Just Skip Episode 1
During WW2, the Nazi and the Japanese were well known for conducting Human experiments.While we have had many Hollywood movies regarding the Nazis experiment, the cruel Japanese human experiments and its unit were much more secretive.
Regardless, this show is basically a What if the Japanese had succeeded in creating monsters.
Besides this, not more of the cruelties and war crimes were shown or mentioned, showing a rather tame and orderly Japanese occupation when this was not the reality of the occupation.
The show is packed with action if you skip episode 1, which really has no purpose besides setting the background of the world and the characters purposes for taking action.
Typical of an action drama, the plot is nothing to write home about but the action scenes are well worth your time
If you skip episode 1, you're in a really good action drama.
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The result of a powerful plot and amazing acting
It took a while for this drama to be released and I must admit, it was worth the wait. If I had to describe this drama in three words, I would use outstanding, thrilling and action-packed.Set in the joseon era(1945), this drama is a moving and captivating portrayal of survival amidst Japanese invasion. It always focuses on a girl's quest (Yun Chae Ok) to find her mother and she joins forces with the owner of a pawn shop, Jang Tae Sang.
The storyline is unique as compared to other dramas about zombies or creatures. It is a level up. Seven episodes in and it's been nothing but thrilling. It is imaginative, fascinating and keeps you engaged with powerful scenes. Every single episode was well-delivered.
The emotional aspect of the drama was greatly felt when Chae Ok came to face to face with her mother and had to come to terms with the fact that she was no longer human but a monstrous creature. It was sad and moving.
The costumes, effects, cinematography and visuals was top-notch and truly impressive .
A job well done to the entire cast especially the main leads Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee. They did amazingly well in bringing diverse emotions and acts to life. It was pure naturalism which it was riverting and enthralling.
This is a solid 10/10 for me and I think it deserves more recognition. It's a must watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
very nice
it is a beautiful series, a bit like " song of the bandits". the casting is absolutely awesome there is so many good actors even the supporting cast. and the acting is compelling.special effects are good, the pace is ok.
only thing I don't like is the FL character... stupid character, not nice , sour-tempered.
I'll update the review after the last release in January.
it is tough to watch sometimes because the Japanese occupation was very horrible and they want to show it.
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THE CAST IS LIT ?
I don't usually watch thriller and crime genre but then comes through cast the PARK SEO JUN and HAN SOO HEE so definitely i atleast have to trg tbr 1st ep out. To my very surprise the ep got me hooked and i finished the 1st part.it's breathtaking and fabulous. You don't see these kind of stories about Korean history and politics so that might be an ich for some of you but overall I'm impressed but the cinematography and the action that this drama present
Han soo hee the girl is on fire !! No seriously. She's one of the only FL out there who's not afraid of trying diff genre. From a sweet soft girl of nevertheless to this drama. she's drop dead gorgeous and she continues being the most amazing out there.
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Hollywood Quality Series
This series is amazing! Coming from a North American Kdrama addict point of view, this series is Hollywood movie quality. The effects, casting, and delivery is top notch. It really shows how much Netflix put into this series. The monster effects looks extremely believable and realistic. It's not Sweet Home quality monster (which still looked a bit webtoon), G. Creature literally looks like an experimental horror that could crawl out of the television. The make up effects looked realistic. By episode seven, all the bruises, cuts, blood, and even dirt literally looked totally realistic. Yoon Chae Ok's black eye even looked swollen. Her facial structure and features almost didn't look recognizable. It was so realistic looking. The parasite looked real in the water, and crawling under the skin. I loved the slow motion effects. The transitions seemed smooth and flawless. I loved the first encounter face off between Yoon and Jang, when her hair dramatically swirls around her face as her cap is knocked off her head. So beautiful. The cherry blossoms are so beautiful too throughout the series. The dated clothes, the streets, props, and even the hospital. Extremely well done. Allot of the filming angles even looked very artistic and beautiful. The cliff hanger where they left it at the end of Part 1 was the best place too. I'm glad I only have to wait a week before Part 2 is released.Was this review helpful to you?
Park seo joon and han so hee
It's a very enjoyable drama, I really had fun watching all 7 episodes... Not a single episode was boring. The start was enjoyable too, with the beautiful streets and historic places of Geosang. It portrayed a world outside of the film industry just like I wanted to see in Korea. My mom is very strict, but seeing a mother's love here melted my heart. Whatever happens, a mother will always remain a mother, even if she becomes a bit crazy, she never forgets her children. I don't understand why this drama received such views, but it's a very interesting and enjoyable action-packed drama. I had a lot of fun watching it.Was this review helpful to you?
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Amazing drama!!
I have watched the episodes updated so far and i am really excited to watch the rest. This drama is really great. Some of the elements remind me of sweet home, which I enjoyed a lot! If you’re considering watching it then, Watch it!!!The cast was really good and acting was fabulous. I was surprised when even my father said the acting was good(which he rarely says). Now I still have to wait until January 5th for the next episodes.
Park Seo-joon, Han So-hee, Wi Ha-joon and etc were so good.
Spoiler
The moment when the mother that transformed into a monster recognized her daughter i cried so much. It was so touching even though it was just a made up story.
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Gyeongseong cringer
So, what do you expect going into this title?Do you expect a huge, godzilla like monster with giant tentacles capable of leveling Seoul...ah, my bad, Gyeongseong....to the ground?
Too bad, you won't get that. The creature is maybe 3 meter tall humanoid with retractable tentacles, it looks like a naked gorilla from afar and acts about the same.
Do you expect lotsa action scenes? You got quite a lot in the middle, but they are constantly broken up by long ass dialogs (even in the middle of shootout), over and over again. Made me scream in frustration at certain point. Guess talking is free action where one has this level of plot armor tho....
Oh yes, plot armor. Our heroes defeating Japanese soldiers dozens on 1 in melee. Literally dodging bullets. Recovering from almost every injury like it's nothing and one person even came back from the dead. There is no tension because you know they are gonna be fine. There is no point to waste viewers time with dozens of minutes of lengthy goodbyes because they will be back later during the same episode.
Do you expect japanese being total villains and a lot of broken japanese like in most historical k-dramas of the period? Do you expect to be told and shown that japanese have inferiority complex to koreans and everything they have is thanks to joseon? You're gonna get a lot of that!
Do you expect FL and ML to fall in love? You will have that too. But it's one of the most watered down romances I've seen. There is like no chemistry. The romance scenes in the middle of urgent events kill all sense of urgency. And FL can't act, her reaction to everything is staring with her mouth slightly open.
Do you expect, netflix production and all, a nonsensical open ending that maybe leaves place for s2 if the title gets popular enough? Granted, you'll have that!
So depending on what you like and what are your expectations, you can either love or hate this title. For me it's the latter, I had to force myself to finish, the final episodes were especially atrocious with deus ex machina and unnecessary scenes to pad the time. So, 4.5/10 for fairly good camera work, acting and occasional good plot points that were drowned in a sea of mediocrity and time wasting.
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This drama is highly entertaining
The story is intriguing and they combine action, horror and romance genres to make this a nice thriller. I think I enjoyed it more than the other stuff I'm watching right now. The concept of this show is so unique and I wish more kDramas did this. I really liked the set-up of the plot but I think the writing became a bit predictable towards the end. I also wish they upped the ante and made this show even creepier. But otherwise, the action scenes kept me on edge and curious, and I was never bored. Also I loved the casting for this show and all the actors did a great job (not just the leads but also the supporting actors). I became invested in the side characters' storylines and wanted everyone to make it home safely. Overall, the highlight of this show was Park Seo Joon's character Jang Tae Sang, who was really charming and affable. He was the emotional tether of this show who the audience felt connected to and I don't think I would've kept watching this show if it weren't for him.Was this review helpful to you?
Quality drama with great cast. Thrilling and entertaining., worth the watch.
I was really looking forward to this drama and I was not disappointed.CGI & Effects, sceneries, sets costumes, etc..in this drama were made with quality.
I usually don't enjoy watching this period dramas about war because it is very depressing and heartbreaking to see the capacity of the brutality and cruelty of men (the japanese really caused havoc and irreparable damage to Korea).
But in this case and although there's a few very real and powerful scenes where emotions take over, thanks to the supernatural elements of the beasts and the very unique and quirky personality of Park Seo Joon's character and his romantic storyline, the darkness is somehow compensated and it works wonders.
It has been a very long time since we watched Park Seo Joon in a drama, and I missed him. I truly enjoy his acting. He has the capability of taking this character ( Jang Tae Sang) and transform, he showed us an infatuated man with all his awkwardness and clumsiness but also a man tired and in agony for what life has put him through, and you can feel all his pain, anger, frustration and then determination to keep fighting to keep surviving hell.
Han Soo Hee was fantastic too, I am used to her kicking ass with her roles and this wasn't less. She had great chemistry with Park Seo Joon and the dramatic scenes were very painful to watch. Truly amazing actress.
Rest of the cast was remarkable and I cant wait to see the second part of this. Specially Wi Ha Joon, which had a small role so far but I am anticipating he will play a much bigger part in the upcoming episodes.
Overall, amazing drama, very entertaining and well made. Go watch it!
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Incredible Acting
Story:I started after seeing the critics reviews. Mostly positive though audience review was poor. Once I began, it felt like this was labeled as a wrong genre "creature". This should have been titled Gyeongseong 1945 or something. Because the story is character driven and I must say Park Seo Joon delivered a tremendous performance in this one. Han So Hee and so does the rest of them did their part neatly. Not high-octane was the only reason people thumbed down I guess. But if you are looking for a character driven, heavily colorful, neatly oriented and glimpse of a creature hunting down soldiers and people apart, this is a must-watch. If you want to watch something that would push your adrenaline, I would suggest going somewhere else.
Acting:
Best TV series of 2023 in terms of acting. Park Seo Joon nailed the role again. Jang Tae Sang is a role as complex as it gets and perfectly embodied by Seo Joon. Colorful, historical and vulnerable Joseon in 1945 with experimental labs and monsters is like a super-combo for the watchers. Not high-octane but a brilliantly character driven story from all angles. Each actor neatly did their part. Han So Hee at the ending episodes killed it. The emotional scenes were perfectly depicted by her. It's a powerful combination with two of the brightest stars of South Korea along with other powerhouse actors. The trapped hospital and the monster did make my heart beat faster. There were enough scenes to keep the storyline fresh. Great Directing, Great Acting and great scenes. Though, it isn't not high-octane with the creature only in limited scenes, it still managed to thrill me. It isn't a creature drama rather a character driven Joseon in 1945.
Direction:
The direction may seem off at first but slowly it became poised in a singular tone. The acting of Park Seo Joon keeps the drama alive till the very end. A fresh, new and charismatic look along with the new language from Joseon Era seemed to have met perfectly by the cast. 6.8 doesn't seem to do justice to the series considering the level of effort that was put into it. I would suggest anyone who is looking for a character driven story with minimum thrills to watch the series. If you are looking for only monsters and high-octane thrills, this will be disliked by you and as I can say from the rating, immensely disliked. But critics reviews were mostly positive since they are unbiased and don't have hatred in their heart. And they were also not expecting only monsters in a series. Most critics labelled it as a 'hit' rather than miss. So, watch for yourself.
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Monsterfest turning into snorefest
Expensive sets and costumes, but it comes with an absolutely cringeworthy plot that fails to propel into something that was intended to be bigger. The main monster has a good backstory to start with, but the visual design of the monster is bland and not to even say it's anywhere near intimidating. For the worst part there's just something that doesn't work in its script, there's no cohesion in its storyline and pacing is very dull. Acting performances is actually great though but they're not enough to save this monsterfest into becoming a snorefest.Was this review helpful to you?
