Watch Cunning Single Lady, granted, plot-wise, it has all the Kdrama cliches ever except for one (watch to find out ;] ).
I give this a 7 overall because it did drag in the middle but it wasn't horrible; it was bearable and I liked that it had a happy ending for all the characters.
The music was nothing memorable but at least it was coherent; sad music in sad scenes, happy music in happy scenes, etc.
Additionally, to be honest, the best actors in this drama were the leads. The others were so-so. The actor that I applaud and seriously made this drama more appealing in my books is Joo Sang Wook. He really branched out in this drama. I have always seen him play the cold and lonesome persona in other works but here, he plays such a goofball. You can see he had fun playing this character. And his laughter, I absolutely adore. I hope he decides again on more comedic roles because he has the potential to be a versatile actor; not just your typical serious actor.
Lee Min Jung, from my experience watching her on screen, is a good actress and I already know she can play comedic dramas well, so she did a great job as the lead.
This is a drama when you want a break from heavy plotted dramas. You won't regret it and will make you, if you're not already, a bigger fan of Joo Sang Wook.
Was this review helpful to you?
Positives:
- The story is fun , exploring identity, friendships, trust and belonging.
- The show does not use excessive filters on the actors skin, leaving it looking natural.
- The couple dynamics are heartwarming and have some moments that are relatable and realistic.
- It has a nice balance between serious scenes and playful moments.
- Winnys character is portrayed realistically, being awkward at first and avoiding his feelings to then becoming protective and allowing his true feelings to be seen. He starts thinking about his lifestyle and choices differently after getting into a long term relationship.
-The Kiss scenes are sweet and believable without being stiff or forced.
Negatives:
- The political story elements were not overly interesting to me, becoming repetitive.
- The story does not go too deep and is best viewed as a light/casual drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
opposites attract, enemies to lovers, battle of the geeks, sunshine/tsundere, teasing & pranks
Okay look, I said when I reviewed Light on Me, that Korea was giving us an honest to goodness high school set BL with some classic old school yaoi tropes almost as if they were doing a bit of a, “now that we’ve hit our stride, let’s perfect the vanilla sheet cake BL style.” It was great, of course, but very refined and elegant which some found off putting.I feel like they did it again with Semantic Error. Only maybe even a little better? Okay maybe not better but DIFFERENT.
Everything that Korea always does right, they did right with this show.
* Spot on and pretty pretty casting of mature actors who can handle the content.
* High quality production values with beautiful filming and flawless sound quality.
* Great wardrobe, lighting, staging, editing, and everything else pre and post production being well chosen and executed.
* Great friendship group and support characters.
* Strategic use (but not overuse) of BL and romance tropes.
This was an absolutely pitch perfect university set BL, just very very Korean about it. It had all the hallmarks of old school traditional yaoi, linear filming and framing techniques combined with classic archetypes including a strong seme/uke dynamic. But it was so pleasingly pristine and tailored about its approach.
If Light On Me was a fluffy delicious vanilla sheet cake, Semantic Error is the perfectly baked moist and decadent red velvet cupcake.
A little richer, a little more depth, that creamy cheesy frosting. Maybe not the most innovative, maybe not as complex as we might like, but so well executed it was like classical french cooking... you can’t argue with perfection you can only gobble it down and then be sad you ate so fast.
Yes WATCHA, you have ALL the techniques. Yes, you have all the skills. And you know what, sometimes that’s all we really need in a BL.
We are so grateful.
What elevates Semantic Error is that Korea did things right with this one that they usually mess up.
They got the pacing spot on for the shorter length. It never felt rushed.
They managed a tight *complete* story with nothing confusing about intent, purpose, or character motivation.
And we got actual amazingly good chemistry and kisses.
They left us with a smile and a chuckle and a pair of the cutest boys ever to grace the screen.
This is probubly going to be my favorite BL of 2022. And yes, for all the reasons stated above but also THE CHARACTERS.
Jaeyoung + Sangwoo FOREVER
Emotional seme versus logical uke is a favorite of mine, plus it goes way back to some Gilgamesh shit of ego versus id. I also love “the only one who can bully him is me” trope. Also I adore it when an agro seme (bratty fucker) develops a big o’ crush, commences pining, and goes all over whipped for his boy. Jaeyoung pined like a master. Like Park Seo Ham took lessons from Sam Lin (We Best Love).
And it wasn’t just him, For those of us who waited patiently for Sangwoo to soften, boy did he ever. What a marshmallow moment! Poor baby went into deep crush and had NO IDEA what to do about it.
Moot pining, yes!
There were even moments that made me hoot with laughter (the lettuce incident).
This is it.
Semantic Error has put the sugar rose on top of Korea’s intent to dominate BL. After the flop ending of Kissable Lips and the lingering trauma of Peach of Time, we all thought we were back on shaky ground with KBL, but nope Korea’s taking the gold.
So yeah, maybe this is a little tame and calm of a review from me. But their ducks were all in a row on this one, and I kinda expected them to stick the landing. (Ooo, mixed metaphors. Now I’m imagining s duck doing gymnastics.) How do I really feel?
Shaken & stirred, thank you very much.
I love this show so hard. And it is going into hard rotation. Completely rewatchable from start to finish. We have been blessed. Thank you Korea.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is about Jotaro, who struggles in Tokyo because of job and unsteady life. He then decides to take a job in local revitalization team in Shimanto, small town in Kyushu. It really sounds boring. But the true is, that this drama is really nice, relaxing and somehow touching. It's not forced and the storyline is progressing in good pace. We can see the beautiful nature of Shimanto, the river and the bridge. We can see local elderly people and local problems. Somehow it is nearer to common people's hearts. It's not a flashy story about Tokyo, that's why I liked it a lot.
So we have Jotaro, who can't find his way of life. Kahori, the doctor who has another dream. The mysterious Morishita, nurse with a dark past. Hiroki, whose past is always chasing him. Junichi, who never stepped outsite of his beloved town and Sayori, who is not really living a happy married life. This drama is simple, but great. Not to mention the greatest opening song in the universe sung by main cast :)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This is a very dark drama with some major mature themes, but a rollercoaster that is well worth the watch. I started this drama thinking I was watching a romance show and thankfully it was much, much more. The story is about two sisters, two pair of sisters to be exact: the parent generation and later the kids. The kids generation were all quite a young casting and I was blown away by the acting prowess of Benz, the girl who played Saiparn. Saiparn and Nida are two sisters from the same father but different mothers. The problem lies in the fact that their mothers were both blood sisters, yes, both sisters had the same husband (high ew factor). The father essentially rapes the younger sister (Nida's mother) and this results in the birth of Nida and the death of Saiparns mother on the same day.
This sets the story up for the rest of the show as Saiparn hates the living daylights out of her aunt and half-sister as she believes, and partly rightly so, that they are the cause of her mothers death. Only partly because the full blame actually lies with their father (a disgusting piece of trash) who abused Saiparn and lavished Nida with everything her whole life as he thinks that Saiparn is the product of an adulterous affair her mother had, and is not his child.
Characters:
SAIPARN- Very human female lead who is flawed, but is so perfect because of all her baggage and flaws. Saiparn was abused by her father who hated her, and eventually became an abuser to her own sister as well. She gets raped by Poodit, who is Rida's fiance (due to a scheme she set-up which made Poodit question Rida's love for him and Saiparn humiliates him which leads him to rape her in retaliation---I kid you not, he was apparently the male lead, but more on him later). The rape was the cliff that eventually pushed her over the edge and the trauma from that opened up her self-protective shell which she insulated herself with to push everyone away with previously. She was able to finally see her aunt (whom she blamed for her mothers death) as a good person and put the hatred she always had to rest. She survived hardships and overcame them and I really admire her for it. This is the complete opposite of Nida, who had no hardships until her fiance was taken away from her and the first struggle in her entire life basically unraveled her bubble she had lived in and led to her insanity.
NIDA- Nida had all the love in the world, her father basically gave her her every whim and lavished love and affection on her, to the point where he would deliberately take things that Saiparn dearly loved, even mementoes of her mother, and gave them to Nida. She was the most selfish person in this whole show, who was basically the product of coddling and protection from everyone in this drama. When her mother tried to curb her psychotic tendencies in an early episode, the father intervenes and slaps the mother, yet again feeding the selfish monster and setting her up for doom later on. I felt so satisfied when the father gets knocked out in the later part of the show by the very monster he created, it was sweet poetic justice. Acting wise I think she was weakest of the whole cast. She had this wide-eyed look throughout the show which I hated and later on in the show, her crazy act was so overbearing I generally skipped her scenes unless they involved Saiparn.
POODIT: Read PooSHIT. I hated him throughout the show. He is the type of wishy-washy hero you never want to see as the main lead. He apparently loved Nida, but raped her sister instead. Is forgiven by everyone, meanwhile Saiparn, the victim is made out to be the seducer and has to bear all the repercussions of his horrendous actions. He has a lot of inner battles as he still wants to marry Nida, but also wants to take care of Saiparn- because he is a gentleman (I choked everytime someone on the show mentioned how he was such a perfect model of a human being, YUCK). Only person who wasn't PooSHIT's fan was Saiparn and Nida's older brother, the one sane person in the whole show.
NAPAT: The angel. I seriously shipped him with Saiparn, but this idiot loved Rida too fishin' much (at this point you start to wonder if the main girl is Rida, since every male lead in this show LOVES her to bits, which is reminiscent of any kdrama love triangle). He was a doctor who basically took care of Saiparn after the rape, and later Rida when she goes into batshit crazy mode. I was hoping he falls for Saiparn while he is taking care of her, but alas it was not to be as Rida with her lead halo was too strong a contender.
Overall this was a really intriguing show and I stayed glued to the unfolding crazy drama, mainly for Saiparn as she was one of the most believable heroines I have come across recently in lakorns. She wasn't a goody-two-shoes, she acted mean, got even, and was a very tortured person. Yet, despite all this she learned her lessons and took the high road by the end of the drama.
I highly recommend this drama for anyone who is fed up of watching door-mat heroines, and someone who can stomach issues such as rape and abuse.
Was this review helpful to you?
Master's sun was the first horror-drama I've watched and I thought that it was pretty cool (although the horror decreased in the further episodes a lot).
One of the most important things for me to like a drama are the supporting characters and I have to say that hey were really awesome in this drama. I mean, how could one dislike Secretary Kim or Kang Woo? Even Tae Yi-Ryung was adorable.
And about the main couple .. I honestly don't know what to say. I liked them big time! Gong Sil was such a cute person and it really surprised me that I liked her character. I tend to dislike such simple-minded characters, but there was no way I would dislike Gong Sil (thumbs up, Gong Hyo Jin!). And Joong Won, our little master was also a great character. I couldn't help but fall in love with him, despite his somehow rotten character. He made me laugh everytime he told Gong Sil to "get lost" with his epic characteristic gesticulation. Although it was really mean I couldn't help but laugh my ass off. Haha.
All in all it was a really great drama. With probably on of the best endings ever. You must know that I'm pretty much hooked on happy endings. And I say it was great. Although I hoped so much that Gong Sil and Joong Won would marry .. but I can't help it. Drama-makers apparently dislike marriages *shrug
Was this review helpful to you?
Power to women
This is the second drama I watched because of Cha Hak Yeon (I am a Starlight, what can I say?) and I became hooked. Actually, the main themes aren't that great or interesting, rich people, forbidden love stories, secrets etc. What made this drama a masterpiece is the characters and the plot. Strong but sensitive women with weaknesses and bad moments, real people, are trying to free themselves from a supressing and abusive enviroment like a marriage, the society etc. Everyone, Seo Hi Soo, Jung Seo Hyun, Lee Hye Jin, has their own way to do it and each one has to create their own path to archive their freedom. They are real women in a real world.This drama actually works a lot with the prejudice that follows the women. For example, the patriarchal sterotype is, if a woman wants to be a leader, she must be strict, emotionless with a "proper" family. Or if she is sensitive and sweet, she is naive or weak. I really, really, really loved how Seo Hyun and Hi Soo broke these stereotypes and became what they wanted to be.
The only thing which was a bit off is the wealth. We speak about a crazy rich family who lives away and without the real problems of the majority of the society. I think it would better if we talked about everyday women. But, OK, I understand that is a drama in a major korean channel and cannot be everything...
Was this review helpful to you?
STORY: The story may be flawed (just tiny flaws but still you have to call a spade a spade), however it so bright and fresh that you cannot NOT be touched by it. The story is simple, I dare say even childish, but in the end it gives you this warm feeling that life is life, you can't change the past but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the future. In short, the story is simple, full of life, a bit different from your lambda movie and with a sweet moral. I really think this movie has for goal to make people go forward in life and it kinda does.
ACTING/CAST: The only actor I "knew" was the young version of Tae Hoon -Yu Geon played in Prosecutor Princess- and it was a nice surprise to see him play here (I'm shallow.Sue.Me). He played the nerdy character so well it was hard for me not to forget he was the hottie from PP, which means that his acting was pretty damn good.
I did see the adult version of Tae Hoon play in More Than Blue but honestly MTB was a joke, a blank one at that, so of course it's not surprising that he looks a hundred times more dashing here.
The woman who played Jeong Ju's mother stole my heart. I don't know if it was the way the actress played the mother or the actress's charisma but the character gave me a lot of feelings.
Overall the actors did a very good job with their characters and one should give credits to the people who held the casting since except maybe Tae Hoon, the actors playing the older versions really look like the older versions of the actors playing the younger ones (omg I don't know how to explain it well but I hope you managed to understand anyway).
MUSIC: The music was good, quite catchy in fact but nothing exceptional either.
REWATCH VALUE: It's the kind of movie that you should rewatch when you think your life is a disaster because you didn't make the "right choice" because it gives you hope and strengh to believe in yourself.
OVERALL: If it wasn't clear enough, I really like this movie. It is bound to brighten one's mood. Of course, if you are some kind of old man who hates happiness and hope, you shouldn't watch it...but if you're not you defintely should (watch this movie I mean, not go all grumpy).
Was this review helpful to you?
One Legendary C-drama
What a great funny and emotional drama. I am not really the type of person who watch palace dramas but this one broke the wall. Unlike many other palace dramas, there will be throne fighting, concubine fighting concubines, and etc BUT this drama...just dont have these things (which is great).What I Like: Some things I like in this drama is the family bond between the royal family. And the king (Zhu Di's father) and its comrades/old friends. Everyone can jokes but still knowing their limitation, elder brother being the role model and leader taking care of its brothers, and empress personally making dishes in the kitchen are some things I quite like about it.
Storyline: The flow is great as its not draggy and its pretty straight to the point. Only minor problem I had is the age transition. Its like a few episodes in, suddenly everyone changes ( their age and appearance). Less on romance, more on history..so if you are here to see two birds kissing on tree...then well..thats not gonna happen.
Acting wise, everyone nails their role perfectly. Even the most minor character did great as who they are. FSF and CY as Zhudi did superb as the matured and young Zhudi.
Music? Man I Love it. There are 3 songs played throughout the whole series I believe but its the opening theme one I love the most.
Was this review helpful to you?
occultism and black magic!
I really wanted to see this movie, first of all because of the cast, which I think is wonderful, and then because the theme of occultism and black magic is something that really catches my attention.In general the story was good, the first 30 minutes the story is slow but then it gains strength... Lee Dohyun and Kim Goeun's performances are what stand out the most for me.
The ending could be described as "perfect" for this genre of film, I feel that it is not suitable for all audiences........
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Cute Feel-Good Comedy
Shall I call this a comedy about four dysfunctional men in a cafe known for its desserts? One is afraid of desserts because of some traumatic childhood event One is afraid of women also because of some traumatic event. One has to start a new life because his boxing career is over thanks to a medical condition. One takes it upon himself to be a bodyguard to protect his "boss" except that he's not cut out to be a bodyguard. As you can expect, there will be plenty of funny situations.But this is not a comedy that just makes you laugh. It can be a touching, if episodic and slight disjointed, story on the friendship between the four people and how the support the give one another help them cope with their personal crises.
There's a lot of cuteness in the story, and the more serious parts are not seamlessly worked in. Besides all the relatively trivial events, there is a series of kidnapping that goes in and out of focus in the storytelling. Children have been killed and the killings are not treated as jokes, but hey don't seem to be taken seriously enough. The scenes of dead children seem a little out of place. Perhaps there is a challenge when it comes to making a live-action adaptation of a manga. There is something cartoonish about the characters that enhances the humor but it may not go down well with everyone especially when it is juxtaposed with the scenes of child murders. (There is probably some unintentional social commentary: the police seem so thoroughly incompetent that they don't even think of what a journalist does: check the cafe's CCTV footage to try to find the kidnapper.)
Unlike previous drama adaptations, this one lets the gay character be all-out gay. He flirts openly with men and there is no attempt to downplay the character's sexual orientation, especially when his ex-boyfriend comes into the story. This is nice in itself, but perhaps we are too often teased with the prospects of a Punn/Weir romance. Since times have changed, why not make an adaptation with an actual BL subplot even if it is not between Punn and Weir. After all, if the adaptation 20 years ago could totally remove the character's sexual orientation, why can't an adaptation in 2021 add in a BL subplot?
Was this review helpful to you?
Eyes of Dawn
14 people found this review helpful
1This review may contain spoilers
A story full of humanity in the face + despite blatant inhumanity. An epic about love & compassion
"Eyes of Dawn" marks a quite spectacular milestone for South Korea Television Series as well as the kick off for a new era of TV production – ambitious in terms of time sensitive content as well as an artistically valuable approach. The production dates back to 1991… South Korean life is just cautiously starting to be a bit less suppressed."Eyes of Dawn" is the creative script and cinematic processing of a novel, which deals with the tragic relationships of the three protagonists Choi Dae-chi, Yoon Yeo-ok and Jang Ha-rim as well as the bitter history of their time. The story takes place during the Japanese colonial rule, during the last years of the second world war and reaches up to the liberation of Korea and the time of the Korean War.
The KDrama begins its story during the last years of World War II – with Yeo-ok, a comfort woman, who like cattle is being shipped to northern Manchuria, and Ha-rim, who is drafted into the military as a student. Yeo-ok meets and falls in love with soldier Dae-chi, while serving as a comfort woman for his Kwantung Army unit. (With Ha-rim she only meets much later. )The world war and the subsequent struggle in Korea for a new political identity grind the three protagonists mercilessly through somewhat traumatizing mills. Love and passion accompany the three on their dramatically entangled paths, where they sometimes meet, sometimes separate, meet again and separate again within the turbulent swell of their time. Showdown is during the Korean War at Jirisan Mountain – in the ´eyes of dawn´…
For this KDrama MBC spent a lot of money – more than 5 times as much, compared to other TV series. It was shot at original or similarly exotic locations abroad. (If you like, see also the side notes below.) The project feels more like an approx. 36-hours-long movie. With "Eyes of Dawn" MBC celebrated its 30th anniversary with a bang, so to speak. The KDrama was enthusiastically received by the audience. For director Kim Jong-hak, "Eyes of Dawn" was the breakthrough. The former journalist came to MBC in 1977 and worked his way up the ranks with historical dramas in a politically turbulent time full of rapid changes (in series production, too). However, "Eyes of Dawn" is his first truly self-responsible of two innovative, groundbreaking masterpieces (the other being "Sandglass"). Thus, Kim has unsparingly reappraised the latest history of his country and his compatriots with a confident original signature and thorough, artitistic determination. At his side, screenwriter Song Ji-na provided a well-rounded, coherent script with depth and complexity. A team of talented actors and an intensely lingering soundtrack rounded off the ambitious projects with a high entertainment value.
Fantastic actors. The three leads in particular, but not just them. This applies to everyone else – there were an impressive 270 actors as well as around 21.000 supernumeraries involved...
"Eyes of Dawn" and "Sandglass" are actually both (in contrast, for example, to the younger KDrama "Faith or The Great Doctor", which Kim Jong-hak also had directed) reduced to the essentials when it comes to dialogues. Passionate, but also ruthless in the authenticity of sometimes ugly, even brutal details. Gross and austere, yet visually stunning, too. With selected camera angles that often say more than words, and scenes, that burn into your memory. The KDrama wants to show life as it was, back then... 'Nice' is rare. Sincere it is, though. Serious. A great piece of series culture. A dream of a historical drama, aiming at bringing history to consciousness in a memorable, authentic way. Thus, what happened is not forgotten. It is a cinematic monument: Take a look! Feel it! Recognize what happened! Estimate! (Too bad, it's not widely circulated with at least English subtitles... however, apparently there's a musical now... well... let´s hope.)
The story offers merciless insight into the suffering of the comfort women who, even as teenagers, were often brutally physically abused for the pleasure of the Japanese soldiers – a war crime that has not been adequately investigated and atoned for to this day. In principle, people of Chōsen were systematically oppressed back then. The Chōsen soldiers in the Japanese army, thus also had a particularly hard time, as the KDrama bluntly shows, too. And then there is the turmoil and ruthless brutality of diverse war sites in inhospitable locations around the Pacific Ocean, and later between brothers and sisters as the Korean Peninsula was coldly caught by the increasing Cold War. With the uprising on Jeju-do becoming part of the story, an up until then rarely discussed aspect of the late 1940s comes to mind. As well as another, often suppressed war crime that Japan had committed against its international prisoners in connection with Unit 731: mostly deadly ending medical experiments on several thousand men, women and children in one of the coldest places on earth, in northern Manchuria. (In case you didn´t know, you may see the side note below.)
But "Eyes of Dawn" is also a story full of humanity even in the face and despite all blatant inhumanity. An epic about love, friendship, connection and compassion. There were plenty of awards. I line up there. This KDrama production is particularly valuable…
(...especially from a historical point of view for me as a European. Although I did take history as an advanced course in school, I somehow had never considered a lot of these events and topics really seriously before. But even beyond its historically enlightening ambitions, "Eyes of Dawn" consistently and purposefully tells a powerful story about three (ordinary) people of their time and their tragic fates, complexly woven into an emotionally touching love triangle.
(For the sake of completeness: as this KDrama is from 1991, visual and acoustical quality obviously can´t be compared to recent standards...)
----------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE
--- Some background information on the Pacific War and the filming locations at the original historical locations ---
- War sites on the Chinese Mainland – Northern Manchuria
World War II began in Asia with Japan's invasion of China in 1937. The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought almost exclusively on the Chinese mainland until the end of 1941. Only with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 in 1941 did it spread to the entire Pacific and had the US allies also intervening in the war against the massive Japanese expansionist policy. Thus, in the course of 1942, the balance of power shifted towards the USA. However, the warfare was difficult. The scenes of the battles were often in impassable swampy areas and rain forests, where tanks and heavy artillery could not be used. So there was a lot of fighting in the air and on the water. In November 1943, the Soviet Union also opposed Japan and opened a second front in Manchuria. The air for Japan was getting thinner and thinner. The army motivated their soldiers by employing 'comfort women', practically forcibly recruited from their colonies, who accompanied 'their' troops as sex slaves and had to ensure their good morale. Among them were minors, too (like the fictional Yeo-ok).
- In the jungles of Burma
In its large-scale campaign to conquer all of Southeast Asia, after the effective invasions of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, Japan was also able to take Burma in the spring of 1942. China was thus cut off from supplies. Starting from Ledo in British-Indian Assam, the USA had an extra supply road built through Burma's jungle – the "Ledo Road". In the meantime, the Japanese troops were pushing the British further and further back into the north of Burma, ultimately driving them out of the country for good and even pushing forward into India in a further offensive. The Japanese army had now themselves fallen victim to the lack of replenishment with supplies. They originally only had food for three weeks. After that they had to see for themselves. (These jungle fights become the operational area of the fictional Dae-chi.) In this context, in 1944 the fierce hand-to-hand combats at Imphal and Kohima south of Ledo marked a turning point in the course of the Second World War as the British reinforcements arrived just in time.
- Saipan: Strategically important Mariana island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
In mid-June 1944, the US Marines landed on the south-west coast of Saipan in the bitter struggle for the strategically important island chain of the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. This also becomes the setting in "Eyes of Dawn", because Ha-rim is stationed in the field hospital here and Yeo-ok was also shipped there as a comfort woman.
Three weeks after the US Marines landed, the heavily fortified island with its three airfields was owned by the Americans. From here, the neighboring island of Tinian could also be taken, from where the atomic bombers in the direction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki actually started about a year later.
- From Liberation of Chōsen to Korean War
The Japanese surrender in 1945 was followed by the liberation of the Chōsen colony. Contrary to the Western view of this 'liberation' of Korea and the role of the USA in supporting/forcing a democratic South, which for me as a German is more Western, in "Eyes of Dawn" you get a non-Western portrayal. The post-colonial struggle of the people of Korean origin for their political sovereignty, previously stolen by Japan, began even before the (rest of the ) world recognized it as the Korean War in 1950. "Eyes of Dawn" portrays the time of the tussle between the USA, Russia and China on the one hand and the search for a new national Korean political identity on the other. The KDrama emphasizes this in a dramaturgically moving way using the example of the fatal triangular relationship between Dae-chi, Ha-rim and Yeo-ok in the back and forth of their pro- and anti-communist agent activities and in the service of the army of the newly installed Republic of Korea on the one hand and those who resist this government on the other partisan army on the other hand.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE:
--- Jeju Uprising 1948/49 ---
A notable sequence in connection with the resistance against the US-sponsored Rhee government is the April 1948 to June 1949 uprising on Jeju Island. The KDrama had its scenes shot on location. Just consider, that at the time of the uprising almost every family on the island had probably lost someone, but for decades silence was officially decreed about this mass murder launched by their own (new South Korean) government. Surviving 'activists' were banned from working throughout South Korea. "Eyes of Dawn" is one of the first public confessions and the cautious approach to coming to terms with the past with regard to that dark first chapter of this young republic.
The USA categorically rejecting any kind of communist orientation regarding a political future as South Korea or all of Korea, were faced with plenty of riots and guerrilla actions in the course of the national resistance against an (yet again) unwanted paternalism. The uprising on Jeju Island is arguably one of the most shocking examples. After expressions of dissatisfaction with the planned elections for the US-sponsored government and resistance to renewed foreign rule, the population was ruthlessly massacred by the Korean army and the help of the US-Army´s occupying forces. The people fled to Hallasan mountain area while their coastal villages (270 out of 400) were destroyed. There is disagreement about the number of actual casualty – the numbers vary between 27.000 and 140.000.
In 1991, when "Eyes of Dawn" was broadcast, this topic had not yet been officially dealt with – but with this KDrama the uprising got an unmistakable voice and recognition for the first time. It was not until 1999 that the government convened a thorough investigation. In 2006, the government officially apologized. However, police and the Department of Defense only came up with an apology recently, in 2019.
-----------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------
SIDE NOTE:
--- Region of Harbin in northern Manchuria and Unit 731 of the Japanese Kwantung Army, which experimented with biological and chemical weapons on humans and then used those on civilians as well ---
Japan had already secured influence in northern Manchuria during the course of the first Sino-Japanese War by building the South Manchurian Railway. The valuable raw materials mined here were transported to Chōsen and shipped from there to Japan. The railway was under the protection of the Japanese Kwantung Army. Between the first two world wars, Russia, Japan and China fought for supremacy in Manchuria. Eventually, with the Japanese occupation of this economically viable region in 1932, they established the puppet state of Manchukuo, with Harbin being its largest city. Here was the stronghold where Unit 731, led by Ishii Shirō, began their spooky experiments. At last, after the end of war, between 1945 and 1948, the Communist People's Liberation Army, strengthened by its anti-Japanese resistance concentrated its forces in Manchuria.
Surgeon General Ishii Shirō and his Unit 731 were busy starting 1932 in and around Harbin with experiments on living people. Around 3.000 mostly bacteriologists worked for Unit 731. An estimated 3.500 mostly Korean and Chinese civilians as well as Soviet prisoners of war were victims of their cruel human experiments.
The experiments of the Imperial Japanese Army's secret Kwantung Army Unit 731, disguised as the "Department of Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department" laid the groundwork for a wide variety of horrific war crimes during World War II. Among this ´research´, for example, were investigations concerning varying effects of grenades on the human body depending on distance and position, investigations into the effects of bombs filled with a variation of bacterial powders, of pest bacteria or anthrax bacteria, or bombs filled with fleas being contained by such bacteria. It has been proven that Chinese prisoners of war were given food that was deliberately contaminated with typhoid pathogens. During the final years of the war, around 130 kg of anthrax warfare produced by Unit 731 was used to contaminate lakes, rivers and wells on enemy soil. Finally US prisoners of war were 1943ff used for experiments of Unit 731, too. E.g., for research about the susceptibility of 'white' people to epidemics. During the course of the war, another tens of thousands of mostly civilians died from rat induced epidemics of plague, of anthrax and of typhoid pathogens as a result of ´field research´ and by the use of thus produced biological weapons, based on the 'medical research' in Harbin.
And for further information:
Unit 731 always had the full support of later Japanese prime ministers, and the Japanese imperial family was aware of it, too.
The main perpetrators of Unit 731, including Ishii Shirō himself, ultimately remained unpunished after the war crimes trials – in exchange for the research results that they handed over to the USA.
----------------------------------------------------
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting was absolutely outstanding. Kuroki Meisa portrayed Izaki's character perfectly, she actually ended up being my favorite character.
The music... er, I really didn't enjoy having Lady Gaga's 'On the Edge of Glory' being played every few seconds. They played it on the most dramatic moments. -.-
I'd recommend this drama to those who enjoy action and mystery. It's not super great but it's worth watching.
Sorry if this was a pretty bad review, this is my first review. xD
Was this review helpful to you?
Anyway, back to my main point this BL is nice and short. It has just enough drama that you don't get tired of it. It's really cute, there isn't any graphic violence. All the couples wrap up together perfectly. I love this BL so much and all the comments about it lacking kinda hurt my fangirl heart. If you're reading reviews and wondering if you should still watch it if it lacks as much as people say, trust me it's good. Please watch it.
Was this review helpful to you?
