Even a great cast could not save this failure

Aug 2023.
I was really looking forward to this , but found it so disappointing, apart from Taec-yeon and some other cast members who kept me watching, it was pretty poor.

Great idea, but such lazy writing and poor direction, ruined it.
Such childish humour, that frankly I see starting to pop up in too many K-dramas where it doesn't fit, and woeful plot failures...
No heartbeat means no breathing is necessary, so stuff getting up their nose and making them sneeze just would not happen.
Sensitivity to the sun was completely forgotten from one episode to the next, depending on what the story needed from the scene :-/

Both female characters were the most irritating of all. The FL veered from doe-eyed and mushy, to petulant, spiteful, loud (lots of shouting that was way more than necessary for the scenario) and aggressive. I get she was meant to be cold and distant as a form of protection, but her reactions were overdone. There was a mace/pepper spray incident that was like, WHAT?!!! So not funny, at least not to me.

The supporting female character was dull as dish water, not to mention psychotic/delusional, which we see far too often in poorly written K-dramas.

Inappropriate reactions, drawing out parts of the story until they were so thin they were transparent and a woefully weak baddy.
The humour this show craved was witty dialogue, subtle looks that can speak a thousand words and make us laugh, not the overreactions, characters getting hit, shouted at and generally acting stupid, which is what we got.
Also, there's a guest house that never got a guest, which would not have been a profitable business, me thinks :-/
Lots of clichés too, which again were not necessary; there was far more that could have been done with those moments.

The sets were nice.
The cast were nice to look at and did their best.
I honestly could have done without watching and not once did I shed a tear, when there were times I should have, as the story was definitely aiming for that.
I never tell anyone not to watch something, as we're all different and you might love it; many others did.

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A romp!

I honestly feel this can be watched independently of S1, which had a very different feel. It was far more fairytale like and romantic.
The character of Lee Yeon was subtly different too, being more serious and detached (not that there wasn't humour).

In S2, we find Lee Yeon sent on an urgent mission, back to 1938, where the story sees him reunited with other Mountain Gods he's known since childhood and his brother, Lee Rang.
We are introduced to lots of new and diverse characters; his strained, but witty (in this series very much so) relationship with his brother; and a rather sweet romance (which didn't spoil the action).
The action is far more a feature this time and a lot more explosive.
It's a real romp, often very tongue-in-cheek and LDW looked like he was having lots fun, as did the entire, and very large, cast.
There's edge of your seat moments, some sad/tragic scenes and a fair bit of bloody violence.
There are some truly silly parts to it, but this is entertainment and fantasy, so that didn't bother me at all, even though I acknowledge the fact.
The ending is left very obviously open for a S3.
A lovely touch, is the brief guest appearance of Jo Bo Ah, reprising her role as Nam Ji-ah. She apparently did it for nothing! Me thinks this must have been a great drama to work on, with the cast getting on really well together and it shows.
I loved it.

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Why split into 2 seasons?

This is actually pretty tough to review, as my reactions and feelings about the drama are split so far (kind of like the airing).
WHY OH WHY did the makers, or Amazon Prime (whoever is responsible), decide to air in 2 halves?! It's not like it's 32 eps long...if S2 is also 6eps, that's less than a normal K-drama length of 16eps.
I am loving the supernatural element and characters.
Kim Nam-gil is so good as Van (although his name seems to be pronounced as Pan). I so like this actor and how he can still manage to convey emotion while marble faced.
Cha Eun Woo is a revelation; love his Italian ~ very authentic ~ and he seems both comfortable in and enjoying of, his character. The personality of Johan (reason for the name is made clear), is double-sided... he is cocky, witty, sometimes narrow minded, but also gifted in his area of expertise, caring and will do what has to be done.
I love the older lady who is Van's shelter and ear, too. A really good actress.
The FL I have mixed feelings about. The actress plays the part well, but the character is really irritating. I love strong female roles, but there's a fine line between confident/assertive and arrogant/know-it-all who doesn't listen. This character comes down on the wrong side of that line a little too often. It is just sits all wrong, how she often treats Van like a servant, when she's seen his power and must feel he's no ordinary human.
There is also something too comedic about the way she approaches several of her demonic encounters and she takes everything a little too much in her stride. It doesn't always work. I'm a fan of dark humour, but not when it jars with the credibility of the plot.
In its entirety, S1 feels choppy. There are too many frayed edges, questions where answers aren't even hinted at and a lack of substance.
But, the action when it happens, is exciting and exhilarating. There are some really moving moments too.
S2 should never have existed, unless needed and following a 16-ep S1. That would have been far more beneficial to the feel of the story and its continuity.
I await S2 (airing Feb 24th I've read) and am really hoping that all the muddy parts of this drama will become clear and my 8/10 doesn't
drop 🤞🤞

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Great leads

There are many comparisons made to The Untamed, which is a shame, because this adventure is an enticing watch in its own right.
I loved the main 2 characters and their chemistry was excellent. The emotions conveyed by Gong Jun as Ke Xing, through his eyes alone, were stunning; I also loved his different smiles, from forced to genuine to smirks. My favourite actor and character in it.
Zhang Zhe Han was great too and he portrayed his calmer, slightly more mature character, really well. They complimented each other perfectly, I thought.
I found the story a little confusing at times, mainly because with all the characters and sects, I got a bit lost.
I also found some of the dialogue from supporting characters a bit drawn out in some scenes.
Lots of action scenes and the stunts were pretty good. I loved the sets too.
Some quite moving moments throughout, but it didn't make me cry.
Many of the characters were very fickle and would believe lies over people they'd known for some time, which really frustrated me!
I also felt sympathy for several, including Scorpion, who whilst responsible for his own outcome, did basically hanker after affection and approval from the wrong person, ultimately getting massively let down.
I found the outcome of the armoury a bit odd, especially after what everyone went through and the obsession around the glazed armor.
Soundtrack was mostly good, but I found a lot of the electric guitar stuff intrusive and a bad fit.
I really did enjoy the series though and will probably watch again some time.

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Overly sentimental

This was way too melodramatic and gushy for me.
Started off not bad at all, with Mama of the title and the ghosts she hangs out with, at the columbarium her ashes reside in, providing some light hearted and touching moments.
They are kept in line (with difficulty) by a no nonsense Shaman, Ms Mi Dong. There are no real vengeful inhabitants, most stay to watch over family, or because they have unfinished issues.
I found these characters and their stories the best part of the drama.
Once Cha Yu Ri inexplicably comes back to life, the story started to quickly nosedive.
It's a while since I've found a lead character as selfish and hopeless as her.
She's belligerent towards many other spirits, even though she's now in a position where she could help them.
She had been fixated on her daughter from the moment she passed and when she returns to the living, it transpires that being around her all that time came at a price.
She inserts herself into the toddler's life, with no care about her husband or his current wife, let alone the little girl. At this point, she has no idea how she came back, or whether it's permanent.
Instead of being extremely careful, she is eventually found out. On learning that she has 49 days on earth, after which she will leave again if she cannot resume her pre-death place on earth, she still carries on regardless and keeps it from everyone.
The emotional scars her death left on her widowed husband are deeper than the ocean, but she still spends most of the time concentrating on herself, whilst what I felt was using her daughter as an excuse.
The expectations she raises in her parental family, husband and best friend, cause so much more hurt and pain, it's infuriating.
Characters take ages delivering slow and overly paused dialogue, not answering questions, not saying what they should, and there is a LOT of wailing and beating of chests.
This story could have been so much more. The main character could, on being discovered, have come clean and used her time on earth well, instead of achieving very little until the last couple of episodes.
Instead of feeling sad for her, I was relieved when it was all over.
Definitely not one I would watch again, as I struggled to finish it first time around. So disappointing. If you like mushy, sentimental, melodramatic shows, however, you'll love it! (Not judging; each to their own.)

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Princess Hours

In many respects this 2006 drama has aged well (some funny bedroom scenes and a welcome lack of childish reactions to physical contact), but in others it's a little dated.
I liked the plot and characters, but the story became a bit laboured at times and pretty far fetched.
It's another case of what could be clever /sharp / witty dialogue between characters, being sacrificed to move the scenes into the scheming and under hand plans of those with their eyes on the throne.
The character of Chae Kyung was initially quite feisty, bright and no-nonsense, and whilst young, as the story progressed, she made some pretty dumb decisions, ignoring advice and what to most rational people, would be obviously bad choices. That was a shame, as she could have been so much more.
The Crown Prince was the usual aloof, cold and misunderstood character, with the third member of the love triangle being sensitive, romantic and warm. I see where many of the ideas for Boys Over Flowers might have came from.
Emotionally, between the leads, there was too much to-ing and fro-ing for me, which is what made the series a bit laboured.
I'd like to have seen less of the same falling out, getting back together and behaviour leading to misunderstandings and chaos, when it really needn't have; and more of their later relationship that was terribly condensed into the final scene.
The scheming that played such a large part of the story, was also wrapped up very quickly and didn't fit with the amount of time and scenes spent unfolding it.
I did like the cast and honestly would never have recognised Joo Ji-hoon's almost 15-year younger self. He is still a very attractive actor, but really has changed (not in a better or bad way, just very different).
I'm glad I watched it and if, like me, you enjoy seeing older dramas, it is a mostly fun watch overall.

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Captivating

Feb 2024
I watched this in one sitting and my goodness, what a watch it was.
It has a real-life feel in terms of Lee Tang's (Choi Woo-shik) day to day routines, plus his lack of both direction and motivation. Consequently, there are slower paced episodes, but these still manage to both captivate and unnerve.
Detective Son Suk Ku (Jang Nan Gam), is weary, somewhat arrogant in attitude at times and fixated on a happening in the past.
The cat & mouse interactions between these 2 is often tense and occasionally amusing.
Supporting characters veer from weird and unsettling, to just unsettling.
LT's family are supportive, but at the same time wrapped up in their own lives. The mother seems to talk at, not to him, quite often. His relationship with 2 friends felt to me to be more one of convenience than care, even though long-term.
SSK's police partner is a rookie and lacks judgement. Others in their department are a mix of older and jaded, with one showing a more investigative mind, but at the same time lazy, not wanting to lead on his thoughts. Overall, as is so often the case in K-dramas, the police are portrayed overall as inept, cutting corners, lazy and corrupt.
LT's luck in evading proven involvement in murders is pretty funny. The overall effect of his lifestyle on his personality, especially after meeting another character, is noticeable.
There are adult themes/scenes, violence (of course) and clever dialogue.
A further key character is strangely charismatic, but completely irrational and very formidable. Seemed to have a head made of steel too.
I really enjoyed this and it kept me entertained from start to finish. I laughed out loud and at one point, felt terrible for doing so, because it was inappropriate for the scene, but it was hilarious.
I really enjoy watching CWS act and he has the ability to keep me invested in a drama, even if it's not as good as this one was. Would happily watch again.
There are scenes of/references to, sexual assault/rape, suicide and bullying, for those who find these a trigger.

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Too drawn out

November 2023
I know this has been really popular and just about everyone loves Rowoon (including me), with Jo Bo-ah having lots of fans too, but... I really struggled with it. Sorry for the negtive review, to those who loved it and perhaps read this.

Unusually for me, a big bugbear was the irritating incidental/background music. Once it irked me, I couldn't zone it out.

The main characters around Hong-jo and Shin-yu, were mostly horrible....

From just awful work colleagues (apart from HJ's team Manager, Eun-young), to Shin-yu's father (so unkind about his mother's intelligence), and a delusional girlfriend; all very unlikeable.

I was also not keen on either lead character. One never took control, strung people along and was frankly, weak. The other was mouthy with one character and yet almost weak around all others.

A few tropes I really don't like, such as the father disliking their off-spring's chosen partner, just because they have no parents and are a 'nobody'; and the usual delusional girlfriend. Done. To. Death.

Apart from that, so many scenes were waaaaay too drawn out and slow, full of long stares and bizarre silent phone calls (where one calls other and then says NOTHING... what is all that about!)

HJ's female co-workers are completely bat poop and also delusional... I didn't find them funny at all ~ really not good writing. One in particular was thoroughly unlikeable.

I often found scenes childish and ridiculous; I mean, a Parks worker with no vehicle, no appropriate equipment/clothing, yet often expected to deal with situations for which they are totally unprepared. Like having to wipe up blood, but not having anything to do so with! Or someone with a suspected stalker, going to remote places alone. Eye rolling.

The story also didn't flow. Scenes felt jerky and disjointed, almost like segments stuck together, at times. The MC can regularly be found randomly standing on a beach, for no apparent reason, just gazing into one another's eyes.

Utterly ridiculous plot lines. Especially around the worst example of promiscuity ever, which just because someone is dating, is apparently openly talking with a man, even though there's a space between them (ie, not cuddled up).

There's also an appalling scene with an octopus, too, that really upset me. Totally unacceptable to me, I'm afraid (and 'culture' doesn't cut it, in a developed country that should know better by now). It wasn't even necessary. Hope to God it wasn't real ~ I'm honestly not sure.

There were scenes filmed in the same location as See You In My 19th Life (Mujinjeong Pavilion, with 'falling petal' fireworks), that actually felt like they almost mirrored that part of the other drama. It felt too similar and really distracted me.

So disappointing and I'd looked forward to this drama, too.

The cast weren't a problem, but actually the drama's saving grace. However, apart from some of the historical scenes, the story was just not for me.

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Time slipped but the drama didn't... too much.

Oct 2023
I love the plot; not the usual time travel, but a time slip.
Bae Hyun-sung is so good in his lead role as character Kang-san, who ends up worlds away from his original life. The emotions this relatively young actor is able to convey with his eyes, is exactly what makes his character so watchable and believable. Gentle, kind and pretty adorable. He never abuses the changes in himself either, but hangs on to his good nature.
Jung Woo is also good as a struggling writer with principles (Dong-joo), but living a life that pushes them to their limit. He has a sometimes abrasive exterior, but is really quite mushy inside.
Supporting characters/actors are interesting; from family, to friends, law enforcement and the villains living in wealth, but also the shadow of their past.
It started really strong and grabbed my attention, but as the drama neared its mid-way eps, I found the story somewhat laboured. Old ground was covered too often and so regardless of whether the angle from which an event was seen, was different, it wasn't different enough and didn't really impact the story sufficiently.
Then, as the final episodes rolled out, the pace picked up quite sharply again and it was really good.
I liked how Dong-joo's relationships/ friendships changed, but felt the way his character was written to behave in certain situations, sometimes went against his personality, seemingly to drive the story forward. He could be so incredibly selfish, yet at other times too much the opposite. Overall he made for an entertaining character.
Hyeon-soo, a MC and police officer, I often found infuriatingly arrogant in her assumptions that she was right about stuff. I found her character lacked substance. The actress (Park Yoo-rim) was OK, but didn't really seem to 'be' the part.
The police team were woefully blind to the obvious clues that someone in their ranks was 'off', even when they suspected a leak and clues had become glaringly obvious. Frustrating!
I loved DJ's best friend, Yong-dae, who never judged and was such a supportive and understanding friend; and Mal-geum, who is linked to KS's past (how their interaction was portrayed in the present day, I found touching, poignant and really quite sad).
I never liked Myung-seok, but assume he was a better person than I thought, with his motives being to change things (I hope).
Loved Oh Man-suk as Kai, too. He was SO cool.
It's cleverly done, how the connections between the characters come together and there is a fair amount of tragedy.
An extremely dark and upsetting secret is also revealed at the end, which may be too much for some (refer to 'Tags' for the drama).

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Dark, depressing and uncomfortable

Aug 2023
First off, apart from graphic violence, there are scenes containing rape, domestic abuse and suggested self-harm, so be warned ahead of viewing.

It starts off fairly evenly, lulling us into a very false sense of security, before escalating and that escalation never stops until the very end.

The way in which those perceived to be less attractive, are overlooked, spoken to, and at worst, not even loved by their own parents, is horrible. School is one thing (teachers woefully absent as usual), but the workplace is reminiscent of the UK in the 70s/80s.

The main character's dreams, held from being an infant, were quickly slashed, as she grew older and her looks hsd diminished by the time she was a teen. Although a talented and confident dancer, she was never accepted, getting verbally abused, and soon gave up. Her mother was cold and unsupportive.

As an adult, she vents her craving for the adoration and attention of an audience, by performing often exotic dance routines online, wearing a mask and various wigs.

The story follows her double life, which due to several interactions with a co-worker, culminate in her having something of a melt down.

From there on, her luck goes from not great, to catastrophically awful.

The story does a FFWD (which I know annoys some, but it does fit in this instance) and the hatred and vengeance from the past wreaks havoc in the present.

One character in particular is amazingly portrayed; blind to their complicity, failings and own twisting of reality, because facing up to all that, would be even more painful and leave no one to lash out at. An honestly hateful person who wants to be the victim.

I found the story and mix of characters, frankly depressing. It gets quite ridiculous at times too, which spoilt any realism built up in scenes.

I can't say I enjoyed it, but I can't say it was bad. It was horrible really. How people can drive others to lose who they are, features strongly, and is sickening, as is the obsession with looks, that is very prevalent, not only in S.Korea, although they do seem particularly obsessed with it.

The cast are excellent. It has a docu-drama feel at times, even though, as said, the plot in terms of what's believable or possible, goes off the rails quite often.

The ending was quite something, but lacked in one major aspect, which I can't say in this, but will add a spoiler comment.

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Never a dull moment

I loved way more about this than I didn't.
The very few gripes are honestly not worth mentioning.
Fabulous cast, many actors/tresses I love, all of whom played their characters so well.
It is quirky at times; the character of
Young-rak's wife is totally off the wall. I loved her! Her outspokenness made for some really funny scenes and, at times, not low level discomfort too.
I so felt for Kang-ho and as his story was revealed, thought him so brave. Lee Do-hyun portrayed him excellently.
There were many scenes that made for a tough watch. How cold, heartless and thoroughly evil some of the characters were.
Those were tempered by opposites, however, and that prevented this drama from becoming overly melodramatic and depressing.
I completely disagreed with the methods of the Mother in question. Yet I still liked her character; she was forced to toughen up, make sacrifices, cope alone, keep going and work her arse off. However, for me that didn't excuse her dictatorial approach toward her son as a child, or actions that bordered on abuse. Nothing can excuse some of the things she did. Yet I still couldn't dislike her.
Her character seemed to mellow through the story and her capacity for forgiveness, on several occasions, I found a bit unbelievable, but given her circumstances at that point, I did get it. She also repeated one of her previous mistakes regarding another character, which disappointed me, but she came through in the end.
Kang-ho's behaviour, I thought was out of synch at times, with what his character's age was supposed to have reverted to, but, I could care less. He had me in bits on numerous occasions.
I also loved Mi-joo. What a great young woman, with real strength of character. She never played the victim and was so tenacious. I really liked the relationship she had with her twins, too.
In fact, all the village women in this drama were tough in their own ways really.
Life wasn't particularly easy or a bed of roses, for any of them.
The men were funny, capable, but rarely the bosses ;)
Sam-sik was a conundrum for me... I loathed, liked, was amused and shocked by him, in turns. Drove me nuts.
The foreign character, Andrea, was weirdly likeable. I wasn't sure at first. The way he spoke was odd at times (and not when he was practicing his Korean), but then I find many of the foreign characters represented in K-dramas to be a bit odd in general. He helped out a lot though and wasn't insignificant. How they interacted together was lovely.
Plenty of suspense and a terrific watch. I never got bored, was pleased with the ending and so enjoyed the actors, who really made the story shine.

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S1-3 combined on Viki app. An OK watch to pass the time.

aka: The Night I Became An Animal
Great variety of characters and differing relationship scenarios, with some really selfish ones in the mix, who had no regard for the feelings of others.
My favourite couple were the country girl and tattoo artist.
At the other end of the spectrum, was the guy who didn't want kids with his wife; and the last couple, were just... "what the hell?"!
Sometimes it did feel like the individual story was built around the very samey bed scene they almost all ended up with.
I found myself rolling my eyes once too often.
I did like the entire cast, though.

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Not what it seems

I am not sure what was being aimed at when making this: quirky? comedy? statement on mental health? social politics?
I was kept engaged throughout, but really didn't like a number of the characters.
I did like the aspect that poor communication and perspectives of childhood, can really screw us up!
A child's imagination can be an escape, a hiding place, a better place, or a nightmare; but what if imagination and reality become blurred?
There are very unsettling aspects to this drama. A dangerous and manipulative cult; dysfunctional relationships; loss; threat; confusion and self-doubt. Quite a bit of very unpleasant violence and horrible manipulation by the cult.
I found the ending bizarre, as what I imagined the premise to be, was turned on its head.
I am not against seeing smoking in dramas, as people still do and I see the effects of alcohol and hallucinogenic drug abuse as being far worst. However, the amount of characters that chain smoked, I found off-putting.
To be honest, I didn't get it at all and so just felt blank about it. Not even sure if I actually liked it or not!

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Visually stunning

A wonderful bit of escapism, with some really touching moments, humour and action (of a martial arts/supernatural kind).
The acting was fine and the cast beautiful, with lovely sets and costumes.
The story is entertaining, but it did drag in several places for me. If it hadn't gone off on unnecessary tangents at times (for example some of the focussing on Jie Li, which lent nothing to the story) and stretching out of scenes, the pace would have been improved. I felt the end stories were wrapped up in a somewhat rushed manner, when compared to aspects of the rest of the story.
The opening episode grabbed me and the final episodes were quite gripping (and sad in some cases), but my attention drifted quite often in between.
Dylan Wang was a delight, as were the majority of the cast. However, as is too often the case, the childish way in which Orchid spoke, drove me nuts. It is not necessary to speak like a kid to convey sweetness or naivety.
I would have liked to see a bit more of the dragon in his true form too.
Some of the more modern guitar music I didn't feel was appropriate either and that distracted me.
Overall a decent watch, and if I watched again, certain bits I'd definitely FF.

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Mountain, mystery, suspense

Excellent cast, acting and writing. A crime drama with a stunning setting, Mountain Rangers as the central characters and even a bit of the supernatural thrown in. The latter actually has a sad feel to it.
I loved both Jun Ji Hyun and Joo Ji Hoon in this; her character was strong, capable and assertive, if a little headstrong. It was so enjoyable to see JJH playing a softer character, whose more placid, thoughtful and probing nature, balanced hers.
Oh Jung Se was on fine form as usual, too.
The story twists and turns, moving with the seasons on the mountain, as it is revealed there's a killer on the loose.
The culprit isn't unveiled until the final episodes and so many fit the bill at some point, that guessing was impossible!
I loved the production, location, filming and a soundtrack that suited it so well.
I actually found the ending quite emotional.
What let it down a little were the sudden jumps (from the outset), in the timeline. I didn't get what was going on initially, but once I realised, it was fine; the story is told before and after the events of the deaths, leading up to the capture of the killer.
There were also a couple of characters whose stories and reactions were a bit OTT, but in a drama that had so many good ones, they were bearable.
A couple of episodes were a little slow, but overall this was a great watch.

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