Jealousy and greed attract very unwanted attention.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty-turny story, with not a few butt clenching moments ;D
Oh Jung-se really suited the role of Yeom Hae-sang and the more I see of him in such diverse roles, the more I love him (his autistic character in It's OK to Not Be OK is still a favourite).
Kim Tae-ri is always good and I loved Hong-kyung as the young Detective.
The entire cast were actually very good and there are several well known supporting actors I always enjoy watching, which helps!
The characters' journeys to discovering the mysteries surrounding an academic's investigation into crimes with a supernatural base and spanning many decades, are gripping.
There are shocks, tragedies and a very dark and brutal catalyst to everything that happens subsequent.
There are, unfortunately, also the usual issues of characters not listening, acting alone, making decisions for others and just not communicating in instances when 99.999999% recurring, of people would.
It's a drama and the story needs that to move forward I suppose, but the writer could have thought of more engaging alternatives in those instances.
I also found Kim Tae-ri's character's attitude towards Oh Jung-se's, later in the drama, to be utterly ridiculous, given everything they'd gone through upto that point and given her own predicament.
I wasn't scared by this drama (although it takes a lot to frighten me), but, as said, it did have its moments.
Cases of people that are already wicked or bad in some way, attracting angry/hungry spirits to them, seems to be becoming a trope (that's not a complaint).
There are instances of child abuse, however, so anyone for whom that's a trigger, needs to be forewarned.
I probably wouldn't watch it again, but am by no means sorry I picked it.
It is worth watching.

Leia Mais

I so enjoyed this travelogue, which started out with Ryu Jun-yeol arriving ahead of Lee Je-hoon in Havana, spending time travelling 'alone' (apart from production crew) and then being joined by LJH for more experiences.
I've backpacked and this felt quite real, even though, if push came to shove, I doubt they'd ever have ended up sleeping on a beach!
It felt very unscripted in that they seemed to genuinely make their own decisions on where to go and what to do.
Both actors seem genuinely nice people and fit together very well as travel companions.
The sights, sounds and almost smells even, are beautifully filmed. Many characters and experiences are shared, which are uniquely found when travelling independently (something I've done a fair bit of).
A lovely way to visit another country and culture, from the comfort of one's home, with 2 lovely guides!

Leia Mais

Slice of life that was just too slow for me.

First I'll say what I liked...
Great acting, diverse characters, intelligent lines (dialogue), which were brought together really well and perfectly executed.
Understated acting in a drama that contains little action or romance to fill in gaps and quite a few scenes that involved little or no dialogue, really tests an actor's abilities.
Viewers will have their own take on what this drama represented. For me, it was about regrets, being stuck in a dead-end life and reaching a point where that hits you and questions then raise their heads about what the point is and if that's it. One's own worth is even questioned.
The pace, however, killed it for me.
There are slow, gently unfolding dramas, that I have loved. I don't need murders, horror, steamy romance or laughs-a-minute. I do need SOMEthing to pull me in though.
If I had watched this drama after it aired, I would have dropped it.
Watching it air, however, I stuck with it, as 2 eps a week I could watch.
I do feel it picked up, but only in the very late episodes. The rest were like watching paint dry.
It was claustrophobic, often miserable and with some horrible characters. I couldn't stand Ki-jung, the older sister; even outside the house, where she seemed to be supposedly 'quirky'. I felt sorry for her once and that was short lived.
Tae-hoon's sister, Kyung-sun, was also repulsive ~ totally selfish and a complete martyr, who made a decision in her life and then used it to whine and bitch.
Chun Ho-jin as the father, was excellent, although I don't think he'd have had a problem learning his lines.
Lee Min-ki's character of brother, Chang-hee, was my favourite. Terribly immature in his behaviour at times, but very self-aware. I think all the father's dialogue was allocated to that character too!
The ending felt abrupt, not so much because of unanswered questions, but because I found 2 storylines really odd in how they were left. It was almost like the script writer couldn't be bothered. Perhaps they didn't know where to go with those aspects, or were trying to be life-like... which doesn't always make sense. I don't want that side of reality in a drama though, thanks, as it's just frustrating!
I don't think I chuckled, never mind laughed, once.
The title that represents what the drama portrays, is tenuous, to say the least.
I found the story and script very disappointing and it is definitely not one I would ever watch again.

Leia Mais

2021 may only just have started, but I'll nevertheless be surprised if this drama doesn't end up being one of the best of the year.
Great acting from the entire cast, but especially Kim Jung-hyun (who never overplayed his part and was the perfect match for...) and Shin Hye-sun (her mannerisms, talking and overall portrayal of a woman with a man's soul trapped inside her, was a joy to watch).
I've not seen a drama capture its story like this and its script, so well. Perfectly paced, funny, emotional, nail biting and so enjoyable. The main story was never lost and the character of Jang Bong-hwan was kept at the forefront throughout ~ even when Choi Jin-hyuk wasn't appearing! He was seamlessly reintroduced at given times too, which was cleverly done.
Even though this is fantasy, with a melding of 2 totally different eras hundreds of years apart, the direction and character portrayals made it possible to completely fall into it. Nothing felt a step too far.
I shall miss this so much and it's one I know I will come back to, again and again.

Leia Mais

Inappropriately targeted and cancelled

What a promising horror fantasy set in the time of the Joseon Dynasty, with characters that were a mix of actual and fictional.
The story was pure fiction, with corpses rising from the dead, with a thirst for blood and the very life force of people. Controlled by a demon spirit somehow connected to the King and his father before him.
It was gripping and with sarcasm and light humour added to counterbalance the horror and gore... there was plenty of the latter, so not for those who dislike horror and blood.
I was gutted that this well made series was cancelled after only 2 episodes, due to props in a really short scene and then, criminally, because it distorted history and misrepresented the characters who actually lived... even though it was a work of fiction and fantasy. I honestly cannot believe it. One could not make this scenario up.
We will never know what else this story was going to offer.
The misplaced reasons given by an extremist group of citizens was totally OTT in this particular instance.
I cannot believe they were listened and pandered to, especially when it was explained the props used were actually in line with the time and area the characters were in. So, only the historical aspects they choose should be accurate, it seems, even in a fantasy.
A crying shame.

Leia Mais

What a poignant story. The husband, his wife and his lover with a hurt and confused son thrown in. All grieving for the loss of their loved one, whom the wife and son didn't really know.
This film says a lot about how forcing people into a life that's a lie, just to conform to a society based on antiquated and made up morals, is ultimately cruel and damaging. Also that things are not always what they seem.
Roy Chiu, Hsieh Ying-Hsuan and Joseph Huang are all excellent.
I felt for every character, but ultimately my heart went out to Jay (Roy Chiu), who loved, lost and loved again, all selflessly.

Leia Mais

Dull, sadly

I love the entire cast and they are what made me stick with this drama, however the story is, for the most part, so very dull and slowwwww.
So much talking whilst just standing, sitting, on the phone, strolling. Too many meaningful stares. Not enough action of any kind.
I have watched gently paced dramas that still provided an unfolding plot that was captivating, with witty, tender, sad and fantasy content. I really didn't get this one at all. I suppose it was about what loving really means, in terms of giving it up and being selfless, but it for me it missed the mark.
I found it utterly bizarre how the American Uncle happily chatted away in American, whilst the entire family responded in Korean. No one bothered to translate for him, basically cutting him out of being able to interact. It was the oddest thing to watch; totally weird.
The story of the brothers and their love triangle was also bizarre. The fact the couple were young and immature, with the older brother offering no guidance, but instead behaving totally inappropriately. Later, as adults, it was so uncomfortable and in many ways, underhand.
The ending was also very flat.
I had very high hopes for this, as the potential for a story about a Doom character was more than the one delivered. Disappointing.

Leia Mais

Gets confusing but stick with it!

Watching this drama was a bit like riding a rollercoaster - it veered from intense and thrilling to the 'flat' bits and confusion!

I was really enjoying it until one particular scene that just threw the story into the realms of being totally unbelievable.

Fantasy, supernatural etc dramas, still need to have a sense of reality in terms of a storyline being possible and that one scene in this, I felt shifted that. If one character hadn't done something to themselves at a crucial point, which just didn't fit with what happened next, this would not have been the case. That aside and the story would have been excellent, although the way some of the characters think (or don't, more to the point), is sometimes infuriating too.

I was gripped, and besides being very irritated by the number of times people can be in pain or passed out, whilst everyone in the vicinity appears to be completely oblivious to the fact, was able to stayed engrossed whilst watching.

The main characters are all so deep and multi layered. I did find Jung Ha Eun to be somewhat delusional on occasion and Jung Sa Bin had a tendency to be gormless at times when her usual intelligence was called for.
There are some truly psychopathic characters in this drama that are very easy to hate. Considering that, the writers did well in managing to not make it so bleak as to be unwatchable. It was balanced by very touching, kind and warm scenes too.

I had no idea how it would end until the final episode played out and it was not a disappointing, but as is often the case, for some reason they decided to add a tiny scene to what would have been a great ending, which made it less clear - at least to me . The positives of this drama do outweigh a story that became confusing and (as mentioned before), overdone at times.

The cast though are excellent. I loved Jang Ki Yong and Lee Soo Hyuk's portrayals of their dual roles a lot.
I also thought the music score suited the episodes really well too.

Worth watching.

Leia Mais

Super powers, but not for kids (18+)

March 2024
This story started really well. I loved the characters, was captivated and felt the balance between the every day and violent action, was good.

However, as the episodes progressed, that changed and the violence intensified more and more.

Episode 11 was my breaking point. I actually had to skip through a fight scene, purely because it was way too relentless. This is something I very rarely ever do, for any reason.

The younger characters and the actors that portrayed them, were fabulous. I felt invested in their wellbeing and especially loved Bong-seok and Hee-soo, the former having the cutest smile and sweetest personality.

The adult characters and actors were not a broad mix. They were either goodies or baddies, even though that was actually dependent on perspective.

The story flits, a lot, between various key events in the past and present, from the lives of each of the characters. Sometimes I found this waring. For the depth of the stories from the past, I actually think the drama would have been better being told chronologically. Each time I got into an event, its time period and its characters, it would switch again.

There are some really vile officials in this and human life appears to hold little value for any of them. There is also High School bullying, which is ignored by other students (through fear I hoped to myself, not apathy) and ineffective teachers who dealt with it appallingly. It made my blood boil and, honestly, I'm sick and tired of seeing it, even if it was part of some plan. Name calling, a bit of pushing and shoving, is one thing, but the level I see in so many K-dramas, that has no recourse, or the wrong party gets blamed, and punished, is too much. It's inappropriate in stories with a modern setting, too.

There is also misogyny; plus one character is actually called 'Idiot', a lot, with even his episode titled that. The character wasn't an idiot. I found that offensive, to be honest and was unhappily surprised by it. A big no-no for me, again, this being a drama in a modern setting (fantasy or not; that's irrelevant).

Now and then the plot also went a little askew, because I don't think the writer knew a way around that, or simply got lost.

There were lovely, light and funny scenes, but as said, not enough of them later on. Prolonged violence and threat, with no let-up, is not my thing, it turns out.

However, I liked the idea of the story. The lack of choice or power, to not follow the orders or bidding of others, shown to be felt by both sides, was a bit different. I loved the cast and the soundtrack too. It had a high budget feel and the SFX were very good.

I thought the ending as a whole was OK; the happenings of S1 were tied up and I enjoyed the pre-credits closing scenes (more follow after the credits, too ).

If they decide to make another series, I'd watch it; but I'll be hoping it won't be as intense and heavy going for lengthy periods, without a break, as this one was at times.

Leia Mais

A General who's no devil

The things I liked about this drama mainly centre around the lead male characters. The General and his surrounding supporters were well portrayed and their relationships great to watch. Trust and reliability were evident in most scenes and I loved that. Caeser Wu was a pleasure to watch. I loved Liu Yin Jun's portrayal of Xiao Su, too.
The way the General and Shen Jin treated their household and soldiers was also a nice change. He is fair, just and whilst makes most decisions independently, listened to the thoughts of those around him.
What I really didn't like was how almost all the 2nd generation women, apart from Rui (who I really liked), were painfully immature and in the case of Shen Jin's 2 younger sisters, spiteful and selfish as well. They got away with far too much and were never fully held accountable, which irked me a lot.
Aspects of Shen Jin's character I liked; she was feisty, supportive, fairly self sufficient and had a positive can-do attitude. What sadly spoilt that, were too many occasions when she didn't listen to the advice of those with more experience and just randomly went off on her own, with no thought of the consequences. Ep23 really highlighted this and I couldn't believe her actions at all ~ quite ridiculous. She was just far too immature at times.
Rou Rou was a complete nightmare. I know she was probably supposed to be funny by being ditzy and not terribly bright, but for me, she was just far too childish, irritating and basically a royal pain.
I felt that far too many scenes were wasted; instead of concentrating on the intrigue of the fire 12 years before, as well as the scheming in the present story time, they were nonsensical, detracted from the main story and served no apparent purpose. This slowed the pace, I thought, and made the story drag.
The music was mostly quite nice, but I absolutely hated what was used each time lighter or comedic scenes were played.
The ending was a complete surprise and I liked that.
Overall not a terrible drama, but I wouldn't watch it again.

Leia Mais

Escapism

Such an enjoyable story, shere fantasy and escapism; something we all need in these challenging times.
I love the true friendship that develops between the lead characters and how Zi Jin (Chen Li Nong) is so naive and innocent, which disarms Shi San (Lee Xian) on a few occasions.
The CGI is pretty good and there are ghosts and all manner of strange creatures
The filming and sets are so good too.
I enjoyed the majority of the soundtrack, especially the closing song (sung by cast member CLN), but there was some instrumental music in a couple of scenes that I didn't think matched.
I felt a little more could have been made of the closing scenes, but overall I thought this nicely acted and well done.
Hard to believe it's Chen Li Nong's first film and one I'd happily watch again.

Leia Mais

I found this rather lacklustre, with some episodes really dragging. Seeing as it has such a good cast (whose acting I really enjoyed), this disappointed me.
Whilst the central theme was opposites attracting (twice), that wasn't enough to keep my interest piqued and the story lacked a central theme. There were too many issues around the main characters, with none becoming a central, in-depth story that would have given weight to the drama.
Instead, they were all quite superficial with very crude and simplified closures. The most disappointing being that of the overbearing, status mad father/husband, who was totally self obsessed and viewed everyone as his pawns and tickets to power. I literally slapped my head at the way that was brought to an end.
On the plus side, the female characters are all pretty independent and don't run after men who treat them like poop, or just aren't interested. They're all successful (to varying degrees) in theircown rights.
I liked the dynamic between the main 2 as well. Here is a man who is pretty open when he needs to be, even though he's far from a sweet talker.
Overall an ok watch, but did lack substance.

Leia Mais

Worth watching

December 2024
A unique setting of the S.Korean Probationary Service, which was interesting, if very likely far from reality (but, I have no real idea).

I found the feel of this film to be a little odd, in that at times it came across quite tongue-in-cheek, whilst at others it was far more serious. It was like some kind of Super Hero movie, but then at other monents more like real life. I think dry humour rather than some of the more unsubtle stuff, would have worked better, imo.

But.... I so enjoyed it! KWB was great. His gentle character (Lee Jeong-do) matured no end and for someone who tried to feign disinterest and detachment... well, he failed. Watching the character learn, find a purpose and grow from it, was very feel-good.

The pairing of character LJD with that of Kim Sun-min was excellent. They complimented each other so well and there was nothing in KSM not to like.

I also liked LJD's relationship with his father; a character who was quite layered.

LJD's 3 friends were amusing and all quite different. Nerds united, but so likeable.

Some of the felons were, as expected, awful, and I admired Sun-min's ability to stay impartial. Doubt very much I could!

This film has plenty of action and it's all very nicely packaged.

As a footnote, I rather liked a slightly rough, bleach blonde, black roots Woo-bin, too ;~)

Leia Mais

There's quite a light hearted start to this excellent mystery, action drama, which lulls one into a false sense of security and misleads us about where this story will take us.
Namgoong Min gives another fine performance in his multi layered character, whose story opens up with every episode, right to the last.
Loved the character of Jamie Layton, so well played by Lee Chung Ah. Cool and quirky.
I wasn't particularly surprised by the story's development, but that's not to say it was dull ~ surprises were still waiting.
The 3 child actors who played the young versions of Jung-woo, Jamie and Jae-woong, were so good. I find most Korean child actors excellent.
I binge watched this drama and loved almost every second. Decent OST too.
I liked that dues were paid, one way or another, even though for one hateful character it wasn't witnessed, but the description of their demise was pretty gratifying.
I did feel for Jae-woong, although he seemed content with his lot.
Great watch and cast.

Leia Mais

An absolutely epic love story

In the real world, if a Si Feng existed, the bar for romance would be set unattainably high. The loyalty, staying power and crazy patience of this character is second to none. At times he made his own problems even worst, but this is fantasy!
This 59-episode series features impossible choices, secrets, anger, betrayal, resentment, grudges, hate, guilt, hypocricy, racism, battles and one of the most manipulative characters I've watched; but it also provides laughs, loyalty, kinship, friendship, trust, selflessness, devotion and, of course, love.
There were a very few times when I felt certain aspects of the story were a little laboured. Some characters also had the most frustrating habit of constantly ignoring advice (always messing things up, yet never learning), being overly judgmental and not listening to anyone!
But isn't a good story one which makes you shout at the screen?! 😁
Some of the evil characters were portrayed a little pantomime-like (think wicked laughs... "mwa-ha-ha"); however, the casting of actors and acting though, really were spot on.
The accompanying music was mostly good, but sometimes I found the electric guitar stuff a little intrusive and not quite appropriate.
Cheng Yi and Crystal Yuan were wonderful to watch. I loved that she didn't mumble, whisper or talk like a 5-year old ~ which too many actresses often do (perhaps they're directed to, but I loath that).
The way he looks at her at times is breathtaking. He didn't overplay the role at all and for such a powerful character, the gentleness he portrayed, even when being cold and detached, was so appealing. A joy to watch. The drama is stuffed full of great characters (Lord Flying Snake being a favourite).
I will definitely watch this again one day and it's been added to my list of favourite dramas.

Leia Mais