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A beautiful story of redemption.
This is a beautiful story of redemption, done in elegant style, where things are not always what they seem on the surface. Jung Da Jung's role is played almost perfectly, with a delicate balance of toughness, vulnerability, resolve and doubt.The young Hong Dae Young is also played extremely well, beautifully switching between personas and roles as the situation demands. His sharp sense of humour is wonderful to see, as in the episode with the fat man on the bus.
Overall, I rated this a 7 because there were rather too many unrelated subplots that went nowhere, they just felt like fillers to stretch the drama. On the whole, I liked the way things were tied up at the end, keeping it real but showing the challenges and also the possibilities for a brighter future.
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A profound experience that words fail to describe.
Watching this masterpiece leaves me at a frustrating loss for words to describe how deeply it moved and affected me, it's frustrating because no words adequately or even approximately convey the complexity of the feelings that it evokes at times and how the flavour of the feelings change with time.Others have written excellent reviews and I will keep this short and not rehash. I wanted to write a review because this is the first series that's remained in my memory and subconsciousness long after I've finished watching it. The flavours of feelings, thoughts and complex emotions that keep coming are a cathartic reminder of the difficulties that all of us face in life, and at the same time an invitation to live life more lightly, and let go more and more.
This masterpiece needs to be watched at a pace that it defines for itself. It needs time for the complex layers of feelings in the story to really be seen, felt, experienced and tasted for what they really are. Rushing through it or binge watching, just destroys all the subtleties that make it special like nothing else I've ever experienced.
Even in a single episode, I found myself rewinding to certain points in time to re-experience the events and finding newer layers of meaning, feeling and context each time I re-watch. Each episode is a complex and subtly woven tapestry that evoke mixed and often conflicting responses, there's no simplistic black and white good vs evil, we experience flavours of human nature that are absolutely real, often painful and deeply flawed. What's truly amazing is how this is all presented - in a way that we can relate to very deeply and yet retaining the character of a well narrated story that evokes our imagination and touches our creative side, leaving us longing for more. I just don't have the words to explain this in any way that will make sense to a reader unless (s)he actually goes through the experience of the journey through this piece of art.
The characters of Park Dong Hoon and Lee Ji An could not have been played by anyone more perfect for these roles. They are brilliant, and I have nothing but the highest respect for these amazing actors who played their roles so perfectly, that there is no acting any more, they are truly living their roles and their characters. This is what makes the loss of Lee Sun Kyun so painful, having to leave this world at such a young age of 48. We will cherish your work and celebrate your life sir, you were a true master of your art.
There are some moments in some episodes, you will know and feel them when they happen, that your mind goes blank, you have no words, there are just tears that you can't stop, and you know it has touched you in ways that you could not have imagined, you don't care who says what, you don't care who's looking at you, and you have no regrets. Again, these words hardly do any justice to the experience. At times, I just had to pause and sit there in quiet contemplation because I could not go ahead without experiencing the moment to the fullest. I could not do otherwise. And yet, all was well, it was all right, I was content, at peace.
I've truly never experienced a work of art like this. Not in my several decades in this short cycle of birth and death. This is art.
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Dealing delicately and with mental health issues.
The series touches upon depression and other mental health issues which are still too often ignored, dismissed or brushed under the carpet. Dealing with this weighty topic needs a light touch, and the series has done that quite nicely with a balance of seriousness and humour. At times the dialogues and scenes are comical, and at other times serious or painful. I see this as a good way to approach these difficult topics in a way that doesn't end up making the series too heavy, serious and hard to watch.The kid brother Ba-Da was cast as being quite irritating and excessively immature for his age, but it did not distract too much from the buildup of the main plots and the interactions between the main characters. I really liked the sweet interactions between the secondary ML/FL, that was heartwarming specially towards the last few episodes. The development of the relationship between Jeongwoo and Haneul was a pleasure to watch, though I would have loved to see deeper conversations and more depth and dimension to this relationship.
Yes, some mysteries and sub-plots were resolved early on without dragging them for the whole 16 episodes, but the series doesn't hinge entirely on those plots, rather, it's about the underlying issue of mental health during the good and bad times that pervades all the episodes. PHS's expressions and comedic timing were perfect. On the whole, I enjoyed the show and liked how it was wrapped up neatly with a positive message.
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Promising, complex though somewhat flawed storylines let down by irksome lead.
The storylines are excellent with multiple layers and even dimensions of plots and subplots that tie in together rather nicely so far, for the most part, barring some obvious plot flaws. The acting in general is very good, they've cast the right people into **most** of the key roles.However, maybe it is just me, but the FL Oh Soo Jae started getting on my nerves to the extent that I just dropped this series. She plays her role as a powerful, confident, no-nonsense ice queen rather well, but her grating nasal voice got a bit too irritating for me. When she's supposed to be expressing some deep vulnerability or strong remorse, it looks too fake and forced. She comes across as so one-dimensional that it feels like a fake character, not a real human you can connect with, relate to and empathise with.
The romance plot lines are mostly unnecessary, there's so little chemistry between them that it's cringe inducing.
Compare how Seo Hyun Jin's plays her role as Oh Soo Jae with how the leads play the roles of Lee Ji-An in My Mister, or that of Nam Ha-Neul in Doctor Slump. These roles are quite complex and multi-layered as well, but they hook you, create a connection, and you can relate deeply. With Lee Ji-An in My Mister, I still recall some storylines years after I watched the series - now that's sticky, that's a connection, something this series failed to deliver.
With Oh Soo Jae, I found myself losing the connection even by the tenth episode, I just dropped the whole series when I found myself cheering for the bad guy - now Heo Joon Ho does a stellar job at that role! I give the acting/cast a 7/10 because the bad guys are superb.
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Promising but poorly executed.
The concept starts off with an interesting premise that could have been developed into an intriguing story. However, it starts to get very shallow after a while, with very little depth to the ideas, boring cliches, one-dimensional characters and predictable plot twists. The series should have ended with 8 or 10 episodes at max, they just dragged it out and made it utterly predictably boring after a few episodes.Aside from the bad guy, no one else appears to have any intelligence and the outcomes of most episodes are laughable. Namkoong Min does a good job as always, he's debonair, smart and intelligent and stands out from the rest of the cast so much that he's out of place. But the police? They are portrayed as so inept and lacking intelligence that it's laughable. Park Yoo Chun, playing detective Moo Tak in a role that's so siloed, dumbed down, irritating and lacking intelligence it's impossible not to cheer for the bad guy. Detective Yeom Mi's role is a little more nuanced and you can afford to be a little more patient with her but her potential is severely wasted. The FL's role on the other hand was better cast and played - she's supposed to be a simple character without much depth, and you go in with very little expectation about her intelligence and abilities. To that end, she was not bad.
However, after a few episodes, it became so irritating that I stopped watching. I feel this drama does a lot of injustice to the capability and skills of a stellar screen personality like Namkoong Min - if you really want to see him shine, look at My Dearest, Hot Stove League, Awaken, Good Manager, or even a lighthearted comedy like Beautiful Gong Shim where he shines.
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Beautiful, wholesome, heartwarming and leaves you with a huge smile.
This is a wonderfully written and perfectly played comedy of a calibre that I haven't seen in a very long time. The plot summary gives you a little hint about what's to come. However, just watch an episode and you can't but be captivated by the wonderful realism in the story and acting, how the characters draw you in and connect at a very deep level, and the warmth and happiness that you'll surely feel.As the plot summary hints, the story touches upon complicated topics like the consequences of your choices and actions and does this in a beautiful style that delicately balances humour, fantasy and relatability.
The children play their roles with such class, I'd be sitting with a silly grin on my face throughout. When playing adults, the characters share lots of trivia and day-to-day events, and this style works superbly here because it's blended and balanced so well with the underlying threads of the narrative and I now feel that I really "know" the people behind the screen. It's like I have a seat at their table while they're enjoying a lighthearted conversation over tea, and when the scene is over I'm feeling that I was really at tea with old friends - not a very different feeling than when I've met my friends in real life - it feels real, not like acting. Very few movies or dramas have ever managed this.
I'll not spoil it, but stick with it to the end through the plot twists - the ending is just so wholesome and happy. I still feel the joy and warmth long after having finished watching it. I recommend this highly to anyone looking for a story that's deep, meaningful and rewarding to watch.
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Superb story, cast and performance.
Namkoong Min is a powerhouse and literally steals the show. Perhaps I am biased, but he stands head and shoulders above most other actors in the genre. He plays his role to absolute perfection and I can't think of anyone else who'd be a better cast for the role of Manager Baek Seung Soo. His ability to stay cool amidst great turmoil, manage great difficulties with delicate smoothness, and come out successful, this is just another level of performance. When he takes the stage, there's no line between the actor and the performance. He is one of those rare actors who *IS* the role, the character, the story and you can thoroughly feel the realness in his work.Park Eun Bin also plays her role perfectly, and I expected no less after watching her breathtaking performance in "Extraordinary Attorney Woo".
The story itself is nuanced with a lot of strong character development, with every episode showing us just a little more insight into the nature of the people in the drama. And yes, it's a drama about power struggles and politics, not just sports. It's also a tale of grit and determination in the face of repeated odds, about negotiation and compromise, making hard choices and doing the right thing. I thoroughly enjoyed this series.
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