Leaves you with questions
I just binged this drama and here I'm with confused thoughts and a lot of annoyance. And yes that's exactly how the author wanted us to feel. Neither full nor empty. The ignorance of the police, the easy going case solving agenda of prosecution, the helpless poor suspect and the hair pulling audience. Nothing was clear up until the last few minutes and it give me a headache but that's how the story is. Not your typical extra thriller mysterious story that gives you full answers with details of the crime in the end. It leaves the audience to think about the whole thing that happened in the last few hours. Kim Soo Hyun SERVES. How he changes throughout the episodes, his behaviour, his looks and body language. His amazing portrayal of Hyun Soo and of course Cha Seung won's realistic acting is what made the drama worth watching.Was this review helpful to you?
Guilty until proven innocent
Hyun Soo was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that was enough to make his life miserable. But not just that. So in advance, I want to alert you that this drama is not for everyone, it has blood, panic syndrome, violence, crime, death, drugs, etc. So besides all of that, it's shocking that the most perturbing thing happens to be injustice.This drama is horrible and hard to watch because it's too realistic. We watch it thinking about how many people have their lives destroyed by law, bad luck, injustice, and unprofessionalism every day. And that's why this drama is so good. It makes you think, it makes you feel frustrated, it makes you angry, sad, and perplexed all at the same time. This is not like the others dramas about crime at all. The plot may not be the most interesting at first and may seem cliche, simple or common in the genre, but the way that it develops makes you want to keep watching.
The production and the cast were both amazing, Kim Soo Hyun's acting skills are no joke, I only have watched him in It's Okay To Not Be Okay before watching this and I was already obsessed with him, but after this, I have no words. The other actors and actresses are also pretty good, everyone is so intense that makes you feel like you are immersed in the history too. And about the production, I have no reasons to complain as well.
But, I do have some things to complain about. The lawyer suffers from some kind of skin condition and it affects his feet. The drama keep showing weird scenes of this, and in the end, they don't make sense at all, there's no reason for these scenes, it was unnecessary.
I also didn't love some points in the ending. I enjoyed the concept and some scenes satisfied me, but I wanted more. More explanation, more details, more information... I think they wanted to show that the essence and the importance of the drama were how the system is failed, but the murder was too important to not make at least 30 minutes of explanation about it.
Even tough the ending could have been better, all the aspects of this drama are too good to not be a 9/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Innocent until proven guilty
One Ordinary Day (2021)Likes
1. I loved the transformation of Hyunsoo from being a naive college student to a man forced to grow up fast in order to survive. Hyunsoo didnt say much throughout the drama but you can feel his desperation and loneliness though his eyes and his tears (although sometimes the crying was OA).
2. I love Shin Joong Han. He really tried his best to defend Hyunsoo, it's just that police and prosecution already made up their minds and it's hard to investigate all the possible suspects alone In just a short time. Still he was able to do it.
3. Ugh! I hated the prosecutor and chief of police! I know they really thought they had the right person and I'm glad they still had a conscience and let Hyunsoo go. What I didn't like was they made it seem like they were the one to investigated and found the killer and didn't even apologize to Hyunsoo. One got promoted, the other got an honorary retirement. How about Hyunsoo and his family? How can they move on after this?
4. Do Ji Tae was such a memorable character! He was so hot lol and was almost like a mentor to Hyunsoo. The ongoing fight with Dooshik was repetitive but was shocked with what happened!! I almost thought that Hyunsoo might takeover from Do Ji Tae and be the new lion of northern prison.
Dislikes
I didn't watch the BBC drama so I don't know how closely they followed it and if the ending the same. I don't think he jumped, I think he spent the day thinking about his life and what to do now. Can he resume being a normal college student? Did Do Ji Tae's death left a big impression on him? Will he follow Joong Han and become a lawyer defending innocent people like him? The possibilities are endless. Again he didn't speak much so we don't really know what he's thinking.
I saw that BBC had two seasons. Hope there will be S2 with Kim Yoo Jung!
Rating: 9/10
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Phenomenal Acting & A Story that Makes You Root for the Main Character
I didn't realize the actor and the main character's names were so similar but I need to start off by saying that the actor Kim Soo-Hyun, played Kim Hyun-Soo AMAZINGLY. This boosted him up to one of my favourite actors, I didn't realize he had such a wide range. When he started crying I would cry too because it felt so raw and real. Especially near the end, during the trials, where he says "I didn't kill her' he's so desperate to have people believe him that I was tearing up. JUST BELIEVE MY BABY PLS.Overall the story was gripping and the main character was someone you just had to root for, he goes through a perfect development through the episodes as he learns to cope with the injustice of his ordeal. We know that he made a mistake, and initially, when I saw the first episode, where Hyun-Soo was leaving the crime scene, and cleaning the mess, I kept screaming NO JUST CALL THE POLICE! But then again, put yourself in that position, your mind would shut off, and you'd have no time to think it through. If you'd stolen your dad's car, your family was in poverty, had a one-night stand with a girl, and woke up to her dead--and not just dead but brutally murdered. Then of course your mind would run wild. He knows he did wrong by leaving, but it's very realistic to how a young college student may act in this situation. Just because he made a mistake doesn't mean he should lose his whole life.
That was the main thread in the plot, mistakes were made but that should not blind the police and make it so that they stop investigating just because there is a clear person to blame. Even in true crimes, we see this a lot, where there is evidence that points to someone, and instead of fully investigating, police instead cut corners to frame the suspect because it'll make the case tie up neatly. It's easier to blame it on someone who was there than to do your job and investigate, putting aside all biases to find only factual evidence. This is what Hyun-Soo faces, the chief police, from the beginning does not listen to the facts, he listens to only his hunch and then pieces all the evidence to support that hunch. In this way, Hyun-Soo is framed and a perfect murder case can be closed as fast as possible.
This drama wasn't perfect, some parts bothered me, like when Hyun-soo began to doubt himself and was becoming too much like Do Ji-Tae, but I think the drama dealt with that well by killing Do Ji-Tae, as to remind Hyun-Soo not to get too comfortable because living in prison means losing your life at any time. So although I had my gripes, they tended to resolve themselves or made sense to the character.
I actually liked how quick the ending was, a lot of people say it was rushed, and maybe it was, but I think the ending makes sense (although it could've been better, could've gotten 9 stars). In cases like these, that's really all it takes, a single piece of evidence that comes to light, one confession. After having his whole life ruined, Hyun-Soo is proven innocent in a matter of minutes. It's ironic and sad at the same time. He will never be the person he was in episode one, he's now filled with trauma and yet the whole time the person who did it was living freely.
Had the murderer kept silent, Hyun-Soo would just have easily stayed in jail. It shows how random these cases can be, but highlights one important factor: the police will construct a story based on what they want the public to believe happened, not based one evidence and it then takes a person who is willing to go above and beyond, like Shin Joong-Han, to find evidence, and for the suspect to wholeheartedly believe in themselves.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why?
Will there be a season 2?Cos I need to know what later happened to the police officer, and the prosecutor.. it's not alright for them to go scot-free for what they did to an innocent soul.. The judge needs to be hanged also.. how can you sentence someone to life imprisonment after listening to the trial?..
Honestly, I'm not ok with the end.. if that's how the movie ended, then it's trash.. what happened to the lawyer that fought his best?..
No compensation whatsoever even from hyun Soo?... Na.. it didn't end well.
I'm soo pissed right now, and if I meet the producers of this movie..then they have some explanations to do.
Was this review helpful to you?
“Put this Drama on top of your List”
Superbly riveting, fast-paced, suspenseful, provocative - and it’s only been 2 episodes since it premiered. Even if it’s an adaptation it doesn’t come across as a poor clone or a struggling version of the original series.Judging from the well-crafted scenes and soulful acting, I am certain that the high momentum will sustain or get even better! Kim Soo Hyun convincingly justified why he deserves to be South Korea’s highest paid actor. He really got down and dirty.
This drama series definitely has all the elements of a worthwhile watch.
Big tip: Don’t read the synopsis beforehand so that the suspense factor is not diminished. Let the story unravel naturally.
Was this review helpful to you?
Failure of Great Picture
This should be the first K-Drama which successfully give picture of the failure of criminal justice system, since it takes "Criminal Justice - 2008 (UK)" as story structure. Many aspect can be added since the original drama only last for 5 episodes, but again, the director and writer of this drama has failed. The title, "One Ordinary Day", only last for 20 minutes at the first episode, and the rest are dumb anecdotes.When every character in a drama, looks like they were playing a "drama", then it's a failed drama.
It should be depth in every character, just like the original drama. "One Ordinary Day" has a shallow face.
Was this review helpful to you?
HEARTBREAKING
I just started watching this drama because I love Kim Soo Hyun's work. This drama is giving me such heartache that I have to stop and take a break from watching. It is heartbreaking to see what the character portrayed by Soo-Hyun is going thru. The heartbreak and emotions I feel while watching this drama is a testament to the spectacular performance of Soo-Hyun. Even though it is such a great performance I would rather see him smiling more than crying. I applaud him for his sensational performance. I will watch to the end and hope for a happy ending and seeing his beautiful smile.Was this review helpful to you?
Dear lord, I hope it improves
Review after first episode: Okay, started this with lots of hope because of the genre, but I guess I’ve watched far too many ones which have set the bar really high that this intro failed to impress me. All the stupid decisions that Kim Hyun Soo takes would be believable if the victim was written better. Within the first few moments we are forced to see her influence on the ML and it somehow doesn’t click. From not giving him the time of her day to romantically running away instead of paying for their ice creams in the middle of a dark empty road was funny and not for the reasons they intend it to, if at all. The rest of the episode works on KSH’s remarkable acting skills, he really makes you feel for him even if you find that the seriousness which should have been there is missing in the drama, There’s too much of forcing the viewers to see the characters as someone rather than actually showing us. Anyway, it’s a fast paced enough intro. I’m hoping that it improves with the next set of episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
(+) gerak kamera dan pengambilan shotnya apik! color tone & gradingnya juga ciamik
(+) actingnya kelas kakap. not biased but ngl actingnya ksh emang pantes diacungi jempol sie. acting jaksanya juga manteup.
(-) suaranya terlalu ganggu banget di telinga. scoringnya sih oke ya, cuma agak berdenging gt apalagi kalo pake headset─bikin ngilu. tapi kalo ga pake headset, suara nangis dan teriakannya ksh terlalu keras dan mendesah, bikin suujon orang di sekitar :')
(-) masih ga paham sama maksud dari eksistensi do jitae itu apa. dia dihadirkan buat jadi alat developmentnya hyunsoo kah? singkat dan kurang ada artinya karna cm 'mantik' doang, jadi kesannya cuma numpang lewat apalagi kematiannya yg tbtb kek─hah apaanda.
(-) twist yang membagongkan. terlalu buru-buru sie karna diabisin di setengah episode terakhir, sayang bgt.
tapi terlepas dari semua (-) itu, drama ini tetep worth to watch, apalagi buat klean yang ngefans sama kim soohyun.
Was this review helpful to you?
O motivo pelo qual a moca foi morta
Essa série retrata o assassinato de uma Garota de 25 anos mas com certeza essa morte nao foi aleatoria, tem uma razao por tras disso tudo, o acusado simplesmente foi um bode expiatório, estou adorando, otima direcao, imagens perfeitas que prende a atencao ds telespectadores, muita adrenalina, tem um otimo roteiro e elenco maravilhoso tenho certeza que vale cada segundo do nosso tempo, ansiosa por mais episódios . Tenho uma nitida impressao que o padastro tem algum envolvimento nisso tudo, talvez o assassino foi pago para matar a garota...Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Muito bom. Só o final que achei meio blé
Gostei demais de como eles conseguiram me segurar na dúvida até o último episódio, porque em momento algum antes do ponto final não temos certeza absoluta de que o Hyun Soo é realmente culpado ou totalmente inocente.O final foi bom até certo nível. Descobrimos o assassino? Sim. Mas o que me deixou com raiva e curiosa ao mesmo tempo é que não mostrou como o assassino entrou na casa, como matou ela e tals, explicou o motivo que o levou a tal atrocidade? Sim, mas não mostrou nada do que aconteceu em pelo menos um flashback ?
E pra piorar temos o protagonista em cima de um prédio, será que ele foi ali se matar? Não sei, porque simplesmente TERMINOU AÍ.
Manoooo como assim??
Mas assim... É um drama que vale a pena? Com certeza, as atuações foram impecáveis e tudo é bem envolvente. Só faltou o final dar mais informações
Was this review helpful to you?
