hyeristorm
- I’m going to first address the big elephants in the room surrounding this drama, and then proceed in saying why this is one of my ultimate favourites. Because despite a few niggling flaws, I love it for what it is.
QUALM 1- “The ending is rushed and it’s not how I envisioned it” : Sadly there were some production niggles towards the end, as the drama was extended when it aired. This isn’t the first drama to have a seemingly rushed ending. It mostly made sense to me, and you could argue it’s my bias. Yet there was so much more to this show, I couldn’t let a niggle like this take away what I loved about this show. It does mean I deducted 0.5 points for the story rating, ha.
I found the ending to be bittersweet and I can’t actually think of a ‘better’ way of ending it. I cried for days after listening to the soundtrack, which is more testament to other factors of the show that grew my attachment to the show (I’ll explain more further down). However that doesn’t take away the impact the ending had on me. And I think it reinforces thematically what the show explores - fate and how our ability to love is very human.
QUALM 2- “Go Ah Ra plays a hopeless whiny character” : I can see where this is coming from, however I loved her portrayal of Kang Ha Ram. Her recklessness and drive to help others is part of what helps 444’s eyes to open to humanity. Their stories run so well with their intertwined pasts, and the chemistry with Song Seung Hoon results in one of my favourite on screen pairings. The acting is sufficient enough to bring emotional gravity, and I think he character resulted more from inconsistent writing towards the end. There was a stronger focus on 444 which didn’t help matters.
- Now to what I loved about this show:
GENRE - This has got to be my favourite genre-bending dramas. It’s a supernatural spin on a crime investigation series. Throw in a dash of dark humour, a girl that can see grim reaper shadows, a case of identity crisis and a long-spamming cold case, we are onto a winner. It shouldn’t work, yet this is one of, if not the most seamless mix of genres. It does it confidently and there’s excellent execution. Makes the story all the more interesting and raises the stakes. The world building is excellently crafted, making it genuine that grim reapers can co-exist with humans. Yet, it doesn’t detract from the fact monstrous people have done terrible crimes- it only highlights the depth of humanity and the darkness of man.
CHARACTERS/ ACTING - I cannot fault our antihero male lead, Song Seung Heon’s acting is phenomenal here. His journey is brilliantly written as he unwittingly finds his humanity, often getting into comedic situations. It balances well with his initially detached intentions, but it’s just beautiful watching him find out the truth and the emotions hit hard. The true anchor of the show.
I loved the supporting characters, whether it was the grim reapers alongside 444 or even the investigative crimes team. The connections were intricately placed with one another, and I felt the backstories helped to flesh them out. It enriched the story and it was wonderful seeing all these clues, and understanding to why these characters were acting like x y z.
The child acting was just insanely phenomenal, I really enjoyed watching their scenes considering the material was very dark. I was therefore frustrated at how Lee El’s portrayal as one of the older characters missing the mark. Only very so slightly because of how strong the child actors were, so I expected a bit more depth to how her past had affected her.
OST - The soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful and fitting. It elevated the emotion and the heart of the show, as well as the more instrumental tracks highlighting the supernatural or darker elements. It was brilliant in raising the tension in the investigative scenes too,
PLOT - I love a good crime solving series. This subverted all my expectations because of how well connected the clues and characters were, whether they were involved or investigating the case. It was a harrowing case because it expands on the horror of the crimes committed, and how the decisions adults make can have devastating effects on the younger generations. It wasn’t cheesy, neither was it overbearing- just a transparent look into the darkness of humanity. Which only elevates the emotional impact on us, the viewers.
O V E R A L L : I enjoyed this drama from the strong start, right to the flawed finale. Even with the minor niggles, I loved the characters, and watching how the case would unfold. The comedic scenes and the supernatural twist only added to my enjoyment. It’s ultimately looking at the horrors of man and the beauty of humanity, and these dark themes are explored so humanly. Just like how our characters journey through the twists and turns themselves.
QUALM 1- “The ending is rushed and it’s not how I envisioned it” : Sadly there were some production niggles towards the end, as the drama was extended when it aired. This isn’t the first drama to have a seemingly rushed ending. It mostly made sense to me, and you could argue it’s my bias. Yet there was so much more to this show, I couldn’t let a niggle like this take away what I loved about this show. It does mean I deducted 0.5 points for the story rating, ha.
I found the ending to be bittersweet and I can’t actually think of a ‘better’ way of ending it. I cried for days after listening to the soundtrack, which is more testament to other factors of the show that grew my attachment to the show (I’ll explain more further down). However that doesn’t take away the impact the ending had on me. And I think it reinforces thematically what the show explores - fate and how our ability to love is very human.
QUALM 2- “Go Ah Ra plays a hopeless whiny character” : I can see where this is coming from, however I loved her portrayal of Kang Ha Ram. Her recklessness and drive to help others is part of what helps 444’s eyes to open to humanity. Their stories run so well with their intertwined pasts, and the chemistry with Song Seung Hoon results in one of my favourite on screen pairings. The acting is sufficient enough to bring emotional gravity, and I think he character resulted more from inconsistent writing towards the end. There was a stronger focus on 444 which didn’t help matters.
- Now to what I loved about this show:
GENRE - This has got to be my favourite genre-bending dramas. It’s a supernatural spin on a crime investigation series. Throw in a dash of dark humour, a girl that can see grim reaper shadows, a case of identity crisis and a long-spamming cold case, we are onto a winner. It shouldn’t work, yet this is one of, if not the most seamless mix of genres. It does it confidently and there’s excellent execution. Makes the story all the more interesting and raises the stakes. The world building is excellently crafted, making it genuine that grim reapers can co-exist with humans. Yet, it doesn’t detract from the fact monstrous people have done terrible crimes- it only highlights the depth of humanity and the darkness of man.
CHARACTERS/ ACTING - I cannot fault our antihero male lead, Song Seung Heon’s acting is phenomenal here. His journey is brilliantly written as he unwittingly finds his humanity, often getting into comedic situations. It balances well with his initially detached intentions, but it’s just beautiful watching him find out the truth and the emotions hit hard. The true anchor of the show.
I loved the supporting characters, whether it was the grim reapers alongside 444 or even the investigative crimes team. The connections were intricately placed with one another, and I felt the backstories helped to flesh them out. It enriched the story and it was wonderful seeing all these clues, and understanding to why these characters were acting like x y z.
The child acting was just insanely phenomenal, I really enjoyed watching their scenes considering the material was very dark. I was therefore frustrated at how Lee El’s portrayal as one of the older characters missing the mark. Only very so slightly because of how strong the child actors were, so I expected a bit more depth to how her past had affected her.
OST - The soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful and fitting. It elevated the emotion and the heart of the show, as well as the more instrumental tracks highlighting the supernatural or darker elements. It was brilliant in raising the tension in the investigative scenes too,
PLOT - I love a good crime solving series. This subverted all my expectations because of how well connected the clues and characters were, whether they were involved or investigating the case. It was a harrowing case because it expands on the horror of the crimes committed, and how the decisions adults make can have devastating effects on the younger generations. It wasn’t cheesy, neither was it overbearing- just a transparent look into the darkness of humanity. Which only elevates the emotional impact on us, the viewers.
O V E R A L L : I enjoyed this drama from the strong start, right to the flawed finale. Even with the minor niggles, I loved the characters, and watching how the case would unfold. The comedic scenes and the supernatural twist only added to my enjoyment. It’s ultimately looking at the horrors of man and the beauty of humanity, and these dark themes are explored so humanly. Just like how our characters journey through the twists and turns themselves.
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