Vagabond (2019)

I was dreading this moment, mostly because i was conflicted throughout this drama regarding on how to rate it. 16 episodes later and i can safely say that the plot is a worthy 4/10 but the enjoyment was a solid 9/10 so there you go... solve this puzzle for me!

Short version: If you enjoy thriller/mysteries with suspence and action packed scenes with various plot twists that will keep you at the edge of your seat, this is highly recommended. A good watch.

Long Version: Well... not so much.....

So... what we have here? We have a super ambitious drama on our hands. If i had one word to describe vagabond that word would be ambitious.

I'll take the time to carefully present both positive and negative points of this drama, so we can decide on the final score together.

THE GOOD
First thing that comes to mind when i think of Vagabond is scheming and plot twists. The drama starts as a revenge story about an uncle who wants to avenge the death of his nephew. Been there done that. It evolves in SO much more than this, leaving, what this seems to be at the end, a very small detail to be a mere plot device to start the plot. The drama evolves rapidly, including the police force, the NIS, the korean government, several multinational companies and even terrorist organizations...

I was disgusted and yet amazed at the filthyness of the government and pretty much the system of every sector depicted here. I loved to hate these people, the thing that made this drama a hit for me and will be kept memorable for! I can see, however, how this might be too much for some people to swallow and stand by to watch.

More specifically, Including and exploiting a country's own government and police force and pretty much everything legal, showing their worst possible face was especially hard to sit by and watch, but i can easily say this was the drama's highlight. I can applaud the writer for actually going as far as incrimination and even -if i may say- humiliating government executives, striving to show how everything is and -mainly- everyone is rotten to the core. Manipulation of people all in the name of power. *applauds*

Moreover, the drama is packed with fight scenes, which were... well executed, i admit, but... we've definitely seen better.

Furthermore, it has 16 episodes and around 32 plot twists. If it gets one thing right it is that you are kept at the edge of your seat like ALL THE FREAKING time, which makes the drama very binge-worthy! The twists were well delivered, both time-wise and plot wise. Some of them were kind of expected, but all of them were welcome, even if they touched upon the "tiring" territory more or less.

*thinks hard*
Ah! Well written.... villains! This might be more of a personal preference but i figured the villains were greatly written and quite well sustained throughout the episodes. They kept their -pretty questionable- values till the end and it was very fulfilling to watch.

All in all, a thriller/mystery like Vagabonds in its very core seems to be suspenseful and intriguing. If the drama achieved something this is it. There wasn't a dull moment and that is very much appreciated!

THE BAD
First of all, the drama suffered, like pretty much every drama of this genre, of terribly convenient writing, inconsistencies, superhuman main characters, and a very very experimental/unfulfilling ending.

In more detail, starting from the first episode, i just couldnt ignore the ridiculous superhuman main male lead role. Excessively unnecessary to the point it actually ruined half of the fight scenes for me. There is no reason for the male lead to be superman, if i wanted to watch superman i'd go watch.... superman. Ridiculous and way too overdone.

Moreover, the number of good vs bad people. Bish... come on. I get the plot twists and i expect half of "the good" guys change territories halfway through the show, but it was again way too overdone here. This in combination with the fact that the good guys were extremely naive and gullible, while the bad guys were cunning and smart and.... dunno... normal people, made this a whole lot more unrealistic. I get the overdramatization but you can't present me such wholesome bad guys and such stupid heroes and expect me to root for the heroes just for trying to do the right thing. Nope, that ain't me.

I wasn't the biggest fun of the fight scenes camera work. Shaking the camera during the action because.... they believe i'd feel like being there? Meh, no i ain't 12. Sorry

Dramas like this are known for not having any romance involved. That is a good thing in my book. While Vagabond didn't -thank god- have any proper romance development, there were quite a few *moments* between the main characters. I have to admit they were cute and they kind of served a purpose, but other than the comic relief and the cuteness they didn't bring anything to the table other than that.

All in all, many were the times i rolled my eyes so hard my eyes were almost stucked at the back of my head because of the stupidity and the directional choices for the characters. I dare to say that the drama, by its end, has developed in so many levels that it can arguably be expanded in its own francise with multiple seasons/movies. All this raw potential never get explored but instead we get some half assed final episode that tries to do too much and while it does succeed to a certain degree, it pains me to say that i can personally write a 22 episode season based on this ending that we will never see.

In the very end, i think Vagabond's own ambition destroyed it, or -let's not be so harsh- kind of killed it from within.

ACTING
Unpopular opinion: All the sub characters were better than the 2 leads.

Suzy has come a long way, and was a pleasure to watch, but she has a long way to go still.
Lee Seung Gi.... was good... But that is pretty much it, which leaves a lot to be desired next to supporting characters like Moon Jeong Hee who was... to die for in her particular role.

Finishing the hat, let's keep this simple. You like suspenseful dramas, with numerous plot twists that will not leave you keep calm for a split second? You don't mind switching off your mind and overlooking exaggerated siliness? You enjoy bad guys doing their thing the worst way possible? Then this drama is for you. I can easily recommend it, but know what you are getting into. For everyone else, this would most probably be a no. I don't regret watching it, mainly because of the world building, but over than that, this was cheap and unfulfilling.

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Didn't meet my expectations

Before starting to watch it, I read some reviews on many sites including this one. And I thought "This drama has to be something". But after starting it I was disappointed. I'm not saying that this drama is bad or something. It's a pretty good action drama with some intense action scenes, some awesome plot twists. I liked all of it. But about the story I mean it was neither good or bad. It was okay I guess. The story being bad this drama didn't felt boring even for a moment which is a good thing. And after finishing one episode you will immediately want to watch the next. The main actors did a wonderful job. But I didn't like the acting of some supporting roles.
Now about it's color grading. It was so bad. I mean usually we get colorful or standard color grading. But after seeing vagabond's color grading it feels like it was shoot in 2010. Also all the characters use mobile phones from 2010. So seeing it makes you feel odd. Then about the music it was pretty good with the action scenes but sometimes there was no background music. It was all silence. I hate this kinds of music composing.

So this drama is not an waste of time. It's definitely worth watching. But the story could have been better I think. But the action scenes makes you forget all of that and makes it enjoyable.

Lire davantage

Did I just watch a true-to-life movie series?

I. Story
Overall, the story was great. The number of twists and turn, unexpected revelations, the high level political game, and the multiple layers, made this series one of the best crime drama of this decade ('10s). However, it failed closing the story properly.

In the last episode (16th), it was obvious it was rushed. There was no direction. Everything the series built up from episodes 1 to 15 disappeared. It started awesome, then became great, good, and ended poorly.

It is common among creative writers to have an open-ended story but in this case the ending was not an open-ending, no, it was a cliffhanger intended to be a premise for a guaranteed Season 2. If the intention was to have an open-ending, it should have ended with them driving to the airport. Everything else after that scene killed what made it great.

I still give it 8 out of 10 stars for the story regardless of the disaster after the "driving to the airport scene". I also applaud the writers and director for not inserting romantic scenes just because their lead female is well-known for it.

II. Acting
Suzy did well in portraying an intelligence officer. This was a big change from her usual romantic roles and I wasn't expecting she can pull it off. Yet, in the first two episodes, she already shone in her role, that's a sure sign of a talented actress.

The acting of the other actors were superb. I usually see them in dramas about family and relationships, seeing them portray political and intelligence roles was refreshing and in they owned the characters they portrayed in series.

Together, the acting were too believable I kept thinking I was watching a fictionalised true story. The characters were too real, all thanks to their acting and synergy.

III. Production
Did I just watch a 16-episode (16-hour) movie? It was clear they spent money on Vagabond to get it all right. But in the last episode the explosions were very bad. This was the other reason why I said earlier that anything after the "driving to the airport" scene should not have been included.

IV. Overall score
All things considered. I give it a rating of 8 out of 10 stars. The superb acting and quality production were what pulled it up, and for avoiding creating romantic scenes just because they have a great romantic-genre actress as a female lead.

A series I'll watch again in the future but not the scenes I mentioned earlier.

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Like a Hollywood production in Soutk Korea

This drama is like a Hollywood production that, due to political correctness and several anti-government theories, was transferred to Korea without any concern for cultural or political realities. The drama is shot with a lot of panache and splendor - too much for my taste. It's nice that the action takes place in different places in the world, but it's a pity that the creators treated really different cultures very neglectfully. The idea for the story and ML - funny. Really, South Korea is not the US and moving Hollywood production to the other hemisphere without any adjustment is not for me. I watched this drama as an experiment, besides, I have a weakness for actors playing the main roles, and this drama made me feel bad. The scene when the Korean SWAT in downtown Seoul on a magically empty street starts shooting Korean citizens in broad daylight was the decisive moment for me, when I couldn't stand the drama's quirks anymore.

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I didn't like the series a lot

The story didn't attract my attention. I wanted the drama to end faster so that I could start the next drama (happy I started Kill me Heal me and I loved it with all my heart!!).

The acting was awesome, but the plot was confusing. There were a lot of plot twists and tens of characters (I don't liked dramas that have multiple characters. I just seem to confuse all of them together , oohhh and the names are so hard to memorize).

The drama just didn't feel right, maybe because there were a lot of political aspects to this drama and not a lot of things that are interesting at my age (17).

(the ending was so confusing as well, it even made me think I closed the tab in the middle of the drama).

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Estilo hollywood mas ... / Hollywood style but...

Estou impressionada com as atuações deste drama, principalmente as dos vilões, eles te fazem ranger os dentes de raiva, e eu adoro isso, se é para ser mau que seja bem feito. As cenas de ação são incriveis na realidade a produção deste drama foi muito bem feita e tenho também que exaltar o enrdo que te mantém interessado o tempo todo.

A protagonista feminina é daqueles personagens que eu gosto de assistir, forte, inteligente, corajosa e divertida , bem humana quanto ao protagonista masculino também gostei do seu desempenho ,pricipalmente na cenas de ação.

Nem tudo são flores e elogios por aqui há pontos que deixam a desejar, como por mais que o drama seja recheado de ação e vários plot twist , ainda sim teve momentos arrastados, começou a ter muito do mesmo, os vilões ganhavam uma rodada e os mocinhos ganhavam na outra virando um loop infinito, e isso me cansou as vezes, temos ainda as pontas soltas e situações bem irreais e questionaveis no roteiro ;creio que deveria ter menos episódios , se o drama acabesse no 13 ou 14 episódio para mim estava ótimo.

Em fim, mesmo o final sendo o que é eu ainda recomendo que você assista esse drama.

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I'm impressed with the performances in this drama, especially the villains, they make you grit your teeth in anger, and I love it, if it's meant to be bad it's done right. The action scenes are amazing in fact the production of this drama was very well done and I also have to praise the plot that keeps you interested all the time.

The female protagonist is one of those characters I like to watch, strong, smart, brave and fun, very human as the male protagonist I also liked her performance, especially in the action scenes.

Not everything is flowers and praise here, there are points that leave something to be desired, as even though the drama is filled with action and several plot twists, it still had dragging moments, it started to have a lot of the same, the villains won a round and the good guys won in the other turning into an infinite loop, and this tired me sometimes, we still have loose ends and very unreal and questionable situations in the script; I believe there should be fewer episodes, if the drama ended in the 13th or 14th episode it was great for me .

In the end, even though the ending is what it is, I still recommend you to watch this drama.

Lire davantage

"Já terminou?"

Me fiz essa pergunta ao terminar o último episódio, e explico o porque.

No primeiro episódio, na cena inicial em que mostra Cha Dal Gun assustado ao perceber que a pessoa da qual ele deveria matar era Go Hae Ri, me fez de imediato imaginar que tal cena também seria incluída no final do último episódio (pois já vi outras mídias fazendo algo semelhante), dito isso, no desenrolar da trama, seguimos com o desenvolvimento de ambos os personagens, e como eles vão pouco a pouco se aproximando e criando afeto um pelo o outro. Além disso, durante esse desenvolvimento, imaginei que Ki Tae Woong faria parte de um "triângulo amoroso", em que ele passaria à admirar e gostar da Go Hae Ri, ao mesmo tempo em que "disputaria" a mesma com o Cha Dal Gun (elementos de roteiro também explorado por outros dramas), algo que não aconteceu (eu não senti falta de algo assim na trama, mas não iria reclamar se isso acontecesse).

Nos episódios finais, comecei a imaginar e especular sobre os possíveis desfechos de Cha Dal Gun e Go Hae Ri, e como eles ficariam juntos. Só que, ao notar que já estava no último episódio, e vi que ambos os personagens estavam indo pra caminhos "opostos", fiquei ainda mais inquieto sobre o tal desfecho. Isso "piorou" quando eu terminei o episódio 16, e percebi que eles não ficaram juntos (pra quem não notou até aqui, eu realmente queria os dois juntos hahahah).

Daí veio a minha pergunta: "Ué, já terminou?"

No episódio 16, Cha Dal Gun se juntou a Black Sun, enquanto a Go Hae Ri se tornou lobista com Jessica Lee, ambos procurando seus meios de vingança. Acredito que essa parte deveria ter sido mais bem explorada, pois senti que "terminou rápido demais" (justamente por se tratar do fechamento da série). No momento em que estava assistindo o episódio, eu voltei alguns segundos procurando uma legenda com algo como: "X anos depois", pois seria interessante perceber que o tempo passou e ambos estavam se dedicando às decisões que haviam tomado (seria um elemento que traria ainda mais tensão pra mim pois realmente fiquei triste com a Go Hae Ri chorando e o Cha Dal Gun atrás, escondido).

ENTRETANTO, no término do episódio 16, fiquei com esse sentimento de: "Acabou?!" pois realmente me pareceu que não tinha terminado, que deveria ter um desfecho "melhor" para os dois, porque, pra mim, ficou muito em aberto a situação em que eles se encontravam. Isso definitivamente piorou ao saber que não era planejado uma 2ª temporada (pelo menos nas pesquisas que fiz (e também não até o momento em que faço essa resenha)), então esse era mesmo o final da série?

Termino a resenha dizendo que sinto muito a necessidade de uma 2ª temporada, eu preciso ver o desfecho dos dois, e ver a vingança que foi TÃO BUSCADA por eles, sendo concretizada.

OFF TOPIC: Sendo a primeira resenha que faço no MyDramaList, não acho uma boa definir por nota se eu voltaria a ver ou não determinada série, filme ou etc. Poderia ter algo mais direto como: "Sim", "Não" ou "Talvez" pra definir tal interesse. Mas como não é dessa maneira, explico a minha nota 5 nesse quesito: A nota 5 determina que eu voltaria a ver com o interesse principal de relembrar da história pra me preparar pra uma segunda temporada, e não que eu voltaria a ver simplesmente por ter gostado do drama. Minha nota teria sido melhor se de fato tivesse mais 2 ou 3 episódios que mostrassem em ordem:

1 - Os caminhos que ambos os personagens escolheram sendo melhor desenvolvidos e mais bem explorados;
2 - A vingança sendo concretizada e o reencontro de ambos, e como cada um lidaria tanto com a vingança, quanto com o reencontro;
3 - Os dois terminando juntos (porque não pode faltar hahahah).

Lire davantage

Complete waste of time

Vagabond is okay. It's a typical action/thriller series: explosions, gunfights, scheming and corruption at the highest level of government. I actually liked vagabond for the most part, until i reached the end. The ending left a bad taste in my mouth for many reasons but the most obvious is that it was a disgusting cliffhanger. I like my k dramas tied up neatly with a bow on top by the end. This show left so many loose ends and plot holes. It is a show withoit a conclusion. In the description of this show on netflix, it says basically that a stuntman and govt agent team up to uncover corruption when his nephew "disappears". They should make a correction, he doesn't disappear - he dies. I don't believe i would have watched this if i had known that going in. But i still decided to give it a chance, and for the majority of the show i enjoyed it. They introduce heavy themes of grief and revenge. Words cannot express how completely unsatisfying it is that none of this was resolved. They could have wrapped this up in 4 additional episodes, and it would have a completely different reception. Instead, no revenge is served, the baddie is still on top, the MCs are not reunited, etc. This show was produced in 2019 and it is now 2024 with no second season on the horizon. Not even a whisper of a 2nd season. So no, i can't recommend this drama unless you like colossal wastes of time. I feel cheated and it is irresponsible to make a show with a 2nd season in mind unless that has been confirmed. Dont waste your time -trust me when i say game of thrones ended better than this.

Lire davantage

Vagabond is extremely fast-paced and action-packed, with countless twists and turns. The premise is devastating and compelling, pulling you instantly onto the side of the male lead, Cha Dal Geon, played by Lee Seung Gi. While I commend his fearlessness and feel for his grief, I also shook my head at his hotheaded temper and impulsiveness. Sometimes I wish he would be more cautious or thorough. I'm not a huge fan of Suzy but thought she did a solid job as the female lead Go Hae Ri. My favorite characters were actually supporting characters: Ki Tae Woong, Gong Hwa Sook (Hwang Bo Ra is hilarious), and Lily (love her bickering with Kim Do Soo).

However, there are so many different people involved in the conspiracy that it can be overwhelming. It was sometimes difficult to track how much time had passed. Sometimes events were occurring concurrently, but sometimes we'd be going back in time, flashbacks came into play every once in a while, and then other times days had passed? Towards the end, I especially felt more aware of plot holes, recklessness, and ridiculousness. I would have also liked to see more depth and layers for many characters. Overall though, very entertaining. I hope there's a second season to complete the story. The last episode didn't feel like a final episode at all but more like an American mid-season/winter finale.

Lire davantage

Walka z piramidą grubych ryb ujęcie x-setne.

Przyznam się szczerze, że gdy Vagabond wychodziło byłam przekonana że nie nigdy tknę tego patykiem. Ani nie lubię Le Seung Giego, ani thrillerów a już grającej Suzy to w ogóle. Co mnie licho wzięło żeby za to chwyci? Odpowiedź - netflix.
(Ostatnio mam takie lagi na Internet, że jakimś cudem tylko netflix daje mi swobodnie oglądać)

Jak już widać moją ocenę, to szybko i zwięźle.

Vagabond o wdzięcznej nazwie kryptonimu jakiejś tajnej misji, to kolejny tytuł z gatunku thrillera szpiegowskiego. Ten thriller w którym główny bohater walczy z całą piramidą ważniaków, polityków i bogaczy, którzy standardowo wyrządzili na postaci ogromną stratę. Cha Dal Gun traci w katastrofie lotniczej swojego ukochanego młodziutkiego bratanka. Jeszcze nawet nie zaczynając porządnej żałoby los szybko uśmiecha się do Dal Guna i niemal pod nos podsuwa mu spotkanie z ów terrorystą odpowiedzialnym za zamach. Bohater szybko łapie trop i zostaje wplątany w gęstą dosłownie sieć zagadek, pościgów i intryg politycznych gigantów. W grę jak można było przewidzieć wchodzą ogromne pieniądze, a także walka o władzę. ( Tak, znów walka o stołek prezydenta będzie).
Oczywiście niemożliwością jest by zwykły kaskader, zwęszył cały spisek czarnych charakterów oraz wywlókł ukrytą prawdę o tragedii na światło dzienne. Do całej akcji razem z Cha Dal Gunem napatacza się Go Hae Ri, teoretycznie pracownica ambasady a w praktyce tajna agentka NSW. Razem z garstką nie skorumpowanych zwierzchników Hae Ri, próbują ująć wszystkich współwinnych zamachu oraz współpracujących z nimi kretów.

A propo's właśnie kretów..
Ta drama poza licznymi scenami pościgów, strzelanin i walk, jest dosłownie o bandzie kretów krecących innych kretów. Szczury i krety są tam wszędzie. Każdy coś kryje, każdy po kryjomu coś skrobie i wrabia kolejnego. Jak tylko dochodzi się do szczytu złej piramidy którą zajmuje aż prezydent/ albo raczej jego koleżko od spraw tych i różnych, nie wiem jak wy ale od razu tracę sens całej tej szybkiej jazdy po sprawiedliwość. No bo gdzież jej szukać, a jak już wszystkie organy są zajęte a prawda już generalnie wyszła na świat?
Fabułą po rozwiązaniu głównego problemu okazuje się że ma głębsze dno z którym zapoznaje nas dopiero na zakończenie serii, by w ostatnim odcinku zostawić nas w sumie z niczym. Generalnie wiemy już kto jest tym złym od początku do końca, widzimy nowe sojusze i na tym zostawiają nas twórcy. Boli? Mnie trochę zabolało.

Serial nie wyszedł z niczym oryginalnym, aktorstwo było jak dla mnie ni mniej ni więcej co można sobie zażyczyć w typowej dramie, a zalew spisków mnie utopił na tyle że w większość odcinków przewijałam. Sam fakt, że Cha Dal Gun ma tyle farta i sprytu by niemalże sam rozbić cały ten łańcuch wysoko postawionych i terrorystów od razu rysuje duży brak realizmu. Już nie wspomnę o scenach w których Dal Gun dosłownie skacze niczym ninja po ścianach, ani razu nie wybijając sobie zębów i unikając bezpośrednich starć z pistoletem. NO COME ON! SERIOUSLY. Udaje mu się przeżyć bez uszczerbku dosłownie wszystko, nawet snajperów. Ponadto nigdy nie zrozumiem tej zabawy w złapanie kogoś, kogo generalnie można zabić. (Bo i tak w sumie, zostają zabici na końcu). Mam chociażby na myśli Jerome terrorystę, szefa Min Jea Sika (który sam popi#rdalał z wybiciem wszystkich) no i oczywiście tych płatnych zabójców. Scenarzyści są ów bardzo łaskawi w porównaniu do amerykańskich produkcji. Na temat każdej osoby i sensu jej istnienia można co nie co się wypowiedzieć. A pamiętacie postrzał Hae Ri, którego praktycznie w ogóle nie odczuła?
Szczęściara...albo ukryty Hulk na obcasach.

Nie rozumiem fenomenu tej dramy, a jeszcze bardziej nie rozumiem zakończenia jakim obdarzyli nas scenarzyści. Pozostaje już tylko przełknąć gorycz ostatniego odcinka, albo możeeee kiedyś zaświeci nam znów kod VAGABOND.

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