A hatchet job by the writer...
The concept of this drama was so promising, and maybe because it was too long (actually for me there was really only enough real substance for a movie) the longer plot must have over-extended the writer and ultimately the talk-and-hug-heavy- plot exposed his limited set of skills. The biggest snag? Once you hit the middle you keep getting a loop of the same conversations between our leads with the EXACT same words...over and over and over again...followed by regular hugs. Now I do love hugs & skinship in a drama, but these were long and awkward with drawn out camera shots. After ten of these identical "talks" though, even the earlier thrill of seeing them hug was gone. The thin plot is filled up with identical and gratuitous bloody and violent murders, a lack of police 'smarts' and the same trope that makes my blood boil every time: the girl stays alone or goes out on her own without backup when there's a killer out looking for her. The demented father was THE best feature, and I also loved the performance of the two young actors who started the drama, along with our hero's Mom and lost brother. Really sad and quite a surprise for me, was that Jang Ki-Yong's character was restricted in the range of emotion he was given, unless he was angry. The rest of the time he stared a lot in hurt or longing silence.. The romance was 'ok' but got a little boring because they kept repeating 'exactly' the same dialogue about the same topic. The plot had big gaps in common sense, especially when it came to the transparent and predictable events in the crimes. Too bad, what started out to be a gripping story that questioned whether we have to follow in our parents footsteps, turned into an endless blood-spattered kill-fest. Definitely a 'hatchet job' by the writer. It's a miss if you care for a well-developed drama.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
More than a little overrated
The Good:- The beautiful (though highly unrealistic) romance
- The "scandals" did not lead to predictable relationship problems.
- The strong child actors
- The lack of a love triangle (the step brother was not nearly as bad I thought he would be)
The Neutral:
- The leads could have had better chemistry.
- Took too long to get officially together.
- The villain dad
- The stepbrother
The Bad:
- The ridiculously incompetent police
- All the "scandals", reporters, victim shaming plots
- The crime related plot is sloppy & mostly uninteresting.
- The story and even the dialog is excruciatingly slow. (this should've been a 3 hour long movie)
- The random side villains serving no purpose, other than wasting screen time
- The emotional impact completely died after the half way point.
- The redemption ark for reporter 1
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I'm not a huge fan of Flower of Evil, but that is a much better drama than this. Compared to Just Between Lovers, or I can Hear Your Voice this one is pretty weak, 6.5/10.
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As a antagonist Heo Joon Ho performance as a serial killer was disgusting and fearful.The storyline was different from other kdramas. The romance between the two leads was good.The mother and her sons relationship also depicted beautifully.
Some scenes are too cruel. But to show the seriousness of the antagonist it was needed.
Those who are looking for dark,crime and romantic dramas can watch this and it is worth it.
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Story: Not bad, the main plot where a criminal son loves the victim's daughter seemed a bit unique, that's what got me to pick up the drama.
However, I was super disappointed how a guy with a hammer can wreck havoc everywhere like he's holding a rocket launcher instead of just a hammer. Also, there were so many instances where a police officer could have used a gun but "nah let's run after them". It's one of those dramas that make police officers seem useless and untrained.
Cast: I love them <3 both main casts and their young characters were amazing.
Music: Not bad, not amazing, I don't think I'll listen to any ost out of the drama but it felt correctly placed for the scenes so it's fine.
Rewatch: I don't think this is rewatchable, I think most criminal dramas are hard to rewatch because you already know who did what, but who knows if you COMPLETELY forget about the story then maybe.
Overall: Not bad, I was hoping it would make me cry more but it barely did, maybe I'm growing antibodies from watching too many melodrama. Also each scene was slow as heck, stare for hours, hug for hours, cry for hours, they didn't have to make this into 32 episodes in my opinion.
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TOTALLY CAPTIVATING
I was just finished watching this series and I was totally BUM (in a positive way) SO LOVE IT!I will watch it again! I was HOOKED till the end.
The story itself is captivating . FL & ML shows how to survive in a real world. They are not weak but STRONG in a real sense. Lead actor and actress gave justice to the story as well as the other cast. LOVE the young lead actor and actress they cemented the story too well that when you watch them as adult you really identify them as them.
I can’t hardly get enough of it! I will watched it again. LOVE THE COUPLE!
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Story:
Yoon Na Moon and Gil Nak Won meet as kids, become friends and even fall in love a little. But Na Moon's father is a threat for their young love and he ultimately kills Nak Won's parents. The drama tells the story of their lives in the present and how Na Moon and Nak Won are coping with the events from the past. They both changed their names and lost each other, but as destiny wants it, they meet again and also fall for each other again. They need each other to heal and the subtle and very quiet romance warms your heart. However, the threat in the form of Na Moon's father didn't disappear. Although he's in jail, he still haunts them in more ways than one.
In this drama you find a very well developed story line, with no unnecessary developments, and meaning in every little detail. The only thing that "annoyed" me after some time was that Nak Won always addressed Na Mon with his full name. She repeated it every. single. time. although she could have just continued her speech without his name. But that may also be just me and my strange quirks.
Acting/Cast:
The acting was great! Especially the young actors blew me away! They are all so talented and able to really deliver the emotions the character is feeling. But also the adult actors did an amazing job! Especially Jang Ki Yong showed that he is really able to play a deeply torn character. And then there is Heo Joon Ho, who plays the murderer. Oh my God, he is so creepy I really cringed every time he appeared on screen - goosebumps everywhere!
Music:
On point and never annoying.
Rewatch Value:
I'm not a rewatcher, but this one is really on the top spot for rewatching. Especially as I believe I will find more and more aspects that I like about this drama every time I watch it again.
Overall:
If you're expecting a crime drama filled with romance, then you better stay away. There is a little romance, but it is clearly not the main focus.
Still interested? Then watch it!
10 10 10 :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Masterfully Done!
A rookie detective & an aspiring actress. They were each other’s first love. Now reunited as adults, can they finally be together?This show will forever hold a piece of my heart. I was immediately hooked & I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. I often return to rewatch them fall in love because they’re just so perfect for one another. The story is beautifully told with the pacing of the past & present mixing, the raw emotions in each scene, & the unforgettable & irreplaceable bond the Leads share. ❤️🩹
This show tugs at the heart. Our Leads experienced a horrific event as teens: his father murdered her parents in front of her, but he arrived in time to save her from the same fate. He chose her over any familial loyalty & protected her by having his father arrested. In the aftermath, they’re separated & kept apart because everyone blames him for the sins of his father. Everyone except her.
But a victim & the criminal’s child can never be together. … or can they?
When they meet by chance again years later, the sparks of their long ago bond are once more fanned to flames. They fight the pull due to the feelings & expectations of those close to them, as well as from a desire to protect one another from society’s ridicule. But their bond proves to strong to ignore so they ultimately choose to follow their hearts & finally allow themselves to be with the one they love.
The ML’s constant devotion to & protection of the FL is perfection! 🔥🫠 His strength of character makes him a man amongst boys. He’s the knight with dented armor from all the battles he’s engaged in, but he’s still standing & continuing to fight for what’s right. He’s faced constant prejudice & bullying/attacks from those who don’t know the full story. He’s had very few people take his side even though he never did anything wrong. He does his best to be an upright citizen & quietly prove he’s nothing like his father. But when the FL comes under attack, he vows to protect her at any cost. He’ll stand between her & any threat, no matter who that means he’s standing against. *so much swooning!*
The FL is absolutely perfect for him. While she understands the reasons for the distance between them, she’s never forgotten him. She once told him to come to her if it ever got too hard & she meant it. She has such a big heart, filled with a pure love for the ML. She always trusts him in every situation they encounter & she’s never once blamed him for what his father did. This fact is so refreshing to witness & makes her totally girl-crush worthy! 🫶🏻 People often mistake her as weak & naive due to her kindness, but she’s got this quiet strength about her that they’re overlooking. It begins to shine through, though, when she refuses to walk away from the ML again & proudly stands by his side.
These Leads are phenomenal together. Truly one of my favorite kdrama couples. They’ve managed to stay such good people even as they struggle with the lasting effects of that horrific night. They don’t take on a victim mentality & they’re determined to not be defined by what happened back then. The villains never want to let good people live in peace, though, so they’ve still got demons to conquer. And together, that’s exactly what they do. ❤️🔥
_________\\__________//________
-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-
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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- F(r)K : 21 💋
- 2G : 21 👩🏻❤️👨🏻
- BU : Nope 🫶🏻
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THE GOOD:
Plot was strong- One thats tightly woven the present and past selves of the otp and the event that bounds them.
The characters- Multiple characters that shine,who incite fear, incite warmth, incite hatred, incite admiration and a few that are truly memorable
Acting- Heo Joon Ho - cant get anyone who can be so effective in his role. A stare, a smirk, his silhoute screams his presence. He delivers a grippling performance. Kim Kyung Nam delivered arguably the most difficult role and personally i thought he was a scene stealer. He was just so good and his well written character almost made me yearn for him to be a maincast, more scenes, just more.. Seo Jung Yeon delivered in so many scenes, her portrayal moves me and was wonderfully cast.
The message: Belief, understanding and selflessness sows the seeds of love. They gave the environment for the best self to persevere through darkness and evil. And of course, sometimes all we need is someone standing at your corner and there to give a reassuring hug.
The sort of bromance: without spoiling too much lets just say some of my favorite scenes are between the hyungs.
THE WEAKNESS:
Unfortunate loopholes in the plot including useless policemen or lack of as a plot device just so that it set up a following scene or forced a tense situation.
Jang Ki Yong really expanded his repertoire with this drama. Unfortunately he's found lacking when potraying certain emotions. The difference in performance is especially stark when they put side by side young Na Moo and present Na Moo. Nam Da Reum (young Na moo) delivered more on point with soft gaze, sorrow, broken hearted, or touched. The plays of emotions are easily picked up on his face while i struggled sometimes to read Jang Ki Yong's. I also felt that although otp had good chemistry, they never reach a point of total abandonment and immersion of that kind of love (a supposingly deep soul-grippling childhood to adulthood over a decade span of love. )
If this was a jtbc or ocn drama it could have been 12 episodes (or 24 episodes of 30mins) and it would have elevated the drama without overdoing flasbacks, cut out needless dilly-dally scenes. It could have been a tight plot with no fillers at all.
For all these reasons its a 9.0 for me. Its a good thriller with a warm message. Please do give it a chance if you havnt watched it.
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Disappointed
finally got to watch this since it's been on my watchlist for ages.your typical 'my father is a psychopath who killed your parents and i like you but i dont care what anyone says about us'
i sympathized with the young actors more than the leads and their acting was definitely better. or maybe im just biased since the incident happened when they were younger.
main leads failed to portray their roles and i couldn't see the connection with their younger selves no matter how hard i try. this is why i dont really like dramas where the main characters have a past experience together. cliche and overused.
i rooted more for the younger characters and i wanna see them actually get by. it's unfortunate that they're just leads' past selves. one more thing, their chemistry was so much better than the leads.
male lead did well, i guess, but he's still lacking. he comes off strong but it all boils down to his puppy face when something goes wrong. not bad though since this was his first major role. as for the female lead, i was cringing every time she shows up. the fact that she was an actress in her role is just ironic and i think the drama would've gained more recognition if she wasn't casted.
gotta admit, they did exactly what the title says. it's like their pushing their chemistry through hugs that ends up being too much. male lead also didn't deserve his step mom and step sister. he was literally wrapped under his girlfriend's finger and was being all lovey-dovey when his family was exposed to danger.
it ended how it began. brother and psychopath father went back to jail and that's it. i don't really see the point.
writer messed up during the latter episodes. dialogues were said over and over as well as the flashbacks. it was annoying. we didn't even get to see how the girl's parents were murdered and what her brother did. they stalled so much time for the brother's stabbing story and when we got it, it was so underwhelming. didn't see the point of that too.
policeman who had connections with the reporter didn't even get to pay for what he did. although it's small, he was part of why the psychopath escaped from jail. we also didn't get to see how that happened.
male lead's brother's redemption arc is too forced. they were trying so hard to have us sympathize with him but he's just garbage. same with the reporter, the way she changed for the good was just cringey and forced.
anyways, i had high expectations for this drama since many people were voicing out how underrated this is.
only good part is that they didn't break up, lol.
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missed opportunities lost in prolonged eye contact and soapiness.
I liked both main actors but I had a hard time staying engaged in the story as it went on. I think the long lingering looks and the melodrama kind of took over when certain aspects of the show should have been given more room to breathe. I really wanted the scenes between father and (adult) son to be less anti-climatic, especially with the build-up. I wanted more out of that. Maybe more action? Less about the FL, and more about the son. So much of the series gave her trauma front and center attention with her anxiety and PTSD and I wanted to see his a bit more. I also overall loved that trauma took center stage for a large portion of the show, but the flashbacks took up unnecessary space after they'd been shown for the millionth time.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
What this drama talks abt...
So this review i am writing is basically my thoughts on what the drama portrays. i have learnt 5 things which i am going to list:1. YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE!
This drama shows how the ML who just related to a serial killer is viewed. Ofc, our minds have just filtered him as a pyschopath just like his father. "Like father, like son". No matter wht he tried, society viewed him as if he was a monster too. This really ticked me off. As a person who used to judge ppl before, now i find it disgusting. If you dont know someone, who gives you the right to talk abt that person? A person is defined by his/her actions, not by others.
2. A BAD AND TRAUMATIC PAST ISNT AN EXCUSE TO DO BAD!
This drama shows reporters who say the serial killer killed ppl only cause he didnt have love. *pfft* This is funny cause if society is the cause of the serial killing, why are you blaming one person? Just becuz you have gone through rough and tough times doesnt always mean you have to grow up and repay whatever cuased you to be like that. There are many ppl who dont recieve love but grow up to give love anyways. These ppl choose to become wht they want and its their choice in the end. No one to blame. There might be some ppl out there to care for them but they give up.
3. DON'T APOLOGISE FOR SOMETHING YOU DIDNT DO
This topic depends on self-respect. Omg, this drama would have gotten a better rating if there were less sorries. Every time something bad happen or good happens, someone has to say sorry. Only the FL in this drama apoligsed when she knew it was fit and accepted apologies when she knew she deserved one. Honestly if there was no apologies then the drama would be creepy but without the right amount of sorries, the story lost value. Dont apologise when it is not your fault cause if you do, then your apology
4. TRAUMA
There was many critics saying and talking abt how the trauma part was useless and it wasn't portrayed well. Well that's your opinion and it doesn't matter here cause it was portrayed really good. I personally have not experienced trauma but i have seen ppl who have gone through it and one of the explained it to me telling me 'its the feeling when your mind decides to get high and f*** up and your body decides to shut off and you are just left alone cause everyone including you hate yourself'. Pls tell me how can you who hasnt experienced trauma talk abt it and joke abt it when you have no idea abt wht it is?
5. PITY
Ppl who have gone through a lot have alot of strength and they need no reason to be pitied upon. They are humans and they know it and fight it. They smile and laugh and be sad just like any other person so they are no different from ppl. So dont pity ppl cause the feeling is disgusting to felt on.
Coming back to the drama, i rate the drama a 9.0 on my excitement leve but 9.5 cause it deserves it.
The actors who played in this drama, legit hat's off to y'all! I am blown. What a cast! Every moment felt like as if i was there, i cant take abt how all of your expression change every minute.
The characters were pulled of soooo goood that i felt the hate, love and even the angry.
The music wasnt that great but it was good.
It is a good drama to watch, really nice drama.
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Healthiest relationship ever
There is so much to love about this, but I think my favorite part is hands down the relationship between the two leads. It was just so comforting from beginning to end. As a child the FL showed the ML warmth and he protected her, and throughout thick and thin she never ONCE blamed him for what his father did; the communication between them was great and the fact that his father murdered her parents and still break-up trope stood NO CHANCE against them...it was just insanely refreshing to see a couple like this in drama-land.I do think plot left a little bit more to be desired. I absolutely loved the serial killer father and the tension it instilled through the series, but there were some subplots and character arcs I think went in different directions. The reporters and public eye was something I thought would play a bigger role — instead the characters involved seem to simply teeter on the line between irrelevant and annoying.
I also want to give a shout out to Kim Kyung Nam as Yoon Hyun Moo, the ML's brother. I'm always a sucker for morally gray characters and I think it was not only written perfectly (even more heart-wrenching than the leads' story) but the actor did an amazing job at pulling off conflicting emotions. He was possibly my favorite character and I also wish we got more of him.
Overall, I wish this drama pushed the limits a bit more and upped the stakes, but the main leads are still amazing and I love them for subverting all the bad tropes. Would recommend this drama for sure.
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