The Village: Achiara's Secret (2015)

I’m really glad I decided to start “The Village: Achiara’s Secret” which I can say it’s probably one of the best Korean dramas this year (and one of the most underrated too, sigh!). I’ve been hooked with it since the 1s° episode and I spent hours thinking about the culprits, the other character’s story etc.

PLOT:” Achiara is a small and peaceful village in the Korean countryside where nobody commits crime ; not other parts of Korea where a mysterious serial killer kills people on “Rainy Wednesday”. That’s what people say to Han Soo Yoon, the new English teacher, when she arrives from Canada. Unfortunately, the shy Soo Yoon discovers a corpse right away! Seeking the truth in Achiara is not simple: everyone has a secret or a reason to hate and threat someone….
One of the many things I really appreciate is the absence of romance/story line: no distractions, no useless moments or stupid parts! Also there aren’t many characters with side stories: dragging level is like 0%.

ACTING: to be honest, at first I didn’t like Moon Geun Young’s acting and way of playing Han Soo Yoon ^^” I thought she was emotionless and below average but, episode after episode, I realized that she probably is the only actress in Korea able to portray this kind of character: shy, scared, with low self-esteem. However I can’t totally say she did a great job; the other actors did WAY better than her
BTOB’s Joung Jae, for example, impressed me in a positive way (also because he’s only 20 years old…) and I read that many Koreans thought he was a professional actor, not an idol. Actresses Jang So Yeon, Shin Eun Gyeong and actor Choi Jae Woong did a wonderful job too

REWATCH VALUE: I wouldn’t rewatch it because I already know who the culprit is but I think this is a series that everyone MUST watch soon or later!

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This drama is the perfect example to show you how a drama with thrill, crime and msytery on its genre should be done! I've seen my share of this genre and they usually can't pull it off at least not in a way that would make me anticipate for 16 eps long and to actually work my brain out trying to find answers. The Village: Achiara's Secret promised me a thrilling journey and it definitely fulfilled that promise (that's a tough promise to keep considering 16 eps long).

Story
NO ROMANCE that's the best thing about it because it is fully focused on the story no distractions no useless characters or side stories or scenes. I can't really explain much about the story without spoiling it, I wouldn't say the perfect story cus it's not it actually has holes which weren't covered. However, the story wasn't just about crime, mystery, thrill it actually delivers feelings and meaning behind it all.

Acting
I gave it 9/10 because I think if it wasn't for everyone's FLAWLESS (except for one person) performance this drama wouldn't have worked out. Though all dramas require great cast with great acting skills, a drama with these genres in particular requires much more than great acting to pull it off. No matter how thrilling the storyline is without the right cast it will never work out. I personally give BIG applause to Shin Eun Gyeong, Yook Sung Jae, Jang Hee Jin and Choi Jae Woong the most. Surprisingly though in terms of performance Moon Geun Young was the weakest of them all (I don't know if it was because of the character).

Rewatch
Definitely not, the kind of category that this drama falls in makes it a none rewatchable drama. Once the mystery is solved there is no point in watching it again (at least not to me).

Overall
This drama needs to get more audience on the (currently watching) it's a good one and worth the attention. One more important point it's thanks to this drama I started to like this genre even more now. I highly recommend it

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The Best mystery drama I've seen in a LONG time! I marathoned it in 3 days, as soon as I watched the first episode I was hooked and could not pull myself away! I was constantly conflicted over who the real criminal was. I'd go from one suspect only to add another and another and another! I had at least 5+ suspects on my list and a few went on and off a couple of times lol If you are like me and love a good mystery, then this is one not to be missed!

Cast: Yook Sung Jae as Officer Park Woo Jae was my personal favorite character - he was so eager, determined, nice, and wouldn't let go of his "detective instincts" ^^ He'd investigate things other detectives were brushing off with the help of his sunbae officer Han Yeong Sa whom I also really liked - two great officers/unofficial-detectives from a rural area who shined the most! Moon Geun Young as Han So Yoon was great in her role as the new teacher trying to figure out what brought her to Achiara. (not everyone likes her acting, but I do, I couldn't imagine another actress playing her role). Ohn Joo Wan was my second favorite character - I loved every scene of his. Choi Jae Woong as "the young agashi" was the most confusing and perplexing characters in this drama! Great acting! Park Eun Seok as Nam Gun Woo "the art teacher" another complex role - definitely going to keep my eye on this actor!
Every actor did such a splendid job with their character - and I can't say much or I will unveil the mystery!

Music: this is the first time I actually enjoyed the instrumental OST this much - it fit perfectly and still remains in my memory - usually instrumentals don't leave a lasting impression for me but this one did.

I would definitely re-watch this drama again! Such a good drama! I'd recommend it to mystery lovers!

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Story
I absolutely love how new elements of the plot is added with almost every single episode (up till the last episode, can you imagine). It gets you speculating on what actually happened to the characters because the show doesn't tell you too much at once. Plus, it keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you want to keep clicking the "next episode" button because plot twists appear at unpredictable parts of the show.

Very minor romance and some funny scenes here and there. It stays true to the mystery genre, with the characters running around trying to solve the mystery, but hardly any action (in terms of the police shooting and fighting etc). Due to the nature of the genre, the plot may not be quite clear and straightforward for some. Especially at the start, viewers may have to just take the story in first before you get a better picture of what is happening.

Acting
Amazing acting by (almost) all the cast. One supporting character that came to mind is Ba Woo, played by child actor Choi Won Hong. His role as a kid with autism can be difficult to deliver but he did well in portraying the basic symptoms of the disorder (well, it's a spectrum, so in real life, symptoms displayed by different people will vary depending on the severity,). I thought his acting wasn't awkward at all.

Main characters like Yoon Ji Sook (played by Shin Eun Gyeong) and Kim Hye Jin (by Jang Hee Jin) delivered their emotions well throughout the show. Personally I could feel their desperation and frustration. However Moon Geun Young who played the leading role as Han So Yoon, and Ohn Joo Wan who played Gi Hyun, felt rather weak to me. It could possibly be due to the nature of their characters and the way it was written.


Cast
I thought the casting was alright. They got a variety of people to play different and diverse characters for both major and minor roles. For instance, Yook Sung Jae's character as a young and eager police officer suit him well. The fortune teller, the rowdy female students, the suspicious principal at the art school all fit the characters they were playing.


Music
I didnt not recall anything memorable.


Rewatch value
Even though I thought this drama is brilliant, I think it is quite difficult for anyone to rewatch it unless you feel like you missed out certain important parts of story.


In all, I feel that this drama is a great crime and mystery drama. I highly recommend it to everyone who is into this genre. However if you like lighter dramas, this may not be for you. The lack of romance and comedy makes this show quite heavy. Also, take note that this show may be triggering for some viewers (implied rape, no real scene if I'm not mistaken).

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From my opinion 'The Village: Achiara's Secret' is a failed attempt of trying to create a dramatic mystery with a bit of horror in which a girl is trying to discover an identity of a killed person, thereby revealing a very ugly truth.

Though in theory it might have been a nice story as a series, it failed on several occasions. The actors were not in the correct roles and/or acted below standards. Story was very basic in which the story was predictable several episodes advanced. Trying to create side stories which were pretty useless and non-interesting. Though I have had some spare moments of joy within this series, I can't give more than a single five for this series, which I think is on the high side.

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Well what to say at the beginning I wasn't so excited about watching this drama, but while watching the first episode I became attached to it. It's just amazing, how the story is well written, the acting is so damn good, the actors have put a lot of efforts in it . What I didn’t like was that each time I get the feeling that I'm close to solve the case it gets more and more complicated, I mean come on guys why make it so complicated that’s what I thought at the beginning but then everything just fits perfectly in sync with the whole story to make it more tragedy, thrilling and mind blowing.

The actors:
Yook Sung Jae : the good police man, the charming, caring angel, and my god he is so cute. I loved him the way he acted is amazing to make you believe him and cheer for him.

Shin Eun Gyeong : WOW just wow, I was taken back by her powerful acting, she is super amazing, and that character that gets you to be compassionate, sympathetic and for sure angry at her most of the time, how she got into the role to perfect the character like this is awesome.

Choi Jae Woong : I must say that I loved his role; he got me confused all along the drama, trying to figure out if he is a bad guy or just a psycho. He really played it well as how can you love a killer & sympathize with him … he is soo good , just want to see him in more dramas he deserve it. Well done.

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I'm not even sure where to start with this drama! This is my first time watching a K-Drama that is strictly a mystery/thriller, a genre I am generally a fan of (no comedy, no romance, no box of tissues necessary). I had no idea what to expect, but it definitely turned out to be a weird one. The town of Achiara is chock full of crazy, and dysfunction, which was entertaining to watch, but also completely ridiculous, and kinda confusing. It's very hard not to reveal any spoilers but highlights include family secrets, crazy town folk, sickness, perverts, murder, corruption, betrayal, messages from beyond the grave, the worst moms ever, lots of plot twists, and lots of slapping.

The story's main character, Han So Yoon, is equal parts clever hero, and gullible idiot. We learn about the town through her "canadian" outsider eyes, and her inability to mind her business where her sister is concerned. Moon Geun Young does a good job, but her character also often made me want to reach through the screen and shake her. The rest of the actors were fun to watch, but the acting was very over the top, and hard to take seriously at all, so I have to give the acting a 7. Shin Eun Gyeong's hysterics as Yoon Ji Sook were more funny than heartbreaking. Yook Sung Jae is super adorbs as the rookie officer. Jang Hee Jin gives a lot of great attitude faces as Kim Hye Jin. Choi Jae Woong's role was... interesting. I can go on and on for way too long about all the characters in Achiara, but my two favorites were the rebellious Seo Yoo Na, and the duplicitous Kang Jo Hee.

I also gave the story a 7, because even though I was hooked by the first episode, the crazy story line was hard to follow, and even harder to believe. In the beginning the revelations seemed redundant, but towards the end the twists just kept coming. I will also admit that, due to cultural differences, many things that the townsfolk were scandalized by didn't seem like such a big deal, so the reactions always seemed super melodramatic. As for the ending, it does a good enough job of pulling all the chaos together, and I was not disappointed. I was still confused about a lot of things though, so that would be my only reason to re-watch any part of this drama. There are also quite a few plot holes, so maybe re-watching it won't help.

Overall, I can't recommend this drama unless you are really in the mood for a story crazy enough to make you keep watching. Not knowing what's going to happen next is it's greatest appeal, which makes it easily marathon-able. However, if you think the first episode is way too overdramatic, don't bother continuing, because the show is just getting warmed up.

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Okay, so I wrote an article based on The Village: Achiara's Secret just under six months ago, and I'm slightly ashamed to say that I have only just finished it because I put this drama on-hold after watching eight episodes. Honestly, the only reasons I watched it was because of Yook Sungjae and the fact this drama was horror based. Not many good dramas have been themed around horror (excluding The Master's Sun) and, unfortunately, this drama didn't do any better.

As with a lot of dramas I watch, the series had a good concept to it. It seemed quite original and wasn't afraid to try some risks (for example, jumping almost immediately in with the scares and tension). But it was poorly executed. The Village: Achiara's Secret tried too hard to be scary that it couldn't give the viewers a proper thrill. But that wasn't just it. There were also a lot of unnecessary scenes, some of the supporting characters had way more screen time than the actual main cast, there was barely any subtlety when needed, and finally, I absolutely loathe it when dramas use issues with transphobia and homophobia. However, I do applaud the writers for creating a good pacing for the events in the series, and for making the final three episodes really interesting. Everything else though was pretty boring. Also, I'm not sure whether I liked this or not, but the family tree based around Kim Hye Jin is seriously messed up.

At least the directors did something well done for this drama and that was picking the cast. Of course any drama that picks Yook Sungjae to be part of the main cast is bound to have a good choice of acting, even though my oppa couldn't exactly help save this drama (like Hyun Bin with Hyde, Jekyll, Me). Sungjae oppa was flawless in his acting, and he deserved to win the New Star Award from this series. Anyway, moving on. I'm not sure how I felt about Moon Geun Young's acting. At times, her character felt genuine and quite realistic, but at other times, her acting was stiff and not too great to watch. She's not the worst actress I've seen but far from the best. After watching The Village: Achiara's Secret, I take away any criticism I had for Shin Eun Gyeong because her acting went so perfectly with her character, I'm amazed at how immersed she was in acting - this also applies to Jang Hee Jin. Finally, Ohn Joo Wan. He could have done a lot better, but he did good with his character.

Music probably had the worst execution I've ever seen in watching anything. Okay, I'll admit that it was good for a few scenes (especially the cliffhanger endings to each episode), but besides that, it was all over the place. There would be extremely dramatic music in scenes where they are only talking about what happened to Hye Jin, it was so poorly done.

The only reason I would watch this again is if I was doing a Yook Sungjae binge watch of all his dramas, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

Overall, probably the worst horror themed media I've ever watched. The story needed a LOT of work, the music director needs to get his act together and some acting choices may need to improve. I would only recommend for the actors I praised.

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I don't really got anything to say, it was honestly excellent and I really liked it while watching it, everything is good except... transphobia, that's it, it's just very transphobic perpetuating a narrative that harms trans people, especially trans women who are, incidentally, always looked badly upon.
It could honestly have ended with a different culprit and it would've been better both by logic and less hurtful outcome for trans people.

ANYWAY other than that the acting is fantastic, they're all very very very good, the story is hooking, it relly gets you into it and wants you to find out what's next.

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great K-drama mystery drama with original theme

Intense gripping, superb drama in the best traditions of K-drama： keeps you guessing from each dramatic episode cliffhanger to the next： Han So Fun、 brilliantly played by Moon Geun Young (have not heard of her before)、 is like a fierce terrier dog who will not let go in her quest for the truth until the end。 there were so many different strands to this drama and the family relationships were so complex it was really difficult to keep up with them all as well as the two big stories of Han So Yoon's sister Hye Jin and the serial killer story, apart from all the sub-plots and character development、 and I wondered how they would all be sewn together at the end but this was done superbly〜 my only slight disappointment was the uncertainty regarding the fate of the super-obnoxious Seo Chang Gwon, very well played by Jung Sung Mo and how the "chairman” came to be there at the end I assume Park Woo Jae with his "detective instinct"、again brilliantly realised character played by Yook Sung Jae、intervened。It is good to see him develop so well as an actor in a lead role from his support part in Goblin although the fresh bright character type is the same。Choi Jae Woong must also be mentioned for his portrayal of the "Young Lady" Kang Pil Sum. however I can not think of a character who was not good in this drama.

From earlier review as I watched:
not exactly the beginning I was expecting 〜the heroine seems pretty neurotic but if I discovered a corpse I suppose I would be too(๑⃙⃘°̧̧̧ㅿ°̧̧̧๑⃙⃘) meanwhile it's the usual bubbling cauldron of K-drama mystery including ruthless local businessman・politician、 alienated wife、rookie junior policeman providing the light relief、spooky village gossips and weirdos、obnoxious school students and teachers、 casual romance 〜riveting so far plenty to hook me into seeing how it develops though at 16 episodes I wonder if it can retain interest？yes it is keeping me waiting for the next episode seems to be classic mystery K-drama〜I decided to try this because of yook sung jae and as expected I like his character best！

yes, it obviously did keep my interest www〜and was one of the few dramas I finished in very short time two episodes at a time sidelining other dramas I am watching could not recommend too highly〜 will look out for this writer and actors
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　╭( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑ ˂ᵒ͜͡ᵏᵎ⁾✩

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For me, this drama lacks something. I don't find this drama that mysterious, thrilling or creepy(?). Some scenes are questionable too and don't make sense for me. Like why do they let the 2 kids (one is a PWD) roam at night when they already know that there's a rapist/killer in their village that hasn't been caught yet? And also, I don't like the acting that much, it isn't captivating. I think the Main character is too soft (?) for this kind of genre that's why I don't find this drama that terrifying.

I'll give this k-drama a 4/10. Got bored on episode 3, skipped most of the scenes but still finished it.

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