Circle (2017)

Delusional and Crazy Scientists are Terrifying to Mankind!

Completed - 4/11/2022 - 8.75 rounding up to 9.0

I am late to the party watching this drama in 2022 instead of 2017. I can understand why the high rating (currently at 8.5) remains for an "old" drama. I rarely watch sci-fi dramas, esp. those without a romance subplot. But I am glad I finally dug this up from my PTW list and watch it.

The general plot is nothing super special that you haven't seen in similar sci-fi dramas and movies. Aliens coming to Earth, and human beings using their technology to "improve" life on earth. Of course, we have to throw in a few greedy, delusional and unethical scientists in the mix. But don't worry, someone righteous will save the day.

Having said that, "Circle" excels in excellent pacing, tight storylines and great acting performances. Because it's only 12 episodes long, no time was wasted in useless side stories. Viewers are very clear what the main plot is, and the motivation or goal of each character. I was invested throughout the drama. It captured my full attention so much that I didn't pause to write down notes for this review. I also really enjoy the parallel storytelling - first half of the episode in 2017 and second half in 2037. I feel myself looking forward to the 2037 storyline just a tad more.

I've always been a fan of Yeo Jin Goo, especially his performances in "Moon Embracing the Sun" and "The Crowned Clown". So, I totally expect him to be great here. I've seen Gong Seung Yeon in four (wow!) other dramas, but I think I am most impressed with her in this one. She has a more complicated character to play and was able to display a variety of emotions. Besides, she looks badass in her 2037 cool outfits and makeup. This is my first time seeing Kim Kang Woo and Lee Ki Kwan, and I also really like their acting. "Circle" also has a very strong supporting cast of child actors and veteran actors. There is no weak link here.

The last few episodes of the drama are really exciting. It kept me on my toes and also increases my hatred for our villain. Each time I see him in the 2017 storyline being his scheming, evil self, I want to punch him in the face. LOL. I think we got a very satisfying ending that ties up most of the loose ends nicely.

If I have to criticize this drama, or pin point something I want more, it would be the background story of our alien. The drama really didn't tell us anything about Byul's background. What planet is she from? Why does she look like a human? What is this technology? No one tries to make contact with her for 30 years? I wonder if they plan to do a season 2 to address all that.

Overall, I really enjoy this drama. I can't say how good it is compared to others in the same genres, but I like it!

*edit* One more loose end, who are the Human B investors??? How did the police get involved?? We never found out.

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I must say, Circle is the closest to a near-perfect minidrama that I've ever seen. In just 12 episodes it succinctly and cleverly delivers a solid and captivating story without being overly ambitious nor disappointingly sparse. Was is my favorite drama of 2017? Probably not. So why do I pretentiously name it as a near-perfect minidrama? Because despite it not being my personal favorite (I still thoroughly enjoyed it), it is the pinnacle of what a minidrama should be. Usually, due to limited runtime, 12-episode dramas either are too ambitious and fail to properly articulate the story/message, or they just forego substance altogether. Circle's writing, editing, and formatting is able to present a story, message, and impact that balances pace and relevance.
It's easy to mix up sci-fi and fantasy. In my dictionary, fantasy tends to focus more on lore, while sci-fi is more focused on the consequences of human's actions. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I will confirm that this is sci-fi. There's action, tech, and definitely some curveballs, but if you're looking for something more fantasy, this drama may not be what you want. If you're looking for some action and thought-provoking narrative, I'd highly recommend this.
Now for the best part: the cast and acting. With such a short and fast-paced drama, a huge burden shifts from the story to the actors; they basically have to carry the story along. I've watched some of Yeo Jin Goo's child acting, which was enjoyable, but him as a lead was very impressive. Aside from the fact that he's just so darn pretty, he's able to express emotion far beyond his young age. The biggest surprises here were Kim Kang Woo and Lee Ki Kwang. I must say that Kang Woo stole the entire show (sorry Jin Goo). I've never seen him before, but I plan to keep watching his works; I haven't seen an actor display such raw emotion in a long time. He even moved me to tears in my favorite scene of this drama. As for Ki Kwang, I didn't know what to expect from an idol actor, but he blew me away. I felt every emotion he expressed, when he smiled, I found myself smiling. When he was distressed, I felt his frustration. Absolutely amazing. As for Gong Seung Yeon, I recently became a HUGE fan after Introverted Boss and My Only Love Song. This girl will make it big. She's absolutely charming.
As for music, there's only 2 songs on the OST, but they're solid. Not the best, but definitely enough for this drama.
As for rewatch value, I think this is the only drama I would give a 10. It's so complex that I'm tempted to go back and find clues.
Overall, a very good drama. Some may find unsatisfying plot holes, but I had no problem with the omitted information. It's heavy on action and humanity, and light on world-building and lore.

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At first sight this drama looks like innovator and with a fresh story.
When you start , you are quite curios about the situation with kids specify twins , their conection and "aliens" . However with each episode you realize that some many things doesnt hace sense despite is Sci- fiction serie.

Another problem is jump a randomly between "present" and future in few cases you can understand the connection also division among earth is irelevant or r maybe not with good argument about it. You realize many crazy characterswithout deep reasons or characters with empty memories without obvious reason.

The final result is so strange, topic about clone ( quite unbelievable), rare tecnologic without an exact origin known. To be sincere I asked some friends that already seen this drama about my hole in the trama and questions unanswered but they had the same feelings and no answer. For myside I will never recommended this drama and never rewatched.

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This series is a MASTERPIECE and Yeo Jin Goo is a MASTER

Every single episode had me wanting MORE, the story induced a perfect blend of mystery, dread, hope, anticipation in every moment. From the very first scene, I was intrigued and fully immersed into both the universes, and tried my best to make sense of it and to solve the mystery surrounding both the brothers.
They seamless way they showed the past and the future in each episode, the way that each new discovery was the most amazing cliffhanger to end each part of the story, the way both the worlds seemed to slowly become connected into the viewers mind, just pure GENIUS.

Yeo Jin Goo, how he can melt my heart with just one LOOK every SINGLE time? It will always be a mystery to me. He is just one of the best and most versatile and talented actors of the industry, and it showed in every frustrated exclamation, every desperate call to make his hyung see sense, in every hidden attempt to climb the ladder and work and study despite his surroundings just so he could care for his grandmother and search for his brother all on his own. Every single scene was executed BEAUTIFULLY.

How Byum Gyun as an adult Kim Joon Hyuk relied completely on only derived and eternal memories to look for his younger brother, how he cleverly manipulated the 'Smart Earth' morons to reveal their illegal activities step-by-step, how the whole police station, and Byul, and also Park Min Young worked with him to bring justice to these two twin brothers while coming to terms with their reality, it was amazing to watch.

I loved the bond between Woo Jin and Byul, I LOVED how PERFECTLY and SEAMLESSLY the two world connected with each other, I LOVED how they explained each and every single plot point.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the bond between the twins, whether they were younger, or even when they were older. I also LOVED how the entire staff probably loved Yeo Jin Goo so much that they managed to create a story where Yeo Jin Goo would keep playing the part even after 20years into the story.
Overall, a VERY astonishingly great watch and discovery, great screenwriting/scriptwriting and just thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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Very well written drama!

I never thought that a K drama of past will make me so engaged and kept me guessing and theorizing this much after every episode. This drama not only has a solid plot but also intelligent characters even the villains are rational in their action.
Apart from the main plot and the relationship of its main group the story touches a lot of interesting points like - Importance of memory in a person's life, the role of memory in constructing ones identity, the idea of a crime free city and the importance of consent & privacy , treating foreigner as a threat etc
In every episode there were many thought provoking subjects difficult decisions to be made and there consequences to be faced in the future.
The way they connected the two time period at end was good the way they dealt with the shock was great too.
The only drawback I could see is a lack of heartfelt chemistry in the lead , I dont know if they purposely kept this way bcos the actors were great they just couldn't create a good setting for it.

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Very unique execution, as the two time periods in the show each take up half of each episode.

I enjoyed how the drama shows us the story, rather than tell us, through this unique execution.

Acting was solid all across main and supporting cast members as well.

This is definitely sci-fi thriller and mystery with a healthy fix of romance and bromance. Lots and lots of praise for this since I haven't seen that many sci-fi premises in kdrama.

Check it out even if you aren't a sci-fi fan. I was very impressed by the graphics in this and felt the drama was of movie-production quality. Recommending to all my non-kdrama watching friends!

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"I won't go anywhere without you"

Circle was a 2017 Sci-Fi drama focused on the lives of a set of twin boys/men with each episode split into two parts. The first half was set in the then present of 2017 and the second half in 2037. This structure doesn’t always work with different actors playing the same characters in different times as too often I become invested in one story and not the other. However, I found this format quite effective for this suspenseful drama. In fact, they even go back 10 years to when the twins were young boys in several episodes and that worked as well.

Twins Woo Jin and Beom Gyun have a close encounter of the third kind one night along with their father. When their father seemingly abandons them, the boys handle the loss differently. Beom Gyun acts out and ends up serving time in a psychiatric hospital and later, jail. Woo Jin studies hard at university and labors to take care of his grandmother who lives in a nursing home. When students on campus begin committing suicide, both boys will become embroiled in a sinister plot neither was prepared for. In 2037 Kim Joon Hyuk is a detective at the Gangnam police department. The air quality has deteriorated significantly and personal oxygen devices are necessary at times. Seoul has lost 50% of its population. In a separate area lies a secured population living in what is called Smart Earth where there is no crime and the wealthy live easier lives. The only price is that everyone must have a chip installed behind their ear that regulates their emotions, and possibly more. When the first murder occurs after 5000 days without a crime, Joon Hyuk goes to investigate and discovers the case may link him to his past.

While there were times the production values appeared low, I didn’t mind. A compelling story that drew me in with interesting characters covered over several plot holes and some poor direction choices. I wasn’t tempted to fast forward or skip about. The brothers’ ordeals and devotion to each other touched me. Both timelines had value and neither ran out of steam until the worlds finally collided. While there were some romantic feelings between the twins and the young women in their lives, there weren’t any real romances, a bit of relief for this drama.

Circle only reinforced my belief that South Korea has the best child actors. The two boys who played Woo Jin and Beom Gyun as children were charming and emotionally engaging to watch. I have a soft spot for Yeo Jin Goo and he was lovely as the devoted brother Woo Jin. I was not familiar with Kim Kang Woo and enjoyed his emotional turn at Joon Hyuk. Gong Seung Yeon as the enigmatic hacker Han Jung Yeon did a good job as well. Some of the supporting cast was not as strong.

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a Kdrama this much. Most have been forgettable in recent years. Instead of throwing pretty people and an encyclopedia of tropes at the screen hoping something would stick, Circle’s writers crafted an entertaining drama that came, well, full circle. I will remember this drama and may go back and visit it again.

27 April 2024

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CIRCLING THE PLOT HOLES

Circle has a very interesting plot and premise. I love sci-fi shows, but many a times there are always plot holes (no pun intended) and inconsistencies in these types of media and this series is not exempt from it.

One glaring flaw, I think, was how Jung yeon or Byul's origin of species was never expanded or explored on further. Her existence is supposedly a crucial part of the story, and while I understand people were busy trying to save their own loved ones from a heinous neurological experiment, or stopping a corporate entity from taking control of other people's memories noone bothered to ask questions or try to jog her memory about life as a humanoid alien. They just accused her of it, and that was that. Because noone tried to pry into Jung Yeon further I assumed that it would be revealed that she was a clone like Woo Jin in 2037, and that they would operate on the time loop theory which would have made further sense with their title, Circle.

Perhaps they were looking forward to the renewal of a season 2, but knowing how they are aware of their situation and how novel the genre theyre working on is they should have modified the story as such. Following this line of thought, I do agree with a user on here that said they tried to tackle too many genres and too many line of events in 12 episodes.

After finishing the last episode today, I vaguely remember the murder that happened in Smart Earth and Bum Gyun's enemy turned side kick. They all seemed to be so widely dispersed, different adventures within the timeline leading up to the discovery of Woo jin or Circulate 3. Again, I do understand the intent of exploring metaphysical, and moral questions within the show but just like the broadness of philosophy it can be overwhelming without the proper organization of thought and reasoning.

This may also be a personal squick, but it's very funny to me how Jung yeon suddenly turns emo and has the time to put on eyeshadow and lipstick. Her hacking skills came out of nowhere, and was never explained; unless this is stemming from her alien nature? On the topic of character, I believe that many of them are not able to express the sentiment of their younger selves. Min young seemed to shed everything that made her annoying self her, Dong Soo was just a loud mouthed hacker who acted childishly, the Human B sub director was a little off as well. Perhaps it could be a message about growing up in comparison to Woojin or circulate 3 in the latter half, but they did not seem to be themselves. Bum Gyun being a little different made sense because he lost his memories, and its a psychologically valid circumstance; but everything else is telling me that the casting for the older actors isnt as spot on as it was hoped to be.

For what my mind can conjure up, I would like to very much complain about how INFURIATING it is that the show tried to pit familial versus romantic relationships. It may have been all implied, or maybe im just not a fan of having unecessary romantic relationships pop out of nowhere, but there were two instances that pissed me off and implied the aforementioned.

Bum Gyun and Jung Yeon discuss the possibility of Woojin being the chairman. In the middle of the argument Jung Yeon starts out with the phrase "What about me." Woojin and Min young argue on Bum gyun losing his memories, and she says "Do you really know him?" Two instances where twins who have known each other for almost all their lives are undermined in their importance. You can say the girls were only trying to fight some sense into their decisions or thoughts, but if you watched both scenes and copped a feel of their arguments and reasoning it might be more obvious how the show seemingly implies a higher value on romantic relationships and that in itself is fucking ludicrous and just plain nonsensical; especially when the whole plot is hinged on the love and care of two brothers.

With that, I would like to say Jung yeon and Woojin's romantic sense of a relationship was unecessary. This could have been a story about two twin brothers, and an alien they have come to consider as family. Minyeong and Bum Gyun's hint of romance was also veeeeery unecessary and quite frankly just annoying on Min yeong's part.

Lastly, the professor turned chairman villain. While im ok with the decision of him betraying Professor Han and showcasing how greed can turn humans into vile little things, his acting was a little wonky in my opinion. Wonky in the sense that even as the chairman he still hadn't shaken off his nerdy professor vibe. On his character, he also didn't show up as much as his "importance" as the main villain. It would have been good to have him be more exposed since the beginning. The Human B organization was also out of nowhere. The hunky dude in glasses was intimidating and seemed to hold power even over the researchers and yet they easily "submit" to mr professor chairman's orders, then they never apepar again in the "brave new world" segments. The corruption in the police force never even resurfaces or manifests itself in normal earth, and neither even in Smart Earth. So many plot holes, just like what I mentioned before.

In any case.. I came for Yeo Jingoo. Again. And he did really well in my opinion, probably very biased about it but since he had to portray Woojin as his time flows accordingly, there wasn't a problem with his characterization; no gaps to address in his acting. He very much understood what was driving his character, and that was to keep his brother safe, find his brother, protect his brother, and sacrifice for his brother — by the end, this was in extension towards Byul. Funny enough, in one scene where Jung Yeon was attempting to calm Woojin down by grabbing his face, I was expecting him to caress her fingers longer but ended up removing it from his face with a slightly exasperated vibe even (must be me projecting) and perhaps yeo jingoo is also tired of being pushed into nonsensical and unecessary romances? LOL

I like the music very much though! I think it's distinct and very much in theme with the genre of science fiction and adventure.

Overall, I would say that there are many imrpovements that need to be made; Many plot holes to circle about, but it's a fun story you can watch to unwind and have a philosophical crash course on; and if you dont mind inconsistencies and unecessary romance, and you just want an interesting plot to get immersed in I would still recommend this show to others, enough to give it an "Its okay" rating.

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"Memories are the scariest and most terrifying things."

Are you looking for aliens, mind control, mystery, and good storytelling? If so, Circle is a one stop shop for all your needs.
Circle's story takes place in two different timelines, and uses a gradual reveal to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The acting is done really well in this, and there were so many emotions introduced from all the characters. In a world were emotions are controlled to promote peace, the actors kept on their toes and conveyed everything really nicely. There were several actors in this that I'm normally not a fan of, but they delivered a solid performance. The OST for this is quite good, but I wish they utilized it more throughout the drama. There were several soundtracks that really could have enhanced some scenes.

The storyline had me with the slow reveal. There is a bit to keep up with two intersecting storylines, but they melded them together coherently. There are many elements to the plot which propel it forward easily and it definitely grabs your attention. The romance in this is light and tastefully done in a way that does not overtake the storyline itself. There is some, but it is by no means the main focus.

All in all, a good sci-fi drama, light on annoying characters, and full of nice relationships throughout. If you're not into open, unfinished endings this might not be for you. It is set up for a second season, but obviously didn't gain enough recognition. It is a enjoying watch, and I would recommend giving it a try.

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The most unsatisfying drama I have watched this year(?)

First of all, I did not expect this drama to have a 5+ rating with almost everyone; maybe I'm the only one who did not like this much.

Okay, let's start my review now. I am a fan of sci-fi thriller dramas, but I just don't feel this one. On the 4th-ish episode, I already knew who could be the chairman of the smart earth (maybe because I already watched a lot of thriller dramas), and yes, there are a lot of plot twists, but some of them are meh. And the primary topic of this drama, whether aliens are real or not, is not even answered. I really did not feel anything about this drama. Not even curiosity, chemistry, sadness, or anything. That's why this is the most unsatisfying drama for me.

12 episodes are enough to solve the thriller in this show, but the main topic that involves sci-fi is whether aliens are real or not? Those 12 episodes are too short. The actors and actresses are big time and delivered really well in this show, but the story is not it. Hence, 4/10 for me.

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