Reviews

OK where do I even begin???

This was by far the best Korean drama no scratch that the BEST Asian drama I ever seen to date. I mean it was so captivating sometimes I forgot to eat ( yeah that is how addicted I got :) ). The story line was inspiring, funny and captivating. The actors did a very well done job in conveying their emptions well with their acting. The music was just amazing, i could not get it out of my head even if i try to. Personally, despite being 60 episode, you will never get bored because, each episode has its own story line and a new adventure for Dong Yi and her fellow people.

As always there can never be a 100% perfect drama out there so here are a few pointers i found a bit annoying.

*To muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh bloody flashbacks, i will guarantee you there will be flashbacks every 5 min in each episode.
* The actors sometimes seem a bit lost while in the middle of filming, they just seem to stare out into space.
* sometimes it feels like the story line was a bit repeated.
*To be honest 60 episode was not needed they could have stopped at 50.

Overall, if you like Historical drams then this is the one to watch, it was witty, charming, charismatic and just lovely to watch.

Let me know what you think (",)

Leggi di Più

Just finished this ~~
Gonna give this 9/10 which is better grade than what I gave to the original (8/10).

Even though it dragged at some points in the middle, I liked how they made it different from original version. At some points especially in the beginning it seemed like an exact copy of the original.

The ending, the "double scene" (you know what I mean haha), them kiss scenes and the acting itself was better than in the original. Except that some characters *cough* Xin Yu and the reporter *cough* were way worse and not as natural or funny like in the original version.

What comes to the acting in general:

- I didn't like how Jiro Wang was missing the "Hwang Tae Kyung" style aka the facial expressions. They were in Japanese version so I was hoping them to be in this one too.

- Su Li Wen was annoying when she was playing Mei Nu playing to be her brother. But when she was playing Mei Nan himself she was kickass. I hope they would've showed more interactions between the twins haha

- As I mentioned above... Hwang In Deok playing Shin Woo / Xin Yu was awkward. A big minus from that. He was worse than Kim Hyun Joong in BOF (Don't kill me. I love KHJ btw)

- Evan Yo as Jeremy was super adorable yet he couldn't reach the level of the original Jeremy played by Lee Hong Ki.

There were no annoying characters in this one. I remember how I hated the mom in Korean version and the biach in Japanese version.

I liked the music in this one of course. I also like how they changed the "Otteokhajeo" to a completely new song. Points from that ~~

But the original one is the best one to me because it's the original and special to me.

Would I rewatch this? No.

Funny, because I can rewatch the original many many times and so far I've rewatched it like 3-4 times.

I guess there is some "magic" in the original one always hahaha XDD

By the way, the Japanese version got 6/10 from me. I can't even remember anything from it...
While I was watching this Taiwanese version I could see the Korean version in my head all the time. Which is why I was always surprised when they added some new things to this version ^^

I think that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading this ~

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Gong Yoo And Bae Doona Were My Main Reasons For Watching…

In all honesty I sort of feel as though opinions on this show are greatly divided and I can understand why.

I’m a big Gong Yoo fan. I love his works and typically trust his project decisions just as Bae Doona is a brilliant actress and I’m often blown away by her performances. But I often struggled to warm up to their characters. The drama rarely gave us opportunities to really grow to any of the onscreen main leads and supporting cast? It’s hard to explain fully but there were never real moments which were particularly emotional or really made you fall in love with the characters.

As a non sci-fi fan I can’t really say that I’m overly familiar with this genre but I do know that a lot of the storyline did strike a slight chord with me as a bit same-old. I liked how the series helped to show you elements of the world that the series was set in but apart from that it did feel a bit boring.

The pacing was also very slow. I get that the intention was to make you wait and see what would happen but it did turn me off a little during scenes to actually engage in the storyline.

Overall I wouldn’t say this is a bad drama per say but mediocre. I know that South Korea is still pretty new to this kind of genre and I guess we have to take that on board as watchers, but I’ve certainly seen better takes on this genre by South-Korean directors in recent years.

Leggi di Più

Loved it, and I’ll miss my weekly dose of these adorable idiots

I really enjoyed this drama. Yes, there are cliches. Yes, there are some issues with plot and logic here and there. But not enough to detract from the hilarious moments, the sweetness and the spectacular chemistry between the leads. I really loved their relationship.

Will this drama deepen your philosophical understanding of the universe? Probably not. If you are looking for cognitive enhancement and to ponder deep themes and archetypes, this is not the drama for you. But it doesn’t pretend to be what it’s not.

Will it deliver on what it promises— joyful and (mostly) relaxing viewing? Absolutely. The writing is pretty good, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is the drama for when you want to escape the stressors of life and enjoy something both light and earnest, a combination that often falls flat, but does not do so here.

For what it is, it’s a 10/10.

Leggi di Più

I was absolutely addicted to this show for the first half. A charming and funny watch for those who can handle a little bit of unnecessary angst along the way.

My rating: 9.0

In Short: The first half of this drama was absolutely hysterical. As soon as the angst hit, the drama was a bit more middling, but still enjoyable. The Jang-couple chemistry was great.

Pros: A great cast, and a wonderful set of side characters. I particularly enjoyed Mi Young's mom, Secretary Tak and Dragon. I also quite liked the music.

Cons: Could have been trimmed down to 16 episodes with great effect. The noble idiocy was a bit too drawn out.

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Ugh! So it seems that there will be no Part 3, according to comments found online so far. These Chinese gay dramas are infuriating as they get off to a good start, share a good story, then get banned leaving everyone disappointed that there is no ending, good or bad.

This is the last straw, I m done with Chinese gay dramas unless the entire movie is completed and available.

Such a waste of time, not just for me watching, but everyone involved in making them.

And let me add one more thing... enough with the gay shaming, movie after movie of mothers and fathers falling ill because of their homophobic points of view, enough of the shaming of being gay, by family and so called friends, and classmates.

Though being gay, anywhere in the world can be difficult, there are equally as many men and women who have wonderfully accepting families, friends and communities.

Stop the shame!

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I do not like trashy soap opera style BLs....

This series has the same problem as "Love in the Moonlight", with the exception that it was not painful to watch, just cringe. The overdramatized bad guys/gals and the excessive pathos was still the same. And what also obvious, they can't do action right. While it looks nicely coreographed especially in the beginning, you see that the punches do not connect in the slightest. I won't write about the shooting scenes which were just embarrassing.

The only positive I have to say is that DaouOffroad are very good when they act alone or in a serious setting, their chemistry just works. Also the other actors were not bad, but I don't like the overacting and over-dramatization. They could have done this in a serious more thriller-like setting and then the story would have had much more impact, But no, they went the thai way which in this case is bad way.

Spoiler:
The finale was also bad: Pheen has a plan and of course he does not tell his husband. We all know, he can't die, because a BL has to have a happy end (very few exeptions), so he left for a long time, hurting Than again (and again). The reason: Because he needed to change his name, so he can disappear. WTF? Is that, because he don't want to face the consequences of his actions? And he was already married, so he could have taken the name of his husband. And of course everyone dies, so there are no real consquences, no court session to exploit all the bad things the characters did. It's a lazy and cheap way of story-telling.
Edit: Of course the whole inheritance arc did not make any sense, because: if Pheem was decleared dead Than would have inherited the whole company with all the hospitals. Because he was the last legal heir before any uncles and cousins. So Pheem changing his name would not let him get away from his family background because his man would own EVERYTHING. And would be richer than he alone was. And because Than would then be famous Pheem could not be with him. So the writers had no clue what they wrote about and this makes no sense whatsoever.
End of Spoiler

So considering everything, this is not even a medicore show and I know many will hate me because I think so. But that's what I felt when I watched this and sadly this is also one of the shows I will never watch again, because it's a waste of my time.

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In the beginning, chocolate did have a lot going for it. There was Ha Ji Won, who is undeniably my favorite actress and who succeeded in portraying a compassionate, graceful woman to the T.

There was food and whole lotta good shots of it which is basically catnip for every foodie out there and me being one, I did a happy dance inside every time I saw someone eating or cooking- which was A LOT.

There was some bromance, sismance, amazing chemistry between the leads and family bonding sprinkled all over it and last but not the least; the message it went out to portray was brilliant.
Despite the inevitablity of death, people can still find moments of happiness. It was beautiful and heart-warming to watch.
In the beginning, that is.

Despite being a slow burn in every sense of the word, the show did go pretty fast for me up to about 7 episodes. I was really really into it but then the monotony started setting in. It's the same K-drama tropes over and over again and soon enough you realize that there isn't much of a unique spin on it.

Call me heartless but when you show me the same sentimental shit and corny deep dialogues in literally every episode, I'll go from being touched to annoyed real fast. That's because over-doing emotion takes the sincerity out of it. Every case was more or less the same and that irked me a lot.

A lot of things were added as useless plot devices and left unexplored. It was almost criminal how little screentime the main couple got. You barely get to see them together till around 12th episodes and even then it's scarce and underwhelming.

I feel like the show dabbled in a lot of things but didn't truly go into depth for even one. And it's a shame truly, given the immense potential.

Towards the end, I just had to fast forward stuff- an urge I was physically restraining for about 14 episodes.

A reviewer said that it's a great drama for new watchers and I agree but if you have already seen these tropes a billion times and in their most basic form, this drama will end up being quite mediocre for you.

I'd rather watch 'Just Between Lovers' that took one of the issues also mentioned in this drama, went in depth with it and actually managed to portray sadness, heartbreak and loss in a way that was never over the top and yet, extremely impactful.

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A visually stunning drama with lots of "tea"! (pun intended)

I went into Glory with very high expectations and, as expected, I wasn’t disappointed. Recently, there seems to be a wave of strong dramas with “Glory” in the title, and I was kind of anticipating The Glory, Blossom or even Blossoms in Adversity - type of vibes. Surprisingly, this drama turned out to be very different.

First of all, this drama screams high budget!! The production value alone is impressive: every detail of the setting is beautifully crafted and clearly well thought out. The Ming-dynasty–inspired aesthetics, the costumes, and especially the tea plantations are absolutely stunning. I also really appreciated the historical tea facts shown at the end of the episodes. The OST is gorgeous too and adds a magical touch to many scenes ✨

Despite having noticeable flaws in both the story and the characters, the show somehow managed to put me in a chokehold. It’s addictive enough to keep me watching, constantly wanting to know what happens next. What a pain watching this while it's airing!

But there are also some issues that could have been done better.
The first arc of the story, especially the husband-selection plot and the whole He Xingming/Yang Dingchen storyline, felt unnecessarily long, and I think it could've been shortened. It took up a lot of time of the drama without contributing much to the overall progression. Story-wise it could've been a 10 for me, if this arc and the one in the last 4-6 episodes were excluded.
This is my first drama starring Gülnezer Bextiyar, so I can’t fully judge her acting yet. However, her facial expressions often felt a bit stiff. At times, it was difficult to tell whether her character was quietly scheming or genuinely surprised/upset. Nevertheless, her visuals suit the role 100% - like she's got that sharp and cold “Ice Queen” aura (>o<)
Now on to the characters: Rong Shanbao is a mixed bag for me. I admire how she prioritizes family above all else and refuses to get dragged into internal power struggles. Considering her difficult upbringing, her composure and emotional restraint do make sense. However, I don't agree with how she treats Lu Jianglai. While it’s true that he betrayed her first, he later makes continuous efforts to redeem himself, especially by solving the case etc. Yet she keeps him at arm’s length, barely treating him differently from the earlier husband candidates. Her lack of communication and tendency to keep everything to herself becomes frustrating over time.
As for the sisters, tbh it surprised me that the Rong family managed to survive for so long given how disunited they were in the beginning. I’m glad Rong Yunyin and Rong Yunxi had character development though. Rong Yunyin’s growth felt more believable, while Rong Yunxi’s change felt abrupt, like a jump: how does she suddenly trust Shanbao and even speak up for her?
Also, I'm actually grew even more interested in Yunxi and An Cha's story than Shanbao and Fusheng's... :(
The grandmother is another frustrating, illogical character. Despite her experiencing many setbacks, she sticks to her old mentality - familial piety, strict rules bla bla bla - alwways disregarding her granddaughters’ wishes.

Despite these flaws, there are many more things I genuinely enjoyed.
The story (while sometimes stretched) was engaging because of the constant twists where I expect them the least, especially the 2nd half kept me hooked!
And lastly, Rong Yunwan completely stole my heart. She’s adorable and one of the most lovable characters in the drama.

So imo, Glory is far from perfect, but it’s visually breathtaking and I loved how the story develops, so I rate it 9 despite the few flaws ❤️

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Love as vast as the Milky Way

Love Like The Galaxy was one of my most anticipated c-dramas of 2022. Because of China's new rule that dramas cannot exceed 40 episodes, the drama is divided into two parts with 27 and 29 episodes each. I had high hopes for this drama because of its star-studded cast and intriguing storyline, and it did not disappoint!

STORY AND CHARACTERS

Love Like The Galaxy is based on the novel 'The Stars are Brilliant, Fortunately Even Wow,' written by an author going by the pen name 'Guan Xin Le Luan,' who also wrote the novel that was adapted into the popular historical C-drama 'The Story of Minglan.'

Love Like The Galaxy is a story about love and its importance in all aspects of life. Insecurity and vulnerability can result from a lack of love. This was the case with Cheng Shao Shang. 

Cheng Shao Shang is the daughter of Colonel Cheng Shi and Xiao Yun Xi. Her parents left her behind after her birth to fight in the war. She was raised by her grandmother and her scheming aunt into what was supposedly a good-for-nothing. However, she is not a useless person. She pretended to be ridiculous and absurd but was extra cautious and meticulous to protect herself. The lack of parental love, as well as lack of love from those who raised her, made her think that there were more people who despised her than loved her, and this made her feel unsafe. She does, however, have an amazing brain and enjoys building things. She is not at all ladylike. This adds to the intrigue of her character. She longed for her parents to return from the war so she could live a happy and carefree life, but she had no idea that they would never be a family again because of their estrangement from one another. Despite the fact that her brothers and father immediately loved her, her mother, Xiao Yun Xi, was slightly annoyed by her un-ladylike behaviour and took to regulating her. This did not sit well with Shao Shang. She was obstinate, just like her mother. She despised being regulated or mocked and seeing others bullied. With her amazing wits, she is always ready to fight back against anyone. She is always willing to harm herself in order to help others. She is honest and admits her mistakes, even if it means getting punished. However, this does not mean she did not attempt to avoid punishment. Once, she even ran away from her home to avoid punishment!

This drama also shows the importance of expressing our feelings honestly and openly, because you may not get another chance if you don't seize the one you have. This was the case with Ling Bu Yi.

Ling Bu Yi is the emperor's adopted son. Ling Zi Sheng is his courtesy name. He is a General who is attempting to uncover the conspiracy behind what happened in the past. Ling Bu Yi is an efficient officer with a strong sense of duty. He is both passionate and menacing. He also has sharp wits and is not easily fooled. In some ways, the female and male leads are similar: they are both extremely stubborn and witty. He is cold and ruthless, and he rarely smiles. He regretted not expressing his feelings for Shao Shang because of his introverted and commanding personality. He was unable to express his feelings for Shao Shang because of his introverted and imposing personality. He did not seize his opportunity, instead allowed others to do so. Bu he is not like this when it comes to his job. He never leaves a coin unturned and alway seizes all evidences he can get.

CAST AND THEIR CHEMISTRY

This drama reunites Leo Wu and Zhao Lusi, who previously worked together on the drama 'The Long Ballad,' though not as a CP. Zhao Lusi and Leo Wu did an excellent job portraying the characters they were given in this drama. They convey the characters' complex emotions beautifully and sincerely, taking great care not to leave anything out.

It is common knowledge that Zhao Lusi has incredibe chemistry with who ever she is paired with. But, this drama is evidently a slow-burn and therr isn't much progress between Cheng Shao Shang and Ling Bu Yi in this part 1. But, even though they didn't have many interactions in the first few episodes, we can still sense their chemistry. And it grows even more with each episode. Furthermore, their interaction appears to be natural and realistic and the tension between them is interesting to watch. 

WHAT I LIKED:

We are promised a very entertaining and enjoyable show from the beginning of the drama. One of its strengths is the occasional comedic scene. At times, it may appear that this show is even more comedic than a true comedy drama!

The drama begins on a lighter note and stays that way until episode 10. This helps the audience in understanding the flow of the story and getting to know the characters well. Unlike in other historical c-dramas, the numerous characters are not introduced right away. On the contrary, this drama introduces the characters at a slow but not too slow pace. As a result, there is little to no chance of the audience becoming confused.

Each role is meticulously portrayed so that the audience can visualise them alive. The characters are three-dimensional and multi-faceted. The screenwriters have done an incredibly good job.

The drama's cinematography and costumes are both fantastic. The colour grading in scenes such as the lantern festival and the aftermath of the battle with the bandits leaves a lasting imprint on the viewers.

The music in this drama is fantastic! The music scoring used corresponds to the situation and atmosphere of the scene in which it is played. The final theme song, 'Splendid Stars,' is very soothing and pleasant. The music and songs help the audience get into the mood and feel of the drama.

WHAT I DISLIKED:

There are not much things I disliked. But, here are the two things that annoys me the most:

The lack of interaction between the main characters and some of the other characters causes the characters to feel distant at times. The main characters require more interaction because that is what we as viewers expect from a drama. Hopefully, we'll see more of it in the 2nd part of the drama. There are another 29 spisodes to quench our thirst!

There are too many irritating characters in this drama, such as Cheng Shao Shang's aunt and grandmother, as well as some other female characters who constantly irritate Shao Shang or  who have feelings for Ling Bu Yi. Even though these characters are common in dramas, they are abundant here! Even Cheng Shao Shang's mother can be annoying at times! Thankfully, they only little screen time! However, we are indebted to them in some ways because they were the source of some sweet moments between Shao Shang and Ling Bu Yi that almost made me swoon.

OVERALL

With its occasional comedic scenes and small twists and turns, as well as its star-studded and talented cast, their wonderful chemistry, and amazing cinematography and music, this drama sure can keep you fully immersed in it, making one unable to escape. I can give this drama a strong 9 out of 10, taking everything in accordance. The only reason I knocked off a point from it's rating is indeed because of the lack of interaction between the leads. Hopefully, it get better in the next part!

Leggi di Più

The drama had an amazing idea for a great character, but somehow it has slowly been losing the charm the closer to the end we've got.

CHARACTERS
While the writer had a clear idea for both male lead characters, Dong Sik and In Woo, and both of their stories were quite well developed and concluded, Shim Bo Kyung was left to do what usually side characters do - react the right way to progress the plot.

Dong Sik, the definition of a loser, because of a quite humorous and coincidental string of accidents takes the persona of a serial killer. Having an amnesia and being faced with the reality of either being a pushover or a serial killer, he thinks of the former being more painful and scary and he accepts the possibility of being a psychopath, rationalizing all of his humane and empathetic behaviors for them to fit his new identity.

Seo In Woo, a serial killer who thinks he found his soulmate and killing partner in Dong Sik. His growing obsession over Dong Sik leads him to also credit the main lead with more wits, smarts and planning skills than he is capable of. Never being cared for by people in his environment, he hopes for a place of understanding in Dong Sik.

Shim Bo Kyung, who wished to be a detective until her father's accident. Since that time she kept having hallucinations of her father at the prime time of his career. The hallucinations were nothing more than her repressed hopes and wishes to follow his footsteps in the crime department. Sadly, her character in most cases was just used to forward the plot, the idea of hallucinations was not addressed enough. Not to mention her character was extremely inconsistent in terms of her skills. At times she had amazing intuition and deductive skills, but at the same time she failed to notice and connect many, quite obvious clues.
The combination of these three characters made quite an interesting and entertaining story and the ever changing interactions between them made me question who at the moment has the upper hand.

ENDING (no spoilers)
The fact that the ending was quite predictable from the get go was not a problem, since this drama focuses more on the journey not the destination.

PROS
Good acting of all the main and supporting actors, a variety of different characters that make it easier to find someone we can relate to, extremely good chemistry between Dong Sik and In Woo and the shifts in the dynamics between them.

CONS
Too much comedy took away from the serious aspect of the drama and made the villain less scary and impactful (he is a serial killer after all), unrealistic portrayal of police work to the point of it being ridiculous at times, less entertaining second half of the drama, not a strong first episode.

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I have a few unpopular opinions

For what I expected to be my favourite drama of the year, I've concluded it with lukewarm feelings. As much as I know a lot of people really loved this show, I have a lot of issues with it from morals to general plot progression and characterization. I don't think it was all bad and the premise really showed a lot of promise, but for me, it failed to reach the potential that I thought it deserved.

Let's start from the beginning. My hype for Mouse was at its peak before I ever started watching it, back when the description was just a vague blurb about a world where psychopaths could be determined before birth and the societal response to that. That right there is interesting to me, extremely. Just that short, nondescript idea was enough to get me really invested in what this show would become. So I was already past the point of no return when I realized that the writer for this drama was the same writer as Black. For anyone who has actually watched Black, you may understand why this set off alarm bells for me. But whatever, I was already set on watching it. I was even more excited than I was for Beyond Evil, which has so far been my favourite mystery/thriller this year.

From the very first episode, something did not sit well with me, and that was the portrayal of psychopaths. You know, the entire focal point of the drama. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be realistic because of the introduction of the psychopath gene and the prenatal test for it. Okay, fine. But the drama heavily referenced psychopaths being serial killers. Actually, all of their arguments centred around the idea that every psychopath was a serial killer when, really, most aren't. And the fact that the show was demonizing unborn children? It bothered me. But well, that's what I signed up for! I knew going into it that it would do that, and my hopes were that the drama would challenge the biased opinions it set out at the beginning throughout the drama. And well... it didn't. Not even a little bit. It just reaffirmed them throughout. Hm. Well okay. Maybe I won't agree with the morals, but I can still enjoy the story, right? Well...

I found the start of the drama a little fun. The moments of suspense reminded me of a b-horror movie which could be both cringy and fun, so I was okay with that. But the further I watched, the more I realized that it wasn't very enjoyable. To be enjoyable, a drama doesn't necessarily need to be funny and charming. Dark, gritty shows that make you think can be entertaining, too. But as I watched, I realized I didn't like any of the characters. They were all characters who had been deeply scarred by past events and losses in their lives so I didn't expect them to be happy, good, fun people, but their flaws didn't seem to justify their actions and, honestly, they felt a bit like caricatures. Those singular events in their past defined who they were as people.

Take Moo Chi - he's an off-the-walls alcoholic detective with anger issues. Why is he that way? Well, his parents were murdered and beheaded by a serial killer and his brother was seriously injured in the same event and had to go through many operations just to keep his life. His brother never recovered. That night still lives with him and he can't escape it. Okay, makes sense. So, what does he like? Well... alcohol, I guess. His brother? His team, maybe? Half the time he's fighting with them, so I can't be sure. What are his interests? Hm. Drinking? Chasing criminals? Being depressed in his room? Depression makes a lot of sense for his character, especially after his brother's death, but he has no interests. There's nothing in his room that indicates that he's cared about anything but catching criminals his entire life and that just isn't a character. You can say that he's obsessed, but even people who are will have things they've picked up over the decades of their lives that they care about. And it isn't even like he's a good detective - he's very slow to piece things together. While watching Mouse, I never really cared for the moments he was on screen. And I don't think it's at all the actor's fault. He's doing his best with what he's been given. He's a good actor. But there wasn't much to work with there.

Okay. Bong Yi. Where to start? Well, she was a victim of sexual assault when she was younger and is scarred ever since. Same deal as with Moo Chi. She's traumatized and that's entirely valid. She loves her grandmother, but also somewhat blames her grandmother for what happened to her. That comes out when she's angry. She has a temper, like Moo Chi. She knows how to fight - I can assume maybe self-defence classes in her past. She... boxes? I guess? Great, a hobby! And she has a crush on Ba Reum. Okay, so she has interests! Right? Well... not really. The strange thing about this writer is that she's actually not great at writing women. You can see it in Black, too - the badly written female characters. She tries to follow the 'strong female character' trope that's become popular over the years but doesn't go far beyond the trope. The girl can fight, great, but whenever there comes a time where she actually needs to fight, she's useless. She'll almost catch a criminal here and there, but mostly her confrontations will end in her being a victim that needs to be saved. Throughout the series, she was just a magnet for every serial killer and rapist. They all gravitated to her house like there was a big red sign out front that read 'TARGET'. As for her crush on Ba Reum, that was her entire role. She was meant to be the love interest and victim of the serial killer in order to add more angst, drama and tragedy to the script.

Ba Reum. Well, personality-wise, he was a bit likeable. He was meant to be. In fact, his kind act was so caked on that most of the viewers realized in episode 2 that he was going to turn out to be the serial killer while the show was trying to act like it was some big twist to be revealed at the 3/4 mark. It was predictable. But what bothers me with that is that him being a genuinely nice guy who likes to take care of animals would have been the better twist. Everyone also figured out early on that he was the Head Hunter's biological son, too. It would have been a good chance for the show to challenge the earlier morals that it established but, well, it decided that no, psychopaths are determined at birth and they all need to be aborted because the only route they'll take in life is murder! I won't go into that rant. That aside, his character was... okay. He still didn't really have many interests, but they at least established more of his history through his friends. We got more info through the backstory of his family and their murders... but I really don't want to touch on what a mess the family history is in this show. 'Serial killer turned nice guy' was his entire personality and we can just leave him at that.

This goes for most of the other side characters, too. They're very one-dimensional and when you look back on it, it makes them hard to like. This isn't a Mouse exclusive problem and actually tends to be a big issue I have with a lot of thrillers, but the writing of the focal points matters a lot in whether these simple characters bother me or not. Unfortunately, the story wasn't enough to detract from that. What a mess. It bothers me that this drama isn't tagged as sci-fi because of the brain-transplant element later on in the show. And the psychopath test. Of course. The plot was really inconsistent from thereon. Looking back, it feels like the entire middle of the show could have been cut out and we would have still ended up in the same place. Ba Reum's amnesia only succeeded in dragging out the show. It could have been 16 hour-long episodes or less and I feel that the takeaway would have been the same. Actually, how interesting would it have been to have Ba Reum wake up remembering that he is a serial killer, but now also being able to feel the guilt that he never could have before? Following that character would have been very interesting. That's not the show we have, though.

There was too much going on at once I think. The story was vast, but it didn't amount to much. The OZ conspiracy was honestly unnecessary. The government being involved felt a bit silly. If this show had stayed solely about the serial killer and was shorter in accordance with that, I think it would have had more of an impact on me. That was the part that was interesting. That was what I hung onto. But by the time we reached the end, it felt like the spark just sort of... fizzled out. The last episode was focused on wrapping up loose ends but by the time Ba Reum was arrested, I realized I didn't care about what was happening to any of the characters. I didn't like Bong Yi, Hong Ju or Moo Chi. They, like I said, didn't feel like real characters. Then the law was passed to abort fetuses with the psychopath gene, and I was wondering whether that was supposed to be considered a victory or if it was supposed to be seen in a negative light. I wasn't sure how I felt. Especially after the show essentially showing Ba Reum's mother starting everything. She misinterpreted Ba Reum's intent to kill his brother and told his adoptive mother to kill him. Ba Reum's family was murdered before him, and his first murder was of the man who killed them. That was the trigger. It does make me wonder how he would have turned out had it not been for the actions of the people around him. I assume that was the writer's goal, so props for that.

There are some bright sides to this experience. In concept, it was interesting. I'm glad it went the route of Ba Reum being the original killer instead of Yo Han. And hey, the ending wasn't half as bad as Black's. But unfortunately, the whole journey felt a bit meaningless to me and that last episode especially left a lot to be desired. Episodes were focused on ending with big cliffhangers and shocking the audience rather than telling a well-written story and the characters were stereotypes that failed to break the mould. I can't say that I regret watching it though. It was nice to see Seunggi acting again and I had fun in some of the earlier episodes. There were moments I got excited, too. So I can't say it's not worth watching, but I also can't say that it is, either. I do get why so many people loved it, and I feel with some changes maybe I would have been one of them.

For me, Mouse will remain a terribly long journey and a cautionary tale not to get too excited by a drama's premise.

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