I would reccomend not watching.

Okay, so you may want me to mark this a spoiler related review but I need an opening warning to anyone who will watch this show: the main character is a minor until the last 3-4 episodes. The story has him engaging in a romantic and sexual relationship with an adult. Do not argue with me that “he’s 17, he’s almost an adult” when your frontal lobe doesn’t finish developing until you are 25. I could not like either of them beyond the fact that the actors get along well and you can obviously tell that.

I was severely uncomfortable with the fact it was romanticizing that relationship even if initially they had the adult realize it was wrong. I think it’s disgusting and will fuck over a lot of kids who don’t understand that it’s not hot or cool to have sex with an adult when you are a kid. It’s setting up younger fans who find this show to be exploited. He could’ve been a university student and it wouldn’t’ve been less creepy bc he wouldn’t be a LITERAL child.

I think whoever likes this and looks beyond the fact that it’s an illegal age gap should reasses what they actually like about this show beyond “ooo it’s taboo” and the actors having good chemistry. An adult preying on a child that obviously has no support system or parent around is fucking disgusting, and if you say it’s not you don’t get how much that fucks up someone.

The only redeeming part of the show for me was Ai Di since his age gap with Chen Yi was THREE years instead of 5+. He was the only character that actually felt compelling to me especially with how Louis played him. He was the one who didn’t have his whole personality revolve around his romantic interest, he had other things going on at the same time as everything. You can say I’m biased but he didn’t get start his relationship with Chen Yi until he was in his 20s after he and Zongyi get out of prison (but was still an ADULT when they had sex before he left).

Like no hate to the actors, they’re just doing their job, but genuinely whoever wrote this is gross. Literally as a gay man, especially one who’s been the older person in the room for some of younger peers, I can’t suspend any disbelief for this storyline. I can’t think an adult having a sexual relationship with a child is hot or sexy or whatever you fucking call it. It’s literally what us queer men have been trying to fight, because the impression made by conservative media of gay and trans people is that we’re predators, and then you make a gay romance out of an incredibly predatory relationship? You don’t fight for us. You only care about your fetishes.

I don’t recomend watching this show. (I’m not saying boycott the actors though, they didn’t write the story. They just did a job.)

If this review offended you, if it make you angry because I said the truth of what this show really is and you don’t like that, reassess yourself. Liking queer romance isn’t a crime but when it’s including shit like this, it’s doing the opposite of what mainstream queer media is supposed to do. It’s not advocating, it’s showing an adult and child having sex. It’s setting up impressionable minds to getting hurt. I can’t accept that, especially when there are more well written actual queer stories to come out of Asia.

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This movie isn’t for everyone… but it’s definitely for me.

To start off this review: if you don’t like films like Jordan Peele’s cinematic universe, Hereditary, or most of the films (esp horror films) coming out of A24 or other indie movie distributors, then this movie is definitely not for you.

This film takes a lot of artistic liberty, and presents itself as a arthouse film, and I definitely think it deserves that presentation. It feeds off of mainly showing and not telling the audience and is very lax with the pace it uses.

If you’re not familiar with shamanism and other indigenous Korean rituals, then this movie is also definitely not for you. I think if you’re also used to the more romanticized version of shamans that a lot of Kdramas have will not prepare you to the actual intesnity of some of the means they use (i.e. the pigs, slitting the throat of a chicken, dousing things in horse blood) and the way it is presented for the audience. There is gore and violence in this film, it reeks of death and mourning, and if you were expecting a less intense story of shamans (like The Matchmakers) then this film will shock you and make you uncomfortable. Those with a weak stomach should probably avoid this film since there is a lot of bodily harm, throwing up blood, and just in general a lot of blood.

Now that’s out of the way, I’m gonna talk wayyyyyy too much about how I love this film. If you’re autistic like me and like hearing endings, keep reading if you’re comfy, if you’re not I hope you have a good day!!

Exhuma is a perfect storyteller for the lives of all of the members of this ragtag group of traditional practitioners. (Maybe it’s my adolescent interest in Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service that made me excited to see a different type of indigenous mythology even if some of it is based on the same scripture.)

The film starts really slow, and I think it’s a perfect way to play out how all of the four main characters are connected to each other. Instead of just telling their relationship, especially between Hwarim and Bonggil to Sangdeok and Younggeun, as they are quite different people, it shows how they have a work relationship that is still friendly. Also their personalities are well displayed; Hwarim being someone who hides behind confidence and her own abilities, Bonggil as someone who may seem very servile but is quite brave, Sangdeok cares deeply about his family even if he doesn’t like that his daughter is marrying a German man (also he is a boomer I hope this helps explain so many things), and Yeonggeun is a very frugal undertaker who is quite cowardly unless in the face of money.

I think the family drama of the Park family is so good, even if for a bit you’re confused who is who in the family. (Since the film is through the lens of the group, it makes sense that we are only privy to a tiny bit of information about them.) There is an air of holding their breath about the grave of the patriarch’s great grandfather, and it had me guessing until the final reveal that he was a fascist who followed that Japanese annexation of Korea. It’s such a perfect blend of history, and of the fact a lot of rich people hide the atrocities of their ancestors. (But also the ghost wanting to take all of his children with him is so good when you realize he is angry that they left Korea for America.)

Also, the detail of a Japanese monk being the one to give him a burial, which was auspicious to him but terrible in Korean geomancy, is literally the icing on the cake. Though, after this the movie takes a very dark turn, and I think it still fits with the storyline especially when the reveal of the monk’s true identity, and Sangdeok finding out that the “grave robbers” were just geomancers.

The supernatural aspects genuinely interested me even if they weren’t really meant to be scary. It shifts the tone to more emotional, sentimental in the way we view these characters.

We see the biggest changes in Hwarim and Seongdeok, because the anima drastically changes the tone of the double internment. Bonggil getting hurt after trying to distract it and protect her, shakes her very deeply. When he is in the hospital she gets desperate, her confidence is gone and she stays by his side trying to bring him back. She takes risks that could kill all of them just to get him free from the anima, and feels terrible when Seongdeok gets hurt in the final battle.

Seongdeok gets obsessed with the plot and finding out what’s so wrong with it. He visits it multiple times in an attempt to figure out what he’s missing. The unknown draws him in and eventually gets him hurt, and he accepts death, until he realizes he wouldn’t get to see his daughter’s wedding.

I’m leaving so much out because I want whoever is reading this to find joy in some of the things I left out, hehe. Though, the ending is happy, and I’ve seen people confused by it and I wanted to say I think the ending was nice. It reminded me sort of like the ending of Extracurricular, in which it is left vague because they are marred by the experiences, but life goes on.

I also think that Lee Dohyun still playing one of the most normal characters but still being given his usual insanity was so good. This man goes 0-100 in five seconds and it’s why I love him. Great madman, will miss him dearly until he comes back from his compulsary service.

Damn this got long, I just love this movie a lot. Thank you anyone who reads this absolute essay of a review. I am mentally ill and love me some sad happy shit.

(edit: I also forgot to mention that there isn’t a “romance” plot but there is an obvious connection between Hwarim and Bonggil that I just refer to them as soulmates instead. They are each other’s confidence, and safety. They live together and have known each other since they were teens, they care very deeply about each other and I don’t think we need to label it.)

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Had potential to be interesting…

Warning: this review is me being too passionate about a throwaway title from 2022, so there will be spoilers and autistic rambling, read at your own risk. (Also, I am a Zenith [fan of EPEX] so you may consider my bias towards Hanse [aka Keum Donghyun] to be tied to my adoration for Donghyun, when it is not.)

This show could’ve been amazing, but it very obviously suffered from a Webtoon writing style. I will go over a few comprehensive points of why this show failed to have a completely interesting plot.

1) Writing and Plot Screentime
2) The Magic System
3) The Hanse Principle (aka a waste of Character Chemistry)

Writing & Plot Screentime:

This show isn’t written terribly, which I should say hearing from me is high praise. I am very very picky with show writing, especially with phrasing and while I am not fluent in Korean the translation I read was quite one-to-one with the scenes so it was a lot more cohesive. [thanks cixif~]

I still have a lot of gripes with how the characters were implemented and how for the first half of the series Hanse disappears, which???? I mean I get why, and maybe there was a schedule error, but he is introduced in the first two eps and then is gone so like- anyways.

Jebi being an idol did make the beginning interesting, but it gets ignored deeper into the first half of the series because she no longer is one in the world of the novel. I think that was a bad decision, because being an idol, especially from a young age changes how you react to the world and go about your life. There could’ve been something interesting showing her adjust to not having to watch her actions constantly, especially since she was dealing with false accusations in the real world. This could’ve been such an interesting series if it dealt with how she genuinely struggles with having attention on her 24/7 to not having it, and how it made her anxious. She adapted too well, and even if the story is one she knew intimately, it would still mess her up to be there. Jebi didn’t even know where the original character lived, like I think there could’ve been an interesting emotional moment to oversee. Especially, considering the whole entire show was supposed to be about having these 2D characters pop to life.

All of them are still 2D the deeper you get into the show, we barely get information of any of their backstories, they all barely grow as people. We get no home life, beyond throw away comments, after Jebi becomes the “main heroine,” Dami and Eunhyun become background characters mostly, and the only times they get mentionined or shown is tied to Jebi in some way. I don’t know why Jaesuoh gets more background information than the main character, but it’s definitely Webtoon writing coming in strong.

I wish they could’ve balanced the plotline better, to make the show less about the love triangle between Jebi, Jaesuoh, and Jinwoo (which my poor baby got so pushed the the side for one of the main three), and more about the general idea that the book is not what it seems, and that the life in the universe is different.

Also, don’t get me started on Jaesuoh also being one of the ones who existed in the real world. That shit pissed me off so much, because their relationship was so boring to me. The chemistry between the actors got overshadowed by Hanse and Jebi, who their chemistry was perfect. (More on them in the Hanse Principle.) There are times where the fictional character falling in love with the personal from the real world is beautiful and you root for them, but I was not rooting for them in this case.

The Magic System:

Y’all, do I even need to say that the way they set up the book was like kind of lazy???? Oh you go there when you want to run away and leave when you want; doesn’t that present a lazy storytelling instead of having it be that the book is a sort of therapy mechanism that gives someone struggling stability and a routine? It makes no sense I’m bashing my head against the wall.

The Hanse Principle:

Alright, this shit is gonna be the bulk of this review because I am so- they did not ultilze any part of the Jebi and Hanse storyline. If any of you have read the various manwhas and web comics about these sort of storylines, you will understand my disappointment of them conforming to the same ending. Especially since, they showed Hanse and Jebi being so close.

Now, Hanse is such an interesting character, and even if I didn’t watch this show for Donghyun, I definitely would’ve loved Hanse. I am the type who likes blunt but also hurt characters, Hanse is sensitive and calm, but also puts on a mask in front of every character because he has to. He remembers, he is left behind, and he deserves better than the writer gave him. This show failed to show him growing, they also made him be alone like he has always been.

Hanse was a perfect person for Jebi, while maybe their relationship seemed very familial, it’s quite obvious that he liked her. We never got to hear it (the story overtook his feelings and never let him speak about it since), but once he settled with the story changing he helped her so many times, he remembered her when everyone else forgot. He was the first person to tell her he missed her when she came back for the first time. The fact Jaesuoh didn’t and he was in the same situation just angered me I guess, because Hanse was set up to be a character not taken seriously.

He was the one most affected by Jebi’s leaving, and he was the one she was closest to. I think that’s why I got disappointed in the love triangle, because they had a perfect male lead right fucking there. Jebi could be herself around Hanse, and vice versa, they were always hanging around each other, and Hanse protected her even when he was angry with her.

They trust each other, and the actors chemistry made their relationship seamless, but the writers made her choose Jaesuoh. I wish she could’ve chosen Hanse in the end, since they were both grounded in reality for so long, but he was pushed to the side again. Maybe some fans would not understand why, but I definitely think they failed to make the show not interesting, by making her choose the one option that was underdeveloped.

Jaesuoh was a terribly written character, who was possessive to a fault, and misinterpreted her actions so many times. The fact he distrusted her when she was with Hanse, like she couldn’t have a male friend at all. He barely cared for Dami when the WHOLE ENTIRE FIRST PART OF THE SERIES HE’S SUPPOSED TO BE “IN LOVE” WITH HER LIKE- Sorry very passionate because I think they could’ve done him better too.

Genuinely, I think this show could’ve become a cult classic in a way if it was written better, and a llowed the characters to become into their own instead of staying 2D. That’s my two cents I suppose.

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one of my favorite shows ever

finding this show randomly was literally the best thing that ever happened to me. it ticks all of my boxes for things i want in a revenge story, even the romance plot (which i don’t like a lot of the time in avenging plots) jusy is perfect.

the way they kept everything so perfectly interconnected without it seeming forced was so good, it feels so messy like real life, and also reads like the actual recounts of the shitty lives of the wealthy. (also learning that some of it comes from real experience breaks my heart, especially since i saw her in an interview she seems like the sweetest person ever.)

this is a perfect tale of gritty revenge, especially from someone who was living in poverty without good parental figures, whose life was destroyed by rich assholes. (though sometimes those bully scenes were too much for me and i had to take breaks, even knowing it wasn’t real still it hurts to see that done to a human)

dongguen is such a good protagonist, and i don’t mean morally, i mean she is well-written with motivation and understanding. she knows that her revenge will have to be slow, she knows that she can’t hit them when they’re up, she must hit them when they’re down. the way she finds every way to infiltrate their lives is so good. like i don’t have words to explain how well-thought out the writing and her actual plan is. she never planned to half-ass this, she wants to utterly destroy them and not a petty revenge. she wants them to pay for the things they have done, and the people they trampled. but she doesn’t do this plan while trampling over others like they have, she gives kang-ssi a choice but also compensates her fairly. their relationship is so sweet even under the circumstances they met, and while kang-ssi eventually becomes a pawn because of yeojin, dongguen never planned for her to get hurt. she got her daughter out of their enemy’s power network, she has always made sure nothing would happen to her. (her husband being a pawn was always the plan, it’s why dongguen left him alive bc then yeojin would have a bargaining chip when eventually kang-ssi was supposed to mess up.)

i LOVE the relationship between dongguen and yeojung, and i usually don’t like romance plots in my revenge plots. they’re perfect for each other, as both very emotionally inept people, who had to deal with abuse one way or another, but also as partners in crime. yeojung is GENUINELY TERRIFYING when he has yeojin in his chair, and he’s asking her questions, maybe it’s also because i am terrified of people doing things to me while i am unable to stop them, but he literally puts the fear into her about it. he makes her paranoid without dongguen asking him to do so, he does things she would want him to eventually without even her asking. i know they try to make it seem like he’s a killer, especially with his knives, but his actual background does make me sad. it’s why she reaches out to him in the first place, and the way he took that news was so unexpected! i’m so happy they found each other, because dongguen never had someone fight for her, and yeojung never have someone to take care of. dongguen was not used to someone ever viewing her romantically, and i think yeojung is the perfect person to love her. he is incredibly patient, he is willing to do things he could get in trouble for her, but also his love is genuine. he isn’t using her as a reason to be violent, he is being violent and aggressive BECAUSE he loves her. he wishes he could help her feel comfortable in her own body but respects her decisions to reject it. i just- their romance story works perfectly in this revenge story, because he doesn’t make her stop, he helps her because he knows that he will never be able to even if he wanted to. he has access to things that she doesn’t, and he uses it to help her.

also the actress playing yeojin is LITERALLY PERFECT. she is literally the best villian i’ve seen in a series in the last few years. also, i really hope people weren’t mean to her because of this role because she seems so sweet :( (also all of the actors in their interviews together are so funny, it makes me happy to see this show was so good because of how comfortable they were with each other because sometimes things fall flat because of actor chemistry.)

i’ll end this here so it’s not a yap, just, good on everyone who worked on this show both pt1 and pt2, it’s literally flawless and beautiful i love it.

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