Falls so far behind the webtoon

As I always say… I am more a webtoon fan than a drama fan.

I commented on Hero class 1 saying the drama was better than the webtoon. Extremely good indeed.. But..Here it is not…

Idk about those who didn’t read it but as someone who devoured the webtoon and cried with the webtoon the drama falls so far behind. And if I can judge it this way is because they really tried to make it exactly like the webtoon without the sex and without the development of the lead male character and side characters.

I think there is a cast problem in a way with the lead characters… The female lead isn’t that cute she is more of a strong woman. I mean it literally and in terms of personality. Sin Hye Sun doesn’t convey well enough that strong character and will. The lead male is extremely fragile but to a point that you feel his fragility. Ahn Bo Hyun doesn’t convey it right. It is subjective maybe but I really am surprised from people who did read the webtoon and think otherwise. And I can’t agree with you if you say “this is the drama” well.. maybe you shouldn’t make it exactly like the webtoon then and have people not expecting the same thing..

But prolly people who didn’t read it liked this one a lot and I can understand them better.

I gave a really bad grade cause I think the grades are way too high objectively speaking.

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All of this marketing advertising for this ?

If the story plot as advertised seem interesting and the cast with Bae Suzy seem to have a lot of potential, it is not worth it.

First of all, scenes are long. Short spoiler, the main character encounter each other very fast, but you wait about more than 15 mns to have them interact. So far it seems ok but when nothing interesting happens in 15 mns it’s long. 15 mns where sequences aren’t that beautiful, song is not engaging or silence not necessary or things characters do have nothing interesting for the overall story… it’s a waste of time. and this happens again and again.

Also the plot is jumping from one thing to another soo rashly… as a viewer you don’t have time to either grasp the situation or have compassion for the character.

About the acting…. it’s far from being Bae Suzy best performance. and for Yang Se Jong I first thought it was bad acting but I thing the overall is just bad directing. When interacting with the female lead he acts like a extremely dumb person. If that was his personality… alright. but it is only when interacting with her. and it’s not about “shy” type or weird type but truly like you would talk to an autistic person.

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Why are the ratings so high ?

Maybe my review is too subjective but I really don’t understand how this drama got so much liked nor do I understand the ratings here.

The only 3 really good things are : SIG’s acting - the gorgeous cinematography - interesting topics within the main topic

But then it is lacking in a lot of aspects. The top review on it said the ditector was too narrow minded about their opinion on suicide. To me it is not a problem. In order to convey a message, directors often need to be narrow minded… Then if it meets the public’s opinion it is a win. But what troubles me is the lack of originality in the main topic and that, with all those cases and beautiful scenes, we are waiting somehow for an ending twist which we do not get. Let the end be very open is not what I consider an ending twist as it is not surprising.

It is ok if you don’t want to be original but when you decide to make a series in order to convey a message so simple or seen over and over there is a disappointing feeling in the end. That is where originality is lacking to me.

You get sometimes engaged in one special case but hardly on his own fate.

GYJ is great and some others I didn’t mentioned but I am not convinced one inch by the female lead here… I might get so much hate but it is the first time I want to call out an actress telling her this is quite a bad performance..

Anyway, I apologize if you find this too subjective but this is my honest opinion on it

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A little jewel

I am truly in love with this drama. And for people who are used to my comments, I never say this.

The thing is, everything about this drama is so poetic and gives you a nostalgic feeling even if you never lived in Korea at that time period or even if you were too young (or not born) to remember how the end of ghe 90’s and beginning of the 20’s were. In that, the drama is very strong.

I won’t say much about the performances, everyone is on point, they don’t over do it and don’t lack in any way. You get attached to all of them. And again this is how strong the drama is.

The cinematography, the music everything is very poetic to me.

What I like the most is how every details matters. Who knew there was an old korean song holding all the meaning of this drama and its ending before you reach it ? And the directing is giving it to you.

If I had to point out one drawback it would not be the end. As I said, if you are ok with the meaning of the song (same name as the drama for thos who don’t know) and the fact that the drama is a time traveling to a forgotten time, the ending is good. So the only drawback I have is the Na Hee do as a mom and the teenager Na hee do are too far apart to me. Of course we all grow up, get wiser blah blah blah but to me there is absolutely nothing similar to old versus young Na Hee do… and it should be important. As we are opening and ending with the old Na hee Do (sorry spoiler), we want the young one to make that bridge that will connect each other and it is missing. I think it was a cast problem.. (maybe).

otherwise, great !

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It is ok if you don’t like it

Final review (even tho it is not finished).

I want to say, as the top review says, it is one of fhe drama that you need to see it for yourself to “rate it”. And still, it is one of the kdrama that will be hard to judge as it will take a lot of subjective thoughts (more than other dramas) to say it is good or not.

So my opinion isn’t necessary. But here is what I can tell you. This is not a revenge drama, this is a healing drama. Weirdly enough, not healing for you but for the characters. And this is where it is hard to understand, because we usually make contents for others (viewers) but it feels like it was made for its creator. Like a self letter.

Romance is not the main arc of the drama.

Characters are not meant to be flawless, on the opposite. And this can be extremely irritating, frustrating, want to throw out your screen off the wall sometimes. They are also meant to be disliked. I believe there is a reason but it is too much out of my own speculation to be taken seriously..

Even after knowing all these and pounder everything it is not the best drama or the year and won’t be. Neither will it be the best performances of the whole cast. BUT we appreciate a lot their acting because it is actually a sort of acting demonstration here from everyone.

Now watch it and make your own judgement. Do not let comments influence you. You might love it and if you drop out it is fine too. It is not made for everyone.

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Overrated for people looking for something else in kdrama nowadays

I cannot say anything about cgi, music or performances. Even tho, no music was good enough for me to remember over the time. And some performances could have been way better but the directing allow them to act « not that well ».

But what I regret is that drama starts off with a very interesting plot and cool special effect we rarely see in dramas. The cinematography is beautiful too.

And then, little by little, we fall in the trap of a standard k-drama plot, which, nowadays especially, is only for fan services for idols and nice looking actors rather than a real plot, complexity, suspense, or without being complexe, something opposed to what we are used to. I mean if you look at it has nothing surprising to offer. Nor great plot or message to tell.

But I guess we call kdramas for a reason and kdrama fans for a reason too as I see the ratings.

I already said something about the acting. If you remove the cool stuffs and beauty… it looks very much like an amateur series in terms of performances.

People are going to say that of course the performances are not perfect since we have rookies. But this is the point… if you can clearly see it, how can you give 10/10 to performances ? Also I am not giving a bad rating because the director knew what he was doing and what kind of public he was aiming at. In that sense, performances are very okay.

Should you give it a go ? In order to support CGI yes but other than that, you can live very well without seeing it.

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A not so bad plot and a not so bad acting

A series adapted from a novel which I didn’t read so I my review will only focuses on the series.

We get a very interesting first 2 episodes with an original concept as well as in the directing and artistic approach, with an intriguing cast, intriguing because it is far from the roles we usually see them in, and if you don’t know it’s from a novel, it is also a very unique plot.

To me I am satisfied with 95% of the storyline and the acting. I especially love the scenery, this darkness around each scene and the dialogues with a lot of depth. The sign language conversation is extremely enjoyable. Vilains have some depth too even if you think the main vilain is psycho.

It is a very short series for which we can expect another season and worth watching especially since it is short.

Now I will talk about a few things that, personally didn’t work and thus, the reason why it is not a 10/10.

First of all the development of Jeong Ji An is not completed. Was it saved for another season ? We have a child version and short development of her as a kid. You must have spotted how strong JJA as a child is very brave and very intelligent. We could think her childhood affected this version of her but they showed us when Jeong Jin Man was raising her. We still see confidence, braveness, curiosity and excitement actually… The young adult version of her is quite far from the picture we got from her in the past. The young adult teenage version of her is very frail, not confident, weak also (in her way to think and physically act)… So it feels we are missing something.

Another plot problem to me is how quick some situations get resolved. I mean, these people are very smart, not easily fooled, they think… How this whole situation gets resolved is not convincing. When JJM dies it is not convincing how easy people think he died. Is it because the novel said so ? Should we blame the writer ?

Another problem is the acting. Don’t get me wrong I am satisfied with everyone and if sometimes Kim Hye Jun is questionable I think it is more a characterization problem. But Park Ji Bin could have done way better especially when he dies…

Lastly why not a 10/10. Well even if it was very entertaining and nice I think it is hardly rewatchable and they are right, the re watchable value is part of the rating. You might think because it is short it is not rewatchable but DP is rewatchable (season 1), on american series Black mirror is rewatchable. Might be very different kind of stuff but to me the rewatchable value here is lower than some other stuffs.

PS : I talked about the cons but I also mentioned the pros and of course I enjoyed it. I think LDW is pretty amazing even tho it is not his best performance.

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A imperfect but enjoyable surprise !

Alice in Borderlands was a bit of a surprise to all of us because it was such a new concept. When you look at the comment section you will easily spot words like “odd” “strange” “different” and most of us, especially if we are drunk in asian contents, are drowned to that kinda of stuff.

This original series is even more likable as we get a beautiful scenery, intriguing story, mostly great performances and there is no time for boredom. If you watched similar “themes” (suspensful atmosphere, games, life or death games, new world fictionnary or made by some entity…) like Squid Game or 19th floor… they take time to set the plot even tho they leave you a part of mystery to it. Alice in Borderlands doesn’t. It goes fast and right to this “imaginary or made by someone” setting.

All of this is a good recipe to keep things addicting and interesting. At least for most of us.

S1 is more about the games. We get full episodes on some games. To me I prefered this one as I found it entertaining and new and not boring. But there is a little place for characters’ development. So we don’t get much emotionally engaged when something bad happens to them. not just the male lead but to anyone.

S2 focuses more on characters’ development and we get almost zero games fully played on screen. Maybe one and a half in the last episodes. On S2 we get attached to a lot of people. Maybe everyone in a way. The second season also tries to be a satire of our society but not really about humans’ behaviors but what people go through in their minds. It is different directing approach but likable too. But is it for the same audience ?

The cons now. Personally, I regret that season 2 didn’t develop the ending of season 1 which I think was very interesting. If you have watched a ton of dramas you might have seen the end of season 2 coming which was a bit disappointing even tho we can also have another idea of how it will develop again as season 3 seem to be on its way. If season 3 catches up with season 1 ending which is still possible it can be amazing. The last episode on season 2 is a no to me in the directing process. To be fair once the games were sort of done and they were trying to convey the “main story” there were a lot of flaws in the directing process. Maybe were they pressured or not creatively free enough from netflix ? Who knows ! I regret also on season 2 the lack of depth in all games. To me people were confusing the characters’s charisma and the actual games that were not even closed to the development they had in season 1. In season 1 you can have things to say about performances about pretty much everyone even the male lead at some points. When we get to this environment with a lot of folks it shows even more and is a bit off.

Last con to me is the main vilain or the character they pictured as the vilain is not innovative nor funny nor interesting, it is seen over and over, this character lacks a lot of originality and is as irritating as most vilains we see. The lack of depth about this person is also disturbing as in season 2 they develope everyone but that person. And it is to me a flaw cause even for “basic vilain” we have a motive which can be very simple. It is lacking here.

On the question should you watch it ? Of course it is one of the most innovative drama we have ever seen and beautifully shot from japanese industry which has their signature and which is very enjoyable. That being said I think the audience from S1 can be different from S2 and also some characterizations can be a drawback to the full engagement of the viewer.

People like to compare squid game and alice in borderlands especially since they came out at the same time. Besides that squid game is set in a reality while we question the reality of alice in borderlands and that, the latter is bloodier I have a hinch of why alice is rated higher, it’s the rewatchable value. A very good drama nowadays is rewatchable and still enjoyable. Alice is more rewatchable than Squid game. It is my personal opinion but if you look at people’s reviews you will find out that tthe majority thinks the same.

I am sorry I haven’t check the series background like if it was made out of some specific inspirations (book, video game) so I only reviewed the series.

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Japan has nothing to envy from the US

Fans of Godzilla franchise never expected they needed this in a godzilla movie. Basically this movie gives viewers satisfaction out of something they didn’t expect.

When I watch a Godzilla movie I am here for the entertainment, the fun, the beast… And I never cared much about the people, sometimes do I usually find myself supportinh godzilla..

But here they gave us a story. A story through japan history to the point you wonder if godzilla was indeed real in our lifetime *joke*. They make us care about the characters and they are very much developed. At least enough to care. To the point that sometimes you actually don’t want to see godzilla. Thanks to everyone’s performance that was top notch.

There is a retro vibe here that is well done. The sounds, the raw sounds, the silence… it is so well done too. It triggers emotions in you which is hard. The crossover with history is gorgeous to witness.

It is also beautifully shot, godzilla is threatening (at least at the beginning) and his look.. nobody made a godzilla this way before ! Special effects are geat anf this is only a 15$ millions budget movie ??

I personally have nothing bad to say about it. But I want to point out something that was looked at by some viewers… they made the whole thing a very Japanese style even to the characterization. Mostly the good but also the bad side of japanese people. Like the relationship between the kid and .. you know who (no spoiler). Also it was criticized that is was too japanese to the point it was not real. Like japanese and japan isn’t this way ? I am taking a bad example but gossip girl isn’t the US and emily in paris is not Paris or parisians. So you see what I am saying.. well if it can bother some, I also think it has its charm here.

Anyway go now watch it !

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A piece of art visually a bit empty at core

It is a k-drama to the core and nothing more and nothing less. Does it mean it is bad ? Absolutely not. (I mean don’t seek for originality)

The thing I like the most about it is that it is a mature drama. Most kdramas nowadays involves young generation of actors and a childish setting and development. It is not a problem, but a preference.

I haven’t seen kdramas as I described it with mature cast, a bit less childish recently. To name a few, Goblin, Nine tailed, my love from the star.. those are mature kdramas to me which we all enjoyed. Even King the land developed itself to be a very childish kdrama. So it is refreshing to watch this one even tho it is not perfect.

The second strongest asset of the series is how beautiful it is. Maybe one of the most beautiful cinematography we haven’t seen in a long time in a korean series.

I personally liked the series how it was and the directing choices that were made. But I can understand some people who disliked it. Like I said it is beautiful visually and the soundtrack is too. And it was a directing choice to make it looks like a piece of art literally. In that process, the dialogues are sometimes flat and it can seem long sometimes and so boring to many because of this choice. Also you can tell they try to convey a story nevertheless as things speed up oddly and fast at some point. And that can be a drawback to me and to others. I was fine with the poetic boring side because it was pleasant to me.

Should you watch it ? If you like mature kdramas a bit poetic and beautiful yes ?

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Beautiful message

It makes me think of Death’s game but this is way better. Sorry I shouldn’t compare dramas as I am strongly against it but it made me think of it… The concept a bit.

I will say I was bothered so much about the drama trying to be funny and some scenes that were odd. But in the end I understood why they are necessary.

Topics involved are deep and so closed to reality. It is disturbing how well they picture reality. And it is crescendo. The more you go the harder and deeper topics get. You need to “light up the mood” even if it doesn’t work out.

And that is also a beautiful message to our lives and problems. You need light over the darkness. You need people trying to make you laugh when you don’t want to or think you cannot anymore. You need ridiculous stuffs to the seriousness of the situation called life.

Finally can someone give LSH some lead role ? This guy has so much to show us and so much under his sleeves.

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You don’t want to miss it

I had a hard time to get a grip onto that series. I mean, I started to watch it several times and dropped out of boredom but finally came to the end. It is a great plot. Honestly a great plot.

It apparently is based on some true stories even if most of them compiled together don’t really add up to the point where it is comparable to the series.

Anyway I liked the plot very much even if the end was not flawless. It is acceptable.

The only drawback to me are the performances. We can all say that Kim Hye Su is a great actress. And I am convinced by all vilain characters in a performance point of view.

Unfortunately, Lee Je Hoon is lacking so much. Sorry for the fans but there is something wrong. In his favor I wonder if the filming direction was good in this way… There are a lot of long scenes where he just… think ? wonder ? try to show emotions ? those scenes are seconds but feel like minutes and he never conveys it right.

As for Jo Jin Woong, I was convinced by his performance but the too much crying (sorry spoiler) didn’t work at some point.

That is actually my point that the performances
of the 2 main characters don’t feel natural.

But the story is indeed great !

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legendary

Oh boy. You know when a drama is one of the greatest of all time when it sticks in people’s minds no matter how many flaws it has. When I say greatest it is not like “great” but more like “a legend” like… people will remember it.

Does it mean it is not good ? I personally liked it a lot. I personally liked those old fashioned dramas because they rely more on performances than anything else. Cgi aren’t great, plot isn’t flawless, artistically speaking it is far from nowadays series’ quality in every aspect… But performances are always on point. No wonder why we remember more those actors’ names and praise them.

I think the moment of “I can seduce you in less than 10 secs” (of 5?? I can’t remember) is one of the most memorable scene of all korean series production. And it personally was at this very moment that I found myself also convinced of this series. (sorry for short spoiler)

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