Thanks for introducing us to this very special profession
I have huge praise for screenwriter Yoon Ji Ryun for creating a show about trauma cleaners, a profession I didn't know existed. Especially in a culture that is fairly judgemental about people's jobs and superstitious about death, it's doubly important to tell stories about it. Not only does it address trauma cleaners and humanize the dead, but it also tries to portray people with ASD as valuable, capable, and human.The story is simple and easy to digest. Each character has one main conflict plotline that is punctuated by each encounter with a deceased person as the team cleans up their belongings and learns about their life. The simple treatment is actually why I don't think the show deserves a high overall rating. It is simply too conventional. The conflicts and challenges the characters face and their resulting transformations are too predictable. The dialogue and interactions that show character transformations, though well written and well delivered, are too perfect. The flashbacks of Geu Ru and his father are too smoothly heartwarming. I feel that this show could have taken the highly engaging material and challenged us as viewers. It could have pushed us to rethink what we already know, and asked us to question what it means to live, love, and die, what intelligence is, what family means to us, and what we are willing to sacrifice. Instead, it gives us something to pat ourselves on the back with because most of us already believe what the show is trying to tell us.
Furthermore, one big issue is the show's treatment of Geu Ru. It gets some of the mechanics right about his abilities, but exploits his character to help others learn lessons or change their thinking. I found this to be behind the times in terms of how shows should portray neurodiverse people. We hardly get to know him as a person. We don't understand his inner thoughts at all. If the year was 1980, perhaps this show would have been groundbreaking (in case you didn't know, Rain Man was released in 1988). But alas, it is 2021 and we expect better.
The acting is outstanding, especially Lee Je Hoon as our conflicted underground fighter Sang Gu. I feel he played the sensitive uncle with depth and understanding. I also really enjoyed Hong Seung Hee as Na Mu. She never overplayed her energetic character, despite the fact that her role was basically written as "the responsible nag". Finally, Tang Jun Sang's performance as Geu Ru was understated and he really connected with the other characters even when his character had differing goals.
I will be along for the ride next season, and I sincerely hope this show will grow and challenge us further.
Also, if you are interested in this theme, read The Embalmer, a well crafted manga by Mitsukazu Mihara, which tries to break superstitions and judgement about death and this particular way of preserving the dead.
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A very emotive drama - fab acting!
I had no knowledge of this drama until a clip started playing on my Netflix home page. It looked intriguing, so I hopped on here to see what people were saying and decided to give it a try.I am so glad I did! The drama is beautifully executed and manages to draw emotion from it’s audience with a combination of great acting and well-thought out stories, each offering the chance for the main characters to grow.
The relationship between the main characters is so unique. I love that we get to watch the characters smoothly transition from strangers to family.
I have only seen LJH in Signal, and when he appeared in the first episode, I almost didn’t recognise him. His character is so different to the one he portrays in Signal and so I’m glad I’ve got to see how versatile he is as an actor. I look forward to watching more of his dramas!
Overall, the characters in the drama are refreshing to watch. The relationships feel realistic and the plot manages to highlight different issues in society, beautifully unraveling the different stories of the deceased.
I recommend watching! It’s considerably shorter than most dramas, so it’s not a big commitment. My heart feels full after finishing this drama - I’m not sure how else to describe how I feel!
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Trying too hard
this just tried too hard to be sad, the stories felt too convenient and after watching the same sob stories it kinda makes it less moving.the whole dynamic of the cold guy, the dysfunctional family to the "guardian" that needs to change thing happens way too often, even the whole life full of misfortune that makes the ML jaded thing
but I have to say, lee je hoon's acting was amazing, he played the sad soul to the hopeful soft soul really well. a little too well cuz everyone else seemed basic.
Lee Jae Wook and the whole meeting with LJH had more depth than the story though the ending again was just another move for the tears so it felt meh, but his acting was great too
and Ji Jin Hee as well, he did the perfect father role really well
the story about Jung Woo finding the baby, and the slow building love from Sang Gu were the best parts. I also liked Choi Soo Young, I wish she had a bigger role
the ost was basic and I never rewatch stuff.
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wholesome
just have to write a review for this series.this series just brought us a new perspective of grieving. how things left behind by the deceased often portray their life and what they wanted to convey to their loved one or the world. how the series bring it to life is just touching and wholesome.
each character shown has their story to tell and it was what hook me in the most. the character development of the main lead is really good and well develop especially cho sang goo. and how han geu roo brought us to his journey of grieving and letting go of his father. these 3 character (cho sang goo, han geu roo, han jung woo) relationship with each other are really great developed and the progressed is really good.
the acting of each character is really well.
the only reason why i do not score it 5 stars for rewatch value is because i don't think i can't rewatch it on a whim, i have to prepare myself emotionally to rewatch it again because it really emotion-consuming watching this series. （i cried for the whole series, managed to used a box of tissue)
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OMG! I’m crying my eyes out!
Why am I doing this to myself? A drama about people dying, so fifteen minutes into the first episode of this drama, and I’m already sobbing. This grabbed me within the first five minutes. With most dramas, I have to watch at least three episodes to get interested, but not with this one. It is a very touching, emotional, extremely well acted drama, and I hope it continues being this good.I can tell from now, I will be binge watching this one. I will now commence binging the rest of this, and update my review when I’m done. Hopefully this rating will stay a ten. So... let the binging begin...!On episode six, and it is still a 10!
Just finished this, and I am sitting here crying. Every single episode was good, well acted, well written, emotional, everything... it had it all. I will watch it again, I’m sure several times. Judging by how it ended, I believe there will (hopefully), be a second season. There could be so much more to tell. This drama especially hits you hard if you’ve experienced the death of a loved one. Those emotions hit so close to home when you watch each episode, how the person died, how the family reacts, and the experience of discovering the deceased life, through cleaning out their belongings. One episode was particularly heart wrenching about a young man that searched for his mother his whole life. All I can say is, this is a must watch drama, that will affect you for a while after your are done.
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The acting was amazing; I liked how everyone played their parts amazing.
Classical music was fitting and calming.
I think I would watch it if I need a good cry.
Overall, I definitely recommend this show; I definitely want to tell every single person I know to watch it because it really is just a master piece. Of life, death, family and even more. It all played such important parts to life in general.
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Touching
Binged watched the show the day it came out. I started crying 15 min into the first episode. The amount of respect and care the characters showed while doing their work was amazing. This show gave a insight in how the aftermath of loss of life unfolds on the belongings and the place they lived in and how different people deal with it in different ways.The series has only a few main characters and it shows that you can make a excellent story with just that. The CGIs were so cute , made it easier for us to understand the thought process of the MC. The way range of scenarios were show and carefully covered was amazing. I am so happy with the cast , that they feel perfect for this show , I wish it had more episodes but the character growth and pace was fine so , maybe a season 2 since it has so much potential.
It also beautifully show how much shame and awkwardness is attached to a person's passing that it is often translated into silence, how hush hush the affair of removing the belonging has to be. Trauma Cleaner deserve more respect.
Our priorities are so , our grief is so and passage of time is slow so complicated , that we work on listening to the person through their belongings , after they have passed and how we try to revive memories in them. A lot of unsaid and unknown unravels when someone passes and then it becomes to late for us to know that. It's a must watch series for growth and healing , for I know most of us ,definitely in lives have Not dealt with atleast one loss fully and this may helps us in a way .
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What's in your box?
Move to Heaven is a masterpiece, which I don't really say too often. I watched a lot of dramas before, and I've never seen something quite like this one. It explores complex relationship dynamics, mental health, and death on a deeper, more heartwarming level than most dramas today. I loved every bit of it. From the script to the pacing, everything had a realness from start to finish. While some episodes were more heart-wrenching than others, I found myself still tearing up during every episode. I was at episode 9 before I realized it was only 10 episodes long. It's so good.It really makes you look around and wonder what they'd put in your box after you're gone.
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Sang Goo's character development makes it worth the watch
Move to Heaven was just an okay drama for me. The plot moved at a consistently slow pace because the story for the main characters was regularly interrupted with each episode's sub-plot for the trauma cleaning service.I was most interested in the story of the uncle, Sang Goo - his history with the cage fighting and his pupil, and then his history with his older brother, Han Geu Ru's father, were interesting to me. These curiosities were well satisfied, but I found that some of the characters were lacking - Na Moo and Yu Rim (the social worker) were the potential love interests for Geu Ru and Sang Goo, respectively, but they wasn't developed really at all. Madam Jung also wasn't caught in the end - satisfaction-wise, this was not okay for me as the viewer.
I also found the ending to be a bit frustrating - it's obviously left open because Netflix wants the possibility of a season 2, but it's ambiguity was not appreciated.
Overall, I was not expecting the kind of drama I got from Move to Heaven - the tone was much sadder than I had anticipated, especially based on teaser trailers. There weren't laugh-out-loud moments (maybe just moments that made me smile here and there?). But at the same time, I didn't actually cry with this drama, nor did my chest ache for the characters, which I'm completely surprised by...I think this story just failed to move me the way I had anticipated. It's a quick drama to watch and the character development for Sang Goo was definitely worth the watch!
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wasted potential-- a rant
I'll just say it: han geu ru is BARELY a character, let alone the MAIN one, and that makes me so mad. i won't talk about the portrayal of people with asperger's because I don't know enough about the topic, but come on, by the trailer i thought we were gonna get a show about how someone whose work revolves around death, deals with the passing of a loved one and their grieving process, but instead, from episodes 2-9, his whole role is of a plot device to help his broken uncle navigate his new job and teach him the power of family.also, let's talk about how almost everyone treats him as a child? my guess is that he was supposed to be younger, but it would've been a hassle to fit in his school life so they just made him 20 years old. they even admit on the LAST EPISODE that we know nothing about him, and still, they told his parents' story instead. what was his life like between his mother's death and the start of the series? i don't know, find out in season 2... maybe.
still, i can't say this is a bad drama by any means. the stories about the clients are beautifully written and are heartbreaking yet inspiring. they manage to make us fall in love with them, empathize with they life journey and cry for their death in just a couple of episodes. SO WHERE WAS THIS ENERGY while writing geu ru's character?
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This is one of the best shows I have ever watched!
I swear to god, this is one of the most emotional and best shows, I have ever watched. I cried in this show, it made my heart twinge. The feelings it evoked are too powerful, you should keep a handkerchief near you. It made me see the trauma cleaners in and entirely different light. I really respect them after watching this show. The dead are still living in our hearts once they leave this abode. The dead also have feelings and the trauma cleaners are going through pain of cleaning and eliminating the deads stuff, they end up emotional while doing the job. The director, producer, writer, actors and many more did a remarkable job on this show. One important thing I learned while watching this show is don't hold grudges against anyone, you can never know when they will depart. Just Wow. Just Wow.Was this review helpful to you?
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With new perception comes great tears TLDR A FUKCING MASTERPIECE
May 16, 2021HOLY FUCKING HELL, I JUST BAWLED THE FUCK OUT OF MY EYES. This show is A FUCKING MASTERPIECE AND WHEN I SAY A MASTER FUCKING PIECE. A LITERAL MASTERPIECE. This show is an eye-opener for people. The plot is well written, every episode you see new stories being told. And you can help but wonder, what new life lesson will I learn? I am so sad to say goodbye to the series, where I finally learned what it feels like to appreciate the little things in my life.
Geuru's Uncle, first of all, I just wanna say that he had the greatest character development out of all the kdramas that I have watched this year. I feel the ounce of betrayal and angst that he felt. I feel pity for the things that he lost and you can say that if he never met Geuru, he would probably living this lifestyle right now.
Nummo (is that how you spell it??) aka Geuru's neighbor friend, I just wanna say thank you to her. She is the greatest friend ever, I love everything that she does and does for Geuru and how her friendship evolved with Geuru's Uncle.
As for Geuru, THE ACTOR THAT PLAYED HIM IS SO TALENTED. I AM SEEING A HUGE POTENTIAL FOR THIS BOY. I DEFINITELY THINK THAT HE WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. I will definitely miss Geuru's personality. He may be timid and only speak when he feels like he needs to. But I fucking love this kid, I will take a bullet for him to be honest.
I HOPE YOU ALL WILL WATCH AND LOVE THIS SERIES. IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT YOU WON'T EVER REGRET TO WATCH AND SURELY SOMETHING THAT WILL YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER. I HOPE YOU LEARN SOME LIFE LESSONS AS WELL AS YOU PROGRESS THROUGH THE SERIES. BEST WISHES!!
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