What do you say to a team, consisting of a detective who has been removed from the office for his personality and morale, a convicted gangster, who once organised the taking of whole Seoul streets, convicted contract killer, whose method is to kill and make it look as an accident, and he is in the prison only because he came and turned himself in... (WHY?) and a serial killer, who is a psychopath and a genius and insists he does not remember killing anybody, though his girlfriend claims he also tried to kill her... (another piece of puzzle you will have to watch the drama to understand) trying to solve complicated cases (like a serial murder case, an organisation that sells people and human organs, gangsters, drug dealers...) and working as a team to make their time in prison shorter, that is the reason you are given in the beginning, but as the story goes on, you start realising that every one of them has another reason for joining the team. Although they are pictured as cruel murderers in the beginning, you realise they are human beings who want 2nd chance, to be better, to be forgiven, to find themselves, to be humane! Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Believe me when I say, that watching it will not give you even the chance to breath calmly! There were moments, where I had to stop the drama, have moment and then continue. This drama will have you imprisoned until you finish it and even longer, as after you finish it, you will have to talk to somebody and tell them how utterly fascinated you are with it.
It is really rare in a drama, where there are no scenes that could be absent and you would not care, scenes that you can just fast forward through and get the story all the same, well, hear my warning, this drama has no such scenes, miss a second, and you will miss an important part of information, that you should have heard!
I don't even think I have the right to talk about the actors, as every single one of them were brilliant in their role, Park HaeJin making me shiver with the twitch of his lips, Ma DongSeok and Jo DongHyeok (my first time seeing him) with their bromance, their heart and brain, Kim SangJoong, with his grief and anger, I don't find another word, except for... PERFECT!
This is a gem, which I will recommend you every one who asks an opinion from now on.
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STORY - 7/10
it's kind of mind boggling to look back on how much has happened on Yunxian's journey over the several years in which the drama takes place. There are some points you're questioning character's sanity and there's huge amounts of palace makjang and the evil plotting to go along with it.
The story alternates between being interesting to cute to eye-rollingly exasperating and/or boring to heartbreaking to wanting to kill everyone and everything between those categories. As I've said before, it's really a roller coaster ride of feelings and despite the low points, I think it was enjoyable.
ACTING/CAST - 9/10
Honestly, I love Liu Shi Shi and I might be biased in saying this but I thought she kicked butt in this. There's not a lot you can do with Yunxian's character who's really virtuous and kind and basically a cinnamon roll but I think she rocked it. I've seen a lot of complaints about her acting and again, I might be biased but I think she did a fabulous job. Yunxian also reminds me a lot of her other historical roles like Bu Bu Jing Xin's Ruoxi and I love how I felt as if I was growing up with Yunxian throughout the drama.
Wallace Huo also deserves his own paragraph of praise because I love how he portrayed Zhen Qi's character progression. Both Zhen Qi and Yunxian evolve as characters as they go through their own trials and tribulations and in the end, I think they portrayed it well. Wallace has played unrequited love characters before and he always plays them so well that my heart is literally crushed while watching him as Zhen Qi. I really believe he did a great job in this and he is one of the major reasons why I stuck with all 50 episodes. He emotes very well and you can see how Zhen Qi grows into a better man.
The other actors and actresses also portrayed their roles well, most notably (for me anyway) the villains like Mei Lin and Qiyu's mother. When they were on screen, they had me plotting terrible schemes for them to go through. Then there were the characters who I loved to hate (Qiyu) and the characters I probably should've hated but ended up loving anyway (I'm looking at you, Ye Xian).
MUSIC - 8/10
I loved the music in this drama. It's not much songs really, just about 3 or 4 but they're incredibly meaningful and honestly add to some extremely emotional scenes. Definitely some of my favourite OST songs.
REWATCH VALUE - 7.5/10
It's 50 episodes long and I'm probably never going to rewatch the entire thing but I definitely have scenes that are my favourites and that will have me coming back to this drama.
OVERALL - 8.5/10
I quite enjoyed this drama particularly because of its lead characters, the female lead's passion for medicine, love stories (unrequited, triangles, squares) and its ending. The journey was a great ride and I'm happy to complete it and add to the favourites pile.
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Misaeng aka incomplete life, is my life and your life and everybody’s life out there. You may see the cover and think “this is office life it has nothing to do with me” yes to some point it is office life and all the struggle and challenges office workers go through but it’s LIFE in every way possible and in every level. It’s how life works and all about enduring, facing challenges, not giving up and learning human interactions. These things aren’t just in office it’s in our daily life which is what makes Misaeng LIFE I don’t even want to categorize it as a drama because it isn’t. We are all still living an incomplete life and working our way to make it complete.
• “Even if you think you won’t make it, fight to the end. In life, there are many things you start even if you know the predetermined end”. Oh Sang-Sik.
• Courage isn’t defined by readily jumping into risky situations, avoiding these situations and silently going on your own path requires courage too. Jang Geu-Rae.
• You made it anyway so try to survive here, surviving means going towards a complete life. We are all still incomplete lives. Oh Sang-Sik.
• Just because you forget a dream doesn’t mean it stops existing, just because you don’t see the road doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Oh Sang-Sik.
• Sometimes life throws tough tests at you to make you feel helpless, then leaves hints for you in funny places. But, of course there’s no guarantee that you’ll come up with the right answers. Jang Geu-Rae.
• A path is not simply for walking. Its purpose lies in moving forward and improving oneself. A path that fails to do so is not a path. The path is open to everyone but not everyone can walk it. Jang Geu-Rae.
And finally my favorite of all “What do you think life is? Life is a collection of choices. The choices you make in each moment make up the quality of your life” Han Seok-Yool.
Thank you Misaeng, I will keep this in my mind and remember everything I’ve learned here or been reminded of and I promise you I work my way through it and whenever I feel that I’m at the verge of giving up I will give myself another Miseang dose even if I had to watch it all over again, I’d be glad to do so.
Story?
To some it could be a boring, dull, raw, depressing real office life with no action no thrill no twists no comedy and certainly no romance thus no fairytale. Why watch something which is practically taken from real life, a spin of life I shall say so why? Yes, that’s a good question. We all want to run away from our real life and enter the drama world, where we get to enjoy a whole new different world than the one we live in. Our lives are stressing enough we don’t need to go through the same things while watching drama when dramas are supposed to be fun right? You are absolutely right I won’t argue there, but sometimes we need a wake up call sometimes we need something which reminds us “Still, it is a life worth living” I know I did. I needed this in my life. Let’s face it, as much as we want to run away from reality as much as we always desperately search for something that could help us get through it. No matter how old we get we still learn, leaning never ends especially when it’s about life. Wouldn’t you love to invest your time on something that not only gives you “hope” and fills your spirit with “positive energy” but also teaches you valuable lessons? Misaeng has all that and much much more. There are no words good enough to express my feelings about this (not a drama) but a journey into life.
For the first time in my drama history that a story challenges me mentally and emotionally to the point where I could not bring myself to watch more than 1 ep (2 eps max a day) and would take a break the next day. I have never thought I’d ever come across a show which I absolutely cannot marathon no matter how much I wanted to (and I mean it in a good way). The thing is, when I’m done with one ep I cannot start the next because I would be thinking of that ep none stop and grasping the whole thing in my mind, thinking about the message in that ep and the characters’ expressions and the way they behaved and taking note of everything that I’m supposed to grasp from that ep. Misaeng challenged me mentally in a way no other drama or movie ever did and it’s not even scientific (where your brain is needed) but each ep carried on a very strong heavy content which I felt I need to think about and take my time through it. It would be waste for me to watch Misaeng and marathon through it like I normally do with other dramas. This is not a drama every minute/second is precious here and should not be wasted.
Acting:
I’m sorry, no matter what I say no matter how many rows I write in regards of how well the cast did it won’t be enough and won’t give them 1% justice. Possibly the most justified 10 I have ever given for acting. I am thankful for the production company for tvN and for everyone who participated in this drama but mostly for choosing this cast! I wouldn’t take any other way. I’m not only talking about the main cast; I’m talking about the whole team from main to supporting to guest everybody is perfectly selected here.
I’ll mention the characters which affected me the most:
Lee Sung Min: Chief Oh, would you please be my mentor? I would do anything to have a person like you as my real mentor sir. I LOVE YOU FROM THE BOTTOMN OF MY HEART. Kudos to my favorite mister of all times!
Im Si Wan: Jang Geu Rae, whenever I look at Siwan now I think my heart will ache because all I’ll be seeing is Jang Geu Rae forever... Jang Geu Rae I love you but I also hate you because I am you and you reminded me of myself many times and that was very painful for me. To all the Jang Geu Raes in this world I’d like to hug each and every one of you and say “Fighting” stay strong.
Byun Yoo Han: Han Seok-Yool, is an example “never judge a book by its cover”. The best character development I have ever witnessed in drama land. I loved his character the most maybe because many of the situations he went through I have been through them myself so I could totally understand/relate to him from the very beginning I never judged him. Though his character is the sweetest character on the show and his scenes gave sweetness and funny moments to the show but he had his own battles to fight constantly and even then he would still be there for his friends and support them with at least a hug. I have so much respect for him for the fact that till the very last moment he never gave in to the wrong temptation and stood still by his ethics and principles. Byun Yoo Han, yet again stunned me with his wonderful flawless performance. An actor whom the industry and us the audience are lucky to gain in drama land :)
Overall:
Misaeng is a must watch by everyone but it is not a drama for everyone. It is a must watch drama because projects like these will add something to your life and we don't get such a privilege very often (almost never). When I say it's not for everyone, that's because as I said you have to be willing to give up your fantasies which we normally have in mind when watching a drama in general. You will have to be ready to embrace Misaeng the way it is and the purpose it is created for. If you are willing to do that then I can guarantee, you will see the beauty in this one ^^
If I could I would go personally and thank everyone who participated in making this happen <3
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Once again, I am treated to a wonderful (but simple) story of a male lead who is relentless in his pursue of the female lead. After Yi Hua found out about Zong You's nature and his distorted view of 'love', her opinion of him soured and she became uninterested in him. In fact, she started to get interested in Zhang Shao Qian (the second male lead) who is a responsible man with very practical views on love and marriage (the exact opposite of Zong You). This presented a problem to Zong You who is determined to woo Yi Hua to prove his point on 'love'. What I like about this drama is how there is character growth for both Yi Hua and Zong You. I liked the parts where they both spoke to their ex-es and learned how wrong they were on their respective views on 'love'. They both eventually learn 'What is Love'. Be warned though! This drama is an emotional roller-coaster ride! You'll laugh yourself silly in one moment and the next going through your tissue box like there's no tomorrow!
Acting/Cast: All of the cast are seasoned actors and actresses. Even the supporting actors and actresses did really well. The reason for my 1 mark short of perfect score for acting is because of the second male lead. His acting is the worst of the lot. His facial expressions looked fake and forced. There is no emotion conveyed in his eyes and body language at all. It is obvious that he should not be an actor. Period. A better choice for second male lead would have increased the quality and enjoyment of this drama.
Music: I love the OSTs in this drama, especially Bii's "You Give Me Love".
Rewatch value: There are many cute and funny moments between the leads as well as emotional moments that tear at your heart that you may want to re-watch again and again. The leads have a very good chemistry. Noticeably, Chris Wu shone in his role as Bai Zong You. I only wish they make romantic TDramas like these now. In my opinion, the years 2008 to 2012 are the best years for romantic TDramas. Post-2012, things started to go downhill.
Overall: Good enjoyment and highly recommended to all you romantics at heart! I scored this drama an overall 8.5/10.
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I agree, Song Joong Ki & Song Hye Kyo act very well. Song Joong Ki is very beautiful and his charisma smiles me throughout the drama. I have not yet watched a drama with this actor and, trust me, I will quickly watch Innocent Man ! In addition to his insolence beauty, it is the tongue-in-cheek replies with his partner Song Hye Kyo which please me. This couple releases something which differentiate them from others couples. Evident complicity. Okay, it works well.
Speaking about landscapes..
I think it is my first drama where landscapes have a significant impact on the overall assessment. Landscapes are beautiful and make a statement to the drama.
Story
Story is the weakness of Dots. Although, the first episodes are very well : Army topic, a wonderful love story between a doctor and a soldier, secondary actors who play correctly…. Dots had all the tools to be a wonderful drama.. But the script became “what the fuck” with the earthquake … In fact, if we analyze Dots we notice that there is no story at all ! Only a love story in a foreign country.
To conclude, if you want to watch a drama with a robust script, go on your way, but if you are fan of Song Joong Ki you will not be disappointed.
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On the technical side, the drama is extremely well-shot. Many beautiful panoramic shots of the Greek filming locations, impressive large-scale sets created for certain parts of the story, and great colouring that made the complexions of all the cast members really pretty.
As for story, honestly this was slightly iffy for me. The story moves swiftly from one mini plot/event to another, with little consequence on our characters, save for some character growth, I suppose. As it is with many Korean legal and medical dramas, a liberal amount of suspension of disbelief is required. The drama poses some moral and ethical questions to the viewer but doesn’t have the time to invest and dig deeper into them, and very quickly swings its focus back to the romances. I suppose it’s not fair to expect this drama to do that. The show does have many funny moments which are appreciated given the subject matter which was heavy at times.
For the characters, I was pleasantly surprised by the show. This writer is not well-known for writing interesting or compelling characters. See Heirs for example. This was an exception. The characters were for the most part, fully formed and pretty mature. Though I found myself greatly annoyed at times by some of the characters, our characters, romances and relationships were not overridden with unnecessary angst and indecisiveness, and I’m extremely grateful for that. Though it doesn't totally redeems the show from its flaws for me.
Music-wise, the soundtrack sometimes threatened to overpower the show, as it did in Heirs. But this show has pumped out the OST songs to keep it fresh so it wasn’t bad.
The show had the opportunity to end on a compelling note, but wasn’t brave enough to go along with it, and resulted in a pretty bland ending.
Overall, my opinion is, well, meh. It is definitely an enjoyable drama for the romance, just that for all the hype and fanaticism around it, it remains a forgettable drama in my list.
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Story: At first, I was kind of iffy about this drama because I didn't really understand the story as it was presented in the drama, but then afterwards as I continued to watch it, I found the story insanely interesting and I liked how it was presented in a comedic way.
Acting: Rain was amazing. His acting, especially at presenting two characters, was amazing. He presented the character so well especially acting like another character. His humor was also very funny. Oh Yeon Seo was also an amazing actor. She presented the character so well, especially acting girly and like a man all at once. Overall, the acting in this drama was amazing.
Music: The OST was amazing because of the way it was presented in the scenes. It made the scenes livelier than it is.
Overall, this drama was amazing and insanely hilarious. If you're looking for a comedy, but love drama, I highly recommend this one.
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Story: The story was amazing. If you're a fan of romance, especailly cheesy romance, this is the perfect drama for you. This drama is military love. If you like to see Song Joong Ki be the cheesy lover, you will fall for him immediately.
Acting: Oh my goodness, the acting in this drama is amazing. Song Joong Ki presented the character so well and made me fall in love with his character instantly. Song Hye Kyo was also amazing, like usual. I watched her in That the Winter Blows and honestly I wasn't a fan of her in that drama, but in this drama she is amazing. She played the character so well and became that worried military girlfriend which made me fall in love with the drama so much because it felt like I was actually there and feeling the emotions she felt too.
Song: The OST in this drama is so lit. Every kiss scene or sad scene, the music matched it to so well.
Overall, the drama was so well done and I highly recommend it to those who are a big fan of romance.
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So, yes. This drama was hyped alot and now that it's finished, opinion is deeply divided on this issue. I think the only problem is that the more you label something as perfect, the more you'll get disappointed when it doesn't reach your expectations in the end. You know the saying 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.' That perfectly describes what went wrong here. So yes, everyone said it was perfect in the beginning. As it went further, the excitement and hype expanded and many people said it was flawless, so it HAD to be flawless. Not letting in even one mistake.
Maybe it's overrated as some people say. But that doesn't mean it was a bad drama. It was still great and many people enjoyed the ride. Because there WERE great parts in it. Parts that filled us with excitement, with joy, with happiness and with sadness, frustration and anger.
So, what was so great here?
The bromance. Two totally different guys being the best buddies you've ever seen.
The romance. Refreshingly no love triangles, instead you can ship not only one but two couples wholeheartedly and not be afraid of some twists within their relationships as those we have already experienced in other dramas. You can enjoy the sincere feelings, the genuine caring and worrying and loving. There's chemistry between all of them and you can feel that the actors also felt proud to be part of something so special like this. The whole team is complementing each other.
The comedy. You have to admit, you laughed your butts off. Hilarious scenes all over the place.
The side characters (the good guys): It's not the first drama but there aren't THAT many dramas out there, where you actually sympathize with every character that appears in one show. Regarding that, it never gets boring.
The scenery: Not the usual korean areas around here but something new and refreshing. Beautiful landscapes and impressions.
As to where we took a hit: In my opinion it was the story. It wasn't bad. And until reaching a certain point it was quite entertaining. I would have liked it more if there had been one big story running like a golden thread through the whole drama. Not those many smaller stories following one after another - as interesting as they were in their own. But what really created some headaches (at least for me) where some issues that didn't add up to a logical process. And that was what made me kinda disappointed because those flaws were obvious. It seemed like all the effort they built in the beginning subsided towards the end and made some scenes seem ridiculous.
As for the bad guys... Well, that's an issue per se. They weren't that bad. They did a decent job and gave off thrilling moods, although sometimes it seemed a bit overdramatized. Maybe because most of them were foreign villains. And as we all know, foreigners in a korean drama just seem weird most times. Plus the foreign languages. Well, I wasn't really bothered by it. We are happy when they can actually pull that off better than what we'd expect. But we're also not disappointed because that's just the korean 'style'.
The OST was great because it created a unique feeling and beautiful atmosphere for the drama. Definitely on my mp3 list, soon.
So, nevertheless of all the critiques... Descendants of the Sun is by far not the most perfect drama out there. But it still manages to entertain us in many, many ways and often throws us in some big thrilling turmoil, what shouldn't be disregarded. And of course at some point it made us all hooked up.
Although I had some disappointed moments myself, I still enjoyed the drama. I will definitely rewatch this one as I want to re-feel all the emotions I run through during the first watch, but this time without having to wait until next week.
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I just want to emphasize this NOT a comedy drama .. it has it's funny moments but it deals with a lot of serious topics and made me cry a lot specially in the last episode
I recommend this drama but don't expect that you will laugh a lot during this .. it is something hardcore
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this drama is one of the best dramas of this year, it had everything you would ask for action, comedy, romance......etc
the plot or the story of this drama is new and different from other Korean dramas. The part that i mostly liked about this drama is that they didn't just focus on the main characters, other characters roles had a great impact on the drama.
if you want me to talk about the acting it was one of the best, the chemistry between the cast was so good so there is no problem in the cast "the best"^^.
The music in this drama OMG i cant even say anything. each and every song was good and you will get addicted to them.
overall i recommend you to watch this drama "you will never get disappointed.
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