Completed
Melisse
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 30, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Great fun show with lots of plot twists!

This drama was overall very fun and enjoyable to watch, perfect if you want to be kept on the edge of your seat. The mismatched set characters really works and you can't help but like all of them. The dynamic is great between them and I appreciated that the bromance aspect took over the romance one.

It's also quite nice to see that the "bad guys" weren't the usual mean and evil guys, but more realistic ones.
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Completed
Melakward
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 29, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
Why I watched it: Seo In Guk. That’s pretty much all I needed.

Was it worth it: Probably?

What I liked the most: The cons. It’s fun to see the guys you’re rooting for get the upper hand.

What I disliked the most: There was a lot of content overlap and it got a bit muddled towards the end.

Moment Meter: 2/10 – Not too many romantic moments, but there were a few feel good “gotcha” moments in there.

Other thoughts: There are a lot of characters, so you have to pay attention, especially to names. The constant cons can also break your brain if you’re not paying attention. After a while you just start second guessing everything. There were some cute parts. It had a bit of an Ocean’s 11 feel to it at the beginning. The ending was pretty solid, but again, you have to pay attention. I would have liked to see more between Yang Jeong Do and Cheon Seong Hee, but then again I’m a sucker for romance. Rewatchable only if you were lost the first time you saw it.

Conclusion: A solid drama. It could have been cooler given the subject matter, but not bad all together.

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Completed
Wol hwa
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 17, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

A mix feeling drama?

Well in the plot itself u will understand the basics of the story and u get and idea of where the whole thing is leading too and trust me when i say that itself is enough reason to make the drama boring.
But. But. Hear me out since even i thought this would be a boring drama but it isnt. This drama kinda is boring and so predictable and soo easy to understand but why did i see the whole drama without dropping? A question i ask alot of the times. I found the answer is because it was not that typical or cliche-ish. It was a perfect drama that fits all its tags and genre. There was no unnecessary romance or "mind-blowing luck" or even fighting stupidly. The leads also didnt act out of their league too much also. The villains also acted level headed.
The actors did a wonderful job. I really liked how they made me feel all the emotions in perfect balance. It was so peaceful watching the drama.
The music was okay.
Like i said, this drama is not unique or very creative. The drama was striving to be perfect stable that it wasnt meant for creativity or uniqueness, and it reached its goals pretty much.
Hope u enjoy this!

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Completed
Draken Sano Shipper
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 19, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

I really like this show but the thing is I happen to like the cast especially had a total crush on Lee Sunbin. She's so hot! And don't even get me started on Seo In-guk ???? honestly that guy is so gorgeous and on top of that he can act! But I absolutely got addicted to this drama. And then there was the whole wish fullfilment scamming the bad guys lol I admit it was so fun! But ok I feel like even though I liked this drama I feel like it wasn't something I can rate as high it lacked somehow in some ways, like for instance the going to prison for two years was completely pointless! Because it doesn't add anything to the story. A lot of things happening were the same and again lack of proper action and not enough emotion. Also, I'm sorry I didn't find the female lead role attractive at all, so I was always shipping Seo In-guk with Sunbin I'm sorry. They actually had chemistry. That one scene where she lashed out at him and he pats her head *swoooooooon* I feel like they should have just treated the tax collector chick and in guk as a past story rather than an actual main ship, because their 'love' or whatever just wasn't believable. Anyway the romance part isn't a major aspect of the drama so there's that. Anyway in conclusion, it's a good drama absolutely watch it entertaining and because ok Seo In-guk looks HOT HOT HOT ????

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Completed
Ivana
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I can't believe I forgot about this drama...
Overall its great! Its really satisfying... I give the story/plot 8.5 ,because I wish that they had gone more into some of the stories in the drama. It had a lot of twist, my brain was working for once when watching a drama( I haven't seen so many twist since I Gap Dong). I had a lot of ,,Bad guys" drama flashbacks too ( the feel T.T), if you liked those dramas you will most probably like this one too.
The cast and acting was amazing 10/10!!! The music really fits the drama, I wanted to sing a long but I don't know korean.
Watch the drama, there is something satisfying about it (probably the many twists)!. After the second episode is when it really might get some people, if they are more into normal kdramas.

I just rewatched it again, after some time passed and decided to give it a higher score. I dont know why I like it better the second time. :)

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Completed
Jemerald523
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 8, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
I really cant describe this show. It is not that superb but also not bad. It is not something you will excitedly wait but it is something really worth watching.. As a viewer, you will just unintentionally be immersed with the story, be in love with the squad and be awed with its lot of twist.

38 Task Force is swindling in a professional level, that make this show interesting.. The issues being discussed in this show is on point and realistic.. The way how they make a con and make all things go as their plan is somehow unrealistic but possible. Maybe what this show trying to say is, all human being is somehow similar, has its own weaknesses and somehow fall in the same trap even your rich, educated or poor. It really has lot of twists that make this series predictable that the con will go well, but still you will like how it will be revealed in front of your eyes.

What I really like in this show is the whole squad itself especially the Baek Sung Il and Yang Jung Do tandem.. I never imagined Seo In Guk having a good bromance chemistry aside from Park Bo Gum in I Remember You but Ma Dong Seok and Seo in Guk Bromance is something worth rooting for. I really like how they trust each other and how Sung Il believe in a conman more than anyone else.

Romance is really lack in this show.. But I dont really mind it..

I really hope all the government official is like Sung Il, contented on what he have and doing his job well. This show is truly eye opener on issues about tax collection, evasion and bribes..

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Completed
MG Mayre
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 19, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
38 Task Force (2016) - totally speaks OCN to me and I really like this drama. I like the concept of tax that is embedded in the drama and it is quite new concept for me as a korean drama watcher for so long.

The cast is perfect. They embodied and portrayed the characters really well. I also like how the pacing is done in the drama, it just flows and I was not bored watching this even though I already know what's gonna happen next seems it has that cliche storyline of a crime type of drama.

Nice drama overall, would definitely recommend this.
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Completed
Terry Tsurugi
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 29, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Fun and engaging but has no connection to reality whatsoever

I enjoyed this show. It's full of twists and turns to keep you interested, and you care about the characters because they're well-acted and charismatic. The plot, which was the primary focus of the show, had its good points and bad points. It was good at keeping you guessing and taking unexpected turns. I was never able to predict the clever ways in which the heroes were able to solve every problem, because their plans always encountered big obstacles, like the villains finding out about their plans, etc. However, this repeated pattern ended up being predictable because it happened again and again. And the plot was totally unbelievable. Why would a bunch of grifters and criminals suddenly decide to work so hard and risk so much to help the government collect taxes? There was a little bit of talk at the beginning about them getting a small cut of the collections, but that fell by the wayside, and it seems like they were getting nothing out of it at all. If they were such idealistic and altruistic Robin Hood types, why didn't they feel guilty about all the money they stole from innocent people as career criminals up to this point? And I never totally believed the bromance between Seong Il and Jeong Do. It happened too quickly. Actually, none of the relationships were satisfying. But the actors did a great job fleshing out underwritten characters. So overall, it was entertaining, but it could have been much better if the script was a more grounded in reality and paid more attention to characters' motives and relationships.

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Completed
ThomasNL
0 people found this review helpful
May 20, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
As I had a huge list to watch, I did not find any time to watch Squad 38. Eventually I managed to squeeze it in and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised with this series. A refreshing mix of crime, suspense with a very very light touch of romance. The story itself was quite unique and caught me off guard at several occasions making you doubt whether this or that was part of their plan. Ma Dong Suk did an excellent job as boring Seowon's City Hall's Tax Chief who eventually ended up with a team of conman in order to retrieve the tax those taxpayers refused to pay by avoiding law and tax cheats. Seo In Gook did an excellent job as main conman, while I was most definitely fan of Lee Sun Bin and her performance. The only downside was that I am not so fan of it's OST, but that's just a minor detail.

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Completed
dvadout
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 20, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

Wish it had more episodes

When I saw that Ma Dong Seok-Bad Guys. Oh Man Suk-Partners For Justice, Lee Deok Hwa-Giant, Suspicious Lawyer-shows I've watched-was in this I had to watch.

The first few episodes were so slow that I almost stopped watching it. By episode 6 I was hooked!

There was no sappy cliche romance in this series at all. Something that I have come to despise in Korean dramas.

If you like revenge shows then you will like this. I found myself laughing, whooping, and clapping when each episode was over. There were two episodes where it nearly brought me to tears but I held strong and didn't bawl.

I never rewatch Korean shows but for the sake of it, I gave it a decent number for a rewatch.

Revenge, no sappiness, yes, one will love this drama.

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Completed
Irene
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 28, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
A drama about scams within scams.  It keeps you guessing at who is on who's team until the very end.

The story was well constructed.  The scams were always clever.  Use of music was very effective.  A good cast.

However, despite not having any complaints about any individual aspect of the drama (acting, writing, directing were all solid), it was hard for me to be invested in the drama.  Because the story was very fast-paced (a lot of time passes in the drama) and there are many players, it becomes hard to be invested in the success of any individual character.  It almost felt drawn out, like a 2 hour movie stretched to 16 hours.   Something just feels missing.  Perhaps the villains were too one-dimensional, or the supporting con-artists were treated like plot devices that moved cons along.  

Seo In Guk and Ma Dong Seok were great.  I enjoyed Seo In Guk's acting as he pulled off multiple characters as a con-man.  

I am impressed with the overall premise and how the story played out, yet I am hesitant to recommend it unless you enjoy movies like Ocean's Eleven.  No romance in this.  Subtle bromance.  

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Completed
WonByungHoon
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 26, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
Finally its been 5 months i kept watching one at a time. Love it. It's so different from what i watch. Seo in guk is excellent as always and mr sung ll. It started with minor collections and the higher the rank the riskier it was collecting their taxes. The last two guys were scary and i was on the edge the whole time. Anyways great crime show with amazing cast
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38 Task Force (2016) poster

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