Uncanny Counter
Two episodes in and I find myself wanting more. The first week's outing had a bit of everything, action, humor, fear, a sense of justice in the face of injustice, and, of course, evilness. It might only be the first episode, but I didn't want it to end as I was having so much fun. I love the concept of this drama. A group of ordinary humans turned super-beings, each for their ability to possess or be a unique power that helps a higher beings' quest to hunt demons who come to earth wanting immortality. I must say I loved seeing Kim Se Jong; she looks great, and so do Yoo Jun Sang, Yum Hye Ran, and Jo Byung Gyu. It's good to have JBG back.There's no denying evil exists in this world, but the light will always conquer the darkness. This drama quickly became my happy place and besides Yoo Joon Sang, Im Joo Yeon Moon's best friend is my favorite persona. I love how endearing the story is in that it's not just about capturing evil spirits, but also about righting the wrongs of ordinary people along the way. As they say, evil lurks in places where one would never imagine to charm its way into one's life and one always needs uncanny counters to help combat if not completely irradicate them (if only possible). I am in love!
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Making a great drama is simple
All you need to make a hit drama is good writing, great acting, and excellent production values. It helps if the music is good or at least not annoying. This drama ticks all the boxes, so much so that a person like me who fundamentally dislikes action dramas can find this to be the best offering so far this year. I looked forward to every episode and was never disappointed.Yes, the premise is silly, as are all the demon hunter dramas. But the characters were so engaging - even the villains - that it was impossible to avoid getting caught up into who they were, what was happening to them and what they would do next. There were several touching stories about loss and love wrapped up in it, as well as friendship and redemption. It has everything you want in a drama - and maybe more bloodshed and violence, but that goes with the territory. Literally, if you've watched it and know what the territory is! This isn't for the faint of heart, and I'd exercise parental controls over younger kids. But it was a great ride.
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This review may contain spoilers
Rock Solid Entertaining Series!
Either I have been extremely fortunate, or there is simply a treasure trove of K-dramas that I have had the pleasure of watching that have simply been superb! Series from "Mr. Sunshine," to "Descendants of the Sun" to "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," to "Crash Landing on You," to "Stranger" and on and on. I have been exposed to the very best that Korean television has had to offer, and I'm still leaving out many others.On the surface, a viewer may look at this as a sort of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" type series where three individuals (which becomes four) run a Noodle restaurant, but on the side, they're catching demons, i.e. evil spirits. These people are called "Counters" as they are imbued with special, superhuman abilities from their "sponsors" or "counterparts" in Yung (a sort of staging area before moving on to "heaven."). To look at this series with those eyes is to short-change it dramatically.
Like nearly all great K-drama series, this series is driven by great, and even deep characterizations with a rich story that actually has something to say; how to deal with bullies, both within the school system as well as within the corporate world; those who would prey upon the weak and helpless.
Someone once said that evil tends to pervade when good people do nothing to stop it. Many consider this to be even worse than becoming "evil."
The story centers around Mun, a young high school boy who's suffered untold and unspeakable horrors by losing his parents in an accident and also the physical disabilities that are the result. And yet, he never hesitates to jump in and protect his friends and those who are "weak." Where most people would hesitate or not act at all, he doesn't even think about it. He simply acts. And while he can be impulsive and wears his emotions on his sleeve, he is essentially fearless when it comes to doing the right thing.
"The Uncanny Counter" is a testament to the ideal belief that even the smallest person can make a difference. Yes, the Counters have special powers, but they are also only four people going up against a system. Much like Superman who always finds himself in over-his-head against Lex Luthor...someone who uses the power of the system against him.
One of the things I love about K-dramas, is that they aren't afraid to allow their characters to demonstrate natural emotions. In this way, we are given deluge of deep, realistic, and relatable characters. We are also usually given something to really think about. In this series, we are presented with the idea that a person doesn't need to have special abilities or super powers in order to do the right thing; that, indeed, one person, no matter how small, can make a difference. It also conveys the truth that no one needs to stand alone. Bullies are cowards. All of them. And they are easily dealt with when people rally together to fight them.
All of the performances in this series are fantastically done. Characters that will make you laugh, sniffle, and evoke raw emotion. I suppose there is a reason why I'm far more into K-dramas right now than American shows, which no longer seem to provide me with stories and characters that speak to me. Instead, we're given a barrage of CGI, wooden characters that have virtually no depth at all.
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A binge-fest! Sejeong!
If you were with me, I'd probably be telling you how I binged this in 2 days.Please view my bio for the standards for a 10/10 drama.
Let's dissect the story first. It had an amazing plot, but of course, it DID piss me off once or twice. The rules to being stripped of your counter powers were so vague. Also, the plot played around with the characters lives (killing them and then bringing them back to life) with no solid reasoning behind it. Finally, the last thing that pissed me off was that they centered everything around Mun wanting to say something to his dead parents.
The cast was good. So Moon, the character, lowkey pisses me off because he just *snaps* me out of the "drama trance." If you don't know what that is, it's a terms (that I may or may not have invented) which describes when you are so into a drama, the actors don't give a vibe that they are acting. The way he exerts his fury just *snaps* me out of it. There was an odd balance of comedic relief among the main characters though; Chu Mae Ok/Ga Mo Tak/Choi Jang Mool being the comedic relief and Do Ha-Na and So Moon being the seriousness. That made it resemble a webdrama, which is what it is. I honestly came to support Sejeong but was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the drama. Most of the actors and actresses perfectly fit their role.
Since most of it is action, it would not have a high rewatch value. Lastly for music, Sejeong sung one of the OSTs. This makes me really happy as I love when the actors of the drama sing one or more of the OST tracks.
Overall, I WOULD RECCOMEND if you are more of an action fanatic. P.S. I am not a big fan of heavily action-based dramas.
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SQUAD GOALS FIGHTING EVIL!!!!!
This drama is a hidden gem. Before diving into the plot, the SQUAD GOALS ARE REAL and honestly i don't even care about anything else. The interactions and bond between the counters made this drama 1000x better than it already was. Not to mention the badasss music that plays when the squad rolls up to beat the crap out of some evil spirits. ALSO TRUCK-KUN is part of the cast and my favourite character tbhThe story is nothing special however, we all love badass male characters that level up during important times and suddenly become stronger. Well that happens often in this drama.......I must say the ending wasn't as clean as it should be but they're GIVING US SEASON 2 so i ain't even complaining. This drama is wholesome and an emotional rolleroaster at the same time.
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No character is perfect, but so many are more than likeable, flaws and all. The baddies really are evil.
So Moon, Mo Tak and Ha Na probably develop the most as the series progresses. One matures, one is able to find themselves and reconnect, and another is able to face up to a guilt ridden past and open themselves up again.
Ji Chung Shin was a character I couldn't help but feel for. Vulnerable to manipulation and a harrowing past, I didn't feel at all guilty about wishing he could somehow be redeemed and freed of his demons.
I also loved the OST, with tracks from the brilliant Isaac Hong, Dvwn and Sejeong.
I will definitely watch this again and eagerly anticipate series 2. Do NOT let us down, Netflix!
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Intriguing story with excellent acting!
StoryThis series started out impactful with the school bullying, the introduction of the counters and the fighting of the evil spirits. All these had me hooked to the series from episode one.
The stories of the counters were all so touching to me, and I loved them so much. Though I still feel that Mo Tak did not deserve what happened to him, I guess it gave him the motivation to fight the evil people. I’m also glad that So Mun managed to see his parents after all.
The trio’s friendship and the counters’ friendships are what I envy the most. To start with the trio, his best friends have been there by his side since he was young. They supported him throughout the entire series, and still trusted him despite him not being able to tell them the truth. Even when Ung Min was in trouble, he did not want So Mun to know, because he did not want the latter to be burdened or to receive the same treatment he did. One thing I learned from So Mun in this friendship, is to have the courage to stand up for what’s right. Although he did not have the ability to fight against Hyeok U and the bullies, he still did to protect his friends. I admire him for that.
As for the counters, initially they were not confident that he could handle their job scope, but they all ended up being one big family. Towards the end, instead of crashing So Mun’s hope, they fought together with him, putting trust in his words.
To be honest, the last 3 episodes of the series doesn’t seam real to me. So Mun suddenly gained so much power, and it felt very unreal. I do understand that it is a fantasy show and fantasy isn’t reality, but the sudden change in strength just puts me off. Also, after not being able to win against the evil spirits for so many episodes, the way they won against the evil spirits in the last episode wasn’t very satisfying.
I love the concept that evil spirits could only get into the body of people with evil mindset. That just shows how scary humans really are. There are people who said that they don’t understand why the Mayor did not have any spirit possessing him even though he killed someone. I think it’s because he only killed one person, and the others were not killed directly by his hands?
Acting
The casting team did such a good job casting all the actors and actresses for this series. From the counters, to the evil spirits, everyone did such a good job. The fact that we really dislike the characters show how well they performed. I couldn’t really let go some characters, especially the one that I thought shouldn’t have left and deserve better.
Overall it was such a good watch and I’m sure I’ll miss the characters now that it’s over. Can’t wait for season 2, and I guess this might be the show I’ll rewatch again some time in the future. :) It’s one of the 2 kdramas I’ve watched in 2020 considering the fact that the other dramas’ genres are not what I like ): Hoping for more kdramas that will attract me with good plots!
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Keeps you hooked to the end!
I really didn't expect to enjoy this drama as much as I did, mostly because I happened to watch it almost by chance and I didn't see anyone talk about it. GRAVE MISTAKE! It is really, really good.The story is super duper fantasy, so be prepared for all sort of weird things and magic, but I think it works well within the context of the story.
You will fall in love with every single character, even the villain! I must say, I especially loved the main villain (Sin). I wish we could have seen more of him and I honestly hope he'll be back for S2!
I was scared there would be an open ending because of the S2 announcement, but the drama is wrapped up nicely and doesn't leave any question unanswered, so even if it didn't continue, you would feel completely satisfied.
Simply speaking, JUST WATCH IT! You won't regret.
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This review may contain spoilers
Mine is most likely an unpopular opinion. I would have probably enjoyed this drama if it was released some years back. in comparison to what we have now it came off really lacking. The story was all over the place and the fight scenes which were supposed be the attracting factor were nothing special. The actors were good but due to poor character development, I found it had to muster up emotions which I should have had for some scenes. This was a Storyline which could have been a hit but just missed the mark Was this review helpful to you?
Tear Jerker
This first season had me crying so bad. Mun and his parents had me balling my eyes out. You need tissues for the first season. I recommend this series to the fullest???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Was this review helpful to you?
