Problematic with some nice moments

The 2nd season was definitely a bit of a let down. I found myself checking repeatedly to see how much more is left midway. I'm going to share spoilers to explain why I had issues with this half of the show.

First, the positives in the show. The husband is shown growing in responsibility but continues to be loving and kind. The sweet couple moments are enjoyable. The way they overcome different obstacles is fun (mostly).

The disappointments:
I genuinely enjoyed seeing the duality of the husband in the first season, but because the wife was angry with him for it, he abandons that identity completely. The male lead looked so impressive in the white wig! It was part of his charm. I never understood why she could not accept this side to him when she herself was hiding that she was not the person he thought she was. He completely accepted her. Why couldn't she? At least if that was explained maybe I could accept it.

Sexual assault trigger warning! The couple get a potential concubine by allowing to her to get molested by a creep. I thought they would formally introduce her so he decides to wed her. That would have been better. Apparently the manga explains this far better but I have to go by what was depicted in the series. Later, another prince gives away his wife without her consent to the same molester in exchange for power. These are very off-putting plot points.

Apart from these, the story was alright. It picks up towards the end.

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Terrible in more ways than 1

It's highly unusual that a drama would rile me up as much as Longing For You has. I had such high expectations after the first episode but it was a let down very soon into the show.

The Good:
The idea behind the plot was good and it started off as an interesting mystery with the serial killings.
The OST is great. I love the intro theme song.
Some of the beginning and later episodes are good but not enough to make up for places it lacks.
Some of the loose ends are tied.

The Awful:
Predictable - by the 4th episode, you will know exactly what has happened. The rest of the episodes is just the rest of the characters being oblivious and not able to guess anything and it is beyond frustrating to watch them run around like headless chickens.
Poor acting - Usually I can blame the writing for ruining a show. But not here. The actors have done such an unconvincing job at every stage. I felt like not a single person cared for Jin Woo. Not his brother, not his mother, not his adoptive mother, not his friend, Young Joo. He had no one! Even towards the end, I didn't feel like anyone cared in the courtroom. Nor when they were first watching the videos. A normal mother or family member would cry and scream in such types of situations. They would be out of control. Nope. Not this family. They, at best, could muster a teary-eyed shocked look on their face. That was the most heart-breaking thing. I've seen extras in other dramas react more than this group. I, in fact, was feeling more emotions than those family members.
Humanizing the villains - This was beyond annoying. Making killers and psychopaths "look" remorseful. People can't just take lives without a thought if they were humane to begin with. It's not like they were acting in self-defense. The writers should have let those characters stay villains. You made them look pathetic by the end. And some were doing comedy. Really? And Dr. Choo gets no punishment after what he did? How can the family even trust this man, let alone be normal with him?
Romance - well, there is no romance. Also, there is no chemistry between the two people who apparently like each other. When they confess their feelings, I went, "huh? what?". I couldn't believe it. This is a very minor point though. I don't care if there was romance or not. But if you are writing it into the plot, at least make it believable.
Convenient evidence and confessions - again, this is a minor point since most shows that want to take down villains end up finding all the evidence necessary. It was just the brazenly tight-lipped murderers all decided to confess one by one. The evidence that was supposedly non-admissible was suddenly allowed in the courtroom. At least stay consistent with your own arguments or explain why they were allowed in court.

One should usually be satisfied when things are wrapped up but looking at everyone joking around and happy till the end, I felt like beating those characters up for never once fully mourning when they should have. They frustrated me throughout the series.

I would like to forget I ever saw this show with how disappointed I feel.

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Dramatic, Gorey, Enthralling

From start to finish, the presentation and story-telling of the show were gripping and exciting! Both the leads - the uncle and the niece play a fantastic part in this entire series - both together and separately! It definitely makes it a MUST WATCH.

If you enjoy action, thrillers, suspense - this show has all of that. You might have to put up with a bit of gruesome gorey killing sprees along with it so "Listen Well" - watch at your own risk depending on what you are able to handle. It did get a bit much for me. Though they try to spare you a bit with the camera panning to the killer rather than the victim. The story is actually not very complicated which is a plus point. There is a bit of back and forth with episodes 5 and 6 giving important background information but never for a moment did this show lose it's pace or get boring so don't let that make you hesitant.

The show is unrealistically realistic. It doesn't make superheroes out of nobodies. People are what you expect them to be and rely on their wits and other skills. Of course there are still unrealistic aspects to the show but the series completely draws you into the world despite that.

Just FYI, the story isn't complete and although there is no confirmation as of now but there probably should be a season 2. That is the only thing I wish wasn't the case. I would have liked an extra 2 episodes and the series to be concluded. Not sure what new season 2 could hold as expectations will now be through the roof.

The OST fits the series perfectly. The actors did a good job and I'm especially happy that Lee Dong Wook took up this project. He's just the icing and cherry on top of the cake!

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Not Impressed

When Moon in the Day started, it had potential to be really interesting. The whole past life connected to the present life could have been done well but the let down was the story itself.

The major problems I had with the plot was that they really kept dragging what actually happened in the past. Everything was mysterious but not in a good way. Rather in a very slow and boring way. The reveal will only come in the last 3 episodes and you feel like, "is that it?". Also one thing I noticed is the FL in the past had struck the ML on the neck. But in the present, his scar is on his upper chest/shoulder. A very bizarre mistake when you keep repeating that scene and highlighting where the sword struck him. It simply does not match. They just wanted to be able to hide the scar without making the actor wear a turtle neck.

Another thing I disliked is the FL was a strong character. Both physically and mentally. She was capable of taking care of herself but shortly afterwards, she ends up being made to portray a helpless character. I wish they would have kept her character as a firefighter. She shouldn't have had to give up her job. Rather if the writers allowed us opportunity to see how much the ML actually cares for her even when he thinks he doesn't when he sees her endangering her life to save others. For the first half of the show, ML was trying to kill her and that suddenly changes without explaining how or why his anger subsided or why he thought he could move on if he was the one to kill her to begin with when he didn't do that in any of the previous lives. It also begs the question that if he was with her for 1500 years, how was he unable to protect her other times she dies but this time/life it was possible like saving her from drowning to the point that she believed she had a guardian angel.

There really isn't much happening in the first half. The historical scenes were good. They should have shown more moments in the present. This also needed more romance. The ML and FL were serious for the most part. Wish we could have seen their chemistry throughout even if was funny moments.

The brother's character was decent. The bad guy was okay. The other characters were mostly just there without much effect. The monk also spoke in unnecessary riddles so it was mostly a waste.

The ending is okay but I didn't really feel super delighted. Wish they had shown more. I guess you can call it a realistic ending. It's not a terrible show but nothing fantastic.

I thought the theme song and the design of it was beautiful. One of the few things that really stood out.

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Don't Fall For The Poster!

This is a cute drama but nothing like I imagined it would be. There isn't even enough romance for me to consider it a romance drama.

It's more of a story about a 27 year old woman who works herself to the core in a job without so much as an appreciation for all her hard work. Eventually, she gets an interview offer from another company that has a better work environment and she finds inspiration to grow and be a better version of herself.

I feel really let down by this drama on the romance front. Though both male lead and second male lead are really nice, genuine characters, there is hardly any moment outside of casual interactions with them so the poster was a complete false advertisement and I doubt anyone picked this drama because they wanted to see an office work environment story.

I liked all the characters and the OST is cute.

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It will suck you in instantaneously

I mostly binged this part and it was probably the best decision since it's an easy watch. By that I mean, it is very easy to sink into the story. It captivates you. There is a lot happening constantly so you certainly won't be bored. It also has some very emotional moments. At least they were for me. I was on the verge of tears at least a couple of times so expect angst as it delivers it well.

The war scenes were brutal without being too gorey. They left it to the audience's understanding of what might have happened/is happening and I am thankful to not have to seen some of those scenes. Else it would have required me to take a lot of breaks. It's nothing close to Game Of Thrones if you need an idea. There are some action scenes but not that much and nothing that blew me away. It's less skill and more about war tactics.

I enjoyed the character development of the female lead. How she changed from being self-obsessed and somewhat immature to having great strength, wonderful leadership qualities, being a quick learner and strong-willed. The male lead on the other hand gives off red flag vibes initially but falls hard for the female lead so there were several points where he won my heart. There's a lot of push and pull happening.

If you prefer quick resolutions, don't bother. It's a bit of a rollercoaster. The final episode may leave you feeling a tad annoyed. But nothing we didn't expect I suppose.

All actors were brilliant. The OST is beautiful. Hopefully part 2 will be satisfying.

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Better compared to the first season

Although season 2 is a good series, a huge reason that I did not enjoy Shadow Detective 2 is because of the gap between the two seasons. I wish they were released together or closer together. Splitting them up dampened the impact the series could have made. I had found season 1 quite confusing and difficult to follow and that made it harder to recollect incidents while season 2 was airing. The series also has a very long list of characters and names of people keep getting referred to so if you have a hard time remembering names, you'll struggle a bit to follow along.

The positive side is that since this season is about concluding the initial and current mysteries, towards the latter half of the series, it becomes much easier to follow along and there are fewer important characters to remember.

The pace of the story is quite slow and the tone is very serious so the dialogue delivery felt monotonous. That is what made it harder to watch even when things got interesting. There was not a single episode that I could continue without dozing off. I did enjoy the series when I could see the picture as a whole. The mystery aspect was stronger in the first season and the second season is quite different from that so it's possible to enjoy the first season more for that reason alone.

Ideally, in order to properly enjoy this show, one should watch both seasons one after the other. However, this series didn't leave a strong impact on me unfortunately.

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Riveting and a Breath of Fresh Air!

Kim Tae Ri has done is again. She keeps proving what an excellent actress she is and I am enjoying all her projects. Revenant is a gripping thriller-horror series that is a must watch in 2023 if for no other reason then for Kim Tae Ri's performance.

The opening theme starts off with a strong and creepy vibe and the story is a slow build up of the suspense. However, the pacing is good as so much is happening in each episode. The ghostly visuals are really a unique take on horror in the form of shadows. So if you are faint of heart, this show is still enjoyable.

Folklore professor Haesang, Gu Sanyoung and officer Lee Hongsae work together to discover the identity and the mystery surrounding the evil spirit that has possessed Gu Sanyoung and is going on a murder spree. They are forced to try and solve the mystery through bits of information that Sanyoung's father left behind, along with other clues they slowly collect along the way starting with the 5 mysterious objects related to the evil spirit.

The story is captivating and the series has a high production value thus making is visually appealing. Most enjoyable was the chemistry between Hongsae and Sanyoung despite this not being a romance series as well as the final episode.

The final reveal of the spirit's story is done in the last 3 episodes. But with the evil spirit always aware of their actions, it's a race against time to get ahead.

With 12 episodes, this series is not difficult to binge. You'll enjoy every moment of it.

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An emotional rollercoaster at first

For the first 6 episodes, I was crying because of how deeply I felt Bora's break-up. I was not expecting this. I thought it was a fun and light-hearted show. It does have plenty of those moments but it is also pretty realistic and I enjoyed that.

The female and male lead of this show are far from perfect. They mess up quite a bit but the good thing is that each of them are learning through their experiences and learning to grow instead of repeating mistakes. The main thing you see with them is that even when they don't necessarily like each other, they are considerate of each other. When they see the other in their lowest moments, they offer support without being asked. These are the things that win hearts and it certainly won mine. Though I did feel frustrated with the way each of them dealt with their exes at first. In fact, I was especially annoyed when Bo Ra allowed her ex to try to be friends with her. I would have blocked him and not given him an opportunity to ever contact me again. But that's just me. With So Hyuk, I could relate actually. Not being able to fully express himself. Although, I didn't fully understand his reason for it.

Let's move on to the side couples. HEAVY SPOILERS.

1. The best friend and her husband. Honestly, there were so many moments where I thought she's going to divorce her husband. They had no communication or understanding of what the other wanted. And I can imagine that after a while (beyond the ending of the show), everything will go back to the way it was.

2. The sister, Bo Mi and the soldier dude. Yes, they were cute but the sudden pregnancy just spells disaster to me. Neither of them were financially ready for a relationship, let alone a baby. Both are naive and clueless. A shotgun wedding might seem great for a drama conclusion but few years down the line, when bills pile up, they might start resenting each other. The only positive point is that the guy did not shy away from taking responsibility. They still should have figured their life out rather than acting like teenagers which I am guessing they are not. In fact, there's next to nothing we know about them. The show just seemed to suggest that Bo Ra will move in with So Hyk and Bo Mi and her fiance/husband will live in the house Bo Ra paid for. Convenient.

3. The CEO and the young office worker. I really expected him to reconcile with his ex-wife considering they ended things on a misunderstanding. They kept running into each other and it would have been nice if they could at least try on a new note even if it didn't work out. The office worker was too child-like. Not sure why they wrote such a character. The CEO also seemed a bit off to me at times. Like indulging in back-biting, giving horrible advice, not supporting the office worker in front of everyone, forcefully removing the partitions when clearly most of the workers aren't comfortable without it. He's not a bad guy but he still gave me weird vibes at times.

There are a few moments that I felt were not needed.
- Comparing the situation during the holocaust with self-care was far too extreme.
- Promoting books by Trump considering most of his businesses were failures.
- Quoting Elon Musk when most of his success is on the back of what others already built.
Not blaming the actors but rather the writers for adding these points. It made me think there is a disconnect between how Korean society thinks and the west. Or maybe it's simply a language barrier. Or maybe anyone can have an issue with a famous personality. I just have my reasons for finding these mentions unnecessary.

In any case, I still enjoyed the show because the lead couple made watching worthwhile.

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Kept me hooked with their mystery

Despite being 18 episodes long and a bit slow at times, there is enough drama, mystery and some very cute romantic moments that keep you hooked.

Although the series took a long time to finally get to it's conclusion, I enjoyed the characters a lot. Loved the bromance between Kang San and Si Yeol especially. Loved the romance between Dan O and Kang San. They were truly cute together. Jung Yoo Ha, Kang San and Si Yeol's contrasting personalities worked so well together. And the mystery of who is who and what will happen was worth watching. The ending is only predictable when you have 2 episodes left so the show makers did a good job in keeping us guessing.

Although I liked Si Yeol and Dan O's sister, Hong Joo, interactions as well, there were moments were she completely pissed me off.

All the actors have done a marvelous job.

The OST is also nice.

All in all, I had an enjoyable time watching it!

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Laidback Series

Divorce Attorney Shin isn't like other law dramas where there is a lot of dramatic cases and dialogues in courtrooms. It's a quite down to Earth style of story-telling.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding what drove Attorney Shin to change careers from being a pianist to studying law but it's not an over the top story. A lot of the cases that are dealt with in this show are quite realistic and sometimes divorce is quite necessary. Shin makes sure to never judge his clients.

If you are hoping for a romance plotline between the leads, there is none but there is romance as a secondary storyline. There is also a very mature version of bromance that grows on you.

The child actors played a wonderful role. Both mother and child and Shin and his nephew had heart-warming relationships.

Overall the show is quite enjoyable.

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Lots of Gore

It's hard to rate it because I didn't hate the show but I didn't fall head over heels for it either. The concept is interesting. The male lead has a special ability to reconnect and heal it's broken parts within seconds. It's a lot like Venom (which I loved) but much more bloody. One day he is just walking along humming a song he wrote when he gets himself kidnapped by organ harvesters. His eye balls get removed but he manages to wake up and plop one of them back in before bolting. Meanwhile his other eye gets placed in the head of another man. The male lead starts to see visions of him and in trying to find and get back his eye, he discovers the man's secret. He's a serial killer.

Up until this point, the show was pretty interesting but it just goes downhill from there. Lots of running around. Lots of incompetent police officers which drive you nuts. SO MUCH GORE. If blood and torture and dissection of bodies bothers you then you will probably hate this show as there is a lot of it from time to time. I just about managed to make through it by watching it in 2x.

I did love the visuals of the connect. The CGI was top notch. I enjoyed the intro theme. Looks beautiful. The main song also really grows on you. There are some action sequences that I enjoyed but too few to really enjoy. More of it would have increased my rating. I actually enjoyed the serial killer aspect to the story because without it, there wouldn't have been anything interesting about the story.

However, the twist related to the serial killer was just a little too much. It wasn't needed in fact. And if anything it made the story a little over the top. There's also an unnecessary sex scene in episode 2.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT
I also found the end frustrating because when you are trying to escape a building, you go down and not to the roof.

Overall, I thought it could have been improved in several ways which is probably why I wouldn't bother rewatching it. But it's fine for a one time watch being such a short show.

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Lost me in the second half

Season 1 was honestly great but season 2 didn't live up to the mark. There were many times where I felt the show was trying too hard to be perfect that it lost the natural feel to it.

As a summary/recap, Deib was a popular high school kid who had a popular group of friends. He used to bully Max, a poor but strong girl and eventually they fell in love. Deib had an older brother, Dale, who was shot and left for dead for which Deib blames himself for being inebriated at the time. His parents also blamed him for a while. His father continues to be harsh with him and nothing Deib does to make up for it seems to be good enough for his father. Deib had hired a private investigator who then went missing at a crucial point. When it is revealed that Max's uncle Boyet is at the center of Dale's shooting incident, it puts a strain on Max and Deib's relationship.

There is nothing wrong with the story as such. In fact, up until the mid point it was pretty interesting. But after a while, you start to feel bored and wish the story could move faster. Or something new would happen. And when it does, you feel like this just doesn't make any sense. There are some interesting side characters - Niah, Ysay and Lee, but even their plot appears to move in circles. The sudden disappearance of a character also felt strange and unresolved. There's a death that felt like it was added for the shock value as it serves no purpose.

Acting wise, I felt the cast did a really good job though I did feel like there were more crying scenes than required. Sympathetic crying happened a bit too often. Also some of the characters feel more like cheering squads in this season and don't have a life of their own even when they could have had their own stories that were initiated in season 1.

By the end of season 2, I felt a bit tired to continue. It is mostly filled with cliches. That is why it took me 3 days just to finish watching the finale.

There are some good moments and positive messages like loving yourself, doing what is good for you, sisterhood, etc. It's just the presentation that feels unfamiliar.

One thing that does stand out is the exceptional OST. There are some beautiful tracks that I fell in love with while watching this show like Kahit Na Kahit Pa, Did You Let Me Go, I Just Miss You and the title track He's Into Her are some of the most memorable ones.

The show couldn't live up to the first season's performance but it is good for a one time watch so that the story is tied up.

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A very long vacation aka a slow burn

The first episode was not great as I was watching and I wondered if it was a good pick but the ending of the episode touched my heart and that is when I began to enjoy the story.

The acting and characters are wonderful and the story is sweet but there are times when you wish they had gotten together already. Then again the show is titled 'Long Vacation'. You're in it for a long ride.

The piano and OST are beautiful and catchy but there are times when the music overlaps on the piano playing which is a possible drawback. I would have liked to listen to Sena play more.

Sena and Minami make a good pair with her outgoing and overly positive and peppy nature and his introverted, shy, and hesitant nature which she brings out the best in while he provides her with the dependable sweetness that she longs for.

I would have loved to see some moments of them as an official couple where they know where they stand with each other.

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I am not one to watch horror shows generally but I was curious because it only has 8 ten minute episodes. That is great for binge watching. If you scare easily like me then let me just say that the show is watchable and probably won't give you nightmares. But it does have a major jump (or in my case scream) scare. There is some amount of gore but it's not that bad. Or at least it didn't bother me and I can't stand gore.

Getting to the story, I liked the setting of the call center and the concept of the show. It not new in the least but it is interesting enough to make you want to watch and find out what is going to happen and why things are happening the way they are. So that mystery element is a good driving point. I won't claim it to be the best show but for 10 min episodes, it's a fun watch. It's the length of a movie.

If you are a huge horror fan, then you might not enjoy the series as the scary parts are mild. Then again it might be worth giving a shot.

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