I had this in my queue for 2 years but wasn't motivated to watch it until a) I saw Ji Chang Wook in Healer and b) realized Yoo Seung Ho was in it as well. So I watched it and I'm very very glad I did.
This is easily the best sageuk I've seen so far. I loved the story, the cast, the acting, the fight scenes, the character development, the music (which I cannot get out of my head), and of course our 2 leading men. I truly loved Choi Min Soo as Chun (the old Sky Lord) - and Jun Kwang Ryul did his usual impeccable job as Gwang Taek.
I just cannot get enough of Ji Chang Wook, however! He is fabulous in this, as is Yoo Seung Ho. The bromance between Dong Soo and Woon is the main thrust of the entire series and is done so well.
The direction (especially the fight scenes) and the cinematography compares favorably to films, the spectacular vistas shown are breathtaking.
Some other reviewers talked about the lead actress (Shin Hyun Bin playing Ji Sun) being too cool & emotionless - very true but it seemed to fit the character very well. It certainly didn't showcase any great acting skills, but since it fitted so well with how both our leads saw her, it did not distract me in any way. I much preferred the other 2 girls, much more animated and interesting. Still, no surprises that the aloof, silently suffering damsel in distress attracted both our warriors LOL
The story keeps one guessing, even if you know the actual history - which is always a plus in my book. Very interesting take on the whole Prince Sado episode.
All in all I highly recommend this drama!

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Delightful, funny spy spoof

I must admit, I'm a total Eric Mun fan, and love just about everything he's done. So I may be biased. Also I do love spy stories, especially the spoofs. So this drama had two things going for it from the start.
I found it very funny from the first episode. Granted there was suspense, and not everything was light-hearted. The villains did kill some people after all. But that really didn't affect the very deft, light touch the writers brought to the story. I especially liked all the Bond references, since I'm an avid fan of those books & most of the films.
This kept the momentum going, brought in a few more thoughtful themes (particularly the examination of love and marriage, and the nature of trust), and showcased once again Lim Ju Hwan's amazing acting talents. I never found it boring, and it managed to end well, which I had really wondered about as the plot progressed.
All in all, a fun watch. I enjoy shows that don't make me think too much, and do not annoy me with hand-wringing, angst, noble idiocy, and other such annoying plot devices. I'd definitely sit through this again!

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A bit Different than the KDrama

Hello Monster: Remember You is one of my favorite KDramas, where I loved the entire cast, as well as the chemistry between them. So I started this with some reservations, despite my overall love of lacorns.
In the Korean drama, while I love Jang Na Ra, her character was pretty inconsistent. At least she looked and acted like a confident knowledgeable detective, tho. In this one, the actress is simply too young. She doesn't have the gravitas for the part. The character remains the problematic mess it was in the KDrama, as well.
Our profiler here is not Seo In Guk. But he's otherwise excellent - fits the part, does the job, and I very much approved of him. Same for his brother - not Park Bo Gum but still you're rooting for him LOL
The police team are fine, and I actually prefer the head detective here (boss' son). Of course the KDrama DID have Kim Jae Young, but I thought Best Vichayut Limratanamongkol was just as gorgeous in fact :D
Where this REALLY shines is the casting of our main bad guy! Now, I thought D.O. just nailed his part as the younger one - chilling! Choi Won Young as his older self is excellent, of course, because CWY is one of THE best Korean actors out there. However, in the lakorn, OMG the younger & older actors LOOKED so much ALIKE! Same facial expressions, mannerisms! Totally chilling, both of them! Because of this, it really felt like you were looking at the actual younger/older versions of the same person! This was just amazing to me and really made this version totally worth watching :D
The story line is a bit more difficult to follow here than it was in the KDrama, I feel, but since I already knew the story I can't tell how problematic that would be for someone unfamiliar with it.
Overall, this remake is totally worth watching, just as every other lakorn remake of a KDrama that I've seen!

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OMG.

Okay, the premise sounded very interesting, and the drama started out very well. I enjoyed the back and forth between past, plane crash etc, and present. All the characters had substance. Loved it for the first, say, 6 or so episodes.
Then stupidity happened. Lots of it, on the part of the writers and the characters. Failed logic, the frustration of those 'trapped w/psycho killer but too stupid to hide from him" horror films I hate, total leaps of idiocy - I almost stopped watching this by episode 9.
Then it got better, somewhat. The island scenario finished, so the above mentioned stupidity vanished. It became a recognizable suspense plot, complete with scheming chaebols & corrupt prosecutors. Not very original but since the acting was excellent & I like most of the cast I could manage. By episode 14, EUREKA! Some brains emerged! I liked that episode!
Then the writers got hit once again by the stupid bug, which eroded the logical progression of the narrative into increasingly WTF moments, concluding with what has to be the most insane, ridiculous, maddening ending I've ever seen in KDrama.
I had held out hopes of one of our supposed murder victims being resurrected - which would have made as much if not more sense than what the writers forced on us, plus made so many of us much happier - but noooo, that was not to be :(
Do not waste your time on this, really, unless plot actually means nothing to you. On the plus side, the interactions of the characters in this show was excellent - I totally enjoyed watching them as long as I forgot whatever plot point was supposed to be happening.

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Just, read the history, people

This was an adorable gender bender drama within an ACTUAL historical setting. As in, I knew from the 2nd episode (when I looked up the king, and discovered who was who), that our dimpled 2nd prince would end up on the throne.
The WRITERS didn't kill off anyone, HISTORY did. That poor brother of our lead girl, for instance. Sad but true.
It's like The Prince & the Pauper. Since we've been hit over the head with a gazillion retellings of said Prince's DADDY (that would be King Henry VIIII), we know what happens to our cute prince (just, go read it - Twain's awesome).
Anyway, I just loved this drama for the most part. It had it's angsty moments, it's WTF stuff, it's political intrigue (I mean, yeah, necessary, but not my fav stuff), but overall I enjoyed watching this - I mean, SF9's Rowoon & Victon's Byung Chan were VERY easy on the eyes plus gave good performances, and Nam Yoon Soo, oh my my my!!
I thought our leading lady did a credible job of acting like a boy - the real prince was 18 when he ascended the throne.
The supporting cast did their usual phenomenal task as well.
My biggest beef is that the writers didn't let the Queen Mother just hush it all up. I mean, NO, that girl would not have survived revealing that she became king! Under any circumstances!

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How to act stupid

Okay. First off, yes I did watch this because of Minhyuk.
But.
I've had this happen to me - in my 20s. I was dating a guy & another girl showed up to yell at me for dating him.
Well, you know what happens in REAL LIFE when that happens? You tell the other girl that it's up to said GUY which of us he wants! Then you confront the GUY you are dating., ask him WTF, and tell him to end things with either her or you. Some of my friends would end it with the guy simply for not admitting up front there was another girl in the picture, as well.
So, the lead girl is my problem. WHINY little SPINELESS creature. I'm sorry. She didn't do anything wrong. She should have told the other girl off immediately, confronted her beau, and then decided what to do.
Later on, after she'd finally made a mature decision, same girl who'd confronted her earlier decides to spread lies online, and our FL says she DESERVES IT!!!! OMG!!!! She didn't know the guy had a girl! WFT is THAT all about???? HE was the cheater, if anyone was!
So basically, I spent the last 3-4 episodes screaming at the TV about how idiotic this girl really was. I swear. I'm so over this kind of thing. No you don't have to apologize because somebody lies to you and you believe it! No you don't deserve to nearly have your career thrown in the toilet by some immature little liar who claims that YOU took her BF away, when it was said BF who cheated! AND lied about it! OMG
That little girl BTW was uber annoying. She basically conned the ML into having a sort of romance, when he really wasn't all that interested, and certainly not serious - she admitted it to our FL in fact. Then AFTER the FL & ML break up, she goes after the FEMALE for revenge just because the ML breaks up with her as well! That's mature and sensible of her, NOT!
So yeah, I had some big problems with how all that played out.
Notice I'm not upset by who the FL ended up with in the end. Not at all. That was not the problem here....

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So, this was my first Lakorn. I watched it because the trailer looked compelling & I love this kind of makjang in KDramas. I was not disappointed :D
I really have NO problems with complicated family trees - those who do might not like this. Also it IS a melodrama so if that bothers you don't watch this LOL
I say hats off to the Thai director/producers - I did not realize until half-way thru the drama that ALL the grandsons are actually members of a Thai Pop group (9x9)!!!! That says a lot about their acting talent overall in fact. I know one of them was in Love Sick so is a proven actor, but all of them did splendidly :D

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This drama starts out as if it's a wish-fulfillment fantasy, ie an older woman who's gained weight and whose husband has lost interest in her gets a magic perfume to turn her back into her younger self.
We've all of us had this fantasy, admit it. All those crying 'fat shaming' etc must either be too young to understand or not being honest with ourselves. In fact, it's not our heroine being fat so much as being 40 and out of shape - her dream was to be a runway model, and she's too OLD, no matter what shape she's in! The fashion industry does fat-shame to the point it wants anorexic androgynous young models - for real. I do believe there's a movement on to change this to a point, but we ain't there yet.
That aside, this turns out NOT to be fixated on this fantasy. In fact, it's more about dissecting said fantasy, and seeing how it works out in (semi) reality. The drama does flashbacks that show that in HIS youth our hero had the self-image problems, in fact.
The drama deals with other issues as well. Fan/saesang behavior, and toxic netizens, come under fire, as well as the dichotomy between the image of celebrities versus the actual persons.
All this sounds heavy, but in fact this drama had me laughing every single episode LOL Shin Se Rok has a comedic talent and his expressions and body language are spot-on. Everybody else in the cast acted as his straight man at some point or other :D I personally loved the interations with his half-brother LOL
The biggest amazement for me was the two lead actresses. I love Ha Jae Sook - and she had a leading role here :D Her younger self, Go Won Hee, totally impressed me. I still can't believe she's only 23 - there was a gravitas to her acting in this role that was definitely not there in the other dramas I've seen her in - I totally, completely believed she was a 40 year old rejuvenated because of her acting! Her facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, all of it convinced me. She's only a year older than the girl playing the daughter, but at NO point did I feel that the two were the same age at all.
The message in this drama ultimately - your appearance and age do NOT dictate who you are nor your innate loveability. THIS is something that South Korean society as a whole doesn't really embrace yet, and so this drama really emphasizes an area needing improvement :D

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This is early 2000s makjang, with Rain to look at. That said, I totally enjoyed wallowing in it until the very last episode. The cast did an excellent job together, individual acting was excellent, the story held together pretty well, very little total nonsense (although the beginning felt confused - first 2-3 episodes). HOWEVER - huge big however - that last episode ruined this drama.
The total stupidity of the ending just infuriated me - not whether sad or happy but the complete, total lack of intelligence, logic, character consistency, left me aghast that I had watched this whole thing for this! I just cannot fathom what these writers were thinking. It's taken 12 years of dramas to produce one that had this badly written & conceived an ending (that would be Missing 9).
So if you must watch everything Rain (a worthy goal), you won't be disappointed if you watch all but the last episode then make up your OWN ending!

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Overall excellent fantasy

SOOO many people are confused about the 'change' of actresses.
The first season had Naksu in someone else's body. So she looked like said person. As all the soulshifters do.
It was wonderful, & Jong So Min did a great job. But let's remember that Naksu in actuality looked like Go Yoon Jung, okay?
So, that ends with her petrifying like other soul shifters.
But Master Lee, plus the powers of the owner of the original body, makes it possible to bring back Naksu/Bu Yeon, albeit without any memory of the past or her identity. The soul that inhabits the body being Naksu, it shapes the body to look like Naksu (very necessary for the plot). THIS undoubtedly was planned from the beginning, because otherwise everybody would have immediately recognized her as Mu Deok! I did find this a bit inconsistent, as the Queen doesn't manage to get her original form back, but I suppose it could be explained by the body of Bu Yeon being turned to stone & having to reconstruct itself.
So all the nonsense about the actress 'changing' is just that - coming from people who do not understand the underlying plot development very well, & possibly failed to realize that the actress in Part 2 is the SAME one playing Naksu (as Naksu) in Part 1!
As for the way Naksu as Bu Yeon acted, good grief! She totally behaved as Mu Deoki had done (or as Naksu as Mu Deoki had done). She didn't have the anger and drive of Naksu because she lacked the MEMORIES of Naksu, but she didn't act like the real Bu Yeon either (as much as one can tell, seeing we only saw her (as Mu Deoki) briefly. I totally enjoyed those episodes so much, because she was reminding Jang Uk of what drew him to Mu Deoki without him realizing what was happening.
The final 2 episodes had some WTF moments, but they weren't overwhelming & mainly had to do with the somewhat illogical plot around the House of Jin & that Firebird/Dragon. It did seem that Jang Uk managed to destroy the mages much too easily, as well, which could have been improved with another episode - but since he'd been touted as all-powerful through-out Episode 2, that didn't bother me overmuch.
I loved the way all the secondary plots & characters had their own stories wrapped up. So many of these fantasies end sadly or ambiguously - or 'they were reincarnated together' ~sigh~ This one didn't do that, and I'm grateful.
So overall this is one of the best high fantasy dramas I've seen - including Game of Thrones, The Witcher, The Rings of Power, as well as several Chinese ones, let alone Korean. It wasn't dragged out too long (GOT, & every Chinese fantasy I've seen other than Ghost Bride), didn't destroy itself in the end (The Witcher), and didn't have a book that it mangled (The Rings of Power, Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones once Martin left). The Hong sisters know their craft very well indeed. Kudos to them!

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Just splendid :D

This drama hits all the right notes. It's not meant to be taken all that seriously and has a lot of comedic elements, but it also touches a nerve about corruption and how underdogs need champions who can fight on the level of the consciousless nasties & their minions. Suspense, a low-key love story, and OMG Taecyeon just CHEWING up the scenery!
I loved this start to finish
I was watching Mouse right along with this one, and Mouse - well, I had to stop watching 10 minutes before the end of the 14th episode because it looked like they just turned to the sour side, sadly. Vincenzo could have gone that route too - I worried. But it never did - not once. Thank goodness!
For those whining about realism - OMG. REALLY???? This is not meant to be a very realistic drama LOL It's meant to be a feel-good drama, where the bad guys get stopped and the good guys win. It's a kind of dark superhero film, with less fantasy. Where the characters are larger than life but where the premise makes you think about how most effectively to fight evil.
Such a breath of fresh air! And it ended so very well :D
Total thumbs up on Vincenzo!

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Magic in the air

This little romcom just oozes cuteness, for most of the episodes. Fun, sweet, with some dreamy looking guys as well LOL The premise interested me, and for the most part played out well, although towards the end some logic holes appeared (one big one - she & her mother tell possible futures in order to let people CHANGE them & profit by it - so WHY all of a sudden does she seem to think her boy's future is set in stone??????). Also, while not a plot hole, it annoys me when writers throw in the 'using magic brings curses on you' trope - I'm a witch myself so yeah that ticks me off (as well as this idea that a witch is somehow different than a shaman :D Nope, not really).
But those minor things aside (they get dealt with well by the end of the show), I totally enjoyed this drama. I love Seohyun, & thought her perfect for this character. Na In Woo has been impressing me more with each role he's taken. The supporting actors, at least away from the marketplace, did an outstanding job.
I will say that a lot of people will not appreciate the very slapstick kind of schtick used by that marketplace group of characters. I did think it got a bit cringy at times although I liked those characters for the most part. It's an acquired taste & may account for the lackluster reviews I've seen on here.
But overall, just a pleasant, sweet, rather relaxing watch :D

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WHY ?????

Oh, my flaming !#$%!
This was basically a well-thought out thriller with overall consistency (minor glitches but nothing terribly horrible) right until the last 15 minutes or so (you know, after the time reset).
WTF?
WHY does that version of his MOM still remember anything? That's silly right there. WHY doesn't he see her resemblance to his MOTHER??? WHY does the ajusshi police chief not remember him? We saw the 2020 version of our detective disappear, but his teenage self went walking off with mama - so WHY IS THE HOUSE not theirs??? WHY doesn't the girl who loved him AT THAT TIME not remember who he is?????
AND for the love of all that's holy, were they REALLY trying to set him up with his MOTHER???? How sick!!! She's a genetic match for his mom! She IS his mom in fact! OMG!!!
This should have ended showing him with his mum AND dad, plus married to our newsreporter. With the Professor NOT remembering a damned thing!
Of course to be completely accurate, he should have totally disappeared as a HIGH SCHOOL kid, along with his mother, as they were walking to the convenience store. Plus the POLICE chief should have disappeared as well. But of course that would be sad, and I'm glad they didn't do it. However, I'm sorry. She's his MOTHER, and she KNOWS DAMNED WELL she is!!!!
Another KDrama ruined in the last 15 minutes, sadly. I'd tell EVERYBODY watching this to just stop watching as he disappears, with his younger self walking up the street with Mom. MUCH more satisfactory all the way around.

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Absolutely non-stop over the top action.

This film has absolutely no claim to veracity whatsoever. We aren't sure who the enemies are (well, seem to be everybody), nor who the hero is - okay, it's obviously Joo Won ie Carter, but who is HE? Even he doesn't know cause he's lost his memory. There's a bit of play with that - he could be two different guys apparently, & this is never resolved as the film sets up the sequel at the end (where China, not visible in this film, obviously will play a role in the next).
The setting is in the near future, where somehow North Korea seems to have opened it's borders. A deadly zombie-like virus is the main threat, but most of the action is NOT zombie fighting, so you really can't call this a zombie film. Instead, our hero, Joo Won, looking mighty fine through out, is tasked with rescuing a little girl who's got the antidote in her blood - and everybody wants her LOL
The action just got me laughing - so over the top ridiculous! The opening scene in the thug bathhouse LOL - not quite as good as The K2 but damned close! The fight while skydiving - better than that Bond scene with Jaws!!!! The way that poor kid is tossed around through out the film just kept my attention, & then another kid gets added to the mix - so crazy :D
This film reminded me forcibly of the 2007 film Shoot Em Up - same ridiculously violent scenes, gorgeous lead (Clive Owen), baby getting manhandled during a rescue, etc LOL Loved that film too!
People who get squeamish, who want character development, or who like logical storylines or reasonable action sequences, this film is NOT for you. Just saying!

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Actual Strong Women Here - Be Warned

This drama deserves the highest praise. Incredible acting, gorgeous themes & wardrobe, interesting and well-formatted storyline, great examination of the web of family relationships and how bad choices can echo down thru generations, as well as a very thought-provoking theme of what truly makes a family, or more specifically, a mother?
I highly recommend this drama, and I also recommend that anyone wondering if they should watch it just IGNORE most of the commentary. There are many immature, undereducated and basically shallow persons on this site who haven't a clue how to interpret a complicated, thoughtful drama like this. The number of different themes presented, the indirect way the writers show the main traumatic event, the complicated interwoven motivations of all the characters, takes a willingness to watch the entire drama and to do some thinking about it as well.
So if you don't want to do that, this is not the drama for you, just saying. Not fluff, even tho L and his love interest do provide a lovely, sweet little note threading through-out the drama.

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