Circle (2017)

I quite liked part one when it started, but not impressed by part 2. The 2037 background is not very convincing. It gets quite confusing. Which one is Bum Gyun and Joon Hyuk? The 2 part formula is interesting idea but relation between two parts quite unclear. Now over the half way mark and the title is very appropriate, as I think it is going round in circles and becoming quite a struggle to watch. Towards the end picked up again, more action and story coming together. But what happened? Was she taken back? I think it could have been less episodes. 8.7 rating is around right.

Male lead part 2 quite handsome. Bromance between brothers but otherwise very slight. IMO real bromance is between non-related persons. Not one I would re-watch.

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Amazeballs. Kdrama scifi---scratch that--- scifi at its finest. I got used to kdramas losing their steam halfway or you stare blankly at the closing credits, and there's no decent explanation at all for everything (I love you Alhambra, but I'm looking at you). Circle is brilliant, it's confusing at first as timelines are jumbled and as setup of mysteries are, but as it slowly unravels, it pays off big time.

Spoilers to follow:
Every episode is in two parts: 2017, as we figure out what happened in the past, between the two brothers, and 2037, as we bridge who is who in the future, which is my new fave trope. This is kbromance at its finest. In 2017, you sympathize with Yeo Jin Goo's Woo Jin as he carries the burden of what's happening to his brother. Then switch to 2037, and you wonder what in the world happened in between those years, and it's now the older twin Joon Hyuk looking for the missing Woo Jin. That's refreshing, usually the viewer will only follow one sibling's point of view the whole story.

What a great ensemble cast helmed by Yeo Jin Goo (who was so amazing here) and Kim Kang Woo, to great discovery gorgeous Gong Seung Yeon, she's suited to be a badass action movie star. Lee Gi Kwang and Ahn Woo Yeon also did well. They're all so good I didn't even miss that there's just subtle suggestive romance between the four leads lol.

That penultimate episode when finally "the two worlds", 2017 blended into 2037, and we discovered Woo Jin has already died, was simply heartbreaking. I didn't know whether to applaud or cry. So sad yet so well done. A tragic ending for all the suffering the twins went through. Yes, they did a cop out and he still lived through a clone, but it's not the same. It's a fascinating question the drama tackles about clones but there's just not enough time.

I'm a bit blue this show is underrated, it deserves more hype than it had. This scifi thriller tackles a lot of ethical questions in the field of progress and science, and is a must watch for all scifi and kdrama fans out there. Looks like there's no follow up project yet from the Circle PD's, but I'll definitely be waiting for more from them.

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You know this is a good drama if you are probably the last one to catch the show and still end up wanting to leave a review!

I honestly never expected an intricate sci-fi plot from this show, and for that matter any other kdrama ever. So I was pleasantly surprised and stumped when this show proved me wrong. A great sci-fi plot should keep you guessing till the very end, only to supply the right logical answers at the right moment, according to the rules it has established in its world. It is also a definite plus if it makes you ask certain existential questions, and ponder on them. For instance, what makes you, YOU? Is it your memories? or the way you look or your actions perhaps ?  This is exactly what the show manages to do.

There were episodes early on, where the plot gave the impression that it was predictable, because it seemed to be going in a direction that I thought it would. But immediately after, it completely turned upside down and exceeded my expectations. So make sure you stick till the end to get all those delightfully gratifying answers to the no doubt numerous questions you will have and trust me it will be like sweet honey from nectar :P (I am not exaggerating). I would rather reveal no details of the plot and have this review make no sense than spoil that satisfactory moment in the show, when things fit in like a puzzle !

Yeo Jin Goo's acting was a hit and his lead character kept me engrossed and not just for the obvious reasons :P

The background music especially during suspense scenes was well planned and I really liked the score. Even the high attention to detail in the scenes in the future  was appreciable and made the show look way more realistic.  

To be fair, there were some usual kdrama filler scenes (** insert bunch of board members arguing when an incident happens) even in the future, which were questionable both for their necessity and general annoyance.  But I feel the good parts of the show managed to cover that up for me.

The ending of the drama tied most of the loose ends as a good show should do and at the same time left leeway for new questions that I think a second season might answer. I for one, would surely lap it up if they came up with a second part.

So go on, it is worth the 1 and a half day you will spend marathoning the show !

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I don’t know from where to star (woo that’s a spoiler). This is a series for which, you shouldn’t check out the reviews but watch it as soon as you find about it.
This was in my watchlist for a long time. Now I feel like how big sin I’ve done by not watching it. It’s been months since I got that excitement to finish a drama as soon as possible. This is a drama you should watch in your amateur days of kdrama marathon; I mean when you first get into kdramas, you should watch it to know the plot quality of kdramas.
I don’t want to give any type of spoiler cause then it will be a crime to spoil someone’s excitement.
Maybe in the first few minutes, you will feel that it’s not something special. In the first few episodes you won’t get what’s going on, but believe me as you’ll keep watching, you’ll get experience you haven’t ever experienced watching any series. And at the end you’ll get everything.
Plot is good, the casting is good, mystery is at it’s peak.
Now stop reading reviews, just go and enjoy the series. Happy Watching (:

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Wow! It's a first thing I have to say. This must be one of the best drama I have ever seen. With excellent beginning, middle and end and nothing, even nothing foreseeable. Of all the theories nothing ends like I thought and this ... this is excellent.
The Story line: Was confused in the beginning, because of the 2/3 fases of the story. But slowly and without showing to mutch everything will get in the line. I like that, and what they did, they they put everything together.

Bu they talnk about something important to, you memories and what they are to you, why is important to have them, even if they hurt you or make you sad they are important.

Acting / Casting: Perfect! Kim Kang Woo was once again perfect. I did not know much about Gong Seung Yeon, but she was excellent at every stage of the plot, wow I have to keep an eye on her.
Rewatch Value: over and over again.

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This drama was in one word amazing.
I started watching because of Gikwang, but I didn't know what to expect because I had never seen any dramas with him in it before. I was scared I would face the same disappointment I had with Hwarang, the show that I started watching because of Taehyung or V of BTS. The story lacked a lot and V's character could've been developed/shown way more. I was scared to face the same situation with Gikwang but luckily this didn't happen.

This show got me on the edge of my seat from start till finish. Waiting for new episodes every week was such a pain because these cliffhangers were the worst. The story was really interesting, especially because it takes place at two different times. I was really getting sick of those cliche romcom drama storylines and luckily this drama was so refreshing in comparison! Of course there was some tension between some characters, but it felt very natural and not at all like those unrealistic love at first sight storylines which romantic dramas tend to have.

The characters and actors were great. Everyone has their own backstory which you slowly find out about together with the other characters. As I said, I had never seen a drama with Gikwang in it before and I wasn't disappointed in his acting at all. This was also my first time seeing a drama with Yeo Jingoo in it, and I was so impressed by him as well. He's really great actor so I've started watching other dramas and movies with him in it too. I wasn't sure about Kim Kangwoo's character in the beginning but this changed very fast and I think he did such a great job! I won't spoil anything but his and Yeo Jingoo's character made me tear up near the ending. I'm not someone to cry that easily but their acting + the story was so sad which made me emotional as well. In my opinion, feeling connected this much to the characters is something that makes a show great.
They also added a sort of ethical layer to the story as in how far you can go in using technology on humans and about taking responsibility. Nowadays people seem to try to avoid suffering as much as they can, but this drama kind of shows the importance of pain and taking responsibility for your actions, even though that might hurt.

I don't really have much to say about the music. Not that it was bad, it was completely the opposite, but this drama didn't seem to focus on music that much. I can mainly recall the intense intro and outro music which were great and really suited the drama.

Overall this drama was great. The story was really refreshing and the acting was amazing. I was really sad when I found out there were only 12 episodes but the story fitted perfectly. I would recommend this drama to everyone. It's relatively short, has a very interesting plot and a unique way of storytelling with great acting. A must see if you like Korean drama!

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This is the first review I'm gonna make for a Kdrama because it was so good.

Story - The story is a masterpiece. Whoever the writers are, you are genius. Plot twists after plot twists. I honestly did not expect some twists there. I was like, shocked at every point because I didn't that to happen or what. The plot is very original IMO. I have not seen it before. So I'm gonna give a 10.

Acting/Cast - The casts did a very good job. Every characters acted so well that I was in to it. I also love the antagonists. I can feel the emotions. Even though the characters are not so popular compared to the others, they were so much better than the popular ones.

Music - I gave it a 8 because I think what lacks the most in this kdrama is the OST that will catch your heart you will surely remember. The background music were perfect on every scenes. I like how that music suited on the scenes. But I think they should had an OST thay every watcher will remember. But I believe that's not the most important on a drama tho.

Rewatch Value - Well I think if you want to understand drama more, you just watch it again maybe. Because there are so many informations on every episode, that we may not have seen. But I think, not everyone will rewatch it because it is not that light series.

Overall - 9.5/10 This is not your typical kdrama feels, but surely it will blow your mind. It it not perfect, but in my opinion, this is the BEST KDRAMA I've watched in terms of plot, characterizations, and life lessons. This is a one in a million kdrama. This worth of your time. Worth watching for. I strongly recommend it, specially to those whose love sci-fi because because I believe this is even somehow better than american series.

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