Editoriais 
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Why does Mouse have a brilliant plot? Why is Mouse a masterpiece?
**Spoiler free part**‘Mouse’ is a unique drama. It took some risks and avoided clichés. That’s why many people like it and many don't. It’s dark, raw with many murders, many killers and without any romantic aspect. If you’re more into romcoms or if you can’t bear something so dark, then maybe ‘Mouse’ isn't for you. Also, keep in mind that even though ‘Mouse’ is based on some scientific facts, it’s scientifically inaccurate (sci-fi). If that disturbs you, I'd advise you to not watch ‘Mouse’ as you’re not going to like it.
‘Mouse’ has a very complicated plot that’s a little difficult to keep up with. It’s a drama that you have to think about and not a light-watch drama. All the characters are related somehow with each other or with the main events and everything plays an important role for the plot. Thus, you have to pay attention to every detail otherwise you’ll end up being lost.
At first, you’ll have many questions and you won’t understand a thing, until the time comes and you’ll see that everything makes sense. And then, you’ll also realize that ‘Mouse’ doesn’t really have plot-twists. All the episodes were full of clues, from start to finish. Everything was predefined, but you couldn’t see it because you were blind.
Many people would think that the story is overdrawn with plot holes and maybe they drop the drama. In fact though, ‘Mouse’ doesn't have plot holes. It's a drama you have to definitely watch until the end to get all the answers and understand it, so don't drop it for this reason, keep going.
Now, to justify why ‘Mouse’ is brilliant, I’ll analyze the plot further . Those who have already watched ‘Mouse’ can keep reading. Those who haven’t can come back after they’ve finished.
*WARNING SLOILERS*
*READ THE ANALYSIS BELOW ON YOYR OWN RESPONISIBILITY*
~~~Mouse’s inspiration~~~
The writer of Mouse, Choi Ran, was inspired by the Incheon Elementary School Murder case in 2017. There, when the defendant was asked about her difficulties, she answered “The weather is nice but it’s the hardest for me to not see the blossoms”. She didn’t feel any remorse about her actions.
Writer Choi Ran wanted to write a story where a psychopath would gain emotions and feel remorse. In that way, the psychopath would be punished and atoned. Thus, ‘Mouse’ it’s not a usual crime thriller, “it’s a story about salvation”.
The defendant’s phrase was said by the Head Hunter in episode 20.
~~~The Hubris-Atis-Nemesis-Tisis form~~~
Our hero is not a typical main character. He’s not the perfect, flawless, kind guy who is fighting for justice. On the contrary, we can compare him to Homeric heroes of Iliad and Odyssey and review him according to the Hubris-Atis-Nemesis-Tisis form. With that in mind, we can separate ‘Mouse’ into 4 different parts.
1)Hubris- episodes 1-4
If someone behaves arrogantly and insultingly toward the physical, moral rules or the laws of the gods, he is considered to have committed “Hubris”. Our hero hated the Almighty. At first, he killed for revenge. But then, he killed again and again. This time though, he was considering his killings as a judgment and himself as the Almighty, above all humans and gods. He tried to transcend mortal nature, he committed Hubris.
2)Atis- episodes 4-5
Atis is the blurring and blindness of the mind. Our hero was out of control. He murdered on a live-broadcast and wrote “I am the Almighty” with the victim’s blood. That was the darkest and the most macabre part of the series. He showed to everyone how far his craziness can go.
3)Nemesis- episodes 6-7
Nemesis is a life-changer event that sets the ground for Τisis (the final punishment). Even though his plan was perfect he made one mistake. He thought he had got rid of the witness who saw him murdering but he was wrong. When he acknowledged it, it was too late. His encounter with the witness became his Nemesis.
4) a. preparing for Tisis- episodes 7-14
Tisis is the final punishment. After the brain transplant, he woke up with memory loss. During these episodes he believed that he wasn’t the serial killer but a national hero. He came face to face with killers/psychos like him. He started to hate people like them, people like him.
4)b. Tisis 15-20
And when he had hated himself enough, his memories came back. He remembered what he did, but he wasn’t proud anymore, he was full of regrets. In addition, when he committed the murders, an organization was above him, manipulating him. He was never the Almighty. His nemesis had told him “You think you’re a deity? You’re just a psychopath who was born with a mutated gene. We are lab-mice.”. Then was when he understanded those words. What an irony of fate.
Our hero had accepted the punishment and in the end he paid for his crimes and atoned.
~~~“What if we could identify psychos in advance?”~~~
If we could identify psychos in advance, then ‘Mouse’ would happen.
In ‘Mouse’ some people believed that if they could identify psychos in advance, they could create a world without psychopaths, without bad people. The OZ organization was created. They thought the end justifies the means so they killed many people. They thought they could change the world, but they killed more humans than the “psycho-gene human” did.
The “psycho-gene human” wasn’t the problem after all. It was the people’s lack of ethical compass. It was humans’ arrogance.
Did the passing of the law bring eternal peace? No. This isn’t shown directly in the drama, but it’s implied by some scenes (post-credit scene of episode 20 ~ continuation of human experiments~ violation of Bioethics laws, Mouse the Last~ assassination). That’s how ‘Mouse’ dispels the myth it created. It made us realize that being able to identify psychos in advance and eliminate them won’t make the crime disappear. Maybe a second season that deals directly with this issue would make this point even stronger.
At this point, we can make an analogy with the tale “The Wizard Of OZ”. At the end of the tale, it is revealed that the wizard of OZ, the powerful wizard who had founded and ruled the city, was an ordinary old man, a fraud. Respectively, the founder of OZ organization was a fraud, a predator and not a savior and the OZ organization is nothing more than a group of murderers and its beliefs a big scam.
~~~Why did people believe that anyone who has the psycho-gene is a killer?~~~
We know that psycho-genes exist in 'Mouse', but having them doesn’t necessarily make you a killer, only a psycho. We know that not all psychos are killers and not all killers are psychos. There's plenty of scientific research about how psychos' mindset is working in the real world and the writer tried to stay as accurate as she could to this. But despite this, history has also shown that people tend to believe in ridiculous ideas and do inhuman things. The people in the world of ‘Mouse’ aren’t any different.
From the story’s start, we see people believing that a murderer’s child is an evil monster, an upcoming murderer, that all psychopaths are crazy murderers. In other words, we see an easily manipulated crowd full of prejudiced people. Someone promised these people a utopian world without crime and they praised this idea.
~~~ “The Wizard Of OZ” and the main characters. ~~~
The OZ organization isn’t the only thing that reminds us of the tale “The Wizard Of OZ”. In fact, the main characters of ‘Mouse’ have a lot in common with the characters of the tale. Let’s take a close look and see why.
~~The Tin Man : Jung Ba Reum (JBR)
The Tin Man desired heart so he could feel emotions. JBR wanted to not be a monster. In the end, he got feelings and he wasn’t a monster anymore.
~~Dorothy Gale : Oh Bong Yi (OBY)
Dorothy was taken away from her family due to a cyclone. Thus, she began a journey to find her way back home. Likewise, OBY lost her only family. At first, she lost her grandmother and then JBR. In the end, she was alone. We can see her loneliness in the special ‘Mouse: the last’ in the lunch-time scene.
~~Scarecrow : Ko Moo Chi (KMC)
Scarecrow wanted a brain. KMC never had thought clearly after the Head Hunter accident. His mind was trapped on that day. After his interaction with JBR, his mind was free. Now he was a life-wise person and in peace.
~~The Cowardly Lion : Choi Hong So (CHS)
The Lion wanted to be brave. CHS was on the run all her life because she was afraid to face her parents. In the end she took the courage, reunited with her family and took responsibility for her actions.
~~Toto : The kitty
Toto is Dorothy’s dog and her only friend. Of course, Toto is here too, but as a little kitty. In episode 14, JBR’s nephew named the kitty JBR gave him Toto. What a funny coincidence…
~~~The dark reality of ‘Mouse’ and the meaning behind the title~~~
In ‘Mouse’ we see human cruelty in all its glory. We see vulnerable people. No one is perfect. We see good people die one after the other. We see people with good intentions killing their savior. We see mothers trying to kill their own kids. We see people dying in the name of science. We see people doing the same mistake and the story repeating itself.
‘Mouse’ is full of irony. It bothers us because, although it has the brain transplant, it feels very real. ‘Mouse’ is showing us that we are all victims of inhumanity, even a killer, even a psycho. Everyone is a “mouse”. Will we be able to escape from our inhumanity? Will we be able to avoid mistakes and not fall again like a rat in the trap? Are we sure about our actions? What if one day we wake up realizing everything we have done was wrong?
Conclusion
‘Mouse’ is one of the best K-Dramas for 2021. I won’t say that it's the best, because everyone has different preferences. What I’ll say though, is that ‘Mouse’ has the most unique story of 2021 K-Dramas. ‘Mouse’s story just hits differently and combined with the right direction, the marvelous interpretations and the on-point soundtrack created a powerful and intense Thriller.
Of course, ‘Mouse’ isn't flawless. At the end of the day, nothing is. But through ‘Mouse’ I saw hardworking people who loved their project and wanted to pass a message. I can’t ignore the details and the creativity that this show has. That’s why, for me, ‘Mouse’ is a masterpiece. Team-Mouse, thank you for not compromising the story for popularity and giving us this drama.
This was long so I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this review and I'm glad if some of you found it helpful.
If you want bonus/sources, see in the comments.
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The overall story is about two people who encountered hardship in their youth uniting to establish their own sense of love, justice and peace. I am so thrilled that the leads were both charming and smart. There were no senseless games or fights just pure witty and authentic commitment, love and determination.
I would put this series up there with ten miles of peach blossoms and the lengend of fuyao. No cliffhangers, just clean and clear and amazing ending.
Hats off to the young female actress who played “Rong’er” she has some skills. I’ll definitely look for her in future films.
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Either way, a waste!
Having watched the original show “Jane the Virgin”, I was, at first, a bit hesitant because I liked that. But then I thought I should check out how the Kdrama essence changes it. And I am sadly (not really) declaring that they did fail and this was entirely a horrible attempt. It was obvious to compare this with the previous but then I thought I should actually consider it as a separate show because things must have changed with given circumstances, which did happen. Either way, it did disappoint.Developed by ‘Studio S’ & ‘Lifetime’ and produced by ‘Group 8”, “Woori the Virgin” is a comedy melodrama plus partly romcom drama, adopted from the American satire telenovela “Jane the Virgin”. Written by Jang Ah Mi and directed by Jung Jung Hwa, the drama was broadcasted on SBS TV and internationally distributed by “Viu” in limited countries. Notably, this is not a remake of the original show, rather an adaptation since all the 5 seasons from have been summed into a single season. Also, the show reunites Sung Hoon and Im Soo Hyang after 6 years who, again, happen to have debuted together 11 years ago.
Oh Woo Ri (Im Soo Hyang), daughter to a single mother and raised alongside her grandmother, is a woman in early 30s who has been virgin due to her religious beliefs. During a regular checkup, she gets pregnant due to medical malpractice at her OB-GYN clinic. To her surprise, the sperm owner turns out to be a man Rafael (Sung Hoon) with whom she had a momentary fling five years back. As she decides to keep the baby and the story follows the consequences and unfamiliar events she faces.
Lee Kang Jae (Shin Dong Wook) is Woori’s boyfriend and a detective. Other familiar faces in the story in various major roles were: Hong Eun Hee, Yun Won Kyung, Kim Soo Ro, Lee Do Yeon, Nam Mi Jung, Hong Ji Yoon, Joo Jin Mo and Yun Woon Kyung.
Plot development was the entire problem with the drama. The remake was a bad idea; they could have made a story based on the concept but they went for an adaptation, making foolish decisions. The pilot episode did its job of creating an impression at the end but the episode, as its own, was not very pleasant. However, the furtherance following that and the set of events became interesting with plenty of comic elements and revelations done for the major characters. To my disappointment, it didn’t last long; it seemed smooth till 5th but what happened in 6th and the way the episode ended, I was skeptical about the rest of the show, because it hadn’t even reached its interval.
With only the crime scandal and the main culprit left to be unveiled, everything else became stupid and not worth of watching as soon as the 7th episode started. I can’t say that the mystery plot and the investigation process kept me engaged, it’s just I wanted to know the culprit’s face even when the show had already fallen through, that’s it. It kept getting stupider and logic-less towards the ending and for my habit of not being able to leave anything unfinished, I watched 7th-14th at 3x, ngl.
Emphasizing on my opinion, once again, adaptation isn’t an easy job as it seems. Even if the audience doesn’t expect you to justify the originality, as a writer, you must be careful not to mislay the essence of what’s been presented earlier, which the debutant Jang Ah Mi jakka-nim clearly failed to accomplish. First of all, the idea to adapt a 5 seasoned show was stupid to begin with; secondly, it could have simply referred to the story and created one of their own; finally, bringing all the 5 seasons into one was where they stooped to rock-bottom.
With not being able to create something noteworthy in his almost 15 year caarrer, Jung Jung Hwa PD-nim has again failed to bring another drama to justice. The flow of direction was inconsistent, very much. Things like screenplay management, sound editing and screen editing might have been handled to par but the erratic pacing and irregular development come as annoyances. While the first half was smooth and worth the patience, the latter half becomes too rushed in order to include everything within the predetermined quota. Imo, they could have made to more episodes, minimizing the damage.
Composed by Choi Seung Kwon, the show has a total of 5 OSTs and my ‘Kdrama OST Sucker’ heart couldn’t bring itself to love any single of them. I would say ‘”I’m In Love” by Sin Ye Young was the only likable track which also fits to the drama. While “Gosh” by Jessi is a fabulous track individually, this has no particular essence to be contributed to the show. Other 3 tracks are: “Sunday to Monday” by Woody and “I’m goin’ crazy” which has both male & female versions, sung by Kim Bum Soo & Lee Young Hyun, respectively.
What I liked…
Nothing really
What I didn’t like…
# Sung Hoon’s acting doesn’t improve remarkably even though he has been acting for a while and his irregular casting should be the reason, but it’s obvious he isn’t getting many offers bcs there seems no will power to improve. He could utilize his time in taking classes. (Some of y’all will come at me foe this but fact never changes.)
# Character arcs for many were shoddy; not even the 3 leads had anything significance. Flaws make characters realistic but for a 14 episode fictional drama there were way too many flaws, provided they didn’t have a single fraction of development. In the second half, it wasn’t even funny rather ridiculous.
# Kang Jae’s character was horribly written with no particular sense. As a cop, he didn’t show any trait that would make him a good detective. The number of times he and his wit failed, implied his incompetency and also showed how incapable the police is. In short, this was so very unrealistic and had no logic.
# Chemistry between the 2 possible pairs were zero. While Im Soo Hyang did click with one showing little compatibility, pairing her up with the other was so useless and was presented with cliché elements as fillers only. The original show was convincing, but as the culture and essence have changed with the remake, the same felt extremely stupid here.
# The illogical plot devices were irritating in the sense that they did repeat few just to stall time and match the timelines of different subplots. Then, they used some just to fill the gaps created due to the removal of major events from the original show. Finally, the way of representation was choppy.
Final remarks... Overally, “Woori the Virgin” is not only a bad remake but also a poor quality show if you don’t take the original show into consoider. I came here knowing I might get bored but the stupidity and failures have made me mad. I understand the low budget is where the problems stem from but we have seen enough such cases, where makers have aced the race despite every hurdles. Since the show has way too many cons and almost no pro, I decline to acknowledge it as an average show, even. Don’t watch.
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2Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? What was it like? Did you leap into the abyss with wild abandon? Lose your heart, body and soul? Was it worth indulging in every lucious, forbidden moment? Find out all about it in Till the End of the Moon, a heart-stopping account of Li Susu and devil incarnate Tantai Jin's scorching entanglement of love, hate and misunderstanding that spans 500 years and multiple realms.In a desperate attempt to stave off the resurrection of the the devil god, a bunch of grey haired cultivators send an intrepid young cultivator Li Susu back 500 years in time to stop Tantai Jin from turning into the devil god. Yeah, you really have to hand it to these crusty old cultivators - when all else fails, they sacrifice a virgin and hope for the best! Susu assumes the identity of Ye Xiwu and is tasked to kill Tantai Jin after tempting him out of his... uhm... evil bone! I almost choked with laughter at the sheer audacity of such a naughty plot setup!
This angsty xianxia's unique premise is that the main protagonist Tantai Jin is a fiendishly compelling and tragically misunderstood character; literally a prince of darkness. Luo Yunxi is mesmerising in this role - his diabolical crooked smirk, the maleficent glare, the taunting cock of an eyebrow, the elegant devil-may-care gestures and the imperious snap of a finger. But it is his shatteringly wounded expression and how with a moment of stillness he screams silently with pain oozing from every pore that makes me root for the devil and to hell with the realms. My favorite part of this drama is how kindness and love gradually changes the dark, lonely and twisted Tantai Jin into a best yet still flawed version of himself. Bai Lu on the other hand could have delivered a more nuanced performance as Li Susu. Her Susu is so unwavering in her duty to the realms that I could not tell when she fell in love with Tantai Jin or if she ever really did. That said, there is an exceptional spark between the leads that results in both hilarious and smoking hot moments. I could see sparks fly in every direction during Ye Xiwu's seductive dance that tempts the devil in his liar. This drama's greatest hook is Luo Yunxi's portrayal that dimensions his character beyond the screenplay and his searing onscreen chemistry with Bai Lu.
There are four distinct arcs in this drama, the first of which is the strongest and most enthralling mortal arc. I loved everything about this arc and if this drama had held that level, I could have easily rated this over 9.0. By design, the second visually stunning dream arc also shines in many aspects but sags as a result of lazy writing and overuse of tired xianxia tropes. The third and fourth arcs recover somewhat but never quite hit the addictiveness of the first arc. Part of the problem is the second couple is poorly written, has no chemistry and is not empathetic. Their insipid story is overshadowed by that of foxy Pian Ran and unswerving Ye Qingyu's passionate and addictive love story, which ends way too soon. While all of the arcs have good moments, the plot is moved along almost solely by misunderstandings. This is the hallmark of indifferent screenwriting and it undermines the intelligence and agency of the main characters. With a little bit of effort, they could have gotten to the same place without undermining the characters and disengaging the audience.
In terms of production values, this is a big budget drama and it shows but not in the best ways. The make up was often over the top and not flattering. I am visually scarred by the excessive blood spitting that took it to the next level in terms of bloody teeth and the excessively bright contact lenses absolutely ruined many emotional moments for me. I did not at all enjoy the pantasmagorical CGI orgy game world that hijacked all of the clashes between good or evil including the beginning and ending scenes. The over-lit glare distracted from the emotion and the intensity of Tantai Jin and Li Susu's most pivotal scenes.
The way this drama ends is both fitting and inevitable in that both Tantai Jin and Li Susu fulfill their destiny. My problem is with how they get there. It could have been a lot more palatable if it were better written. But my biggest gripe with it is that the drama never convinces me that humanity or the realms are worth saving. Or that there is cosmic justice. After all, Tantai Jin was just jinxed from birth but he was hardly the worst, most evil character. What I resent most is that the hypocrisy of the moral sects is never exposed and that the truly evil characters get outcomes they don't deserve. The original works this drama was based on may have been very good but the adaptation is not. The screenwriters should all hide in shame and do all they can to try to erase their names from this adaptation. Nonetheless I rate this 8.5 because anything less would be an injustice to Luo Yunxi's devilish, simply irresistible and unforgettable portrayal of Tantai Jin.
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who proposed this drama ??
i suppose this is an unpopular opinion, but i barely tolerated this drama. it requires zero expectations or standards to be watchable, and i couldnt manage that. most people are in love with it and say this drama uses tropes and cliches “properly”, but i didn’t think so at all. they were cringey at best, toxic at worst. i believe dramas have a responsibility to portray relationships mindfully, without romanticizing abusive behaviors that will then influence young viewers. therefore my negative feelings towards this show are mainly directed towards the characterization of the ML and a few other tropes/ideas the show pushes on the audience.
to start: there are hundreds of kdramas with the same “cold rich guy is mean to innocent girl until he falls in love with her because shes so different” plot lines. business proposal is one of them.
the cold ML archetype is overdone and horrifying, and in 2022 i didnt think id have to watch this arrogant, spoiled man literally blackmailing a poor girl into fake dating him and then harassing her about it even at work. imagine if the ML was unattractive or sixty years old, it wouldnt seem so romantic then. but media romanticizes stalking, borderline harassment, pushy men, and this affects how we see relationships and set standards.
specifically, i hated how the show romanticized ML being pushy with FL. his profession of love: “it you reject me again ill ask you out again and again. i wont give up until you like me back” was appalling. first he blackmailed her into fake dating him, then he says he wont give up even if she rejects him? not only is he a powerful wealthy man, hes also her boss. this is the DEFINITION of a power imbalance. no matter her reasoning for saying no, she said no and i would’ve loved to see him respect that choice. it couldve been written that FL realizes her feelings on her own and comes to him, without making it look like he pressured her into the relationship.
and this is not a one time situation: the drama does this with youngseos cousin who keeps pushing herself onto sunghoon who clearly drew a line. notice how in this situation its weird and uncomfortable but with hari and taemu its okay, because we the audience know she secretly harbors feelings. i dont appreciate this show telling viewers that if someone says no, you dont give up.
in the past major dramas such as boys over flowers and heirs, MLs would be pushy and FLs were doormats and this ended in true love. now, we finally have characters setting boundaries and yet STILL dramas say “never give up! no means yes!” i definitely wouldve been a lot more lenient and willing to just watch this as a lighthearted fluffy drama had they not used this male lead archetype.
perhaps you think this doesnt matter. but there are impressionable viewers learning what is acceptable and romantic based on these dramas, no matter how silly or obvious the tropes may seem. even if these dramas are far from reality and are clearly meant to be taken lightly, this all couldve been omitted while still keeping the plot the same.
in terms of writing and production: they didnt spend enough time fleshing out the characters and i just didnt care about them or their romance. there was barely any build up, they saw each other a few times and suddenly he was in love with her. the scene in ep 11 everyone was so excited about felt so random to me and for the first time ever i did NOT want to watch a main couple show be affectionate.
the ML spends half the drama harassing and blackmailing the FL, and the FL spent half the drama lying to him. the characters felt very 2d and they were basically built off the cliches rather than having actual personalities. the side characters like haris old crush and his gf had a single personality trait each and i forgot they existed at all. oh, hari has a brother that shows up once in a while for no reason. all of this i didnt really mind as it was obvious from the start that this drama is not meant to be revolutionary. rather i think the worst part is i didnt feel chemistry between the main leads at all.
overall, this drama is highly predictable and lacks any real depth. i know many people enjoyed it, and thats fine. perhaps you will enjoy it too. but i hope my review tells you what the description and ratings do not.
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a cinematographic thriller with an odd pacing
like most of us, i was hooked by the trailer of 'somebody'. i binged it the day of its release. a dark thriller, involving creepy serial killer kim young kwang and an intriguing kang hae lim ? could we ask for more ?the first episodes were interesting, the impeccable acting and visuals get you very engaged in the story-line. however, after a few episodes, the story arc gets a little dull. a slow paced thriller can be very good when well executed, but in my opinion, the pacing of the scenes in 'somebody' sometimes felt inadequate. some moments lasted too long, and others that we would want to dive deeper into ended abruptly. i also wish they went in more depth into backstories to improve character development. when finishing the drama, i was left with mixed feelings, and wanting to know more.
still, i need to praise all the actor's performances. they are the ones keeping the story compelling from start to finish. kim sum's character is chilling, and yun ho's scenes dreadful ! they really nailed it on their part.
overall, it's an aesthetically pleasing, very well produced (netflix) drama, with flawless acting, so it's still a rather enjoyable watch for anyone into slow thrillers. this drama had a lot of potential, but i feel like the visual quality took over the actual substance and depth of the story.
edit: removed the 'leaving us with many unanswered questions' from the title, as it seemed to confuse people into thinking this drama had an open ending!
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A Great KBL
I really enjoyed watching the series 💯. The series teaches the important of loving oneself properly and how friendship is a very integral part of life. A very realistic ending and a beautiful story but there were so many things I couldn’t understand.Why was his best friend not aware he had Kylie , where was she when he lost his mother and when he almost lost his life, she literally called him to hangout after not long after he lost his mother and we didn’t see her at the funeral . I didn’t really get his story with Habibi too . His friends deserved to know what he had been dealing with at least and they didn’t preach safe sex and how he was having relations with people while having Kylie , I feel like that should have been touched as well. But apart from that I loved it
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This show is fantastic; it's something new. This is among, if not the best, kdrama I have ever watched. Although I do have a few sentiments to share: (1) The show had an extremely strong beginning, however somewhere in the middle, it felt lukewarm. It did pick up again eventually. (2) I almost dropped it out of annoyance towards Yi Seo because of her obsessive tendencies and unnecessarily rude attitude. I had to continuously remind myself that she was sociopathic to rationalize the way that she was acting. One thing I cannot forget, however, is the scene where she kissed Saeroyi without his knowledge. That was creepy and unneeded. I would remove that, if I could. (3) There was a lack of romantic development between Yi Seo and Saeroyi. I wish the build up were shown more gradually and naturally because I never really figured out when Saeroyi started feeling differently. Was Saeroyi already lovestruck when Yi Seo confessed her feelings? If not, then when did he fall inlove? I don't know. I don't know if it was done purposely as romance is not the storyline's focus, but the romance between the two came out forced.Despite what I've said, I absolutely loved watching this. It was a wild ride, and it made me feel so intensely. It isn't surface level. It is above and beyond Saeroyi's relationship with Yi Seo. In fact, it tackles many aspects of being human exceptionally - the importance of bonds, the sturdiness we should possess in hardship, the search for meaning, the effort it takes to abide by our principles, the way that everything else gets clouded in pursuit of something, the effect of upbringing to one's viewpoints, self-interest, dehumanization. Not to mention it also touches societal issues such as racism, bullying, and the scorn that transgenders receive. It's just so well-made and well-executed. Moreover, the casting is simply outstanding, both the protagonists and antagonists are effective. They give full justice to their roles.
All the characters are flawed, and while they are unconventional, they are also substantial. They are oftentimes irritating, self-serving, and unreasonable - but that's what makes them all the more enthralling. While they undoubtedly manifest all these qualities, they continue to move forward, gasping, struggling, improving themselves in their own way, seeking for reasons to continue on, even if their reasons are repugnant, such is life.
The plot encapsulates being human in such a spectacular way, and I truly admire that. You would find yourself disagreeing with plenty of things. You would encounter absurd worldviews. You would question your own morals. And you won't even notice it, but you would find yourself engrossed and attached. The flow, the storytelling, the dialogues, the OSTs - everything is impeccable. The ending was pure satisfaction.
Needless to say, watching this has been a great pleasure to me. Give this show a chance to prove that it deserves the hype.
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1STOP AI!!!
people have to wake up!!! I don’t care if i’m seen as dramatic but please don’t normalise AI.it’s not just a few minutes scene, it literally replaced actors. humans. and if you let this slide, companies will keep going, AI will be more powerful and we won’t even recognise/spot the difference between the real things or AI things and many people will lose their own jobs. we only will have AI everywhere, it’s already replacing artists, music, creativity, motivation, people’s work..
(i did see 4 eps not 9 i keep changing it to 4 but it won’t submit it at all…)
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One thing that caught my attention was Seo Joon's acting in certain scenes, which i thought he did a wonderful job with. On the other hand, Hwang Jung Eum, and Siwon. Usually in dramas when they try to act funny, it just doesn't work, but here, i think these two did amazing, because i actually found myself laughing at them occasionally.
All in all, if you're looking for a drama that's light to watch, has those funny side characters that make you laugh with them, and a pleasant atmosphere, this would be it!
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As this show finally came to the end today, after three months of following trainees journey, I thought I would share some of my thoughts and list some of the reasons why it's (in my opinion) the best of all Produce shows.
1. Production quality is really high
YWY is a competition but the production team doesn't make it look like the hunger games. The editing is not evil but actually made me burst out laughing many times and rather on creating unecessary drama, it focused on showing hard work and friendship between trainees and how much the girls supported each other.
The cameramen usually do a really good job and don't suddenly zoom into space or into the back of someone's head while filming.
Stage effects, outfits, makeup etc. (and of course talented trainees) make the performances look proffessional and impressive.
2. Mentors genuinely care about the trainees and give them useful advices
I think that the relationship between mentors and trainees is much closer than in different versions of the show.
It was a great decision to chose Cai Xukun as the main host. He knows what the trainees are going through, because he went through the same experience in Idol Producer so he's able to really empathize with the girls. Despite his young age, he already has admirable knowledge about music and performing and he tries to share this knowledge with the trainees.
Also, I think the panel with Alicia was one of the most useful panels for every trainee/rookie I've seen in Produce shows, because she actually addressed the struggles of 'celebrity life' without sugar-coating anything.
3. The contestants
First of all, the amount of talent the trainees have is insane and I was often impressed by the stage presence of some of the contestants.
The trainees really support each other and their friendships seem so genuine. There's not a single girl who's unlikable and you actually get attached to these girls and wish them best. The girls face hardships during their training but they're still able to keep their spirits up and lighten the mood.
The tone of the show is different from what I saw in Produce101. The contestants don't look like they're going to crumble under pressure. They are not afraid to express their opinion and even joke with their mentors.
4. The message
What I absolutely love about this show is the fact that it supports diversity and girl power. Rather than focusing on being cute and pretty, the girls show that you can be cool, you can have different image but most importantly you can be yourself and keep fighting for your dreams.
In my opinion, especially in Korean shows too much emphasis is put on the visuals.
Honestly I think it would be hard for a contestant with the image like Yu Zhang or Frhanm Shangguan to go far in the Korean Produce and I don't think it would be possible for a girl like Liu Yuxin to reach the top. But in Youth With You I was so happy to see girls who were not 'conventionally pretty', girls who had different styles and personalities.
To put it short: even if you're not interested in survival shows, I think you should give this one a chance.
YWY 2 is over now and I'm really gonna miss it. I wish all the contestans best of luck and of course I can't wait to see The Nine debut.
(Annotation: By using term 'Produce shows' in this review I refer to the shows which follow the same format as original Korean Produce101.)
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Made me want to vomit blood
Watching all 59 eps made me feel like I was going through my own tribulation. Honestly, the amount of times people spit out blood in this drama is enough to paint a highway. But that’s not the point. Due to the overwhelming positive reactions to this drama I was excited to watch it. The first few episodes were interesting and the backstory of the God of War was my high point. I was interested to learn more but none of that gets revealed until nearly the end. What I got for the remainder of these 40ish eps was a weak ML who got stabbed more than a pincushion, a stupid annoying FL who is controlled by the worst villain to ever exist, hypocritical “righteous” sects who made me feel homicidal to the point that I ended up rooting for the demons, contrived misunderstandings just to drag out unnecessary plot points and so so so so SO MUCH TALKING! Good lord!I was not a fan of the leads going in and while they probably did the best they could I feel the FL is miscast. She does not pull off the duality of Xuanji/God of War well. I kinda laughed at how big her hair piece was and the armor was terrible. The ML was also kind of one note due to the character being selfless to a fault. Watching him getting stabbed, poisoned, tortured over and over again got so boring after the millionth time. It made the character feel pathetic and weak and it felt like the only reason he kept living was the thick slab of plot armor they padded him with.
The story went off the rails once the Star of Mosha returned and things turned weird and made me wonder if this was a BL drama all of a sudden. But to be frank, the actor who played Luohuo Judu pulled off his duality better than the FL anyway. When he’s menacing, he’s terrifying but when he goes soft it’s so believable.
I appreciate that the drama focused so heavily on the FL’s backstory and the ML served more of a secondary role to her journey. It’s kind of a nice role reversal but the writing and characterization was just too elementary and sub-par. While there’s a lot of depth to the villains, the main heroes felt so one dimensional. For 90% of the story FL has no agency whatsoever and is manipulated by nearly everyone around her. The only time she takes control is when she turns into the Star of Mosha who just so happens to be a man. Kind of a bad subtext there. The other female characters in the drama revolve entirely around men as well and have no agency of their own. I began to fast forward a lot towards the end. This could have easily been cut short into a 30 ep drama and saved me a lot of time.
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I'm slowly getting back to kdramas, so I picked this one up and at first I was all in. I loved every moment of this show. The acting was top notch and the story, at least in the beginning, was complex and unique.
I loved it!
So why the 7?
Well, what I loved about the show was the complexity of everything and how everyone was flawed. As the show progressed and more secrets were revealed, I thought that it would continue to add to the depth of the characters, instead I got the same kdrama. Rich guy falls in love with poor girl. Poor girl has a guy that likes her and the rich guy has a girl that likes him. Drama ensues.
I can accept that. What I couldn't accept was this love story. Min Hyuk and Yoo Jeong just didn't make any sense as lovers. Min Hyuk had some reverse Stockholm Syndrome where he fell in love with the person he was tormenting. It came about from obsession and then he loves her. It made sense. But for Yoo Jeong to love him back all of a sudden? No. That never made sense and never felt authentic to me. After five years of being harassed and tormented, you don't just suddenly say "I love you too."
I also felt like the story dropped the ball with Do Hoon, who was the most interesting character on the show. He's been brought up in a family that expects him to be the best, but still keep his morals intact. That all changes when he allows Yoo Jeong to take the fall for him. Him getting close to Min Hyuk and trying to destroy him seemed to be his ways of making amends, but in the end I really didn't know what he was doing.
I enjoyed my time watching this and was eagerly waiting for the next episode to appear so I could watch it, but now that everything is said and done, was this really all that different from the rest of the kdramas out there? Kind of, but not really. There's a lot of plot holes and the ending was rushed. I just wasn't satisfied when it was done.
I am in the minority with this, so if you think this might be something you'd like then check it out, but if you are looking for something new in the kdrama world then I don't think you'll find it here.
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Love Story Between a Scorpio and an Aquarius
Wow, what an ending!!! At the beginning of this episode (last episode) I thought this was going to be another amnesia trope but in this case it really worked (also made this entire drama make sense). This is going to put up a serious fight against Crash Landing On You as my favorite drama for the year. I have to say this show surprised me so much. Unlike Crash Landing On You, I came in with normal expectations. One, because I have never watched a show with Lee Joon Gi before despite having watched hundreds of dramas (I know, I know. I have always respected him and admired him but somehow just never watched a k-drama with him in it). On the other hand, I really like Moon Chae Won as an actress. She has never disappointed in any of the dramas she was in. She neve disappointed me in Innocent Man, never disappointed me in Princess Man, never disappointed me in Good Doctor, and has not even disappointed me in Goodbye Mr. Black (yes, that show was a disaster but her acting is spectacular). She has took it to a different level in this drama. Everything just hit so hard in this show and I have never once felt that her character was not insincere or she was acting.And Lee Joon Gi was phenomenal. As a dude, I always thought all of the other k-drama fans (mostly women) have liked him not just because he was a good actor but also handsome. But he killed it in this show. He portrayed a complicated character so well it is unbelievable. This character has showed and experienced every emotion possible to a human being (betrayal, shock, love, guilt, anger, happiness, sadness, jealousness), everything. To show every single emotion without even acting out all of the scenes is just beyong amazing (of course the writing and directing were phenomenal).
This show also reminds me an article I read half an hour ago about horology (I know this is not related but it kind of is). It was an article about Scorpios and Aquarius. What really stood out was how the two signs have so many obstacles in the way but strangely match up so well. It really seemed to describe this couple.
Do Hyun Su (the Scorpio in this case) does not have a lot of friends. He does not trust people easily. He comes off as off-putting and such a huge jerk. He is hated by everyone as well as society. People do not understand him, they think he is psychopathic. However, as a Scorpio (I am just going to assume his character is a Scorpio-type personality) he can read people easily. Hence why he often manipulated people (he feels emotions but manipulated people simply because he could and it legitimately made sense in his situation). He can read his friend Moo Jin and he can read his Noona. He can certainly read Cha Ji Won as well (the aquarius in this case). Moreover, he cares a lot about the people he loves: his Dad, his Mom, his Sister, his friend, and last but least his wife (also loves his adopted family hence why he was able to be set up by them despite himself being extremely careful and observant, he just loved them too much). He is very family-centric (misses his mom, still loves his dad and even cares about his adoptive family) and loyal (hates betrayals, hence why he wanted to kill the nephew in his mind). However, despite still trusting the people around him, he still cannot trust anyone completely, not even his wife (aggravated by the fact that she is a cop and he is a fugitive). Hence, why he fooled her for so long. However, this drama really pushed him to change (Scorpios don't change easily) to really take a leap of faith and trust his wife completely which he eventually did (however, somewhere he did not know why he trusted her and even doubted his feelings a bit both before the accident and after the accident).
Ok, now back to Cha Ji Won (the aquarius). She is extremely popular with people, is very creative and idealistic. She has a lot of friends but enjoys having her own space. She seems to have a lot of friends but none of them seem to be able to read through her. However, Do Hyun Soo can. Do Hyun Soo finds her creativity and playfulness enjoyable and extremely captivating but he does not know why he likes her (mysterious attraction). He tries extremely hard to figure out everything about her (all of the notes he wrote trying to figure out why she likes something, and all of his effort trying to get her know better). I know it is hypocritical to want to know about someone but hide yourself but Do Hyun Soo is very insecure deep inside (once again aggravated by his complicated past, his fugitive status, and his wife's job). In the end, he seemingly succeeds. But deep inside, he is not only not truly confident that his wife loves him, but not even sure that he likes her (since he does not know why). Cha Ji Won (the aquarius) is also extremely attracted to Do Hyun Soo but she is not 100 percent sure why either. From her point of view, she keeps on expressing her interest (right before they started dating and after the memory loss) but she is getting no response. She is extremely tired but just cannot seem to give up. At the end of this episode, she seemingly gave up but still had some hope somewhere (Hyun Soo could not really go to her in both cases before he was certain that he really liked her).
This all ties back to the final analogy which made everything make sense to me. Hyun Soo, the Greek God who is misunderstood by everyone likes to hang out in his own comfortable space. However, he always has his wife on his mind (Cha Ji Won). He finally realized that just like the Greek God, there was only one person he truly loved and trusted, and that was Cha Ji won.
All right, one more thing. I thought Eun Ha loved her Dad irrationally too much before this episode but it makes sense to me now. She is a shadow of her mom. She is too similar to her mom. WIth the exact same personality and half of her genes, it is easy to see why she loves him. Do Hyun Soo loves her as well which is another parallel to the relationship betwen him and his wife.
TL;DR: Do Hyun Soo and Cha Ji Won seem like they might not be a great fit because of their tumultous relationship but in reality it is all within the process of finding true love. This drama shows that true love is possible and marriage is certainly not the end product of love, not even a child (in fact, it is more likely a new beginning).
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Wandee has the personality of a flip-flop
Why was Wandee ready to be boyfriends with Ter, the guy who had the personality of a two-in-one shampoo but needed 12 episode to accept Yoryak? Make it make sense?!?!Like, I don’t understand why Wandee was playing hard to get? Dude, Yoryak found you in the dumpster, in between two trash cans. Please, stop playing hard to get, he already saw you at your worse and still wants you.
That being said, I tuned in to this show every week because GreatInn were amazing. Loved how their chemistry was chemistrying and the plot was watchable. The second couple were good as well, Cher has my whole heart. All in all, an enjoyable show, but still some things annoyed me, so here we are.
Because, for a show about having a good day, it sure as hell ruined my day.
CHARACTERS
Listen. I liked YORYAK. He was in the running for my fav character along with Cher. I was rooting for him. Sure I had no idea what was up with that random grim reaper character that showed up whenever the writers remembered there’s supposed to be a guy in a cape for the plot-line, but still I liked him.
Then the finale happened and undid all that, making me think he’s an ungrateful jerk. Because his brother, Oye, gave up his dream, got beaten up by loan sharks and almost lost ruin his relationship, all to make Yoryak’s dream come true. But what does Yoryak do when he finally makes it to the top? Immediately dedicate his win to his fake boyfriend with benefits. Literally you met him like four seconds ago!
Dafug you mean this win is mostly because of you, and this championship belt is yours??? No it’s not! Wandee did nothing, this had nothing to do with him! Matter of fact he stressed you out with his indecisiveness so much you lost a match. Get your priorities straight child!
Really, what did Wandee contribute to his victory? Is it because he told him to face that hooded figure? His brother would have told him the same thing if he’d confind in him. Nah, that part was just messed up, especially after that family episode.
Anyway, I still like Yoryak, but that last episode did him no good.
Now WANDEE. Oh, Wandee my boy. Why you gotta have the face of a supermodel and the smile of a cloud, but the personality of a slipper?
Wandee’s inability to make up his mind annoyed the hell outta me. It wasn’t because Yoryak did anything wrong or didn’t communicate his feelings, our boxer did and said all the right things, but still Wandee wasn’t sure even after they kissed. Dude, he brought you home after picking you up from the dumpsters, he’d seen you at your worse and still wants you. What more is you waiting for???
When he kept dragging his feet about being Yoryak’s real boyfriend, I wanted to reach into the screen and shake him. Like, dude you were in love with that shifty arse doctor who looks like he steal pills during his lunch breaks, but hunky boxer is where you get sense? Child, if you don't sit your arse down!
I liked Wandee, he didn’t sit around crying for weeks when he was called vanilla, which lets all agree, dude looked like the poster boy for vanilla, but yeah, he didn’t sit there wallowing, he up and got himself a sexy faen with benefits, and he had a cool grandma to add to his charm, but I sure as hell was given him the stink eye. And I did so every episode after they first kissed. He was acting like a boyfriend, but still didn’t want to commit.
And also, did anyone cringed so hard, they wanted to jump off a cliff when Wandee started singing? I get Thai Bl dramas never leave the house without a guitar, but the secondhand embarrassment I felt, yikes! Like, why is now the time to start singing in front of all this people?
This show had no business being 12 episode. It could have ended the first time they kissed on the lips. Cuz it just dragged after that and made Wandee more annoying by not being able to make up his mind. I kept screaming at my screen ‘Mfer do you want to be with Yoryak or not?
Also, did we ever find out about how Wandee was scared of traffic lights, but like, drove a car? What he do when he stopped by a traffic light?
But like, do we all agree that Inn’s smile is sooo adorable?
Anyway TER! EFFING TERRR!!! I still can’t get pass the episode where he fumbles a beautiful doctor lady for Wandee, only to fumble him too and then try to come back to the dance floor looking for her. THE AUDACITY!! Did Ter think that boss lady doctor would still be waiting for his sorry arse?? Homeboy out there acting like spare tyre and thinking he’s the belle of the ball.
LMAO, what a loser! His sorry arse out there looking like an upside down question mark, and yet he thought he still had a chance with Wandee! Any screen time he had after that vanilla scene felt like I was being forced to accept his existence. Then instead of falling down the stairs in the finale and breaking all his toes and fingers, the writers up and gave the mfer a whole arse girlfriend. WHY? FOR WHAT REASON??? ARRRGGGGG
This world has no balance, why are all my enemies winning this season? First Tong and now Ter.
And speaking of the VANILLA scene. HAHAHAH, Ter out there acting like he collects stamps and have seks with the lights off, calling someone vanilla, dude didn’t seem like he knew any positions other than missionary, cuz what player with game would fumble two people in the span of a minute at a ball?? Vanilla! Boy if you don’t shut up!
I really wanted him to end up alone, bitter, and jobless, but here we are with his annoying arse waving at me and going ‘Bish, you thought!’
CHER AND OYE
I loved these two together. Usually I watch most of the second leads scenes on 2x, but these two had me hooked. Cher the most, the bestest boy, and so supportive. I love the ending they got, so happy for them.
PLOT:
Not gonna lie, watched all the boxing on 2x, cuz that hoodie figure was so uninteresting and if you see them punch once, you’ve seen it all, but the hype of the games and their gym added to their characters, so that was good. The competition thing with the doctors was also just sort of there, nothing to write home about, feels Ter didn't even try that hard to win? Also, them forgiving that bum arse father was meh, and dragging the series only to make Wandee more annoying was also whatever. But, the talk about protective seks and asexual characters was very much needed, so kudos to them. And Plako with his bedroom suggestions, his kinky arse had me rolling.
Anywho, I did like this show, I looked forward to it every week, so I recommend to it anyone who are funs of GreatInn. I’ll rewatch it, just to grin like an idiot whenever Cher pops up.
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