Deserter Pursuit (2021)

Hit my expectations out of the park

Again another gold series that does not get enough love.
When I saw the trailer I was excited. the roles that Jung Hae In take up are interesting, to say the least. Every performance of his has always left me with a lasting impression. I entered having high hopes and I was not disappointed.

The story itself is so risky. The plotline is not something you can pull off easily. As I sat watching this series I was surprised by how many issues they tackled. Honestly, I never thought much about the military system in SK but after this series it got me questioning it seriously. And not SK in particular but the military system as a whole.

There are people that willingly sign up for this but what about the ones who do not want to? What about the ones that cannot afford to? What about the ones who get away because of their connections? Just the absurd unfairness of it all is revolting.

I was aghast at the heights of cruelty humans can reach when given a little power. How humans can push each other to the brink until they break and still have no conscience about it.

This is an absolutely revelating and relevant series. Something that will knock the breath out of you, will make you want to shut your eyes yet you can't help but look on.

And the acting. OH MY GOD, THE CAST IS JUST RIGHT. I am not even kidding they absolutely nailed their roles. Ko Kyo Hwan was refreshing and comically adorable. Shin Seung Ho managed to bring out so much from his role. I won't even bother praising Jung Hae In because please boi we all know he was 101% freaking mad amazing.

I mad adored the cast of this series. I have no doubt that you will too.

I do not care much for the OSTs..were there any?? hehe...if there were, I didn't notice because I was enraptured with the scenes.

I would absolutely rewatch it. Maybe give it a few months but I will definitely revisit some scenes just to fully appreciate the gravity and intensity of it all.

CANNOT WAIT FOR S2.

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ghosts/demons/zombies? they have NOTHING on this! serial killers? they are a laughing stock! this was so scary, so heartbreaking, so DEVASTATING!

I watched this after seeing my mdl friends' reaction and I was not disappointed, but I do regret this so much. will this change anything? or will people label it as a dramatic "entertainment" and move on?

I thought what would be the worse that could happen? Joon Ho dying? Han Ho Yul, the sweet little breath of fresh air in dramaland character? but no, it was much much worse, even if I thought Seok Bong dying would be horrible that scene! that extra ending scene?! the writer/director is CRUEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

having my own mental struggles with life this did not help and I had to take a break but I made the mistake of going back and now I'm forever scared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
after a while until around ep4 I thought the ending of ep1 was the worst one, that character who's name I can't even remember, sitting sadly regretting his choice but not finding another escape. that was heartbreaking but THAT ENDING SCENE! MY HEART BROKE
eps 5 and 6, agh those two eps were so cruel. bullying was heartbreaking and disgusting but to break a sweet gentle soul like that? to break all of those sweet innocent people? FOR WHAT! WHY! why were they like that? tradition? it gets passed over? WHY!

bullying "less sever" than what happened there is still heartbreaking. removing someone's smile is heartbreaking, like if there's someone who's excited about the silliest thing and yet they want to share that with you and you go "that's your hobby? so silly/childish" and it ruins that person's happiness and that's HEARTBREAKING yet that's so "simple"
but to go and physically and mentally abuse people?WHY, why isn't it a crime! murder, thievery, BULLYING fits in those categories!









on a less dramatic side, the ost was so my style but dang it did not fit the heartbreaking mood, like I would listen to those songs if I didn't know about this drama

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Deeply Powerful

Wow. Before this drama came along, I had trouble finding a drama to hold my interest, for so many suffered from problems I'm no more willing to tolerate (makjang, bad romance, overlong episodes, overlong season). However, D.P. is a perfection. At only 6 well-paced reasonably long episodes, I binged the whole drama in a day thanks to captivating, heart-pounding story that balances action with drama and some comedy, realism and great acting. The previews didn't do this any justice for they made it look like a buddy cop comedy, and while there's a great bromance with levity, the story is actually an unflinching look at bullying in the military that will make you positively disturbed.

I've seen speculation that this could get another season because of how it ended. However, while they could build from the ending, I thought it was well contained and that "ambiguity" was just symbolic. SPOILER I took it that the hero is running away from his mates because he symbolically doesn't want to be the part of the bullying and bullying cover-up cycle rather than that he actually deserted. After seeing that desertion didn't pay off nor change the system, it wouldn't make sense if he did. Moreover, we know that he saved the last deserter when he attempted to shoot himself cause TV host said he was in the hospital. And the "fatty" friend shooting his rifle was a warning shot cause you could see that he didn't aim at the side where other soldiers were gathering. So all of it is symbolic, like standing up.

Highly recommended.

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Fluent in F Bombs

Don't let the short amount of eps fool you... this is binge watching gold! I was born in a military community and yeah half the corpse is just pricks. As we all know, it is mandatory for South Korean men to enlist, but we don't know the mental and physical abuse that goes on. Just like at school where everyone knows but no one does anything, this series highlights the darkness that is the military. I like when shows tell a different story with each episode and D.P. is no exception. Everything is tied together with plenty of bloody punches, heart wrenching moments and spunky comedy. There's enough action to satisfy even the most intense adrenalin junkie. There's also quite a few well known actors in this.
The ending had me a little lost but I think it's kinda an open ending BUT WAIT...
*hint: after the credits is another ending...much more brutal and sadly convincing of reality.
Enjoy...

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Gritty and dark with bits of humor. Only 6 eps

Wow! Gritty, dark, funny, and foul....this short 6 ep drama sure packs an emotional punch! Inspired by Kim Bo tong's own experience of some cases in the D.P unit, this drama sheds light on the awful bullying and hazing that can occur in the military.

I thought the director did a fantastic job balancing the tone between heavy vs funny and keeping the pace tight. I didn't have to skip any scene. And the cast did an amazing job making their characters realistic. Jung Hae In delivered the right amount of good, dark, and toughness to his character. Koo Kyo Hwan continues to delight me with his unique color and flair that he brings to all his characters. His comic timing is spot on! The supporting cast also were all so believable in their roles.

While the bromance between Hae In and Kyo Hwan is fun to watch, the subject matter is very heavy and disturbing. They don't hold back on the violence, cursing, and trauma shown, but that's what I really liked about this drama. It's refreshing to see something so raw. It makes this drama more impactful by sending a clear message to the military. Changes need to be made. Hopefully Netflix will greenlight season 2 as I read the production team hasn't finished telling all their stories.

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Act No. 9754 Article 15 Your country needs you

D.P. is a drama that mixes frustration and entertainment. Drama in the aspect of frustration is very effective at making you feel that way.

From my perspective as an Army veteran, I can speak for how things were for me and my comrades. I realize this is a TV series, not a documentary, but something tells me things are or were like this for some Korean soldiers or airmen. The reality is that no agency or organization is 100% flawless. In fact, the United States has its fair share of military scandals too.

The two main lead soldiers (Han Yul and Ahn Ho) in a special unit are responsible for seeking and recovering deserters. We soon learn that even in the special task force there is bullying, belittlement, and outright assault. Each "deserter" has their own motive. Some I completely get it, others really were just copping out. But the majority of the backstories were controversial.

Throughout the series, the actors conveyed powerful emotions. The main leads were more than hunters. I saw them as investigators with compassion. Despite this, upper management pressure resulted in investigations and recovery, which were like a competition between groups.

Most of my personal frustration occurred where deserters were obviously wronged and pushed to their limits without help or support. Leaving was survival. This isn't your average Kdrama. This topic may not be discussed or monitored proactively very often. Throughout the series, we are introduced to a variety of situations involving deserters, often causing the leads to reach their limits.

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Absolutely incredible.

I was not expecting to love this series as much as I did. I find it difficult to keep watching when a show has loads of episodes that average over an hour per episode so when I saw that this only had 6 that were less than an hour I thought I’d give it a shot. This show has absolutely everything in my opinion: it looks at serious issues and handles them amazingly but also has the perfect amount of funny and wholesome moments. The characters are great and super interesting, I especially love the lead duo of Jun Ho and Ho Yeol. I really think I felt every emotion possible when watching this, I laughed, cried, felt angry and scared etc. D.P. has definitely become one of my new favourite shows, if not my favourite. I can’t recommend it enough and I’m super excited for the next season.

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What a shame this got overshadowed by Squid Game

I think the whole concept for this drama was extremely interesting and unique to the k-drama scene. Instead of the typical soldiers that we see in blockbuster dramas like DOTS and CLOY, D.P. was based on an entirely different unit, one that isn't really depicted in dramas and movies all over the world.

This drama also had a good message and shed light on important issues that may or may not have been ongoing in South Korea's military. The OSTs weren't exactly memorable. I'm not sure if there were even any OSTs, but the background music that played during certain scenes throughout the drama were aptly placed.

I enjoyed the dynamics and chemistry among the three main characters. There was also a good balance between the two leads in terms of their characters' personalities and I felt that they complemented each other very well.

If I had to nitpick, the plot fillers eventually did get a bit repetitive, but I guess that's just because of the nature of the drama. I still enjoyed this thoroughly. It's a shame that this came out slightly before Squid Game and was completely overshadowed by it (not to discredit Squid Game).

In summary:
What i liked - cast chemistry, Jung Hae-in, plot, cameos
What i disliked - N.A.

Star of the show: An Jun-ho, played by Jung Hae-in

Rating: 8/10
Watch if you want to watch an unconventional style/genre of k-drama, or if you like Jung Hae-in

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A perfect poignat yet grim story

This was just fucking amazing through and through. I initially watched this because it won Best Drama in Baeksang, and it has Jung Hae In in it so I was intrigued and what I got was a poignant yet dark grim sad story showcasing the broken military system in South Korea. I can't even count the amount of frustration and anger when I was watching the abuse and mistreatment especially to Suk Bong. It perfectly showed how the Military System is broken and such, and the story was well portrayed without being too complicated and muddled. Thankfully, the show also has slight comedic and light moment because of Han Ho Yeol played fantastically by Koo Kyo Hwan. Jung Hae In was fucking amazing especially in Episode 6 the scream was so painful but the star of the show is Jo Hyun Chul as Cho Suk Bong, he gave it all in this performance. It was so heartbreaking to see probably the most kindest character in the whole show slowly descent into madness after being mistreated several times. The ending was good, it gave us opportunities for the second season and the fucking post credit scene in the last episode was shocking. Overall, a masterful korean drama with a great story, delivering a dark grim message and perfect performances from the ensemble cast. I rarely give 10, but this drama deserves it and I hope the second seasons holds up to it's predecessor.

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Grim story + high production quality + strong talent

I will admit to queuing this up solely on the basis of wanting to see Jung Hai In be something other than the best boyfriend, ever. He does not disappoint, inhabiting a soldier who is both highly intelligent and somewhat naive. This is a trauma-fest, and if you have trouble watching shows that feature bullying, sexual abuse, physical violence, etc, then I would skip it. But the terrible scenes are necessary to underscore the terrible situation in S Korea's military. There are plenty of news stories, if you want to google check the show's writers.

The first 4 episodes are 9-10s. No spoilers, but it gets a little wild at the end, with the last two eps being more like 7.5-8 in my opinion. The stories of the deserters are all gut-wrenching, but the show is produced so well it is hard to look away.

I'm looking forward to a second season.

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Masterpiece Drama

As Military Enlistment is talked about quite often, especially with the news that X actor is enlisting. It all seems like a very heroic job but this drama shows the realities faced by those in the military.

Military practices are years old and the drama definitely pointed out that change is difficult. Quite a sad ending to the drama, it felt quite light at the beginning but as the story progress it took a dark turn.

I think the screenwriting, acting, cinematography. The drama portrays emotions beautifully within each arc. The message this drama left is very powerful and I hope this makes a difference in the places where there are issues in Korea.

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