SeRose
First I was lost in the history of the era. I’m a history graduate though, so that’s never really stopped me before. Quick Wikipedia peak of the drama’s main overarching political period? Check. Okay, then they lost me with the economics of era. Mercantile affairs, and the political ramifications of possibly re-locating the capital? I guess I can sort of see how that could affect things.
The problem with the drama’s plot-line however, is that all these threads (politics, and history and economics are interwoven with great, gaping thread lines around the show’s main “conspiracy” plot, and haphazardly intermingled with the love triangle/square. I mean, I know Seoul in historical times was small, and everyone who’s anyone probably knows everyone worth knowing, but me, the viewer, had no idea who anybody was, or which side they were on. For an 8 episode drama, there was so much going on that I basically couldn’t keep up with my list of who’s who.
I think Seoul’s Sad Song was hinting at some loftier aspirations: namely, that not every sageuk drama out there is just about the king and his ministers. The welfare of the Joseon people, the advancement of well-deserving baseborn officials, and the dreams of these types of people also matter and can make a difference. Unfortunately, all this was lost on me. For a conspiracy driven thriller, this whodunit story was chock full of inspirational back stories (that failed to warm me to the characters), chilling twists (that moved me to boredom), and enough metaphorical court language that literally drove me to tears. The following example comes right as a BIG revelation surrounding the king’s secret will has just been unveiled:
A : “When the wintry gales swelter us, he said that brushes would be swayed by the wind.”
B: “So… did you find any unyielding brushes?”
A: “In the palace, there was not a single one left.”
C: “You insolent slattern! How dare you mutter such insidious drivel!?”
You insolent writers, how dare you not write more clearly!?!
Maybe I’m lazy, or just plain incompetent, but everything in this drama seemed wasted on me. Though, if there’s anything I’ve learned from watching this sageuk (and others for that matter), it’s that women in the palace are more to be feared than the men. Also, by the state of the practically non-existent but completely soundproof-less walls on traditional Korean homes (of rich and poor alike), it’s amazing that any secrets are ever kept.
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Yes, you heard it right. This drama brings out all the stops – or at least most of them – with romance, hugging, kissing, cuddling, and a million other “awww”-worthy moments. Also, there’s some basketball. I actually like basketball, so this drama is pretty well set in my books. Minus a few irritations, side characters, and cliché plot holes, Buzzer Beat seems well worth the time.
Buzzer Beat stars Yamapi and Shirakawa Riko give this drama its main charm. Both are struggling to stay confident about their sport/art when circumstances throw them together. What follows is a halfway original story of personal growth as the two develop a sincere friendship with one another, and perhaps the chance of something more.
Up even past the halfway mark, both the story and the romance (aka ‘Total Cuteness-ity’) are riveting. Unfortunately, the show’s failings lay in the last few episodes, where the writers throw on heavy doses of angst and lost almost all of my attention. I mean, I figured there would be a nice sweet ending, but must it really be necessary to suffer so much to get there? It’s a little sad that a perfectly wonderful show was ruined by Kdrama-esque plot holes and noble idiots pandering about in circles, but overall the strength of the earlier episodes (at least 82% of the drama) were fine and dandy. Buzzer Beat even does a good job at not turning every side character into an exact stereotype, a feat for which I am I always grateful.
My vote is that you watch it for the leads, and turn your brain off by episode 9. That should make things all better.
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This review may contain spoilers
I did it! I watched Bridal Mask in under a week! Was it worth it? I’m not even sure. I have to be honest with you. I hated a lot of things about this drama. I also disliked a great many more things. I did so much eye-rolling I once gave myself a headache. So this is about "Bridal Mask" – Freedom Fighter! Or, revenge fighter. Heaping revenge upon revenge, avenging wrongs that in turn incite others to enact revenge, so they can go out and again avenge someone else who died during someone else’s revenge. Did I mention this is a revenge drama? It’s also got one of the most torturesome bromances I have ever had the misfortune to sit through… I think I sat through most of this drama wondering just how sucky can these characters’ fates actually get!?!
Probably the most epic of epic dramas (that I have seen recently), this is also my first time with actor Joo Won, and though I can say I was pleased overall by his performance, I'm still not really his biggest fan. Park Ki Woong as Shunji was more to my taste.
What I Liked:
For all the plot-wasting time, I found Bridal Mask to be a genuinely good story with some pretty compelling characters, especially in the initial set-up period of the drama: Kang To before he became Bridal Mask and Shunji before circumstances forced him to side with his father against his friend.
What I Didn’t Like:
The romance – shockingly. I just didn't feel it, and it's mostly to do with the main female actress Jin Se Young as Oh Mok Dan. Her backstory is fine and dandy (for Kdrama standards), but as the pinnacle of our love triangle she’s almost too bland, and her acting while not horrid was not as compelling as others. I was mostly bored every time she came on screen, and only tolerated her because she was so vital to the story, and in the motivations behind our two main leads.
Also, I hate to admit it, but there were so many torture scenes in this abominable show that I almost wanted to yawn through them. Just how many times need we depict people being whipped or burned or put in a box with metal stakes. I think it was the writers’ go-to solution. “Well, what should we do now? The story’s slowed a bit.” “Hey, I know! Let’s have them bring this person back in for questioning and torture, AGAIN!” Repeat, two episodes later. And two episodes after that. Tedious, anyone?
Need more masked-man action, pppplease!!
Unfortunately I think Bridal Mask suffers much from a combination of too many small things to count. Almost as if it couldn't decide what genre it really was (after the revenge drama part). Maybe the length has to do with most of these faults. I will say that the overall ending was good - the last 30 minutes were especially compelling. Shunji, you will always be in my heart, somewhere. Deeep down.
Read my more detailed review + spoilery thoughts on the end at:
http://shinealightrose.blogspot.com/2013/02/kdrama-review-bridal-mask-2012.html#more
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Surprisingly good if you squint
I came at this drama with some misgivings, knowing it would be a muted affair thanks to censorship laws. Perhaps not shockingly, the writers/directors still managed to get around that. (Censorship has a way of making artists get creative, so sorry, it'll just never fully win HAH).Couple of Mirrors deftly weaves a limited narrative between You Yi (and her relationships) and Yan Wei who comes in to foil the plans of Men and save the heroine! Okay, that's a slight slight exaggeration but also it's not far off the mark. Where it works is that You Yi strikes a character you yearn to root for, and her acknowledgment of another young woman and the bonds between them is this series' greatest asset. There is delicious chemistry, because no you can't even mute that. There is friendship. There is loyalty. And, there is just the tiniest hit of pure, unadorned crazy. It's a magical combination.
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