Nikolean
This review may contain spoilers
So I have multiple emotions about this series, but it's quite fair to say that I am in love with this show. I think the premise and the start had a big enough impression on me to keep watching, though it's true I did end up skipping parts just to get to the end. I think the music in general was the biggest thing that brought the story up more than it was going.
THE STORY
So the story had a slight gothic vibe and I loved the concept. For me it started off pretty strong with the characters' personalities and their story arcs, though it slowly ran out of steam as it kept going. My biggest problems were the weak antagonist writing and the inconsistencies of some characters. I think besides Yeon Seo, the character writing was a little weak, especially the lack of motive from antagonists. I get the obsessive sisterly love of Ru Na but I'd have liked to see her do more- and actually pose a higher threat. Though it did make some sense to show a series where the characters weren't solely focused on finding the culprit but rather surviving. I actually liked the general story a lot though I felt that the world building and theology section was a little weak and got wishy-washy at the end. Don't get me wrong, I liked the happy ending but it was kind of abrupt and I wish there was more explicable things.
Another weak part was the childhood friend secret. I get that God was likely giving them a second chance, but it didn't seem all that well integrated to me. It was definitely a very ambitious concept and I applaud the writers for it. After all, I was able to suspend my disbelief while watching it and grew to love the series even with its imperfections. I definitely will rewatch again without skipping though since I know where the plot is going I can focus on the actors' delivery.
I really liked the meta aspect of Giselle being portrayed through the ballet and also a theme for the story- and thank goodness it was a different metastory than we usually see (Romeo and Juliet for example). As a former ballerina, I definitely enjoyed that they got to use ballet but agree with others that the ballet part began to take a backseat in the second half of the drama and the choreography got a little more abstract dancing than traditional ballet- don't get me wrong I like abstract portrayals but it didn't fit with the type of ballet they wanted to portray as much as it could have. Still, it added to the sort of "gothic" and the dark underlying mood of the piece.
THE CAST
As I mentioned, I ended up skipping through scenes to get to the plot points because I was kind of impatient that way, but it also showed that there wasn't anything all that special that I found about the acting. In general, the cast did a good job, and the delivery of emotional scenes was beautiful. One thing I found though was that the actors' deliveries weren't that consistent. I love L as Dan because he had a lot of the playful characteristics down but I do agree with others that he wasn't consistent 100% of the time. It could be a bit because of how his character was written. However, he was very fun to watch and I can't really imagine him as anyone else right now. Shin Hye Sun was the most consistent I think and it is true that she often carried the acting. While they look absolutely stunning together, I felt a bit of a mismatch of energies and their chemistry wasn't there 100% of the time. Some people mentioned how it their relationship moved by so fast, but it made a lot of sense to me, though around episode 25 ish their chemistry together wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. However, overall all the actors did pretty well.
MUSIC
I loved the soundtrack. It gave a bit of a gothic and the underlying darker themed auras into the narrative and I enjoyed it a lot. I think the music really helped elevate a lot of the mood of scenes (though sometimes it did rely too much on the music to deliver the emotions but I'm a music junkie so it did it for me). I particularly loved Oh My Angel and Pray. I've been playing Pray on loop because I just love it so much.
CONCEPTS
I liked how they played with the colors of outfits- how Dan's outfits started off bright then as he went through his darkest moments, his clothes started taking a darker turn- then ending with the brighter pink and white again as he found his place. The videography was pretty well-done and I liked the angles and lighting themes. I think the different locations set the mood well and delivered their own themes. I really enjoyed visual aspects of the scenes and I think the set was coordinated very well.
REWATCH VALUE
I'd definitely rewatch this. While this series had its flaws, it wouldn't stop me from rewatching it right away. It's up in my favourites along with Something in the Rain and Encounter. Unlike these two, however, I think ALM:L has a sort of magic for me that I can go back to immediately.
CONCLUSION
I want a devoted angel like Dan :'). But yes, it was a good series overall, and has its own magic that will stay with me a long time. I'd rewatch for the themes, mood, and to get me inspired to write. While the antagonists and the storytelling got a little weak at times, this series is up in my list of favourites. I want more series like this one!!
THE STORY
So the story had a slight gothic vibe and I loved the concept. For me it started off pretty strong with the characters' personalities and their story arcs, though it slowly ran out of steam as it kept going. My biggest problems were the weak antagonist writing and the inconsistencies of some characters. I think besides Yeon Seo, the character writing was a little weak, especially the lack of motive from antagonists. I get the obsessive sisterly love of Ru Na but I'd have liked to see her do more- and actually pose a higher threat. Though it did make some sense to show a series where the characters weren't solely focused on finding the culprit but rather surviving. I actually liked the general story a lot though I felt that the world building and theology section was a little weak and got wishy-washy at the end. Don't get me wrong, I liked the happy ending but it was kind of abrupt and I wish there was more explicable things.
Another weak part was the childhood friend secret. I get that God was likely giving them a second chance, but it didn't seem all that well integrated to me. It was definitely a very ambitious concept and I applaud the writers for it. After all, I was able to suspend my disbelief while watching it and grew to love the series even with its imperfections. I definitely will rewatch again without skipping though since I know where the plot is going I can focus on the actors' delivery.
I really liked the meta aspect of Giselle being portrayed through the ballet and also a theme for the story- and thank goodness it was a different metastory than we usually see (Romeo and Juliet for example). As a former ballerina, I definitely enjoyed that they got to use ballet but agree with others that the ballet part began to take a backseat in the second half of the drama and the choreography got a little more abstract dancing than traditional ballet- don't get me wrong I like abstract portrayals but it didn't fit with the type of ballet they wanted to portray as much as it could have. Still, it added to the sort of "gothic" and the dark underlying mood of the piece.
THE CAST
As I mentioned, I ended up skipping through scenes to get to the plot points because I was kind of impatient that way, but it also showed that there wasn't anything all that special that I found about the acting. In general, the cast did a good job, and the delivery of emotional scenes was beautiful. One thing I found though was that the actors' deliveries weren't that consistent. I love L as Dan because he had a lot of the playful characteristics down but I do agree with others that he wasn't consistent 100% of the time. It could be a bit because of how his character was written. However, he was very fun to watch and I can't really imagine him as anyone else right now. Shin Hye Sun was the most consistent I think and it is true that she often carried the acting. While they look absolutely stunning together, I felt a bit of a mismatch of energies and their chemistry wasn't there 100% of the time. Some people mentioned how it their relationship moved by so fast, but it made a lot of sense to me, though around episode 25 ish their chemistry together wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. However, overall all the actors did pretty well.
MUSIC
I loved the soundtrack. It gave a bit of a gothic and the underlying darker themed auras into the narrative and I enjoyed it a lot. I think the music really helped elevate a lot of the mood of scenes (though sometimes it did rely too much on the music to deliver the emotions but I'm a music junkie so it did it for me). I particularly loved Oh My Angel and Pray. I've been playing Pray on loop because I just love it so much.
CONCEPTS
I liked how they played with the colors of outfits- how Dan's outfits started off bright then as he went through his darkest moments, his clothes started taking a darker turn- then ending with the brighter pink and white again as he found his place. The videography was pretty well-done and I liked the angles and lighting themes. I think the different locations set the mood well and delivered their own themes. I really enjoyed visual aspects of the scenes and I think the set was coordinated very well.
REWATCH VALUE
I'd definitely rewatch this. While this series had its flaws, it wouldn't stop me from rewatching it right away. It's up in my favourites along with Something in the Rain and Encounter. Unlike these two, however, I think ALM:L has a sort of magic for me that I can go back to immediately.
CONCLUSION
I want a devoted angel like Dan :'). But yes, it was a good series overall, and has its own magic that will stay with me a long time. I'd rewatch for the themes, mood, and to get me inspired to write. While the antagonists and the storytelling got a little weak at times, this series is up in my list of favourites. I want more series like this one!!
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