Anonimus
Artistically, psychologically, ideologically
In this drama, I appreciate the general idea, the intention, the camera handling and the acting.What I don't appreciate is that despite only eight episodes, everything was long-winded and boring. Many of the scenes and shots, in my opinion, have artistic overtones, while they add little or nothing to the plot itself. They don't even set the mood properly. Law dramas are my love, but this drama is full of absurdity when it comes to law and focuses almost exclusively on the psychological changes occurring in the main character from the moment of the crime to the end of the drama. The psychological aspect definitely dominates, unfortunately at the expense of the legal issues.
Another absurdity is the prison absurdity. It's a shame to even talk about how the prison was portrayed.
I suspect the drama was intended to make viewers think about the nature of law and justice, but the tools they used didn't convince me. I did not sympathize with any of the characters. I was not interested in whether the accused was guilty. I wasn't interested in what the verdict would be. In my opinion, the viewer would be more likely to reflect if they made an emotional connection with the character and could identify with them.
However, one thing stuck in my memory - the biggest absurdity was the prosecutor, from the beginning to the end. Neither the scriptwriter nor the director attached any importance to creating the whole accusation, but perhaps that was their aim.
The music was almost unnoticeable.
Overall decent drama, but for me it ran the legal spectrum wrong and had too strong, even suffocating psychological/ideological aspect.
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Better than James Bond. Every episode is suspenseful
I generally don't watch dramas from this era. I am also skeptical about political-spy dramas where I expect strong ideological overtones. I watched this drama because of Li Yifeng and I have absolutely no regrets. Yes, there was a bit too much ideological talk, but the plot, characters and especially the unpredictability of certain events and constant suspense made up for everything. I don't think I've ever seen a drama that builds and maintains suspense so well and allows you to root for the characters, even though I'm not interested in the cause they're fighting for. The drama was really gripping, touching and full of action and fascinating characters. I just couldn't get bored with it and I think it's highly underrated because of its ideological message. But it is an excellent spy drama, much better than James Bond.Was this review helpful to you?
Old but fresh, entertaining and moving - worth recommending
This drama is a bit old, nevertheless I heartily recommend it.First of all, the main character is wonderfully tragic, (but not pathetic) almost taken out of the novelist's handbook where it says that the more tragic the character is, the more the audience loves him. Ji Sung played him so perfectly that he actually steals the heart and provides a lot of beautiful emotions. I also really like the people around him who are colorful characters with their own interesting stories. Everything comes together in a really interesting and neat whole, full of intrigue and action, built at the right pace and not devoid of a very important love plot for the protagonist. In addition, the music wonderfully emphasizes the mood of the situation and the cinematography shot in Africa and Jeju gives this drama an additional exotic feel. I've watched this drama three times and enjoyed it just as much each time. It's one of my favorites.
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Overall on the plus side, thanks to ML
In this drama I found some things excellent and some things I liked less.For starters, the story is interesting. In addition to what happens in the current timeline of the drama, we also have mysteries from the past that are very interesting to uncover, especially since I liked ML from the first moment. Admittedly, I thought some of his later decisions were stupid, but I accepted them for the sake of the plot.
I like the music, I like how the threads related to the main character were led, the fact that the mysteries are explained gradually and sometimes it's really hard to guess something, but when the truth is discovered, it seems so obvious!
I have trouble accepting threads from the FL side. Even though everything is eventually explained and resolved, I still get the impression that many elements were deliberately magnified to give the character tragedy. From beginning to end I didn't understand FL, I couldn't make any connection with her or feel any sympathy towards her.
I tried to rewatch this drama yesterday, but the plots on FL's side were too heavy for me, so I only picked up a few scenes on ML's side.
My overall impressions are mixed, but I recommend this drama with a pure heart because a few scenes and solutions were really excellent and allowed me to ignore the worse moments. Ji Sung really is an actor who with his acting can distract from some shortcomings in the plot.
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Psychologically and legally a really great drama
The drama idea of putting a prosecutor in jail is interesting from both a legal and psychological perspective. The amnesia theme is also guided and explained neatly and realistically, which I appreciate. Exploring the past along with the protagonist, finding allies and discovering traitors are all interesting and emotional processes in this drama. Thanks to the smooth pacing of the plot and the portrayal of the characters, the viewer strongly sympathizes with the protagonist, who is played absolutely phenomenally, and as in few dramas, his emotions affected me as well. Although I am not an amnesiac prosecutor in prison, I clearly sympathized with the main character, which also involved me in the plot and the process of discovering the truth. Fair warning, however, that for a viewer with delicate emotions, this may be a rough ride. I remember after watching the drama for the first time, I really appreciated it, but I couldn't go back to it for a few years. Ji Sung is just too convincing in playing this emotionally complex character.Was this review helpful to you?
A very decent police drama
I finished watching this drama a few days ago and I really wanted to write a review for it. Although Chimera is not one of my favorite titles, it's a drama made really decently and its strongest point in my opinion are the characters. Cha Jae Hwan is a wonderfully ordinary policeman, a decent man and a good son. Lee Joong Yeop may not be completely common, but he also evokes the feeling of someone from the neighborhood. Admittedly, for most of the drama I was expecting a different resolution to the dongseng vs older brother line, but I forgive the creators for this minor disappointment.The drama wasn't sensational, it didn't have any spectacular moments or twists for me, but it was really ok.
Surprisingly the whole series was stolen in my eyes by Heo Jun Seok, who I first saw in such an appealing role and he was absolutely perfect in it. Although it wasn't a big role, I really liked his character.
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Too much philosophy and unanswered questions
This drama is heavy stuff. It is filled with philosophical and ideological musings on religious and pseudo-religious topics which can be difficult material for the viewer. It certainly was for me. I don't mind dramas where you have to think, but I don't like dramas where I feel like I'm in a philosophy lecture where a not very bright professor keeps asking questions without giving any possible answers.The idea was ok and I was curious how the creators would solve their problems. Although there wasn't a clear main character that I could sympathize with, the main question posed in this drama made me curious enough to stick with it. Unfortunately, the answer given by the creators raised more questions for me and just when it started to get interesting, the drama ended. I waited in vain for the next episode. It left me disappointed and frustrated, and I expect a slightly different outcome from a drama.
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