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a promising premise wrapped in brutality
this show would be great if it weren't for the egregious and unrepentant police brutality. half of the cast is the one doling out the violence, and the other half happily defends the violence and remains friends with the perpetrators.you might, like me, hope that they will learn through taejoo that violence is not the answer, that they are violating people's human rights, and doing way more harm than good. this seems to be the obvious arc from the first episode, as taejoo is introduced as a whistleblower for police violence/incompetence, and won't let someone go to prison with tampered-with/false evidence. that is an extremely likeable character. and yet, instead taejoo learns that sometimes, beating people into confessing (a method that does not work, there's a reason you cannot use confessions gained from torture) and creating false evidence is necessary. even the most reprehensible character, the asshole cop who's name i can't even remember because i hated him so much, who perpetuates rape culture, wouldn't help a woman being stalked if the others hadn't forced him, and nearly kills a man from "interrogating him" is one we are supposed to see as "the good guy". he's supposed to be a likeable rapscallion because at least he gets the job done. this is not background violence, or an uncritical portrayal of the police - when given the option of how to portray this violence, they explicitly defend it and double down on it each and every time.
because i have a brain, i can watch a drama that has cops beating people up, or intentionally disregarding proper procedure; most cop dramas (even asian dramas) contain these things, it's part and parcel of being a cop drama and being copaganda. it's in the cops' best interest for you to think that them having to do things legally is impeding "justice". but in those dramas i can think critically and understand that that is wrong, and not root for those characters, and most of the time it isn't the point of the drama. in fact, cop dramas are one of my favourite genres. i loved signal, and hoped this show would be similar!
but even thinking critically with this drama, and acknowledging the biases it is predisposed to have, i cannot defend it nor enjoy it. having watched all the episodes, none of which were aided by the egregious (and often-times comical) violence done by the police in every single episode, there's no conclusion to come to other than that this is the message we are intended to come away with - police have to beat people, and fake evidence, and torture people, because otherwise 'bad people' would be on the streets. bad people hurt people and deserve to be in prison no matter what it takes, and their human rights get in the way of that. but when a cop hurts someone, it's good, because they're a cop, and the bad people need to end up in prison.
i could talk about how i liked the characters, and the acting, but there's no character on earth that would let me look past such horrible violence and messaging, and i don't think this show really deserves the praise.
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Good watch
I'm not familiar with the main character but I'm pretty sure I seen him in something other than a Korean drama but I can't remember. I watched this mainly because of Park Sung Woong who played chief Kang Dong Cheol and Go Gyu Pil who played the owner of that tavern. These two have grown on me since I started watching Korean dramas last year.I was going to watch this last year but I had watched The Tunnel-which I loved-and Signal-which was OK. Seeing that this one almost had the same premise, I put Life On Mars on the back burner for the moment.
This series was a bit slow which I was OK with because I was able to take my time and watch. Towards the end the episodes were a bit shorter which went by fast so I ended up being able to watching the last six episodes in one day.
I began watching these Korean dramas for the action, drama, comedy, and chemistry and this one had all the above.
I liked the way they did this. It gave me a glimpse of what a person could experience while being in a coma.
I liked all of the characters except for the female...Oy! Her facial expressions always made her look like she'd been goosed and her voice was annoying. I found myself cringing every time she said something.
I did like how they made her bad a** but then they turned around and made her weak. Ugh!!
I'm glad there was no cliche romance in this!!
I will say I wasn't too thrilled about the last two episodes. That's the problem I've noticed with these Korean dramas. It's like the writers don't know how to end their final episodes. It didn't make any sense. They made it seem as if the main character who was in a coma had dreams of the past which actually did happen, then he wakes from the coma only to be disappointed with the present and then was able to go back to the past?? My question is did he ever come out of the coma or did he commit suicide? The epilogue made it seem as if they were going to have a sequel. Since this was 2.5 years ago I highly doubt it.
I hate when Korea leave stuff like this up in the air.
All in all, I'm glad I remembered to watch this. In my opinion The Tunnel was better but this one was also good to watch.
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investigation in 1988
ya okelah untuk drama satu episode satu kasus, juga ni plottwist nya lumayan. cuma emang agak berbelit-belit tapi ya hal itu bukan hal yang ga masuk akal gitu jadi bisa diterima lah. aku juga agak sedih pas anaknya tahu kalau ayahnya adalah orang yang ga sehebat yang dia kira selama ini tapi anaknya jadi tahu kalau ayahnya berusaha jadi ayah yang hebat untuk anaknya. ya kelebihan bapaknya cuma sayang anak doang anjir. plottwist bapaknya aja yang aku suka, untuk plottwist pembunuhnya kurang berkesan di aku. untuk romance emang ga terlalu di tonjolin, pas lah gitu. tapi ya emang aku rasa ga perlu aja gitu romance nya, chemistry nya ga terlalu dapat. juga aku masih belum ngerti endingnya tu dia bangun apa selamanya dalam mimpi nya itu which is mimpi itu adalah kehidupan yang dia senangi (dokternya bilang di akhir hiduplah dikehidupan yang kau mau) agak bingung si tapi ya ini drama fantasy, aku gabisa berharap banyak tentang kejelasan cerita. kalau genre fantasy harus bisa terima keimajinasian penulis tanpa liat pov dari logis nya. bromance nya seru n kocak, tapi jujur pemeran utamanya tu terlalu lemas, jadi ngeliat dia tu bawaannya lemas anjir.Cet avis était-il utile?
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some people were satisfied with its ending, i was not one of them
NOOOOOO!that ending literally ruined me :(
i know some of you are satisfied with that ending, but i am definitely not one of them. i'll explain.
first of all, i feel like there was so much thrill in the chase for the manicure serial killer, either in 2018 or in 1988 (that also involves the brother duo, Kim Min Seok and Kim Hyun Seok, as well as some mysteries surrounding the ML's traumatic childhood, or his father).
however, around ep. 14 to conclusion when Captain Dong Cheol was suddenly entangled in a murder case, and the real culprit turned out to be Chief of Seoul Police Station who got transferred to Insung, Ahn Min Sik, i feel like the story became slightly disconnected. Ahn Min Sik is a murderer cum corrupt police officer in 1988, but in 2018 he's actually the head neurosurgeon that operated on Han Tae Joo.
(of course by 1988, i mean his dream/hallucination in a state of comatose)
so i feel like that part about him was so random and didn't connect well to the rest of the story that preceded it.
also, instead of creating a lingering feeling after that conclusion, the ending actually wrecked me like crazy. it reminds me of IU's song Eight (ft. SUGA) that has a cheerful tone with very sad undertone (about her friends that passed away).
in this case, we seemed to enjoy a glimpse of Han Tae Joo reuniting with his teammates in 1988, but actually before that he jumped off a rooftop to give up the 2018 life.
of course i read comments speculating that he has never indeed woke up from his comatose state in 2018, therefore the last two episodes (ep. 15-16) of him successfully catching the serial killer brother duo were insinuating that it was a dream inside a dream, and that he's actually still unconscious.
plus, the fact that we were told that his teammates in 1988 actually died in the gang members attack, so i felt like the conclusion has only declined even more, or become sadder than it should be.
WHAT WOULD HAVE MADE THE PERFECT DRAMA for me would be if his present/reality is even more blurred than it is being presented. for instance, we started the first episode with Han Tae Joo waking up from his nap after reading case files of cold cases in 2018, and then waking up suddenly in the year 1988 after being shot in the head.
alternatively, the story could have also been written in the opposite way. he and his prosecutor/detective ex-girlfriend lost the criminal in 1988 and he was shot/badly injured, thus dreams of traveling (or actually tele-transported physically) into the future of 2018 where he meets his team members in that era. although the ending would be such that they may not stay together, at least all of them need not die during a mission.
welpppp! THAT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE WHAT TUNNEL IS, HAHAHAHA. no wonder i liked that drama so much, the chase was very intense from start to end.
//
basically my point is, i tried to imagine a different way of telling the story in a way that would arrive at a happier ending that i would have liked more, but yes it's difficult as i realise it'd lose its unique retro charm and flavour, and would be more/exactly like Tunnel.
i'd better stop complaining LOL, as the more i write would probably make me look like i am making a fool of myself, lmao.
some people say they would have loved a more concrete show of romance in this, as Yoon Na Yeong is such a catch. i agree. i love the team's camaraderie and i understand that what Han Tae Joo is dealing with constantly is too chaotic for him to return her love interest, but i feel like the scriptwriters could have at least given them more sweet moments for us to look back and cherish.
because the romance factor is almost completely lacking, and the serial killer chase is like a one-off suspense-type thrill, i feel like this drama does not have very high rewatchable value, at least in my book.
i am glad for the journey this was, BUT THAT ENDING RUINED ME.
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Surprised!
This is a okay drama. It has great story and the production is good, and the casting is very good (the male lead is debatable). After watching this drama, regretfully I do not remember much; to write this review. The Best and the thing I found very nice is its representation of women without vilifying the men in this drama, it has the perfect balance while It went through this issue, not a huge topic;Welcome back to my Page, how are you guys doing? Nothing great is going through my life except for the fact that, I fell Into a huge well, filled with frogs, snakes and scorpions. Though it looked like a cave filled with all the shiny things...
I have nothing, the truth is I got nothing on this drama to write a review that is interesting (released it while writing this review), going to watch the original!
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i really can't describe my feelings towards this dramai kind of like and dislike at the same time
but for me sometimes it's so predictable and sometimes not
at the beginning the first 5 eps were completely away from the main story
and was boring i thought they are going to fill the drama with just side crime cases
then every thing begin to connect and make sense
but i saw the main reason for the serial killer for his crimes wasn't logical at all
for someone who chooses his victims carefully this was really nonsense
and what provoked me a lot the body case for dead people they found
every one knows that the dead body after 2 days max. should stiffen at the same pause they found on
how come they can extend it easily
the character development for all of them was nice except Dae hwan
i hated him from the beginning till the end and i see that he should be punished for being violent
the end was happy in a sad weird way but somehow it carries a message
(wherever your happiness is, Stay and it will be your reality)
some how doesn't make sense for me :/
He chose the delusion, to stay happy
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The concept of the story is great but having gone six episodes in, already found myself fast-forwarding through so many of the scenes. The only parts enjoyed was the brief period prior to the main lead entering the alternate world and his interactions with Kang Dong Cheol and Jo Nam Shik after. Unfortunately, our only female lead here is irritating to watch because she looks and sounds creepy most of the time. Although I understand that they are trying to emphasize how women were (are) treated in a male-dominated career and that she has much value to add to her team, her character just isn't done well at all. This really hurt the series for me as she has a lot of screen time. As for the pacing, it isn't necessarily slow but it isn't intriguing either and the repeated flashbacks that occur too often doesn't help.
A few reviews stated there was comedy to look forward to but unless it occurs after the sixth episode, I found none. Ended up reading a more detailed synopsis of the story and it does seems interesting but perhaps I've watched too many crime series in my time or had too many laughs just coming off of the last series, still can't find it in me to continue.
I will end this by saying there are some positives that this may be worth watching for. The portrayal of the world with the decade(s) difference is done pretty well which includes the emphasis on how different crime-solving is without the technology we have today. There is also a good development between the two detectives where one is old-school and used to getting around constraints by bending the rules a little while the other who is too focused on rules and evidence but not so much on the impacts of letting criminals get away because of them.
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Besides the relationship of the cast in 1988 which was quite comedic ,, nothing interesting ,,,, the story was not connected and unclear ,, the word of cast had an ambiguous meaning ,, it could mean something else, or something that happened in 2018,,, and the story seems cut, I like the relationship of the characters And the acting but not the editing and the story is very disconnected! as if they had no compelling reason to link the story
when the story is agigate rise at the end of the episode, but at the beginning of the next episode it begins with waking up from sleep! so what happened next ?! that's what makes me want to continue watching!!
Until the end, I didn't understand, so it was time travel, or just dreaming in a coma? If from the end it says the place where he happy is reality, did he kill himself? suicide to be happy?
##So did he actually go to a pskologist dr.Jang in 1988 or not? ,, did he really want to attempt suicide in 1988 to go back 2018 or just a dream? ,, and how could he leave Captain Kang around Director Kim's house, when Captain Kang was so drunk ?!
SO WHAT MAKE HIM BACK TO 2018 ?! when the story is tense rise?!
If 1988 is a reality why the name Ahn Min Shik doesn't exist? and if just a dream why can kim hyun seok not die?
## And the naming of the characters is not creative either ,, most of them have surname kim, lee ,, especially for Kim Minseok ... I am confused because his adoptive mother and adoptive father both have surname kim,,
about 50%kim ,,40% lee,, ,10% kang,shin,cho,,jang,, oh
and the naming characters are also just hyun hyuk hyung cheong, joo jo,yoo,yoon mostly just like that
in the police prosecutor team in 2018 too, usually the team has the surname Lee, Cho, Yoo, Kim,,,,almost same with 1988 team, lee, cho, yoon
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would have been a 10/10 had it not been the ending. i just dont like the idea of him committing suicide. otherwise the drama is gold, han tae joos development, the anthology like progression of the show with a well done over arching plot, the drama was incredible. however, i did hope the entire thing would have been less open ended and i could have been given a better explanation for what happened during the show. i like open endedness to a degree, but i thought this drama could have done well with a more clear end. i dont like the implications that he jumped off the building to die, but thats just me. otherwise, this drama was a sure 10/10 for me till ep 15. incredible in every way possible. Cet avis était-il utile?
There is little spark of romance with our mainlead... even he is serious person... but many funny scene.. moment... even it's thriller drama......
LOVE OF CHARACTERS.... SIMPLY ENJOYED
Music are supeeeerrrrrrrr...... there is a Rappp song.. I like it......
The story was on late 80s... our lead tea.. when coma... and have a long dream which is in 1988.... but I don't get it whether it's dream or real... anyway he fit well with come workers.... so he decided to stay there..... many incidents... many crime...
But bromance between male lead was soon awesome... chemistry between CHARACTERS... they are a team
Hope for season 2
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What can I say? This is (always was) something else.
Firstly. It. Is. A. Bowie. Song.
A song powerful enough it INSPIRED a whole SERIES.
Please read the previous sentence again to appreciate THIS fact fully.
The. series. is. originally. british.
This fact, though it may not seem that significant, actually is. It's funny, too. There exist more than 2 series of this exact name. If we talk about english-spoken version of Life On Mars, BEWARE extremely. There are TWO of them and they were released only 2 YEARS APART. They have identical synopsis.
!!!MAKE SURE YOU ARE WATCHING BRITISH (UK) AND NOT AMERICAN (US) VERSION!!!
Forgive me, but I can't stretch this enough:)
The other funny part is now the series being adapted in asia. This is quite an unique situation. As we all know, most of original ideas come FROM asia, morelike LOL.
We can take it from the most iconical sci-fi to a mellow romance as 'The Lake House' with Sandra Bullock. It is just adorable that THIS TIME the original idea is english:)
What Is The Original Idea? What Is The Original Concept?
Well it is EXACTLY that thing what makes some people here rate this lower than 10. It's the series being MYSTERIOUS genre, not a Sci-fi. The questions ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO be answered!! (Though 'Ashes To Ashes' did - that's also the reason it's not as good). The main hero IS NOT SUPPOSED TO be any wiser, to have time travel machine, produce future technology to amaze everyone, to be an astronaut, to become his own superior's mentor, to guide and protect everyone around him, etc.!!
The most endearing, AND funny, AND compelling, AND emotionally thrilling, is the fact the main hero remains misunderstood and unbelieved by the others as to where he came from. He got transferred from HYDE, and that's it. LOL. The story IS NOT, and thankful for that, about him convincing everyone that he is from the future. Kindly watch any sci-fi series for THAT. It's not about him getting all the answers and it's not about exploring what is this phenomenon, either. Sorry but if you won't set your head straight about this, then don't keep watching. Keep watching if you want to watch something different and FUN!
The Story.
One thing is the running-on story and the actual story. Most of the sreentime is (seemingly) filled with detective solving cases. But don't get sidelined by that into thinking the writers wasted an opportunity here.
HE SOLVES CASES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE DOES.
He is a detective. If he was other sort of person, he would've just as well kept doing some other work. That is not what is essential here. The 'Life On Mars' is not actually about that, but it takes time for some viewers apparently, to realize. Though the cases remain part of the show's entertainment, of course. And the entertainment is PLENTIFUL, on so many levels. It's in picture, sound, and dialogue... It's in the main character's dynamics with others. For instance, his new boss thinks HE is the one taking HIM under his protective, guiding wing. That makes it all 100 more hilarious. Not to mention theirs is the best bromance I've seen ever. But by mentioning it, I am of course, getting closer to what 'Life On Mars' is really about...
The Atmosphere and The Humour. The People.
Surprise, surprise... That's the closest I'll tell you (without spoilers) what this show is actually about. You'll get to know what it is about by the series' end. And it might be for each viewer not necessarily the same. It's an amazing series and now we have korean version, even:)) Forgive me, but I can't quit being amused by this fact alone. So, SKIP the american adaptation if I can beg you, and let's see!
The Korean Version
Traveling to 80's Korea contrary to 70's Britain IS DIFFERENT and we can all probably agree we can't be surprised with that, LOL. It's good that this version can stand alone as such. It should have (hope it does, because I don't really know the iconical 80's korean music, hairdos, and so on) their own culture jokes and atmosphere and people. Something that american one failed to do, AMONG other things (though obviously, just like americans they also used the Bowie song... Looks like South Korea also doesn't have their own song equally as powerful as 'Life On Mars'). Even as 80's korean-culture ignorant I enjoyed this version, though.
Korea can do dramas so there's no need for anyone to worry about good enough cast, script or music to enjoy, just like any regular (good) k-drama. This would be a 10 rating no matter the Life-On-Mars theme. And if you don't seem to be interested/capable to see deeper, you might try to be a bit benevolent as an audience. Quit demanding the so-called "time travel" to get fully explained, just go with the flow by watching episode after episode, forgive the show if being occasionally "weird", and simply enjoy the period police drama of it. That itself is good. And you might surprise yourself in the end, if you see more in it after all. Or not. Just don't stretch yourself beforehand:)
The main thing about watching this is to ENJOY the watching, no stretching about "how is this going to be explained?". If you watched like this, come back to it and watch it again.
It's worth it.
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Cette critique peut contenir des spoilers
It's one of the series I liked but at some point wanted to get on with it The fact that he was happy at the end, despite living in a delusion says something about the human mind, about all of us, I was unhappy about how it ended at the beginning, because I feel like I wouldn't make the same decision if I was in his shoes, but again I understood him, he was happy, finally.
I wanted more of kyung hu and sung woong, their relationship was the highlight of this series, I didn't like the fact that he was confused all the time, I wanted to see him a bit more stable during the show, but we got that at the ending, the manicure case was fine, it was an enjoyable puzzle, if this was a cop genre drama it wouldn't be enough but since it's just a factor, it alright.
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