I love the actors especially Jang Hyuk who portrayed a good character. His acting was splendid and so were the other characters such as Lee Ha Na (love her), Lee Jae Wook, Baek Sung Hyun, etc.
This drama, in my opinion, is a drama worth to watch especially the plot and the message of this drama to the viewers.
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Acting/Cast: There weren't many new major people but some. I hated so much that Shigeru person and Umi as well. Their actors both played it well tho to be the hated person. Jun Matsumoto and Mao Inoue just perfect together.
Music: ugh the music here wasn't as good as the music in season 1. I preferred wish and Planetarium much better than the ones here. OST still good at the right times.
Rewatch Value: Of course you have to watch season 2 over again to get the happy ending.
Overall: I enjoyed that first episode it was pretty a great start and the ending well I'll tell you it's a happy ending of course. Makino and Domyouji are the best couple in the world!
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Acting/Cast: the four main actors returned in season 2 but for one they didn't last through the end. I only enjoyed Beast's actor because he was more cool to watch. The rest of the terrosits actors ehh didn't enjoy, didn't seem to be bad enough guys. Again acting was excellent for the sad parts.
Music: I enjoyed the music in season 2 than season 1. The music here makes you feel about this season with all the events happening. It's a perfect match to the drama especially after a big loss to a character.
Rewatch Value: Yep I would of course watch it over again.
Overall: I wished it had maybe one or two more episodes because 9 felt too short. Bloody Monday became a favorite drama of mine and I'm also reading the manga too. Falcon looked ridicules holding a gun at times, he should of trained more to protect himself.
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Story
Same old, same old, 2 police officers whose relatives get murdered by the same person, are teaming up to create a new division based on the emergency call police department and their end-game is to catch that bastard.
Been there, done that, so what did Voice do to break the mould of crime dramas?
First of all, the concept of Voice profiling. Not sure if this is a thing, but even if it’s not, we accepted a crime drama about a walkie talkie that could make a 2 guys living in different timelines to communicate, why can’t we accept a woman who can hear extremely well? The voice profiling was original for me, gave a different vibe and an innovative twist to the all-too-usual police procedural recipe.
Furthermore, the impressive cinematography and music. The drama is gritty and dark in all the right ways. Creative directing, haunting dark colors and soulful music just came together perfectly and clicked, making a drama that not only gives off ominous vibes but it is also sinister only by looking at it.
Continuing, the incredible side stories. Every two episodes or so there is a new crime story introduced for the “golden time team” –the aforementioned new division created- to resolve. This is where the writing along with the directing and montage click together doing miracles. All of the side stories were intense, engaging, thought-provoking (although the first two ones were my favourite), well-written and did not drag at all.
Finally, the most important one, the marvelous core story. Cliché done right. The concept of putting a psychopath as the main villain isn’t foreign to dramaland; however the drama’s atmosphere, world-building along with the casting literally did miracles. More specifically, I appreciated that there was not a lot of red herring involved –crime dramas seem to think that we enjoy being led astray every 2 episodes for some reason; while, it felt like there is a whole story going on in the background making this drama look like a part of a whole. Effectively, we were focused on the police side of a bigger narrative - plot twists, havoc and despair ensued.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting how every character, plot device and potential twist are beautifully connected and intrinsically linked to the bigger picture. Good writing - the drama is actually so good even when you see the twist coming, you're still gonna like it anyway cause the whole aura of the drama won't let you a moment's rest.
Lastly, It would be a serious negligence, at this point, to not mention the exquisite Serial Killer. Undeniably, the drama owes how well it worked to its main villain. As far as I’m concerned we’re talking about the best villain I’ve ever witnessed creepy, scary, disgusting and disturbing, the type that crawls up your skin only by seeing his smirking smile. He enhanced the drama while simultaneously we do get the environment in which a serial killer is born that was spectacular to watch.
Honestly, not many drawbacks can be cited by me. If I could address one it would be the somewhat conveniently written side stories. But, come to think of it, isn’t every kdrama ever like this? Rich hot arrogant chaebols falling for poor innocent girls, silly coincidences and other cliches and we accept that but can’t accept a crime drama with stories being a little far-fetched or exaggerated here and there? This is dramaland, if everything was absolutely rational there would be no drama to watch!
Additionally, it was claimed that the drama had gruesome scenes and a lot of blood. Having grown up watching American TV shows this felt like child’s play to me but I do understand if some scenes were too much for some people. Everything is censored (actually, too much censoring going on to be honest), but be aware if you are sensitive to such scenes. Moreover, I read comments saying the side stories were boring and dragged, which contradicts completely what I said. I obviously disagree. Frankly, the side stories might be the best part of it all.
What's more, people argued that the drama takes a hit after a strong beginning. Strong starts bring high expectations too. I think the drama did well in keeping up pace, not dragging and staying strong plot-wise. Yes, middle episodes weren’t as strong as the first 2-3 but still a solid drama overall.
In general, Voice isn’t perfect, but it is time well-spent for sure. It is extremely thrilling; the side stories addressed interesting issues like child abuse, rape ect and were generally on the humanistic side of society, definitely struck a chord with me. The drama deserves a 9 for its flawless story line (side+main) +0.5 for the fact that it was utterly stimulating and increasingly intense with fleeting moments of strong sentiments and despair that just make the whole thing feel that much more real and emotional; I was at the edge of my seat during pretty much every episode either being thrilled or feeling hopeless.
Acting
I admit I was purposely avoiding Lee Ha Na. I only saw her once before Voice, didn’t like her. That being said, thank god I picked this because she redeemed herself completely. I couldn’t even recognize her here and I drew the conclusion that she just doesn’t match cute rom-comy characters, but rather darker ones. Her performance was impeccable here and she had great chemistry (as co-police officers) with Jang Hyuk. I’d love to see her in a similar role, or even in a melodrama in the future.
It is established how good Jang Hyuk is, and here is no exception to his unending talent. Fearless and brave character with a broken and emotional side, he pulled off his role immaculately and he was a perfect fit for it. Such a well-rounded actor, he can do everything. Respect.
Where have Kim Jae Wook been all this time? Flawless and creepy, an absolutely perfect match for his role, I need to keep an eye out for him in the future. I can safely say he made the drama!
Recommend
Concluding, I’d say don’t turn a blind eye to this drama, it’s really good. Crime and thriller drama fans I call out to you, viewers who enjoy intense and provocative dramas/stories that aren’t extremely complicated this is for you. I can’t see how someone wouldn’t be entertained by Voice if you disregard the convenient part and you don’t have a problem with some violence ect.
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Story:
I enjoyed the story the most out of all the aspects in the webdrama even though it is very archetypal. The story revolves a young jewelry designer suffers from socialphobia and having troubles with self confidence and uses magical powers to help succeed in her career and learns not to use the magical powers in order to have important business meetings. I'm lovin' the contrast between the two disparate personalities of Ruby. The wish fulfillment aspect of the story achieves the story's purpose very well. I love the idea of being a successful assistant to a success like Ruby gives her the assurance and confidence to be the best she can be.
Acting/Cast:
Seohyun's distinct two personalities were fun to watch. I liked the male lead and how he was the understanding, supportive character for Ruby. The rest of the characters for me weren't there and on the back burner.
Music:
The music was all over the place and there was a mix of English songs and Korean songs (currently popular and non-popular ones). I wasn't a fan of any of the music presented. I felt that it was randomly picked and used. It was not the main point for this webdrama.
Rewatch Value:
Once is enough. No motivation to watch it beyond the first time.
If you like cute and romantic rom-coms that can be watched within a hour, don't miss this one. It's clearly a hit compared to other ones I've seen lately.
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This review may contain spoilers
I could give it a lower rating, trust me. But I'm trying to hold onto the good things about this show so I don't turn out being unfair because, when it's all said and done, Missing 9 isn't THAT bad - the huge problem is that it had potential to be the BEST DRAMA in the last 10 years but all that potential was slowly being flushed down the toilet as we watched. As many others, I had hude expectations set for Missing 9, expectations that were given to me BY the show itself, in its first couple episodes. I didn't have a clue where I was poking at when I started watching this show but I LOVED what I saw and all that mystery got me addicted effortlessly. It's only natural, then, that I got EXTREMELY disappointed to have all my theories shattered mercilessly one by one, apparently done on purpose too, like this evil plot was set by the writers from the very start.
Around halfway I lost all interest and strength to keep watching the torture Missing 9 became but since we were so close around the finish line, I kept pushing myself forth... and TRIED to watch it from a different perspective but... it didn't work as expected. Nonetheless, I was able to finish and now, that I'm no longer angered by such a waste of fine art, I can talk about it objectively, so let's start by what's GOOD about this drama:
1) ACTING:
Some people complained about the prosecutor being a bad actor but I was pleased by his natural performance. It's not the actor's fault if the character they're given doesn't have a coherent reply to one thing or another (if you look closely, the same happened to most characters). Everyone did a great job with what they had at hand and made it quite believable. Except maybe for Chanyeol. I was biased of him once and even then I never bought his acting so don't come throwing rocks at me.
2) COMEDY:
On spot. When they decide to be funny it's always a success! It's an innocent, silly kind of comedy - my favorite. For most part unexpected too so, when you're hoping for some depth... they explode on your face with comic displays that couldn't be any more displaced. And yet... you can't help but laugh.
3) SHOOTING:
Dunno if that's the right name to call it. All that deal with angles, action, timing, image, et cetera. Should I call that production? I'm torn because production failed in many aspects so I really dunno but... what I'm trying to say is that it's a nice show aesthetic-wise. (?)
4) MYSTERY:
Even though all that smoke clears around episode 5 or 6 and leaves you thinking "That was it?!", they did a great job with those cliffhangers, making us wonder and create crazy theories about every damn thing, from all the beige they wore at start to the colorful lights in the forest we found out to be... garden dwarfs, probably.
5) POTENTIAL:
Yes. Why not? If you watch it you'll figure out at least 3 different lines Missing 9 could've followed to be the next best thing in Korean entertainment. But no. Of course they would've pushed it downhill. No kidding, man. That can't be normal. I'm starting to think someone might have paid the producers to screw things up that bad just so some other show would remain on the spotlight. And who the heck would that be, considering SM is involved, huh? I'm thinking JYP... oh. That would turn out to be a great drama to watch!
Now... let me get to what's TERRIBLE about this show.
[ WARNING!!!!!! ~~~~~~~ BEWARE OF SPOILERS LMAO ~~~~~~~ RETREAT NOW IF YOU CARE ]
[ Synopsis ] So we have a group of spoiled ass lil idols in beige and they ALL survive a plane crash because they're basically immortal although they're good for nothing weakling humans and we'll prove that to you by all means needed.
1) (and this ONE may get lengthy, so forgive me beforehands;) STORYLINE:
How do I start? Missing 9 had a great start, really. But as the plane crashed down, so did everything else. Honestly, everyone knows "no dramas are realistic" - yes, yes - but there's a tolerance level that can be sustained and this drama completely disrespected its viewers by kicking those basic logic standards to the moon. I already went on how MIRACULOUS it is to survive a plane crash even if you follow all security protocols and shit but ALL of our leads made it out UNHARMED even though they were shaking inside that huge can like alive sardines on a frying pan. They even managed to survive several days alone before finding each other and they barely even get dirty or messy at all - funny, eh? I'll leave all the illogical character profiles for later so, moving on... they're lost in a deserted island and nothing feels aggravated, not even when they find out there's a killer among them, not even when they find out WHO the killer is. Everything is peace and pancakes, jokes, colorful clothes and what not.
Later on, they ALL manage to leave the island and while Bong Hee was found alone, it took several days to find the others all at once and... didn't they all leave together? What the hell happened? They were in the same freaking boat, they all went to the same freaking hospital and yet... nothing makes sense. NOTHING.
And then everyone's suddenly back to their regular lives as if nothing happened, all the trauma Bong Hee expressed in the beginning is only justified due to her lack of memories because, clearly, to everyone else, all that horror was nothing but spring vacation and now they're undergoing a new kind of nightmare under big bad boss who could've easily anihilated the rest of them one by one but after being too smart, he was acting too dumb. And what's with that sudden head shave? Wtf? They made it seem like it was such an important event, lol. And there we have again the psycho crazy villains, right? And now that we're back home we should try and make them pay for their crimes so we can live.
Damn... should've stayed in that island, man. The good guys can only win where there's no money or power. (Unless they have money and power, ofc.)
Summing up, back at Seoul, Missing 9 became a total different drama leaning towards political, investigation and law themes, the same old same we are sick of watching in all the others.
And that ending... we're clearly missing MORE than "nine" here. This drama is clearly about how they are all dead and delusional. I mean, that's so clear after that final scene. Who in their right minds would laugh like fools while painting each other in a big after party INCLUDING the person who tried to kill them all (but that's so easy to overlook, right? NOT.) and who was supposed to be locked away in a mental facility? Well... we can only conclude they ALL joined him there as we were suddenly back to all the beige... patient's wear. The writers are just too genius to leave all that in between the lines. Got it? *smug grin*
2) CHARACTER INCONSISTENCY:
Most character also make no sense at all. We have Bong Hee, the belated professional stylist who was fearless and conveniently a PRO at living in the wilderness. She could fish, make a fire, a tent, swim, save people, patch wounds, she was in her right mind all the time to save food and water, she was so strong for someone the size of a peanut (she even takes out Tae Ho in a fist fight with much ease!), she never got sick despite all that, always in a good mood... there was nothing she could not do! I'm surprised she didn't sneak into the control room to avoid the crash in the first place.
Then we have Joon Ho, a shallow good for nothing too-old-to-be-an-idol person everyone's so keen to avoid. He's so selfish to the point of eating all the food and letting the girl do everything by herself but at the same time he's too good to be human I can only assume he's Jesus reincarnated. I mean... he's so quick to forgive a criminal who literally stabbed him on the back, killed some of his friends, framed him and ruined his career, tried to kill his beloved and a couple sentences from him was enough to make the assassin repent... sigh. Suuure.
Tae Ho. When we think he's trying to survive (and that's understandable), he reveals he's completely broken and abnormal. Everything he does proves that he is a psycho and yet sometimes they break him out of the blue and make him look normal and just... ????????? Make up your mind! Someone can't be psycho and sane at the same time! That just doesn't happen!
Ji Ah. For someone with such a strong personality, she's too passive at times and fades in the background with ease for a main character. I missed her development. She's been made useless by the writers.
So Hee: Too stupid for a smart fox.
Good CEO: Immortal.
Evil CEO: ?????? Cartoonish? We still don't know if he was the one behind the crash or not but that's a long shot for a plan, don't you think? It would be so much easier to kill Sohee and Good CEO if all he wanted was to take over business. He just doesn't make sense.
Investigation Committee: LOL what a messy joke. They kept making evidence out of statements, turning the whole thing upside down as soon as a new survivor came around, just... *rolling eyes forever*
Prosecutor: At some point he completely forgets all about his dead sister and replaces her with Bong Hee.
3) PRODUCTION:
They must've be low on budget because you can easily spot they're in no forest - it's a garden; no ocean but a pool (it even echoes terribly); the toy boat in a tank; the storm with no wind; the burning plane parts on the shore after it crashes into the ocean; colorful lights in the forest that should be crazy dark to justify the lamps everyone was carrying; domestic bunnies in the wilderness and many, many, maaaaany others.
4) PLOT HOLES:
Was the plane crash a coincidence or not? It is said to be cursed????????? Nothing was explained. Did their time in the island matter at all? If you take it out, nothing would be harmed. It all started because of Jaehyun so the island deal is just... pointless. It's what they used to make it look new when it's not.
5) LOGIC HOLES:
Apart of everything that's already been discussed, the sea brought everyone safely to the island, as well as their conveniently packed with food luggage but had no problem taking Yeol far, far away so that he was never found again; a boat that could only accommodate 4 people, LEFT with 4 people to rescue another 2 and managed to return safely with everyone on board. Tae Ho desperately needed the boat and destroyed it. We have a killer among us but hey let's let him sit with us and laugh together. I was just stabbed on the back and the killer is still perfectly fine but this is the perfect time for a romantic song to play while a sweet talk this lady before me (who's still in danger, let's not forget that). I'm being accused in this trial but no one tries to stop me when I stand up and walk away in the middle of the whole thing. Speaking of... a TRIAL? Perfect time to play this sexy song match for sensual scenes because why the hell not!
Oh boy... I could go on forever... trust me, I could. But I'm sick of typing at this point and you are sick of reading, I'm sure of it. At least now you get it why I said I could rate it lower, considering I haven't even numbered ALL the reasons why this is crap. Because, in the end, it's not. Gold comes out from muddy rivers. Missing 9 isn't a shitty drama, after all. It has its value, yes it does. But it's not a good drama either. Not average at all considering all the craziness. It's like a soup you make saturday night containing the left overs from all weekdays prior - comedy, tragedy, mystery, romance, political, law, investigation, survival, suspense, action... a mix of way too many genres that kept outshining each other, just like flavors that, despite being unquestionably delicious, when put together result in something that tastes like shit and has no identity. Yes. I trust that metaphor wraps it up quite well.
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You Who Came from the Stars: Epilogue
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Great drama overall. Though the ending left many unanswered questions, I would still re-watch this over and over again for the cute and funny moments!
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The acting is most thing deserved to be complained. I think that idols can have a chance to act because some of them have talents in acting but they should be a supporting roles until they have enough ability to be cast as a lead. I do not care they are actors or idols or models if they can perform the role well. Suho is very stifff actor and it is safe to say he has no talents in acting. This is not his first role. He should not be cast in the film anymore or he may get many anti-fans instead of getting new fans. He shows no emotion of the singer who is lonely, no emotion of the man who is in love. And he has no chemistry with the main girl.
The only thing I noticed in this drama is the second couple. The second girl is actually more outstanding than the main girl.
Finally, Suho's handsome is not enough to make me want to see him again in the drama. There are many handsome actors with good acting out there. I think he should focus on his singing instead of acting again,. Terrible acting!
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Falto desarrollar MUCHO el personaje de Ki Jae Myung, y no hacerlo simplemente un complemento para el protagonista. Mas allá de eso no hay mucho mas que decir.
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Historical Backgound/Story
Time Trip App does involve quite a bit of history but the most important thing to know is the Katsu Kaishuu saved Edo (Tokyo) from a civil war between the emperor who abdicated his throne in 1867 and the new government. This is the transition between the Tokugawa shogunate (Edo period) and the Meiji Restoration called the Bakumatsu. The movie seems to express the indecision of Katsu Kaishuu when faced with making the choice that changed the history of Japan with a certain foolishness for comedy. Ishihara Satomi's teacher character is problematic at first. The plot is quick to expose her flaws as a teacher and corrects her flaws through her experiences in the past. Strangely enough, Shintaro Numata seems to be the only student involved the development of the main storyline as the others are cast aside into their own side plot. There is more amusement at the situations these future characters find themselves in rather than comedy provided by Katsu Kaishuu. Also, I hate to crush everyone's hope and dreams but the ROMANCE IS PRACTICALLY NONEXISTENT! The time travel trope manifest itself in this movie by recycling elements from Back to the Future. The goal is the same: to return things to how they once were and to safely go back to the future.
Acting/Cast
Tamaki Hiroshi and Ishihara Satomi!! Wow, both are great seasoned actors! Tamaki Hiroshi's acting in here does outshine Ishihara Satomi's because he is playing a historical character. Although his acting and looks may reflect the true Katsu Kaishuu, he does keep the historical timeline accurate with his fool-like personality. Ishihara's character may be generally dislikeable; however, do take note that she is playing a character going through self-realization. By the end of the movie her attitude will take a turn for the better. The students were also played by experienced actors and I was not disappointed with their acting. Kawaguchi Haruna is a cut above the rest, going above and beyond with her modern street girl personality.
Music
There are horribly cheesy music to go with effects. The OST is nothing overly done, all songs are ordinary, to the point that it portrays each atmosphere with a sense of familiarity. The ending song, INFINITY?ZERO by nano, seems to be the only actual song in this movie. The song fails to fit in with the rest of the movie since it is heavy metal, but it is a good song and a highly energetic way to end a happy movie.
Rewatch Value
Rewatch this for missed historical references. Or maybe just to see Tamaki Hiroshi and Ishihara Satomi. Props and setting-wise, this movie is a goldmine. Each Bakamatsu or Early Meiji setting building is the stuff of textbooks.
Overall
This is a great movie to watch if you are bored and know some Japanese history. Without historical context this movie seems absurd because all plot is build on real history. This movie does try to appeal to the younger generation with the student and the time travel trope but can also be a family movie enjoyed by all.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is an interesting examination into the question: "What if a drama was created purely for the purpose of trolling its audience?" Let me just say, regardless of my general distaste for it (more on that later), I'm actually grateful it exists and was attempted. Do I think it was a successful attempt? ....Uhhh no. But there's enough brilliance in here that I think if someone was to know what they were getting into and had ZERO expectations (also if they were a forgiving drama-watcher), they *might* like the journey. It starts off with EXTREMELY stereotypical characters that have no real depth to them, plus there's so many people in the cast that at times its a bit discombobulating. But probably its greatest strength is evolving these stereotypical characters into really well-rounded and likable characters--especially the leads. Their group connection as the drama progressed really rang true. The female lead is such a strong character throughout and it was brought to life brilliantly by Baek Jin Hee, her dynamic with Jung Kyung Ho's character felt EARNED and was a wonderful portrayal of pure friendship. Jung Kyung Ho in particular really impressed me; his insistence on seeing the best in people, his dedication to the group, and just how he executed this character was great. He also had some really great moments with Oh Jung Se's character. I loved how their connection/friendship manifested in some extremely funny and laugh out loud moments throughout the drama's entire run.
I actually REALLY loved the comedy and parody on drama cliches that were sprinkled in throughout this drama (aka the slight trolling). I honestly wish it focused MORE on that because that's when this drama went to really interesting, human, and heart-felt moments oddly enough. When it wasn't taking itself so seriously, those were the moments where I sat up and thought, "Huh, that was actually quite clever." Unfortunately, most of the time it focused on REALLY serious and scary stuff with the approach of absolutely NO logic whatsoever--it's biggest (and fatal) flaw.
It felt like you were CONSTANTLY waiting for the shoe to drop on these characters with really predictable outcomes. I would have been fine with no logic if it was interesting and also unpredictable throughout, but it wasn't. You could easily tell when something was going to go the survivors way and when it wasn't--I also saw all the twists that happened about a mile away. It was never surprising, but ALWAYS frustrating. Frustrating in that they kept siding with and forcing these characters to be around a character that was an absolutely TERRIBLE and UNFORGIVABLE human being. I give MAJOR props to Choi Tae Joon; he really shined as the villain in this drama in a role I'm never-ever going to forget. But it's MADDENING how his character was handled and I completely understand the people that down-rated this to a 1 or 2 for simply that reason. I understand that the drama was trying to play off the bond between Tae Ho and Joon Oh's characters, but it crossed too many lines to be believable. Delving into details would go into spoiler territory, but I'll just say that the ending is a pure WTF moment. I legitimately thought for about 15 seconds that the characters were all in a psych ward and that the entire drama that came before it was just their made-up 'story.' O_O ....THAT would have been brilliant and understandable. ....Unfortunately, that's not how it ended.
This is truly and honestly the weirdest kdrama I've ever watched. I ended up rating it higher than I thought I would (I gave it a 5.5 rating), but unfortunately its uniqueness and great leads couldn't save the script from the individual(s) responsible for......this. o_O
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