The Guest is unlike any kdrama I've ever seen before. It's bloody and dark and overall just a really good horror show. They really went all out there with the horror sometimes and it was great. The story, way it was shot, the actors, and the music also worked so well together. Overall it was just a really fun drama to watch.
Many people found it difficult to watch because of the horror that was on display. I am very fond of this kind horror, with ghosts and demons and stuff, so I was kind of in my element. I switched off the lights and turned some candles on before (almost) every episode. I had a great time watching it.
The story was for the most part very well put together. It started of very strong (and because of that some of the following episodes felt a bit weaker in comparison), but there were a lot of interesting twists and turns in there and some really fun characters. The begrudging collaboration between the three main characters that, along the way, turned into some beautiful friendship was awesome.
Often when you thought you knew what was going on, or what was going to happen, the drama managed to twist it just a little bit. There were a few times when a episode ended and I just sat there watching the credits and just going; "oh, shit."
Some episode were a bit slower than other and sometimes those episodes felt like they were more fillers, especially towards the middle and right before the final episodes rolled around. But you also needed to slow things down from time to time and not have it all action. But there were also episodes were everything just clicked together and everything had a nice pace to it. The drama isn't perfect. No drama is.
There was a time where I felt like we were a bit stuck running around in circles, where there was almost the 'possession of the weak' going on and a lot of the same turns of events were happening and some parts felt a little repetitive, but we were still gathering a lot of new information’s and clues while running around those circles, so I did not mind it too much.
I don't know if I will ever watch a kdrama quite like The Guest again. It felt like a unique viewing experience, even if the themes of exorcism and all of that aren’t new to horror movies or shows. I felt the Guest kind of tried to make it their own. For me it was something new and fresh compared to other kdramas. And I shall miss watching it.
Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
Who is Your Destiny?
Originally I thought I would give this series an 8.5 but what changed my mind to score higher was the fact that even though it had many flaws of characters and script, it was a delight to watch and made me enjoy it more then the other two series I was/am watching. This made me laugh so much and later it made me cry. I left this series to watch last or save the best for last each day. I'll be finishing the other two today and Tuesday and starting three new ones but this show has gone into my permanent watchlist for rewatching. Let's get into this, shall we? Who is your destiny?Pros: Favorite character other than Ping'an was the ML or JSC. It was my first time watching William Chan in anything so I had been looking forward to it. I knew he would be dubbed over because of his heavy accent from the get go but it didn't take away from his acting in the slightest and those dimples; each time he smiled, it made you smile. Who knew William was the biggest goofball on set? The BTS were night and day from his character. But I still really enjoyed the evolution of his character. He had to go from an ice cube, to a man in love who didn't understand it, to going through an existential crisis, being there for his girlfriend's, losing another friend and coworker, and being in a coma for x amount of months (wish they gave us the length of each time jump), after which he proposed in an awesome way and got married. Seemed the timeline was about a year within the show but so much happened to just him it was really fascinating to watch. It took the existential crisis and the coma to make him realize he wasn't superhuman but an ordinary person that had to still be able to lead and allow himself to be led and protected by others. William did a great job with all of the evolutions and challenges. I look forward to watching more things from him.
Other favorite characters were FL or XL; granted her gorilla glue attitude for the first 6 episodes made me cringe a lot, what impressed me about her was that she never gave up until her own existential crisis which JSC helped her through. She wasn't your typical FL that's a damsel in distress. She spoke her mind and knew what she wanted from day 1 in everything. She always stood up for others and never allowed herself to be bullied. It was quite refreshing to see. I'm tired of the "woe is me" FLs in c-dramas. XL in her little body was determined to do what was right and if she was at fault, she understood it and apologized. Though she loved JSC since he rescued her 10 years ago, technically they knew each other since they were kids. People can say that she was obsessed with him and that's partially true but he also inspired her to be an international dog trainer for rescue operations as well as a journalist. He gave her a lot of strength even before they met each other again.
Others were the second leads who were just too cute in general. But ZQ when it came to others always preached the truth. Her timely and honest responses to literally everyone was also so empowering. I thought it was awesome that though LFQ was always chasing after her like a kid after candy, when it came to his own crisis--and kudos to the writers and production team for accurately portraying what PTSD looks like as well as how there are different methods to treat it--she was there for him and Ren Hao who played him (redeemed himself in my eyes for a hot mess character from two years ago lol) did a phenomenal job at portraying someone with PTSD. I have PTSD so I know what it looks like; to address something properly like that in this rom-com of sorts was pretty amazing. It also was a reason for the raised score. When health issues I have or know well are accurately portrayed in a cdrama (which isn't often), that'll get an automatic pros mention.
The rest of the fire brigade were awesome and absolutely hysterical because they were like gossipy women. Them teasing each other or other antics in episodes had me roaring with laughter and quickly rewinding to watch again. The death of LX which was foreshadowed very obviously for a while, even though the CGI wasn't great, it had a very "Backdraft final scene" vibe (a classic movie w/Kurt Russell and William Baldwin from 1991), his final video message which was supposed to be for the team when he retired had me in tears as well as JSC waking up from the multi-month coma after that incident and everyone's reactions.
Other favorites were grandpa of JSC, mom and dad of XL (mom was nuts at first but thankfully evolved), chief of the fire brigade as well as of the tv station, and Shishi. I know her voice was irritating but when she appeared and started doing to the TML what he spent 29 episodes doing to FL, I loved her! She was childish but at the same time she knew her own worth and it proved to help a lot with TML. Their open ended ending as the 3rd couple was actually appropriate. The videographer intern was a mini antagonist until he returned to his original self and I liked that about him. OSTs (except in the proposal dance scene where the first song should have stayed) costumes, sets, locations were all on point.
Cons: TML! Dear lord, why just why? For 29 out of 36 episodes, this plum fool and his obsession with FL had everyone in the comments just ready to bury him alive. I've seen the actor before in a much better role but I felt sorry for him here. This shouldn't have gone on for as long as it did. He nearly got FL killed at least once. The script had a lot of problems; this was one of the biggest. Another was the propaganda inserted in the most random of places; you just don't stick that crap into a rom-com. Yes, this series was about firefighters as the main occupation and journalists but the speeches that came out of random characters in the most ridiculous of moments or those that didn't make sense would just knock the scene out of whack.
Making FL seem like essentially gorilla glue in the beginning was just weird. The crazy woman at the tv station was very much an unneeded antagonist. You already had so much going on, she was literally extra. But since she was added, she should have been arrested way before episode 31. It was a bad call on the part of writers and producers; 36 episodes for so much, they need to understand when less really is more.
The unnecessary plot of the FL's existential crisis to get her and ML to the place he rescued her just to be able to stick another natural disaster in. There are other ways to do that. And then having TML go to the disaster area in a suit? How is that even remotely plausible? Because of yet another rejection by FL and Shishi getting hurt, he out of nowhere snapped out of his obsession. It happened too fast. Given what we had seen, there was so much incohesion in all of this. It was a very messy part of the story.
The ridiculous pre-teen kisses amongst the leads were eye roll worthy each time. Only 3 were normal; it made no sense. Even if they were inexperienced, given their ages, it shouldn't have looked so unnatural because they had great chemistry. Though there is a 9 year age difference between the actors, that shouldn't be the reason for such flat kissing in a drama where they act closer in age.
Would I recommend? Despite a varying number of voices, I absolutely would. It was a great escape into silliness and cuteness for me everyday. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Just enjoy all of it; cringing is ok too. But I promise laughter and some tears. All well worth it.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Very Fun Light Watch
Yes, the production value is low, low budget, random actors/actresses, mediocre acting, etc. But this drama is very fun to watch, and honestly none of those matters compared to plot/story. The director and screenwriter is the original author, so if you like the novel you will definitely like this. The main character here is probably the best and coolest ML ever. Very strong but hides his power until its needed, knows what he wants, definitely not naïve, and is not a lovesick puppy. Simple story, simple writing, but still manages to be very entertaining and funny, I can't wait for next episode every time, very suitable for binge watching, The pace starts out very fast but it does slow down a little at 20+ ep but it is still faster than the average dramas.And the best part? No angst, none of those annoying bullshit trope in all those xianxias and what not, no misunderstanding, no "losing powers," no toxic love rival, none of those usual annoying tropes in most other dramas. Most of the villains are comedic reliefs which is fun to watch, we know they are going to lose like immediately because the main character is overpowered and it feels great watching main character who is not hopeless. Yes, I'm aware that this trope is quite common in novel and manhua, BUT none of those gets live adaptation ever, so hey, this is the best thing to that in live action format! We barely got any xuanhuan adapted if any, but instead all we drama viewers got are all these endless angsty xianxias.
I wish there will be season 2 but it's very unlikely but who knows. It is unfortunate that the donghua also looks low budget, the manhua looks pretty bad, and novel is... just text.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama has everything a time travel drama should have: good plot, good script, good casting and good meanings.
The plot is full of twist, emotions, changes and it takes you to another world, the world the main character is experiencing.
Because it is a drama that rounds around the main character: even if the others are important, the feeling you have is that Sun Woo is fighting alone with his own story, because he wants to change something he cannot change anymore.
I found this drama awesome because he makes you think about life.
"Changing something bad in the past maybe cannot bring you happyness."
If something bad happens you have to work alone on your own happyness, not trying to change your past or your fate.
This is the meaning of this drama in my opinion, and it is a good meaning.
I think this drama is amazing. Even if it doesn't allow you to understand everything (but this is part of the script), it makes you think of everyday life while the plot is a time travel so a 'fantastic' one.
I absolutely loved this drama and I am planning to rewatch it.
I reccomend this.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
ambivalence
"Oasis". Hm. I've thought whether I should continue watching or drop the series... I've also considered more than once whether I want to write something about it... My feelings about this KDrama are ambivalent. However, the ´why is this?´ , is why I actually consider it worth mentioning.Sure, there were bumpy details, like the boys' artificial skin tanning when they were young, but I don't want to dwell on those.
>> The decisive factor for me, not rooting so much for this show, was and is that I really do NOT care so much for ANYBODY in this story. I understand, yes. There is empathy, yes. But sympathy? I couldn't care less. I've never had that before. I actually didn’t care. Neither the love story, nor the incorrigible rival, nor the girl wanting to bring back her father's cinema – this all and more only had limited impact on me. That's why I was tempted to turn my back on the story. Yet, I don't want to deny the actors' ability. I would do them injustice. They did their job fairly well. There are a number of strong moments. But still, maybe they were not the perfect cast? In any case, I would argue that in “OASIS” the character portraits were simply NOT drawn that well. ...In my view, that's obviously NOT the strength of the script...
Then there is the historical context of the series – the rollercoaster ride of the 80's and 90's. In South Korea, they are the neuralgic interface between dictatorship and democracy. But I don't want to dwell on this either.
>> What was decisive for me was that the STORY of the KDrama really mattered to me – whatever triggered the dynamics, the twists and turns. Intertwined with it were indeed countless moments that touched me deeply. Starting with the seed that underlies the whole drama: the fatal loyalty of the former slave not only to his deceased master, who had fought for independence, but also to his son, whom he now still serves as a free man. And then also the fruits that came out of this seed. Plus a lot more. The circumstances, the constraints, the social context that shines through in how it shapes (or had shaped) people, all of this really had me .
The way these forces of time and history run along in the background as a matter of course and keep stirring up the lives of the protagonists at crucial points, I think the script did THAT quite well. (However, I don't know whether it would have worked that way if I hadn't already known something about the political and social context back then.)
Maybe I could summarize: The portrait of how the historical dynamics are intertwined with personal destinies is well done in "Oasis". The character portrait of the comparatively stale protagonists, on the other hand, is less so. This discrepancy, resulting in my rather indifferent experience of the main characters on the one hand, and the emotional force with which the story keeps lashing out on the other hand, is a phenomenon that I have never experienced in a KDrama before. (But I don't necessarily assume that this has to be the same for others as it is for me.)
Eventually, despite the ambivalence, I watched to the end and was always curious to see what would be next. I can't say I regret watching either. But then I wasn´t all that happy in the end - even though I was partially impressed by the showdown, (yet, again, only partially.)
----------------------- Tiny side note: -------------------------------------
Re: 80's and 90's:
In connection with e.g. the KDramas "Sandglass" and "Giant" I have already given some of the political coulors of the 1980s and 1990s. Much of this applies to the historical context of "Oasis" as well. (you might want to check there.) Here, though, the dubious role of the secret service comes more into focus.
Re. Movie theatre:
The dictatorship was characterized by censorship. In addition, there was no freedom to travel. Accordingly, the cinema was like a window to the rest of the world, and generally offered a canvas to dream away from one's own misery, at least for a while. That may be more or less true wherever you look on this planet. But in South Korea at that time certainly more than i.e. in Europe. The role of the ´cinema´ in "Oasis" not only coincidentally represents liberation (struggle - especially of the female protagonist).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ps.:
Because of this KDrama I stumbled over another one - same title, 20 years older: "Oasis (2003) " or "Desert Spring".
I am grateful for this discovery thanks to the name-connection. Actually I liked that older one (despite the specific doing of that time) even more...
Nevertheless I consider "Oasis" (2023) having its moments, too...
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This drama is somewhat relateable aside from the love lines.First off, its a typical youth C-drama, female lead loves the popular, smart and handsome male lead.
The character development in this drama is great especially with the female lead, Xia Miao Miao. She was initially a timid and shy girl but grew into a brave, confident, and independent girl because of her friends and because of her beloved Liang You Nian.
Liang You Nian is the male lead of the drama. He's your typical c-drama male lead. He's sweet and nice to everyone except those who ticks him off or trying to get with his girl. You can totally see his glare when someone gets too close to Miao Miao. IT WAS ADORABLE! Back to the story at hand, You Nian is someone who sticks to what he wants to do and this trait of his helped Miao Miao switch her major to something that SHE herself really wanted to do from the beginning. That sparked the change in Miao Miao and how hard working she is in achieving her dreams.
The relationship between the two leads started later because Miao Miao had a crush on You Nian since high school and (spoiler alert) Liang You Nian did as well, however he didn't exactly confirm this until later in university. It was cute when they got together, they held hands, hugged, not much kissing but other than that its adorable seeing them together and working together, etc.
The drama also focused on other couples Lin Kai Tuo, You Nian's younger step brother (its funny because the actor playing Kai Tuo is way older than Kuan Lin(actor playing Liang You Nian). XD Kai Tuo was coupled with He Xin (Liang You Nian's cousin.) I call them the temper couple cause they both have anger issues/temper. hhahaha Another character is Wang Yi Chao and same-grade female character I forgot the name of albeit sh initially liked You Nian.
Furthermore, the drama focused on family issues such as Liang You Nian's family. His father married Kai Tuo's mother. For a while this caused a disruption in the friend between Kai Tuo and You Nian. One misses their birth mother, and the other misses their birth father. As said before, this drama mentioned individual choices -such as majors in universities- if your family wants you to take this major, but your hearts wants something else then follow it cause thats what Miao Miao ended up doing.
Lets just say, You Nian influenced a lot of Miao Miao's choices which eventually lead to an argument I thought was pointless. Anyways, You Nian also said Miao Miao inspired him as well in ways that she never knew she could because she thought he's "too high" for her. It just tells us that You Nian doesn't care if you're not the best looking person, its all about the personality and your actions and what you do with it.
The acting in this drama is not amazing. I just want to say Kuan Lin is not an actor even though he technically acted. He just didn't seem natural whatsoever. His expressions are stone cold aside from his smile - which is adorable but other than that his expressions in acting is terrible. Even the crying part was awkward - it had no feeling to me. The female lead who played XIa Miao Miao did an okay, passable job.
Overall, if you like youth dramas dealing with fashion design, architect, drawing, college life, family drama, friendship then this is for you. :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Love Is Better the Second Time Around
40 people found this review helpful
is love better the second time around?
Overall: there was amazing tension but I needed more character growth and less love rivals. 6 episodes at 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala. ; re-released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40574c-love-is-better-the-second-time-aroundContent Warnings: manipulation
What I Like
- tension/chemistry
- clear between what were flashbacks and the present
- end of episode 2 they explain what happened in the past and the time gap/why they each reacted how they did makes sense to me (unlike the majority of these types of plots)
- production value
Room For Improvement
- kind of an exposition dump in the first episode, but they didn't have much screen time so I understood why they did that
- too many love rivals (3) in just 6 episodes
- not enough character growth, I needed to see 1 character be real, everything had this fake veneer
- cliche plot point at the end of episode 5
- lack of consequences for some characters "gave me freedom" is NOT how I would describe what happened in high school
Thoughts on Grey Characters/Their Romantic Relationships
Sometimes these characters and their dynamic work for me and other times they don't. Here are the factors that I'm thinking about.
1. was there a realistic reason why the character/s acted the way they did in the past (yes)
2. were both characters grey or was one squeaky clean (they both had character flaws)
3. was there some kind of apology/amend making (kind of)
4. was there character growth (not really)
5. do I believe that the characters will stay together in a happy romantic relationship (maybe)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Despite all the catfights there is a deeper grounding to the story. Intelligent. Emotional. Opaque.
"Battle for Happiness" is based on a novel, the author herself having written the script for its KDrama version on PayTV, too. The story offers refreshing substance - with insight into honest emotional worlds underneath a shimmering dishonest surface. Powerful, intense women, who also have their sore, hidden wounds, shaping a surprisingly powerful story. Hats off!The story is set in the elite world of elite Gangnam mothers in the elite (fictional) Gangnam housing block Herinity. But even though the ladies may have made it into the upper league of society by marrying a lawyer or doctor or having wealth in some other way, they are still far from happy - even if they do almost everything to make it look as if...
Perhaps one could say that the KDrama is (again) a reckoning with the dubious concept that gives preference to the radiant, shimmering external appearance over truthful, sincere substance. But that's quite abstract. Actually, “Battle for Happiness” is rather precise. The battles are taking place in the mud of the protagonists' hidden secrets and weaknesses. That is dirty. That is mean. That is malicious. That is cruel. But that's what the life of those Gangnam mothers is all about. The societal backdrop is characterized by the overall social pressure to perform and compete for pole position in the race for the top spots in the social pyramid. But this is actually just the backdrop. It's actually less about the children. They are ornaments of their mothers. The mothers, on the other hand, are in the spotlight - wealthy, frighteningly powerful, influential women. Vulnerable people, nonetheless.
Admittedly, at the beginning I was tempted drop – those bitches! So false, so dishonest, so calculating, it was almost unbearable... The social media in their function, to spice up one´s own life a little more gloriously on the outside, are elaborately integrated into the overall dramaturgical structure. However, I stuck with “Battle for Happiness” because despite all the catfights there is a deeper grounding to the story, whose charisma can eventually fully unfold.
In fact, I'm glad I stuck with it, because the story offers an exciting rollercoaster ride of assumptions and suspicions. "Battle of Happiness" suddenly turns out to be a captivating crime thriller in which an inconspicuous private person takes the investigation into her own (unexperienced and sometimes naïve, impulsive) hands. Yet, even more appealing to me is the naturalness in which this KDrama gives a hand for compassion - even with the worst of the she-devils: the lady, who as the incarnated princess of hell in designer clothes initially got people´s minds running wild...
It´s the ladies, who rock the show. They are mothers, wives or single. In any case, you can't get past them. And they, for their part, cannot avoid facing their own sore wounds, which are catching up with them one by one. We consistently dig deeper into the hidden emotional worlds of those women (plus also a couple of men and some children). They must face their personal emotional battles, even if they don´t want to. In the best case scenario, they become their actual battles for happiness, as they lead to their very personal questions and truths - what is REALLY crucial in my life?
There is a dubious mathematical equation circulating among those ladies that goes something like this: 'The amount of misfortune I cause someone else becomes a factor for my personal happiness.' Well, even if I'm myself not great at math: If you multiply whatsoever by zero, as far as I know, zero still remains, isn´t it... So eventually, those ladies are forced to work on THIS point in the equation (the zero!)...
...and some of them actually take advantage of this opportunity as an outsider penetrates the aloof world of the Gangnam ladies. One, who doesn't think much of all the elitist concepts of happiness and competition, but instead innocently keeps looking for the perpetrator.
I wouldn't have thought so at first, but in my opinion "Battle of Happiness" is clearly one of the better, more substantial productions that 2023 has to offer so far. Comparisons with existing KDrama productions that are set in a similar milieu and/or wade in the mud of the glittering elite may perhaps come to mind. But "Battle of Happiness" tells its own story! And in my opinion it is definitely worth watching. (...if you are not looking for Romance or Oppas or Comedy…)
Most of us may never get near such exclusive worlds. However, wanting to fool others (and ourselves), feeling better when others are feeling worse, sometimes doing something to others that we wouldn't want to be done to yourself... hardly anyone might be immune to these human impulses. If we take away the exclusive luxury world, from which many may easily distance themselves, then we're still left with the beastly temptation that may linger in all of us. Maybe/hopefully we just don't let the beast in us out of the bag so uninhibitedly...
So I could summarize: I appreciate the intelligent, yet still highly emotional approach and the opaque processing of those different relationship dynamics between the protagonists.
Was this review helpful to you?
The story is good , the cast was nice and the music was beautiful. I thought it would've been much better if they replaced plastic surgery with a normal weight loss but either ways I enjoyed it till the very last end.
It was short, cute and most of all entertaining without any blank moments.
Was this review helpful to you?
The most beautiful bundle of complexity in GL media by far.
Let me first start off with the writing. Despite initial concerns with the problematic novel it's based off of, the writers did a fantastic job in making up for the flaws of the book in the series. The necessary changes made, the pacing of the plot, and the flow of the story all contributed greatly in cementing this show in my heart as one of, if not the best GL I've watched so far.Now let's get into the acting. Namtan did a heck of a job differentiating Oom from Ai. It genuinely felt as if they're acted by different actresses by how well she played the two characters. Film was a natural. She played the role of a woman who is blind perfectly, and at times it was scary how real it felt. But that's just how well she embodied her role. Not only this, she really has this natural artist's ability to capture your attention and be enamored by her acting that just gets you in the feels. NamtanFilm is by far the most balanced GL tandem in terms of acting. They match each other's amazing acting ability, making it easy for viewers to feel what they intended for scenes to elicit.
For my most loved part of this show: its complexity. Characters are extremely flawed, morally grey, and realistic. Yet, the writers did not fail to bring out the humanity beneath these characters to make them appeal to the audience's hearts. Its themes are also extremely heavy yet are handled and tackled well enough to not make it problematic. This balance was what made the show more engaging, enjoyable, and memorable. Especially with Jan, Pang, and Pim's love triangle. It was a whole lot. Although their story was not quite deepened and not dwelled enough for there to be any attachment felt by the viewers for them, it just goes to show how bold and complex Snap25 went with Pluto.
Additionally, the fact that a lot of redemptions happen in this show makes it a relatively easy rewatch despite its heavy themes (Episode 11 angst was way too much for my emotional self though so definitely except it). I'm not a fan of rewatching at all, but Pluto is one of the few shows that I would willingly rewatch for the feels alongside Reverse 4 You.
No doubt in my mind this is going to be GMMTV's best GL show for quite some time.
2024 GL Ranking: https://mydramalist.com/list/Ln8MOBO4
My Top 10 GLs of All Time: https://mydramalist.com/list/4vGQqnb1
Was this review helpful to you?
we met
I really wanted Lee Jung-jae to kill it in something outside of Squid Game, and while this wasn't a disaster, it definitely felt like a bit of a slog. The setup isn't even bad on paper. You have an aging actor tired of being typecast as a detective who just wants to do a rom-com, paired with a reporter who gets stuck covering him. It should have been a sharp look at the industry, but it just felt a little exhausted from the start.I actually liked that it felt adult for once. It didn't rely on forced skinship or some rushed, fake romance to keep things moving, which was refreshing. But that just makes the male lead's behavior even weirder. He spends half the time throwing literal toddler tantrums, and it’s so jarring. It is hard to fully buy into a "mature" dynamic when one half of the couple is acting like a child.
The writing is a bit of a waste for a cast this good. I adore Lim Ji-yeon because she usually brings so much intensity to her roles, but she is just kind of stranded here. It’s like she is acting in a prestige drama while everyone else is in a sitcom. The only person who actually got the assignment was Jeon Sung-woo. As Director Byeong Gi, he was a total standout and honestly the only person who felt like a human being in this mess.
And I'm not here for the "oppa is too old" or "not hot" complaints. That is just shallow noise that ignores the real failure of the show. The problem isn't his face or his age; it's the fact that the script is a total mess. One minute it's trying to be a serious political thriller and then it jump-cuts to some slapstick about a fake detective show. It tries to talk about fame versus reality but stays so surface-level that it ends up feeling a bit mid.
The final episode was actually one of the better ones, which I appreciated. It finally felt like things were coming together, even if it took too long to get there. Ultimately, there is nothing here that I really hate. It isn't offensive or unwatchable. The real issue is that there is just nothing here to really love. It’s a fine watch, but it feels like a waste of some of the best actors in the business because it never gives you a reason to be obsessed with it.
Was this review helpful to you?
WHAT THE F*CK!
What the Duck should have been titled What the F*ck!This whole series is filled with a lot of 'what the freaking f*ck' moments.
I had high expectation for this series, after all its only one of the few that's not set in high school or university. In paper, that should have been a refreshing change, but instead what we get are bunch of cliches and annoying characters all rolled into one annoying series. Let me break it down by the shows couples (or triple).
First is Pop and Mo and Oat. Pop is a vain and an obviously gay guy but with a mustache of a martyr gf in Mo, who followed him in his dreamjob which he failed to get so he went for a catering job instead. This is where he met this despicable guy Oat, and because this is a BL series, of course he would fall for Oat even if nothing about this guy is worth adoring - not even a dose of redeeming quality. The fact that he dropped Mo's ass like its nothing and chose Oat is just a lazy storytelling.
Second is Pree and Rambo and Pent. These 2 (err 3) are so sexy and their sex scenes are just so hot that i wished they just made this series a soft porn movie with these 3 and remove all the other things, then id rate it a 10. Alas, they just have to give these guys speaking parts but all i can remember Pree and Rambo did was cry, cry and cry. I should mention that this couple ended their relationship because Rambo was supposed to marry this girl and Pree was so self-righteous that he cant see beyond his reasons. But then later, it was revealed that he was still inlove with another guy and is willing to pusue/steal it from his sister! And then he got the audacity to be more pissed off when he found out that Rambo had sex with other people while they were broken up. See i told you another 'what the f*ck'!
Third is the 3 stoogees. Like honestly, do they need these 3 stupid guys just to drive the plot? Their attempt (and the show's) to be funny always ends flat and these guys are really just annoying and nuissance. After watching the first two episodes, it took me months to move on to the next episode because i am just so annoyed by these 3 (and those bitchy flight stewards) that the thought of continuing watching this series just made me cringe everytime.
Did i mention that Pop is ready to give up on his dreams just because of a guy?
It is also worth mentioning that sitting through 20 friggin long episodes is just so hard to do because nothing really happens throughout. They could have condensed it to 6 or 8 episodes without losing its essence. Oh, and they left Season 1 without really finishing any storyline, meaning they are forcing you to sit through another 8 episodes which to be honest, is just so hard to do (Im trying and i really cant even finish season2's first episode after 6 tries)!
Ok, i already said way too much and i can probably say a whole lot more bad things about this series, and i guess no one would read this anyway, but if you are, and you are thingking of watching this, do yourself a favor and stay away. Just watch a rerun of Love of Siam.
Was this review helpful to you?
Dead men tell no tales.
Pledge of Allegiance is a dark and murky Ming Dynasty suspense thriller in the vein of the renown Brotherhood of the Blades franchise. Produced by Lu Yang and written by the same writer, the Jinyiwei/锦衣卫 or brocade-clad guards of this drama are grey characters whose true allegiance is to their brotherhood and their personal values and priorities and not to some overarching sense of morality or righteousness on a grand scale. This drama is set in a time of opaque and wild, conspiracy laden history and has an elaborate plot with manifold twists. This is likely to lose casual watchers, especially those without a basic understanding of the historical context. [A detailed discussion of the history can be found in the Discussion section of the drama page.]This drama is set during the chaotic battle for the throne that followed the demise of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding Hongwu Emperor of Ming dynasty. A succession crisis plagued the last five years of his long reign when the crown prince Zhu Biao died unexpectedly. Zhu Yuanzhang had chosen Zhu Biao to succeed him over his most capable and some claim his favorite fourth son Zhu Di or Prince Yan because Zhu Biao was the son of his legitimate wife. Conflict arose after Zhu Biao's death when he chose Zhu Biao's son Zhu Yunwen to be his successor. Zhu Yunwen was also the son of a consort and not of Zhu Biao's legitimate wife. Thus his claim to the throne was no less legitimate than Prince Yan's notwithstanding his grandfather's endorsement. The young Jianwen Emperor's tenuous hold on the throne was further shaken when he unwisely sought to temper the military might of his prince uncles, exiling and killing many of them. Prince Yan who secured the Northern border needed little further excuse to revolt. The silent power struggle that began with Zhu Biao's death broke out into open civil war almost from the moment of Jianwen's ascent. At the time, the capital was in the south at Yingtian (present Nanjing). Prince Yan for all intents and purposes was already in control of the northern capital Beiping (Beijing) where he defended the nation from the Mongols. He was aided by his elite border spies, the Yebushou/夜不收 or night scouts. They are pitted against the Jinyiwei who are the emperor's secret police but like many bureaucracies and the court at the time, there were divided loyalties at every level. While likely consistent with history, this aspect of unclear and shifting loyalties makes most of the character motivations in this drama especially difficult to follow.
Li Wu is a thief and a consummate liar. He steals the identity of a sergeant and sneaks into the mansion of Wang Kegong, who had just been transferred back to the capital with a secret edict. He has life threatening encounters with Shu Tang an assassin and Lu Zheng, a young detective who is literally willing to kill a sergeant to create a vacancy for himself to assume that position. They get caught up in a race to secure the Yuming Lock, which contains a secret that could change the course of history. Though they have different masters and at times conflicting agendas, they share a decade old traumatic childhood past. Whether by chance or destiny, they are reunited to solve the mystery of what really happened one fateful day ten years ago. But the links to the past get more tenuous and secrets that can turn friend into foe are revealed. As the body count grows, the solution slips further out of grasp as dead men tell no tales.
The main roles are complex and the cast delivers all-round riveting performances. In this kind of battle for the throne story there are no real villains; everyone is quite dark and have their own agendas. Zhang Yunlong is particularly convincing as thief with an inconvenient conscience and a knack for turning dire situations around. He had so many balls in the air at the same time that I could barely keep up with his lies and his promises. Chen Ruoxuan's portrayal of Lu Zheng as such a smart and yet naive and (wilfully?) obtuse character is nuanced and empathetic. It is no wonder Li Wu, Lu Yulin and even Zhang Junqing feel compelled to protect him. I enjoyed Li Wu's bromance with Lu Zheng as much as I did his romance with Shu Tang. Chen Ruoxuan and Zhang Yunlong have such good chemistry that they are masters of the art of the unspoken; how it is possible to have an innate understanding and trust that is beyond words and even actions. The stage is nicely set for this recurring theme in the telling of the fable of the Tan Hua flower spirit in episode 3. This underlies many interactions between main characters including the Mu sisters. This aspect of reading the subtext is very well conceived, it challenges both the characters and viewers to hear the truth behind the lies and to "hear" what is left unsaid. Sun Yi is a gorgeous and terrific actress and this time, she has a meaty role although her character is not always consistently written and her relationship with the colonel is not well fleshed out. As such, it is Ma Yujie's daringly articulated Zhang Junqing steals the show as the most fascinating and strongest female character of this drama.
This drama is not that action heavy but the sequences are fast moving and very well choreographed although they lack the intensity and raw ferocity of Brotherhood of Blades. I am quite relieved at the shorter and less stressful combat scenes as they are still packed with shocking and bloody twists. Just don't look too deeply at the logic defying ability of many characters to survive body piercing stabs in close vicinity to vital organs.
The plot design is serpentine and deliberately messy. This is probably meant to reflect the opacity, duplicity and chaos that prevailed at the time. Many character motivations are never fully revealed which gives rise to a sense of lazy writing; that at times characters become inconsistent for the sake of delivering yet another twist. There were a few too many twists that detract from the main plot. The final episodes in particular appear to have suffered from heavy cuts. This could be because the main conspiracy that is designed to be weaved into significant historical events may have gone too far in distorting history. This results in an ending that is satisfactory overall but leaves a few open sub-plots and unanswered questions. I love these plot heavy historical suspense thrillers and think this is a high quality, compellingly acted production overall. However, the story could have been told in a much less confusing way so I can objectively only rate this an 8.0/10.0. That said, my personal enjoyment level is at 8.5.
I will include below my personal speculation on how I think the story ends and some other ending comments that are inevitably spoiler heavy. Do not read it until you have finished watching.
WARNING: ENDING SPOILERS AHEAD
The past:
In terms of what happened in that prison years ago, I came to the conclusion that Li Yan, Song Heming, Wang Kegong,, Mu Jinggao and possibly even Lu Yulin were all loyal to the deceased crown prince Zhu Biao. The compassionate and peace loving Zhu Biao did not wish such evil weapons to ever be used so he hid them and left the riddle of the location with Mu Jinggao, the firearms maker. Li Yan was the go between but was framed for murdering the crown prince by an evil Jinyiwei. He revealed the riddle and gave up Mu Jinggao to Song Heming to save his son Li Feng, who was sent to his good friend Minister Yuan. Li Yan probably implicated Mu Jinggao because he not only knew where the firearms were stashed but also how to make them. True to his word, Song Heming arrested Li Wu as Li Feng's substitute. Unfortunately Lu Zheng messed everything up by letting Li Wu and the Mu daughter go. Lu Yulin had to sacrifice Song Heming in order to save Lu Zheng. This is a consistent theme where they sacrifice themselves/each other to keep the secret buried but try to save each other's bloodline. The other possibility is Lu Yulin was working for Prince Yan and killed Song Heming for the Yuming Lock. But his motives changed after he grew to love Lu Zheng and then protecting him became his only objective. In either case, between Lu Yulin and Wang Kegong, they kept the Yuming Lock and the key to how to unlock it hidden for ten years, giving it to no one. The evil Jinyiwei who framed Li Yan and set this all in motion was of course the real Li Dongfang, a bastard son keen to earn merit from his father Prince Yan. That is why he tracked down both Mu sisters and tried to use them to try to find the weapons. He also hoped that if Mu Jinggao were still alive he would come back for his daughters. I don't believe Mu Jinggao ever was a Yebushou because if that were the case, Prince Yan would not only have the weapons, he would know how to make them. I also doubt he is still alive as if he were, he would have surfaced or been found. It seems implausible that Lu Yulin who was just a mid-level Jinyiwei at the time could have saved such a high profile rebel under intense scrutiny.
The ending:
With the help of Boss Shen, Li Wu is in control of the game changing weapons and thus has a seat at the table in terms of the outcome of the power struggle. But he is just a common thief; like all commoners throughout Chinese history 民以食为天/mín yǐ shí wéi tiān - as long as there is food on the table it doesn't matter who the emperor is. Like Zhu Biao, he only cares that his beloved capital and "his people" don't suffer the vagaries of war. So he decides that no one should have the weapons. Yet he made promises and owes debts to both sides of the conflict so he engineers a compromise outcome. As promised (in exchange for Li Dongfang and hostage Bai Mingshan), he and Lu Zheng open the city gates to Prince Yan's forces but he smuggles the weapons away after taking control of the river fleet. In history, a traitor delivered control of the imperial river fleet to Prince Yan while another opened the city gates to his forces - see why the final episodes got cut quite a bit?. To Li Wu, it was clear Prince Yan would ultimately prevail and this was the least bloodthirsty way to cede to the inevitable.
At the same time, Li Wu owed Yuan Zhongdao for a number of things including Lu Zheng's life. He probably made good by smuggling the emperor, his consort and son out of the country. That is probably what Shu Tang went away to do - she was getting them safely out of the capital. She never really sided with Prince Yan she was just repaying her debt to Li Dongfang. Once he was dead, she can act in her own best conscience and she would be helping her sister who gave her life to fake the emperor's death. She may also have wanted to see if her father is still alive or to ensure that the technique of making these weapons is destroyed. In history, the palace was burned when Prince Yan entered the city. He produced three charred corpses allegedly of the Jianwen emperor, his consort and their son and declared himself emperor. That is why I already guessed Zhang Junqing would die with Yuan Zhongdao and I expected Mei Dou to be the third corpse but I am glad they didn't go there or that got cut. It is wild history that Jianwen Emperor survived the fire and escaped to Southeast Asia or further south in China. Zhu Di is said to have sent Zheng He off on his expeditions across Southeast Asia to hunt him down. This part of the conclusion obviously suffered heavy cuts as it indulges in speculative history.
Was this review helpful to you?
An “ Alarm” Ahead For Terrible Screenwriting ...
Screenwriters Lee Ah Yeon and Seo Bo Ra evidently adapted this from the webtoon for their eponymous contemporary drama “ Love Alarm” centralising upon the same premise of high school student Jo Jo ( Kim So Hyun) and her love triangle with “popular student ” Hwang Sun Oh ( Song Kang) and his “ kind-hearted best friend” Lee Hye Yeong ( Jung Ga Ram), in a world determining love through one app.
By default, this drama should be a masterpiece; its source material and premise are fairly creative and original, the characters are intrinsically interesting and it has a top-notch cast as well. However, “ Love Alarm”’s biggest inconsistencies can be pinpointed to two focal areas; characterisation ( or the lack of it) and the lingering problems which arise through the existence of the alarm itself.
Perhaps the biggest elephant in the room to tackle is our main heroine Jo Jo. It is made pretty evident that Jo Jo actually has a lot of intriguing qualities as our main character; her circumstances growing up have been difficult, she’s struggled with trauma and she’s never been “ overly exposed” to the love alarm ( like the viewer) in the same way her fellow peers have .
Yet whilst Jo Jo has all the right qualities of being a relatable and well-written main character, her actual personality traits make her seem a fairly hollow “ Mary Sue”, rather than an actual flawed human being. She’s deemed as “ pretty, smart and popular” by her peers yet the two latter classifications were fairly flawed in terms of who Jo Jo is supposed to be as a character. Jo Jo being “ popular” isn’t an immediately ridiculous trope with the considered factors of her “ attractive” appearance and being book smart, but let’s be honest in considering that Jo Jo lives in a society still determined by trends as a form of social hierarchy .Even in an alternate society, this seemingly manifests to the idea of the app “ Love Alarm”, something Jo Jo prominently does not have. Whilst this in itself is of course not something Jo Jo would realistically be written out as suddenly “ not being popular” , it would still remain obvious even amongst Jo Jo’s social crowds that she isn’t up to date on certain trends and styles, something which was neither realistically raised or shown critically in the show at all.
Additionally, Despite Jo Jo’s seeming intelligence and her circumstances leading to at least some street smart personality traits , Jo Jo is a shockingly dim-witted character within putting herself in danger or helping to create numerous misunderstandings throughout the show. Of course this was supposed to intensify the “ drama” and make Jo Jo’s feelings more heightened for the two male leads, however, it seemed even if Jo Jo was more “ naive” of her actions than anything else, cruelly ignorant to lead on both Sun Oh and Hye Yeong, two individuals who clearly hold feelings for her, than create the amount of ridiculous dilemmas as she did in the drama. Whilst the drama wanted us to feel evident pity for Jo Jo in the season one finale, it was hard to truly feel attachment towards a character who had little to really offer in the first place.
Naturally this moves us onto the problems of our two main leads Sun Oh and Hye Yeong. Arguably, Sun Oh does have some more noticeable character traits than Jo Jo in the beginning of the series; he’s rich, and similarly popular , but acts out in his often “ stoic” manner because of his own inner psychological turmoil surrounding lacking parental love.
This in itself should have been something which drew Sun Oh and Jo Jo upon their similarities ; Jo Jo may not have parents whilst Sun Oh does, but they both lack that intrinsic parental love which most of their peers have had and thus struggle to find love in the same way. Yet as much as Sun Oh did have some interesting character qualities, he wasn’t given the chance to either grow or mature with his relationship with Jo Jo at all over the course of the series. In fact, Sun Oh is strikingly quite a selfish and fractious character who neither seems to actually reflect or learn from any of his mistakes even going as emotionally gaslight his best friend and
ruin his relationship with both Jo Jo and Hye Yeong rather than actually mature as an individual .
Arguably Hye-Yeong did have more likeable qualities out of Sun Oh as a love interest and Jo Jo as a main character; he often comes off as complacent, but at least this is actually made prominent as one of his flaws, which he learns to mature upon with his pursuit of Jo Jo - the girl he harbours a crush upon without the need of the app. On the other hand, what is undeniably annoying about Hye-Yeong as a character, is that he is often a little too forceful upon Jo Jo when she made her feelings evident at times in the show, and ironically too staid rather than sticking up for himself when Sun Oh began to emotionally gaslight him. Whilst Hye-Yeong had all the right qualities of being possibly one of the few well-written characters in the show, he often felt too irregular as a character; jumping from sudden growth to reversal in two seconds flat.
As for the rest of the characters of the show, Love Alarm is a halcyon for your typical minor trope characters, yet perhaps one minor character who arguably had many intriguing characteristics was “ outcast” Cheon Duk Goo( Lee Jae Eung). Duk Goo plays an undeniable major role within the events of the series and realistically has a lot of inevitable flaws including his own lack of self-confidence. Nevertheless, it was berating even with the app, exactly what Duk Goo, possibly one of the few decent characters of the show, saw in Gul Mi ( Go Min Si); Jo Jo’s “ popular” and selfish cousin. Perhaps it is entirely wrong to attack Gul Mi per say as being entirely “ horrible” as she did have some noticeable problems from being spoilt by her mother, as well as pressurised due to her popularity to “ fit in” with her classmates and Duk Goo’s involvement as her “alarm” entirely threatened this from her point of view. On the other hand, it was still fairly hard to see Duk Goo learn from his mistakes as well as Gul Mi actually maturing from being a selfish schoolgirl , in addition to fundamental questions about how the app actually works .
These dilemmas include; how such an app would be legalised or not face backlash ( protests or negativity) openly, if the app can or has made “ errors” or faced glitches over more than one love alarm per person , why the presumed “app developer” hadn’t been approached by greater technology firms wishing to invest or purchase the app’s rights, as well as of course more upon the “ love alarm” for same-sex couples. Although the show briefly mentioned about the public shame of the love alarm in this scenario, it felt a little sugarcoated not to explain or develop into characters who have faced this. Finally, there’s the most evidential problem of how this app actually works.
The ideology of the app is undeniably artistic licensing; we’re not really supposed to “ understand” the actual methods of the app and we can presume certain theories towards how this actually functions. Nevertheless, there were several lingering questions which were naturally raised about the app’s existence in Love Alarm throughout the series.
So, this leaves us on the most obvious question. Is Love Alarm actually worth watching? Love Alarm undeniably has an intriguing story premise, high production value and a top-notch cast. On the other hand, Love Alarm is simply its own worst enemy when it comes to avoiding falling into tropes, badly-written characters and plot inconsistencies. With a second season on the horizon, it’s wrong to entirely draw out that the story won’t smooth over some of these issues, and there are certainly some interesting ideas going forwards. It’s probably fair to say that Love Alarm isn’t a “ dire” show and certainly something to watch if you’re fan of “ cute, romantic and fluffy” dramas. On the other hand, this show is a waste of time if you’re looking for actual investment in well-written main leads, a sensical storyline and realistic and deep critiques which should have been raised in a show tackling such ideas of technology intermingled with relationships .
Was this review helpful to you?
Orange Marmalade has an interesting take on an amalgamation of cliches - you have high school romance, Joseon era romance, love triangles, love squares, vampires falling for humans and vice versa, accident-followed-by-amnesia - anything and everything cliched is here. And yet, it's got an impressive take on things. Issues like discrimination, friendship, acceptance and maturity show up frequently here.
Story:
As many have said before, the drama can be split into 3 parts: High School Part 1 (HS1), Joseon Era (JE) and High School Part 2 (HS2). I liked HS2 a lot more than HS1, because HS1 seemed more rushed to me than HS2, if that's even possible! JE was actually enjoyable to me, believe it or not. I liked watching it but more so because of the relationship between Jaemin and Shihoo. In the HS2 part, I have a certain weakness for Ara - maybe it's because I find her relatable? The HS parts, both 1 and 2 could have been developed more and tied in better with the JE section and we could have had more character development - mostly Shihoo and Ara!
Acting/Cast:
Unfortunately, the show really takes hits here. I gave it a 6, because it's barely above average to me. Yeo Jingoo does well in his role, however his restraint comes through as bland, which is definitely a problem. Still, I think it was good and he did well. Unfortunately, Seolhyun was really weak in her role and it really takes much away from the drama when the lead is not on a good level. Her visuals were perfect but her acting left much to be desired.
Onto better things! Lee Jonghyun - what can you not do, seriously?? Even though I came in here as a Boice and expected to be biased, Jonghyun really did almost meet my expectations. He wasn't spectacular but he did well in portraying traits which I felt defined Shihoo - the delinquent bad boy brashness and aloofness which later translates to a reticence and maybe even awkwardness? Gil Eunhye is gorgeous as Ara and she really does justice to the role - ah, why do I like Ara so much...? I also enjoyed Park Guntae's character a lot - he kind of looks like BTOB's Lee Changsub to me? Or is it just me? Seriously, the supporting cast really made me watch on!
Music:
Cute but not memorable. The main song that Orange Marmalade performs sounds very much like an anime OST and honestly, I don't remember much else about the drama's music. Though, special mention to the flute piece that played in the JE part - I loved that!
Rewatch Value:
Once is enough for me.
Overall:
While it wasn't utterly disappointing, it wasn't quite the best, either. The reason the rating went down was because of a lack of character development and partially due to weak acting. I think most of the epiosdes were hit-or-miss for me but with the last episode being a total hit - I'm glad I went through with it!
Was this review helpful to you?
