Sirenas
US
This review is also based on a re-watch after many years so I'm showing it as completed but dropping it at episode 20 now only because it doesn't feel fresh this time around.
The first few episodes were a bit lackluster as the tragedies were done in an over-simplified and overly dramatic way. But it does start to pick up in quality once the king comes into the picture. What makes this series a bit different from some in this genre is that although there are the usual politics, it doesn't feel quite as heavy. It helps that there are plenty of humorous characters and moments to help break up it up. There is also a unique incorporation of a women-only investigative team, so there is some "detective" aspect to it as well.
The majority of the actors does a great job in their respective roles. I want to list them all to emphasize this but there's just too many. Instead I'll discuss the only actor that was obviously mediocre, and she happens to be one the series is titled after.
The Dong Yi character stayed relatively flat even when her status changes and although I think this was intentional, it gets old. This may not have been as glaring if the actress was better with micro-expressions or was more versatile with them. She makes the same few expressions ALL the time no matter what the situation is and it becomes more and more noticeable. It didn't help when they used a freeze frame of her with her usual eyes wide opened at the end of most episodes. Why they thought this would be a good cliffhanger is beyond me.
The other aspects that are off is how no one ages appropriately and time skips are pretty abrupt. As an example, one minute someone stated they were pregnant and minutes later, the baby was in their arms. Some portions of the episodes are binge-worthy and sometimes there is a a bit of a drag but it does move along.
Don't let this deter you from giving this one a try though especially if the female lead doesn't bother you as much as it did for me. Although she was a bit mono-toned, she's surrounded by many interesting characters that make up for it.
The first few episodes were a bit lackluster as the tragedies were done in an over-simplified and overly dramatic way. But it does start to pick up in quality once the king comes into the picture. What makes this series a bit different from some in this genre is that although there are the usual politics, it doesn't feel quite as heavy. It helps that there are plenty of humorous characters and moments to help break up it up. There is also a unique incorporation of a women-only investigative team, so there is some "detective" aspect to it as well.
The majority of the actors does a great job in their respective roles. I want to list them all to emphasize this but there's just too many. Instead I'll discuss the only actor that was obviously mediocre, and she happens to be one the series is titled after.
The Dong Yi character stayed relatively flat even when her status changes and although I think this was intentional, it gets old. This may not have been as glaring if the actress was better with micro-expressions or was more versatile with them. She makes the same few expressions ALL the time no matter what the situation is and it becomes more and more noticeable. It didn't help when they used a freeze frame of her with her usual eyes wide opened at the end of most episodes. Why they thought this would be a good cliffhanger is beyond me.
The other aspects that are off is how no one ages appropriately and time skips are pretty abrupt. As an example, one minute someone stated they were pregnant and minutes later, the baby was in their arms. Some portions of the episodes are binge-worthy and sometimes there is a a bit of a drag but it does move along.
Don't let this deter you from giving this one a try though especially if the female lead doesn't bother you as much as it did for me. Although she was a bit mono-toned, she's surrounded by many interesting characters that make up for it.
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