CrusadingAngel
Story: [9/10] I really liked the concept of a medical mystery. As it really adds another layer to what may be a typical medical show. You are seeing the doctors take care of patients in a stressful situation as in most other medical dramas. At the same time you have a group of murders going on that continues to keep you curious. These murders add a layer of complexity to the drama. The surgeries and the mystery together pretty much keeps you on the edge of your seat for most of the drama. The main characters are also very well written. The characters do not stay flat and act the same the whole time. The characters learn from the events in the series and some of them grow more as a person. I didn't give this show a 10 for two reasons. The first is because the shows pace ended up being sped up because of 2 episodes getting axed. I feel like the extra episodes could have answered a lot more questions and made the show and the pacing better. The second reason is because I feel like the ending was slightly flat. The show had so much action that each and every single episode (okay maybe not every single one) seemed like the climax. However at the same time, it also made me feel like the ending didn't have much as an impact as I would see in other endings. Hence I couldn't really give it a 10 for the story. Of course that's just my own opinion though. Although I did give the show a 9 for being very action-packed and having good character development.
Acting/Cast: [8.5/10] There's nothing much that I can say about the acting and cast. For the most part no one really stood out to me other the Dr. Lee Yeong Oh. I thought that his acting was really good and that he portrayed his character really well.
Music: [8.5/10] Music is pretty likable. It uses an array of different tunes for different situations.
Overall I recommend you watch the series. This season was very good in general. Beautiful Mind was definitely the dark horse of this season and it ended up proving that it was worth my time. It was a 14 hour well spent :)! I suggest you watch it too if you haven't already.
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Story: [9.5/10] One thing that this drama does well is it takes very common story elements and turn it into something special. Have you ever seen a crime-solving drama? I have seen many myself. None has impressed me as much as this one. This show stands out from other crime-solving shows because it involves two people from different times attempting to work together to solve the same crime. There where a lot of flashbacks and events from the past that were used to help the characters in the present solve the different crimes. I must admit that initially I thought that this was not something that would have worked well with this type of show. However, in the end, the director and writers manage to mesh all of these elements together to create a great show such as Signal.
Although there were several things that kept me from giving the show a 10. One of the reasons that I didn't give the show a 10 has to do with the walkie-talkie. I wanted to know more about the walkie-talkie. I was a little disappointed by the end because I had some questions about the walkie-talkie that were never answered. I don't want to bring up the actual question because it may spoil a little of the show for you if you haven't already seen it. Just know that the walkie-talkie plays a very big part in the show and that I'm annoyed because they didn't answer my question haha.
Perhaps another weakness of the show is that it can be confusing at times. As I mentioned, there are a lot of flashbacks, and moments where we see events from the past. It often got confusing because the show would sometimes jump back and forth between past and present. On the flip side of all this, the show also had its' own strengths when jumping back and forth between the past and present. The writers of Signal did a very good job in setting up the different time jumps. As I would often find myself only confused for about 5-10 seconds before saying oh this is what is going on and I see why there was this flashback/time jump etc. In a way, I was never really confused at all because my confusion went away since the show itself answered most if not all of the questions I may have had about what was going on. This is a good thing because most shows don't do this. Other shows will often just leave you to wonder what the heck is going on the whole time.
Overall this show also kept a very good pace. It never felt like it went to fast or that it was dragging on.for too long. I applaud the director and writers for coming up with such a great story. They did a very great job in turning simple plot elements into a very sophisticated story. They didn't exactly invent a new genre or anything (or did they?). One thing is for sure though. They sure know how to tell a darn good story!
Acting: [10/10] All of the actors and actresses did a very commendable job during this whole drama. There were times where I was completely drawn in by the acting. In fact I cried at least two times during this whole drama. Let me just tell you now. I don't cry very often when watching shows. I rarely ever cry while watching sad dramas, let alone a crime thriller! This can mean one of several things. The first possible meaning is that the actors did a very good job acting. The second is that the story was very well told and that we were meant to cry at that part. I'm inclined to believe that it was a mixture of both. There where also several child actors and actresses in this show as well. Although they were all mostly pretty young, their acting only helped to improve this drama.
Music: [9/10] The music was very well made. If there was a suspenseful moment, suspenseful music that fit the scene came with at the right moment. All in all, the music helped enhance certain moments of the show depending on where it was needed. The OST to this show was nothing to scoff at either. Was it a ground-breaking OST that I will listen to for years to come? No, not really. However, it's definitely something that I will put into my playlist in the future.
Overall I definitely suggest you watch the show if you already haven't. You won't regret it! Objectively I can't give this show all 10s because it definitely wasn't completely perfect. However, subjectively it was one of the most well written Korean drama that I've ever seen.
Thank you for reading my first ever review on MDL! I hope you enjoyed it!
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Story: [6.5/10]
THE BAD
The story in this drama was probably its' weakest part. The story simply lacked meaningful events. Most other medical dramas had something that made it special. Whether it be a genius doctor or a doctor with a disability etc. Doctors had none of that. I could probably just watch episodes 1-7 and 19-20 and still get the main gist of the drama. The other problem I had with the show was that a lot of the doctors seemed very playful. Personally I was not fond of the fact that the director/writer of this drama deciding to go on this route. Many medical dramas opt to go the serious route and have serious doctors. It makes sense because doctors and constantly stressed and constantly handling life and death situations. Of course that's just my own personal opinion.
THE GOOD
On the flip side, a bunch of playful doctors gives this drama a much more light-hearted feeling. Some of these Korean (medical) dramas can get very depressing at times with all of the people dying. Doctors will perk you right up. Another thing that I enjoyed about this series was that there was a strong character who did not bend to the will of others. Dr. Hye Jung used all of these negative events from her past to make herself stronger. For the most part, she did not let past events bother her. One part that really struck a chord with me was when she took responsibility for a mistake that she and several other doctors made. She did not just only take full responsibility for her actions. She also stood up for herself and made sure that the villains of the drama did not win bully her around. I would have probably gave the story a lower score (5 or 6) if the writer's had not included a strong main character like Dr. Hye Jung.
TLDR: Weak Plot, but strong main character.
Acting/Cast [8/10]
No one's acting really stood out to me. None of the acting was overly bad or overly good. I'm just a big fan of PSH. I've been a big fan of ever since I saw her in Stairway to Heaven xD. Also, this is kind of off topic, but I did not feel the chemistry between the two main characters. Although I probably feel this way because of the whole teacher-student relationship.
Music: [8/10]
The music was okay. I like to focus my reviews on the story because I feel that the story is the main reason why someone may want to watch a certain series. An 8 for me means that the acting and music was ABOVE AVERAGE, but not perfect.
Overall: [7/10]
Overall this drama lacks a strong plot. This is not the drama for you if you're hoping for a complex plot. I suggest watching Beautiful Mind (a plot-filled medical drama that aired at the same time) for that. I personally continued watching this show because it was a light-hearted show that helped cheer up my day.
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Story: [8.0/10.0]
Age of Youth 2 starts out with the group going on a hilarious little trip to airport to pick up Han Ye Ri. They proceed to get lost and another hilarious encounter ensues. I laughed so much in the first few episodes. Soon Kang Yi Na moves out of the house and the group proceeds to find a new roommate. Soon we see Seo Jang Hoon enter the scene. She initially enters the house to investigate a strange letter. Ooooooo what's going on??? Anyways most of this drama focuses on Song Ji Won trying to investigate what had happened during her childhood. We also Yoon Jin Myung get aquainted with her job. A nice portion of this series revolves around her and her job as well. Of course we see some nice house antics between roommates in this season as well. However, I must admit that I feel like Season 2 took a more darker approach to the story. I really liked Season 1 for it's freshness and how it was very realistic. Season 2 seemed realistic in terms of their college life as well, but the ending was kind of anti-climatic. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really like dark slice-of-life shows. It just makes the show seem like a melodrama.
Acting/Cast: [8.0/10]
Overall I can't say that I really liked or really disliked the acting. It was okay in my opinion. I more so had a probablem with Ryu Hwa Young leaving. Personally I felt like Ryu Hwa Young and her Kang Yi Na character really made this show a lot more funnier and light-hearted as apparently seen with the first few episodes. I felt like the show tried to replace that comedy bit by emphasizing Song Ji Won's sex life (or lack of sex) to make up for it. I wasn't sure if they were trying to make us laugh or not by including those bits, but they definitely weren't funny. Otherwise the acting and cast is pretty consistent compared to the first season.
Music: [8.0/10]
An 8.0 is generally the score I give to most show's music score. I don't usually give 9s or 10s unless the show is a music-based drama that had great music and OSTs.
Rewatch Value: [7.5/10]
Overall this show has middle of the pack rewatch value for me. It'd probably be a long time before I watch this again since I've completed 150+ dramas already (lol I have no social life). I will probably watch the first season again before I watch this one.
All in all, this was a decent follow-up to the first season of Age Youth. I'm sure you all noticed this, but I do have a slight bias to the first season. I honestly always multi task when I'm watching Korean dramas or my anime shows. This often means that I pay less attention to shows if I find them boring. I generally don't watch slice-of-life dramas as well. This show gets a thumbs up because it kept my attention the whole time even though it was a slice-of-life drama. I hope they make a season 3 and that Ryu Hwa Young comes back.
Thanks for reading my review! Please hit the yes button if this review was helpful to you!
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Story [8/10] The story isn't exactly anything new or mind-blowing. Why does it deserve a 8 for the story then? The thing this drama does well is it does its comedy and romance very well. The story is your typical rom-com in the sense that you know how it's going to end. You start out with two people who meet. They fall in love. We see some angst in their relationship and bam they end up happily every after at the end. This drama is not too bad in the fact that the middle of the story is not to predictable even though the ending is easy to predict.
My main complaint from this drama isn't really the plot. As you can still have great k-dramas without complex plots. The thing that bothers me is the fact the characters are one dimensional (in addition to the simple plot). You can literally describe a lot of the characters in the drama in one word. I.e. You have a character who is the narcissist, one who who is loyal, one who is the klutz, another character who is frugal, and one who is lustful. If you've watched the drama, you probably know who I'm talking about. I find that stories that deserves a 10/10 has stories/characters that the viewer/readers can relate to and make connections with. I had a hard time making connections in this drama since the characters all seemed very unreal. I do realized that it's a drama and things are dramatized. However, at the same time, I don't believe the drama deserved a 10 in the story department (although I wanted it to be a 10). Hence I'm just giving some reasons as to why I docked points from the story category. This drama does great in the rom-com department, but not so great in the character development department.
Acting [10/10] The acting/cast in this drama was fabulous! I am especially a big fan of the two MC's acting. I especially loved their facials expressions. There are some pretty good kisses in this drama too if you know what I mean ;). My favorite one is probably the "chair push kiss". Someone should make a meme out of that. I also really loved Park Min Young's facial expression during the many comedic scenes. It's like she knows how to make the perfect face for the right moment. I was already a fan of Park Min Young and Park Seo Joon. However this drama has made me an even bigger fan now!
Music [9/10] I generally don't give music scores higher than an 8. However, I must say this drama did a very good job with the music. The music often made funny moments even more funnier. Other times it made awkward moments even more awkward. I think you essentially get the gist of what I'm trying to say here. The music in this drama helps put you in a certain mood when you hear it. Not many dramas do a very good at this. Often times the music is barely noticeable and does nothing to make a certain scene in a drama better. That's not the case here.
Rewatch Value [8/10] I also don't generally give out a high rewatch score. As most dramas are often a one and done kind of thing. However every so often you find a gem where you feel like a part of you is missing after you finish watching it. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim is one of those dramas. It makes me sad that this drama is coming to an end. There were so many moments where my emotions were bursting through because of a certain episode. Some times I was angry at the MCs for being annoying. Other times I'm anxious for the MCs because I want their relationship to go well. MOST IMPORTANTLY I spent a lot of time laughing while watching this drama. I would give this drama a 10/10 if we had emotional involvement as a new category.
Overall the story is probably the weakest link in this drama. Although a 8/10 for story is still great (in my subjective opinion). However, I often like to bring up both the good and bad thing about the drama. The drama does not get a perfect score for the story from because it's sort of your typical rom-com plotline with some one-dimensional characters. On the flip side it gets a 9 from me because it does its rom-com moments very well. You can feel the romance and the drama makes you laugh every single episode. It's probably one of the best rom-com I've seen in a while, if not to date!
The acting/cast is probably the strongest link in this drama. One of the things I noticed a lot in this drama is the facial expressions from the MCs. I really loved Park Min Young and Park Seo Joon's facial expressions in this drama. As I felt like their faces really added flavor to certain situations and made everything seem more realistic and hilarious. The music was also a very great asset in the sense that it played up certain moments. It made certain cute/funny/awkward scenes go from a 9/10 on the cuto/funnio/awkwardo meter to an 11/10!
All in all, this drama excels in many areas. It's definitely one of the best(rom-coms) dramas of 2018 that I've watched so far(what a great year for good dramas!). I recommend you go and watch it if you haven't already.
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Story: [8/10]
I gave the story an 8 because this story lacks a complex plot. It's another one of those drama where the rich upper-class are the villains and our poor (very literally poor) Dr. Heo is the main protagonist.
Dr. Heo Im meets Dr. Choi Yeon Kyung when he time-travels to the present. At first they are constantly at odds with each other. The two begins to get closer as they go on various time traveling excursions into the past. They begin to understand and fall for each other as they spend more and more time in each other's respective time period. The writer and director then sprinkles a little bit of time travel and medicine here and there. This drama is as simple as that. Don't get me wrong though. I really really really liked the drama for its comedy, but the plot (in terms of memorable events ) just doesn't have enough impact. The comedy was also at its best at the beginning of the drama. I was excited to watch the new episode every weekend. Sadly this feeling begin to wear off in the last 4 episodes as the drama was wrapping up.
Cast: [10/10]
The writer and director makes up for the bland plot by creating a drama with very memorable character interactions! Oh man! I completely fell in love with the two main characters in this drama. The actor that plays Dr. Heo is hilarious! I especially loved the hilarious moments at the beginning of the drama when he was trying to adjust to 2017. When the two main characters are together their actions feed off of each other creating some pretty funny moments too. The romantic moments in the shows are pretty great as well. There seemed to be a lot of chemistry between the two. Their kissing scenes were pretty realistic. It's not like some other dramas where it seemed like one of the characters didn't want to be kissed or be there. There were some funny naughty innuendos sprinkled throughout the drama too haha. Overall I'm glad these two were paired together because it made the drama that much greater.
Music: [8/10]
I have nothing much to say about the music and the OST. This drama's main genre isn't music so the music anything new or overly great. Overall I liked the music. It wasn't too memorable, but at least the music didn't seem out of place.
Rewatch Value: [8/10]
This show has a middle of the pack value. It's not on my "must rewatch" list, but at the very least I plan on rewatching it in the distant future .
All in all, what the story lacks in plot, it makes up for with great character interactions. The plot was essentially driven by the two main characters. There's not really much to say about the other characters in the story because they didn't have a major affect on the story. I really enjoyed the good laugh that Live Up To Your Name Dr. Heo provided.
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Story: [9.5/10] Prison Playbook is one of those shows that sort of starts out slow and provides you with very little information. The series begins with an episode that is very vague. You learn very little about the character as well as the over-arching story at the very beginning. The story begins to unfold as you continue deeper into the series. You begin to learn about Je Hyuk and his personality. You also get to learn about his many different cell mates as well. Some good, others not so good. The good ones are awesome though when they group together and sort of form a little brotherhood of sorts with Je Hyuk. I'm definitely enjoying the mini-brotherhood/sisterhood themes that have occurred in dramas in 2017. I.e. the brotherhood you see in Prison Playbook and Save Me, the sisterhood you see in Avengers Social Club. I also enjoy the fact that the series is not very predictable as well. Overall it's a very well written drama about prison. The comedy needs a little more work though, hence the 9.
Acting/Cast: [9.5/10] I found the acting/characters in this show to be really refreshing. The first reason is the fact that our main character Kim Je Hyuk isn't really the brightest of the bunch. Why does this seem refreshing to me? It's refreshing because it makes the show a lot more realistic and credible. There are so many different shows I've watched where the main character had everything. He/She is usually the smartest, good looking, richest, and the best at a certain skill. Je Hyuk became a character that was easy to relate to for me because he seemed more like any other every day average joe. Well... other than the fact that he was one of the best baseball players in Korea at the time. Even that though is evened out by the fact that he uses his perseverance in order to help him get better at baseball. It's a lot more realistic to see a character struggle to get to his/her goal (rather than be born with the skill). It was also nice to see Jung Woong In play a nice person for once. I swear he has played the villain in every other drama that he's in. Again I found his character very relatable and admirable. His character acts tough on the outside, but on the inside he's a teddy bear. He takes a lot of scorn from the prisoners but he often tries to do what is best for them. In fact I was a big fan of all of the prison guards except the Captain Na guy (You can't have all nice prison guards, that would make for a boring story).
Music: [9.5/10] Music is pretty likable. It uses an array of different tunes for different situations. The whole -cricket- whistle thing sort of gets old though.
Rewatch Value: [7,0/10] I possibly see myself rewatching this show in future. However it definitely would not be one of my top priority dramas to rewatch. The problem that I had with this show was that it was about 90 minutes long. Each episode is generally about one main topic/struggle that the main character(s) have to go through. Generally most Korea dramas have episodes that are 60 minutes long. The fact that this show is 90 minutes long meant that some events were essentially dragged out 1.5x longer than usual.
Overall I'm a big fan of the show. I thought the show started out pretty slow, but I began to like the show more and more as I learned more about the characters. It was an easy show for me to relate to because it is a show in which you have average Joe characters proceeding through life and going through some very realistic misfortunes. My only gripe about this show was that I was use to the 90 minute episodes. I found it hard to binge the show. I ended up watching about 2 episodes a day before deciding to go do/watch something else. Prison Playbook definitely distinguishes itself from its competition though. It's one of my most favorite dramas for the winter season. I recommend you give the drama a try.
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Story: [5/10] The story was very lackluster. Most of this had to do with the fact that many of the character's adventures had no real conflict at all. Every time there was trouble, the show's writer magically had a solution to their problem (mostly using magic). Talk about deus ex machina. The characters had to face hardships, but most of them was self-inflicted. Which then leads me to the romance. Also very lackluster as well. Most of the romance was basically the leads falling in love with each other, getting jealous with each other, and then falling in love again. Basically rinse and repeat for 40 episodes. Lastly there was also a lack of a strong villain as well. We find out who the main villain of this show at around episode 40ish. By that time I did not care enough to even pay much attention. Most other shows would have showed you who the real villain (or at least an idea of who the real villain is) by the first few episodes.
Acting/Cast: [7/10] The actors here weren't too bad. I didn't really give them a 7 because of their acting. In fact, I applaud them for being able to act well in a show like this one. As I thought it was amazing how they could act out each battle scene while having it all seem realistic without the CGI in real life. I gave this a category a 7 because there was no big name stars. Chinese Paladin 1 had Ady An, Crystal Liu, Eddie Peng, and Hu Ge. Chinese Paladin 3 had Hu Ge again, Yang Mi, Tiffany Tang, Wallace Huo, and Cecelia Liu. A crazy amount of popular actors and actresses. We had basically none of that here.
Music: [8/10] The music here was okay. I liked it for the most part, however it was nothing all that special as well. Not too many shows has music/ost that are worth a 10.
Rewatch Value: [1/10] I don't ever plan on watching this show again.
Overall I suggest you not watch this show. There's a reason why not many people on MDL has watched this show.
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Story: [10/10] Personally I'm a very big fan of this story. The plot is very well written and a lot of the characters are well-drawn out. A lot of the characters has their own motive as to why they do what they do. As you get further into the story the characters begin to reveal themselves more and more. This provided for a very complex web of characters as you find out how their lives intertwine. Heck, by the end of the drama, I even fell in love with two of the villains. You get to learn how these villains went from your every day Joe to murderers. Other shows usually don't give their villains a very good backstory. Other villains are murderers because they like killing... Wow... what a boring reason right?
Do you like to be placed on the edge of your seat dying to know what happens next? One of the other reason I really like this drama is that it's also very suspenseful. You never know what is going to happen next. There are a good amount of red herrings, but just enough so that the show is not too ridiculous or too boring. Every episode ends with tiny twists that leaves you wondering what will happen in the next episode. Boy am I glad that I binge-watched this show. Or else I'd be dying to know what happens each week.
There is also a little bit of romance in this drama as well. Not much, but it does add a little flavor to the story. This drama makes you wish for more. Even better so, my favorite type of romance are tragic romances that don't work out. This drama has just that. You'll just have to watch the series to see what I mean though.
Acting/Cast: [10/10] I was a very big fan of cast in this drama. Both the male and female leads aren't exactly big-name stars, but they did their job very well. Oh I also forgot to mention that the main male lead had part of his brain taken out as a child? I thought the male lead did a decently good job acting like he had very little emotions. You do get to see some smiles here and there though. Although I was more so interested in the supporting casts. There where a lot of very big name supporting characters in the drama that really added some extra flair to the show. I'm a big fan of Lee Kyung Young, Yoon Se Ah, Yoo Jae Myung, Lee Ho Jae, and Uhm Hyo Sub in other roles. You know a show is legit when you have a great supporting cast such as this one.
Music: [9/10] The music on this show wasn't that bad. I generally don't give shows a 10 unless they're a "music-focused" show or if they have a VERY memorable OST.
Rewatch Value: [10/10] I mean it when I give this show a 10 out of 10. I made the mistake of multi-tasking while watching this drama. Unfortunately this show is very complex and is not like your typical K-drama. You'll miss out on certain connections if you aren't paying attention. This show is on the top of my rewatch list when I get through my backlog. I'm going to rewatch it again for the plot as well as to pick up any tidbits that I may have missed.
One of my biggest gripe about this drama is the whole brains surgery and emotionless male lead. I didn't feel like it really added much to the story. It felt like it was just there to distinguish this show from other murder mystery/prosecutor drama. Honestly this doesn't really take away from much while you're watching the drama though. I only brought this up because I usually try to bring up at least one thing I didn't like in a show or one weakness. Overall I'm a HUGE fan of the story and the supporting cast. This show is a must watch! It's currently the 3rd ranked drama on MDL for a reason! Can we make it the top ranked show?
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Story: [10/10] I most often give 10s to dramas in this category when the show has a very complex plot, or when it tells a very good story about a particular topic. I.e. the best romance will get a 10, or the the best melodrama that I've ever seen will get a 10. I admit that originally the idea of a mom kidnapping a child did not sound too appealing to me. However, I saw that the MDL community gave this show a 9.2. It made me curious enough to watch the show. Now I understand why the show received the score that it did. I mean this show honestly threw so many different k-drama show topics into the show as well. It had a little bit of medicine, news reporting, courtroom drama, crime, and a rich family all thrown into one show. The end result was a show with a delicate and complex story about how a woman kidnaps a girl and their journey through the kidnapping as well as what happens afterwords. The story honestly had a great beginning, middle, and end. My favorite part was probably the last third of the story. I think I cried like 4 times in the last two episodes for multiple reasons.
Acting/Cast: [11/10] Oh my goodness. I simply loved the character/family in this drama!!! So much that I give them an extra bonus point in this area! I generally watch shows with famous actors/actresses that I really like. I originally was not too interested in the cast. However, as the show went on, I begin to fall in love with all the characters. I'm not sure if it's the acting, or if it's the great plot... However it seemed that each character had their own motive. They were not evil because they were simply born evil. Rather almost each of the main characters had their own pasts (whether it be told in detail or not) that helped dictate and show us why they acted the way they did in the drama. We also see a decent amount of character development in the drama as well, although I definitely missed out on some of it because the drama ended up being so detailed. In a way, I almost wish some of these characters with their character traits, could be part of my family as well. I loved the character Kang Soo Jin for her love of her daughter, as well as for the sacrifices she made for her family. I loved Kim Hye Na/Yoon Bok because she was so dang cute and because she has a lot of street smarts for a 9-year old. I loved Hyun Jin who always strives to seek the truth, who's somewhat of a stoic. I love the Yi Jin character because she was a little snobby, but in the end she cared for her family. I loved the Yeong Shin character for her great charisma in the drama, as well as what she did for her three daughters. Heck I even took pity on the villains because I understood why they acted in such a way. All in all, it seemed like each character had their own specific role or archetype in drama. They weren't just cookie-cutter characters that all had similar motives. Each character was complex, very realistic, and generally very easy to relate with. I have a new found respect for some of these actors/actresses and I plan to watch them in future dramas.
Music: [8/10] Honestly this is the generic score that I give to each drama for it's music score. The drama usually gets a 9 or a 10 if it had great OSTs or amazing instrumental. This was honestly the only area that I could find to deduct points. Honestly though, I don't watch dramas for the music (unless it's a music-themed drama). If I was MDL, I'd probably take music out of the reviews. Then it would allow me to give this drama all 10s!!!
Rewatch Value: [10/10] I am often very reluctant to give a high rewatch value score to dramas. Most shows are a one and done thing for me because of their length. The only other shows that I can remember rewatching was Code Geass and Angel Beats which are two of my most favorite animes of all time. I personally plan to add Mother to my list of favorite k-dramas of all time. The 10/10 cast and plot leaves me wanting to rewatch the show. There was so much in this show, that I want to rewatch in order to make sure I didn't miss anything.
Okay, so overall this averages out to be about 9.75. I'm going to round up and give this show a 10 based on the fact that this is probably one of the best k-dramas out there up to date. I would recommend everyone on MDL to watch this drama. This would probably be the first show I'd recommend to anyone who wants to get into K-dramas. I was reluctant to watch this show at first, but it's now my all time favorite. Mother is #1!
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Story: [7/10] As mentioned earlier, this show is not very plot driven. In fact that was probably the weakest part of the show. Personally I did not watch this show for the plot. I watched it more for light-heartedness. I also liked seeing the relationship develop between the two main characters. It was very cute. These parts felt a bit like filler to me, but they still played an integral role in making me like this drama. I also had a slight disdain for the second half of the show because we begin to understand how Hyun Ji became a ghost. I wasn't a big fan of this because Bong Pal and Hyun Ji's relationship takes a turn. The writers decided to do something to Hyun Ji's character which basically takes away all of the ghost fighting altogether. This one major change, changes the story into something completely different. I felt that this change personally took away the best part of the drama and made it into more common and traditional Korean drama/story that has nothing to separate it from its'competition. I liked the last episode a lot as well. As it goes semi-back to its' traditional beginning again with the cute relationship between Hyun Ji and Bong Pal.
Cast: [9/10] The cast and acting was probably the best part of this show. Kim So Hyun is one of the best child actresses out there and it really shows. Hyun Ji's relationship with Bong Pal seemed very realistic because of Ok Taec Yeon and Kim So Hyun's great acting. I also really enjoyed the relationship bewteen the two support characters as well. Lee David and Kang Ki Young's bromance in Bring It On Ghost took the comedy and romance to a different level.
Music: [8/10] The music is above average. It's not overly bad or overly good. Nothing to write home about.
Overall: [7.5/10] This show is not really known for its' plot. It's another one of those light-hearted shows that aired this season.
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Story: [8/10]
The GOOD
One of the good things about this show is that it was never predictable. This is the show for you if you want to be surprised every episode. I honestly had no idea what the heck was going to happen next after watching each episode each week. The more I watched the more unsure I was with where this show was going. Although being TOO unpredictable can also be a bad thing as well. More on that later.
I also really enjoyed the romance in this drama as well. I'm a big fan of romance dramas. I would give this shows romance a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10. It's reminds me of the romance that could be found in Descendants of the Sun. It was the same sort of cute romance that occurred during even the most strenous events for the main characters. The main actor and actress did a very good job portraying their love for each other. Of course some may like this type of romance and others may not.
The comedy in this show was pretty decent as well. The comedy gave this drama a lighter feel as it made it feel less darker and depressing.
The BAD
I was not really a big fan of the second half of this drama. One of the reason for that is because the show becomes very illogical. It seems that a lot of Deus Ex Machina was used in the latter part of this show. W is a show in which the real world and the comic book world intermix. This alone in theory makes the show somewhat illogical. However, I sort of accepted that as a truth. As it doesn't seem too difficult to believe that parallel universes exist. Even with accepting that, the show is still very illogical. This was probably due to the poor world building. A half fantasy/half realistic show should define the limits of the world. In W, a person can travel between the real world and the comic world. How is that possible? Who knows? The director/story writers just says it happens and it happens. There is no limit. In fact there was several parts in the story where I felt like the director/writers could have added Godzilla or the Power Rangers into the show and it wouldn't have made it seem that much more illogical. As it was already that illogical.
There were several times in the drama where the writers attempted to world build and explain some of the events in the story. This however was not really done well in my opinion. As many question that I had about this drama and world were never really answered. If they were, it would take a span of several episodes before they got answered. This left me clueless throughout most of the drama. This left me with more questions than answers by the end of the drama. A drama should be the opposite. A drama should answer most if not all of your question by its' ending. Also having a lot of twists also diluted the plot of the drama. It seemed that twists were added into the drama just to make it more surprising. Every new twist seemed to change the story in a completely new direction without adding to the plot from the previous episodes.
TLDR: Good initial romance, comedy, and action. Although very illogical. Lots of events where never explained or were explained very late into the story. I'd rate the first half of the show a 10/10. The second half gets a 5/10 or 6/10.
Acting/Cast: [9.0] One of the better parts of the show. The main actress and actor are very good at their jobs. They made sad parts of the drama feel all the more heart-breaking. They made the romantic scenes feel all the more lovable and romantic. All in all, a very good job!
Music: [8.5] The music fit very well with the drama.
Overall an 8.0 for this show. 32.5 total divided by 4 categories is around an 8. The show did very well in the romance, comedy, and action parts of the show. However the fact that this show was very illogical near the end dragged down the score. I probably would have given this show a 9.0 or 9.5 overall if it made more sense.
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Story: [8/10] I mean it when I say that this is your typical law drama. The story really did not stand out from any other law dramas that I've watch. The drama is basically about an attorney defending people in cases and essentially convicting the bad guy. There are some small twists in the story that made it hard for me to guess what was going to happen next though. This was probably why I did not find the drama boring even though I've seen other law dramas like this one before.
Acting/Cast: [9/10] I believe that the acting/cast was probably the best part about this drama. Obviously Lee Joon Gi is great (like always) as the main character. His fighting scenes were nothing to scoff at. I was also a big fan Ahn Oh Joo and his henchman. The guy who played the main gangster did his job well (and has the legit gangster look too). I was also a big fan of his main henchman guy but I felt bad for him a little bit. You'll have to watch the drama to see why. I'm also a fan of Lee Hye Young from her role in the "Call Me Mother" drama.
Music: [8/10] As always, this is often my default score for the music in dramas. I usually give a 8.5 or higher if it had a great OST or was a music type drama. A 7.5 or lower if the music was terrible or did not fit. An 8 is about average to me.
Rewatch Value: [7.5/10] I'd probably rewatch again in the future but it would probably be near the bottom of my rewatch list.
Overall the acting/cast was the best part about the drama. The story really isn't anything new. I would just put it at average.
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This review may contain spoilers
Overall this drama was not too bad. Originally I begin watching this with very low expectations. Those expectations were slightly uncalled for because the show was much better than I expected. 38 Task Force is a show that is broken down into about 4-5 different arcs. 38 task force is a force that is composed of many people from different walks of life. In each arc the task force is attempting to con people into paying their taxes. I found the show to be very exciting in the first few episodes. However there was one problem with the story that really bothered me. Continue reading the story section below to better understand what I'm getting at. This won't really be a spoiler, but more likely a plot element that I want to talk about. I suggest you read the parts below only after you've finished the show.Story: [8/10] I really like the story at the very beginning of show. It continuously kept me on the edge of my seat with its' quick-punching action. However, I begin to grow bored as the show went on. One of the reason is because this is not a show where you will see much character development. The show can be literally be summarized into one sentence. Again, 38 Task Force is a show where the task force is conning people into paying their taxes. The problem with this sentence is that these the writers wrote these scams in essentially the same ways. The writers try to trick you into thinking that each con has gone wrong through one way or another. In reality, it's always a part of the task force's plan. The problem with the cons is that they seem too perfect. The writers want you to think something has gone wrong with each con but in reality that is never the truth. This wouldn't be a problem if this plot device/element was used once. It ends up being a problem because the writer used this concept for basically each con in the show. I probably would have gave the story a 9 if the writer didn't make the show predictable by using the same plot driving device over and over.
Acting/Cast: [8/10] Overall the cast wasn't too bad. I was not overly impressed with the acting or cast. At the same I wasn't unimpressed as well. I mostly watched this show for Seo In Guk.
Music: [8/10] The music was pretty average. It really depends on your taste in music.
Overall I thought that this show was pretty average. It was something that was worth watching once but probably not a second time. I watched it simply because of the main actor. This show may be for you if you like a show that has an arc-like story about cons.
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Story [8.0/10]: The story wasn't too bad, but it's definitely not anything new. It's your typical crime drama that you often see. It often starts out with episodic cases that the main cast is trying to solve. Eventually some cases may begin to overlap and then play a larger role in overarching story. Mad Dog really isn't too different from that. In my opinion, this story lacks a little bit of rising action as well as a climax. With dramas like these, you generally have the same recurring problems. You know what happens at the beginning and at the end. The drama's job is to often tell you what happens in the middle as it helps you fill in the dots.
Acting/Cast [8.5/10]: I was more of a fan of the cast than of the story. I'm a big fan of Ryu Hwa Young who recently starred in Age of Youth as well as Hong Soo Hyun. I became a big ban of hers after watching The Princess' Man and History of the Salaryman. I only wished she got more leading roles. The male actors are not too bad as well. Jo Jae Yun is also one of my most favorite supporting characters. He's absolutely hilarious and he's the same here too while playing "Cheetah" in the drama. There are hints of romance, but there really wasn't too much of it between two of the main characters. The acting was very good as well considering you had mostly seasoned veterans playing the main roles.
Music [8.0/10]: The music was so-so. I pretty much give the same rating to most music in dramas unless it has a nice OST, is a music drama, or just has really really good songs.
Overall I was decently glad that I watched the show. It kept me mostly interested the whole time. Although I more so watched it to see my favorite actors and actresses rather than for the story itself. This show was definitely more about the characters than the actual plot.
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