Just..... No.
Straight to the point "Review" ---- I thought this show had some slight potential to be a somewhat okay show, plot wise. Sure the acting isn't fantastic, it's both a little stiff and overdramatic at times, but they're all somewhat newbies so we'll let that slide.....But then the end of episode 3 happened - and after doing a little reseach and realising that it's an 9NAA production... it explains everything to me đ
They did a good job at hiding the fact it was a 9NAA production (i only ever saw posters with Viu on it) otherwise I wouldn't have started it as I had vowed not to watch any 9NAA productions after the stuff that happened with Checkout the series and with Best and Cheque - and after checking out the bts vid for this episode it just confirmed my feelings for me, because they *once again* didn't seem to have any intimacy coordination prior to their NC scenes (it happened with Checkout too) and the crew seemed to be joking about the fact they should just get naked too so the actors would feel comfortable.
Also, I can handle some weird stuff, but the fact that they made ACTUAL twins lick each others nipples was weird af to me. Why not just hire actors that look similar to play the twins? I could then *maybe* deal with it that way but not when I know that they are actual twins.
Definitely dropping this one. Will be continuing my stance on not supporting 9NAA shows in the future because they do not seem like a company who has their actors welfare as a top priority. No wonder other companies have pulled out of collabs with them and all their actors leave the second their contractually allowed too.
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Okay i really love these kind of dramas with such amazing cast! I for YEARS tried to find some drama with action/spy AND powerful romance! The romance is very innocent, passionate and deep so if u want to see very deep emotional moments go for it! The action scenes were done also very good and kept the drama in a good flow. For me i did marathon and i NEVER found any moment boring. I know everyone has different opinion but this was....really wonderful. After year and half i finally watched drama guys and i enjoyed it so so much! The plot is very interesting and i never saw such plot so this was something very new and fresh! Keeps ur mind busy and trust me...you will lose your sleep XD
ACTING:
Okay I watched dramas with JCHW before and i knew he had talent but this like...smacked me straight in head and woke me up! I can tell he is a top actor and i don't care what others say. He seemed like he was really the character he was playing. From the first ep his face started to change with emotions..Nothing was too much and nothing was missing. It was perfect! Main lead girl is also great actor and i know her and i can tell this is her best role. I love that in this drama she is also the brave girl who will stand in front and fight for justice ^^
MUSIC:
Honestly the main song '' Eternal Love'' is downloaded on my phone and i listen to it all over again. It's too good. And did u read the lyrics? No? Okay than go and do it! It's so sweet and so real and it fits the main couple!
REWATCH VALUE :
To tell you the truth i started to watch it all over again right now XD It's too good to just watch it once...So right now i'm going at it once again! ^^
This drama is filled with emotions so enjoy it and give it a try i can tell u..that you WON'T regret it :)
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All the puns on the series title are already taken, so I'll just say it's awful.
I'll start with the good:There's a scene where Gawin is almost naked.
End of the good.
OK, not quite, although that's why I gave this a rewatch score of "3". I will rewatch that scene. Many times. Although there's a better Gawin disrobed scene in Not Me (and even without the Gawin nudity, one of the best scenes ever, period. But that's not important right now.)
Force does his best as a noob playing Akk, and has some real charm, although he leaned heavily on his sad-puppy-dog face, which is cute but gets tiresome by the end. To be fair, there are some cute scenes between the main pair - the scene at the LOL fake Eiffel Tower was a rare well-written moment - not fairytale perfect, but just right for people that have been best friends their whole lives.
On to the problems:
The writing is terrible. The entire plot (except for the last 2 eps which fling a series of non sequitur plot devices in the way of our heroes) hinges on Theo's hunt for Enchante, a mystery suitor who defaces a library book to leave one single message for Theo, which makes him obsessed with finding the guy. If they had several back-and-forths that were beautiful and meaningful, we could have invested in the idea of Enchante - but because this did not happen, it was completely mystifying why he cared about this, and since it's clear by watching the opening credits who Theo will end up with, it's doubly pointless, which makes the entire rickety plot unable to support the leaden weight of this series. (To be fair, they do give a solid explanation near the end why he cared, but it will make you hate him.)
This could have been at least partially salvaged by casting somene who can act as Theo. I hate to criticize actors, but Book is terrible. I will mitigate this by suggesting this series had poor direction and he was playing a truly awful character, so only the most charismatic actor could have made him remotely sympathetic. But I noticed that really talented actors like Gawin and Fluke weren't great in this series, so a lot of it is probably poor direction.
Which brings us to the character of Theo. Having a spolied-brat malignant narcissist as your main character is not a great idea. Theo is the most self-absorbed and selfish person I've ever seen as a protagonist in a drama. I can't think of a single thing he did for anyone in the entire course of the series. EVERYTHING is about him. His parents' marriage (the actors who play his parents are sexcellent - needed to throw that out there), saving the literature department, Enchante, it's all about him. He never once asks a friend how they're doing (even though his supposed best friend Akk looks tortured all the way through this) - he just seems to expect the entire world to revolve around him.
At one point, it's revealed that Akk knew about something that he was aware would upset Theo, but it was absolutely not his place to reveal it, and if he had, Theo would have rejected it and reacted even worse than he did. Theo is extremely upset that Akk didn't tell him about it and won't speak to him. The problem is that just before this, it is revealed that Theo had orchestrated a colossal, monstrous lie designed to manipulate Akk and which caused him an immense amount of pain over a prolonged period, so the hypocrisy is so mind-boggling that it's LOL funny, after you first stare numbly at the screen until it sinks in that you did just see what you saw. Also, what Theo is upset about and how he reacts to it is how a pre-teen child would process this, not a 20-something, where it's so immature and self-centered that you wish he were an actual baby so that you could shake him.
At this point you actively hate Theo and hope he dies (or is murdered by Akk) so Akk can get someone way better (like Saifa. Or one of the hot football extras). This is made even worse by the lack of chemistry between the main pair, which is curious because they have it in BTS and other promotional material. Some of that is also directing. For example, there's a key cuddling scene where there's a huge stuffed animal between them so their bodies aren't actually touching.
Some of these problems, as well as a possible reason for the weak acting by Book, is almost certainly that a soft-fliter is used throughout the series that is so strong that I thought I had glaucoma. I think a lot of shadings of facial expressions are blurred away by the soft-focus. Note to Thai BL productions: We don't care if an actor's complexion isn't perfect. Nobody's is. We don't love actors for their perfect skin, we love them for their six-pack abs and chisled pecs. And their acting ability. And their muscled thighs. And gorgeous faces. Pert butts. But mostly their acting and the character they're portraying.
I can't recommend this. There really aren't enough redeeming characteristics to be worth slogging through the terrible writing and enduring Theo. I hope to see Force in a better production than this, so we can see what he can do.
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I have read countless comments of symathy for Na Hong Joo played by Park Ha Sun. I'm probably the only person that finds her character to be at first fake, then bitter and hateful. I don't for a minute buy into the thought that she was ever sweet and innocent. She forgets that she started the chain of events with her desperate action. What did she think her husband would do knowing that he caused her to take that desperate act over money? She made Cha Seok Hoon played by Kwon Sang Woo do something that he would have never thought of doing except that he knew it would save his family monitarily. Then when he tried to make it up to her and prove his love, she turned away from him. To top it off she goes on to blame him for the misery she creates herself and becomes a bitter bitch that I just can't stand. Now, I don't for one minute believe that Yoo Se Young played by Choi Ji Woo is blameless. However, I don't think she is the evil crazy bitch that everyone seems to think that she is. I think she was lonely and bored. She says she was testing them, but I believe she just wanted what they had for even a minute. However, the writer turning her into a victim is stupid and doesn't fit her character as a strong successful woman. Now, for Kang Min Woo played by Lee Jung Jin. I find no redeaming characteristics in this narcissistic jerk who treats women like objects and has no respect for people in general. I can't stand him. The other actors are fine. If you like C.N.Blue, then you will enjoy Lee Jong Shin's part as Hong Joo's brother.
The music is excellent.
I probably won't rewatch this.
I'm not sure if I recommend this drama. Watch it at your own discression.
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A deeply romantic classic wuxia
This drama is actually very different from the original novel. The first fourteen episodes follow the novel, but then the rest diverge greatly and essentially becomes a very different story. There are significant changes to the character of Zhou Zishu, and there is a major show only plot-point that makes his dynamic with Wen Kexing completely different. The plot itself is also nothing like the one in the novel, and several side-characters were given bigger roles in the overall narrative and even different characterizations. Tian Ya Ke, the source material, is a fairly straight-forward story, while Word of Honor is more like those dramatic, old-timey classic wuxia stories.First off, kudos to the scriptwriter! The pacing is top-notch, not too fast nor too slow. Nearly every scene ties in to the overall narrative, not a single episode feels draggy or unnecessary. No fillers to be found here! And while non-mandarin speaking watchers may miss this, it is very clever how the script incorporates poetry into Wen Kexing's dialogues. Not only is it a very clever way to subtly showcase his flirting, it also adds a layer of depth to his character. Since he grew up in the Ghost Valley and did not have his parents to teach him, it implies that he taught himself literature and the fact that he always uses poetry to express himself shows how proud he is of it. The tiny details are also impressive, like the difference in Gu Xiang's character when we first meet her. She acts like an exaggerated version of a young girl, and slowly becomes more and more genuine as the story goes on. The director did confirm that this is because Gu Xiang hardly ever leaves the Ghost Valley, and so she was trying to copy how she thinks normal girls act. I really appreciate scriptwriting that incorporates characterizations into details like this, because it feels very natural. It also gives the show good rewatch value because after you watch all the episodes and see everything that happens, you suddenly notice the subtle details you missed when you watch the show again.
There are many, many details that allude to future events, and dialogues that seem almost flippant in the beginning end up steamrolling you once you realize its significance in later scenes. Wen Kexing's "as a wanderer in this world, all I need you" sounds like casual flirting at first, but then you see how much depth that sentence holds once you see how their story ends.
The fighting choreography is very good, and really embodies the "fighting" in the classic wuxia I grew up watching. It's not just fighting, but also a sort of dance that reflects the dynamics of the characters. Sparring is basically Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing's love language, and you see the evolution of their relationship in their fights too. Their fighting scene in the pink forest, in the lake before Zhou Zishu takes his mask off and in the ending are very similar to each other, but with small changes that reflect the evolution of their relationship. The way the story uses tropes to show the romance between the two main leads is excellent. The sparring in the pink forest, for example, is a common romantic trope in classic wuxia, and so is the hairpin scene in the latter episodes. Another noteworthy detail is that in the first episode the romantic connotations of giving a person a hairpin is shown in the scene between Zhou Zishu and his shidi's lover.
I really want to express how happy I am with the casting choices, especially with Zhang Zhehan as Zhou Zishu. Most actors can show strong emotions convincingly enough, but with characters like Zhou Zishu it's important to cast actors that can nail scenes that require nuance and subtlety. It was wonderful watching him transform from cold and sarcastic to warm and playful, and it was all done so subtly I actually didn't realize how much he changed until I was watching a scene and realized that not only was he the one teasing Wen Kexing, he was also the one initiating skinship??? And there's this specific scene in episode 12 where they're drinking together outside and when Wen Kexing calls out to him, you can see how he frowns and mouths something briefly before responding. It was a small but significant detail, showing the gradual decline of Zhou Zishu's hearing. There are many more details like this scattered throughout the show, and I really appreciate this kind of subtle storytelling versus scripts that are too on the nose and obvious.
Gong Jun also played Wen Kexing very, very well. He really embodied Wen Kexing's many faces, and it was wonderful watching his character slowly unravel. And although it's not necessarily a requirement for me, I love how well they match the physical characteristics of their characters. Zhang Zhehan is very athletic and has a very good physique, which just makes him much more convincing (visually) as the powerful leader of an assassin organization. Zhou Ye was perfect as Gu Xiang, her acting in episode 35 was especially chilling.
Also, a more personal opinion, but I like how they stayed true to the novel and portrayed both Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing just as "masculine" as they were in the novel. I strongly dislike it when danmei adaptations make a character too effeminate. Of course, if the character is portrayed that way in the novel, then I have no issues. The problem is when when adaptations take a canonically more "masculine" character and portray him too effeminately, even when it's not the case in the original novel. Luckily, that did not happen here. There is something refreshing about a danmei that does not limit the personality and characterization of its characters based solely on supposed bedroom dynamics, and Word of Honor's casting and overall portrayal really delivered on that front. They really stayed true to Priest's (the author) work in that aspect.
As much as I enjoyed this show and gush about the script, it does have its shortcomings. The usual issues in the continuity of themes and the pacing of the last five or so episodes. Regardless, for me, the things the show did right definitely outweighs its shortcomings. Those who are expecting a faithful adaptation of the novel may not be happy with the direction this show eventually took, but as a stand-alone it really holds its own. With the issue of censorship in danmei adaptations, I did not expect this show to be as deeply romantic as it turned out to be, and I am still in awe of how they managed to pull this off. They could have gone for the fanservice approach, where they just give us suggestive moments without any real payoff, and yet they chose to develop the relationship properly and give it a real sense of intimacy and depth.
And lastly, I love that the ending credits song is essentially a summary of their romance. It starts with Zhou Zishu talking about his melancholic life and wanting to roam the world as an aimless wanderer, then Wen Kexing responds by lamenting about his own struggles and how it's a shame that he didn't meet Zhou Zishu earlier, and that he wants to give up "the adventures on horseback for a quiet life". Zhou Zishu then responds by saying he agrees to spend the rest of his days with Wen Kexing and the song ends with both of them singing ''I will be with you forever" at the same time. So yeah, kudos to whoever wrote that song because it really fucked me up after the ending. This show is insane and I am thankful to everyone who worked on it.
I love this drama so much!
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I really had high expectations.
Unfortunately I couldn't avoid to notice that something was wrong...
The plot. It didn't exist.
I really mean it. There's literally nothing.
Around ep. 18 I started questioning myself: "Why am I watching this?" or "What is the purpose of all this?".
It's not a good sign. It means that the story leads nowhere. It's really pointless.
Anyway, if you're really looking for something that doesn't require too much commitment, all the monologue that I wrote above will be meaningless for you.
Oh, there's also another thing: Useless scenes.
Tons of useless scenes, as much as you want.
And this is all... It wasn't that bad but not even THAT GOOD.
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This review may contain spoilers
Action thriller + Comedy feat. Tragic ending
D. P. (Deserter Pursuit) is a short Netflix Korean Drama which basically is a action thriller accompanied by comedy and shades of military life, which illustrates truth and tragedy. With 6 episodes of 50 minutes, this drama surely creates some impact on millions of hearts by making us think again about the harsh reality that negligibly changes.STORY & PLOT:
The drama is about D. P. Officers who are a group of specific personnels in the army assigned to go out of the bases to catch soldiers who have deserted or escaped from the training camps for various reasons.
The drama involves Ahn Joon Ho, a newly enlisted guy, serving his 2 years mandatory military service, who is appointed as a DP officer to replace someone and is then accompanied by Han Ho Yul, who partner each other to hunt down the absconding military personnels. Sergent Park Bum Goo is the section chief for DP dept. Captain Im Ji Sup is newly transfered trainer for the base.
Given that the drama is of only 6 episodes with short duration, it's difficult to narrate even the gist but I will try. So In the drama, Ahn Jun Ho and Han Ho Yul can be seen going out to catch deserting officers. They have to investigate and look for traces by of the soldiers by different means, even so they had to spend money. And after catching them, they come back to the base.
Along with it, their is a main plotline that continues simultaneously which is about Private Cho Suk Bong, who escapes more than once and even commits criminal offence. The drama ends with his case which was a tragic one.
CAST & ACTING:
Well, our favourite oppa Jung Hae In plays Ahn Jun Ho and obviously he's an great actor who did his job right. This character of him also similar to what he had played in Prison Playbook, to a great extent. He never responded to violence and injustice but is passionate about whatever he's given to do. With a bad relationship with his family, he thrives to live well.
Koo Kyo Hwan plays Han Ho Yul and I honestly fell in love with his acting and how he looked in here, especially his hairstyle and accent of dialogue delivery. He's someone who can't stand injustice either but since he can't directly object it, he tries to prevent things in his own way.
Sergent Park Bum Goo is played by Kim Sung Kyun, my personal favourite and a great actor. I usually prefer him in comedy roles but he can ace any character given. His character is a morally upright man who can go to lengths to do his job, but anyways in the right way. He might be strict with his underlings at workplaces, he cares for them to a great deal.
DIRECTION & WRITING:
Direction is cool. Everything has been well executed. They did a good job in organizing and synchronization of events. There is not much to sound editing as they go bland mostly, but those subtle thriller editings and upbeat background scores at suitable places were good enough to keep the thrill going.
Writing is nice as well. Story progression and plot development is quite good. The showcase of humanitarian values in between, was a great idea. The illustration of harsh things like bullying and abuse inside the military bases leading to desertion, hierarchical competitions between higher authorities, isolation & violation, senior complexity are very well done. Corruption and the idea of hiding truth are also touched.
CONCLUSION:
I feel the drama is not just meant for entertainment or thrilling, it also asks us to look behind the scenes and think how cruel it is to go through injustice and yet having no way to escape other than escaping from life. I'm sure it'll create some impacting by making the audience think how wrong it's to bully and abuse someone who is weak. It also demands the change in system and regulations in the military laws and to create a safer environment for not just people serving mandatory military service, also for the professional army personnels.
Overally a good drama and worth the one time watch.
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Fantastic appetizer but don't bother with the main course and desert.
This drama really wowed me at the beginning - heart stopping kungfu fight scenes, the two leads had good banter and chemistry, the set was gorgeous (obviously big budget) and the story had a good balance of intrigue, romance, action and good and evil characters. I was hooked and truly enjoyed the first 25-30 episodes of it. Then just when you are at the point of addiction, the show peaks, which is just plain cruel. And then in a truly impressive way the show crashes and burns, getting progressively worse as it advances. I kept watching in the desperate hope that it would turn itself around but sadly it did not. It was as if an entirely different production crew took over and set out to purposely destroy the show. The plot meandered down multiple mind numbingly boring and ultimately repetitive political plots to steal the thrones in 3 of the 5 kingdoms only to be foiled by Fuyao and her friends. There were lots of unnecessary side characters and multiple unanswered and non sequitor sub plots. Not to mention the many long winded and boring philosophical discussions that I strongly suggest fast forwarding through unless you have trouble falling asleep at night.Ethan Ruan and Yang Mi were great together most of the time and especially at the beginning. However, there were long periods where Fuyao/Yang Mi was on her own and the story/actress could not really carry those moments alone, frequently coming across as reckless and annoying. I did not love the supporting cast either and I felt that Vengo Gao's role/storyline was almost as if they were trying out two potential male leads with parallel (repetitive) plots to see which was better. Obviously Yang Mi and Vengo have zero chemistry and that sub plot that went on forever should have been eliminated altogether. I guess the entire crew was being paid by the episode judging from how it ended up being all pasted together to create one big mess of a storyline. Its a shame because this could have been a terrific and memorable (much shorter) drama with some ruthless editing and tighter script/plot writing.
The only thing epic about this drama is the effort I had to put in to see it through the end. Starts with a bang and then death by a thousand cuts of boring inanity. This is one of those shows that definitely would have benefited greatly from the latest Chinese government ban on excessive budgets that lead to too many unnecessary episodes in Chinese costume dramas. To be fair, I would say the first say 30 episodes are actually worth watching. If you can endure some suffering you can even watch a few more episodes until Fuyao discovers Wu Ji's real identity. After that, do yourself a huge favor and drop it. You will just feel angry and cheated if like me, you persist until the bitter end because it then becomes just so, so much more bad than good.
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This is a story about friends and how they deal with their emotions, life, and the fact that they are growing into adulthood. Again the feelings that are delivered in this drama, all the emotions are just too refreshing, beautiful and really enjoyable. In fact, (I can't believe I'm saying this but) I fell in love with Choi Min Ho after watching this. I never ever considered him a decent actor he was just an idol like the rest of the idols getting casted with no acting skills. I've seen him in (To The Beautiful You) which I dropped and I remember very well that he couldn't act back then!! When did he improve like that?! He was absolutely AMAZING I was watching the drama and can't help but be taken by him (wait it's Min Woo I'm talking about o_O)!! I can't respect him enough for the hard work and improvement he has done for himself I never thought it's possible when you don't have "it" within you but he proved me wrong, any drama that he takes from now on is on my Watch List.
This drama makes you feel like smiling the whole time you will be watching it as simple as it was,,, What is love exactly? What's first love means? Can we really forget about our first love/crush and move on? Well let's watch and see,,,Simplicity is beauty indeed. I highly recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Messy & Inconsistent Script At Its Finest
Can you see how cool is the entrance of drama? Will the drama stay cool and maintain its quality? Boy what a roller-coaster ride the drama gave its viewers â it will certainly stay with me for a very long time without a doubt.Unfortunately, the only thing the drama did right is that they made Wang So a sage and a wise king. Other than that (aside from Lee Jun Ki & Kang Ha Neulâs amazing acting), I have nothing good to say about this drama. Sadly to say, this is one of the worst Kdramas I have ever seen (this probably because I usually drop bad dramas but I didnt for this one obviously since I dont love myself lol). This drama has one of the worst writing, directing and editing I have ever seen from a Kdrama. And for me this is a big indication of how awful is the drama since I dont really notice all those before (except bad scripts in general) but I truly feel it with every fiber of my being with this one.
Script: The script is the worst offender of this production. I seriously confuse why this writer got hired since her writing is very inconsistent and terrible. It is full of plot holes, unexplained happenings, dragged and rush script, poor charactersâ developments and most of all, full of ridiculous and illogical plots. It seemed like her characters didnt seemed to function like a normal human beings would. I need the drama to make sense but I find myself wondering most of the times of why this and that happened. I need a legit and reasonable reasons for something to happen. Not just something you pluck from the sky thinking that you can fool the audiences. We have brains Ms. Writer, you cant expect us to buy your ridiculous plots again and again.
Directing: People said good thing about the director and his previous works but the direction quality of this production is pretty awful in general. The close-ups, soap opera zoom style and no direction input to new actors (according to Seohyun) made the directing suffers greatly esp for sageuk dramas which are known for quality production. I expect a creative directing or pretty shot from the director but instead I got the opposite of what Iâm hoping for.
Editing: Hands down the worst editing I have come across from a Kdrama (and I have seen really a looooot over the years). The choppiness and shoddiness of it is out of this world. They dragged the storyline in the beginning and squeeze everything in the last 5 episodes. The fact that we have like 2 time-skips in a matter of 2 episodes are just laughable. And the fact that some of the plots didnt make sense due to the editing makes it really jarring and dreadful. I dont expect this from a pre-produced drama obviously.
Acting: Like I mentioned above, Lee Jun Ki is soo amazing as Wang So. His eyes conveyed lots of emotions and it just break your heart when you watch this drama as his character is very tragic and unloved. Kang Ha Neul is amazing as well. His characters is so underdeveloped and later forgotten by the time we reached the end (he has like 3 minutes screen time in the later episodes lol â what are you doing Ms. Writer?). The actress who play Lady Oh was great and IU improved a lot as the drama progressed. The rest of the actors are pretty much forgettable esp Seohyun as Woohee.
Soundtracks: Got to admit that the drama has one of the best OSTs for this year. But unfortunately, most of the songs are not suitable for a period drama. Why put a rap as part of the OSTs? And English words in the songs are so jarring when it was played as the background music. For goodness sake this is a sageuk and not a modern day drama. To have âbaby baby boyâ playing at the background really killing you softly inside. :P
Money: This is a million dollar pre-produced drama but I really cant see where all the money went to. Goryeo and the Palace looks empty most of the times. Where are the servants, guards, armies, noble men, and the citizen? Why the attempted coup looks fake and underwhelming? Why the wigs look so fake? Why we can see the net for the mustache? Why the sets look cheap? Why the Palace only limited to the grand hall, court room, kingâs bedroom and the hallway?!! Where did all the money went to?
Iâm glad I didnt really care for any of the character so this drama didnt scar me like The Slave Hunter and Warrior Baek Dong Soo did. The writing got pretty bad at the end that I dont have emotional attachment to any of the characters anymore. One thing for sure, I will stay away from the writerâs future work â I ainât gonna put myself in the same situation ever again.
By the end, I just want to see how this mess will conclude and boy it didnât disappoint â I spent my time rolling my eyes watching the last 2 episodes (no tears since I was so mad with the ridiculous plots). :P Like I mentioned above, the only thing the drama did right is that they made Wang So a wise king. But thinking back, they should make him go all evil and greedy so the reasons behind everyone leaving him (even Ji Mong) will make more sense. I dont mind a tragic ending but I need it to make sense. I give this drama 4/10. I try to rate it higher but this flawed, and awfully illogical executed drama didnt deserve anything more than a 4.
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Major roll-eye (â_â) to the writer for her insistence of making Wang So the most tragic character ever â with very illogical reasons for everyone to leave him at the end of the drama. >.>
Wang So is a flawed character without a doubt â his obsessiveness or him killing the monks and horse but somehow Wang Soâs fate is just very tragic from the moment he was born right until the end where he is left alone and lonely.
It is more tragic then any other Kdramasâ characters because it is his own family who dislike or abandoned him. Its not his friends or people that he has no blood relation but his own family members.
1) He lacked of love since he was a little kid. His own mother hurt him and left that big scars on his face and later throw him away.
2) His dad use him as a captive and send him away to other tribe to console some lady who lost her son (What a terrible childhood!). And he is not loved by the lady or his adopted family (Surprise surprise â_â).
3) The tribe lock, starve and sent him to the wolves that he ended up having to burn his only friend that is Mr. Tree since it was so cold during the winter (or is it because of the wolves?).
4) His Crown Prince brother, Moo ask him to replace him during the masked dance since he think someone is going to assassinate him. So its okay for So to die on his place? Both of them learn martial arts so its weird for Moo to ask him that request (But of course, Soâs life is not that important I guess?).
5) His fatherâs reaction after the mask was removed â not worry about him being injured but quickly call for Moo and his safety.
6) He killed all the monks (what a fool lol!) for his evil mother but she still disowned and disgusted with his existence (stop Ms. Writer, stawp!!!).
7) All his brothers except Baek Ah didnt treat him right. Moo used him for the dance/marriage and Eun is too dumb(?) to care about his feeling when he ask So to show his scars. The rest just plain hate him without any legit reasons.
8) His mother call him for family dinner only to ask him to kill Moo. Attempt to use him to do her dirty work instead of accepting him as her son after he proved his worth for her attention.
9) The woman that he love; Soo didnt trust him enough that he ended up having to kill Eun with his own hands. By the time Soo decided to stop thinking about the future and be honest with him, it was too late.
10) His loved ones; Beak Ah & Soo are used again & again that forced him to do things that he hate to save them from harm.
11) He never wanted to be a King but later changed his mind since he is tired of bloodshed and everyone using him when they are on the throne (His father â> Fight Kitan, Moo â> Marriage with his niece, Yo â> Using Soo to threat him). He wanted to stop the killing cycle and Yoâs ruthless reign (Or so he thought â_â).
12) He didnt want to marry evil princess Yeonhwa but the love of his life Soo said âits okayâ to straighten his position as the King and assured him that she wont give up and she is okay with the arrangement. (Which she didnt since no one will be okay with that kind of arrangement tbh).
13) His happy times with Soo are so brief that she left him and stay with Jung because she is pregnant. She is not honest with him and trust him enough that he will protect her and the baby. She probably think So will treat her like his father did to Lady Oh.
14) In the end, despite writing all those letters how she love and yearn for him, she still doesnât trust him enough to tell him about their daughter. She probably think he would not respect her request about wanting the girl to stay out of the Palace. (Of course she couldnât tell him via the letters, but still! ಠďಠ)
15) Everyone leave him for such ridiculous reasons; Baek Ah (??) and Ji Mong for he only loyal to the weak King Moo? Really? Why are you feeding us this crap Ms. Writer??!!1 And why Iâm still watching? lol
16) Have to live the rest of his lives alone and lonely with someone that he hate. Cant love his son as it is a product of an evil Queen Yeonhwa...
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Nostalgic and Humorous
I gotta say, the humor is spot-on. Itâs a perfect combination of witty remarks, dry humor, and dramatic irony. Thereâs also a good amount of S1 nostalgia without trying to recreate the original show. Best part of all is the chemistry between the actors that makes these fictional relationships feel so real and unique. Iâm also loving the historic setting!On a more controversial note, Iâm glad Ji-ah doesnât make an appearance in this so far, even though all the other main characters have. To me, Ji-ah and Lee Yeonâs relationship felt lacking. Perhaps it was the writing, the direction, or just the lack of chemistry between actors, which is hard to say, since the rest of the actors seem to have such great chemistry maybe itâs the character of Ji-ah that just felt flatâŚ
Anyway, highly recommend!
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Simple light comedy sageuk.
Remember seeing the poster and telling my friend that this drama will be a no-brainer and it turned out to be exactly like that. Although I thought there will be certain amount of seriousness, which is indeed there, but even they carry the comic elements to some extent.It has a simple story. There is a secret royal inspector who sets out on a journey to discover corruptions by the Govt. appointed officials. On his mission he encounters a lady, who due to her situations, joins along the journey. They are accompanied with 2 servants of the inspector and 2 friends of the lady. As these six people move ahead to solve different cases, they unveil tragic truths behind the crimes and corruptions made by local authorities as well as seemingly big figures behind them. As everything becomes clear, rest 40% of the drama is how they bring forward the truth and establish justice.
Ra Yi Eon (Ok Taec Yeon) is the secret royal inspector, who initially had a simple dream of making a dumpling shop and living a simple life. But due to family pressure he appears the state civil service exam to become a inspector. Kim Jo Yi (Kim Hye Yeon) is a free-spirited, quick-witted and brave lady who believes in woman independence. Oweing to her will to beat the societal norms, she strongly supports women opting for divorce, as well. Park Tae Seo (Lee Jae Kyoon) is the son of left state councilor Park Seung (Jung Bo Suk), both of them are corrupt. Duk Bong (Bo Jong Ok) is the head of Tail Island shelter.
Some popular faces in minor roles are Yook Chil (Min Jin Woong) & Goo Pal (Park Kang Sub) as Yi Eon's servants, Ra Kwang Soon (Lee Sang Hee) & Bi Ryung (Chae Won Bin) are Joyi's close friends. Cha Mal Jong (Jung Soon Won) is a trader and Park Do Su (Choi Tae Hwan) is Park Seung's son. Lee Joon Hyuk as the crown prince and VIXX N as Choi Seung Yul are guest, yet key characters.
Acting in overall from the entire cast was okay-okay. Taecyeon has come way long and his skills can be used in better way. I'm not a fan of Kim Hye Yeon, she always has the same annoying character, who only knows to cry well. Lee Jae Kyon did unexpectedly well as an antagonist, loved his acting and expressions.
I didn't really mind the plot development bcs I watched purely for the light comedy but technically it's not a steady and proper one and I think their intention was that. Introductory episodes were slow but decent. As the show progresses, the gradual improvement in premises setup and script quality, constantly grow up. It wasn't exactly good but not unlikable either. However, that lasts till 8th episode, i. e. The 1st half of the show and as soon as the 2nd half starts. Everything comes to surface by the 10th episode and the last 6 are dragged to a great extent just to fill the quota. So, things become exaggerated and repetitive in the processs. The ending was smooth and I am happy the comedy elements were retained till the end.
In another opinon, the drama should have been a 10th episode mini series and made into a good story with flawless technical aspects, even with the light comedy. There were few things of no essence, unnecessarily added to the script, regarding the individual lives of the leads, I didn't like them. Those elements made the mood of the story inconsistent and unsteady.
Director Yoo Jung Soon might not be a rookie but he's not very experienced though I liked 2/4 of his dramas. Morever, it's his first historical but given the premise of the drama and the genre, the overall execution was up to par. It could have been better in terms of representation of elements, organization and connecting of events, etc. but I don't mind since it isn't a typical sageuk.
Writer Lee Jae Yoon is in the industry for a quite a while though the only memorable drama they've written is "The Undatables" The script written by them for this drama isn't something really good but if they had intended to keep it simple and light, I think their purpose has been served. However, the potential conspiracy plotline, which is mandatory in any sageuk, didn't feel steady and engaging. The entire effort to reveal the truth has been fragmented and dispersed throughout. The drama doesn't create great impressions at any point of the story, except for the chemistry betweens the leads.
I watched till 7th episode with normal speed and was quite enjoying the light comedy but when I realized it had started becoming slower and uninteresting, I had to fast-forward the rest at 1.5Ă. I had intended to increase it to 2.0Ă later but somehow I couldn't, because it actually not that shabby and boring.
The OST composition by Dalpalan is so good I swear and there are 3 OSTs, which are very likable. He's definitely one of the accomplished composers of Korea and he knew his homework for the drama well.
"Let's Get It" by sEODo is trot track, giving a perfect mood according to the comical mood of the drama. "Need Your Heart" by ONF Hyojin is a cheerful romantic track. Kim Sawol's soulful vocals in "At the End of My Day" is very heartfelt.
Things to like in the show:
#1 Comedy elements are the best thing about the drama. The entire show is full of comedy; in fact the king and ministers were parts of it, as well. I had a good time laughing out loud. Taec was obviously the funniest, it felt like watching the real Taec through this character. All of the characters were able to deliver the comedy through their acting.
#2 This is probably one of the sageuk with least involvement of the Royal affairs. Even though all the activities are indirectly related to the Palace and there are lots of political personnel associated, I was happy that most of the runtime was shot outside the premise.
#3 This drama aslo emphasizes on Women empowerment. The FL in here is not a typical Joseon lady who's either a assassin or only the ML's love interest. She's free-spirited, educated and promotes women rights. She even supports divorce and believes in overcoming taboos set for medieval women.
Overally, "Secret Royal Inspector & Joyi" is a drama average watch: average plot, average story and average execution. It could have better in some aspects but I don't wanna complain a lot because this drama, in no way, demanded to be judged wrt the technicality though I will be fair with the ratings. It's a simple and light watch which you can binge during leisure.
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Please donât waste your time
I only give it a 4/10, cause the first two episodes were amazing and the cinematography was excellent, other than that: full garbage.I have never seen such miserable and annoying characters. The ML is the most miserable person ever. The lack of self respect drove me INSANE. How can someone hate themselves that much? His character was really interesting at first, but they ruined it by making him a simp. They should have give his character more in depth scenes, the character was much more than an idiot waiting his whole life for someone who left him.
The female character is the exact opposite, super selfish. She was so angry and mad about.. what? I couldnât understand her at all. Everyone is loving her and open to help her, but she is just an ungrateful brat.
I appreciate people who choose themselves and go for their own dreams, but she shouldâve never interrupted the MLâs live. She made things only worse and left, again.
I can rant about the absolute RAGE I am feeling right now, but I will spare you guys, just donât watch it for you own sake.
The only good thing about this shit drama is that they didnât end up together, THANK GOD! Or i wouldâve given it 0/10
I am so disappointed that they ruined absolute perfect two episodes. I can absolutely love second chance romances, but not like this ever again please.
They WASTED an great opportunity the worst way possible and I will have to mourn for this now.. THANKS.
edit (and spoiler): I forgot to mention that the FL is really the worst girlfriend ever. she drank wine with her ex, whom she hid from her boyfriend, while her boyfriend was having a hard time, because his grandma was almost dying. i think i wonât be forgetting this awful situation ever đ
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The story was pretty decent until about the mid-way point and then it just went completely off the rails into unbelievable land. As an avid drama watcher, I know that I go into a drama suspending belief because if you've been watching a long time, you know that's how it is. Most dramas have a lull about mid-way even the best dramas, but this... yikes. It just lost its way and never came back for me. The end was highly anti-climatic for me, it wasn't satisfying at all because I felt the characters' problems were really only due to their own stupidity rather than any real outside threat.
The acting didn't really help much. Aaron Yan is adorable, especially as Xiao Luo, but I feel that contrasted with Tia Li's stiff and rather emotionless face almost made it seem like he was overacting. As great as Aaron Yan is, it didn't save the drama or the couple for me. I actually was far more interested in the supporting couples than I ever was in the odd love triangle/square. In other circumstances where the character's actions make sense, the acting probably would've come off a lot better, but when characters begin to act like 2 year olds and common sense goes straight out the window, it's hard to feel anything other than annoyance. I try to not skip through episodes, but in all honesty I did it quite a lot and still was perfectly able to understand what was going on and save myself from the urge to cringe with not my palm to my face but the keyboard.
The music was pretty good, nothing stellar or what would have me running to iTunes, but it wasn't bad. Had some catchy upbeat music.
Having said all of that, I will not be re-watching this or even recommending it too anyone. I really hope that Aaron Yan's next drama doesn't involve the noble idiot trope and that Tia Li loosens up and shows some real emotion (crying profusely and looking blankly down or into the distance does not a good actor make) :P
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This review may contain spoilers
This is the most unfair idol show i have seen so far
from the first episode they were attacking C groupe by showing how over confidante they are and they create a big mess from the start.In every episode not only they showed how C groupe are bad (which is totally wrong) but also they have showed how J groupe are not good at anything and how the Great K groupe are the best and always know what to do and how they help all of them -_-.
After that Mnet discover that C groupe has many fans and votes, so they can't accept it so they start to attack every time a C trainee specially Cai bing by showing evil editing so that they can manipulate our thoughts and they have succeed.
How this is a fair competition how? more than half of the debut team are K group! and surprisingly a sister of an idol became ranked 1 -_- and that didn't happened during all the previous ranking , how can votes change in a small amount of time!!
I really hate Mnet and Korean idol shows to be honest Chinese shows are way more better (they never showed us drama or bad attitude they always showed us how friendly and helpful everyone of them), i really feel sorry for C groupe :'(
This is just evil! i will not support the debut team at all!!!
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