Daxtreme

This sad drama hits a little harder now knowing that lead actor Lee Sun-kyun took his own life.

He's so convincing at playing someone on the edge of breaking down, someone down on their luck pushed to the limits of their sad lives, someone who is silently one step away from ending it all. Brilliant acting.

…or was it even acting?

Reminds me of Leslie Cheung actually, in that both of them had this melancholy and sadness behind their eyes. Sometimes it's just acting, but it would seem like with them, it turns out there was something more maybe that made their performances all the more convincing and soul-crushing. Something, sadly, that was perhaps real underneath the facade of acting.

This show has got pacing issues though. Definitely could have told the same story in less episodes. Some of the drama involving the brothers got repetitive after a while of basically just the same stuff happening over and over with little new development.

IU doesn't really look the part of a hardened young woman who's had the toughest life, she'd be more of a fit in a Sageuk playing the delicate princess coveted by all actually, but somehow she made it work, which is a testament to her acting I guess.

I could have gone without the redemption story for the shithead too. He was literally the only reason why her life was so miserable. He didn't deserve anything, sorry.

Overall though it's a pretty good drama, recommended if you like that genre.