A characteristic series
I was moved by the many beautifully filmed moments, both in terms of landscape and interpersonal dynamics. The series is artistically made, almost a cult series. Sometimes lighthearted, sometimes profound. Beautiful! In particular, I found the female lead exceptionally good in her role. But not only her; the other lead and supporting roles were also well portrayed. Add to that beautiful fashion and music! It was a pleasure to watch the interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, my compliments to the director! I am definitely going to watch this series again.Was this review helpful to you?
Shen Yue and Lan Jie (I want to see you more)
I was really excited to watch this show because it featured several actors and personalities that I enjoy, including Bai Lu Jie, Shen Yue, Lan Jie, Zhisheng, Chen Xiao, and Zelin. Seeing such a promising lineup made me look forward to the show, and I expected to enjoy watching my favorite stars interact and showcase their personalities.Unfortunately, after watching it, I ended up feeling quite disappointed. One of my biggest frustrations was the lack of screen time given to many of the cast members I was most interested in. I started this show mainly because of these individuals, but it felt like they barely appeared compared to what I had hoped for. Whenever they were on screen, I found myself wanting to see more.
In particular, I was looking forward to seeing more of Chen Xiao. He has a strong presence and charisma that always make him enjoyable to watch, but I felt that the show did not give him enough opportunities to shine. I sincerely hope to see him in future projects where he can have more screen time.
Shen Yue was another highlight for me. She looked absolutely beautiful throughout the show and brought a charming and positive energy whenever she appeared. Even with limited screen time, she managed to leave a lasting impression.
Lan Jie was also amazing. Her presence, personality, and performance stood out, and I found myself wishing that the show had focused more on her as well. The same goes for the other cast members I initially tuned in to watch.
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FAST Cars ⛔️ Fast Music ⚠️ Fast Past ⚖️ Fast Friendships ♥️ °7.5° VG
Fast goes before the crash.We're following traffic crime investigators (TCI).
Yes, that's a government agency.
No, no one else has heard of it either.
But the training is dope: They've already beat up a room of gangsters who were, just a moment ago, enjoying some pizza and jajangmyeon. My impression 10 minutes in: It's funny. They have good silliness and great comedic timing. I've been smiling for most of it. All of this before the ep1 opening graphics - which delighted and didn'tdisappoint. In fact, Heo Sung Tae (Squid Game-8.4, Adamas-7.6) seems to be having a blast as Jung “Chae” Man (the viewer can always feel it). No, he's NOT one of the gangsters! He's law enforcement.
C is a 2024 release that is rated 88 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 12 60-minute episodes where we hear lines like: “Arrest them for attempted murder… AND reckless driving!”😅
“What's that smell?” Says one suspect as he enters the building for questioning. They’re back at the station. Their office is a dark cave of low greenish lit government agency depression. Today, however, the station is lively. It's surrounded by a mob scene of reporters!
Nice! “We haven't been interviewed in a long time.”
Whoops.
As our team starts smoothing their hair, they realize the reporters just want to talk to the gangsters.
TCI can't get arrested in this town.
Inside the station, they are questioning perps. Cha Yeon “Ho” is queued up to the desk, wrists cuffed. That’s when Min So “Hui” (Kwak Sun Young from Lobby & Inspector Koo-8.4) learns that Ho isn't part of the criminal gang! An investigator himself, he drops an envelope filled with case documents on her desk - once he's uncuffed. ‘I have uncovered a serial murder case. They're using cars to commit the crimes,’ he informs. He, himself, is a bike rider; he doesn't drive. Oooo. Life just got less boring.
Lee Min Ki plays Ho. His haircut makes his face look wider (a small change of hairdo really changes his appearance). I've seen him in Because This Is My First Life-7.7, My Liberation Diary-8.9, The Beauty Inside-6, & My Liberation Notes-9. Despite his very distinctive look, he still looks differently in every feature. He's relatable. He's a jean-jacketed “cool dad” in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim-6.8, but he's usually a dork - it's his strongest suit. Here, he's a diligent insurance investigator who has stumbled onto crimes worse than fraud.
Two episodes in, I can affirm that this guy is taking a beating. He seems constipated (resoundingly unmovable) and completely flummoxed by human interaction. He doesn't get the point of lies and it wouldn't surprise to hear that he's never had a dirty thought in his life ~~>> Full blown aspergers, it seems. At one point he has to chase a criminal and he's laughably pathetic as a guy who has existed entirely in his own head suddenly being forced into sheer physicality ~~>> The criminal gets away, but he used cleverness to stay in the mix longer than one might have guessed. Hui is kicking his butt daily, um, training him to fight, and those moves will come in handy. We'll learn that he has a trauma in his past that shaped his current behavior. The worst insult to TCI is that he'll now be on their team.
Kang Gi Doong has been in 31 things since 2012. He usually plays a sidekick or little brother, but here, he's Pyo Jong Uk, a spoiled chaebol brat and thug. Baek Hyun Jin (Moving-8.5, The Devil Judge-8.2) is used for a running bit as their police chief. He often plays the narcissistic type and it's more of the same here. He's a completely empty person - full of himself and nothing else. He assumes, since he's achieved this position, that he deserves it and is respected when he's patently phony and quite obviously, to anyone paying attention, a complete buffoon as Namgang Police Chief. “Wow. You guys are incredible. You persevere through anything… like weeds!” This is chief at his most effusive and complimentary 😅. The director is Park Joon Woo (Taxi Driver, Doctor Detective).
By episode 6 it's obvious TCI is overlooked mostly because they never get credit for their work. Other more glamorous teams get the credit for their investigations and arrests due to late hand-offs by the brass who always have a separate (usually selfish) agenda.
The whole concept of the team beating up groups of thugs on a 1:5 ratio (including the tiny women equally kicking butt) is just silly. However, if one can roll with it, it's funny. Heo Sung Tae even takes a shot in the 🏀🏐 (anything for a laugh!). His revenge is glorious.
The Crash theme song rocks while being hilarious at the same time. That takes skill. My spouse (who was clowning it up 90% of the time) had a talent for ruining songs by singing in parody, and he was most effective at skewering heavy metal. The Crash theme song goes right up to the edge of parody, so it brought my hubby to mind, and I cracked up. The song is energetic, it rocks, it wails, and it makes the viewer smile all while still sounding pretty good. It's a fine line and they ROCK it.
The smiles come from the personality clashes and the sheer joy emanating from the actors. The FL's retro sedan somehow looks like a hearse😅. It's quite the suave ride and seems to fill the screen like it's alive every time it skids into the frame. Hui has better control behind the wheel than Jeff Gordon! Lee Min Ki gets many of the laughs playing the most awkward of geeks. His foot chases (he gets a redemption one) are highlights of the show.
The last episode is good! It's a scenery switch and it sets up S2, which is confirmed and expected to crash to earth in the second half of 2026. Crash is a solid rest stop for those looking for a fun watch that isn't dumbed down but is also not too challenging. It is the perfect street cleaner between heavier laps around the entertainment thruway.
QUOTES🗣
A crime is concealed by another crime.
I am relieved that your son takes after you.
IMHO〰🖍
RATINGS 🎬7.5 🖊7.2 🎭7.7 💓5 🦋5 🎨7 🎶7.7 🔚8 🤗6 ▪ LEVELS 🌞5⚡6 😅5 😭4.5 😱4 😬3 🤢5 🤔5 💤0
Shazams: The theme of CRASH by Kyungho Kim makes me smile. Great energy.
Re-📺? Tough call. Not impossible as me doing a 360 and landing perfectly in a parking spot like Hui….
In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
⚖Spies, ©🅾🅿§ & Robbers (some w/ a fantasy✨️element)
Mad For Each Other-7.7 ~ silly fun,
Crash-7.5,
Vincenzo-8.2,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
Man to Man-6.7,
Bad and Crazy-8.4,
The King: Eternal Monarch-8.3,
Oh My Ghost-10,
Big Mouth-7.4,
Han River Police-7.1,
Bad and Crazy-8.4,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
A Beautiful Life-7.4,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Vagabond-8,
Prison Playbook-8.4,
Private Lives-8.1,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
K2-8,
Tunnel 8.5,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Parasyte the Grey-6.9,
Signal-8.6,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Revenge of Others-8.1,
The Good Detective-8.3,
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing), The Defected-8.2,
Iris-8,
Awaken-8.7,
D.P.-8.4,
The Man from Nowhere-8.9,
Moving-8.5,
Beyond Evil-7.4,
The Defected-8.2,
Gangnam Bs-Side-7.2,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Oldboy-9,
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
Black 9,
The Cursed 8.3,
The Wailing-8.8,
Adrenaline
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
The Devil Judge-8.2,
K2-8,
Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Moving-8.5
Revenge of Others-8.1,
Oldboy-9,
〰 Hulu Catalog 〰
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
Adamas-7.6,
Big Mouth-7.4,
Blood Free-8.5,
Call It Love-8.4,
Crash-7.5,
Crazy Love-7.8,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
Flex X Cop-8.5,
Gangnam B-Side-7.2,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Han River Police-7.1,
High School Return of a Gangster-7,
Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born-8.5,
The Judge from Hell-4.5
Kiss Sixth Sense-6.8,
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (this show is marvelous except for taking a quality dip in eps 20-22)
Light Shop-8.6,
Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7,
Maestra: Strings of Truth-6.8,
May It Please the Court-7.9,
Melancholia-10,
Moving-8.5,
Pandora: Beneath the Paradise-3.9,
Parasite-9,
Red Swan-8.7,
Revenant-7.4,
Revenge of Others-8.1,
So I Married the Anti Fan-6.8,
Uncle Samsik-8.4,
What's Wrong With Secretary Kim-6.8,
Why Her?-8,
Wonderful World-7.8,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
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Netflix I Love You, Now Add More Just Like This
Saw this on Netflix and decided to give this a quick watch.Twas not quick at all.
I started a month or so after it finished, but was surprised to see the engagement from the watchers who couldn't let go of the drama... and honestly I get it. There were so many factors that really made this stand out, I hope I can mention all of them.
When I saw the cast was JuJingYi and Joseph Zeng, I knew they'd be great leads as always. Man, was I wrong. But not in the way it seems. There are four main characters, all equally important to the storyline. The first and most interesting part of the characters is their relationship. I thought FOR SURE JJY and JZ would be the main couple but nope. I'm honestly glad they weren't because I can't see it any other way. Our FLs JJY and Chen Du Ling are the most beautiful cunning pair of sisters I have ever seen and their bond is so deep and meaningful in ways you can only understand by watching. The first and main couple imo is JJY and Tian Jia Rui, who I've never really seen as a lead or main character before. HE WAS THE SCENE STEALER. Oh my gosh, do they make you fall in love with him. Like actually. He and JJY are the ultimate cp and I don't remember loving the dynamic of two characters this much. Our second couple is CDL and JZ, and while their story didn't engross me as strongly, their growth was also remarkable. The OST for them is my favorite song of the drama, though the OST just SLAPS. Every song was like a blockbuster movie soundtrack.
There were, undoubtedly several plot "holes" that are so so confusing, but like everyone says, does get explained later on. Also many characters are hard to keep track of. I think it may be worth rewatching to sort of see the hidden details you never noticed before. Just want to say thank you to the comment section for clarifying all the confusing details I had.
I want to see the couples together again <3333
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funny and cute. Must Watch for armys/Fans
In this video we see teamwork from BTS and hear funny and sweet stories from them. I found Jimin and JK's story particularly sweet and funny. I think this video clearly shows that BTS aren't always 100% perfect and certainly argue sometimes. But you can also tell that they respect each other, admit their mistakes, and of course like each other.Soo cute.
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Period Political Drama
This is a Period Political drama, with of course some romantic relationships. I found that 40 episodes is too long. Could have ended at 30 episodes. The story is good, I just found too much inside family jealousy drama. There is some humour. I enjoyed watching this series and all the actors did a great job.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Great Story, Great Acting
This drama was kind of unique. It had my interest from the very beginning all the way to the end. Nan Chen Xiao (played by Liu Ye) was a young general who had to dress up like a woman. He was pretty much under cover. Liu Ye was a very good character meshed well with the female character, Rui Yu (played by Tan Xiao Fan). Rui Yu was a young woman who dressed up as a male for all of her life. She never played as a girl, as she grew up. Rui Yu was a great minister in the emperor's court and she was a great orator / strategist. The young emperor, Yan Lin (played by Liu Guo Hao) was very likeable. He knew that Nan Chen Xiao was a man dressed up like a woman and he knew that Rui Yu was a woman dressed up like a man. Emperor Yan Lin issued a decree to pair Nan Chen Xiao and Rui Yu in a marriage. This marriage decree drove the two marriage partners crazy, as well as their respective families. Nan Chen Xiao's family could not believe that their son was decreed to marry another man (Rui Yu). Rui Yu's family could not believe that their daughter was decreed to marry another woman. The families had to honor the emperor's marriage decree or risk being destroyed. The marriage took place. It was so hard for the Rui Yu and Nan Chen Xiao. By the way, Nan Chen Xiao was also a young general. When Rui Yu was ordered to go somewhere to be an envoy or in some other capacity, Nan Chen Xiao said that he was going along to accompany his new spouse and to also protect Rui Yu. The emperor's sister, Princess Yan Luo (played by Dai Jia Li), always snuck along almost everywhere. She was a princess that only cared about herself and she kind of got on my nerves. The princess was so bossy and wanted everyone to cater to her. When did Rui Yu find out that her spouse was really a man? Some bad people where trying to kill Rui Yu and they shot an arrow at her; Nan Chen Xiao moved over to block her from being hit and took the arrow to the chest. He grabbed Rui Yu and they jumped off the cliff, landing safely below. Rui Yu helped Nan Chen Xiao to a cave. He told her that the arrow had poison on it and that he was really a man, not a woman. Rui Yu was surprised by happy. She sucked the poison from Nan Chen Xiao's arrow wound and left the cave to get help, after Nan Chen Xiao passed out; he woke up and di d not see Rui Yu so he left the cave to find her. Skip forward and Rui Yu was slashed by a sword while trying to protect her husband Nan Chen Xiao. He carried her to safety and started to tend to her wound when he realized that Rui Yu was not a man, but a woman. He was confused, but probably very relieved. After several other trials and tribulations, the spouses bonded and decided to be a real couple. After the bad guys were dealt with and peace was upon the empire, Rui Yu announced to the minister of the court that she was a woman, not a man. The ministers were shocked, but they wanted her to stay in the court. Nan Chen Xiao was called into court and the ministers found out that he was not a woman, but a male general. Their respective families were really relieved. The emperor already new the identity of the spouses. He later decreed that the would be married as themselves and not undercover.Was this review helpful to you?
So much potential!
This story had everything, a great story, beautiful visuals and good music.The actors idd a great job, the mains had great chemistry and good kisses.
And i am puzzled, but for some reason this just didn't deliver. I can't pinpoint what the reason is, but it just wasn't that great...
Still a good drama, don't get me wrong, but it had potential to be a 10/10.
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This review may contain spoilers
Came For the Romance, Stayed for The Queen Dowager
While I was highly anticipating this show for its star-studded main romance, I found myself only moderately invested in the central love line and more captivated by the dark, high-stakes family drama in the palace. The writers definitely left their most compelling storytelling potential on the table.The Critiques: Where the Writing Stumbled
1. IU’s Character Lacked Relatable Motivation: As a highly successful, wealthy, and independent CEO, Seong Hui-ju already had actual autonomy. Choosing to marry into a hyper-traditional, patriarchal royal system felt like volunteering for golden handcuffs. Instead of an empowering move, it felt like a massive step backward for a modern woman, making it hard to understand what she was actually gaining.
2. A "Too Perfect" Prince with Missing Backstory: Grand Prince Lee Ahn (Byeon Woo-seok) suffered from "Perfect Male Lead Syndrome." Because the early episodes prioritized rom-com aesthetics, we rarely saw his flaws, leaving him feeling overly passive until the plot forced him to act. Furthermore, the show deeply shortchanged his relationship with his late brother. We needed more screen time exploring why the late King felt so suffocated by the puppet masters that he wanted to leave the crown behind.
3. Palace Intrigue Treated Like a Second Thought: The most fascinating dynamics—the psychological war between the Queen Mother and her husband, and the toxic, generational conditioning by her ruthless father—were rushed through in quick flashbacks. Shifting just 20% more focus onto this dark political thriller would have made the show more compelling.
4. The Heartbreaking Treatment of the Boy King: Watching an eight-year-old child constantly crying, isolated, and pushed by his mother to "rule" felt less like palace intrigue and more like severe emotional abuse. In a modern, alternate-reality setting, this was incredibly heavy and exhausting to watch while the adult leads were flitting around in a corporate-merger romance.
The Saving Grace: Why It’s Still Worth the Watch
The absolute best part of the show belonged entirely to Queen Dowager Yoon Yi-rang (Gong Seung-yeon) and her young son.
Yi-rang was a powerhouse character. Her transition from a hardened, desperate political player into a mother who chooses to burn down her own cage to save her son’s sanity was the emotional peak of the series. The scene where she realizes her child overheard the brutal truth was heart breaking.
Watching Lee Ahn finally rise from passivity to actively protecting his nephew was incredibly satisfying. Ultimately, the best part of the final resolution was seeing the whole family finally freed. Too bad we didn't get to see more of that. I'd love to see a prequel drama focusing entirely on the childhood of the two princes, the early marriage of the Queen Mother, and the rising shadow of the Prime Minister's family dynasty.
Final Verdict: Come for the flashy romance, but stay for Gong Seung-yeon's compelling performance and the bittersweet redemption of the royal family.
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Fun but something is off
This is a quirky kind of fun drama, a teen fantasy at its most adorable in many ways but also slightly disturbing and kind of annoying in others.The leads are fun to watch but I do have a few questions about ethics, the role of the adults (though in my book 18 is not a kid), and do feel that the girls rivalry as well best friends choices and actions kind of ruined a big part of the fun in this.
That said its an easy watch with lots of adorable BL satire... not a bad watch just mind the initial second hand embarrassment and turn off your brain and you will be fine.
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This review may contain spoilers
MLs journey was so enjoyable, 2ML was so irritating!
I didn't read the manwha and read some negative reviews before I watched it. I like the 2 leads so I gave it a go. I laughed a lot. There were some WTF moments of course but the secretary and MLs interactions were so funny. I liked the first episode how they had a few meet-cutes. However, I thought it was hard to believe that 2 people of that age were relationship shy, but the show gave good reasons for how they had become this way. I liked most of the supporting characters. Mostly they were funny though in some cases too much. The SML was painful. Couldn't really see what either the FL or her best friend saw in him with the exception of his kind nature and the fact that he seemed to be the only male around them. His constant carrying of man bags and sense of entitlement really irritated. (At first I liked how he could stand up to a chaebol but then realised he was just like that, over confident or something fro no reason). Which leads me to the ML. Honestly my fave character. I love the journey he went on. From relationship shy, and women averse to bravely following his feelings and standing up for his lady and baby to be. From his first time seeing her at the hospital he never wavered, in whatever capacity she would let him, he would be her support. He was like this with his niece too, such a refreshing character. Totally not what you would have expected from his initial scenes. He could be so confident and strong when he needed to take charge to being sweet and humble during the press conference.Was this review helpful to you?
50 first days goes sad, teen Asia
This movie takes amnesia and instead of laughing at it or turning it in to comedy it makes it relatable human and full of teen cuteness. It is in no means perfect but I do believe I shed a real tear which is kind of rare for me making me instantly rate this a bit higher.Pacing is good, acting good, friendships are lovely and the character development and puppylove well cute as puppies.
A decent watch, just mind the tears and pain.
Also I have not seen the J version, my gut says it is probably better but I couldn't find it...
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Raw, violent, dark but also beautiful!
I must be honest, i didn't read anything about this film, before i started watching it. I saw it in my BL watchlist and just went in blind. With that title, i expected a very ligt music BL, but oh how wrong i was....This movie is raw, violent and dark, but!! it is also very beautifull!
I see people mentioning that they don't understand the ending, but that ending was very clear to me.
The visuals were good, the music had some good songs, but also a lot of anoying music during some scenes.
The acting was so good and the mains had good chemistry and a good kiss and NC scene.
I really recommend watching this movie, but hold it mind that it is violent and dark.
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointment
most of the time I judge drama based on only 1 eps ,some full ep or just few minutes, so I had dropped this many times in 1st ep now dropping after 10I have to say there's nothing interesting here , plot, characters (except ml) ,
what's there's - action action action, politics, politics politics, romance 5%
starting - it takes 5-7 eps for ml and FML to even come face to face or have a small interaction?
i thought I would see ji chang wool ml and FML yoona but I saw the other main the president father and his wife more ,and ml and FML felt like side characters
what I dislike -
plot politics politics but not interesting at all? really boring story revolves around Anna FML more ? what about the Revenge of ml and that wife ? till 10 ep they did literally nothing when ml joined the president wife only for revenge?
bgm is really annoying in starting eps
FML
pervert president
FML ramen scene was weird ? she's being hostage by own family members and has mental illness but suddenly really happy because of ramen ? she only has sudden panic attack? but her character doesn't look like she's suffering at all ,later she's even more normal? i think a person in this situation won't be able to feel happy in any way ?
what I like - ml and the president wife even though she's villian I feel she's most miserable person her father didn't give company rights? or something related to that and she got married to a pervert president who had a child with gf without marriage?
and her family member also target her ,the other politician target her I don't know how she's surviving
romance - don't watch for romance they barely start talking at 7 something? and the FML is suddenly in love with him already at 10? no slow burn but forced romance, the interactions of ml and wife were better but there can't be a romance plot since she's married
snowdrop is better similar to this one but bad ending and 5% romance
even the politics part is really boring
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Words that Maketh Murder or the Price of Being a Flamingo
"Gossip is dangerous", warns ominously one of the characters in Tender Light, a teacher, as he attempts to discipline his rebellious teenage daughter. His parental admonishment is not unwarranted. In the small fictional town of Qingshui around the year 2000, everybody gossips about everybody else. But the most pervasive and prurient gossip has been ferociously circling one young woman, Nan Ya, for years without relenting.Nan Ya is conspicuously different from other womenfolk in town. She has a wicked step-mother, an abusive husband and a sick daughter; unlike most, she has no relatives to stand up for her, which makes her an easy target for malicious rumors. Moreover, unlike most, who quickly lose the flush of their youth worn down by the mundanity of daily making do, Nan Ya is a beauty - even at the ripe old age of 30. She looks beautiful as she walks about the streets with the fluid grace of a dancer. She creates beautiful clothes to make a living and beautiful toys to amuse her little girl. She privately reads beautiful poetry and listens to beautiful music. Every once in a while, she seeks out beautiful nature spots in the vicinity of the dreary little town. She does so, she says, to remind herself that she is alive.
On the Millennium Eve full of fireworks, food, song and laughter, Nan Ya reports herself to the police. She killed her abusive husband, she says, in legitimate self-defense. There is an eye-witness to the incident: a young man, more than ten years her junior, Zhou Lou. On the face of it, Zhou Lou seems like an ordinary teenager. The only thing making him stand our from the crowd is his uncommon talent for academic achievement. His top grades had already won him a place at a prestigious national-level university, which he had left under mysterious circumstances - a subject of much speculation in his home town. However, thanks to the support of his loving family, he has been given a second chance. After some extra study at the cram school back home, he will be able to reapply at another prestigious university and hopefully leave the dreary small town, with its lack of opportunities of any kind, far behind him.
The upcoming police investigation should be pretty straightforward. There is a confession by the killer; there is a matching account by an eye-witness. But the police detective in charge of the investigation - himself originally an academically successful local boy, now assigned to his backwater hometown as a stepping stone in his promising career - does not think so. Together with his local colleagues, he keeps investigating long after the sequence of events seems to have been established beyond reasonable doubt. He is doggedly determined to find out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
The witnesses interrogated by the police are all, for their own various reasons, unreliable narrators. The police detective keeps telling the suspect, his colleagues, his girlfriend and himself that he simply seeks to do his duty by fully examining all the facts and circumstances of the case through an objective lens. Yet it soon becomes apparent that he is just like everybody else: we have increasingly strong reasons to believe that his motivations are mixed at best and highly dubious at worst. Thus, as the story of the main protagonists and their community is slowly peeled episode after episode, layer after layer, we remain kept in suspense not only as to what actually happened on the Millennium Eve, but also as to what is currently going on and who is pursuing which goals. Shady deals, family secrets, hopeful aspirations, fatal infatuations progressively emerge in bits and pieces through the prism of flashbacks and shifting perspectives, all against the backdrop of intergenerational poverty, institutional dysfunction and deeply ingrained prejudices.
Tender Light is a poignant psychological study and an acute social commentary presented in the form of a moody, gorgeously shot, unapologetically poetic thriller noir. I am strongly tempted to call it a masterpiece. Every aspect of the drama is carefully crafted to create a suspense mystery embedded in stark realism but tenderly infused with haunting melancholy. Direction, script, cinematography, acting, scenography, costumes and, the last but not the least, the score and the brilliantly curated lyricism, all conspire to create a work of art whose bitterness and sweetness you can still taste long after it's finished.
My only reservation concerns some excessively melodramatic moments. Practically very protagonist of Tender Light undergoes an emotional breakdown at some point or another. For most characters, it makes perfect sense; for a few, less so. This is not a minor detail as it impacts the story as a whole. Had at least one of those few characters remained steadily grounded in their usual benevolence and/or common sense, without crumbling down under pressure, they could have shifted the tide of the story and spared us the unsatisfying yet inevitable ending, abruptly presented in documentarist form.
As it is, once that the case is officially untangled and the facts are fully revealed, there is nothing to shield us from the unrelieved dark truth eternally plaguing close-knit communities around the world. Gossip is dangerous. Don't be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. If you stick out from the average and refuse to compromise and conform, you will be brought down, over and over again, until you leave, die or fit in.
Incidentally, Tender Light seems to be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons in and of itself. It stands head and shoulders above the standard C-drama industry entertainment, yet I only happened to discover it by accident. Do not skip this unique drama just because you are afraid of facing a few unpalatable truths. If you fear sinking too deeply into doom and gloom and losing faith in humanity after watching Tender Light, just follow it up with Meet Yourself, a much more joyful, healing and heart-warming take on the merits and demerits of a small tight-knit community.
Many thanks to other reviewers of Tender Light for helping me discover this hidden gem.
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