Tae Ho
In the shining galaxy of A.N.JELL, Bangtan Sonyeondan & CNBLUE
I'm not particularly fond of alien sci-fi story in particular, but this drama uses that only as a plot device to tell a bigger story than to consume itself mainly around the alien sci-fi (hope that makes sense). In that way, this alien sci-fi part could have been replaced by anything else originating from human-made artificial intelligence, and I bet the story would still have worked well. What I am trying to say is that apart from the alien sci-fi, the bigger recurring theme in this drama is definitely on the brotherhood between the two main lead characters. Therefore, the story basically revolves itself around them looking out and for each other, which I find incredibly heart-warming and endearing.
I came to this drama because of Yeo Jin Goo through and through, and I absolutely loved him in every frame. My goodness, those expressive eyes of his can contain the entire universe I kid you not! I also have to say that the story in 2017 is definitely more interesting than the one in 2037 because the situations in the New Earth involves less mystery and more back betrayal (play of politics). Nevertheless, the pacing of this show in both timelines is incredibly great and it always intensely keeps you on the hook.
I also find that some of the settings in the year 2037 looked a little unrefined and if only was given more care, would have made the overall feel of the drama a lot more polished. But of course, I do understand that they operate on a more limited budget since this show is for a television and not a large screen. That being said, I still had to downgrade my score for the whole aesthetics a little bit.
Definitely watch this and don't be discouraged by reviews which say that the story is confusing or not neatly done. As long as you pay attention, it pays off really well at the end! After all, it's only 12 episodes. :)
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First off, with every other markers that differentiate the two shows removed, I do find the pacing of Stranger a bit slow and draggy especially in the middle parts. Stranger is understandably a show written that is more focused around character development rather than the plot (it's quite a slow burner), so the writer of that show goes around many circling episodes trying to shade every character in the proximity of the main protagonist as the main culprit in order to confuse us. This kind of screenwriting works really well if you are not too much of a stickler for a show well-paced and one that centres itself largely on the actual development of the story. I wrote a full review on Stranger here.
https://mydramalist.com/profile/7596411/review/58045
While You Were Sleeping, on the other hand, I found to have successfully blended the complexity of being character-driven and plot-driven at the same time incredibly well. Trust me, the brilliance of the screenwriting and directing in this drama really blew me away! This is the reason I am utterly baffled at some other reviewers who thought this show was boring in any shape or form. I am not even sure if we watched the same show at this point.
While You Were Sleeping started off strong, and needless to say they actually managed to keep the show on high for the rest of the episodes till its conclusion which is admittedly a very tough feat. In fact, I do not find a single moment in this show that was boring and skippable. I even dare to say that every single scene is important and adds a very important dynamic to the overall impression of the story. When I first began this show, I was afraid that the execution is going to be messy or confusing, since they are playing with dreams/future back and forth. Nevertheless to my surprise, the writers and directors are incredibly skilled in telling a very interesting story in a compelling way.
The main trio as the protagonist of this show works incredibly well together. I dearly appreciate how there's no love triangle in this, although there is a one-sided love. Jae Chan's character is incredibly sweet and funny and Hong Joo is just so fun to watch, being the quirky and intelligent reporter that she is. Woo Tak is literally a heart stealer in every scene, with his incredibly charming smile and warm personality. Even all the supporting characters are important from the assistant investigators at the prosecutor office, the other three prosecutors and the Chief, Woo Tak's sunbaenim police officer and Hong Joo's mother. Every character is so loveable and brings to your heart a lot of warmth. I am also amazingly in awe of Nam Da Reum who delivers brilliantly all the nuances of Jae Chan's younger self as the troublemaker kid but also one who went through really difficult times. I am usually not a fan of any villain character but seriously hats off to the writers for giving the antagonist in this show an incredibly well-written backstory, which is greatly complemented by the immaculate acting of Lee Sang Yeob. He's utterly detestable from beginning to end, and ironically it worked great!
The acting by all the casts are on point as well, in particular Lee Jong Suk and Bae Suzy did incredibly well in their crying scenes. I am sure you will agree when you arrive at those particular scenes. This show also has a really incredible plot twist at the later episode, thus I think you'll really find the whole experience very enthralling.
Many of the OST in this drama are truly exceptional and adds incredible feels to the viewing experience, especially during the sad and romantic scenes. My favourites are the songs by Suzy, Davichi, Eddy Kim, Roy Kim and Henry.
The rewatch value for this drama is exceptionally high. This is actually one of the shows I have watched in kdramaland that I hold very dearly in my heart, and found that the perfect score doesn't do the show justice since it's value to me can't be expressed in any numeric forms. It's really so special to me, and the reason it's so special is that it's been executed incredibly well in all aspects that I consider very important to make a kdrama successful and utterly memorable.
Enjoy the watch!
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Seo In Guk (Lee Hyun) who carried this show as the genius criminal profiler who as I have mentioned above, gives off that Sherlock Holmes super smexy vibe is just way too irresistible for me, and I was actually devouring him way past this drama ended. This was the first drama of him ever that I watched, and although I read he had a hard time filming this, his acting looks for the most part very natural as if the character was written exactly for him. Some people say that the character of Cha Ji An (played by Jang Na Ra) was annoying and stalker-ish for the most part, but I actually wasn't bothered by her in a bit because when the two leads work together, their opposite characters and chemistry obviously blended well. Lee Hyun is someone who's really ice cold on the outside, so it makes sense that only a woman who doesn't really pay attention to personal space can break the ice with him. She also has a quiet emotional strength which complemented Lee Hyun's rational intelligence a lot. Park Bo Gum was exceptional in his role as the shady lawyer, as well as the actor who played the psychopath. I also enjoyed every moment of bickering between the detective team members.
The music was fantastic and I particularly loved the OST played in the background of the two brothers scenes. It accentuates the tragedy and longing that both of them have for each other.
Rewatch value for this is a perfect 10 for me because I have already watched this thrice, and if not for anything else definitely for the bromance.
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I love how the story began as a mother-son relationship which then shows how it loses its footing as she had to deal with the consequences of creating a robot replacement of her only child. It's the complete opposite of MAB (robots created for business purposes) and I obviously liked this thematic approach so much better. I loved the romance and I thought it was built up nicely though there are obvious ethical discussions that the writer avoids under the pretext of true love. I'm not necessarily judgy in that department because I treat this genre more as a fantasy sci-fi instead of real sci-fi. Although the drama concluded with the relationship of the male and female lead, the climax was actually the change in the relationship of the mother-son relationship itself. This was truly what makes this drama so memorable and special to me.
The BGM are fantastic, and I particularly loved The Longing Dance played when Nam Sin III was saving Kang So Bong from the fire scene. I could never forget that scene precisely because of that BGM!
Rewatch value is a perfect 10 for me, and I really believe I could re-watch this drama a hundred times more. It's that captivating.
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This review may contain spoilers
the most morally bankrupt drama i have ever watched, and it's infuriating AF
honestly, i feel like this writer is a sadist. this is first time i am watching a drama where none of the lead characters are worth rooting for, because they are all despicable. and it really makes my blood boils when i think about it. well the two male leads may be more pathetic than despicable, and the SFL (Oh Yeon Seo) is actually well fleshed-out, but considering what she's done to her own sister, i'd also hate her with all of my guts too.i feel like for a drama dealing with the subject of revenge, making the lead characters come through with shades of grey is a lot more sensible writing-wise, because then you can immerse yourself into the pain and sufferings of the characters a lot more. but here all the lead characters are almost definitively morally corrupt, and by the end of it all, you finish the drama just for the sake of knowing the resolve instead of a genuine interest into the characters' endings.
i think the ML is quite well written, except around ep. 14 onwards the drama has lost its course and taken up melodrama instead of staying true to its revenge genre which gets so fckin annoying. i also don't understand how is it from someone who was taken to the mental hospital after a major car accident, he was okay again and regained perfect mental sensibilities after just a span of days LOL. unfckinbelievable, you tell me.
the drama literally rubs me in all the wrong ways in the last 4 episodes. at least in the first half, i was invested in the story and especially in the ML's moves because he's very calculative and strategic with the way he's gonna pursue his revenge. and he also comes across as a dangerous, homme fatale type which in a way reminds me of the ML character in TSHLYE. i thought i was gonna up-end this drama better than TSHLYE because of the thrill in his cunningness and motives, but the last episodes were really disappointing. he became more pathetic than when he started out with revenge and it makes you feel really cheated as a viewer. in fact, he stays as the most miserable of them all, which becomes a really hard pill to swallow by the end of it.
also, i have to rant about the FL character, Moon Jae In. holy sh*t, i realise once again how easily deceived i am by someone's good looks. until the end i didn't want to believe that she's a straight-up gold digger with no bones and self-pride with her sweet innocent look, but she really was. in the midst of all the corrupt characters, i really wanted to like her and when she finally had the change/courage of heart, i no longer cared which path she pursued. she started feeling really shallow and boring at the beginning, and by the end of it, has naturally become THAT IRRELEVANT. this personification feels similar to other lead characters i believe. the writer just touches the bare surface to make us care about what happens to them at the end, but never dug deep enough to the point where we can root for them because we understand their perspectives, or their pain. it's hugely problematic for a revenge drama full of characters that had the potential to pull your heartstrings in so many different ways.
the ending was rushed too, and very unsatisfying to me especially what happened to the ML. i guess there's no other way because Kim Nam Gil was conscripted to military service around that time.
all in all, this is literally the most morally bankrupt drama i have ever watched, and it's infuriating AF. if you are not watching this for Kim Nam Gil, then honestly don't bother. find something else.
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the godfather of all food/cooking variety shows!
South Korea is really slaying all aspects of the entertainment industry from music/live performance shows to dramas/films to variety shows.i always love cooking shows but the idea behind this show is incredible. they actually materialize the winning meal of choice to be a convenience store foods able to be purchased. isn't that fckin revolutionary?!
i always thought ahh those cooking shows on TV, most of them are very sophisticated and use not-very-cheap ingredients, " for goodness sake, can't we have something simpler and affordable"?
TURNED OUT WE CAN, JUST THAT NO ONE REALLY HAS EVER THOUGHT OF MAKING A FOOD/COOKING SHOW LIKE THIS. CAN THE CONCEPT OF THIS SHOW BE SOLD OFF TO ALL COUNTRIES LIKE THEY DO THE MASTERCHEF SHOWS? DAMN.
i feel really touched how they based the theme of the dishes on the meal consumption by the Koreans, e.g. rice consumption has been declining so let's create a new revolutionary dish using rice to help the economy of the rice farmers. also some of the profits are given to good causes. goodness me, the utter brilliance.
this show has truly been hitting my sweet spot in all the right marks, before starting the show i also thought that the celebrities they cast can't be THAT GOOD OF A HOME COOK YOU'RE KIDDING ME, damn turned out i am the one clowning myself over here. they are all talented AF, have their own individual charms and because of that i am truly learning a lot. i hope it will continue airing for a long time especially now we have Ryu Su Young and Lee Yoo Ri together on the show.
ahh My Father is Strange hearteu~ Hyeyeong-Jungwon couple fighting!!! XD
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