Dropped 7/30
Forever and Ever
0 people found this review helpful
by Rami
Oct 16, 2021
7 of 30 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Not worth it after one and only

As another review said, after watching one and only, I needed justice. I normally read reviews beforehand to see whether stories have a happy ending and if it doesn’t I just don’t watch (seriously, Asian dramas have broken my heart too much).

Thus , I only started watching one and only after I saw forever and ever was completed. But honestly, what a waste. One and only was captivating, even with the tragic ending. This drama was not. Maybe if you watch it on its own you’ll enjoy it but after coming from a drama with so much personality, so much happening and just so much soul, this drama was just flat, dull, banal. We went from beautiful cinematography to, what felt like, shades of grey. It felt like each episode had like one thing happening and then just a lot of nothing. The actors went from showing all their skills in one and only to, again, nothing.

I dropped this. The ending of one and only was enough for me. Maybe on a day when I can’t find anything to watch I’ll try to finish it.

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Completed
Don't Say No
69 people found this review helpful
by jpny01
Oct 16, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 35
Overall 4.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

This is a trainwreck.

I keep seeing the phrase "there's zero toxicity!" Sure, if you don't think kidnapping and torturing your love interest counts as toxicity, or infantilizing him or discussing him with his father without his knowledge, or being overarchingly controlling, or being enraged with jealousy everytime your boyfriend talks to another person. Question - toxic or not toxic: "I want to lock you up, preventing you from seeing anyone" and "there's a demon in my heart that could harm you at any time." Was I the only one shouting "Run, Fiat! Run!"

It's fine to have a D/s couple, but then you need to say it's a D/s couple and you need to see the couple agree to it. Otherwise, it looks like a psycopath and someone with Stockholm syndrome. Here Mame tried to have it both ways, and the result is not successful.

First and Ja have almost no physical chemistry at all. They have some cuddling chemistry, but that's about it. The actors are so obviously uncomfortable in the love scenes that it makes me squirm. There's always at least a foot of space between their bodies, which is quite an achievement in a sex scene. Leo always looks like he's planking over Fiat instead of f#@$ing him. And their love scenes are all exactly the same. You can count on several things: Leo will grab one or both of Fiat's hands and pin them by his head. His necklace will fall into Fiat's mouth and they'll kiss anyway, despite how that would feel on your teeth. I cringe just thinking about it. Also, metal doesn't taste good. That's why we don't eat it. And the planking.

There is no plot. I mean zero plot. Not even a teeny bit. Every week there's some sort of crisis manufactured that depends on an implausible failure of communication that will inevitably make Fiat cry, in exactly the same way he's cried in all the previous episodes, to the point that I wonder if they just shot it once and replay it every time anything at all happens, because anything at all will made him cry. Like sobbing, not adult crying. Then the crisis will be resolved with a handwave off-screen, but will be given in flashback later.

There's an ep where someone withholds from Leo info on a cartoonishly evil villain's plot to hurt Fiat unless he kisses her. So, does Leo discuss this with Fiat and come up with a course of action, or does he just tell Fiat to be on his guard (Fiat says OK and has no further questions, and Leo offers no context for what one might presume is a somewhat unusual thing to say) and kiss the girl? And if you were a betting person, what are the chances that Fiat will just happen to be on hand to witness something that took one second? This is the quality of the writing. It's so bad I sit staring with my mouth open, even though my expectations weren't really very high.

Fiat is a star athlete, and captain of the basketball team, yet he can't descend three stairs (to be fair, there might have been four stairs) without tripping, he can't tie his shoes without Leo, if he's been sobbing, which is 90% of the time, he has to be carried to bed by Leo, and he can't talk to his insane escaped-from-the-asylum mother without Leo's supervision. Leo doesn't even let Fiat battle his own evil twin by himself. (That last was made up, but if it happened it would surprise no one.) What happened to his kick-ass bad-boy character? I have a theory: In TT2, Fiat was pursuing Type, who is an uke, so he could be more aggressive and manly. Now he's with Leo, who's a huge seme Dom, so Fiat has been transmuted into the Über-uke - the most useless and fragile person ever to exist in a BL.

On to the positives: The secondary couple is so well-written that I suspect Mame has an assistant that wrote their story while her boss was off having virgin cat lady D/s fantasies about Ja, because it's really cute and healthy. Leon is aggressive, but always respectful and gentlemanly. I've seen people accuse him of being a rapey stalker, but he asked for permission to pursue Pob which Pob granted. At one point, he starts to lean in for a kiss, immediately and correctly reads Pob's body language, and aborts & apologizes for his behavior. Smart is not the world's best actor, but he's committed to the role, he's very charming, and he has a shockingly beautiful body which I wasn't expecting to see and was unprepared for. And a sweet smile, and he's not afraid of playing intimacy with another man - you really feel Leon's attraction for Pob, both physically and as a person. It's really sweet and cute.

What's more, although there's still a seme/uke dynamic at play, because Mame is incapable of imagining anything else, it's not typical Mame - Leon (the seme) is younger (although still taller, a barrier that will likely never be breached), and Pob is emotionally more mature and stronger, and is always in control, which I like - he's even the only person who will stand up to Leo & Leon's mother. He wants Leon, but he plays it cool and makes very sure Leon is serious before he's willing to let it happen. And when he's sure, he LETS IT HAPPEN, no "I'm a 19th c. 12-year old virgin, you can kiss me on the cheek once per week."

EDIT: The secondary couple are well-written from Ep 1-11. Ep 12 will make you want to go burn something down. Like Mame's house. But if you do, try to let all the cats out first. Also, have you ever tried to travel to a third-world country with a week's notice? Neither has Mame. Clearly.

I really can't recommend this. If you like the main couple and are liking the series, that feeling is not going to survive Ep 11 and you'll feel you wasted your time. I'd wait for a Leon/Pob cut and watch that.

1 for the writing. It's bad. 8 for Leon/Pob in Ep 1-11, negative 20,000 for Fiat/Leo, so I was generous and gave it a 1. Although I should subtract a point for the Leon/Pob ending, but nobody promised us a fairytale. Except they did because this was marketed as a BL. But there's nothing lower than a 1. So pretend it's a zero.
6 for the acting. If feels worse than a 6, but the material the boys had to work with was so inferior that I felt I should give them the benefit of the doubt.
5 for the music. I don't really notice it, so it's not great and not bad, and kudos for not having too many flashback scenes to sappy and overpowering ballads.
3 rewatch value. You'd have to hold a gun to my head to make me watch this again, but I will probably watch the naked Leon scene several hundred more times, so a 3. (Seriously, I would watch a Leon/Pob cut of ep 1-11, or maybe even FF through the series for their scenes).
4 overall. Probably an 8 for Leon/Pob (ep 1-11, pretending 12 didn't happen), but unfortunately they're not in it very much.

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Completed
The Novelist
2 people found this review helpful
by Faimac
Oct 16, 2021
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 3.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

Adult only.....

Okay so I am really not a ran JDrama as I've not seen much about them, however this drama was 50/50 for me.

It definitely had seem serious scenes in it and all of them were well carried out, almost like a soft porn ??

With only 6 episodes at just over 22 minutes each, the story was filled with rich development that was brought to life by a phenomenal cast, the chemistry between the two male leads was excellent and the intimate scene where beautiful executed.

The music was good, a bit cheesyat times but it helped the movie story along.

Overall i enjoyed this drama both main actors are not only easy on the eyes but have great acting chops.

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Completed
Live On
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Worthy Binge!?

I watched this because it had Choi Yeonjun as a cameo (and as a baby moa and a k-addict, I couldn't resist). It unexpectedly had an amazing storyline and slow burn that I certainly craved. All that character development had me spinning in such a good way. The side characters were *chef's kiss*. It has 9 episodes of 1 hour and its such a good binge series! But I suggest watching this in one shot so you have no regrets. The only thing negative about this is that its an easily forgettable series that you will not remember while listing down worthy rewatches. All I can say is WATCH IT!

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Completed
Love in Black Hole
9 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

A show that lacks in too many elements; boring, poor, and plain

The only reason I watch this drama is simply because Lee Hangyul were the one portraying the main character. The flow of the story is fresh and rare but the execution isn’t that great. The fantasy as its genre seems to be a comedy; it doesn’t feel magical at all. Talking about black hole and white hole theories, I’m hungry for providing more believable reasons but they only focuses on connecting the situation to the romance, even the professor explains it in a romantic way.

The acting. They need to practice more before shooting some scenes, every single one of them. Their acting was below average; the camera angle only captures the visual but not the emotional needs of the story. I was annoyed at the beginning but I think I get the hang of it after watching few more episodes.

Music were their last hope but unfortunately it was another letdown. At first I love how they include the OST as the song written and sung by the main character but they let him sing the song on the entire show which gets me tired of it. They added a new song, which were the duet, but it was during the last few episodes, too late I guess.

I am the kind of person who believes that even a show that has a rough start, I am still hoping for a remarkable ending that will save the show from being that bad. But…

It was another failure, they need to give at least a proper closure to both second lead man and woman who was the test subject for the main couple’s deep feelings on each other. The romance between old buddies were not that impactful to the point that I feel the sincere love they had on each other. I am okay with them not being together. My kind of ending is when the main girl ended up with the second lead and stayed as the best friend to the other guy. The sarcasm and attitude explicit by the second lead girl was on point. The drama let her turned to be a bad bitch but that’s just how a normal person react when someone keep saying stuffs about an existing white hole who doesn’t have enough evidence to support her claim. Not to mention the second lead girl ask about the real relationship of the two best friends before showing her interest to the guy.

I say a lot of negative things but to be honest this is not extremely bad. It was just a fine drama that really needs more enthusiasm and appeal to be consider a great one. I keep wanting to see more improvements, feel excited for the next episode, and be hooked up with the flow but they totally failed to give me all of these. As I said, the show has the potential and just okay for a mini-series.

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Completed
Love Playlist Season 2
0 people found this review helpful
by pankku
Oct 16, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

Nice and intersting

If you want a short drama which you wanna finish early with good story, than this drama is a thumbs up. The story is quite good, small and decent. Each episodes last from 6 minutes to 12 minutes. So the epsiodes are small with good video quality, nice story and each episode that had a story focused on different casts of the dramas. Not so complicated & easy to understand, best thing is that you can complete it within a few hours and you will note feel bored any second while watching it. A few of the ost are good too with Exo in one of the ost, it made music a good experience.
It have 4 seasons, so i will suggest you to watch all four season together to have a better understanding as all seasons are somehow dependent on one another. It is a popular series as far i know about 500 million views it had got on youtube totally on all of its episodes.

Note - Th upcoming drama, Dear M starring NCt Jaehyun is also extracted from this drama. A few cast have been changed, but it is the part or extraction of this drama you can say. Still there are issues that if Dear M will release or not because of bully allegations on of the main cast. You should still finish this too in case if Dear. M airs you can watch that too.

All the best. Enjoy!

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Completed
Love Playlist
1 people found this review helpful
by pankku
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Time saving and quick!!

If you want a short drama which you wanna finish early with good story, than this drama is a thumbs up. The story is quite good, small and decent. Each episodes last from 6 minutes to 12 minutes. So the epsiodes are small with good video quality, nice story and each episode that had a story focused on different casts of the dramas. Not so complicated & easy to understand, best thing is that you can complete it within a few hours and you will note feel bored any second while watching it. A few of the ost are good too with Exo in one of the ost, it made music a good experience.
It have 4 seasons, so i will suggest you to watch all four season together to have a better understanding as all seasons are somehow dependent on one another. It is a popular series as far i know about 500 million views it had got on youtube totally on all of its episodes.

Note - Th upcoming drama, Dear M starring NCt Jaehyun is also extracted from this drama. A few cast have been changed, but it is the part or extraction of this drama you can say. Still there are issues that if Dear M will release or not because of bully allegations on of the main cast. You should still finish this too in case if Dear. M airs you can watch that too.

All the best. Enjoy!

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Completed
Fukuyado Honpo - Kyoto Love Story
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Japanese traditions and beautiful desserts

10/16/2021

I saw that this drama would be leaving Amazon Prime Video in a few days, so I decided to not hesitate anymore and watch it. It's a relatively short drama, even by Japanese standards. Compared to "Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru", this drama focuses on romance and choosing your own paths, instead of a thriller/mystery/romance. "Kyoto Love Story" is lighter and also not as good at "Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru".

I enjoyed the first half of this drama more than the second half. The pace of the second half got slower and I felt like the plot was going in circles. The banter between the main leads was quite good, and it's a good development of the romance. However, once we approached the second half and FL confessed her feelings, it went downhill. I got annoyed with the ML and his reason for not reciprocating FL's feelings. The second romance is even worse. I want to punch the 2ML in the face. He's such an annoying jerk. I don't feel the chemistry of the secondary couple and I really can't tell if they do truly love each other. I don't know what is up with the male characters being so wishy washy and not straightforward. The female leads are honest about their feelings, but the male counterparts just evade the questions. The little sister's romance seems like an afterthought. It could have been better but screen time was limited.

The main positives of this drama are the beautiful sights of traditional Japanese desserts, the different kimonos worn (though they're not as exquisite as those I've seen in other dramas), and learning about Japanese culture. It's great to see temple and scenery shots in Kyoto. Aside from the 2ML, I enjoy the acting of the main cast.

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Completed
First Romance
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Well worth yourr time!

I'll try being as brief as possible.

Before I get into the review, I'd like to say..dont judge the show too shown.

Getting straight to the point, this show was, unexpectedly, prettty amazing. I'll be honest,I almost thought of dropping it when I first started watching it because of the beginning few eps. The ones who've watched it already might know that the first 1-2 episodes felt kinda rushed and pretty confused. And yes I agree they could've done a slightly better job starting the show.

But believe me when I say this..,sticking with it till the end will definitely be the best decision you'll make. The show just got better and better every passing episode. The plot got more detailed and all my questions started getting answered with time. The romance might feel a bit slow for some of you but it's certainly well written and ngl it couldn't have been done better.
Both the leads are frickkkin adorable ( the FL especially hehe).
Defo my fav lead couple so far among all the romance dramas I've watched till date.
All in all, everything connected so well by the end... the ending was definitely my fav part of the show.

Summing it all up, it's a job well done.
Believe me when I say, watch this asap. ;)

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Ongoing 5/8
My Name
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
5 of 8 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Different from what I expect

When I first watched the trailer I thought that the drama was going to be pretty bad because when watching the trailer I thought that the female lead did not fit the role that well but after watching the drama I would say that the drama is pretty good. I don’t think she is the best actress because there were some parts where I’m like ? she could improve a bit more but there are definitely parts that I’m like damn she’s pretty good. I would recommend this drama. If you watch the trailer you might think oh this looks kind of boring but if you watch it, it’s more of like an excitement than boredom.

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Completed
Innocent
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Very sweet but a bit all over the place

Let's start with what I loved:

Wu Zheng is wonderful. Watching him be so gentle with Yu Shi was possibly my favorite part. I respect the fact that they chose to tackle DID and didn't make a complete mess of it (in my opinion). The acting is quite good, Wu Zheng is obviously head over heels and I really appreciate that Yi Da Dian wasn't overacting for Yu Shi. Not only that but he was very believable playing two different personalities.

Now, what wasn't so great:

First of all, the pacing is off, to the point where it's pretty jarring at times. Then, introducing a new couple out of nowhere. In the end, you're left wondering "Who is Jun Zhe?", "Who is Shang En?", and "Why should I care?" Either make a longer series with two couples who both get time to have a well developed story or keep it short with one couple. Finally, it's too short. I actually mean it's too short, not that they didn't use the time well. I think they needed at least two more episodes to come up with something that feels satisfying in the end. It's a compliment saying I wanted more, though! Now in the end, I still think it was very cute but it could have made such a bigger impact on me had we had more time to understand their relationship and understand why Wu Zheng fell for Yu Shi.

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Completed
My Name
4 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

A Well Made Action Revenge Thriller

The only reason for waiting this drama desperately was One Name The pretty Han Soo Hee, who is doing so many great contents these days and here she casted for a Netflix Orginal which will be an action revenge thriller definitely create some curiosity.. the trailer and posters, everything looks promising and the expectation was correct Overall it's A well made Action Revenge Thriller ❤️

Making an action drama which includes so many emotions and engaging till the end is not that easy to execute, it definitely needs a good screenplay and performance, here the makers was very particular about everything they showed till the end. Not a single dragging or unwanted compramising forced scenes,the background score also one of the highlight of the whole drama.

Its a simple plot a girl who desperately want to revenge for her father, Sounds cliché but the way the story moves was really interesting. The intensity throughout a scene was the main thing, How you maintain that balance and connect the characters so effectively to the audience emotionally, every time i wonder how kdrama do this all the time, there are some magic for sure. Here also no difference, the whole Characters were just so perfectly written.

And the another main thing the action, Nothing to say.. they always best when coming to this and It always looks so cool when a lady protagonist does that.. She was just nailed it with her performance, really appreciate her efforts for making this so perfect and natural.

Also another thing i found, i mean not just this drama always in every Netflix Orginal kdramas, they stick to the content no matter what unlike some tv channel productions. you will get what i mean if you completely watched the drama.

Anyway this Netflix Orginal drama also deserves more attention like squid game, Its a really worth watching drama experience and you should give it a try if you are interested, From Now on every month there will be Netflix Orginal to release.. Next also the most anticipated Hellbound in November?

Try it ❤️

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Completed
My Name
3 people found this review helpful
by jhully
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

I thought i was gonna be disappointed but i wasn’t.

I'm not gonna lie, i was really shocked the moment pildo was killed and even a little disappointed but as i finished the whole drama i realized that sadly not every story has a happy ending. still, i was satisfied that she could get revenge for the death of those she loved and trusted the most in her life. her strength is no joke and i'm not even talking about her body but her mind. making the decision to kill him and live for the rest of her life with the thought of being a monster for doing everything she have done is not easy.
as of for the ending itself, i did felt like a lot of things were kept in the middle. i wanted to see how she got to get away with the murder and everything else and i was really hoping to see the captain's reaction to mujin's death.

even so, i can't say that i didn't enjoyed this history. it was catch and every moment had me really thrilled about what was going to happen. the whole story, acting and all the action of it were really amazing, such a great production. han sohee did proved the amazing actress she is and honestly i'm not disappointed with the ending even though i wish there were more details on some stuff. kudos to ahn bohyun and park hee-soon acting. i know that it isn't easy to detail every part of the story so i can say they ended up doing a good job.

i thought i was gonna be disappointed but i wasn’t. this whole drama was indeed amazing.

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Completed
My Name
162 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 26
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Her Name is Fury

Fight Club meets Infernal Affairs with a dash of La Femme Nikita, Anna, Atomic Blonde, Kill Bill and Villainess, among others. That’s how I would describe this drama in a sentence.

My Name is an utterly visceral tale of one woman’s odyssey of vengeance through the deepest pits of Seoul’s dark underbelly and vicious criminal underworld that is seeped in brutality and cruelty. This drama is not for the faint-hearted for its many scenes of pure, unadulterated violence and bloodshed will most certainly induce much consternation indeed.

Based on an original screenplay, this production is helmed by Kim Jin Min, whose previous works include Extracurricular and Lawless Lawyer, and headlined by Han So Hee, of The World of the Married and Nevertheless fame. The Grand Bell Award-winning composer, Hwang Sang Jun, serves as music director.

The narrative is not groundbreaking, for those acquainted with the genre. However, when the re-telling of a similar concept is executed well, it can be an absolute joy to behold and may open doors to new fans of this dark thriller and suspense genre. My Name certainly accomplishes this, in my humble opinion, through a fascinating take on the classic revenge and betrayal plot with a focus on gritty storytelling infused with incredible cast performances and which does not shy away from highly graphic and explicit visual language. For the most part I’m quite pleased with the direction and tempo of the story development which manages to sustain the momentum of the intensity, tension and suspense. I have no major complaints over the design of certain plot devices and twists as well as the final outcome. The fact that there is absolutely zero comedic absurdity and contrived humour is a major boon for me as well.

Over the course of only 8 episodes at 50 minutes each, I did not lose interest or feel a smidgen of boredom. The action is breathlessly high-octane featuring countless fight scenes ranging from mass brawls to hand-to-hand combats involving the use of a variety of weapons. Despite composing a major proportion of the entire drama, some of the quieter and more poignant moments are interspersed throughout, including an extremely brief romantic interlude in the very last episode.

Likewise, as far as the production quality is concerned, there are no discernible major issues. The high production value is reflected in the art direction while technical execution is outstanding. I love the fact that the cinematography perfectly captures the action sequences because oftentimes these scenes are ruined by shoddy camerawork or poor post-production editing and visual effects, which is not the case here. Credit goes to the relentless efforts of the action choreographer and the cast themselves in performing the rather complicated and dangerous stunts. In particular the varied fight scenes involving mixed martial arts movements and knife fights in open spaces as well as cramped indoor settings.

The biggest praise is reserved for the cast themselves, and none more so than the lead actress, Han So Hee. My Name is a character-driven story where the failure or success is fully dependent on the depiction of the main character in question. Thankfully it is the latter because Han So Hee has unreservedly dispelled the doubts surrounding her ability to tackle this lead role which she does so magnificently with aplomb. Sometimes a role does not suit the performer, which seems to be the massive feedback from her previous performance in Nevertheless, but the characterization of Yoon Ji Woo, the FL here, is such a perfect fit for she truly embodies the persona in totality. The believability in her portrayal of sheer agony and torment, single-minded determination and strong will as well as the physical exertions inflicted from the challenges and ordeals that she faces in her pursuit of retribution. It is certainly not an exaggeration to declare unequivocally that Han So Hee thoroughly slayed this role.

Park Hee Soon deserves praise for his portrayal of Choi Moo Jin. This man oozes class, charisma and screen presence as the mafia leader of Dongcheon gang. Together with the hugely experienced and recognisable Kim Sang Ho as police detective Cha Gi Ho, both these men provide excellent support to Han So Hee’s main character that elevates this production to greater heights.

An aspect worth mentioning is the music. I love the retro beats of synthwave which complements the more contemporary rock element in a captivating combo that makes up the score by Hwang Sang Jun, who additionally composed two tracks out of the 3 OSTs in the drama.

My Name featuring Swervy and JEMINN
Mediocre Life featuring Pre-Holiday
A Thought is Haunting Me by Raphael Lake & Royal Baggs

All things considered, it’s been quite a while since I was last invested in a compellingly raw and savage journey of vengeance by a ferocious female character in an Asian drama. I’ve been dying for a bona fide strong FL in every sense of the word. Not a poser or a pretender but an actual badass who literally kicks ass. This has been an incredibly worthwhile viewing experience. Bravo!

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Completed
Beyond Evil
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

The best Korean drama in years

Beyond Evil is an intricate psychological mystery thriller redefining itself with every twist and turn before driving it home with its finale bombshell. The script is so well-woven and nuanced that almost every line contributes to the plot and character development and it is filled with Easter eggs that come out to punch you in the gut (or pelt you) when you least expected it. We are all monsters (the Korean name of the drama is literally “Monster”) regardless of the extent of our sins. While revealing the sins of others, we have to cover up our own sins too.

Many things are not black and white or fair in this world. Life is full of injustice, grievances, stereotypes and discrimination, sometimes through no fault of our own. Sometimes, we just become victims without reason. While many crime dramas usually focus on the spectacle and evil of serial murders, Beyond Evil looks far beyond this and lets us into the painful world of missing persons’ families who are left behind. Without a corpse, there is no crime and there can be no closure. Yet, within their pain, there is still hope. Hope in that one day their family member will return again alive and well. Hope in that one day justice will be served to the perpetrators of their pain. And it is probably this hope that has carried them till this day.

The plot, character development and character parallels in this Korean drama are near impeccable and it is not until the final scene where you really see everything and almost every character come full circle. I have never seen any other K-drama do all these without any major plot and character loopholes. This drama definitely deserves all the accolades it got from this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards, the biggest TV award show in Korea - “Best Drama”, “Best Screenplay” for the brilliant female scriptwriter Kim Su Jin and “Best Actor” for the phenomenal lead actor Shin Ha Kyun.

It is also with these reasons that Lee Dong Sik is my favourite TV male character till date. He is such a layered character that was acted so masterfully by Shin Ha Kyun. When I heard about this drama, almost everyone was raving about Shin’s acting online. I started watching this drama with humble expectations for his acting since great reviews are usually overrated to me and I have only seen him in small though notable special appearances on the Korean films I have watched previously (The Thieves, Extreme Job). But Shin really blew it out of the park for me. Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to become his fan from this drama and I just feel sad that I came to his party this late. Beyond Evil is Shin’s acting masterclass and is probably his best performance in his 23-year long career. It really is no surprise that he is known as “The God of Acting” in Korea. If you watch his interviews, his real personality is a far cry from Lee Dong Sik or any of his other characters. He is a quiet, shy and humble man of a few words known amongst reporters to be difficult to interview. But a whole load of acting talent (which he never admits to) lies beneath all of his shyness. I now sincerely struggle to thoroughly enjoy the acting of other Korean male lead actors in K-dramas after Beyond Evil. This is how good he was in the drama.

With such casting perfection, it is only under the deft hands of the gifted female director Shim Na Yeon (who is a fan of Shin) that almost every nuanced expression of Shin was captured with all their unflinching instability, brokenness and even beauty. The cinematography of this drama is just so immaculate and even contributes to misdirecting the audience on many occasions. I am sure this young and talented director will go far.

The supporting cast was also amazing overall, especially Choi Dae Hoon as Park Jeong Je and Heo Sung Tae as Lee Chang Jin (many will recognise him from the The Age of Shadows film and Squid Game). I will definitely be watching out for them in future productions.

The drama’s original soundtracks are also amongst the best I have listened to so far and they have been on replay for 5 months now. The OSTs were always on point during the drama and added flavour to the world of Manyang and its people.

Beyond Evil is a story about human nature, morality, justice, grief, self-sacrifice, redemption and hope. But it is also a story about what being a family really means. Set in a small-town world of serial murders, it was surprising how much heart there is in this drama. Yet, it refuses to be cliched and predictable with the constant plot twists dropping your jaw and derailing you almost every single time.

“Eat well, sleep well, poop well.” is a powerful line which recurred twice in the drama. In Shin Ha Kyun’s words, “In reality, that’s all it is. That’s what life is all about.”.

It is a real pity how such a quiet masterpiece is not getting the international recognition it truly deserves although it is on Netflix (not a Netflix original). Nevertheless, Beyond Evil is my favourite Korean drama till date and will be a tough one to beat. This drama burns deep within my heart and soul. But it is only with pain that there can be hope.

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