2
28
A poignant and philosophical take on the end of the world
"Together today, tomorrow, till the end."
The Fool of the End was such a powerful title, but I'm not surprised they changed it in English. The screentime of Yoo Ah In that was removed did not appear significant to me at all. The protagonist was also Ahn Eun Jin, not him.
It’s definitely not a drama for everyone, but it reminded me of recent real-world events like the covid lockdown, Korea’s sudden martial law, and, on a more personal level, the sense of community my grandma shares at the church. The timelines were handled well (so I was quite confused about the criticism, because the drama was giving you clear hints like showing the date and changing the color, also context clues), and it was satisfying to learn about each character and connect everything together. I loved the unsettling but also calm atmosphere despite the chaos, how it kept my mind engaged, and how it moved me. It can sometimes feel ambiguous and require thinking or patience, but in a very good way. What Goodbye Earth offers is a deeply human story with a portrayal of hope and despair.
The drama focused on the perspective of ordinary people whose lives suddenly became extraordinary, and on what the catastrophe meant to the protagonist. The script wasn’t bad—the worldbuilding and storytelling were fascinating, and the introduction was great. Hae Chan, one of the kids, narrating the story to the audience as if you just opened a book? Perfect. I've read that the first episode was bad, but I couldn't disagree more. I got chills right away and was more hooked than with most dramas. This is far beyond a simple slice-of-life as suggested by others, and yes it is a thriller, people only say otherwise because of genre stereotypes. Anyone looking for raw intensity and complexity should definitely give it a chance. Despite the vast cast of characters, that was handled well as I felt closer to them along the way. Besides, I also loved the female villain, she had an amazing presence.
The directing was amazing, and in terms of cinematography, it was the best with amazing colors. From the start, I loved how the lyrics matched the ending scene of episode one, and how the flashbacks used black and white frames along with other cool effects. The soundtrack was also a masterpiece, including the final track, and the performances were incredibly raw and compelling. By the way, Revolution by Hwang Sang Jun and Pre-holiday is not just an OST, it's an hymn.
On top of all this, the drama was also progressive in more than one way, and I salute the screenwriter for that.
One flaw for me was the fact that I didn't understand In Ha's military storyline, I felt a bit lost with some of the military stuff. Maybe it was just me and hopefully I understand it better upon a rewatch. It definitely looked cool.
Side note: As stated in the opening, Goodbye Earth is the adaptation of a Japanese mini-bus novel, which is a first.
I will comment about the ending below.
The Fool of the End was such a powerful title, but I'm not surprised they changed it in English. The screentime of Yoo Ah In that was removed did not appear significant to me at all. The protagonist was also Ahn Eun Jin, not him.
It’s definitely not a drama for everyone, but it reminded me of recent real-world events like the covid lockdown, Korea’s sudden martial law, and, on a more personal level, the sense of community my grandma shares at the church. The timelines were handled well (so I was quite confused about the criticism, because the drama was giving you clear hints like showing the date and changing the color, also context clues), and it was satisfying to learn about each character and connect everything together. I loved the unsettling but also calm atmosphere despite the chaos, how it kept my mind engaged, and how it moved me. It can sometimes feel ambiguous and require thinking or patience, but in a very good way. What Goodbye Earth offers is a deeply human story with a portrayal of hope and despair.
The drama focused on the perspective of ordinary people whose lives suddenly became extraordinary, and on what the catastrophe meant to the protagonist. The script wasn’t bad—the worldbuilding and storytelling were fascinating, and the introduction was great. Hae Chan, one of the kids, narrating the story to the audience as if you just opened a book? Perfect. I've read that the first episode was bad, but I couldn't disagree more. I got chills right away and was more hooked than with most dramas. This is far beyond a simple slice-of-life as suggested by others, and yes it is a thriller, people only say otherwise because of genre stereotypes. Anyone looking for raw intensity and complexity should definitely give it a chance. Despite the vast cast of characters, that was handled well as I felt closer to them along the way. Besides, I also loved the female villain, she had an amazing presence.
The directing was amazing, and in terms of cinematography, it was the best with amazing colors. From the start, I loved how the lyrics matched the ending scene of episode one, and how the flashbacks used black and white frames along with other cool effects. The soundtrack was also a masterpiece, including the final track, and the performances were incredibly raw and compelling. By the way, Revolution by Hwang Sang Jun and Pre-holiday is not just an OST, it's an hymn.
On top of all this, the drama was also progressive in more than one way, and I salute the screenwriter for that.
One flaw for me was the fact that I didn't understand In Ha's military storyline, I felt a bit lost with some of the military stuff. Maybe it was just me and hopefully I understand it better upon a rewatch. It definitely looked cool.
Side note: As stated in the opening, Goodbye Earth is the adaptation of a Japanese mini-bus novel, which is a first.
I will comment about the ending below.
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