Paradoxchild01
West Coast USA
This review may contain spoilers
I am sad to say that not only was this story cut short by 40 episodes but also isn’t English dubbed for the last 30+ episodes, but I am happy to say that it’s a wonderful break from the over saturated “look” of vampires. Between the prince’s full name used as a punishment, to the romantic sillyness of Rabbit and Woo’s relationship, and the craziness of 14 people trying to keep a secret, live together, many of the stories really could have finished out a great show.
From the first episode when the 4 vamps are watching IWTV and ask if humans become mosquitoes if they get bitten by them I knew I needed to watch more. There was the miss-step in a twilight mindset, but quickly showed who was preferred by the audience of the 4 vamps.
As I said the last 30+ episodes I have not been able to find in English and so even with my tiny knowledge of the Korean language I got the jist of what happens and what could have happened in the missing 40 episodes. Not all would have ended up with someone and the secret wouldn’t have been important anymore. They would have started their lives as many people do when moving to a new place.
I do wish there was a reunion of the characters either scripted or not but it’s been a long time. Don’t get me wrong I prefer the dangerous, they will kill you kind of vampire, but this series will always be on my list of favorites.
(Sorry to add but Soo Hyuk here and as Gwi is my favorite vamp of all time.)
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Some say that they don’t get the chemistry between the leads but it wouldn’t have worked if Hang Ah was always shown with stars in her eyes and rainbows coming out of her ears (and other places) Jae Ha had a wonderful rotation of his character that was never stuck in one place. On his first side he’s an ass. Then it turned, he was a coward, and again he changed to a man learning hard truths and finally became who he was meant to be. In the end I think this was the best written male character in a leadership role. (I do admit that I’ve watched Seung Gi’s roles in random order this being my third and I already know this is my favorite of his. Looking forward to Vagabond)
Before I watched this I was a fan of Jong Suk from Oh My Ghost but this was my favorite. And even though I saw his character taking that path, I enjoyed watching this serious character unlike the funny and awkward chef.
I was glad Jae Shin’s character had her hardships. If she went through this story unscathed the ending wouldn’t have been worth it. Even though she was only a side character, Jae Shin helped the audience understand the desperation of a family and friends who have no clue how to help a situation none of them have ever faced. Hang Ah’s compassion and hard love helped move the others to keep her going.
Bravo to the writers and cast. I will be looking for more of their work.
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This review may contain spoilers
As I was looking for new vampire stories to enjoy, Scholar came up and as a newbie to Kdramas I didn’t really know what I was in store for. This show has completely taken me by surprise and has renewed my love for evil vampires again. I’ve come to barf at the stories where the vampire is sad all the time and makes a girl feel even worse. Sure the main two roles are like this, but Gwi sweeps away all the crap that’s been released in the last 10 years. He made me scared of the monster with not only his simple mind set, but his brutal body count. Even in his mourning, he does not wish to redeem himself and hates humans even more.
As you can tell Gwi is my favorite character, but the love story is not like the cheesy or repeated American vampire genre that’s so boring. After watching two different translations, and rewatching 4 times, I came to realize that there was no happy ending. Kdramas tend to end this way no matter how much we root for it.
Like most Kdramas, Scholar follows the “20 things you’ll always see in a Kdrama” list and not in its own way. At points the chatter between the royals gets boring and skippable, but the story wouldn’t be right with only 12 or 16 episodes. The supporting roles are surprising, funny and heart breaking.
Don’t skip episodes and don’t stop early. Finish to the end. Watch both translations. One calls the prince Lusted Student and the other is Forbidden Quest. Both add to the story and make a complete picture.
*** huge spoiler!!**
After watching this show I came to finally realize that the goal of finding the secret plan of destroying Gwi was completely incorrect. It was never the three, it was Gwi’s heart alone.
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I admit that the L character is the only reason I watched it to the end. He was electric and I wished he had his own series of causing chaos. Vampires are supposed to be the dangerous monsters of nightmares, and L never disappoints.
It was disappointing it the hint of a 3rd season with no response.
If you need a vampire fix, start with season 2.
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