Reviews

A show that is genre bending - cannot simply box it

This show made me laugh, gave me some truly tense moments, kept me on the edge, made me love Lee Min Ki and actively hate some characters. This show cannot not be boxed into a genre. It's definitely NOT a rom, it's a com, very much so in the fist half, and then as it progresses, less and less so until it morphs into a bloody, gory, psycological crime thriller. One of the few shows that made the crime thriller stick the landing. However, had they infused some humour into catching the killer, the show would have truly stood out. As for romance, don't look for it. There is barely any, it's lip service. They wasted the trememdous chemistry between Han Ji Min and Lee Min Ki, and I absolutely hated the last five minutes of this show. But boy, Lee Min Ki looked edibly good, especially in the last four episodes. One star just for that . One extra star for sensitvely handling a topic that could have been very crude but fabulously handled.
7.5 for a decent crime thriller and Lee Min Ki and Han Ji Min and the adorable Joo Min-Kyung and making successful jokes butt jokes without being corny.

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nice slice of life series

Overall: I enjoyed two high school friends and their changing relationship dynamics. Aired 8 episodes about 20 minutes each on Netflix Asia (and then more widely released on Neflix once it was finished airing).

Content Warnings: manhandling, dub/non con touching, punch

What I Liked
- cute and sweet moments
- few funny moments like Yamato's blocks with other people
- that Yamato did try to communicate and was clear with that teen who expressed interest in him
- supportive classmates
- supportive non cliche female characters
- character growth with not being a go between for the present
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the multitude of interruptions
- Yamato was a bit aggressive though he did apologize once
- very tropey (multiple kabedons and running scenes as examples), getting sick from the rain
- the initial reluctance in nurse's office/dead fish lip presses

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My initial thoughts on SOTB

May contain Spoilers:

Binge-watched it a few days back. I am actually liking this new move by Netflix to drop all episodes at one-go.

Captivating drama with excellent cinematography and fantastic action sequences and great acting from everyone. TBH it was more movie-like and less of a drama. Backed by great background score and sharp editing for Season 1. The story reminded true to its Wild Wild West theme and the Japanese occupation of Korea. Very raw and realistic. So kindly don't expect any candy-floss romance or fantasy. They showed things as they are. But in between all that there were some good character building and humour and most importantly the need to carry on the fight to re-claim the land from the Japanese.

There were only three important woman characters and all three of them had a specific purpose within the story. Also I am very impressed that all of them had their parts within the action sequences.

Special mention of the character Eon Nyeon (and Lee Ho-jung - the actress who played it). It was a brilliant idea to develop that character as the perfect foil to the ML and the actress did a splendid job. TBH the amount of action this girl did in this drama is either on par or more than what Woo do-hwan did in Bloodhounds or Kim Nam Gil himself did in this drama. (these are the only 2023 dramas that I have watched so far to compare with).

The ending is being criticised in online forums but I get the feeling that there is definitely a season 2. So for those of you planning to watch - be prepared for the open-ending and even if there is no season 2 I am still ok with the ending as it is realistic given the historical context. But hopefully there is a season 2 to satisfy all of us.

And finally the review is incomplete without mentioning Kim Nam Gil. He totally rocked in this drama and was cool/suave with all those guns/rifles handling and the action sequences. I am personally very happy with his drama choices. Also kudos to him for giving woman characters in his dramas equal space/more prominence in the sense that they all come across as strong characters and hold themselves up very well on their own. I have noticed this from his 2017 drama - Live Up to Your Name up until this 2023 drama.

Only thing to add is - Romance and KNG is not meant to be I guess. After this drama - I am giving up even the remotest idea that he will in future do a reasonable romance role. (I personally think even in LUTYN they added in that possible happy ending as an after-thought).

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I had some expectations...

If you're looking for a historical drama about the foundation Goguryeo then this drama is NOT it. This drama was mostly about the in palace melodrama and conflict. Furthermore, it's important to know that this drama included a handful of fantasy elements sprinkled around all over it, so don't expect it to be grounded to reality. Han Hye Jin who played the female lead as Soh Seo No was a poor cast choice. Soh Seo No needed a more rigid and stubborn looking actress to better fit the character.

A weak incapable king, a greedy prince and an underdog illegitimate prince going aimlessly in circles. Wars, fights and action were surprisingly and disappointingly scarce for a never-ending 81 episodes historical drama about the founders of Goguryeo. Which is why we had little to no planning or strategy for these wars. That one big war at the end against another nation that we waited ages for, was condensed down to just 1 singular episode of utter disappointment. In fact, the entire last episode was extremely rushed and we were given a joke of a wrap up. They had all the time in the world and they couldn't make a decent send off. The last episode was absolutely stripped off genuine emotions. It robs you the wrong way after you had gone through 81 episodes. Speaking of which, they were trying too hard to reach the 81 mark with prolonged uncut full-scenes repeated flashbacks! You would lose your mind watching it serializing.

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A flawed relationship between two flawed people.

Nevertheless is a 2021 Korean drama that tells the story of Yoo Na-bi (Han So-hee), a college student who falls in love with Park Jae-eon (Song Kang), a charming but emotionally unavailable man. Na-bi knows that Jae-eon is not good for her, but she can't help but be drawn to him.

The drama has been praised for its realistic portrayal of relationships, especially the complex dynamics between men and women. Na-bi and Jae-eon's relationship is toxic and unhealthy, but it is also believable and relatable. The drama also does a good job of exploring the themes of love, desire, and heartbreak.

One of the strongest aspects of Nevertheless is its acting. Han So-hee and Song Kang give compelling performances as Na-bi and Jae-eon, respectively. Han So-hee is particularly good at capturing Na-bi's vulnerability, strength, and growth. Song Kang is also effective at portraying Jae-eon's charm, darkness, and complexities.

The supporting cast is also excellent. Chae Jong-hyeop is charming and likable as Yoo Han-sol, Na-bi's best friend. Yang Hye-ji is heartbreaking as Yang Ji-wan, a woman who is in love with Jae-eon.

While the drama is praised for its realism, it has also been criticized for its slow pacing and melodramatic tone. Some viewers have also found the characters to be unlikable and the plot to be unrealistic.

However, I believe that the slow pacing and melodramatic tone are essential to the story. The drama is not about a perfect relationship or perfect people. It is about a flawed relationship between two flawed people. The characters make mistakes, and they hurt each other. But they also love each other deeply.

The drama does not provide easy answers. It does not shy away from the dark and difficult aspects of relationships. But it also shows that love is powerful and healing.

Overall, Nevertheless is a well-made drama with strong performances from its cast. It is a dark and cynical look at love, but it is also surprisingly honest and insightful. It is a drama that will stay with you long after you've finished watching it.

**Conclusion:**

I felt a lot of different emotions while watching Nevertheless. I felt happy, sad, angry, and frustrated. But most of all, I felt heartbroken. The drama is a love story, but it is not a traditional love story. It is a story about the dark and difficult aspects of love. But it is also a story about the power of love to heal.

If you are looking for a light and fluffy rom-com, then Nevertheless is not the show for you. But if you are looking for a show that will challenge you and make you think, then I highly recommend it. Nevertheless is a drama that will stay with you long after you've finished watching it.

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Light & Nice

Director Hwang Kyu effectively utilized a restrictive amount of time to produce this lighthearted short series.

It touched a little bit of many aspect of life such as the reality of responsibilities in life relating to relationships and work. It also lightly addressed bullying be it at work or in relationships. I enjoy how a lot of things were included in this series even though I can see how difficult it must have been for the screenwriters and the director. I like the right balance of humor, comedy, & romance.

The actors did a great job in portraying their individual roles. Casting is effective and harmonious. For such a light series, the scene werein Yoo Jung Hun was talking about his mom made my tears roll down my face without me realizing it. He can act and can elicit emotions even though it was such a simple scene.

Production worked hard and it is evident with the props and set design. It effectively provided the ambiance for the scenes. I think wardrobe can be better tho.

I am so happy that Yoon Seo Bin played a part in this series. Kissable Lips sequel is currently on hold for some reason, I can only guess that it is because Kim Ji-woong made it to the the idol group ZeroBaseOne and agency thinks it wont be good for an idol group image to have a BL series attached to one of the members of the group when theyvare barely starting.

Overall, it is the type of series that you think you’ll not need to watch again but when you do, youll be happy that you did.

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absolutely breathtakingly incredible

im not usually one to watch crime dramas. not because they’re boring, it just doesn’t seem to click with me despite my interest for crime documentaries. however this drama just changed something inside me.

i honestly don’t know where to start. from the plot twists to the romance to the crime its just perfect in every single way possible. now when i watch these types of dramas, i usually pause after every episode and just think to myself what information i’ve gathered, who maybe the killer or whatnot, but after i watched an episode of this drama, my entire thought process changed.

every single episode has a cliffhanger and makes you just binge every episode.

the acting is just PHENOMENAL. i love lee joongis dramas so i knew his abilities but i was just shocked after watching his performance. the pure emotions he put in as he cried just had me shook. i had never watched moon chaewon so i didn’t really know what to expect from her but she was just jawdropping. i mean when i heard her not winning any awards for it i was shocked. also the little daughter was so cute she just has that face that makes me smile when i look at her.

i never really talk about the ost in my reviews but i needed to for this drama. it had the most perfect music for every scene and it made scenes so much more suspenseful.

i 1000000000% recommend this drama and if you are like me and you don’t usually watch crime dramas, trust me and watch it as it is definitely worth it!

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Executed Poorly but...

This is one of those movies where the story is there but the execution is not. For a low budget movie the production was excellent however, the story is lost in all of the mood and suspense building. The title is also not the best especially when this is more of a ghost story. I mean I guess one of the characters can be considered a stalker but not for the title to be Stalker.

The cast is really good too so that's a plus for the film. The FL is outstanding but unfortunately I don't know her name. She's not listed in the credits here and tried every avenue I could to try and find who she was. She was very believable as a person who seemed to be losing their mental faculties and Kim Jung Han was great as the perceived, crazy next door neighbor.

The movie is worth the watch at least once.

10/1/23

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It's the cutest short drama out there

I gave it a 10. Why? Even though it's not the greatest drama ever written, as it has an FL who does not quite look comfortable in her skin, with the music being quite bland for a music-driven series, the show does three things that elevate it to one of the best shows I have watched: It's short timing, smooth narrative and believable chemistry between the leads. You feel for both of them and get invested in their story early on. As the show is short, the distractions are almost negligible. As the boy next door, Park Hyung Sik is warm and giving but never demanding, which is the antithesis of his Hwarang /High Society/Strong Woman Do Bong Soon persona. He is almost unrecognizable (he is such a great actor). Han So nee looks pretty. However, she is a little out of depth on her own, but her scenes with PHS are crackling with energy, and it reels you in. As the show is all about them, her deficiencies do not distract. Her last finishing act, though, is outstanding. And they make a beautiful couple (PHS is portrayed so simply in this series that you tend to forget how incredibly handsome this man is, but then there are moments when it hits you, bam!). Watch it.

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Very Disappointing

For the most part I didn't care for this show. There was very little romance. Detective Moon Jang-Yeol treats Dr Bong Ye-Bun like crap, insults her and is a bully. He was also indirectly responsible for the murder of the man she first liked. Only towards the end does he become nice.

I know you have to sometimes suspend belief with a show but this show had many unrealistic happenings from start to finish.

There was no chemistry between the leads. The leads are two talented performers so I blame the scriptwriters for a poor story and the director for not bringing out the best of these two.

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Sweet & steamy with a side of mystery

I would encourage everyone to watch this short series that is full of tension, mystery, fight scenes, and inevitable romance. The leads are overflowing with chemistry that leaps off the screen with steamy kisses. The ML starts off trying to gather proof to save the family honor, and ends up in a total lead different direction. The villain hides in the shadows and produces a lot of chaos. There are a lot of opportunities for backstabbing miscommunication that could have been cleared up if the leads actually communicated. Overall I loved it; it has a lot of rewatch value.

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What a performance

In one word: Park Eun Bin. What an incredible actress and what an outstanding performance. The interpersonal relationships between the characters is the usp of the show. The legal cases don't do much for the series, some of them are dragged far too long and are mind numbingly boring, but the characters do not let you down. The chemistry between the lead pair is super cute and will bring a tear or two at times. It does follow most of the tropes and does not dive too deep, but both the actors make it so believable that you do not mind. What stands out is that the series does not have a black and white villain. Most characters are grey which is quite well done. Must watch.

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One of the best historical drama I've seen so far!

The narrative of this drama is really satisfying. For a 40 episode drama, you might think you'll lose interest at some point, but that is something this drama handled really well. There are multiple arcs and each arc is crafted thoughtfully. Overall, the narrative is really consistent to say the least. This drama also has a huge cast, but each character has their own agenda and interesting backstory, the character development throughout the season is also consistent. Even though it's a drama, the politics inside a royal family felt real, the writer did a really good job at this. Lastly, the main leads are the best element, this duo is one of my all time favorites from now on. I'm lucky I found this rare gem!

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