More genres, less content and even less value

This is the epitome of how mix-matching everything almost never leads to good results. The narrative is roughly what you'd expect from someone with attention deficit issues. It starts off trying to be this, then it tries to be that, "-- oh that sounds cool, let's add that too," would be an accurate way to sum up the writer's thought process.

First it starts off as criminal investigation theme, then it goes into science-fiction, then onto supernatural, then back to criminal investigation, followed by pseudo-scientific, mind-numbing supernatural drama, carried out with the spice of pretentious detective noir.

I seldom feel this disengaged from a drama/movie, and this specific piece of work overachieved on that front. What helped achieve this accomplishment was largely a contribution by certain actors who took acting to a level where you could it transcendence. Take the newlywed police officer and his wife for example. Their facial expressions were so exaggerated that at times I felt more freaked out by their faces than what cheap thrills the zombie-mutant-demon-aliens made me feel.

Lest we talk about the special effects. They could've easily just made a dark fog and called that the source. People could just get infected by inhaling said smoke. It not only would've made sense and been easier to explain, but it would've also made it so much more realistic and not to mention the savings they could've made. Why, oh why did there have to sentient floating little dust clouds that are able to maneuver as they wish through air? How high was the author when he wrote this? Seriously, considering how the mutation works and such, the fog should've been the source. Could've easily attributed it to the likeness of spores. The demon-alien-evil-metal-dust-monsters keep appearing in such little concentrations, and how the characters behave when seeing them.... The sheer amount of frustration I felt watching this is indescribable.

I have absolutely no clue why this drama has an 8/10 rating. Plot holes, inconsistencies, narrative discrepancies, overacting, directionless, the list goes on. If you found genuine joy out of this drama, I commend you for being able shut off your brain to that level. Sadly, I could not do so.

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A heartwarming story about the difficulties a family can face with time.

This is a story about a family whose father/husband is a man with Alzheimer's and his slowly deteriorating mental capacity as the years progress. How his family deals with the knowledge and how they learn to adapt and grow as a family throughout the hardships that entail. Overall, the family bonds, the consideration turned apathy that returns to consideration again -- all these little things were delivered relatively well.

However, I do have qualms about certain aspects. The stiff and unnatural acting from some actors, the dissociation the structuring of the movie makes the viewers feel that could've easily been fixed with a simple floating subtitle that mentions the current date during flashbacks, the lack of any noteworthy OSTs and usual lack of post-production quality of majority Japanese works; high frames but lower quality and a severe lack of post-production.

Given these things, it was hard to rate this accurate but as far as I'm concerned I didn't necessarily regret watching this, and it was rather heartwarming too at times, hence a 7 star rating seems fair.


P.s. I see there are no reviews here -- I mean, no oppas in this movie after all, lol.

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Disclaimer: A review written by someone that's not your typical underwear-drenching-fangasming-fangirl.

As an intro the review: Most of the run-time is spent ogling, hyping and worshiping the priest's appearance and trying to force-feed the viewers the notion that he's the most attractive thing ever brought to life.

Now for the rest of the drama: The narrative gets inconsistent at times and in all honesty, this shouldn't have been a drama but a movie instead. The overly dragged out plot turned it from a decent premise to a horrendous and tedious experience. The weird part is, it tries to play off the fact that Kim Hae-il's character is 100% fictional and impossible to exist in the real world, but then sometimes it tries to convince your church might have someone with a background like him around.

Now the action scenes were a mixed experience for me. The choreography was really good at times and borderline repulsive the other. And it still annoys the heck out of me that the go-to weapon of crime syndicates is a 2x4 piece of wood. Rarely ever does a Korean drama or movie do a good job with action scenes because they're only trying to appeal to a female audience and majority of the female audience would be more than happy with a few "cool" angles and telegraphed K.O.s.

Kim Hae-il's background makes absolutely no sense. He's made out to be every badass possible in every situation. He's not only A, he is also B!!! He is not only B he is also C, D, E and the rest of the alphabet!!!! Anyone that watches this with any amount of military expertise or background, would be appalled by the depiction of Kim Hae-il's background.

If the production team spent half as much time trying to overhype the character and desperately trying to convert every woman that watches this into a new religion, "Kim Hae-ilism" this might've actually turned out pretty well. Maybe someday there'll be a better remake, but for now, this felt like a waste of my time.

p.s. a lot more I didn't have the time nor could be bothered to mention. But if you personally liked this and disagree: good for you.

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The plot was okay, but everything else had me cringing so hard my neck hurts. Cinematography was inconsistent and all over the place. Acting, good god the acting... over-the-top borderline excessive and cringey as hell, I have watched 90s anime with less cringe than this. Crying scenes had little to no emotional value, I actually tried to connect but could not due to how artificial and forced it was. Music in ambiance was fine but music for emotional moments were excessive or unnatural that it would pull you out of the scene.

As someone who spent a lot of time in hospitals growing up, and even afterwards visiting relatives or keeping siblings company - the depiction of nurses are absolutely wrong here, I mean sure there might be a friendly nurse among a 100 but, rapport isn't as highly valued of nurses as it would be for doctors. Because a nurse's job is a lot more straightforward than a doctor's would be. Doctors communicate with patients and decide a course of action or method of treatment, nurses administer the treatment and maintain it until the procedure is finished.

Basically the entire drama used hospitals as a platform to attach a bunch of characters and slap on a "plot" and fall back on medical emergencies or situations to create tension. All the while glorifying and idealizing the role of a nurse.

In all honesty, I was able to take Mr. Bean more seriously than I did the characters in this J-drama. I have absolutely not a single clue why this has been rated so high on MDL, and more importantly I wonder when or if Japan's drama industry will ever put more effort into adding more realism to their works.

I mean in really, Korean dramas and movies used to be like this as well but look at how far they've come. Most dramas and movies are on par with Hollywood productions nowadays. Overacting is bad, and it will always be bad and this drama is the epitome of overacting. Humans don't behave like humans here -- heck, anime characters from decades ago acted more like humans than this.

The rating system on MDL is about as realistic as this drama is, and that in turns explains why elaborately written and made works can get a lower than 7 rating while absolute utter failures can get 8-9+ ratings.

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Rather excessive in it's showcasing of a gritty environment or the darker side of society. This movie started out with the introduction of an edgy and conflicted detective, and progressed to an incessant and constant dialogue about sex and more specifically the amount of times slang for "penis" was used.

Anyhow, nude scenes were unnecessary but likely helped boost market value. Plot progression was done in a roundabout way though the plot itself wasn't too bad. Acting and cast was relevant to the characters and the characters were relevant to the plot.

The narrative is about a detective on the verge of losing his faith in society, losing his humanity and his conflicted moral compass. In his efforts to catch criminals, the things he's had to do make him question whether he's not the same as them. And this movie gives and in-depth view of his M.O. while handling a difficult case.

Cinematography was good, and the music was great, especially at the end with how well it resonated with the movie's conclusion.

P.s. this is not a feel good kind of movie and if you dislike bitter conclusions this might not be for you but give it a watch - I might just be wrong.

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Is he Sherlock Holmes? Is he a Augustus Caeser of Rome? Is he Musashi Miyamoto? Is he Neo? Is he Batman?

Wrong, he is all and none at the same time; he is above all.
King Ye Jong a.k.a. Lee Sun Kyung has the speed/time perception of Neo from the matrix, deduction skills rivaling that of Sherlock Holmes, benevolence equal to King John I of England and the pacifism and greatness of King Augustus Caeser, the swordsmanship of Musashi Miyamoto and the pure badassery of Bruce Wayne.

Was sort of funny but no real LOL moments. Decent cinematography. Acting was good, casting was relevant to the characters but the characters were one dimensional.

Decent movie as long as you don't mind how predictable it is.

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In all honesty, Migi did NOT look like a weirdly animated sextoy in the anime. And I also did not like how they changed the scene where Migi was taking care of him after the stab wound.

How did they make Shinichi extra cowardly in the Live-Action I do not know. In trying to capitalize on the gore they at times exaggerated the SFX, specifically the blood effects. Fight scenes were nowhere near as enjoyable as in the anime. Again, why did they change scenes? The rooftop scene was also different.

Cinematography was decent, but Migi character model was just disturbing.

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Again another example of K-fandom rating anything that doesn't appeal to their fangirl midnight fantasies, being rated below 8 or even lower than 5, when pure visual nonsense like Hwarang gets a plethora of 10/10s.

Yes this is a seriously dark movie, and at times it had me feeling nauseated and extremely infuriated. But was any of that towards the script, author or the industry? No, for once it was out of empathy. This was absolutely horrible, and that's what it was trying to deliver, the worst parts of society. It was extremely immersive and acting was just so convincing that at the end, I had almost forgotten this wasn't a work of fiction. The blood effects and other props were on point as well.

This movie absolutely killed me inside, to project yourself into the protagonist or just empathize with her was a purely painful experience -- but it felt so very real and that's what mattered. The rape scenes weren't excessive, and I liked that, in the sense that the development team wasn't trying to capitalize on cheap semi-nude shots like almost every movie similar to this -- which usually just feels like insult to injury.

I honestly cannot think of a better actress for the role, the subtle displays of dismay, suffering and unconditional love from her.

Cinematography was on point as well but at times it felt inconsistent, although the overall quality was still good. Fight scenes had room for improvement, and South Korea's attitude towards weapons had this movie switching between conventional and unconventional weaponry and fight scenes.

The music was absolutely perfect, resonated very well with the highs and lows of the movie and delivered heartbreaking moments very well.

You're not going to feel happy watching this and you're not supposed to. Don't blame the movie for how you feel, but blame yourself for not knowing what to expect.

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Switch out the male lead for someone like Lee Joon Gi and this would be a 10/10 from everyone and overall score would be around 8-9. Typical K-fandom.

Yes the plot was relatively predictable and cliche but the delivery was all that mattered here. The movie didn't start off by pretending to be unique but it capitalized on the natural and realistic delivery of it. The antagonist was my only issue, as he was a bit excessive. Nonetheless, forget visuals and focus on the experience watching this, I'm not saying it's a 10/10 but it's nowhere near a 5 or whatever.

Instead of casting a pretty boy who does nothing but pose and smile, the male lead was a very convincing actor for the role. From his appearance to his acting, switching between his temperamental and kind side without being a douchebag like every other actor that would've played the role, was a huge plus.

The chemistry between leads and their synergy with the cast was good as well, cinematography was also relevant to it's style. Yes this wasn't a one of a kind unforgettable movie, but for the experience overall and seeing a very convincing "thug" with a soft side, stumble and at times embarrass himself trying to become a better person was worth an 8/10 in my opinion.

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The plot so far has been pretty good. The premise was great to epic proportions, it's something very unique and on a scale that is absolute grandiose but all in a good way. The cinematography and the casting are absolutely on point. The SFX for a 2019 drama could've been somewhat better but not going to complain.

The characterizations have a decent amount of depth and some very engagingly so, but some characters are purely one dimensional with nothing to explain their behavior from their arrival to the show and to their departure.

Delivery of the story has been great so far, but one could only wish to see the protagonist more often and sometimes the political campaigns feel a bit blown out of proportion and at times very dragged out. But I understand world building is very important, but the problem is that unless they go for another full season or in other words 3 chapters, it would be very hard to wrap this up in a satisfying and convincing way.

The action scenes are great but sometimes not very well coordinated. It's almost as if there was a perfectionist on set sometimes and other times they just leave it at good enough.

All in all, from the way it expands the story to developing it's characters it has been doing a good job. It's very political although it's not modern politics, so I can't say everyone would've enjoyed this, and perhaps some feel it's tedious but stick to it for the great performances of the actors/actresses.

Hopefully there will be more of this and there will be more dramas like this in the future that break from the norm.

Edit: They wrapped this up pretty well and declared another season. Really excited to see where they go with this and when they'll start airing.

Only gripe is that they kind of spoiled a little too much at the preview of what's to come, at the end of the last episode.

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Very hyped and very much of a let down.

Honestly for such built up hype, this drama seriously failed to deliver. I.U. was not the best actress to represent this role but that also is a conflicting aspect, as I.U. is honestly the best at representing a struggling character from a lower class. But her as a rich character just doesn't fit, although her feisty acting style was very endearing.

Her character was a little too inconsistent, it was almost as if she was suffering from hysteria or bipolar disorder throughout the entire drama.

The male lead on the other hand, had almost nothing special to offer, and his character was an infuriatingly excessive "good guy" character through and through. His cowardliness was a little excessive as well.

As always when a Korean drama or movie showcases Korean deities, it's just infuriating or extremely irritating. In attempts to be ambiguous they become redundant and self-contradictory and do things in roundabout ways, when far more efficient solutions exist.

Supporting characters had depth to them but at times ignored that for cheap drama intensification.

Cinematography was great, essentially very similar to goblin but the SFX were nowhere near up to scale and at times just horrendous. Music was okay.

Overall, a decent drama but nothing great.

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Talk about a gritty movie, but one done well. Great cinematography and pretty good SFX. The blood color was a little off at certain situations though, and some actions scenes were a bit weird like how people with guns would come at protagonist like as if they were using a blunt weapon and in some instances you see people just clearly staring at her and doing nothing, basically waiting for someone to signal their turn to attack her.

Nonetheless, the premise was good, the concept was great and the story was written decently well and delivered equally well. A few instances where it's a little disappointing how such a well thought out organization would fail to orchestrate more thorough and more effective plans.

From ups and downs, this was a very engaging movie and being the kind of movie it was, it wasn't always clear where it was heading. The casting was pretty good and acting was relevant to the characters.

Not a family friendly movie, but a great afternoon action flick with story depth.

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The movie starts off with an excessively flashy and showy introduction into the personality of the lead, but moving forward there is some good character development. Characterizations were decent, although some were a tad one dimensional, and the lead at times being a glorified douchebag.

Anyhow, the casting was a mixed experience as some of them fitted the character perfectly while some were just unnatural and forced into the role, and of those the most unnatural was the female prosecutor. They clearly needed a maturer actress, I have no clue why they went with her instead, perhaps her feisty acting style but even then I can think of a number of actresses that could've pulled it off.

Basically the concept follows scumbag lawyer develops a conscience and tries to do the right thing. The concept itself isn't bad but the script could've made the character development a lot smoother and gradual instead of the forceful way it happened.

Cinematography was good, but perhaps too many camera angles at times, but that just means some scenes took multiple shots and they patched it together.

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This was absolutely beautiful. While focusing on the aspect of a woman with horrible past, who had closed off heart to protect herself, finds herself opening up her heart to this lovable child in need of her help -- this drama special should've gained a lot more popularity.

KBS specials tend to be either a hit or miss to be honest, but sadly even the hits tend to go unnoticed since they don't show up often as actual movies but as KBS special segments.

Anyhow, the story of this was written pretty well, the characterizations were sometimes a bit on the one dimensional side but the chemistry between the woman and the child was just too beautiful to ignore. Cinematography was done decently well for a low budget creation.

Overall, this is a hidden gem and I hope one day gains more fame, as it's a real tearjerker and wraps up to a very heartwarming conclusion.

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It could've been written much better, but it followed the typical withholding of important information for a cheap thrill. But since once again, K-fandom believe it to be blasphemy to rate anything lower than 7, there's much anyone can do to try and keep ratings objective.

The acting was decent but at times unnatural. The characterizations were bland at times and unnatural quite often. The casting was okay, because the cast was relevant to the script, although script was relatively bad. The cinematography was also relevant to it's time.

In all honesty, this could've turned out so much better but at least they wrapped things up pretty decently so there's that. I absolutely loathed the girl even though she was one of my favorite actresses.

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