Story
So the summary is simple- yet there's a bigger picture to be painted. It's about a person called the Pied Piper who manipulates people in order to do his bidding and a small negotiation team that was once borderline being disbanded having to prove itself by solving cases. What was impressive about this drama is that each case is somehow tied in with each other, painting a much darker and mysterious story.
The Good
The cinematography was good as the different scenes tie in together leaving an insatiable hunger for the next episode every single time each episode nears the end. The music was damn amazing with the scenes, incorporating a super impressive selection of instrumental and a mix of good genres even in different languages at times to suit the scenes.
Shin Ha Kyun and Yoo Joon Sang were amazing. They portrayed their characters perfectly as you can see how their characters mature and grow. I've seen Shin Ha Kyun in Brain (2011) and I wasn't too fond of his acting since I felt like it was forced and overexaggerated at times- however I'm pleasantly surprised that his acting was realistic and 3-Dimensional in this drama so it actually feels like he is a negotiator in real life. He nailed the two sides of his character perfectly, whether it being a cold heartless negotiator doing everything to get his way or an emotional man who regrets the mistakes in his past.
Yoo Joon Sang was perfect- her acting was on point, however there were times where I disliked her acting since it was too plain or her actions were just plain unrational, however I really liked how she portrayed her character and how she really matured throughout the episodes.
Yoo Joon Sang seriously knows how to play the audience. Honestly- he deserves an award for portraying such a complicated character, since you never know what his motives are.
The Bad
The only thing that bothered me at times was the storyline at times i suppose. It might be slightly hard to follow at times as you don't know whats happening- however it clears up at the end! There's not much to say about the bad things in this drama since the flaws are so minimal that it doesn't really affect your judgement!
And so?
If you are a fan of crime and action packed dramas- or if you just want to dip your toes in, start with this one since it's worth the 16 episodes as every episode will leave you on the edge of your seat!
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I cried so much watching this that I don't think I have any tears left to spill.
These brave men stood in the eye of the storm, those that didn't survive will be remembered with honour. They left behind their loved ones but we shall never forget them.
The dead were Lt. Cmdr. Yoon Young-ha, Jo Cheon-hyung, Seo Hoo-won, and Hwang Do-hyun (during the battle), Park Dong-hyuk (days later), and Han Sang-guk (found at sea); Eighteen others were injured.
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The romance was out of this world (pun totally intended) and I lost count of how many times they broke my heart and put it back together. The chemistry between the actors was wonderful - the kisses were romantic (and the aftermath was somewhat humorous). The side characters were used well.
I read that some were a little disappointed by the ending, but it was appropriate regardless - you won't be brokenhearted at the end. Do Min Joon's "happy dream" is an emotion wrecker. I think the writers dealt with the ending in the best they could. I was satisfied with the ending they gave us, and that was what was important.
The music was used well - it evoked the right emotions for the moments.
If you are one of the few out there that has put this off, or a newbie to Kdrama, put this on your list and make sure to watch it. Also, a little tip (I didn't figure this out until several episodes in and had to go back) - be sure to keep watching after the freeze frame end with the music. There is a little extra tidbit for you at the end of each episode, and it's another little piece of the story. The episode is truly over when you see the book with the people as star outlines. :)
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What I love most about this drama was that I had a really good laugh at every episode and as the story progress I kind of get used to the characters instead of feeling awkward. They were cute, Rain and Hye Kyo did really gave justice to their characters. I never laughed so hard watching a Korean drama, this is the first and I am happy to have decided to watch this.
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I think the entire cast was excellent. Park Bo Gum is perfect. He is completely charming as the young Crown Prince. I totally fell for his smirk, and truly empathized with his struggle to become a true leader within a corrupt system. He is matched with Kim Yoo Jung, who I was very impressed with. Usually underage romantic lead actresses seem so obviously out of place to me, but she was a formidable leading lady, and the age gap wasn't so big. Beyond pulling off the gender-bender trope pretty well, she was also very believable expressing the range of emotions Ra On had to go through. They had an extremely cute chemistry, and seemed to be generally falling for each other. They are definitely the MVPs of this drama.
Aside from the main couple, there are two young actors who also deserve praise, Kwak Dong Yeon and Jung Jin Young. Byung Yeon was so bad@ss, and although a man of few words, his was the only character that made me actually cry. Jung Jin Young as Yoon Sung is the perfect second lead. I didn't exactly have second lead syndrome, but I came close a few times. The friendship dynamic between all four is complicated, which makes it even more interesting. Nothing is what it appears to be at face value, and that's the kind of storytelling I think this drama did well.
There are too many great minor characters to mention them all. I honestly can't think of a single weak link. The villains are extra villainous, and some of the more comedic characters are completely silly, but they all felt real, and not just included to fill up space and time.
This story is more complicated than it initially appears to be, so it's not as if I was ever really bored, but I still wish that the second half of the drama didn't lose all of the fun the initial episodes had. At the same time, it makes total sense to the story that it was told exactly the way it was, so maybe I was just in the mood to watch something lighter. I'm really trying hard to find something solid to complain about, but the music... the direction... the amount of episodes... it all worked well. Some aspects may have been a bit repetitive, which was frustrating at times, but that frustration served to motivate the Crown Prince, so I think it was necessary. It isn't exactly filled with epic twists either, which makes it not extremely exciting at times, but also not unnecessarily complicated.
Would I watch this again? Sure. I also wonder if being in the right mood to watch this kind of story would make me like it more. I also liked that it all ended with no loose ends, which made watching the whole thing more satisfying. Even the title is explained, which was a nice touch.
Overall, this is a great addition to the pantheon of guy-falls-for-girl-pretending-to-be-a-guy dramas. Lovers of historical romantic dramas should definitely watch. Romance fans should make sure they are ready to watch something that isn't lighthearted. I also think it's a great vehicle for some impressive young talent. I look forward to seeing what's next for them.
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I would have given this a 7 or a 7.5 (I'm a harsh rater as I picture it as a five star kind of deal) but I love that it dealt with and mentioned taboo subjects that other kdramas pretend don't exist.
I'd really recommend this as a cute, funny drama to watch in between a couple of heavy ones. It suited me perfectly and I could really relate to the struggles of some characters ?
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BUT THIS IS THE PEAK OF SUZY AND WOO BIN'S CAREERS, I MUST SAY. SUZY WAS JUST AS GOOD AS WOO BIN IN HERE. ONE OF THE FEW THAT MADE ME CRY! I HATE DRAMAS THAT ARE MAKING ME CRY. I CAN BARELY THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE. THE KICK OF THE MELLOWNESS OF THE DRAMA IS STRONG.
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It's more than the love story of every couple in the show but it's also about friends and humanity. I loved it.
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The Casts r beautiful i cant even-
Yang Yang sLAYS, his acting is on point, but not a big fan of Zheng Shuang's acting BUT it's not bad it's just not as good as Yang Yang. Specially Kiss Scenes she just stand there like nothing happened.
I Love the Game element of the story that they make them act as if they're in the game,
The romance is very sweet, The character develompment > interesting.
the first 9 episodes are not as interesting after 10 but still as good.
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The acting was great!
One wish in this show is that if the writers hadn't lagged so much, it got dragged all over the place in a few spots as if the writers were't at the top of their game.
So I recommend it if you are bored. Use it as a filler
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The acting of the casts are really good, make me feel like I'm the one who in that drama.
Music is really good to listen
So funny and sad.. The main of carracter soo gooddd!!
I'm watching it over and over..
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I definitely now want to see Park Bo Gum in something where he's not flat affect and uber creepy.
I don't know about rewatch value on this. The performances were engaging, but with the plot already laid out and the twists already known, I'm not sure that it would have as much impact the second time around.
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This review may contain spoilers
To my surprise, I like this drama! I was born in 1983, I can relate so well to all the scenes in this drama hahaha! It brings the warm feeling of nostalgia. I still remember that time when i played outside with my neighbors, that time, even though the technology was not advanced yet, but life was so enjoyable and fun. We often meet people and interact with them instead of only talk to them via WA/internet.UPDATE:
I just finished watching this drama and i can say that this is the first drama that is very real for me, it does not have overly dramatize kind of plot, it's not draggy too, it's just so enjoyable to watch slowly.
It gives u warm feeling, u know like a bittersweet memory of your past.. I really like their relationship, it's so touchy.. I mean U can see how they grow up, also how their parents that once young become old and finally retire, I hope that our world now is like how it used to be.. when people still meet each other and help each other.. When people are not that selfish and they share everything, it is so wonderful to experience that...
I need to give a big applaud to the writer cause he/she can write such a wonderful story about families yet it's not boring at all, at first i was not interested coz it doesn't seem to have a catchy/unique theme, i thought it's just a slow and boring drama, but i am not bored at all while watching this, even though 1 eps is 2 hours hahaha..
Ohh It's such a nostalgic drama, i wonder if i would have the same feeling like them when i am in my fifties... now after i watched this drama, i will appreciate my parents more.. and i will enjoy my current moment because i cannot come back to the time i am now when i am old.. and i am reminiscing my past when i was a lot younger in elementary, primary school, high school, busy with studies, listening to walkman with my schoolmates, going to shcool trip, singing and dancing with my friends, ahh those were such a wonderful moments that could have been buried and forgotten by my busy working life now.. if not for this drama. Maybe because i can relate so well that i really enjoy watching this.
Daebak to all the production crews!!
=====================SPOILERS=================================================
I can see clearly that Taek is the male lead who will get the girl since eps 1, i saw that scene when Dok Sun helped Taek and carry him when he was hurt, she always like Taek and she has been taking care of Taek since they were young. That scene was beautiful when they were young. She just does not know that she likes him yet. She did not love Sun Woo and Jung Hwan because she was just curious when she knew that they liked her, u know, like when we were young and we have not known love yet and we were just curious with people who liked us & gave us attention, it's natural. I don't buy any Jung Hwan's Supporter excuses here about the writer change the husband last minutes. It's clearly that the husband is Taek since the beginning.
He also deserved her more because he is very honest with his feelings, he did not hide it, he show it and not afraid of what people think. He knows that he likes her and he pursue her, he knows that she always be there for him and back him up when he was sad, when he was not eating well, etc. Their r/s is beautiful from the start.
In episode 2, When some of the girls in the class count their love's forecast with their name's number, I TOTALLY REMEMBER THAT! I did the same thing with my friends back then hahaha, I thought it only happened in my country but it also happened in korea! I think Asian's culture tend to me similar. Many of the items, even that thing they rode (a big vehicle with wooden horse) when they were still kids, i also played that before hahaha.
I LOVE all the props in this drama, it's so interesting. How they use mini compo and play it inside the bus, They watch using VHS, they use McGyver soundtrack and Night Rider reference, so funny! I recall everything in this drama with my long buried memories, it's nice to remember all those memories again. Their conversation is also interesting, don't forget to mention the story and lessons from this drama.
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