a really thilling and imaginative story
Well. having read previous reviews and had watched 3 episodes, I really had the dilemma whether I should continue watching Grid or not. Thank goodness I did! The storyline was very clear from the beginning and you could easily connect all the dots given by the writer, when the appropriate time came to it. Suspensful, full story, no holes in it at all. It kept my mind alert all the time and I had no difficulty whatsoever in following the story. I really do not understand why other viewers found it so difficult and non coherant. The idea of grid was all over the place, it did not fail the story not even once. Another thing that was interesting about it, is how the writer exploited the theory of probabilities and the philosophical question of what time is. She wisely kept a low tone tossing the question to the viewers for the time being. Excellent job, mrs. jakkanim!I trully believe that it was one of the best Kdramas I've seen so far, and I 'm anticipating season 2. All the hints for season 2 were given from episode 7 and on.
Worth watching it? A profound Yes.
Acting was very good from all actors, many kudos to all of them.
Directing was also fantastic throughout all episodes, especially the two last ones. It was giving the hints of season 2 in a very laconic manner which I loved. Congrats to the director for that and also the writer who had the bouldness to keep it that way.
Finally, the music was auxiliar to the story and not over the top, but I'd rather like one more score than the one and only, just for variety.
Rewatch value, now. Yes, I'd watch it again.
I hope this review would attract more viewers, thank you for reading this.
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This review may contain spoilers
AFTER EVERYTHING, NOTHING MADE SENSE
Talk about a convoluted plot, if you haven't seen or just planning to see it, I'd say don't.Let me start by saying that it pains me to give this a low mark. First, i am in love with Kang Joon and i almost always give his dramas a pass. Second, i am at awe that Korea tries new and high-concept dramas and are not afraid to experiment - but this experiment didn't just fall flat on its face, it broke the floor and went through so deep i cant even fathom where it went.
To put it mildly, no matter how senseless the plot is, the first 7 to 8 episodes were at least interesting - i loved Kim Sae Ha and his undercover vendetta, I loved Jung Sae Byeok as a zealous and capable police officer. However, by the time we were on the episode 9, things got muddy. The last episode is a complete jaw dropper in its absurdity that when the credits rolled you will be in disbelief.
Things to note:
1. A woman from the future created the grid to protect the earth from extreme solar radiation. What did they do? Of course, try to catch her like she's a suspect. Put her in a lab and poke at her just because its fun. Why? Aren't the people in the know, supposed to be thankful to her for saving the planet?
2. The time travelling bit is just a hit and miss, and follows absolutely no rule at all. In episode 7 and 8 Sae Ha's journey to the timeline cannot be explained in paper but i still liked it up to that part. Their mantra is time doesn't flow, and so the sense it seems.
3. Did they imply Sae Byeok was raped by Ma Nok? When and how did that happen? Was Ma Nok related to Eo Jin? How did the Ghost became related to both of them?
4. The last episode is one big mess i don't even know what to make of it. If they intended to make it a cliffhanger for a possible new season then it just didn't work. They just stacked one mess after another and expected people to be puzzled and amazed.. After slapping the faces of the few who watched this season did you really expect us to come back for more? Sorry just no.
5. I also don't get the decision to make it a single episode per week and making the runtime shorter. This worked exactly against the series. As a Kdrama fan i am so used to seeing at least 2 episodes per week (or in the case of Netflix a massive dump of full season) cause that kept me hooked and lets me retain the story better. With Grid, i kind of forgot there are new episodes and frankly didn't care to watch it on time.
They managed to make a series that you need to rewatch, but not for good reasons. You have to, especially the last 2 episodes because watching it for the first time is not enough to make any sense, however watching it the second time i think made it worse. If there's anyone willing to explain the ending to me, please I'll be all ears.
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I Have No Idea What Happened Here
Grid is a 2022 Sci-FI mystery set in a world where a mysterious grid protects humanity from danger. Created by a so called 'ghost,' the main characters seek to track her down after she re-appears in present day and stops a murderer from being arrested. Penned by Lee Soo Yeon, the mind behind Stranger, the show sounds like an exciting and interesting watch. There's one problem however: it's not. Episode by episode this show spiraled into an utterly confusing mess (and that's not even talking about the ending)Grid starts out with a very promising first episode, but from there slowly drags its feet until about halfway through episode six. Sci-Fi is one of the main genres of this show, but honestly I felt that for the first six or so episodes it was really a pure mystery show. It was slow paced, and the Sci-Fi elements that did exist, didn't really seem to impact the show all that much. Of course this changes drastically half way through episode six and suddenly theres *so* much Sci-Fi that it's hard to grasp the plot line, what is going on, and where the show is going. This also has to do with the pacing of the show being sort of all over the place, and I'm not quite sure what the reasoning behind it was. The sudden sharp veer into more Sci-Fi doesn't serve to further the plot, only make it more baffling. Perhaps this is for Lee Soo Yeon's lack of experience in writing non-realist k-dramas, but her unfamiliarity with the genre really shows.
That gripe aside, the main issue I had with the writing is that the characters always know more than the audience. This can be done well in shows, it's even done in Lee Soo Yeon's other show Stranger, but it works there because the main character discovers things with the audience, and also because that show is literally about deceit and lies. Grid on the other hand is a Sci-Fi show where the ML seems to be one step ahead, and other characters know things or accept things so fast that the audience never gets an explanation. In other words, we're very much hung out to dry. Mystery shows do this some time with the intent of allowing the audience to figure things out on their own, but even then some information must be given to the viewer so they have somewhere to start. Coupled with the more than wacky and abundant Sci-Fi, this means that the show is nothing short of downright confusing. Each episode pushes this chaos further rather than seeking to solve it, culminating in a very disappointing final episode.
The merit in Grid lies in basically every other aspect but storytelling. The acting is superb, Seo Kang Joon always seems to knock it out of the park, and he plays a really interesting and compelling character here (aside from the writing flaws). Kim Ah Joong, Kim Mu Yeol, Li Si Young, and Kim Sung Kyung are also great, as are the rest of the cast, who do their best to salvage their characters from the writing they've been given. Who again, always seem to know more than we think, and act very odd because of it. Many of the characters felt relatively 2-D or had hard to understand motivations behind what they did and said. The music is fun and the other technical elements are fine but not too stand out.
As someone who likes a good Sci-Fi, especially when it comes to murder and time travel, I was really looking forward to this show. And for the first two episodes I was actually really happy. While it was slow after that, I was still quite content watching it, but the sudden plot and pace changes halfway through episode six really lost me. Honestly I probably would've enjoyed this show if it had chosen to be consistent in it's pacing and Sci-Fi elements, whether that had been the more realistic but slow paced first half or more Sci-Fi but fast paced second half. But this show can't decide what it wants or what it's trying to say, and in doing so it jerks its viewers around episode by episode. The real dealbreaker is how this show withholds information from the viewers, so you never really know what's going on even when the characters do, making you feel like some random bystander on the street.
You may consider watching this show for the actors alone, or for the pure chaos of it, but don't be surprised when you're left beyond confused. It's a shame, Grid really could've been great, but it just got out of control.
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C̶o̶n̶f̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ , No! just stupid.
Created by Ace Factory & Arc Media,"GRID (그리드) [2022] is a Disney+ Korea Original drama and one of the first ventures of the investment made by the OTT giant in South Korea. Written by Lee Soo-Yeon, directed by Khan Lee and music composed by Kim Jun-seok, this is a Scifi thriller involving various fields of science.The world collectively creates a shield namely GRID which is an artificially induced geo-magnetic field, to protect the human civilization from the suddenly erupted strong solar wind, otherwise the earth would face a rapid mass extinction event. The story keeps at centre, Kim Se Ha (Kang Seo Joon), an employee at Administration Bureau dedicated to the South Korean Grid Management Body and Jung Sae Byeok (Kim Ah Joong), a detective in the violent crimes department. While following a murder suspect involving a mysterious woman as the accomplice, they discover unforeseen events that remained as dark secrets behind the GRID for decades.
Others familiar and skillful actors playing main and supporting involve: Kim Sung Kyun, Jang So Yeon, Lee Si Young, Kim Mu Yeol, Heo Jun Seok, Lee Kyu Hoe, Jo Hee Bong, Kim Hyung Mook and Song Sang Eun. Many known faces are also in guest roles. The acting and performance are up to par, with all these good actors.
Plot development... If I were to express the development in percentage, I'd give it a fair 50/100, why? Bcs it was half good and half bad, very exactly. The pilot episode, the furtherance and the development in ep 1 to ep 5 is sooo amazing and it was even fine till the midway through 6th. And that's when everything starts falling apart. To make it look more confusing, the makers attempted to incorporate a number of thriller elements as well as subsume related concepts from different fields of science, expecting it would seem complicated to a particular set of audience. (note the sentence carefully, bcs it wasn't really confusing, rather the writer thought the audience would find it confusing)
Something that started with the physics of cosmic & solar science and geomagnetism, turned into time travel & 22nd century technology and finally ended up with molecular phylogeny, heredity, mutations and evolution. Intersecting science is not a new deal, but what you must possess is the most basic knowledge and even a vast knowledge, in order to retain the scientific goals. I feel, it was still okay till the 8th episode and from there they could have tried to wrap up things with a simple manner in last 2 episodes. But 9th was even messier, making it complicated to a level from which it can't be saved with one final episode. The amount of plotholes adding to the complicated inclusion of absurd and illogical concepts, led to a rushed and sloppy ending. Okay, let's speculate it like, the show will have another ending, for? In order to explain the things it has left; seema more likely and somewhat obvious, but again, for what and why exactly? I see no point of making a sequel of continuation, bcs it doesn't deserve one; no more penny should be spent and no more time should be wasted on a script that turned into nothingness. I am not watching it if this actually happens.
Lee Soo Yeon jakkanim might have created only a handful number of dramas, but in terms of quality, she aced on her debut and proved her worth; so that was expected to be reflected in this drama as well, unfortunately which didn't happen. There was a definite amount of struggle which was visible through inconsistencies in plot, inconvenient elements, lack of proper knowledge and relevancy among fields of science; clearly she attempted something out of her league, without a thorough study. It could have been a good mystery thriller with only one basic concept otherwise; the situation can be justified saying it was an experimental approach from her side, which will help her but as audiences, It's fair to be disappointed.
Having not known the director before I can not write about Lee Khan PDnim, while I must point out the technicality of his work. So overally, it wasn't a exciting judgement bcs I had to think through a lot. The screenwriting was very good for the first half and became messy in the later but I doubt for direction, whether there was a consistent effort; what I mean to say is, I didn't particularly like it for any part of the show and the thing that kept me hooked was the unique concept for the time being. While cinematography and VFX works have been well handled, I can't say the same for screen and sound editing. The comprehensive execution isn't really likable.
What I disliked...
# I strongly believe in intersectionality in any case possible and for the modern world of science, it's the key to many more ventures and discoveries. The same using 2 or 3 branches is cool, but going beyond that and not being able to retain the factuality of either of them properly, is what you call inanity and indiscretion.
# One of the biggest drawbacks of this show is it's run time. Given that there are only 10 episodes with around 50 minutes duration each, it probably needed more to explain things in detail and good pacing, thereby allowing the viewers to understand it better. But again, I am relieved it didn't happen as I would have to endure more of this lunacy.
# Adding to the last point, the 1 ep per week tactics was a vacuous decision from the makers. It could have been okay with more than an hour runtime but still for a 10 eps short show with less duration, it should be either an one shot release or 2 eps per week.
# The exaggerated context wasn't personally bearable even with the introduction of numerous new revelations with each passing scene. Instead of exciting my curiosity, I was rather bored and sometimes even frustrated bcs of the irrational and laughable elements kicked off by the makers.
# The undergrade progression of the plot turned me off in thea 2nd half and the more I tried to think positively of it, the greater was it's irrationality with each coming scene.
# Rushed ending, it was obvious and expected, even by the ones who have been liking it, and all of us certainly wanted the show to at least not leave anything unanswered. It clearly didn't happen given the number of plotholes it has left.
Final Remarks... My feelings and excitement for the first half was that good that I thought I would end u0 recommending it to everyone but I was proved wrong in the latter half, for it quickly went downhill and messed everything up. For the 50% I would have been generous if only it was a 16eps drama with longer runtime but with the circumstances I would not recommend it to anyone. I would have rated it at 6.0 if not for the potential it possessed in the first half.
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Huh?
Q: How was the series?A: Huh?
Q: Was it good?
A: I think so?
Q: Would you recommend it?
A: Maybe?
Q: Can you answer without it being a question?
A: Seo Kang Joon
Q: It has to do with time travel. Is it messy?
A: I'd say complicated, but what time travel story isn't?
Q: Another question reply. Did you find it entertaining?
A: Seo Kang Joon
Q: Was it worth the time to watch?
A: Time doesn't flow.
Q: Huh?
A: Huh?
Q: Ok, one more try. Do you think I should watch it?
A: Episode 7 is really going to irritate you. I mean, like reeeeeeally make you want to shake someone vigorously.
Q: What about the rest of the episodes???
A: The rest will be the cop irritating you.
Q: What's your overall view of the show?
A: I understood that I understood nothing.
Q: You've been no help at all.
A: Seo Kang Joon!
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10 episodes long exposition of the plot that should happen after the last 4 minutes.
I am honestly not sure how I feel about this show. It had an interesting premise, some nicer plot twists, but nothing was set and built properly - neither the sci-fi elements, nor the world presented, or the characters we followed and there was no conclusion to it all.The biggest issue I had with this show was how the plot was paced. The first 5 episodes felt like nothing more than a too long exposition. Everything that happened in the first half could have been summed up in max 3 episodes and we would not miss any context nor important information. Then episode 6 felt like the plot would finally move forward and we would slowly start getting some answers, but in episode 7 to 9 we went back to big nothing. It was simply impossible to give a satisfying ending with that set up, and we ended up with no answers, more questions and new characters introduced in the last 2 minutes.
We literally spent more time watching Seo Kang Joon look at his screen at work, than some of the main characters’ scenes combined during the first half of the drama. Know your priorities, guys. Use your screen time wisely. Don’t waste 10 minutes of the screen time in the last episodes for the lovey dovey stuff, when you still gave the viewers zero answers for all the questions you presented.
The idea of time travelers setting up a device in the past that will protect the Earth was interesting. How the present people knew enough about how Grid works to operate it and make it run, but could not truly grasp how it was built to use the technology for other things.
I understood the desperation to find the inventor, not only because of the circumstances and the crime committed when the Grid was set, but also for the knowledge they possess about future technologies. How much could the Earth change in the present if we understood the scientific and technological discoveries of the future? Sadly, this was never truly explored, just hinted with a few lines side characters said here and there.
A lot of characters were rather useless. Song Eo Jin is the main character, but did he do anything? No. They could literally remove him from the show and nothing would change. His character was not essential to the story and the few things he “contributed” with could have been done by literally any other character.
Another issue were the characters - a lot of them either had no personality or barely any personality, clear motivations and reasons for why they do what they do.
The acting was fine. A lot of the characters were so bland it’s hard to judge the delivery. My favorites were Kim Sung Kyun as Kim Ma Nok and Jang So Yeon as Choi Seon Wool.
The production was good. They did not try to overdo special effects - added just the right amount in the scenes that truly needed it. Loved the whole set design and scenes that were happening in the “alternative” present times. I feel like it showed a realistic portrayal of what could potentially go wrong without going over the top.
Overall, I would not recommend it. I would say it’s a slow mystery with just some action and sci-fi elements, mostly present in the last 2 episodes. They waited too long to start explaining things, so at the end everything was left to interpretation and the few answers we’ve got felt rushed. I don’t think I will ever move on from the disappointment the last episode was.
ps. They did not announce from the start it will have 2nd season, so I am judging it as a stand-alone production. And as such, it sucks.
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Started of interesting but, went downhill halfway.
I'm confused. That's what I've got to say after watching this ridiculous show! The first half was sufficiently unique and well-executed to pique my interest. The second half, on the other hand, was just a bunch of crap! I'm not sure what to say about it. It was a complete waste of time on my part.The word "grid" literally means "a network of lines that cross each other," as explained in the first episode of the drama. The horizontal and vertical lines that help us locate points on a map are also referred to as Grid. On the other hand, Grid is a shield created with artificially expanded magnetic fields that protects the Earth from potentially harmful solar winds in this drama. This was the aspect that piqued my interest the most. I was excited to learn more about this, but it turns out that this concept isn't very important in this drama. It's all about the "Ghost," the person who came from the future to create the Grid, and the people who live to catch her (Kim Sae Hae, Jung Sae Byeok, and the whole of the Administration Bureau). What I don't understand is why the "Ghost" couldn't simply go back to the future instead of lurking in the past. This would have saved the Administration Bureau a lot of trouble!
Grid had a lot of potential, but the main issue with this crap is that the drama that began as science fiction devolved into fantacy. I'm referring to time travel when I say fantasy. (Some may think this is science fiction, but I think it's fantasy because time travel isn't possible in the real world and science can't explain it.) Another issue is that the ending was rushed as well as open-ended, which is something I despise in dramas, especially when they are science fiction. The ending was extremely upsetting and seemed to be out of place with the rest of the story. The addition of a new character at the last minute, as well as the final scene (which I won't reveal because it would be a major spoiler), added to the complexity and raised numerous questions.
The plot's pacing, as well as the length of the drama, had some defects. They could have extended the runtime to explain everything in detail so that we, the audience, didn't have any problems understanding. This would have improved the drama's appeal and popularity. I also wish there had been more information about the Grid and solar winds.
The acting was excellent, and the actors gave it their all with the script they were given. But, in my opinion, this drama does not deserve them. But, now that I think about it, I would have dropped this one if they weren't there as well. The drama's rich background music contributed significantly to the drama's overall mood. This is a positive aspect of the drama.
Finally, I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone, anyone even if they like sci-fi. This drama would not satisfy anyone. Because of the first half and the acting, I've given this drama a 7. Otherwise, I would have given it a lower rating. Don't waste your time with this. There are better stuff out there.
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If Netflix had picked it, it would have been in top 10
If nothing else after seeing this show I started researching the topic of solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Both, related to things emitted by sun and having potential to affect if not disrupt communications system and other magnetic systems on earth.The Grid is a protective covering whose origins are unknown. It starts with a murder case, which is later linked to a ghost (not literal one).
The acting is pretty good as can be expected from all the veterans. It's a returning drama for Kim Ah Joong after 5 years, so was sort of waiting for it. The cinematography especially the starting 5 minutes of first episode are mesmerising. OST wise, background music is pretty intense.
I don't see the reason for ex-spouses storyline between KAJ and KMY, but it's there. Maybe will link to main story somehow. It did link in the ending episode. As of now 8 episodes are completed. I must say it became progressively better with each episode. It has one of the most complex time travelling sequence. You might need notepad or something to keep track of past, present, future, changed past 1, changed present 2, etc.
Most of the time time travelling shows have massive loopholes. It doesn't yet.
There is a saying that a person when, preparing for a 10 minute fight, should sharpen his tools for 10 days and then fight. This show for an amazing ending gave us pretty good initial episodes. But, the problem is they didn't satisfactorily finish it. It would equal to sharpening tools in above analogy even when fight has started. Probably, there are chances of second season or something given some vastly unanswered questions at last. I deducted 0.5 due to less than okay ending episode.
If you are looking for sci-fi mystery with touch of technological advancement, this is must for you.
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Wonderfully entertaining
This seems to be quite a polarizing drama. And although I agree to some extent with the haters; it is an incredibly confusing drama. I can't help but love it anyways.I can't claim to understand everything that has happened in this drama. And my current rating does rely on an eventual season two. If it turns out that this is the final ending, then I'll probably lower the rating a little bit because of lack of conclusion. But with the way it ended, I have to assume that they're planning a season two, and if that's the case, I truly think this drama deserves a 10.
I'll be completely honest, I rate dramas based on how much I enjoyed them, not how "good" they actually are. A "shitty" drama that entertains me is going to get a higher rating from me than a "good" drama that bores me. And this drama kept me highly entertained. As to how "good" it actually is, you'll have to ask someone else.
But I found this to be just the kind of sci-fi I enjoy. It coupled a concept that was easy to understand (solar wind causes massive radiation on earth. In order to stop this from affecting the population the grid is created. To create the grid, someone from the future has to travel to the past, to implement it in time.), with a mystery that was hard to solve (who is the woman time traveler, and why is she protecting a murderer). It kept me at the edge of my seat every week, wondering what was going to happen next.
I love the characters. And even some of the characters that I initially found annoying, grew on me eventually. The acting was superb, and I truly hope to see these characters on screen again.
Now to my one major gripe with this drama. I really really hate having multiple seasons. That's one of the reasons I was drawn to kdramas in the first place. They finish the story in one season. Because the korean entertainment market is expanding, and become more and more popular overseas, it is also slowly adapting to a more western market. This is a disney+ drama so I shouldn't be surprised they've chosen to take this route. It is however slightly disappointing. Because now, if they don't renew it for season 2, we're never going to get all the answers.
Oh well, I sincerely hope they choose to renew this drama for a second season, so I can get the answers to the questions posed in the finale. Otherwise, I suppose I'll have to coma back and lower my rating.
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A confusing story that made all of us confused!!
What's with the story don't know what it was a thriller a time travel and more writer just mixed all the tropes together and made it huge mess that she herself can't able to solve..I didn't have any expectations when I started this drama but i had hope in writer due to her previous dramas so i started the drama and binge watched the 9 episodes the first half was really good cause it was focusing on thriller which was the original storyline but after that i don't know what happened where did I miss the story i can't be able to understand anything what was going and than after watching 9 episodes i thought the writer will solve all the theories in the last episode and boom the last episode was not last because it didn't solve anything it was just whole mess she created and told us to solve yourself..
The cast is the only thing which was not confusing and i like the cast what a waste of talent.
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Left me confused
I have to admit, Grid started off really strong but towards the end, it lost it's steam and the ending was just confusing. I'm all for mysteries but the audience should have some understanding of where the plot is going even if you want to end on a cliffhanger.Grid is an electromagnetic field around the Earth created to protect life from harmful solar winds. The mystery surrounds a "Ghost" woman who appeared out of nowhere and created the shield just in time to save humanity. However, in the process, she left a man dead by burning him with a futuristic device leaving his minor son in trauma. Decades later an Administration Bureau is created to monitor and maintain the grid. Behind the scenes, the team has also been investigating the "Ghost" and trying to capture her throughout the decades whenever she emerges.
This series is slow-moving for the most part with the story being revealed in bits with every episode and revealing more about the Ghost. By the 8th episode, the story starts moving at great speeds but fails to explain a lot of things by the finale leaving you to come with with theories about what could be happening. In a normal mystery it is fine to do but in the case of a sci-fi, time travel story, you, the director, have to provide at least some clues to build a basic level of understanding for your audience. Instead I am left with more questions and confusion wondering if I missed something because of the incorrect translation or if it was the series itself. If I find a satisfactory explanation, I might upgrade my review.
Just a plus point to the story were the visuals which is what attracted me to the show to begin with. I also enjoyed the acting of the main cast overall. The problem more or less lies with the progression of the show. I hope season 2 will release soon and will redeem this series.
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Dropped on episode 8!
I'll be brief as there is not reason to over analyze the complete and utter inability of this drama's writer to conclude the plot in a reasonable manner.As many others mentioned in their reviews and on the comments this drama started with a very promising and interesting mystery sci-fi plot to end up in a mess that made me for the fist time in my life to put on hold and then drop a drama two episodes before the finale.
And that because the plot kept on raising more questions than giving answers. By the end of 8th episode there were so many plot holes and paradoxes, incomprehensible scenes and events that I found myself losing all kind of interest about the fate of the characters but also not even interested to keep watching it as nothing up to this point made any sense.
If you plan to watch it, avoid it even if the first episodes look promising. You are going to waste your time.
3 out of 10 from me
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