A High Quality Makjang

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Wow, I was not expecting all the hate on this drama. When you're dealing with brain tumor plots, you have expect a certain degree of a lack of realism. So I was prepared for it. A friend asked me what genre this drama is and all I could reply with was "Swoonworthy". I typically wouldn't watch this type of genre these days, since I'm more interested in compelling stories and characters over visually appealing cinematography and attractive leads. However, this drama took me by surprise.

Acting/Cast: Easily the best thing about this drama -- a great cast with even better acting. Surprisingly, my opinion of actors that I previously didn't think highly of, changed for the better due to their performances in this drama (Kim Soo Hyun, Kwak Dong Yeon, and Lee Joo Bin). Yes, the actor who played the grandfather wasn't old enough for the character, but it's not a big deal; he's really a minor character. The best acting, and ultimately my favorite character to watch, came from Kwak Dong Yeon (곽동연). Kim Yang Gi, a minor supporting character played by Moon Tae Yu (문태유), was also a favorite of mine. I would say the entire cast - from main characters to minor supporting characters - brought a charm to their characters, which made them all quite likeable and enjoyable to watch. The chemistry between cast members is somewhat reminiscent of how I felt watching Twinkling Watermelon. They all see to have had a great time filming. 10/10

Writing: The writing was some of the best I've seen..."was". This drama had such a strong start. It stayed strong up until around episode 14 or 15. I was thoroughly impressed. I like the concept of the plot and I like the character building for the various characters throughout the drama. However, the writing starts to veer off course towards the end. It goes full makjang with craziness, unrealistic events, and of course our favorite clichés that have been around for so long. I expected that I would need to suspend some amount of belief for the sake of this plot, but even being prepared, the story still became a bit too ridiculous. I would have liked the villains to be more in the background and for the focus of the plot to instead be on the leads repairing their marriage, the families coming together, and discovering what's really important in life (with the villains simply being the catalyst for this growth). Basically, a family healing drama similar to Welcome to Samdal-ri, but better in every way. With less attention on the villains, I think the important characters would have been able to be fleshed out a bit more and they could have delved more into understanding how their marriage went wrong and how to fix it. It could have been a good learning opportunity for viewers going through similar marital problems. 5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: It looks and sounds nice. The OST is not bad. I was surprised that I like some of the songs. It could use some variation though. 7/10

Entertainment Value: Highly entertaining as long as the topic was on character/relationship building, especially during the first half of the drama. However, there's some dragging towards the end. The things I cared more about were glossed over in the end (too much BS with the villains). 6.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6.5/10. Really, I could justify a rating from 6 to 7 out of 10, but I've settled for a 6.5/10. This is mainly due to the craziness towards the end, too much wasted time on villains and politics, and because this drama didn't put me on the edge of my seat (or have a crack drama vibe), nor did it have as much charm as Goblin or Crash Landing On You (although it came very close). But it's a good drama; it achieved such high ratings for a reason. This drama saved me from falling into a drama slump and now the baton is being passed to Lovely Runner.

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Another Frustrating Romeo and Juliet Story

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Sorry, but I really hate Romeo and Juliet, so keep that in mind.

Acting/Cast: This is the first area that began nagging at me. I wasn't a fan of the female lead's acting. It felt stiff. Even the male lead's acting felt a bit stiff. Maybe it's a lack of chemistry between the leads. I was never able to fully get on board with their relationship. Really, they hardly know each other. I thought the side characters did good though. The strongest performance was probably from the 2nd female lead. The male lead's mom stands out to me too. 4.5/10

Writing: The drama started strong with an entertaining premise (although cliché). However, once the plot took a turn and became depressing and angsty, it quickly became frustrating and predictable as well. Yes, I get it's a tragedy, but the entire drama was just a bunch of characters continually making horrible decisions. If the plot requires a death of a major character, at least don't let the cause of their death be their own fault. It's not as much of a tear-jerking moment otherwise. I thought the second female lead ultimately had a more interesting story with a lot more potential (although she was pretty annoying in the first half), but unfortunately none of the plot points in her story were expounded. With her character, it was just dead end after dead end. She was even completely abandoned by the writers at the drama's conclusion in favor of the main storyline. Another issue I had with the writing was the plot line between the female lead and her father. It was predictable and unrealistic, which kept me from being able to connect with the female lead. Also, the male lead's father didn't make sense to me - a really abusive and seemingly psychotic, power hungry dude that sees his family members as objects, suddenly develops feelings and a sense of familial love. Throughout the entire drama they kept emphasizing how much he doesn't give a crap about them, so the sudden drastic change at the end left me trying to rationalize his behavior in my head. On a positive note, me favorite aspect of this drama was the storyline with the kids. I liked how their friendship developed as well as the character development of the male lead's little brother. Ugh...it's so frustrating because there were so many interesting facets that either weren't explored enough or weren't explored at all. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama did have an old vibe to it, which seems completely intentional because it takes place in 1980. I don't like the style though. I loved Snowdrop, which takes place in 1987, and that drama feels like it has a much higher production value without feeling too modern. The OST is fine, but it's not my style either. 5/10

Entertainment Value: It was fairly entertaining. I had no desire to drop it, but I also put off finishing it and watched other dramas instead. I had a good idea of how it was going to play out, so I wasn't too bothered about finishing the drama quickly. I had a hard time connecting with the leads, but there were other characters that I was interested in. Too bad the writers weren't as interested in those other characters. In the first half of the drama, the leads were more compelling to watch, but in the second half everyone else became more compelling to watch. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10 mainly due to my hatred for Romeo and Juliet and how frustrating everything was. Oh gosh... the game of hot potato at the end with that damn watch was so annoying.

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It Didn't Get Me Out Of My Drama Slump

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I usually avoid medical dramas and healing dramas, but I decided to give this one a shot in hopes that it'd be a different kind of medical drama. It is...but I still didn't like it. I've come to find that 'healing' tends to be synonymous with 'boring'.

Acting/Cast: This is easily the best thing about this drama. It has a very likeable cast who play very likeable characters. Even Park Shin Hye (박신혜) did a decent job, which surprised me. I love the main family as well as the two best friends. Regarding the chemistry of the leads, I've seen reviews that say they have amazing chemistry and others that say that their chemistry is terrible. I'm a bit in the middle. I think they had decent chemistry, but maybe they were better suited as best friends or brother and sister. Wait...I just had a thought...If they took out the romance and made it a family healing drama...that could've worked really well. Anyway, their chemistry actually kind of reminds me of how I felt about the leads in Welcome to Samdal-ri. Maybe it's because of the over-the-top cutesy behavior. To me, it comes across as childish and not romantic at all. I think the secondary couple in this drama has much more romantic chemistry. 7/10

Writing : The drama started strong. It definitely isn't your typical medical drama, which is nice. The focus is on the issues that the leads are going through and how to overcome them and heal together. I also like the premise of the leads being rivals in the past and the idea of how enemies can actually be friends and friends can actually be enemies. I really like the female lead's family, as well. They feel realistic - they're not overly critical or controlling or overly dramatic, but supportive and level-headed. Regarding the mystery aspect of the drama, I liked it. It added some drama to the plot to keep me interested. However, it ended abruptly and too soon. By the time I got through the drama (which took a long time because it had become so boring), the mystery plot seemed like a distant memory. On another note, I liked how depression and PTSD is represented in the drama. However, I found it ridiculous that a super smart doctor, who reads medical dissertations as their only source of fun, seemed to have no idea what depression is. That was very strange to me. It made the psychiatrist visits feel a bit condescending. Regarding the use of alcohol in this drama, I guess it is strange for a medical drama to promote drinking like it did. However, while watching, I didn't think twice about it. Even though I personally hate alcohol, I guess it's just something I've become accustomed to seeing in Korean dramas. So, it didn't bother me, but it is odd...especially when the leads are taking meds. They put the drinking scenes in there, I think, in order to give the characters reasons to act 'cute' (especially the mom). It's not something I find cute, but I get why it's there. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The biggest problem I had with this drama is the pacing. This is probably a combination of a writing and directing issue. The mystery plot and any other conflicts that the characters were dealing with should have extended throughout more of the drama because once everything was resolved, it became incredibly boring. Episode 13 is when the dragging starts. It shouldn't take 3 episodes to wrap up a drama. Maybe this drama would have done better with a 12 episode length. Too many flashbacks also. It wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't flashbacking to the same scenes repeatedly. On a more positive note, this drama does have decent camera work and music. 1.5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half of the drama was decently entertaining, especially for a healing drama. However, towards the end, I thought I was going to end up dropping it because it was dragging so much. Actually, the reason I didn't was due to the side love story. I keep thinking of how I felt about Hello, It's Me!; It's also a healing drama with a lot of similar issues. I ended up giving it the same overall score as this drama. Comparing them, I think they both conveyed good messages. I think Hello, It's Me! has a more moving message and is a bit more entertaining, whereas Doctor Slump has more likeable characters and better chemistry between them. Both dramas I struggled to get through - this one slightly more. 2/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 3.5/10 mainly due to the pacing issues and the lack of romantic chemistry between the leads.

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A Fun Ride With A Likeable Cast

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I normally don't like heist plots , but I love hostage plots. I finally decided to give this one a shot. By the way, I haven't seen the original, so I can't compare them. Also, I'm reviewing both parts of this drama as a whole.

Acting/Cast: Overall, I love the casting choices. Park Hae Soo (박해수), who plays Berlin, is an especially strong actor. I've seen him previously as the lead role in Prison Playbook and I loved him in that, so I knew he'd kill this role, too. Right when Berlin was introduced, I knew he'd be my favorite character; he has such a powerful presence about him. The rest of the crew was great, as well. Even the team members that didn't get as much screen time really grew on me. I'd say the only character I really had an issue with was the main female hostage, Yun Mi Seon played by Lee Joo Bin (이주빈). She has this "deer in headlights" look the entire time. Her character was pretty badass technically, but I don't think the actress conveyed that very well. 9/10

Writing: The plot was engaging. I liked the way that they laid the story out so that the audience wouldn't be sure as to what was really going on until it was revealed. I'd say the narration was unnecessary though. Maybe that's just me - I tend to dislike narration. The first half of the drama had red herrings that I think worked very well for the story and made it more exciting. However, in the second half of the drama, the red herrings came to be expected. In consequence, they lost their effectiveness in garnering strong emotions from the audience. Again, the hostage Yun Mi Seon played by Lee Joo Bin (이주빈) nagged at me in this category, too. Her character was strange - it just didn't make sense to me how she was so hung up on gross ass Peter Pettigrew and then she quickly screws another guy she just met. In my opinion, sex scenes never help a drama (and by sex scene, I mean the full-bodied, lingering sex scenes) and that's what happened in this drama. It came across as trashy, not romantic, and it just made me dislike her character even more. Actually, her entire plotline was annoying to me. There's one more sex scene in this drama, but it's not quite as risqué (although I still think it goes on for a little too long). The ending was good - I just wish there was a bit more closure for some of the characters. Throughout the drama, there were some scenes and dialogue that felt a bit cheesy, but whatever, I had fun. That being said, I couldn't help but compare this drama to Snowdrop. There are plot points that are eerily similar. However, Snowdrop has a much more dark and serious tone. I will say that overall, Snowdrop is the stronger drama out of the two and it was able to leave a lasting impression on me as opposed to Money Heist: Korea. 7/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I love the music, the costumes, the mask designs. The drama looks well-produced - good special effects, good camera work. The 'director of the mint' hostage...they did him so dirty with the camera angles. It was hilarious. I will bring up the cheese factor again in this category: There were some really cheesy and unrealistic scenes. I'm particularly referring to the scenes with a lot of gunfire and nobody is getting shot. Then, there was one scene where someone was shot, but instead of dragging the person away from the firefight, they just stayed there and cried. It caused a bit of disconnect for me because it was so contrary to how someone would actually react in a situation like that. 7.5/10

Entertainment Value: Binge worthy for sure. I stopped watching my other dramas so I could binge this one. To be fair though, the other dramas that I was watching aren't an exciting genre like this one. In any case, with this drama, I was dialed in the entire time and I did have a smile on my face a lot while watching. I definitely had fun. However, like I said previously, I would have liked less of an open ending for some of the characters. 9/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10 mainly due to some cheesiness, my issue with the sex scenes, and my issues with the Yun Mi Seon character in general.

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Accidently Developed An Obsession

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I was excited for this one. Lee Dong Wook (이동욱) is one of my favorite Korean actors because of his ability to play all kinds of characters. I loved his role as a villain in Strangers From Hell. In A Shop For Killers, he's playing a darker role too, although not exactly a villain.

Acting/Cast: I love the cast and their acting. I think Ji An, the main character, has become one of my all time favorite K-drama characters. Min Hye is badass, too. I also like Brother, Pasin, and of course Jin Man. The only casting I didn't like was Ji An's childhood friend. I'm glad he didn't have much screen time. 9/10

Writing: I love the plot and the characters. I like the way that the story unfolded using the "잘 들어 정지안" (Listen well, Jeong Ji An) pattern. It gave the drama a certain kind of charm. I normally hate flashbacks, but these flashbacks were done in a way that felt artistic -at least the Ji An flashbacks did. There was a portion of the drama that had long flashbacks that I felt were unnecessary. They were scenes that the audience had already experienced, but more detail was being added in. I didn't need the extra detail. I liked the mysterious vibe that the scenes originally had. It was as though we were in the same boat with Ji An not knowing what the hell was going on and we were uncovering the mystery with her. But, because of these 'retracing our steps' scenes, I felt like I was watching the same scenes twice and I got bored. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The best thing about the drama... This is how I accidentally developed an obsession. The camera work, the production value, the weapons, the choreography, the MUSIC - it's all so good. It was a bit reminiscent of John Wick (and John Wick is one of the greatest things to exist in the world of artful cinematography). I finally got all the songs I wanted from this drama on my mp3 player. I haven't been this into a soundtrack since...maybe Strangers From Hell? Well, the Doona! soundtrack was pretty good, too. By the way, the music played during the gas mask scene is called Minhye Action. I was looking for that one for a while. 10/10

Entertainment Value: This obsession really snuck up on me. I didn't think I was enjoying it that much. It was because of those repeated scenes that I mentioned earlier. I just wanted to get back to the action with everyone at the house. Don't keep me holding my breath. After the drama ended, I couldn't get it out of my head. I liked it more and more as time passed. This is the same thing that happened to me years back with Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. I gave it a 6 or a 7 upon finishing the drama, but I missed it so much once it was gone that I ended up putting that drama in my top 10 and increasing its score to 9.5. Anyway, I'm not usually one for sequels, but this drama needs one. I actually think that not having a second season will hurt this drama in the long run (unless the second season is terrible of course...Sweet Home...Strong Girl...send help. 8/10

Overall, I ended up increasing this drama's score from a 7.5 to a 9/10.
See, this is why I don't write reviews immediately after completing a drama. I have to give it some time to sink in so I can sort out my feelings.
By the way, I made a YouTube Short featuring Ji An. The title is "Ji An | A Shop For Killers | Little Girl Gone" and my channel name is The Enablers.



murthehelp

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Just Lame...Unfortunately

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

It's so disappointing every time I witness a drama self destructing...

Acting/Cast: Just okay. The female lead's acting started off strong in the first episode or two, but it quickly dive-bombed off a cliff. What her acting regressed in to reminded me of the female lead's acting in the beginning of Perfect Marriage Revenge. Except, in Perfect Marriage Revenge, her acting improved as the drama progressed. It was like she was trying to imitate the female lead in The Glory, but only at random moments, so she just seemed like she had a split personality for no reason. Then, that split personality acting turned into cookie-cutter basic female lead personality (which is an absence of personality). The best acting is probably from the second female lead and maybe some side characters. The male lead is boring too. If you're going to have no personality, at least have good chemistry with the female lead... 2/10

Writing: Literally the same plot as Perfect Marriage Revenge. I was hoping that this drama would at least be an improved version. Unfortunately, I ended up giving them the same overall score, but for different reasons. The leads weren't as likeable and didn't have as much chemistry in this drama. However, the villains were a lot better and the entertainment value was a bit higher. This drama also has some entertaining side characters as opposed to Perfect Marriage Revenge. The drama really goes downhill when the character Oh Yoo Ra is introduced in episode 11. The original villains were good enough - I don't know why they felt the need to add in another villain towards the end of the drama. Oh and you know how in every single romance drama there's a point about 2/3 into the drama where the leads "break up"? Well...simply the introduction of this new character is the catalyst for it here...and it's such a dumb reason. I started hating the female lead. I described her as being "self-righteous" (a very unattractive trait in my opinion). Also, the male lead does some ridiculous sacrificial lamb BS that was so cheesy and lame. I couldn't believe the drama had devolved into this stupidity. On a positive note, I liked the added complexity to the "rules" of fate and the detail of the female lead's father being involved in her second chance. 3.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The direction got drunk and wouldn't go home... I'm not a fan of the OST. And the intro...I usually don't mention intros because they really don't matter at all, but in any case, it's terrible. It doesn't fit the drama, but whatever. I can say that the beginning of this drama was well directed. The female lead's reaction to waking up ten years in the past, face-to-face with her abusive ex that had just murdered her was on point. It was so realistic...seriously, it was the highlight of the drama. Too bad the writers couldn't maintain that same energy for the rest of the drama. 4.5/10

Entertainment Value: Very entertaining through the first half of the drama. It takes a turn for the worst when an additional character is suddenly introduced in episode 11. The female lead started to really piss me off and her acting became a mess. The drama started getting cheesy. This wasn't supposed to be a Makjang right? It felt like more of a Makjang than Perfect Marriage Revenge did...and not a good one. 5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. Highly disappointing, but it did get some things right.

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Conflicts Aren’t Great but Enjoyed Light, Positive Vibes

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I picked this drama up because I like the lead actors. Actually, I don’t like Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) in any roles other than action, but I decided to give it another shot. This seemed like it could be a cute romance, but in order for it to work, the chemistry needs to be on point.

Acting/Cast: I was pleasantly surprised by the cast. There were some actors that I was very happy to see again and some actors I’ve seen for the first time. I think everyone did great acting-wise (except for the female lead’s dad). However, like I mentioned before, the chemistry is the most important aspect here. All of the friend groups had good chemistry as well as the side romances, but I’m not sure the two leads quite got there -- at least not as more than friends. Maybe it’s because they were so overly cutesy with each other or maybe it’s because there weren’t any - even remotely - steamy scenes between them. I just wasn’t completely sold on them. Especially, after that ending with the choice that the male lead made. Careers were obviously way more important to everyone over love, which is strange for a “romance”. 7.5/10

Writing: I like the plot and the side stories. I like the characters. However, there’s some details that bothered me. The useless love triangle is one of those things. Literally, it was only there to motivate the male lead to make a move. They really built up this second male lead like he was going to be a huge threat, but no, just another poor victim of second male lead abuse. I think he was an interesting and unique character, too, so it’s such a shame. Another issue I had with this drama is the forced conflicts (apart from the love triangle). The initial conflict that sets the plot in motion is fine, but later on, things happen that make it feel unrealistic. There’s also another conflict between the male lead’s father and the female lead that just feels annoying and childish. I wanted to just skip over all of that nonsense. Then, the “plot twist” at the end with the foreigner seemed so pointless… I was like ‘Why??’ Blink and you’ll miss it. Fortunately, this drama has good side stories and likeable characters all around. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The ending was so cliché that it didn’t feel consistent with the male lead’s personality. The pacing was decent despite using so-so conflicts to push the story along. The OST isn’t really my cup of tea, but I did add two of the songs to my playlist. Beautiful Day by Gemini (제미나이, 아름다운 날) is really pretty and of course the drama’s theme song: DK (도겸) (Seventeen) - Short Hair (단발머리). 6/10

Entertainment Value: It was an easy, light watch. Nothing very exciting to make me want to binge watch this drama, but also nothing so irritating that it would make me want to drop it. The second half is when I started feeling a bit of a drag (episode 9) and episode 10 or 11 is when more conflicts are forced in which began to annoy me. The ending was cliché, too. Although one of the side love stories was solidified, which was a pleasant surprise. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. It makes me wish I had a rabid posse of male friends. It almost made me want to start taking photos...I hate taking photos.

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Great Acting, But For What?

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Although I don’t really like crime dramas, I decided to watch this one because I like both of the male lead actors. I particularly love seeing Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) in action roles. He’s amazing at it and it’s been a long time since I’d seen him do action.

Acting/Cast: Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) did not disappoint. His fighting sequences were not only exciting, but his acting was too real. I could feel all of his emotions throughout the entire drama. I think this could be the best performance that I’ve seen from him. Everyone else did great for the most part. The female lead’s acting was probably on the weaker side as well as the side character cops. 9.5/10

Writing: The psychological aspect of this drama was well written. However, that’s about it. The actual plot was not very interesting and didn’t make much sense realistically. The female lead really didn’t have much of a role. She was just the driving force behind the motivation for male leads. All she had to do was exist. After finishing this drama, I felt confused as to what the purpose of the drama was. What’s the message? You must become evil to win against evil? Or that you shouldn’t do that? Or that we are the choices we make? If it’s that last one, then, I feel like the heroes are almost worse than the gangsters. The heroes had done something that was so completely heartless and shameful even by the gangsters’ standards. Maybe the mixed messages are intentional. Maybe the characters in the drama are just as confused as I am. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Since this is a genre that I’m not particularly interested in, I didn’t think it would be able to keep my attention. However, the fight scenes would force me to bring my full attention back the screen. This drama definitely has a high production quality. The pacing is good. The OST didn’t stand out to me. 7/10

Entertainment Value: The action scenes were great. That's the only thing that kept me watching. However, the plot just feels pointless to me. I could predict what was going to happen a lot, too. I'm also not a fan of tragedies. This drama reminded me of Heartless City. Except, in Heartless City, the characters grew on me as I watched. The opposite happened for me with The Worst of Evil. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 5.5/10. It might just be due to my own personal tastes - I don't usually like crime dramas nor tragedies. Amazing acting from Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) though.

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Clever Writing, Movie Quality From Start To Finish

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

(This is a review for Part 1 and 2 together)
I watched this for Park So Dam (박소담). It’s been so long since I’ve seen her and she’s so cute. However, in this drama, she’s playing a character that’s not so cute. I was curious to see how she’d do. I wasn’t disappointed.

Acting/Cast: Great and unexpected cast. I was so happy seeing all the familiar faces and they all performed exceptionally in their roles. In particular, I think Kim Jae Wook’s (김재욱) character was so well done that he could have a drama or movie of his own. He was like every iteration of the Joker rolled into one. The styling, the suave body language, the confidently demented personality, the high-paying hobby with a horrifying secret—he was very much his own mini movie. I think the main actor, Seo In Guk (서인국) overacted at times, but it could have been more of a directing choice. 9.5/10

Writing: The writing was extremely well done. The story had a movie quality to it due to how neatly everything was laid out and then wrapped back up. I had no idea what to expect when going into this. Except, I knew it was going to have a body swapping theme, which I usually don’t like. I thought it would be another cliché plot. Not at all. There is no sugar-coating with this drama. It doesn’t pull any punches. Be advised- this drama is not for the faint of heart. There is a ton of gore…shocking gore, too. That’s something I also don’t normally like, but I think the shock value added something much needed to the idea behind this drama – the fear of death--or the reverence of death. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away...but this drama is about suicide. Suicide is a sensitive topic that is difficult to address. It’s a subject that I am very familiar with, so I tend to be particularly critical regarding how it is approached. I felt like this drama portrayed the internal struggle of a suicidal person fairly well. Towards the end of the drama, my cynicism caused me to think that “this would only be an effective message for those who have at least one good parent in their life or a significant other that truly loves them. What about the people that have nobody? What’s their reason to live?” Despite my negativity, after watching this drama, I immediately typed up my reaction or my ultimate take-away from the story: “Watching all of these people die so suddenly...so easily…and watching them fight for their lives…made me think that the time we have alive can be seen as a gift or an opportunity. We really have a short, temporary life that can end at any moment. So why cut it even shorter? It'll be over before we know it anyway. ‘It's ok if we fail, as long as we don't give up.’ (a quote from the drama)” I need to mention the ending here. A little predictable…ok maybe more than a little, but not bad. This feels so out-of-character for me to say, but I think that an open ending would have worked really well for this story. Wow, this is the one time I’ve actually wanted an open ending. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Watching this drama felt like watching a long blockbuster movie. Not only because of the writing, but also because of the high production value. Immediately, we see stunts, action, explosions, blood, and all out insanity. I was shocked. Why was I under the impression that this was going to be a romance? At times, I even thought it was too much--too over-the-top. Just think if this drama had a badass OST... I mean even Bad and Crazy had one awesome song that made the drama super memorable even though I didn’t really like the drama. Same thing with Tale of the Nine-Tailed. This drama just needs that one badass song to really make it unforgettable. 6.5/10

Entertainment Value: I waited for this drama to finish airing before watching it. I knew it would be binge-worthy. It does slow down quite a bit in the end, but I wasn’t complaining. I needed a break from all the insanity anyway. Sometimes, it was a bit tough to watch. I don’t like gore. I had to look away a lot. It also has a very depressing theme. I’m glad I was able to get through it quickly. I feel when I’m watching a drama, it’s sort of like a part of me is in that world until the drama’s over. So, I’m glad I wasn’t in that world for very long. 8.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10. There’s a lot of violence and gore. It feels over-the-top at times. The topic of suicide is really tough to navigate, but I like the fearlessly aggressive approach, even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything. I don’t like it when drama creators are too afraid of the audience to do anything risky. It could have really used a badass OST though…

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I Forced Myself To Watch This Fan Service Drama

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I would have never even started watching this drama on my own. I had a friend who wanted us to watch it together and then talk about it. I warned my friend about what to expect watching a “deity romance” genre Korean drama and I was right. They’re terrible. The only deity romance (that I’ve seen so far) that is actually really good is Goblin.

Acting/Cast: Was there acting in this? Oh yeah, the villains did some decent acting. The female lead was good in the beginning. Everything else was just the leads staring at each other or the side characters trying to act like cartoon characters in order to be funny (and it wasn’t). If this had been the first drama I had seen starring Song Kang (송강), I would have refrained from watching anymore of his dramas in the future. Is he supposed to be a scary, intimidating demon in this drama? Because all I could see was an infant in fuzzy sweaters whose eyes glowed red sometimes. 1/10

Writing: Was there writing in this? Oh yeah, the first few episodes were actually decent. At first, it seemed like a legitimate drama with a plot and its own quirky identity. What happened? I feel like I was tricked. It was as though they only put a lot of effort into those first episodes in order to draw viewers in. It turned into nothing but fan service and a fashion show. The male lead’s character doesn’t make any sense. He has a split personality that changes on a whim to suit the writer’s needs. The female lead was initially intelligent and then became stupid toward the end (what did you expect Do Do Hee? He’s a demon. Well, maybe I can’t fault her too much since even the writers were confused as to how his personality was supposed to be and the stylist kept dressing him like a toddler experimenting with pretty clothes). Even the second female lead went through a drastic change in personality out of nowhere. And of course, we can’t forget the forgettable second male lead. Well, actually we can. (Missed opportunity for a side love story between him and the second female lead.) Oh, and the useless gang members. Why were they in the drama? Most of the side characters were completely unnecessary and had no purpose. The worse side characters were the Aunt-Justin-Austin trio that were only there to be obnoxious. The second worst side characters were the office employee trio that were only there for product placement commercials. What was that ending? (Besides cliché.) So strange. The wrap-up just left me scratching my head. At least it didn’t leave me angry…I guess. 1/10

Direction/SFX/Music: There was one good scene in this entire drama. It was the tango dance scene in the beginning. I actually laughed out loud. The drama seemed to be finding itself. It had this goofy, whimsical, fun, magical vibe. However, it struggled to maintain that identity and instead became a nonsensical cliché-filled deity romance. The SFX was pretty good and in the beginning, there was some clever camera work and cuts that also had a part in giving me some (false) hope that this would turn out to be a decent drama. The OST is not my cup of tea, but not bad. 2/10

Entertainment Value: The first half was ok regarding entertainment value. I thought maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Some viewers were saying it reminded them of Goblin and that this drama had even copied scenes from Goblin. It’s been a while since I had seen Goblin, so I didn’t pick up on that in the moment. Personally, while I was watching this drama, I was reminded heavily of Doom At Your Service and a bit of My Roommate is a Gumiho (Both are bad dramas, yet both are better than My Demon.) I’m kind of shocked that I can’t even think of one redeeming quality that this drama has…hold on...I can do this…ok maybe the SFX? The first 6 episodes maybe? Oh yeah, the female lead is pretty strong and confident…that’s nice to see. Anyway, I remember hitting play to watch episode 14 and in my head I said “I hate this drama” and then I laughed out loud when I realized what I had just thought in my mind. 1.5/10

Overall, I ended up giving this drama a 1.5/10. It at least didn’t make me want to die. If you want to watch a drama that’s like Who’s Line Is It Anyway, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter…except it’s not funny, then this is the drama for you!

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A Relaxing Watch That Ultimately Left A Bad Taste In My Mouth

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

This was a very serene watch for the most part. I found it enjoyable although there were things nagging at me throughout the entire drama.

Acting/Cast: I think this is the first time I’ve seen these actors (except for the female lead’s best friend and the female lead’s brother). I thought the female lead was fine, but I thought the male lead’s acting style was a little different that the others. He seemed like a regular person -- not very passionate, constantly flipping his hair out of his eyes. I didn’t feel like he liked the female lead. He seemed happier and more comfortable alone. Basically, I'm saying he didn't sell the romance for me; it wasn't believable. I enjoyed watching the sign language between them and not necessarily the love story between them. Maybe the leads just didn’t have chemistry. There was too big of an age gap between the leads, which also bothered me and didn't help with the chemistry. I typically don't like big age gap romances, but it still probably wouldn’t have bothered me as much if the two leads actually seemed like they loved each other. Unfortunately, I developed the dreaded second lead syndrome because the female lead and the second male lead seemed to be a much better fit for each other. 4/10

Writing: The main story started off strong, but as conflicts were introduced, it became annoying. I enjoyed all of the side love stories more than the main couple's love story. If this drama wanted to stay realistic, it should have taken a risk—have a female lead end up with a second male lead for once. I know, it’s crazy...so crazy it just might work. My heart goes out to all the mistreated second male leads in the K drama world. Anyway…where was I? Oh yeah, so the romance between the leads suddenly becomes toxic out of nowhere. I was so confused…the female lead just does a complete 180. I mean, I guess it was realistic because in real life there would come a moment when she’d realize the reality of the relationship and the age difference (Although, I don’t even think the age gap was addressed…). But then, the ending made it unrealistic and left me feeling very negatively about the whole thing. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The pacing was great. That was one thing I really liked about this drama. Even if I wasn’t too into the main love story, the pacing made it a nice watch. The OST is also pretty decent. I like the artwork that was used throughout the drama as well. 6/10

Entertainment Value: I did enjoy watching this drama. It had a nice, peaceful vibe. I really liked watching the sign language and I liked the side love stories. However, they weren’t given enough screen time. I started getting annoyed in the second half of the drama by the repetitive conflicts regarding past trauma. Then, the sudden change in the female lead towards the end threw me through a loop…and then, the sudden change AGAIN at the very end... 4.5/10

Overall, I ended up giving this drama a 4/10 due to the unrealistic and strange ending, the lack of the development of side characters, and due to it being yet another drama that does a second male lead dirty. I’m going to go sulk now. (Don’t mind me…I’m still not over the second male lead syndrome I had developed while watching True Beauty.)

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Strong Foundation But Still Managed To Lose Its Footing

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I really had high hopes for this one. I love Rowoon (로운); I think he's a great actor. I saw some short clips of this drama that highlighted his portrayal of a quirky character in an unfortunate but comical situation. It seemed very charming. So despite my dislike for the female lead, I decided to give this drama a shot...

Acting/Cast: This is going to sound so harsh...honestly, the only positive in this category is Rowoon (로운), the male lead...and even he struggled. I don't know if it's his fault or the writing or the direction or all of the above, but he couldn't hold the character. It was such a unique character, too, with an extremely distinct personality and it just...fizzled away as the drama progressed. I would catch glimpses of his former self here and there but it only served as a depressing reminder of what once was. Jo Ba Ah (조보아), who played the female lead, wasn't any better. I had really disliked her after watching her ruin Tale of the Nine-Tailed with her horrible acting. At least she had improved in this drama. I was surprised that she wasn't the reason this drama failed. The villains - all three of them - are lame. The side characters tried so hard to be likeable and they just couldn't pull it off. Oh, I almost forgot about that poor 2nd male lead... a K-drama pet peeve of mine -- disrespected 2nd male leads. 1/10

Writing: I'm so sick of the "we loved each other in a past life" trope. It's so over done. It's seriously becoming another huge K-drama pet peeve of mine. The writing and plot started out strong. It was an interesting premise with a dark, ominous undertone. Unfortunately, this all goes away pretty early on in the drama and it just becomes a boring, typical romance...with a stalker cliche. I think it fizzles out around episode 8 or 9. Ugh...the beginning was so good...I'm so disappointed... 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama does have good cinematography and production quality. This is definitely the strongest category. The OST is decent. Direction though, I did not agree with. Going from unique, quirky, cute, with some creepy and even adult vibes to a cookie-cutter romance. I forgot the ending. It's only been a few days and I already forgot. That's how unimpressed I was. 6/10

Entertainment Value: Getting through the 1st episode wasn't quick for me. I don't know if it was the drama or me. However, after the 1st episode, I really got into the story. I was excited to watch it. I really loved the male lead's character and the dynamic between the 2 leads. I thought the plot itself was very engaging. Then, I reached the 2nd half of the drama and as I continued watching to the end, I experienced all the hope within me slowly shrivel up and die. 4/10

Now I'm sad.
Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10 due to the complete disregard for the solid foundation that had been established in the beginning of the drama.

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Looks Beautiful, Feels Hollow

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

After I had binge-watched this drama in 1 day, I was left with mixed feelings. I spent some time reflecting on it to better understand what I liked and didn't like about it. By the way, I have not read the webtoon that it is adapted from.

Acting/Cast: I literally only wanted to watch this because it had been a while since I've seen Suzy in a drama. Don't let that fool you though - I actually don't think she's a good actress. Everything I've seen her in, her acting is subpar. However, she's one of the few actors that I still enjoy watching despite their acting ability. Instead, I like to watch her for the sake of nostalgia (Uncontrollably Fond -- my 1st K-Drama, Dream High). This drama was no different for Suzy; her acting was still lacking. But even so, I was glad to see her. On the other hand, Yang Se Jong (양세종) is a good actor. I've only seen him in one other drama (Thirty but Seventeen -- one of my top 10 K-Dramas) and I loved him in that one, so I was relieved to see that he would be playing the male lead in Doona! I knew Suzy would need the help and I was right - he was great. They worked well together and I felt their chemistry. The side characters were interesting too. I thought I wouldn't like them and I didn't at first, but they ended up being a fun addition. I actually wanted to see more of them. 5/10

Writing: This is the difficult part...this is the part that left me with this hollow feeling. It's as though I walked into a building that was still under construction. The foundation is set, the support beams have been erected, the walls are starting to be built up, and I can see signs of some great craftsmanship and beautiful architecture. But, the construction was left abandoned...I guess because the architect thought it looked more meaningful this way. I can't say that more episodes would have fixed this problem, because it seems to be an artistic choice. I felt as if the writing was skirting around the issues, afraid to really delve deep. I saw the potential for the drama to get into more of the psychology of Doona -- to really understand not only her, but others in the entertainment industry that may be facing similar problems, but it just didn't happen. This hollowness was even felt with the side characters. It seemed like they were just thrown in without much character development, which is a shame because I actually ended up liking them. The chemistry between the 2 leads helped to sell the romance in K-Drama world, but it didn't feel like a real-life romance to me. Observing it realistically, Doona would be the type of girl you'd expect to be (to put it nicely) a serial dater. She would have eaten that sweet guy alive in reality -- completely crush his heart with no remorse. So, while I was watching, I was very scared for him...I mean, she's just one giant red flag. But anyway, I'll stop here so I don't give any spoilers. 1.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Easily the best thing about this drama. It is very pretty, very aesthetically pleasing. Great ASMR mic quality. Great cinematography all around. I even like some of the music. My favorite songs on the OST are The Universe by Kwon Jin Ah and Still by DVWN. I think this is why it was so easy for me to binge this drama - it was just so nice to look and and listen to. 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: I found myself hanging on the every word while watching this drama. Even rewinding if I missed a sentence. I only do that when I'm genuinely enjoying a drama. However, by the end, I was left dissatisfied and wanting so much more. Maybe a bit confused, too. Towards the end it became somewhat frustrating to watch. I myself wasn't even sure of Doona's feelings... 4.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5/10. It was difficult to put a number on it since my feelings about it are all over the place. Would I recommend this drama? Probably not... unless you're a fan of one of the leads.

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A Makjang That's Nothing Special

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

This one is pretty tame for a Makjang. It's not bad but very forgettable.
By the way, I am not familiar with the webtoon this drama is based on.

Acting/Cast: Most of the casting was fine. Even the male lead grew on me. He always plays these types of characters though. I'd say the worst character is the 2nd female lead (the female lead's sister). I felt like she was unrealistic and over-the-top. Her acting is probably the worst. The female lead's acting isn't great in the beginning either but I think she improved through the course of the drama. No interesting characters really... The villains are lame. My favorite character was the male lead's mother played by Lee Mi Sook (이미숙). 4/10

Writing: The plot is interesting and the writing isn't terrible. I was just expecting more craziness than what I was given. Not much for twists. Nothing super unexpected happened. No real roadblocks for the female lead. The villains are boring and unthreatening. It made for a stress-free watch though. The romance is surprisingly good (I say that because I normally don't like Sung Hoon's characters (방성훈). I felt the leads had chemistry and I like how the romance develops between them. I also liked that the female lead has an impressive talent. She kind of reminded my of the female lead in Love In Sadness (now that's a memorable drama). 3/10

Direction/SFX/Music: It has good pacing. The music is ok. One thing, that I'll mention here, that bugged me while watching was the styling of the male lead. They kept putting him in really baggy clothes that just makes it look like he's not wearing the right size...as though he just recently lost a lot of weight and hasn't had time to buy new clothes. But that was just a small personal gripe. 5.5/10

Entertainment Value: I stayed fairly entertained throughout the drama. I think I started to lose some interest toward the end when I realized nothing too crazy is ever going to happen. So, it was entertaining enough to get me through the drama once and fairly quickly. However, it's no where near entertaining enough to remember this drama let alone to want to watch it again. I actually forgot that I had finished this drama, which is why I'm writing this review a little late. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. It's not bad, not good...just meh.

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The Drag Nearly Killed It

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

If you're like me and you hate flashbacks, you probably won't like this drama.

Acting/Cast: Top notch easily. Great cast, great acting. The acting made me feel things, especially in the first half of the drama. 10/10

Writing: The writing was great in the 1st half. I liked the story between Bong Seok and his mom. I found the kids to be interesting and how they each deal with their "condition". This isn't really about superheroes...they're more like everyday people that have an ability that has made them outcasts. I found that approach to be compelling. It reminded me of the plot of a book I read in school called Hidden Talents by David Lubar. So, in the beginning, when the focus was on the kids in this school together, I really enjoyed it. Then, the story went into flashback mode that lasted for way too long. The story wasn't very linear anymore and it jumped between characters. Because of this jumping around, many characters that I enjoyed watching were completely absent from multiple episodes in a row. I just wanted the flashback to hurry up so I could get back to watching the kids at the school. Don't get me wrong, the adults had interesting stories too, but they were dragged out for way too long. I almost dropped this drama because of this. They should have cut back to the kids in the middle of the flashbacks or maybe cut the total number of episodes down. Towards the end, a character was introduced, given a back story in flashback fashion and everything. It seemed out-of-place. Why spend so much time on an insignificant character this late in the drama? I guess it was to give the characters connected to him a little bit of background and humanize some of the "villains"? Maybe if they didn't drag out the flashbacks of the 2 main kids' parents, they could have had more time to appropriately flesh out some of these side characters. However, despite almost dropping this drama in the 2nd half, the ending was decent. 6/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I didn’t like the flow/pacing of the drama. Flashbacks lasted so long that I nearly forgot what the faces of characters on the backburner looked like. However, the production value was obviously high. Most of the time, the SFX was very well done. However, there were some flying scenes that I thought didn't look so great. The music didn’t grab my attention, but at least it didn’t annoy me. 5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half kept me engaged. It was emotional and unique. I found myself looking for a plot but instead, I got a barrage of flashbacks. The story dragged on, and I longed for the simpler times that took place within the school for extraordinary children…which did eventually come around again, but too little, too late. 3.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10 mainly due to my hatred for flashbacks.

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