Holy Land (2012)

Okay,before I review this,please Dongho fangirls,don't go into rage mode,it's just my opinion.

So,overall,the only thing I liked about this drama was Hoon's acting. I'm not a fan of U-Kiss,so apparently I'm not biased,as most people that review this.
Dongho's acting,was as good as a diving board's. During this drama,to me,he was like the Korean Kristen Steward.
The story could've been good,but it was incomplete almost everywhere.I cannot even call it a story to be honest.
I'm sorry, but this drama was so boring to me that I was barely able to watch it all.I finished it because I was expecting a nice ending.Well,I was wrong.
I won't even start on Dongho's martial arts skills. Just no.

Whoever read this review,thank you. My suggestion to people is that if they are fans of the said k-pop stars in the drama,it will probably be interesting to them. And if you are people who want to watch a quality drama,this is not your pick really.
Thanks all.

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Fine executed. As most of you would know Holy Land is an adaptation of the manga Holyland. This adaptation is not the best but also not the worst, simply ok. I must confess I chose this drama because of its poster. I simply liked the dark colours, and concerning the setting,lights and shooting it satisfied me a lot. I'd give simply a 10 for that. I would like to give another 10 for the story, but that goes for the story of the original manga.It may not work the same with you but personally I like this kind of stories. But for the story of this drama, I gave an 8, because there were some gaps, not about the incidents but particullary about the characters. Still do not lose hope, you do not miss the core of them. About the music, there is nothing too much to tell, I barely noticed it. Still I think if you like this kind of stories the rewatch value is pretty high. Lastly I can not stop myself to compare this adaptation with the japanese version. I think the korean one has better shooting but the japanese one has better storytelling where you feel the characters a little better. For both of them I would say there could be better acting though.And again for both I must give credit that they were explaining the moves of fights very well. Overall I liked this drama, it was fine executed and was not a waste of time. Though especially for those who have not read the manga I would recommend to watch the japanese version too. Can not say it was better or worse but somehow both of the dramas left a different taste in my mouth eventhough they are telling the same story.

Edit: I am re-watching this now, and I wonder where my mind was when I was watching it first time. May be it was because I was impressed more with fights than the music. The intro along with backgrounds,the music is definitely above average. It is mainly based on rock and electro, not epic but perfectly fitting. My apologies for not being careful enough before.

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They could have done so much more with this.

I feel like there were major gaps in the characterization. It might just be a result of the manga that it's based on, but I didn't get a clear view of the characters' mindsets really... I dunno.

The acting was pretty good as far as I could tell. I mean the actors didn't really have that much to work with, but they did well. I thought Dongho was actually very good. Someone compared him to Kristen Stewart- maybe just because his character is sort of like that. He seems really dead inside for reasons we never really get. That's something i wish they would've delved into more deeply. I would have understood Yoo's motivation to keep fighting more if we really got a look at his background, his father, his home situation.

The music was pretty badass. Definitely one of the best parts of this drama.

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I didn't see the manga or the Japanese version. I just found it by luck. And, let's be honest, most of us, including me, watched this drama because Dongho and Hoon are acting in it. However, i wasn't disappointing at all. BTW*, i know that some watched it for poster or because they've seen the Manga...so that is why i wrote MOST...not ALL...shall we get to the main point now?

Story (8/10): The story is not new. Kang Yu (played by Dongho) learnt a rare technique in boxing and started to defend himself on the streets. The feeling of heartbeat in his chest has made him feel alive again, so he decided to remain on the streets and fight. The whole drama seems very slow, and i think it is done on purpose, to get you in the thinking mood of the hero. He thinks a lot about everything, and that made me understand him even more. There wasn't much told about the hero's, or any of the characters', background because they wanted u to be wondering about the hero. To try to figure out his psychological mind. To actually think about the drama and figure out why all of this is done like this or that...

Acting (7/10): The cast were all great. They've done their job skillfully. They didn't exaggerate or underestimate their roles. Dongho couldn't be like the Korean Kristen Steward because the American Kristen Steward didn't play a boxer in the korean streets. BTW, I don't think that the American Kristen Steward can actually pull of a scared/ serious face like Dongho.

Music (9/10): As the fighting scenes are really exciting and pulling, u might not be able to listen to the background soundtrack, but the Music is awesomly enjoable and fits greatly in the drama..

Rewatch value (8/10)

Overall, i recommended for thinking people, who are willing to actually think about the drama and don't just watch for entertainment. If u r not willing to think- and am not saying it's a bad thing and am not against it or anything, am just saving your time- please drop this drama

BTW* : By The Way

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personally ive always had a thing for anything with fighting in it martial arts, kung fu, karate anything really. Because with fighting comes good friendship.. always. Well that's the pattern ive noticed. Holy Land is like that. The fighting scenes are not the greatest but the storyline is pure. None of this girls pretending to be boys with mixed up love triangles. Just a guy finding out what he is capable of. You also take a lot away from the drama importance of friendship, easily losing sight of who you are and learning from mistakes its a bomb drama. I prefer stuff like this, its like one of those dramas where you can nod your head and be like "yeah ive seen something like that before" or "I know someone like that" clean drama awesome cast and as always theres always that one funny character that breaks the tension :D loved the drama :D

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Good Action...

Holy Land had some great action scenes, and is definitely a nice watch, if the only thing you crave is the fighting scenes, because in terms of an actual story, it doesn't offer too much - which unfortunately is a downside to having a drama with few episodes, as characters do need more time to be built, especially with a story like this one. However, the acting was great, and while I am unfamiliar with nearly all the cast members, has made me intrigued regarding the cast, to say the least. If Holy Land had more episodes, this could have perhaps had more potential - but then again, during the last episode, boredom was creeping in, so who knows what would have happened if there were more!

The OST was sublime until the very last song made me go 'What the - is this?!'. Rewatch value is low, but I still recommend people to watch Holy Land, like I said before, if they are craving some pure action, and not wanting too much (story-wise).

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Before the manga, the Japanese drama version, and U-kiss' dongho, I watched this mini-drama. Well, it's another story after watching this drama. Because I did go watch the Jdrama version, and read the manga which became one of my favorite mangas of all time. I started watching this because my sister turned it on all of sudden and my reaction was like "ohhh" a fighting korean drama. & also because of the dark pictures. This is solely based on my own thoughts during the time I watched it, but then it will also be compared to the manga. Here we go:

Story: 7/10.
It was very interesting to see that a korean drama had a story plot about street fighting has occurred. So that was what was got me into it. In the beginning we got a kid who skips school, goes to city at night, and beats the gangsters for his own protection. Then he goes on a rampage and gets beaten by the cool guy. & he wants to win him later on.

Acting/Cast: 6/10
The acting was not all that great but watchable. Though I had trouble with the main character. The reason this kid skipped school was because he didn't want to be home at the same time as his dad. He simply found that being in his room was boring and so he decided to go at night to find something better. After thinking about this, his character is so wasted. What I thought? : stupid kid, low life, aghhh!!. Ya know, what I felt was that it could have stick to the manga story afterall. The main character had so much potential to be better, it's all about the character development if you ask me. The other characters in here didn't stand out either..

Music: 8/10.
Best part of the whole thing. The music in here created the night mood of the drama. And it's just perfect for it.

Rewatch Value: 6/10 .
Overall: 6/10.
It was okay. The thing I hope they've done in here is get an atmosphere going.. A dark mood would have been nice for this drama. Something to show how dangerous the street nights are and how desperate he is to stick in that place, which is his holyland. The ONLY place where he thinks he is able to go to. It could have given more emotional and something to leave an audience thinking. But then I give it a 6 out of a 10 since it was worth a watch.. With some fighting scenes too. Though I wished they go on more.

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