really makes all the actors shine.

Final word: DON'T watch it - for the story. DO watch it - for the acting.

Leia Mais

Confusing watching

Many other reviewers have written fantastic in-depth reviews so I'll keep this short. I wish this show would make up their mind. It comprises action, mystery, supernatural, and crime. What exactly does it want to be? There is so much flitting back and forth between two timelines that it's confusing.

This could have been a great action show that highlights and gives insight into the important work of mountain rangers - episodes around finding missing people, stopping mountain-related crime (eg trespassing, illegal logging, etc), and saving people in danger. That is, make the series semi-educational in the vein of what Forecasting Love & Weather did for the Korean Meteological Administration or what Where Stars Land did for airport operations. (I do have a beef with Where Stars Land and the ridiculous turn it took but that's another story). But it had to attempt to be different. There is no need to because the subject matter itself, Jirisan and its dedicated rangers, is already unique and different to so many other dramas, so focusing on that is enough.

Leia Mais

Touching show where the acting is the highlight

I love shows by Lee Kyu Hyung. I don't get is why this actor is so talented but has only acted mostly in guest or support roles. He's such a versatile actor - character actor, romantic lead, crime and mystery, comic, tragedy, etc. He's not idol material but he still cuts a dashing figure. He definitely deserves a show where he's the main lead, and this show hasn't failed to disappoint.

I also love Go Bo Gyeol who is a way under-rated actress. She come across as fragile and looks very young but she is anything but. She too has been relegated to support roles as villain or the jealous girlfriend but she is capable of so much depth, as this step mom role shows. The conflicting emotions she feels as a step mom who wants to do right by everyone can't be easy but she pulls it off.

In terms of plot, the entire series was good. Many episodes made me cry as it reminds us to cherish those we love as we never know when and if we'll see them again. However, the last 2 to 3 episodes just dragged things out. This is another case of bulking up episodes to make it to 16. I'm so glad cable TV came along and Korean drama series were cut down to between 8 to 12. That would have been a good outcome here. Hence my rating dropped from 8.5 to 8.

In short - definitely give this a watch if you like the actors or if you want a meaningful show about family.

Leia Mais

Second chance first love

There have been so many second chance first love stories and this is no different. To be honest, I was drawn in by the Utada Hikaru song First Love which I listened to extensively in the 90s and it has a special place in my heart.

This drama definitely looks like it was stuck in the 90s - young girl and young boy meet, fall in love. Tragic circumstances cause them to be apart. They meet up again 20 years later. Typical plot from 1990s Korean drama.

The only part that this show does well yet also poorly is giving equal screen time to the 90s set of actors and story, and the-now set of actors and plot. It starts off a bit jarring where they can suddenly move from the 90s to now and back again without any transition. It helps a totally different set of actors are used rather than attempting to age or de-age actors or using different colors or dressing/makeup as as some other dramas have done. Once you get used to the lack of transitions and know which era's story is unfolding, it makes for interesting and light viewing. Things develop at a good pace because you're essentially watching two different stories unfold.

I like the drama because it's easy to watch and moves fast - thank goodness for only 9 episodes! I also like the themes - lost youth and unfulfilled dreams but now they have the chance to right the past but will they? The theme is also relived through their next generation (secondary leads) who are at important junctures in their lives - will they take the same missteps?

Watch out for the mid credit and end credit scenes in the last episode! Don't miss them!

Leia Mais

NOT Eternal Love

One earlier reviewer put it best. This is not a love drama, it is a revenge drama. Think of Eternal Love but starting off on the grasslands and then moving on to the palace. It had the potential to be Eternal Love but it doesn't even come close. Even though I'm not a fan of xianxia, something about the pacing of this show and the growth of its characters just don't reach the level of Eternal Love. The pacing too is not as good as it doesn't explore many different locations and sub-stories.

In terms of political intrigues, there was nothing mysterious about trying to identify the real big bad or clever about the schemes. It was just evil plotting and childish too. Neither the level of court politics nor concubine politics comes anywhere close dramas such as Yanxi Palace, Empresses in the Palace, or Scarlett Heart.

In addition, the characters are not as loveable. I didn't start off liking the leads in Eternal Love but I grew to as I felt they developed and matured. I can't really say the same for this show. Except for the Princess who grew as a person, the rest of the characters didn't.

Overall, watch it if you have withdrawal symptoms from military and political dramas otherwise give it a miss and watch the Long Ballad instead. It also starts off in the grasslands and moves to court (well, sort of) but has far more destinations and sub-stories that keep the pace quick and engaging.

Leia Mais

Not a sports drama

I put off watching this show for 2 years until the Christmas break because I'm not interested in sports. However, as other reviewers have stated, you don't need to understand baseball or even like it in order to watch this. In fact, for a baseball show, there's surprisingly few scenes of baseball matches. This show runs along the vein of strategy-based shows where the protagonists use their brains to plot and thwart the plans of villains. It's reminiscent of shows such as Dae Jung Geum, Dong Yi, and Tree with Deep Roots (notice how I'm giving sageuk examples, simply because such shows haven't been written with modern Korea as a backdrop.) which are very machiavellian and leave you marvelling at how they put down the jigsaw pieces and everything falls into place when you least expect it. This show won't leave you warm and fuzzy (e.g., Hospital Playlist, Prison Playbook) but will leave you feeling satisfied. The acting is top rate, even from the relatively young actors. Don't put it off any further, give it a watch!

Leia Mais

Best mental health drama ever

I don't know why this drama doesn't rate higher. I loved Hospital Playlist and really missed that. This has huge Hospital Playlist feels - the camaraderie between the staff, the going in-depth to understand the context and personal circumstances behind each patient. The staff strive to give patients the best level of care and address their problems not just solve the symptoms.

In addition, this show is about mental health. There's so much stigma surrounding this topic in Asia and particularly with psychiatry (as opposed to psychology).It's great to see a show treat the topic sensitively with the dignity it deserves, yet highlights why mental health is also a valid medical condition and should not be ignore or stigmatised.

Leia Mais

Great premise but....

The acting on this is great. Basic synopsis is a cop with less than clear morals and has multiple personality disorder tackles police corruption. I'm dropping it not because the acting isn't great (Lee Dong Wook and Wi Ha Joon are both fantastic) or that the story hasn't got promise, and it is slightly humorous. But for me, I just don't like police corruption shows. The good guys can never catch a break and I will probably have to preserve till maybe episode 10 to see any come-uppance. The plot doesn't have a lot of twists and turns either. I'm currently watching another 7 other shows so I'd just rather shelve this for next time.

Leia Mais

Bucking the trend

I'm going to buck the trend and say that I watched the Korean version then decided to watch the Taiwanese version to see what I missed. Turns out I didn't miss anything! So far, the reviewers of this remake can be classified into two camps - those who didn't watch the original and loved it vs those who watched the original and hated this. I'm going to buck the trend and say that I watched the Korean one first and liked it but after watching the Taiwanese one, I like the Korean one even more that I've actually increased its rating!

Why? When I watched the first 2 episodes of this Korean version, I found it draggy but OMG, the first four episodes of the original are even worse! The Korean remake keeps much of the same plot highlights but removes the bits I find super annoying in the Taiwanese version - the annoying attempts at comedy, the super annoying side stories and characters (gosh I really hate the colleagues). Like what's the deal with trying to inject comedy into a tragedy?

This remake just gets to the crux of the relationships between the main leads and important friends. The only thing that bugged me was the Seo Ji Won song - I loved it at first but it got very repetitive and tiring by the third episode. In contrast, the soundtrack of the original Taiwanese was fantastic and well-suited to the plot elements throughout. The Wu Bai song never got old.

In short - just want to watch for the mystery? Watch this Korean remake which has much better editing and is a professional production. Want to indulge in emotions - the sweet love story, the tragedy of love then loss, and endure annoying attempts at comedy which aren't funny - then watch the original which is raw, unpolished (for goodness sakes, mic the actors and remove all the echoey background noise!) but sentimental.

Leia Mais

Quirky and educational

This show starts off slow with a lot of over-acting but once you get into the hang of it, it's pretty entertaining. The drama starts off trying to be a comedy with a background of mystery. The premise is a top neurosurgeon (Jung Yong Hwa) comes in to help the police solve crimes related to the brain ailments. I'm particularly surprised by the over-acting of Jung Dong Hwan. He's such an established actor; there's really no need for over-acting.

The pacing gets better around episode 3 when the mystery and crime-solving comes to the forefront instead of being buried in the exposition of each character. Having a story of the week really helps prevent the overall series from getting caught up in the over-acting. Once the show got underway, I enjoyed the weekly lessons and brain science that the neurosurgeon character played by Jung introduced.

Jung Yong Hwa hasn't acted in a lot of dramas over the years, and in this drama, he's as prone to over-acting as the other leads. I can't say that this drama is his best work (I still like Heartstring because the role reflects what he does best - being a kpop idol) but I do enjoy the wide variety of drama roles that he attempts. I got to give him credit for trying new things and sometimes they work out (Three Musketeers, the Package), and sometimes they don't.

In short, don't take the drama too seriously. Watch this drama for a light laugh and take it with a huge pinch of salt.

Leia Mais

Wasted potential

The main premise was good, that she was able to see the future. There is so much more that could have been done with that, for instance, trying to find out how she developed her 'power', trying to 'solve' the power, or more interestingly, trying to prevent an undesirable future from happening. However, the actual execution was a total disaster. There are way too many Kdrama tropes and plot holes to count.

The first few episodes were so boring that I nearly gave up. However, after they got together, it was fun for a few episodes as it was funny and sweet as a rom com. The last 2 episodes were a disaster. Why did they suddenly need to insert a mystery? Surely they should have put far more clues and plot points in earlier episodes to suggest some mystery? It's as if the writers changed halfway or they suddenly wanted to improve their ratings.

The whole drama was Schizophrenic at best - romance, comedy, fantasy, mystery, and office drama. I'm only giving this an 8 because I enjoyed the middle episodes. Thank goodness this ended at 12 episodes. I would have given up at episode 4 if I wasn't a Disney Plus subscriber.

Leia Mais

Trope and juvenile

This is a juvenile drama and should be watched as such. It is trope and adolescent to be crushing someone. It is very innocent (or naive depending on your viewpoint) and pure as some reviewers have commented. It is refreshing even compared to some other teen dramas which nowadays focus on difficult themes like bullying or the stress/pressure of academic excellence or suicide ideation. However, I couldn't help but get vibes of paedophilic grooming especially in the first episode with the 14 yo Sang Zhi and developed a strong 'ick' factor.

I seriously don't know how this drama can rate so highly compared to real meaty dramas. I watched hoping it would get more 'adult' and meaty but finally gave up. I really liked Zhao Lu Si and her portrayal of a high school student was spot on. Young love is pure and juvenile and one has to be in the right mood for it. Unfortunately, I'm not.

Leia Mais