Tomorrow (2022)

Too Unrealistic For Its Subject Matter

This drama was very entertaining. It's funny, has decent VFX, and is overall wholesome. However, it was unrealistic in how it covered its suicide prevention.

There were victims who were mishandled and what the Risk Management Team does just doesn't do the topic justice. For example, multiple victims are told to either give up or get over it in a manner that triggers their fight or flight response. There's an eating disorder victim who is basically told that it's all in her head and it's her fault she's struggling because no one thinks badly of her at all. Then they don't even lead her to getting proper help. Instead they have her meet someone with a positive view of their body image. Another example is how there are victims who are experiencing grief through their loved ones dying and the drama's solution is to have them meet their dead loved one. Again, they do not lead the victim to proper help like therapy and give them an unrealistic solution. Finally, this drama felt like it wanted to be more in the vigilante justice genre.

As I mentioned before, this drama has decent VFX. It also has a decent amount of action. The story often involves the main characters executing some form of vigilante justice on behalf of the victims. There are also flashbacks of war and fight sequences. However, what does all this action and have to do with suicide prevention? Maybe instead of these vigilante scenes, they could have shot scenes of the victims going through therapy and update on their healing before moving onto the next victim.

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Accurate and Life Saving

Having read a good portion of the webtoon (up to ep. 143) I was thrilled with how accurate the characters are in their looks and personalities and that specific cases/stories from the webtoon were represented almost verbatim. The acting is over the top as intended considering its webtoon origin.

Many different issues were addressed that are high risk situations that often lead to suicide and I believe it was all very eye opening and helpful to see who may need help. Mental health is still a touchy issue in South Korea but they're starting to break barriers by addressing suicide as a real and preventable issue.

I intend to keep the things I learned from this drama in my mind in order to be on the look out for people who may need someone to simply talk to them and let them know there is someone who sees them and notices that they are having a hard time.

I highly highly recommend this drama even though it's not finished yet because I know how important these issues are and more people need to hear the messages they're sending. Please don't bea part of silencing these voices and be aware. Someone near and dear to you may be struggling and you have the power to do something before it's too late.

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Great Drama that touches on so many societal issues

One of the best kdramas ever. Its a drama that heals a lot of wounded people. Now I know there is a controversy with BTS. I respect BTS as a group. I ADMIRE THEM for their ability of conquering the world. However, i don't condone what some ARMYs are doing. Some are even going so far as to put death threats on the casts, who are innocent in this matter. Pls take the issue up with MBC instead of sabotaging a good drama or blaming the casts! I implore you to use your morals and senses. Don't blindly believe what you have read in the articles or shares. MBC has already apologised over the unintended error. So pls don't do this to a drama that aims to bring healing.

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Good drama that showcases alot of themes of discussion. Some parts are uncomfortable but i believe the story handles them beautifully and highlights how people suffer. That we as humans shiuld be more conscious of our actions and how we affect others. And how to help others when they need help. And when we ourselves need help, to not bottle it or hide it. Get assistance and to really believe in ourselves and that negative people dont have a place in our lives. The actors and actresses are very wonderful, kim heeson protrays her character excellently. Rowoon is so charming in this drama, i feel i see a new side to his acting and i find it quite endearing. Lee soohyuk is playing his character well protraying someone intimidating and charismatic. The lighthearted humor in the show is most welcome during the difficult that are dealt woth in the show. I liked how they adddressed various amounts of pain, pain that some might considered silly but it is a pain to someone none the less and hurts them alot.

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Action Drama that Got Confused of Its Message

LIKES:
The concept or storyline is good for a drama.
Great casting throughout the show, but the main leads did fantastic in their acting roles.
The Risk Management team threesome had great chemistry (although others didn’t think so as pervious reviews will show).
Every episode was interesting, and gave a little bit of insight into peoples hardships and how to overcome that darkness; talking to someone is sometimes all that you need.
The music was good, although nothing really stood out.
The FX was well done.
The merging of past lives/dreams/nightmares with present and the current reality was done in a way that it wasn’t confusing.
Scenery and for the most part wardrobe were perfect.
Loved Ryeon’s outfits, some of Ryung-gu’s outfits were a bit crazy.
The message: Second chances are what humanity is all about, because everyone can make mistakes.
I loved how they did Episode 6
Satisfactory handling of dark/heavy topics of suicide, murder, death, etc.
Good amount of drama and excitement due to the Grim Reapers.
The colour pallet and variance between past, dreams and present was well done.
I liked that they showed a little bit of punishment for the evil doers, but they could’ve done more.

DISLIKES:
Their cases/missions all got summed up easily and suicide is part of depression and can happen again. That aspect wasn’t shown. I also expected that a show about suicide would have a message at the end about online help or an information hotline to contact.
Sometimes the attempt at humour failed, but other times it was needed due to the heavy content.
The last 5 episodes seemed to have had little budget for the FX.
The ending was rushed and it was an okay summarization of the main leads, but could’ve been written way better.
Too much time spent developing the past for Kim See Sun’s character Ryeon/Ryun. It definitely could’ve cut some of the scenes and still be effective.
The romantic aspect of the drama failed, only succeeded as an explanation to the connections between Reapers, nothing more. Even the end or concluding part was almost boring, less impactful than it should’ve been. Not even the red thread concept helped.
Seemed very similar to the formula used in Taxi Driver.
I thought they would highlight the fact that when we choose to die, we throw away life too easily, but if the choice is taken from us (death by war, illness, etc.) then we fight hard to keep living. The Jade boss lady kept repeating how it’s the individuals choice, yet that constantly was contradicted. The writer seemed to be confused on what their message was.


OVERALL:
I watched it all and couldn’t wait for the next episode. Certain parts I would watch again, but maybe not the whole drama. It’s a decent action drama, with a dose of fantasy. I would recommend it to others.

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Well-Intentioned but Flawed in Execution

In a fantasy reimagining of South Korea, the Underworld (Jumadeung) exists and operates as a corporation. Fearful of the country's alarmingly high suicide rate, a trio of Grim Reapers is tasked with saving suicidal people. Narrated in an episodic case-of-the-week format, the drama covers a wide range of (triggering) topics including bullying, unemployment, eating disorder, loss of loved ones, rape and victim blaming. Thematically dark and tragic, the show tugs at our heartstrings in ways that only kdramas can. No case is too trivial for our trio as they demonstrate repeatedly how empathy can help  individuals survive their darkest moments. But therein lies the show's biggest flaw. For a show that focuses on suicide prevention, its quite surprising that it never discusses mental health or therapy. Not a single character is shown to be in therapy.  All the suicidal characters are magically 'cured' by words of empathy and they go back to their normal lives without any lingering trauma. Furthermore, many of the cases are clearly symptoms of deeper societal rot and the show fails to acknowledge the role of oppressive systems in driving individuals to commit suicide. As a result, many of the cases lack nuance and feel heavy-handed. 


That being said, what I loved most about the show was our trio of grim reapers. The no-nonsense Koo Ryeon, the deadpan Ryung Gu and the rookie Jun Woong had great chemistry with each other and their hilarious interactions provided for the much needed comic relief.  Moreover, the drama looked gorgeous and the world building was quite immersive. Also I loved the ending scene. I absolutely love it when stories come full circle. 

I have mixed feelings about this drama. On one hand, it is well intentioned and well acted but at the end, the drama fails to  do justice to its themes. Here's a message for Jumadeung: If you really want to prevent suicide, the least you can do is invest in affordable mental health care and work to remove prejudices around mental illness and trauma.

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keep the tissues near

So this drama... its a funny one. I cannot say I enjoyed it . It did not make me feel good or lightened my mood, this was not light entertainment. It was hard to watch and some of the episodes total tearjerkers but nonetheless I had to keep watching . The theme is suicide and I think if you decide to watch it you need to go in prepared. This is not a fluffy romance drama, this is heavy and real and at times super sad. The trailers did not really give the right impression of what this drama is about dont be fooled.

However I would recommend people to watch it. My main take after the 16 episodes - I am so glad I was born not too long ago and in a peaceful European country were women `s rights are well established and that has a good social care system! My god how hard it must be to live in Korea in the past and even now it seems to be a real struggle. Especially if you are a woman or old or poor.
The drama shows lots stories of (mainly) women in different times and every time the poor women are treated so badly it breaks your heart . And the most disturbing thing is that they were treated so badly by their own people and even worse - other women. Rape and torture in wars by enemy forces seem to always have been part of warfare but what happens after women went through all that was the most shocking to me. And these are not storys they made up that story about the `Comfort Woman` (I had to search that up straight away) is real and really.. not that long ago. I cried so much, its all so unfair and horrible.

But back to the rest of the drama, so the acting I thought was excellent and I did like Rowoons character, a guy with heart of gold, empathetic, passionate, guileless and forever optimistic. His character brought that lightness that was needed otherwise this would have been too dark and depressing for me. I think he did a great job and I can see why he would act this sort of character after that Period drama he did before (cant remember the name). So different the characters, kudos to him just for that! The female Grim Reaper was great, she is just beautiful and can express so much just with her eyes. I was not so keen on the other two male Grim Reapers/main characters. It was not the acting I think it was just that I didnt like their characters that much.

I did like how they used the 3 main characters to tell some of the backstories and mixed it up with `new cases`from the present. There were some great sentiments and some memorable lines. I did not like the phyiscal violence by the reapers though. I mean really, do they have to beat up people all the time to get results? Beating and slapping people also seem to be quite a normal thing in Korea (seen that in many dramas) and it always sits really wrong with me.

So thats it. I seldom spend so much time and effort on a review so yes, this drama did affect me a lot. I will not watch it again but it will stay with me for a while.

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Undeserved low viewership

The best drama of 2022 so far. Each episode discusses a very sensitive topic - sexual abuse, bullying, eating disorders, PTSD et cetera. The viewer might be able to see themselves in one or more episodes. The cast did an excellent job portraying their characters and we did see some good character development. Through the cases the grim reapers solve, you will be able to get to know the reapers little by little.

In my personal opinion, as much as I love this drama, there were moments that did not make that much sense and moments I would like to address. The controversial suicidal dog episode (episode 9) wasn't as bad as other reviewers make it. It just showed that animals have feelings too. I do admit that the whole suicide act might be a little over the top but the message it conveys (as said before, that animals do have feelings too) was acceptable. However, I have to call out episode 7 which tackled the topic of anorexia/ED. The whole episode didn't really progress much and the ending wasn't satisfying. EDs are very serious mental illnesses and only a five-minute talk won't miraculously solve it.

Towards the end of the show, my satisfaction started declining as it felt that the main focus shifted to the relationship between Ryeon and Joong Gil. It took 2 episodes of a 16-episode drama to show the whole backstory of grim reaper Ryung Gu and that was it. Jun Woong was said to be the main focus of the show but his character development was non-existent. Rowoon's portrayal of Jun Woong was phenomenal yet the character didn't develop at all and stayed the same/similar from the first episode to the last. Meanwhile, Ryeon's character development from cold and distant to an absolutely heartbroken yet caring and kind woman was astounding.

Kim Hee Sun definitely stole the show with her portrayal of Ryeon. Lee Soo Hyuk's character Park Joong Gil was a scene-stealer. Hee Sun was a show-stealer.

Overall, the drama was excellent. The ending was rushed in terms of Ryeon's and Joong Gil's relationship. You could predict some aspects of it while watching the whole show but the ending was completely off. What I didn't like about it was Ryeon's behavior towards Joong Gil. She was in mental pain the whole show yet, in the end, she didn't even care about her husband staying in hell? The whole show kept on slowly improving yet the ending caused my overall rating to go down by one whole star.

Anyway, I still highly recommend it but be cautious about its sensitive topics.

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An absolute consistent gut-wrenching series!

It's been a while since a series made me bawl my eyes and cry like a little baby. In each episode, I cried tears after tears (I did not even know I could cry that much). Each story was beautifully written and told that I find myself easily lost in the series. As a person who was also in a dark place, this series was like a big warm hug to me. I was comforted and consoled by the characters. It even felt like they were talking to me directly. There was no dull moment in this series and despite its heavy themes, the production really outdid themselves to make it 'light' yet serious at the same time. Not once did they make fun of the situation and made it feel like such a small issue, and I respect them for that.

Each major plot was neatly wrapped up and the series remained consistent all throughout its run. The ending did not feel rushed nor cheap, in fact, it even felt earned and leaves you satisfied. Just want to commend all of the actors and actresses who participated in this series. They gave the series the justice that it deserves! Everyone acted so brilliantly that having empathy with the characters that they play is not an issue.

From start to finish, this series has remained consistently good and I really want to praise them for it.

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Absolutely Brillant

The story address' loss in a very human way alongside not sugarcoating suicide and also not romantizing it. We experience the feelings of guilt and growth.

Episode 9 dives deep into animal loss which hits a common point about how animals will run away if theyre sick or dying to not get anyone else sick or to make their family not feel as sad.

Episode 6 we experience a soliders final day; and the guild and the past he brought along with him.

We also see that suicide can be acted by anyone if your mind gets to that point, and that there are resources.

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Angsty Fantasy

Tomorrow is what I’d define as all bark and no bite. This isn’t to say it was bad. I liked a lot of the messages and I thought it was very positive to see a Korean drama addressing a lot of different issues like suicide, depression and anorexia. ( Especially for those who have known these issues directly or indirectly.)

I also have a lot of positive things to say about the cast. Rowoon has always been of a mixed bag actor for me but he really surpassed all my expectations as the ML. I didn’t really know the main actress Kim Hee Sun from other projects but her acting was also fairly decent here as the main female alongside the other unfamiliar face Yun Ji On who delivered a good performance.

Maybe my big problem came from the narrative building. There were a lot of issues tackled but the plot was messy. One moment we had a big issue seemingly built for the main lead but they rarely took it further after the first episode and entirely forgot about it until the ending. The character arcs were also messy. I like how we got insights into their backstories like with the female lead but it rarely felt connected or helping to bring about a big sense of impending doom or obstacles for the main leads.

The filming was pretty and all but it didn’t always make sense with helping to bring to life the world of the characters. I understand that while the webcomic is a lot more straightforward in its art style and approach, the screenplay could’ve probably taken a leaf from that and focused on better building of the setting and characters early on.

Overall I think Tomorrow is a good fantasy with a good cast and a lot of drama fans will probably be fascinated with LSH’s appearance ( only supporting). My big problem came from the writing and I think a lot of watchers have shared their own issues here with it. I’d say give it a go but be prepared for some messy writing moments here and there.

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