Perhaps the most gripping and unforgettable drama for 2020!!!

This melo/crime drama is mind-blowing – it’s real, gritty, suspenseful and has sizzling chemistry between the main leads. It’s, for me, the best Lee Joon-Gi drama to date, which is saying a lot especially when this dashing actor has been delivering consistently good performance all this while. In fact, The Flower of Evil comes the closest to another K-drama that i often re-watch: The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018). Both these dramas convey well the meaning of love and acceptance that emerge from pain and the feelings of inadequacy, abandonment and rejection. It also reminds me of William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, in its exploration of the human psyche when bad deeds are committed, intentionally or otherwise. A must must must must must watch, people!!! You won't regret it, and don't worry, the ending's good!!!

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A rare gem of a drama

I mostly prefer Korean to Chinese dramas and there are only a few Chinese dramas that i would rave to friends about (much less write reviews for), but The Long Ballad is certainly one of them and it truly exceeded my expectations, with fantastic performance from a well-put together cast, a realistic plot with minimal CGI effects (yay!) and some tissue-grabbing moments. There are people out there who lament (quite needlessly, i think) over the lack of kiss scenes between the ML/secondary lead couples, but fail to appreciate that romance is more than powerfully made up for from the body language and words exchanged between lovers. If kissing on the set is the criterion to determine professionalism in acting (even if the genre is romance), i think these viewers have been spoilt rotten by the deluge of kissing scenes in dramas/movies since a few years back and unreasonably place such demands on actresses/actors. Sure, some passionate kisses on scene would have been nice but to be criticized/denigrated for the lack/absence of it? Ridiculous.

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Poignant and Haunting!!!

I've re-watched this drama so many times that i've lost count, seriously. If i can find the kind of love that the two leads found with each other - despite the tragic ending - i can live/die a happy person! The plot is gripping and I was thoroughly drawn to the romantic development and progression of the main leads when they met each other as adults, but didn't have a clue that they were connected to each other from way back in the past. Another drama that comes closest to this in terms of the melo-romance and nature vs. nurture theme is The Flower of Evil (2020), which is another must must watch!!!

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