Big Mouth (2022)

Extremely entertaining, but an ending that might ruin it for you

I was pretty skeptical about this drama when I started it, but once I figured out what type of lens to watch it through I had a great time with Big Mouth! First off you have to throw away what you may know about the prison system or legal system and just go with the flow this drama introduces as the writers are not overly concerned with realism (I saw someone mention to think of the city in this drama like Gotham and that helped me get in the right mind set) . I also didn't get too caught up in trying to figure out who Big Mouth was, I was simply along for the entertaining ride. Therefore I wasn't super disappointed when Big Mouth was finally revealed like I know some viewers were since I hadn't really been endlessly speculating on the topic.

Story
The writers of this drama certainly know how to keep the audience engaged! Plot twists and red herrings galore will keep the audience glued to the screen. Without getting into the spoilers, there are some really clever plot points and clues placed throughout the drama that I believe will stick out more upon a rewatch. I did find that I some points I was a bit confused as to what was going on but that never really kept me from being engaged. The big problem with this drama is the ending, where the writers undermined what they had been building for the previous 14 episodes. Some will feel this ruins the whole drama, but for myself those last two episodes can't take away all the fun I had watching up until that point.

Acting/Characters
This is a very well acted drama; certain actors play it straight while others go full camp with their characters but somehow it all worked!

This is Lee Jong Suk's first drama back from the military and it was a great one to remind everyone that he's an amazing actor, though he definitely shines more in the earlier episodes when Park Chang Ho first goes to prison. The character of Park Chang Ho and subsequently Lee Jong Suk's acting unfortunately fall victim to the writing in the final few episodes. Although on the plus side Chang Ho's suits when he wasn't in prison looked great!

I know some people really don't like Yoona as an actress but I thought she did a really good job playing Go Mi Ho. Go Mi Ho made some questionable decisions throughout the drama (especially near the end), but I thought Yoona portrayed her in a way that made the audience sympathetic to her. Also no character fell harder in those final two episodes than Go Mi Ho, it was almost unbelievable to watch. I felt bad that was the script Yoona was handed after doing so well for the rest of the drama.

The supporting characters all did a great job. Yang Kyung Won in particular was a highlight any time he was on screen. I found it hard to believe he's the same actor who played the guy who was always wearing a beanie in Vincenzo. Also, GIVE KWAK DONG YEON MORE TO DO! The character of Jerry felt a little wasted and almost pointless to me, especially because I know KDY is a great actor and could have handled more.

Music
I don't really remember any of the OSTs, but I do remember the opening and the score. Both were pretty dramatic and matched the vibe of the drama. I did find some music cues to be kind of abrupt and funny, like a character turns their head and all of a sudden you hear someone slamming the piano keys.

Rewatch
I think a rewatch could be fun to see the clues that were missed on the first watch through, but I have a feeling the ending probably will feel worse with a rewatch.

I do think this show fares better when it's watched week to week as anticipation and speculation enhance the mystery (this is how I watched it). I think it could be a little much as a binge. Overall Big Mouth is a really entertaining drama whose last two episode will bring the drama down for many viewers but for me were simply 2 bad episodes in an otherwise great drama.

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The story, at least for me, was interesting up until they revealed Big Mouse. Wanting to know who Big Mouse is, was the driving force for me to eagerly wanna watch the next episode. Still interesting to watch until the end though.
I think the ending, although disappointing, is fair enough to wrap up the story. The whole disappointing feel for the viewers may be because they didn't get the justice by law despite Chang Ho wanting to bring Do Ha down without getting his hands dirty and Mi Ho's effort felt like it all went down the drain.
Best girl didn't even witness Do Ha's fall (like literally). I can understand that both Mi Ho and Do Ha's ending was inevitable though; without it Chang Ho wouldn't continue being Big Mouse.

About character development,
Chang Ho's felt like rushed? I mean he's an incapable lawyer so I assume that he's not that brainy but suddenly he can pull off being Big Mouse. Is it survival instinct?
Ju Hee's last minute development was already foreseen. Seeing that she's not totally evil, it's easy to read that she'll end up betraying Do Ha.
Yoon Gab is a bit questionable. I get that he's loyal to No Park but he seems like he wanted to be no.1 after his death instead of a newbie coming out of nowhere and suddenly claiming the throne which is fair because he's been a long time member and is in top3. I thought he'll end up questioning why Chang Ho continued being Big Mouse. Last ep was rushed though so conflict like this would prolong the story. Let's just say that he saw that Chang Ho is capable hence his approval.
I was waiting for Prosecutor Joong Rak to betray Ji Hoon and stick to whom he thinks got the power but surprisingly, he remains loyal to Ji Hoon.
Gong Ji Hoon is the main surprise for me here, he's a deranged, rich guy and I thought he is the worst character here. Never thought the twist his character will have. Who would have thought him and Do Ha would swap sides. He is the true winner here coz he didn't lose anything.
Jerry, on the other hand, got the character development but went from interesting character to unnoticeable side character when he became Big Mouse' lackey.

Still many questions left like that pyschopath, serial murderer. Kwang Yeon deserves his truth to be known, for me, his death is more tragic than Mi Ho's. He didn't get to save his mom despite being branded a psychopath until his last breath.
Hye Jin was forgotten, her husband deserves death penalty.
Did I miss it or they didn't clear Chang Ho's name about the 5 billion won bribe?
Didn't they question Do Ha's sudden death?
Even if Do Ha's dead, they should have revealed his true identity which is the reason why he killed the chairman. Old man doesn't deserve justice but I need Do Ha's true colors known to the public. Even the chairman's butler needs to be put on jail for conspiring with Do Ha.
Although many are saying that they wanted Season 2, that would be a bit of a stretch and might ruin the story.

Overall, the last episode was underwhelming but the whole series was a fun ride!

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it was okay…predictable though

I wasn’t truly interested till episode 10 before then I was able to tell every twist that was coming. I found the wife to be slightly annoying and too impulsive but in the end that worked out for her,till it didn’t. I get why there was a cancer plot, I just didn’t want it to exist. Episodes 1-9 I was intrigued cause the story itself was interesting I just wasn’t able to fully immerse myself into it. Also the end I really wanted justice for the people the mayor harmed and it was annoying that it didn’t happen. I really didn’t like not getting all the criminals court cases. I feel like we could’ve speed up the hunt for big mouse a bit had the run for mayor be the middle of the story and then seen him be active as big mouse doing good things and taking down the mayor and his minions I would’ve liked it more

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In the end, despite being Big Mouse, he still remained Big Mouth.

I was going to give this a 9.5 or 10, but that last episode was a total disappointment. For the most part, however, the drama did keep me entertained throughout. There were many things I loved about the characters and their progress as well as the way the drama handled hints.

One of the things I loved was seeing Changho's progress into Big Mouse. I loved how gradually it progressed. When he first got to prison, he was adamant in denying being Big Mouse. But even when he decided to take on the identity, he didn't instantly change overnight into a serious Big Mouse persona.

For the first several episodes after he assumes the identity, there were many instances where despite many promising fierce looks where you'd think "oh, he's really going to do sometimes now", they'd amount to nothing and you could still glimpse the unlucky lawyer Changho who loved his wife and father-in-law, and was scared of his wife's wrath. He was flustered and stumbled often in his new assumed role before he got settled into it. And the more challenges and situations he faced, the more he settled into the persona until finally we got a Park Changho who was clearly different from the man we first met. I loved that gradual show of his change in personality. That he didn't just wake up one day and was a totally changed man.

Another thing I immensely loved was the hints they threw prior to the many reveals. Some became clear in retrospect after big reveals and some gave you clear hints. For instance, after No Park revealed himself as Big Mouse, it made sense about his card reading talents, as well as how cards found their way easily to Changho even onto his bedding, and why he often hang out with Warden Park. Another one was about Soontae. After the footage taken through the camera in the Virgin Mary statue was edited, Changho pondered about it saying only himself, Miho, his father-in-law, and Soontae knew about it. At that point, Soontae became a good suspect, and further clearance by Jerry eliminating himself and Park Yoongab as the one's who insisted on saving Changho solidified Soontae as being a part of the organisation.

Special mention to Yang Kyun Won for playing the hell out of that role. He was nothing short of amazing as Gong Jihoon. And despite being villains, the three idiots, as I call them, cracked me up often. I loved their scenes and their camaraderie when together. Oh Ryoong as Lee Doogeun especially I thought was amazing. Kwak Dong Yeon and Yoo Tae Joo as Jerry and Tak Kwangyeon respectively, also caught my attention. Loved them! But overall, many of the actors and actresses did a good job with their roles.

Now onto the finale, I was very disappointed to see that despite knowing what Choi Doha was capable of and Park Yoongab even commenting on it, that despite having a powerful and capable organisation to help him plan, Changho did not think of having another plan except for fully relying on Juhee. His enemy's wife who until then had scorned them and shown no interest in helping them. You'd think the thing with Hyejin would have taught them something, not to mention he'd previously hatched his own counter plans to distabilise Doha's, but all that just went out the window. He couldn't possibly have been putting his trust in the justice system. He knew very well it didn't work that easily so what the hell was that?

It was also disappointing that in the end, his only way for besting Doha was to kill him. At that moment it felt like he was just someone who'd gotten in over their head and found out they didn't know how to deal with it. And that's why despite being Big Mouse, he still ended up being Big Mouth because all that talk about taking everything from them, about making their soul burn ended up being just big talk. In the end, except for losing his life, Doha did not lose anything. Even his death was too quick for him to have felt any pain like what he'd inflicted.

And then there's all the plots that were left hanging without proper address and/or closure. Big disappointment that ending was. It took away a lot of what the drama had built until then.

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ALMOST PERFECT

What i liked
Story: I loved it, it had it is up and down.
Actors:
Lee jong suk's acting was great, he really does suit for characters that morally gray. I never though there would be time to watch Yoonha's new drama because her acting in k2 too was too much for me. But im glad it wasnt that she cant act but her character in k2 was too dumb. She was superb in this one, cant wait for more roles in the future.
Other actors also did great job, loved it.
What i disliked
Some plot points:
Characters were great until the second half. Specially Park changho and Choi doha. Changho became this handsome suit character, he gets emotional only when it comes to Miho. He had so many connections with lot of characters. Also he did basically nothing except being big mouse the symbol, his teammates and Miho did basically everything.
Jerry was interesting character but he became guest character lol. Park yoongab was great character until he forgot Changho should have left after the election for mayor, he became minion for no reason.

Ending: Like this series was almost perfect until the final episode last scenes. It just makes you wonder what just happened, everything is just unsatisfying except Ji hoon getting what he wants.
I honestly dont care Miho dying but her dying without knowing what happens is just wrong to me when she did all that much for everyone. She couldnt win Choi doha, she couldnt know what happened to Mayors wife and Hyejin, she couldnt say goodbye to everyone except Chang ho, she couldnt erase the psychopath name from Tak kwang yeon. These characters had connection with Miho also they were important to plotline.

Choi doha got it easy, also he did care for his wife but then in last 2 episodes he became maniac who actually dont care about anyone. I mean choi doha was morally gray character who wanted revenge but he became maniac, his character basically ruined in the last 2 episode. What he did, what he said, his interaction with all characters were for basically nothing.

Lot of characters did bad things but we couldnt see what happened to them except dumb three. One of them killed Hye jin, and what happened to that plotline?
What happened to big mouse daughter?
What happened to doha's wife? How she feels about all this? When her husband betrayed her? Why didnt Doha felt betrayed by his wife when he actually cared about her in the past?
What happened Kangs psychopath son?
What was Kangs real statement?
Why Kangs secretary betrayed him?
Whats the point about everything?


At this point only thing im happy for is Gong ji hoon being happy.

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Did not live up to my expectations

I admit I was one of those who were so curious as to who the hell Big Mouth is. The build-up was really nice and I fell for how I wanted Chang Ho to be the real Big Mouse. And it was going great until they finally revealed who Big Mouth really was, like many other viewers at first I was in denial. I was unimpressed. That's Big Mouth?! I have nothing against Noh Park but he just did not live up to my expectations, lol. Ok so that was disappointment #1. #2 the villains, Gong Ji Hoon started off as a really bad theh by the end of the series, it was like he lost all steam and he just had nothing left up his sleeve. The big bad daddy of all was Choi Do Ha however I just didn't buy into the bad guy act of Kim Jeo Heon.. I've seen him play too many goody goody roles that althought he acted well, it still felt like it wasn't enough... like I still needed more convincing that he was bad. I never felt scared or threatened by him while I was watching. Never felt the need to curse him or swear at my screen. Lol. #3 Ko Mi Ho, didn't look sick.. or they just don't want Yoona to look ugly? So as a dying woman, it was pretty hard to feel sorry for her character... #4 Lee Jong Suk was so good at this drama, especially at the start, but in the last few episodes, it felt like he was just being a ramp model lol, but damn he looked good. And for me the emotion he showed when his wife died wasn't enough.. so I didn't even feel bad when I watched that scene. The biggest disappointment really was the writing... it was good at the beginning but failed to deliver at the end.

Also what was the point of showing us all that gold right from the start? Then at the end, it's like it didn't even matter.

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FINALMENTE UN FINALE COME SI DEVE

allora, per capire questo titolo si deve andare alla mia recensione di Alchemy of Soul 1 dove ho detto che i finali tristi/aperti mi piacciono tantissimo e sono il mio tipo di finale preferito, quindi ovviamente questo è la mia cup of tea di finale. adoro. bene spiegato il titolo vorrei fare un appunto: credo che rivedere la serie potrebbe essere piacevole, si vedono molte cose con occhio diverso, non essendo in ansia per “chi è big mouse? chi ha ordinato l’assassinio del professore, cosa succede di qua, cosa di là?” solo che proprio per questo fatto si entra nella storia già pronti, quindi si sa già chi è big mouse, chi ha fatto uccidere il professore e sia cosa succede di qua che di là, ecco perché al netto di una serie bella e godibile dal punto di vista di un rewatch, credo si debba darle un voto basso. passiamo adesso alla storia (gli attori? bravi tutti, soprattutto i cattivi, ma non perché i buoni non lo siano stati (ho adorato tutti), solo che i cattivi mi hanno fatto veramente venire i brividi di in alcuni punti. la musica, bella.) che è secondo me il punto forte. allora, primo consiglio: preparatevi perché comincia lenta e nonostante ci siano scene interessanti nella prima parte (fino a circa l’episodio 7-8) è solo dalla seconda che lo cose cominciano ad essere frizzanti. e per frizzanti intendo, molto frizzanti. quindi torniamo alla storia: il nostro protagonista non è nessuno, un avvocato che non funziona e un marito che voglio dire funziona solo perché le aspettative di base non sono altissime, ha una moglie (e per una volta i personaggi femminili mi sono piaciuti tutti, la FL, la moglie del sindaco e devo dire anche quella del capo come si chiama o la moglie del dottore, storia molto triste la sua, non sono molto ferrata con i nomi, sì diciamo che i personaggi femminili sono pochi) che invece funziona molto bene, un suocero che fa quello che può per aiutare questo genero che ha una bocca larga e fa più promesse di quante ne possa mantere. c’è poi l’amico (big, tanto per, colpo di scena sull’amico, nel senso che lo capisci solo nella puntata in cui vogliono fartelo capire, ha senso questa frase, forse si forse no, quello che intendo è che nonostante a posteriori sia non dico ovvio, ma una delle poche opzioni possibili, finché non ti dicono che non solo fa parte dell’entortourage di Big Mouse, ma ne è anche uno dei suoi pezzi grossi, puoi solo supporre, ma non essere sicuro al 100%) che funziona anche lui, diciamo che almeno uno dei due in quell’ufficio di avvocati la parcella deve portartela a casa. ecco questi sono i personaggi che ci vengono presentati all’inizio, un avvocato inetto, suo suocero ex poliziotto, sua moglie infermiera e il suo amico. e poi arriva la gang: il sindaco, la moglie del sindaco, il presidente, l’altro presidente, la moglie dell’altro presidente, il medico, l’avvocato, il direttore della prigione, un prigioniero sofista e un altro truffatore, un altro dottore ucciso e la sua amante che è anche la moglie del dottore (mi pare di aver detto tutti i principali) cosa hanno tutti questi personaggi in comune? sono tutti alla mercé di Big Mouse, questo tizio ce non si sa come e non si sa perché ha rubato 100 miliardi di won e che sono scomparsi nel nulla e che sta cercando in maniera quasi disperata questo fantomatico articolo, articolo che è in grado di distruggere tutto quello per cui il presidente e i suoi hanno lavorato e forse anche tutta la città. bene, i personaggi ci sono e tutto ciò ricorda un mix perfetto pronto per esplodere: i colpi si scena ci sono tutti, nel senso che quando ti viene rivelato chi è BigMouse, beh, onestamente dubito che ci sia qualcuno che, senza essere andato a cercarlo abbia capito chi fosse dai soli indizi che veniva dati, quando scopri il vero ruolo del sindaco devo dire è un colpo di scena meno intenso di quello di BigMouse, però la profondità della sua perversione stupisce, perché io almeno pensavo che quello che faceva lo faceva per vendetta e invece era solo per essere migliore di chi aveva condannato suo nonno e suo padre; altri colpi di scena? dell’amico ho già parlato, del figlio del presidente del gruppo che è stata la ragione per cui l’assassino condannato a morte è stato messo in prigione devo dire che, nonostante non sia la parte più centrale della storia è una scena che non ti aspetti, anche perché il tipo si comporta da psicotico per tutto il tempo. un altro colpo di scena totally absurd è che il presidente psicopatico (e a tratti disgustostoso) diventi un alleato di BigMouse, anche questa non ce lo si aspettava. l’ultimo colpo di scena invece è la morte della moglie: e qui voglio aprire un come dire separé sull’argomento. primo punto, affinché l’avvocato diventasse veramente BigMouse c’era bisogno che lei morisse, quindi me lo aspettavo (e lo sapevo, grazie ai tanti edit su instagram che ho visto), anche se devo dire ha fatto molto scena quando lo ha detto davanti a tutti durante le riprese. però ho un po’ un però, da qui deriva il separé, allora, premetto che io quando non vedo serie dalla mattina alla sera studio medicina e non sono quindi ancora un medico (e di questo passo chissà se lo diventerò mai), però qualcosa di danno radioattivo lo so e conosco anche qualche cosa sulle leucemie quindi vorrei che parlassimo un po’ della situazione: allora, premetto che la parte medica in generale mi è piaciuta (forse sarò l’unico studente di medicina a cui piacciono le serie mediche) e si vede c’è stata della ricerca sull’argomento, non cose fatte a caso come ho visto altre volte, però visto che si doveva velocizzare il tutto, ovviamente hanno dovuto velocizzare anche la leucemia che è venuta alla signora. il “problema” è che succede tutto in fretta, ora vi spiego: allora, la signora viene esposta ad un ingente quota di radiazioni intorno all’episodio 10 (o addirittura oltre) e voglio dire è stata inondata da acqua radioattiva e si è presa una nube di esplosioni, il tutto senza protezioni, quindi ci può stare che sia successo tutto in fretta, anche la sua malattia, avrei però preferito vedere una progressione di malattia un po’ più lenta, anche perché diciamolo, a parte questa prima esposizione non è che ne ha avute altre e non sembra essere durata chissà quanto questa esposizione, quindi fosse avvenuto un po’ prima l’incidente nelle tubature avrei compreso la malattia meglio. oppure se a essere allungato un po’ il tempo della storia dopo la presentazione televisiva, perché da quello che sembra in forse un mese succedono elezioni, processo e dipartita, se avessero allungato un po’ il tempo della storia magari non sarebbe sembrato così rushed. bene, fine degli spoiler e fine della recensione che se voglio commentare altre serie completamente mediche devo andare a studiare… bene, ovviamente consiglio di vederla a tutti.

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Strong start, rushed ending.

Big Mouth begins with a strong premise and engaging suspense, but several elements weaken the overall impact of the series. The death of the female lead feels unnecessary and does not add to the storyline. Her character was portrayed as intelligent and resilient, playing a key role in moving the "operation" forward. Her death comes across as forced and seems included primarily for shock.

After the reveal of Big Mouse’s identity, the momentum of the series declines. Although the storyline remains engaging, the initial drive diminishes and the series increasingly relies on additional plot twists to maintain viewer interest.

The ending is also rushed and overly simplistic, especially given the plotlines developed throughout the series.

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A thriller with a gloomy ending.

Big Mouth is one of the best thriller kdramas I have ever seen. The cast is amazing and the acting is superb. Yoona and Lee Jong Suk both delivered the best performance and let's not forget the villains who made us really go around the circles trying to figure out who is the real Big Mouse is.

The plot of the story is unique and interesting which keeps the suspense alive until the very last episode . The chemistry between the lead couple is sweet and endearing. However I didn’t like the ending of the drama, it ended too hastily. For a series that evoked excitement throughout its run, this ending is a surprisingly gloomy and sad one.

The reason why I didn’t like the ending was because the ending felt rushed and there was no need for the female lead to die. Her death only serves the purpose of pushing Chang-ho’s character development. I personally think the couple should have gotten a happy ending because of all the hardship they went through together. The lead couple went through so much pain and misery so I think they deserved to have a happily ever after. In fact, we could have gotten the very same ending with Mi-ho alive, well and supporting Chang-ho in his endeavours to become a good Big Mouse.

In the end we got Chang-ho’s transformation into Big Mouse is complete and Do-ha gets his punishment. Also I was very surprised that Chang-ho processes his wife’s terminal illness quicker than I expected. Overall, a sluggish conclusion to a truly thrilling story that ended on a bleak and gloomy note.

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This drama is very good!

This drama really makes you want to see the next episode. I watched it in 3 days and I enjoyed it very much.

If there were to be a season 2, I would definitely watch.

Many people said that the ending was rushed, and it's true. While watching the last episode I looked at the time and there where only 10 minutes and nothing really happened.


Spoiler⚠️


I cried so much because of the FL's death but I still believe she's alive and healthy.

But what I'm happy for is that in this role Kwak Dong Yeon (Jerry) didn't die or had that much of a tragic story ☺️.

Overall this drama is very good and I'm happy I watched it. Hope that there is another season (And the FL is alive).

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Destroyed potential

The drama got off to a good start, but the more I watched, the more bored I got. I really like it when the action happens in prison, so the beginning was very interesting, especially since nobody knew who Big Mouse was. When the law came out, I was disappointed because I expected something else, and it was predictable after a few episodes.
I’m a little surprised because I really like dramas where Lee JongSuk is the main character and I always watch the episodes on a regular basis, and here it took me almost a year to watch it.
I don't know about the others but I didn't like the show, the other half is just boring and hard to watch. When I started watching it, I thought it would be one of the better dramas, but I was a little disappointed.

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great story despite obvious plot holes but ending brings it down...

as my uni term comes to a close, i've been taking the chance to finally catch up on the hottest dramas of the year and as a major ratings contender big mouth was one of the first to tackle.

i can definately see why this drama was leading the ratings for some time.its a very exciting drama with a lot of twists. personally i felt this was one of lee jongsuk's stronger dramas and roles. special mentions for performances to yang kyungwon (kong johoon) and kwak dongyeon (jerry). yang kyungwon was shinning in this role! even as he's despised by the audience, he's charming in his character and has great back n forth chemistry with changho on screen. as for kwak dongyeon, he absolutely eats up every role he takes and this is no different. i just wish his character had more development that what was given to him.

plotholes that seriously bothered me:
- no one except miho knows tak kwangyeon wasn't the serial killer.
- chairman kang's serial killer son gets a big build up and he never comes into the story or gets thrown in jail
- changho promised the inmates things and never came through for a single one
- what was tak kwangyeons motivation for trying to kill changho when he attempted to stab him??

they were aiming to high with the last three episodes and even two more episodes would've benefitted this drama but it seriously would've been perfect with four more to nicely resolve everything with the action in a nice way.

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