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WTH??!
This show takes the cake in terms of portraying abusive (not to mention ACTUALLY CRIMINAL) behavior as "romantic". Who authorized this series????! What writer thought that it was a good idea?!!! Were the actors aware of the mid-series plot twist when they started filming???Not much else I can say about it, but the review must be at least 500 characters to be posted, so some more impressions: Even without the plot twist, the first few episodes depict some, let's say, outdated notions of power dynamics in a relationship, with the man dictating what the woman wears and does.
Oh hey, since it's OK, let me kidnap my favorite movie star and keep them under lock and key until they fall in love with me. It's OK -- that's true love.
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Fantasy with a lot happening, but why?
This show is a strange beast, because a lot happens in it, but it seems like less would be more in this case.First, THE STORY:
1. This is distinctly a fantasy show, and there is a lot of world-building that is happening -- maybe too much. Not sure if this is a translation issue (though I do not think that is the case), but a lot of elements are introduced that appear extraneous and distract from the main plot. The confusing bit is that the viewer does not know which part will be important; at first I tried to keep track of the terms and ideas, but after a few episodes I let go of that and just let the plot develop without really trying to follow it too closely; that helped.
The story tries to establish that the main character is "extraordinary" because he manages to learn skills faster than others; this may have been impressive, except it is not clear what those skills really are or how he actually mastered them (the whole catching the fish thing was so unclear -- was it cheating? what did he actually learn in order to do it?). It felt a little like someone telling you that a song was the most beautiful ever written and expecting you to absolutely love it without hearing it or any other song ever.
2. I know this is asking a lot (and I am not being facetious -- it really is asking a lot for a complicated story over 20 episodes), but the "reality" of actions and reactions is tenuous. E.g., the female of the Four Seasons virtually sends the female lead to her death, and yet not only are there no real consequences for her, but also the audience is made to quickly get over and forget it.
3. Finally, the romantic tension. Don't get me wrong: The actors do a very good job interacting, but (related to point #1), at some point I lost track of what the heroine said she would do once she regained her powers and why (and I kind of stopped caring about the specifics). There will need to be a decision? or something? that will force the characters to separate? But is that something they can decide to do? Or something they would absolutely need to do? Something like that. Right now, it just feels like it's some kind of internal struggle thing for the heroine, but it feels like nonsense.
Regarding the ACTING, as stated, it's generally good.
The MUSIC is OK.
There are only two episodes to go, and I will absolutely watch them, but I do not consider those 20 hours well spent and cannot in good conscience recommend that others watch the show. Which is a shame.
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Wasted potential and focus on the incorrect character
As stated by others: This entire show is one huge wasted opportunity.At first I was so excited to see a show about women in their 30s (almost 40s!). And with every episode I kept hoping that the show would get a little better. No such luck.
In terms of pluses:
The two "supporting" female leads were astonishingly excellent in terms of acting. Not being familiar with their prior work, it really took me by surprise -- I looked them up just to see what else I can catch them in.
The Joo-hee storyline was, by far, the most engaging. Again, as others have written, it was the story that made the most sense / was most realistic, and that made one care about the character.
The lovely, functional, supportive, and loving families depicted around the characters were a nice change from many Kdramas.
Now, for the negatives....
Primarily, the focus on MiJoo. How is it, that a supposed lead in a drama is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she is not the true lead of the show??? Or at least on equal footing with anyone else? Maybe if MiJoo's story were more compelling, it could have worked out, but her story (and there is no "arc" to it, or character development) is just as many (boring) reveals and opportunities to show the character cry as the writers could cram into the script.
Unfortunately, the show's strength is also a weakness here: Because Kim Ji-hyun and Jeon Mi-do do such a spectacular job acting in their parts, it is somewhat jarring to compare Son Ye-jin's performance -- one can see how artificial it is in contrast to the realistic acting style of the other two actresses. I have seen SYJ in other shows, which I enjoyed more -- I think she was somewhat miscast here, with the part asking too much of her. I tended to speed through her bits in the later episodes.
Secondarily: The story is just so boring. Not depressing (which would make sense), but just -- eh.
I will not be rewatching -- have a feeling that I would get even more frustrated with the show. Maybe can find a compilation of just Kim Ji-hyun's scenes somewhere on YouTube.
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Bulgasal: Immortal Souls
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Wanted to like it, but the plot makes the characters seem like simpletons
The "waiting hundreds of years for revenge" plot has been done before, but I was very happy to go through this iteration because the cast looked scrumptious. However, a few aspects concerning the show preclude true enjoyment:1. The story is actually rather slow -- although there is fighting and lots of dramatic dialogue, little actually happens that has any emotional resonance (esp. in the first two or three episodes)
2. POINT CONTAINS SPOILERS:
SO MUCH of what happens, and some of the major dramatic turning points, make the main characters seem like complete simpletons. For example: The main character goes through hundreds of years thinking that one monster killed his family and it turns out that it could be another one. Really? For hundreds of years this assumption was not checked? In episode 9 the Other Bulgasal becomes incapacitated by our heroes WHO THEN JUST LEAVE HIM THERE. Really? How about restraining him and taking him along SINCE YOU WANT TO FIND OUT INFORMATION FROM HIM AND WILL TRY TO CATCH HIM AT A LATER DATE? One could make an argument that, being immortal, the Bulgasal do not have a need for brains in order to survive, but the human characters do not have such an excuse. If the show aimed for a sillier tone (e.g., Korean Odyssey) then this would be easier to overlook, but its mood is very firmly in the "serious drama" category, so that does not fly.
Maybe I am aging out of being able to enjoy fantasy shows, but this point is making me doubt if I can finish watching the show....
Just a few episodes to go....
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Engrossing (and sometimes gross) -- worth a view!
Obviously, a review a few years than useful to anybody, but here it is!I searched far and wide for the show since there are so many references to it in various reviews for other shows, and it seemed like a worthwhile effort. I ended up binge watching it (which I really try not to do) -- it sucked me in.
But, to start with, the negatives:
* The age gap thing. It was physically gross. As others have pointed out, the female lead acts very much like a teenager, a young and immature teenager, and the scenes in which the two leads are pushed together for romantic reasons were truly gross. Which is actually a credit to the acting, since in later part, when the female lead is supposedly 10 years older, the feeling disappeared. Still -- it really did make me feel gross to have the romantic scenes between a teenager and an adult.
* I may be the only one, but I did not like the secondary romance -- it made next to no sense. The two actors were wonderful -- but the internal logic of their history was nonsensical.
* The ending. There are a couple of components to my dissatisfaction with it, and they all involve lack of any actual resolution. For one -- the goblin "dies" or whatever it is he does, but then is called back -- and is still a goblin. Wasn't he supposed to die? Does this mean he never dies? And the whole thing repeats three more times?
* The "reveal" of who the grim reaper is was telegraphed so early that it was not a reveal at all.
The positives are what others have pointed out: Engaging story that, overall, holds together logically; good acting; excellent chemistry among all of the actors (not just the romantic leads) -- the wonderful bromance!; the beautiful music.
So, in the end, I am glad that I got to watch it, despite the occasional grossness.
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Because This is My First Life
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Highly enjoyable (despite the unbelievable premise)
Out of all the "fake relationship" dramas out there (granted, I have only seen a few), this one had the most justifiable premise -- which still does not mean that it was entirely believable :) All the same, it was interesting to see how the show tried to balance the comedic and the truly dramatic components.On the positive side:
* The leads, for once, are more fleshed out and interesting than the supporting characters! Maybe it's because they are not cast to be "the most beautiful" or "the most interesting" (both lead actors are very attractive, obviously, but they play the parts of ordinary people). The supporting characters have their own story arcs, but are definitely much more one-dimensional and somewhat caricaturish.
* The story flows relatively well and the events make sense (until the last episode or two, at least).
The negatives:
* That last, artificial, incomprehensible dramatic turn -- why? what for? (I refer to the "Mongolia trip" for those initiated to the series.) It made no sense. I wondered if it was a translation issue, and that maybe I missed something, but I watched those episodes with two different sets of translations, and it still made no sense...
* The show kept coming up with, and changing, the "leading theme" (or, to put it differently, the aphorism it was trying to explore; the zeitgeist it was trying to tap into; etc.): First it was the patriarchy; at some point it was finding the special small moments to be happy with things; then it was something weird about being unconventional... I think the overall trajectory of the show would have been more enjoyable and less jarring if the writers had picked one leading thought and stuck with it.
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Sweet story with good pace
The key things that make this show enjoyable:1. Good pace -- things actually happen in every episode! And they make sense!
2. Sweet, sweet story -- not saccharine, but uplifting and leaves a smile on one's face.
3. Excellent cast -- in every part, the actors do a really good job.
There are very few, and relatively minor, downsides. For me, primarily, one of the B-plots was a little too convoluted for the remainder of the plot, but still enjoyable. The other one that made the first few episodes hard to swallow was the impossibly-young-CEO trope (though with a woman, for a change).
However -- overall -- a show that is perfect for lazy weekend viewing.
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Boss from Hell (and not in a funny way)
Maybe I could have gotten into the story, if the core component of it were not the fact that the male lead abuses his position as employer vis a vis the female lead.Imagine the situation: You are at a new job. As a newbie, you are learning the ropes of what life will be like in this new company. And the first thing that happens, is that your boss tells you that you are bad at your job. Not once, not twice -- but continually. You need the job to live -- so you try harder, but the boss gives you no specific feedback, In fact, the situation escalates -- the boss now tells you that you need to do unreasonable things or you will get fired. This is the kind of boss that goes viral on social media when the story gets out.
Since this is a drama, Munchhausen syndrome kicks in and you fall in love with the boss.
Yep, beautiful story.
Definitely need to stop watching so-called romantic comedies. I am starting to demand a wisp of reality from them.
What was surprisingly bad and annoying was the music in this -- I have grown to expect world-class musical background in kdramas; this was nowhere in sight (or in hearing) in this one. Not that the music was necessarily bad -- it may have worked in a different context, and if it were integrated more into the story.
The actors try, but with this story they cannot succeed.
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Extraordinary Attorney Woo
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Watch this! It is so fun!!!
Loved this show for so many reasons: the story, the acting, the music, the feel / ethos of it. Although it addressed some important issues, the overall feel of it is so light that it does not feel preachy. The chemistry of the entire core group of actors is absolutely outstanding -- I love them all, even the mean ones. The music, especially the introductory jingle, makes me simply happy. And I loved the conceit of "wind in the hair / whale or dolphin" jumping thing.There are some nitpicky aspects of the show, the primary one being that the actual legal revelations Young Woo has are kind of dumb. I do not know how private practice law gets practiced in Korea, but a lot of what passes for brilliant insights seem like things that should have been covered or uncovered during the preparation for court (most egregious example being the hacking case and date of actual hack and the fact that a new had been passed -- I mean, seriously -- those are basics).
All of the characters seemed well developed, but two events / developments struck a bit of a false note: 1. Joon Ho's fight with his friends: He had been portrayed as such a nice all around guy that this seemed completely out of character. The Joon Ho of the show would have been unlikely to resort to violence. 2. Min-woo's transformation and Su-young's interest in him and vice versa -- he was delightful as the mean guy, and while I appreciate the effort to round him out as a character, it was too abrupt and not earned, really. And it was so nice to have a platonic male-female work relationship. Oh well.
Regarding the core romance of the story, this is where the show took me by surprise by completely winning me over. My initial reaction was muted for two key reasons: 1. As stated above, I like seeing platonic male-female relationships on screen, and 2. I admit, it seemed very strange to me to have the Golden Boy of the firm fall for Young Woo. The second point probably points to some biases on my part, and I am not proud of those -- and it is to the credit of the show that a few episodes in I had bought into it.
I am a little torn about Season 2. On the one hand, I want to see what happens next; on the other, I am so afraid that it gets spoiled. And is not the male lead going to the army???
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More than the sum of its parts
This was the first kdrama that I watched and enjoyed, which is strange insofar as I know that it's not, strictly speaking, good -- but it is so entertaining! The third episode is, truly, among the funniest things I have ever watched.The show's strengths and weaknesses are kind of mixed so that there is not one single component that makes the show "good" or "bad". Taking them one by one:
1. The story is a little up-and-down at times; sometimes it makes sense and sometimes it does not; sometimes it's fast and sometimes it's slow. However -- the mood of the show (more comedic than dramatic) accommodates the inconsistencies. And the comedic scenes in the beginning of the show are absolutely brilliant.
2. The acting is a bit of a mixed bag. I admit to absolutely buying into and adoring the male lead and almost all of the supporting cast. The female lead and the Devil King are less to my liking -- but I think that a large part of that is the script / what they have to work with and the types of roles they have been cast to play. And there are scenes in which the FL and DK absolutely kill it!
3. The music: The songs in this are wonderful. The "dramatic" music sometimes is over the top -- but regarding the show as a comedy makes it work, weirdly.
So a lot of good mixed with some bad. But, really, I think that fixing the bad elements would take away from the lightness of the show and make it less entertaining.
Personally, I have already rewatched it a few times :)
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Cliched but engrossing drama with surprisingly good acting
Six years after the air date, here is me take on the show (for those who have been waiting with baited breath):It is surprisingly engrossing!
Yes, it is filled with cliches, but they are handled well; it has some very bad relationship dynamics (lots of grabbing and manipulation and emotional cruelty) -- and that is NOT OK -- but given the heightened emotional stakes and the overall melodramatic tint of the show, it's less atrocious than it would otherwise be; a lot of the story is not realistic at all, but it is relatively logical and it actually flows at a reasonable pace. In all, its weaknesses can be overlooked because it's fun!
The acting in the show took me by surprise, truly. I have seen some reviews criticizing the female lead for some "shouting" and such, and there is some of that, but it looks like a sizable proportion of it was written into the script. I am basing this on the fact that the show cuts to people's reactions to the character's loud behavior -- so this was asked for, and delivered as asked.
Will not be rewatching it because it is simply too long for that, but I do not consider it time wasted.
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More of this, please!
Loved absolutely everything about this one. In no particular order:1. Superb acting -- could have expected nothing else from the leads, but the supporting cast were so stupendously wonderful that one can sense the depth in them -- it really does feel like they have lives outside of the show.
2. Wonderful music -- suspenseful yet not intrusive (and main theme is very catchy!).
3. Loved, loved, loved the character interactions -- It felt like the characters had real relationships (acting definitely contributed to it, but so did the writing, editing, and direction). And thank you, thank you, thank you for not forcing a romance in there.
4. Focus on the work setting -- I know this is a crime drama and the mental puzzle is what is meant to keep it going, but to me, the little interactions between colleagues is what truly makes the show outstanding. It feels like the writers may have actually worked in real life, know what work is like, and have managed to make those real-world experiences entertaining. Never having worked for the police or prosecution I cannot comment about how accurate the actual work responsibilities are (and have a feeling that many of the male lead's activities would be highly inappropriate or at least unlikely for a prosecutor), but at least the situations feel organic.
5. The story -- although there are some minor plot holes and not all deductions are completely justified, the story nonetheless makes sense, and it is clear on rewatching (which, yes, I have done a few times) that the story had been meticulously planned.
Not only one of the best Korean shows that I have watched, but one of the best on Netflix right now, IMHO.
Can't wait for the next season!
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Sunbae, doe die lippenstift niet op
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Wonderful actors in a horrible show
Two leads whose prior performance I have greatly enjoyed are so badly served by this show that it almost makes me angry.I watched the first six or so episodes, then went to Ep10 and 15 just to see if any of the awfulness disappeared (it had not).
In terms of positives, it is only the acting -- all of the actors do a reasonable job given the horrible quality of everything else.
So what is so horrible about the show? Oh, let me tell you:
1. The story: The premise is straightforward. The complicating factors the writers throw in move the story strongly into the melodrama territory, which is not in itself a problem -- who does not enjoy a good melodrama, after all? But... it does not work. The individual elements never gel; the choices the characters make are nonsensical (and not just in the kdrama way, which demand just a bit of suspension of disbelief, but in a "this would never, ever happen in the current world -- such as a solution to a woman attempting suicide being marriage as opposed to, say, competent psychiatric care???). Most importantly, despite a lot of dramatic things happening, it is all so boring and many of the conflicts are so clearly telegraphed that they come as absolutely no surprise.
2. The editing (I think) -- the cuts in the show and the ways the scenes flow one into the other are jarring in the extreme. Truly, I have not seen a show in recent memory that is so badly edited. Because of that, some of the scenes that should be action-filled or dramatic just come across as rather ridiculous.
3. Female lead's hair, make-up, and clothes: The female lead is a beautiful actress, and kdramas usually do a spectacular job regarding makeup. At first I did not understand what was going on with the actress, why she looked so different from when I had last seen her, and why she looked so overdone and wrong, somehow -- but then (since the show was so boring) I looked at the individual components of her appearance and it became clear. Seriously. She is supposed to work at a cosmetics company, where presumably appearance is more important than in other workplaces, but does that mean that she has to be presented as so "over done"? The stylists made her up and dressed her as though she were in her late 40s. Maybe this was an attempt to emphasize the age difference with the male lead (you know, the huge one year), but if that was the intent, then maybe the age difference should have been made larger in the script instead. And if that was not the intent, then it was just a weirdly bad choice.
My advice: Do not start watching this. You will bemoan the wasted time.
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Story that cannot decide if it's a comedy, drama, or love story
A show can absolutely be a blend of comedy, drama, and love story, but IMHO not the way it is done here. Most jarringly, some of the comedy is incredibly broad (e.g., when the FL gets captured and tells the North Korean soldiers the wonderful things she has in South Korea). The shifts in tone are also sudden, without a "bridge" to them, which makes it difficult to know how to respond to what is being shown.In terms of the individual show's components:
* The story: The middle bit is (largely) wonderful! The fish-out-of-water FL experiences, the very different individuals in North Korea and their side stories -- handled and acted well. Alas, the beginning and the end (after the FL returns to SK) are not nearly as rewarding. Especially the end. First of all, it's somewhat confusing. Secondly, the theme of "they've-met-before-and-are-fated-because-she-heard-him-play-one-time-years-before" does not work, at least for me. And while the FL being in NK offered some dramatic tension and reward, the North Koreans' stay in SK was treated very much like comic relief and contributed next to nothing to the plot.
* The acting: Somewhat hard to say because of the shifts in tone, but I would say it's a mixed bag all around. However, I blame the story or the pacing of the story for this. In some places the actors are, again, very broad (esp. in the comic bits) and then suddenly shift to more naturalistic high drama. It's difficult to relate to!
* The music: Nice, but not that distinctive or memorable.
* Rewatch value: Nonexistent. I barely made it to the last episode, and mostly because I have read the excellent reviews and was hoping that the show would end on a high-quality note. There are not even any scenes that I want to rewatch (which usually happens).
Bottom line: Lots of people enjoyed it -- and good for them! For me, it is a miss and not a good way to spend one's time.
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Can you make cliches work? Yes, you can!
The series (so far) is one huge cliche -- yet it works!While the acting is good, the reason the show comes together is the direction and editing (I think -- I am not educated regarding components of filming) -- HOW the scene is filmed contributes a lot to the overall humor.
And it is interesting how the cliches begin to be directly tackled and dismantled (in episodes 4 and 5).
I almost dropped the series after episode 4 because of the borderline-abusive behavior by the male lead -- fortunately I caught the teaser for episode 5 and, even though the borderline-abusive (and cliched) behavior absolutely did occur, the show handled it (reasonably) well -- it shows the heroine reacting in a way that would have been likely to happen -- as in, the behavior has real, negative consequences, and is not immediately forgotten. Thank you for acknowledging reality! However slightly :)
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