joanne
Australia
Like a Collection of Character Studies
I have an odd relationship with MC:TNA because it lives in my mind rent free but my experience watching it was really messy (on my part). I actually finished the show earlier this year, in February, and it was 100% an impulsive watch and I have never seen any of the actors' previous works so I not only went into the drama blind, I was completely unarmed. The first time I watched it, the politics-heavy plot-line went completely over my head and I was at a point in my life where I would shrug at every mild to severe inconvenience that came my way and moved on, so I barely digested the actual story at all. I was initially pulled in by the plot summary promising me a focus on a platonic relationship between the main characters so I zeroed in on the friendship, and that was it.I recently went back to watch it again in September and since I was in a different headspace—plus I did a bit of reading to gain more contextual understanding—I was able to absorb the story a /lot/ better. Still, MC:TNA always struck me as a collection of character studies between the prominent characters (Hwi, Seonho, Huijae and Bangwon) and their dynamics with each other as well as the other supporting characters, with a genuine historical event as the backdrop. I'm a sucker for these types of "small-scaled" shows (in the sense where there isn't a major, tangible overarching plot-line) so I'm easily positive about this drama—my only mistake is choosing to watch a historical Kdrama based on real historical events showcasing real historical figures with explicit mentions to other real historical figures, who don't actually show up on-screen at all, when I know absolutely zero (0) things about Korean history. That one's on me.
Nonetheless, MC:TNA holds a special place in my heart (I keep struggling to rate it 8.5 or 9.0, and every now and again I go back and edit the rating—one feels too low for my attachment, the other feels too high for its objective quality; I wish I could put it as an 8.75 but I guess that's not much of a difference in the grand scheme of things,,) and I have a very personal attachment towards it—that's me saying I don't come from a very objective standpoint when I talk about this show. I liked the character-driven narration, I liked the focus on the different perspectives and nuances in friendship and family dynamics, I liked the differences between the characters' ideologies and how that generated conflict between them, I liked the introspection and the portrayal of the different sides of being human, I liked the mix of "complex" and "simple" characters rooted in how prominent their ambitions were and how that tied to their core as individuals, I liked the emotive placement of some of the foreshadowing and dialogue (that I can specifically pinpoint and quote my favourite parts), I liked the symbolism, the cinematography, the thematic parallels, and I liked the circular ending—to me, it was adequate (ironic, touching) closure. I'm conscious of the criticism the show receives, the most popular being the hilarious (but consistent enough) plot armour, but I think the show also achieved what it came out to do quite neatly, which I appreciate. Nothing is without flaws; I think I can say I liked MC:TNA's imperfections too (within reason).
It might be because I usually gravitate towards more melancholic things but I also really liked the poignant storytelling of MC:TNA that centred around loss, guilt, grief, remorse, and loyalty. I think everyone in the show nailed their emotional scenes. I know it's already been said a million times now but I genuinely appreciate Woo Dohwan's grasp on his characters' emotions and then his expression of them (in Episode 10 and 13, iirc, there is a scene where his use of micro-expressions was especially commendable, among his other scenes). His portrayal of Nam Seonho made me sympathise for him from the get-go and while I understand that some of his motives can seem contradictory/nonsensical at times, I also believe that his variabilities aligned with how his character is someone who often does things against their own self and lies like it's a competitive sport. Though I naturally sympathise for characters like Seonho, WDH made my empathy completely unapologetic despite the often douchebaggery stunts Seonho pulls (he was doing his best!). But that's another thing I liked about MC: how polarising it can be; there are so many ways you can interpret and critique the characters, based on your perspectives.
I think MC:TNA is quite a niche(ish) show, so I believe it can be a bit of a hit or miss for people. It's not a romance and was never built up to be so, so the romantic plot-line between Hwi and Huijae is understandably on the backseat compared to the friendship between Hwi and Seonho. The political intrigue is also heavy, and the story is driven more so by the characters than the plot, so it really is up to preferences. However, if you like, or are feeling up for, political and dramatic plot elements, very flawed characters and top-notch fighting scenes (+ gorgeous scenery shots), then do give MC:TNA a try. (It is also, in my humble opinion, WDH’s best work and his best role; the months in between first watch and rewatch is an unapologetic exploration of his filmography). It's not quite a “digestible” drama per se but I’d like to call it a "thinking" drama, and those are always nice.
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A Sad, Violent Bop
I don't often watch survival horror/thriller/action shows like Sweet Home but when I do I know I'll always come out of it kicking and screaming and Right I Was.I'd begun reading the webtoon of Sweet Home late last year but as it was ongoing at the time, I lost my reading momentum so I decided I'll wait for the webtoon to finish updating and then I'll just binge it. Unfortunately, I have the memory of a chimpanzee and never got back to finishing it so when I heard it was getting a drama adaptation, I told myself I'd finish the webtoon first—personal rule: consume OG material before adaptations—And Then I Didn't. So. Sweet Home was postponed indefinitely until I got my sh¡t together but then I found out Netflix had it dubbed in my native language, which is always a vibe, so I powered through it in a couple hours and well, was That an experience :D
Sweet Home replicated the foundation and basic premises of the webtoon but exercised some liberties with it including the addition of a new major character (unfortunately, at the expense of an original major character, who I personally love) and also altering the characterisation and relationship dynamics of the rest of the major cast (also unfortunately at the expense of the specific nuances of the original relationships of which I enjoy). However, removed from its original source, which is understandable, Sweet Home is a thoroughly fun watch on its own with impressive cinematography and suspenseful storytelling. Though I personally prefer most of the webtoon depictions, I found myself separately enjoying some of the new additions too.
Regardless of the changes, I thought that the storytelling, acting and cinematography still aligned very nicely to express the absolute devastation of the friendships and camaraderie formed between the characters (in the show) and with such poignance that I already know I will be reeling from the effects for days to come. I particularly enjoyed the use of small symbols/anecdotes to emphasise the nuances of these relationships (i.e. Jaeheon’s soju, Sangwook’s smoking) as well as the curt and simple but pensive conversations the characters have with one another—not enough to really picture the full story but definitely enough to feel the sentiments.
I, too, hold the opinion that the cast is an excellent match for their respective characters and I've genuinely enjoyed the whole cast’s immersive and emotive performances.
Sweet Home always struck me as a Thematic sort-of horror, reinforced by the webtoon's storytelling centered around an overall philosophical conundrum about people and being (humans, alive) and society, morals, etc etc., among other issues, rather than a Scary, Gory kind-of horror, so I'm more or less hand-wavy about the lack of, uh, scare factor(?). I think the fear lay more in one's investment towards the characters and their fates than the horror visual quality of the show.
[Also, it just struck me: “psychological thriller” could also be another genre you can chuck into the bunch]
Oh! One more thing: I loved the OST; I felt that the rock music theme made everything so fun and badass to watch, and while it does affect a less severe atmosphere compared to the webtoon, I found myself not minding the watered down narration (and characterisations) all that much, especially with consideration to the time limit in proportion to the extensively fleshed-out character development for every major character in canon—and also because the lack of a deep dive was compensated by the accelerated plot (not so much fast-paced but speedy enough). However, I do agree that it is a shame Hyeonsoo's character arc was significantly dialled down, especially since he is the main narrating character.
I'm also of the opinion that the CGI was impressive! Granted, I don't hold very strong attachments to visual effects, etc.; I think they're significant to the production quality, but I'm not too fussed about it in general, so I thought Sweet Home's CGI monsters was quite well done (it was HD—I have myopia so don’t quote me on that though—and it resembled the webtoon monsters, which was personally a delight so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
All in all, it was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster and I am, once again, a victim of crying migraines. Please do give it a watch if you're looking for a fun, gritty(ish), bloody survival horror/thriller/action/suspense/whatever with a (however watered down) character focus and a bop OST and cinematography. Forming attachments to the characters /will/ come back to bite you in the ass, viewer discretion advised.
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