Story wise this drama tended to be a bit all over the place, in a good way. There was always multiple facuets to the story, while one character was plotting one thing, another was planning on using their plan to achieve another goal. The plot line was interesting, none of the usual amniesa and "Oh my god you're my lost sister, misplaced from birth" pit falls that melo's tend to have. I found myself intent on watching each week, not only for the next plot twist but also for the sweet story of "finding love after being married" that the two leads presented.
During the beginning of the Melo, I was most certainly annoyed with the actress playing Byun Jin Sook, she seemed to have a character that lacked any sort of backbone what's so ever. But as the drama progressed, I really saw the actress grow her character into someone strong and willing to take a stand for what's right. Ji Hoon's character interested me from the very beginning, his constant battle between loosing his mind and maintaining an image of stability really worked well character wise and I'm really happy I got to watch as this character grew into a healthier person. Over all their chemistry really made this show. As we watch them grow as people and family members, we also see them grow into love. Something I personally thought really made this show beautiful.
I would say this drama is pretty rewatchable. While it's not my favorite genre nor my favorite drama, I really enjoyed seeing the characters grow, as well as watch the political and sinister plot line unfold.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is a complete waste of time and is extremely boring. I fast forwarded through this drama, more than I usually do. It is rare for me not to like most of the characters in a drama; they were all stupid or made the most idiotic decisions. I warmed up to the main couple towards the middle, but at the beginning I couldn't stand the female lead and preferred the male lead. Mi Hyeon and Seok Hoon had absolutely nothing to do with their lives. They wasted their time concocting nefarious plans when they could've spent their time working to the top spot they wanted so bad. The female lead didn't even try pretending to be Eun Ha. How could no one see she was someone else because she made it so obvious. She would run or tremble when she saw people from her past. She would go to go to her old neighborhood in clothes and a car that would make her stand out. Always ran off when she heard something about her family, in spite of the consequences it would have on them. She wouldn't listen to Seok Hoon's advice or warnings; I know she was trying to get from under his control, but he's been playing the game longer than she has. She wouldn't stand up to people like Eun Ha would have. She let them walk all over her and let them see her sweat. She, Min Hyeon, and Seok Hoon irritated me immensely. I do not recommend this drama, unless you want to be frustrated for 20+ hours. Was this review helpful to you?
Story: Not sure who this story was about. MY, SJ, MW, SH? What the heck. False identities, lying, cheat, murder all dangled though-out yet nothing tied together. All these characters were complex and deserved better back stories to pull this story together and allow us to care about them.
Acting: The actress who played duel roles was great. To the extent you really thought they were two different people. This level of acting was felt and executed seamlessly. The other person you got drawn to was the villain-husband-pyscho man. The actor performed this with the most taut mask, you grew to like him because he was so convincing and hated. Both of these roles deserve recognition.
Music: OK - nothing that makes me remember this drama
Overall: this drama was about the lies, complex -troubled people, deception and betrayal, all great characteristics of drama. Now all it needed was better writing to make us care about all those folks wearing masks.
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XD Okay now we get to the serious part.
Mask has a good message to deliver to the audience and the title therefore has a meaningful effect. The OST is good (one is memorable and the intro is nice as well). The villain is strong in this drama and the ending was heart-warming. The romance parts were very cute and fluffy and funny. However, the cons are too much to handle for this drama (I'm not talking about kiss scenes anyways).
Firstly I have to complain about Minwoo's role in this drama. He plays little to no importance to the story and most of his doings were goofing and playing lovey dovey with his wife. Every time his screentime comes, there would have Eunha/ Jisook involved. His back story is dramatic but not impressive as it doesn't seem to be the focus of Mask. This weak character is overshadowed by Jisook who is somewhat overshadowed by Sukhoon and maybe even Miyeon.
Secondly, the drama kept going back and forth with exorting, murder/ illegal activites/ victimising, intimidating and the circle goes on until the last episode. This is tiring to watch because Sukhoon's character was a really stiff character until the last episode.
Thirdly, the story is made from two pieces. One is romance and one is "fight between evil and and justice". This is by far my first drama that felt so broken like this. The romance part could be omitted entirely without influencing the plot to be honest. So everytime the romance came I would smile for the cute but I cant deny the fact that it was actually filler.
Lastly, the biggest problem. The logicallity and believability. How comes there are two persons with exact same face but not twins? I couldn't take it serious right from episode one.
On a side note, I hate this particular one scene where Minwoo said he had found a person he loved more than his mom. Like... I get it that he couldn't spend much time with his mom but still this line is so cringe worthy I bet Jo Jungho would have cringed like me when he read it out loud.
TL;DR this drama has fine romance parts but not recommended cause the plot is a mess right at the start.
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●Story- synopsis is written fairly without giving any spoilers to the amzing story. Its a story for power struggle in the typical rich family but you wont be able to guess why and who is the baddy until you watch it. It was thrilling and exciting with each episode.
●Acting- byun ji sook/ seo eun ha was good playing the part fairly. Nothing sort of wow.
Choi Min woo was good. I had seen him in GOONG and liked his acting skills. The part where he plays psychiatric symptoms are nice.
Chemistry was good. Falling in love after the wedding was done nicely.
Choi Mi yeon face was like she was always on drugs. Her expressions and acting didn’t go well for me.
●Music- actually saying I don’t remember.
●Rewatch- no,its just a single watch for me, maybe the romantic scenes of the leads.
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This review may contain spoilers
Hello! For anyone that enjoys mystery movie this is one of them. I enjoy watching how suspenseful it is. The characters are great in this movie. I got so addicted to the drama that I bought my own version online from Ebay and I never bought from Ebay so you can definitely say this is a must!! This movie will leave you to staying up at night until you get to the end. The only thing about watching it online Viki is that there are a lot of ads, and I HATED seeing the ads but altogether it was pretty much great. Definitely would recommend this to anyone who enjoys watching something new and different. Was this review helpful to you?
The cast is really amazing, Yeon Jung Hoon is AWESOME, I really hope an award for him! Soo Ae is brilliant as always
The last eps made me cry ....seriously is the one of the best drama 2015 !
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Of course, the drama starts at a very dramatic moment and then backtracks.
There's a lot of family politics involved in here. Obligations, expectations and responsibilities.
Romance
I feel like it's been a while since I've been curious about a couple and how they will work together. Ji Sook and Min Woo are both unique individuals. They definitely don't gel in the usual way.
I was relieved to see how quickly Min Woo softened to her.
The way he kisses her is perfection. I just have to mention that even when he does the sudden approach he gives her time to accept or not.
I think it's amazing that their sweet moments totally makes up for the trauma and pain that is this drama.
Suk Hoon
I like that this guy doesn't come from a rich family.
At first, I found Suk Hoon and Mi Yeon's dysfunctional marriage a bit stereotypical, but it was always captivating.
“I'll believe you even if it's a lie.”
Suk Hoon was so intriguing and intense. He was great. He really lit up the screen with his presence.
His interactions with Ji Sook are chilling and it was compelling to see how he wanted to work with her.
Min Woo
Min Woo's character really challenged me. He made me question what I value in masculinity. Sometimes I found him a bit pathetic, which makes me feel lousy. He feels like a kid playing at being grown up. It's because his brother in law constantly holds the cards and Min Woo is obsessed with his mother. I was relieved to see that Min Woo knew something was up, he just didn't know how to deal with it.
There were so many things to dislike about him, I think that's what added to the struggle because I loved him a lot. I understood how Ji Sook felt about him, wanting to take care of him but also finding him hella hot.
Min Woo has some psychological issues and he is also trying hard to be a competent businessman. I loved his serious personality. He takes everything so seriously. I like that he never smiles.
Dem cheekbones tho. Also, similar to Yeon Woo Jin, he uses his eyebrows in the hottest way and whispers a lot. I don't know why I find whispering so attractive. For some reason, the way this actor (Ju Ji-Hoon) spoke made me pay attention. His Korean sounded different from what I've been hearing.
I like him best when he's exasperated.
Ji Sook
I've found my new favourite heroine. This girl is incredible. She's really an impressive character. I loved seeing an elegant and graceful woman as a heroine. The way people treat her is also refreshing. Sure, they're mean, but not for the usual reasons. No one is telling Ji Sook that she is ugly or stupid.
I like that from the start, Ji Sook has a backbone. She's a fighter and knows how to get down and dirty to survive. I admired her quick thinking.
When she plunges into the world of the rich and snooty she doesn't know how to behave at all. I was really frightened of how awkward she was. She is subjected to a lot of male domination and intimidation.
It was a relief to see her begin to deal with her enemies.
It's nice for a change that the heroine gets the role of protecting the hero secretly and looking on longingly from the side lines because of all the complications. I usually fangirl over the way heroes look at the heroine. But the way Ji Sook smiles at Min Woo, you can see how important he is to her and how much she cherishes him. It's beautiful.
This actress (Soo Ae) has definitely raised the bar. The way I've seen other actresses look at their heroes now seems more akin to shallow infatuation but Ji Sook's gaze just seems so deep and meaningful. It's like the difference between like and love.
Fashion
Both the main characters wear the most beautiful clothes. Well, I loved Ji Sook's dresses and Min Woo always looked dapper in his suits. I liked his home clothes too. They were cute and comfy. Haha. Also, Ji Sook wears some really nice dresses as sleepwear.
Music
The soundtrack was beautiful.
The gimmicky idea that Min Woo plays the violin was not. As a classically trained musician, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was terribly terrible!
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This review may contain spoilers
first of all i'll never watch a drama again according to the reviews i was expecting a brilliant drama
i did ve a great expectations really but i got shocked from the plot
it really didn't convince me at all and has lots of flaws that kills me
romance was so lukewarm and the kissing scenes weren't at their places
the romantic scenes were really provoking i didn't feel them at all
the plot was total mess
Joo Ji Hoon
first there was a conspiracy towards Joo Ji Hoon at the beginning he didn't know who was behind
then after knowing he did nothing
literally nothing .. A B defending myself when i knew that i live wz my enemy i should take high protection procedures
like watching him .. collecting evidence .. searching behind him .. searching in my room at any Surveillance devices cause i already knew that this enemy insist to kill me or drive me crazy
Park Soo Ae
she provoked me much she was so weak character for me
she was innocent how come she didn't defend her self against Jung Hoon by telling what he did and how he forced her after Threatening her wz her family
she was forced to do what she did
till now i didn't get y she gave imp evidence to her enemy telling him she trust his word how could that be
EVEN when she knew that there were Surveillance devices she didn't tell her husband or even do anything towards it and speaking freely in her room
at ep 19 the the encounter scene after finding her was really cold and illogical
i didn't feel any longing or worry in their encounter even when they hugged each other
how come they stay talking in a place she escaped from and they were chasing her
normally as if they were meeting at coffee shop
and the last romance scene between her and her husband
normally when i got dirty and injured i got a shower not just a Medical adhesive
and a stupid look from the one i love -_-
they didn't say also for how long she went to prison
they suddenly wrote 4 yrs later with a baby this age ??? and successful restaurant
its wooow .. REALLY !!!!!
Yoo In Young
was a real B**** for me till the end i saw her the most evil character in this drama
all her reactions towards her husband's wrong deeds was killing me
the director didn't focus a little bit on her remorse so what she ll do next ll be logical
Yeon Jung Hoon
he was the main character for me he catches the whole strings in his hand
provoking, manipulative, solid hearted and has no feeling
till the end he shows us he didn't love his wife at all and loving soo ae a little BUT he is using both of them
THEN SUDDENLY he loved his wife much
HOOOW !!!! I DON"T KNOW???
and even when his father told him to leave revenge he refused may be because he lived his life for this idea
okay i don't mind then y u suddenly discover u loved ur wife after telling her i hated u i used u at the last scene ?? muh
Kim Byung Ok
the shylock
this creature was the most mean and disgusting being in this drama
till the end i was waiting to see what 'll happen to him but nothing except arresting him in a scene doesn't exceed 15 sec. and y ?? they didn't tell how they know about him
cause at the same time (in young) who was hiring him suicide already and no one knows about him except soo ae and her
lots and lots of flaws and events that doesn't convince me
i was hoping a cute romance ,strong plot and a great character development but i got shocked T_T
after ep 12 i really lost my interest
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Good Actors, Bad Drama
I honestly regret sinking the time I did into this drama. The story was garbage due to bad character writing and development. The characters and overarching plot had everything laid out to be something unique and a good drama; they really could've made this into a masterpiece. Instead, they chose the worst way to go about telling this story. If you have to throw common sense out the window and dumb down your characters in order for the plot to work..then your plot doesn't work. If you have to have a bad guy "oops" and casually mention something they shouldn't have in order for the plot to work...your plot doesn't work. The writers not only disrespected us viewers, the actors, the crew that works 12+ hour days tirelessly on set for months and months, but also themselves by writing such a cheap story this way. Writing your characters to be beyond stupid might make your job easier as a writer, but people will no longer be interested in your story. No one likes cheap plot tricks; no one. There's a difference between dumb decisions/character naivety and just plain stupidity that's clearly made to push the plot forward. 99.9% of issues could've been avoided had the characters used common sense befitting that of any intelligent life on planet Earth. To me, that is the definition of bad writing.I found it really hard to watch; if dramas start to get frustrating for me, I speed them up to get through it quicker. Normally I try not to speed it up so quickly so that I can still retain details. Well this is the fastest I've sped up anything, including my college video lectures. I had to watch the last few episodes in 2.5x speed in order to get through it, I just couldn't take it anymore.
Some things I actually liked about this drama was the music and actors. The actors were the most disrespected in this drama, because their performance was better than this story deserved. To me, Seok Hoon carried this show. I was more interested in Min Woo's plotline at first, but throughout the whole thing was the most fascinated with Seok Hoon as a character. The complexities of his character are honestly amazing and it's the only prop I can give to writers. I personally don't mind the ending "change" but I also think it could be argued that it went against what they had built his character on for 20 episodes. Regardless, his character is one of the most interesting out of any TV and movies I've seen. I am very interested in seeing more of Yeon Jung Hoon because I honestly think he should win an award for this role. (I think that would require someone forcing themselves to sit through 20 hours of foolishness, though.) If you happen to be a fan of the actor, this is a great role to see him in, but be prepared for the rest of the drama you'll painfully have to watch.
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So why don't we together vote for this drama and the casts for upcoming awards? And i wish there will be more upcoming dramas like this.
Well done!!!
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