Reviews

A must watch!

Some may call this a feminist drama, however the storyline and the acting makes this a MUST watch drama.

The flow and the narrative touches our lives in every way. The storyline also relates to many of us.

The 3 main leads are characters we can somehow identify with people we know. Their challenges in life may be common and they are portrayed very well. A few rightly placed comical moments provide a relief in a serious situation. Standby your box of tissues though.

In conclusion, we live on decisions we made and are responsible for our own action.

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Thunder Birds is not a mainstream drama and that could be the reason why its not popular...

Story: Has a dark undertone to it due to the themes that the writers brought to the forth front: obsession, jealousy, birth secrets, lies. The writers did an amazing job keeping me guessing with the romance and just keeping me glued to the screen (most melos become repetitive after a while). What I loved most about it though was the hopeful/happy ending(you dont get those too often in melos).

Actors/Cast: I didnt know any of the leads but i was quite impressed with the casting choices after watching a few episodes. Han Hye Jin has amazing dramatic chops and i loved her chemistry not only with Joo Sang Wook but also her frenemy Kim Min Jung. I'll be honest, when i first saw KMJ on screen I got taken a back by her looks and not in a good way. I was so shocked that they would choose an actress that was not as pretty as the other main lead because it was hard to believe the main male character would choose her and become obsessed over her at first as he did. But when the time jump happens she is given a total makeoever and her amazing acting skills begin to shine. I really think both lead actresses did an equally tremendous job. I didnt like the second male lead characer, the acting was bad and his character really wasnt needed. Loved the rest of the supporting characters.

Music: Dark and moody to fit the atmosphere.

Rewatch- I will definitely watch it again because it had excellent pacing and i enjoyed it so much the first time but not for a bit because its so twisted.

Overall Thorn Birds is a different kind of melodrama but very enjoyable if you like gritty stories.

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Mnet evil editing

There were so many mnet evil's editing towards trainee, Wang Zi Hao little screentime, wrong translation on G group, giving too much screentime on visual trainee, Lip J's weird comments, not airing Lee Da Eul and Lim Jun Seo as the first group that perform on 1st evaluation, ridiculous voting on choosing final killing part, of course the most popular trainee will get the killing part, not showing Wang Zi Hao's total vote on the 3rd elimination, and the debut 9 members are not enough,there are too many talented & potential trainee that can make a debut. I hope Mnet doesn't manipulate real ranking.

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This is my first ongoing Kdrama that really makes me very emotional after watch every episodes....

This drama makes me willing to stay up very late every Mon-Tue just to see the new episode... in raw! I saved many of cute sweet scenes in my instagram and almost everyday I google keyword "Fight For My Way" to find out if there's any new news/BTS/anything related to this drama. Even I make a twitter only to see the #FightForMyWay and repost many of it. Thanks FFMW to make me now become a crazy fan :D

Actually, at first when I saw the "ddamdajo" teaser, I was thinking that it will be just another usual RomCom. But then when I watched the first episode, it was a mind blowing. It was so hilarious yet so adorable. The chemistry between Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won is incredibly outstanding since very beginning! Previously I'm not a fan of Park Seo Joon even I didn't care about his instagram whatsoever while I'm already a fan of Kim Ji Won after watching her bold acting in DOTS, but now I'm fangirling Park Seo Joon after seeing his acting in FFMW.

The story itself is very refreshing. It is very light. It is very... real. It is about dream, friendship, family, and love. It is about how you live your life. How you seize your day. DongMan and AeRa teach you how to stay strong and be brave in overcoming your problem. The dialogue are smart and punch my heart.

The plot is roller coaster, the writer is really smart to play with your emotion. You can find anything in this drama. You can find the funny scene which can make you laugh out loud, the sweet scene which can make you grin from ear to ear, the mystery scene which can make you hard to sleep thinking about it, the heartbreaking scene which can make you want to shoot and burn the writer (especially in the last two episodes, it was such a cliffhanger and i think something is missing here, you know what i mean writer-nim!). All in here, it's a complete package.

The music... oh how can I say... I played Kassy-Good Morning almost 100 times a day. I have playlist in my phone which only have list of 3 songs of FFMW and I played it a whole day in repeat. It includes the happy song from BtoB-Ambiguos and Ryu Ji Hyun-Night is Gone Again. And I also love the comedy back sound in every funny scenes. Especially when they did the agyeo scene!

It is very worth to rewatch this drama. I found myself rewatching more than 3 times for every episode because every scene still can make my heart beat faster.

Overall, I LOVE THIS DRAMA
this drama is very recommended for you who really want to enjoy warmhearted Kdrama with realistic plot. No fantasy with over hallucination, no politic with over scary thriller.

Now the drama is ending. Nooo... I'm in withdrawal stage :(
I feel like something gone from my heart. I'm gonna miss the Fantastic Four for sure :')

I hope KBS wants to spoil us with special episodes and more BTS/NG cut *fingercrossed*. And I hope Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won have a photo shoot, get a Couple Award and get married in the real! :D

Once again, thank you FFMW for enlighten my days, appreciate all of actor & crew's hardwork, such a masterpiece... Saranghae~ Kamsahamnida~

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When I am in the mood for an action thriller (which is practically all the time), I usually turn to Korean films because they experienced a significant growth in regards of that genre. The Suspect didn’t disappoint but it could’ve been way better than this.

Following the usual espionage formula with spies, vengeance, betrayal and secrets; this film managed to stay intense for a very long time. It was fast-paced and too packed that it doesn’t allow you to blink an eye. Heck, it was even hard to follow subtitles. Many characters and events were thrown in an immense amount which felt quite entertaining and eye-catching. The car chase scenes were absolutely one of the better car scenes I’ve ever seen. Moreover, the violence, the bloody killings and many hand-to-hand combats were highly involving.

This film’s main issue was its over-length. For an action-thriller that problem can be a killer, The Suspect obviously fell prey to the usual Asian films’ shortcoming: The screenwriting is frequently unable to handle the running time making it incoherent with plot elements. If this film was 30 or even 20 minutes shorter then things would’ve been absolutely better. The second half was so slow which disabled the fast-paced impact of the first half to persist. It was unavoidable that some explanations would be inserted, like the main character’s background and reasons for vengeance but that drama was clearly overdone. It practically killed the action suspense mood so when it finally came back on track near the end, it was already too late for the viewer to go back to that high paced mood.

It was unfortunate because this film could’ve been a remarkable Action thriller if the screenwriter knew how to divide his narration approach and flashbacks on a 2 hours 20 minutes scale. It felt like he was working on a 2 hours version of this film. However, it’s appreciated that he didn’t try to turn this into an intelligence fight with his viewers. The plot wasn’t any complicated because it focused on action sequences and violence instead. I wouldn’t call it gory violence though; I mean that’s the right amount of blood splashing in Korean action thrillers.

The acting was good enough, Gong Yoo’s commitment to his role showed through his character’s movements. The martial arts sequences showed a nice side of him, his character was well written to fit a dark super spy. On the other hand, Park Hee Soon amazed me once again. Although his character wasn’t as important and as penetrating as Gong Yoo’s character but he was very convincing in showing the traits of his hot-blooded personality.
Other characters did well, even if their developments were plain obvious. At least they contributed in the coherence of the packed events.

The cinematography is your standard current-days Korean thrillers’ style. Occasionally, I feel like the same guy is doing the cinematography in all recent Korean thrillers, with some exceptions of course. Although the direction can be marked as decent but the camerawork bothered me in many takes, sometimes it doesn’t allow you to know what’s happening on screen.

Watch if:
-You like Korean action thrillers.
-You like intense films but beware of the events slowing down.
-You like spy films.

Do not watch if:
-You’re looking for a masterpiece out of the action thriller genre.
-You dislike action thrillers.

The Suspect is nothing more than an alright Korean action thriller. But being influenced by the intense high-paced first half, I came to appreciate this film for its entertainment values.

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Discount Thanos & the Debtors

Now, hear me out, and this might just be me, but if I had a super ring that basically made me Thanos with hair and less purple, I would not make it so that anyone who have the ring can immediately, without reason, become the most powerful person and drive me out of my house and country. Thank the eff the finale made some sort of sense of it. Also, for most of the drama, I was convinced these people were allergic to happiness, cuz the eff is up with all that hurt, heartbreak and tears? That boyfriend era lasted like 0.3 seconds and a cheek kiss.

Listen, this was me the moment I saw Jack's face for the first time.
ME: Ew, it’s Vee from Love Mechanics. I hate that dude.
*Jack walks in, slow motion, in a black suit.*
ME: I mean, sure Vee sucked to high heavens, hurt Mark and broke his heart, but like, did Mark die? Personally, I've always like Vee. Haha, nice suit man, I love you dude.

Pfttt. Don’t judge me, I am weak. Petition to burn all Yin’s cloths and leave the suits so he only wears suits, like, forever and ever? Cuz, dude was wearing those suit. HE WORE. Suits were made for Yin.

Oh, and, these people kept going 'Boss this, Boss that, Boss, Boss, Boss.' So much, I thought that punchable excuse for a bad guy's name was Boss, only to find out it was... and I kid you not... Alice. His name this whole time was Alice. No wonder he seemed so lost and confused and got played. Also, was the whole ring thing being some sort of game the rich were playing the best the writers could come up with? Like, I buy it, but I also don't. As reveals go, it felt like an ex-machina to save themselves after they realised that plot device made no sense whatsoever. Oh, well.

Anyway, Joke made crying and being heartbroken felt like an Oscar performance, and he was aiming for gold. Damn, son, leave some of the heartbreak for the rest of us. That thief owes me for emotional damages, cuz he made sadness looked so beautiful, my arse spent episode 10 and 11 crying with him. War deserves like all the awards for just his crying alone.

Listen, this show was a rollercoaster, and I liked most of it. From the silliness, to the heaviness, to that unholy episode 10 and 11. Sure, I wanted to boo at episode 11 for bringing back the curse episode 11 nightmare, but I was too busy crying with Joke, I let it slide. And the ending of episode 10 was so traumatizing, I legit forgot about the heavy breathing sexy scene from the beginning of the episode. Poor JackJoke, their boyfriend era lasted for like one bed scene and a swing playdate.

I knew shit was about to go down, cuz dafug you mean, ‘I love you’ right when you leaving for a mission against discount Thanos? This is how people die. The moment Joke said ‘I love you’ I went. Child, will you keep quiet? Don’t jinx it. Well, we all know how that ended.

Random sidenote: Did this people really think I’ll be crying while War was singing that I’m sorry song, when all I could picture in my head was him in that tank-top in the MV? LMAO, good luck with the tears I guess, ain't nobody crying here. But like how talented is War? What can't that man do?

PLOT:
I enjoyed the plot of this show. Some things I overlooked, like the Thanos ring thing, how those poor people kept making the most stupidest decisions, comedic timing and etc, but when all was said and done, it was interesting enough to hold my attention and bring me back every single week. I liked the intensity, the jokes, the emotions, and the overall cast. Story-wise this didn't really feel like something new, but the redemption arc with Joke added depth to it, how he was struggling to become a better person, personally I think he was always a better person, heart of gold. And also how the good guys, no matter how hard they tried, always made decisions that hurt others. Nothing was black and white here, which made the plot interesting and worth watching. There were some stale parts in the middle that not even the good actors could make interesting, but when everything was added up, the plot held its own well.

CHARACTERS
Joke stole the show for me. Every time he did another character I was so impressed by War's range as an actor. Him as a lady was so beautiful, my arse was this close to asking for beauty tips XD. Jack and Joke's journey was a wild ride, going from friends to enemies, then enemies to friends, friends to lovers. And in-between it all, we went through the high and lows with them. For a second there, I thought it was only going to be all lows, cuz damn, these people knew how to make us suffer. I enjoyed their journey, and as leads, Yin and War carried this show very well, bringing their characters to life. As always, their chemistry was chemistrying and that forehead touch might just be the best thing ever.

The secondary characters here also had their own thing going for them. Everyone seemed to have their own problems they were working through, which added to the overall plot, so that was good. I wanted more of Tattoo and Aran, cuz it seemed they were suppose to be a thing, then took an arrow to the knee somewhere along the way. I wanted to know more about Hoy as well, he seemed the only one who didn't have any sort of background.

Rose grew on me. I came to love how graceful she was in defeat. No, her heart was literally breaking from being rejected and I was out here laughing cuz she took it so well, although she wanted to cry. I was so happy she wasn't one of those delusional female characters who can't take no for an answer. Love her. In the finale, she seemed to have grown out of her rich girl naive phase and understood her circle of rich people were evil/jerks , so good for her. But like, rich power hungry people are just the worst!

As for the Boss, he was a typical bad guy with no redeeming qualities or even an interesting background. He came off as greedy, unlikable and just dreaming of becoming a bigger fish than he was. That whole Thanos ring thing seemed like a big deal, but then in the end Rose was like, give me back my ring, and he was like, well, I wasn't the one who stole it. And the whole time, I'm confused, cuz if it's that easy to ask for it back, why her family ran? And why Boss made it look like he basically owed Thailand cuz he put it on his finger? Yeah, that whole ring thing made no sense to me. And somehow, in the finale, knowing it was all a game, still does not sit right with me. Should have been a big plot twist but I can’t feel the payoff.

Joke's father was nothing but a sperm donor in the beginning. I didn't understand why he didn't see himself as being part of how Joke turned out. I mean he was constantly making him feel like he wasn't enough, while the little brother was like everything. And the only time he said anything good was about the Joker thief. I was happy for the father's growth, how he came to apologies as well, and they became family again. When their family was together in the end, I cheered a bit, Joke deserves that so much!

Look, I managed to forgive Tattoo, but for some reason, I can't get over Save's betrayal. Yes, he was also trying to get himself and his evil boyfriend out of debt, but he was directly and knowingly hurting everyone else, just to be free. And these were friends that he pretended to love. Yes, they all did stuff to be free, but I still can't forgive him. Man tried to poison and kill poor Grandma. Heck no.

Okay, I sort of forgave him after seeing the finale, but they up and made him the new Boss? The guy who knows how to hurt everyone where it hurts the most? The smart guy who was giving Boss all the evil ideas? Nah, these people don't want peace. Then again those 4 horsemen might know what they are doing putting such a person in charge. I did like him and Hope though. In the finale, seeing Hope being stupidly proud and in-love was cute, although I've still only forgiven them halfway.

Now, the Grandma was the real MVP of this show. Woman was legendary. Lol, Joke out there getting his arse whooped and she was holding her own by throwing food. Loved her!

FINALE:
Felt like, after trying to make a very good show, the finale lost the concept. Cuz this hour and half episode felt like the writers and director were trying to fill as many cliches as they could into the ending. From the cartoonish fights, some out of place comedy, last minutes saves, no real plans, dramatic over the top scenes, and unnecessary waiting times for the good guys to converse while the bad guy just wait, everything about most of the finale had me going... yaaay mediocre, where's the awesomeness from the beginning of the drama? Yes, having them play the game was interesting, built some tension, but many things had me throwing questions at my screen.

Even so, I was happy for the happy ending, cuz for a moment there, I thought we'd get a sad one and it would ruin my Christmas. That being said, that finale was so convoluted and also somehow long. Legit, most of the fighting scenes had me rolling my eyes, cuz there was so many ways to win over that Cardboard or Carpenter or whatever his name was but they kept just making stupid decisions. Arrrggg. Literally even when he was down, Jack and Joke decided to just not go for the tablet/control thing. Like, literally that was the whole point of the fight. Stupid. And as villains go, I legit did not care one bit for that Cardboard paper character... took me a while to even remember he was that one guy.

I hate basic villains who get so talkative and petty when they get the upper hand. Boss suddenly turned into this childish person with that over the top trying to do evil things. And then suddenly bam, it was all a game, everyone is safe, and instead of making room for Tattoo and Aran we had to watch Alice slow dance with his ghost wife. Yeah, no thanks. Though, seeing that he's probably out there suffering is good punishment.

HAHAHA that ‘Zorry’ scene. I admit, that was one of the best things about the finale. I paused to finish laughing before continuing, and then when he tried to explain himself, I lost it even more!!

Jack and Joke's engagement? I am calling it a proposal, cuz what else could it have been? I loved how simply and easy it felt. Jack offered the ring, and Joke just happily took it without question. Their happy ending was well deserved/earned. Wish I saw more of them with their daughter. Well, now that the father is back? would they still adopt her? Would Tattoo and Aran give it a go? Either way, I'm going to miss this drama and the cast.

All-in-all, YinWar made the last quarter of bls this year fun. The tl was alive every week with theories which made Mondays not suck so much, and I enjoyed it. The drama is not without flaws, but it's one of my favourites dramas this year. I recommend it to everyone who loves a good bl, watch it, you'd like it. Looking forward to more work from YinWar in the future. For now, I'mma go watch Yin in suits, and War create stuff with clay and grin at my screen. Bye bye.

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Story: (Rant)
I regret complaining about predictable dramas, this was so frustrating when I cared about the outcome but I stopped caring about halfway through and lost all interest, I completed watching it for closure.
Basically imagine being a blind person that follows sounds, and the writer keeps tossing pebbles around you, they toss one, you take one step there, and they toss one on the other direction, and it's not only 2 directions, but like 3 or 4.
Instead of just making it mysterious, they forcefully led you to the wrong direction over and over until the last 2 episodes where the ending is finally starting to clear.
It was so frustrating that some characters KNEW what happened wouldn't just fess-up when they aren't even awfully evil, they just DON'T want to talk, or empathize with the main leads.
The result of all of this is a rushed ending where suddenly all the evidences appear, and witnesses talk, to close the drama.

Cast:
They were okay, like other comments and reviews said, the chemistry and romance between the leads was awkward, also at this point, I think Eun Joo's teeth were glued together, unfortunate since I was looking forward to her performance.

Music: It's alright if you're into classicals, but if you're not I don't think you should watch this drama at all, since this is the best part of it compared to the rest.

Rewatch Value: Honestly, once you know the ending there is really nothing remaining in rewatching it unless you want to laugh at the pebbles the writer kept throwing left and right.

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excellent premise and actors let down by bad writing (minor spoilers in content warnings)

Overall: the trailer totally hooked me but the writing just wasn't there. This is basically a classic Thai BL romance with window dressing. Aired on YouTube.

Content Warnings: death, suicide, mental health struggles, grief, manipulation, non/dub con kiss (fake sleeping), non con touching (sleeping), punches, fight, homophobia, non con photo/video taking and posting, unwanted outings, blackmail

What I Liked
- acting and chemistry, especially First and Khaotung (hope to see them as leads again either together or separately)
- promising premise with mystery elements
- flirt and cute moments
- Akk's parents
- good OST and opening credits

Room For Improvement
- that a main drama was private school students being angry about wearing uniforms, this fell flat and would have been better if it focused on bullying/homophobia as many private school students everywhere have to wear uniforms
- too few plot twists and too late
- the writing was a let down, was Ayan even investigating most of the time? A teacher wearing louboutin shoes? Why weren't the 3 students just expelled? Random bonfire on a beach? Why on Ayan tell Akk that at the end of episode 10 at probably the worst possible time? I still don't really understand a character's motivation in episode 11
- Akk was reluctant and Ayan was aggressive for too long, Ayan consistently violated Akk's boundaries, he was being disrespectful not supportive
- two slow burns, would have been better with a fast burn and a slow burn
- what two characters did in episode 11 is close to unforgivable but they have no consequences and all of a sudden everything is totally fine
- hugging and thanking that character in episode 12 part 1 was bizarre
- very angry/sad about what Ayan told Akk's parents in episode 12 part 2, that's not his place to say especially without first discussing it beforehand with Akk

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The first half is fun and enjoyable and I loved it, but the latter half is an emotional roller coaster where the dramatic storylines that have been building up unfold. By the end, I was just exhausted.

The two leads play their characters with intensity and spot-on humor, and have excellent chemistry. The premise of this drama isn't anything new: the rebellious male lead is a contender for successor of his father's company, the female lead is hardworking, kindhearted, with an exuberant personality. (Give her a chance, in the first episode she does seem a little over-the-top.) For the supporting characters, the Li family and Si Yu's dad were great.

This drama includes shady characters, scheming, family turmoil, revenge, unrequited crushes, etc. I can enjoy these sort of ~dramatic~ storylines when they aren't too frustrating or ridiculous. Some aspects of the latter half had plot holes or lack of believability in certain settings, especially the hospital scenes, and there were an excessive number of flashback sequences. Unfortunately, character development in the latter half is pretty much cast aside, which was unfortunate since many characters had a lot of potential.

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Did i read the same manga that the screenwriter ??

First i'm totally aware what "adapted a writed material" means ! Chnage need to make for the viewers to clearly watch what was written beforehand

So here my title and question : Did the screenwriter had read the same manga as me ? Because except their job, the place and theirs names so many change had make that the story doesn't even respect the essence of the manga

Surely the manga wasn't full of angst and more a slowburning love story but here to create something they think was more attractable for the audience they add dramas : exes, stupids break up, intrusive coworker

At some point they make the exploit to bring down one of the main character to the point he had less screentime and interesing story than the created side character !!!

Because let me be clear here : Sakae ex lover doesn't appear in the manga, not even sure he was mentioned ! Same with Soga ex wife she is only mentioned to explain why Soga is low self-esteem (because she want kid and Soga is sterile)

I really don't understand how you read a manga with likeable character and you make the exploit to write a serie where none of them is likeable anymore ?

I understand the need to adapt sometimes the serie is even better that the book (Not me for example) but sadly not here

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Lovely little drama. Not as good as it could be, but worth a watch.

~PROS~

Production:
Colour grading, scene composition, lighting, music, set design are all pretty great. Adds a lot of richness and atmosphere to the drama and each scene. The entire OST is beautiful.

Costumes/Styling:
Main characters have a variety of outfits, and there's different levels of wealth/class level being communicated through the costumes among the cast. In later scenes in the capital some of the fabrics and textures look great, robes look HEAVY and layered. Liu Xue Yi's styling in particular is outstanding in this drama, really works to highlight his best features and he looks true to his character's reputation of being particularly handsome.

Story:
The story has an interesting premise, isn't overly complicated, and focused from start to finish. It's not a literary masterpiece, but nothing meandering or offensive here. Pacing is also generally consistent all the way to the end, doesn't seem super rushed and crammed like some other dramas in recent years.

~CONS~

Fight Scenes:
Choreography of the fights aren't bad, but it feels like the director isn't experienced in filming them. There are instances where you can see the actors moving a bit slow and you become very aware they're going through a planned choreography, which took me out of the scenes sometimes, as someone who likes wuxia dramas.

Ju Jing Yi's acting:
Let me preface this by saying I'm completely unfamiliar with her and her acting prior to this drama and have nothing personal against her, but this section is lengthy because her role is extremely important on multiple levels for this drama. JJY's acting in this drama is just okay/passable for me. She goes through all the motions the script demands of her, and displays all the appropriate emotions, but I think this role is a bit out of her depth. I do not see Yang Cai Wei in her. I'm often aware that it's "JJY acting like Yang Cai Wei" instead of "Yang Cai Wei in the body of Shangguan Zhi". Any resemblance to YCW in her acting are from superficial things (such as saying things YCW would say or displaying YCW's deduction skills), she doesn't have any of YCW's body language or facial expressions, nothing that makes her FEEL like YCW, that this is a character who's carrying a complex past and resulting mental burden. I've had to remind myself many times that this person is supposed to be YCW and not a completely new character. It's no surprise that there are so many jokes about Pan Yue "cheating", because it does feel like that sometimes, especially when the chemistry between post-swap PY and YCW is also very different. The dubbing voice actress remained the same for both versions of YCW throughout the drama but even that didn't help convince me that JJY was actually YCW. She's not a deal breaker, but her lack of ability does drag the drama down compared to if they'd casted an actress with more acting ability. And while I liked seeing the main couple together for plot/ship reasons, on a technical level Liu Xue Yi and Ju Jing Yi's scenes together lacked texture and flow compared to LXY's scenes with some of the other actors (his father, SGZ's brother, original YCW). The gap between their levels of acting ability and commitment is very obvious sometimes, to the point where I have to applaud LXY for doing the extra lifting in some scenes of them together.

~OVERALL~

As a whole, I actually really enjoyed this drama. I've had to suspend my disbelief a little bit when it came to JJY's YCW (remind myself that it's really YCW in the story's universe regardless of what I'm getting from the actress in reality), but I can only do so because I find the drama generally very charming and I wanted to continue and see PY and YCW get together like they deserve. The main couple is very sweet and their affection for each other is steadfast and reliable despite the initial mutual suspicions (understandable). There's a lot of things this production does well, and I admire the team for spending time and effort into things that really matter to make this production feel more expensive than it is. If they make a second season I'll definitely watch it!

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Teen Spirit With A Shaman Twist…

Let’s be honest. The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim’ is a verbatim title. ( As there’s not a lot left to the imagination to work out what this drama is about.) Admittedly Park Ho Jin’s drama doesn’t try to brand itself as “ the next Goblin ” or a “ new fantasy phenomenon”. It is a teen “ cutesy” fantasy tale about the supernatural, but often leans more into the realm of “teen angst” with main leads Ga Doo Shim ( Kim Sae Ron) and fellow classmate Na Woo Soo( Nam Da Reum) ‘s journey through high school also. (At the time of writing director Park’s wish for a sequel season to explore more about the characters was confirmed also .)

As a consequence the drama featured an array of intriguing characters. However their ultimate contribution to the storyline and depth admittedly does vary dependent on screen time and the screenwriting also. Kim Sae Ron was fairly dynamic as quiet and mysterious high-schooler Ga Doo Shim. The former child actress carried an ambience of perfect angst, suaveness and longing which was perfectly matched for her role . As a character it was evident that Doo Shim could’ve gone down two possible routes; one-dimensional and unlikeable by being egotistical , or a more well-rounded heroine who has a likeable charm by struggling with her emotions and carrying empathy. ( Fortunately with our female lead it was the former case. )

Doo Shim’s character development was arguably the most pivotal from begrudgingly accepting that she can see ghosts and trying to be “ normal” , to opening up to new friends ( particularly Na Woo Soo) , feelings and understanding that she can use her powers for the greater good. Yet whilst her setbacks do help to make her feel realistically flawed, there are moments surrounding Doo Shim which felt like more of an excuse to “ heighten dramatic tension ” rather develop her character gradually or focus more time upon making Doo Shim feel realistic.

For example whilst Doo Shim’s relationship with her mother Hyo Shim( Bae Hae Seon) did see the typical rocky road between a parent and a daughter, there was a lot of missed opportunities to explore more about their complex bond . It was evident how much Hyo Shim genuinely cared for her daughter, however, Doo Shim and Hyo Shim rarely had opportunities outside of necessary plot to talk about their shared bereavement , feelings or emotions without queuing into comic relief or angst. Perhaps with a sequel season it is wrong to condemn a final verdict over this relationship as “ poorly-written” overall, however, hopefully season two will give more chances to covering this relationship rather than putting it on the back burner.

Then of course there’s our main male lead Na Woo Soo. Nam Da Reum did a great job as the plucky prodigy with a heart of gold . Initially starting off as a plot device in order to awaken Doo Shim’s “ character growth and feelings”, it was refreshing to see Woo Soo leave the realm as the prosaic potential “love interest” and the “ sidekick who is new to this world” to having more complex depth . One particular focal point to exploring Da Reum’s greater sense of altruism as a character came through his unusual friendship with underdog and best friend Kim Il Nam ( Yoon Jung Hoon). However this is also where we hit a major rut with Woo Soo as a character; he displays emotions, but he rarely acts out upon them unless they’re necessary to the storyline.

There was brimming potential to explore a lot more about Woo Soo’s darker side which he did display at points in the drama such as his silent threat to Jo Soo Jung ( Lee Ji Won) after her potential blackmail, as well as his anger at Kim II Nam during the main events of the storyline. When the story covered the major events surrounding Kim II Nam it seemed odd the drama switched Woo Soo’s personality towards being “ mopey yet calm” rather than using this as a golden opportunity to explore more about Woo Soo’s own negative feelings or hero complex, as well as heal the wound between Woo Soo and Doo Shim helping one another through these events.

Yoo Sun Ho’s performance as witty dead high schooler Hyun Soo was pretty delightful. As a character Hyun Soo serves both as an example of surprising comical foil as well as wasted potential also. On one side whilst Hyun Soo does have his more brief yet bittersweet moments surrounding his death and his search for his mother, he did often cool down more heavy scenes with deadpan expressions or annoying Doo Shim. However there was a lot of unexplored ground with Hyun Soo’s sentience in the series such as being a ghost, never being able to physically age( unlike Doo Shim or Woo Soo), his search for his mother as well as a lack of deep connection between himself and Doo Shim ( who she seems to have grown up with pretty much ) which were never explored and left anticlimactic with the way the drama abruptly ended l his character arc early on .

This moves us onto the antagonistic force of the drama. Now officially there are two antagonists in the drama; the malevolent sprit, and of course an “ unforeseen” antagonist ( until they were revealed after a major incident). Positively this did present more multi-layered complexity than the entity merely being the “ big bad”, as well as pointing out a clear sociocultural criticism towards the cruel “ dog eat dog” hierarchy in the South-Korean education system . On the other whilst their motive was clear and had the potential to be realistically intriguing , their actual reason covered textbook moustache-villainy rather than being given more intrinsic depth. The ending was ( unsurprisingly) fairly anti climatic- not bad per say and certainly helping to add a more conclusive ending for our antagonists, as well as a. interpretative finale for our main leads but nevertheless slightly rushed with the climax coming to a halt early on, rather than being built up or allowing time for rising tension.

So is ‘ The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim’ actually worth watching? Park Ho Jin does a good job at building up our main characters as endearing and likeable leads which are further sold by dynamic performances with Kim Sae Ron and of course Hyun Soo, as well as the mystical and supernatural lore of the drama. On the other hand whilst Ho Jin’s potential sequel season could give room for tying up loose ends and problems ( including exploring character depth and relationships which sometimes felt disregarded), there were several inconclusive screenwriting moments which often felt rushed, cliche, one-dimensional or anticlimactic . Overall ‘ The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim’ certainly remains one of the stronger fantasy drama contenders for 2021 - it is not flawless from a screenwriting perspective and there’s a lot of ground that Ho Jin needs to cover going on forward, but a fairly easygoing watch.

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I'll say it - Jayden should have been the lead

What constitutes a good revenge drama: suspense, an intriguing lead, and of course, great revenge.

Doctor Lawyer lacks in all these categories and only makes up for it with the acting of Shin Sung Rok aka Jayden Lee.

The story of a good revenge drama depends on a fast paced and totally lead controlled narrative, but Han Yi Han, the lead here seems to depend upon the actions of others rather than his own to exact revenge. Even when the revenge is served, it feels like a let down when compared to other such dramas.

The acting doesn't help much either, with the other two leads delivering some of their scenes in the stoniest way possible.

The ending was no better, and I don't think the final arc of any character was satisfying enough. Just fell extremely flat.

Admittedly, this is not totally terrible, and has some absolutely brilliant moments too, but in retrospect, the drama could've been a tad better based off of the premise.

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