This review may contain spoilers
Sometimes more is worse
Yin and War's talent and dedication to delivering a complete, well-produced and high quality series is undeniable. They are some of the best BL actors today and the commitment they put into this is evident (since they themselves financed this series).
Technically speaking, Jack & Joker is a spectacle. It has beautiful photography, impressive and realistic settings, the characterization of the characters is a highlight, the performances are all top-notch and the fight scenes are impeccably choreographed.
And when it comes to chemistry, there is nothing to comment on. Here they give a lesson.
But the script, unfortunately, does not work. I like the initial plot of the story being about a thief with a thousand faces who helps the poorest and a boy with a heart of gold who is forced to collect debts.
Unfortunately, the series starts to invent unnecessary plots that take away much of the shine that the first episodes have. Another point is the excess of poorly developed characters.
Save is an example of this. At no point does the series show his relationship with Jack to the point where we believe they are best friends (which is why all the betrayal seems out of place). He has no story, no development and in the end he gains an importance that feels misplace.
Hope is another character who appears and disappears from the series and who always has different motivations each time we see him.
Nang is another character who adds nothing to the story. She has an air of mystery and power surrounding her presence and it seems like she will have some importance in the story, but in the end nothing happens.
Rosé is another character who is only there to create drama between the main couple and fill up screen time.
But what really bothers me is how the series wastes the potential of Tattoo and Aran being a couple. All the elements were there, but they never go anywhere.
I really like Jack and Joker's relationship, especially in the first episodes, but all of this ends up being affected by the plot.
The Four Horsemen game is one of the worst decisions the series makes. I like the social criticism present there, but it makes the story too fantasy-like. And that's when things lose their way.
Joker's robberies become lazy and full of script conveniences. The pace of the series becomes tiresome. I hate Boss's plans (one minute he wants the necklace, then he wants the ring, then he wants to win a game, then he wants Jack to marry Rosé).
It's plot on top of plot on top of plot and the series forgets to develop the characters and what they're feeling. This whole ring thing is so cheesy and honestly takes away a lot from the quality of the series.
The final plot twist kind of invalidates all these episodes and makes us question what the purpose of all this bullshit that Boss created was.
Honestly, it's a very long and somewhat tiresome series. I love Yin and War and in terms of acting and chemistry, they delivered everything.
But the script ended up being bloated with so much narrative and plot when a simple story with good development and well-crafted characters would have worked better.
And despite all this, it is still a BL with exceptional quality and great actors. I just wish for a more thought-out script.
Technically speaking, Jack & Joker is a spectacle. It has beautiful photography, impressive and realistic settings, the characterization of the characters is a highlight, the performances are all top-notch and the fight scenes are impeccably choreographed.
And when it comes to chemistry, there is nothing to comment on. Here they give a lesson.
But the script, unfortunately, does not work. I like the initial plot of the story being about a thief with a thousand faces who helps the poorest and a boy with a heart of gold who is forced to collect debts.
Unfortunately, the series starts to invent unnecessary plots that take away much of the shine that the first episodes have. Another point is the excess of poorly developed characters.
Save is an example of this. At no point does the series show his relationship with Jack to the point where we believe they are best friends (which is why all the betrayal seems out of place). He has no story, no development and in the end he gains an importance that feels misplace.
Hope is another character who appears and disappears from the series and who always has different motivations each time we see him.
Nang is another character who adds nothing to the story. She has an air of mystery and power surrounding her presence and it seems like she will have some importance in the story, but in the end nothing happens.
Rosé is another character who is only there to create drama between the main couple and fill up screen time.
But what really bothers me is how the series wastes the potential of Tattoo and Aran being a couple. All the elements were there, but they never go anywhere.
I really like Jack and Joker's relationship, especially in the first episodes, but all of this ends up being affected by the plot.
The Four Horsemen game is one of the worst decisions the series makes. I like the social criticism present there, but it makes the story too fantasy-like. And that's when things lose their way.
Joker's robberies become lazy and full of script conveniences. The pace of the series becomes tiresome. I hate Boss's plans (one minute he wants the necklace, then he wants the ring, then he wants to win a game, then he wants Jack to marry Rosé).
It's plot on top of plot on top of plot and the series forgets to develop the characters and what they're feeling. This whole ring thing is so cheesy and honestly takes away a lot from the quality of the series.
The final plot twist kind of invalidates all these episodes and makes us question what the purpose of all this bullshit that Boss created was.
Honestly, it's a very long and somewhat tiresome series. I love Yin and War and in terms of acting and chemistry, they delivered everything.
But the script ended up being bloated with so much narrative and plot when a simple story with good development and well-crafted characters would have worked better.
And despite all this, it is still a BL with exceptional quality and great actors. I just wish for a more thought-out script.
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