Tae Ho
In the shining galaxy of A.N.JELL, Bangtan Sonyeondan & CNBLUE
I have to agree that way the story was presented to us was a bit messy. They started off with a murder of a young child's mother to a traffic violation case to a harming of police officer on-duty, to misuse of the firearm by a police officer to organ trafficking to bribery ledger involving higher-ups of public officials and a conglomerate chairman, to an illegal drug distribution network involving corrupt officers and finally the implied future investigation of powerful politicians and business people. However, this drama is in no way procedural, and the sub crime-cases are only introduced to question the true morality of some characters or bring in new characters to add to the bigger investigation trails. In this way, the transition of one case to another is quite smooth, but I see some real problems with the execution, or more precisely the way the dialogues were written to help the viewers connect the threads along their investigation trails. E.g. there are multiple instances in the show where it is not very clear how Do Chi Gwang makes the investigative deduction to implicate the higher-ups in some cases. As I observe this, the problem here does not necessarily lie in the way the whole puzzle is brought together to create a cohesive story, rather the way small details and threads are supposedly connected (or rather, told) to reduce plot holes.
My point here is that a corruption-investigation series is bound to be heavily character-centric which may explain why some people are voicing dissatisfaction over the (unnecessarily) convoluted way of the story being told. Instead, I believe making it confusing and going round in circles is likely the most plausible way to tell a story of this genre in a way that makes it episodically engaging. Thus the path the writers took should not be deemed unnecessary, rather a logical one.
Other than the weakness in the way small threads are being somewhat loosely connected to one another, I do find that the pacing of this drama is A REAL PROBLEM. I watched this drama in parts initially only for Seo Kang Joon, and only managed to finish this in entirety after working out a way to increase the playback speed, LOL. So if you have been looking for that magic tool, install Video Speed Controller on your Google Chrome extension. You're welcome.
Aside from this, I do have to say that I am very invested in all the lead characters in the show. I came here mainly for Seo Kang Joon and Kim Hyun Joo, and must say they totally nailed their characters! Kim Young Goon is a tortured character who's also a bit naive but is plain good-natured. It's amazing to see his portrayal of emotional breakdowns and rage when facing the confusion of not being able to trust anyone around him, most especially his own father. Han Tae Joo's character is a selfish one, who only cares about achieving her goals and is always ready to switch sides as long as the choices she makes brings her closer to goal for revenge. Jo Soo Yeon and Hong Jae Shik are interesting characters to look for as well, and they really do add intricate nuances to an otherwise a very dry, corruption investigation series. Do Chi Gwang is the anti-hero in this drama, which is an interesting deviation from Hwang Shi Mok in Stranger who is a straight arrow and only pursues justice and upholds integrity in his choices. Jang Hae Ryong and Deputy Commissioner Park were also the interesting ones, and I am satisfied with the plot twists they gave us in the final two episodes. In fact, compared to Stranger, I am much more invested in the most recurring characters in this drama because the way all these complex characters are written is just exceptional, and is truly the biggest strength/stand-out of this drama for me.
They also concluded this drama nicely while also hinting away at the possibility of a second season. In fact, I am eagerly waiting for the day it comes, because the upgrade to the investigation trail this time would be to investigate corrupt politicians, business people and high-ranked public officials which would make it even more interesting, like the anticipation that builds for Stranger 2. When that happens, I do hope that the writer/director managed to secure the same lead casts because they have successfully built the momentum and the right anticipation for this first season, and the way the story was written is so expendable that it's only up to the writer's skills to give that to us.
If not for some of the missed executions, MDL rating for this drama should be as high as Stranger. Enjoy your watch!
Bonus: My ranking of corruption-investigation or psychological thriller series:
1. Doctor Prisoner (10)
2. Confession (9.5)
3. WATCHER (9.0)
4. Stranger (8.5)
5. Trap (8.0)
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This review may contain spoilers
As the title speaks for itself, I watched and was charmed by this drama three times before finally arriving at my final score, and that is a perfect 10. I first skim watched it because I was so surprised by the very strong mixed reaction to this drama (on MDL or the streaming website) and skipped to most of the lead actors' scenes to gauge whether their acting makes this drama redeemable. The answer is an absolute yes. The second time I watched this I still skipped a lot of scenes just to pay more attention to the main storyline itself, and to see whether I belong to the group of people who find the writing ridiculous OR realistic and charming. The third time I watched this is when I finally immersed myself fully into the side characters that I found really elevated this drama, and teach us many lessons about life. Believe me, if you come to this drama with a more matured mindset, you will really love this drama.I feel many of the reviews that condemn the writing of this drama do not understand the complex nature of life and relationships itself or simply refuse to come to terms with the intention of this story. This drama started off as a rom-com but progressed more towards a melo, and though many people were irritated by this, this is exactly the charm of this drama and I believe only how the writers have intended it to be. Joon Young and Young Jae are two characters who are quite literally the polar opposite, but that's what makes it tick in a young couple: the excitement of dating with a different personality. But as their relationship deepens, problems start to arise because of their conflicting nature, and so it's becoming more important for them to understand what it means to find and love their own identities first before loving another person. The story unfolds this progression and slice-of-life very nicely in my opinion. I can guarantee your acceptance of the writing of this drama will highly depend on how tolerant you are of the decisions made by the lead actors at three stages of their relationships (20 y/o, 27 y/o and finally 32 y/o).
Spoiler: There's a scene after her 27th birthday where Young Jae's best friend cooked her spicy stir-fried octopus, and it made her remember Joon Young. There was only three of them there, her brother included. Yet she went to the bathroom to cry, instead of letting out her tears in front of the two people who obviously care for her. This scene speaks a lot about her real personality and mirrors how she deals with her own relationships. At this point, you have two choices as to how you view Young Jae for the rest of the drama (and which greatly affect your level of enjoyment as story unfolds): 1) see her heartbreak as self-imposed out of selfishness or 2) see her heartbreak as really a result of being timid and afraid of showing her vulnerabilities.
As for the acting, I am absolutely in love of how well Seo Kang Joon portrays the three different faces in this drama: an awkward nerd, a competent police officer and a meticulous chef so well (I love how he chose to become more of a chef than a restaurateur). His quirky expressions say a lot, and he's really amazing! Lee Som also provided enough nuances to her character as the strong and opinionated career lady, especially in the latter part when her role turned more mellow. Other supporting casts add interesting dynamics to their relationship as well, except the Doctor who I disliked for being such an opportunistic jerk.
I really love the slow BGMs that play in the sad scenes especially in episode 15 when Young Jae and Joon Young were crying on each other's faces. Your true feeling is something you have no control over and one you can't possibly run away from, so I was so touched when it's expressed so beautifully by the skilled actors. He's self-aware enough not to embrace her in a hug but still couldn't stop himself from showing how much his heart was aching for her. If he had hugged her, it'd be lust but since he didn't, it was obviously true love. Damn, talk about really poignant acting!
Rewatch value is very high especially depending on how much you love Seo Kang Joon. I believe this is one of his best dramas to-date that really showcases his wide range as an actor just in one single sitting. Those who say you're better off skipping this and just watch Are You Human Too instead, I disagree. There's a reason why he took up this role (I absolutely love his choices so far), and I feel this one on my bones. Young Jae is incredibly lucky because Joon Young's love for her is incredibly powerful and unwavering even after all those years. Trust me, it's a treat to watch and re-watch his astounding portrayal of true love that took questionable turns, but is far from being cheesy.
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would have been better as a movie than an 8 episode drama
"below average". "underwhelming".
LOL. these are the sentiments in the review after finale episode i read that i totally agree with.
i typically don't do well with Netflix shows that are about half the length of a normal full length k-drama, plus they tend to spend big on aesthetics rather than telling a well developed, coherent story. something i noticed in Sweet Home.
i could be rooting for Dr. Song's character because she's nice to LUNA and she made her feel safe in her presence and protected her, but her character has been a little too bland for my liking to be honest. i liked the female Dr's character Dr. Hong better because her personality was definitely more interesting LMAO. evident the moment she teased out the other crews the moment they were aboard the spacecraft. a personality like that could have played a badass female captain for the mission for all i care, and that would be a really badass gender reversal role, LOL.
also i read comments on the finale episode and i seem to agree that Captain Han survived because LUNA found him being thrown out of the floods of water, and saved him. so i was glad about that, because i also thought he died. pheww
also what's the actual deal with Ryu Tae Seok? i don't get the flashbacks of him being part of the military team that killed researchers in that Balhae Station 5 years ago. and if so, how come the government allowed him to re-join this mission LOL? and he's only a Lieutenant. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!
overall so many unsatisfactory plot holes and really should have been a movie instead of an 8 episode drama. ouh i must also end with a note saying i can't wait to see this child actress Sia Kim blossom into a fine young actress soon. she has a really beautiful fresh face and she's so immensely talented.
i watched this for Gong Yoo, Bae Doona and Lee Joon but i left the drama with my impression locked only for LUNA, wow! you go girl!
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if you noticed my early comments on the first half of the drama, i actually thought there were so many things that i didn't like about the comedy. i thought ahh if only they'd lose the comedy bit it would make the drama less annoying.
but then when the dream team slowly came together, the slapstick comedy has reduced a lot, and the comedy part has gotten significantly better. there's almost a marked difference between the first half and the second half in terms of quality.
i thought carefully about how best to score this drama between 9.5 and a 10, and then i consider other dramas that i have rated a 9.5, and thought i liked this so much more overall; i could not deduct points from it even though i acknowledge its obvious flaws. IT'S REALLY THAT GOOD.
this drama is also one of those where ALL the actors i thought are perfectly cast for their respective roles. some characters can be annoying at first, but the way the writers skillfully threaded redemption arc for them while maintaining that sense of realism is just outstanding. Kim Nam Gil ouh my God what can i say about this gorgeous, very fine specimen of a man LOL. you're my new crush in town WTF my heart is weak. >.>
if you can ignore some of the more ineffective/lame comedy in the first half, i guarantee you are down for one of the best story/dream team written in kdramaland ever!
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There are already so many video essays or reviews on YouTube from film critics who analysed the film before the Oscars happened, so if you are like me who was not entirely blown away by the movie at first watch, I suggest you watch them afterwards. I have also included multiple links in the discussion section on the drama page to help ease your apprehension as to why this movie won Best Picture and widely acclaimed in film festivals. I have since reconsidered my view and thought that this was indeed a technical mastery. However, I do find the story to be way too complex to be told in the limited space of two hour movie format which explains why my score for the story won't change.
________
We may not get much about the rich family, but i guess you have to extract it from their small conversations such as the night at the couch insinuating that they are not exactly 'clean' people. well i guess most uber-rich families are guilty like that, and these are people who are well above the middle class.
which is quite telling of the Korean social class, like in Secret Garden, BoF or SKY Castle. except in the first two dramas i mentioned here, the ML are the pushovers, or tsundere characters, whereas in this movie, it's likened as if the poor girl is the one throwing herself onto rich guys and perhaps, trying to jump up the social class.
personally i feel this movie is in the same genre/quality as SKY Castle therefore evoking very strong emotional response by people who especially 'get it'.
SPOILER: the daughter of the poor family feels like the mother of Yeh Suh in SKY Castle who faked her real identity in order to survive/blend in with the elite class.
this movie is not just relevant for the Korean social class. i have watched videos of journalists investigating the uninhibited mansions with a secret bunker by Western billionaires, concentrated in many parts in Queenstown, New Zealand for them to move into should there be nuclear war or more cities would sink due to rising sea levels, which leave many New Zealanders there without a proper housing. so yeah, this movie could have been more complex and explore this subject more deeply in my opinion, which explains my scoring of it.
overall, i'm glad i watched this after SKY Castle; it helped me understand the gravity of this movie.
personally i think the idea/concept/theme of this movie can be nicely translated into a drama version and i'd totally watch it. it has a lot of room for characters, backstories and conflicts expansion which explains why 80%++ of the time, i watch dramas more than i watch movies.
Enjoy!
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endlessly rewatchable because of Choi Jin-Hyuk, LOL
i was taken aback by that ending, haha. i was really preparing to ugly cry like a b*tch, pheww.i watched this in skips and forwards because i got so curious about the story, and his character in it.
this was meant to be the last drama that i was gonna catch up on him (because i am a huge romanticist, and i am very picky about my romance dramas), but because of the genre, i cannot wait anymore LOL.
in terms of story, it has managed to keep itself light despite being surrounded by pain and hurt all over which is an interesting balance.
but the scene in Hainan, China when they first met, and his accident was repeated way too many times in the drama. i feel like over-repetition of a scene like that only convinced me that the story lacked some kind of depth or complexity to fill in the episodes.
i almost wished that his character was deeply more involved in some investigation of sorts into his illness, or his sad fate. or there was some other great plot twist or revelation about his tragedy, which would have made the storyline a lot more attractive, complete and intriguing to me.
also, i jumped into this drama because a saw a comment saying CJH will make my heart flutter in every second in this drama (since i am huge stan of his, lol). but honestly he did not.
his character early in the drama was a bit like a jerk, so i actually had to make an effort to try to like his character (after ep. 1). but he definitely became a lot more likeable middle-way through.
but the pay-off is really great. i truly love some camera shots from the side where he's smiling, and you can see how gentle, soft and sweet his face looked, at the same his sharp manly features are so breathtaking (i.e. his sharp jawline and high nose).
goshh, because of him and the lead couple's chemistry, this drama can be rewatched endlessly. CJH fans, say thanks to director-nim! LOL.endless
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a sageuk so good yet criminally underscored!
welcome to another episode of i-almost-missed-out-on-such-a-great-drama-because-of-it-being-criminally-underscored-WTF.damn. i think this is THE drama that convinced me hereforth that any other dramas rated below 8.0 on MDL may simply be a case of preference bias instead of a story that genuinely lacked (well sometimes it's a peasant's gamble indeed, God forbid i watch another of such Record of Youth, blerghh). i mean, before this drama i have always felt reluctant to start anything scoring below 8.0 because i don't like to drop dramas, and anything i started, i always strive to finish. and there are so many other higher-scoring ones to choose from.
if i may present my case with regards to the story, i shall first cite some other reviews i read that get upvoted a lot citing that the second half went haywire, and that it seemed to have lost its direction. did i feel the exact same way? ABSOLUTELY FCKIN NOT. in fact what i noticed was that the quality of the storytelling has been kept consistent throughout the drama, except in the second half, (not in terms of quality, rather a deliberate choice of the screenplay), the villain kept winning times and again which may frustrate some people.
to which i am at a whole loss of words for what does it justify saying "the story became a mess, eh"?!
in fact i was kept engaged throughout the time watching this, simply because i find the main villain as fascinating and central to the story as much as the two male leads, Yeo Jin Goo and Jang Keun Suk. in fact when i first heard about this drama sometime back, i thought of giving it a chance for Yeo Jin Goo (he's the only one i knew of the two), but i feel the show stealers are actually Jang Keun Suk who plays Baek Dae Gil and Jeon Kwang Ryul who plays Lee In Jwa. Yeo Jin Goo was great too, but maybe it's the storytelling that made me feel conflicted about, and burdened by his character later on.
the show at least for me successfully established the shades of the main villain that you then started to question whether he truly is a beast/monster/satan, or was he slightly more than that. i mean, the kind of complex i feel that i started to question myself whether i have gone insane for pitying him and wanting to understand his reasons/insanity. Baek Dae Gil's character is phenomenal, seeing him grow from the weak man who was easily bullied and stepped on, towards a strong warrior was such an incredible joy to watch, especially since when i started this drama, i admittedly was already hugely biased for the actor. on the other hand, Prince Yeoning did questionable things in the latter half that made me dislike him by a mile.
therefore, in terms of giving us complex and layered villains, i found that this drama was phenomenal at delivering just that, and i thoroughly enjoyed the story because of it.
i have not watched that many sageuks at all, but this is definitely one of those that hooked me line and sinker to watch more from this genre. i believe that this drama offers everything that a traditional sageuk fan loves, and they would be fully satisfied watching it, i truly could not recommend it enough.
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What grips me the most about this story is that it teaches you that irrespective of the twisted circumstances you were brought up with, you as a human being still has all the innate capacity to break free from all the psychopathic tendencies, and redeem yourself. Of course, drops of blood will be shed because the boy eventually needed to break away from the controlling hands of his fathers, but these were reasoned and properly calculated instead of a path to become as dark and twisted as the real villains.
I cannot express how much in awe I was watching the young version of Yeo Jin Goo in this. I haven't seen him in much else, but I really believe that no other performance of him to-date has topped this one so far. It's an amazing treat to witness him portray the many expressions of a young teenage boy so desperate, angered and heartbroken in many sequences. I believe that you will truly understand why so many senior actors respect him so much if you watch how he performs this role so flawlessly at 16 y/o.
A true must-watch for all K-movie lovers!
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The story centres itself around the three officers who are chasing the same culprit, Kim Gwang II. As already provided in the summary, the plot is mainly focused on the conflict of interest that these three officers face in their own jurisprudence. In that, the characters are saved from great acting by senior actors in the industry, yet at a closer look is a little flat in its execution. There was definitely more back table politics than on-the-field action scenes in this that if included in the plot, would have made the whole viewing experience much more interesting.
The biggest criticism of its execution is obviously on the characterization of Kim Gwang II, since he's the most interesting character in the story yet given very little to take away from. Interesting details that should have been included to add more depth into his killing rampage would be his motive, background and a deeper look at his familial-political influence.
Park Hee Soon, Jang Dong-Gun and Kim Myung Min are senior actors who did really well in their roles, except the actor who plays Chae Yi Do should go easy with his blowing cigarette off people's faces behaviour because it gets really annoying. There are also so many curse words thrown around which are probably meant to show some realism, but in my opinion, only further accentuates the weakness on the part of the scriptwriter.
Lee Jong Suk is definitely a show-stealer in this because his smirks are creepy and his cold-blood murder are incredibly terrifying to watch. It would be great if he has more chance in the future to play more antagonist character because he executes it so damn convincingly. A fantastic deviation from his usual cute, puppy-like main leads characters.
Definitely watch this for Lee Jong Suk, if not for anyone else :)
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Most adorbs k-drama couple ever!!!
Finished!!! Hahaha.Wow this drama is so charming. I can see why it's so well-loved. ❤❤❤❤
I definitely liked this drama so much better than SWDBS and WWWSK. I find that this drama has a good balance of fluff and sadness which makes it more than a typical rom-com contrary to my initial expectation of it. The reason i put off watching this for so long.
A very simple watch considering the plot are not that complex and very very incrementally built unlike other dramas that have so many things stacked up one after the other in a single episode. It's like in the entire first half of the drama nothing much important happened really, but the second half had more richness to tie things back together. I liked that cliché cohabitation trope is not used mindlessly here too.
The lead couple's chemistry is freaking incredible and cute. Chae Soo Bin is a worthy partner to Yoo Seung Ho, her crying and robotic scenes are really great.
Loved this drama. Will probably rewatch this as much as i rewatch Healer, LOL.
My fave rom-coms would be (haven't seen many):
1. INAR
2. Touch My Heart
3. A Gentleman's Dignity
Worthy recommendations are welcome. ^^
❤❤❤❤
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I'm so glad that this was the first law/prosecutor drama I watched that based its storyline entirely around the main villain who kills people and framed an innocent person, instead of corruption cases about government contracts and business dealings like in Stranger and Confession (I have reviewed both dramas). The first episode and Park Jung Woo's profession as a homicide prosecutor in the Seoul Prosecution Office already gave away the direction of the story, but what made the story stands out the most is definitely the masterful execution by the lead actors.
There are multiple plot holes that you can identify while watching the story where convenient incidences are thrown in to ensure that the bad guy keeps winning for so many episodes. While this gives a lot of room for villain's character development and makes us invest more in his character, it also makes the story repetitive and tired in a sense, especially in the first half of the show running.
I also did say in the beginning that the director already give away the direction of the rest of the story from the first episode, but the story did take a more interesting turn in the second half (in a sense, I am saying this was not necessarily a plot twist, rather a deviation from what the audience may have speculated from watching the drama - which made it much more interesting than a typical revenge drama). Imagine an innocent person who was framed for the death of his wife and daughter, you'd expect that he would get freed from a re-trial. You'd have to watch this drama to find out, but the second half was definitely better than the first half for this very reason.
I also find the conclusion a bit lacking, but giving away information about it would be a spoiler, so I would settle with saying that the punishment for the main villain was brushed off quite quickly. You'd imagine that after spending so many episodes (YES, MANY) to make the viewers root for his final downfall, they would invest a bit more screen time for his execution trial. Yet they only showed small bits of this part which felt very unsatisfactory. In a sense, this is also another way of saying that there's some real identifiable problem with the pacing of this drama.
There are five main characters listed on this drama page, but I can say in earnest that only two actors truly deserved its place and owned this drama rightfully, 1) Ji Sung (the main protagonist) and 2) Uhm Ki Joon (the main antagonist). Although I am here completely unreserved of my praises for Uhm Ki Joon's flawless portrayal of the main antagonist, his character is at best a villain who's only middle-range interesting. I would imagine that the most memorable villains are the ones who are cunning, hands-on and really smart, but here his character is only borderline psychopath, but more of a loser who is downright boring if not for the great acting. There are only two scenarios I could remember in the whole drama where he himself physically tried to take Jung Woo down with his own wits. Either way, the writing is sloppy in parts because the writers had the opportunity to refine/develop his character a lot more given the screen time they dedicated for him, but I believe they really wasted it.
That being said, there are two more support characters that really stand out to me in their emotional portrayal, 1) Shin Rin Ah who plays Ji Sung's daughter as well as 2) Kim Min Seok who plays Lee Sung Kyu. The prison cellmates are all interesting characters you would root for too, and they are really great comedic reliefs especially when the plot gets repetitive in the first half.
There are some nice BGM played in this drama that really enhances the mood of the story especially in the bonding scenes of father-daughter that are always an absolute tear-jerker. Rewatch value is also very high, considering any drama with Ji Sung is incredibly rewatchable.
Could have been a masterpiece, but not quite in my book. Definitely deserves its spot as a top-tier law/prosecution/revenge drama for Ji Sung's immaculate acting as well as the thrill that greatly ensues the second half of the story.
Final words: watch Doctor Prisoner if you want to know how a revenge thriller and main antagonists can be so uniquely and tastefully done! I truly can't praise and recommend it enough.
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I was drawn to watch this show because the number of episodes is relatively shorter than others, and it's mainly about revenge.
Whilst it's true that the main motive of the characters get together is revenge, the main plot actually centres itself in the camaraderie and strong sisterhood bond between the lead characters.
I love that there's this interesting dynamic in play when three adult women are joined by a male high school student to execute their plans. In that way this show has definitely succeeded in giving us the witty action plans (or lack thereof) for their revenge execution.
Nevertheless, what slightly disappointed me was the fact that their revenge plots felt really amateurish at times, since I came here hoping for very badass women who have all the guts and intelligence to overthrow their opponents in a dramatic and savage way (trust me, those bad guys really deserve it). Therefore the conclusion of this show did feel very anti-climactic and lackluster to me.
In that sense, what overall saved this drama for me was definitely the fact that the writers have successfully made me emotionally invest on the characters more than the plot. Thus, if you're a strong character-driven person, you'll definitely enjoy watching this one by a lot.
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The story is spectacular. I didn't come to this drama with a high expectation because crime series is not a KBS forte, but they totally nailed this one. In the beginning, at least there is one chess move that's undertaken by the protagonist to trap his enemy, only to be cancelled in the later episode (the two main leads Dr. Na Yi Je and Dr. Seon Min Shik are equally cunning and smart). As you progress in the second half of the drama, you are thrown more twists in one single episode which makes the whole viewing experience even more thrilling and satisfying.
What makes the writing of this drama so spectacular and compelling is that the thrill of a 16 hour episodes is not reduced down to some filler cases where the story of our main leads are cast to the side, rather the entirety of the storyline is built around these three main characters and more (which greatly explains how the suspense has not slowed down at all the moment it began - yes I strongly disagree with other reviewers saying this story dragged or became boring in the middle). Voice is the crime drama that I can think of which weaves in the episodic filler cases in between the main leads effort to entangle and come closer to the main culprit, and thus having the consequential probability of losing its steam midway the series, which skillfully didn't happen here.
There is an unexpected love line, the character growth of one antagonist character and several gang members in the prison which brings out the much-needed lightheartedness into the story. Therefore, although this is similar to other OCN crime shows in genre, the insertion of light-hearted comedic reliefs is what differentiates this show to others, and makes it truly unique and special. Hello Monster is the only other crime story I can think of that delivers this balance brilliantly, which also has Choi Won Young as the other main lead.
This is in fact my favourite way of executing a crime drama, with some tender light-hearted moments instead of a constant stiffness that permeates the entirety of the story, something like Voice or Confession. I started this just randomly when I've already completed 13 episodes of Confession, and thought that I was just going to take it easy and watch the first episode only. Boy was I wrong, I couldn't stop moving onto the next episodes!
The acting of all three main leads are amazing! They literally carried the whole show on their barebacks. This is the first of anything I have seen Namgoong Min in, and I am definitely checking out his previous works. He's truly an exceptional, chameleon and a well-deserving Daesang actor. Kim Byung Chul was as amazing as the cunning medical director of the Western Seoul Penitentiary who serves no one's interest but only himself. Choi Won Young did such a spectacular job playing a sociopath chaebol heir who's suffering from major childhood trauma. Every cheek muscle movement, bulging neck veins and shivers are a testament of how brilliant of an actor he is, and how he has outdone himself in Hello Monster. Park Eun Sook deserves a special mention as well as the arrogant jerk who was given the most important characterization as the support character other than the three main leads, and he delivered his character with ultimate finesse. This young actor is definitely a main lead material whom we can all look forward to in the future.
The BGM of this show was deliberately minimalistic to accentuate the lighting and mood of the drama, and the ending beep heart sound at the end of every episode is just what is needed to keep an audience member engaged.
The rewatch value for this is always high, especially if you are a fan of spectacular performance by actors who execute cunning and wicked antagonist roles brilliantly. Definitely very rewatchable for the acting, if not for the story!
I am a sucker for crime-revenge series with genius main leads, and in my opinion, this show was definitely written better than Stranger. Yup, there I said it. Therefore, the rating average should be as high as Stranger on MDL, if not better. The part where they explain the role of stay of execution where people of power/money can especially exploit to get out of incarceration is so interesting and insightful to me; I am so glad to have watched the drama. It gives a better closure/context to some of the frustrations expressed by prosecutors in other law dramas where it's already extremely hard to catch the powerful bad guys, but even if you manage to do it, they will definitely exploit medical assessments to avoid imprisonment. Such is the reality of a capitalist world. Enjoy!
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I read that this line up was a dream cast for both the screenwriter and director, and is obviously rightly so since the execution of all the actors in this is absolutely phenomenal. Yeo Jin Goo who plays the double characters hit the nail on the head with his very poignant facial expressions, Lee Se Young who plays the Queen who was cold towards her husband but later on slowly warmed up towards him did a fantastic job, as well as all the supporting casts such as the King's step-mother, the advisor, the Enoch and the villains. They are all very memorable.
The BGMs and the beats at the end of each episode are absolutely beautiful, especially ones in the sad scenes. They really add nuances to the actor's emotion.
Most people think that there's not much joy in rewatching political thriller-tagged dramas but I believe this is not the case for this drama since you can back to it and devour all the twists and turns in the drama, to remind you of a thriller/politics absolutely well done.
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Now, onto the story. I must say this is easily one of the BEST dramas ever produced in South Korea because the story is as amazingly driven by the plot as it is by the characters. It's already given in the summary that the reason Cha Dal Geon is involved in the plane crash investigation was his sole purpose to avenge on his nephew's death. We were given enough backstory and emotional flashbacks about the close relationship between Cha Dal Geon and his nephew, as well as his headspace (or really, the lack thereof) which made him jumped right into chasing down the terrorists without any fear. In that sense, Cha Dal Geon is a very straightforward character whose actions not difficult to predict and has stayed in his elements in most parts of the drama, basically kicking ass, killing the bad guys, surviving terror attacks and more.
Ki Tae Woong on the other hand, is the complete opposite to Cha Dal Geon, being the smart and calculative NIS investigative team leader who lays out plans properly before jumping into them. Together with Go Hae Ri who I think was given the most interesting character development in the show, they make a really fantastic trio. Go Hae Ri started off in the show as the NIS agent who was transferred to Morocco for an undercover mission and was admittedly at times frustrating to watch for the ways she was easily overtaken by Cha Dal Geon. Nevertheless, as she became more entangled with the terror attacks, slowly she became more trustworthy in the eyes of her superior to carry out more difficult tasks, and has managed to rise above them with the help of Cha Dal Geon.
Suzy, Lee Seung Gi and Shin Sung Rok have utterly delivered both the strong and subtle nuances of their characters with incredible finesse, that in this drama you no longer see the actor but the characters that these people breathe themselves into. Contrary to some criticisms, not a single moment in the show where I've seen Suzy given us bad acting (even her crying scenes are wonderfully done), rather a perfect fit for how the characters should have been acted according to the story's writing at that time.
Aside from the fantastic trio, there are another five sub-plot devices driven by its supporting characters that make this drama complex and thrilling yet so incredibly written. First is the dynamics between the powerful people at the Blue House, second is the constant confrontation and power play by the NIS chiefs, third is the conflict between Jessica Lee and Edward Park representing their respective companies, fourth is the involvement of the other bereaved family members of the plane crash victims and fifth is the funny interaction/bickering between Lily and The Unkillable guy (hired assassins).
Overall, Vagabond is the perfect action drama given the romance sequence doesn't water down the main plot, and was only splashed in between the scenes. They are not overbearing and the romance build-up was rather slow and steady, therefore you cannot help but root for them. Love is given a very special context clue in here, in that even without having to confess your actual feelings, suppressing them in the hope of protecting your loved one is already a devoted act of sacred love by itself.
The soundtracks are outstanding too, and really added a fantastic touch to the action sequence and emotional scenes. My favourites are titled Breaking Dawn and Open Fire.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this one mainly because the plots are engaging, action sequences fantastically choreographed and directed, and characters perfectly cast. I read Lee Seung Gi's interview for this role and the director imagined correctly that he is the perfect fit for the half-headed, reckless image of Cha Dal Geon, as well as Suzy who portrayed accurately the transition of a half-hearted NIS agent into a full-blown femme fatale. I also found my new girl crush in this, that is Park Ah In. My girl is unapologetically sassy and badass as the female assassin, it's so hard not to fall in love!
This is definitely one of the most intelligent screenwriting I've seen off late, and paired brilliantly by outstanding directing on the part of the director/action director. The hard work they put onto the show really shows and pays off brilliantly in this one, and you are definitely jumping in for a hella good ride.
Enjoy!
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