herc-u-luis
A LOT More than just Gut Wrenching Comedy
This is my Initial review of the show after watching 3 episodes. I will try to update my review as the show goes on or when it ends. Sometimes some shows start out well, but then falls apart, hope that doesn't happen to this show. (I've actually edited my review along the way by now, scroll down to see them if you would like, SPOILER: It kept getting better and better with time and finished off well, but if you want to get some context look at the Edits below)First, anyone who has just watched the trailer for the show, will obviously think this is a funny comical show, which it is, sometimes to the point it feels like I am gonna squeeze and burst my gut out with laughter. The dialogues are funny , well written and translated, but the context of the scenes are even funnier. The comedy is subtle, not forced, very fluid, something a lot of Korean shows miss in my opinion.
However, There is a lot more to this show than just pure hilarious comedy. If you watch at least the first 3 episodes, you will definitely understand what I am talking about, the things that the main two characters are going through, can happen to a lot of us, to anyone of us to be honest. The struggles of these two characters, felt very real to me. Misfortunes happen, they hurt us, scar us, throw our lives into chaos. People misunderstand us, we misunderstand them, which leads us to think we are better off without people. We can't control our anger, our wrath, our obsession with paranoia, our rage towards the fact that we got sucked into the injustice that we never deserved, neither ever planned for.
The casting is good, Obviously. The acting is very good, to the point. The characters have their own charms, the male and female lead are very well played by these two actors. I gave this show a very high Re-Watch value, cause it deserves it. I personally have Re-watched the 3 episodes quite a few times myself.
Now, each episodes are just around 30 mins, which may sound like too small, but quite a lot of things happen in between just those 30 mins. And that's also the great part about this show thus far, it's not too fast, not too slow, and definitely NOT boring at all. If you think you have 30 min time to spare in between your busy schedule, then Definitely go for it. So far, it's Definitely WORTH it.
Edit 1: I've watched till the 6th episode now. It's going very well, and getting rather interesting. I would highly recommend anyone watching up until now, keep watching. We are at a crossroad where the ML and FL will have to intersect into one another's life for the story to progress in the desired/one of the desired directions. One thing to note about this drama, is that the cliffhangers are really done well, it makes you want to watch the next episode like there is no tomorrow, supplemented also by the fact that each episodes are just 30 min long.
Edit 2: I've watched till the 9th episode now. The show is going in a good direction, with just 4 episodes left we needed some new tension and some dosage of emotional vulnerability for the characters to build something real between them in between these episodes, which we got. This show kinda depicts one of the major issues in South Korea, the cyber crimes of sexual assault and such and the aftermath, with all the judgements and bullying and finding and utilizing the loopholes of law to De-humanize the victims to the general people's eyes. Overall, this show doesn't really water down the impacts, neither do they exaggerate to any unrealistic extent.
Although some K-drama-ly aspects are found in the show like a "Too animated with their movements and Talks way too much with too cute voices", it's not really overdone, which is more than you can say for some other romantic K-drama with ultra popular stars. So far, I can say that this show has been a treat to watch.
Edit 3: I've watch till the 11th episode now, and well, things have gotten interesting. The evil aren't really far away, and the main story is getting more focus. Both the ML and FL will have to face their demons, have to fight it, and it will test that relationship they have formed, that's the way the story is progressing it seems. Personally, This is one of the most UNDERRATED gem of a show I've seen in quite a while. At first I wasn't really all that impressed with the Music of the show, I gave it 8.5 because it was decent, however, along the way the music have improved, or rather, they have actually shown all their cards with the music, the first 4-5 episodes they didn't really explore that part much. Now, I am upgrading the Music to a Solid 9. I am also upgrading the Re-Watch value to solid 10, cause, I feel you would love to come back and see many of the episodes again and again, cause I personally have, and probably will in the future. The 30 min per episode sometimes feel very cruel, especially to us, who are watching them immediately when they release, and wait until they release the next one. However, because the episodes are just 30 mins, the show doesn't drag on, it feels dynamic yet serene, funny yet serious in the most crucial elements. Hats off to the Directors and Show-Makers for being able to create such tension in just mere 30 min episodes, while not making it too much on the nose and keeping it grounded.
Edit 4: Finished watching episode 12. This episode was, hands down, The BEST EPISODE up until now. The way the story progressed, was, EXCELLENT. With this kind of relationship, the misunderstanding and the impulsive and emotional decisions that took place in this episode, was bound to happen. People who have been Seriously Abused in a relationship, people who have been hurt by previous relationship not working out, being abandoned in their worst times, have a seriously hard time to really trust themselves with the new relationship. They hardly believe themselves, hate themselves, blame themselves for those misfortunes. This episode, honestly felt very real, and they pulled it off in just 30 min. GREAT ACTING, PERIOD by both these two actors. I am giving the acting an absolute 10. The Music, wow, it now keeps getting better and better every episode it seems. Whatever happens in the last episode, whether we get the ending we deserve or not, either way, I will suggest anyone reading this review, to Really, GIVE THIS SHOW A GO.
Edit 5 (Final): Finished the Finale, ep 13. It was Good, quite a few things happened in just 30 min. Everything came to a conclusion, It was pretty much the best ending you could ask for in a 30 min episode. And that's one thing that I didn't like, they had so much to do in just 39 min, and that they did, but missed out on some details, the gaps to fill, purely because of not having enough time. If this episode was just even 50-55 min long, they could have checked all the tick marks, they could have slowed some developments down a notch and could really sort out things in a steady pace from beginning to end. But nonetheless, it did very well for it's time and gave us all the necessary closure that we needed.
Final Thoughts: WATCH THIS DRAMA, it will be worth your time, and you will remember this drama, honestly. I will call this drama "SEVERELY UNDERRATED". If this drama was casted by IU, Hyun Bin , Park Shin Hye, Suzy Bae, or some ultra popular stars, even with a very mediocre acting, the ratings and popularity would have soared through the sky. Point is, It's a Great show. And Rather than focusing solely/mostly on the cast, which is a problem with Drama-watchers of Kdrama or even any Asian drama, if you are one who is willing to focus more on the story and acting and execution and all those stuff that truly should matter, then watch it. GIVE THIS SHOW A PROPER TRY, that would be my heartfelt suggestion. That's all.
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You may feel hurt in your heart a lot of the times.
This show has been one hell of an emotional roller coaster. It really hurt where it was supposed to hurt, it's that type of a story.The acting was good and really, the story itself and it's progression was definitely smooth, despite having many parallel story lines going on of different characters. The Director and the Writer did very well in this regard. Personally, I've seen many shows where they mess up the story line if a lot of things going on in one drama, but, Not this one. Although one of two details are missing that should have been addressed. But, you can't really expect more from a drama that's just 12 episode long.
The cinematography was great, although most Korean shows have them. It's the overall progression of the story that really did the job for me, It wasn't too fast, neither too slow, just my cup of tea.
Overall, a good show, with a very good cast, good story line, good acting and great music.
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Action Drama with Potential to be Addictive from the start. Sadly, Became very boring in the middle.
Let me start by saying that it's my initial review and ratings on the show. I will update the review in the middle and after the show ends, provided that I have internet and the world isn't in complete ruins by then. So many shows have had good start, but didn't do well in the end. Let's hope that's not the case for this one. (Sadly, exactly the case for this one, became so boring, had to drop it, it was becoming tedious)1. Cast - GREAT. The two leads, are wonderful. But I just want to point out how great of an actor Jo Seung Woo (Lead of the Great show "Stranger") is. He is an amazing actor. Now as for as Park Shin Hye goes, her recent dramas have anything but disappointments. I like her, her acting is obviously very good. However, unless I am a serious Fanboy/Fangirl of her with an absolutely unrealistic sense of fandom, no way can I ever support her choice of the recent dramas she have a part of, UNTIL, Sisyphus. I really love her character, I think this kind of character suits her a lot more than a damsel in distress. More importantly, this show has the capacity to captivate the audience, and have way more potential for her to really ACT the hell out. The support characters are also very good, they have chosen a very good cast in my opinion.
2. INTRIGUING story-line. They writers did a good job of keeping the Suspense. Although, I have some idea as to where the show is heading, the writers can easily divert the storyline as the show progresses, because, it has kept different paths open. The storyline has the potential to surprise everyone, if the writers keep doing their job right. The story progression is sometimes Fast paced, sometimes Slower. Which is good in my opinion. It's not one dimensional. There are some "Over the top' elements in the show, but, you can't really tell me many decent sci-fi Hollywood shows where those elements are not present. Overall, the show can be very addictive, you would want to watch all of it in one day, if you start watching it after the show had already ended.
3. Action Scenes- Pretty Decent. Now, Even though I liked it, some may find action scenes like these unpleasant, where the camera is constantly moving to give a rather intense feel of the scenes and intensify the impact of the moves, like Kicks, Punches, Jumps etc. I have seen people feel some sort of motion sickness while watching camera moving constantly, where the audiences have to strain their eyes in order to keep track of the Hero/Heroine's movements. Personally, I liked it, However, I hope they don't make every action scenes like that.
4. Music- Decent. However, I don't think for this type of shows, music should anyway affect the ratings. I gave it an 8 cause I think the music quality is more than enough. But, don't expect the music to be like that of "Goblin" or "Descendants of the Sun". It's not that type of a drama.
That's as much I had to say about the start of this drama. Let's see how it goes.
Final Edit: It became very boring and predictable in the middle, I had to drop it, and I changed the initial ratings that I gave to this show. Honestly, such a potential killers, the writers of the show, I mean, come on. At the end of the day, other than bringing some cringing K-dramaly aspects to a sci-fi show, you could have make it something special, and memorable. And the dialogues, wow, became so forced and really, no amount of great acting could really make this show palatable, to me at least. This is really a sad sad job done by the writers. That's all I can really say.
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Talk about a Strong Comeback by both the ML and FL
Initial Review:Really, talk about a strong comeback by both Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Shik after so many years, around 5 years for Han Hyoo Joo and 3 years for Park Hyung Shik. So far, this has been an amazing show to watch. Lately, I haven't been really been in love with a drama, after "Mad for Each Other", where it felt really painful to wait for a drama's next episode for 6-7 days. This one, well, has really broken the slump.
The story is very good, intriguing and can divert in many directions over time. If I have to express the overall show with one word, I would use the word "Balanced". It's such a well balanced show, not too unrealistic by any means, not boring by any means, not too lovey dovey, not too dry and tasteless either. Story progression pace is, I would say, PERFECT. All the supporting characters have been portrayed so realistically, which is not often done well for this kind of drama.
Acting is great, truly justified in terms of the storyline. These 3 main characters have really played their role extremely well. Jo Woo Jin is supposedly playing part of the necessary evil, who has to make tough decisions, and even though by now his backstory has been somewhat exposed to the viewers, there is still a bit of mystery behind his character. He is playing his part, very very well.
Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Shik has such amazing chemistry. Although, I don't really talk about on screen chemistry too much in my review, I had to mentions this for this drama. Their chemistry is so adorable, so relatable and so subtle yet dynamic. With every episode, their relationship is evolving it seems. Their evolving chemistry, I would say, is THE HIGHLIGHT of this show.
If you read the synopsis, you will figure out what the story is about, not much for to write about that for now. My suggestion is that, give this one a go. I am pretty sure, You Will Enjoy This.
Somewhere in the middle, or after I've finished the show, I will update and make a final review of this. Take care until then.
Update 1: I've just upgraded the re-watch value to 9.5 from previous 8.5. The reason being, I can't really stress enough how charming both the ML and FL are. Their characters are so charismatic in different ways, FL with her bold cutthroat remarks alongside fighting mentality and ML with his gentleness, and eagerness to help people in this precarious situation. Both of these two have one characteristic in common: They are both very protective of each other and are very courageous. Honestly I am not really being able to express how good this show is so far, so my suggestion is that you guys watch it and confirm it yourselves.
And yes, While watching this show, I've become a fan Park-Hyun-Shik. He really is a cute cute guy. I guess I gotta watch Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. I don't know why I've still not watched this one. But, truly, in this show, he has performed extremely well and really made his character worth looking back over and over again by playing the episodes again and again.
I've always been a fan of Han Hyo joo. She has really knocked the ball outta the park with this show.
Final Review: Strong Finish and really one of the best K-drama of the year. It's really a great show by pretty much all metrics. I would highly suggest anyone who is pondering whether to give it a go or not, to GIVE IT A GO. It's seriously good.
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Talk about a Great Start with a Great Story, Great Suspense and Truly Great Cinematography.
Initial review: Great start, it's been a while where I've been this hooked to the storyline and presentation in a show. The way the story progressed through this 2 episodes, is simply, marvelous. The suspense buildup, has been, just WOW, that's how you build suspense in a show.Also, and this is important, I would really like to thank the cinematographer for his/her masterful work. The cinematography goes so, so Crazy Freaking Well with the storyline, the characters portrayed and also the overall vibe of the show. The music is just perfect for a story like this, very well done. This is the direction which Kdrama should move towards for suspense stories, as far as I'm concerned. So far so good, let's see where it goes. After I've finished the series completely, hopefully will be able to write a detailed review.
When it comes to the cast, with Lee Sun Kyun (My Mister, Parasite), Park Hee Sun (My Name, Missing Noir), Seo Ji Hye (Dinner Mate, Crash Landing on You) and Lee Yoo Young (Tunnel, Your Honor), the cast couldn't have been any better. For now, I would suggest everyone to give this one a go. So far, it's really really good.
Final Review: It's been a very good experience for me watching this drama. Although there were moments where scientifically a few things didn't make sense. But since it's not as much of a science-fiction but rather more of a fiction, I will give those a pass. Overall, good show, and quite a unique one.
Now, I can say confidently that it's not a drama for everyone. Many elements that makes a K-drama popular in the generic K-drama fanbase were absent in it. So, if you don't feel like it's your cup of tea, then maybe this genre simply isn't for you.
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A Good Start, with Great Possibility for Success, Alongside chances of Falling off the Rail.
This is my Initial review of the show, which I will update with passage of important episodes or at the very end of the show, As, I believe it's important to update the review and the score if a show becomes better/worse compared to the start so that the rating doesn't get overinflated or goes down unfairly simply due to having a great start or due to sheer Star power or the lack thereof.To start with the review, I will first go ahead and compare this show with "Beyond Evil", the super hit psychological crime thriller drama of 2021. Don't misunderstand, the two shows are very different. One has pretty much nothing to do with the other. What I am talking about is the initial confusion and ambiguity of the important characters, what's going on with them? What are they doing, and why? What's the end game? What's driving the main lead? One thing that was done Extremely well in case of "Beyond Evil" is that nobody could understand what was going on in the first 4-5 episodes. It wasn't anything close to black and white, like you know who the bad guy is, who the good guy is, who is the killer, we knew pretty much nothing. It was a Crazy Unpredictable show in the beginning, then felt like it was going normally, then it became very unpredictable again. The Devil Judge seems to have started that way, and we can't be sure as to what to expect. Although it's not as Dark as "Beyond Evil", as there are characters who you can Easily say aren't really on the side of the Devil, and are trying to simply realize their ideals in a world of Injustice. Let's see how long do the writers decide to maintain the aura of mystery and unpredictability, as it's been just two episodes.
To be honest, a Dystopian Dark Crime Thriller is supposed to start that way, and over time this show can get better. The motivation behind some of the characters to pursue what they are pursuing, isn't really clear, and that's what makes it fun and intriguing. However, shows like this happen to walk on thin line. It's fairly easy to lose direction and cause massive failure in storyline, making it too unbelievable, too much to swallow and basically making it just too much to give it a free pass to. We will have to see about that as the show progresses.
The Cast is very good, with Ji Sung as the main character. Happy to see Park Jin Young getting a major role after his good performance is "He is Psychometric". I am not really gonna delve more into the cast, as I think in "Kdrama Review World", there is just too much emphasis on the cast and their """Visuals"""", something that I feel cringed by to be honest. I prefer to give ratings and reviews based on acting itself, whoever the cast is. So far, the acting has been very good by both the Main Lead and other main characters. The supporting cast has also done a good job, taking their part in keeping the aura of mystery alive.
Because this is a Dystopian thriller, there are some elements that you will have to accept as truth from the start. Like, why do everybody trust the Judge? How can somebody gain so much trust and acceptance from not just the political leaders, businessmen and media giants, but also the people itself? What has he done to gain so much trust? And how it that even possible in a digital world? Can anyone be that faultless in their job?? These are the things that you have to accept as facts, because in a dystopian alternate society, things won't always go the way things go in real life. In real life, a judge don't go shooting a rifle with incredible accuracy to a moving, crashing bus, that too in front of police squad. However, in dystopian reality, that can happen, as the society there can be pretty different in and of itself. Also, that's how many Dystopian western shows have done it for decades, so you can call this kind of exaggeration an element of the genre itself.
The music is actually Very Good, the violin notes are quite amazing. It does well to build up tension. The music actually does justice to the environment of the show, and that's what I like about it so far.
Although, the CGI and Animation could have been better, it looked very sloppy to be honest. Didn't feel the impact of some of the scenes due to that.
That's going to be my review for now. Let's see how it goes.
Edit: So far so good, the show is developing into a pretty impactful drama. I feel like there are some issues that will be made clear in the future. I am keeping the ratings the way they have been for now, I am well above halfway. Hopefully they finish well, when they finish, I will update again.
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Light Drama Watchers, Run away !! This ain't for ya.
If I had to describe this drama, based on the first 2 episodes, I would use one word "Gruesome". Starting from the storyline to the action scenes to the criminals' mentality, motivation and the acts perpetrated by them, I would say "Gruesome" is the right word to describe the world that's been portrayed in the show. Now, Like most of my reviews, I will start by saying that this is the initial review, and If I continue to watch this and finish this, I will update my review as the show goes on or when it ends.Let's start with the obvious, the Cast. Namgoong Min, well, you really don't need any other name in a drama. If in Korean dramas, anyone can single handedly carry an entire show with his acting, It will be NamGoong. So, great choice by the showmakers. As far as the other cast goes, Park Ha San is obviously a good actress, I really loved her in Birthcare Center and Love affairs in the afternoon (Haven't Seen the famous "Two Weeks" yet, hopefully in the future). She plays one of the main roles, but probably not the main female lead. I gotta say though, I had difficulty recognizing her with the black wig.
Now, it seems that the main female lead in this drama, is Kim Ji Eun. She seems to be the romantic interest of the Main Lead, maybe or maybe not, as I am not sure if there is any possible romantic relationship in this drama. I have just seen Kim Ji Eun in Namgoong's famous drama "Doctor Prisoner", where she played a guest role. Now, she is playing the main female lead against Namgoong in this show. Now that's one way to upstart a career. So far she didn't get much screentime, let's see how she acts. As far as the support cast goes, the choice is, I would say, Phenomenal. You will recognize all of them, and all of them can play good, bad and grey/shady characters extremely well.
The Story is pretty interesting, dark, cruel and in some ways pessimistic. You can read the story in the synopsis, nothing much for me to write there. I will admit there were predictable elements in the story in the first 2 episodes. I generally have a low bar for storylines to surprise me from start to finish. I've seen hundreds of Crime, Detective, Mystery shows from all over the world in many languages, it's very difficult for me to really watch a show and Constantly be like "Daebak, I couldn't even think that this was gonna happen, oh my lord!!". However, there was one sequence of the story, which was something I really didn't predict in the beginning, and when I realized where it was going, I was like, "Jesus, WTF". You will understand when you watch the show.
All in all they have maintained the air of mystery in the show, it's actually difficult to understand the motivation of some of the characters. They have given us just a glimpse of the mystery, haven't given away the main dish. The story can go in quite a few directions from there. I hope they make the storyline good, as when it comes to action dramas, it can often go sideways. Historically that's been the case with Korean dramas. But, I have hope for this show. Let's see.
Lastly, This isn't a light show, By any stretch of imagination. The actions scenes are very intense and the death scenes are quite painful to watch. When I first saw this I couldn't believe they aired it on South Korean Television, that almost never happens. Finally !!! One thing I will say, this show doesn't romanticize or water down Death Scenes, like it's a simple walk in the park. It doesn't show death scenes like "Oh, he just died, it was emotional, heartbreaking and I cried". It shows death scenes/murder scenes by horrible criminals and gang-members the way it is, Horrible, Gruesome, Painful to watch. It will make you feel disconcerted and somewhat anxious sometimes. So, I will warn those who likes to watch fluffy emotional crime shows with great colorful cinematography, this may not be for you. If you decide to watch it, then, Brace yourself.
Final Edit: Well, it was a great watch, with a few qualms. I feel like they toned down the violence after the first few episodes, which was really sad, it's a type of drama that warrants violence. However, I think it may have something to do with people's initial reactions to the scenes of the show. The ending was good, not many drama can say that. I heard there's a possibility of a spin off of this drama, don't know but could happen, who knows. Anyway, there were some annoying elements in the storyline, sometimes they made the story very cut and dried, but overall, the main theme of the drama remained consistent, and the name "The Veil" really did justice to the drama.
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