SamRoss
UPDATE: Started strong, but fizzled out.
Original review after 4 episodes: I wish Disney listed it as ongoing. At least where I am however many episodes are up, look like they that's all there is. I thought it was complete and watched the four released episodes in a night and was left so mad at myself, because I wanted more. And now I have to wait until November to see it all play out. ðŸ˜Honestly though, it is good. The main female character reminds me of Sim Eun-Seok from Juvenille Justice or Koo Ryeon from Tomorrow, but at an unhinged level. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about how it would be. I hadn't thought much of Park Shin-Hye as an actress. It isn't that I thought she was bad, it just didn't seem like she had a lot of range based on what I'd seen her in. Apparently that was the writing or direction, because she has shown much more range in these first four episodes than I can really recall from most of the dramas I'd seen her in previously.
I can't wait to see where this goes. I do worry a littttle bit that it might try to do too much. Like I see threads for different plots it could follow popping up and like...if it tries to grab all of them I think it will end up more a knot than a braid. Not my best metaphor, but my point still stands.
Side note, I do feel like spider guy should cut her a little slack. I mean, the guy confessed to killing three people. How was she supposed to know that was more of a childhood guilt thing than an actual confession? She's not psychic, she's just a demon sent to torture and kill murderers and there was a guy in front of her telling her he was a murderer.
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UPDATE: after the first like 7 episodes of supernatural revenge it fizzled out into a forced romance. Whole subplots seemed like they were dropped and the world building was lacking.
A-rong's whole purpose of being a demon punishing demons who fall in love came up once when she killed that random demon from the demon support group. But the group never comes back and her purpose quickly fades to the background in favor of the romance. She went from having her own purpose to apparently just tagging along as Justitia's underling. Man-do's whole thing about him attending church was never expanded on. A high-level angel who apparently was able to just peace out on his heavenly responsibilities to babysit a detective, though mainly in the form of vague warnings. The ultimate evil was scrunched pretty easily once they tracked him down. Honestly, her peer and co-second-to-Bael seemed more threatening than Lucifer in the end. Bael's character confused me entirely since it seemed like he wanted her to fail. I thought it would end up being the big twist/villain situation (since Lucifer was a little underwhelming) that Bael set her up because he was her worried her "I'm the demon of all demons" attitude meant she might try to challenge him and he wanted to basically smack her down before she rebelled. But, no it kind of went nowhere and ended with him being like "I'm glad you're my successor and would be disappointed to lose you". Her being a serial killer leaving bodies of criminals the justice system didn't punish branded with "hell" just kind of get dropped from the plot.
I liked the parts where she made the killers suffer the same fates as their victims. It was not only kind of satisfying (though I personally liked the psychological aspect of them having to feel what their victims did more than the just-straight-beating them up), especially the stalker who almost drove his ex to take her own life, but it really showed off how talented an actress she is when given the right scene. Honestly, I would have preferred to drop the romance and have it be more like Youth Justice where each episode is a different case and then her balancing being a human judge and demon judge to give them justice. Maybe still keep her paired up with a detective to balance the justice vs. vengeance aspect.
As for the romance...I mean, I don't get it. He was drawn to her first from their first trial but then was pretty quickly against her and only following her in the hopes of taking her down and proving her a killer. He wasn't even like trying to be nice to get the information, he made his suspicion 100% clear. He also accused her of killing the other demon after she had basically stepped in to save his life from being killed by that demon. And lectures her about like "oh, just 'cause you're a demon, you think you get to demon things". So, other than his looks, I'm not sure what she saw in him to become so obsessed with him that she was basically ready to risk everything to keep him around. And then he goes from being all "killing killers is bad and makes you bad" to "kill this killer for me" in less than 24 hours. And he then transitioned from capable cop a bit over his head in a supernatural situation to just kind of being a damsel in distress.
I feel like it tried to so much from the start and then had to let things go. Like, if they dropped the whole Lucifer thing and all the moments of Man-do going to church, that would have given them time to establish the romance more.
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OK, I guess. I'm just bitter about what could have been.
It had its moments, but falls short in execution for me. For a South Korea-Thailand "collaboration" it was missing any real sense of collaborating. The Thai male lead communicates solely in Thai and that is the extent of the Thai-related anything and him being Thai doesn't influence the plot really at all. It would really change nothing about the story to have him be from somewhere else, even just somewhere else in Korea. Like it is resolved so quickly with the ear pieces that it doesn't even take advantage of the potential misunderstandings that could come from not speaking the same language. And it never really seemed to explain how/why his assistant and manager apparently both understood Thai, but didn't speak it. Just as he understood Korean, but didn't speak it. Overall, it just felt half-baked. There was so much missed potential, it's hard to just focus on viewing it for what it is and not what it could have been.Also, this feels like a weird complaint, but their traumas both felt fairly light for the amount that it seems to affect them. Like a stray dog that used to be friendly, growled and snapped at him once and that's why Piuno is terrified of dogs. I mean, it was a stray. It could have been hurt or protecting its puppies. It's not even like it even actually bit him. He also saved the dog in the beginning because it reminded him of that dog, so he clearly still cared about it. And then Dae is afraid of love because he and his ex got outed as being a couple and his ex thought it would be better for them to break up. It was giving "Nobel Idiocy" trope, not betrayal. I mean, if they got outted and then ex ghosted him and then he spotted ex on a date with a woman, then I could see it a bit more. But this felt like the ex saw that Dae loved to sing and might want to pursue that career and didn't want to stand in his way. But, maybe I've just seen too many of the more angsty dramas where you have people who were SAed by someone they should have been able to trust (stepparent/friend/partner/etc), born and raised in a secret room with nearly no human interaction, watched one or both parents die, been kidnapped, almost been murdered by relatives, etc.
The reality TV show seemed a bit odd to me. And the woman was frustrating, but also seemed incompetent. When she saw the dog come back and they were reunited the other woman in the van was in tears and she was really like "ugh this won't get views" like...are you dumb or just clueless? And then she proved she was both by ignoring the contract they'd signed which could get her fired/sued.
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So bad, it's good.
This show was weird. It kind of reminded me (though loosely) of Atashinchi no danshi. Basically he ends up living with three brothers that are all quirky and weird in their own way. Luv ends up living in their house under false pretenses searching for his destiny. And honestly it was a funny and wild ride. Like it was so ridiculous and nonsensical that it was good. It was so consistently over-the-top that it somehow worked.What didn't work was the dubbing. It was just too much. And it wasn't really done...well? Like the audio dubbing sounded kind off at times. As if the microphone died and they couldn't get a new one so just used like a phone. And there were times where it was hard to tell what was meant to be someone's thoughts versus what someone said out loud. Especially when the person's mouth didn't seem to be moving, but then it seemed like someone else responded to what they had "said". But it was hilarious to me in one of the fight scenes when one of the guy's was thinking "hya...hya..." as he was like hitting.
Because of how crazy some things were the plot not being super logical/consistent wasn't really too much of a detriment since it seemed like it really wasn't meant to be taken that seriously.
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I'm worried about the ending
Let me start with what I like. I like both main characters. They're both pretty competent and their motivations make sense. I like that while one ML is deaf/nonverbal, he is not weak or bitter. And while it shows the obstacles someone might face with a hearing impairment, it also isn't really made out like we should pity him for it either. Like, it's not a sob story. He is working hard to find his niche and he knows what he wants to do. Like, it's not really portrayed as an obstacle for him. He isn't letting it interfere or prevent him from doing anything, it's just that the mindset of others that is getting in the way.I also like that while the other ML seems like he would be the typical spoiled, rich guy we've seen more depth to him. I actually feel like he's sort of the opposite of the other ML. Zixiang had so much more opportunity and people were willing to set up him up to succeed, but he had no sense of direction or purpose. While Shaopeng didn't have the same opportunity or connections, but had a clear purpose. So, it's kind of interesting to see them together and it feels like it will be nice to watch them grow. I love it when couples basically bring out the best in each other and I feel like this couple could do that.
The second couple I don't like as much. Their first meeting/"time" was suggested to be like Kla/Techno's first "hookup" in Love by Chance (i.e. Kla SAing Techno while Techno was wasted, then basically lying the next morning and saying Techno assaulted him). Though, he hasn't confirmed it, so it might just be him lying to mess with his head. I don't know. It's a bit cat and mouse, but the mouse is too dumb at the moment to recognize he's a mouse. It has potential, but will it actually get to reach it with so little screen time left? And that leads to my biggest issue.
To sum up my biggest issue so far, it feels like we're going nowhere slowly. I'm 7 episodes in and I feel like we could have gotten through the same amount of material in 3 episodes, without even really cutting any major content.
Kind of but not really spoilers up to 7: Episode 1 could have had everything from their first meeting to hiring him as a caregiver. Episode 2 could have had him seeing it was nice to have someone take care of him, but still sneaking away and ended with him getting caught. Episode 3 could have been him sharing his back story and them starting to bond as he learns sign language to communicate wit him. Meanwhile, that's basically where they are at in episode 7. And the second couple didn't even meet until episode 4.
These things would be fine if this was like 20 episodes. Or even 16. But at 13 episodes, we're already more than half way through and while like half an episode was just showing one of the MLs involved in community theatre, we haven't had a confession yet from either couple. And next episode shows some random woman showing up and buzzing around Zixiang. and we already have Shaopeng's childhood friend who may or may not like him (I lean towards no, but she is inspiring jealousy either way). And aside from the romance itself, the cousin/brother guy is still mostly unknown, there are people actively trying to kill one of the MLs, and he still has to work out his issues with his dad and he has to follow through on his promise to get other ML hired. Like, it took 2 episodes 2 hire Shaopeng, 2 episodes to lose him, and then two more to get him back and that is just as his caregiver. How is everything going to be resolved in that same amount of airtime?
The pacing feels a little soap opera, but the length is like a mini-series. And I feel like one of those needs to change.
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I have 0 sympathy for the ML.
The first three episodes were one of the wildest rides of a drama I've ever experienced. But that's all I made it through.It started as a weird but funny, then got just weird, then got creepy...and then creepier. Basically starts by saying they dated in middle school, he drops that he hasn't had an erection in two years but got one when he hugged her and wants to sleep in the bed with her to get a morning stiffy, then it flashbacks and basically he SAed her. Like, they were dating (I think in like jr. high), she felt he didn't care because he was kind of emotionless. They went to his house and she asked if he wanted to kiss her and he did, but then he pushed her down on the bed and they had sex. And she doesn't say it was r*pe or SA but she also didn't consent and describes it basically that she just didn't resist because she was so surprised and felt she didn't even understand what was happening. After he was done, he immediately got up and told her to go home. She felt small, stupid, and embarrassed and also kind of afraid of him so she avoided him after that. It is also what caused her to completely lose confidence in herself and withdraw from social life.
And he's the romantic lead apparently.
Anyway, I guess she doesn't hold a grudge as he keeps basically emotionally blackmailing her into sleeping in bed with him like his life might end because he can't get an erection. He even describes himself as a corpse. I have no sympathy for him. But she did. And then the final straw that had me stop watching is when he was lying behind her and accidentally came on her back and was just like "oops". Like nope. She didn't consent to that. And frankly, if he wasn't pulling such a dramatic "woe is me, I can't write without a boner, and if I can't write, I will lose my job and my livelihood and my life will be over and only you can help me get it up and save my life" as he dramatically sulks about lying on the floor and the stairs, she wouldn't have agreed. Like sorry you can't get it up, but that's not her fault or her responsibility. See a doctor. Get therapy. Leave her alone.
I have no doubt he will get some kind of redemption arc. But I don't care. His actions derailed her life, whether he meant them to or not. And it shouldn't take a chance encounter with the person who hurt her in the first place, to "fix" her. And I just feel like that's where this is going to go.
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IMO the show does NOT match the description
I don't know yet if I will continue. I find her kind of obnoxious (and sometimes bordering on delusional in her thought process). I also don't understand how she's so incompetent? How did she get into the school if she can't even pass a middle school level test on the subject she's taking? I don't think this would annoy me as much if it seemed like she was like even trying. But she shows up late to class, doesn't pay attention, and is busy checking out the male athletes rather than studying. And if the school has such low standards, why is the male lead attending there when he is so smart?From the description I think I was just expecting something different. It sounded like it would be like a grumpy/sunshine thing where he was just really smart but cold and distant, and like he'd eventually be won over by her positive attitude and perseverance (like Lighter and Princess). But so far he seems to have a crush on her already while she doesn't like him at all, he's done more to help other people than she has, and she keeps getting so quickly discouraged even though she seems to be putting in the bare minimum of effort.
I'm not that far in, but the only person that "spreads chaos and fear" so far is her. And she doesn't "always look for the good in people" considering she assumed he was a scammer when he said she accidentally took his forms. And like she even assumed he was a pervert and started TELLING OTHER PEOPLE he was without even checking her bag to see if he was telling the truth. He helps keep her from getting caught and she accuses him of trying to get revenge. Actually, she repeatedly assumes he is trying to get revenge or out to get her for like no reason. Like he didn't try to catch her once when she fell on the bus and she has basically decided that makes him a bad person and practically acts like he's an enemy.
Also her whole reason for going to this University seems a bit ridiculous to me. TWO YEARS AGO someone wearing a #7 jersey saved her life...instead of going to the school to find him TWO YEARS AGO, she waited to attend the school and just like...assumed he couldn't possibly graduate, change schools, leave the team, or just change numbers in that time? She didn't even need to attend the school to meet him, she could have just gone to campus? And there was absolutely no reason to break into the guys' locker room/lockers at night to check their numbers. They would wear them eventually. She waited two years (for some reason), she could wait two days to actually see them wear them. And frankly, it was such a violation of their privacy. Like she even read the note on the gift that was in one of their lockers.
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