late to the party but loved it

So many things to love but the biggest, for me, was how the villains/antagonists were equally as strong and interesting as the main characters. I also truly appreciated how they painted characters from both sides as very human. It's so easy to make viewers only root for the heroes....By the very nature of their characters, stories often have villains as expendable and forgettable. In 'Moving', this wasn't always the case. And I liked the writer and director for that.

I am also super pumped and hopeful about a season 2. I just pray that Ganghoon doesn't have a villain arc, please. I know we will get enough villains to keep the main characters and us occupied so please, let's have only good Ganghoon okay. I want him and his family to be happy.

I am also extremely intrigued by the time stopping character that we got only a glimpse of in this season. Read somewhere that it's a character from the writer's other webtoon. Would love to see him as a main character in the next season.

To come back to the review, 'Moving' was amazing. A perfect mixture of heartfelt, intrigue, thrill, comedy, and romance. It was so cool to see the huge ensemble cast. Hats off to my girl, Han Hyojoo, for always doing interesting work. I love you!! Also, wow she looks so cool with Zo Insung. Like the chemistry is amaze! That entire section of her first trying to get his attention and him slowly noticing her was brilliant. The background music put that section up a notch, too. Would love to see them both together in other movies and dramas too...(saw somewhere that they are working together but can't remember where I saw that).

And finally Kim Sungkyun....Damn, he is the action hero we deserve, How lucky we were to see him as Lee Jaeman! It's because of him that I want Ganghoon to be a good guy next. I hope Jaeman and Ganghoon enjoy a happy father-son relationship. PLEASE!

Arm's hurting so can't write about all characters but love them ALL. Special thanks to writer and director for showing us grown, macho men crying. BIG BIG THANKS.

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Disappointing and less than mediocre

In short - the story was shit, the acting was not very good, the main two leads were good looking and had some sort of chemistry.

Goodness, this is the worst drama I have watched this year by a long shot...What's with the story? Too many elements thrown into what turned out to be a crazy stupid plot. The beginning was kind of interesting and I stayed watching because of the cute actors (yes, I am superficial like that!). It was funny at places and that made it kind of fun. Then I started losing all sense of what the overall story was supposed to be. The antagonist at the beginning was lost during the middle and was made to pop up during the final episodes, so very conveniently just to tie the loose ends.

The historical, past life bits were fucking annoying. Some side characters were irritating and I wished them to be gone from my screen. The main leads, as I mentioned earlier, were eye candy and that's why tolerable but oh god I have some gripes for them as well. The female lead started grating on me with her childish way of speaking. Like please!!! The writers and directors need to start treating their main leads like proper adults pleaseee..The main lead's acting felt like 'acting' in so many places and it irritated me to see him not working even thought he's supposed to be a lawyer. I think this was because I recently watched a couple of lawyer-judge type dramas where it's more realistic..

Anyway, conclusion is this is like a bubblegum candy type drama that will ignite your interest in the first couple of episodes and then leave you feel vastly disgruntled at how fucking boring and mediocre it is.

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sick people, entertaining, over the top

This is the strangest drama I have watched. It is over the top. The characters are despicable. The acting is too dramatic. But it sure is entertaining to watch.

Having said that, as the episodes progressed, I came to hate almost every single character. Whilst I understood the motivations behind their actions in the beginning, it soon became simply too outlandish and they all felt like cartoonish villains. Can't believe how all the main characters become worse. Even those that started out as 'good' or lets say with less shades of grey. As viewers there's nothing for us to do but watch this train wreck of a drama poke its characters as they become increasingly immoral and criminal lol.

I hated the children since the beginning, esp Bae Rona, because she was driving her mom crazy and into desperation. Like how entitled can one be! And Han Eun Byul was creepy as hell. I wished that was the last we would see of her when she took the pills but unfortunately she recovered.

Bae Rona's mother, Yoon Hee - goodness, by the end of the drama, she was the one I think I despised the most because wtf! Such a bloody turncoat.

The one who was consistently evil and over the top - Chef Seo Jin - I expected nothing from her but villainous actions and she delivered. Her partner in crime, Joo Dan Tae, was another sicko who played his part well. I didn't expect anything from these two so I wasn't pissed off at their character progression.

When I first started out, I thought I would like to watch the other two seasons but I was well and truly sick of all of them by the time I finished this first season. No more of them for me!

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fun, interesting watch

Let me just list the things I appreciated and liked.

1. The female lead was interesting. She is a feminist. What is interesting about her being a feminist is how we often hear about feminism in SK mostly being seen through the lens of radical feminism. I was waiting to see if they make her cross those lines into that territory. And while it felt like it was almost there in a few scenes, it didn't really go all the way past no return. So it was interesting to keep that in mind while watching the female lead onscreen.
2. The romance develops slowly and I was here for it! It wasn't insta love. The attraction progressed at its own pace which I found refreshing.
3. One of the main (or is it the main) points of the drama is only introduced halfway through the show. I think this gave the character development and plot structure a nice balance.

So, apart from these, there are still other things to like. While it's not a mind-blowing drama, it is one of the better Korean dramas that have come out in recent months. At least something was a bit different about this show? I really liked most of the characters. I am not sure if I have ever seen a hardcore feminist in any of these romcom Korean dramas? Anyone knows if there's been such a character?

Of course, there were still many cliches and tropes that we've all come to expect from dramas but oh well!

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A NO from me

What happened to this show? It had a lot of promise when it started out. The characters were fun. The story was fun, too.

And then the second half was shit. Especially, the last few episodes were terrible. And because the case/story was so bad, I had more time to notice the acting minutely lol and most of the actors were not doing their best here.

I liked the idea of the 'bad and crazy'. I wish they had done more work on the second story/case. The first story/case was quite forgettable but at least it wasn't as objectively bad as the other one. I can't be bothered pointing out every bit of what went wrong for me but suffice to say much of it was wrong.

I actually have a high tolerance for bad kdramas because, for me, they are a comfort watch more than anything else and I am a sucker for them, but seriously what was this!

Please skip. Unless you have plenty of time to kill. But even then, I'd tell you to please skip.

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opened my eyes

....to the fact that I should stop forcing myself to complete mediocre shows just because I am halfway through them. That's the biggest epiphany I had whilst watching this.

Now let's come around to this show. There were a few mind-blowing things. I started this on the assumption that it is an adaptation of Mindhunter. Only found out towards the end that it is based on the book by Korea's first criminal profiler. And the fact that Kim Nam Gil was in Pandora. Damn! I just couldn't make the connection. He's done a really stellar job of acting here.

The cases were gruesome. The criminals were scary (and I even found one very pitiful ...eeekss). I was wishing for a 'normal' criminal...as in someone who doesn't have wild eyes and crazy behaviour from the get go...And there the person appeared. So yes, the show covered a range of cases and types of criminals.

Loved seeing the Behavioural Analysis Team camaraderie and growth.

Anyway, this is a great show. Would love a second season.

And I finally dumped all the other boring shows that I was forcing myself to watch. Life's too short.

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acting's superb!

The story had me soo confused. But I couldn't look away from this drama. There was aliens and then a religious cult. Was wondering what the heck is going on even till the last minute.

BUT...it somehow still ties together so well.

The acting is so good from each and every cast member. But Jeon Yeo Been is phenomenal. I am a big fan of Nana due to her drama Into The Ring so I was so happy to see her and she was fantastic. Her character felt written for her. The chemistry between the girls was amazing. But I have to come back to Jeon Yeo Been. It felt like she got progressively better in each episode. The last thing I watched of hers was Vincenzo and to be honest I didn't really enjoy that drama all too much. I think this was especially because I remembered her too fondly from Be Melodramatic. However, she has displayed a whole range of new acting abilities here. Every expression on her face was believable to me. I hope more people watch this drama.

Also, one more thing I want to point out is how much I loved the makeup or the lack of it. It felt authentic to the characters and the situations they were going through. Please no more nonsensical glamour where the scenes do not require it.

I still wonder what the heck happened to the character Lee Si Guk. The aliens took him? But why? And why to Thailand? I will need to read through other people's reviews to figure stuff out, I guess.

Oh, I also enjoyed the humour and the music in the drama.

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confusing beginning but pays off later

I was thoroughly confused for the first 3/4 episodes. It only started to make sense later.....and then I really enjoyed watching it. The fast pace of the storyline, the constant drama, the characters ...all had me hooked. Then towards the final episodes I started to lose sense of what and how everything was unfolding lol.

But I have to say the episodes in the middle really made up for anything I didn't like about the first and end bits of this show.

Prof Kim Eun Sook was an interesting character...I liked that I couldn't figure out whether she was 'good' or 'bad'...refreshing!

Pretty Jeon Ye Seul (as her number was saved in Sol A's phone) was another refreshing character. I am glad she had a happy ending. I felt portrayed vulnerability as well as quiet strength really well. There wasn't any need to have a big, dramatic action to show realisation or need for catharsis. The writers did a good job writing her character.

Yangcrates with his majestic voice and screen presence was perfect for this role. I don't believe I've seen his work before and I am really interested to dive into his body of work.

I am only familiar with Kim Bum from his Boys Over Flower days. He did good.

Really enjoyed Kang Sol B...she was frustrating to watch...but I could sympathise with her and could see where she was coming from. The mother was annoying AF!!! Anyway, I was so invested in Kang Sol B that when she smiled at the end, I almost rejoiced alongside King Sol A.

Ah, Kang Sol A.....where do I start? I loved the scenes where she stepped up to confront problems even when Han Joon Hwi was trying to protect/defend her. It was shown in such a casual, matter of fact way, too. I liked that she was a smart person, not necessarily book-smart or top of her class, but intuitive and clever.

I'd recommend to anyone who is interested in a fast-paced legal drama.

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softly, simmering beauty

I recommend this beauty. I found the first half of the first episode so boring. So I put it on pause. Then suddenly I picked it up after a few weeks and LOVED it.

The story is different. It was interesting to see the universe in which teachers' operate. We often only think of teachers in the classroom. And it was quite an eye-opener to see how much work, thought and effort they put into structuring their lessons and thinking of students. Of course, not all teachers are dedicated to the extent shown in this drama. But it was still lovely to see good teachers being highlighted.

And who can escape work politics! Hehehe. I quite enjoyed watching all the shenanigans unfolding. But it was sad to see what the female lead had to go through when she was first an outcast just because of unfair accusations.

This drama is a brilliant and a hidden gem. Please watch it. I really liked all the characters and felt they were perfectly cast.

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life is hard!!

A slow paced movie filled with so much character. The protagonist was a no nonsense strong girl. I was actually kinda inspired by her lol..

The story follows a young girl who grew up in an orphanage and now has stepped into adulthood. She is studying something related to child care at college. She needs some extra money so she takes up a job as a babysitter for a single mother who is in dire straits herself.

I think the movie perfectly shows how life can be so hard for mothers, especially single moms who are struggling financially. The movie also highlights people who grow up in orphanages and the bond those who grew up together can form. There is a scene that was absolutely heartbreaking to me where one of the guys from the orphanage passes away and everyone in the friend group runs after the van carrying his body and breaks down on the road as the body is taken somewhere else to be taken care off coldly without a proper goodbye - just because he had no family of his own. The others cry and beg to be allowed to give him a burial and scream how they are his family but the law is the law and there is nothing to be done.

It is a movie worth watching. I had issues with the subtitles pacing which took away some parts of my enjoyment otherwise would have enjoyed it more.

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Really enjoyed it

The acting was excellent, in my opinion. The movie was fast-paced, especially in the second half. There was the thrill in almost every scene.

But the acting takes the prize home. I loved the female lead's acting. I look forward to more of her work. The male lead (?) of the Squid Game fame really surprised me with not just his acting but the character choice. I hope he goes on to do more such interesting and diverse roles.

The film doesn't really answer the question of why and who and how this person is the way he is but with a movie titled 'Midnight' and the story unfolding in the course of a single night, I thought it was a perfectly reasonable choice.

Looking forward to more such interesting movies.

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Life and the human condition

Just finished watching this. There are upsetting, gut wrenching moments in this drama - just like our lives are peppered with them. But thankfully, there are some truly heartwarming moments that do make up for the other times our hearts are left broken.

The entire cast and crew are brilliant. Just a tremendous piece of storytelling and art brought to life. So many standout moments in this show. Please read everyone's reviews of this drama.

I've watched a couple of Han Ji Min's works and her characters have always come off as slightly different from the usual rom-com Kdrama female leads - not as cutesy or charming, a bit stern and 'straight' type of character. At first I didn't like her character of Young-ok. But I came to truly like Han Ji Min the actor as she was portraying this role. Even towards the end Young-ok wasn't my favourite but I'm glad the writer created such a character.

So, not every character was truly likeable but that's life. Nothing everyone gets a cathartic moment but that's life. And I guess that's the pinnacle of beauty in this show. The good, the bad, the ugly - brought to life, tussled with, leaving people healed, and also leaving others a lil bit broken but strong enough to move on.

There's something about this drama that just left me scratching my head at the beginning but before I knew it, everything clicked. The pieces of the puzzle fit in so snuggly, it was like nothing was ever out of place. I think many viewers will feel the same way. Whether it was the way the storytelling in the beginning or some of the characters or just a general feeling that the show was emitting. This could also act as a metaphor to this thing called life, the human condition. A bit of unease and confusion at times but sometimes it all clicks into place and all feels right with the world.

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Watch for the story, the characters, the direction

I don't think I will be able to say anything others haven't already said about this show. But here goes a few of my thoughts on what makes this drama so excellent.

When I started watching the show, I plunged into it deeply. However, I was surprised to read people on Twitter say that they can see how some viewers might balk at the slow pace of the show which might be boring to them. I found nothing boring or even slow about it. Somehow the pace was perfect for me.

I recognise that the pace is definitely slow but it felts more on the measured side of the scale rather than the boring side. I only harp on this because there are soooo many shots and scenes that bring forth the mundanity of life but does it in such a subtle but also impactful way that one has no option but to take notice of it. I don't know if I have ever seen anything that did this.

I loved the characters. That's all I will say. Please enjoy meeting them and getting to know each one. You are in for a treat!

One thing I wanted to highlight was the actor Lee Min Ki - not because he did better than any other actor but because this role made me see him in a new light. I watched him in Because This is My First Life but I didn't really like him then. Every time I saw that he was in a drama or a show, I would feel mehhh - and I admit I had reservations when I learnt he was cast in this drama. But he was really really good here. This is what happens when the magical formula of story, casting and acting come together!

I love how the writer made the characters flawed - not black and white. I think I am at this stage in life where I am very interested in rejections and failures and flaws. It is nice to see nice, good people, of course. But meeting people who harbour grudges, are scared, talk shit about others feels real and comforting sometimes.

I went into My Liberation Notes without research. I didn't know what the show was going to be about. I loved the experience of watching it.

I am not one to rewatch stuff. But I will get to watching this show again.

Thank you to the writer and the director. They have done an extremely amazing job.

To those who will get to watch My Liberation Notes for the first time, I am very jealous of you. :)

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Lately, I've been feeling this urge to whittle down my material possessions. Why do I say this here? Because seeing Miso lug around her suitcases while dealing with homelessness but remaining calm and collected is making me double down on that feeling. Why do we think we need so much stuff? Miso leads an unconventional life. The rising costs has her cutting down on expenses. She needs a place to stay. She stays with friends who have normal conventional lives - marriage, family, career, nice living arrangements, money.

But as viewers we are made to question if unhappy or discontented people stuck in the conventional trappings of life are any better than people who seemingly have it worse? Why is it okay/better/smarter to choose a house over cigarettes and whisky? I mean, yes, there are going to be many arguments for a safe, secure living quarter. But I think the bigger question should be why is everything so expensive and why should people who make less money have to struggle and scrimp and save all their lives and forgo what they enjoy just to have a roof over their heads, medicine, and food? Life is hard enough as it is. I'm happy Miso enjoys her smoke and her drink of whisky.

The director did a great job with this movie. Each character was interesting to me. There's so much we can talk about, discuss, ponder over because of this movie.

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funny, nice one

It was funny. Definitely worth a watch! I took some time to complete this because my experience was hampered by poor subs placement but overall, I still had an enjoyable time.

I liked the humour. The characters had this straight face while saying/doing some hilarious things which made it more enjoyable to me as a viewer. heheh...The fight scenes were great. I liked the violence that came across as effortless in many of the scenes.

The most memorable part for me was the fight at the end where the two super talented (at combat) ladies had the great showdown. Got chills for a second or two there!

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