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Jeana
In Fucking Beast Mode
Ji Sung- I have so much love for this man. He captures my soul every time he comes on-screen. He has always been one of my two most favorite actors and will always remain that way. I can sing odes in way of his acting and it still wouldn't be enough. In this drama he plays a Chaebol with 7 different personalities and his transitions are so real and vivid, that each of the seven personalities seem like entirely different people.
Shin Se Gi= The over dramatic bad boy who made me giggle, swoon, cry and fall in love.
Yona= The side-throbbingly hilarious and bratty mean girl who I wished I was friends with.
Ah Sub= The genius and serious teenager who had a penchant for suicide.
Perry Park= The ahjussi who shined so brightly and tinkered with bombs for fun.
Nana= The child without a voice.
Mr. X= The man who brought forth reason and rationale when Do Hyun was truly ready to embrace himself.
Cha Do Hyeon= The beautiful and complex man who suffered so much and yet, never stopped fighting.
I used to believe in the stupid "real men don't cry" stereotype that our society worships. I was so awful that if a hero in a show I was watching cried, I'd think him weak and turn away but Korean Dramas changed it for me. Korean characters often communicate with their tears, the feelings they don't verbalize, express themselves in the way of salty water. Tears are not a sign of weakness, they are a sign that you're alive. Cha Do Hyeon often had tears leaking from his eyes and every single time they moved me. Sometimes my heart hurt from all the pain, sometimes my lips hurt from smiling wide. His tears were gorgeous as was his struggle and will to become whole again.
Ji Sung deserved that Daesang and more.
People call Ji Sung the king of Kill Me, Heal Me and he no doubt is but what many don't say is that Hwang Jung-Eum was also undeniably the queen. I've heard many complaints about how Jung-Eum screams too much, how her obnoxious loud voice is unbearable, how she over acts and tries hard and frankly, I think all these people are just tripping. True, she does shout more than is necessary and she'll probably rupture your ear drum with all the noise she makes, yet there is not a single other actress who can even dream to properly pull off the roles she has executed.
She always grows on you and makes it work. She is the Empress of expressions and I don't know why but whenever she cries ( and she cries a lot and it's rather ugly) I always cry too. I don't even know why. I love her so much and to this day, she's one of my favorite actresses. The roles she plays, whether it's the self-sacrificing woman in Secret or the scarred psychiatrist in KMHM, always show inner strength. Oh Ri JIn is a brilliant, full of light and empathetic woman whose strength knows no bounds.
Ji Sung and Hwang Jung-Eum are undoubtedly the Korean industry's most powerful pairing. They are both excellent actors in their own right and together they are undeniably magic. Their chemistry is off the fucking charts. They move in sync and it's apparent how much they understand each other. Secret had left an impression on me and yet, KMHM without being influenced by that, made its own indent in my heart. Usually, in K-dramas the female character is overshadowed by the male's but Ji Sung and Hwang Jung-Eum exhibit equality of the sexes. They are both formidable players at their game and they play effortlessly together and bring the victory home, every single time. Despite the fact that Ji Sung's role was very powerful, Jung-Eum held her own and due to that, they co-existed beautifully.
Then comes Oh Ri On. Ah, my baby. He was also one of the best characters in the show and literally the best brother ever. He loves her but he let's her go. Park Seo Joon couldn't have done a better job in my opinion.
Every single actor from top to bottom brought their greatest to this drama and made it the masterpiece it was. I think it's rightfully one of the best Korean productions ever made. It had me bawling and heaving at one point and clutching my stomach laughing and gasping for breath at another. It made me feel bittersweet melancholy, made my heart fill with warmth and made me be so unwilling to let it go that despite dying with curiosity, I wanted to prolong it in some way so that it wouldn't end. This drama has pain yet joy, tears yet laughter, incredible heartbreak yet so much love. Not a single second is filler, it's filled to the brim with powerful dialogues and the suspense element is excellently done. You simply cannot get better than KMHM.
The OST (Auditory Hallucination) is definitely one of the best ever made. It always played on the perfect time and made the already soul stirring scenes a thousand times more impactful.
Yes, there were some medical errors in the drama but despite that, mental illness and trauma have been wonderfully explored to their core. It offered a peek in the life of a man waging war against his own mind and how an equally scarred woman became his sword and together they were conquerors.
This drama showed everything that makes Asian dramas so raw and poignant. If you haven't watched this and you call yourself a K-drama fan, I say you need to check your priorities.
Rewatch value is worth more than can be described. The moment I even begin to forget it (which will be hard) I'll watch it again because I never want to lose all that I felt while I was on the journey of watching Kill Me, Heal Me. I am sincerely thankful to Jin Soo-wan for writing this gem.
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Ok wow. Black is a conundrum with equal parts things to love and equal parts things to hate. It is excellent at times but tragically bad at others and after you’re done with it, you’ll find yourself fully understanding where both the highly positive and negative views are coming from. Your final rating will simply depend on the aspect you choose to focus on. So here’s the spoiler-free break down of the good and bad that comes with the show:The Bad:-
Bad Acting and Annoying ASF Characters:
1) Our Female Lead:Kang Ha Ram was your everyday damsel in distress/dumb but kind/self-sacrificing/self-blaming/bumbling-fumbling idiotic heroine who should’ve been as unmemorable as they come. And she really was that way as long as Go Ah Ra didn’t attempt to “act” but then somebody gave her the awful idea that she should “try and make an effort” and that’s when things went sour for me. Her acting was so monotonous and try-hard that at times I too wanted to stab my eyes with a metallic chopstick. Just at the slightest inclination of danger, she started this weird hyperventilating/gasping/whimpering regime and trust me, nobody wants to hear that kind of constant panting in the ear in, what is supposed to be, an emotionally intense scene. Simply put, it made me feel violence.
2) Kim Won Hae:Ladies and Gents, let me introduce you to the supporting ahjussi version of Lee Jong Suk (minus the looks ofc) He has the classic “same character, different drama” thing going on and that’s why what was supposed to be the role of a quirky and passionate police officer soon turned into the “same ol’ bs” for me. It didn’t help that I had watched two of his dramas (WYWS/CHIEF KIM) back to back (in which I really liked him) before Black and his acting chops (or lack thereof) were quite apparent to me .
3)The Second Male/Female Lead:The second female lead was a slightly updated version of Kang Ha Ram. Atleast, she had some reason for her constant hyperventilation. The poor woman was literally used as a plot device for the show (with zero character development) and spent the entirety of the drama getting abused/hit/humiliated/kidnapped and you know the routine…The second male lead was the male equivalent of the female and second female lead combined so you know there’ wasn’t much hope to begin with. There was equally bad acting done by all three of them to wrap their disastrously written characters with a sparkly bow on top.
4) Side Characters:There are a lot of side characters with straight up cringey acting which made me question my own existence. Like why? Their roles weren’t even hard. It was like watching a bad rehearsal instead of the actual thing.
-Pacing and Plot Development:
Black’s pacing is admittedly very messy. The drama starts being all over the place, it’s draggy and confusing and you almost want to drop it but then episode 5 kicks in. And somehow it turns from “meh” to “holy shit that’s awesome”. And then just when you’re ready to give it a 10, the drama reaches the 12th episode mark and things start to go downhill. The last couple of episodes were probably some of the most badly executed/poorly written/sappy and disappointing episodes I’ve had the displeasure of witnessing in a drama. The ending was also done in poor taste. Some of the reveals could’ve been brilliant but the show failed to pull it off, so much so, that when everything finally hit the fan, I was almost yawning like “So this what was all the hype was about?” Not impressed.
-Bullshit-O-Meter on Level 100:
Honestly, if you’re watching the show objectively you’ll find a lot of loopholes and things that don’t add up. Some scenes were flat-out ridiculous and laughably unbelievable. There’s a level of “illogical” I can put up with under the label of fantasy but when you just start bullshitting your way through things, just to wrap it all up, I’m sorry but I’m not buying. The amount of convenient plot devices in the last coupla episodes were tragic and the poor props used by the production team just made things more tacky.
The Good:-
Well Done Anti-Hero/Male Lead:
I simply adored Grim Reaper 444/Black. He was the life of the show and could often be seen carrying it on his sexy back. I actually think Song Seung Hoon pulled it all off quite brilliantly. I loved the way he went from this cold/blunt/almost selfish jerk to this kind hearted man. I loved everything about him- his hilarious antics, his cute attempts to adjust to the human world, the way the actor delivered his dialogues and his poignant expressions that actually made you “feel” so much for him. He pulled both his roles as the “clumsy police officer” and “the stoic Grim Reaper” perfectly. Even though his character took some hits because of the bad writing towards the end, they weren’t nearly big enough to downplay all his awesomeness. Plus those black suits were mighty good to him. I couldn’t get enough.
-Suspense/Mystery:
Even though the ending reveals and the wrap-up could’ve been much much better, the journey towards the revelations was excellent. There were some genuine thrilling moments and the show executed the suspense marvellously. I was dying to know what was going to happen at times and was clueless about how it was all going to end (except one of the big reveals that I had figured out quite early in the show). The way some things connected to each other in some of the individual cases had me gripping the edge of my old rusty futon. As a hardcore fan of the mystery genre, I really appreciated some of the twists and turns the story took. After a very long time, I had myself a show where I was genuinely interested in knowing the results. I was badly anticipating the “wow-wow-superwow moments” and even though the results disappointed me, I’d never for a moment take back the beautiful process.
-The Middle:
For me the middle of the show (ep 5-11) was definitely the best of it. There were some legit interesting cases that our main guys took over. The show pulled off the darkness and violence of every crime quite nicely and ended up being fairly impactful. In this phase of the show I was sure I was going to give it a solid 10; for the execution of these episodic stories was far better than the over-arching plot.
-Black’s two “Reaper Best Friends”:
Jo Jae Yun is my favorite supporting actor and I’ve loved him in all his roles. Joseon along with our adorable Rapper brought some much needed comedic relief and warmth to the show. Their interactions with Black made my day.
-The Killers:
A few of the killers/criminals in the show were just the right flavor of creeptastic.*Scarface, I’m looking at you.” This did wonders for the psychological aspect of the drama. You get a glimpse of how horrible some humans can be and it is ugly. I loved it.
-OST:
The OST was very appropriate and the soft vocals gave a very melancholic feel that was just right for the show. The instrumentals helped too.
-Leo:
Lmao ok so he was actually quite irrelevant and one-dimensional but still oh so cute. I’m a girl. I have two eyes and two ovaries. I liked what I saw.
So anyway, that’s about it folks. That’s all you need to know about Black. Do I recommend it? Actually, yes.
If you can look over some things/don’t mind one and a half hour episodes/ are a fan of mystery and crime, then definitely give it a go. Chances are you will really enjoy, if not most, then at least some of it. Do I think it deserves to be one of the very top rated shows? Personally, no. Not by a long shot.
Best of luck!
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There are a lot of things that make a drama great: direction, screenplay, plot- among other things. But then there are dramas like Fated To love You, that don't need anything else except the one thing they have: phenomenal acting. Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk are simply brilliant at what they do. Which is why, what would've been an otherwise mediocre drama ultimately, became an excellent show.
Lee Gun is, to be frank, a weirdo. There's extra and then there is this guy. From his ridiculous pretend action moves, obnoxious laughter, tacky slow cap to his nonsensical rambles- he's truly one of a kind. But these eccentricities are what make him so completely endearing. His laugh, when he is happy, is so contagious that it would split your face in a huge smile. While the same laugh, when he's upset, would break your heart into smithereens. The pure and untainted love he has for Mi Young will warm your soul and his kind, kind heart would grant him a permanent spot in your heart.
Mi Young, on the other hand, is just precious. Jang Na Ra’s acting is so utterly genuine that it's impossible not to fall in love with her character. Mi Young is gentle, fragile and innocent and yet, there is a silent strength to her. The way her personality develops throughout the show is amazing. She grows from a girl who hides from the world to a woman who's confident in her skin and the change is totally believable.
Their relationship is goals and their chemistry is fire ( damn those kisses ????). There is a total balance of power between them and that is what makes the romance so great. He is a billionaire in his own right and she's a very successful artist. There are many scenes where our guy takes the back seat and let's our girl handle the reins. They are strong for each other and they're strong together and it's all just varying degrees of perfection.
Fated to love you has the best second male lead to date. I love Daniel Pitt. Literally every time he came on the screen I was like ‘It's okay if you didn't get the girl, darlin’ I'm still here and I'm ready to be yours.’ lol. Usually in romance dramas, I find the second male and female leads kind of annoying but surprisingly, in this show I wanted to know more about Daniel and Se Ra’s story and when it finally unfolded, it was completely heart warming.
Secretary Tak, Dragon, Mi Young’s mom and her crazy ass family, Grandma Wang, The triplets, The Lawyer- basically every character in the show is lovable.
Hamo Hamo.
Goodbye My Love sung my Aille is without a doubt one of the best OST’s ever. No matter how many times I listen to it, I can't get enough. The background music throughout the show is perfectly timed and exactly what a particular scene needed.
All in all its little bag of tricks, its quirkiness, its over the top-ness and ultimately its authenticity is what makes this show a true gem.
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If you're like me and you've watched your fair share of crime dramas you won't find the premise of this show exactly unique. You'll be able to guess most of the plot twists (if not all) and see a lot of things coming beforehand. Defendant comes with it's flaws. There are a lot of convenient coincidences that aid both our good guys and the baddies. Sharp tools just happen to be lying around jail cells just waiting to be used by the inmates, a circuit somehow just happens to break resulting in a power black out whenever it is needed, a very useful recording device disguised as a pen just happens to travel around wringing confessions from the evil doers left and right and our antagonist somehow conveniently transforms from an up to no good loser to an identity stealing mastermind overnight.
How very interesting.
However, with its slightly rocky plot comes a masterful execution. Even though you know what's going to happen, when it actually happens it feels like a completely new and exciting experience. Our good guys seem to be trapped in their own version of real life flappy bird. It's one step forward from the abyss of doom and twenty steps backwards. So when convenient coincidences happen to rule things in their favor, I'd be damned if I have a problem with it.
This is the kind of show that banks on the watcher's heart rather than the mind. It will make you blinded with emotion and leave all logic behind. But the real reason this show is a hit is the excellent acting put out by all the actors.
Ji Sung as always is phenomenal. From Secret to Kill Me Heal Me and finally to Defendant, you can see his acting evolve and grow more powerful. He's an extremely skilled performer and many a times I suffered through a serious case of gooseflesh while watching him. By the middle of this show I was completely invested, horribly torn apart and crossing my fingers for him to turn the tables on all the assholes that had done him wrong.
Usually in melodramas, when you see the main character go through tragedy after tragedy, it turns from heartbreaking to frustrating real quick. Soon you go from wanting to wipe the hero's tears to slapping his mouth shut and putting an end to the sob fest. However, Ji Sung got me every time. His pain, helplessness and tears always made me wail like a baby. I didn't realize I was rocking so much H2O in my body until it came out gushing from my peepers. I think I felt quite a lot dehydrated after finishing this show.
Uhm Ki-Joon with his Cha Min Ho put out the acting of his life. He's heartless, ruthless, evil without a cause and at last, pitiful. He's probably one of the best antagonists of Dramaland and undoubtedly one of the most hated characters. His impulsive acts of violence leave you shaking with fury and you'll find yourself thirsty for his demise.
A lot of people thought that his situation was a little unrealistic but as a daughter of a detective, I can say that I've seen many real life cases where the criminals start with seemingly minor and thoughtless crimes and commit far worse atrocities to cover it up. In Cha Min Ho's case, he sticks to it to the very end. His bag of tricks is endless and you never find a peaceful moment with him.
Even though this show truly focuses on the two main men, some other characters will weasel their way in your heart and take permanent residence. These were the characters that I wanted to hide in my back pocket and protect from all the cruelty of the world. And even though my wishful thinking did not save all of them, I treasured every moment they were on-screen.
My precious and loyal Seong Kyu, my shady but hilarious Optimus Shin Cheol Sik, Prosecuter Choi Tae Hong who never once lost faith, Jeong Woo's merry band of prison inmates and the resilient Seo Eun Hye all brought their own flavor to the show.
This drama has a deep underlying message about how family makes or breaks you. How people are willing to go to every length to save their loved ones and how it's never too late for justice. With an extremely satisfying ending; giving closure to all the characters and answer to your every question, Defendant takes a spot among dramas that are consistently amazing from start to finish.
A dark and gritty suspense drama that comes with its share of heartbreak.
An absolute must-watch
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I don’t need a prince to save me, I need an executioner to join the hunt.
Delicious, compelling, manic, obsessive, infuriating and sensual- this drama gives you all the thrill and more. This is Song Hye Ko like you’ve never seen her before.Yes, her robotic frozen in time acting is still there but this time it suits the role. Gone is the fluffy Mary Sue rom com female lead she always plays and in its place is a revenge driven, blood thirsty anti-heroine who’s taking no prisoners. I think she did a pretty solid job here- equal parts graceful with just enough madness to make her the right kinda crazy.
Throughout the drama, she has this internal monologue going on where she talks so very affectionately with her worst enemy as if it were a dear friend. Her voice is a mix between poetry and a pretty song if they contained thinly veiled promises of retribution and vengeance.
The acting over all is pretty smooth aside from Lee Do Hyun who is just one of those trendy actors that are cast cause of their looks/hype and nothing more. He is a glorified support role so his lack of talent stings less.
The antagonists are an absolute delight to watch. They are gorgeous on the outside and plain rot on the inside and the actors have done a great job showcasing that.
The bullying is visceral and the heroine’s revenge is 100% believable. You want every single one of these muffuckers to pay with their lives.
The best thing is that the drama doesn’t shy away from gore, sex and profanity which gives it the maturity and darkness that it needs to be convincing, all the while balancing it with a blooming sismance that warms the soul.
Beautifully shot, with incredible OST and an excellent take on your typical revenge story, “The Glory” is equal parts compelling and binge able.
Oh and we have a hot daddy in the house as well. I have one solid ship and I’ll sink with it if I have to. ⛴⛴⛴
Overall, it’s definitely Jeana approved.
I am biting my gorgeous fake nails for season 2~
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Healing, beauty and acceptance wrapped in spooky fairytales
Gosh, I spent 70% of this show with a lump in my throat, 10% with happy warmth in my chest and 20% bawling my eyes out.It's a fast, intense, twisty emotional roller coaster that keeps you engaged throughout.
The best thing about this drama is the smart and impactful portrayal of mental illness. It's not preachy, it's not overly idealistic, it doesn't try to pretend to be extra woke, it's not trying to pass itself as an educational program- it's really just a touching story about three damaged, emotionally stunted people who are trying to get by.
I am not a medical professional and I am not gonna waste time trying to analyze all the symptoms and guess the disorders and argue about that because that's grossly missing the point.
The main focus of this drama was showing the pain, frustration and sorrow that comes with suffering from trauma, dealing with conditions out of your hands and the hurt that comes with mental illness for both who have it and their family members.
But most of all it highlights the strength of these people, about how they help each other and get help from each other to make things a bit better.
It beautifully expresses themes of understanding, resilience, love and friendship between people who've had a very tough life.
Ofcourse, in typical K drama fashion, it's not without its cheesy tropes, cliches and some flair for dramatics but despite all of that it gets the message across in a powerful manner.
The beauty of it is that despite being filled with heartbreaking and emotional moments that make you shed tears and snot, it never lets the dark side become overpowering by adding much needed comic relief and heart warming moments that make you giggle and feel good inside.
There is extra charm in people who are beautiful AND excellent actors. All the cast delivers phenomenally with the two main leads having electric chemistry with each other and sharing glorious, steamy kisses that will go down in k drama history. ;)
The show is easy to watch with a bit of suspense, thrill, murder mystery, psychotic parents and drama mixed with emotion, heart and healing. It's fast paced peppered with wholesome slow moments and amazing character growth.
Seo Ye Ji's impulsive, passionate, gorgeously dressed, blunt, morally questionable female lead with childlike tendencies is undoubtedly a crowd favorite.
On the other hand, Kim Soo Hyun's handsome, selfless, persevering male lead with bambi eyes and a mutinous heart brings his own to the table.
Finally, bringing them both together, the veteren Oh Jung Sae brought forth an endearing character suffering from autism who is extremely pure hearted and just trying his best.
The moments between these three are powerful and literally make you pray for these people and their happiness. The side characters are all relevant and enhance the flavor of the show
The OST is stunning, the direction is beautiful and the pretty story telling incorporating scary fairytales and creepy animations brings everything full circle.
It's definitely binge worthy and a full of feeling ride that you don't want to miss.
Enjoy!
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W: A Cidade Das Mulheres Que Nunca Morrem
15 pessoas acharam esta resenha útil
Sometimes Justice Comes At The End Of A Fearless Woman’s 6 inch, Red Bottomed High Heel
Queenmaker is a story of two ferocious women on a quest for justice wielding power politics and pantsuits in their own unique ways.It is a tale of a powerful friendship formed between a ruthless corporate strategist on a path to redemption and an idealistic lawyer who believes in doing good at all costs- together they are phenomenal and a force to be reckoned with.
I am going to be honest, Queenmaker started off slow and tacky for me. Essentially, its premise is one we have seen many times before.
You know, the whole evil Chaebol family VS righteous underdog story that has been done 110 times in every other k drama. In the beginning, it felt dry and over the top like these dramas usually are and even a bit unrealistic.
However, soon enough it built up momentum and succeeded in hooking me in enough that I was easily able to ignore all of these flaws. I have to admit a lot of it had to do with Kim Hee Ae and her glorious power walks, short boss lady hair and the excellent OST that hyped up most of her scenes.
The drama is filled with veteran actors and the acting is spectacular across the board with the two women in the forefront stealing the spotlight.
Kim Hee Ae, 3 time Daesang winner comes through with her badass character out for revenge and justice. Nobody portrays a mix of ferocity and vulnerability quite like her. Her chemistry with Moon So Ri, who holds her own is great on screen and gives birth to one of T.V’s best sismances.
As far as the plot goes, I do think that the viciousness of politics is done quite well. While a bit dry and redundant at first, it gets more riveting as the stakes are raised and the battle of wits between our good guys and the wicked skyrockets.
It’s also nice to see how balanced the two sides are. Our protagonists face real problems and setbacks which makes the victory all the more well-earned and sweet.
The antagonists are also entertaining to watch on screen and despite their overall horridness, the writer tried to give each of them some well needed layers and substance so they weren’t just evil for the sake of being evil.
The fashion, style and music in the show are top notch with some crisp cinematography. The character development is fantastic. So much so, that at the end of the show both our leading ladies have seen significant growth in character.
Overall, the drama feels much longer than 11 episodes and while it does make use of the usual plot devices like “the deadliest of exposers aka tape recorder”, the writing is, on the whole, pretty sound.
This show is undeniably a show about women, with women and for women. However, what I really like about it is that it gives some pretty strong messages about what it’s really like for a woman to rise in power in a man’s world without being preachy or in your face about it.
The drama is definitely a big bowl of feminist soul fuel that touches on the possibility of what could happen if strong women start to back up other strong women.
Definitely worth a watch and 100% Jeana Approved.
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One word for SFD: Epic
Four words for SFD: Epic But With FlawsLet’s break it down -:
❌ The flaws:
☠️ Power inbalance b/w the dragons:
Two of them are clearly the stars (Sambong/Yi Bang Won). Two of them feel like very endearing supporting characters. (Bang ji/ Mu hyul) Two of them are disguised idiots who insult the term. (Boon Yi/General Syeong Hi) The acting prowess also varies in the same order. (Deteriorating as it descends)
☠️ Boring Middle:
Except of a few outstanding scenes the middle of the show does come with a lot of 'meh'. Endless, tiresome and less than impressive politics. Where the writers keep trying to find new and new problems for the main guys to fight against, often not even properly solving the previous ones. I almost put the show on-hold here.
☠️ Shitty antagonists:
Except one, all antagonists are pretty mediocre with lame strategies and they keep getting replaced. As soon as a villain gains solid footing and identity, the show do's away with it in some way. Makes the back and forth a bit boring since the good guys are way too strong and for a very long time SFD does not take any risks.
☠️ Cop-Outs:
Again, the middle is problematic. The show uses huge ass convenient plot devices to get out of complications and some illogical things don't add up.
☠️ Character Development:
This is also a strength of the drama. While for some the CD is brilliant, others (Bang Ji/Moo Hyul) could do with more of it. Friendship/brotherhood is one of the highlights of SFD, however it could've easily been more explored and impactful.
☠️ No good female characters:
Literally all of them suck/are weak af except one and she isn't even a major role. The female lead is like a blank brainless floppy fish with her wide eyes and sputtering lips. I wanted to slap her silly
✅ The Epic:
👑 Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won 👑
The most fleshed out/dynamic/well developed character of the show and easily one of the best anti-heroes in K-Drama History. He's simply wonderful. Yoo Ah In did the acting of a lifetime- Out of this world.
Among a sea of self-righteous fuckers, he's a hell wrecker. He's evil, good, kind, reckless, weak, strong, deadly, vulnerable, lonely, childish, manipulative, magnificent, insecure, ambitious, a mastermind but above all- he's wholly human. I just don't have enough words. He was the biggest and at times, the only reason I stuck with this show till the end. The moment SFD plunged into monotony, Yi Bang Won was the one who changed the course with all that shit he stirred up. I haven't been this in love with a character, since Empress Ki's Emperor. Truly excellent.
✔️ Music:
Holy fuck. This is without a doubt the best OST I have ever heard. Whether it be lyrical or instrumental, whether it be sung by characters or played in the background- every song was perfect. Perfectly timed, perfectly meaningful and perfectly emotional. Just perfect.
✔️Action/Swordsmanship:
Some of the best action scenes in a drama can be scene in SFD. They are always important too because our guys emote with their blades and no fight is meaningless.
✔️High Quality Production:
Beautiful camera work. Brilliant direction amd screenplay. Very pretty angles. Gorgeous sceneries. Crisp cinematography
✔️Suspense:
The drama has some legit chill inducing, goosebump worthy scenes and some brilliant cliffhangers that promise something exquisite in the next ep. What's more is the next ep always delivers on its promise. So every episode has a great start, a great end and an okay-ish middle.
✔️Last couple of episodes:
While the show significantly picks up at episode 30 and maintains the level of great, the last few eps are just plain awesomeness. My heart was hurting, breaking, sputtering, palpitating and melting all at the same time.
✔️Moral Dilemmas:
Fickle human nature at its finest.
✔️Sambong/Moo Hyul/Li Bang Ji:
The acting done hy Kim Hyung Min is spectacular- Sambong is a genius. The sexy and passive Bang Ji and the big man with a big heart Moo Hyul are all golden aspects of the show.
✔️The End:
Very satisfying.
✔️History:
Most historically accurate show I've watched. It's almost all there. All real.
✔️ 50 hours worth, is it easy to watch?
Yes and no. Some episodes are so gripping and well-executed that you can't help but bulldoze through but some drag enough that you have to actually motivate yourself to push forward.
☑️ Conclusion:
The Epic far outweigh The Flaws. This is a show that is a must-have under your belt as a drama fan. A classic that lives up to the hype.
Definitely reccomended.
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If Machiavelli knew the future, had a pack of abs and the world's baddest grandfather...
Listen to me. Before reading this review, I need to ask you a question:Why do you want to watch this drama? Is it because you just want to be entertained by unbelievable but extremely exciting twists at every turn or you want a drama with solid writing, realistic and logical storyline with no plot holes whatsoever?
If your answer is the latter, then our conversation ends here and I would have to regretfully say my goodbyes but if your answer is the former? Then, please. By all means, stay.
Reborn Rich is pure adrenaline rushing, thrill inducing crack of a show that offers you absolute entertainment for all of its 16 episodes.
So let me explain what you’re going to like about this show:
☑️ Song Joong Ki kicking absolute ass:
Song Joong Ki’s character here is this brilliant edge lord who is out for revenge, equipped with the power of the future, an IQ of 600 and skin that’s as smooth as a baby’s butt. While he is not the most well layered character out there with incredible depth or substance, he does excellently deliver your quintessential hot, charismatic and conveniently overpowered oppa character that’s easy to root for and puts on a great show.
☑️ The baddest grandfather alive:
The biggest winning point for me was definitely Lee Sung Min’s grandpa. His character is as vicious as they come. A true anti-hero with the greatest business acumen, greed for expansion and corporate ruthlessness. For all intents and purposes, the grandfather is a character with flaws and yet the one that you will come to love the most. His relationship encompassing love, compassion, respect and at times rivalry with his grandson (Song Joong Ki) is easily the highlight of the entire drama.
☑️ Acting and Music:
The drama is complemented with an emotional and powerful soundtrack that beautifully underscores impactful scenes. Moreover, the acting is excellent across the board which is unsurprising considering the veteran cast. I am not the biggest fan of Song Joong Ki’s work and I do believe he tends to only play certain types of characters he is comfortable with but even I have to admit that he really shines in some of the scenes in Reborn Rich. Acting wise, for me this is his best work yet.
☑️ Storytelling, politics and the battle of wits:
As someone who is doing her MBA and is an Economic major, I absolutely ate up all the business politics and corporate talk. The main lead knows the events of the future and uses that knowledge to play with stocks and investments so it benefits him. His back and forth with his rivals is so entertaining to watch. The politics and scheming aspect is executed quite well and never gets boring or stagnant.
☑️ The controversially out of the box ending:
Ok, so this is something you might not like. The majority of the people hate the ending and I can see why. I, for one, absolutely loved that they attempted to go so out of the box with this one. I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams have been able to predict the way the drama ended. It’s a very brave and ambitious route to take and while it doesn’t have the best execution, it’s still a commendable attempt by the writer.
I loved the way the author was able to run the story of a brilliant, young potential heir of the powerful Sunyang group parallel to the poor, desperate employee working at the same Sunyang and let the two worlds coincide beautifully.
Now, let’s go over the drama’s weak points:
❌ Romance and the female lead:
This is an unfortunate pattern that most female leads in a Soong Joong Ki drama are mere props with not much contribution to the plot. The female lead is the same here and the actress who isn’t given much to work with in the first place, delivers a quite bland and unexciting performance. The couple lacks any substantial chemistry and the romance isn’t believable. This is why it has been a relief for me that throughout the drama the love story was just a sub plot and shelved to the back whenever it mattered.
❌ The Execution:
Like I said, while I understood what the writer was trying to do with this, the execution is choppy at best. You have your favorite truck of doom making quite a few appearances, you have extremely convenient plot devices trying haphazardly to fill up the writing loopholes.
If you consider the way the story flows, it just doesn’t have the best writing out there. Some characters aren’t given proper development, others are introduced just for plot procession, while others are taken out abruptly or change drastically for the same purpose: to move the story forward or fit a particular narrative. Ultimately, this drama is more focused on the next big thing rather than the nitty gritty's or the development of its characters.
✅ Ending Thoughts:
This is the drama that you watch if you just want a good time. It has its emotional moments (especially in the way it masterfully explores the relationship between a prickly grandfather and his overly intelligent grandson), its moments of laughter and lots of scheming and fun twists.
Right from the start, it's obvious that the show requires a lot of suspension of belief and logic because it's just not that deep.
So if you’re willing to take it as an easy entertaining journey, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be immersing yourself in pure Sunyang madness and hatching your own plot to take over the world!
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I mean, how do you get better than this? Healer is, to sum it up in a single word; precious. An utterly precious and beautiful production that gives so much warmth and joy. And so much love.
Now, normally I try to be "cool". Really, I do. I go around rooting for the underdogs. Over-hyped and mainstream artists usually do not get my adoration. Lee Min Ho, Kim Woo Bin, Park Shin Hye- all of these over-popular celebrities don't really do it for me. Clean cut looking, cutesy flower boys aren't my type either. I even go around putting an air of aloofness whenever I see crazed fan-girls and wonder how they can be so completely obsessed over a guy who barely looks 18. These are all the reasons why, me falling in love with Ji- Chang Wook is a great hypocrisy in its entirety but alas, it has happened and I have a terrible feeling that it's going to last for an eternity.
If it's any justification, I would say that the first time I saw him in Empress Ki, I really did think I was never going to like him and his beautiful face truly did nothing for me, rather, it was his excellent acting that ultimately sat my judgmental ass down. And if I was reduced to an obsessed mess for his highly flawed character in Empress Ki, I knew I didn't stand a chance with Healer.
To put it simply, watching him is pure bliss. He's just too fucking good. Despite the fact that the other characters brought their best, it's no denying that Healer is the king of the show. A puppet master that plays your emotions with utter abandon. I found myself getting attuned to his mannerisms; the way he often tilted his head as if considering the situation at hand, the way he spoke, his confident swagger and his innocent smile. I found myself sighing in complete content whenever he showed his face, bawling when he was in pain, pausing the button and literally caressing his face on the screen whenever he was down. I mean, at this point I am not even embarrassed to say that I more or less resemble the rabid fangirls I once scorned.
It's an evidence of his versatility that Ji-Chang Wook can perfectly execute entirely different roles and yet, retain the sincerity that always encompasses his acting. I'm blessed that I still have more of his shows left to watch because I know that stalking his Instagram feed and bookmarking his ridiculously adorable videos is nearly not enough for me.
The other actors do a marvelous job too. Park Min Young portrays the sassy and quirky girl with a big heart to the T. Even though I felt that her emotional scenes weren't as strong as they could've been, I have to admit that her character is very likable and strong throughout. Yo Ji Tae with his Kim Moon Ho always dazzles and the Ahjumma- the brilliant and hilarious hacker who always had Healer's back is a delight in her self.
Like many other users, I too agree that this show has one of the best OTP's in K-Drama history. The romance between the main leads is so untainted and pure that I swooned every-time. Their chemistry is absolutely electric and their love-story is heart melting. (If that's a word..)
With intelligent script writing, wonderful action scenes, epic romance, excellent screenplay, thoughtful plot and spot-on acting, Healer really does come full circle.
It will make you feel all sorts of emotions, with never a boring or forgettable moment and bestow upon you a journey that you wished would never end.
Without a doubt, a must watch.
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A complete basketcase, this drama tried to use formulaic writing and tried and tested cliches to manipulate the viewers into liking it but failed spectacularly.To be honest, in the beginning I didn't understand all the criticism. Sure, it was a superficial romance drama with more beauty than brains but so were many others and everybody liked them just fine.
The cast was doing a good job, there was funny banter, a potential mystery, bromance and I for one, even managed to feel chemistry between the leads. I liked it and wanted to know more.
That feeling lasted for all of about 5 episodes and then the show went to shit in the most extraordinary fashion.
First of all, you know how greedy the drama makers are for money to the point that the product placement in this show is blatant, ridiculously irrelevant and just shoved in your face time and time again. After a point, it feels like you're not watching ads in a drama, you're just watching one big ad with bits and pieces of the drama in between.
Then comes the lacklustre romance. Albeit slow and full of filler at first, you still hoped it would build to something beautiful but suddenly they rushed it to the point that before ever even letting you feel that they have feelings for each other, the couple already exchanges love confessions, plants a kiss or two on each other and acts like they have been in love for a century. And you're just awkwardly standing at the sidelines being like um guys, y'all just met a week ago...
I almost felt like I missed some episodes where they fell in love but apparently it wasn't me it was the writer who did that.
The character development is so bad and the roles are extremely poorly written that I am pretty sure the cast couldn't have saved them even if they tried their best.
Kim Go Eun is a charismatic actress and I like her a lot. And her character here is a badass, loud mouthed cop who needs no saving which is why it made me root for her at first. However, you can't help but see the way she changes from being extremely rude to the ML in one episode and then says I love you in the next. And ofcourse, conveniently it happens right after she sees all of his riches. I am not thinking gold digger, you are.
She also conveniently turns into a weepy damsel in distress whenever they need to hype the hero at her expense. Strong but weak enough for the hero to save her again and again.
Her doppelganger, which is a great opportunity for any actor to show versatility, is literally the same as her original character with bad hair and a bad attitude. No acting change there and they just popped a ridiculous wig on her head to convince us to believe she is a different person.
Now comes Lee Min Ho. As beautiful he is, this man with sparkling gorgeous mischevious eyes has been conning us into believing he is a good actor since many years. It's not that hard to figure out that he recycles his expressions in every drama but lets not go there. He plays his role convincingly enough to give you flutters in the stomach.
He is the perfect dashing super hero who can do no wrong here with excellent fighting skills, Jedi level intelligence and is basically Einstein with a pretty face and a horse.
That's fine we like our romance heroes to be all that but it's not fine when you also try to convince me that this flower boy can suddenly transform into this brilliant and ruthless king/ mafia boss nobody can mess with. I can't buy that because he simply lacks the intensity to be one and honestly we are shown nothing in his background or story to prove otherwise.
So everytime he tried to be a serious king, to me he just felt like a toddler wearing his daddy's oversized shoes and shaking his fist trying to assert authority. Did I find him cute? For sure. Did I take him seriously? Hell no.
Some people said that it's a very hard to understand show and that those who don't like it, actually just don't understand it. Let me pop that bubble right here. It's a very simplistic plot with confused and lazy writing trying to mask itself as complicated. This is a tactic used by the writer because naturally if you make people feel like they don't get what's going on, they're gonna think the show is smarter than them and end up being impressed.
Let me tell you, I understood everything that was going on and it ain't that deep. It's a very commercial show with one goal alone: making money. That's why without putting any thought or effort into plot and execution, they casted hype worthy actors, ripped off another OST, and produced a dumbed down version of Goblin. Unfortunately for them, no amount of Lee Min Ho's boyish smiles can fry our braincells enough for us to lose the ability to tell a good script from bad.
Yes, the cinematography and direction is beautiful but there's only so many pretty color pallets, shots and sceneries you can enjoy till you start to question the bad writing.
Despite all the flaws if you still want to check out this show and just want one reason to push you towards it, then that reason is Woo Do Hwan. Who tried to save the show with his excellent acting and scene stealer self by bringing forward two characters who despite looking the same are entirely different people.
He brought forth the bromance and laugh out loud moments that act as the show's only saving grace. Yeong/Eun Seup are the best characters in the drama and you can't help but fall in love.
But the writer, ever so stubborn on digging her own grave steals that little happiness from us by reducing his screentime as much as possible. Take that as you will.
The skinship in this show is actually pretty decent with some excellent kisses. However, the romance is so poorly paced (trying to be intense just by the FL's cringeworthy crying scenes that pop out of nowhere without any reason) that you never get the feels you otherwise would. Again, I blame the writing because the two main leads have excellent chemistry in real life behind the scenes that just doesn't translate on-screen.
The villain, like every other character is poorly developed, one dimensional and his scenes (the very few there are) are horribly yawn inducing. The second FL (Prime Minister) and the second ML (Shin Jae) were both flat characters left with unexplored potential and by the second half, for the life of me I couldn't begin to make myself care about their stories.
Yes, there are a few scenes that are designed to make people react and make your adrenalin rush but even those scenes are extremely cheesy and come in to being with the help of the most unrealistic and ridiculous plot devices, that you can't help but laugh at.
Ending words: Quite definitely, a lost cause, you should watch it only if you want to take it as a bad parody and laugh at it, instead of with it.
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Welcome to Yim Si Wan’s masterclass in acting where he shows all of you how it’s done.
Boyhood is a painfully real, hopelessly endearing, frustratingly hilarious and achingly sad but hopeful story of a chronically bullied underdog who has finally had enough.Right off the bat, I am going to get the show's obvious flaws out of the way. You have to know that this drama is directed by the makers of The Fiery Priest and Backstreet Rookie. So, it’s already a double edged sword because it has elements of both one of the most loved (TFP) and most hated (BR) dramas.
The director’s signature is strong in this one and you can see it in the slapstick, cringe worthy comedy. Think: poop jokes, nosebleeds and awkward dancing. The secondhand embarrassment with the characters is through the roof and there is so much cringe that sometimes it’s hard to watch. Moreover, the entire drama is helmed by an extremely flawed, tragically loser, weak male lead.
Byung Tae is all over the place all the time: a scrawny cry baby, who has no pride, no self-respect- he lacks in both brains and brawn and starts off as being quite pathetic. Other than that, the show doesn’t have a super out of the box story. It’s the same bullying trope - underdog defeating the one at the top which basically means there’s a lot of pointless violence and blood involved.
To make matters even more interesting, some characters switch up mid way in the show in a way that shocks you and where you thought there would be bromance, you get bitter, blood boiling enmity.
So, considering all the flaws I just mentioned, why then should you even watch this show?
✔️ Number one reason is of course Yim Si Wan. He is an absolute powerhouse of an actor. Somehow, he was able to play this extremely complicated role of a loser and switch it up so that you start to root for his character. The acting is raw, real and absolutely riveting. There were so many times where our hero Byung Tae made me cry, laugh my ass off and hurt because I just wanted the bad things happening to him to stop. He is no way a perfect character or even likable most of the time but at the end of the day, he is the only one who has your heart.
✔️The next reason is the emotions. Surprisingly, while the in your face bits can get irritating, most of the show is actual comedy gold. It makes you laugh so hard, you’ll get abs sitting in your bed but at the same time, it hits you with all the feels too. You feel anger, pain and sadness while watching these characters go through teenage love, heartbreak, rejection and sorrow.
✔️The third reason is the female lead and the romantic potential. The female lead in this drama is an absolute boss. She is a rowdy, foul mouthed, cigarette smoking badass who can seriously whoop some ass. She is also definitely not the one who the hero is crushing on. However, she is the one who he ultimately loves (though he really does make it hard to believe). She teaches him how to stand up for himself. She teaches him his own worth. Most importantly, she makes him want to be a better person and value his life like she does. Their friendship is one of the best things of the show because of how heart warming it is.
✔️Other than that, the drama has a great music score and execution of a tried and tested story. It’s the perfect balance between light-hearted comedy, melodrama, action and slice of life.
✔️ The best thing, however, is the character development. Ultimately, the payoff is so good because Byung tae’s final victory is realistic and so incredibly satisfying. He never really changes as a person and yet, he is able to show his strength by hammering down the message that sometimes the strongest person is really the one who has been hurt the most.
Overall, the one hour episodes fly by, making it a highly entertaining watch. So, let go of your edginess, let loose your hair and bring that “singing badly in the shower” energy to watch this show.
Enjoy!
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The Lovable aspects of SG:
1) Comedy
This is the most hilarious K-drama I have ever watched. Period.
For it almost caused me a wonderful death by laughter. Now, I know you're thinking that I'm being over-dramatic by saying that, but I assure that I truly am not. One fine midnight, I was lying on my bed, devouring popcorn and happily watching Secret Garden and before you know, utter hilarity ensued between the main characters for the umpteenth of time. Now, I, a mere mortal tried but failed to keep some semblance of calm and so chortle after chortle helplessly spewed out of my mouth. In all this mess, the poor popcorn tried to waddle along my esophagus but my spasmodic movements halted its journey and suddenly, I choked.
And I kid you not, it was surely a full-on deadly choke. My lungs were burning, I couldn't breathe, eyes were flooding and dread had encompassed my heart in a tight fist. Now, a less motivated Koreaboo would have given up on life there and then but I persevered for the ending was still there to finish and hence, became a survivor.
Moral of the story: Secret Garden is a life hazard. Keep oxygen masks nearby.
2) Acting
At this point, Ha-Ji Won can dress up in one of those cringey Teletubbies costumes and go around screaming Friday by Rebecca Black in her Korean accent and I would still be a die-hard fan. I really don't know how she does it. There is always so much sincerity in her acting and she can control her facial expressions in such a way that all that the character is feeling is openly displayed on her features. It's simply captivating to watch her in action.
Hyun Bin- Ah, one of those beautiful creatures who communicate with their eyes. He has such soulful eyes that half of the time, I deluded myself into thinking that President Kim and I were having a telepathic conversation through the screen.
Bottom line: Both of the actors brought their best to the table and I simply couldn't get enough of them.
3) Romance
There is such genuine and honest romance in this drama. It's filled with swoon worthy, butterflies in your tummy- dirt in your mind sweet yet burning moments that you can't help but fangirl throughout. The characters have deep understanding with each other and their chemistry is tangible. Every K-drama watcher probably cried in gratitude because of the make out sessions because finally, they had witnessed a couple who didn't kiss like dead entrails of catfish. The love story is so believable and authentic, that it's a must to root for them.
Bottom Line: You can't get a better ship than President Kim and Gil Ra Im, so get sailing.
The Not So Lovable Aspects:
1) Episode 17 and 18
Basically everything I didn't like happened in these two episodes. Examples:
a) Over-Crying:
Now this is a drama where there was so much love and merriment throughout, so if they were going to make it sad, they needed to be very careful in order to give maximum impact but I'm sorry to say they failed big time. Aside from that one part where President Kim gives his shoes and watches to OSKA, literally every other emotional scene fell flat. SG went from 0 to 100 real quick and I was caught bewildered in the midst of it all. Everybody suddenly started crying like a baby and doing it over and over again. Sure, give me sobs once or twice and I'll sob with you, but give me sobs a hundred of times and I'll want to shove a sock in your mouth to shut you up.
It was a horrible feeling because due to the excessive sobbing and lack of emotional connection, I started to develop a mild annoyance towards both of my beloved main characters and was consequently upset because of that fact.
b) Rise of the cliches:
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against cliches. I firmly believe that if you yourself haven't used the idea then it isn't old. Some of my favorite film pieces are those where writers took an over-used plot, put their own spin on it and turned it into a unique masterpiece. SG's plot, while not something never-before seen was already pretty unique in itself. However, in these two episodes suddenly the cliches started piling up. It would've been okay if they were one at a time but bring them all in together and it's a hot mess.
The "I love you so I'll let you go" scene followed by that one jarring accident, followed by excessive crying, followed by the infamous coma, followed by the hero being the martyr, followed by some more crying, followed by amnesia and then finally a convenient plot device to make everything dandy and sunshine. Please no.
2) Im Jong Soo:
My God, I have wanted to repeatedly slap this dude in the face. I mean I get that he was just there as man candy, ready to flaunt his English speaking skills when ordered, portraying a supposedly cool love interest for Gil Ra Im but like, did they really have to cast someone who couldn't act to save his life? It's so painfully obvious that he's a model and not an actor because he literally posed and bullshitted his way through the show. Plus, he just had one of those faces that can annoy you with a mere glance.
One of the more interesting characters was Joo Won's mother. She's probably the worst mom in K-drama history; extremely cruel and selfish. The actress who played her did an excellent job and I loved how much she made me hate the character. No joke, I wanted to grind her into mince meat, barbecue over a scorching grill and then feed her to rodents.
The supporting characters brought their fair share of fun. OSKA, Yoon Seul, Secretary Kim, Secretary park, Han Tae Seon and Gil Ra Im's action school sunbaes were all simply hilarious. Even though I was more interested in the side character's interactions with the main leads instead of their own stories, I didn't think that the drama dragged on more than was necessary.
So yes, there were some downs that came with SG but the ups more than made up for them. This is a sweet and beautiful story and I recommend it as a refreshing dessert to some spicy and tragic tearjerker of a drama.
Enjoy!
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Oh God, this show was such a mess.To start off with a nicer note, I'll talk about the drama's one and only saving grace: Lee Jun Ki. I am going to be honest, this was my first time watching him, and I was simply impressed. Not only is he a beautiful, beautiful man; he can also act like nobody's business. I also believe that even though he wasn't given much to work with, he tried his level best. And it showed, for the 4th Prince was the only character who I felt somewhat connected to. For me, this was a total case of liking the actor better than the character.
Next, I'd like to come at the people who gave so much flak to IU for her acting. Like, why y'all tripping? I mean her role wasn't even that hard, neither was it anything special. It was the same old 'bumbling, fumbling, self-righteous Mother Theresa level goodness' shebang that we've seen a billion times before. Every other actress in every other drama is doing it. It doesn't even require that much effort and for what it's worth I think IU handled it quite gracefully. People simply want to jump on the bandwagon of the 'singers can't act' stereotype and bash her, while ignoring the other much bigger problems with the show.
Speaking of problems, to be frank, this has to be one of the worst written shows I have ever watched. It's like the author had this vague idea of how to begin and how to end and so she bullshitted through the road in-between.
There is no character development whatsoever and convenient plot-lines are used time and time again to further the plot.
Want to give our hero the run-of-the-mill tragic pariah look?
No problem! Let's riddle him with some mommy issues and a scar to match.
Want to show our heroine change the hero's life by covering up that scar? Alrighty, let's make our heroine a cosmetician!
Want to show that everybody loves our heroine?
Let's make a harem of princes, throw some half hearted moments between them and take a leap; suggesting that they are suddenly so close that they would die for her!
The story is lacking villains?
Ugh, why not just bring back one that we already killed and got rid of before? We will just deem it a miracle of sorts and call it a day. Haha.
Uh oh, did our cranial light bulbs just fuse and we don't know how to prolong the show to 20 fucking episodes?
Nevermind. We always have good old flashbacks to help us through.
God, what a clusterfuck.
Everything was rushed and carelessly executed. They killed people just for emotional appeal. The relationships between characters wasn't fully explored. I mean, do you really expect my peepers to gush a waterfall if you scarcely show me a character; just enough so that he'll be in mind but not enough so that I would actually come to care for him, then in one random episode you show nothing but him and quickly kill him in the next to tug at my heartstrings? Nah boo.
Scarlet Heart was the definition of an ostentatious production. There was loud music flaring up out of nowhere to make scenes more dramatic, over-acting done by a lot of actors and numerous in your face close-up scenes. All these antics did well to suck up authenticity from the show and what you were left with in the end was superficial characters that are only pretty to look at.
Even the 4th Prince had major inconsistencies throughout. Many times, he seemed like a dumbed down version of Bidam from Queen Seon Duk. Thank goodness for LJK and his roguish charm, that he somehow managed to carry the show on his shoulders but ofcourse, one poor soul can do only so much.
The OST while itself brilliant, was also highly inappropriate for the time setting of the show. Do you really want me to swallow that a court lady in 18th, 19th century Goreo would be nodding her head and singing 'My Baby baby boy' in her moving carriage? Sorry, but I'm choking.
The story flows in fits and starts and the poorly executed time jumps don't necessarily help the case. Some aspects of the storyline had so much potential but the writers failed to tap into it. You could say that some scenes were well executed individually but they fell short at fitting together as a bigger picture.
It was crazy how sometimes, so much attention would be given to a supporting role and the main one's would be ignored. Or how important scenes would be inexplicably rushed while things that would be completely random would take up so much screen-time. The jumbled motivations and the fickle thought processes of all the characters reflected the confused mind of the writer.
When a show tries to elaborately sell me the fact that characters can fall from cliffs, get poisoned and stabbed in the heart and still survive, you know what, with some grievances intact I might actually buy it. But when the same show also tries to tell me that someone who got their knee banged up a bit years ago might, out of nowhere, lose the ability to walk or that heart-ache can cause people to have chronic heart diseases, I'm sorry but I'd just have to call the bullshit out.
Even though it was labeled as a period drama, it seemed like a parody of the genre. There were no intelligent palace politics or court intrigue. No cultural focus or attention to detail. All the antagonists were hare-brained idiots and the biggest enemy the good guys had to face was their own stupidity. Needless to say, they lost to it.
I don't consider myself a particularly hard person to move. Often little things touch me deeply and bring tears to my eyes but in this show- all these character deaths and tragedies- all I felt was a vague sense of detachment.
I am not gonna lie, the love story sure was cute. No matter how over-rated they get 'good girl-bad boy' romances will always have allure. And since the romance was all the drama had going for it, I'll give acknowledgment where it's due. There were scenes that made me smile and swoon but they weren't nearly enough to overcome all the weaknesses of the show.
Normally, I would give a show like this a much poorer rating but it's solely because of my love for LJK that I brought it up a notch. Also, I have to say that despite all its flaws, it did make me watch to the end. So all in all, you should enjoy Moon Lovers like you would enjoy a toddler's company: by being indulgent and not taking it too seriously.
P.S: Go easy on the 'This ain't helpful' button. I know this drama is a crowd favorite but I gotta tell as I feel it is. :)))
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This lakorn is filled with over dramatic and almost insincere portrayal of characters. It's loud, in your face, try hard and almost obnoxious in its production. In short, it's like a bad action movie. With exaggerated expressions, corny dialogues and intense music- Kleun Cheewit lacks the simplicity that comes with being subtle. Almost all of the females in the drama are insecure, jealous and backstabbing bitches who are unfortunately, complemented with their chauvinistic dick-headed male counterparts. However, like some classic soap operas it is highly addictive. It is that ball of slime that you keeping rolling between your fingers no matter how squeamish the feeling.
Once you start it, it's really hard to stop watching for it is a fast paced drama with never a calm moment and all kinds of bombs exploding everywhere.
Ultimately however, there was one woman who singlehandedly carried this show on her back and that is: Sperbund Urassaya.
Yaya is stunningly beautiful and at times, I was simply mesmerized by her. I was hopelessly in love with her outfits, hair and makeup and her toned af gym bod made me want to start working out asap. Being a heterosexual, cis straight girl who's most definitely into men, I feel no shame in saying that I had a massive crush on her. However, her visual beauty would've amount to nothing if she didn't had the talent to back it up. And talent she had. Loads of it. Yaya's portrayal of Jeerawat was the most genuine one in the show; she seemed to be completely natural and in her element which was what made Jee such a likable character.
Jeerawat is a strong and brave woman who's not afraid to speak her mind. And if she has to cut up some next hoes, bitch slap some jealous bitches, throw remote controls at ugly foreheads and knee assholes in the groin to get her point across; so be it. She never backs away from a fight and she's tough as nails. At the same time, she is desperate for love, extremely self-sacrificing, at times vulnerable and someone who is genuinely kind. Surrounded by people who constantly take advantage of her and want to downplay her success, Jeerawat stands tall in her branded shoes and billion dollar dresses. I loved her so much, that even the fact that her waterworks started every five minutes in every episode couldn't lessen it. 'Cause only Jeerawat could make the highly irritating runny nose, pitiful 'woe is me' look work.
The only other character I loved in the show was P'Sukki; Jeerawat's very gay, very fierce manager slash best friend. He always has her back, is with her in her worst moments and he knows how to put twats in their rightful place. He's a completely Diva, way too extra and melodramatic but there ain't no messing with him cause rest assured, no matter what the case P'Sukki always has the last laugh.
Now let's talk about our Male Lead. Is it just me or is he just so 'slap-able'? He made me feel sheer violence and I think I spent the entirety of the show cussing him out. For a lawyer he sure is good at breaking the law. He constantly gets into fist fights, waves around revolvers like they're lollipops, sexually harasses and physically assaults women and at the end of it all, still has the gall to act all self-righteous and holier than thou. Like bitch please.
I get that Mark Prin was supposed to play this brooding bad boy but with his chubby cheeks and midget height all he managed to do was look nasty. Again, as an ordinary person I could somewhat understand his reasons. When we lose someone, we are angry at the world and we want someone to take the blame but Sathit wasn't any other person. He was a lawyer; someone who knows that there are a million different reasons and circumstances behind apparent crimes and for him to go to such lengths to destroy an innocent woman's life and drag out his single minded revenge was just plain ridiculous. And even though Jee makes him work for it and grovel towards the end, I still feel that his atonement wasn't half as much as his sins. I was fully rooting for Jeerawat to dump his bratty ass and fly away but oh well, she was a tad too forgiving for my taste.
One thing that Thai Dramas do best is the OTP chemistry. Even though, I didn't like the hero I couldn't deny that the sexual tension between them both was almost tangible. Lakorns know how to do skinship right and the interactions between couples definitely give you the feels. On a side note tho, I did feel that the concept of personal space was kind of alien in Kleun Cheewit. Even people who weren't love interests sure knew how to be intimate. lol
The rest of the characters were pretty one-dimensional, doing the same bullshit over and over again and never getting tired. The soundtrack wasn't to my taste, the direction was less than mediocre and I wouldn't be watching this show again. However, I would most definitely be watching more of Urassaya.
So if you have a lot of free time on your hand (one episode is 2 hours) and you wanna waste it by indulging in petty drama, lots of backstabbing and some ovary-exploding scenes then be sure to watch Kleun Cheewit.
Enjoy!
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