The Veil (2021)

Light Drama Watchers, Run away !! This ain't for ya.

If I had to describe this drama, based on the first 2 episodes, I would use one word "Gruesome". Starting from the storyline to the action scenes to the criminals' mentality, motivation and the acts perpetrated by them, I would say "Gruesome" is the right word to describe the world that's been portrayed in the show. Now, Like most of my reviews, I will start by saying that this is the initial review, and If I continue to watch this and finish this, I will update my review as the show goes on or when it ends.

Let's start with the obvious, the Cast. Namgoong Min, well, you really don't need any other name in a drama. If in Korean dramas, anyone can single handedly carry an entire show with his acting, It will be NamGoong. So, great choice by the showmakers. As far as the other cast goes, Park Ha San is obviously a good actress, I really loved her in Birthcare Center and Love affairs in the afternoon (Haven't Seen the famous "Two Weeks" yet, hopefully in the future). She plays one of the main roles, but probably not the main female lead. I gotta say though, I had difficulty recognizing her with the black wig.

Now, it seems that the main female lead in this drama, is Kim Ji Eun. She seems to be the romantic interest of the Main Lead, maybe or maybe not, as I am not sure if there is any possible romantic relationship in this drama. I have just seen Kim Ji Eun in Namgoong's famous drama "Doctor Prisoner", where she played a guest role. Now, she is playing the main female lead against Namgoong in this show. Now that's one way to upstart a career. So far she didn't get much screentime, let's see how she acts. As far as the support cast goes, the choice is, I would say, Phenomenal. You will recognize all of them, and all of them can play good, bad and grey/shady characters extremely well.

The Story is pretty interesting, dark, cruel and in some ways pessimistic. You can read the story in the synopsis, nothing much for me to write there. I will admit there were predictable elements in the story in the first 2 episodes. I generally have a low bar for storylines to surprise me from start to finish. I've seen hundreds of Crime, Detective, Mystery shows from all over the world in many languages, it's very difficult for me to really watch a show and Constantly be like "Daebak, I couldn't even think that this was gonna happen, oh my lord!!". However, there was one sequence of the story, which was something I really didn't predict in the beginning, and when I realized where it was going, I was like, "Jesus, WTF". You will understand when you watch the show.

All in all they have maintained the air of mystery in the show, it's actually difficult to understand the motivation of some of the characters. They have given us just a glimpse of the mystery, haven't given away the main dish. The story can go in quite a few directions from there. I hope they make the storyline good, as when it comes to action dramas, it can often go sideways. Historically that's been the case with Korean dramas. But, I have hope for this show. Let's see.

Lastly, This isn't a light show, By any stretch of imagination. The actions scenes are very intense and the death scenes are quite painful to watch. When I first saw this I couldn't believe they aired it on South Korean Television, that almost never happens. Finally !!! One thing I will say, this show doesn't romanticize or water down Death Scenes, like it's a simple walk in the park. It doesn't show death scenes like "Oh, he just died, it was emotional, heartbreaking and I cried". It shows death scenes/murder scenes by horrible criminals and gang-members the way it is, Horrible, Gruesome, Painful to watch. It will make you feel disconcerted and somewhat anxious sometimes. So, I will warn those who likes to watch fluffy emotional crime shows with great colorful cinematography, this may not be for you. If you decide to watch it, then, Brace yourself.

Final Edit: Well, it was a great watch, with a few qualms. I feel like they toned down the violence after the first few episodes, which was really sad, it's a type of drama that warrants violence. However, I think it may have something to do with people's initial reactions to the scenes of the show. The ending was good, not many drama can say that. I heard there's a possibility of a spin off of this drama, don't know but could happen, who knows. Anyway, there were some annoying elements in the storyline, sometimes they made the story very cut and dried, but overall, the main theme of the drama remained consistent, and the name "The Veil" really did justice to the drama.

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I wish I had watched it earlier.

I must say, the writers of this kdrama deserve a round of applause for creating such a compelling storyline. The outstanding performances of the actors were mesmerizing, and I fell in love with all of them. Every character was written beautifully, and I cannot think of anything negative to say about any of them. In my opinion, this drama is a priceless gem in the world of kdramas.
1. FL's character sets a perfect example for strong female leads in dramas of similar genres.
2. I felt a range of emotions while watching it, and I can confidently say that this is the best mystery thriller drama among all mystery thriller Korean dramas.
There I said it!!!!

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Une intrigue trop lourde à digérer

Cela me brise le coeur d'avoir à donner une note aussi basse un drama avec un de mes chouchous.
Ravie de le retrouver après "'Awaken" dans un drama d'action, j'ai rapidement déchanté...
Mais après réflexion et à la lecture de certains avis positifs, il m'est apparu que ce n'est après tout qu'une question de perspective et de sensibilité personnel. Un peu comme la vision différente que l'on pourrait avoir d'un tableau de son voisin de droite et de gauche. Cet avis est donc négatif, mais cela n'est que le simple reflet de ce qui me fait ou non vibrer.
Si je devais résumer les poins négatifs de ce drama :
- Un scénario complexe qui introduit de nouveaux protagonistes à presque chaque épisode. J'ai pourtant l'habitude de pléthore de personnage, notamment dans les sageuks politique ou drama comme "Nirvana in Fire", mais ici, j'ai eu la désagréable sensation du "heu...c'est qui? de qui parle-t-on?".
- Les rebondissements sont nombreux et si certains "twist" étaient surprenants, la plupart d'entres eux étaient prévisibles et oserais-je le dire "ennuyeux"? C'est en tout cas mon sentiment. Ennuyeux, car parfois grandiloquent, le suspense semble vouloir tirer le chat par la queue, une intrigue qui se voulait mystérieuse et étonnante et à trop vouloir en faire, cela en est devenu parfois grotesque. Suis-je un peu dure? sûrement...
- L'écriture des personnages.... J'ai rarement vu des protagonistes aussi....fades. Beaucoup ont aimé, cela ne fut pas mon cas. Je n'ai pas ressenti une once de sympathie envers eux. Je n'ai pas réussi à me connecter et à comprendre leurs actions. Aucune émotion ne transparait et cela en fut frustrant. Difficile de savoir leurs pensées, cela fut surement voulu afin de brouiller les pistes, mais j'ai trouvé cela bien plus confus qu'autre chose.
- L'ambiance est noir, sombre. C'est le ton voulu du drama. Je n'y adhère pas. Il n'y a pas une trace d'humour, pas de sentiment tel que je le conçois (pas de romance aussi infime soit-elle, pas de lien familiale, pas de bromance, pas de relation haine/amour entre personnages...). J'ai besoin d'être connecté aux personnages, de ressentir leur peine afin de comprendre. Ici chacun semble n'agir que selon leurs intérêts, je trouve cela personnellement étouffant.
- Le duo Han Ji Yuk/Yoo Je Yi ne possède quasiment pas d'alchimie. C'est une relation purement professionnelle desservie par des intérêts mutuels. Pas d'amitié qui se développe, pas de respect et de loyauté sous toutes ses formes, malgré une certaine forme de droiture entre eux.
- Pourquoi au nom du ciel, Nam Goong Min, mon chouchou adoré, a-t-il du se tailler en Muscleman (même chose pour Jung Moon Sung...) ??
J'ai cherché l'utilité de ce corps nourri aux haltères. En quoi cela sert-il l'histoire? Démontrer sa force? Kenshin ou Ip Man n'en ont pas eu besoin...cela renforce donc ce côté "inutile m'as-tu vu"... J'ai détesté voir mon idole sous cette forme, sa lourde démarche lui donnait un petit air ridicule que je n'aurai jamais pensé un jour voir sur lui....Nam Goong Min revient!!!! En chief Kim! ou en Na Yi Je (saison 2 de "doctor prisoner" qui devrait arriver!). En tout ce que tu veux, mais plus jamais, jamais ça!

Les points positifs :
- La bande son +++
- La première scène du premier épisode.

...Et c'est tout.

En conclusion, ce type de drama n'est absolument pas pour moi, Nam Goong Min ou pas, impossible pour moi d'aimer ce type d'intrigue avec une atmosphère aussi pesante. Je passe mon chemin. Mais je t'aime quand même Nam Goong Min!

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