Time slipped but the drama didn't... too much.

Oct 2023
I love the plot; not the usual time travel, but a time slip.
Bae Hyun-sung is so good in his lead role as character Kang-san, who ends up worlds away from his original life. The emotions this relatively young actor is able to convey with his eyes, is exactly what makes his character so watchable and believable. Gentle, kind and pretty adorable. He never abuses the changes in himself either, but hangs on to his good nature.
Jung Woo is also good as a struggling writer with principles (Dong-joo), but living a life that pushes them to their limit. He has a sometimes abrasive exterior, but is really quite mushy inside.
Supporting characters/actors are interesting; from family, to friends, law enforcement and the villains living in wealth, but also the shadow of their past.
It started really strong and grabbed my attention, but as the drama neared its mid-way eps, I found the story somewhat laboured. Old ground was covered too often and so regardless of whether the angle from which an event was seen, was different, it wasn't different enough and didn't really impact the story sufficiently.
Then, as the final episodes rolled out, the pace picked up quite sharply again and it was really good.
I liked how Dong-joo's relationships/ friendships changed, but felt the way his character was written to behave in certain situations, sometimes went against his personality, seemingly to drive the story forward. He could be so incredibly selfish, yet at other times too much the opposite. Overall he made for an entertaining character.
Hyeon-soo, a MC and police officer, I often found infuriatingly arrogant in her assumptions that she was right about stuff. I found her character lacked substance. The actress (Park Yoo-rim) was OK, but didn't really seem to 'be' the part.
The police team were woefully blind to the obvious clues that someone in their ranks was 'off', even when they suspected a leak and clues had become glaringly obvious. Frustrating!
I loved DJ's best friend, Yong-dae, who never judged and was such a supportive and understanding friend; and Mal-geum, who is linked to KS's past (how their interaction was portrayed in the present day, I found touching, poignant and really quite sad).
I never liked Myung-seok, but assume he was a better person than I thought, with his motives being to change things (I hope).
Loved Oh Man-suk as Kai, too. He was SO cool.
It's cleverly done, how the connections between the characters come together and there is a fair amount of tragedy.
An extremely dark and upsetting secret is also revealed at the end, which may be too much for some (refer to 'Tags' for the drama).

Read More

More fun than not

October 2023
I so enjoy watching Lee Min-ki; like Han Ji-min; Suho was suitably unreadable with a dodgy edge; and a nice supporting cast.

I didn't find myself laughing out loud very often and did cringe a couple of times. Overall though, it was an enjoyable watch and the hunt for the serial killer managed to keep me guessing until the moment their identity was revealed.

There were some plot holes, due to either lazy writing and/or compromising to fit the story's direction. I'm never sure which, or even if it's purely that they know many viewers (with different tastes to mine), will still be happy.

I do get really frustrated when the realms of what's actually possible (even in fantasy), are chucked out the window... no one that gets repeatedly punched in the face during the same fight, or throws multiple punches themselves, will escape without a mark on them... including knuckles. The killer, however? Not a blemish. Seemed the only way their identity could be hidden in favour of many red herrings.

That's all OK really though. What wasn't, however, was Jang Yeol's far too aggressive and violent behaviour towards Ye Bun, early on in their acquaintanceship. I do not find it at all funny to see a man almost twice the size of the woman, flipping her on her back to the floor and almost throwing her around like a rag doll. The fact writers and directors seem to think that's OK and funny, is also a problem to me. I do get context and if these scenarios were based around defense, or a fighting lesson with humour etc, it would work. Not in this context, for my taste, though.

I loved the OST, especially Joohoney and Jemma's contributions; all songs are now on my playlist.

All in all, an OK watch. It got better, but some aspects were drawn out. The cast made the story for me.

Read More

Sep 2020
Well written, gripping thriller with fair bit of fighting and some gruesome, disturbing murders.
Seung-ho can read people's memories and so is employed by the police to help identify criminals. He's quite an angry character when he 'sees' the crimes committed by felons and reacts by regularly attacking them, which would never be a good or helpful reaction really.
The story connects him with a profiler, the past and re-emergence of serial killings from years ago.
I love watching this actor; he's a favourite and looks good in this. He always acts well, but for me this isn't the best character he's played.
Good cast, with a few of my favourite support actors (M & F).
I found the reactions of the main characters and police, on a number of occasions, quite frustrating.
However, it kept me glued, although the pace of the drama isn't exactly fast. That didn't bother my viewing pleasure though.

Read More

Layers upon layers

Aug 2023
Why did I wait so long to watch this?
I really enjoyed the pace and intrigue, and binged in a day, staying up 'til silly o'clock.
Great mix of characters, with the 3 sisters it centres around being each very different.
It really was gripping drama with some well placed, but nothing standing out as being really childish, humour.
The story twists and turns, with more layers than an onion.
All 3 sisters end up entwined with one ultra powerful, sociopathic family.
The story follows their struggle to unearth past and present secrets, lies and fraud.
More than a few surprises along the way.
There were a few times when things got more than a little ridiculous and characters did do truly stupid things for the circumstances they were in, but overall it's not badly written and is a pretty intelligent story.
I'd have liked more on the youngest sister, as I felt her character's story was sacrificed somewhat for the main plot.
I also wish one particular character had a more fitting end; they didn't suffer nearly enough for my liking.
I adored Choi Do-il, played by Wi Ha-joon; a great character that kept me guessing to the very end.
Well worth a watch.

Read More

Missed the mark

This very calm and meandering drama has a slightly surreal feel to it.
From the FL character of Ji-eum, who has been reborn early this life and has always been able to remember her past lives (with varying degrees of clarity), to the characters she's reconnected with, it's presented as being all rather mysterious.
Ji-eum is quirky, unique and very focussed. Several scenes made me laugh and I liked Shin Hye-sun's portrayal of someone with an extremely old and life-experienced soul, in its new body (loved her in Mr Queen too).
As she reconnects with the now grown up young boy from her tragically cut short last life, various conspiracies and ominous predictions come to light.
The first few episodes I found captivating, but the pace never picked up and the 2 main mysteries that revolved around her, Seo-ha and some of the other characters, kind of fizzled out as they were brought to their conclusion.
It was a nice watch, but I didn't find it in the least exciting, or exhilarating. I was invested, to find out why she was stuck with so many memories, but disappointed in the fact the conclusion in this life was just so 'meh'. There was one bit in the past that did make me gasp though.
The revisits to her past lives were some of the best bits, I thought.
How the other mystery got solved, was again so flat. It felt like imagining you were climbing to a great height, to find you were only on level 2! ??
It totally lacked any punch at all and yet with the plot it carried, there should have been so much more. I have no idea how they managed to lose the momentum entirely. There was more than enough opportunity, but time was instead given to very wordy scenes where she was basically trying to tell Seo-ha who she was, without actually saying it.
I really liked the character of Seo-ha, whose childhood traumas left him scarred in so many ways. He was gentle, clever and had a vulnerability about him, but was not pitiful.
It is a very romantic drama, however, in the nicest way and that, I thought, they got right. The relationships from the past and present, that bind the characters together, I loved. That was the drama's saving grace.
I also liked that Ji-eum's past lives were both male and female, from different continents; they weren't all the same actress in varying guises, which is not what reincarnation is about at all. I would have seen that as a lazy cop out in production.
Overall an OK watch, but it did miss the mark and fell short of what it could have been. The cast did not disappoint, however and the soundtrack was excellent (especially loved ABH's contribution, Colde's 'Star' and Jo Yuri's 'Down'/Juicy Juicy).

Read More

Not sure what this drama was trying to be

Nice cast, with well known supporting actors.
It didn't actually feel like there were main male & female characters at times (not a bad thing).
It had an ensemble feel, with the lives of all the characters in the 'team 2' of this small provincial Prosecution Service, taking centre stage, at some point.
There are 2 characters, which more of the scenes revolve around, however, and their strained relationship with each other.
The dynamics of a small, close, often overworked, under pressure group of colleagues, is interesting.
We get to see the cases they have to handle, from less significant fallings out, to more serious crimes.
The effect a new team member, transferred from Seoul, has on all of them, but mostly on the main male character, is also interesting.
The ML is a fairly gentle, principled person, good at what he does and intuitive. He doesn't seem particularly ambitious, nor does he suffer the politics sometimes involved when dealing with high profile, well-connected suspects, easily. He is likeable and personable.
His feathers get ruffled, however, with the arrival of the transferred female prosecutor.
She takes an immediate dislike to him and he cannot work out why.
Their bickering, barely concealed, sometimes out in the open, animosity towards each other, which fuels his competitiveness, is a central theme; as is the slow reveal of why she dislikes him so much.
There are light and amusing parts to the plot, including a totally bizarre side one that involves 2 members of staff and an online game. Sadly, it just didn't fit for me, and I found it totally odd, to say the least. Perhaps the writers were going for quirky, but for me, it really didn't work at all. It just made the drama seem a bit all over the place.
The central female character of Cha Myung-joo, is also the only reason that I couldn't watch multiple episodes in one sitting. I absolutely loathed her, so I just couldn't stomach more than 2 eps at a time, and couldn't even watch every day! That meant I took ages to finish this, but I didn't want to drop it just because of that.
I found her stuck-up attitude, arrogance and petty vindictiveness, really hard to watch.
She's great at her job too though, but because of how riled up she gets Sun-woong, he often jumps to the wrong conclusions and gets paranoid at times, which affects his judgement and usually good intuition.
She is completely unlikeable for me, even when more of her background is revealed, or when she shows a rare, softer side. It's not enough. I suppose the actress did well, seeing as I reacted that way, even though she's not a favourite!
I can't believe for one minute, that this is in any way a remotely accurate representation of the prosecution service and if it is, God help them! ? So if you're looking for realism, give this a wide berth.
The usual mistreatment of subordinates, money and power providing protection, looks the other way and outright incompetence, is all in this drama.
It isn't memorable, but an OK watch. There are, however, far better legal dramas out there, both in terms of wit and characters.

Read More

Not the average sageuk drama

I was gripped from ep1 and found this drama a cut above the rest of the more like-real-life based historical dramas.
The characters are wonderfully diverse, considering they are almost all Royalty, politicians or servants.
Of all the many dramas of this type I've watched, not many actually make me contemplate the polar acts of revenge and acceptance, or of putting the desire for a peaceful, unified future first, ahead of personal feelings of hate and injustice.
This was, at times, very violent and hard to watch. Not because it was particularly gory, but more because of the way people were used as pawns; ripped from peaceful lives to be tortured and villified, with entire families wiped out, purely to suit a desired outcome.

The same reason that different characters have, to murder and plot, are revealed through each episode. It is a vicious and cruel circle.
Yet only 1 character seems to identify this and it changes the course of their own path, which underpins the story.
There is plenty of action, not all of the sword fighting type either. It's a well thought out and intelligently written story.

I did feel that as the series neared its end, however, things got rushed in comparison to the early to mid episodes. If limited to 16, it's understandable, as apart from hugely pregnant pauses between characters at times, I couldn't think of anywhere that earlier scenes/eps could be shortened.

Jang Hyuk is so good at portraying the type of character that he does in this drama. There were odd occasions when I felt his signature booming voice, when raised in anger, was used inappropriately, which made it lose its impact. That, however, is not down to his acting, but to direction.
(I honestly feel actors are too often blamed for the poor choices and decisions of Directors in how they want the MCs portrayed. A great actor will struggle in a badly directed drama or film; the Director, not the Star, is the boss on a set.)
He is very good at adding weight to a character and at times one can almost feel how the character does, through him, and Park Gye-won is really something. Traumatic and horrifying experiences, a total loss of trust in any King's ability to rule without indiscriminately spilling blood and certainty that his resulting actions are for the greater good, leads to yet another tyrant being in control. What he was willing to sacrifice (and force others to) and do, to have his perfect Joseon protected, was cruel, selfish and heartless.

Lee Joon is very good at playing characters who veer from sensitive and caring, to deeply cold and frightening, in a split second. His malevolent stares are second to none (with Jang Hyuk's matching on several occasions). His tragically steep learning curve from the idealistic, naive young Crown Prince, to becoming a King that's forced to live in constant fear for his life, controlled and manipulated, again produces a character who trusts no one and believes his means to attaining revenge and stability, are justified. Due to the aforementioned rushed final episodes, I did feel his character's personality suffered a bit of whiplash, but his reaction to the loss of a significant character kind of brought it back in check. There was the odd occasion, however, where I wondered what on earth was going on with him! Again, that's no reflection on Lee Joon's excellent acting, but on the writing, pace of the story, and its direction.

Kang Han-na was well cast as the FL; Yoo Jung's lot was really hard and yet she presents with such dignity, patience, strength and foresight. This character, to be honest, felt too good to be true and would give Mother Teresa a run for her money. Yet, I still bought into her and admired what I felt the story was getting at, in her choices and decisions. Revenge has to stop somewhere and irl, history is full of examples of the bloodshed and lost lives caused by living in the past and seeking revenge on the future generations, of those who committed the crime, regardless of whether they were involved, or pose the same threat.

Of the other characters, I thought the Queen Dowager (Park Ji-yeon) was another example of personal hatred, jealousy and fear taking a person over. The surface is a lot more beautiful than what lies beneath, although she was used by a character for whom her love never really died, but consumed her. Another, Gye-won's wife, Lady Yoon (Seo Yoo Jun) was the epitome of loving someone more and putting her duties as supportive wife, mother and family protector, before all else. I wonder how he would have been, if she'd been more like Yoo Jung.

The relationships between and types of other characters, were pretty well done, even if not as in-depth, I got a sense of the dynamic, affection and type of people they were.

As mentioned, the ending felt somewhat weak in comparison to the rest of the drama (if it hadn't been so good, maybe I wouldn't think that), but at the same time, it didn't ruin it for me. I'd just rather have had more. Some things were over simplified to fit, I thought, and what becomes of several characters, after everything that happened, was what stopped me giving this a 10/10. More thought should have gone into it.

Jo Yeon-hee (Minister of War's daughter and Royal Concubine also in running to be Queen), was vile; she hadn't had a hard life, but was totally spoilt, with no regard for people below her ~ she saw them as chattle and their lives were hers to take if needed. She felt no remorse, no guilt, nothing at all ~ only that she might be in danger herself as a result and be hated by the King, whom she adored and coveted. Her actions, schemes and desires should never have gone unpunished; I was livid!
The end marked a beginning and I interpreted it as alluding to the fact that their future would not be easy. Their decisions made, to not cause more bloodshed, would likely create danger and plotting against them in the future, but they would deal with them as and when; and not take the easier path of their forebears, murdering, creating cover ups and scape goats to cover their tracks, 'just in case'.
This drama is really well worth watching; a classic.

Read More

Gritty and consuming

A very dark, sometimes shocking and visceral drama. TRIGGER WARNINGS definitely needed, as torture, abuse and rape (that bit isn't graphic, but obvious) are included.
A prosecutor with a tragic past, up against an intelligent, sadistic serial killer who carries all the text book trade marks of a psychopath.
The story had a strong start, but as the episodes unfolded, some aspects became overdone and too much; from the often inept police, that seemed almost comical in their approach, to the obvious connection that several characters and places obviously had to the perpetrator, being woefully overlooked, even when visited.
Several characters were too quickly 'marked' and other avenues that should have continued to be investigated, weren't. It was all a bit haphazard at times, especially given the severity of the case.
However, this was the 90s ~ the era being well portrayed I thought (even if I don't come from Taiwan, I recognised the vibe), when perceptions were different (and sadly still exist in too many cultures).
The acting of the MCs carried the story, however, and so it still made for a compelling watch.
The lengths the prosecutor ended up going to, to get his man, were life changing and cathartic; the transformation of that character was very cleverly done.
There was some overacting at times, but overall, many characters were excellently played. The actors that stood out for me, head and shoulders, were Chen Bo Zheng as a victim's grandfather (I so like this older actor ~ he always plays his characters in an understated way and is good to watch even if the drama isn't!); the actor who played Chris Wu's character's Uncle, so convincingly; and Chris Wu himself in the leading role.
The plot did leave a lot to be desired at times, but it was still a very watchable drama.

Read More

A Blast!

I so enjoyed this action packed, intriguing and very amusing caper.
It is not perfect, but, it got a 9 from me purely for how much I enjoyed every episode; I totally binge watched it.
I did work out the key aspect fairly on, but was still gripped all the way through.
Loved Soo-yeol (LDW) and how, whilst a pretty sycophantic and underhand detective in (perversely) the Anti Corruption Unit, he still had a conscience and couldn't turn a complete blind eye to certain crimes (especially once influenced by K).
K (perfectly played by Wi Ha-joon) was stunning ~ like OTT, action hero stunning ~ and that fits totally (especially as the story unfolds).
Character, Hee-kyum, is feisty, by-the-book and very capable of handling herself; but she was also often too headstrong and didn't listen, which irritated me.
Rookie Kyung-tae, was a total sweetie, stuck by his guns and refused to ignore the signs that all was not as it should be, with the investigation and conclusion of a certain serious crime. This put him in danger, but he never gave up.
Ji-ru (Soo-yeol's boss) was actually very supportive, considering SY's previously compliant attitude to do what he was ordered, changed pretty drastically.
There is a lot of violence and some very uncomfortable scenes, but there's also wit, sarcasm and "that could never happen" scenarios, which still fit nevertheless!
This isn't 'real', isn't to be taken too seriously and needs a certain amount of imagination (because it's hard to portray the subject of this drama ~ which you'll know what I mean if you watch it), but it really is terrific fun and very touching on several occasions. Loved it.

Read More

Not bad, but not great sequel

I enjoyed S1 and had hoped the incomplete story of Ji-hyuk's past might have been expanded on, but sadly, whilst very lightly touched on, it wasn't at all.
I like the characters and Do-chang's sister was a much more pleasant person this time around.
Eun-hye has settled and whilst her past rears its unpleasant head, she is as mature and strong as ever. A very likeable girl.
The main story sees Ji-hyuk, Do-chang and the team once again struggling against a wealthy, powerful family (whose business is the backbone of the S.Korean economy), to put to rest a previously covered up shocking assault and latterly, murder. Of course, the family's influence is widespread ~ most will know what that means.
There are several other, quite unpleasant, murders that the team must also solve and similar to S1, they have to overcome attempts to apportion blame for unlinked events, to those perpetrators.
I actually preferred S1. I felt this time around the story was quite laboured and I lost interest and concentration on a few occasions. Usually, I would rewind to keep up with the plot, but tbh, that wasn't necessary for me with this and I don't believe I missed anything important; especially as I was still able to keep up with the storyline.
It isn't a bad watch and the casts' portrayal of their characters feels natural. The story, though, has been done before and I felt it was too similar to S1 in many ways, with nothing exceptional to match or add to it.

Read More

Gritty but ultimately disappointing

Not sure whether this was made to shock more than thrill and have us biting our nails. That's how it turned out for me and the shock wasn't, sadly, in a compelling storyline, but the fact it is very different from the vast majority of K-dramas, with sex, nudity, swearing and sex talk.
Sadly the sex scenes felt too unnatural and gratuitous in several instances.
I found the plot very disjointed and one particular, very vulnerable, character's actions had me losing all sympathy for her situation and totally lost credibility. Utterly stupid decision making.
The Shamen was.... ??? Really, like, what was her purpose.
The police were a waste of space and screen time; inept and utterly useless.
The actions of supporting characters with the aforementioned vulnerable character in some latter episodes, were frankly unbelievable and totally ruined those scenes for me.
By the end, I was not at all surprised at how weirdly it was left.
The cast were very good (only reason this gets a 6 overall from me), but the story could have been so much more.
I would not watch this again.

Read More

Enjoyable but underwhelming watch

I watched this as a filler and when the mood took; I enjoyed it, but it didn't make me want to binge the entire programme over other series.
Nice cast, with lively acting from the younger members.
For me, the drama encompasses adults (in parents and staff) that have regrets, missed opportunities and haven't always done the right thing, but through a team that refuse to give up when they look beaten, come good.
There is some intrigue around one character too, which added some mystery in earlier episodes.
The son who initially thought badminton a lesser sport (with a surprise for his team mates), was a character I liked; he grew through the episodes and his rough, surly exterior, belied a caring character.
A pleasant watch and heart warming at times, it did also drag on occasion. I did find it unrealistic how the main family's children were often left to their own devices and initially I actually thought they didn't even have a mother! Slightly bizarre.
Whilst not one I'd watch again, I don't regret having done so, as the young cast really did carry this story.

Read More

Action and revenge

Loved the cast and characters; all the females were strong, no nonsense, smart and independent, ranging from truly wicked and heartless, to tough on the outside, soft on the inside.
I loved Do Bae-man's Auntie, Do Soo-kyung, brilliantly represented by Kang Mal-geum who often gave her mature character a feel of youthfulness.
This is an unusual drama, as it spans military, political and corporate crime.
There is all the usual scheming, intrigue, manipulation, abuse of power and threat.
It is a cleverly put together plot, very entertaining and gripping, though heavily fiction orientated, so if you want true to life, you might find many faults.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and really liked Ahn Bo-hyun and Jo Bo-ah together.
There is a tiny bit of romance (fitting I thought), but this is very much a revenge drama.
The character that I thought went through the biggest transformation was Noh Tae-nam; used by everyone, including his own mother, left to his own devices, totally lacking any moral compass or compassion (what happens when no love, direction or guidance have ever been provided), all his wrong doings covered up, selfish and repulsive.
However, I couldn't believe that by the end I actually felt for him and even liked him.
There is plenty of action, but also

**a nasty sexual assault case and also some quite distressing scenes of bullying in the Army**, which could affect some viewers.

There are some very moving moments too.
Nicely concluded as well, with no question marks or loose ends.
P.S. even though the actual Doberman, Bolt, wasn't in a huge amount, he stole the scenes he was in, completely ?

Read More

A favourite trope. Loved it

Enemies to lovers is nothing new and with the usual short number of episodes (at least they were longer than 10 minutes), I went in with low expectations....
Well! What a turnabout.
A surprising amount of story, which flowed really well, was packed into those 8x25-min episodes.
Humour, candour, realism (to a point ~ I did wonder how a student was able to just make up their timetable as they went along... but hey, it is a drama ?), feels and a very likeable couple. Just what I wanted to watch.
I loved the whole cast, thought the acting was very natural and professional, loved the characters (especially Jae-young's peer, Yu-na) and could happily have watched more.
S.Korean gay romance dramas are certainly going in the right direction; one half of the leads in this is bi, too, which makes a change.
Very enjoyable.

Read More

Surprising angle on a drama based on suicide prevention

I will be honest; I was not grabbed by the first couple of episodes, but as the drama progressed, I enjoyed it more and more.
The subject matter is not an easy topic to work into a drama in which it's also the main focus. One would expect it to become overly sentimental, depressing, or down right unwatchable for 16 episodes.
However, it was nothing like that. Yes, there were very sad moments, but also giggles, warmth, hope and a message.
It did occasionally get a little too sentimental for me personally, but overall I found the subject dealt with in a way that made me ponder and not feel smothered in grief or misery.
Many messages can be taken from this series. A biggie for me, is that people often cover up their depression or misery.
It made me think that people struggle, to varying degrees, some every day of their lives. It can take one day of an accumulation of those struggles, during which, just one more bad word, experience of bullying, disrespect or unkindness, could potentially push them to the point of no return.
Suicide was not romanticized nor sugar coated; those judging it as wicked or cowardly, were confronted on those views. It did attempt to show that life is precious, actions have consequences and reaching out to people, or asking for help, can make a difference.
Some of the stories were better than others and several really touched me.
I liked the inclusion of the Crisis Management Team's stories; how the mystery between Park Sang-hoon and Koo Ryeon was introduced and then ran in the background, culminating in the final episodes.
The acting was pretty good overall and, as always, Lee Soo-hyuk's mannerisms, 'eye acting' and overall presence, were it for me.
Rowoon acted his character well; the young, naive and idealistic temp new addition to the team (I did get irritated with how he never took notice of instructions though).
Yun Ji-on was great, giving the right balance of a bit odd with kind of vulnerable/alone and I found his character the most fascinating and intriguing.
Kim Hee-seon was mostly good too, but at times I found her a bit stiff, like her whole body, as though she wasn't relaxed in the role.
I LOVE actress Kim Hae-sook and her character, the Jade Emperor; I'd not seen her in a role like that before.
I thought the latter eps were the best and would encourage anyone struggling with it early on, to persevere ~ I'm glad I did.

Read More