HIRAI MOMO
This review may contain spoilers
Expectations were high, but disappointments are higher
*Disclaimer: These are just just my opinions, and if I say anything that seem like I'm hating, I'm only saying it
from my objective point of view.
I think Zombieverse season 1 was a success, and the staff should've known what the strengths of season 1 are. But instead of doing that, they said fuck all and made the show into complete bullshitry. The first thing they should have done is create a solid and intriguing storyline for this sequel. Season 1's storyline was progressive, realistic and above all felt "natural" -- remember this word as it becomes a recurring thing in this sequel.
Throughout season 1 the cast were moving forward in a direction that made sense in order to escape the zombies and survive. In season 2 we are introduced to a handful of new cast and how they meet the original cast; ultimately sharing a goal of helping humanity cure the undead. But in that quest of saving humanity, the staff somehow write a storyline that feels like nonsense for the most part.
```
I'll discuss points throughout season 2 in this section:
- The introduction to the sequel was good, new cast members were introduced as evacuees in Jeju Island and face problems because the facility has been infiltrated with zombies.
- Dindin and Tsuki should've not been reintroduced in this point of the story. They should've been reintroduced later on when they were trying to leave Jeju. Imagine them being the presence that could've saved the evacuees as they could've been reintroduced on the boat that they boarded last season -- this creates a sense of continuity from the previous season. It could've been a delightful surprise to the viewers and would have been more impactful than having them be part of the initial evacuees.
- The challenges from the Jeju facility were decent. It's essentially a tutorial for the new cast and I don't mind that.
- But it would've been nicer if Dex and Lee Si Young showed up later in the facility. After the tutorial phase, the new cast should've faced a challenge that was practically impossible to complete, that's when Dex and Lee Si Young should have been reintroduced -- in a dramatic way.
- After being saved by Dex and Lee Si Young, they still gather at their hideout. After that, the staff should've made a boat escape instead of a helicopter ride. The team would make a critical mistake in trying to find the rescue boat but then Dindin and Tsuki arrive in their fish boat coincidentally to save the remaining survivors.
- After this the cast go to Yangyang, and this is where all fucks are thrown out the window. I don't mind them introducing special zombies that inherit their attitude before becoming undead. But the main problem here is how the staff essentially created games that required a survivor the be sacrificed. The natural and somewhat realistic aspect of the show ended quite literally. Things felt forced and the show completely turned for the worse.
```
Fixing things from this point on would prove to be harder compared to the start. So I'll talk about things that they did wrong or what could've they done instead.
- Forced challenges or games: this was the worst, why create challenges that felt entirely like games. How can the viewers get immersed in the show if the show itself is making it look like things are fake. Eliminations felt unnatural unlike season 1 where survivors who died were killed due to their actual circumstances.
- they didn't utilize and capitalize on the strengths of season 1: everyone knew that at the end of season 1 the main characters were Dex and and Lee Si Young. They displayed heroic feats and amazing leadership in season 1, but in season 2, Dex, despite trying his best, took a backseat wherein his action scenes were few and far in between -- they should've purposefully created scenes that would make him feel more important just like in the prequel. Lee Si Young was relegated as Hong Chul's babysitter -- as the "badass woman" why wouldn't they make her more involved. She was still leading a lot, but not as much as the sequel. The comedic part of season 1 was also a strong point but mainly due to the constant bickering some of the cast had with each other. But in season 2, it felt like the cast that were asked to bicker with each other was trying to do too much and the balance was way off. Actually, the balance of comedy in the whole show was off; this show has turned into a complete clown fiesta.
Finally I'll just talk about the cast:
From the original cast:
- Dex and Lee Si Young did good but the spotlight should've been more on them.
- Dindin did quite well
- Tsuki and Patricia did good but it made no sense that they were eliminated super early for bs reasons.
- Hong Chul - he was supposed to be one of the best, but the things the staff asked him to do were nonsense. even his damn "death" was stupid.
From the new cast:
- Chef Rush did good, I think it's only right that he was eliminated early. Though I think the challenge they prepared for him as a zombie was bs.
Defconn - honestly, he was ruining the cast team dynamic for me. He wasn't needed in the show.
Taeyeon - I liked her, a character needing extra care is always needed in these kind of shows.
Code Kunst - He was reliable and I liked him. But I feel like he was lacking personality in this show.
Se Ho - He was a gread addition to the cast. He provided great comedic scenes but he desperately needed a comedic partner that could keep up with him.
Sungjae - he was the best out of the new members. he was reliable and funny. It made no sense that they killed him off.
Eunbi - I'm a fan of Eunbi but she totally ruined it for me. Her acting sucked and throughout the show she didn't feel immersed. The staff probably wanted to get Dex and Eunbi chemistry in the show, but nothing of that type happened. Her character honestly felt unnecessary in the show.
People they could've gotten instead:
Hong Jin Kyung - very funny and I could see the chemistry between her and Se Ho
Yang Se Chan/ Jeong Jun Ha - both are funny and would change the dynamics a lot. this was a hard choice because Hong Chul in season 1 was perfect for this role.
Key - having him would make Taeyeon more active. He also reacts quite well.
The final lineup:
- Dex: leader, main character
- Lee Si Young: leader, main character
- Dindin: experienced survivor maybe plotting betrayal
- Tsuki: little sister
- Patricia: little sister
- Hong Chul: funny semi-antagonist
- Se Ho: comedy veteran
- Sungjae: clumsy, funny, but also reliable
- Taeyeon: damsel in distress
- Key: high maintenance character
- Hong Jin Kyung: comedy veteran, Park Na Rae replacement
- Yang Se Chan/ Jeong Jun Ha: comedy veteran, always arguing and maybe plotting betrayal
- Code Kunst: unexpectedly reliable
- Chef Rush: wild card
from my objective point of view.
I think Zombieverse season 1 was a success, and the staff should've known what the strengths of season 1 are. But instead of doing that, they said fuck all and made the show into complete bullshitry. The first thing they should have done is create a solid and intriguing storyline for this sequel. Season 1's storyline was progressive, realistic and above all felt "natural" -- remember this word as it becomes a recurring thing in this sequel.
Throughout season 1 the cast were moving forward in a direction that made sense in order to escape the zombies and survive. In season 2 we are introduced to a handful of new cast and how they meet the original cast; ultimately sharing a goal of helping humanity cure the undead. But in that quest of saving humanity, the staff somehow write a storyline that feels like nonsense for the most part.
```
I'll discuss points throughout season 2 in this section:
- The introduction to the sequel was good, new cast members were introduced as evacuees in Jeju Island and face problems because the facility has been infiltrated with zombies.
- Dindin and Tsuki should've not been reintroduced in this point of the story. They should've been reintroduced later on when they were trying to leave Jeju. Imagine them being the presence that could've saved the evacuees as they could've been reintroduced on the boat that they boarded last season -- this creates a sense of continuity from the previous season. It could've been a delightful surprise to the viewers and would have been more impactful than having them be part of the initial evacuees.
- The challenges from the Jeju facility were decent. It's essentially a tutorial for the new cast and I don't mind that.
- But it would've been nicer if Dex and Lee Si Young showed up later in the facility. After the tutorial phase, the new cast should've faced a challenge that was practically impossible to complete, that's when Dex and Lee Si Young should have been reintroduced -- in a dramatic way.
- After being saved by Dex and Lee Si Young, they still gather at their hideout. After that, the staff should've made a boat escape instead of a helicopter ride. The team would make a critical mistake in trying to find the rescue boat but then Dindin and Tsuki arrive in their fish boat coincidentally to save the remaining survivors.
- After this the cast go to Yangyang, and this is where all fucks are thrown out the window. I don't mind them introducing special zombies that inherit their attitude before becoming undead. But the main problem here is how the staff essentially created games that required a survivor the be sacrificed. The natural and somewhat realistic aspect of the show ended quite literally. Things felt forced and the show completely turned for the worse.
```
Fixing things from this point on would prove to be harder compared to the start. So I'll talk about things that they did wrong or what could've they done instead.
- Forced challenges or games: this was the worst, why create challenges that felt entirely like games. How can the viewers get immersed in the show if the show itself is making it look like things are fake. Eliminations felt unnatural unlike season 1 where survivors who died were killed due to their actual circumstances.
- they didn't utilize and capitalize on the strengths of season 1: everyone knew that at the end of season 1 the main characters were Dex and and Lee Si Young. They displayed heroic feats and amazing leadership in season 1, but in season 2, Dex, despite trying his best, took a backseat wherein his action scenes were few and far in between -- they should've purposefully created scenes that would make him feel more important just like in the prequel. Lee Si Young was relegated as Hong Chul's babysitter -- as the "badass woman" why wouldn't they make her more involved. She was still leading a lot, but not as much as the sequel. The comedic part of season 1 was also a strong point but mainly due to the constant bickering some of the cast had with each other. But in season 2, it felt like the cast that were asked to bicker with each other was trying to do too much and the balance was way off. Actually, the balance of comedy in the whole show was off; this show has turned into a complete clown fiesta.
Finally I'll just talk about the cast:
From the original cast:
- Dex and Lee Si Young did good but the spotlight should've been more on them.
- Dindin did quite well
- Tsuki and Patricia did good but it made no sense that they were eliminated super early for bs reasons.
- Hong Chul - he was supposed to be one of the best, but the things the staff asked him to do were nonsense. even his damn "death" was stupid.
From the new cast:
- Chef Rush did good, I think it's only right that he was eliminated early. Though I think the challenge they prepared for him as a zombie was bs.
Defconn - honestly, he was ruining the cast team dynamic for me. He wasn't needed in the show.
Taeyeon - I liked her, a character needing extra care is always needed in these kind of shows.
Code Kunst - He was reliable and I liked him. But I feel like he was lacking personality in this show.
Se Ho - He was a gread addition to the cast. He provided great comedic scenes but he desperately needed a comedic partner that could keep up with him.
Sungjae - he was the best out of the new members. he was reliable and funny. It made no sense that they killed him off.
Eunbi - I'm a fan of Eunbi but she totally ruined it for me. Her acting sucked and throughout the show she didn't feel immersed. The staff probably wanted to get Dex and Eunbi chemistry in the show, but nothing of that type happened. Her character honestly felt unnecessary in the show.
People they could've gotten instead:
Hong Jin Kyung - very funny and I could see the chemistry between her and Se Ho
Yang Se Chan/ Jeong Jun Ha - both are funny and would change the dynamics a lot. this was a hard choice because Hong Chul in season 1 was perfect for this role.
Key - having him would make Taeyeon more active. He also reacts quite well.
The final lineup:
- Dex: leader, main character
- Lee Si Young: leader, main character
- Dindin: experienced survivor maybe plotting betrayal
- Tsuki: little sister
- Patricia: little sister
- Hong Chul: funny semi-antagonist
- Se Ho: comedy veteran
- Sungjae: clumsy, funny, but also reliable
- Taeyeon: damsel in distress
- Key: high maintenance character
- Hong Jin Kyung: comedy veteran, Park Na Rae replacement
- Yang Se Chan/ Jeong Jun Ha: comedy veteran, always arguing and maybe plotting betrayal
- Code Kunst: unexpectedly reliable
- Chef Rush: wild card
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