Final Life (2017)

Note: This is my PERSONAL OPINION. I am not attacking the drama or the actors, so PLEASE don't feel like you need to defend anything/anyone.

So I love all the actors and the story is alright if not a little banal...but wow what a fkn trainwreck. I had such high hopes for this - Matsuda Shota, one of my all time favourite actors and Taemin (I am a big Taemin fan) in a drama together?! I was so excited. But...whether or not it was the director's decisions or the production company's decision or whoever - the drama felt lazy and engorged. The flashy film-student-esque cinematography and casting of the massively popular Taemin does little to hide the immensely awkward self-indulgence and at many points, the drama - and the actors - come across as painfully self-aware (and not in the good way).

Here are some of the GOOD POINTS:

-Actors: They had some big veteran actors come on board and Matsuda Shota was definitely one of my favourite aspects of the drama.

-Cinematography: Though I hated the over stylised, MV-like cinematography, there were a few shots and sequences that were beautifully shot. Also, some of the cuts were interesting choices to make on the director's behalf. I mean, I'll give kudos where it's deserved. I'm not entirely unfair haha.

-Potential bromance: Taemin and Shota's characters could potentially have had a fantastic bromance/friendship. However, it was let down a bit by the lack of chemistry between the actors. Needless to say, this is my opinion. You might read it differently.

-Music: Music is A+.

-Violence: I LOVE violence and gore and action and this drama does a great job of throwing out unexpected, sudden violence.

BAD POINTS:

-Actors: You can tell Taemin is a little uncomfortable in this role. Maybe it's the language or maybe it's the writing or the directing. I just think he's been totally underutilised here. I really hope he's able to show his true potential in his next acting role. I was disappointed here.

-Plot: Bleurgh. It's very slow-paced and it didn't hold my interest very long.

-Cinematography: Seriously, wtf. It reminds me of the kind of style that the overcompensating hipster film students would utilise for their projects (you know the type - the ones who would list Tarantino, avant garde french films, and vintage Belarus fashion as their creative inspirations). It's uninspired, confused, awkward, flash with no depth, and a little too forced. Also, the lighting proved to be distracting a lot of the time.

-Pace: Just.........wow. I watched a few episodes at 2x speed and it was still slow.

-Obligatory MV Time: Like the surety of ad-breaks when watching your favourite drama on Viki, Obligatory MV Time rolled around like clockwork. It's essentially a random 30 second music video thrown into the middle of several episodes. It's quite jarring when it happens actually. One moment, you're watching a drama and the next you're watching a Taemin MV. They did little to push the plot forward and what little plot they did tell - I just found it to be a lazy technique of doing so.  I personally skipped past these bits.

In fact, I skipped past a lot of bits because I couldn't stand the cringe. I guess some people would love it, some people would hate it. I just think there needs to be more consideration before hitting the 10-rating because Taemin and Shota are starring in the drama (though yes, they are super pretty and pretty super).

IDK what you'd take from this. Watch if you will I guess?

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Up front, any time there is English in this it really is bad, not the English, the acting.  Even the "American" they got sucked at English.  It was so jarring. And if he speaks Japanese, why do Kana and Sion have to speak English when they are alone?  I would get it if he was Korean and she was Japanese and English was the common tongue, but that is not the case, but I digress.

Now let's push that aside, and look at the series.  I decided to look at it a super hero origin story, those are always kinda clunky, having to mush so much stuff in such a short amount of time.  The first 5 episodes are flashback heavy, the same flashbacks, but you see more each time.  For those anime fans out there think Naruto's swing in front of the school, that level of repetition flashbacks.  

Ok lets get past that.  There was lots a pretty in the movie with Taemin and Shota, that helps me forgive a lot.  Its Matsuda, so yes its an artsy film, like Depp he doesn't do any other kind.

The songs What's this Feeling and I'm Crying by Taemin are really good.  It's a coherent, even if sketchy story line.  

If you like Sci-fi or super heroes, Matsuda  Shota or Tae-mini I recommend this title. Despite the way this review sounds I liked it a lot, I just feel if you go in with low expectations you'll enjoy it more.

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This show is essentially a 12 episode long music video. The plot is random and the pacing is weird and the "science" and medicine are just pure bunkum. The intruiging idea of Shi-on using his abilities to help solve crimes is dropped within the first few episodes and there are plot holes a mile wide and a million unanswered questions. The acting is minimal in both style and quality... the two male leads mostly just brood silently and the exposition, such as it is, is left to everyone else. And for god's sake someone pry the lens flare filter from the director's hands. That said... I enjoyed it. It's very stylish -
and stylised - very pretty and nicely whumpy (and the action sequences are decent). If you don't expect too much from it - and above all don't expect it to make sense - and can just enjoy Taemin looking pretty and angsty and getting whumped, then its worth a watch. :D

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Here’s the thing… This is not an ordinary drama. It’s not for the people looking for ‘traditional’ romance mixing some crime/fights or conventional-gents-heroes that rescued the lovely lady and is rewarded with a kiss… You know…

As an avid manga reader and Japanese's animes fan, I quite enjoyed movies with unexpected close-up cams. Final Life was shot-styled as ’film noir’ - sharp on pink-amber X contrast-colours X perspectives, what is cool! Still lacking a bit of ‘tempo’ but overall good. I’ve never watched any other work of this director, but I am at least curious now.

The plot is very interesting and I feel that it’s just the beginning and that it could be developed in more serious/cool stuff. You get the context in no time… And the sometimes, over violence or background character painful flashbacks that can shocks and irritate at the same time … are very pontual (anime like).

Probably because it has just 12 episodes, the start is way too rushed and it doesn’t give you time to create empathy/opinion about the main characters so, the viewers have to make their own minds up about them. It would be nice having a better introduction of Minjoon to justify being the chosen one, of course... but, at least, I liked the thin build-up chemistry between Ryo and Shion.

Lee Taemin is pretty good on this melancholic role, but his moves are still a bit "staged" what will soften on time... On the other hand, this character (Shion) is very interesting with many possibilities and really need this air of untouched idol/hero ;-) !!

Not saying that it’s a work-of-art at all, not to mention that the American scenes/actors are very ridiculous poor (why they didn’t use the help of an American actor-coaching for the scenes?) but, compared with the latest dramas that I have been watching, this one certainly kept expecting the next scene...

If will be there new season, hopefully they give a better thought to the screenplay and keep the bad parts out ;-)!

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Potential plot

Honestly, I watched this drama because I accidentally saw it somewhere and thought that the drama poster was super cool haha! Then I realised it was Taemin who is starring in it, I am not a stan, it's just that the plot was pretty interesting. It's my first ever Japanese drama and I had neutral expectations. But what I didn't expect was scenes that kept cutting off when it was supposed to be emotional, camera angles that were pretty weird and did not show much of the actors expression. I felt that the plot and actors were pretty good, but the way it was directed and how the scene progressed was really really weird. In fact, if it were directed well without sudden cutting of scenes, the drama would be a hit!

The story was pretty vague in some areas and it didn't evoke any emotions that would make me remember the drama or the scenes although if the scenes were properly thought of or directed properly, it would make good angst. Some camera angles are only suitable to be used once or twice, but it was reused many many times that it makes it seem funny. The scenes are also cut off rather abruptly, not to mention how when it seems to portray more of the actors and actresses' emotions, it just got cut off and another scene appears out of nowhere that sometimes, it doesn't make sense at all! Not only that, many scenes were replayed many many times. The use of flashback was kind of an overkill. And the parts where they filmed Sion... I actually thought that he was a prisoner in the office! If only they could film Taemin somewhere else instead of the same room every single time. Not going to lie, but I thought he was going to start dancing in the middle of certain scenes... BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST LIKE A MUSIC VIDEO! Also, I never knew silence could agitate me this much. Most of the scenes, you would expect communication between the characters. But nope, they chose not to talk at all and they either cut the scene or made the character do something senseless. It's not something you would actually do in real life. For example, if you were to talk to someone, you wouldn't run back into your room without a reply when the entire talk wasn't exactly surprising or something to be angered by.

As I mentioned, the plot is pretty interesting and good, but emotions and character development isn't there, there were many loopholes as well. For example, why didn't the police department contact Minjoon's parents about the incident? If they knew since the first episode that Sion is being targeted, why didn't the police appoint bodyguards for him? Why does Sion only thinks of Kana? Shouldn't there be more memories worth remembering? There is so many ways of assassinating someone, why just by sniping him?

I think the actors and actresses are pretty good. Unfortunately, camera angles and weird scripts didn't give them any time to portray their talents.

Overall, I managed to watch the entire drama because of Taemin even though I'm not a stan. I wanted to know the mystery behind Sion and I was disappointed at the ending. I knew that he would most probably end up dead in the end, but I am annoyed about how it ended up. It was almost anti-climatic. I wish someone can remake this drama, it is definitely a plot that can be redeveloped better.

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Not going to lie initially I was skeptical. I know to a lot of people who want the regular stuff and simpler tastes this one might be harder to enjoy but the truth is that dream like atmosphere completely sucked me in. I know at the core the story might seem cliché a young student with an abnormal level of intelligence Sion (Taemin) is brought to Japan to work on a murder case with a detective who is struggling with past trauma with the death of a younger brother Shota played the detectives role who also has a girlfriend he loves. Without giving out any spoilers, I think if you take this one at face value it's not going to be enough. Just sit and let the show open up to you. Like I've mentioned before that dream like ambiance becomes even more of a bad dream when Sion (Taemin) tries to remember his past but he can't even tell anyone who or what he is because he doesn't have any memories. And then some people start targeting Sion and Shota saves him but in the process the perpetrators kill a lot of people. And several times Sion gets almost killed. Anyway so then the plot escalates, where Sion is struggling to remember anything about his past and what happened to him. And the case becomes international when people learn the secret to Sion's intelligence. I feel like this story at the core is about three messed up people. A tortured man whose intelligence people envy but it's nothing but a curse to him. A girl who lost the person she loved and has a conniving father, who finds herself feeling love once again for a man who saves her even though the boy she loved who died she still can't forget him. And lastly, a man who was abandoned by his parents and ended up losing his brother and still blames himself for his death, but who also falls in love with the girl. I think it ended the way a story like this should have ended. It's a story about greed and the obsession humans have with it. I'm not going to talk about Taemin's acting because ok let's face it these things are subjective and there's no one in the world I love more as an idol than Taemin so I don't know I cried and cried tbh. Like ok this is his first real acting job! I mean he was too young and now he's this truly amazing person and talented man and here too he did a great job.

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Now there was an oddball of a drama. Dead bodies everywhere, literally - I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many corpses in such a short drama before - shoot-outs that could rival Hollywood blockbusters and the CIA, of course. And Taemin with blue hair and blue eyes. Also lens flares. JJ Abrams would’ve been proud!

I liked the drama. For all its weirdness I still liked it because it was intriguing and action-filled and had a lot of whump in it. Seriously, this is one huge whump fest. I do wish that they put more effort into the relationship between Sion & Ryo but I still didn’t feel like Ryo’s decision to fulfill Sion’s last wish at all cost came out of left field or something, I still understood why Ryo did what he did, so…

And, this being a Japanese show, ambivalent ending, of course. Because why not, right? Make of it whatever you want. Typical, ha!

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This series has some merit but the story needs development. Probably with more episodes, the cast & writers could've developed the story more in relation to Einstein's brain, Min-Joon/Shi-on's (Lee Tae Min) ability to piece things together & Min-Joon's background. From his name & then later in the story we confirm Min-Joon is Korean so we're left to guess that's may be why he & his love Kana talk to each other in English to each other? But in the series as Shi-on, he speaks fluent Japanese... Additional episodes of on how he recovered, training, & how he & Kana met. Overall, the cast did a great job; I saw improvement for some as the story progressed! Min-Joon became more solid & Ryo (Shota Matsuda) was already pretty solid & tragic with hints of sweetness that make him a good man. I was sad to see him go & loved how selfless he was, but the ending was good. Glad I watched this

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Good concept, poor execution

Let me preface this by saying I have bones to pick with the story itself and the director(s), that's it. Spoilers abound.

I came for the whump and stayed to see how they'd swing the ending. Ehh. Let’s start with the good, since there’s so little of it.

What I liked:
- The acting. It’s fine, good, I’m not really here to talk about that although I’ll say potential was wasted on this show. Hell even the music is better than the script.
- Taemin’s outfits. Nope, seriously, that flowy jacket/sweater he’s got is basically my third favorite character.
- Taemin’s haircut. They played him right to the camera (as you should), that’s all. (My fourth favorite character)
- That one moment Kano Risa took down a suspect all kick-ass.
- The whump. Then again, not enough of it for all the potential of it.
- The ending. Sort of. (rest below)

What I disliked/wished was better:
- THE PLOT!? It's a great concept, if a bit far fetched, but honestly it was sloppy and/or lazy writing and execution.
- I won't get into too many details (but I could, good grief), but I didn't understand why they spent sooo much time on Ryo's side story of finding his mother. She sucks, you hate her, check. Please stop repeating unnecessary flashbacks, it doesn't make them sadder. Did that resolution change anything for him?? Unnoticeable if yes! That whole arc felt like wasted time that could've been better condensed and maybe spent giving us more about Sion's/Minjoon's life at the beginning, to know what he lost, or what he did during those 2 years after waking up or or or. Sigh.
- The dialogue. Or what little we get. I do like the occasional scarcity in dialogue, like when some characters only chime in when (fill in the blank), but this was... taken too far? Both main characters were quiet, which is fine, but for the love of relationships please at least show their developing trust or SOMETHING?? I couldn't really grasp their friendship (are they even friends?) because their interactions are so... rare? Quiet?
- Seriously, "Sion are you okay" has got to be the most commonly asked question, and he typically never answers these (because he's either in pain or unconscious).
- Getting shot in the head and getting asked “are you ok,” I mean, top 3 worst lines of all times?? Lol
- Ryo and Sion don't really share a decent conversation until episode 6? Then again it's still about 6 sentences each, so.
- The filming. I like action cams, when it’s done well. And I wish this had been done better. There were 2 or 3 episodes directed by someone else towards the end and I liked those better.
- Lens flare. I love a good lens flare, but not this, whatever this tried to be. The director must’ve tried recreating Star Trek/JJ Abrams vibes but can we please stoooop with the overkill??
- The overly simplified (medical, etc) procedures. Time crunch, I get it, but seriously don't they shave the hair for any kind of head surgery? (Then again, his hair is the 4th character so... I understand, BUT STILL.) He's also out of the hospital way too quickly??
- The casual racism. Why is the random dude threatening Kana’s life black? And *of course* the terrorist cell is from Iraq. You're telling me Japanese people are incapable of cruel and crazy crime? (No.) This might’ve gone unnoticed when I was younger, but now it's obvious and I can’t unsee it.

I love an ambiguous ending, but this one left me unsatisfied. Now I'll have to check if this was based on anything and hope the source material is better (if it exists). I'm still glad I watched it because I have 2 new songs to love, but if it'd been a regular length drama I probably wouldn't have finished it.

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Different but enjoyable

Well I’ve read so many negative comments about this series that I watched it with a great deal of hesitation but I have to admit that I was quite surprised. I feel that the bromance aspect is grossly over exaggerated, maybe compassion and respect would be a better way to describe the interactions between the two ML’s but regardless I did find it absorbing and interesting. The premise is definitely strange but the acting of Lee Tae Min was a pleasant surprise. To me he understood his character well and knew every movement and gesture to bring out the other worldly elements of a man forced to endure what could only be described as a horrifying experience. Matsuda Shota was equally impressive though I do have to admit that I often find that Japanese dramas are a little bit too manic for my taste but that’s just my own observations after watching countless J dramas. I do think there were a few holes in the story at the end but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

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The extra 9 stars are because I had so much fun watching

Yes, I did watch it for Taemin. Let's get that out of the way first.

The acting was... I'm not sure. The other lead was hit or miss a lot. Taemin tried his best and that's all that matters. The script wasn't that good either so he could only do so much.

The concept was interesting. Although I'm not really sure if implanting a piece of Einstein's brain onto someone else would have that effect. Especially the changing the hair and eyes to blue. The main thing is, the concept wasn't excecuted well.

I think the key to watching this show is to just not take it too seriously.

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