Reviews

Saddle bags of action

January 2024
Loved it, from start to finish. Set in the 20s, with both Japanese and Chinese having a stake in ruling Korea. The main feud and emphasis of the action was with the former.

It bears no relation to fact and is an OTT action packed ride, but so good.

So much cannon fodder (actually showing that soldiers have to follow orders and not doing so in the midst of a battle, regardless of size, results in a shot to the head... that was reality and is for some present day soldiers), it can sometimes be a brutal watch and there are scenes of torture as well.

Korean turning against Korean, collaborators, traitors, opportunists, cowards, freedom fighters and bandits, they're all here. When there seems to be no tunnel, let alone a light at the end of it, this often shows humans at their worst. A tough end to the Joseon era.

With the mix of drama, action and humour, aspects really were reminiscent of classic Westerns and I couldn't help but think of the 1960 classic, The Magnificent 7, on occasion :~)

Kim Nam-gil is excellent as the slave turned soldier turned bandit, and the guilt he carries weighs heavy.

The supporting cast are great and Lee Hyun-wook, as the triple-sided character Lee Kwang-il, is really good.

I loved the main female characters in this, too. All very different, but all strong, intelligent and with balls! A great role for a favourite actress, Cha Chung-hwa.

Some laugh out loud moments, some very sad, some quieter and slower paced, but overall it's really about the action, as a fair few worms turn.

The OST was excellent, I thought, and fit really well.

Lots of articles about KNG 'looking favourably' on a return for S2... fingers very firmly crossed; although still waiting for Fiery Priest S2 as well! He's in demand and seems to, unfortunately, like making dramas that leave us hanging (Island is another).

A very enjoyable, if violent, watch.

Read More

An interesting crime drama with a good plot.

A suspense, crime drama which is easy to follow.

1. Focus is more on the romance than the actual crime. The decisions of the main leads and secondary characters can be be understood. I think the message is BELIEVE IN THE PERSON YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR LIFE WITH. NO MATTER WHAT.
1.Slow pacing. If you skip too much, you may not appreciate the creativity of the director and story teller.
2. The way the story is told is creative way that can sustain my interest in the 40 episode drama.
3. As a person with about 50% understandinng of spoken Mandarin, it is easy to follow the drama without subtitles.
4. Acting is good. Characters are portrayed well.
5. Technical production is average.

Read More

Compared to the Korean version

It's great I mean is the same trope of the FL family member death caused by ML's a little overused in a drama, yes but I still watch cause that's just one small thing. But I will say compared to the first I do like the story, the fluffers the way it's told better than the Korean version. I think they chemistry is more authentic and honestly the ML visuals is a lot more pleasing to the eyes than the Korean version, imo. I seen the FL in one other drama and I do say she's a good actress the chemistry between her in the ML is adorable, sweet, and they do make a cute and believable couple. Now granted I'm writing this only 11 episodes in but that's because there's one character that gets under my. Daniel Lu (sorry if I misspelled the last name). Unlike in the Korean version, Daniel was there but he was kind, respectful and despite his feelings for her, he respects her wishes. This Daniel gives me predator vibes. He pushes himself onto the FL and makes her constantly apologize as if he's apart of the family naturally when she just used him as a decoy to get off of her father's back. Now he wants to bombard and stay as if he's her boyfriend trying to protect her from another man because he has some serious jealousy issues that he (ironically with him being one) needs to work out with a therapist. He's disgusting I don't like him and I've never disliked a second ML. He doesn't know boundaries and that's disgusting because now she's made to feel guilty and it's not her fault because her father is one person she should've told but he's no one. just a neighbor. It's really disgusting. I can understand making the character a bit different from the original, but a predator type is NOT where I thought it was going.

Read More

Stick with this cdrama, and it'll surprise you!

Even though I started watching this cdrama for Zhao Lusi, I dropped this cdrama a few times while it was still airing because I had a hard time dealing with the ML's poor decisions and the frustrating, successful manipulations from Hua Shu. I just could not seem to continue past Episode 10, so I decided to pause and reconsider coming back later if I had more patience again.

After watching a few other cdramas, I finally decided to come back and try again. And I will say -- I am super glad that I did, because starting with Episode 11 (where Nether Realm is introduced), it gets better and better with each episode. To my surprise, I actually ended up binging Episodes 11-40 in only 2.5 days. My absolute favorite episodes are when the Phoenix Queen is reborn and finally here to make sure everyone who was evil / condescending gets their comeuppance. It's also great to see Yuan Qi work hard at trying to win Feng Yin's heart, and I loved that he did what he did at that one wedding. ???? No spoilers given, you'll just have to watch to find out what he did hahaha!!

For anyone hesitating to watch this cdrama, or had dropped in the middle like I did -- I highly recommend giving this cdrama one more try. At the very least, watch when the Phoenix Queen is reborn, because from then on, it is sooo very satisfying!! ☺️

Read More

Optimistic, uplifting, amazing!

It has been a long time since a drama made me feel so many butterflies and actually moved me almost to (happy) tears. I never cry: happy or sad! Never! But this was perfect as perfect can get in this imperfect world made by us, imperfect humans. Maybe this was just exactly what I needed at this moment in my life.

This is the story of Sayako, who, 30 years old, faced with a wall in her life and challenged by a young man met by accident, decides to try to realize her dreams of becoming an architect. After finally entering college, she finds a room in a house shared with 5 other architecture students. Initially she is scared of age difference, but her bubbly optimistic disposition wins everyone and she finds great friends and love amongst them.

Sayako is an amazing character, brave, persistent, refusing to have regrets later in life and therefore doing everything in her power to succeed. She gives us all a great lesson in life: it is never too late to realize your dreams!
The whole cast of characters is amazing: her roommates, her landlord who is interested in her but has trouble showing it, her parents who support her in her endeavour. And of course Tako, the ML whose remarks have shaken her life far beyond the imagined. Just like in many j dramas, there is not one single mean character. Everyone is sweet, helpful, understanding and it is not annoying or boring.

There must have been flaws in this drama: unwillingness to communicate about the crucial decision in life, could be one rare one...but I cannot think of anything major and frankly, I am feeling so good at the moment that I do not want to think about it!

This drama should be prescribed by doctors because it makes you feel good, leaves you with a silly smile plastered on your face and the need to gush to everyone about its effect.

Read More

Good script

I have now watched a few Cdramas and
I havent been disappointed . I knew who Tan Jiance was as he is a great talent in Cpop world his vocals are beautiful..Hes a dancer..a rapper and even sang "You
raised me up" in perfect English and another arrow to his bow he can act. I
thoroughly enjoyed this series..the acting was great..the storyline was well thought out.Tan played the part of a forensic profiler adept at sketching people's faces from descriptions given by the victims. I enjoyed it more knowing TanJ was in it so Im biased to watch it but overall the actors..
Scriptwriter..Director and the storyline made it a great series.
TanJ is also great in Lost you Forever..fantasy drama wbere he plays a not so pleasant vampire...

.

Read More

It was good to me.

Really good. I liked all the characters and especially shipped the main couple. I really didn't like the professor and the intern getting together. Their relationship was sorta cringy. Not because of the age gap but because she was so invested that she came off as a stalker at times. I feel like he just gave in because she wore him down. Another thing was I didn't think they should have done that to the ex-boyfriend. I understand he cheated because he thought the other girl would be able to help him more but he saw before long that he wasn't happy with the other girl. They could have just left him to wallow in his grief.
I was also liking that the main couple wasn't falling into tropey plots until the break up and I thought that one was a real force at that time. Especially when he blocked her but got mad when she deleted his contact.

Read More

epic, gripping and valuable.

if you're drawn to beautiful epic and orchestral music pieces this is one of the aspects where this show stands out and shines so brightly, I was moved since the very first scene, each piece simply brings out the deepest emotional element of the story and makes the it richer and more complex, this on its own made the show much more memorable, just as much as the cinematography, the composition of everything with the beautiful scenery and play with lighting gave a refined look to everything, there was so much attention to detail, it was very impressive.

For me the intricacies in the context of this story turned into a double edged sword at times, on one hand there were so many layers that made this piece truly interesting and worth studying, the historical nuances, developing the deeply unfair and harsh circumstances of the past, morals behind loyalty, power over love, honor over family and the people, even sacredness, chastity, marriage, inevitably pushes the audience to see how some things have changed drastically and some are still the same, to name a few, each of these became a critical part of the show, however at times it felt like piece by piece each story was moving at a confusing pace between push and pull that was not very balanced, with so many back stories so many characters with all kinds of different sub plots, turning the story a bit too dense, lacking some closure and with no seeming sense of relief in the horizon.

While I truly loved everyone's incredible job bringing each character to life, all the actors brought a top tier level performance (Hello Eunjin, you're a star!!) and had really nice chemistry, I have to mention Mr. Namkoong, the way he was able to command the scene without having his ego take over the dynamics between his counterparts and actually achieving the opposite, he injected a special kind of energy to his character, I'm looking forward to discover more of his works.

For me, the second half of the story was a bit tiring, and the ending didn't necessarily excite me but, I really believe this is worth watching and I will be recommending this.

Read More

A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE!

At first I thought of this drama as any other highly hyped drama but even then I had high hopes for the show after watching the thrilling synopsis and trailer which is quite hard to find at atleast something which is to my liking.. bu oh lord ! this drama actually disregarded every little doubts that I had, leaving me astonished at such a masterpiece..I would prefer calling it an experience more than a drama given that I enjoyed every moment of it.
Well ngl I was quite contemplated towards the casting of the main characters, not doubting their acting skills but more like them fitting their respective roles perfectly or not and to my pleasant surprise they totally served it!! that I can't even imagine anyone else playing their roles... And ofc I don't need to mention the side characters and the guest roles, as we all know what they are capable of after being such renowned actors and actresses and we totally acknowledge it..
overall everything about the show was fav.. but what needs special mentioning is the exceptional story and the enlightening message ( though I found ridiculing the choices made by Yi jae were rather passive aggressive and demeaning which can demoralize the person suffering from the same )(to which we all know the increasing suicide rates in not only Korea but in the world as a whole).
This drama removes the dark tinted glasses of hopelessness from people who view the world and the god as someone biased towards some privileged people and ultimately gives up on living through the inevitable hardships of life..but this drama makes them see the world through a different perspective where there are both 'sunny and rainy days', where no one is endlessly happy or sad where giving up on life out of extreme stress and hopelessness is not an answer . This show shows us that life is beautiful as it is with its flaws and scars, we just need to learn to accept it.

This show for me was like an affirmation to my beliefs towards life and god and I absolutely loved it!!
Hope you guess will find something positive within, too till then bye-bye
XOXO

Read More

Good for its primary focus which is monster/horror genre

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023, South Korean historical, action, suspense, thriller, horror and romance series with 10, 65-73 minute episodes.

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Jang Tae-sang (Park seo-joon) runs a very successful Korean business in Japanese occupied Gyeongseong (later renamed Seoul) occupation. He is determined to survive in an environment that is hostile to Koreans by amassing wealth and influence as a form of protection. Known as Master Jang he is perceived as selfish and uncaring if his fellow South Korean’s plight when, in reality, he takes great care of all his friends and family like associates. If you need something in the way of information he probably knows a guy or a girl. That all changes when he is blackmailed to locate a woman who went missing. He is skilled at using his connections to broker information but this time his livelihood is at stake. His mission puts him in contact with Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee) who is part of a team who are experts at finding people. During the spring of 1945, lots if people are going missing after visiting, or being taken to, a Japanese run hospital. Seems more than just medicine is being practiced there, people are being used to run experiments with a violent creature.

Review

It is a great addition to the monster “movie” genre. The monster in this is terrifying and seems invincible. It has exciting action scenes, edge of your seat suspense and fingernail biting horror. If you are a fan either leads, they do an excellent job in their roles. It can be hard, emotionally, to watch realizing the Japanese did occupy South Korea and they did perform horrific medical experiments on the Koreans. It is a lens on how occupation forces dehumanize their “enemy.” The romance is there but it is not what makes the series stand out. It is complex enough I would watch it again to catch things I missed. I would recommend it highly for those wanting great monster, suspense, historical backdrop, and/or action series.

Spoilers

Prepare for a gore fest. I lost count of how many people the creature killed. I was a little disappointed that the Korean prisoners were killed indiscriminately by the monster when, later, we discovered the creature maintained enough of its original humanity to recognize its daughter.

I wonder if they misinterpreted Anthrax because that is what they said they injected the creature with that caused its horrible mutation. Then, the creature emitted bubbles of Anthrax in a “sleeping” state but it wasn’t characteristic of what we know of Anthrax. This “Anthrax” causes acid burns when it hits the skin. It did not seem like Anthrax so I wonder if it was a translation issue.

Several people betrayed their friends under torture and I liked they called it out and Tae-sang and others acknowledged it was not the fault of the victim as they temporarily lose their humanity.

I feel we never got the full back story of what kind of revenge was being exacted on Chae-ok’s mother that she was turned over for medical experimentation. There was mention of betrayal and I suspect it was also jealously on the part of Yukiki Maeda (Soo Hyun) as she mentions their association when they were younger but that situation was only vaguely explained.

The ending was mostly up in the air with the main creature still alive, a second creature having just delivered what appears to be an alien baby and Chae-ok now revived from death but infected with the parasite. It is clear there will be another season and I think there is a confirmed 2024 production date. I do not trust Netflix though so prefer a well tied up ending. WhatI love about South Korean shows is they rarely leave cliffhangers. Netflix is all about profit and leaves the endings open so, if the series does well, they can do additional seasons. A lot of Asian drama fans likely find leaving it open like that annoying.

#GyeongseongCreature

#ParkSeoJoon

#HanSoHee

#SooHyun

Read More

Boring

Just 2 first episode was good but the rest was boring. Nothing intersting happen. Never make me waiting for the rest. I watched just bc I had read couple of episodes of this webtone and dropped it so was curious how they will end it but after of couple of ep it became a boring kdrama with auwful casting especialy the ML. The time of airibg?? Just 1 ep per week?? I thunk they don't have anyplans to how to end it. They were confued too. I really don't recommand it. It is just a waste of time. How could a kdrama could be this boring!!! I watched it bc of the FL after the celebrity kdrama but I wonder how she chosed this? Never have any hope for the ML.

Read More

Untouchable Princess has a novel plot that could have made for a better developed miniseries but the drama doesn’t have much essence and, even though the cast acted accordingly, the developments happened too fast and almost out of sequence. One can tell that the subtitles are machine originated and it takes away from the dialogues. Not all is bad, the drama has some hilarious scenes, especially at the beginning that hinted comedy but as the drama advanced, there were too many nonsensical murder scenes. The blossoming romance is nice but it amounts to little romantic scenes and no intimate moments. The ending is cute and heartwarming.

Read More

‘You should be scared of humans not monsters’ is always a good plot

I have seen a few reviews and I am once again surprised at how different can people view one show. I am writing this right after finishing the series. It took me some time, not because the story wasn't captivating, even tho there were some cliches (which was expected like c’mon) but because I wasn’t in the right mood for this type of show. Also, I thought that Instagram spoiled the whole thing for me so I was like ‘What's the point now’. Guys, I couldn't be more wrong. Like the ending just blows my mind. I am a big fan of monstrous things in literature or dramas so you can't kinda go wrong with me but this was a really nice execution. I loved the cast. I love the overall vibe. The mi, itary bromance. Oh c'mon, give me more. I hope we will get much more in the next season. I know there are probably many things that can be pointed out as bad but for me, it was perfect. I love it. I wanna forget it and watch both seasons again.

Read More