Big Forest (2018)

Unique slice-of-life black comedy

The tone is bleak, yet comedic. It has a bitter and realistic connotation, but it doesn't feel hopeless. It manages to make you smile with your lips and sometimes also drop a tear from your eyes.
I don't think I ever watched anything quite like this and honestly I'm glad that the description of the drama was so vague, because otherwise I might not have given this show a chance.
I usually prefer more boisterous black comedies (like Psychopath Diary) but I found Big Forest to be appealing as well with its melancholic, slice-of-life and somewhat sad but hopeful approach to comedy.

STORY
While I do think this show does have some sort of plot, I couldn't really describe it without either spoiling or risk giving a wrong impression of the drama.
It's a slice-of-life kind of story...there definitely is some character arc and especially relationship arcs, but most episodes have to do with a few conflicts and situations either of the two male leads have to deal with and generally these issues are solved by the end of each episode. The situations are mostly played with comedic undertones, but they are sometimes (especially in the beginning) quite sad.
The pacing is very good, I never felt bored and since the drama is only 10 episodes (more than a third shorter than the usually common 16-episodes dramas) the story never felt dragging.

CASTING
First of all, while the cast lists 3 leads, only Dong Yup and Sang Hoon could be consider in my opinion real leads. Cheong Ah is more of a recurring supporting role. That being said, the acting was very good on all fronts.
I personally found both leads to be quite charming in their roles, they really felt real. The supporting cast and the guest actors/actresses (and if you watch Korean dramas you'll notice several common faces) also managed to bring to life their quirky characters really well even with the little time at their disposal.

PRODUCTION / DIRECTING / MUSIC
The directing was good. It didn't blow my mind, but it was interesting. The setting were very well made and suited the drama really well. The dramas is never 'ugly' even in its bleakest scenes.
The music was used well, but I personally didn't notice any particularly noteworty song in the OST.

REWATCHABILITY
While I really liked this drama, I do not think it would make a good rewatchable series. This doesn't lower my overall rating for me, though.

PERSONAL OPINION:
It's an unique drama and I'm very happy I stumbled upon it quite by chance.
It's a pity that it received so little attention both in SK (where it received only around 1%, even if was critically praised) and in the international scene. The latter is partly due to the fact that it seems there were no English subtitles till quite recently.
Now they are available, though, and even if they aren't the best out there (they do not always make much sense and some things are definitely lost in translation) the overall meaning is clear and the drama is totally worth watching anyway. So, please, go and give this show a chance!

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