AnanyaS
India
This review may contain spoilers
If you're planning to watch Black, give it atleast 3 episodes. It takes about that much time for things, that at first might appear as random or scattered events, to form a vague connected picture of how things are supposed to be. Ofcourse, you could always love the drama right from the start, like me. But if the first two episode confuse/ frustrate you, please don't give up on it before atleast 3 ep, because it could just turn out to be a drama that you'll love.That being said, now on to the review:
- This is my first time seeing both Song & Go Ara.There's a lot of negative stigma attached with Go Ara, so I was a bit hesitatnt to watch this at first. However, her character here is alright. Ha ram, is by no means, the best FL out there. But she is not really among the worst ones either. At the very least, Go Ara's acting isn't cringeworthy or bad enough to drop this drama.Song Seung Heon is amazing! And I am, by no means, exaggerating. You'll see what I mean when you watch the drama. As Detective Han, he's kind and understanding. And as Black, he's ruthless and hostile.The only thing he cares about is getting his job done. Watching him become more human is one of the most enoyable things about this drama. I'll even go as far as saying that he's one of the best tsundere male leads out there. Although, putting him in that box seems too restrictive, since he was much more than that. Oh, and he's really, really sexy!
- The writing, to me, was one of the best things about this drama. Although to some, it might seem overbearing or even messy at times. And I do understand where they are coming from. The writing here is really intricate, detailed and connected. It's a drama where you have to pay attenton a lot. But instead of finding that annoying, I appreciated that. I specially loved the fact that how the things, that at first seemed irrelevant, became part of something bigger later on. Honestly, if I could, I'd rate the writing 11/10.
- When I first went into this drama, one thing that I didn't expect, and that one thing that really surprised me in a good way, was the comedy! Black is savage, yet so, so funny! Like a lot of supernatural beings out there, he thinks himself to be above the 'mere human beings. You can just imagine how his interactions with humans would result. Hilariously, ofcourse! The series has the deadpan humor, that I really enjoyed watching.
- The romance is a subdued part of the drama. Although, it's not the main focus, it's balanced in a good way. The romance between the leads is slow burn, but shippable. I personally think that the chemistry between the leads was good.
- I think this is one of those dramas that is worth marathon-ing. Each episode is so much filled with information, there's never a dull moment! And you'll NEVER see the twists coming, aside from the ones that the drama do let on.
- There are actually a lot of things I loved about this drama, as obvious from my rating. However, delving into them might lead into me (accidentally) giving out a spoiler, so I'd rather not say them.
I am not going to say that it's the best drama out there, in either thriller, fantasy or (subdued) romance genre. It even has a few (minor) loopholes, or facts that don't add up with the story. Despite that, it managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The minute I started the episode to the minute it ended, I was thoroughly engaged and captivated. And for me, sometimes, that's the only thing that counts.
So, I'll just say that this is a really good, entertaining and a really well-done drama. And I'd definitely recommend this! So, I hope you give this a chance!
Happy Watching!!
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PLOT: This is a lakorn about two people who are far from the ideal image they put on for others to see. One is conceited and self-absorbed, while other is unfaithful and looks at women as an object. The story is about how heaven punishes them for their sins by switching their souls. They panic, they cry, they get angry, but eventually decide to accept the fact that they had to live like that until they could go back to being normal. Both try to act each other's roles but not very convincingly. Going through all the obstacles make them learn to trust, respect and eventually love each other.
The highlight of body-switching dramas, for me, is the comedy. And the actors delivered it perfectly. Specially Nadech & Yaya, since the comedy scenes were mostly with one or both of them. And Mor, can't forget him. He was really funny, a good supporting actor. The drama, however, fell short in the romance department.
CHARACTERS & ACTING:
Petra Pawadee (Yaya) is a superstar, the 'Pearl of Asia' to be exact. To the world, she is the picture perfect nang'ek, and everyone loves her. But in truth, she is too arrogant of her beauty and her achievements. So much so, that she thinks everyone, form her manager to her costars, is below her. Yaya portrayed her character perfectly, specially after the switch. The 'manly' Petra was hilarious to watch. The way she walked in her heels, her monotonous and wooden acting that had everyone's mouth left agape, her interview- everything was done perfectly. Her actions scenes were flawless. This role just reaffirmed my love for Yaya.
Captain Ramin (Nadech) is a police officer, who risks his life to save others. But he's also a playboy, who likes to sleep around while already having a girlfriend. There was a time or two, or maybe more, when I actually wanted to punch him, mostly when he would lie to his girlfriend without breaking a sweat. There were two things that kept me going. First, that it was Nadech. And second, because the character development was the main plot of the drama. And the fact that his character annoyed me just showed how good of a job Nadech was doing. Fortunately enough, my annoyance didn't last long. Because the focus of the drama changed from establishing their faulty characters to showing us how they managed the body switch. Answer? Hilariously! Nadech as Petra never failed to crack me up. From the tone of his voice, his ridiculous outfits to his feminine way of walking, everything had me laughing out loud. Nadech did a brilliant job pulling off both characters.
Akom (Tor)...is a sweetheart. He's Ramin's subordinate as well as his friend. It's obvious that he is in love with Ramin's fiancée, but he never lets it show. My one complain about his character is that I wished he actually did something, anything except daydreaming. He did that a lot.
Nok Yoong (Ice) is Ramin's fiancée. The girl who refuses to see the faults of her boyfriend, even if the evidence is right in front of her eyes. Realistically speaking, if faced with a similar situation, I'm sure a lot of people would probably react that way. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't, sometimes, a bit annoying to watch. A bit annoying side characters like Aum, Tom, Ji-eun. Useless and pretty irritating.
OST: Both songs on the OST were good enough. Although nothing great, it was still an OK listen.
THE NEGATIVES:
- The romance factor doesn't really set in until the very later episodes. And even then it's not very well pronounced.
- Somewhat sloppy editing and directing. It had the potential to be a lot more, but at some points, fell short.
- It was too short. Given only 10 episodes, no matter the duration, the drama wasn't able to explore other characters other than the main leads. Hence, some characters aren't very fleshed out. They didn't have enough time to show exactly HOW much the leads had changed. Not to mention that the story seems rushed at certain points.
-The ending is somewhat...unusual. It didn't really work for me, but it could for you, so go in it with an open mind.
THE POSITIVES (a.k.a why you should give this a chance):
- The whole vibe of this show is so very different from a typical lakorn. Ofcourse, typical lakorns are just as, or sometimes more, interesting to watch. But if you're looking for something different, this is for you.
- NY did such a tremendous job, and I just cannot praise them enough. And their chemistry is as awesome as ever!
- It will have you laughing out loud at the lead's actions. They are both hilarious!
- With only 10 ep, it won't take much of your time. If you're looking for a short (as compared to other lakorns) watch, this is for you.
That's it for the review. I hope you give this a try! Happy Watching!!
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This review may contain spoilers
So when I read the synopsis for this drama, I was like, "Yeah, I'm gonna pass." And it wasn't because this seemed like yet another drama dabbling with the time travelling trope, albeit with a somewhat unique approach. No. It was actually because,... well how do I put this? I wasn't really sure if the theme of the drama would suit my taste or not, what with the main lead being a host and all. (Yes, I'm rolling my eyes at me too). Anyway, after seeing a few positive posts about this on the feeds, I decided to give it a chance. And, well, who am I kidding? Yamazaki Kento is as big as an incentive I'm ever gonna have to give a drama a go. Now that I have finished this drama, I'm glad that I went with it, 'cause I enjoyed it a lot. ( For the most part.)Now, on to the "actual" review:
- Not to sound redundant or anything, but let me just say that if you're a YK fan, you should really watch this. And if you're not, then you MUST watch this, because it'll make you his fan. Yes, the man (uh, boy?) has done that good of a job here. I'm not trying to underappreciate the rest of the cast or characters here (I'll get to them later). That being said, I believe that this is one of YK's finest works. First of all, because it's so different from all his previous roles (which even I can tell, even though I haven't seen all of his works.) And second, because he did such a tremendous job portraying Eight/ Otaro. So, do watch this, for him!
Okay, gushing over!
- This is the first time in my drama-watching life, that I've finally understood the allure of a 'bad boy'. Eight is no typical tsundere male lead. He, for sure, does not have a heart of gold. And he's definitely not misunderstood. He is a greedy opportunist. But you'll love him. Oh, you'll so love him. There is no other way! Even when he's downright manipulating someone, you won't be able to help but fall for his smirk. Seriously, that smirk (you'll know it when you see it)! Don't worry though, you will get to see his human side. But it won't be until much much later. And it'll just make you love him more.
- Now, on to the plotline. Like I said, at first glance, it might seem like a typical time travelling drama. It's not though, not really. Not just because their 'approach' to the whole idea was different. Since the synopsis is pretty vague, I won't go into much detail, just in case it gets spoiler-ish. So I'll just say that the storyline was actually pretty interesting, much more than it seemed. It's really intriguing, actually.
- The suspense in the drama is maintained at a good pace. I mean, it's not by any means, nail-biting suspenseful, but it did have it moments where the viewers were like, "Oh gosh, what's gonna happen now?!" Which was exaggerated if you watched it while it was airing (what with only one episode per week), even if (if being the keyword) it might not seem like that big of a deal if you're marathoning the drama. Still, I'd say the writers did a good enough job with the suspense genre.
- All the actors did a really wonderful job portraying their characters. Whether it was Saiko, Mikoto, Takauji, Harumi or any other character. The intensity of tension, anxiety, confusion, romance between them, it was really on-point. And that's actually one of things I really liked about this drama.
- About the ending. Once again, can't really say much about it, 'cause, spoiler! But if you happen to see a comment or two, and it makes you hesitate to watch this, please don't. Hesitate, that is. Just watch the first episode and you'll see for yourself what I mean.
- The OST is a good listen. I'm not familiar with J (or K/C) artists, but even I found the song catchy, and found myself humming ( 'cause that's all I can do, really) to it.
If you managed to not quit reading this review after the first two points (for all I know, all my gushing, erhm fangirling, over YK could have the opposite effect, and could have actually driven you away from the drama. In which case, gomenne) and got up to this point, I'll just say this. I seriously hope that you give this a chance.
Happy Watching!!
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- This drama has its fair share of clichés, maybe even more, from rich man poor woman, boss falling for his secretary, possibility of a past connection, and many more. But the execution of these clichés is done in a way that's really enjoyable for the audience.
- A narcissistic male lead, who is NOT unlikeable at ALL. Other dramas need to take lessons from this one on how to write characters in such a good way.
We could never get enough of Young Joon expressing just how perfect he was.
- A hardworking and smart female lead. She does everything to accommodate her boss but at the same time, she doesn't let him push her around. Now that's something we love to see!
Also a side note, just how pretty is Park Min Young?!
- The chemistry between the leads!! They are so adorable together, and when they want to be, so , so hot too!
- The side characters are just as likeable to watch as the leads. Same goes for the side romances.
- Hard not to mention Mi So's dad. So very unlike the usual dad's (or just parents, in general) in Kdramas, he didn't get on his daughter's boyfriend for no reason. His scenes were just so fun to watch.
- Almost every episode would have (more than) one scenes that would leave you with a silly smile on your face. This drama is just pure fluff. While it had its serious moments, they far from overwhelmed the light, fun and cute scene. The drama is a breeze to get through.
- The 'main plot' of the drama gets resolved waay before the finale. Afterwards, it's just pure romance. While to some, it felt draggy at that point, to some, it was enjoyable to watch more of their OTP. The last two episodes specially, are pure fillers. But the kind of fillers you can actually enjoy. I guess it depends on the viewer to an extent.
- Over all, I'd say I really enjoyed this show. It's a great rom-com, one I'd recommend to people. But it's not something I'd rewatch. Still, I had an enormous fun time while watching it the first time.
Most probably you've already heard all the good things about this drama, and it's already on your PTW, but just in case it isn't, what are you waiting for? It's already completed, it has a great cast, a high rating, good comments- basically it's a complete package! So, please, go ahead and start this. You'll have a great time watching it!
Happy Watching!!
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