Reviews

PORTRAYS REALITY OF LOVING WITH A SAME GENDER

The Story was not something new for me, two guys that is confused and ended up falling in love with each other since child hood or young days, but this show presented it in a different way that it was so beautiful, it feels like a Korean Version of Your Name Engraved Herein , if you knew that show .. I got the same feeling
I just really felt bad that the characters have to choose to run away from what they were feeling becuase it was not common and not accepted during those years even more than it was in some parts or ways being accepted this present years.
It feels like too short but at the same time it felt enough, I was not okay with the ending that they only have shown the two of the lead characters met again and probably continue their love, but at the same time It was okay for me that it ended up like that. The last scene was like the director have given us the choice of how or what we wanted to think what happened after they met when it was shown .. it was a good idea
I felt really sad about their story, i really hope they will be able to continue their love.
I have nothing else to say about the acting specially Won Tae Min .. I have seen him in quite some dramas, he always does great, be it a thug , a collector and about the kissing scene ! I was really glad about it, it felt real.
All in all, even the story was common for me , but I am again for another time impressed about how this drama or movie made .. it was beautiful and heart warming and above all , it presented what really happens in real life for those who falls in love with their same gender
Highly recommended show !

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Hit so close to home

i had my eyes on this film ever since its announcement since my girl Tu is in it and all the acclaim it was getting making me even more excited to watch
i was engrossed the whole 2 hours of runtime, never once did i feel bored. the story moved well along and was told with so much love.
i had recently lost both of my grandmothers that too within a month of each other. both of them had become so sick for quite a while that they had become the shells of the people they used to be. this movie reminded me a lot of who they were, the loving and comforting people they were, always welcoming and waiting for my return. i hope they are resting well and i was able to give them back at least a bit of the comfort they had given me

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Its confusing. i loved it.

Dont mind my bad english :,)

THE STORY
The storyline plays with your imagination, and at first, you might feel a bit confused, which can come off as slightly annoying. However, by the end, everything becomes clear, and you gain a deeper understanding of what's going on in Rino's mind. She believes everyone around her disappears, which seems to stem from her intense emotions and psychological state. Jun, on the other hand, forgets everything after sleeping, but as we see in the end, Rino stays with him until they grow old together (at least, that's my interpretation).

ACTING/CAST
At first, Rino’s character comes off as a bit cringe, afterall she’s a young girl living in her own world, chasing after her "love" like she’s in some romantic movie (she is indeed). But you get to see more of her inner struggles and emotions, her performance becomes much more compelling. By the time the movie starts diving deeper into the psychological aspects, Rino’s acting feels more layered, and you begin to sympathize with her emotional journey.

Jun, the male lead, plays his role with an understated intensity. At first, he’s hard to read, but that makes sense given his condition of forgetting everything after sleeping. You can feel the weight of his situation without him over-expressing it. The chemistry between the two leads becomes more believable as the movie progresses, and by the end, their connection feels raw and genuine.

Both actors bring out the complexity of their characters well, making you feel their pain, love, and confusion without it feeling forced or overly sentimental.



REWATCH VALUE
You might want to rewatch it to fully grasp the story if you didn’t get it the first time, or just rewatch it when you're bored. It’s perfect for those moments when you want to feed your delulu ass, imagining you could find someone who would love you even if you forgot them every single day lmao.

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Good Sentimental Historical Movie

I like seeing historical Filipino films that focus on the sentimental. Films like Moments of Love and Eternity. This film feels like on the same vibes as those movies hence I watched this one.
I like how the story of the two people from the past is seen from the eyes of people living in the present. We see how their characters and their problems related to love and even career can be similarly compared to the characters from the past. Then actors playing the present day characters, Eddie Garcia, Christopher De Leon, and Dennis Trillo all portrayed their characters well.
Eddie Garcia's character is the one connecting the present to the past. His younger version from the past is portrayed by Mark Herras. Two women admire him from the past, Azon and Cora. While it was Azon whom he loved at first, it was Cora who found him and took care of him after World War 2. He later married Cora but Cora ran away after giving birth to their son (Christopher De Leon in present times) since she didn't feel that her husband truly loved her (especially since he denied her request to dance under the blue moon with him when the conditions were perfect). Jennylyn Mercado as Cora portrayed her character's sincerity and desire to be loved by her husband very well, I thought she's really good in this. So is Pauleen Luna who portrays the livelier Azon, we see in her fun portrayal why Mark Herras's character loved her at first. I thought Mark Herras did not act as well as the two women, but he has chemistry with them both. Polo Ravales played the friend of the Mark, Pauleen, and Jennylyn's characters who had a one-sided crush on Pauleen's character Azon (who died during the war). He did good in the role though he did not make as much as an impression as the 2 female actresses.
Later in the story we found out that an older version of one of the two women that Mark Herras's character loved was still alive. Portrayed by Boots Anson-Roa, we later found out that her character was the older version of Cora/Jennylyn's character. I like Boots' acting, she has good chemistry with Eddie Garcia. Seeing them dance under the blue moon is really sweet, especially since it's the wish of Cora's character for a long time. We come to later understand that Cora was actually truly loved by her husband even though she wasn't his first love and that the graveyard visited by Eddie Garcia's character in the beginning of the movie (where he revealed that he will still look for his true love) was actually Azon.
I know that some people felt that the main male character never truly loved his wife and felt he only looked for her since he was dying already, but I thought otherwise. Since it was his wife who chose to leave after giving birth, I think he was just giving her the space that she needed. The difficulties he experienced as a single father raising his son (plus the fact that technology wasn't really developed yet) could be a reason why he didn't look for his wife after a few years. It was wrong of him never to dance with his wife under a blue moon when the conditions perfect (it led to his wife thinking he didn't love her) but it is also really possible that he never realized that he already loved his wife more than his first love until his wife had gone away.

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What a lovely movie.

I've seen several movies lately that dealt with diseases/death and most of the time, I found those tropes lazy. Of course you're gonna reach the audience if "the male lead finding out that his one true love died while she was away".
It's hearder to write something that deals with a disease more realistically. Which is where this movie succeed.

To do that without burdening the audience, the writing didn't dwell too much on the condition the male lead has for instance, instead it took its time to introduce the settings, then the characters and finally their interactions together. By doing so, their scenes together didn't have to do much to move you since you already liked them individually.

To keep this review short, I will say that what I loved the most here is that the movie isn't trying to push the "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" narrative. Being sick doesn't help you at all, you just have to deal with it everyday and this movie shows that you can.

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An All-rounder Movie!!!

Omg- Kim Woo Bin totally caught my heart on this one! It's one of his best performance so far!

If you've watched way too many detective/prosecutor show like I do, then this would be something to your liking =but with a twist! Since it's about probation officer, it shows a side that's very important which are often neglected

It's full action-packed, with a touch of comedy- mainly because the main character is a funny guy.

He is like a small kid in a buffed body which matured into a matured man towards the end

I love the character development, the action, storyline and everything.

So many touching moments- especially the last scene. This is really a meaningful and exciting show!!

I also love the team spirit among the officers. It's really welldone. been a while since i watched such a great Kmovie! Thank you!

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Officer Black Belt Korean Movie Reviews

Officer Black Belt marks Kim Woo Bin's triumphant return to action-packed cinema, blending thrilling martial arts sequences with social commentary.

The film follows Lee Jung Do, a seemingly ordinary man who works at his father’s chicken restaurant but secretly possesses exceptional martial arts skills. His life changes when he steps in to save a probation officer, leading him to temporarily join the ranks of law enforcement, tackling dangerous criminals and reevaluating his life choices.

The movie is not just about fast-paced action; it delves into significant societal issues, including South Korea’s lax sexual assault laws and child safety concerns. The plot critiques the justice system while delivering an emotional narrative about duty and morality. However, some narrative elements, such as the ease with which Jung Do navigates law enforcement, may feel a bit unrealistic.

Kim Woo Bin shines in the lead role, bringing emotional depth and physical prowess to the character, making his martial arts scenes particularly gripping. The dynamic between Woo Bin and Kim Sung Kyun (playing probation officer Kim Sun Min) adds further emotional weight to the story, making it more than just an action spectacle.

While Officer Black Belt has some narrative flaws, including the handling of sensitive topics, it succeeds in offering a thrilling watch with timely messages about justice and protection

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Is it finished?

Overall I good BL with amazing acting. The pacing was a little slow. I was very invested in the story which sadly lead to disappointment. the second to last episode was very emotionally heavy, the final wallows in the sad tone until the very last shot where there was possibly a hint at happiness? We aren’t given any answers we have had for over half the episodes to the point I had to check I had actually watched the last episode. I understand wanting to let the viewer make their own conclusions but this was a bit too extreme and I feel like the time put into the show wasn’t worth the payoff at the end.

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This needs a lot of trigger warnings
Honestly the lvl of anxiety, stress and blood boiling is high, and this barely had any comedy, 1%

this heavily revolves around criminals getting discharged, and under “neighborhood arrest” so I thought like thieves and embezzlers
but it’s focused on rapist, and serial child rapists , how is the death sentence not a thing? Especially knowing the burning sun criminals got out after their measly 5 year sentences,
So nothing was graphic but knowing the truth about how that one movie, hope, rapist got out and lives right next to that poor kid, this is blood boiling

Also, calling them officers but no guns, or backup or actual cops interfering? Frustratiiiiinnnnggggggggggggggg

I wonder how old wobin is pretending? Cuz he wasn’t acting like a 35 year old, he was as naive as WDH in bloodhouds
And this became heavy near the end too, a repetition of the plot, knowing it's the same screenwriter & director, as well as midnight runners.. it's more disappointing, atleast in bloodhounds, they had a lot more "adults" to help, eventho they died too


no cops got involved but 4 geeks saved the day, I’m gonna assume they’re less than 35 too, so the whole authorities were MAI....

And tho it ended "cutely", I wish they also talked about the dark web criminals, like saving one kid doesn’t mean the 10s still getting hurt is ok

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It was beautiful. I liked the whole vibe, the aesthetics were pretty and it definitely left a lingering feeling by the time I was done. My heart was giddy everytime they kissed.

About the story - I feel there could have done so much with the story. They really gave it so little. It felt as though the time gaps were more for show rather than contributing to the plot. When I read 'they couldn't get the time quite right' I was expecting much more than just what we were served with. Even with the ending, something felt amiss.

That being said, Kim Go-eun and Jung Hae in did a commendable job with both their characters. They did very well with a story that served so less.

I really look forward to see these two act in a drama.

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The warmer side of tepid

I was more partial to the main couple, but this is still a nice companion piece to the series it span off from, especially for people who wanted to see more of the second couple. It takes some some time and a lot of suspension of disbelief to see the actors as high school characters, but the characterization of the relationship is well drawn. Since this is a direct prequel there was only going to be one kind of ending, unless it was going to show parts from the series. If there was something that could have been shown a bit more is Dong Hee's relationship with the aunt which is a major reason he took himself out of the equation for as long as he did at the end. I really like the build up to the kiss with Ho Tae refusing to call Dong Hee hyung and how Dong Hee has offered to teach Ho Tae what ever he wanted, which leads to Ho Tae asking Dong Hee to teach him how to kiss leading to Dong Hee thinking caveating the teaching lesson with Ho Tae calling him hyung would stop him, but it only doubles down the tension when Ho Tae asks his hyung to teach him to kiss. Kudos to the writing.

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They let us have this ....

In the original story Ho Tae and Dong Hee had feelings for each other but out of respect for Ho Tae mother, as she loved him and cared for him as her own, Dong Hee didn't want to have a relationship with him. Ho Tae persistently begged for Dong Hee to date him but was constantly rebuffed. They were always friends and for me at least the prequel's ending fit nicely with the sequel beginning. The writers stuck to the backstory details to create the prequel and nothing was changed.

Reason why it fit: After years of not seeing each other they finally meet. Old friends would smile as they remember their connection and the warm feeling they had for each other. As in the prequel Dong Hee still hides his feelings for Ho Tae. Ho Tae keeps forcing him to give him a chance which causes the friction between them. They are no longer boys but men with strong opposing convictions. Frustrated Dong Hee lashes out. This is where Unintentional Love Story begins.

The story was really the growth of both and nothing new was told, just the reason of why Dong Hee left and his return. Ho Tae is as thick mentally as he is insightful. As he understood his feelings for Dong Hee, he knew why he dated the girls. They would never replace the one he wanted at his side. He knew that he was wrong so he gladly took the injuries. Dong Hee ran away to come full circle back to him. Hence the reason Ho Tae told him he was not intouch with his feelings.

The story wasn't new but it felt fresh in its delivery. The moments were realistically light and not bogged down with melodrama. The actors were superb in their roles with great chemistry. What I would have loved to see, was one more episode with another 7 years passing and picking up where Dong Hee says, "Let me have this.", with Ho Tae's arms wrapped around him. Whatever errors (the story lag in 4 and 5, Won Young in the same town and school when he only newly arrived in ULS ) are easily forgiven as it was definitely worth the wait. I'm left wanting more of all four. As a movie this would have worked better than the series. Still very grateful. Rewatch - definitely!

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