The Uncanny Counter (2020)

Engaging and well-written beginning with a repetitive and draggy second half

Being the highest rated OCN drama in history, you'd have high standards when going to watch this drama.

The first half of the series very much lived up to those standards. The second half however, not so much.

- STORY -
The story begun very consistent and engaged audiences through the concept of 'counters' that attack evil spirits and well, disguise themselves as noodle shop owners. The main antagonist was introduced very early into the story, and it paced itself well from there on as the viewers not only watched the counters try to defeat the Level 3 spirit, but also as our main protagonist (So Min) tried to settle as a counter and deal with his anger issues and ongoing grief for his parents.

One of the faults that comes with introducing a main antagonist early on is that the story itself, drags on for 16 episodes, and by episode 10/11 the story became repetitive in a 'rinse and repeat' format as the counters continue to fail at killing the main antagonist, and the antagonist of course, only got stronger.

This 'failure' also lead to many plot holes and introductions to over-powerful material such as harry potter-looking sticks that feel unnecessary and almost, humorous for a plot-line that isn't meant to be funny. Additionally, So Mun is never seen going to school nor does the 'noodle shop' have anything to do with the main storyline, leading it to be unnecessary in the log-line and synopsis.

- CHARACTERS -
The strongest part of this drama is the well-written main cast and each of their own backstories. The greatest part of our protagonist So Mun is that he truly is written to live up to his name, an 'uncanny' counter. Being a kid, he's immature, angry and reacts inappropriately in situations that truly reflect his age. Motak and Hana are also written to act, think and react in ways that appropriately reflect their age and their traumatic pasts that led them to be counters. Jo Byungyu, Kim Sejeong and Yoo Jun-sang really proved themselves with their incredible acting performance.

The antagonist was also so well-written to point where he's almost likeable. Himself and the Presidents son became antagonists that I genuinely enjoyed, and wishing for more scenes involving solely them. Props to Lee Hong-nae.

Despite this, there were also flaws in the writing of some characters. For example, the 'Yung' team being unlikeable, useless and completely unforgiving in the way they treat the protagonists. Despite them having their own backstories, such as the son, I struggled to feel any sort of empathy for them, as they relied entirely on the counters to let them live their lives. Furthermore, The dragging of the President's story and his 'followers' ruined the like-ability and interest for the characters, emphasising the poorly written second half.

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Overall, I still believe that each person should give this drama a good-go. Especially for the captivating first half that balances intense fighting scenes, humour and sadness perfectly.

I am interested to see where the second season of this story leads, hoping it does not continue the rinse and repeat storyline that many people complained of.

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A lot of qualities and many flaws too but it is enjoyable overall

WHAT I LIKED:
- The many characters with different personalities and tempers. They are able to form a good team supporting each other. The relationship between them is well told.
- The background story of the counters. Each of them has a well made backstory which give them depth and makes them endearing.
- The pace: the drama is fast paced with a lot of good action. I enjoyed the fights.
- The mix between thriller and supernatural is pretty well made even if I wished the realtionship between the bad humans and the evil spirits was stronger and lasted longer
- The supporting characters are interesting: the sponsor, the female cop and her trainee, the two friends of Mun...
- Most of the actors are very good.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- Too much unnecessary violence
- Sometimes repetitive: Abducting someone and making a call to threaten to kill him. This is done several times
- Some flaws in the story: How come visiting your own memories can lead you to enter the memories of another person and fight in his memories and so find where he is hidden. It is a stretch.
- Some events and elements do not serve the story and are just here to create emotions: the ankle broken and repaired several times, the bullying and beating by the schoolboys thugs, the kid with disease, the orphans, the old folks... plenty of usual tropes.
- The main lead allways accuses himself of being responsible for everything bad happening and cries too much. It became annoying in the end.
- The story is thin: they catch bad persons and evil spirits. It was so thin, from the middle of the drama, it started to be draggy like they don't have a good story to tell and they focus on creating repetitive and useless scenes focusing on the characters' emotions. The bad guys are catched way too easily between two emotional scenes. The final fight was also disappointing.

OST: It was ok for the genre.

REWATCH VALUE: I won't rewatch it.

OVERALL: This drama is a huge success. Personally I found it was emotionally a roller coaster ( a bit too much sometimes) but storywise it was not so interesting. It is entertaining mostly because of the sympathy you have for the main characters, their story and their suffering and their success but I was clearly not amazed by the complexity of story. I still recommend it as a good and easy watch.

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I came for Kim Se Jeong, and stayed for the amazing unlikely hero cast.

Honestly, I ignored this drama for a while. I didn't even bother to check reviews about it even after it repeatedly showed up as a Netflix suggestion. It was only when I started to obsessively watch "A Business Proposal", that I decided to watch this to fill the time in between those episodes. I figured I liked Kim Se Jeong so much in that cute rom-com that maybe I'd like her in this too. I was right about that, but I had no idea I would instantly love this odd group of unlikely heroes just as much. This drama started off grabbing my attention from the very first moments and the pace never slowed down for me. I was intrigued by the mysterious story, impressed with the cheesy but exciting and well-choreographed superhero action scenes, and loved super cute Cho Byeong Kyu as So Moon.

"The Uncanny Counter" in many ways is So Moon's coming-of-age/superhero origin story, so Cho Byeong Kyu being so likable is a huge reason why it works so well. I won't say too much about his journey and how it starts but I will say the permed hair element was a really nice touch. The character is so super sweet and easy to root for, and he's the perfect, believable, choice for this role. The rest of the team is just as perfectly cast. Kim Se Jeong plays the tough and guarded Do Ha Na. Yoo Joon Sang plays tough guy Ga Mo Tak. Yeom Hye Ran plays nurturing mother figure Chu Mae Ok. Their team seems completely mismatched and I think that's what makes this show so good as we learn about "counters" and what they are called to do. I also loved that each counter has their own story and reason for joining the team, their own unique strengths, and none of them really outshine the other. Teamwork is the major theme in this plot, in spite of the focus on So Moon specifically, so it's great that all of the leads shine.

The supporting cast is filled with great characters and performances too. Kim Eun Soo & Lee Ji Won were so great as So Moon's protective BFFs, which is amazing considering the real-life age gap between them. They are definitely #friendshipgoals. Ahn Suk Hwan is funny as the fifth-wheel member of the team and flamboyantly rich Choi Jang Mool. I loved the wholesome grandparents, the equally mismatched "Yung" beings, especially the motherly yet disturbingly creepy Wi Gen. The villains are pretty campy and over the top, but work well with the style of the drama. The real evil MVP, however, is Lee Hong Nae who is so good at being bad, and dare I say he made evil a little too sexy. He is the perfect match for the main team of heroes with a great evil grin and those eyes... I love a good villain and although this show is full of evil types he definitely out-evils them well.

I don't want to say too much about the plot itself because part of the fun of this drama is discovering everything as the main character does. There's a lot of violence, and many bullying scenes, but nothing that I would call gory or scary. The story is pretty dark and often sad, but I would still say it is more of a lighter feel-good drama. The story also has a great pace, with thriller elements and many moments that I didn't quite expect. There are many tropes that you would expect in a show like this, beginning with the infamous white truck of doom, but I applaud the writer for keeping the story exciting from beginning to end. I LOLed, I cried, I cheered, and embraced the blatant messages about the power of having support and alliances and letting go of trauma and guilt.

Would I watch this again? Absolutely. Even though there is a suspenseful element to this story there's so much more than that that makes this drama so enjoyable. It's also inspiring to watch So Moon's determination despite all obstacles, that's a whole mood all by itself. I also think some of the early scenes will hit different knowing how the story unfolds and who the characters are. I'm sure there were a lot of small details I missed.

Overall, I'm so glad I decided to watch this drama. I definitely consider it a new favorite and I am excited about the thought of a Season 2. I would definitely recommend it to fans of superhero stories, movies like the Matrix, or people who love to root for the underdog. This drama is great as a complete story, but I can easily see all the possibilities of continuing the story of this whole "counter" universe and I'd love to see more of this specific team.

This drama is equal parts familiar and original. It makes the unbelievable relatable. It also, like So Moon, surprised me by exceeding my expectations. I can't compare it to the webtoon, since I obviously never read it, but I am almost tempted to, although I would never want to ruin whatever ends up inspiring season 2. Next Season Count me in!lol

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This show was not perfect, no show is. But it was so engaging, I was able to ignore and not think about any possible plot holes or “convenient” plot lines until I finished it. My overly critical and overanalyzing brain was so emotionally connected to the characters and plot, it couldn't care less about any mistakes.

If I had to describe the plot in just a few words I would say: Fight against the supernatural evil, and the one hidden in humanity, that leads to bettering oneself. The format is repetitive, it’s undeniable truth. They dealt with one evil spirit, a new stronger one showed up. How come it’s not boring?

At first, the cases are simply a background for introducing the characters, creating a team work and So Moon’s dive into a whole new world. Slowly, the past connections between different characters are discovered, and the background plot starts to take a forefront position. The progression from the simple procedural plot to uncovering the past mystery and dealing with the main villain is perfectly gradual, and speaks of the great pacing The Uncanny Counter has.

The core of the show are the characters. The cast is pure perfection, and whoever was the casting director, they should get a raise. We are presented with more or less four teams: high school friends, Counters, Yung partners and the evil assholes. Each group is well written and portrayed, and even the villains are charming in their own twisted ways. I still wanted to see them dead, but I was also curious about their next actions and shenanigans. The loyalty among the young friends, the protectiveness of Counters, the moral dilemma the partner’s faced - all that made me love each and every character.

The acting is top notch. Jo Byung Kyoo is a true star of the show. His acting made me cry, scream, laugh, hit my head on my desk… He was So Moon. Kind, smol, positive, but also flawed character, that was willing to slowly learn, mature and improve himself. Easily in my top 5 favorite characters of all time.

Each and every actor committed to their roles completely. I honestly did not feel that even one scene or expression was off. I was especially surprised by Kim Se Jeong's performance. I knew she was a good actress, but she improved so much with the few roles she had previously.

Production value was everything I could wish for. It is a mainstream kdrama, high quality of visual aspects is expected though. The directing of the fighting sequences was well done, making them exciting to watch. Some of the stunts in the first episode felt slightly off, but they quickly improved and became way more natural.

I’m not gonna lie, I did not pay that much attention to the soundtrack as I was watching the show. I was completely “distracted” by the plot to notice what kind of music is being played in the background. That said, I usually don’t care that much about the OST, unless they are extremely bad, not fitting or painfully overused. After listening to the song as I was writing the review, I must say: they are good. Each has a completely different feeling and emotional quality, but they are all making me want to listen to them on repeat.

So what are the flaws? The biggest one was the slightly anticlimactic ending. With all the set up, I was expecting a bit more. Tiny, convenient plots that are either added or forgotten, like Moon, at some point, is never shown attending school. We just don’t see him going there at all. Never to be addressed nor mentioned. He is still a student, he wears his uniform… but he ain’t even close to being in class. Then we have the introduction of Oh Jeong Gu close to the end that felt out of place and useless.

Taking into consideration how well crafted the story and characters are, I was able to ignore the flaws. These cons barely tipped the scale, since the pros were that good.

Overall, damn yes. This show had such an emotional impact on me, there were moments when I had to pause the episode, since I was scared/not ready for whatever was going to happen. I loved each and every character. I was curious about the plot and how the team would deal with the obstacles they were facing. There was not one boring episode, and even though I am fine with the given conclusion, I would not mind a possible second season.

*Trigger warning: severe bullying. It’s pretty bad guys, especially in the beginning episodes.

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Not impressed with the finale Episodes...

I still remember the first episode that the action sequences were really impressive. Also the overall making looks very refreshing and it felt like a quality drama in the start and also they maintained that pace in the coming few Episodes as well, But towards the end it lacks many things quite bored last 4 or 5 Episodes and somehow managed to finish at last. For me its totally an average drama experience

Ocn achieved their all time best highest rating from this drama and also they announced for a season 2. But i don't think there will be a need for a 2nd season. Because its kind of boring towards its end. Also the way they ended was also really not that impactful or cliffhanger kind of setting. I heard there was a writer change in the 13 th epi.. i don't know what exactly the reason for that poor quality making in the finale Episodes. The only interesting factor that i find there was, some good emotional scenes. Its quite good to watch.

Anyway it will be a one time watch atleast for some people. Forcefully somehow managed to end, if you have a good start then you have to finish to off that well also.

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fighting evil, overthrowing the goverment and other extreme sports

what is there not to like really?

with a set of amazing and well written characters and outstanding work from a wonderful cast this is a set up to add more people in your favourite drama characters list. The story takes you on an emotional roller coaster, getting to know the characters, learning their motives and behaviours and watching them work hard to reach their goals no matter how many obstacles get in their way. It also gives yet another insight on political injustice, corruption and how rich people deserve to be burned.

The action is great as well as the special effects and the plot is good. Comedic relief is definitely there and it's hilarious. There's also like minimum romance which for some would be a drawback but the friendship developed between the characters is just so pure and beautiful there's nothing to complain about. Lots of great character development that makes you feel like a proud parent too.

There were times where conversations would get long and boring but i skimmed through them so i can't really speak on that lol. Nevertheless, it's one of the only dramas that i managed to keep up to perfectly while still on going and not forget about it or lose interest half-way (which happens often to me, with completed dramas too, just check my watchlist lol).

I 100% recommend, it's family friendly too. maybe prepare tissues (?)

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Yung and Restless

Story: Yung/Afterlife politics and real world politics don't gel thus giving this drama a feel that it's 2 unrelated dramas awkwardly stitched together. You can feel the 2 fighting for supremacy instead of complementing each other. Unfortunately, dire real world got the upper hand.

Acting: The Counter set does commendable job and their chemistry is palatable. Jo Byung-gye is the cutest actor ever and such a star presence so watch out for him. But the unsung MVP is Lee Hong-nae as the tortured baddy with a fabulous six-pack. His unusual face framed with a hoodie is the most iconic thing about this show. It's OTT politicians and sedated Yungsters that dock the acting points, however.

Music: Main theme is catchy from the first hearing and goes really well with Counters superhero posturing.

Rewatch value: Low given the drop in quality but Shirtless Shin (episode 16) deserves a freeze frame.

Overall: This drama wanted to be several things that didn't have any real connection. Evil spirits just randomly moved into high powered people without an attempt to harness the power for world domination or something. Which rendered the boring political plot pointless and swapping Shin for Evil Mayor as the big bad hurt the last batch of episodes. Still, finale delivered some genuine emotional beats thanks to Counter cast likability that never faltered even when the writing did. I will not return for Season 2, however, since Season 1 finale does a good job with wrapping everything up.

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demon hunting, kick ass superpowers, concept of life and death, forgiveness, fight against corruption, red tracksuits and a group of lovely individuals. all of these describe the drama "the uncanny counter" and i believe it's uncanny how wonderfully done the writer did with painting characters that are flawed perfection. i'm not saying this drama is perfect but the chemistry of the characters are.

to be frank, i found the beginning episodes to be nicely paced and while the bullying parts were quite triggering at times, seeing eonni gang kick some bums were pretty entertaining. moon's character development wasn't underwhelming and it was great to see him not stoop low but stayed humble with a considerable amount of confidence. he is not petty and is willing to see the good in others despite how bad he was treated. although hyuk woo wasn't easy to forgive, i found his redemption arc heartbreaking. he doesn't have anyone in his life and witnessing true familial nature that is moon's grandparents probably made him reflect on things a lot.

this is probably one of those dramas where i have no problem with the cast AT ALL. everyone delivered their roles amazingly and i can not imagine anyone else playing their characters. moon, ms. chu, rich guy, mo tak, ha na, the villain (he do be fine), the evil spirits and heck even the other supporting characters did well.

the ost is godsent. absolutely beautiful and fitting to the scenes. from intro to outro, i definitely want a full playlist of all the songs from this drama.

okay. with positives comes the negatives. i actually felt like the last few episodes were draggy. while the actors of the politicians did good, i found myself skipping some of their scenes because it didn't interest me. i understand they have a big fish to catch but it felt a tad bit repetitive. when they did catch the guy and managed to summon the evil spirit, i don't know what i was expecting it felt anticlimactic. for the finale, i did enjoy seeing my faves enjoying themselves and such but the flashbacks of their fight scene and them with their grim reaper suits was cheesy and cliché. regarding moon's academic activities, did this boi forget he goes to school? i get it's behind the scenes but it's kinda weird we saw less of him in class/ at school as the episodes went on.

nevertheless, i still loved this drama as a whole as it features strong characters that emotional back stories but still managed to have comedy and action aspect. overall, this is a great watch and i'm not sure what's in store for season 2 but i'm looking forward!

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Strong start and a decent finish!

At its basic essence, this show resembles a lot of MCU movies. You've got a hero origin story, a mystery surrounding hero and cast, and a enjoyable cast of characters who play off each other. But it is still a kdrama and like other kdramas, it can't really stick the landing.

The first half of the series is great and builds upon itself really well. It introduces the world extremely well and gives us some really good moments. The villain of the week format is universal and serves as a good introduction into this world. But after the half-way point, the story pivots to focus on the final villain. From there, each episode varies and has issues. Some episodes feel like they are speeding through story and moments, other times it feels like the show is creating scenarios to just extend the story a bit more. There are plot holes and the rules of the universe change randomly without good reason. It becomes a bit unfocused and because of that, I don't think it deserves a 9/10.

Even knowing the writer switch, the problems existed with the old writer as well. If there were really discussions about shortening the length of the drama, the writer didn't do anything great in the later episodes that totally showed that the drama should have ended a few episodes earlier. I know there will be a second season but I am worried about what happens in the future. Some characters were sidelined and poorly used in the last couple episodes. On top of that, there were questions posed and dropped. The comedy-drama balance was a bit off as well. I do hope that the new writer could start over in a way and find a new way to tell the story that still can maintain the same quality as before.

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I waited a full week for the next episode and then realized that it was over...

Let me start by saying, I was gonna write one when it ended. It just hadn't registered that it ended. I watched the last episode when it came out and then patiently waited until now, which is when I realized that it had already ended. I am either still losing brain cells or my brain decided that I was not worthy of it and it stopped working on me.

First off, the story. It was a good story filled with excitement, mystery, and anticipation. Though, a disclaimer is that I watched it with my sister and she had a hard time following and focusing because of the fantasy element. All she could think about was how awkward it must have been for the actors to pretend in certain situations. I couldn't help but laugh. Putting that aside though, it was a very heart-moving story. I didn't cry...but I was definitely sad. I think a lot of things world-building-wise could have been done better or clarified but it was overall pretty good.

As for the acting, the actors were actually the reason I went to check it out in the first place. The actors even went on Knowing Bros to advertise it so I had to give it a try. The acting was done really well!!! I forgot that these people played other roles and on-screen, they were their own characters. There was no moment where I thought they were really out of character nor was there any moment where there was any real bad acting either. I think a big part of why I liked it was because the actors did such an amazing job portraying the characters and emotions that went along with each event.

The music. I actually gave it a 7.5 because before looking it up again. I didn't even remember what kind of music it had...I guess I wasn't really engrossed enough or the music didn't resonate with me enough to stick in my mind. Whatever it was, I felt kinda sorry for no reason. I did give it a higher score than I would have because on the listen independently from the drama. I actually really enjoyed it and began to question why I didn't remember any tracks.

For rewatch value, I actually gave it a 7 because I didn't think of rewatching it after I finished. It is a great story but I felt like aside from certain scenes, I wouldn't enjoy the rewatch as much. Though I haven't rewatched it yet so this part might change for better or worse. I do think I gave it a higher score than I would have because there are a lot of ways you can look into the story and its messages as time goes by.

I think an 8 is actually appropriate because it is a good, well-written story with an amazing cast that helped bring it to life. Through this, you can rediscover the more veteran actors while rewriting your opinion of newer ones. The only thing I would say is this is a more heavy (?) story and that there will probably be a group of people out there that don't like it. I did get a bit bored or tired watching some parts while others kept my eyes peeled to the screen and screaming when the credits came.

Like all my other reviews, I say give it a try. If it isn't for you, that's cool. If you like it, that's cool too. Wherever you stand, at least you gave it the shot it deserved before you formed an opinion on it.

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Amateur with a capital A

I used to watch the original Power Rangers with my younger brother. All the heroes were good and all the baddies were bad. The characters were stilted and simple, but somehow the show wasn't cringey enough for me to grab the remote and fight to change the channel. This is what The Uncanny Counter reminds me of.

Like the Power Rangers of yore, the protagonists are always together. Every fight is basically the same, and done to the same degree. Because our heroes are almost always together, they have little opportunity to show who they really are through their actions. In addition, the writers break a cardinal rule of "telling" us instead of "showing" us the story.

My favorite actor here is Yeom Hye Ran as the motherly noodle chef. Her experience shows, and she delivers in every role she plays. Yoo Joon Sang plays the ex-detective with heaps of care and concern. Kim Se Jeong plays the closed and tormented Ha Na well. She is the only character who is written with a tiny a pinch of mystery. Ahn Suk Hwan is fun as the cool rich dude. And finally, Cho Byeong Kyu plays So Moon as a sensitive and tearful teen. I liked that he expressed a lot of emotion throughout the show. It's great that a guy can cry. On top of this, a huge shout-out goes to So Moon's best friends played by Kim Eun Soo and Lee Ji Won. They radiate care for him and are rightfully described as his pseudo-parents. Choi Yoon Young also plays her role as the police officer standing up to corruption in a delicate balancing act. She deserved more screen time. I appreciate that our main actors worked so hard to deliver their lines with as much depth as they could muster through the generic and terribly written script. Even the baddies did well in this respect. On the other hand, the afterlife characters in Yong really struggled.

The entire production is clearly an amateur undertaking. The unrefined camera angles and awkward blocking affects every scene. The script and writing is bland. The direction is lacking and inexperienced, but then again, they didn't have much to work with besides great actors. When I think about the Power Rangers, at least I knew they had their own way of speaking and individual interests. Here, they have these heartfelt scenes without layered context. We only care (a bit) because the actors are so good. The flow and rhythm of the story is simply devoid of characterization. The plot just keeps hurtling at the protagonists. One minute they're eating noodles and the next minute they're fighting. It's as if the story is being done to them and they are just there to react constantly. There is no build-up in between scenes. There is no foreshadowing to help us anticipate what comes next. There is no exploration of our heroes' pasts in order to push the story forward. There were only fragmented flashbacks without purpose. The whole show is campy and unsatisfying.

And let's talk about the violence for a second. How many scenes can you film of people stomping on other people's heads and beating them up? And murdering people with lots of blood? After a while it has no meaning, even for a teenage audience. Stop already.

In the end, I am surprised that I actually finished season 1. I can't quite pinpoint why. It has a youthful spirit. And I like a middle aged lady who can take down evil spirits. I didn't expect the depth of Stranger Things, but I at least expected better production values. Maybe I like Power Rangers more than I care to admit.

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