Watchable, but unremarkable

I don't really pay much attention to hype surrounding programs, I just watch them if they sounds interesting. I was just compelled to contribute my own review after changing status from "In Progress" to "Completed" and seeing all the 9/10-10/10 reviews.

I won't rehash the premise (the MDL synopsis is pretty good, but makes it sound a lot more interesting than it is, lol), but I will say as the backstory unfolds through to course of the program, it's pretty convoluted. The pace is quite slow, there's too much time spent focusing on Korean political machinations (which I don't find particularly compelling) and the show drags on a few too many episodes (which, as your know, is par for the course!).

Most of the cast were fantastic, with a particular mention to Ha Kyun Shin, I really think he anchored the whole show. It's no mean feat to be able to get you to hate a character and find them creepy, while winning them over through the course of the story (while still having them wonder the whole time if he could be a killer).
Jin Goo Yeo I thought was just OK, although admittedly I didn't really like him in "Hotel Del Luna" until toward the end of the show. I'm not sure if this is because his character here was written as stiff, blank and unlikable; or if he as an actor just takes a while to settle into a role.
Of the minor actors (who, as I said, are mostly fantastic) Sung Eun Choi as the feisty but sensitive Jae Yi was a standout for me - I hope I get to see her in more programs.

I usually hate when a show gets bogged down in romance, but I have to say it would have improved the show here if there was some..... it's a bit sad that all these people are single at the start of the series, and in the finale "one year later" flash forward they're still all single?
Oh, and don't be fooled by the other reviews stating this is a great bromance - there's hardly any bromance here either :P

All in all, I don't regret watching it, I just wish it had been more to the point, easier to follow, and had more character development (beyond just revealing the character' back stories).

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Bafflingly high rating for a waste of time

I began this drama with high hopes - it was set up with a premise that was something different, that I hasn't seen before.
Then as the episodes went on, it just devolved into garbage and more and more cliched tropes were introduced. They even added the (AWFUL) "met as children" trope despite this contradicting the whole premise of the show.

Actually, there were other things that didn't make sense too...like the second male lead who likes the female lead because she *look like* (but isn't) a reincarnation of his old girlfriend??
The way the storyline inexplicably fell into place with a happy ending - despite the characters receiving divine warning about disaster and punishment - just didn't make any sense either.

There are only a couple of worthwhile things about this show - L as the lead is pretty good, the actors who portray the female lead's nasty family are pretty good and the mystery about the sabotage at the dance company was interesting (I was annoyed that the perpetrators mostly didn't face any consequences though?). Also the music was pretty good (although repetitive).

Hye Sun Shin gives a decent performance as the female lead, but I think she was miscast, as her character is supposed to only be 23 and she looks her age of 30 (and was specifically playing a 30 year old in her previous series).

There were definitely some entertaining aspects of this show (I managed to watch through the whole thing), but they get overshadowed by the all the plotholes, needless annoying tropes, and melodrama; so by the end of the (overlong) 16 episodes I was just left wondering why I bothered with this mess.

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Worthwhile but flawed

It seems most reviews for Tale of the Nine Tailed are either praising it as a masterpiece, or saying it was "ruined" by the ending.
The truth is somewhere in between.

What we do get is an overall decent series, with too much dull filler and too many plot holes.

I think the creators were aiming for something along the lines of A Korean Odyssey (blending the Drama, Supernatural, Comedy and Romance) but whereas AKO kept me consistently engaged, I was snoring through far too much of TOTNT.
To me it seems like the concept was greenlit and rush-produced before there was time to flesh out the background fully, and the show unfortunately didn't live up to its potential because of it.

I think, overall, casting was good..
Dong Wook Lee (playing ML Yeon, a Gumiho in humanoid form) is always solid, but the real standout of TOTNT is Bum Kim (Rang, Yeon's half-human brother), who steals every scene he's in.
Some people here didn't really like the casting of Bo Ah Jo (as FL Ji Ah, producer of a Television program on Urban Legends), but I thought she turned in a solid performance - I think the problem here may be that the character of Ji Ah isn't written as particularly likeable, and - as another reviewer pointed out - is a bit of a Mary-Sue.
Jung Nan Kim was great in her commitment to a role that I think was written as too cartoonish.
Special mention to Hee Hwang and Yong Ji Kim, whose characters could have ended up creepy and hateable respectively, if played by somebody else.
The rest of the cast were fine, but not standouts.


The Bad:
-FAR too many boring scenes of Yeon and Ji Ah strolling down the street together, looking into each others eyes etc. It's like they decided a couple of episodes in to turn this Supernatural mystery into a sappy romance?
-FAR too many boring past-life flashback scenes. Most of these were essentially the same as above (sappy romance) and added nothing to the show
-SO. MANY. PLOTHOLES. I won't list spoilers here, but there are so many thanks that, on reflection, don't make any sense.
-There are other parts of the story that don't necessarily not make sense, but should have had some further explanation. (like finding out that Ji Ah's parents traveled to a mysterious island years ago - but no explanation as to why???)
-The creepy, almost Horror-like vibe we open with in the first couple of episodes just disappears - it would have been good if this had continued through the series
-Under-utilisation of the Supernatural/Fantasy elements - we could have seen Yeon and Ji Ah encounter and deal with different different mythological beings through the series, but instead are almost immediately introduced to the big arch-nemesis, and the rest of the series is focused just on him
-Almost all of the Gatekeeper stuff felt cartoonish and ridiculous, and was only saved by Jung Nan Kim's performance

The Good:
-Bum Kim as Rang was just fantastic, I have to say it again
-Shin Joo and Yoo Ri's romance was cute and quirky and good to watch (AS OPPOSED TO THE BORING YEON-JI AH ROMANCE)
-The mysteries the show presents are pretty interesting, even if some of your questions are left unanswered after the series ends
-The action scenes are pretty good, though they wane after the first couple of episodes

Overall:
I think it was worth watching, despite its flaws, if you're into Fantasy/Supernatural-tinged K-Dramas.

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Not worth the time (for me)

I liked the concept of this show - I find the machinations of the Korean entertainment interesting - so I thought I'd give it a chance. Unfortunately - there's not much here to keep you watching. While I definitely disagree with reviewers that have rated this 1/10, I have dropped it, because it hasn't held my interest on any level.

"Behind Every Star", as other reviewers have mentioned, is a remake of the French show "Call My Agent". I haven't seen this program, so I'm not sure what was and wasn't taken from the original, but I find the vibe of "Behind Every Star" to be quite trashy for a K-Drama. This in itsself isn't a dealbreaker, but is one of a few factors adding up to just making this a not very enjoyable viewing.

I found it didn't really satisfy my intrigue as to how the Korean entertainment industry works - the plots of each episode generally revolve around an Entertainment Agency's managers trying to smooth over some minuscule issue that's been unnecessarily turned into a big, er, drama, by their Actors' absurdly inflated egos. It doesn't come across as particularly realistic; which might be OK if the show was more skewed toward comedy, but I didn't find the antics of the egotistical Actors particularly funny or entertaining. Several real well-known actors are playing themselves through the series, so I can only assume making them narcissists was intended to be funny, but this just didn't work for me.

Which brings me to the characters - I don't think a character necessarily has to be likeable, but they need to be compelling in some way. Most of the characters here I found both very unlikable and very uninteresting.
The show largely centres around veteran Manager Jane Chun, who I think the viewer is supposed to like, but just comes across as very irritating, and self-centred. The shows other lead is newbie manager Hyun Joo So, who I think you're also supposed to like and sympathise with, but she also comes across as very annoying; bumbling, soggy and spineless; we're supposed to believe she's driven enough to secure a career in Entertainment despite the odds, but not driven enough to even attempt to do her job properly.
Most of the other Management staff come across as cold/nasty and uninteresting, while the Actors are mostly egomaniacal 2D caricatures. The only characters I really liked were: the Agency's receptionist, wannabe actress Hee Sun Kang, who manages to get the viewer on her side despite being a bit of a bitch (Se On Hwang lights up the screen in this role); and the Agency's camp and dramatic office gossip queen Jin Hyuk (though some viewers may find his flamboyant mannerisms over-the-top and offensive). Manager Joong Don Kim was OK, he comes across as probably the most realistic and relatable charatcer. Steven Noh as Tax Office auditor Sang Wook Lee has good screen presence but not much character. I liked the actresses Soo Mi Kim and Hyo Rim Seo playing versions of themselves.

Coincidentally, I've just just started watching "Sh**ting Stars", which is also about the Korean Entertainment industry. And despite having the classic quirky K-Drama vibe and some over-the-top moments and characters actually comes across as more realistic then "Behind Every Star". I haven't finished it yet, but of the two, I'd definitely recommend "Sh**ting Stars" instead.

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Lightweight and foregettable

Creating a TV show about producing a TV show has been done before - (the British "Moving Wallpaper", American "Action!" and "Unreal") but I hadn't seen a Korean take on this concept before (well, I have seen "Pinocchio", but that was centred around a news program so that doesn't count).

Unfortunately, unlike those aforementioned programs, "The Producers" doesn't really send up or skewer the industry. So no laughs or interesting revelations to be had. Which would be fine if there was an interesting story - but it lacks a gripping storyline. Which would be OK if the characters were good - but I don't really care for any of them.

On the storyline, it centers around Seung Chan, who's landed a dream job at a TV station... and been assigned to the team behind a failing variety show. Will they be able to rescue the program before it gets cancelled??.....the real question is, will you care?

The one positive here, is the cast, who mostly do a pretty good job with the flimsy script. I HATED Soo Hyun Kim and his stony face and bland expressionless voice in "My Love From The Star" and (to a lesser extent) "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" but he actually does a pretty good job here playing the awkward and bumbling Seung Chan. IU does pretty good job as the stuck-up pop star Cindy, though she comes across as slight hesitant. Hyo Jin Gong plays the part of music show producer Ye Jin well, it's too bad the character is so annoying and unlikable you relish when bad things happen to her.

Look, it was decent enough for me to watch a few episodes, but I just don't care about the characters or story enough to finish it. It's not unpleasant to watch, but aren't there better things to do with your time than watch forgettable K-Dramas?

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