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Emotional wringer
For me this just came out on Netflix in my country so I thought initially that it was new when in fact its 2+ years old. Oh I binged this whole thing over a weekend basically. I was hooked from episode 1. I love love love big ensemble casts with an interesting story and fascinating characters give me this over any straight romance any day of the week. Those final episodes had me crying so hard I actually ran out of tissues and its open ended because I hear season 2 is on its way, maybe that's why it ended up on Netflix . It was really stunning and in many ways I think the acting transcended the story. Don't get me wrong it was amazing from start to finish but the acting really was superb.Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing drama full of warmth and heart
Unexpectedly became one of my fave dramas! Why is this so underrated? It has so much humor, feels, and heart. Don't pre-judge it like me as yet another crime drama because of that poster. This show is a Hotel Del Luna x Black mashup. As Tale of the Nine Tailed, the hidden secrets of a mysterious magical village reeled me in right away. The writer literally took the meaning of a 'ghost' town, and wrote about one. The storytelling charms of 'fish out of water', small town hijinks, 'found family', lost family found again, it's all done thoughtfully in just 12 episodes.Spoilers:
The gist of the story is Go Soo trying to help the poor souls stuck in the magical village to find their missing bodies, so they can crossover on to 'the other side'. I've been wanting to watch Go Soo for the longest time (because he's gorgeous!), and his take on Kim Wook is so entertaining. Wook comes off as brash and rude, but secretly he's soft and before he knows it, he's already helping each lost soul investigate the mystery behind their deaths. He always 'humble brag' about it lol.
The cohabitation hijinks and partnership of Wook and senior guy Jang Pan Seok (Heo Joon Ho) is fun, they have such good chemistry.. Joon Ho is such an amazing actor, he plays a 'good guy' so well, when I'm used to seeing him all stern and villainy in other shows. His serious face with his deadpan quips are comical. I lol'ed at their Goblin strut. Later on they formed a partnership with tech savvy Jong Ah (Ahn So Hee) which looks so cute.
Police guy Shin Joon Ho played by Ha Joon is a good discovery. He looks so much like actor Yeon Woo Jin! Oftentimes, the police are a nuisance in these kinds of stories, but although he is sometimes a step too late, the way he dedicates himself investigating the case is commendable. He made the ups and downs of the character so believable. The rest of the ensemble cast led by the ever talented Song Geon Hee (Thomas) is wonderful.
As each mysterious case of the townspeople is revealed, the show depicts that desperate pain of having a missing loved one, where you go crazy not knowing if he's dead or not, and you don't even have a body for closure, that devastation of being left behind. The show tackles a lot about life and death, but balances it with lots of humor, heart, and charming characters. It will make you reflect and weigh what's truly most important, and make you want to hug your loved ones a little bit tighter.
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A Decent Twist to the Overly-Saturated Ghosts Kdrama Market
One of the best lesser known Kdramas of 2020. It boasts a twist of originality to the already-saturated ghosts dramas in the form of how the story (or should i say multiple parallel stories) developed. It's also the drama for you if you want to see ghosts kdramas alongside detective's works.The main leads had great chemistry while the main stories connect with each other but develop at their own respective paces. A great choice if you don't want to invest on longer kdramas (as it only has 13 hours of running time) but still long enough for refreshing and engaging side stories.
Keep in mind that if you are looking for a lovey dovey detectives and ghosts kdramas, this is not it
My only major complaint was that some support roles acting were off. It's subtle but it's pretty annoying. Also, i feel like some characters that don't necessarily need character development got one but the ones that are actually pretty engaged in the main storyline did not get one.
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Truth hidden in bones
I can only praise and recommend this series which was able to aid a little bit in my own ongoing self-healing journey.Such a prescious gift was for me that I am not feeling the usual need to nitpick on those faults or small misses.
The concept is truly wholesome, the cinematography remarkable. The music is floating around, featherlike, heartwrenching realities depicted in this wonderful series. The victims of gruesome, senseless murders getting a period of calmness before they must go on their way towards the never known final destination. Their souls can heal a little bit before starting off on another journey.
Really hope that we will be blessed with a second season in the future.
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Intriguingly mystic and the plot is so heartfelt
I love the unique plot of finding missing persons and delving into their individual stories. I love how the main plot combines perfectly with the subplots. It started a bit weird for me but it all made sense after a couple of episodes. I started to be really invested on it.I was thrilled to see casts that are usually an antagonist becoming good protagonists. It was so refreshing to see them in new roles. The chemistry between the cast is also so good that I feel like they really know what they do as a team and how they find these people. The bond among the villagers as well is like a tight-knit community. It's so lovely to watch them.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this series. I am actually on the 2nd season and it's still amazing. If you're into those supernatural and crime genres, definitely watch this.
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Tears will flow freely
My words after viewing: Heart wrenching, heart warming, heart felt. Every single actor starred. Joon-ho Huh led the way. His actions and acting created the context for the entire program. This Drama will without question emotionally move anyone who views it. Korean entertainment addresses the subject of the afterlife better than anyone. I really admire the sensitivity that this subject matter receives. The way the circumstances of each character is portrayed engulfs you in emotion. You really feel like you are a part of the process.Was this review helpful to you?
It's really good if you ignore the obvious plot flaws
The concept is very interesting, and the cast & acting is top notch. However earlier on you'll be asking WHYYYYYY would you .... WHYYYYYY wouldn't you. I can't even with this absurd logic.What I loved:
The entire cast from the leads the supporting cast
Jang Pan Seok (the fact that he's NOT playing a bad character for once) Literally every drama if he's in it he's the bad guy.
Lost souls in this village finding meaning of their new existence and new life -- family friends, love they never received during their living life etc. Heartwarming
The detective <-- why isn't he in more ML roles? His acting is fantastic
What I've hated: (don't read it if you don't want any possible spoilers)
Beginning of the story already with major illogical plot holes like why didn't ML report the girl being kidnapped? That would've been more logical to explain why HE was kidnapped in the process?
So many times, to tell ML about the girl (just the kidnapping part) and yet NOT?
Not so mysterious turn of events. 90% predictable.
Questionable ages . ML witness something 27 years ago and he looked 7ish ? 27 years later he supposed to be 30 but looking 40? Like really doesn't make much sense
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Memorable and Unique Storyline
This is one of the drama that I personally love and will not hesitate to rewatch. I will admit that thee are some parts or characters that does make me feel annoyed but they add character and colors to the storyline. This is a drama with a unique storyline, one that I haven't really seen portrayed in many dramas I've watched. This drama makes you cry and laugh with each character's story and their acting. A plus about this drama is that the OSTs are very nice, all the OSTs compliments the drama and will make you tear up or even cry to their dedicated scenes. I totally recommend this drama if you like thriller, mystery, but also heartwarming all together.Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful depiction of tragedy, healing and moving on
This drama is one of the best of OCN's this year. The tragedy of losing someone when theyre missing was masterfully depicted in this drama. Losing a loved one does not stop at death, but only starts there. The healing, the sacrifices of the characters were all done in magical and beautiful way. The concept was really good although the story telling had some hiccups along the way but the ending made it more special.The characters made it all somehow relatable especially to the viewers who haven't experienced of losing someone.
Everyone did a good job for their acting, but I wanna highlight Mr. Jang (Heo Junho) acting prowess. I've only seen this actor doing villain roles but his acting here as a father losing a child was really convincing. I rooted for his character the most in the entire drama, big part of it was because his portrayal of such character was really convincing, genuine and relatable.
In short, Give this underrated drama a chance!
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It was a superb drama
Its totally a worth watching. Am just so impressed the way they concluded, its kind of feel so real in way, it also make sense and the emotional parts also really worked out well in the end. At first i thought the story was so predictable and cliché narration even in the middle also i felt little draggy and boring because these kind of narrative style we seen quite often in k dramas so its not up to the expectation level in sometime, but i glad that they managed to end beautiful with a worth satisfaction.I must say that one particular character strikes me throughout the last few Episodes was that detective, he was just outstanding with his performance, especially the emotional parts, those scenes were really intense and touching as well i literally crying in end.... he just brilliant,so real , i just picked one of my favourite character which just personally i thought off and others also done a good job with their roles.
The main thing that this drama has only 12 Episodes so if your interested the plot with a mysterious fantasy storytelling and not more into the logical side you can definitely enjoy this drama. Just give it a try....
Overall it was good drama to watch ?
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This review may contain spoilers
So well done...
I really liked this KDrama. Done so well. And, it ages well. I have just finished my second viewing with little to no fast forwarding. As with any series or, show - there are storylines and characters that can get on your nerves and even in first viewing, you find yourself scrolling to get back to the story. In Missing - that doesn't happen. It seems that everyone involved made sure that every moment you are watching, there is a reason to stick around and pay attention.Loved the cast - great acting all around. I just love the consistent quality of the child actors that make it into any Asian dramas. In American TV and movies, directors and casting accept such low quality that many times - the entire production suffers because of an actor that is too young to understand what is going on around them. Imagine having a director walk a child through a scene where they have to show fear, remorse and more as if being forced to remember something terrible that happened to them. Brilliant on everyone's part.
I like that the show doesn't go out of their way to give everyone a happy and complete ending. Things change rapidly and everyone has to adjust - that's life. The story doesn't get bogged down by forced romance or, the "triangle" - there isn't any time. The focus remains on being extended family to each other and good friends. If there is family involved, all the better.
Give this wonderful series a try. You will cry with them and for them but, that is not always a bad thing.
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I am hoping that this drama will have a happy ending...because it reeled me in right from the start. The cast acting is great and I hope there will be a love interest and I can't say much without spoiling this for others.
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