Moving (2023)

Unique and Worthy

Moving is literally those extremely good, rare television dramas that come out every 5 years.

I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t expect much as I thought that Moving would be a ‘recycled’ drama where the theme and some parts of the plot would be a copy and paste, but I was wrong. The fact that the creator thought of the way of starting Moving by showing the students perspectives as a ‘build-up,’ then slowly, but perfectly showing the parents history to lead up to the climax to combine both, is a job well done. Furthermore, the considerate amount of effort put into each character involved is amazing, and really, you can tell. Whether it be the main characters or the minor characters, or those with abilities or not, they are all involved in the story and have unique personalities and stories. Their stories impact the drama, and their history adds on to how the climax was created. Even the introduction of new characters wasn’t tiring because they all have a purpose. Every episode is thrilling, and every episode ends with a cliffhanger. My eyes were glued onto a screen the entire time watching Moving and I would not leave my couch because I wanted, no NEEDED more.

The line-up of Moving is truly a rare sight, in which even my parents were shocked at the amount of stars involved in a single project. Ranging from the legendary icons that brought Kdramas and KMovies global fame (Han Hyo Joo, Ryu Seung Ryong, Zo In Sung, Cha Tae Hyun), to the rookies that absolutely exceeded my expectations (Lee Jung Ha, Go Youn Jung, Kim Do Hoon), this star-stunning cast, portrayed their characters extremely well throughout the drama. Yes, you can be sceptical at once and even confused after seeing Han Hyo Joo playing a mother, but trust me, once you keep going forward, you’ll know that she is the perfect person for the role. I can’t say anything different for the rest of the cast either, because they did so perfectly well portraying their characters, their emotions, and their thoughts. Everyone involved is extremely talented, and their outstanding acting could even get you wondering just how talented they are.

The cinematography involved is outstanding, and so is the music. Believe me, I’m obsessed with one of the BGM because it’s just so perfectly made. The editor really knew when to add each sound in because they relate and fit into the scene so much.

I really enjoyed watching Moving as it’s a really amazing show. I’ll be down to rewatch it another, no, multiple times because it’s definitely those shows that you can watch again without getting bored. The drama is a well executed, well made masterpiece that the Moving staff and actors created what most dramas couldn’t do. Easily a 10/10.

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A "Moving" drama that doesn't come around very often! SUBLIME, WITTY, ACTION PACK AND EMOTIONAL.

"Moving" up your emotions in every possible way!

CHEMISTRY is through the roof! Han Hyo Joo and Zo In Sung are chemistry-ing like no other, even the chemistry amongst the other actors are so effortless and smooth that you just get sucked into THEIR reality while watching!

Even though this is centered around incredible individuals with super powers, it still very much showcased their in-depth reality of hardships in their life that is focused with missions they carry out. I really loved the backstory and past of the kids' parents. The parent's story from the past, their struggles, pain & hardships truly were admirable to watch!

Every time I watched Jang Joowon's (Hulk) scenes I became a bawling mess! It's been a whole emotional roller coaster the parents acting truly proved why they're A-listers actors. They portrayed caliber acting where you feel each and every emotions! The display of emotional expression of the veteran actors were so meticulously well executed that you feel each emotion deeply. This series is unbelievably amazing that waiting for the next episode were torturous!

Moving really touches every aspect of everyday life; the struggles, pain, loneliness, hardships, societal judgement, hierarchy of jobs and the disparity of living an average life as individuals with super powers.

This drama is packed with fast pace action, great CGI/VFX, amazing cast of actors; both playing teenagers and A-Listers actors and great story-line of every character that pulls at your heartstrings. The production value is indeed spectacular and stellar. Not only is the quality of the drama evident but the intriguing story line is so well paced and written that every episode feels like 20 mins instead of 56 mins.

CHARACTERS

The kids/parents relationships are so heartwarming to watch. The parents did their very best at raising their children especially with all odds against them. And the kids being good, attentive and understanding of their parents showed us their strong bond and trust between each other; each having their own unique story.

Character development was very well paced out by using flashbacks, clever and poignant editing. Each character's backstory had their own message which really created emotional attachment from the viewers. This made me empathize with every one of them after understanding their pain and struggles of what they all had to go through especially the parents.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Each scenes were very well thought out and every cut was symbolic and meaningful. For instance the interaction between the American Ambassador and the Chief director of the NIS. The American guy boldly sat down displaying his back towards the Korean creating a discourteous/disrespectful move. The power altercation between the two countries was quite a revealing case to watch!

SYMBOLISM WAS THROUGH THE ROOF!

The symbolisms in the drama were so relevant to each character too!! Every scene has a meaning not one thing is useless in a scene. For instance, the 2 bullet scars on Joowon's arm are so symbolic. They represent the 2 people (The commander & DooShik) who showed him real kindness during his mission on the field when everyone else thought of him as a monster. And the keepsakes he holds dear from both of his comrades and wearing the boots and always having the pocket knife with him are such precious memories he'll never forget. Their existence to him are irreplaceable. He's truly so pure of heart and loyal to the end. His story really brought me to tears from him getting betrayed, chased, stabbed, always enduring the pain, to him falling in love which made me smile but then cried again when he lost his only rock and love of his life.

ACTION SCENES

ACTION was killer and unbelievably incredible that it seriously kept me on my toes!! The production and quality was beyond my expectation!! I can't say it enough but it felt like I was sucked into the characters' intense action scenes during their fight rooting for them to win and accomplish their mission. The perspectives, different angles and camera takes were so smooth and effortless that there was no awkward cut at all. Truly a spectacular performance on both the actors' effort and the production team!

ROMANCE

The romance in the drama is surprisingly a pure breath of fresh air! It's not at all cliche, cringe and overdone but just perfectly balanced! The characters' personality creates such a heart fluttering scene that encapsulates their sweet moment without rushing and the slow-burn romance just makes the viewers left wanting more. That's exactly how pure romance in real life is like and I'm glad they showed and displayed it in such a way in the drama. Of course for my taste, nothing beats seeing adults falling in love for the first time and even better at first sight! Perfectly done in my opinion!

Overall, this drama truly exuberates every genre you can think of; action, romance, melo-drama, humour, mystery, thriller, supernatural and high quality content of story-line and cast. It is refreshing, compelling, fascinating and complex!! Definitely a must watch drama that doesn't come around very often!

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“You’re not weird at all, just a bit special.“

Moving is a big-budget Disney+ original series surrounding three high school students with genetic superhuman abilities living quietly with their retired parents. But their lives turn upside down when powerful organizations start to hunt them down one by one.

Moving is reportedly the most expensive Korean TV series to date and it really shows in the production. It has massive action sequences, and extensive fight scenes that get extremely graphic. The visual effects look fantastic and there’s this stunning flying scene at the end of episode 7 that looks straight out of a Hollywood superhero picture.

But the best thing about this series and why it works so much is because of the sublime casting. From the top acclaimed cast to the young leads, there's no weak link as everyone clearly delivers.

Also, despite the packed main characters with respective back stories, Moving’s seamless shifts between the past events and present timeline keeps the mystery and anticipation active. It also truly helps that the protagonists who are taking us through the story are endearing and charismatic. And although this centers around people with super powers, it still feels very much grounded and the in-depth relationship between the characters is still the main aspect of the story.

Moving brilliantly blends action, drama, romance, humor, and creates this high-class and exhilarating superhero drama full of heart that we rarely see in Asian TV. Let’s support quality content and stream Moving available worldwide on Hulu and Disney+.

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A blockbuster among Disney+ Series. Action driven, yet luckily with subtle character portraits, too

"Moving" is about people with superpowers. “Moving” tells the stories of a variety of people with such superpowers. These superpowers definitely belong to the realm of fantasy. However, it´s nothing like the 'Marvel' universe, because despite all the action spectacle that "Moving" has to offer, this Disney+ production (based on a successful South Korean webtoon) remains true to the KDrama habitus, that life takes place in the area BETWEEN black and white. It's about shades of gray. Nobody is exclusively good or evil. Well, almost nobody...

“Moving” takes aim at South Korea’s intelligence policy. The KCIA, which became the ANSP and was eventually called the NIS. The connections with the USA and the difficult relationship with North Korea come into play. Difficult, because even within the framework of an official sunshine policy, distrust and hostility are always maintained in the background.

The South Korean secret service has been part of the international elite since the KCIA was founded. The superpowers of the protagonists may be symbolic of this. The name of the secret service has changed several times, as has its official focus. However, this does not mean that the entire workforce can be replaced...

“Moving” finds its balance between political thriller, action thriller and emotionally differentiated Korean habitus. The trick: the tough agents become humanly tangible because they are also parents, worried about their children. And then another trick: the children have inherited their parents' super-powers, but have not (yet) undergone any agent programming. They are children, still relatively naive, pubescent, too...

Worlds collide. The worlds of those, who behind the curtain want to move the world in their favor (for the sake of so called bigger picture and a safer world), the worlds of those executives, more or less blindly obedient (Black Ops) agents who are needed to succeed with their missions, and the world of those, who actually make this world worth living - people with their ordinary families and social relationships.

“Moving” has 20 episodes. Numerous character and relationship portraits are drawn, all of which are somehow intertwined - the old and the young, yesterday and today. And finally altogether now for a tomorrow free from deadly intelligence agency demands.

“Moving” is, first and foremost, a KDrama with a top-class casting that aims to offer streaming delight at the highest international level. “Moving” is explicitly seen as a kind of blockbuster among Disney+ series productions - with a correspondingly hefty budget. As such, the series has entered the streaming market in a self-assured manner and immediately achieved remarkable success worldwide...

However, for my personal taste, this KDrama comes across as a bit too action driven and brutal - with those superpowerful men and women, who (despite their deadly wounds) keep bouncing back again and again and again... I might have dropped it, if not for this variety of subtle and affectionate character portraits, that make a great part of the story, too.

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Intriguing story with an ensemble cast!

There are many things to love about this series! A stellar, ensemble cast; impressive production value; and an intriguing storyline with doses of action, adventure, mystery, coming-of-age, and rom-com--this is a bold entry by Disney into K-Dramas.

I felt the series was strongest when focusing on characters and their development. There were excellent use of flashbacks and clever editing showing different viewpoints. The family relationships added depth and relatability. It was possibly weakest with some of the plot development--the English dialogue and interactions between government agencies did not feel compelling or sufficiently fleshed out. But I am fully satisfied with this being character- and action-driven.

I am happy to see another big player like Disney entering this arena. Given the company's recent financial struggles, I sure hope this turns out to be a great success and lead to further projects for us to enjoy!!

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Violence galore lacking meanings and life lessons, too much side stories, good acting

UPDATE: I still think this non-linear storytelling doesn't work well for a 20-episode drama. Many characters were left underdeveloped, their back stories felt like unimportant side stories. I wish they'd cover the core story sufficiently here... So I'm not really looking forward for the 2nd Season.

I have mixed feelings about Moving, I found this action show to be unique and gripping although I do not gravitate to watch a superhero genre. I really enjoy the suspense and stake built within every episode; At any moment the storm is coming and the action really starts where anyone can die. The pacing is fine and what's great is that all the characters are given their moments to shine. Another pro is the CGI, they are great quality and really believable.

Moving spends a lot of episodes introducing us to its many characters and setting up the story. The first 7 episodes highlight the kids' superpowers and friendship while hinting to us that their powers might bring more trouble than they’re worth. It gives us glimpses of the mystery and danger to come. I love the healthy relationships between parents and children throughout the show. I also want Bong Seok to be happy, although I'm not completely sold on a romance between him and Hee Soo. While I appreciated the parents' stories as well, after the 13 episodes of our character's backstories, I still have very little attachment to most characters besides Bong Seok. They are not fully fleshed out. This is way too structured, by the time I get invested in these characters, their story is over already (@,@).

Watching the 2nd half have left me feeling bitter and it does not recover till the end. My main issue is that the writer and director purely highlight violence is romantic in these backstories. In a world dominated by conspiratorial and corrupt governments, the only way you can survive is by murder. Also, the portrayals of North Korean villains as monsters could have been more intriguing if they're written as more morally gray characters. Their superpower is used to kill, not for self-defense, and sorry to say, I really dislike it. If that's the case, then what's the difference between heroes and villains?

-Sept 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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A story about humans

When Jo In Sung received an invitation to star in this series, he thought it was "just another superhero story" and wanted to turn down the offer. But after he read the script, he was greatly impressed and joined the project right away. What some of us thought was going to be a generic Korean version of Avengers turned out to be so much more than that.

Moving, at its very core, is a story about humans and humanity. It is also a story about parenting, brotherhood, teen angst, love, betrayal, finding who you are and where you're going, moral gray zones... everything that we as real people could relate to. That's how realistic the characters and their struggles were.

The thing I love most about this drama is that, although the story centers around superheroes, at the end of the day, they are "only human". Although the characters have extraordinary powers, they still struggle with life, relationships, moral choices, and will, if not more than the average person due to their awful circumstances. The worldview is grim and realistic, people are used as tools and must do things they don't want to do just to survive in this world, and every choice to deviate from that path takes courage and sacrifices. This is a prevalent theme to most characters in the drama, even some of the "antagonists". Every character has a well thought out backstory to them that tells you lessons about life, and that takes a lot of empathy from the writer. It is an absolutely phenomenal and unique take to the already saturated superhero genre.

I can't pinpoint who the main character in the story is because they are all main characters and share almost equal weight and screentime. The acting is top notch, especially for the older generation actors. They had to play themselves in the present time, as well as their younger counterparts. You could see them changing through time and hardships.

Plot-wise, the structure has a clarity to it - about 7 episodes are allocated to present time, which talks about the younger generation (high school romance, teen self-searching, generational conflict). 7+ other episodes are allocated to the past, where the parents take the spotlight and we are hit with very harsh realities (manipulation, betrayal, social stigma, child protection). Depending on taste, an audience might favor one of these segment over another, but they may also love both. The last few episodes are wrapped up with edge-of-your-seat action sequences by an ensemble of casts.

I highly recommend this drama for anyone who is still hesitating. It is one of the best dramas to come out this year, and one of the most unique K-dramas to come out in these 20 years. Don't miss it!

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Another overrated Kdrama

By first glance it seemed like a super hero drama, but in fact it isn't, it's more of a romance drama instead.

The main problem is it hasn't got a clear plot, just a bunch of individuals with super powers wondering and interacting with each other, there wasn't even a main story line, that makes it rather slow paced and uninteresting. The story was mainly broken into 3 parts that were loosely connected, there wasn't a clear main character or antagonist or plot to carry through. The cast were fine but they were wasted as the characters were lack of charisma or strong personality that shines, but rather portraits as dull ordinary individuals. When a drama or movie is written it should carry a main story or convey a certain message which Moving has totally failed to deliver, which is a giant waste of talents and viewers time.

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Is it truly the end?

A drama worth to watch, who leaves you pondering about many things.

Careful, spoilers are down below.

This drama shows the stories of families struggling in the midst of a war for power between countries.

Here are the reasons why.

In episode 20, the North Korean agent mentioned to his superior that this conflict repeated itself for 50 years, that North Korea sent Kim Shinjo first and then South Korea sent Kim Doo Sik after.

Am I the only one who thinks it hints on a background for the Kim family story?
Does that mean that Kim Doo Sik is Kim Shinjo's son? Which would make Kim Doo Sik NK from his father.
Is the NK agent who can fly related to them then?
Kim Doo Sik mentioned that when he was a baby, he could fly, that his father left him a knife, and that all his life he lived in the shadows. Why does it seem as though he was raised by the NIS? Maybe the leader boss of the NIS, the woman who doesn't age is involved in this, she most likely was there 50 years ago and planned it thorough.

This drama left me more questions unanswered that I thought.
It was truly amazing. I loved it all, the stories were so impactful.

It also opened a new perspective of the superhero genre.
Most of the time, stories about heros are about saving the world, the characters fight against a supervillain, either a crazy scientist or a rich dude that just wants to control the world.

But here, it shows more the perspective of what if people with powers were discovered by their governments, and what if those governments used them as weapons for their own conflicts?

Superpowered people are the new weapons of the countries, in the same way that nuclear bombs are. They work in the shadows for the sake of their countries.
This drama presents the start of an arm race between governments and how this arm race neglects the rights of the humans involved, and it shows this in a beautiful way through the lives of those families involved that struggle to protect their own.

It leaves a beautiful message about human rights and the fact that human beings are not meant to be weaponized or used in anyway.

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what a great surprise !!

Waw, I'm writing this review at the end of episode 7 (yes I decided to start this series when it wasn't over yet... ayyy the pain of waiting). I'm very disappointed in Disney+ for not promoting this series properly. I haven't seen anything on this series except for a few TikTok. At one point, it piqued my curiosity and I started, without reading or seeing the trailer so I had absolutely no idea what it was about. I was surprised to see the superpowers but what a good surprise!! First, even if we talk about superhuman powers, it remains strangely coherent (human weapons, competition between countries, shooting down pensioners, inheritance of powers, schools that bring them together, etc.). The story is well done and its structure is very interesting: we develop each character at the same time (or family), and it's not boring at all!! There are 20 episodes in all so it will surely still be very well developed. In terms of cinematography: incredible. I love the positions, movements, colors of the camera. It looks great, it's fun to watch. I find the trio very endearing. We don't know much about super-man yet, but I guess it's best for last grrrr. I really like the friendship / romance between the two characters from the beginning, too cute. Besides, I really like this actress, a beauty + talent!

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Everything's good.

Apparently its one of the rarest K dramas ever. Everything is good here, acting, cast, music, story, character development, you name it. tbh, I have no idea how did korea come up with this, because you see, these losers are known for making flowerboy garbage romantic stories all the time so THIS one is a complete refresher and I never expected such a show from korea.

Yes it has gore/blood in it. this show was a solid 8/10 then when I saw the ending I realized its 9/10 because the ending is utterly satisfying and just like how its supposed to be. Its a supernatural story and has romance in it too.

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The Drag Nearly Killed It

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

If you're like me and you hate flashbacks, you probably won't like this drama.

Acting/Cast: Top notch easily. Great cast, great acting. The acting made me feel things, especially in the first half of the drama. 10/10

Writing: The writing was great in the 1st half. I liked the story between Bong Seok and his mom. I found the kids to be interesting and how they each deal with their "condition". This isn't really about superheroes...they're more like everyday people that have an ability that has made them outcasts. I found that approach to be compelling. It reminded me of the plot of a book I read in school called Hidden Talents by David Lubar. So, in the beginning, when the focus was on the kids in this school together, I really enjoyed it. Then, the story went into flashback mode that lasted for way too long. The story wasn't very linear anymore and it jumped between characters. Because of this jumping around, many characters that I enjoyed watching were completely absent from multiple episodes in a row. I just wanted the flashback to hurry up so I could get back to watching the kids at the school. Don't get me wrong, the adults had interesting stories too, but they were dragged out for way too long. I almost dropped this drama because of this. They should have cut back to the kids in the middle of the flashbacks or maybe cut the total number of episodes down. Towards the end, a character was introduced, given a back story in flashback fashion and everything. It seemed out-of-place. Why spend so much time on an insignificant character this late in the drama? I guess it was to give the characters connected to him a little bit of background and humanize some of the "villains"? Maybe if they didn't drag out the flashbacks of the 2 main kids' parents, they could have had more time to appropriately flesh out some of these side characters. However, despite almost dropping this drama in the 2nd half, the ending was decent. 6/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I didn’t like the flow/pacing of the drama. Flashbacks lasted so long that I nearly forgot what the faces of characters on the backburner looked like. However, the production value was obviously high. Most of the time, the SFX was very well done. However, there were some flying scenes that I thought didn't look so great. The music didn’t grab my attention, but at least it didn’t annoy me. 5/10

Entertainment Value: The first half kept me engaged. It was emotional and unique. I found myself looking for a plot but instead, I got a barrage of flashbacks. The story dragged on, and I longed for the simpler times that took place within the school for extraordinary children…which did eventually come around again, but too little, too late. 3.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 6/10 mainly due to my hatred for flashbacks.

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