It couldn’t of been any better.
I really love this drama from the cast to the plot, the soundtrack, the comedy, the fluffiness, and the leads. I can’t think of anything that I wish they would’ve done different or better. I truly loved it just as it was. I’m so sad it’s over, but pleased that we got this beautiful show.Well, I liked it from episode one a few people have mentioned that it’s a show that really grows on you as you watch it and as you start to care about the characters and I could see that. Because in the first episode you’re like OK where is this going? But as you sit and watch you like oh I like where this is going this is actually very very cute..
The ending was exactly what I wanted it to be and I’m so happy that they ended it and flushed out all the stories and didn’t leave us hanging with open question marks. Nice job writers!
I have no doubt that more people will watch it and fall in love with it because it is really a hidden gym right now and I can see it being ranked videos of the year definitely and of the last few years likely.
Give it a watch, watch the first two episodes and I’m pretty sure that you will be hooked and wanting to know what happens.
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This review may contain spoilers
It’s been a solid period of time since I decided to allow this confused mess of a drama sink into my nerves, and seeing how the reviews are scarce in number, I thought I’d give potential viewers a rather large piece of my mind.If you’re here and considering watching this, I’ll assume that you at least somewhat enjoyed the show to which this is a sequel. Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me sits somewhat high on my rom-com list despite being littered with Asian drama tropes (my favorite of which has to be "cohabiting rich guy and poor girl who refuses to take his crap but sometimes takes his crap anyway because dramaland"). It was youthful, cliched, yet endearing.
This sequel, though, was absolutely terrible in comparison.
There are cliches like in the prequel, which the writers delivered as cute and gave you some giggles. And then there are cliches like in this one, which will have you laughing psychotically as you sharpen your metaphorical knives and prepare to hunt down the people who turned the plot into absolute - for lack of a better word - horseshit.
It’s important to compare this sequel with its predecessor because it is a direct continuation from where MDDNKM left off. There are many problems to be resolved, particularly the one where the relationship between the two main characters remains very ambiguous. Yet, frustratingly, the second season never delivers satisfying closure to any of the questions you may have and instead piles on dilemma after dilemma that don’t serve any real purpose other than pissing you off.
If you have disdain for any of the following cliches (contains spoilers; but who’re we kidding, this show isn’t worth watching anyway): lying ex-girlfriends, clingy third wheels latching onto the male and female main characters, a lead couple whose most effective form of communication is giving one another the cold shoulder, ridiculous birth secrets, "the girl you like is actually blood related to you", etc.; ditch this drama now. It’s pathetic how bad this all became. Every single episode of this show became the longest 20 minutes of my life and I just about wished that I would spontaneously have responsibilities to attend to so I’d be put out of the misery of sitting through them.
The acting is okay. I liked the actors way more in the first season; which might have had something to with the characters’ quirks. Some aspects of them were endearing in the first season, but rapidly became extremely annoying in this one. See reference: Qi Lu deciding that every single time Chu Xia gets pissy with him, he’ll call her stupid or some other variation instead of asking “what did I do” like any normal human being would. Gets old when it happens every episode for 20 straight episodes, boy.
Also, I’d like to mention that the editors confused the hell out of me. Why on earth would you play fun, happy background music during a scene in which two antagonists are plotting how to get rid of their rival? Whenever this happened, I half-expected a squirrel to jump out and maul them or something else that would be entertaining, but nope. It would just be a possibly suspenseful scene, ruined by a playful little jingle in the background. It seriously ruins the mood.
In a way, I consider it intelligent that none of this content was included in the first season. The quality falls so short that it’d be a real shame to drag down the fun of the first season with this trash.
tl;dr: did the director hit his head during production and decide to continue being the director?
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Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend
58 people found this review helpful
Polyamory
What started as almost a typical cheater-husband-discovered-and-wife-struggles-to cope-plot quickly became a heartfelt drama about not only society's judgement of the not "normal" but also one's internal judgment, the struggle to fight for one's own happiness, and the willingness to open oneself up to new possibilities, all featuring genuine people trying to do the "right" thing. And beyond just that, the scale of "like."If you're looking for an exploration of relationships that is complicated but worth it in the end, then this is the drama for you.
I only want a monogamous relationship. I may not understand--I say "understand" because I myself have felt some annoyance hearing Straight people say they "understand" my being Bi, because, to me, you can't truly understand something unless you live it--what it's like to be polyamorous. But I can accept the reality of it because it is someone's reality, I can learn about it, and I can widen my understanding of the world past my own nose. I feel that's what this was trying to say in the end: You don't have to "get it." Just try to grow and see more than yourself.
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Overall, it's an okay drama. Did not give it a ten because it's too short. Hoping they get a second season.
If you like aggressive male lead, you will like this.
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A masterpiece lost because of the haters
I don't know where to start lolFor me, it was a very wonderful drama, I enjoyed every moment while I watched it .. It was really a luxurious drama ..
I don't understand the reason for all the fuss about this drama as it was badly criticized! And the biggest reason for criticism was the large number of ads! Is this really a convincing reason! Is the story really badly complicated! For me, it is a distinct drama in that the story is written with a plot, and this is what distinguishes the writer, and also you must follow the episodes at every moment in order not to miss a new secret .. Really amazed me by the beauty of the story so that it was not just a fairy tale about love and revenge, but rather a well-written story ..
As for the ads, that did not bother me at all, because because of the large budget of the series, they had to compensate for that through advertisements, but the director tried to place ads in several ways, but they were very visible, but that's okay. This is not a convincing reason to hate the series ..
As for acting, the whole crew has excelled in acting. I really lived in the series hahaha
If you like special, luxurious and extraordinary series, follow this series. I promise you will not regret and Do not take the words of the critics into account .. Really, this series has been wronged by some of the haters ..
I fell in love with the series and the entire cast. It's a show for high-end minds only, not for the trivial ^^
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Grounded and natural tackles various serious topics
Really love this show. It's been a while since I saw grounded bl tackling serious topics while also staying interesting and portraying realistic characters. I don't mind characters being over the top sometimes like in other bls , because it's still just a fictional show, but once again missed these kind of shows that just feels real and genuine. This might be one of my favorite BL shows including Old fashion cupcake, and Blueming. Would love to see more shows like this that just doesn't portray lightheaded subjects and doesn't shy away from portraying serious issues.As a manga reader, I was impressed by how accurately this show portrayed it. There are literally scenes that could be put side by side and also really glad that they didn't cut dark themes that take place in the manga. I honestly didn't think they would dare to portray this kind of story. Here I want to give kudos to the director and screenwriter , because I feel she was able to realistically portray the show while balancing between manga and show, as to my opinion there weren't any filler scenes. Additionally, as the screentime is always limited to 30 min , I am glad she was able to balance it well. Now I have seen few comments saying that it didn't do justice to manga, but I feel like it's up to each person, cause personally I feel like they showed all the important scenes without losing too much context.
As for the acting, personally I liked it. It feels very grounded and natural and if you have seen some animes/ manga getting updated into live action , you know how cartoonish it can get cause sometimes actors would struggle to find balance between manga and real acting and get it mixed up. I really like subtle expressions of Ren's actor, I think he was perfectly casted and was able to find that balance , as it felt like a real person with real feelings and I could relate to him. Again will mention shows like Old fashion cupcake and Blueming, where in the same way it feels so natural , characters just make you sympathize with them.
Also liked Kazuma's choice of the actor, again feels very natural, though reading manga at first I thought he didn't fit the image but later as I continued watching the show, I feel like he was also chosen well, as he was able to deliver Kazuma's gentle character quite well and his affection towards Ren and tender gestures were also delivered well.
Now, as for the kids actors, some ppl complain that showrunners shouldn't have chosen real 14 year old actors to play them, however, actually I didn't mind. Acting is still acting, and there are tons of shows which have 14 year olds or even younger portraying such provocative scenes though I didn't think it was provocative but just unsettling, which is the point , as the scene in the manga also makes you feel uncomfortable. There are some shows like Shameless where there are tons of provocative episodes and in the first season Ian's actor was only 15 and his character had to make out with the actors who were in 30s like Mickey and Cash's actors, which apparently no one has problem with. Again even with Shameless, as long as the actors have chosen themselves to portray a certain role , I don't have a problem, cause acting is acting. As for this show, I liked the portrayal of the teenage actors as well as it felt very natural.
Although some people might disagree with me, and call the acting is bad, again I feel like it's up to each person. Cause there are tons of shows out there, in which for some ppl certain actors didn't sell out their roles and for some ppl portrayal was quite solid. I think the only problem or minor issue was for me sometimes the crying on the scenes which could have another takes, but in overall for me it was very natural throughout the whole series. I usually don't judge a whole show to have bad acting just because of couple of clunky scenes, and instead evaluate it based on the whole show and how it made the characters feel , in this case, fleshed out , natural and sympathetic.
Again another thing, why i liked the cast and feel like they perfectly fit their roles is because the chemistry between two leads was really great. There are so many BL shows or usual shows that have 2 actors who are trying very hard to portray their characters but there is no chemistry between main leads. I think for me same type of well executed chemistry was again in Blueming, Old fashion cupcake, Cherry magic, To my star, Minato's laundromat(cute chemistry). In Tokyo in April , I really loved all these subtle expressions of two main leads especially Ren's, and of course it was adapted from manga, but their domestic scenes are the best. Like they would be just calmly chilling together or cooking together , and the amount of fluff there is immeasurable. I honestly think affectionate scenes are 100x times better than all those passionate sexy scenes in Thai BLs. Honestly watching these 2 characters together made me feel very lonely and wanting a comfy relationship like this haha. Their scenes didn't feel awkward or clunky at all, and it just felt very natural and like a real life couple, which convinces me that actors were able to connect well before shooting for this show.
As for the music, really love both opening and ending songs. Especially the ending song is perfect for these characters. However, I wish there were more musical scores, cause the ones we have are really nice and wish there were more of it in the show.
I feel like we need more shows like this that have some depths and serious topics. I am not against comedic BL shows and lighthearted ones like Cherry Magic or Minato's laundromat( perfect summer light show) all of these shows are necessary and provide great escapism from the real tough world we have. But at the same time those shows are prevalent and it's quite refreshing to see shows like Tokyo in april and in which characters who play mid 20s office workers actually act and feel like them in real life. Honestly missed shows like this and would like to see more shows having emotional depth, characters that feel very real and natural.
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STORY: 9/10
The story of 'Pornographer' is more complex than it lets out to be. A young student crashes into a man with his bike who just so happens to be a pornographic novel writer. The novel author is injured and hurts his left wrist (which is suggested is his dominant hand). Since the young student has no money to pay for the hospital bills, he offers his services to the be the writer for the porno author till his hand recuperates. During this time together, the two develop a strong and meaningful relationship as the young student learns more about the author, who he calls 'Sensei', and becomes a fan of his writing style. He also learns that his Sensei has dreams of becoming an author outside the porno genre and that for now porn novels is what is sustaining his finances. The story sounds cut and dry, but there is a lot of mystery introduced into the plot as the young student gets Jealous of other characters that interact with his Sensei and when he starts imaging himself in the same sexual situations with that he writes about in his Sensei's novels. I would have given the story a perfect score, but unfortunately the ending left me without closure. I would hope there is a second season for this drama, but I'm not sure if there will be. Open-ended endings are nice, but I like endings where I am sure things have been properly resolved.
ACTING: 9.5/10
Every single actor in this drama gave glowing performances. Both main-actors played their characters amazingly well and their chemistry was through the roof. I especially enjoyed the editor character that came in later, he was extremely hunky and had a deep voice that made my heart swoon, All-in-all the whole cast was excellent!
MUSIC: 8.5
The music was good. It was a bit cheesy at times but it helped movie the story along and capture the feelings of the characters,
REWATCH VALUE: 8/10
I'd say this drama is good for one more watch but after that it may lose it magic. It's too short and there is no point looking into it much deeper than what is given to you unless season 2 is in the works. Other than that it would just feel incomplete.
OVERALL: 9/10
I really enjoyed this drama and I highly recommend it to any BL lover. Both main actors are not only easy on the eyes but have great acting chops. Their chemistry was also wonderful and the story itself is filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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'wait for me'
intense, dark, with a lot of upsetting themes but i found this movie beautiful.before you read this review or watch keep in mind the trigger warning for rape, violence, murder and multiple types of assualt (including that of which includes children) as i know there are some scenes that would be very triggering to some.
i don't want to write much as im not one who writes reviews but i waited for this movie for a long time and was not disappointed (though it was not what i expected it to be).
the story follows a elementary school teacher who goes through a traumatic event which leads him to being entangled with a rogue youth who goes by kai just as the synopysis states. both of these characters are very complex and their actions make the audience wonder about their backstories and intent. the story itself has a lot of plot twists and scenes that seem almost impulsive that take the viewer by surprise. there was a large amount of plot points that i did not anticipate at all. the way it is written and plays out is so interesting and very easy to get invested in, the viewer is able to immerse themselves in this world and the fucked up beauty of it. it did get quite confusing at times and im definitely didn't 100% understand everything that happened but that will come with more rewatching and being able to rewatch it with the full context of their backstories etc, plus the subs were quite rough. even if you don't understand everything you always get the gist of what's happening.
the casting was PERFECT. inuba yu did an incredible job as usual and the actor of kai (kenshin endo) completely embodied the role, i found his performance completely mesmerizing and couldn't tear my eyes away from him when he was on screen, both his voice and mannerisms when in character were hypnotic. i hope to see him in more roles asap his acting was phenomenal. i cannot praise it enough.
the relationship between the characters is so so complicated but there was something incredibly alluring about it too. they saved eachother in more ways than one. they were clearly soulmates, half of the same soul. two fragile people finding the one person who they would live and die for over and over again. i could talk about their relationship for hours. the chemistry was INCREDIBLE, the want, need and pure love was clear even if a lot of the time it was never verbalized. watching them made me feel a bit insane. i would give my kidney to see the actors play love interests again.
i could talk about the cinematography, set design, direction, and sound/music for hours. this movie is easily one of my favourites i've seen this year in all those factors. the cinematography is SO visually pleasing, all the colours come together so well and the way it is filmed really makes the viewer feel as if they are IN the scene along with the characters. the set design was beautiful, especially the set of the place where they rapped/seemed to live. the colours, the lighting, all the additions of graffiti and junk came together so well i adored it and couldn't help but appreciate it everytime it was on screen. the sound GOD, i have such a deep appreciation for this movie's use of the affect of music and noise. all the music that was used fit perfectly and always stood out to me, the rapping included. something that reallyy stood out though was the use of background noise, there was always chatter or some type of noise happening in the background in most scenes and it added so much to the realisticness of the movie.
as a whole it was messy and this is definitely not for everyone. you have to go into it with the knowledge that it is supposed to be as messed up as it is, one of the main genres of this movie is pyschological. you aren't supposed to like it you're supposed to understand it, supposed to come away with complex emotions and your head spinning. to me, it had so much meaning (and probably more than im aware of which i will figure out when i watch it again to consolidate my feelings) , and it was just simply beautiful. watch it.
[edit: the more i thought about it and rewatched scenes the more obsessed i became it went from 8.5 > 9. i completely agree with a comment describing it as artistic brillance rather than something that caters to 'usual' audiences. i still levae out that one star just because i wish it were longer. 2 hours is long for a movie but i still wish this much much longer, i could watch kenshin/inaba act together forever, their chemistry is just so incredible]
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Anyway, jokes aside if you know anything about me, you know by now I'm a sucker for obsessive love that goes beyond the boundaries of morality.
Absolutely one of those films and couples that will be my go to from now on.
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This review may contain spoilers
******DO NO READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE. MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.******I actually loved this movie for many of the reasons I've seen others criticize it. It is not a static movie. The tone, the atmosphere, and even the genre changes very quickly. I personally get very bored with most movies today because the moment it pops up, you can tell what the ending will be. Cliches upon cliches have been piling up in the movie industry lately. But this movie took an amazing risk by challenging that. It took what would have been yet another light hearted comedy and made you smile and feel good about the characters, and then twisted the situation. (Which is actually realistic. Imagine being a sleeper agent, getting used to being in a certain situation, living as normally as you can, and then your whole world is turned upside down with one order.) I liked that not every decision was spelled out. It felt more real that way. Instead, it makes the audience think, it makes them put themselves in the characters' positions. And damn did I cry, because I never dreamed it would end the way it did. And that is what I call a good movie.
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I Remember You's story is not that original; serial killers are everywhere, and exist in every crime drama. However, what I Remember You does with its story is the difference; it's what puts the show in another league. It simultaneously allows the viewer to feel horror and pity toward certain characters, while it allows us to sympathize and chastise others. It doesn't keep its secrets, though. One knows, oftentimes, what will happen. Yet, despite the predictability of outcome, I Remember You captures the viewer in by probing them with these ultimate questions. In so doing, the show remains intriguing, fresh, and wildly entertaining. Does it answer the questions? One will have to see.
The acting in I Remember You was superb. Jang Nara, Seo In Guk, Park Bo Geum, and Choi Won Young brought such complexity to their characters that they too provoked the viewer to cheer for them when they might not otherwise do so. The chemistry of these characters, sometimes posed in times of large-scale situational irony, pricked both fear and at times, humor into the mind. Special mention must also be given to Do Kyungsoo, who, despite possessing a cameo role, prompted loss of sleep and fear so palpable to derive from an angelic face. (I did not sleep well at all after episode 1.)
The music, sneaky and chilling, provided an immensely rich background for the ensuing action. It allowed the intensity of fear, of romance, of horror to perpetuate into the viewer's ears. In addition, the music never faltered in its fit to the actions on screen. Nothing was out of place or jarring.
Overall, I will remember I Remember you. I don't think I could forget its ability to draw me in and make me question my own notions on human nature and evil. I've always enjoyed shows that make me question everything and everyone's intentions and objectives. In this, I Remember You does not disappoint. In fact, it exceeds my initial expectations, and is now a personal favorite, both in its genre and in kdramas altogether.
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This review may contain spoilers
The first few episodes made me so happy. I was in heaven with the cute and fun interactions between the characters. The romance was sweet and down to earth. Jung Ha was able to fight for her rights, Hye Joon stayed true to his morals and Hae Hyo was on the way to crossing the villain line. And then… nothing happened.There are quite a few plot lines here; basically every character gets one, but none is truly explored nor well established. At first, this messy and unbalanced way of directing and editing seemed charming to me. Life is messy and unbalanced too. I liked how some important plot lines were not explained right away, but instead, we got a whole scene of the female and male lead discussing how one should apply hand cream. It worked, because I was sure the plot lines will be slowly addressed as the drama progresses… Sadly, they weren’t.
All the characters were rather poorly written, though had great potential to be amazing. Hye Joon is boringly perfect and everything works out for him. Jung Ha has a great 180 closer to the end of the show, Hae Hyo was truly useless plot wise. All the supporting characters were there filling the space, but their motivations were never explained. Why do they do what they do? Who knows?
It had its moments. Park Bo Gum crying? A+. Well, that would be it.
How did the relationship between Jung Ha and Hye Joon go from perfect communication and understanding each other, to never communicating what they truly want and feel and making all the decisions on their own? We had so many dramatic plot lines that could bring the tension in the last episodes, why add new bullshit one?
Why introduce Ahn Jung Ha’s mom into the picture when this story was never truly explained nor explored? She just shows up to give Jung Ha an excuse to be sad and cry, and then she is gone. They ONCE mentioned how Jung Ha has problems accepting help because of her mom, but it was never mentioned again, it has no meaning in the story itself.
Why did they never do anything with Won Hae Hyo? He was neither good, nor bad nor gray. He was just kind of there. How interesting would it be to actually see more of his internal struggle between being a loyal friend and disappointed actor?
Why give us a side romance between Jin Woo and Hae Na? Probably the most useless plot line in the whole show. This could let us explore more of the controlling behavior of Kim Yi Young or be another burden for Hae Hyo: one friend “stealing” his spotlight, and the other dating his little sister and hiding it, pushing him into “I have no one I can trust” state of mind and explaining his feelings for Jung Ha, who was always honest with him.
Why did they never truly use the Charlie story? It was always somewhere in the background, but at the end it had no lasting consequences on the characters at all. When dating make up artist affected Hye Joon more than having a famous designer as his gay sugar daddy? Where is the logic? Why even add the story when it was never important to anyone?
Kim Su Man was painfully dumb.
The "2년 후" aka the boring ending.
That’s it. Not really. But I have no strength left to write more. Damn… this could have been such a good show.
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Hot Priest but boring story strangely slowly-paced despite its interesting thematic.
Despite its interesting premise, the show was overall disappointing. The storytelling managed to be boring which is very strange as the thematic and concept could have been super cool and exciting. The first episode was pretty intriguing with a strong horror vibe but the story became a train wreck overtime with some disconnected storylines and a lot of (over)explanations regarding the plot.The actors were doing an OK job but were not helped at all by the wonky scenario. Indeed, it was very difficult to understand some of the characters' actions but also in particular to believe in the relationships between them. The bonds formed between the main female lead and the 2 main male leads seemed to become super strong too quickly which also led to some scenes feeling very flat.
Clearly the series is lacking in many ways but still, there are some positives: the foreign actors acting was not atrocious (-which is pretty rare in K-drama universe), the visual FX were suitable, the fighting scenes were quite nicely produced, and Cha Eun Woo with his insane visual is real eye-candy in his role of priest Johan.
This 1st season is more of an introduction with some world building but unfortunately lacks strongly in characters development. Due to its strange pacing, it provides little excitement for the next season.
I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless they like one of the main actors or the main actress.
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This review may contain spoilers
What did I just watch?
I was very excited to watch this season as it has been a long wait, but after binging it the entire day it ended with a very unsatisfying ending.I'm happy that the ending was a happy one even though a lot of characters died for absolute no reason, the main trio did deserve their happy ending together. That's also where the problem lays within this season, I feel like only the trio got their happy ending and all the characters from the first season which we loved very much, had a sad ending for no reason.
In this review there will be a lot of bad points but the story also had some good points: surprisingly it was fast paced, each episode flew by, literally. The acting was also good, especially how Eun-yu's and Yi-Kyung's characters had been played out but then there were also characters that felt a bit monotone. I'm sure there's more but the bad points, for me, are the ones that weighed more than the good ones.
First of all, why is Eun-hyeok a robot?
In the first season he was also kind of a robot with no emotions as he only wanted his sister to be safe and then at the end, we finally see him crack a real smile and even tears! I had hoped to see him again with a bit of more character development but it actually got worse... we also didn't get to see his process of monsterization, only the end product . He was the only character I was so excited to see again but he basically didn't have any personality which was very unfortunate.
Second, lots of characters in the second season were added which was a bit complicated to understand at first but it's normal since the season 1- crew step outside into the open world. It's normal to meet new characters and it's also normal that some of the characters just exist and others actually have a purpose but I feel like almost every single new character that had a bit of potential just died off or just wasn't worth a few more scenes...
For example, we get introduced to Chief Ji, the lady who was in charge at the stadium before the army arrived. She is very mysterious and seems to be a badass character but in the end she's just a coward who feeds her monster son humans and because of the guilt decided to end it.
Another one is the priest, he acts very calm and had potential to actually become someone important but in the end ran off searching for the crazy lady to end up running away with her but wait where is their story? We only get to see him in a car accident and that explains how they have such a strong bond...
Another frustrating one is the old man with the girl on drugs. He's a very strong character who's very calm and seems to know what he's doing and could get very far in life but suddenly he becomes a monster and end ups dying because why?
All these and more characters that were introduced in the second season could've become something that could have had big impact on the ending but it seemed to me that they were only there so both seasons could be more than a few episodes.
Third, why did they do the season 1 characters all so bad? Did they not deserve a happy day at all?
Yi-Kyung who had been fighting since day one, trying to find her fiance, giving birth to a monster and raising it, fighting its psycho father, .... did she really have to die off?
Sang-wook was just there to be possessed by the villian and his existence was basically wiped away, the only proof he was actually in the two last seasons were the appearance of his body and one time he tried to fight back the monster inside him but oh! suddenly in the end he comes back to life! only to burn to death the next second ...
I'm gonna stop rambling now... it was just a very dissapointing day for something I had been waiting on for so long... I'm gonna go cry now
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