Miraculous Brothers (2023)

My rating of this drama is me being generous.

It took me a little over two months to actually finish this!! It was so drawn out that I forgot that I was still watching one episode. There were times when I thought I had finished 3 or 4 episodes but I was still on the same episode I had stopped watching.

For me, by the 5th episode if is doesn't grab me I will drop it but I've hit another Korean drama slump. I was hoping to be able to have about 4 or 5 dramas under my belt but alas, this was the only one and I don't have any other Korean dramas to watch.

There were no character development in any of the actors. The mood stayed the same. The female cop was my least favorite. She was annoying from beginning to the end. The things she was doing should've gotten her fired but they didn't.

To me, there was no reason why the second male lead should've had powers. You won't learn how he came into his powers until the 15th episode and it's a really really weak excuse.

You then have the main male lead experience a weird pheonmenon but it wasn't capitalized. It was 'oh my hands are vibrating...oh well,..' and that was it. To add to that, when the second male lead exhibited his skills around the best friend and the female cop they were non-chalant about it.

The revenge factor was sloppy. I thought the situation of coming from the past and staying in the future instead of going back to the past was going to get covered...It didn't.

There were a lot of loose ends that had no closure. This is the type of drama that I hate and I have run into a few dramas like this which is why I'm still in that friggin' Korean drama slump.

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Well-made thriller and underrated

A struggling writer (Jung Woo) deep in debt encounters a mysterious boy (Baek Hyun Sung) who has lost all his memories, but has a strange ability to physically feel the despair of others. His presence provokes a hint to an unsolved murder, leading them to investigate the case and form an unlikely bond beyond the present time.

The story set up is intriguing and fresh. An aspiring writer that ends up being tangled in a murder mystery, due to the story in his debut novel which threatens his career as well. The time travel and murder mystery were done well, better than most dramas with these tropes I watched since 2023. The fantasy element was fun and emotional. Bae Hyun Sung showed very good acting as the miracle boy, especially when he’s deep in trance under his superpower. There is a plot hole, but it didn’t bother me as much when it ends.

The male lead himself is goofy and selfish, but his story is fun because I was anticipating the consequences from his actions. What stands out to me was his bond with Baek Hyun Sung, Oh Man Seok’s characters and his hate-bromance hijinks with his boss. Shout-out to Lee Ki Woo, his cocky boss portrayal was so fun. Another memorable point was the OST History and Mystery, although imo it fits best for historical dramas. If you like time-travel and thriller genre, give this one a try!

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Slow but consistent

For an action drama, its on the slow side but thats also what makes it different imo - its slow but builds up nicely. The pacing is definitely refreshing as the story slowly unfolds.

The implementation of superpowers is on the subtle but visually interesting side as it isn’t utilized for the entire drama while also being present where its needed.

One of the aspects I really enjoyed is the consistent unfolding of the main plot and how each cases and characters are connected to each other and the clear resolves.

I did find some superpower scenes to be hilarious (even when its not supposed to be) but it isn’t a negative part

Overall a solid drama! Ending was done nicely

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More of a Character Study Than Anything Else

I should mention that this is one of my favorite genres. For lack of a name I'll just call it Suspense With A Supernatural Twist. I watch every one of these that I can get my hands on and they almost always delight me. Which is to say I am a little biased.

The suspense and mystery elements of this drama are not anything too unique, which is absolutely not an issue. It was done well enough that it felt fresh.
The supernatural twist, the monkey wrench in the villains' plans and the heroes lives, was also not terribly unique. But the way the characters moved through the story and interacted with the unbelievable was what really made this drama shine.

However, the really golden arc of this story started, in my opinion, a little late. When the main characters, whose interactions and fully-dimensioned identities were already so wonderful on their own, finally started to gel as a cohesive cast we were already well over the halfway point. What followed was some of the most exceptional character-driven storytelling I've seen in a while, I just wish the writers had chosen to get us there sooner. This drama would have worked better with another four episodes. As it is the last episode, while very satisfying, did feel rushed and also felt like several large explanatory pieces has been cut out for economy.
So much time was spent with our cast getting their bearings in a really confused and disjointed situation that we actually didn't get that long to really break down the characters besides the two main "brothers." I would have really liked to get as deep into the mind of Oh Man Suk's character, for example. He was fascinating and delicately written but ended as still almost a stranger.

Among the points I'd like to gush about: Jung Woo as Yook Dong Joo. What a performance. This character was one of those types of people who could have easily been very unlikable even if the writers had attempted to write him as likable. Yet both Jung Woo's interpretation and the meticulously written character development made him not just likable but admirable. He was pleasant to watch and behaved constantly in a way that stunned me. One of those really rare people with genuinely unpretentious integrity. I have a deep appreciation for characters who take responsibility for their actions. This is something you see done often and very deliberately in Korean and Chinese television and I love it. But the nuanced care that was taken in the way Yook Dong Joo owned his actions and their consequences was really impressive to watch. It is not easy to make a character who made the choices Dong Joo made genuinely likeable, but they did it. Moreover, his development in this regard was woven into the development of the plot. That was done really well and for that reason I understand why they let it take so long. And why I think this drama was too short. A few more episodes would have made it one of my favorites.

Examining the painful realities of their situation was one the things this story did really well. And again, they spent a lot of time on it. So much so that I felt they were hurried in the end to get the actual plot wrapped up. A lot of details were explored that are often overlooked in plots like this. I appreciated and enjoyed every minute of it. Every actor really did a great job.

As it is, I highly recommend this drama. You might find some parts of the first half a little frustrating, but the second half will more than make up for it.

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Unusual murder mystery

I really liked this. Bit weird but trust the characters and elevate your imagination. I liked all the actors especially Bae Hyeon Seong who I think for his age is amazing. Jung Woo is just as good even though not as dishy. Nearly everyone in the police force was unlovable but I realised that that was intentional and perhaps why there were so few women there. There is some violence which I gritted my teeth through but it probably comes with the genre. So I binge watched over a few days and managed to keep up with the names whizzing through on the subtitles. I thought 16 episodes was just right and the pace suited me fine. 100% recommend.

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Great story, poor script and acting

Love the storyline, really intriguing, have a lot of not so trivial plot twists. So far didn't like only the characters or play of actors
Jung Woo and Park Yoo Rim. They really seems unpleasant or their characters should look like that. Not always catch the meaning of various look\ways\etc of their act. Not quite figure out that yet but frustrated enough to write first review in MDL.
I'm more familiar with an actor Oh Man Suk and he is very ..logical so far. Ahn Nae Sang is always stealing the scene)
Looking forward to find out how the powers are works and how it all started in future episodes)
So good story but so bad scripts + actor acting.. very often seems not logical, poor. In one word: cheap
Nevertheless, I watch it in one breath and very like it!

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First of all, I had a huge interest in the summary and the crime and power theme of this story.

The first episodes were really very interesting, I would say up to the fourth one. After that, the interest in the powers diminishes significantly, and the plot becomes so simple that everything is revealed in very few episodes. Around episodes 12 to 16, there is a resurgence of interest, but that means from episode 5 to 11, we are bored. Extremely bored... The drama could have been condensed into 10 to 12 episodes.

Overall, the story is very simplistic. The actors are good in their roles, but their ages do not match the ages they should have, or barely do. This was particularly striking when I saw the writer being almost the same age as Kai, when he should be in his thirties...

Apart from that, the actors were good. Special mention to Kai, the editor, the writer, Kang San, the police chief, and the writer's friend.

I would question the performance and character of the mother, as well as the policewoman, who seemed very bland to me.

Additionally, there was no romance. This usually pleases me, but for once, I really thought Kang San, who seemed very much in love with his friend, would overcome the age difference... but no. A little disappointing.

The story was good, the plot too, but everything was simple. This is a shame. The powers were not exploited enough, which could have added a real plus.

I hesitated for a long time between 6/10 and 7/10, but I'll give it a 6.
7/10 because, for me, it's the deserved rating.

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