marieljanina
Outstanding performances all around !!
Incredible! Just truly incredible! I don't watch much crime thriller dramas. I prefer real life crime/thriller documentaries if I'm being honest. So this might actually be the first drama of this genre that I watched. And I must say, WOW!However, I didn't really get into this drama until around episode 4. The first few episodes were good, especially the way Lee Dong-Shik's (Shin Ha-Kyun) character was introduced and the way the story was suggesting him to be the perpetrator. But it was definitely more like a cat and mouse act for those first episodes. At around episode 4 when more "suspects"/"possible suspects" gets introduced along with their individual stories, is when it starts to get interesting.
This is when the plot really starts to grab you as it starts to make you question and guess who is the real suspect among all the characters. Then more of the background stories of the supporting casts is also shared which thickens the plot even further. I really liked the way they end each episode on a cliffhanger as well, and that it makes you want to watch the next episode to find out what's happened.
In terms of the characters and acting, I really have to give it up to Shin Ha-Kyun and Yeo Jin-Goo because their chemistry and their acting in this drama was just another level. I have never seen Shin Ha-Kyun in any drama before this so I didn't know how good he is and my gosh is he SO GOOD! The way he acted a some-what psycho -ish character but then also had those gut-wrenching emotional scenes, it's unreal. I got scared by his psycho smile, but then also cried and felt heartbroken for him at the crucial stages of the drama.
Yeo Jin-Goo was just as incredible. He really held his own and it's dramas like this that makes you forget how young he really is because of how good and how mature he acts. I will say though that his character is very serious, I don't think Han Joo-Won ever smiled but that's not bad thing. This drama is a crime thriller after all and he's already proven he can act comedic and funny in Hotel De Luna already. This drama just showed that he can do both serious, emotional acting as well as comedic and funny.
Big ups to the supporting cast too. They were all impressive in their acting and their chemistry as a whole. At the episodes where a certain character is being suspected, I really did think that, that person could be the bad guy because of how well the/she acted. On the other hand, when it turned out not to be him/her and the real story of that person is revealed, that certain character's acting complimented that story change too. I felt suspicious of them then felt sad/sympathetic/angry...seriously lots of emotions.
A special mention to the OST/sound mixing too because I think it's a big part of what makes a good drama. And I must say, the soundtrack and sound mixing in this drama is just perfection. I didn't really know what type of soundtrack to expect from a crime thriller drama but golly its good. The sound mixing especially during tense scenes was also very very well done. It did hype up the tension a lot and added so much to the scenes.
Overall, this drama is truly amazing. The story, the cliff hangers, the never ending question of 'who did it'...it will grip you to the very end. It's worth all the accolades it received and certainly worth all the hype!
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STORY:
As mentioned, the story line is based off of the film 17 Again starring Zac Efron. If you've watched the original film, you might like this. It does follow the main storyline as the film with the dad (Hong Dae-Young) being an aspiring talented basketball that ends up giving up on his dream as his high school girlfriend gets pregnant. They have kids, he ends up living a mediocre life with his girlfriends, now wife, then ends up getting divorced. He later on ends up going back to his teen self by some sort of magic. This basic plot of the drama stays true to the film plot as well. The only thing is they of course had to make an almost 2 hour film into a 16x1 hour long episode. So of course, they had to add A LOT to make up those hours. And how they filled those hours were both good and bad.
THE GOOD: I like the little snippets of Dae-Young and Da Jung's past that gives the viewers a little bit more of an insight as to why they're divorcing. It helped show the viewers why some marriages fail and of course also showed the good bits towards the end. And all the silent acts of Dae-Young that his wife didn't know about.
The build up of the love story of the daughter Shi Ah was also added which was decent compared to the film. How she changed from how she felt towards her dad at the beginning towards the end was also very moving since it was like Da Jung's where she didn't know that her dad did stuff for her without her knowledge. This helped build up her character as well as their relationship to a happy ending.
Dae-Young's relationship with his father was also expanded and seriously this part of the drama touched me the most. From how they had a broken relationship to the hidden acts that Da Jung did for her father-in-law, to finding out about Dae Young's mum and his close similarity to his father as he grew up. And eventually to how their relationship gets rekindled in the end.
THE BAD: They added a love triangle with Ji Hoon as the 2nd male character and honestly I didn't enjoy or care for it much. It was added to build some tension but I skipped most scenes of him and Da Jung as we know he was never gonna get picked anyway. The story of him, his brother and his niece was a nice added storyline though and that I enjoyed as it did add to his character and changed him from being a playboy to actually being a fairly decent guy. Deok Jin's love story with Ms. Ok had to be dragged until the very end of course so it just seemed unnecessarily long. For some reason they also added a stalker which was literally just for unnecessary tension for nothing, It didn't really add or takeaway anything to the drama. It was literally a filler.
CHARACTERS & ACTING:
Lee Do Hyun did an incredible job playing someone with a middle aged man's brain. Both his funny scenes and emotional scenes were great. And since I've only seen him in Hotel de Luna, seeing his funny side in this drama was refreshing. On the same level, prepare the tissues for when he brings his A game to an emotional scene.
Yong Sang Hyun was also great. Since he sort of became a 2nd act and only appeared in the important scenes, he really had to bring it and that he did. He definitely added emotional weight to those scenes where he was lingering around Da Jung and in the flashbacks.
Kim Ha Neul was fab too. She didn't have a lot of mum scenes but when she did, she did them brilliantly. Her chemistry with Do Hyun was great as well and not weird at all. Of course, the viewers know that it's Dae-Young in Do Hyun's body but even then it could feel weird if the chemistry wasn't right. But it worked with them since the two worked well alongside each other.
The supporting cast were also great especially Shi-Ah and Shi-Woo as the kids. I appreciated Deok Jin's geeky side too since I'm a Marvel fan :D Special shoutout to Han So Eun (young Da Jung) as she really did great to add emotional weight to Da Jung's character and her young romance with Dae-Young. The chemistry between her and Do Hyun has really made me want a drama with them two as the main leads :D
OST:
The OST for this drama was amazing, although Hello got a bit overplayed. Still I saved it on my playlist cause it's one of those as soon as you hear it, you know straight away which drama it's from and the scenes even play out in your head. There are a couple others such as The Only One and One Person that also stood out to me. Overall great originals that definitely made certain scenes even more emotional.
WOULD I RECOMMEND:
Yes. It's a light, heart-warming drama that will touch you. It's not just about a love story of a wife and husband but also a lot about family and the relationships between father & son, mom & daughter and father & daughter. This drama will teach you a lot about the importance of communicating with your loved ones. And the importance of cherishing the moment before it's too late.
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skip the romance and stay for the bromance
I came to watch Hwarang for the star studded cast and only really stayed 'til the end to watch the bromance chemistry between the Hwarang boys.STORY:
Hwarang started off well with its promising storyline. Episode 1 was pretty good and got me interested straight away. The chemistry between Sun Woo (Park Seo Joon) and Mak Moon (Kwang Soo) was amazing and the episode instantly got me emotional. The next few episodes were fairly good as well as we find out the main reason for the Hwarang. The introduction of the rest of the cast as the Hwarang boys did make the first few episodes interesting enough. Unfortunately as the drama progressed, the less interesting it got since most of the plot actually revolved around the romance side of the story. In the end it became tedious to watch because of this.
The romance side of the story kept going back and forth between Ah Ro and Sun Woo. When she's not getting mad at Sun Woo then it's Sun Woo trying to avoid her. And the worst parts were when Ah Ro somehow always needed rescuing by either Sun Woo or Ji Dwi. The romantic scenes became very monotonous to watch.
On the other hand, Sun Woo and Ji Dwi's background storylines and bromance were interesting enough to warrant watching through the terrible romantic scenes. The side stories of the Hwarang boys (Ban Ryu, Soo Ho and Han Sung) did also help to keep me watching to the very end. Ban Ryu's love story/romantic scenes were actually more interesting than the main leads which says a lot about how substandard the main leads love story really was.
I did think the last few episodes also dragged on and it would've been better if the director made it a 16 episode drama instead of 20. Since the extra 4 episodes were filled with problem after problem and it got a bit tiring and boring to watch towards the end.
CHARACTERS:
Ah Ro was a damsel in deep distress since she seems to be always crying like seriously 80% of the time she's crying. If she's not crying, then she had a grumpy face on. She became annoying to watch most of the time. That's not to say the actress (Go Ah Ra) who plays her is a bad actress, it just so happens the character she played was not the best.
Ji Dwi had the greatest story arc overall in terms of how he was in the 1st episode; being cowardly, scared and still child-like needing protection from his mum. In the end becoming what he was really born and destined to be: The King. Park Hyung-sik exuded the aura of being a secret king really well. You will feel sorry for his character but also get annoyed at his coward-ness but then still root for him to be the king in the end. He played this character really well.
Sun Woo (Park Seo Joon) was also great in this drama. From the very first episode to the last, he played a great pauper with that classic 'for-the-people' attitude. He exuded great leadership skills and towards the last episode he really did make me so anxious as to what decision he was going to make. The overall chemistry between the Hwarang boys was excellent too especially Sun Woo and Ji Dwi. It's really what got me through this drama.
The supporting casts were also good, especially Kwang Soo even though he was only on a couple of episodes. Kim Jee So as the Queen Mother Ji So did a fantastic job, I disliked her the more episodes I watched which just goes to show how well she played her character.
OST:
I loved the OST of this drama. I especially appreciate Park Hyung-sik and Park Seo Joon taking part in the OST as well. And of course, V of BTS with the main OST 'It's Definitely You' along with Jin from BTS. I had this song saved on my playlist before even watching the drama as it's just so good.
OVERALL:
The drama had a decent storyline that if the romance side of the story was done better or there was less of it and more of the Hwarang then I probably would've given it a higher rating. The chemistry of the Hwarang boys especially Ji Dwi's and Sun Woo's along with their own background stories are the main reasons to stay for this drama. You may want to skip the romantic scenes between Ah Ro and Sun Woo, I sure did, but it's worth sticking until the end to see Ji Dwi finally sit on the throne as he should.
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He delivered in this drama as expected. It was nice to see him play a more serious role than his previous roles in Strong Girl Bong Soon, High Society and Hwarang. Of course there were still moments when he would act cute or funny in this drama but it was mostly serious. The fact he was able to memorise all those law stuff garjon was also quite impressive in itself.
He also had great chemistry with his co-lead Jang Dong Gun (Choi Kang Seok).
Choi Kang Seok was 90% serious through out the drama but when he's with Yun Woo, he gave off a softer character that made him likeable and their bromance just shined. Even though they have a boss/mentee relationship, towards the end it felt more like an older brother & younger brother relationship that gave the ending an overall very heart-warming feel.
The story itself, I thought was well written. It was simple to follow and it didn't feel like it dragged on at all. It was also fun to watch how Kang Seok and Yun Woo solved cases. Although in some scenes towards the middle episodes, it felt like Yun Woo would suddenly shine and show his badass genius lawyer skills but then it turned out to be the opposite so it felt underwhelming. It wasn't until the end that Yun Woo really showed his full lawyer awesomeness but it was worth the wait.
The romance side of the drama was very minimal but enough to add some interest to it. Yun Woo and Ji Na had great chemistry too and even though it's just a glimpse of romance, it didn't feel rushed at all and had a good build-up to it as well. On the other hand, Ji Na could've done with a bit more of a character build-up but nonetheless her character added a lot to the drama. I thought the ending was also very well done. It was fast paced but everything was concluded really well. It was also very emotional and unexpectedly brought me to tears.
The OST is also pretty decent for a law drama. I've saved a couple to my playlist already. Some of them like 'Now' by Vromance definitely added that 'cool, badass lawyer' vibes to some scenes . And I just have to mention 'You in My Dreams' by Mamamoo because it's just so beautiful.
Overall, I think this is a really great drama. Although it's based off the American TV show, it definitely held its own with it's well written story line, casting, production and OST. It's a good drama to watch if you're not into melodramas and instead want a cool, different drama than the norm. It has the right balance of seriousness, fun and romance so you definitely won't get bored. And if you're a fan of Hyung-sik then you should definitely, most definitely watch this as it shows another side to his incredible acting capabilities.
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Characters/Acting:
I am all for the female heroine vibe, no damsel in distress drama. Bong-Soon's character and her powers only being used for good does send an overall good message. Park Bo-Young as Bong-Soon did an incredible job portraying a cute, tiny lady who no one would suspect to be so strong. Her emotional scenes were very good and her 'cute' acting was just that...very cute.
As for the lead guy, Park Hyung-sik, he did a good job portraying that young, cool, gamer CEO character vibe. Min-Hyuk as a character is never too serious and is actually funny at times and Hyung-sik did great acting out that comedic side of the character but still kept him very cool and CEO-like. Although he didn't have much emotional/serious scenes, when he did have them, he did them very well that it almost brought me to tears.
His 'cute'/'flustered' scenes however, were exaggerated far too much that if it wasn't for the genre of this drama, it would've been cringe-y. But since a lot of the side characters were also exaggerated, this part of his acting blended in and somehow actually worked well.
For the 2nd lead guy, Kim Ji Soo, there wasn't really a lot of variety to his acting and that's because of the character he had to play. His character, Gook-Doo, was meant to be serious and is the total opposite of Min-Hyuk. There wasn't really much to him besides being serious and a couple of emotional scenes. The way Gook-Doo's relationship pans out with Bong-Soon was also a bit silly in my opinion. He seemed to have this big brother vibe with Bong-Soon as he always yelled at her. Later on he realises his real feelings and it just seemed silly when he says he never realised Bong-soon's feelings for him because he was too into his own feelings. It just sounded stupid to me, if I'm being frank.
Aside from the 3 main leads, all the supporting cast were all pretty decent too. I have to especially mention Kim Won Hae who played both Kim Kwang Bok and Oh Dol Pyu. I actually started to get annoyed with his character portrayal of Kwang Bok as it was waaaaayyyy to exaggerated but then when he came on as Oh Dol Pyu, I was just impressed. The way he acted that character was spot on. Though, it was still exaggerated, it just seemed to suit Oh Dol Pyu more.
Story/Plotline:
There really wasn't much of a story to this drama. It's very very easy to follow. There's the main 'thriller' story and the love triangle going on beside it and that's pretty much it. Some of the scenes didn't even make sense in the drama and were literally there to just be the 'in-between' scenes. It wasn't necessary as it didn't really add anything to the story and most of them tried to be funny but instead got a bit annoying.
I did however enjoy the romance side of the plot and the way it progressed between the main leads. It didn't feel rushed and it seemed pretty realistic/relatable in terms of how one's feelings towards someone else can eventually expire.
The best thing about the story/drama for me was the ending. I'm a 'happy ending' / 'and they lived happily ever after' kinda person so I was very satisfied with the ending of this drama.
Music/OST:
The OST was alright. There were a couple of good tracks but they are quite forgettable. If I heard them again, I probably won't remember it came from this drama.
Would I recommend:
Yes, but only if you don't mind exaggerated characters/acting and a few cringe-y moments. This drama is not meant to be taken seriously. It's a slapstick comedy with a side of thriller, that says it all. If you just want to watch a fun, cute romance drama then I would definitely recommend this one. P.S. It's worth watching for Bo-Young and Hyung-Sik's on-screen chemistry and visuals to be honest :D If you're a fan of either of them, then I would give this one a go.
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Visually stunning, impeccable storyline and beautiful drama
Hotel del Luna was such a refreshing drama for me. I haven't seen many fantasy dramas but the plot of this one really got me interested. Besides the plot, the trailer itself was intriguing and visually stunning as well which is what led me to watch this drama. It definitely lives up to the hype and even exceeded my expectations of the fantasy drama genre.WHAT I LIKED:
Plot/Storyline: I loved the main storyline of this drama and how it was written and portrayed throughout the episodes. The story was like I said very intriguing as you only get snippets of the main plot line which kept me guessing and curious for most of the episodes. Besides the main character (Man-Wol's) story, there were also little storylines on most of the episodes that featured the ghost guests and the supporting casts. I found these little stories beautifully written and meticulously intertwined with the main story. For most of the little storylines and of course the main plot, there were also lessons to be learned which the writer effortlessly taught the viewers.
Cinematography & Editing: Hotel del Luna is no doubt the most visually stunning drama I have watched to date. The visual effects, the camera work/angles, the stunning sets and locations and of course Man-Wol's unrivalled wardrobe all made for such an exquisite looking drama. We have to give it up to the make-up, wardrobe and editing team especially. The way they've edited and made the ghosts look, really made this drama even more fantasy-like and out of this world.
OSTs: The Original Soundtrack was just absolutely perfect in this drama. So many wonderful songs from K Drama OST legends like Punch, Heize, 10CM and more. Every time the songs came on during certain scenes, it just tugged at your heart even more. Some scenes towards the end were really heightened by the OSTs and definitely made them 10x more emotional which is exactly what an OST should do. Aside from the OSTs, the different sound effects were also very very well done in a lot of scenes. They added so much to the scenes like the comedy ones, the high tension ones and of course the scary scenes. Whoever did them deserves an applause for sure.
Acting & Characters: Ok, I'm most definitely late to the IU party but better late than never, right? I can now definitely see why IU gets so much love. Her acting is just so sensational and she makes it look so effortless too. It's just amazing how she showed so many sides of her acting/emotions in this drama from being serious, scary, comedic and of course all the heartfelt emotional acting too.
Of course, our lead guy Yeo Jin Goo is absolutely magnificent as well. It's hard to believe that he is only in his early twenties as his acting skills and career can rival many actors that are older than him. My favourite scene in this drama was a solo scene by Jin Goo at a bus stop. It was an emotional scene that tugged at my heart. This particular scene was so well done and so gut-wrenching and almost hard to watch because of how emotional it was. Jin Goo's performance in this particular scene was so so good that I won't be forgetting it for a while. Alongside his emotional scenes, there were his funny and scary scenes which were just so entertaining and great to watch too. The chemistry between the two main actors was just perfect and both of them really complimented each others acting.
I have to mention the supporting actors as well, they did such a great job with their own storylines too. They not only complimented the main characters but shined on their own as well. The casting director did a really splendid job with this drama.
WHAT I DISLIKED:
There's not much to dislike about this drama. The only things I probably didn't like is:
1.) 2nd lead guy/first love's story that sometimes outshined Chan-Sung/Jin Goo's love story with Man-Wol. I understand from the plot line why it's important and why it was written and portrayed the way it did but during the climax of the story it almost made me root for them more than Chan-Sung and Man-Wol, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it just took away some of that highlight between the 2 main characters towards the end.
2.) Personally, I am a sucker for a good happy ending, that's just my personal preference. I totally understand why the ending happened the way it did. It was very important to the story line and it was something that had already been mentioned throughout the episodes leading to the ending but as I said, I am a 'they lived happily ever after' kinda person so that's what I would've hoped for. Although saying that, the last scenes were still beautiful and happy which I appreciate from the writers.
WOULD I RECOMMEND:
Absolutely, 100%. If you're into fantasy, romance, comedy or just want something different from the norm of KDramas, then this one is definitely one to watch. There's just so many good things about this drama that it would be amiss not to watch it.
WOULD I REWATCH:
Probably but not straight away. I feel like I could re-watch this drama after a few months/a year after finishing it as it will be a nice refreshing drama to watch compared to other KDramas I normally watch (romance/melodaramas/love triangles, etc). Plus I'd re-watch this just to see Man-Wol's incredible wardrobe again and gawk at the visuals of the whole drama.
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In the end, I gave in and decided to watch it as I was curious about what type of chemistry Park Bogum and Song Hye Kyo would bring to this drama. And anyway, those 2 names are enough to get me curious to give it a go.
And I must say I am incredibly surprised at how much I enjoyed this drama.
What I Liked:
THE CHARACTERS: yes the story is slow paced and that's because it's actually a drama that gives more focus on building the characters than the story it self and I think that's why the pace worked for me. The drama itself was about the journey of love between Jin Hyuk and Cha Soo-Hyun. The back story of Soo-Hyun was exactly that, just a back story to give it some tension (if that). In terms of the chemistry, I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two. I never once thought it was awkward or forced. I thought both actors did such an amazing job with their acting as well, especially in the emotional heavy scenes, you could really feel their pain and heartache.
OST: I'm a sucker for drama OSTs and I loved the OST in this, that fact that there were some in English made me appreciate it a bit more and I found myself singing along to them whenever they came on :D That aside, the soundtrack definitely worked well with the scenes and added extra emotional impact to them on top of the already incredible actors.
EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY: The flashbacks in the reviews I read about before watching this drama was what worried me the most before watching it. I don't like watching too many flash backs.. However, having completed the drama, I must say that those were actually very well done and I actually really liked them. The flashbacks were edited in during certain scenes that gives extra impact to the 'present' scene. And actually in some of them it makes the 'present' scene even stronger as it shows the reasons why Cha Soo-Hyun or Jin Hyuk are doing certain things.
I especially thought the retro-photo style and the fairytale animations were a great touch too. The photo style obviously reflecting Jin Hyuk's love for photography, whilst the fairytale animations reflect the fairytale-like story between the 2 characters.
What I Didn't Like:
-The turnout from the backstory of Cha Soo Hyun with Taegyong Group/Chairwoman Kim was underwhelming. It seemed like the climax of the story was going to be from the them but nothing major actually ever happens. I felt like Woo-Seok's character was a wasted character that was really just to give the slightest bit of tension between the 2 main leads.
-Aside from that, there's not really a lot to dislike about this drama. Would I watch it again? Probably not but I'm glad that I DID watch it cause it made me smile and made me feel happy. I love romantic dramas with happy endings the most and this just ticked the box. The only reason I wouldn't watch it again is that I don't think it will have the same effect to me if I watched it for a 2nd time. So I'd rather keep the good vibes that it left me after watching it for the first time.
Would I recommend it?
Definitely! BUT only if you like romantic dramas and don't mind a slower pace. If you like feeling giddy/flustered over the main characters romance then yes. If you like seeing character development/growth, then yes.
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A great supernatural drama with one of the best cast chemistry in K Drama world
A great supernatural drama with one of the best cast chemistry I've seen in a while. Uncanny Counter hooked me from the very first episode that I had to watch the next episodes straight after.This drama is great for so many reasons, it's not a typical rom-com drama for one which already sets it apart from most K Dramas. It has many genres in my opinion. It's not just a supernatural drama. It's also comedy, mystery/thriller and it's packed with action and emotions.
STORY:
The story itself grips you straight away right from the first episode. It will leave you curious and wanting to know more. As the drama progresses, it gets even more interesting and just builds up and up so there's never a dull moment. You'll get drawn in with the main story of the lead So Moon, as well as grow curious to find out more about the back stories of the other counters: Ga Mo Tak, Do Ha Na and Chu Mae Ok. Each episode is well paced and there's never a dull part that you'll wanna fast-forward or skip.
The ending of the drama was really good as well since the minor villains were dealt with before the final episode so it didn't feel like it was rushed or crammed into one episode. It goes to show how thought-out each of the episodes were. Plus it really made room for the ending to be more emotionally impactful too.
CAST:
The chemistry between the counters is really one of the best on-screen chemistry I've seen in a drama cast in a while. They all compliment each other so well in every single scene they share. You could really feel that family-like vibe among them like as if they're a real family or really good friends who've known each other for ages even off-screen. You'll laugh with them when they joke around together and get emotional when when they worry about each other. Their chemistry is just so natural and their emotions towards each other so real that it's just SO GOOD!
The production of the drama is also top-notch. From the action sequences, the visual effects, the editing... everything was just spot-on. The one negative I would probably say is that the final showdown felt a little underwhelming. I felt it could have been more action-y and badass. Saying that, it was still a great fight and the considering all the other action sequences in the drama were great, I can let it slide :D
Overall, I really recommend this drama even if you're not a fan of the supernatural genre because of the cast, their acting, great story, production and even incredible OST. It never gets boring and you'll always want to watch the next episode straight away. There's a reason why it's been picked up for Season 2 after all.
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And WAAAAH! To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed this drama, contrary to the reviews I read. Like, yes the story is a little bit confusing because of the 2 different worlds and some actors playing 2 different characters. And of course the whole time travel thing. Any story that involves messing with time/space is always going to be confusing anyway. But still, I loved following and uncovering more about the story within each episode. The characters and the actors were also all just incredible.
I definitely think this is a drama to watch if you have patience for more complex stories and are willing to delve into understanding all the little details. However if you're not for that, you'll probably just get frustrated with this drama.
STORY:
The story is definitely more on the complex side. There's a lot going on. It's easy to get lost and get confused so you have to really pay attention whilst watching it. Now, I get some people may not be into these type of screenplays, maybe they prefer a simpler story or just one that's not as easily confusing.
But for me, I actually really really enjoyed the complexity of the story since it kept me intrigued throughout.
Yes there were some science and math garjon to do with time in this drama that if you're unfamiliar with will just confuse you. And since I am definitely not a science-y/math person, it definitely did confuse me a bit. So I would say/advise, try not to pay much attention to all those garjon stuff as it's just something that will just confuse you the more you try and understand them. At the end, all those garjon didn't even really play a big part to the story. They were more of a filler to add extra character to Lee Gon. Instead really focus more on the characters that are travelling back and forth.
With that said, the most confusing parts of the drama where some viewers might get lost with was trying to figure out which of the 2 worlds a certain character is at or a particular scene is taking place in. Unless it's the Busan palace in the Kingdom of Corea or the Gwanghwamun Square in the Republic of Korea, it's kinda hard to tell. Then once you add in the dopplegangers as well, I suppose it can get even more confusing. So this part of the the story could've probably been made clearer because once you don't know which world is which or which character the actor is playing then obviously the story will get all jumbled up.
There was also a lot of focus on the bits to do with the parallel world (i.e. characters crossing back and forth) and the Uncle's actions (building a secret army) that the romance bit of the story was rushed and there wasn't really a build up to it, except for the ID card and the main characters meeting each other.
Maybe Kim Eun Sook could've probably taken out a couple bits from the base story i.e. the lightning burn, since they didn't even fully explain why some travellers had it and some didn't. Or maybe even took out some characters from the uncle's army like the pregnant lady or the stable guy.
If she would've taken some unnecessary bits, it would've probably been not as confusing and then maybe she could've also put more of a build up to the love story instead.
CHARACTERS/ACTING:
Kim Go Eun was great as Tael Eul. I watched her for the first time in Goblin and was really impressed by her performance there. She did a great job in this drama too. Her emotional scenes were very moving, that they could really bring you to tears. She was a badass in the first few episodes when she fought off criminals too. Her doppleganger character (Luna) was just alright. It was a quieter, darker character with a more haggard look so I don't think it took much to deviate from her Tael Eul character as she just had to tone it right down and make it seem like a sick, more depressed version of Tael Eul to be honest.
Lee Min Ho was also great. This is the first time I've ever watched him and must admit he does have that king aura and charisma to him so he carried the character really well. Though it would've been interesting to see him play another character in the drama as well to see a different style to his acting.
The supporting cast also did an excellent job. Their chemistry was a joy to watch especially the Violent Crimes Unit Squad, the bromance between Lee Gon & Jo Young and that familial love between Court Lady Noh and Lee Gon. A special shoutout and applause to Woo Do Hwan (Jo Young) as well for playing 2 very different characters so well. He was the best in duality among the whole cast.
Overall this drama is really not as bad as I expected and I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. The story was good overall. It could've done with a bit more character/love story build up but the basic plot line was well written in my opinion.
The one negative thing I must agree with among the reviews I read was the insane amounts of product placement. There were far too much that it became ridiculous. I don't mind product placements in dramas since ads, sponsorship and product placement is literally in everything BUT there should be a limit. It wasn't like the drama was promoting 1 or 2 products either. There was at least 6 different products. And there was a placement in almost every episode.
WOULD I RECOMMEND:
If you enjoy complex stories, 'don't-beat-around-the-bush' kind of love story and don't mind product placement then I would definitely recommend. But if you prefer simpler story lines, love a good character/love-story build-up and don't like ads in your dramas, then I would give this a miss otherwise you'll just get annoyed.
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