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Kang Daniel And Chae Soo-Bin Are Reporting For Duty In ‘ Rookie Cops’…
‘ Rookie Cops’ is a sixteen-episode streaming series which has earned intrigue and controversy amongst watchers and drama enthusiasts alike; dispute as a consequence of its limited availability on streaming service Disney Plus, as well as fascination due to its casting choices, setups and characters.
Main female lead Eun-Gang( Chae Soo-bin- ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘ I’m Not A Robot’ and ‘ Where Stars Land’) is a bubbly, optimistic and outspoken individual. Often having felt left out by her parents due to their seeming preferential treatment of her sister Go Mi Gang ( Son So Mang- ‘ Queen Of Mystery 2’, ‘ Mr. Queen’), Eun-Gang has often felt pressured to take up a career which will gain her parents’ respect.
Eun-Gang’s prayers are finally answered when she discovers that her first-love has enrolled in the academy in order to become a police officer. Determined to enter the academy in order to get close to him as well as earn the respect of her parents, Eun Gang seems to be living the dream. However, reality, as Eun-Gang soon discovers, can often be harsh.
Meanwhile the narrative introduces viewers to main male lead and Eun-Gang’s polar opposite, Wi Seung Hyun( Kang Daniel). The level-headed and reserved son of top-ranking officer Wi Ki Yong (Son Chang Min- ‘ My Fair Lady’, ‘ Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘ No Matter What’), Seung-Hyun has felt the need to uphold the reputation of his father, ex officio.
However Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang’s worlds collide even prior to entering the academy. After an awkward first encounter, Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang are shocked to bump into one another again at the Korean National Police University.
However as the polar opposite main leads become involved with one another on a gradually frequent basis at the cadet academy, Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang and their peers soon find themselves facing dilemmas, chasing dreams, and struggling to comprehend feelings on the front line of duty…
‘ Rookie Cops’ is the creation of screenwriter Lee Ha Na. The same writer behind predominantly melodramatic productions such as ‘ Cunning Single Lady’ and ‘ The Time We Were Not In Love’, ‘ Rookie Cops’ attempted to offer viewers the best of both worlds; a lighthearted youth series through Ha Na’s signature vivid tone, as well as a moody cop drama revolving around crime and emotional dilemmas for the main characters.
Admittedly this was necessary to a certain extent for viewers. Despite a noir-style opening, ‘ Rookie Cops’ was heavily invested with giving an introduction to its main leads Eun-Gang and Seung-Hyun, as well as introduce the other key players to the scene.
In particular these reoccurring characters and fellow students of the academy included apathetic as well as studious Ki Ha Na ( Park Yoo Na- ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’, ‘ SKY Castle’ and ‘ True Beauty’), athletic judo prodigy Kim Tak ( Lee Shin Young- ‘ Crash Landing On You’, ‘ Bite Sisters’ and ‘ How To Buy A Friend’), eccentric yet passionate Woo Joo Young ( Min Do Hee- ‘ Reply 1994’, ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’ and ‘ Clean With Passion For Now’), sprightly social butterfly Yoo DaeIl ( Park Sung Joon- ‘ Sweet Munchies’ and ‘ Run-On’) as well as amiable student Shin Ah Ri ( Cheon Young Min- ‘ Foolish Mom’, ‘ What’s Up With These Kids!?’ ) and principled youth Seo Beom Joo ( ‘ Voice 2’, ‘ A Piece Of Your Mind’ and ‘ Military Prosecutor Doberman’).
In addition to the students, Professor Cha Yoo Gon ( Kim Sang Ho- ‘ City Hunter’, ‘ Kingdom’ and ‘ Sweet Home’), Professor Bang Hee Sun ( Choi Woo Ri- ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ Matrimonial Chaos’ and ‘ The Bride Of Habaek’) as well as Dean Kim Soon Young( Seo Yi Sook- ‘ You’re All Surrounded’, ‘ Mother’ and ‘ Hotel Del Luna’) played active roles as the reoccurring members of staff at the University.
Nevertheless it was noticeable that the second-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ shifted in tone in comparison to the first half ; angst-ridden and with a several surprising plot twists, though admittedly a little inconsistent at times due to quick-paced events.
As mentioned previously, Chae-Soo Bin and Kang Daniel star as the main leads of the series and deliver fairly consistent performances throughout. ( It is admittedly praiseworthy to point out that despite Kang Daniel’s good reputation as a celebrity talent host and soloist, ‘ Rookie Cops’ marked the idol’s first acting debut onscreen.)
As for the main leads’ onscreen romance , Daniel and Soo-Bin’s potential chemistry is admittedly stunted at different stages of the narrative. In the first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’, shoehorned embarrassing scenarios and encounters were purposefully placed to enforce tension and awkwardness between the main leads onscreen. Yet it’s hard to deny that as plot progress, Daniel and Soo Bin’s onscreen chemistry is admittedly a lot more natural also.
Then there’s the supporting cast. Although there were admittedly several moments of overblown dialogue, the supporting cast delivered fairly solid performances. In particular, Lee Shin Young, Park Yoo Na and venerable actor Kim Sang Ho particularly stood out due to their charisma onscreen.
As mentioned previously, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is divided almost into two-halves by its tonal shift; a fairly easygoing introduction ( aside from its initial opening), gives ways to a darker second-half with several unexpected twists and revelations for viewers.
The first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ admittedly downplays a lot of initial tension from the opening, as well as future events to come. Instead, ‘ Rookie Cops’ fixated upon character introductions, early dilemmas for the characters and potential setups, before plunging into the deep-end with a pacy and angst-ridden second-half with varying results .
The tonal shift did help to keep viewers intrigued and intensify the climatic events of the second-half. However, this also caused some drawbacks for ‘ Rookie Cops’ also.
Although some of the intriguing counterplots of the series such as the rocky friendship between Kim Tak and Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang’s gradual maturation as well as emotive themes such as anger, loss and love as well as focusing upon other subject areas such as corruption, peer pressure and corporal punishment, there were several subplots which were admittedly poorly fleshed-out. For example, Seung-Hyun’s estranged relationship with his father and the escapades of other side characters such as Shin Ah Ri were often disregarded during key moments.
Through the directing lens of ‘ Kim Byung Soo’ ( ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ A Korean Odyssey’ and ‘ He Is Psychometric’), ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly slick and glossy production.
Admittedly early episodes of the series seemed to place a heavy- budget emphasis upon frequent cut scenes of the academy; with little variance in tone or schemes. However as the second-half dawned upon the series, ‘ Rookie Cops’ took a different approach to filming by helping to captivate through Byung Soo’s leadership, the emotional tones through gradients and palettes of the characters at different times in the series . ( In particular off-whites, golden hues and blues were frequently shown onscreen during key scenes and interactions.)
The OST of ‘ Rookie Cops’ is predominantly composed of a compilation of schmaltzy ballads and pop tracks. Admittedly with some tracks more memorable than others, LUCY’s contemplative and guitar pop track ‘ Police Class’ from OST Part 2, ‘TIME’, an upbeat song performed by singer Kwon Eun Bi from OST Part 4, as well as Kang Daniel’s adrenal-infused tempo song ‘Hush Hush’ featured on the Special OST were surprisingly ear-catching tracks .
The finale of ‘ Rookie Cops’ was admittedly dependent on expectations. Although there was a shocking twist for the audience, the execution of the sudden plot-twist felt admittedly last minute; quickly thrown in to the storyline narrative in order to add edge and surprise , though failing to help impact the characters or the falling action.
Lighthearted, angst-ridden and surprisingly profound at times, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a series which offered viewers with a lighthearted and sugary coming of age tale, as well as moody crime-drama in parts also. Nevertheless despite some brilliant acting performances and an intriguing setup, ‘ Rookie Cops’ did admittedly suffer slightly under the weight of execution by underdeveloped subplots and several overindulgent tropes. However for those looking for the best of both worlds through both sweet and darker themes, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly entertaining binge-watch also.
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Will You Become “ Mad” At This Drama?
It has been said countless times before in the reviews, however, novice screenwriter Ah Kyung’s ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did surprisingly start on a fairly high note. The storyline incorporated the more avant-grade archetype of the ‘ unconventional lovers’ where both leads suffer from mental health issues. ( A tone reminiscent of Rain’s movie ‘ I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok’ [2006] .)
‘ Mad For Each Other’ focuses upon Lee Min Kyung( Oh Yeon Seo), a woman suffering from repressed trauma, social anxiety and paranoia as well as her matched “ potential love interest” Noh Hwi Oh( Jung Woo), a suspended cop who suffered from anger management issues. In between the more questionable faeces jokes of the first episode, ‘ Mad For Each Other’ did seem to have a lot of potential towards being an intriguing love story. However the drama slowly began on a downwards slope as a consequence of cataclysmic screenwriting and certain acting performances in later episodes.
This problem became particularly prominent with Min-Kyung. Oh Yeon Seo isn’t entirely a terrible actress, however, her over-the-top expressions and reactions as her onscreen persona can quickly grow tiresome for some viewers.As a character it is understandable that Min-Kyung suffered from low self-esteem and so her journey to developing an “affectionate relationship “ with Hwi Oh was always going to be a rocky road.
However, it was an ineffable screenwriting decision that one minute Min Kyung seemed to be presented as an unfortunate young woman suffering from social anxiety who is trying to get over her trauma , and then later in the same storyline she is dumping Hwi Oh,getting triggered at Hwi Oh trying to help her, running away and then yearning over Hwi Oh once more.
It is understandable that Min-Kyung is supposed to be a flawed character and struggles throughout the drama to make her own moral judgements, however, rather than using previous exposition ( such as Min-Kyung learning self-defence lessons from Hwi Oh) in order to allow this character to develop as an individual or defend herself, the show enforces the stereotype of the “ fickle female lead” into the mixture in order to allow Hwi Oh to become the “ dashing hero”. ( In a montage during the finale which was an unintentional laughable parody of an 80s car chase scene.) There’s an evident difference between low self-esteem, and a lacking of self-respect; something that screenwriter Ah Kyung seemed unable to distinguish between with Min-Kyung as a character.
Oh Yeon Seo’s costar Jung Woo seemed to carry a fairly “ down-to-earth” ambience as his onscreen persona Hwi Oh. However similar to Min-Kyung’s more “turbulent” moments in the drama , Hwi Oh was the epitome of “ writing gone bad”. As it happens it wasn’t necessarily that this character had a” dire” creative setup in the beginning . Hwi Oh ( similar to Min Kyung) showed a gentler side to his cantankerous personality ( such as promising to help Min Kyung with her self-defence lessons)throughout the majority of the drama.‘ Mad For Each Other’ seemed to particularly struggle, however, with Hwi Oh’s intended character development across the show.
Hwi Oh just seemed to raise one question above all; “ how on earth did he pass police academy exams and become a police officer in the first place, when he often allowed dilemmas ( especially the incident with the ex-boyfriend and Min Kyung entering the abandoned building)to boil over?” It’s easy to put together that Hwi Oh is supposed to fit the “ disgraced and renounced cop” archetype because of his short-temper. However it was hardly to truly comprehend what even motivated Hwi Oh to becoming an officer, or even truly understanding why we should feel pity for Hwi Oh over his role in the first place when he often was pretty dumb with his strategies ( case and point with the car chase with the ex-boyfriend) , acting aggressively ( at times) towards Min Kyung and then not thinking to even try putting together concussive evidence and case reports towards Min Kyung’s- ex’s records. This isn’t stating that Hwi Oh should have been the “ police prodigy” archetype, however, even if the show had perhaps delved into something that Hwi Oh had flourished with his job as an officer ( such as fighting or capturing criminals), and then something he struggled with or was mocked by his peers ( his strategies or even just struggling with a desk job), Hwi Oh would have felt been more sympathetic for viewers as the “ flawed cop” trope that the show seemed to struggle to concisely execute.
As far as their relationship is concerned, the best way to describe the pairing between Min Kyung and Hwi Oh is “ flawed for all of the wrong reasons”. Relationships are naturally messy in real life and it did present
a potentially interesting setup to see two unconventional characters, helping to support one another but whilst there were undeniably elements of Hwi Oh and Min Kyung learning to lean upon one another over the course of the drama, their pairing was undeniably oppressive for both parties. Hwi Oh could often been controlling and inflict aggressive conduct ( anger issues or not) towards Min Kyung, whilst Min Kyung often lashed out before neglecting Hwi Oh and then loving him again because it was “ necessary to the plot”. It wouldn’t have been too bad perhaps if the drama had allowed these characters to recognise their mistakes, show remorse or at least acknowledge their wrongdoings, however, the fact that both characters were quick to bury their problems under the sand in order to “ be together”, made this toxic relationship hard to watch for the most part.
Oh boy, then there’s the incomprehensible side characters. On a more positive note ( and against all odds), the occasional appearances of the irksome gossipy residents and Hwi Oh’s police officer peers were arguably more entertaining at times than our main characters. However, then there’s Soo Hyun ( Lee Soo Hyun); the definition of the “ prosaic filler character”. It isn’t inherently that her scenes were “ bad” or “ terrible” and the setup of her character trying to work multiple jobs and aspiring for higher goals , was an intriguing setup. However the show didn’t really give Soo Hyun enough time to really be “ fleshed out” or understand her motivations as a character aside from being the “ girl who pops up on the screen and starts randomly singing just to promote that the actress is an idol singer”.
Also on the sideline of prosaic side characters was the therapist ( who quickly became elusive to the majority of the events of the storyline apart from arguably having the potential to play the most important role), a psycho and then “ Samantha” ( Ahn Woo Yeon). Now, there’s two decisive arguments with “ Samantha” as a character; the positive by an attempted representation of diversity within South-Korean society, the second being distasteful for some viewers through the comedic scenes . Despite covering over more hard-hitting issues such as mental health issues, cyber bullying and transphobia, it seemed as though the drama often struggled to truly convey these messages more profoundly. This isn’t due to the nature of the drama as a “ comedy” but rather the styling it took as a “ lighthearted” show, rather than allowing or pertaining more “ bittersweet” elements to enter the storyline. The ending wasn’t bad per say, just more “ questionable” considering the storyline arc.
It’s establish that this isn’t to concisely rule that “ Mad For Each Other” is a “ terrible” show as some watchers may enjoy the comedic scenes and setups, however, “ Mad For Each Other” is arguably more of a “throwaway” drama - easy to binge-watch and certainly with a fairly catchy OST, but leaving a bitter taste for certain watchers by sporadic plot logic and one-dimensional characters.
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A Wasted Journey Down The Rabbit Hole...
Filmed by director Baek Soo Chan ( A Girl Who Sees Smells, Reunited Worlds ), written with a fairly, fresh unique storyline by Kim Kyu-Won and having brilliant casting choices of Joo Won ( Bridal Mask, Good Doctor), Kim Hee Seon (Room No.9, Angry Mom) and Choi Won Young ( Sky Castle, I Remember You and Mystic Pop- Up Bar) , Alice truly had all the given possibilities of being an avant- garde masterpiece.So, what went wrong with such a good show? Well, it would seem that there were a couple contributing factors for the show’s own demise, not least; characterisation, inconsistent plot and lacking dramatic tension.
To give the show some credit, the beginning did build- up a lot of intriguing plot for viewers; a nearly apathetic detective ( Joo Won) who after witnessing the death of his mother nearly ten years ago, is confronted with the past and the future with the mysterious meeting of his mother’s doppelgänger , a physicist interested in time travel, and apparent time travellers from the future who may have played a part in the death of his mother . Yet, one thing which did grow slightly apparent about this show from episode one, was the lack of creativity with cinematography, something which for a show about time travel ( apart from the old “freeze in time” scenes), there was little added to express this.
Additionally, a lot of drama watchers that I’ve talked to about this show, have seemed to sugarcoat a lot of the inconsistencies which began arising the beginning of this drama ( not least the exact extent of the laws of time travel and the strength of Gyeom’s powers), however, it can perhaps be overlooked slightly in the beginning with the abilities of our acting cast ( well, to an extent). As per usual, Joo Won was brilliant within his portrayal as an intelligent detective yearning for the truth behind his mother’s death. In fact, there is little to really fault about Joo Won in his portrayal, but, rather how the scriptwriters decided to continue onwards with Joo Won’s character, Park Jin Gyeom. There were a lot of moments which the scriptwriters didn’t even try to explain to us as viewers; Gyeom’s random emotional outbursts as someone apparently apathetic( yet his lacking emotional relationships even with the possibilities that could have been explored with his own father ), his lacking intelligence within moments in the show ( such as his inability to draw the conclusions of a simple DNA test with his mother’s doppelgänger)and of course the exact extent of his powers; something not explained even by the confusing ending of the drama and Gyeom’s character twist ( equally making little sense in regards to Gyeom as a character or the exact reasons behind his actions).
En par with Joo Won as an equal , undeniably was Kim Hee Seon. Whilst I’ll be honest in saying that I had to watch a couple of clips from older dramas/ movies to know her past works, Hee Seon was certainly was well-cast within her dual role in the drama. Whilst Joo Won also had to conflict between playing a younger and older- self of his character in the series, Hee Seon had to go one step further in the more complicated matter of playing two carbon copy characters with ( though not specified)presumably different ages and personalities. This is a hard feat for any actor, and it’s fair to say that it was believable upon Hee Seon being two different people here; a mother/time traveller and, of course a young and intelligent scientist . Sadly in a similar manner to Jin Gyeom as a character, there were too many plot holes associated with both Yoon Tae-Yis. Whilst the show offered some explanation towards how these two characters are identical copies of the other, there was little rational or plot build- up for viewers to this moment, in a similar manner to the emotional context of whether Doctor Yoon played a part in the discovery of the agency as a consequence of her works, her questioning intelligence and the revelation of her emotional trauma seemed to not truly flesh her out as a character at all in the drama . (This also adds on a side note, what exactly happened to the Book that the characters stressed as important by episode 16, seemingly disappearing from the storyline until last minute.) Then of course there’s the additional “ platonic, yet mutual feelings angle” the drama took between the relationships of Jin Gyeom and Doctor Yoon. Whilst to an extent it was easy to understand where Yoon’s misunderstandings came from before learning more about Gyeom , Jin Gyeom’s own misleading assertions towards Yoon being somehow linked to his mother, took the show on a slightly disturbing ( though thankfully only suggested) factor when considering that Doctor Yoon is still identical to his mother.
Thankfully, the show didn’t extend too much into this near-incest relationship, but, it is noticeable in later episodes how the driving action of the plot drives to a near halt in order to focus on their “ affectionate” relationship rather than actual plot development like earlier episodes . However, in order to appeal for viewers, the writers did attempt to present a love interest for Gin Yeom through the introduction of Lee Da-In as Kim- Do Yeon. Whilst Da-In certainly wasn’t awful within her portrayal, her character was simply unnecessary to the plot; She had no character development and most importantly, no actual contribution to the plot as well.
On a more positive note , Kwak Si-Yang’s performance as Yoo Min- Hyuk , a time- traveller and agent for Alice , was brilliantly angst-ridden, adding to some complex and emotionally- driven scenes between his character’s horror and realisation with his actions after he finds out a shocking truth. Although undeniably Min- Hyuk probably had some of the best ( and possibly only ) decent characterisation in the show on his road to redemption with Gin Yeom, the scriptwriters didn’t give Min- Hyuk any justice as a character. This is something which felt quite detached both emotionally for viewers and the scriptwriter, with the decision for the relationship between Min Hyuk and Gin Yeom to be carried out with little build-up or development, apart from the cycle of Gyeom being weary of Min Hyuk, beating him up and repeat. ( For viewers who know this secret, I am sure that you can agree with me that the ending which could have been emotionally touching, completely killed this relationship with little sense considering Gyeom’s reaction.). Additionally, of course, Kim Sang Ho and Choi Won Young’s roles on the sideline added some emotional angst and sincere questions throughout the drama through their performances .
Overall, Alice had a lot of intriguing premises and ideas, and a fairly good cast yet, lacking characterisation, inconsistent plot and a rushed ending with little sensical plot ( especially regarding the laws of time ) and emotional deliverance, added to the wasted potential for a good show by becoming dire .
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You Are My Spring ; The Attempted Reimagining Of Love
Fusion genre dramas aren’t unheard of in K-dramas, but ‘ You Are My Spring’ certainly pulls out a new record with the amount of genres in tried to cram into the show. Does it work? On certain grounds ‘ You Are My Spring’ is partially poetic and partially natural speech at times . The dialogue infused by screenwriter Lee Min Na is a rare example in a K-drama for each individual character -feeling natural because it flows out of the mouths of these characters coherently .
Of course this drama wouldn’t be complete without its star-studded cast. Whilst admittedly there were few eyebrow raising moments of acting in parts of the show, our main cast did add their own dynamic charm to their onscreen personas. Actress Seo Hye Jin plays bubbly hotel manager Da Jung. A talented businesswoman and a person with a heart of gold, Da Jung had a rough upbringing and believes her love life has forever been tarnished by her mother. Da Jung immediately has a likeable charm for viewers even from her initial introduction -she isn’t the cliched “ ditsy and innocent ” female lead archetype, but still often finds herself at the crossroads during problematic moments in the drama. Similarly she’s career-orientated and a hard worker but is often fairly relaxed and kind-natured. However whilst it is understandable that whilst we do see her struggles flare up during “ necessary” moments for the storyline, this was often used as a carte blanche by the screenwriter to “ intensify drama” in order to keep the plot moving, or kindle “ potential chemistry” between the main characters rather than explore Da Jung’s sentience in more depth . There was so much potential to understand more about how Da Jung tried to cope with years of trauma in daily situations, her relationship (in more depth) with her mother, her past relationships as well as how this impacted Da Jung’s social experiences during childhood and growing up also.
On a more praiseworthy note and before commenting on the rest of the main cast, it is important to commend the cinematography and symbolism in this drama . Director Jung Ji Hyun tangoed a lot with screenwriter Min Na’s storyline points through subtle motifs and shifted lighting in order to explore the drama’s heavy-hitting moments in more detail. Da Jung’s morbid obsession since childhood with Edgar Allen Poe’s “ The Black Cat”acts as a perfect analogy for the mystery of the drama.
Yet back to our main cast it is impossible to forget Hye Jin’s fellow costar Kim Dong Wook who played main lead Yeong-Do. Kim Dong Wook added a refreshingly calm presence to our main lead. As his onscreen persona Yeong Do is very much written in the role as the “ nice guy” trope- he’s flawed and has his own emotional scars, but is amiable and possesses a good heart. A psychiatrist who significantly cares for all of his patients, it is fair to say that it was surprisingly heartwarming to see Yeong Do confront his patients or people who come to his clinic in different ways and through small, yet meaningful words and interactions. On a more nuanced note Yeong Do was very much in the same boat as Da Jung.A likeable and sweet character, but a lot of unexplored territory with his development beneath the service . Without giving any major spoilers, it’s fair to say that there was a lot of potential to explore regarding Yeong Do’s childhood. His complicated with his father was often dismissed or skipped over rarely giving opportunities to understand more about his childhood, the impact of his childhood on truly shaping the person he was during the events of the series and of course his exact reasons for becoming a psychiatrist in the first place. Whilst it is arguable a lot of his motives for becoming a psychiatrist were arguably sparked as a consequence of the dramatic events of his past , there was surprisingly little mention or reasoning even during heartfelt talks with Da Jung to back this up.
This naturally moves us onto the potential romantic relationship between Da Jung and Yeong Do . Whilst there are some undeniable qualms with the written relationship between their characters, it is undeniably that respected actors Hye Jin and Dong Wook really worked well together with their onscreen chemistry. They undeniably added vital life to their onscreen personas’ feelings for one another and watching this growth from blossoming acceptance to something more was quite heartwarming. However it is important to be forthright by explaining that this relationship was also the drama’s hamartia.
Refreshingly , it wasn’t necessarily a problem that this potential paring was “ toxic” or “ unhealthy” by either characters’ implicated actions. Both characters made flawed mistakes and misunderstandings within this relationship, yes. However both character were also able to accept and move on from their mistakes or fallbacks- Da Jung could learn to lean on Yeong Do rather than bottle up her emotions, whilst both Da Jung and Yeong Do learnt to give one another distance and time to heal after a particularly severe incident without relentlessly hounding the other. It was honestly a fairly overt relationship. On the other hand it is quickly apparent to see where viewers can grow lost within its labyrinthine plot- a romance story which suddenly turns to a murder mystery, and then back to a slow-burn love story with dominating screen time after the halfway is undeniably off putting for viewers expecting thrill and hype . Adding to this issue was of course the myriads of cliches and tropes which began popping up in the romantic side of the drama- so lacklustre and predictable from other aspects of the uncertainty of the thriller and mystery elements of drama, that sometimes the skip button could never look so appealing.
Of course it is important not to forget the talents of “ second main lead” Yoon Park who added a layer of depth and brilliance to his dual performance as Ian Chase/ Chul. The storyline surrounding the mysterious Ian Chase ( Yoon Park) and his uncanny resemblance to Chul ( also played by Park) was a major source of intrigue throughout the drama, and whilst this storyline certainly didn’t disappoint as later revelations came to light , there were moments which often fell flatline at times because the show was often being pulled apart in so many different directions. Nevertheless did this become more apparent just after the halfway point. Juggling between murder mystery and romance soon saw a higher dedication to the lacklustre slow-burn romance between the main leads- sweet and gradual, but so disconnected and predictable ( including tropes)from the other aspects of the drama that sometimes the skip button could never look so appealing.
Then there’s Ahn Ga Young( Nam Guy Ri). Admittedly there’s a lot more than meets the eye here with Ga Young and rather than sending her down the superficial route as the “ second female lead”, it was intriguing to see this character ‘s growth by her backstory and gradual wholesome friendship with Da Jung. However whilst Gyu Ri is a good actress , the tropes defining other aspects of her character resorted to her being reduced at times as nothing more than a quick plot device to heighten the stakes or comical foil. This was also case and point with our side couples-so cute and bubbly that they often won over the viewers’ attention from a dragging scene between Da Jung and Young Do, but lacking screen time did little to give these couples more limelight in the
second-half also. The ending was as expected-bittersweet in parts, sugary sweet in others but failing to wrap up some more nuanced storyline moments also.
The verdict for ‘ You Are My Spring’ is undeniably that it is dependent on what you want from this drama. At its forefront ‘ You Are My Spring’ delivers good performances by the cast, surprisingly well-written dialogues ,aesthetic cinematography in parts and tries hard to deliver a fusion genre production. Whilst the different genres do help to “ spice up” certain elements of the storyline early on, this idea soon falls flatline when other genres ( particularly the romance) begin to dominate major screen time for evidently more quintessential storyline moments. As a consequence the characters’ development and slow pacing in the storyline soon begins to struggle beneath the surface. The drama often becomes lost in its own labyrinthine complexity-trying its hardest to be an avant garde masterpiece , but often failing to reach the mark in the second-half. Enjoyable but admittedly flawed.
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The Hong Sisters Are Back…
The Hong Sisters have produced wide scope of dramas over the years with respectfully mixed results . Enter ‘Alchemy Of Souls’: The Hong Sisters’ latest fantasy creation and arguably one of their most ambitious works yet.
In the series, main heroine Naksu (Go Yoon-jung-‘ Sweet Home’, ‘ Law School’ and ‘ Moving’) is a fearless and sword-wielding assassin. She lives in Daeho; a magical land where sorcerers have extraordinary abilities and powers. Yet despite the beauty of different types of magic, there is still one major taboo in Daeho: soul transfiguration. ( The act of displacing one soul into another body.) Caught between a rock and a hard place, the ruthless and instinct-driven female lead is forced to partake in this soul shifting process in order to save her own skin. She finds herself in the body of peasant girl Mu-Deok (Jung So-min- Playful Kiss’, ‘ Because This Is My First Life’ and ‘ Monthly Magazine’).
Meanwhile unbeknownst to the female lead , her destiny is about to change even more when she winds up striking an unconventional alliance with Jang Uk ( Lee Jae Wok- ‘ Search: WWW’, ‘ Extraordinary You’ and ‘ Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’), the notorious son of the prestigious and magical Jang family. Jang Uk has his own personal reasons for striking an unusual contract with Naksu. However, thanks to their new relations, they will soon discover that their bond will greatly alter their own destinies for better or for worse.
As mentioned previously, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is arguably one of the Hong Sisters’ most ambitious works yet. While the series has admittedly received mixed-reception by some for its format, it is filled to the brim with the duo’s creative and imaginative world-building in a manner that will likely remind some of their previous hit-drama ‘ Hotel Del Luna’. However while ‘ Hotel Del Luna’ seemed to heavily lean into the genres of dark fantasy and melodrama, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is predominantly focused on its action fight scenes and the conflicts surrounding its setting and the lives of its characters. The series certainly does lean into heavier scenes ( especially with regards to the magical lore of Daeho ) but a lot of these more “morbid” or “disturbing” moments often came through the ambivalent moral choices and decisions of the drama’s characters. ( At the end of the day, the jarring decisions made by humans.)
However on a slightly lighter note, it is fair to say that ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is fuelled on pure fantasy. The world-building of the series is detailed at times and filled with a lot of fascinating beauty also. On the other hand despite the creativity evidently present in the Hong Sisters’ drama, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ does admittedly hit a few ruts when it came to execution.
Some of the forms of magic tackled in the Hong Sisters’ drama are certainly impressive. However while the presence of magic in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ was often detailed, there were moments in the narrative where viewers were expected to “ just know” things without a lot of further clarification or information provided. In addition to this, there is also the prominent issue with the patchy lore of ‘ Alchemy of Souls’ in different parts of the narrative. ( Such as the hierarchies of magical families, the out-rankings of certain magical abilities and exactly why certain noble families are able to get away with literal murder while others accused of killing individuals are subjected to literal witch hunts.)
The Hong Sisters’ drama is what many would probably define as an eclectic mixing pot of genres. There are noticeable elements of action-fantasy but surprisingly romance and comedy at times also. This variety of genres will likely offer viewers with a wide range of different moods and tones in different episodes. However despite the continuous strain of creativity in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, it is hard to not bring up one of the drama’s more tiresome issues; the tropes. Of course, the induction of cliches into K-dramas isn’t always a bad thing per say.
However, it did seem slightly surprising that even for well-established writers such as the Hong Sisters, there wasn’t a lot of originality or creativity put into these tropes. Instead enforced cliches such as the love triangle, the strong and cold heroine, the snarky male lead, a troubled past lover and some questionable comic relief wormed its way noticeably into ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ with some varying and mixed results.
Lore and genres aside, there is also the crucial discussion surrounding the characters of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’. The Hong Sisters seemed to have attempted a ‘Game of Thrones’-style approach with introducing a consortium of different characters (often with dubious morality) in a short space of time. This approach is not always terrible from a writing perspective and certainly did allow viewers to be introduced to some intriguing players in the narrative such as Yoo Jun Sang ( Park Jin), head of the mysterious group Songnim, Go Won ( Shin Seung Ho), the crown prince and potential future king of Daeho and Jin Cho Yeon ( Arin) , the youngest daughter of the Jin Family. However while some of these characters were well-tackled and intriguing in their own right, the lack of opportunities to flesh-out some of these characters did become noticeable as the season progressed.
Main heroine Naksu ( alternatively known as Mu-Deok in the body of the peasant girl) is played by two different actresses; Go Yoon Jung and Jung So-Min. Both actresses delivered fairly consistent dual performances as the main female lead. Admittedly main actress Jung So Min could feel a little flat with her line deliverances at times but this wasn’t entirely the fault of the actress per say.
As a written character, Naksu is a bit of a tough nut for viewers to crack. The Hong Sisters establish early on to viewers that she is a strong, fearless and powerful female assassin. Even in her newfound predicament in the weakened body of Mu-Deok, she takes advantage of her situation by allowing others to underestimate her abilities and seek revenge on those who have wronged her. ( For reasons which are roughly outlined in later episodes.)However in terms of being a likeable heroine who viewers can actually root for, Naksu will likely either be loved or hated by viewers of equal measure .
Of course, the Hong Sisters have attempted to offer sympathy for Naksu to viewers. As the season progresses into later episodes, the writing duo present the fact that Naksu is motivated for particular reasons and motives as well as her unconventional relationship with Jang-Uk.However, writing a strong character(especially a heroine) can often lead to writers falling into the trap of making their characters feel somewhat overly “invincible” or “overpowered” rather than human with actual flaws and issues. Of course, the Hong Sisters have arguably attempted to show this by certain vulnerabilities for Naksu but often this was approached in a way of a “ challenge” for the female lead in order to overcome. Rarely was this shown as an actual problem or flaw that truly allowed her to flourish and grow as a main character.
Costarring alongside the main female leads, there is also the actor of main male lead Jang Uk, Lee Jae Wook. Jae Wook is likely familiar for most viewers for his stoic potential love interest roles in romance dramas. Similarly in ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, the actor is typecast somewhat again in the series as Jang Uk ; a brooding and deadpan character that viewers will ( similar to Naksu) either love or hate. Of course it is wrong to make out that Jang Uk is a purely despicable character. Similar to the show’s heroine, Naksu, the male lead has his own motives, his own complex backstory and is shown to be an intellectual than allowed him to be fairly interesting in his own right.
In addition to this , there were certainly moments regarding the main male lead’s backstory that were given a dedicated amount of coverage by the drama’s writers also. However, it could sometimes feel as though that Jang Uk’s dominating traits of arrogance and haughtiness were often mistakingly justified by the Hong Sisters as a “result of his situation” rather than simply being explained and used as a stage of further character development. (Often this resulted in some of Jang Uk’s actions feeling frustratingly repetitive or justified even when there was a necessity for them to be called out otherwise.)
Naturally, it is hard not to discuss the main leads without bringing up their oddball relationship over the course of the season. The Hong Sisters play upon the old trope of the cohabitation drama with the “ master and servant” roles being unconventionally swapped throughout between Jang Uk and Naksu ( in the body of Mu-Deok). This unusual relationship dynamic was certainly compelling for viewers and did allow for the slow-burn romance to satisfyingly thrive in this written relationship setup.
Although often entertaining and certainly generating a few laughs with their comical antics, it could grow a little repetitive at times to see their relationship going from one or two extremes without a lot of middle ground between either being serious or overly jokey . This became especially noticeable when it was placed against the somewhat convoluted induction of the “ love triangle”; a trope that while not overly dominant in the major storyline events of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’, did play a role beyond its necessary requirements.
As for the narrative structure, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is approached in different layers by the Hong Sisters. In early episodes of the series, the writing duo used their time wisely to establish some of the main narrative events, while later episodes heavily dived into further execution and progression. On the other hand while this is certainly not an unusual writing decision in K-dramas, it did often make the series feel somewhat somewhat slow-paced in parts. As a result of this writing decision, ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ often felt as though parts of the events surrounding subplot and even some moments of the major storyline weren’t as well-rounded as they should’ve been. However, the Hong Sisters did deliver a thrilling season finale that will likely surprise and intrigue viewers with its ending note .
The stylistic approach of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is admittedly where things become a little more rocky. Under director Park Joon Hwa ( ‘ Bring It On, Ghost’, ‘ What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’ and ‘ Touch Your Heart’), the series did present a gorgeous array of sleek and gorgeous scenes and palette schemes. However, it is likely that the opinions of viewers will remain somewhat divided by the heavy reliance on CGI over the course of the series. ( Especially with regards to the quality of green screen scenes not always matching up with the desired intentions of the Hong Sisters’ vision.)
In addition to this, there is also the slight nuanced issue surrounding the more stark modern presentations of certain characters with dyed hair and modern-takes on historical outfit designs. Although this is a fictional work and can maybe be excused on some grounds with an artistic licence, it was sometimes hard as a viewer to really immerse yourself in a historical fantasy world when certain actors had their hair dyed in an obviously modern manner.
Nevertheless despite some liberties being taken with the outfit designs, they were certainly impressive outfit decisions taken by the costume department onscreen. The shades of silk and materials used were often vividly bright in the show’s lighting ; often seeming ethereal on the frames of the actors as they were adorned in bright shades of peacock blue, marigold and deep vermillion and certainly helping to embody the magical element of the show.
Aside from the stylistic approach of ‘ Alchemy of Souls’, the OST was mainly composed of schmaltzy ballads. Certainly some of these songs were more memorable than others such as “ Scars Leave Beautiful Trace” ( 상처는 아름다운 흔적이 되어) by Car, the Garden and "Breath" (숨결) by Kim Na Young.
‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is an ambitious fantasy epic by the Hong Sisters. It is imaginative and filled with some intriguing world-building, characters and a fairly enthralling plot objective that will keep viewers intrigued. In addition to the writing of the show, Director Hwa’s varied palette schemes and lighting choices help to truly bring the series to life in a magical manner. On the other hand, the writing duo’s project is not flawless. The CGI is varied from scene to scene while the characters of the series and the events of the narrative felt somewhat overly niche and rushed at times. Nevertheless with a potential sequel in the works and a certain possibility to fix some of these weaker writing moments, season one of ‘ Alchemy Of Souls’ is certainly a satisfying appetiser for any fantasy lover.
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“ Meteor Garden”? More like a “ Meteor” Destruction Site, If You Ask Me...
It seems when coming across Meteor Garden(2018) , you come across two types of fans; the diehard lovers of Meteor Garden, who most likely haven’t seen other versions before , or the biased haters who constantly draw-up the parallels between their “ favourite” version and Meteor Garden as well.In all honesty, Meteor Garden (2018) isn’t an entirely terrible drama in its own right ; it adds a much needed modern generational update from the 90s manga and the original ‘00s drama versions through technology, as well as thankfully getting rid of some of the more dire cliches ( including the amnesia trope) than some of the other versions. Additionally whilst a lot of critics seemed to be quite cutthroat about the casting choices ( particularly Sheng Yue) , Dylan Wang certainly wasn’t a bad choice for Do Ming Si . Although he was certainly not as memorable as his predecessors, Wang actually added quite a much needed light-humoured and boyish manner to his performance as our lead Male lead ( which may have been one of the few enjoyable factors of the show).
On the other hand, there’s no denying or sugarcoating that the Chinese version of Meteor Garden lacks a lot of originality, cultural insight and storyline than the other adaptations, sometimes making this 50- episode version feel very disjointed and dragging after the halfway point due to gradual fading interest in a lot of the storyline and characters.
This ironically also moves us onto the second problem of the show being how “ toned down” some of the riskier issues of the show actually were ( including the main driven plot point of the extent of bullying) as a consequence of Chinese censorship. Naturally this isn’t entirely the fault of the scriptwriters, as one writer joked and revealed shortly after a flood of complaints from critics upon these issues, how they had quite literally been told by the censors that “ they can’t have bullying”, “ there can’t be evident gaps between rich and poor”, “ violence is wrong” and a man dating several women will send out “ bad messages” if they included any of these themes in the actual script . ( For those who don’t know, the Taiwanese version created controversy and was banned upon most mainland Chinese airways for these exact reasons when it was first aired).
This doesn’t defend the problem, however, that there’s little sense of cultural reflection or intrigue around Meteor Garden (2018) . Even Chinese netizens pointed out that for a show centred in one of the world’s leading consumerist and fashionable cities , Shanghai, a lot of the outfits, hairstyles and accessories of the drama felt too outdated and unfashionable ( leading to the popular joke that the fashionable “ F4” were the “ four country boys”) for modern Chinese youths and unlike the other versions, the drama simply didn’t kept on culturally with the latest fashion.
Whilst there’s no denying that every adaptation is based upon romantic cliches and tropes from the original Hana Yori Dango manga, most of the versions have at least brought something fairly new or different to the table. The Korean version( Boys Over Flowers -2009), brought us elements of the infamous aspect of “ Chabeol” heirs and a fairly intriguing love triangle , the Taiwanese version (the original Meteor Garden -2001) became a cultural sensation across most of East Asia as one of the the first big “ idol dramas” to hit Chinese airwaves with Do Ming Si as a fairly dark character, and Ze Lei as a gentler version than the original manga whilst finally the Japanese version (eponymous to the manga as Hana Yori Dango- 2005-2007) played fully upon the Tokyo cultural aspect of living conditions for most Japanese families within small flats ( a running gag in the show) and Tsukasa as the lovelorn Male lead, and Rei as the cool and mysterious love interest.
Yet the Chinese version really has little to really offer ( apart from the evident name changes) on this front; the aspect of the show being set in a University is copied from the Taiwanese version , and the “ spoilt brat heirs” montage is directly taken from the Korean version and even the ending nearly directly copies the Japanese version without a second thought.
Although a respected actress , Sheng Yue really doesn’t add anything new or different to her version as Shan Cai in any manner of performance or character progression ( unlike her previous incarnation by Barbie Hsu and respectfully Mao Inoue ) being thrown out the window after the first few episodes. Similarly , the remaining members of the F4( played respectfully by Darren Chen, Connor Leong and Caesar Wu ) have always been portrayed in most of the adaptations as unrepentant bullies who gradually grow upon viewers through their often respectful and loyal feelings towards certain topics and especially through their gradual friendship with female lead. In the Chinese version, however, the F4 , just didn’t share the same level of bonding or actual development as the other versions; instead inexplicably “ perfect “ because of their skills and only “ falling” short of these perfections when it was necessary for the plot.
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Whilst respectfully it is quite fun for fans of any of these versions to see little homages or scene parallels ( such as wearing a similar outfit or being in a similar setting ) to their favourite scenes, there is a difference between putting in small Easter eggs or homages ( such as Barbie Hsu’s sister appearing as a character) and then directly copying dialogues, scenes and scenarios nearly word for word. There’s just nothing new, unique or intriguing which the Chinese version brings to this latest version.
To put into refined words, Meteor Garden is a hot mess . Whilst it certainly isn’t a drama beyond salvation ( due to some fairly comical moments thanks to Dylan Wang) and certainly shouldn’t be disregarded as being “ dire and beyond watching ”, there’s just nothing to really add or show in this version which hasn’t been brought up before by the respected Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese adaptations as well . Hopefully the Thai version will bring something new or at least intriguing to the classic tale of Hana Yori Dango/ Boys Flowers , as Meteor Garden (2018) just didn’t quite bite the bullet for doing any of this.
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A Sugary Sweet Romance Tale...
Based upon the renowned manga (Hori-san to Miyamura-kun) and having been released fairly simultaneously with an anime series in Japan, the drama version ” Horimiya” undeniably regurgitates the same plot premise of social butterfly Kyoko Hori ( Kubota Sayu) beginning to date seeming otaku Miyamura Izumi ( Suzuka Ouji) who hides a deep secret from his school-life persona. While there are prominent points to praise about “Horimiya”( which will be raised later), there are notable faults which arise from the drama production from casting, trying to transcend notable setups from the manga into a real-life setting, as well as the abridged closure ( or lack of it) in the finale.Before anything else, it is probably important to address the primary issue which has surrounded the drama with casting choices.
Respectfully, Kubota Sayu wasn’t entirely ‘’ terrible’’ as our female lead Hori. In fact, in an odd way, Sayu did seem to grow into her role fairly well with a sense of genuine emotional investment into her character. However, it is difficult to really point out anything particularly captivating or striking about Sayu’s performance as Hori.
Ironically as a character, Hori is fairly unforgettable by her her eccentricity and outspokenness. Of course, this is not turning a blind eye towards the typical tropes used as a drama sourced from a manga such as the “ popular girl” , the “ academic student” and the “ tougher than she seems” cliches , however, even in the drama, Hori’s greatest trait remained within being able to overcome certain stereotypes about herself as well as her relationship with Miyamura. Hori was given an actual chance in the drama for viewers to fortify her characterisation through her interactions sans with Miyamura, such as her interactions with her father Kyosuke ( Kimura Ryo; one of the few actors who felt fairly well-cast within his role) and her younger brother Sota ( Takagi Haru). Arguably, Hori’s interactions with her mother Yuriko ( Kawai Aoba) and her later friendship with Sengoku Kakeru ( Onodera Akira) and Ayasaki Remi ( Marsh Aya) felt fairly minimal within the drama version, nor truly giving viewers a chance to see Hori’s interactions as a friend as well as her maternal relationship with her own mother in a respectfully fairly masculine household .
The relationship between Hori and Miyamura was the focal point of the series and the plot development. For Hori, Miyamura has a metamorphosis from the archetype “ weird kid” in her class, to a more multifaceted individual. Against all odds of the notable problems which arose in the series and can strike to the surface of romance dramas with emotional gaslighting and “ obstacles in the way of their romance” , the pairing between both characters felt fairly natural as teenagers. Neither character followed the cliche archetypes of having “ had a crush on one another forever” , nor manipulating “ to win someone else’s affections”. Hori simply entered her relationship with Miyamura upon shared grounds early on in the series before the rest of the drama focused upon both characters learning to understand one another and for their feelings for one another to grow mutually. (Perhaps the one element of the relationship that the drama version did better than the manga and anime, was leaving out the more “sexual undertones” of their relationship . This isn’t to condemn these elements in either versions as they do help to portray a more realistic notion of teenagers, however, this always felt slightly mismatched against both characters as individuals even in the original manga and therefore wasn’t really necessary.)
It is fair to say that whilst Sayu is a good actress, she was slightly miscast as Hori by struggling to channel Hori’s personality as a character, consequently making Hori in this drama version, a fairly forgettable character against other romance heroines. ( A shame for an otherwise interesting character.)
Then of course the biggest elephant room (regarding casting) is often raised by the choice of Suzuka Ouji as Miyamura Izumi. Similar to his costar Kubota Sayu, Suzuka was not inherently appalling within his performance
as the male lead. In many ways he did certainly help to animate his character away from the more one-dimensional realm of male protagonists as “ emotionless” . On the other hand, Suzuka did seem to mismatch his character slightly within his physical appearance. This is not suggesting that Suzuka is “physically unattractive” or a slightly younger actor would have been better for the role,however, it does raise certain questions when the drama production sees Suzuka in a terrible long-haired wig without even attempting for the drama production to make this look natural.
Similar to Hori, Miyamura was an intriguing character against all odds of setups. Although initially appearing as “peculiar” and taciturn, Miyamura was fairly kind-hearted as well as hardworking and altruistic by helping out at his mother’s bakery, as well as the ongoing and unusual friendship between Miyamura and his best friend since middle school, Shindo Koichi ( Inoue Yuki). Parallel to Hori, Miyamura enters his relationship with her romantically upon mutual grounds before growing to like her more in a natural process which felt odd against the more cliches stereotypes of the drama. However, there’s a lot to note about the dynamic between Miyamura and the other characters of the series ( sans Hori), both within his fraternal friendship with Hori’s younger brother and father, as well as of course with his best friend and their complicated reasons behind becoming friends in the first place. Arguably, the one element of the series which did feel incredibly rushed and underdeveloped with Miyamura as a character, occurred within his past, especially with his estranged relationship with Makio Takihara. Therefore whilst Miyamura was a fairly intriguing character, it is fair to say that Suzuka was perhaps not entirely suited for the role.
The other side characters of the drama such as Kakeru, Remi , Kono Sakura ( Sakura) and Iura Shu ( Sota Ryosuke) should have been by default interesting characters, however, lacking screen time and setups, easily made them fairly forgettable over the course of the series as individuals (besides their occasional involvement within the plot dynamic between Miyamura and Hori).
Overall whilst certainly not an unwatchable or dire production with some praiseworthy features of having a healthy, fairly realistic relationship between teenagers as lovers and friends as well as some intriguing characters, poor pacing, tropes, miscasting and lacking focus upon certain plot lines for characters, often made this drama feel underdeveloped. The ending of the drama whilst arguably allowing some ground for a second season , did not truly bring a sense of closure or help to tie off characters and the relationship between Miyamura and Hori, as well as friendships also. Therefore it’s important to summarise that whilst Horimiya is not a terrible drama upon any grounds and was sweet within its ultimate concept , there are certainly better dramas to watch out there.
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WISH YOU: Your Melody From My Heart the Movie
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A Progressive Tale About The Melody of The Heart in Seoul ...
Going into this movie without a lot of prior knowledge of the series beforehand , left open a lot of ground to analyse and draw up where issues and strengths lay within the movie overall.
The biggest thing to say is that the series both portrayed our male leads , rising singer Kang In Soo ( playing himself ) and novice producer Yoo Sang yi ( Lee Sang) ‘s relationship in a refreshingly less cliche way than previous same-sex pairings in Korean productions - not through their sexuality, but through Sang Yi’s journey in making sense of his genuine feelings for Kang In Soo over the course of the movie.
It was an undeniably sweet and modern love story for our two male leads , yet nonetheless sugarcoated in favour of avoiding more difficult issues about Korean society. Whilst South-Korea is undeniably becoming a lot more progressive than other Asian countries and in comparison to its past towards homosexuality, some members of Korean society are still prejudice and homophobic towards homosexuality and gay relationships.
First of all it is important to say that whilst this wasn’t the main aim of the movie to home-in on a “ realistic” relationship and certain Korean beliefs towards this, it still felt a little odd in the particular plot’s centralisation of the music industry, not point or at least suggest this. The repression of sexual orientation amongst musicians and producers in K-pop has particularly come into light in recent years , something which although gradually getting better, is still something which should’ve have at least been raised or emphasised upon the other pressing issue of “ masculinity” as well.
Undeniably, Kang In Soo and Lee Sang were brilliant within their portrayals echoing a certain level of heartache and emotion behind their performances. Their characters were also evidently Kang In Soo was set out to be the “ mysterious” and “ handsome” musician, whilst Lee Sang acted as the “ awkward” and “ kind-hearted” producer. Yet apart from these roles and their evident relationship onscreen, their characters often felt lacking in greater depth.
What makes a character intriguing is getting to know them either through their pasts, friends, family or interactions. Sans from some interactions with In Soo’s best friend Choi Min Seong ( Baek So Bin) and Sang’s Lee Yoo Jin ( Su Bin), we were left a lot in the dark a lot in the movie about our characters as actual individuals- their journey to their respected career choices, if they have faced problems with their sexual orientation as well as problems or connections with their family.
Whilst these points may seem minor, it would have been probably made the relationship between In Soo and Sang Yi more “ fleshed-out” if we’d actually got to know more about them as “ realistic” individuals first, rather than just mere plot devices.
Overall WISH YOU: Your Melody From My Heart isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a surprisingly sweet and progressive love story in Seoul with a fairly intriguing premise and brilliant acting from our male leads. However, the show lacked a lot of character depth and realism within its portrayal and the issues around both the music industry and homosexuality in South-Korea, making the production feel sugarcoated and generic at times as well. Certainly worth a watch as a sweet romance movie , but certainly flawed within its deliverance of story and characters.
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Is This Worth Watching, Or Is It A “ Lost” Cause?
Screenwriter Kim Ji Hye’s ‘ Lost’ is an odd-fusion melodrama which both feels old-fashioned within its dated outfit choices, haircuts, over-the-top scenarios and dialogue as well as surprisingly boasting an array of well-crafted main characters. However for newcomers or those merely wanting to pick up ‘ Lost’ this leaves us on an ultimate decision; “Is ‘ Lost’ actually worth investing more than sixteen hours into?”To cut it to the chase the premise of ‘ Lost’ mainly revolves around Lee Boo Jung ( Jeon Do Yeon) a 40-year old writer stuck in an unhappy marriage with her husband Jin Jung Soo ( Park Byung Eun) who has finally hit a rut in reality by realising that she has not truly achieving or accomplished anything in life . By a whim of fate she ends up encountering someone from a different walk of life, jaded 27 year-old Lee Kang Jae ( Ryu Joon Yeol) who fears for what the future may hold due to his complicated past .
One of the strongest gaining factors for ‘ Lost’ was the casting choice . Admittedly whilst the acting can dip a little at times with certain line deliverances, the main cast immediately help to convey something worth watching. Actress Do Yeon was brilliant as Boo Jung playing the role with a level of complex heartache and angst. Her micro expressions throughout the series captivated all of Jung’s emotions flawlessly and helped to make her onscreen chemistry with her costars believable.
Parallel to Do Yeon was evidently younger costar Ryu Joon Yeol who played his role as Kang Jae with a swift touch of moodiness and arcane mystery. As their onscreen personas Do Yeon and Kang Jae’s chemistry is undeniably slow-burn and well-built up, however, this is also undeniably thanks to screenwriter Kim Ji Hye and directors Hur Jin Ho and Park Hong Soo’s approach to the relationship. Rather than enforcing the typical traits of a lusty affair filled with dirty secrets and dramatic sneak out scenes, both characters’ gradual chemistry was surprisingly refreshing . Admittedly the slow-burn approach could work at a snail pace at times but the ability to see both leads reach out through getting to know one another through their deal( as well as having time to talk about their own feelings) offered surprising relief .
One of screenwriter Ji Hye’s major fortes came through approaches to character writing and interactions throughout the show. Whilst certain character did feel more antagonistic for plot-drive than motives, even these individuals were rarely pinpointed as “ villains” by having their own moments of humanity, flaws and strengths.
Ji Hye even took time away from our main couple to focus on an unlikely relationship between Boo Jung’s somewhat staid husband Jung Soo and his rekindled feelings for his old crush Kyung Eun( Kim Hyo Jin).
Yet ‘ Lost’ is evidently not without its more problematic writing flaws. The drama whilst having an intriguing setup is incredibly slow-paced and takes awhile to really build-up more dramatic momentum . Of course some of this is necessary to build plot, however, the storyline also failed sometimes to reach climatic tension or build-up during entire montages and even entire episodes due to being more focused upon very nuanced details rather than keeping the plot moving more actively .
In addition to this there’s also the problem with the over-the-top cliches. Whilst tropes can be fun and intriguing to see how a screenwriter revamps them and did work well to an extent in the setup of the drama, ‘ Lost’ ‘s usage of the tropes ( including the nearly-farcical cliche of the “ slap on the cheek”) often felt mismatched against the stronger and fresher writing attributes of character-build and relationship. The ending certainly matched the more profound writing moments of the series- bittersweet and interpretative, yet oddly appropriate.
Overall the viewing expectations for ‘ Lost’ is entirely dependent on what you’re looking for in a drama series. ‘ Lost’ embodies the classic tropes of a melodrama series from the overused tropes which lack more profound depth, to slow-paced story build-up in order to “ create slow burn tension ”. The acting front is undeniably one of the show’s winning strengths alongside the drama’s more original approach to the adulterous affair cliche. The directors carefully used an artistic touch to the moody and drab cinematography which symbiotically helped to reflect the tension and ambience of the plot. So is ‘ Lost’ actually worth watching? ‘ Lost’ is a drama which is dependent on your patience and tastes. Those looking for a more adrenaline-rushed and quick paced drama with flaring chemistry may be disappointed. However if you have patience and enjoy slow burn chemistry, then you’ll absolutely adore ‘ Lost’. Whilst not flawless this is undeniably one of 2021’s hidden gems.
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Certainly Not A Good Drama To “ Start-Up”...
‘Start Up’ had great potential to be a good drama from its opening episode. Aside from having the well-known talents of Bae Suzy, Nam Joo Hyuk and Kim Seon Ho as our main leads , the characters undeniably had the potential to be realistic and a “breath of fresh air” from the stereotypical cliches of romance dramas. Yet, story progression and cliches truly provided to be ‘Start-Up’ ’s own worst enemy, as Park Hye Run’s screenwriting began to tackle oddly immature themes in a show tackling adult characters , plot inconsistencies, dire characterisation and straying away nearly entirely from the main focal point of making one’s own way in the world in favour of lacklustre and poorly-written romance pairings.Perhaps the two characters who were subject to the most injustice of characterisation and story writing in the drama are strikingly the female lead Dal Mi ( Bae Suzy) and Kim Seon Ho’s character Ji Pyeong. ( Although Nam Joo Hyuk’s character Nam Do San must certainly be addressed later on as the elephant in the room.)
In the beginning of the series, Dal Mi was an intriguing main character; a headstrong businesswoman with an intriguing backstory , stuck in a rival relationship with her sister and having a driving passion to succeed in the business world . Then, not even several episodes later, Dal Mi’s characterisation from an independent businesswoman with actual depth, is subverted in order to allow her to become the staid, obsequious and often emotionally insecure “ love interest” of Do San and Ji Pyeong’s affections.
It is important to stress that isn’t the case that Dal Mi shouldn’t have had a love interest or a relationship at all within the series. A “ strong” female lead can still be well-written as an individual(regardless of her relationship status). Instead, it is rather how this drama portrayed the baffling and incoherent relationship between Dal Mi and Do San; a pairing which was to be expected and certainly wasn’t entirely “bad” between the characters as individuals ( despite notable “ biased” feelings of some fans). Instead, it was rather how this pairing was built upon lies, deceit, insecurity, and emotional manipulation, which was often “glossed over” in favour of “ cutesy couple” moments between Dal Mi and Do San as the storyline progressed. Dal-Mi became the typical trope of the “ golden prize” for the male lead, rather than an individual with her own thoughts and feelings; a sad destruction of an otherwise intriguing character.
This naturally moves us onto the second male lead of the series , Ji Pyeong, the “ preferred love interest ” of Dal Mi amongst watchers of the series. As an individual , however, it was not entirely the case that Ji-Pyeong was a “ badly-written” character, but rather his scenarios seemed both unjustified and questionable over the duration of the drama.
Initially appearing as a solipsistic, yet successful businessman, the series brings a lot to light about Ji-Pyeong as someone who is inwardly altruistic ; hardworking in order to have escaped the poverty of his childhood, a genuine supporter who sees the “ potential” of Do San’s visions and who has constantly admired Dal Mi since childhood ( a major driving force of the series, which is sadly never explored or touched upon after its initial use). Naturally, however, Ji-Pyeong’s “ selflessness” often leads to his downfall and consequently because he undeniably puts up a deceitful guise in front of Dal-Mi , he naturally comes out with the short end of the stick by not “ getting the girl”. Nearly from episode one, it will remain apparent for viewers that Dal Mi and Ji-Pyeong have many striking similarities both within their pasts, careers, obstacles and even personality types. Yet despite the obvious pairing which would ultimately arise between Dal-Mi and Do San, these similarities between both characters were neither explored or developed within ‘ Start-Up’.
Yet relationships aside (and despite the obvious flaw of his “ selflessness” at times), Ji-Pyeong’s altruism also plays to his advantage within arguably allowing him to become the most emotionally-stable character of ‘ Start-Up’ . He never truly takes out his feelings upon the SST boys ( despite their sarcastic comments ), Dal Mi and maintains professionalism in the workplace, by helping Do San ( even after Do San manipulates and physically punches him) against all odds, possibly making him the one true mature, and unspoken hero of the entire drama .
Next it is important to address the biggest elephant in the room, the main lead of ‘ Start-Up’, Do San. Against all odds, Do-San is a surprisingly interesting character , but a terribly-written individual upon all grounds. He is initially introduced under the archetype of the “ loveable and lively dork”- a profound genius, lacking in social skills, with a sanguine ambiance. Naturally, this allows people to gravitate towards Do-San such as Dal-Mi as a love interest, and Ji Pyeong as a mentor . By default, Do-San should have been someone for viewers to root for; the underdog who becomes successful, goes through a life-changing journey and revels at the end of the series with his important life-lessons in business, morality and love .
Instead the irony becomes apparent within Do-San’s “friendly” nature becoming a facade for his insecure and often fractious personality over the course of the drama . If Ji-Pyeong is the kind-hearted and selfless soul of the series, then Do-San is the egocentric opportunist who plays “Devil’s Advocate” in the beginning of the series, before taking advantage of Ji-Pyeong’s kindness through various methods of emotional and aggressive manipulation , even punching him once because Dal-Mi was “ upset”.
Upon this side note of Dal-Mi, it is crucial to bring up what is exactly problematic about Do -san’s interactions and behaviour around the female lead. The main lead’s personality sometimes verged upon what is commonly known in psychology as “ covert narcissism”. Many of the notable traits of covert narcissism include imposter syndrome, subtle emotional manipulation, introversion and egocentric beliefs and wild fantasies over one’s own success or goals - nearly all traits present within Do -San’s character . In addition to his obvious desire towards succeeding in the business sector , Do- San’s greatest fantasy soon manifests through his obsession with being Dal-Mi ‘s “ protector”. This is not out of selflessness or as a consequence of helping Ji-Pyeong to look after Dal-Mi, but a dangerous daydream which soon grows into an unhealthy obsession to “ protect” her through emotional vanity and manipulation .
Rather than being a symbiotic process of both characters coming to grasps with their flaws and learning to heal their emotional wounds, the relationship between Dal-Mi and Do -San was simply uncomfortable and emotionally draining for viewers.
In addition to this the second female lead Seo In Jae/Won In Jae(played by Kang Han Na),felt like a character limited only to an extended background character . In Jae could have easily supported the pacing and depth of the storyline , giving viewers a break from the prolonged and cliche love triangle dominating the show . She had a surprisingly decent backstory and certainly potentially interesting character depth, that could have been explored in episodes focusing on her rekindled relationship with Dal Mi. Ultimately, however, In Jae was pushed out of the way in favour of the lacklustre paring between Do San and Dal Min; a crying shame, for a character with wasted potential .
Overall, “Start-Up” does tackle some intriguing dynamics of the business world, family and a “ dramatic ” love triangle. However, writer Park Hye Ryun did not do justice with this series- characters were often poorly-written or lacked intrinsic depth, the second-half became overly reliant upon immature cliches , tropes and plot holes to “ prop-up” the sloping storyline, and the main pairing was unhealthily built upon emotional gaslighting and insecurity, rather than sincere feelings and learning to overcome these problems symbiotically . Certainly not worth investing time within if you’re looking for a well-written drama .
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"In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream…"
Choi Han Yong’s ‘ The Silent Sea’ is a series which will like divide its audience demographic greatly. Notable A-listers such as Bae Doona and Gong Yoo will likely attract drama enthusiasts towards the drama’s cast lineup and involvement. However ‘The Silent Sea’’s amalgamation of different sci-fi stories and Han Yong’s attempted execution of these plot points may naturally lead to some divided opinions amongst drama enthusiasts and sci-fi aficionados alike.
The plot takes place in a dystopian alternative-future where the earth’s water coverage has been reduced by nearly forty -percent. In an attempt to govern humanity and ration supplies, citizens are assigned a “water grade” based on a hierarchy ranking system that determines how much of the liquid they’re allowed to access. So in an attempt to resolve problems humanity attempts to look for answers ( quite literally) in the stars.
Astrobiologist Dr. Song Ji-an ( Bae Doona )is sent on a salvage mission alongside gruff soldier Han Yoon-Jae ( Gong Yoo) in order to collect samples at the deserted Balhae moon station. With both characters having their own personal motives for taking on the assigned task the duo come across some startling and horrifying secrets as they begin their mission.
Netflix’s ‘The Silent Sea’ origins were admittedly still quite visionary by being based upon Han Yong’s notable short movie ‘ The Sea of Tranquillity’. Yet unlike the art-house-style influences of Yong’s original directed work, ‘ The Silent Sea’ notably markets itself to a wider audience demographic as a “ sci-fi and dystopian epic” with slow- burn mystery ; a mini-series that is likely to eagerly please and disappoint in equal measure.
The plot twists and turns that become apparent throughout ‘ The Silent Sea’ will likely divide those familiar with the sci-if genre; action sequences straight out of Ridley Scott’s ‘ Alien’, a suspenseful tone familiar to Christopher Nolan’s ‘ Interstellar’, bilingual exchanges paying an evident homage to Joss Whedon’s ‘ Firefly’( changed evidently to Korean and English ) , a key plot point nearly strikingly familiar to Jo Sung Hee’s ‘ Space Sweepers’, and an unsurprising likeliness to the water -themed 2009 British series’ ‘Doctor Who’ special ‘The Waters of Mars’, will possibly highlight the fine-line between paying homage and striking similarities to other notable works throughout the drama.
Of course whilst the familiarity of some of these plot twists does come into question when looking back at ‘ The Silent Sea’ it’s important to point out that the series does facilitate a solid pace with its revelations and twists right up till the last episode. However while the plot surprises are still interesting to some extent , ‘The Silent Sea’ could often neglect a crucial element to delivering its attempted tour de force moments: the cast and the characters.
Bae Doona and Gong Yoo are the undeniable star- attractions of the drama through their idiosyncratic performances offering a subtle touch of mystique and heartache as their onscreen counterparts.
Nevertheless given the evident potential for character depth in a series which explores the complexity of humanity, it will likely strike viewers as slightly unusual that ‘ The Silent Sea’ rarely diverged into using even initial exposition for establishing character personalities and adding a tweak of depth to their seemingly profound egocentric motives . Whilst later episodes place a quintessential limelight upon the characters’ roles to play in the events of the series and plot-drive, without baseline personalities ( aside from Doctor Song), notable main and important characters in the series could often slightly shallow and uninteresting .
The design of ‘The Silent Sea‘’s “ advanced” technological world and the cinematography are decent enough during viewings. There is an undeniable high reliance on CGI throughout the filming of the series; not out of the question for a series set in space, but also leading to some heavy artistic licensing by Han Yong. ( Astrophysicists, engineers and science experts may want to look away from these scenes as the logic is often devoid during these scenes .) The established setting is also not too preposterous for audiences ; several holographic displays subtly reminding the audience that this is series is set in the near-future every so often but admittedly not quite being awe-inspiring either.
‘The Silent Sea’ delivered a promising sci-fi mystery epic that brought together a myriad of sci-fi plot point twists to an original concept. With that said the series felt as though it could’ve had more episodes in order to actually flesh-out characters and the world-building of the series , leading to a mixture of mixed-reception with the final production. Viewers looking for a quick binge-watch investment with some familiar faces along the way may revel in the series’ end result . However fans of the sci-fi genre may be slightly disappointed by Netflix’s s high- budget extravaganza which whilst satisfactory for the most part did lack more of an impactful punch.
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Will This Drama Win Your ‘ Affection’ ?
Screenwriter Han Hee Jung and director Song Hyun Wook’s ‘ The King’s Affection’ attempted to offer viewers the best of two worlds; a Sageuk ( historical drama) and an arguably more “ modern” love story. However against its more intriguing setup ‘ The King’s Affection’ found itself shoehorned into a slow-paced trope extravaganza by the second-half.Han Hee Jung’s facilitated writing techniques in the first-half of the series seemed to indicate towards foundational world-building and characters- rough around the edges with mystique driving forward many of the characters, but still establishing an intriguing storyline. However whilst Han Hee Jung’s first-part soared with potentiality the actuality of the latter-half gradually began to descend into a cataclysmic attempt to keep the plot interesting- uninspiring “ plot twists” led little time to truly develop more intriguing characters whilst seemingly paramount plot lineups were given an anticlimactic or loose-end outcome.
Of course a director or screenwriter choosing to convey modern twists or themes in a historical drama isn’t always necessarily a “ bad thing”. It can give opportunities to highlight or echo current issues, themes which are still present in today’s world and present different takes on the past through the director/ screenwriter’s objectives. However whilst it was easy to understand ‘ The King’s Affection’ desired depiction of different forms of love, it often felt as though the series would rarely touch upon more prominent issues of the time and today ( e.g. gender expectations, political division in society, social status and prejudice) in more depth. This often resulted in the second-half of the series feeling like a composed accumulation of romantic tropes and cliches against a gradually decadent plot-drive by the final episodes .
Main actress Park Eun Bin undeniably offered one of the strongest performances of the series; adding an air of charm to her onscreen counterpart. The female lead Dami was undeniably the epitome of the “ inserted” and frequently-used cross-dressing trope by having to play the role of her brother l the Crowned Prince Lee throughout most of the events of the series . Whilst with plot context it was necessary for driving the storyline, there were a lot of loose threads considering other story points including exactly why her grandfather ordered her to be killed ( aside from merely just being an “ unnecessary girl”), as well as one evident fact; the female lead’s feminine features and vocal intonations are evident even as her male counterpart . Admittedly whilst this may have just been passed off by members of the royal court it did hit a point blank in plot logic when many scenes and close-ups easily giving away Park Eun Bin’s softer features. Later episodes did little to truly allow Dami to come to terms with these cut-out subplots surrounding her storyline, ultimately reducing her seemingly intriguing character-drive to the equivalent of cannon fodder by the latter-half.
Costarring alongside Park Eun Bin is idol-actor Rowoon. Rowoon’s performance as main lead Jung Ji Woon did undeniably see some surprisingly bittersweet performance moments as his onscreen persona comes to terms with his sexuality and growing feelings for the Prince, as well as his initial motives for entering the palace. However Ji Woon’s initial establishment as the “ mysterious tutor” is subverted in later episodes to the “ lovelorn sweetheart”; pledging his own life to “ protecting” Hwi ( despite his initial reasons early on in the series) and benignly chasing after the female
lead’s affections in a dragged-out and anticlimactic love story. This often resulted in a test of patience for viewers as Ji Woon and Hwi’s sense of gradual chemistry and growth was shoehorned into a lacklustre onscreen relationship despite dominant screen time.
As a consequence of lacking development time potentially intriguing characters such as Lee Hyun-Hwi’s protective cousin ( Nam Yoon Su), the Prince’s mysterious bodyguard ( Choi Byung Chan), Shin So Eun - the daughter of the Minister of Interior ( Bae Yoon Kyung) and Noh Ha-Kyung; the youngest daughter of the Minister of War ( Jung Chae Yeon) were often enforced into staid plot setups and cliches with their character arcs and drives often being cut short.
The cinematography and OST of the series could admittedly vary from scene to scene. Whilst there were some admittedly beautiful shots and powerful soundtracks combined with scenes of the palace and period outfits presented by director Song Hyun Wook, more subtle emotions and scenes could often feel lacklustre from poorly-placed camera angles and song choices onscreen.
So what is left to say about ‘ The King’s Affection’? Is it worth watching or is it a waste of time? The ‘ King’s Affection’ is the epitome of a “ hot mess” series - stunning outfits, an intriguing premise, a fairly good cast lineup and an especially dynamic performance from main actress Park Eun Bin undeniably remained the drama’s greatest takeaways. However the twenty-episode formula applied to a storyline which was written better for no more than sixteen- episodes, created a slow-moving and disengaging second-half for viewers with intriguing subplots and characters left in the background in order to make way for a lacklustre romance which gradually dwindled to an unsurprisingly anticlimactic resolution. Overall whilst the 20-episode drama whilst not unwatchable and certainly decent enough if you are willing to watch out of sheer boredom, it does admittedly lack a more definitive spark of feeling well-rounded also.
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“Nature or Nurture?”; The Ultimate Question of ‘ Hwayi:A Monster Boy’
Director Jang Joon Hwan and screenwriter Park Joo Seok’s attempted to delve deeper into the ultimate debate of “ nature vs nurture” with ‘Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ - a savage action-thriller that is expedited by its gratuitous fight scenes. Despite Jang Joon Hwan’s film bringing forward TV star Yeo Jin-goo’s first silver-screen debut, the film’s scant insight into the motives and drives of its odd ensemble of characters alongside shoehorned storytelling and dialogue, will likely test the patience (at times) of action-genre enthusiasts and casual watchers alike.
The movie focused upon the titular main lead Hwayi ( Yeo Jin Goo); a high-school boy who was kidnapped as an infant and brought up by a gang of sadistic thugs. From a young age Hwayi has been reared into becoming a perfect killer by his five “ dads”: Suk-tae (Kim Yun-seok), Jin-sung (Jang Hyun-sung), Ki-tae (Cho Jin-woong), Dong-beom (Kim Sung-kyun) and Beom-soo (Park Hae-jun). However after turning seventeen, Hwayi is soon forced to face the reality of his upbringing as questions soon rise towards his birth parents against his violent nurturing and environment.
Jang Joon Hwan’s 2003 success ‘ Save The Green Planet’ was a work that combined graphic violence, fantasy and social critique to create a daring result. In many ways ‘ Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ shared a lot of similar themes with its predecessor- bloodlust gore and themes revolving around captivity and humanity blooming to life in an attempt to hook and intrigue viewers. However, whilst ‘ Save The Green Planet’ was a movie that possessed tactful multilayered themes and topics, ‘ Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ struggled to sketch-out the same depth as Joon Hwan’s previous work due to a notable key issue; writing.
In theory, Hwayi’s complicated relationships with his five fathers should have been the backbone of the entire movie. However, their character-drives and definitive personality traits were so ineptly draw together at times in Park Joo Seok’s fictional and niche microcosm of convicts and killers, that it was often difficult to truly differentiate them apart. Aside from Suk-tae acting as the boy’s main rearer and as the leader of the group( who is revealed to have his own motives in a twist which whilst climatic, lacked pretension, )and doltish Ki-Tae who sincerely showed affection for the boy , the other men’s reasons and personal motives for bringing up the boy and corrupting Hwayi were rarely tackled or given convincing explanations.
Playing Hwayi as a character pushed over the edge, Yeo Jin Goo could admittedly often lack an air of subtlety by overstating his character’s angst. Nonetheless Yeo Jin Goo gives the main lead an edge of complex fragility, instability and sympathy for audiences. His budding romance for classmate and potential love interest Yoo-kyung (Nam Ji-hyun), one of the few female characters of the movie( who lacked definitive qualities) , acted as a lighthearted respite from the movie’s downbeat narrative.
Costarring alongside Yeo was Kim Yun Seok. The venerable actor added a running streak of brutality and viciousness to his onscreen persona Suk-Tae. Nevertheless despite the brilliant dynamic charm of Kim Yun Seok onscreen, tedious dialogue exchanges against lukewarm chemistry between him and Yeo during scenes rarely instilled tour de force moments when ambiguous feelings of love and contempt became apparent in their final conflict.
In terms of pacing the narrative is filled with adrenal energy- suspenseful and expedited by its violence, but given the myriad of action sequences and locations shown throughout the film, the pinnacle conflict of the movie was climatic yet slightly incoherent also . ( Especially due to sporadic editing at times.) A notable issue which should also be addressed within ‘ Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ was its presentation of female characters. Whilst it is arguable that Joon Hwan and Joo Seok may have been trying to present a critique towards the infringement of gender stereotypes within South-Korean society, the lacking scope for female archetypes aside from the nameless, abused wife of Im Hyung Taek ( Seo Hyung Hwa), and “ love interest” Yoo-Kyung, served little purpose or depth exploration aside from being plot devices to keep the storyline moving.
Of course it’s wrong to entirely critique the movie. Admittedly well-mounted cinematography served as aesthetic eye candy for viewers with inventive and intuitive choreographed fight scenes paired together with a subtle yet momentous score.
Overall ‘ Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ was a film which will likely appease and irk audiences alike. The notable cast lineup did not disappoint and whilst the polished and slick fight sequences and gruesome violence will likely appeal to many fans of the genre, the bogged-down dialogue against cliche-ridden characters and plot will test genre aficionados and casual watchers alike. However, whilst the ending certainly helped to wrap up several key plot points, the end outcome of ‘ Hwayi: A Monster Boy’ was a mixed-result of gory and hare-brained carnage against some insightful delves into nurture, crime and parenting along the way.
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A Lesson About Love In Tokyo...
It’s a romance formula that has been seen and done countless times before ; the naive and eccentric country girl arrives in the “ big city” ( in this case Tokyo), develops a crush on someone older than her / out of her league, makes a frenemy and is totally oblivious to the second male lead’s evident feelings for her in every way possible.
Taken frown the eponymous and popular Japanese manga series,Daytime Shooting Star is the epitome of the typical high school romance formula - binding cliches , romantic triangles and a fairly good cast together in hope of making a profitable production . Yet it will probably come to your attention both through the synopsis and previous comments, where the more ethical issue issue lies within the plot and certainly if it will ruin your experience of the overall movie.
Before coming to that point, it’s important to say that our main cast did bring the movie to life through a mixture of comedy and angst on the big screen; Mei Nagano was brilliant as our main female lead, Suzume Yasano- a country girl with a big heart desperate to make friends in the city, whilst costars Alan Shirahama ( playing taciturn high schooler Mimura) , Shohei Miura ( as teacher and Suzume’s crush Satsuki Shishio) and Maika Yamamoto ( who plays Suzume’s frenemy - turned best friend Yuyuka Nekota) were all fairly good within their performances.
What still remains prominent in terms of storyline for viewers, however, is Suzume’s relationship with her teacher Satsuki. Teacher- Student / older lead and younger lead have long been a popular trope in romance dramas ( note Chugakusei Nikki and Hello My Teacher for examples) , however, determining if they’re “ right” for a piece or not should really depend on several significant factors; the age difference between the characters, the purpose of this relationship and what the intended message by the director or screenwriter is for this relationship. ( For example, in Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta, this isn’t sugarcoated and is used to deliver a lesson about life.)
As far as Daytime Shooting Star is concerned, the age difference between Suzume and Satsuki is officially never brought up, however, the implications are strong that he is a lot older . The way the storyline goes, Suzume’s crush on Satsuki and Satsuki’s actions are both questionable and interesting, as Suzume. begins to understand more about Mimura’s feelings - the ending is perhaps not the one many viewers saw at the beginning, however, Suzume’s ending is fittingly sweet and happy.
Overall, not an original concept but certainly sugary sweet and a guilty watch - the element of Suzume’s growth as an individual is quite inspiring, however, there are some issues which are nonetheless raised by parings.
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Ano Toki Kisu Shite Okeba
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Ano Toki Kiss Shite; Funny, Romantic And Heartbreaking…
The plot of " Ano Toki Kiss Shite" will not appeal to every viewer out there. Its bizarre premise of kind-hearted Nozomu Momochi ( Matsuzaka Tori) beginning to fall in love with the outgoing mangaka-artist Yuizuki Tomoe ( Aso Kumiko)-even in the body of cantankerous caretaker Tanaka Masao ( Iura Arata)-can be seen as oddly " risky” or " weird " in the eyes of some viewers.
However, anyone who has watched this drama beforehand will agree that these stereotypes are wrongly-placed. At the heart of Toki Kiss Shite is an oddly comical, yet heartwarming romance tale where selfless Nozomu Momochi learns the importance of self-love during his unconventional relationship with Yuizuki Tomoe.
As far as the cast is concerned, ”Ano Toki Kiss Shite" was fairly dynamic. Matsuzaka Tori was fairly brilliant as our softly-spoken and down-to-earth male lead Nozomu Momochi. The actor himself admitted that he was drawn to the role by the funny and unpredictable nature of the storyline especially for our male lead.
Momochi as a written character initially seemed to ring warning bells as the archetypical " easily-manipulated" male lead who would be drawn in as the scapegoat by Tomoe, however, Momochi undeniably has his own fair share of problems. Despite having a heart of gold, he does not believe that he should have greater ambitions due to his dead-end job at the supermarket. His one form of escapism is the work of Tomoe. Momochi’s meeting with the mangaka-artist leads him to developing an unusual relationship with the artist- not " romantic” in the beginning ( as Momochi tries to explain to his gossiping coworkers who believed he was having an affair with her), but soul-connecting.
Admittedly, it would have been more intriguing to have seen Momochi fleshed-out more with individuality. Whilst we find out a lot as viewers about Tomoe, her emotional struggle and her close relationship with her mother, our male lead felt too much of a blank slate. We rarely saw or hear him talk about family , his past or even simply react emotionally outside of the enforced " I love sensei” or a " new problem which makes me moody" routine. Arguably whilst this story is a romance tale about Tomoe and Momochi, it would have helped to deepen this soulmate relationship if we knew more about the second component and of course our main lead Nozomu Momochi.
That issue aside , this " soul-connecting" relationship provides to become more of a reality than truth during the surreal supernatural events of the series. Despite being mentioned briefly beforehand ( though without definitive spoilers towards the entirety of the circumstances) , Momochi finds himself in an awkward position when his idol claims to be possessing the body of Tanaka Masao. Naturally perturbed , Momochi finds himself slightly on edge due to the awkwardness of the situation.
However there is oddly something endearing about Momochi not straying from his original words of wanting to develop a soulful bond with Tomoe. In a more lighthearted scene of the series when visiting a bathhouse, he desperately attempts to protect Tomoe’s “dignity” as a woman surrounded by men ( despite Tomoe’s later fairly forthright comments).
Now, Tomoe is admittedly harder to assess due to respectfully played by a female and a male actor.Whilst Matsuzaka commented that Aso Kumiko was brilliant for the role, the actress herself admitted that she did find the role a little unrealistic, though enjoyably intriguing. On the other hand, Iuta Aruta confessed he was questioning whether to regret taking up the role when he was given the script, however, Aruta joked that there is a first time for everything-not least playing a female heroine for the first time.
Honestly, both actors were equally as brilliant as the other by imitating one another’s mannerisms . As a character, Tomoe is more straightforward. A talented and successful manga-artist of the popular series “SEIKA no Sora”, it would be easy to establish Kumiko as the " spoilt princess" archetype, however, Kumiko’s life has certainly not been entirely comprised of sunshine and rainbows.
Yet whilst talking about our female lead, it is impossible not to mention her complicated relationship with her editor Takamizawa Haruto ( Miura Shohei). Now, here is where mixed feelings will be generated for viewers. Takamizawa is what you’d expect of your " jealous-fuelled” second male lead; infatuated with Tomoe, and desperate to make Momochi’s life a living misery. On the other hand, it didn’t refreshingly make Takamizawa a " bad person” either. A backstory provided a deeper insight into his relationship with Tomoe as well as his later revelations with Momochi provide that out of all of his faults, he truly does love and care for Tomoe.
Perhaps the slightly annoying aspect of Takamizawa and Tomoe’s relationship is to do with the “ unrequited love” ideology. It’s understandable that Tomoe didn’t believe that Takamizawa didn’t have any feelings for him ( especially considering their current relationship), however, it’s hard to understand how Tomoe could remain so blasé at times about having or at least struggling with her feelings even once with Takamizawa. ( Bearing in mind their relationship prior to the events of the series.)
As far as the comedy is concerned, “ Ano Toki Kiss Shite" is a required taste. Some may enjoy the comical sketches between Matsuzaka Tori and Iura Arata , whilst others may feel offended or uncomfortable by the exaggerated actions of Tori and Arata’s "awkward situations " and the stereotype of the " foreigner” with Momochi’s coworker Li Shan Shan ( Uraji Nuno)’s “ misunderstandings” by still trying to grasp the Japanese language . However, against some of the more questionable comical moments of the series, ” Ano Toki Kiss Shite” hits hard with some intriguingly issues about Japanese society- Kumiko is revealed to have been a victim of Japan’s vicious problem of ageism and prejudice when she first applied her work to the publishing agency. In a male- dominated environment, she had to take up the male pseudonym “Kanikama Joe” for her work to succeed. Additionally Tanaka Yutaro ( Kubozuka Airu), Masao and Masao’s wife Tanaka Honami ( MEGUMI)’s familial relationship represent the problematic dysfunctional family in all its glory.
However, the one issue which did feel a little less addressed considering the nature of Momochi and Tomoe’s presented relationship was the missed issue of homosexuality and the LGBT community in Japan. Now, this is arguably where we do go down a bit of a slippery slope as it is undoubtable that Tomoe is still a woman. ( The affections of the pair are taken upon the devoted bond of a fan and mentor also.) However, to the outside world, Tomoe’s affections and closeness in the body of Masao to Momochi certainly presented a different story. Whilst arguably the series did address a certain awkwardness in Japanese society around the issue of same-sex relationships with Takamizawa seeing Tomoe ( evidently in Masao’s body) in the beginning, this felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to present more seriously also. ( Especially considering some of the other poignant themes of the drama.)
So, is “ Ano Toki Kiss Shite” worth watching? Whilst the comedy and plot premise may not be appealing to everyone, ” Ano Toki Kiss Shite" is fundamentally an awkward and heartfelt romance tale of a devoted fan learning to be selfish and pursue his own feelings for Tomoe with an eccentric yet heartwarming supernatural twist.
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