Struggles Halfway Through - But Otherwise Decent
I love the supernatural, especially vampires, so it was obvious that I would check out this drama. I liked the idea of a female character (Yang Seon) gaining some form of economic independence, by cross-dressing and selling illegal books for a living - and a handsome vampire (Sung Yeol) whose turning was very traumatic. I was interested in seeing how these two characters would introduced to another, and how their lives would intertwine.
Somehow, I feel like they are not very compatible, even later on. Yang Seon is, to put it mildy, an idiot. I know female characters are usually written this way, but it becomes very infuriating as the series goes on. It makes sense for her not to know anything in the beginning, as she's just a regular person with no knowledge on vampires or their existence. However, this continues to be a thing throughout the whole drama. The viewers and all the other characters know everything, while Yang Seon struggles to keep up. The immediate moment she learns something new, the viewer is introduced to a new "secret," so Yang Seon is behind once again! It's stupid! If I hear her say "sunbaenim" one more time...
The writers seem to prefer to use Yang Seon as a plot device rather than a character of her own. This is especially evident halfway through the drama, where everything becomes very chaotic. Plot points are introduced and resolved within the same episode, and they do this several times! Yang Seon learns something new, she gets herself into danger, Sung Yeol saves her. Rinse and repeat for multiple episodes. I'm normally very good at staying focused, but at some points I was just looking at the screen once in a while to catch up while doing something else. The only redeeming episodes were the last 2-4 as the plot seems to pick up again.
Besides my furious disposition towards the FL, I actually like all the other characters. Sung Yeol and his crew are well-written characters. Gwi is a well-rounded villain and quite entertaining on his own. Sometimes, just being evil is good enough when it comes to writing. There is some very good character development that I feel makes this drama worth a watch. This is not the worst vampire-themed series I've seen.
I agree with others about the music choices. Be ready to hear the same three tracks used in every scene.
Somehow, I feel like they are not very compatible, even later on. Yang Seon is, to put it mildy, an idiot. I know female characters are usually written this way, but it becomes very infuriating as the series goes on. It makes sense for her not to know anything in the beginning, as she's just a regular person with no knowledge on vampires or their existence. However, this continues to be a thing throughout the whole drama. The viewers and all the other characters know everything, while Yang Seon struggles to keep up. The immediate moment she learns something new, the viewer is introduced to a new "secret," so Yang Seon is behind once again! It's stupid! If I hear her say "sunbaenim" one more time...
The writers seem to prefer to use Yang Seon as a plot device rather than a character of her own. This is especially evident halfway through the drama, where everything becomes very chaotic. Plot points are introduced and resolved within the same episode, and they do this several times! Yang Seon learns something new, she gets herself into danger, Sung Yeol saves her. Rinse and repeat for multiple episodes. I'm normally very good at staying focused, but at some points I was just looking at the screen once in a while to catch up while doing something else. The only redeeming episodes were the last 2-4 as the plot seems to pick up again.
Besides my furious disposition towards the FL, I actually like all the other characters. Sung Yeol and his crew are well-written characters. Gwi is a well-rounded villain and quite entertaining on his own. Sometimes, just being evil is good enough when it comes to writing. There is some very good character development that I feel makes this drama worth a watch. This is not the worst vampire-themed series I've seen.
I agree with others about the music choices. Be ready to hear the same three tracks used in every scene.
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