Melakward
Florida, USA
Was it worth it: Nope.
What I liked the most: The story/concept was pretty interesting. Or, at least, it should have been.
What I disliked the most: There were WAY too many characters, and most you don’t even see.
Moment Meter: 0/10 – -_-
Other thoughts: I had absolutely no feels invested in any characters. The subject matter was interesting, but the entire thing felt so boring. The avalanche of characters had me lost more often than not. The acting was pretty good. There were a few twists that were somewhat interesting. The main detective (Ji Hyun Woo) was OP and the only one I had even mild interest in. He was practically invincible, and the only one capable of kicking butt. The ending lacked impact. It wasn’t bad, but there are far more interesting dramas out there. The expectations I have for dramas are much higher these days and this one didn’t meet them.
Conclusion: I didn’t hate it, but I could have skipped it and I wouldn’t have missed much.
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Was it worth it: Yes.
What I liked the most: Ryu Joon Yeol’s character. I share a few of the same traits as him. Also his hands.
What I disliked the most: The best friend characters were a bit much at times.
Moment Meter: 8/10 – Lots of great moments. After a recent drought, this was the storm I was looking for.
Other thoughts: The beginning was great. I loved the situation that expired during the full moon and the story in general. Some moments were a bit too slow and lost some steam towards the end. Lee Soo Hyuk went for a softer role this time, which I enjoyed. A good amount of romance. Ryu Joon Yeol’s looks have their moments of good looking, and not-so-good-looking. Generally I like him. It was a very easy drama to watch. Would I watch it again? Not anytime soon, but maybe after a good amount of time has passed.
Conclusion: A very good light romantic comedy. There aren’t enough of these coming out these days. :\
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Was it worth it: Yes.
What I liked the most: The bad guys weren’t psychics. They were wrong a lot and were scratching their heads more often than not.
What I disliked the most: Ddol Bok was hella annoying as a kid. When given the option, I would have killed him. The actor did a great job, though.
Moment Meter: 1/10 – Typically I base “moments” on romance, and there wasn’t a whole lot of that in here, but a few scenes were feel-good moments even without a love line.
Other thoughts: It’s so hard to keep these Josen-era dramas interesting from the beginning to the end, but this one did a good job. There were a lot of characters and if you don’t already know the history it gets confusing at times. Every time I thought it was going to hit a lull, something exciting happened. It could have been a few episodes shorter, but it’s not bad as it is. I forgot that Joong Ki was in this when I went to watch it, so that was a pleasant surprise. Lee Soo Hyuk can also be filed under the “pleasant surprise” category. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a Yeo Jin Goo sighting.
Conclusion: It’s a solid, well-paced Josen-era drama. It kept my attention even after my favorite actor finished his part.
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Was it worth it: Not really. Dragged on to a point where even Park Shi Hoo wasn’t saving it.
What I liked the most: Strong female lead. Romantic relationship between female lead and male co-lead. A few good moments from mid to late in the drama. The romantic story line took an unexpected (and relieving) turn.
What I disliked the most: Male lead character. He made a lot of stupid decisions, whined a lot and was just downright unlikable. One sad moment made me cry. Also I tend to want to smack the shit out of characters that are as smug as some of these characters were.
Moment Meter: 4/10 – Not many “oh snap” or breath-holding moments. One or two good ones, but for as long as it was there could have been more.
Other thoughts: Sorry if this is one of your favs, but there are too many other stellar dramas out there to compare this one to causing it to fall a little flat for me. Not necessarily time wasted, but that’s only because I was multi-tasking while watching. Probably would have been better if it were the standard drama length.
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Was it worth it: … Not really.
What I liked the most: No Min Woo’s face/body. I can’t really think of anything else.
What I disliked the most: The way the story was told and the mountain of vague metaphors. Also one scene that was borderline phallic in an awkward way.
Moment Meter: 1/10 – Meh.
Other thoughts: The episodes are <10 minutes long so it’s not a long drama, and yet I was eagerly anticipating getting it over with. The story was choppy and not very touching. The characters were too off-the-wall and erratic for my tastes. I can’t think of anything that I found endearing about this drama.
Conclusion: Would have been a complete loss if not for No Min Woo. I wouldn’t watch this again no matter how much I wanted to see him in a drama, though. I’d rather re-watch Full House Take 2.
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Was it worth it: For me, yes. For others, probably not.
What I liked the most: Yoon Shi Yoon. He beat out every other good aspect the drama had.
What I disliked the most: The directing was HORRIBLE. Also, I tend to find traditional Korean music more akin to “noise” than “music.”
Moment Meter: 1/10 – Only because the director didn’t know how to build tension. A lot of moments fell flat because of it.
Other thoughts: All visuals (effects, make up, sets) were done extremely well. Everything visual was top notch. The acting was great (mostly. Didn't care for Kim Sae Ron's acting). I hated Jo Dal Hwan’s character, so good job there. Some scenes were downright gross. The music could have been better. The story was also pretty good though the ending was unsatisfying. The directing sucked. Scenes dragged on longer than they should have. The writing and acting were there, but the PD was terrible at building tension. The story line moved along at a pretty good pace, but the individual scenes dragged if that makes any sense.
Conclusion: Probably wouldn’t have liked it too much if not for Yoon Shi Yoon. It had all of the potential in the world, but someone dropped the ball and the end result is a drama that feels slow, watered down and generally annoying.
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Why I watched it: Song Joong Ki. Also, I was confused the first time I saw it so I wanted to give it another chance. But mostly Song Joong Ki.
Was it worth it: Absolutely.
What I liked the most: Powerful female characters. They ended up with the lion’s share of the lines. The guys were pretty silent. Also Song Joong Ki.
What I disliked the most: The sister character annoyed the crap out of me at first. It improved as the series progressed.
Moment Meter: 3/10 – Some moments, but none that took my breath away.
Other thoughts: I couldn’t follow this drama the first time I saw it. I was new to Kdramas and the way they work, so I was lost for at least the beginning of it. This time around I totally got it. Followed it from beginning to end. It’s actually a great story. My advice is to not over think it. What you see is pretty much what you get. Everyone is super conniving, but they’re not at a level where they’re hiding their true intentions from the viewers. If you need some explanations, let me know and I’ll fill you in.
Conclusion: Very good for a melodrama, though Joong Ki is probably (definitely) part of the reason why I regard it so highly. The story is solid and could have been over complicated, but they pulled it off well.
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Was it worth it: Yes
What I liked the most: The actors did an excellent job.
What I disliked the most: Lee Jung Jin’s character. Ugh.
Moment Meter: 2/10 – Pretty tame, particularly for an action drama.
Other thoughts: As I sit here thinking about it, I’m just now realizing what an interesting story line this drama had. Usually I hate politics in dramas, but this one was interesting from beginning to end. There were a lot of characters that I loved to hate and only a few that I really sided with. The pacing was great, and there was just the right amount of action in it. I’m always grateful for the omission of constant shaky cam. It wasn’t non-stop action the entire time and it wasn’t endlessly long with nothing happening either. I’m pretty sure Ji Chang Wook had a wound on his body at any given time throughout the entire thing. The acting was solid, and I really like the choreography for the first fight, but every fight after that seemed a bit weak (especially because I can’t help but compare to Healer). The ending was good and satisfying.
Conclusion: I would classify this as a melodrama with a hint of action. It wasn’t a favorite, but it was very solid.
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