The Woodsman and the Rain
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Even still, something about this movie made me smile. And although the movie is very, very quiet with slow pacing, I would often--and suddenly--laugh out loud at a small gesture or response from one of the characters. And as the credits rolled, I found myself feeling quite happy and hopeful.
Emotions and situations in this movie are expressed in the simplest of ways. There aren’t any long dialogs or monologs to articulate the characters feelings or relationships. But much is said in the smallest of actions or gestures, and I really loved that. It makes you perk up and pay more attention to the subtle details.
My takeaway from this movie is that you just never know. You never know what small surprises or circumstances life has in store for you. Even when you immediately asses a new situation as bad or unwanted, it may just be exactly what you needed. It may indeed be a blessing in disguise to clear up the rain clouds all around you that you’d forgotten were even there. I appreciate this message, as I have found it to be a certain truth about life. Change isn’t always a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it’s usually good!
That being said, this movie isn’t for everyone. And many will find it boring and probably drop it less than halfway through. I considered it, but I’m really glad I stuck with it.
It served as a pleasant reminder that even when there’s rain, the sky will clear up again, eventually.
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This is a story about a man and only about him, strictly from his perspective. It's as if the movie was written for So Ji Sub and if you are his fan this is a must see. But then again, if the main actor was someone else I would say the same thing. There is nothing special about the plot, but it's well thought with no holes or loose ends, the script and directing are flawless, acting is great too. There are no over the top bloody fighting scenes, no gore, no bloodbaths. Alongside the action there is a wonderful love story, it brings a certain balance.
The ending reminds me of a computer game, that's when I realized that this movie is soulless. It didn't stir any emotions in me, the plot is predictable and if you have watched enough Korean gangster movies you will guess the plot twist too. But as mentioned before, acting and scenery are superb so it's still worth watching just for the fun.
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Boys Over Flowers
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Because love is the only thing that will help you become the adult you’re supposed to be.
I just finished watching this drama. It is rare for me to write a review but about this, I could not stop thinking so I am writing one.Well! This was an amazing play. The best Thai drama I have watched so far. The cast was amazing, they played their characters perfectly. The drama honestly portrayed the era in which it was made, i.e., the cyber bullying concept and the outfits of f4. I have watched Korean version as well, but I liked this one more. Fortunately, contrary to prior versions, the FL's optimistic side was highlighted more than her poverty. Gladly, she didn't do anything embarrassing.
Bright was the reason that I started watching this drama. I saw few clips and couldn't resist watching it. I waited for each episode anxiously. The group f4 was very friendly and smart. This drama had me crying and laughing. I am sad that it ended. I might watch it again and indeed the ost and Fan made mvs for this drama are the best.
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Then her struggle as a concubine began and I finally remembered that in the drama 'Dong Yi' Jang Ok Jung was ordered to poisen herself after having done so many bad deeds. At that time Choi Dong Yi even entered the scene arousing my hatred for the writers.
I'm glad that I didn't drop the drama as I would have missed the great ending of the drama. (JOJ writers manse! JOJ writers manse! JOJ writers manse!)
To be honest I've started this drama only because of Kim Tae Hee as I'm not really a Saeguk fan nor was I a fan of Yoo Ah In since Fashion King. But both Kim Tae Hee and Yoo Ah In excelled themselves and did a wonderful job. It's by far the best drama of them I've watched.
The music was just perfectly used in the drama. Especially in the sad scenes (Don't why I liked these the most too...)
I would definitely recommend this drama for Saeguk, Dong Yi and romance fans. It's definitely a beautiful love story.
PS: Now I can forgive Yoo Ah In for Fashion King although I know it was more the writers fault than his...
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No Boundary Season 2
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Absolutely No Rushed Ending Here
Do Not Watch This Without Watching Season 1. Nothing will make sense if you do.STORY:
The story plot is what appealed to me the most if not the chemistry. The plot isn't predictable, unlike other dramas. i often find myself wondering how they are going to solve some cases or problems. I really hate rushed endings and as you can see above, there are no rushed endings in this drama.
ACTING:
I have to admit; sometimes, the acting can be a little cringy. But overall, the acting was fine. The chemistry between the two main leads is phenomenal.
MUSIC:
Talking about music, I actually have the theme song in my playlist. the OST really suits the scene that they play in also.
REWATCH VALUE:
Lastly, but not least, the rewatch value. I gave it a 10/10. I've always wanted a drama where the FL has a higher status than the ML and this drama gave me that. I hate where the dramas often have a weak female lead that can't even protect herself. Definitely go watch this drama.
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The Princess' Man
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The Imperial Coroner
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Great Mystery with Some Romance & Comedy Wrapped in an Entertaining Package!
Unfortunately, some outstanding dramas like 'The Imperial Coroner' have slipped under the radar amidst other big-budget and star-studded ones. For those who have yet to see this show, it is a must-watch because this show is nothing short of stellar. Although crime mystery and political intrigue were the primary themes of this show, it had romance and comedy interwoven naturally and perfectly into it. Brilliant writing, excellent production, engaging characters, and well-chosen background music were among the many factors that make this show so golden.*** Storyline
I truly enjoyed this drama for its entertaining mystery plot and where the detective part was genuinely well-done. The process of solving the cases was immersive for me, especially when the clues made sense and were not just red herrings to throw off the audience. I am impressed by the amount of research that went into the scriptwriting and how the individual cases all factored into the larger mystery. The overall plot was solid, and the ending was satisfactory, with no stones left unturned. However, I could not rate it a perfect 10 is because it did lose some steam towards the end with the main villain not being so smart in moments of panic. His actions were still understandable, but I felt that they lacked the usual thoughtfulness and strategic planning. Ultimately, I was left feeling that the writers wanted to wrap up the show nicely and hence went down that path.
The writers were thoughtful with the details introduced in the scenes. I greatly appreciated how the writers did not "dumb it down" for the audience. Many shows would have the characters explain the obvious details, wasting time and scenes. Not this one! Each element and dialogue moved the story along nicely, and the logic presented was coherent and sounded plausible. I liked the re-enactments by the FL and ML (and the skinship that usually came along with it). I thought that it was very creative with the illustrations during the autopsies, the visuals for the flashbacks, the code deciphering, and multiple interpretations of words and meanings.
For me, it is the cleverness of this show that makes it so likable for those in the mood for something thought-provoking.
Minor side note and spoiler: it was the first time I saw the tea brewing ceremony being performed by men. Perhaps I have not watched enough period dramas :-)
*** Characters & Cast
The storyline was not only well-written, but the characters were also relatable. No character was superfluous, and most characters thought, behaved and reacted like how we would in real life. The show devoted enough screen time to each character so that the audience could understand their intentions and actions. The execution and pacing were smooth and provided enough insight for us to connect the dots and predict upcoming events. That said, it was never predictable and certainly kept me entertained to the end.
Best of all, there was little use of cliches; no sibling rivalry over palace politics, no toxic behavior from the male leads, no tiresome love triangle, and annoying third parties. The romance was the icing on the cake, but it was not necessary to keep one engaged. Prince An/Xiao Jin Yu and Chu Chu were the main couple viewers followed, and it was a quirky but wonderful match. As Chu Chu's and Jin Yu's backgrounds were steadily revealed, the progression of their romance felt organic and suited the nature of their characters well. Despite romance being only a sub-plot, the show told their story well.
Other relationships were valued in this show and portrayed in a wholesome manner. Like the ML and his brother so protective of each other, the FL's family made up of all men being supportive of her, the secondary couple cutely and silently crushing on each other, and even the loving bickering between Minister Jing and his wife. One favourite quote: "Girls are supposed to protect girls". The sismance and bromance will grab your heart and endear you to the characters. I love the simplicity of these relationships. It seemed just right, juxtaposed against the complex political schemes and the power struggle between the eunuchs and ministers.
All five main characters were consistently intelligent and skilled in their ways. Together, they made a formidable team, and one can tell that the actors had a great rapport with each other. These actors were new to me, and their inexperience did show. In general, though, the acting was good, especially the main ML, Wang Zi Qi. His facial expressions were on-point, and he aptly displayed a myriad of emotions, especially in scenes with the FL, who evoked all sorts of feelings in his character. Su Xiao Tong as Chu Chu made me laugh whenever she displayed her wide-eyed expression during the WTF moments. However, she did carry this expression throughout the show, and there is room for improvement. Ultimately, Xiao Tong was still believable as a bright, talented, and observant person who was incredibly good at her job. Yet, she was still an innocent and naive girl who just came into age and got exposed to a world beyond her family and village. There was character development as Chu Chu displayed more maturity in the subsequent episodes. I like that, unlike other C-drama female leads, Chu Chu was always poking about or doing something useful instead of just standing around.
As far as villains go, Eunuch Qin had one of the best wicked auras that I have seen. Kudos to Mu Huai Hu for his portrayal. He was a complex and nuanced character - displaying signs of missing his masculinity, was as crazy-smart as the good guys, and was able to anticipate and react accordingly. I often waited for him to make his deductions and clear up my confusion :D For someone powerful whose intel was wide-reaching and first-class, he was undoubtedly surrounded by some pretty incompetent lackeys. A lot of the comic relief came from his bumbling minions.
*** Cinematography & Music
Overall, the show used its small budget efficiently to put together a great and unique story. The way the camera caught the facial expressions and gestures like a raised eyebrow or a paused hand, and the attention paid to small details like the way the candlelight fell on faces, the sweat on a character's face who was in pain, the tears and snot streaming down when one was truly crying - all of these added depth. The focus on other elements also made it feel stylistically different from other dramas, like the different opening credit scenes, the transition from one character to another when telling the epilogues, and the conservative use of actual songs to underscore poignant moments. It was only after the first 20 episodes when I heard an OST played during an emotional scene. Still, the background music and sound effects were fitting. The opening instrumental piece was nicely done and set the appropriate tone of seriousness. As for the featured songs which I liked a lot, I have listed them here for posterity.
- This Life Unfinished (此生未了) by Audio Monster , HITA (音频怪物/HITA)
- Parallel Worlds (平行世界) by Wang Ye (王野)
- Heart's Fate (心缘) by Wang Mo Han (王莫涵)
- The Rest of My Life (余生) by Chi Yue Han C.J (池约翰C.J)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thzztiHVm0I
Side note: Having watched so many c-dramas, I am quite jaded to the dubbing choices for most shows, but I wished that they have picked a better voice for Chu Chu. The actress already looked appropriately innocent and naive, but her dubbed voice did not do her character any favour.
*** Romance
The sincere and straightforward romance between Jin Yu and Chu Chu totally captured my heart. Their love was adorably nerdy. Even their "love tokens" were practical and can be life-saving! Despite being new to love and still trying to work through their feelings, both did not shy away from sharing their thoughts with each other. Chu chu being guileless and pure was disarming to Jin Yu, who fell for her first. Jin Yu found his perfect half when they could speak anatomy and when Chu chu understood him even when no words were spoken. I found it charmingly funny that when one could not expect to squeeze an ounce of romance out of the most logical moments, Jin Yu can still be romantic.
I love how the drama used the supporting characters as devices to voice out the growing feelings of the leads. Little comments here and there helped the romance along for our fumbling main couple. Not only that, there were no grand gestures necessary; subtle acts like Jin Yu peeling grapes for Chu Chu or her unconsciously hanging onto his clothing for support were more effective in making my heart flutter.
The secondary couple, Jing Yi and Leng Yue were more emotionally knotted, secretly longing for each other but too proud to take the first serious step. Jing Yi was more obvious but assumed an air of rakishness so Leng Yue could not take him seriously. Fortunately, their roundabout way of getting together was not frustrating to watch and instead provided a nice contrast to our main couple.
It's been a good run with shows featuring non-toxic male leads, including this one. The men respected the women, and everyone appreciated each other for who they were and their talents. They have complete faith in one another, and their trust never wavered. I like that the characters did not do silly stuff, and they actually communicated openly. Jing Yu, for example, shared details with Chu Chu so that she became more cautious and more worldly. Instead of trying to keep her safe by separating from her, he kept her next to him, knowing that she was the safest being with him. Xiao Jin Li (Jing Yu's brother), Jing Yi, and Leng Yue tempered each other and kept each other from making rash decisions.
*** Overall
I do recommend this well-put-together show. It is seriously one of the most under-rated dramas on MDL, but hopefully, with an impressive Douban rating of 8.4 and through word of mouth/reviews on MDL, more fans will pick it up online and rave about it.
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PURE FLUFYNESS!!! ~ MY COMFORT DRAMA <333
If you looking for something will thrilling plot or something that has a drama or plot, these drama is NOT it.BUT, if your looking for something to watch causally, just to laugh, enjoy, and have a good time, then don't look any further!
I don't usally watch these chinese drama, but I have to say these these become into my top tens! GIVE IT A CHANCE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT I PROMISE!!
These drama is a GEM. The romance between then is the cutest I seen; it explores the main characters personality, background, and just how to came together and support each other! Both of the character have depth and FINALLY A FEMALE LEAD THAT KNOWS HOW TO STAND UP FOR THE MALE LEAD!! LIKE YASSS QUEEN!!
The actors did a great job and I become a fan! There acting was so good, it make me think if they are lowkey a couple in real life because how can you be these cute!!!
My favoriate song was "Forever Star" in the drama and it's very catchy! The other songs, I don't remember much of, but they were decent.
Overally, I would go back to it just to watch for comfort and the romance <3 10/10.
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"Our mouths can tell lies, but our hearts don't believe it"
Analog Squad was a heartwarming made family and biological family drama that reached inside and touched me. Execution can make or break a story that’s been told before in different ways and this story nailed it. Without becoming maudlin the characters all faced secrets that they were keeping or were being kept from them.“We lie to make other people happy”
Pond is a mysterious character when we meet him. He’s hired his ex-girlfriend to play his wife, a guy who works at a pager company to play his son, and a young woman whose family owns a video rental store to play his daughter. They head south to visit his dying father whom he hasn’t seen in over a decade. When his father makes a miraculous recovery the fake family has some tap dancing to do to keep the charade up.
“Everyone lies for their own sake”
Each of the family members is hiding a secret or several. Pond keeps secret why he left home, why his wife and children left him, and a host of other problems. Lilly/Mam is hiding a health problem. Keg/Mon hides the fact that his mom whom he adores is a nude model and that he’s going to the United States. His mom is hiding a whopper of a secret from him. Bung/Mag is hiding the fact that she’s a lesbian from her family, plus a family member is hiding a devastating secret from her. Pond’s biological daughter discovers a secret as she’s preparing to be married.
“Because when you compare it to death, anger is literally nothing”
The secrets could be overwhelming at times but most of them were dealt with a loving and forgiving hand as the characters worked through their complex feelings. This made family became deeply entwined with Pond’s parents and with each other. Just as real families struggle to communicate and confront complicated problems, the fake family found themselves dealing with many of the same issues. As they worked together and spent time with the “grandparents” they began to untangle some of the knotted challenges in their own lives.
“You have to accept that mistakes are a part of life and you deal with them”
The made family began to develop deep feelings for each other and the couple they were lying to, including love and guilt. The journey that took the longest to traverse was the one that had started the convoluted mess everyone found themselves in-Pond’s. Running away from the truth had caused him to make decisions that went from bad to worse over three decades and brought him to a place where he was ready to take his own life.
“Sometimes waiting is its own form of happiness”
For those of us old enough to remember the 1990’s and Y2K, this will bring back some memories. People were afraid that computers would stop working and planes would fall out of the sky. The fear was that it would be similar to an EMP blast that would cause technology to cease. Some of the technology on display included portable CD players (the darn skipping!), videos and video stores, and ancient looking computers that held less than your cell phone and were slow. Then there was the now almost obsolete technology of pagers and phone booths. Pond’s dad owned a photography studio and used cameras with film. They did a good job of taking us back to 1999 after the financial collapse and the devastation it caused people. By setting most of the story in a small village it was believable that it was 24 years ago. The best part of the cinematography were the shots of the gorgeous Thai scenery. The forests, water, and islands were stunning.
“There are no real or fake bonds. If we feel it, we feel it.”
This story of healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, and growth both in the family and made family was satisfying on several levels. Not every problem was neatly tied up in a bow, but most were resolved satisfactorily. Each member of the newly expanded family discovered something that filled an empty place in their heart. The family might have been fake but the love was real.
9 Dec 2023
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Takumi-kun Series: Drama
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guys hurting each other
Overall: the writers needed to narrow the scope and make the protagonists more likable. Based on the book series "Takumi-kun Series" by Gotoh Shinobu (1992-2014) which I haven't read and the review is of this series only. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5814/takumi-kun-series-drama-2025 (not available in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan or Korea).Content Warning: dub/non con touching/kiss, sexual assault turned consensual, trauma, hit/punch/violence, blood, slaps, past: incest, molestation/sexual assault, rape?, death)
What I Liked
- visuals
- a straightforward rejection in episode 5
- good production value
Room For Improvement
- there were way too many characters introduced (and I've seen the older movies), I couldn't tell who the characters were, their relationships to each other, who loved who until several episodes in, multiple exposition dumps
- did not like any of the couples, the main couple had a guy say this to his sleeping boyfriend: "How can I move forward? Don't wake up. You say no with you mouth, I see, I'm done waiting" and sexually assaulted his boyfriend in order to cure him (by the way freeze and acquiesce are also sexual assault responses that the brain might make on its own) , another guy slapped his love interest who innocently asked about a past crush and the 3rd couple had one guy as a cold jerk
- recent flashbacks and farther back flashbacks added to the confusion (seemed as if they both expected people to know what was going on and also didn't think people would know what was going on)
- telling another person that they need to be responsible for his feelings, everyone is responsible for their own feelings
- poor communication trope
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Do not watch
I love the drama that the cast become a doctor so I watched this drama even though their rating was low. I’m okay with the first episode to the half of the episodes. Nearly ending, the drama became so bad! This is what I’m really really mad since the drama has 44 episodes which quite long and at the end of drama you’re found it so bad. I cursed so many times since I felt really dumbfounded. This is what I want to review about, second of the last episodes, ML wanted to go overseas to study more about his cancer treatment. He can bought one of his family member and consider to take FL with him since they’re couple. But FL refused to follow him because of some reasons. One of the reason is she do not want to leave her ex boyfriend which was hospitalized because of the accident and they’re no other people who waited for her ex at the hospital. The other reason is because her work about designing. I can accepted her reasoning to reject ML to follow him but I can’t accepted when ML need to fly and she was late because her ex was found missing at that time and she focused on finding her ex rather than go meet her boyfriend at the airport. When she arrived at airport and found out ML already departed, she didn’t even text him to say sorry for her mistake and waited for ML to text her first but ML do not text her for a long time ( when he at overseas for one year) since he angry with FL. It is acceptable because FL didn’t take any chances to say sorry to him. This is because, I’m really annoyed with FL character.Second reason why I found it dumbfounded to watch which during ML at overseas, FL got a customer dm her to buy her items for several times and they became online friend. It’s was illogical to share your problem with customer that you contacted online which you’re never meet them outside. But FL can asked and shared her problem without hesitation. They have been contacted with each other and became friends. Rather than communicate with her boyfriend and apologize to him, she was contacted with stranger and get along with him. The writer did a bad job during this time and I can’t help to get annoyed.
The story was become so bad and annoying then I’m stopped watching immediately. Please do not watch it since it will annoyed you to maximum range.
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This feeling can't be concealed! So here I am
their acting is so goodin love with them
the story is so pure and made me emotional seeing the secret first love of sang zhi for duan jia xu
duan jiaxu is a gentleman
sang zhi is adorable ( luisi did a great job portraying her character)
sang yan is a silly dog hehe ( I love him so much)
this drama is the ultimate comfort and my most fav
the drama of the year award goes to hidden love
I'm glad I came across the manhua in 2022 and gave it a try..waited it for months to get chapter updates
and waited another months for this drama to be released
the summer vibes are immaculate
the way duan jai xu has raised my standards,it's pretty hard finding someone like that
I watched this while airing and everyday used to wait for 6pm for them to update the episode and used to get all excited , this is my precious drama memory
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First of all- I want to thank some fellow MDLers for introducing this drama to me. As this drama is not that new and the description doesn't express the awesomeness hidden in it, I'm not sure if I would decide to watch it on my own. But because some respectable ^_^ members of our community kept mentioning it here and there, I decided to check it out. And I'm glad that I did! Thank YOU! Hail to the most awesome community ever! Now, the review...Story
It's a wonderful love story. There are 2 people, quite normal people (no okanemochi CEOs or painfully poor angels)who meet in pretty normal circumstances and then... the magic happens! Because they fall in love, and open up to each other - and we get to see that they are truly admirable, though complex people.For me 90% of the story was amazing, refreshing and truthful, I really wanted to give it 10 points, but then I didn't like about 10% of it (I've ranted about it in episodes' reviews if somebody's interested, but it contains spoilers) so thus it's a 9.
Acting/Cast
I seriously consider stalking Kimutaku's dramas now, him and Takeuchi Yuko were spectacular in this! Aki and Haru were deep and complex characters that were truly well crafted. This drama contains some of the most touching scenes I've ever seen. Ok, there were some additional characters there- better and worse, but for me they served more as a background and explanation for the main leads' story.
Music
It's Queen- it's great! There isn't much to talk about ^_^ "I was born to love you" truly fits as the theme song(actually I really like the opening- it was really cool). Also the instrumental tracks where really pretty too.
Rewatch
I can see myself re-watching scenes from this drama so it's pretty high.
I hope this review will encourage some more people to watch this drama . It's one of a kind.
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Exceptional
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God aka Goblin is exceptional in all aspects. Be it writing, directing, atmosphere, acting, ambiance, and even wardrobe. Nothing was left to chance and with a story this fantastical and emotional, it could easily have careened into fluff and cliche; however, the actors all brought their A-game which made every second captivating and beautiful.Special shout out to Gong Yoo who gave a brilliant performance; likewise, the wardrobe director who made his character stunningly gorgeous. Similarly, his hair did some heavy lifting and deserves an award.
If you're looking for an emotional and heartrending series then do not miss this. I absolutely recommend it to those looking for a mature and beautiful story.
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He is Psychometric
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The story of a boy who can read people and objects by touching them. A sprinkling of romance. A secret from the past. The effects of corruption. The warmth of human relationships. The issue of moral ambiguity. The need for redemption and the difficulty of forgiveness. Plot twists that make you sit up and pay attention, then leave you rattled.Is this show able to keep your interest and make you come back for the next episode? Yes.
Do you become invested in the characters? Yes.
Does the story try to give an unexpected spin to otherwise predictable clichés? Yes.
Does the combination of cinematography, acting, pacing, music, and plot work? Yes.
Is it worth your time? Yes. Uhm… well… probably.
Is it worth rewatching? No.
It’s a type of show that is enjoyable to follow while on-air. Some of the gaps may become more visible when binge-watching.
He Is Psychometric is destined to suffer from the M. Night Shyamalan syndrome: the main draw is a Big Reveal gimmick; once the central mystery is resolved, the other components of the narrative don’t compel you to revisit it any time in the future. And unfortunately, to add to the viewer’s dissatisfaction, the show doesn’t successfully address one central point of the mystery: why was the coming together of the main couple—especially as trainer/trainee—so insistently and deliberately orchestrated? The reasons are implied, but not spelled out: a defect frequently found in Korean dramas which repeatedly state what is non-essential and obvious, but fail to clarify a core issue, leaving it diffuse or glossed over.
[NOTE: spoilers beyond this paragraph!]
As a viewer I found myself almost resenting the feeling that I could practically see the wheels turning in the screen writer’s head. If put into a monologue, it would go something like this: “Let’s see now… we need a spin on the childhood connection trope… Ah, Healer had this trio of the younger male and female leads, plus an older second male lead… And he was ambiguous most of the time, we couldn’t figure out whether he was a good guy or a bad guy… Let’s add this…Great… Now, what about the shared trauma and its potential to destroy the newly-formed couple? Hey, speaking of Ji Chang Wook projects, Suspicious Partner had this apartment fire thing… and the guy discovering that the girl’s dad is the one he blames for his parents’ death… but the dad is wrongfully accused… Awesome, this will work, let’s throw it in there in the exact same sequence, no need to mess with a working formula… Can’t make the parallels too transparent, though… How about a little twist here: the scale of the fire is a result of cutting corners because the big construction company is corrupt. Super! (Good call, BTW.) OK… So… what we need is a stark contrast between the puppy-cute young couple and a dark world of obsession and crime… Kind of like Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, but darn, we are not doing mixed genre parody here… hmmm… still, I like the creepiness of confining a woman to a lightless basement… alright, let’s do it! Major benefit: can link the backstory to the crime organization that appears at one point, then reinforce the arc on police cover-ups. (Another good call.) Well… we need to up the ante here… Let’s sacrifice a main character. Good, it’s unexpected! What else, what else… How about defy expectations and make the non-monster an actual monster? Oh, yeah, they won’t see THAT coming! [Pat on the back for being original]”
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this line of thinking. It could have been successful, too.
However, in order to create a really good story as opposed to a merely intriguing one, the focus needs to be more on the characters’ development in reaction to the events, not so much on the events bending and spinning the characters.
Lee Ahn and Kang Sung More, the two male protagonists, highlight this point.
Park Jin Young as Lee Ahn does a decent job, the character grows on the viewer with every episode. It’s a pitty that his presence in the story has so many underwhelming aspects. There should have been more coherence when presenting his psychometric abilities: how come he sees in 3D, outside of his own POV or the POV of the object he touches? If psychometry is draining for him, why isn’t this consistent or tied to specific contexts? How did he evolve, provided that he actually did improve? A lot of emphasis was put on his training and the unreliability of how to interpret what he was seeing, then it all dissolved into a non-issue. Ah, writing for K-dramas: rarely the paragon of logic and congruity.
Kim Kwon in the role of Kang Sung Mo is very, very good. He is nothing less than magnetic in the last episodes, his portrayal more heartbreaking than chilling. The writer’s decision that this character get the short end of the stick is unfortunate. He was humanized only to be dehumanized in the end. Why? His arc of atonement could have been served equally well—or even better—by emphasizing the amygdala difference, and making him act more out of panic rather than calculation. The pre-fire murders could have easily been presented as a knee-jerk reaction to the nosy building manager walking in at the inappropriate moment and seeing the contents of the suitcase.
To put so much effort to transcend genes, conditioning, physiology and life experiences, to develop ties of genuine affection, to become sympathetic through the need for human contact and love turns out to be futile for this character. What was the writer trying to say? A bad seed is a bad seed, no way around it? Very disappointing. It could have been so much better if the message was that trying to be better is worth it, that redemption is possible.
A major problem with this show is the fuzzy focus on what the story is actually about, apart from the suspense elements.
Is it about the struggle between Nature vs. Nurture? Is it presenting a negativistic, “evil is relentless, effort is futile, endeavor is meaningless” worldview? Or is the sudden flip in favor of biological determinism simply a ploy to make the viewer uncomfortable, just because?
Or is the story about the difficulty of possessing, gauging and effectively using abilities that are considered paranormal? Is it about reality and interpretation, and the limitations of perception, no matter how augmented? Is it about the value of knowledge and training – or the irrelevance of either?
Is the show introducing violence in order to talk about repentance and forgiveness? Their possibility? Their impossibility? Which one, exactly? Even if the main point is the inherent ambiguity of notions such as love, hate, good, evil, this should be made clear. Annoyingly, core ideas are left undefined.
It doesn’t seem that the writer put any significant effort to conceptualize the big-picture story. It hurts both the value and longevity of the show, which in hindsight remains fairly pointless.
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