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My first Korean action drama
I didn't know about Korean dramas until I saw this on my Netflix. I read the synopsis and decided to watch to see if it was something I would be interested in.This was my very first Korean action drama and I liked it. I love martial arts and when I see this offered in movies or TV I'm immediately drawn to it so one will know I highly enjoyed the fighting scenes.
While the story line is a eye roll-highly impossible for someone to receive electronic eye implants-it still held my interest.
I liked the direction it was going until it strayed. It completely went in a direction I wasn't expecting but I still watched to the very end.
I have been out of the loop as far as Korean dramas are concerned. If this wasn't on Netflix I wouldn't have known Korean dramas existed. Since then I've been trying to find any and every Korean action drama I could find and is glad I found some. I hit a snag but hopefully more will pop up.
Thank you, Rugal for introducing me to Korean action dramas.
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This review may contain spoilers
What a rollercoaster ride of action, thriller and emotions!! A Must Watch.
DO NOT RELY ON THE MDL RATING. WATCH THIS DRAMA. YOU WILL NOT REGRET.Even though I watched this show 2 years later than it was aired, I feel compelled to write this review.
This is easily one of my top favorite Korean action thriller.
I have absolutely no idea why this show has such less rating and what exactly people found illogical in it. But other than getting little dragged in the middle, I have found no issue with this whole series.
Well, considering the people in Rugal have artificial limbs and GPS tracking eyes, the show is as logical as it can be within the premise of their world setting.
To be honest at this point I will never question Choi Jin Hyuk's choice of drama or movie. In my eyes he can do no wrong, be it playing the lead or the second lead. He is not just a handsome pretty face, but also an extremely talented actor and he has proven it in this drama once more.
The Story: The story is easily one of the best part of this show. The twists came completely out of the blue but also made sense when you understand the clarifications they have given in the show. It also broke my heart not just for the male lead Kang Gi Beom played by Choi Jin Hyuk but also for the other members of Rugal who were manipulated into experiments under the guise of justice. This show made no effort to somehow give them happy ending or make the ending all sunshine and rainbows after all the amount of trauma and hardship the 4 main characters went through. It stayed true to the realistic suffering of any trauma survivors, trying to somehow still carry on. And this was probably the most realistic thing about the show, even though it was so heartbreaking and left me wanting at least 3,4 more episodes of them finally living mundane and normal life, happily and content with each other with no more trauma.
The Characters: What I loved the most was the difficult but still sweet bromance between Kang Gi Beom and Han Tae Woong (played by Jo Dong Hyuk). They started off as "alpha male"ish characters who will show no mercy and at the end became each other's support system. It was so satisfying to see Han Tae Woong finally understanding how hurt Kang Gi Beom was and taking his side at the end. The other two characters were also so well written.
Jung Hye In's character Song Mi Na was such a badass lady in this story. And she did not get overshadowed by despite of being the only female teammate with three other male team mates, unlike many other dramas. All the 4 characters were given almost equal importance and a good backstory. It would have been better if Park Sun Ho's character Lee Gwang Chul had a better backstory. But if that happened he would probably not remain as child like as he was in the story, so I am not complaining much.
And most importantly all the actors have acted the characters as realistically as possible. The heroes and the villains alike.
I would however want a little backstory of Bradley, Susan and Doctor Oh and why and how they simply agreed to such human experiments knowing that if the experiments failed the subjects will die.
The Villains: This drama easily have the worst villains among the ones I have ever seen. And the main villain who is shown from the start is not even as bad as the other villains that you will get to know at later stages. Somehow even the main villain could have been forgiven but not the other ones. I personally felt like killing these other villains if it was possible for me to get inside the show. What I mean is the story is that good that at some point you are willing to even forgive the most terrible human but not the ones manipulated and caused so much hurt.
Production: They have done a tremendous job with the cinematography and the graphics. Stating from the visual effects of artificial eyes to action sequences, the drama is extremely well produced. Most of the action sequences are very Matrix like and what a sight to watch. Their was not exactly a OST to remember but the all the background scores and the music were very fitting to the story as well as the action and thriller.
I can keep on writing so much about this show but I will probably also end up giving all spoilers. So long story short, PLEASE WATCH THIS DRAMA.
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watch this for the cast, definitely
picked this drama back up after a long pause following an emotional ep. 13.OMG hahaha that was a somewhat open ending but i liked it. i liked how witty the ending was.
they are definitely exploring season 2, and i hope it'll happen. since the real villains are still alive. although the script sucked but the casts and action sequences were phenomenal which made me really enjoy this.
so many plot holes that are not explained or connected neatly. well i half-appreciated that a generous screentime was actually dedicated for the pretty elaborate fighting scenes each episodes, which i speculate caused less time/space for the story to fully develop. the other half is the feeling of indifference because i know that if a scriptwriter is more masterful in his/her craft, then the plotholes could've been solved within the allocated screentime, just like the masterpiece that Tunnel was.
so my generous score for the drama stems from the fact that this was an enjoyable watch/eye-candy for me being such a trash for CJH, lol.
also, i loved that Bradley was here too, who played his secretary in Devilish Joy. their interactions are so cute, haha. that was also the reason i paused watching this for a while until i finished Devilish Joy to see the boss-secretary interactions there, kekeke.
i can't wait for CJH's next projects. what a phenomenal actor, he's such a joy to watch on screen, in any genre.
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Not sure why everyone hates this?
Considering the overall rating I've seen everywhere is like a 80/100 or 8/10 - 4/5, I don't know why all the reviews are so negative? I don't even get most of the complaints.I watched this because I love unique eyes. Any time a character's eyes are heterochromatic, or their eyes change due to an ability or emotion, so when I read the summary and I saw the trailer with the MC's eyes having these cool-ass blue glyphs in them I was instantly sold, especially because I like action dramas.
As I watched I got invested in the characters and story. Are there stupid things that happen in this show that frustrate the shit out of me? Yes of course that's literally any media you watch, but it was literally only one thing where I went 'genuinely why', but it wasn't the writer's fault.
I liked the characters (The main antag was good at being genuinely psychopathic and I've never- experienced that before in media), I liked the story (It was a mindfuck and there are so many plot twist I never saw coming so it didn't get boring and predictable), I didn't really pay attention to the music but when I noticed it, it fit really well, the acting is great I would feel emotions off of characters and understand why or even just see it without words or large shows of the emotion (again the main antag was- brilliant. Gave me chills and I couldn't stop mentioning the fact he was insane out loud while watching it), and I just genuinely enjoyed this show.
If I ever rewatched it, it wouldn't be for the story, most of the plot twists don't give you room to rewatch it and have the same kind of shock value but I'm sure you could enjoy it regardless. I would probably end up rewatching it for the eyes and characters alone.
Overall it's not that bad of a show and it's certainly not the worst drama of all time, I've seen that and it's unwatchable. People are so dramatic in declaring this the worst drama they've seen. You must not have seen many drama then lol.
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Should be a higher rating, if the actual story was better crafted
The shame about Rugal is the fact that the first 6 episodes were perfect. A literal 10/10. Unfortunately however, by the second half, Rugal was filled with plot holes, inconsistencies and just stupid things happening, whether it's from the characters actions or the words they speak. The cast definitely had great chemistry and the acting was still really good, but the story had fell completely downhill from the second part, 8 episodes (ish) in. The OST was good however didn't really fit too much of the 'Rugal' theme.The episodes, except from the last three or so, were still easy to watch and it wasn't exactly like the second half felt like an eternity to watch, I'm just disappointed in how downhill the quality became. Rugal was perfect, but it didn't end that way in my opinion.
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When Robocop invites Terminator to have a bath in Wanted facilities!
This one is an easy and light to watch Drama.No need hard thinking. Is full of action and more action.The story is simple, far from been unique or original.Nothing deep here.Plain story and even more plain characters.Take it as a big in length action movie and you will have fun.Take it seriously and expect character development,meaningful messages,high morals,life changing experience,and you will curse yourself for wasting your 16 hours!
I gave story a 7 because ive watched similar scripts dozens of times.It is full of clichés,it has few tiny fine moments and some sparks, but unfortunately didn't turn into fire. Yet to execute such plain(occasionally lame) and common script with such "mastery" needs talent.And i appreciated this.Simply because it didn't fail to entertain me.
By the way,whats with the carved wooden chairs all the Big Gang Bosses chooses to sit and show off their superiority? Is it a fetish or what?Lol.Obviously stolen from Cruel City!(One of the best Dramas of all times to me)It was a detail my eye caught ..Anyways.
The main idea actually take us back to 80's and 90's.
Iam not into AI and obviously i don't have knowledge on the subject,so pretty much i buy everything they serve me.Lol.I guess that is the reason i liked this series more than others.
Half Humans, Half Androids or partial anyways,working for a secret government organization (Rugal)to take down another dirty Organization,Argos.
Simple as that!As i said nothing new,Nothing we already haven't seen.
Fighting scenes are soooo cool!Probably THE BEST part of the Drama. Choreography in kick ass scenes is absolutely amazing. Choi Jin Hyuk is so hot wearing those black leather outfits!And Park Sung Woong is so delicious playing the bad guy.And i think this is the first Drama i saw him as an evil character.Ofc i love both actors but here i can't really say they had the opportunity to unfold their talent in maximum, as their roles are not too demanding.Park is as always amazing,even when he has to portray a not so deep character.He was scary and i loved the craziness in his eyes.
Tbh, i didn't like the westernization here.I love Asian Dramas because they follow their own and beautiful Eastern culture.The way they approach things has more dark and twisted side which is one of the main reasons i stuck on Asian projects and rarely and very selectively watch Western anymore.Ofc here is the genre which limited Rugal to be more "Hollywood liked" and less Asian.
As a final thought Rugal is a very decent action drama,you will have fun and enjoy it especially if you are a fan of the genre.
I recommend it if you want to take a break from heavy plots and want to give your brain a good rest!.It is entertaining!
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This review may contain spoilers
Unrealistic thrilling action drama!!
Did he disassemble neck chip with his HAND? LOL This series definitely reflects 2050 years , not 2020. The characters were very well drawn (Except for a fighter woman) The attitude of the female fighter was very contrived.The series has become more and more silly. The final was very complicated I think screenwriter was afraid of the audience's reactions if finish did not finish happily. I guess they didn't get bored anymore. it turns out that the good guys we come across are actually bad in every series. And audiences can understand this from the first episode. I think some Korean dramas are in a vicious circle. I can understand how can artificial eyes control human . but it was ridiculous to be able to access confidential files. I was very hurt by the first 3 episodes. Bro got his eyes newly. Leave him a little alone! There were many points in the series that made me nervous but even so I had fun watching it.I recommend watching more realistic series such as Voice and Tunnel.Was this review helpful to you?
Rugal Means Having Many Folds
Despite the not-so-good feedback and review from MDL, I ignored them and went ahead and watched the drama. To see is to believe right?The story for me was so promising. Or so I thought. Apart from liking the lead actor, I had high expectations of the whole premise of the story. This has a Hollywood action vibe. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Too many fillers, and just when the story is starting to build the momentum I needed and was looking for...it goes back to too much talking and less action.
One good thing though, I am fine with the ending but it was ruined by the long flashbacks towards the end too.
If you have tons of time to kill, yes go ahead and watch this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I felt all of the character's stories as to why they joined Rugal were the same with feeling powerless from preventing corruption or a loved one died so feel guilt. Can't lie I wished we see more of Gwang Chul as I would class him as a half-robot. Gi beom I fell in love for and sympathized with when the eyes got out of control and the situation with his life as he tormented himself over it.The story made little sense so actions seemed irrational and a little crazy and throughout the whole series hated the chief as he didn't seem to care about anyone's suffering he only wanted Argos to die out and yet the chairman we learn is alive. They should've left it at that as their new everyday lives were dull and we only see what Gi beom is doing.
The fight scenes were nothing special as you knew who was going to win before it even started but were good fun
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So...you're here because of Squid Games...lol
I won't be long. The Netflix algorithm sent this my way. I clicked because its bionics. Who doesn't like bionics?....The cast is beautiful. Hero is a hero, anti hero is an anti hero, sidekick is sidekick and female heroine checks female heroine box....All boxes checked...so what's the problem?...simply ...its dumb. The writing is so dated. Full of useless characters and incredible amount of useless scenes...yes I mean the Argos chairwoman and company. The ONLY thing to make this tolerable....I mean the ONLY thing...is the villain...Dude thank you for saving this show....sigh. They will get a second season because of him.
So if you're a screen writer that thinks you can write a superhero movie....think hard...think really hard...because everyone can't. So how do I define a hero?...They're usually dedicated to service from the beginning of their lives to the end of their life. Hence the male lead was a cop...super soldier...investigator...and so on. It's what they do. Give it a try...see if you like it
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