Monster is one of my all-time favorite thrillers. Lee Min Ki delivers an amazing portrayal of a man who's mind just isn't right. Throughout the performance, you aren't sure if you love him or hate him, if you want to hug him and wipe away his tears or cut his throat before he can do more damage.

Kim Go Eun's character was hard for me to understand at first. Her single-minded purpose shone through until the very end. Bok Sun becomes the every-man's-heroine, who manages to fight for her personal justice despite her disability.

The gore value in this film is fantastic. My personal favorite is the chopsticks scene, which I highly recommend. I have watched this film several times, and it continues to thrill me, like my favorite roller coaster.

On top of all of that, the scenery is gorgeous, as it is set in a forested, rural area. The filmography was done beautifully.

I recommend this flick for lovers of the thrill. Lovers of blood. Lovers of psychotic evildoers and lovers of a good game of cat and mouse.

Leia Mais

Let me get this out of the way from the door. So Ji Sub looks so adorable in this I want to hit him with a frying pan. Such a handsome man. But anyway, on to the review.

This is a Japanese Leon: The Professional, for those of you who know and loved it. So Ji Sub delivers a great performance considering he doesn't speak a word throughout the whole film. This film seems somehow lighter than the original, even though they depict the Japanese mafia, which I believe is pretty gruesome. And while Tanimura Mitsuki doesn't quite deliver the performance Natalie Portman did in The Professional, she still gave us a sympathetic character that we sided with immediately.

The music was melancholy at all the right moments, helping you to feel the characters pain.

The cinematography gave us a chance to see a lot of Japan that we probably wouldn't have seen anywhere else...those average, everyday places like under the bridge, along the docks, side streets that blend into life in Japan that most of us don't know. In that, it was interesting. (Did I mention the hotel that has a room key vending machine? Handy much?)

You spend the entire film really pulling for the two main characters, who, even though they are doing heinously illegal activities, you can't help but root for.

I would probably watch this again, if only to see an adorable So Ji Sub from seven years ago. Watch this if you loved the original. If you love So Ji Sub (and yes, there *may* be a gratuitous bare chest scene sorry for the spoiler). If you love an Us-Against-The-World concept. And if you don't mind that killers can be A-OK!

Leia Mais

I may go against the masses, but I thought this was cute. I always looked forward to Friday and Saturday because I knew there would be new eps. Like most dramas, towards the end it began to drag, but overall I thought they accomplished what they set out to.

Like all other Cinderella stories, this was fluffy and sweet. The 'drama' wasn't overly dramatic and it turned out to be a cute story about four young people getting to know each other and learning how to be friends. The title is misleading, because the inclusion of a fourth knight is a bit sketchy.

I would have liked to see more development of the 'evil stepmother' and 'evil stepsister', who in the end had very small roles considering it is a Cinderella story. Park So Dam is adorable, and Jung Il Woo seems to get younger every time I see him. Ahn Jae Hyeon is just hard for me to watch because I find him to be a strange person in real life. Lee Jung Shin did a solid job with a role that had a lot of lines, well done.

Best scene is hands down the drinking scene. Watch this drama if only for that scene, which may be the cutest drinking scene ever, not to mention an epic vomit episode which left me screaming with laughter (because I'm a runner!).

Don't expect this to be a deep, meaningful drama and you won't be disappointed. It is exactly what it should be... cotton candy and cuteness. Enjoy!

Leia Mais

For me, this entire drama hinged on the acting of Seo Hyun Jin. I have never experienced such a deep empathy for a character. She portrays someone who is devastated incredibly well. I have found that if she so much as sniffles, I burst into tears. The dead, haunted expression she had through the first few episodes, and the inner strength of her character to put on a brave face to the world stayed with me.

I found the story to be interesting at first. It was different. But after a while it seemed to have lost it's charm for me. This makes me sad, because I was anticipating Eric's return to the screen. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the drama, but it isn't one I would watch again.

As for the music, I am torn. The main song is catchy but annoying. Roy Kim's song is lovely. The two balanced out to a 6.5 for me.

Overall, I rated this drama a 7.5, which about averages the other scores. That is almost exclusively due to Seo Hyun Jin. The side characters were also fun to watch, and their stories were light-hearted interruptions to the main plot, which at times became a little heavy.

I do recommend seeing this drama, even with it's short-comings. If for no other reason than to experience acting that will literally make your heart hurt in your chest.

Leia Mais

Doctors had a lot of potential, but in the end it fell short. The story was nothing new, although it was approached in a new way. But it lacked passion both in the romance as well as in the drama.

The cast did a decent job, but I found myself more invested in the side characters than in the main story. Like Moon Ji In devoted and charismatic as the bestie. Or Kim Min Suk's loveable, quirky side-kick. I even adored Jang Hyeon Seong's portrayal of a fatherly, kind-hearted boss who takes care of his employees as if they are his children.

The biggest disappointment for me personally was the small role played by Ji Soo. I would have liked them to at least check back in with his character at some point later in the drama.

While there was potential for some really fierce scenes with dirty bad guys and helpless heroes, that didn't happen here. The drama quietly flowed from one episode to the next until it ended.

Don't watch this if you are looking for suspenseful medically dramatic moments or passionate love triangles. Do watch this if you love Park Shin Hye, love Kim Rae Won, and hate rollercoaster dramas.

Leia Mais

This is one of those dramas that hooks you from the very first episode. Even the opening theme is different, almost reminiscent of True Blood in it's creepy, off sound. The actors were very well cast, and they delivered an excellent performance. The story kept you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire series. It was one of those dramas when I didn't want to watch the final episode because I didn't want it to end, and yet I couldn't help myself, I had to know what happened. I'm still scratching my head. I would love to see a sequel, although I'm sure that isn't in the plan.

I have gushed about this drama to everyone I know, and I highly recommend it. If you are looking for a romcom, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a melodrama, this isn't the place. If you are looking for suspense, mystery, a little bit of gore and realistic surrealism that keeps you saying, "Oh my god!" until the very last moment, this is the show for you!

Leia Mais

I really thought the casting was great for this drama. Excellent choice, casting Baro as a young Kim Gil Do. It is completely believable that he would grow up to look like Jo Jae Hyeon. Chun Jung Myung seems to only take these dark dramas now. I miss him in lighter dramas.

The music was decent for the genre, nothing you would add to your ipod.

The story was something that originally looked interesting. However the write up is misleading. There were way more victims and very little of the underdog winning any battles throughout most of the drama, so in that was it was disappointing.

I wouldn't watch this again. It was hard to get through the first time. Depressing.

Leia Mais

I definitely preferred Season One. Perhaps it is because in Season One the characters were new. However to suffer through another full season where the characters have not developed at all and the exact same situations occurred was difficult.

I gave the story a 6.0 because while it was so similar to the first season, it worked the first time. I didn't give it anything higher because.... it was so similar to the first season.

The acting/cast is a 4.5 because this may well be the most annoying characters I have ever experienced in my life. Between Hotaru's inability to make an decision, let alone formulate actual words, and even in her mind only thinking "boss", "boss", "boss" every five seconds....... and Takuma's mentally abusive treatment of the woman he alleges to love, I seriously couldn't stomach it. Of course, that may be less a matter of the acting, and more a matter of the writing, so I admit my score in this area is probably unfair.

I gave a 1. 0 to the music because if there was music, I have no memory of it. Evidently it left no impression.

Rewatch Value is an energetic Heck No! Otherwise known as 1.0. I won't go near this drama again ever. I enjoyed season one, so I'm bummed about season two.

If you don't want to be thoroughly bothered, and want to avoid hating the characters you learned to like in season one, stay away from season two. Just enjoy the happy memories.

Leia Mais

I originally watched the Taiwanese version of FTLY. I had high expectations for the Korean remake, however I prefer the original. The same could be said for My Queen, although Witch's Romance had it's good points.

I loved the cast. I am such a huge Jang Hyuk fan, and Jang Na Ra has been steadily making her way to the top of my favorite actress list. However, I found Jang Hyuk's portrayal of Lee Gun difficult to watch. When he was being serious, hearts were popping around my head, but that laugh....even though they explained it....was too much for me. I cringed every time, all twenty episodes. I am sad about that, because I could watch Jang Hyuk all day. (Let's not get started on that hair)

HOWEVER, even though I loved the Korean cast, Chen Joe in the Taiwan cast delivered such a performance that my chest hurt. Her delivery of the terrified, pleading mother was moving and touching, while the Korean version really fluffed that entire event, watering it down for the Korean audience.

I am glad I watched it, but I would not watch it again. There are other dramas that I love the two main actors in, and would willingly rewatch rather than this.

Leia Mais

The concept of this drama was interesting. This was a story I have never seen before, at least not delivered in a package like this. It was believable, even though it seemed to be far-fetched from the summary.

The casting was great. Jang freaking Hyuk, I can't. Loved that every other episode he'd grown in his 5 o'clock shadow. Park So Dam was adorable and plucky, fell in love with her from the first episode. The supporting cast was amazing and included some of my favorites like Yoon Hyun Min, Oh Je Sung and a hilarious Kim Hyung Kyu, who's departure from the deadly Mantis in Last was amazing. Add to that the most delightful Bromance Team, because who wants just one Bromance when you can have a Bromantic Ensemble? Jang Hyuk's worked very hard on this character. How to depict someone who has no emotions and still evoke the sympathy of the watchers? He did a great job.

The music was wonderful. I really like the song that played during most of the sadder scenes. It was beautiful.

As for rewatch value, I would probably watch this again, and soon. I thought it was a great show.

Now, a few personal notes that I have to add. I'm disappointed that they cut the episodes by two. As expected, the last episodes had a rushed feeling, which is why some of my scores were lower than the 10 I would have loved to give them. I'm not sure what happened here. Assuming the ratings were low, I wonder that they don't try moving these shows to another time slot. ALSO, about my Jang Hyuk, that D.I.L.F., time is beginning to catch up to him. I almost fell out of my chair at the SPOILER ALERT** no-abs shot in the beginning...where did they go? Still love this man and his dreamy voice.

Leia Mais

What a great drama. The casting was perfect. All of the actors did a fantastic job. There was a lot of action, and the story allowed you to experience both sympathy and anger. Park Won Sang is lovable. The story really challenges your ideas about loyalty, and what's right versus wrong.

There is nothing pretty about this drama. It is dirty and probably smelly. There is action until the very last moment.

One thing to prepare for, at the end of this drama you will desperately want yourself a Mantis. You'll know what I mean after you've seen it.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride. It's worth it.

Leia Mais

Even though there are a ton of reviews, I'm reviewing this to bring it into the spot light again a year later. What a fantastic drama. I finished ep 24, and clicked right on ep 1 again to rewatch it, it was that outstanding. Between the smart, dark and intriguing storyline with it's smattering of light moments and the wonderful portrayals by the lead actors this was a pure hit.

I was biased by the fact that the drama circled around serial killers, because that's a personal favorite for me. Add in the extreme personality of Simon Bo, and his almost alien innocence and it was a recipe for perfection. All 24 episodes kept me completely absorbed and interested. No skipping, no yawning and no looking away, not for a second.

I can't recommend this drama enough. If you are looking for a feeler into C-Dramas, this is a great way to go, it even has a little romance, if you need it. Do yourself a favor and watch this drama.

Leia Mais

I enjoyed this drama throughout the entire 20 episodes, which is nice. I wasn't compelled to skip at all for fear of missing something important. It was interesting throughout. The only reason I brought it down was the over use of the typical KDrama tricks. Ridiculous situations that no one is dumb enough to fall for in real life but hep to further the plot. I understand why, but I don't like it.

The acting was good. Although there was no really deep dive into any one character's emotions, it was still well done for an action story-line. Plus.... So Ji Sub. Since I watched this AFTER Oh My Venus, I was tickled to see another drama pairing up SJS and Choi Jin Ho. Also, was happy to see Im Ji Kyu again after seeing him in Suspicious Housekeeper. He's a cutie pie.

The music got me. What an iconic song to use, Phantom of the Opera. (although I wonder how/if they got permission to use it). I thought the music supported the action very well. It was a good match.

For rewatch value I score slightly lower, only because I feel like I didn't miss anything or have any confusion that would require me to revisit things. Although the plot was complex, it was explained clearly so I wasn't left scratching my head.

I recommend this for anyone who loves a good mystery, suspense and issues that are neatly resolved (either good or bad) in one episode. If you are looking for a gratuitous So Ji Sub body shot...go watch Oh My Venus. You won't find it here.

Leia Mais