Intense build-up, decent wrap-up
The first half of this movie was absolutely flawless — I was terrified (in a good way) by all the jumpscares, the mystery was extremely intriguing and I was trying desperately to figure it out myself, and the soundtrack and interactions between the characters all added to the dark vibe of the movie.I still think the second half, after everything was revealed, was a decent watch, but I did think that it took away a lot of the things that I loved in the first half. Of course, a mystery can't go on forever, but I definitely felt like the story didn't feel as dark as it did before and there was no more anxiety-inducing tension, more just running around and fights. Those were still fun and exciting and I really enjoyed how the story was revealed, intertwining different characters, but the first half still felt more captivating to me.
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Amaki Rinko (Takada Kaho) is a perfect 27 year old girl with all the facts. What no one knows, he has no sexual experience. When she accidentally finds out in the bar that even her handsome 27-year-old colleague Kamisaka Gen (Totsuka Shota) is also panics, she confidently invites him to the hotel. They reach an agreement to gain "experience", but their path to "independence and adulthood" is evolving a little more tortuously than they expected ... I don't even write anymore, because it only has a little over 3 hours together, so take a look .
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One word for SFD: Epic
Four words for SFD: Epic But With FlawsLet’s break it down -:
❌ The flaws:
☠️ Power inbalance b/w the dragons:
Two of them are clearly the stars (Sambong/Yi Bang Won). Two of them feel like very endearing supporting characters. (Bang ji/ Mu hyul) Two of them are disguised idiots who insult the term. (Boon Yi/General Syeong Hi) The acting prowess also varies in the same order. (Deteriorating as it descends)
☠️ Boring Middle:
Except of a few outstanding scenes the middle of the show does come with a lot of 'meh'. Endless, tiresome and less than impressive politics. Where the writers keep trying to find new and new problems for the main guys to fight against, often not even properly solving the previous ones. I almost put the show on-hold here.
☠️ Shitty antagonists:
Except one, all antagonists are pretty mediocre with lame strategies and they keep getting replaced. As soon as a villain gains solid footing and identity, the show do's away with it in some way. Makes the back and forth a bit boring since the good guys are way too strong and for a very long time SFD does not take any risks.
☠️ Cop-Outs:
Again, the middle is problematic. The show uses huge ass convenient plot devices to get out of complications and some illogical things don't add up.
☠️ Character Development:
This is also a strength of the drama. While for some the CD is brilliant, others (Bang Ji/Moo Hyul) could do with more of it. Friendship/brotherhood is one of the highlights of SFD, however it could've easily been more explored and impactful.
☠️ No good female characters:
Literally all of them suck/are weak af except one and she isn't even a major role. The female lead is like a blank brainless floppy fish with her wide eyes and sputtering lips. I wanted to slap her silly
✅ The Epic:
👑 Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won 👑
The most fleshed out/dynamic/well developed character of the show and easily one of the best anti-heroes in K-Drama History. He's simply wonderful. Yoo Ah In did the acting of a lifetime- Out of this world.
Among a sea of self-righteous fuckers, he's a hell wrecker. He's evil, good, kind, reckless, weak, strong, deadly, vulnerable, lonely, childish, manipulative, magnificent, insecure, ambitious, a mastermind but above all- he's wholly human. I just don't have enough words. He was the biggest and at times, the only reason I stuck with this show till the end. The moment SFD plunged into monotony, Yi Bang Won was the one who changed the course with all that shit he stirred up. I haven't been this in love with a character, since Empress Ki's Emperor. Truly excellent.
✔️ Music:
Holy fuck. This is without a doubt the best OST I have ever heard. Whether it be lyrical or instrumental, whether it be sung by characters or played in the background- every song was perfect. Perfectly timed, perfectly meaningful and perfectly emotional. Just perfect.
✔️Action/Swordsmanship:
Some of the best action scenes in a drama can be scene in SFD. They are always important too because our guys emote with their blades and no fight is meaningless.
✔️High Quality Production:
Beautiful camera work. Brilliant direction amd screenplay. Very pretty angles. Gorgeous sceneries. Crisp cinematography
✔️Suspense:
The drama has some legit chill inducing, goosebump worthy scenes and some brilliant cliffhangers that promise something exquisite in the next ep. What's more is the next ep always delivers on its promise. So every episode has a great start, a great end and an okay-ish middle.
✔️Last couple of episodes:
While the show significantly picks up at episode 30 and maintains the level of great, the last few eps are just plain awesomeness. My heart was hurting, breaking, sputtering, palpitating and melting all at the same time.
✔️Moral Dilemmas:
Fickle human nature at its finest.
✔️Sambong/Moo Hyul/Li Bang Ji:
The acting done hy Kim Hyung Min is spectacular- Sambong is a genius. The sexy and passive Bang Ji and the big man with a big heart Moo Hyul are all golden aspects of the show.
✔️The End:
Very satisfying.
✔️History:
Most historically accurate show I've watched. It's almost all there. All real.
✔️ 50 hours worth, is it easy to watch?
Yes and no. Some episodes are so gripping and well-executed that you can't help but bulldoze through but some drag enough that you have to actually motivate yourself to push forward.
☑️ Conclusion:
The Epic far outweigh The Flaws. This is a show that is a must-have under your belt as a drama fan. A classic that lives up to the hype.
Definitely reccomended.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started well, but ended poorly
I thought the acting and story was good... up until the last few episodes, at which point a few things derailed it:The singer from Akdong Musician who was working as a convenience store part-timer learning to study to become a police officer - Her appearances were kind of the 'b-plot', until her storyline arc suddenly changed as she 'started singing' randomly while walking home. It felt unnatural and kind of cringe. Yeah, I get it, she's a famous singer, but having her incorporate it seemed forced and more like an advert.
I can ignore that though, what I disliked more was the ending where Hwi-oh 'won back' Minkyung with what appeared to be an act of aggression. It wasn't what it seemed, but something just felt super off about it, much of Minkyungs concerns weren't really addressed but she did an almost 180, and they got back together.
Also, it was pretty unclear where she suddenly vanished to (before she came back)... was it Mongolia?
Anyway I would say the first 9 or so episodes were great, but then it kind of fell off a cliff. It really felt as though they were struggling to figure out how to wrap things up, and went in a bit of a weird direction.
Not a waste of time, not terrible, good.. but thats a shame because it could have been really good
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The plot was really lacking, first of all. This writer did that romcom + thriller thing in SWDBS, and I LOVED that, but the conspiracy plot in this one was simply underwhelming. Firstly, it was introduced early on, disappeared for a few episodes, and really came to the forefront maybe in episode 10-ish. It was resolved SUPER quickly and unsatisfyingly, and what I thought would really be the climax basically turned into a plot device to make the romance angsty. Even the sort of science/medical plot points were really shallow and had no real explanation or reason to them, and they seemed to just be there so the main characters would be separated by SOMETHING.
Speaking of the romance — I really did not feel any chemistry between the main characters at all. They’re both super high-profile actors who I know can do AMAZING things, but honestly from this drama you couldn’t tell. The first kiss was sudden and awkwardly forced, and I really didn’t even know they liked each other until they were like LET’S DATE. The romance was over-the-top cheesy in so many scenes, showing basically what happens when you use cliches and use them badly.
The entire drama was over-the-top, especially in terms of humor. SWDBS had this too, but the main leads saved the drama with their cuteness. In this one, the “humor” was everywhere, and it was loud and obnoxious. Both the leads’ families were basically there to either cry or react over-dramatically, and as a result I hated basically ALL the family members. The only one I loved was Nam Tae, and I felt like his character and the relationship he had with Miran had so much unexplored potential. The same could be said for Byung-Sim, or Miran’s ex-boyfriend, and her two best friends who I loved as teenagers but HATED as adults.
And Na Hayoung. Dear god, Don’t even get me started on her. She really had no role other than to be an annoying pining ex who would remind everyone that time passed. I’m going to cut this section short by saying that basically all the characters except Nam Tae was BAD.
The one thing I’d say that this show had going for it was that the OST was pretty good, but the show itself was so bad I think it might’ve tainted the songs for me.
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“If you want to protect something, then you just do it.”
i went into this film unaware that it was a sequel but i think that was for the best because i would’ve been far more disappointed with this, and i already am.mantis tries to be a lot of things at once—a comedy movie, an action flick filled with gore, a heartfelt emotional film that focuses on its characters—and it fails at doing most of this considering its less than two hour runtime. i was excited for this because the casting was literally insane and their performances definitely carried the film, but that was the extent of this movies greatness. i absolutely loved park gyu young’s performance and i think her character was the most fleshed out, with jae-yi’s inferiority complex and struggles clearly being her driving motive and acting as the main conflict of the movie as she makes her decisions based on these emotions she’s experiencing. i also thoroughly enjoyed choi hyunwook’s performance as benjamin because he does such a good job playing these bratty and manipulative characters, similar to his character in taxi driver whom i also loved even though he was a little shit. yim si wan’s character han-ul was a very basic character who didn’t have a lot of depth but it was his acting that made him stand out when he wasn’t in an action scene. speaking of those scenes, they were enjoyable for the most part but the best one was honestly the opening scene. the final fight was also slightly memorable but mainly because of a singular shot of yim si wan’s heartfelt and anguished facial expression.
other than the points mentioned above, the rest of the movie is honestly boring. the entire movie is rushed which makes the pacing really off seeing as before i knew it an entire year had somehow passed in the span of like five minutes, there are funky shots in both the good and bad sense as some of them were fun but a lot of them looked ridiculous, and the plot tries to do a lot at once with the sort of love plot between han-ul and jae-yi, the betrayal plot, the group break up, overthrowing and recreating the killer for hire system… it’s just a mess and it’s only mildly entertaining at best.
i definitely won’t rewatch this and i wouldn’t really recommend it, but if you really want to give it a shot i’m sure you’ll at least enjoy the performances done by the really incredible actors in this.
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This review may contain spoilers
A non traditional “happy” open ended (self) love story
There’s so much that I have already said in the comments section below about this drama that I feel like a review is in order…If you are someone who needs a drama with a satisfying ending/closure… I would still recommend watching the main leads Miao Miao and ZiQi’s highlight reels online but as for the actual drama itself skip it and go watch their previous drama Moonlight or if you must…watch LGIEF before watching/rewatching Moonlight for satisfaction
The cast was AMAZING, CGI and soundtrack was a 10/10!
Now for hard truths😅
Miao Miao’s pre warning of the ending being a total scam to viewers before being sucked into game is very much true for the ending of the drama..
Yes it’s an unsatisfying “happy” open ending for the leads and yes I can understand China’s censorship of dramas is a contributing factor and I could make up excuses such as a lack of self worth and the story being written by a teenage ZiQi’s point of view as a reason for zero kiss scenes between the leads other than a forehead kiss ( does the rolling credits kiss count)
This story was masked as a traditional “Love Story” but it was definitely a story of “Self Love” which I don’t have any issues with but wished they had titled it so e.g “Self Love in Eastern Fantasy” 😂
In terms of the ending.. you have to remember a few things to find any forms of satisfaction from it..
1. Chinas censorship limitations for the ending
2. The book was written by a teenage ZiQi
3. The ending is not supposed to be thought as an “ending” but a beginning
4. Miao Miao had already pre warned viewers/readers through her online review of the book that we were scammed for the ending..
5. The main leads ending is a constant full circle ⭕️ promise🤞 between them. ZiQi promises to always find Miao Miao and never leave her behind and Miao Miao will forever choose and support ZiQi
Her waking up and thinking everything was a dream and trying to remember who she loved ( full circle ⭕️ ) and her going to the book signing to support him (full circle ⭕️) and ZiQi calling her name despite but not being seen (full circle ⭕️)
I love this couple and will definitely be rewatching their previous drama for closure and more romantic interactions… hoping for a 3rd collaboration between this pair in the future!!
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JKY como eu não tinha visto antes
Agora que concluí o drama, vou fazer um complemento a minha review: me apaixonei pela OST e a escuto com frequência, mas achei que atropelaram o capítulo final. Deixaram para resolver tudo no último capítulo e não explicaram as coisas direito, além de deram saltos no tempo que, para mim, deu um gosto de história pela metade. Poderiam facilmente irem a 14 episódios para deixar que nos despedissemos do drama de maneira adequada.Eu estou absolutamente apaixonada por este k-drama! Sem dúvida, é a produção que mais me prendeu em 2024. Ontem, finalmente terminei os quatro primeiros episódios, e agora estou ansiosa pelos próximos.
A trama é incrivelmente intrigante. Cada reviravolta me deixa com mais perguntas e teorias. Os personagens estão bem construídos, e a atuação é surpreendentemente convincente, especialmente considerando que se trata de um drama de fantasia.
Quanto à trilha sonora (OST), confesso que não tenho uma opinião muito forte. Ela não se destacou para mim, mas também não me incomodou. Acho que a história em si é tão envolvente que a música fica em segundo plano.
E agora, sobre o ator Jang Ki Yong: eu não era exatamente uma fã dele antes. Suas outras produções que assisti foram apenas OK, na minha opinião. No entanto, desta vez, ele acertou em cheio! Sua interpretação está impecável, e estou ansiosa para ver como seu personagem se desenvolverá ao longo da série.
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Hands-down the worst-written BL of all time
This might seem like hyperbole. But let me explain. Physical Therapy isn't the worst-written BL of all time because it would have to have been written, and if it was, it was only by accident. Someone wrote Fahlanruk on purpose.It's perfectly OK to have a character start out as "bad" and then go through a redemption arc. It's also OK for a character to be victimized in a bad relationship with a psychopath, in which case his character arc is developing the strength and confidence to recognize his worth to free himself and find love and healing.
But here we have a psychopath who's character arc is to ensnare a man through repeated histrionics and abuse until they live happily ever after. The End. Either this was written by someone without enough life experience to have a clue what adulthood and love are, or they are an adult who is an alcoholic abuse-victim with PTSD who is trying to self-medicate by writing the same scene over and over and over again until the audience shares their PTSD.
Everyone in this story is an alcoholic binge-drinker. Every motivation is jealousy. EVERY motivation. Sher and Fahlan are not boyfriends, they are friends with benefits. While it's clear they have deeper feelings for each other, they aren't committed, but still, whenever the other so much as talks to another human (probaby a pet or inanimate object too, but it never came up) a histrionic public explosion involving physical and emotional violence results, with vow to never speak again, followed by another round of binge-drinking, drunken sex, jealousy, explosion, ad inifinitum.
I'm not exaggerating - sometimes two cycles could occur in a single episode. It gets to the point that you don't care and stop paying attention to the main couple when they're onscreen until Fahlan has his shirt off, because he looks really good with his shirt off. Their endless jealousy fight is so dull and repetitIve that it would have been more entertaining to watch them argue over whether the toilet paper should hang over or under the roll (over the roll unless you're a bad person). I can't believe the author actually thought she was writing a protagonist with Sher - he's a pissy, horrible narcissistic villain. Really, if someone had run up to him in the finale and bludgeoned him to death with a bat, you would have gasped with the realization that there really is a God and that he loves us.
There are two side couples, who talk about absolutely nothing other than Fah and Sher's relationship, except for their own detours into pointless jealousy, public histrionics, and binge-drunkenness, but at least none of the minor characters punch each other in the face all the time.
A lot of people stuck with it for Ping & Tap, who were initially cute and had potential, but they too went around in circles forever until it was hard to care and then their relationship was so anticlimactically resolved that the reaction is, "hunh?" Ping has been pining for Tap for years, and then once they're together Ping behaves like Tap is a poisonous reptile instead of a loving boyfriend, because I presume the writer saw other ukes behave that way and thinks that's how gay couples work. One of them DESPISES SEX WITH A BURNING PASSION but, and only under the greatest duress, gives into the UNNATURAL MONSTROUS LUSTS of another man in order to have someone to protect and take care of him. Yup, that's how real life works.
That leaves us with Gear & Prince, who manage to get through this with merely one histrionic jealousy scene, and when they finally hook up, they're robbed by horrendous cinematography which almost totally obscures what's happening with lens flaring that would make JJ Abrams jealous. They're still better than anything else in this travesty, however.
There's also Pink, the fujoshi, who is eventually exhausted as a cause for jealousy, then spends the rest of the series obsessing over Sher & Fahlan's relationship, dragging around poor Tar and behaving as if he's ugly even if he's the hottest guy on the show (I realize that's debatable, but catch him onstage in the finale).
Sher is a horrible human being who deserves to die alone, not be redeemed through true love. Does anyone really think anyone this awful is going to change overnight? How long to you give him and Fahlan? Two weeks at best.
This show isn't just bad, it's infuriating. It's a complete waste of time with no countervailing redeeming qualities to balance the endlessly repetetive plot. There are attractive guys, but it would be much more economical to cruise the side-characters' social media, and in the case of the main couple, if you're interested in Sher, SEEK COUNSELLING. IMMEDIATELY. If Fah, well, I have to admit you get a lot of shirtless Fah, but I'm sure you can find that somewhere where you don't have to endure this type of torture.
I don't normally say something like this, but please don't watch this. It's because I care about you and your well-being.
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Sorry, I didn't have the same reaction to this as I saw others.
So much of it I found cringy. It didn't help that it felt like every 15 minutes someone was giving a patronizing speech about some online issue, and much of the fan stuff was overdramatized and unrealistic. Inept managers, coaches, and sponsors that made me wonder how they are even remotely successful with all this going on. The focus was more about fandoms than playing the game. Like, ultimately, who cares?
I wasn't really a fan of the OTP and didn't find them persuasive. I actually enjoyed JinYang & Ai Jia's relationship a lot better, and felt they had better chemistry and were a more realistically portrayed couple. SiCheng treated TY like a 3 year old, and after the situation with her ex-b/f her accepting being treated like that seemed weird, especially when they're making it out to be male/female equality.
In the end, I thought the best character development and growth, although not given much screen time, was Jian Yang. For all the hate he was getting in each episodes comments, he ended up being the one who respected everyone the most. So, frankly, this drama was extremely disappointing to me, but still enough there to warrant a mid-tier rating.
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when I first saw the teaser from watching I hear your voice, I thought it's creepy; a pure horror story and didn't make me interested.
Then when I visited this page in mdl I look into the cast when I saw the main girl I was like: " oh the girl from the greatest love, why her?" (don't get me wrong I don't hate her..XD) then when I saw seo in guk *makes me a little happy, but when I knew he was not the main guy I was like "why not him?" In short the cast still didn't make me interested. Then I scroll some more and look into the genre and oh there's a romance in it!! then I was like what? comedy too??? is it possible? it's weird, kinda NEW for me and by that it makes me interested and look into this drama
I'n short I met this drama not because of the teaser, the cast but because of the genre and the comments too!:>
NOW HERE'S MY REVIEW AND LET ME TELL YOU HOW IT BECAME VERY SPECIAL TO ME! :'D
feelings/story:
It made me scream then after some minutes it made me laugh,it gave me the feeling of: NEVER FELT THIS GOOD FROM A DRAMA FOR SOOO LONG! I MISS THIS KIND OF FEELING! IT WAS FUN!!! this is the FIRST DRAMA that made me scared and laugh at the same time. that's how it hooked me!! It made me look forward into days, is it wed? Is it Thursday already? is the eng sub out? where is the preview?
as the episode progress it keeps on getting BETTER,SWEET,FUNNIER and the scary moments lessens :) so for those who are a scaredy cat like me DON'T HESITATE to watch this drama!
this drama also made me cry not only because of the painful moments but also because of the SUPEEEER DAEBAK SWEET MOMENT that made my HEAR BEAT POUND LOUDER, my HEART FLUTTERS, smile like this ^____________________^ crying from OVERFLOWING EMOTIONS!!
ghost? SOME are scary but once you get to know their story it's heart warming :)
acting cast:
after watching few episodes My first impression from the cast CHANGED in just a SNAP!!!
SO JI SUB? I know him but this is really the first drama that I saw him act. Then I was like omg SO JI SUB OPPA IS SOOOO HANDSOME!! HE IS SUCH A GREAT AND FUNNY ACTOR! HE EVEN MADE IT TO MY OPPA OF THE MONTH!!
GONG HYO JIN? ~omoooooo!! what a great and cute actress I didn't notice her acting skill in the greatest love.. but here in the master's sun it's DAEBAAAAAAAK!!! SHE EVEN MADE IT INTO MY FAVORITE ACTRESS!!!!
as the episode progress: I get closer to the 2 MAIN CAST!!! the CHEMISTRY between them is VERY, VERY, VERY, NATURAL it's SPARKLING AND SHINING!!! just seeing them acting together adds spice in Master's sun! that is one of the ASSETS of this drama!! out of hundreds of love team I've seen THEY ARE DEFINITELY THE BEST! NO ONE CAN BEAT THEM IN MY HEART!! I'm really SHIPPING for this pair the SOGONG couple!! this is my FIRST TIME too, getting addicted to a couple and wishing for them to be a REAL LOVERS AND GET MARRIED! if that happens I would be the HAPPIEST!!
supporting roles:
SECRETARY AJHUSSI? ~omooooo!! one of my favorite secretary!!
kang woo and tae ri yang? you should not miss them too!!
cheap mouth and the sister? they are soo funny..XD
the 2 CUTE KIDS: ~omoooo!! they are soo cute and very lovable makes me want to squeeze them.lol. a very good actors :)
Uncle and the aunt :)
the coffee ghost and trash can ajhussi: they are soooo LIKABLE!
and of course cha hee joo the bitch who is a great actress and made me hate her. lol!!! ALL OF THEM ARE AWESOME!!!
OST?
~kyaaaaaaaa!!! just thinking about the OST!! it's DAAAEBAK!!! I EVEN DOWNLOADED ALL THE OST THAT"S HOW GOOD IT IS!! it even top the charts!!! I like EVERYTHING!! THE MELODY, THE TUNE, THE BEAT, THE VOICE, THE FEELING OF THE SONG, THE SINGER!! It PERFECTLY FITS the emotion!!! the ost saves me from missing this drama by listening to it!
RE-WATCHED VALUE?
PERFECT 10!! I'll never get tired of watching it and 'll definitely marathon this one again!!
OVERALL??
this drama is VERY SPECIAL to me, it's PERFECT, A MASTERPIECE, AWESOME, DAEBAK, AMAZING and definitely MUST WATCH, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who are into ROM-COM!!! BIG THANKS TO HONG SISTER for making an EPIC and MEMORABLE DRAMA!! I'M GONNA MISS THIS DRAMA SOOOOOO MUCH AND also the CAST especially the SOGONG COUPLE!T.T
This is my longest review ever lol.
PS:I hope it helps you to look into this drama! for now, KYEOJJO!:>
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1
1Sometimes I’m pro embracing mediocrity.
On paper it’s a story with depth about overcoming fear of abatement, fighting for what you feel is right, moving on from past traumas, gaining independence, fighting for your own happiness. In reality all these themes were shallow and barely elaborated on. They were introduced in a few lines and closed in a few lines. There was no real journey, but rather a TLDR version of it.That said, there was one aspect of the writing that I was extremely grateful for - misunderstanding was not overused as a plot device. More than once the potential misunderstanding either did not happen at all, or was cleared right away through the magic of communication. What’s more, while the plot often leaded to the side of the cliches, the ending of many scenes took a refreshing turn. It balanced the feeling of familiarity with the well-known tropes with surprising small twists driven by the characters’ reactions.
Sadly, no matter how many little scenes and moments I enjoyed here and there, at the end of the day, it is a romance drama, but the romance was not romancing. Kang Hu Yeong was too good to be true, so even though it was fun to fangirl about him as I watched, there is nothing memorable about his character.
Lee Hong Ju was far more enjoyable in all friend and work related setting compared to her scenes with male lead - cannot believe I’m saying it, but the romance was the most boring part of her character’s journey.
Kim Hye Ji easily stole the show for me. She was so dynamic and bright, driven, smart, loyal, but not unrealistically inhumanly perfect. Sometimes she had to work through her emotions, but the fact she actually took time to think about them and what they meant and what she truly wanted the end result of any given situation to be, without just impulsively reacting was great.
Her romance was what kept me glued to the screen. I enjoyed every second of it. It's what gave me true butterflies.
I wish we’ve got more Kwon Sang Pil. He was one of the more relatable characters with fun dynamics. I always crave more female/male best friends representation with no romantic undertones or secret one sided crushes and Serendipity’s Embrace had the chance to deliver in that aspect.
Baek Wook easily became one of my favorite uncles in the history of kdramas. What I love about his character is the fact they were able to mix him being so extra and hyped, but also professional and good at his job. They never hinted he did a bad job managing the company, he seemed to have created a good working environment. Too often someone with more energy is equated to someone dumb and messy in dramas.
Bang Jun Ho was probably the worst character and it’s not about him being the toxic ex. It’s about him hitting too many tropes simply making him boring. Similar criticism about Kang Hu Yeong’s mom who ended up being one of the most underdeveloped characters I have seen in quite some time. I hate how we got close to zero explanations about that character and her motivations.
Acting wise, I think it’s time for me to accept the fact that Kim So Hyun is unable to have romantic chemistry with any of her co-stars. There is nothing behind these eyes. She looks with more care and love at chicken than Chae Jong Hyeop. I do not claim she does not have chemistry with anyone overall - the romantic one just does not translate on screen. Maybe she should dive into other genres? Chae Jong Hyeop be giving the most romance filled glances, to receive nothing back…
About said chemistry, 2024 and we still get surprised fish kisses. What makes it even worse is the fact Hong Ju kept saying how “sexually frustrated” she is, to then Park Shin Hye her way during that kissing scene. Girl, you are and will be forever sexually frustrated if that’s your game.
Big props for the perfectly fitting soundtrack. While these are not exactly songs I would listen to outside of the drama, they fit the mood and scenes sooo well!
Wide shots were to die for - visually speaking the best part of the whole drama.
Overall, it's so basic, but from the start I knew it would be and it's kind of what made me enjoy it. How this drama just... flows like 4567486754 other rom-coms, nothing stands out, you know EXACTLY what you will get. But sometimes that's how one can relax
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...which was bloody fantastic. 'Liar Game' is the third drama I've given a ten to, in the short amount of time I've been watching dramas, and out of those three dramas it is both the one I believe to be the best and the one that I enjoyed the most. Ten doesn't mean that I found it to be perfect (as perfection is unattainable), but since it has superseded many of the dramas that I've watched - both quality and entertainment wise - I thought it justifiably deserved the highest possible score.
'Liar Game' thrilled me, played with me, kept me guessing and sent my blood pressure rising in the best possible ways. The pacing was on beat and the tightly plotted 12 episodes managed to sail by without the assistance of makjang, noble idiocy, sacrificial lambs or filler. When I say that there was none of that present in 'Liar Game' I mean that there was absolutely zilch, nada, zero traces of any of the aforementioned tropes. The show was able to stand on its own two legs without relying on ridiculousness.
It presented a study of human behaviour - how we react and change (for better or worse) when it comes to trust. I don't see it as being a drama that is about how far people will go when it comes to money. Of course, in the context of the game, money is important, but 'Liar Game' teaches us that humans - people - are more important. It is people that make the choice to lie, cheat, betray and thus put others at risk - not money. Money is just the pretext, 'Liar Game' (both the drama and the game itself) is about all about people and how strong their characters are. It is also people who choose to watch others being pitted against each other, for money, to get an ounce of their weekly entertainment.
The games itself in 'Liar Game' were actually very intelligent and intricate. It might have been a bit boring to watch the explanations and rules of each round, but without them it would be difficult for some people to understand whatever the hell was going on. (The rules were useful when it came to the Poker round because wtf was going on there). Some people have said that they found the games 'boring', but that's besides the point, the interest doesn't lie within the games themselves, but within how the contestants survive the games. Each round served as a perfect backdrop for the deceit and breakdowns that were to follow.
The people in 'Liar Game' were of a brilliant variety. Not much time was spent on backstory (which was both refreshing and appreciated given the 12 episode length of the drama), but I managed to ascertain the personalities, motives and regrets of not just the three leads, but the principle supporting cast as well (Jamie, Ja Dol etc). And that is because LG had both a brilliant writer and a brilliant cast. These people grew into either more beautiful or more hateful as the machinations of the Liar Game got to them. I must add that this drama did really well by breaking the K-Drama trope of a woman being evil if she wears heavy make-up - more specifically, the darker the lipstick the darker her soul. It was excellent to see Jamie retain her grit, intelligence and vampyness whilst also being transformed into a person who has opened herself to being able to trust the right people.
A lot of people have said that Kim So-eun's character - NAM DA JUNG - was annoying because she was too stupid and remained stupid. I beg to differ on that topic; whilst Da Jung is most definitely too trusting and naive - AT THE BEGINNING - she most definitely does mature. Yes, she still trust, and yes she is still a very kind person, but she matures into someone who can both question her allies whilst maintaining her ability to trust them. As each round progresses she becomes more considerate and mature. She might not ever have become a toxic person, but she definitely isn't the same Nam Da Jung that was presented at the beginning of the show. And I think Kim So-eun does a wonderful job at portraying Nam Da Jung's growth, emotional sensitivity, understanding, empathy and her huge ability to love and show human compassion (which is especially evident in the final few episodes). Her performance was consistent, clean and considerate. I'm surprised that she is yet to land a main role on public broadcast.
I found it very interesting to contrast and compare the characters of HA WOO JIN (distractingly attractive Psychology Professor turned ex-con) and KANG DO YOUNG. They were like two ends of a horseshoe: polar opposites, yet very similar. Both men are geniuses, both men are incredible when it comes to lying, both men are fantastic strategists, both men are difficult to trust, but both men have very different goals and very different moral leanings and obligations. Their similarities made them clash, whilst their obvious differences intensified their - sometimes frightening - rivalry. I don't think the tension and fear, that crackled in the air whenever these two men looked at each other, would have been present if Lee Sang Yoon and Shin Sung Rok hadn't played their respective roles. Both men brought an undeniable energy to the screen and they were also able to bounce that energy off of each other. The performances were so natural it never felt like a hero was delivering dialogue to a villain, but it felt as if two enigmatic men were engaged in some fierce contest of the Mind. It was sparkling and wonderful to watch.
I think it would be easy to type-cast Shin Sung Rok as a The Villain after his roles in both 'Liar Game' and Stars, respectively, but he manages to make his villains different. I found a way to empathise with the emotionally scarred, twisted, pathological liar that was Kang Do Young whilst I couldn't have cared less for the utterly selfish bastard he was playing in Stars.
Lee Sang Yoon was very hot as Ha Woo Jin. There was something incredibly magnetic about his performance as the enigmatic rugged Psychologist. His gaze, his manner of speech, the way he held himself all resonated 'genius'. His frosty demeanour didn't come off as arrogant and cocky, but reserved and observant.
The lack of romance didn't bother me at all; it was refreshing to see the female lead being able to develop multiple healthy relationships with the other male characters. It is clear that Da Jung and Woo Jin cared for each other quite deeply and the way they develop that relationship isn't through childish bickering, but through learning who the other person is enough to understand and trust them. I'm not going to deny that there wasn't a huge amount of chemistry between Kim So-eun and Lee Sang Yoon, but not once did I get the urge to scream JUST SHUT UP AND KISS HER at my TV.
'Liar Game' could have been betrayed by its ending, but thankfully it wasn't and it finished on a high. Not everyone got what they deserved, but if they had that would have betrayed the whole message of 'Liar Game' - the real world is not ideal, it isn't a place where people can survive by being too trusting or too suspicious. Sometimes, good people don't always end up with every material thing they SHOULD have and sometimes the villain gets away with it. If 'Liar Game' hadn't been a drama that set out to challenge people's world-view, then the ending would have been terrible, but it wasn't. I was glad to see that the non-villains came out of the experience as people who had grown and changed to have a better understanding of both other people and themselves (this was most notable in the case of Jamie).
In regards to the slight openess of the ending, I totally wasn't bothered by it, and it is quite clear that the writer most definitely intended for the ending to be open in order to run onto a season 2. However, whether or not we get a season 2 is totally up to tvN. What's most important is that the main conflict was resolved, so even if we don't get a season 2 there won't be any loose ends left over. I'm all in favour for a season 2, with the same cast though, because I am so ready to see these characters AND actors on screen again.
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And I'm glad i was wrong, because i hate those things. Thats why i first didn't know if i should watch it and i'm so happy that i did.
This drama is the best i've ever watched since boys over flowers.. at least for me. I cried so much at the end, not because of it's ending but rather since it was over. I'm a huge fan of Kim Soo Hyun since dream high, but compared to this drama .. whoo.. he became soo hot. I've gotta admit that the actress was new to me (i've started watching k-dramas in 2012 so don't blame me please~).
But i loved the chemistry between those two.
At first i kinda disliked her character, because she was so arrogant and full of herself, and dumb. But when the story continued you've got to see her soft side and that she was a kind person, but still she was hilarious from the beginning til the end. I laughed so hard, i almost cried.
And the male lead was kinda hard for me too, because i don't really like those characters that act so mean in the beginning and so play so hard to get, even though he has a pretty good reason.
The minor characters where adorable too. I personally loved Cheon Song Yi's little brother. He was so cute and the bromance with Do Min Joon was great.
Even the evil guy was great. I really really hated him to death, which proves how great the actor was.
The soundtrack was awesome. I loved the song "My Destiny by Lyn", but it was kinda annoying after some time. And because i'm (now) a huge fan of Hyorin from Sistar, i loved the track "Hello Goodbye". Thats the two songs that were stuck in my head, even til now.
I would definitely say it is a drama that is worth watching, even if you don't like alien stuff and such. But for rewatching i would say you should wait a while before restart watching. I waited like half a year and i coudn't remember a little things so i rewatched it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Could have been better....
A drama full of shortcomings but surprisingly they ain’t enough for me to drop this drama. I have mixed feelings about this one, here are my opinions:1.Story : A typical fantasy drama with flawed script-writing and editing. The drama started quite well, with a certain amount of funny moments. Scenes in Academy are fun to watch but after Ep 12 or 13, it isn’t that fun anymore.
Pacing became a problem after Ep 12.At times, I feel like the story was progressing too slowly but at some moments, they were cut abruptly.They wasted so much screentime on 2nd Couple and Love Triangle stuffs,so main story didn’t progress until ep 20.
Then they have to put so many important parts in a few episodes, thus unnecessarily rushing the important scenes.
2. Acting : Acting is quite decent. Xu Kai, as always, is impressive and cheesy. He more or less carried the whole drama.Wu Jiayi, though criticized by a lot of Netizens, I don’t find her acting that bad.
3.CGI effects
Effects are mediocre but after watching so many C-dramas, it no longer matters that much to me
***Plot Holes***(These contain spoilers)
1. Why doesn’t Su Youlian look surprised at all when she knows Li Xuan’s identity?
This is very poorly done, she should show certain emotions (Maybe it was cut), still it isn’t acceptable.
2.Why would Su Youlian need a rope to go down the mountain when she has wings?
Poor Logic but hmm...
3.Li Xuan’s friends were surprised when they knew that it was Xiao Feng Ming behind the murder but after a few seconds they said Xiao Feng Ming is in power and even Lord Zi can’t beat him, so aren’t they talking things like they knew the real perpetrator is Xiao Feng Ming?
I would take this as a bad editing
4. Where is FL’s master when Li Xuan’s identity is known?
That’s unacceptable, he was literally the most annoying character and I want to see his reaction but hmmm disappointing
Overall, I would rate it as an average drama, it isn’t that good but not a trash either.
It could have been a lot better, but still disappointing.
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