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I actually do not watch action drama's, only romance, but this one. Genius. Pure genius.
The story is so addictive. It is really well written, every character gets it's own time to shine and they are very well developed. The love-part has not yet been developed very well, so for people who want the romance, patience. I am not going to spoil anything here because you should watch it yourself. You get emotionally sucked into the plot and even-though you might hate a character (or love one) they develop so well that your opinion changes very fast. The fact that it is set in '30 Korea when Japan was invading makes it so different from other drama's, which is very refreshing.
I have to scream it. JOO WON IS AMAZING. He is such a great actor. I mean, this is the best acting I have ever seen. It is so incredibly good. And not just him, (eventhough he is like, magnificent) but everyone is great. It is really well cast.
I immediatly fell in love with the OST Goodbye day. It is such a beautiful song, and I started screaming when I found out it is by Ulala Session. It matches the whole feel of the drama perfectly and is a song you would listen when not watch the drama. The rest of the music also fits in perfectly.
I have to say, this is something you have to like. If you don't like the first ep, then don't continue because it will stay the same. It is complete different from what I have watched so far and this is my taste, but my taste isn't everyone's. So think it through, because it is very addictive (watched 10 eps in one go). Because it's only at 10 eps I can not say anything very particular about the rewatch value because could take a different turn in the later eps, but what I have seen so far, I know I will definitively watch it again.
Overall I love it, it is my favorite. It is so different, and there were like 2 scenes where Joo Won was singing this old-fashioned fancy song in a club and he broke out into dance. That was just awesome. Just awesome. It's because of his great acting I continued watching. I highly recommend this drama.
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What a powerful drama, awesome to EPIC proportion and intelligently written and directed show.
I almost dropped this drama earlier, but when my friend (who is also a kdrama addict) told me how great this show is, i gave it a second try! And good thing i did! Gaksital is one of the best drama Koreans has created! I became an instant fan of Par ki wong! Such a powerful performance of him on Shunji character! Joowon is alwaysconsisten in all his performance and here is no exceptions, brilliantly acted!
The story is one of the epic, it is splendid, written and directed in a cleverly manner! The two male leads are heroes in their own, both are amazing characters!
This is action packed, intense and non stop thriller, one of the best i have watched! Gaksital is on my five toplist drama ever!
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This review may contain spoilers
I deliberated quite a lot whether this drama merited a full 10/10 rating, and I decided that the minor cliches and bloopers weren't important enough to put even the slightest dent in my utter love for this drama. I completely enjoyed every second, and this drama has soared to the top of my most favorite list. IMPORTANT NOTE: I'll admit that there are certain minor things you will have to overlook (like characters recovering from brutal torture and whipping within a day or two), but once you do you will agree that this drama deserves a 10/10. Here are a couple of reasons why:
MIND-BLOWING ACTING SKILLS:
This hasn't happened for a long time, but I ended up developing a crush on Joo Won for his superb acting skills. His crying will make you cry, and his smile will put a smile on your face automatically. The scenes involving his mother and brother's deaths, and his torture were utterly gut-wrenching. Joo Won has given his soul to his character, and one rarely gets to see such dedication. He completely blew my mind. He definitely deserves the awards and accolades he got for this role.
Other actors such as Park Ki Woong (Shunji) and Han Chae Ah (Ueno Rie) were remarkable as well, and very very convincing. I don't even need to mention how good the senior actors were, because that goes without saying.
COMPLEX CHARACTERS:
This is what I always look for and don't always find; dynamic characters with complex inner lives, making them seem very real and human. Lee Kang To's inner struggle and tug-of-war with his Korean loyalty and his need to earn money for his family's survival, Shunji's conflicting thought processes when he must either pick being loyal to his Japanese roots or being compassionate to fellow human beings regardless of nationality, Ueno Rie's similar dilemmas and other examples are all what contribute toward the greatness of this drama. Characters make difficult choices, regret their actions, project their own faults onto others, delude themselves, break down, and pick themselves up.
HISTORICALLY MEANINGFUL AND ENGAGING STORY:
Set in the 1930s, the story charts Japan's imperial dominion over Korean peninsula and Korean people's rebellion against this imperialism. It touches historically sensitive topics such as the shipment of Korean comfort women to Japanese soldiers, and the sheer brutality that the Korean people faced. I learned that the story is an adaptation from a manhwa, and that makes so much sense because while watching I often felt that the drama was much like a manga. I always have a high opinion of manhwa adaptations.
WELL-EXECUTED PLOT:
Apart from a few minor hiccups that can easily be overlooked, the plot is well-executed. There were no glaring plot-holes, and the pacing was excellent, making each episode entertaining, thrilling and entertaining. I can't recall a single episode where I felt bored or felt the plot was dragging. The ending is satisfactory and realistic.
As a rule I don't rewatch dramas, because there are so many new ones out there that I want to watch, but I'll make an exception for this one and will rewatch it sometime in the future. That should tell you how much I loved this show.
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Less is more, more or less
Bridal Mask is a great adventure, a great ride with strong feelings along the way. But while others shows usually fails on some aspects because they lack 'something', Bridal Mask is doing the opposite : it's overdoing it.Don't get me wrong : For the points this drama was striving to make it look right, it was done amazingly right : decors, costumes, characters ? Amazing. Interior scenes ? Exterior scenes ? Excellent filming. So why am I still under the sentiment that Bridal Mask is overestimated here in MDL ? Well, if you remove all the drama "furnitures" and "accessories" around it, only the script remains.
And here lies the annoying flaws, but maybe the only flaws, to the show : an improbable love triangle on trouble times, surrounded by the most incompetent and crude side characters, themselves surrounded by over intelligent support characters, all making strange and confusing decisions about what to do next... And failing at it. And having countless flashbacks about it. Multiple times.
Quick example of an annoying scenario element : the 'back-and-forth-is-he-bridal-mask-or-not?'.
« Is he bridal mask ? No he's not. But wait ! yes it's true , I think he's bridal mask ! Are you sure ? Ah ! Sorry, no he's not. Wait ... I think he's really bridal mask. Noooooooo wayyyyyyy ! Aaaaah nope, sorry, wrong again.»
Oh come on, please put whoever you think is bridal mask in jail and let's get over it, shall we ? Thanks (...)
Honestly, while Bridal Mask can get quite annoying at times, and long enough to capitalize on that, it's a very good drama, provided that you're presently looking for some strong emotions. In that aspect, you could even get a bit more that what you bargain for. The direction and the actors performance will get you there in a split second, as a lot of thoughts and efforts were put in this drama to make the viewers feel, resent and struggle along the characters.
While Bridal Mask sometimes feels like a korean super hero tv-show, it's actually a bit more than that, good and bad things all included. And as a k-drama lover, I can only recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting drama but messy at the same time
I'm glad I watched this drama despite all the negative comments/reviews that I read through.This is a lengthy review addressing each concern so it does have a lot of spoilers after #3 so don't read past #3 if you plan on watching without spoilers.
#1- This is a HISTORICAL drama. So keep that in mind before you say it's Anti-Japan or Japanese bashing.
You cannot deny the fact that Japan colonized Korea and had done terrible things in the past. Sure, everything is better now but doesn't change the fact that China and Korea were victims of Japan's brutality in the past. They tried to create a story line during that time period so yes, Japanese people will be painted as villains and it's inevitable.
#2- The drama was released in 2012? So keep that in mind when it comes to production.
If you're expecting to watch a high quality movie-like or dramas that you see currently, then don't watch it. It's a bit old and I think the quality is the same as any other drama that was released in 2012. I have seen about 2 other dramas around 2013/2014 and it's similar quality. That being said, some felt there were cheap scenes/production and I think it's because back then their budget was like that as well. The action scenes remind me of another k-drama I watched from 2013 and it's similar so I have no problem. I can't say the action scenes were terrible or cringe-worthy either. I've compared it to recent historical drama action scenes as well. There's slight differences but it's nothing major.
#3- The repetition of arrest, torture, interrogation scenes.
A lot of people had issues about the repetition of these scenes. Arrest & interrogation scenes are repeated because two of the main characters are Imperial Policemen so most of the time will be in the station. I think the interrogation scenes where the person eventually spoke while being interrogated were necessary. Interrogation was necessary for them to find answers. And even if some of them didn't give the answers to the investigator, they still spoke about their national pride and that was to probably show their bravery of enduring torture and not giving up or betraying their comrades. But there were some of them that didn't have the bravery nor could they endure the torture and spoke after a few minutes of torture. They could have probably limited the torture scenes where much wasn't going on. And for some who cannot handle torture scenes should probably skip it. The torture they actually gave back then was much worse than what was shown.
(Spoilers Below)
#4- They added too many characters into the drama and most of them weren't developed characters. Only the ML characters felt complete in a way to me. There were also decisions made by the characters that I questioned. A lot of the stuff could be cut down. The drama could have ended in 20 episodes, but they added too much to the story and dragged to 28 episodes.
I feel like they focused too much on Lee Kang To and Kimura Shunji's characters. There were so little scenes of Oh Mok Dan & Ueno Rie and it felt like they contributed very little to the story and drama itself. That's why I can't say much about JSY's & HCA's acting cause I think it's their poorly written characters. Not much about their background is known. And there's still a few mysteries about them. I wish they gave MD a stronger female role. I felt no attachment to either FL characters so it didn't even tear me up when she died. The only time I teared up were actually KT scene with his brother's death.
They did a really good job of developing Kang To's character who is in an identity crisis situation. He justifies why he must be a Jap's dog but when he loses his family and discovers his first love is alive, he starts to question his efforts and becomes a hero. From someone hated by both Japanese and Koreans to someone loved by the Koreans by being the Bridal Mask.
The same applies for Shunji. They developed him from a nice Japanese (which isn't so common) to someone slowly becoming monstrous. KT& Shunji's characters are so complex.
Things that I didn't like:
- How slow they made the characters appear. And how sometimes they don't think which just drags the story further.
Example 1: KT told MD there's a spy when MD learns of KT being Bridal Mask, they didn't think about dealing with Gye Soon as a spy?? A lot of the stuff could be avoided and not happen if they dealt with it later.
Example 2: It takes KT quite awhile to realize Shunji knows his identity. Till MD tells him. He doesn't assume or question why he was left alive after being wounded.
Example 3: Reporter Song knew the soldiers spotted him come out of Angel club. Shouldn't he have suspected the soldiers to interrogate why Angel Club let a man who is on a wanted list enter their club and not report to police? He should've sent someone to check the status and he would've known by Tasha that it's leaked and they should proceed with caution.
Also it's not first time Roh (waiter) blabbed his mouth to Police and try to cover up with a lame excuse. Why did Tasha still trust him with info?
Throughout entire drama Japanese police plants spies on Koreans but why don't they ever learn?
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This review may contain spoilers
Fun turned farcical.
At first, this drama's promise is simple: delightfully corny entertainment against an intriguing historical backdrop. With swift efficiency, it sketches characters with touching - and even thought-provoking - conflicts tied to the troubled times it takes place in. Curiosity piqued, hope soon follows: could this overdramatisation serve in painting a more profound picture of the period and its people?Alas, the hand that deftly outlined this compelling context proves just as quick in quashing it, soon unveiling where its true loyalty lies: with cheap writing and unsavory values.
In the 30s, as Japan controls Korea, a masked figure mocks the occupying force and sows seeds of sedition among the subjugated locals. On the trail of this heroic figure, we find our own: an ambitious and ruthless Korean man enrolled in the imperial police. Though disowned by his countrymen and distrusted by his colleagues, desperation to escape poverty drives him. By his side, few friends, with one of interest: a gentle Japanese teacher, admirative of Korean culture albeit from a typical military family. It is a straightforward and effective setup, rife with turmoil and torn identities.
Yet in spite of its solid concept, Gaksital suffers from an incredibly incoherent narrative in which no character, no development, no situation ever arises from a sensible perspective. Rather, it sticks to a shoddy script which substitutes itself to the laws of space, time, human physiology and psychology. What the script dictates becomes reality, in a bizarre and mystifying parody of verisimilitude: the plot, all-powerful and arbitrary, bends the characters' intelligence and psyche, teleports them where it needs, heals or breaks them as necessary, grafts the required emotions onto them and discards any and every element in its way, including what was previously established.
Thus, our very nominal hero swings from an extreme of frustration and violence to one of rebellion and selflessness, while very flimsy justifications are given: familial duty, inherent goodness and empathy, innate Korean pride… none of it seamlessly reconciles with his early rage and disdain, the sheer magnitude of his misdeeds; none of it accounts for the injustice of a society that pushed him into this traitorous impasse. Instead, the narrative childishly posits all crimes as forgiven through acts of zealous patriotism. So the Korean characters, despite their past grudges and jealousies, despite the many doubts they should harbour, happily embrace each other as comrades, no question asked.
More egregious is the case of the hero's Japanese friend, falling victim to what amounts to a personality transplant. He, too, converts from one excess to another, from cordial to cruel, in a mirror yet not less inexplicable trajectory. Familial duty once again gets invoked, plus a dash of genetic evil - how to view it otherwise, when all Japanese are evil minus one, granted with the dubious privilege of idiocy? -, in a manner that vexes reason. We should believe, yes, in the triumph of filial devotion in a man with strained relations towards his relatives; and we should believe it strong enough to shatter friendships that he cherishes more than family. In this contrived way, he rises as a villain against our hero: their rivalry, instead of heartbreaking, seems phony.
To seal the deal, so to speak, the drama employs romance: a rebel woman loved by both men. As one has come to expect from fictional heroines, the poor soul turned out to be another sham - a passive object the men strive to possess and passed on between them, captured, freed, captured, freed! a fate she endures, patiently worrying for the men close to her when she's not tasked with the brave, rebellious act of… cooking for said men. Already, the insignificance of her role appals; the blend of romance utterly infuriates, for what is there to admire, to adore? What Gaksital puts forward as explanation leaves one stunned: our love story stems from a teenage crush. For both suitors and the lady involved, the great basis to their infatuation comes from the very first flutter of fascination felt for the opposite sex. The series holds this as not only plausible, but so powerful it absolves of abuse inflicted without knowing the other's identity; so powerful it becomes obsession and trumps, just like filial devotion, friendships that were made tangible.
As we witness these baffling developments, we must also wince from the poor logistics of them! Torture is but a scratch: no amount of beatings, whippings, slashings or bombings is able to diminish the characters… unless, of course, it befalls a doomed secondary one, then the body suddenly succumbs for quick shock value. Time flows in debatable measures, dilated as much as can be in order to let the hero get away, swaps clothing, then sneaks back; the police always vanishes and tarries when the good guys need a moment to flee. Likewise, intellects fluctuate to a concerning degree - the beatings, perhaps? - as friends and foes ponder on the very evident clues before them or abruptly connect two inconclusive pieces of information.
And that is, still, far from the complete picture, teeming also with a conveniently appearing horse, flushed out rebels freed after a good session of torture - this will teach them? -, a secret independence movement recruiting in the open and a villainous organisation which actions and goals, by the end, made neither sense nor a captivating antagonistic force.
Consequently, on screen, the actors embody not human beings but puppets: uprooted from their personal history and material circumstances, untethered from their relationships or beliefs, thus unsettled in their quirks and what could constitute their personality. Constantly diminished by the erratic script, the often capable performances of the (main) actors never fully convince, only entertain. How could they? On a whim, their characters switch from sweet to violent, indifferent to affectionate, sly to silly and back again, and back again, in a revolving motion that leaves their already poorly sourced motives in shambles.
Damning it further are the continuity errors and set oddities cropping up between every other sequence: to close one's eyes on the miraculous healing power of our heroes is one thing, to have it highlighted through wrongly placed wounds is another… the details, one by one, add up: differently positioned props between cuts, misadjusted or unbloodied clothing, styles of questionable accuracy, various cheesy effects, the obviously limited backlot and not less confusing layouts of interiors. What would have been forgiven elsewhere, here chips at it more - puppets or perhaps worse, characters of cardboard hastily shipped from room to room, dents and flaking visible.
Insult to injury, the series boasts a miserably high number of episodes for what it knows to offer. Deprived of the strength of nuanced characters yet unable to provide rich intrigues, the almighty plot runs in circles: a few key situations, ad nauseam - a damsel to distress then undistress, a round of our male duo warily eyeing each other, Gaksital! saving the day, rinse, repeat… a permanent standoff, as no radical measure can be utilised before the very last episodes. It feels long and tiring, the beginning thrill fading more and more as episodes pass and neither bring something new nor build something of value.
Gaksital keeps a pretense, one aligned with not only mediocre writing - a lesser crime - but also a deeply conservative worldview.
One slavishly devoted to the authority of the father, his ideals, his beliefs so that honouring his memory and avenging him is a foregone conclusion; and that his political embodiments, as absolutely wise elder teachers, generals or monarchs, deserve the same unquestioned respect.
One blind to the complexities and flaws of Korean society independent to colonial matters, thus portraying a simplistic heroic unity against a villainous Japan; so that the complicated feelings one might develop because of poverty, hierarchy and prejudice are handwaved; and that all characters fall between a caricature of either good or evil, depending on nationality, with no nuance of ideology or morality.
One disdainful of women, their roles, their intelligence, so that they become accessories or fantasy to men, pitiful objects to protect, possess or destroy; and that they happily comply or keep quiet about their fates, always irrelevant and powerless against the politics and the narrative. This, despite their constant and even formative presence in all of these men's lives! laughable.
Hence, a charade: unconcerned with the flawed humanity of its protagonists, unbothered by the superficiality of its arguments but oh, so satisfied with its little patriotic demonstration. Setting aside any expectation of inventive fun and meaningfully crafted narrative, some enjoyment can be derived from its performances and overall ridicule… not enough to wish it on anyone who isn't a die-hard fan of the main actors, though.
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But when I started to watch few days ago, I can’t stop watch this movie!! and already finished to watch all 22 episodes.
Gaksital is BEST ACTION DRAMA EVER !!!! it’s so thrilling!!
if you’re an action movie mania and drama addict…you MUST MUST watch this movie series.
and for those who don’t like this kind of movies..(just like me..hehe..)
let me say that you’ll never have any regrets..never!!
Every minute every episode is worth to watch
The Actions and Actors are DAEBAKK !!!
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back to the story, gaksital is a hero and his motives are great. he has awesome fighting skills but his identity is the mystery. he kills and punishes those who have done wrong doings and is looking for the organization that killed his father. kimura shunji to me was the one who left an impression. he had great emotions when he would get soo angry that then hear some opposing news and u could see him almost faint then his expressions would change in an instant.
this was a great story but there was something amiss that gave it a 9 score. first of all, its full of japanese and their fight to rule korea but why oh why dint they speak an ounce of japanese. how are they taking over and beating them up and having their flags all over and none of them speak japanese.....major flaw!!!!! on the other hand it would mean alot of subtitles for regular koreans. another thing, why is gaksital flawless like he gets beat every time and has injuries but the next day his face has no bruises and he's not limping. i mean it would make sense if it was a fantasy/fiction show, but they forgot to show the realness
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Joo Won and Han Chae Ah were wonderful and I even liked the way their characters were written to a certain extent. It's such a shame about Jin Se Yeon's inability to produce more than one expression and the abysmal writing that has left me horribly disappointed.
I'm appealing for more people to rate this drama as low as possible so other poor sods don't watch this drama with high expectations only to be left feeling angry at the waste of story and acting potential.
I personally blame it on both the acting of Jin Se Yeon and the character of Oh Mok Dan because the story became unnecessarily centred on her for no good reason. I believe this drama would have reached its full potential and follow a satisfying storyline if Oh Mok Dan was removed from it. This sounds really aggressive but this thought kept coming to mind every episode I watched until I got upset at my own anger towards a fictional character and had to drop the drama. It's really such a shame as I think Han Chae Ah/Lala would have made a fantastic lead.
However I recognise that there are various flaws in this drama not just the one I have mentioned and you may not agree with my opinion. You may even like this drama but please can we drop the rating? It's just too much of a disappointment to many potential viewers!
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