One, the story is amazing. I mean yeah the plot could have been better written, but overall the story is good. It revolves around these kids who find their true selves in this school that teaches martial arts. But the school also teaches how to find your true self but indirectly. It gives the students challenges that they never thought they would do in their whole life.
Two, the acting/cast is amazing. Lee Hyun Woo is pretty much the main reason as to why most people watch this drama, unless you're new to kdramas and only watch it because of you're a fan of VIXX so you watch it because Hongbin. Speaking of Hongbin, he's actually a pretty good actor. I honestly thought he wouldn't be THAT great of an actor to the other drama I watched him in, but he's actually pretty good. Like his character changes and he shows the character has a bratty rich chinese kid who doesn't really want to befriend anybody but ends up befriending them anyways because of the development of the story. Seo Yi Ji was also an amazing actress because of the way she showed her emotions due to the situations that were happening. As I was watching this, I literally cried every time either Lee Hyun Woo, Hongbin, or Seo Yi Ji cried.
Three, let's talk about the music for a minute. The music is so bomb. Like legit, every time a song was on, I was turning up as I watched the scene happen. It made everything so much better like wow. Plus who wouldn't enjoy osts that are by VIXX? Especially when it was amazing to listen to. Also the song Lee Hyun Woo done also was amazing like damn. That shit was lit.
I highly recommend this drama to those who love either action or love, or even both! I loved this drama because of the way it was developing and the action of it was just amazing. The love also was amazing and I was legit on a rollercoaster ride with my emotions omg. One moment I was feeling this way, the next I was feeling something totally different.
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I have been watching k Drama's for long time, mostly in the genre's of action and romance, but I have to tell you this is a must watch drama. honestly I don;t know why people have been saying so bad about it or why it is rated so low but i felt so excited through the drama. Out of the many drama's i watched so far whether it was Korean Japanese or Taiwanese, this was the 14th drama that got me so excited. It might be true that the plot could have been better but where do you see a good plot, compared to the other drama's the plot in this one was very good. I think the actor's were born to act in this drama, they brought out a perfect acting, weather it was in the romance or the action. The music was so well made the music was a main part of the drama, it totally brought out the image it needed to bring out to create the mood the drama it needed out of the audience. I hope people will see this drama, cause they will regret it if they didn't.
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I was pretty shocked reading the reviews before starting the drama, since they make it look extremely bad.
It isn't.
Ofc the plot is nothing world changing. Two boys "hating" each other, very evil adults, a big conspiracy and many flashbacks. Is this bad? No. It might be not really innovative, but in my eyes the whole story is carried out well and excitingly.
Apart from that, I was really surprised about the implementation of martial arts and fighting scenes, damn, even blood and actual injuries. It's honestly said not a typical high-school teens romance drama, it mostly tells about friendship and family (ofc there's still romance), about competition and fighting for the good.
The characters were extremely interesting, I'm always a fan of these arrogant, sassy dudes who go through a personal growth and start changing their attitude over time. This change of attitude was perfectly implemented in the Bromance, which is, REALLY STRONG AND AMAZING in this drama. Actually the drama itself seems to ship the guys with each other more than with the girls. Not that I mind. Talking about girls, with this drama I finally found sth, where the girls aren't the typical victims who have to be protected, but strong, independent, smart young women. All roles are very well acted out, despite the actors being so young. And not only the main cast, but also the support roles are great and interesting. Another huge plus is that the cast is super international, even featuring people from non-asian countries.
OH and guys. The music. It's really great. While watching the drama, there was no day when I didn't catch myself humming the songs. They'll forever be in my favorite songs list tho.
To summarize it: If you want a strong, heartwarming bromance (Yes I cried 3 times), a not really lovey-dovey but more action focused drama, with good actors and a satisfying ending, watch it. Just do it.
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To be honest, I'm hyunwoo and hongbin's fan. Like HUGE fan of Hongbin and as a starlight I wanted to see his first drama with the lead role. His character was kind of annoying? I wanted to pull him out of this drama half the way. Hyunwoo was sleepy most of the time (last I saw his acting was in Con Artists) and was this ultimate sensible boy who was totally different in the beginning. What really happened to change him like that? I don't know. Eugene was a sweetheart, I LOVED her but the main girl Ye Ji? Not so much -.- I loved the idea of using International Cast, I was so great and new to see them. I hope they use this thing in more upcoming dramas. =3
Music was good, I mean the OSTs and other tracks used in the drama. Two osts are from vixx (YAYY).
Rewatch value? Not so much except for the friendship parts and some fighting scenes and THAT'S ALL.
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However, it's a bit confusing at the end. One character changed very abruptly and we didn't see the fall of some villains.
I strongly recommend this drama, if you'are looking for something real and touching. As for action and fantasy, sure there are a lot of scenes, but i think that's not the point of the story.
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Music isn’t memorable, cinematography is so-so, cg for the mystical stuff was obvious and annoyed the hell out of me. The story was also supposed to be filled with action scenes because it’s supposed to be about a school that trains high school kids martial arts. But that’s not the case, this drama had more talk than action sequences and if the fights do come in, they are so badly choreographed. It made me cringe while I watched. I really feel bad for the casting of this drama, there were some actors in this series whose talents were wasted. I’ve seen some of them in other dramas and they were really good, while the other young ones had budding potentials. It's really sad that they ended with a botched up drama like this but I guess I also have KBS production to blame for the subpar quality. It didn’t have the capacity to make this a top notch action packed drama that I expected.
After my ranting, I’m obviously not going to re-watch this drama for everything else I’ve mentioned, so why did I include it in my reviews? It’s so you won’t have to waste 16 hours of your life on such an unfulfilling drama. If you still do watch it, don’t blame me. I’ve done my part.
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I like Lee Hyun Woo and he was good as Yoon Shi Woo, but nothing spectacular. The actors are fine, but nothing stands out as excellent. I think I liked Jung Eugene as Hwang Sun Ah the most.
The music was fine.
I will never rewatch this.
I only recommend this to people that like very light High School type dramas.
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There is a great plot idea and you can see the skeleton of a great drama, but it just falls
short of even average standards.
What is great: The friendhip and rivalry between the two main male characters.
The two main female characters can kick butts and are cool/dorky and absolutely admirable/adorable.
The mysterious setting of a hidden school... this by itself could have been fascinating for a longer-run drama.
And the first episode wasn't bad at all, even the directing was as good as you are used to by other dramas. But then....
What went wrong:
From episode 2 onwards the directing, cut, cinematography and script went down the drain and hit the level of 90s kids' series.... It is such a shame. Especially the footage inside the school is almost on amateur level. Really, really weird. The acting of the main cast was good, with the exception of the guy playing Wang Chi Ang - this was maybe the worst performance of a main cast I have EVER seen in drama. Some of the supporting actors and actresses playing the other pupils weren't great either, but you can overlook that. Except: For some reason (budget?) this school consists of about 14 pupils altogether, and adds to the weirdness of the whole setting.
Why I have watched it till the end? Mainly because of the three good main characters, especially Shi Woo and Seon Duk, there were some great shots and facial expressions going. This is the reason this drama does not get a 5, but a 6,5.
Should you watch it? Give it a try. It is worth breathing the idea and seeing the three original characters of Shi Woo, Seon Duk and Sun Ah. But if you are looking for a masterpiece, you should skip this one.
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About the plot, I personally think it's really good! It involves a lot of different themes but I'd say it's mostly fantasy. If you haven't watched it yet, it's a drama about a group of students of different backgrounds in a special martial arts school, but the school is involved in a lot of fantasy and I really liked that part!
I agree that in certain points the plot could have been better written, but overall it's a really good plot.
I really enjoyed the cast! Despite the fact that there were maybe two specific scenes where the acting could have been better, it wasn't as bad as some people make it seem. I think the characters were well portrayed.
The character development was a little bit too fast in my opinion, but it was still amazing to watch!
I also want to add that I personally really liked the soundtrack as well, but music taste is a more personal thing.
Not gonna lie, I was left with some questions about some of the characters, and sometimes the characters and storyline developments did go a bit too fast, but we should take in consideration that this drama was supposed to be longer than it actually was, so the fast pace became a requirement.
Overall I really enjoyed this drama, mostly the character development that the main and side characters went through, and I personally want to watch it again!
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I'm not going to go all "This was amazing!" or "These people don't even know what they are talking about!!" because I can see some good points in what they are saying.
I personally wasn't so interested from the plot summary, but once I actaully ended up trying to watch it (for a strange reason you will see later down), I saw that the plot summary really doesn't do the drama justice. It really is more than that, but I am afraid to spoil if I gave a summary myself, therefore I will just share my thoughts.
1) The Plot : I agree. It could have been better. There are some points that I would have loved if they spent more time on. I felt as if some things could have gotten more screen time or more overall
importance. However, even with these dissatifaction, I couldn't help but be simply... intrigued. The
meaning behind the plot, the little lessons learnt through it, the cute/fun/tention-filled adventures,the
adorable and fun moments, still made me sit thoroughly intrigued. There are some things that appear to have a loophole in it, but I did not feel like it would have truly made a difference had they been more elaborated on. They just helped make a point, and that's all that was needed out of them. Overall, the plot was worth it. I just don't see why some really think it wasn't. Perhaps they were looking more than just a meaningful plot.
2) The Characters/Cast : I started this drama only knowing Lee Hyun Woo, and so far I liked him in all the dramas/movies he acted in, and this drama was no different, though I was kind of sad when he changed his blondish hair. I thought it looked especally good on him. Nonetheless, I loved his character, and he showed great character development.
The female leads....Why haven't I seen these two females before?? Simply put, I liked both of them.
I also loved their friendship with each other. First time I completely liked two female leads. usually one eventually gets on my nerve, but both of them were cool, kind and quite badass.
The supporting characters that were either students/teachers also left their impact on me, some more than others, but they all gave me a warm feeling when they were together. I really also believe we rarely give the older cast the credit they deserve.
As for Hong Bin (saving the best for last), well I know of VIXX through my friend, and I liked a song or two by them, but never really noticed him as an individual in it. In this drama I think he might just be my favorite character. He has his ups and downs, nonetheless he charmed me. I'm not saying he acted the best, but he's the one that made me smile the most and each time he smiled I wanted to repeat his own phrase back to him "Don't smile, I might start to like you"
3) Music: 10/10 yess! I don't know about all of you but there wasn't a song in there that I didn't like. In fact, the song "Alive" by VIXX is what got me wanting to start this drama. I couldn't help it! It was love at first sound. I just LOVED whenever it played in the drama itself. (I am even writing this review while listening to it). The other songs were also quite good. I don't think I was annoyed by any of them, and that's a first.
4) Rewatch Value: I feel like this drama has a high rewatch value. It is one of those dramas that would make you feel excited if you suddenly saw on T.V. Some scenes have that makes-you-feel-good effect on you. Or at least, it was the case with me.
I am not saying that just because I liked this drama that you will as well, but all I am saying, don't be swayed by all the negative reviews and at least give it a try. You might find value in it that someone else didn't. I found mine, and I am quite content.
It is up to you.
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This review may contain spoilers
enjoyable for an idol drama
NON-SPOILERS:Acting/Cast:
I started this drama because of Lee Hyun Woo and Seo Yea Ji together, and I've seen a couple of TikToks. I knew Hong Bin but not enough to where I've watched any memorable dramas of his. I've only watched one drama of SYJ's, 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay', or IOTNBO, and her character was very memorable. I've also heard her character in Save Me, but I have yet to watch it and hopefully watch it one day this year. I originally saw Lee Hyun Woo in 'A Good Day to be a Dog' but didn't like his character that much. Then I saw him in Money Heist, which I started for him and that's where I loved him and wanted to explore more of his dramas, then I came here because I was familiar with Seo Yea Ji too. I saw Hong Bin in 'Wednesday 3:30 PM' but that drama wasn't memorable since it was very short but I got to see him more in this show. And finally, as for Jung Eugene, I've seen that she played in some dramas but I haven't seen her in any dramas where I remembered her, but she stood out to me here. Overall for acting/cast, I loved all of the actors and actresses, and their acting, but I never really cried 😭 the sad scenes were sad but I didn't cry.
Music:
The OSTs were amazingly good! I researched VIXX in between the drama since Hong Bin was a part of the group and a couple of the OSTs have been sung by VIXX. Although, unfortunately, it is not available on any listening platforms like Spotify. Two of my favorite songs in the drama were Alive by VIXX and One Thing by Lee Hyun Woo (who played Si Woo)!
Rewatch value:
I'd probably rewatch the first eight episodes or certain parts of the drama but probably not everything because some scenes were really annoying and some characters were irritating.
SPOILER PART!!
Overall:
This was a fun drama to watch but became annoying after a while especially because of the many changes throughout the second half of the drama. They created cute bromance moments between Si Woo and Chi Ang but ruined them because of Soon Deok - I didn't like that. I hate when love triangles are between friends and their friendship is broken because of a girl... Chi Ang's character was annoying in the second half and in the last few episodes, his character suddenly took a 180. He became ruder and joined his father's side, trying to get back the FL... it was abrupt. Also, I didn't like that they didn't focus on Sun Ah that much when she was the real daughter.
8.5/10 - Overall, this drama is fun to watch when you don't have anything to watch. Although, keep in mind that it's an old drama, it might not be as enjoyable as the new dramas, and it might be cringe for some people. It is enjoyable for an idol drama, and it cured my boredom but I wouldn't go back to it! I enjoyed the drama tho :) The most memorable thing for me in the drama would be the OSTs and Hyun Woo's silver blonde hair, which I missed a lot because he looked really good.
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I know a lot of people disliked Moorim School. I don't know why exactly, maybe it's because of the storyline? In order to like this plot, it's important you don't dislike Science Fiction, because yes, there's a lot of it in this kdrama. But personally I enjoy the genre and I think they did a good job on working it out. I feel like the plot is unique. Having one of those times you're just craving for some action? I'd recommend this drama.
Characters
I really liked most of the characters, especially Wang Chi Ang and Shi Woo. They can be really funny but create heartbreaking moments at the same time. I also enjoyed the relationships between the characters.
Acting
The acting in this drama was great, honestly. Hongbin did a really, really good job considering he's an idol and acting is not his profession. Hyun Woo did great as well. As for Ye Ji... Sometimes I have to see other kdrama's with one actor before I realize how good they really are. When I watched Hwarang, I noticed how her character had a completely different personality in both series, but she still pulled off both so well.
Music
Now you must think: Wow, what? Is the BG thát good, since I gave a 10 for it? Welll, this series isn't famous for its OST like Kill me, Heal me is. And I'll admit, maybe most of the BG isn't all that special. But to me VIXX' song 'Alive' is very special. It's my favourite song all time, which is quite a thing. The melody amazing, but the greatest thing about it are the lyrics. The lyrics is so motivating! Of course this opinion is quite personal but because of 'Alive' I think the music deserves 10/10.
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