A Hidden Gem!
TLDR: Insomnia was a breath of fresh air, consistent with its storyline and gripping for all 13 eps. I can't exactly put into words how absorbed I was into the story.❛ Story ❜
I love plot above all and the plot of this drama is indeed quite amazing, everything is foreshadowed well and it stays interesting till the very end. When I started it, I wasn't expecting it to be THAT good and even managing to grab my attention with just the first episode.
It's really not what it may seem at first; what appears to be somewhat typical mystery drama about a mundane island in the beginning changes into something unexpected and dark. This is the first drama in which I couldn’t afford to fast forward any scenes because each episode of it kept me on edge of my seat and I loved every second of it.
To some, maybe the plot might be a bit predictable, but it doesn't lowers the enjoyment, it only proves that the plot-twists were believable enough for the viewers to catch and not get confused. Because plot-twists aren't supposed to be confusing, they're supposed to either caught you off-guard or make the story more interesting and complicated as new developments take place (at least that's what I believe, since I've watched my fair share of 'mystery' dramas that are a complete mystery for me to understand...)
❛ Characters ❜
The MC is the best thing about this drama. She's smart, strong, and capable without being unrealistically 'superior' (as in intelligence or other aspects) to other characters. She's exactly what we mean when we ask for a 'strong female lead' - someone who's not necessarily fearless or reckless, but brave enough to face her own fears and do the right thing.
As for others, they were great too! The side characters, whether they're likable or despicable, are really well-written and I love how they're written like actual characters rather than just some stepping stones for the MC. The whole cast also did a great job with their performances.
All in all, I'd really recommend everyone to give it a try! don't let the few amount of recognition it got discourage you because as I said before, it's a lot better than it might seem at a first glance.
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Everything dark...
Telling the difference between dreams and reality can be hard, but honestly it does not really matter as telling the difference between truth and lies in real life is even harder...This drama is probably as dark as dark can get including everything from corruption, all kinds of trafficking, suicide, distorted everything, murder, deathe, more murder, cover ups, infidelity, pedophiles, rape, sexual everything... Yes it really has more or less everything in except for (my beloved) romance... and well love... the friendships are very interesting and decently worth a lot bet they too are kind of dark and lacking love... So no love just deep darkness as far as the eye can see...
Enjoy!
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After watching I can say, I liked it. If I say honestly, I was pretty much bored in between the episodes. As a person who watches a lot of mystery dramas the story was pretty predictable for me. The whole theme of the drama was interesting and I really wanted to know who was the killer but what bored me was that there was nothing going on interesting other than finding out who the killer was.
As a person who is a big mystery fan, all of my favourite mystery dramas had something to entertain me in between the episodes rather than the main plot of finding who the killer is. Of course the main motive was to find the killer but they gave me a lot of events and things to entertain me in between the time they were finiding the killer but this drama wasn't like that. So if I compare it to the dramas I've watch in the same theme and genre I didn't like it that much cuz I've seen a few dramas like this already. So, becuase of that I was pretty much bored in the whole drama.
That's why I think the drama should've been shorter cuz they certainly did not had more story to entertain the audience. But the drama was still very good. Honestly speaking I always guess who the killer before the drama tells the Audience but in this one I didn't saw that coming. So overall the drama is good and I liked it. I'd reccomend it to the people who are not much experienced in mystery dramas and the people who love the mystery genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Dream or reality???
Let's be honest, this is probably not a 9 drama (at this point I rate dramas on vibes). The production value is low and the acting is bad but there's something that pulled me to binge watch this drama. It's entertaining.The story is a bit predictable but it works. Who is the killer? We find out in the last episode.
In this drama everyone is trash and when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. When you think they can't go lower, they can. The bar is below hell.
We have trio fantastico, the villains. Win's father, Feye's father and Suea's father. All three of them suck. I do like how it's shown they have things they care about and want to protect, they are also not evil just for the sake of being evil, they went through some messed up stuff. There are layers to them. I also like how the drama didn't use that to excuse their shitty actions. They choose to be shitty.
The mystery. There's not a lot to say about it. The whole story involves an Island with a bunch of shitty people and a group of young traumatized people trying to uncover the truth with the power of friendship.
Main characters rated by their coolness:
1. Aya - Can't differentiate dreams from reality, constantly tired and confused but never gives up.
2. Mo - First impression was jealous girlfriend but second impression was a badass. She is smart and she takes no shit from anyone. I like how she didn't let Win be in her way, she wanted to find out the truth and she found out the truth.
3. Not a main character but still a cool character, police officer Tle - He is cool headed and he helped Aya whenever she was in trouble. I kinda shipped them but I don't mind that there was no romance.
4. Suea - He is a guy that easily believes anyone. He wanted to be on Aya's side but he also wanted to believe in his father so things were complicated for him. I like that he was honest even when he was doing the wrong things.
5. Feye - First impression bitchy, second impression brave. She is a strong woman.
6. Win - I didn't like this dude at the beginning. Why? I don't have a good reason, I just didn't like him. He always seemed shady and like he will betray his friends at any moment.
7. Yok - I thought she is naive but she is not. I thought she would be easiest to blackmail but I forgot people can be selfish and do things for themselves.
The ending is satisfying but then the plot twist hits. I don't think there will be a second season but it's fine. The plot twist doesn't ruin the drama, it just proves everyone is indeed shitty.
Would I recommend it? Yes. It's a mess but it's an entertaining mess.
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+ the dream vs reality was a cool concept
+ the last ending scene was interesting
- the mystery crime was lacking, ALOT
- the evil guys felt like random people they found on an island, and tbh fey's dad's face gives me nightmares ;D
- lack of romance (though it didn't need it as aya said) but her and cop guy would've been a cute couple
- everyone was either raped or committed suicide ;/
as a mystery genre it felt lacking, and the quality seems like a 2012 production with the cheap filming and aesthetics
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Gripping story
A female-driven show, with a great plot revolving around murder & mystery, with no romance and impeccable acting? I couldn't ask for anything more. It had me at the edge of my seat till the very end. Highly recommended.I didn't become fully invested before towards the end of the first episode. The pacing picks up when Iya arrives at the island. I enjoyed the plot twists and the characters, and the fact that everyone was involved somehow.
I'm not sure I'll rewatch it though, not because it wasn't amazing, but because I rarely rewatch shows and I already know all of the plot twists. I most likely won't watch it again on my own, but I wouldn't mind rewatching it with a friend.
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A cleverly surprising story
The show is cleverly produced with plot twists at every corner. It starts out quite modestly with Iya who wants to understand what happened to her parents, but she ends up uncovering the secrets of everyone on the island. Although some details were predictable, the overall scheme was absolutely unimagineable.While watching this, I had the impression some characters were really unnecessary, but at the end it turned out that each and every character had a reason and a purpose. This is really clever and helped tying everything together.
Besides the articulated story, I really appreciated how they tried to convey some moral messages and touch on delicate topics. On this last point, I loved Faye's subplot in particular.
The actors were all really good, especially the protagonist who portrayed flawlessly her experience with the trauma that led her to develop her insomnia.
I really don't have any kind of criticism, I think this was absolutely flawless.
Highly recommend it.
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