ltspada

My Rating: 9/10

As a fan of the superhero genre, I found this one incredibly interesting. I particularly like the unusual supers that take a unique spin. And this was a fit for that slice of the super hero pie. The powers are unique, and the premise—with its blended aspects of X-Men, Deadpool, Kickass vibes—kept me hooked. The villain characters were compelling, the acting was strong overall. Cha Eun-woo and Park Eun-bin are among my favorite actors. Having the two of them together was a highlight. It features a lot of great characters and actors, making it enjoyable just for the cast alone. It wraps up well enough to stand on its own but leaves a bit of room for more, in Netflix fashion. I am not a fan of open ended but this was not completely open, it left possibility without leaving the ending hanging. If you like superhero stories, are a fan of any of the actors, or just want something a little different that isn’t heavily romance-focused, I definitely recommend it.

Spoilers
It was a minor annoyance that it took them so long to learn how to use their powers effectively. I had the most fun toward the end when they figured it out and became more capable. I understand they stretched it for comedy, but it felt a bit slapstick at times. They portrayed the female lead character, Eun Chae-ni, (Park Eun-bin), as kind of simple or not the brightest at first, but I was hoping for (and glad to see) some underlying intelligence—she grew into it, and her character felt complicated in a good way.

I had a hard time understanding, as an American, why the lead male character, Lee Un-jeong (Cha Eun-woo), would give up a friend for a mother who had never been around, but I recognize that as a cultural thing. Wasn't ever sure exactly what happened with the mother, if she gave him up willingly, he was "kidnapped" or what. But, in any case, he turned Chae-ni over for a chance to see/know what happened with his mother. Harsh.

I thought for the longest time that the sticky guy character, Son Gyeong-hun (Choi Dae-hoon) wasn’t very useful, but his ability turned out to be very handy in the end. Like I said it was more fun, to me, when they learned how to fully use their superpowers.

I don’t know what it is with the stinky/shower-averse characters in these dramas lately—I know she had been traveling or whatever, but it was kind of weird to lean into that so much. Not sure why they did it; I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but there was another drama where they commented on hair stinking, and as a very clean person, I found it disturbing (others might not notice as much). It was supposed to be funny, but rubbing her stink on him - ooh.

I’m a hopeless romantic, so of course I would’ve liked more romance. There was a little—just enough not to annoy non-romantics you might watch with—but I love both leads in romantic roles, so it was hard not to want more. The kiss and the hug were both heartwarming. But, I think they made a great couple so would have liked more. Maybe if they do have a second season.

I loved the actress who played the grandmother character Kim Jeon-bok (Kim Hae-sook) and her role here.

Some of the wonderkinder turning more villainous was an interesting dynamic. The setup with some developing almost Stockholm syndrome toward the evil doctor felt believable, as that’s a real phenomenon.

If someone had this on, I’d definitely rewatch it. I may even watch it again myself in the future, though with so many options it’s hard to return to things. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If they do a second season, I’ll likely watch—unless I hear it’s really horrible—but they have plenty of material for more.