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The Eighth Sense korean drama review
Completed
The Eighth Sense
2 people found this review helpful
by KingC
Apr 26, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

"Strawberries, Cigarettes and Infinities."

The title is exactly how I'll 'literally' describe this one. Just like that Troye Sivan song with a twist. By the way, I strongly urge you to watch this drama first because stories like these are meant to be felt rather.

Kim Ji Hyun, a freshman fresh out of the countryside takes up a part time job at a busy restaurant near his University as soon as he lands in Seoul. There, he has an encounter with a popular university student, Seo Jae Won, while breaking up a fight in the bar. Jae Won, who has just returned from his military service, is an overly friendly Sunbae who thanks him and attempts to befriend him from the get go.
Still getting used to the scary bustling life of the Seoul City, Ji Hyun, perturbed and intrigued, decides to accept Jae Won's friendship, going to the extent of joining a Surf Club by seeing his familiar presence.
Jae Won, who has struggles of his own, finds comfort and happiness in Ji Hyun.
Their relationship begins to teeter on a balance scale as both of them attempts to come to terms with the changes taking place in their life.


Warning:
This is a full length headache inducing rollercoaster of angst, fish tanks, water, alcohol and art pencils. Maybe 'The Eighth Sense' might be enjoyable for only a certain niche audience as the characters are not the typical conventional type. It was purposefully made with the intent of resonating with the viewers and not for the sole aspect of enjoyment. Yes, there is enjoyment. But, it makes you reminisce and ponder. The directors, cast and crew put their all into this creation and their hard work is clearly reflected in the final product. So, a round of applause to everyone both behind and in front of the scenes.

The series floats on the strength of its very characters, may it be the introverted Ji Hyun or the extroverted Jae Won or even the supporting characters. At one point, we find ourselves being relatable to anyone in the drama. It's hard to talk about what the drama deals with without spoiling the plot… which is non-existent because the plot itself is the life of the characters and how they deal with what's being thrown at them. It's about the fears of opening up about yourself and fitting into the contours of the peoples' expectations about you (Jae Won) and giving away your heart and feelings that you treasure to total strangers and learning to adjust somewhere away from your comfort zone (Ji Hyun).

Their chemistry was on fire. I usually don't feel this way, but something about Ji Hyun and Jae Won just clicked into place for me.
It was not a sweep-off-your-feet romance. It was the hit-you-over-the-head-and-leave-you-muddled type of romance. Which happens to be exactly what I keep looking for. Just two people falling for each other in a natural manner without any flamboyance. It's just them and their feelings.

Friendship is another strong theme - Ji Hyun doesn't have many, but the ones he chooses are spot on - Ae Ri, Joon Pyo and his lovely boss. Then we have Jae Won, who has many, both the neutral and the good ones.
And… the scenes where the seniors forced their authority, threw their weight around, provided important advices gave me war flashbacks as I has been through a handful of situations like that, unfortunately.

Acting wise…
Jae Won was, perhaps, one of the most difficult characters to portray on screen. I'm beyond impressed by how Lim Ji Sub pulled it off so convincingly that there are parts of the drama I would not rewatch to save myself from emotional damage.
I related to Ji Hyun on a really scary level. So, his actions and responses were nothing strange to me. Also, for a rookie actor, Oh Jun Taek killed his debut. Every single character's portrayal was to a tee. Even Yoon Won, Ae Ri, Joon Pyo, Eun Ji and Tae Hyung.

The drama is also excellently filmed. Every shot, including the filters and the lighting were so beautiful. The last two dramas that managed to look aesthetically pleasing to me were 'Blueming' and 'The Forbidden Flower'. It managed to perfectly capture the essence and emotions of the characters.
The Soundtrack deserves an award as it managed to enhance the intensity of certain scenes.

The opening BGM by Unalaska will forever be engraved in my brain.

As for the representation of Mental Health. I have no idea about how accurate it was, but the last two episodes made me feel that the therapist was going to need a therapist.
Though initially planned as a drama with 10 episodes, it was mashed into a movie and I wonder if they straight up lifted scenes straight off the movie version and spliced it into this one, because there are some obvious jump cuts that can't be attributed to anything else other than poor editing. Particularly EP3 and EP4, where characters' conversations and even the BGM gets split in between.
The second last episode seemed so sudden and I felt like time sped up somewhere and I totally missed some stuff, but I still can conjecture where and what had happened. But, the timing is still confusing to me, but I shall forgive this drama for once.
I'm a jumbled mess of thoughts, but this one is definitely a solid 9/10 for me.
Imperfectly perfect and unique in it's own little ways.
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