The storyline was not all that great. And they could have used the body-swapping with far more effect than they did, even though it created lots of humorous moments. That part was just a little messy. The main leads had a great chemistry together, which is probably what made this show work at all. Joo Won wasn't exactly romantic for more than half the drama. But his neurotic character was still somewhat charming even when he was being such a butthead to Ra Im. He was like a man-child that couldn't help himself from putting his foot in his mouth and being a jerk, but he was lucky he was cute. His character growth comes quite late in the series. Ra Im's character was disappointing sometimes because she's supposed to be this awesome stunt-woman with mad fighting skills, yet she's mostly meek and apologetic to everyone.
I will say that Hyun Bin did an amazing acting job - especially during the body swap scenes and the elevator scene. So, while the story was all over the map, the characters are what kept me watching until the end because the middle part was somewhat draggy and repetitive. The last few episodes were probably my favorite, even with the plot weirdness.
I doubt I'd ever re-watch this, but I'm glad that I watched it simply for the sake of understanding references to it. (and a little bit because Hyun Bin is pretty cute. LOL) Story-wise it is just mediocre, with some cute moments thrown in.
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Acting/Cast: I loved many cast members, and hated other characters (there's always at least one lol). Park So Dam was the female lead, and I have never seen her in another show. For me, I really enjoyed her acting and the chemistry she had with Jung Il Woo. She has become a favorite for me. As for Jung Il Woo, I much preferred him in this role than his role in Flower Boy Ramen Shop. The maturity and playfulness were at levels that just seemed more appropriate for him. Ahn Jae Hyun has quickly become a favorite of mine, I loved him as the younger brother in You Who Came From the Stars, and I enjoyed him in this show. However, His relationship with Son Na Eun was overly obnoxious and tiring with the push and pull. Lee Jung Shin played his role very well, acting so perfect and jilted but loyal. I really enjoyed watching him. Choi Min Sung was quite good as well, very subtle nd I think many don't give him enough credit. He was very good. Overall the cast was not bad at all; everyone fit their roles. There were just characters you like, hate, and couldn't care less about.
Music: THIS SHOW HAD A WONDERFUL SOUNDTRACK. I enjoyed the music more than the show I think. I immediately downloaded the OST. The songs are recognizable, even when mixed and altered for different parts of the show. Each song used in te show fits so well, adding rather than distracting. Anyone who knows me knows how important that is. The sound effects that I remember were not too distracting, especially considering I can't remember any in particular.
Rewatch: I would not rewatch this, however, blooper compilations for it are hilarious. If some compilation of good and bad moments in the show came up (how some people put moments together for fan-made music videos? I might watch that). I do know some people enjoy it enough to rewatch all of the show or certain episodes. I would have to be very bored and have nothing else to watch.
Overall: This drama was alright, you love some actors and their characters and get incredibly tired of others. The music is the best part, the story was okay. I wouldn't rewatch this, even for background noise, but I know some will. I would give it about a 7.5.
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Somehow I feel there's no need for season 2 if the story line are going to be suck. just leave it as melodramatic that left people touched and appreciate this historical drama.
But you will miss the chance and challenge to produce season 2..
Well I do challenge and would like to see how SBS would handle this
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I want to own this series because it was a feel-good drama with comic relief, a low level of suspense despite the mystery and mob background of the storyline. The cast chemistry was excellent especially between Megan Lai and Baron Chen.
I deducted points because of the plot and cliches. Though these negatives had its own charm, I felt there was no enough substance to maintain the pace of the show. It might have been better to make the series a few episodes shorter. tightening the sub plots.
I would recommend this for its sweetness, and how they treat the subject of same gender love, for the chemistry between the leads and for the laughs. But do not expect anything substantial.
PS: I >might< still decide to own this series. =^_-=
How I rate
---
5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!
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Even though this show only has 12 episodes, each episode is easily an hour 5 mins. While I appreciate the show being shorter than usual, thus forcing the writer to be concise and succinct, when you add up the excess 5 minutes from each episode, it adds up to another episode. Just a thought.
Surprisingly, I’ve actually never watched Lee Jin Wook in a drama, only in a movie. Besides just being generally handsome, he did a decent job. I’ve watched Seo Hyun Jin in Let’s Eat 2 and she’s one of the reasons I decided to watch this drama. She is really good in this show too.
Yonghwa doesn’t have a great reputation as an actor. Although it was really obvious in this show that he’s still a newbie at acting, he definitely showed a marked improvement. I’ve never watched Yang Dong Geun act, only in Return of Superman, and I was greatly entertained by his character in this show. Park Hae-jin is good but really he doesn’t have that much material to work with.
I’m not that familiar with Korean history but from what recaps I’ve read, it seems like the writers did a good job. It is a really stylish sageuk. The filming style is sleek and impressive.
Overall, the show is an entertaining saguek.
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No doubt, the drama has a pretty American feel to it, but with a distinctly Korean feel to it, with prosecutorial corruption, corrupt businessmen and bribery all round. For a legal drama it isn’t exactly super realistic, but then again since when have we had a realistic legal drama on TV.
The writing of the ‘good wife’ character is really compelling. She is pulled in a thousand different directions, when all she is trying her best to do is stay true to herself.
The show has assembled an amazing cast, especially in Jeon Do Yeon and Yoo Ji Tae, who almost never appear on TV. Jeon Do Yeon immediately wins you over with her portrayal of the dutiful wife thrust into the spotlight, just trying to get through her day prove herself as a good lawyer, and make sure her kids are protected. Yoo Ji Tae, what more can I can say, even as the resident baddie, I find myself cheering for him. He absolutely smoulders whenever he is on screen.
Yoon Kye Sang, despite being a much less experienced actor, is so great in this show as well.
The OST for this show is simple, like a number of quality tvN dramas, I don’t have much to say. But I love the BGM which really lends a movie-like quality to the show, and elevates it beyond your average TV show.
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Story:
This is a remake so the story is tried and tested. It will keep you interested until the end! There were some characters I found over the top or uninteresting, but the main characters keep you going. Sometimes the story seems to stall, but the drama definitely delivers and makes you happy that you watched until the end.
Acting/Cast:
I wanted to watch this series due to the lead male (Wisetkaew Sukrit). He has a very over the top way of acting, but I personally love it. He made me love the character, no matter how flawed and silly the character sometimes was. It all just added to the drama's impact. The lead female (Nuengthida Sophon) will very likely divide viewers opinions. You will feel frustrated with her actions, but everything happens for a reason. Her facial expressions feel limited and I wish the characters had more depth. It all comes flowing out though in the end and she managed to make me care about the character. Most of the side characters were okay, but there were some that were quite "rough". All in all the actors manage to make the wartime era feel very authentic.
Music:
The music in this one was quite basic. A few ballads here and there, quite beautiful but nothing extraordinary. I would've preferred a few instrumental themes, but it was okay.
Rewatch value:
I'm not sure if I will ever watch the last episode again. I cried my eyes out at 1:30am while I was watching this next to my sleeping husband. :D There were some memorable scenes though so I might have to go back for those. One of those dramas that you are glad you watched, but maybe you won't watch it again, at least not in it's entirety.
Overall:
If you are feeling a bit dull and you want to have a good cry this is the perfect drama for you. Interesting, romantic and even a bit erotic it will keep you in its clutches until the end. If you don't like war dramas or melodramas you should probably skip this one.
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The storyline is crazy, you never now what's going to happen. I love how it's really difficult to know what's going on and there are questions left unanswered. I was also surprised by the more supernatural aspects. Also, despite the very long runtime, I was NEVER bored, and in my opinion the movie kept the perfect pace. Now, I have to warn you: the story is disturbing, nightmarish and even dantesque. It comes REALLY close to being a horror film, and there are some pretty graphic scenes, so if you're not into that kind of stuff, be really careful.
The cast is BRILLIANT. I've never seen Kwak Do Won in anything, but his performance here is great, and he really carries the film, even if his character is rather unlikable. Hwang Jeong Min is good too, but his performance is probably the weakest of all the main actors. He was much better in Veteran. I love Chun Woo Hee, and her performance is truly mesmerizing, but she's in the film less than 20 minutes (and the film is 2 and half hours long), so, even if her character is very important, I really wish she had much more screentime. Now, the real MVP of this film is Jun Kunimura. I had seen him in a few Japanese movies, but his performance his is INCREDIBLE. It's just so layered, you never really know until the very end if he is good or evil.
The soundtrack is fantastic, and it really helps set the tense, chilling atmosphere of the movie. It's also really well used in the most intense moments of the story.
I also need to comment on the cinematography. The film looks SO beautiful. Seriously, it's so well shot, and it fits the content and the tone of the story really well. It might just be the best cinematography I've seen in a Korean movie. Basically, the director (and also writer) did a brilliant job with every aspect of this movie.
About the rewatch value, I gave it the maximum score because I believe this is kind of the film where you discover new things everytime you watch it. Despite the imposing, I plan to watch it again soon to try and understand everything better.
In conclusion, The Wailing is one the best films I've seen this year (maybe in my life), and I really recommend it to everyone who's looking for something different and brilliant. But, like I said before, be ready for A LOT of darkness and disturbing content (plus the long runtime).
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Unique and Surprising!
"W" is a very unique show. It pulls from different themes in a variety of genres and melds them into one. It also moves forward at just the right pace, so that you don't get too bored. And, even though it can get a bit serious, there are still comedic undertones that lift the mood in a couple of serious scenes. I personally loved it, and if you're looking for a show that will seem to endlessly surprise you, you've found it! (Also, who wouldn't want to watch Lee Jong-suk play as a web-comic character?!)Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This is one of the rare times that I will actually say that the drama NEEDED to be longer. AND that I totally believe the writers could have pulled it off. However, how could they have with this being pre-shot? They took a gamble with 20. That's the drawback of doing that, it did make the storyline and pacing pretty awesome. A show with no filler is all my heart truly yearns for. Sadly in Korea from what I Googled later episodes never took off, so I'm sure the people backing it are happy they only did 20 episodes. Which saddens me as it looks else where it had “favorable response”. What's up Korea? (I will not get on my soap box. I will not. ^_-) Apparently one of the bigger reasons for the lack of interest and ratings was due to the actors. Actually, I really only heard grumbling about IU and Byun Baek Hyun. Byun Baek Hyun plays the cheerful and child like 10th Prince. IU the lead female Soo Hae. For me I thought they did a great job, in fact the whole cast was stellar. There wasn't a single performance that didn't move me in some way.
I will address IU. This is not my first time watching her. Nope it's my second. I first watched her in Dream High and I enjoyed her. Clearly it was her first gig, but I enjoyed her and have always meant to see her in some of her other roles. Even in Dream High I knew she would make a great leading lady. The vast difference from her first acting gig to Moon Lovers was awesome. I think IU is a fantastic actress and she had wonderful chemistry with the entire cast. Most importantly all of the Princes. I believed the ones who fell in love with her, how could they resist?
It's hard to emphasis how amazing the actors are. I will make some highlights. Ji Soo as Wang Jeong (14th Prince) was awesome and I loved him with Baek Hyun, they were such a wonderful duo. I do feel like poor Ji Soo's character got back seated again. Kang Ha Neul as Wook (8th Prince) was really good. I'm a fan. Kang Han Na as the 8th Prince's sister did such an amazing job! She may have been more villain, but I did find myself cheering her on. Even if it meant beloved characters got hurt. However, my new actor obsession has been born. Lee Joon Gi. He was A-mazing to watch. His character was so complex that I was blown away by how Lee Joon Gi pulled it all off.
The story at times was predictable, but many times it surprised me! Which I loved. As I mentioned I felt like it could have been longer. Due to how much AWESOME things are in here I felt like certain aspects were overlooked or not developed enough. The one powerful thing about Moon Lovers is that the character development is off the charts! Whether they're "villains" or the good guys. In fact, a lot of times the good guys became villainous. You could understand where everyone was coming from.
There are A LOT of time jumps! Besides the jump to the past!! Ha-ha. Those 20 episodes cover a huge span of time. There are no rooms for fillers. The writers knew the story they had to cover and tried the best they could to convey where everyone was at the times. I was impressed. Sometimes it was hard to tell how much time was actually passing for the non-time-jumps. So that felt a bit off.
There were some annoying tropes used. The first kiss of a certain love pair actually left me feeling hollow and disappointed at first. Yet every time the writers saved it. Some of the characters are so complex and while even in a trope you understood why that particular character would do it. So it eased the blow.
What I loved most is that while the era is romantic and lovely, it's brutal. For a K-drama I thought that the reality and harshness of the time period was done well. Characters die and are even tortured/maimed. I was a little disappointed by when the Princes finally started dying, but only because the show was short did it feel late. In truth I was happy for the time I had with my princes. (No I won't say who goes first or anything. Avoid all spoilers I tell you!)
The romances are so complex and wonderful. I love that Soo Hae doesn't just have one romance. Life is messy and the heart can (and will) fall in love and grow many times. I also love how the writers emphasis all the kinds of different loves there are. Betrayal, choosing who to trust, bravery, courage, kindness, and so on. I love it when things are complex.
The music was a bit odd at first. Like this electronic feel to it mixed with classical Korean. After a while I was quite fond of it and it fit the series well. The OSTs with vocals were wonderful as well and I loved whenever they were utilized.
Will I rewatch it? Um, yeah. In fact, I started rewatching episodes as they aired. More than once.
This is one of those Dramas you will know right away whether you're in or out! Honestly I don't think I can explain enough or write enough about how awesome it all was for me. Character depth and growth, great interactions, writing that most of the time blew me away, even if some tropes were used they were well used, and the princes weren't just man candy. The female characters are amazing and so well developed. Tragically awesome romances and just a heads up: the last episode will probably destroy you. You will cry! So don't late night binge that because you may not function for the next day. Give it time to soak in. Though I would suggest watching this when you have time to binge most of it! Because once Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo grabs hold of you it won't let go. Enjoy the addiction.
(Now I'm super curious about the original drama! Oh, and FYI I actually really liked how it ended.)
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Today is not unusual to find idols acting on virtually every single k-drama production, but I guess they were the pioneers. And they were the pioneers in a time when k-pop was still innocent and popular in Asian countries but not yet around the rest of the planet. I have the feeling that these days this type of movie would be unthinkable. K-pop has come to a stage where it takes itself too seriously and idols are more pressured to being capable of doing anything in terms of entertainment.
This movie is just Super Junior being Super Junior. Every member being himself. Or at least what fans expect everyone of them to be according to their public personae.
If you're a k-pop fan this contextualization wasn't necessary and you're going to enjoy this either the reviews are good or not.
The best? The nonsensical, scatological plot, Kim Heechul being... Kim Heechul, Kang In and that panda mascot from the judo team.
The worst? The fact that in the end the story has a moral. Not that I'm against it per se, but you can't lecture high school teenagers about having more self-confidence and spend the rest of the movie calling Shindong "fatso". Whatever.
Also, I expected more screentime for Yesung as a charismatic rocker.
Sadly, youngest member Kyuhyun couldn't take part in the film because he was recovering from the injuries he got in a serious car accident. It would have been interesting to see what his role would have been.
Anyways, it won't hurt to watch this. It's overall an endearing divertimento.
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