This review may contain spoilers
I'm not even sure where to start with this drama! This is my first time watching a K-Drama that is strictly a mystery/thriller, a genre I am generally a fan of (no comedy, no romance, no box of tissues necessary). I had no idea what to expect, but it definitely turned out to be a weird one. The town of Achiara is chock full of crazy, and dysfunction, which was entertaining to watch, but also completely ridiculous, and kinda confusing. It's very hard not to reveal any spoilers but highlights include family secrets, crazy town folk, sickness, perverts, murder, corruption, betrayal, messages from beyond the grave, the worst moms ever, lots of plot twists, and lots of slapping.
The story's main character, Han So Yoon, is equal parts clever hero, and gullible idiot. We learn about the town through her "canadian" outsider eyes, and her inability to mind her business where her sister is concerned. Moon Geun Young does a good job, but her character also often made me want to reach through the screen and shake her. The rest of the actors were fun to watch, but the acting was very over the top, and hard to take seriously at all, so I have to give the acting a 7. Shin Eun Gyeong's hysterics as Yoon Ji Sook were more funny than heartbreaking. Yook Sung Jae is super adorbs as the rookie officer. Jang Hee Jin gives a lot of great attitude faces as Kim Hye Jin. Choi Jae Woong's role was... interesting. I can go on and on for way too long about all the characters in Achiara, but my two favorites were the rebellious Seo Yoo Na, and the duplicitous Kang Jo Hee.
I also gave the story a 7, because even though I was hooked by the first episode, the crazy story line was hard to follow, and even harder to believe. In the beginning the revelations seemed redundant, but towards the end the twists just kept coming. I will also admit that, due to cultural differences, many things that the townsfolk were scandalized by didn't seem like such a big deal, so the reactions always seemed super melodramatic. As for the ending, it does a good enough job of pulling all the chaos together, and I was not disappointed. I was still confused about a lot of things though, so that would be my only reason to re-watch any part of this drama. There are also quite a few plot holes, so maybe re-watching it won't help.
Overall, I can't recommend this drama unless you are really in the mood for a story crazy enough to make you keep watching. Not knowing what's going to happen next is it's greatest appeal, which makes it easily marathon-able. However, if you think the first episode is way too overdramatic, don't bother continuing, because the show is just getting warmed up.
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