Intense Feelings of Hopelessness

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I'll preface this by saying I am not a K-pop fan. I didn't even know a K-pop star was starring in this drama until I got near the end of the drama. And now that I know the lead female is a rookie actress and considering this drama is her first time playing a main role, I am impressed. Also, I will say that my all-time favorite K-drama is White Christmas, which is also a hostage plot, so this type of story is right up my alley.

Acting/Cast: I'd say one of the best things about this drama is the casting of the spies. Perfect casting, especially the male lead spy. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that character. He has this innocent look about him, but he can also have an intimidating presence, which is essential for the role. His ability to convey emotions through his eyes and facial expressions was vital to the role, as well. I think everyone inside the dorm (for the most part) had good acting. I didn't even have a problem with the rookie female lead's acting. Those outside of the dorm are another story. I think the worst thing about this drama is Park Sung Woong (박성웅). I hated every time he was on screen. His acting was over-the-top obnoxious. My brain's reaction to his presence would be to automatically start tuning him out. I actively had to fight against it. Him, as well as others on the outside of the dorm, really brought an unwanted cheesiness to the drama, which actually has a very serious plot that I think should have been taken more seriously. 7/10

Writing: For the most part, the story is pretty well written. The foundation that was built in the beginning was very solid except for the two important ANSP agent characters. I didn't care about them at all in the beginning. I didn't know exactly what to expect with this story, so once the hostage situation began, I was shocked and hooked. I think the writing begins to get shaky toward the end. I kept thinking "I wish the female lead had more of a role." She was great in the first half. She felt like a realistic, but strong female lead. She was trying to fight back, figure things out, even manipulate others to save her friends. The only thing potentially unrealistic about her behavior would be that if I were in her situation, I would be deathly terrified of the male lead. I wouldn't even have been able to look him in the eyes. I'd be way too traumatized and ashamed about the whole thing. However, toward the end, it's as though the female lead becomes more of a background character who looks sad all the time and is silently hating herself. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had tried to take herself out at some point...I think that would have been realistic. I mean, it's a deeply depressing and traumatizing situation for her specifically. Another reason I thought the writing got shaky toward the end was because of the excessive twists. I don't think it was necessary to put in twists toward the end; the main plot itself is engaging and complex enough and should have been fully embraced as it was. Also, toward the end, the intense feelings of hopelessness that I felt from the whole situation had increased too much to where I was almost unable to see any light at all at the end of the story. I think that's a bit more of a personal taste - I need a certain amount of hope to keep me on the edge of my seat and not lose interest. On a positive note, the political aspect of the drama became more interesting to me as the story went on (usually stuff like that bores me) and the two ANSP agents became much more likeable. I found the politics in this drama to be very thought-provoking. What kinds of events in real life have governments and media worked together on to cover up or spin to win elections? 9/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama definitely had a higher quality of production, which I really look for. I will drop a drama 20 minutes in if the production quality isn't doing it for me. There are a lot of guns, bombs, blood, I love the set and the time period. The OST is okay. It didn't stick out too much for me. The only complaint I have here is that sometimes the music didn't fit the situation, especially in the beginning. There's a gun fight and blood and chaos but romantic sounding music is playing. How is this romantic? 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: I was hooked for a majority of the drama. I stopped watching other dramas to binge watch this one. It was only toward the end (maybe episode 14) that I wasn't exactly excited about watching it...more scared to watch it I guess. 9.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 9/10. It's rare that I ever rate a drama this high. I think this one won't soon be forgotten. I wish there had been more of a sole focus on the dynamics inside of the dorm, such as relationships between the girls, and how their personal bonds helped them to survive. This person being an ANSP agent or that person being a northern spy or this person doing something bad in the past or that person having some past connection that I don't care about -- to me it was just a bunch of unnecessary Korean drama clichés that didn't really add much to the plot.

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Conflicts Aren’t Great but Enjoyed Light, Positive Vibes

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I picked this drama up because I like the lead actors. Actually, I don’t like Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) in any roles other than action, but I decided to give it another shot. This seemed like it could be a cute romance, but in order for it to work, the chemistry needs to be on point.

Acting/Cast: I was pleasantly surprised by the cast. There were some actors that I was very happy to see again and some actors I’ve seen for the first time. I think everyone did great acting-wise (except for the female lead’s dad). However, like I mentioned before, the chemistry is the most important aspect here. All of the friend groups had good chemistry as well as the side romances, but I’m not sure the two leads quite got there -- at least not as more than friends. Maybe it’s because they were so overly cutesy with each other or maybe it’s because there weren’t any - even remotely - steamy scenes between them. I just wasn’t completely sold on them. Especially, after that ending with the choice that the male lead made. Careers were obviously way more important to everyone over love, which is strange for a “romance”. 7.5/10

Writing: I like the plot and the side stories. I like the characters. However, there’s some details that bothered me. The useless love triangle is one of those things. Literally, it was only there to motivate the male lead to make a move. They really built up this second male lead like he was going to be a huge threat, but no, just another poor victim of second male lead abuse. I think he was an interesting and unique character, too, so it’s such a shame. Another issue I had with this drama is the forced conflicts (apart from the love triangle). The initial conflict that sets the plot in motion is fine, but later on, things happen that make it feel unrealistic. There’s also another conflict between the male lead’s father and the female lead that just feels annoying and childish. I wanted to just skip over all of that nonsense. Then, the “plot twist” at the end with the foreigner seemed so pointless… I was like ‘Why??’ Blink and you’ll miss it. Fortunately, this drama has good side stories and likeable characters all around. 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The ending was so cliché that it didn’t feel consistent with the male lead’s personality. The pacing was decent despite using so-so conflicts to push the story along. The OST isn’t really my cup of tea, but I did add two of the songs to my playlist. Beautiful Day by Gemini (제미나이, 아름다운 날) is really pretty and of course the drama’s theme song: DK (도겸) (Seventeen) - Short Hair (단발머리). 6/10

Entertainment Value: It was an easy, light watch. Nothing very exciting to make me want to binge watch this drama, but also nothing so irritating that it would make me want to drop it. The second half is when I started feeling a bit of a drag (episode 9) and episode 10 or 11 is when more conflicts are forced in which began to annoy me. The ending was cliché, too. Although one of the side love stories was solidified, which was a pleasant surprise. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5.5/10. It makes me wish I had a rabid posse of male friends. It almost made me want to start taking photos...I hate taking photos.

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Clever Writing, Movie Quality From Start To Finish

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

(This is a review for Part 1 and 2 together)
I watched this for Park So Dam (박소담). It’s been so long since I’ve seen her and she’s so cute. However, in this drama, she’s playing a character that’s not so cute. I was curious to see how she’d do. I wasn’t disappointed.

Acting/Cast: Great and unexpected cast. I was so happy seeing all the familiar faces and they all performed exceptionally in their roles. In particular, I think Kim Jae Wook’s (김재욱) character was so well done that he could have a drama or movie of his own. He was like every iteration of the Joker rolled into one. The styling, the suave body language, the confidently demented personality, the high-paying hobby with a horrifying secret—he was very much his own mini movie. I think the main actor, Seo In Guk (서인국) overacted at times, but it could have been more of a directing choice. 9.5/10

Writing: The writing was extremely well done. The story had a movie quality to it due to how neatly everything was laid out and then wrapped back up. I had no idea what to expect when going into this. Except, I knew it was going to have a body swapping theme, which I usually don’t like. I thought it would be another cliché plot. Not at all. There is no sugar-coating with this drama. It doesn’t pull any punches. Be advised- this drama is not for the faint of heart. There is a ton of gore…shocking gore, too. That’s something I also don’t normally like, but I think the shock value added something much needed to the idea behind this drama – the fear of death--or the reverence of death. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away...but this drama is about suicide. Suicide is a sensitive topic that is difficult to address. It’s a subject that I am very familiar with, so I tend to be particularly critical regarding how it is approached. I felt like this drama portrayed the internal struggle of a suicidal person fairly well. Towards the end of the drama, my cynicism caused me to think that “this would only be an effective message for those who have at least one good parent in their life or a significant other that truly loves them. What about the people that have nobody? What’s their reason to live?” Despite my negativity, after watching this drama, I immediately typed up my reaction or my ultimate take-away from the story: “Watching all of these people die so suddenly...so easily…and watching them fight for their lives…made me think that the time we have alive can be seen as a gift or an opportunity. We really have a short, temporary life that can end at any moment. So why cut it even shorter? It'll be over before we know it anyway. ‘It's ok if we fail, as long as we don't give up.’ (a quote from the drama)” I need to mention the ending here. A little predictable…ok maybe more than a little, but not bad. This feels so out-of-character for me to say, but I think that an open ending would have worked really well for this story. Wow, this is the one time I’ve actually wanted an open ending. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Watching this drama felt like watching a long blockbuster movie. Not only because of the writing, but also because of the high production value. Immediately, we see stunts, action, explosions, blood, and all out insanity. I was shocked. Why was I under the impression that this was going to be a romance? At times, I even thought it was too much--too over-the-top. Just think if this drama had a badass OST... I mean even Bad and Crazy had one awesome song that made the drama super memorable even though I didn’t really like the drama. Same thing with Tale of the Nine-Tailed. This drama just needs that one badass song to really make it unforgettable. 6.5/10

Entertainment Value: I waited for this drama to finish airing before watching it. I knew it would be binge-worthy. It does slow down quite a bit in the end, but I wasn’t complaining. I needed a break from all the insanity anyway. Sometimes, it was a bit tough to watch. I don’t like gore. I had to look away a lot. It also has a very depressing theme. I’m glad I was able to get through it quickly. I feel when I’m watching a drama, it’s sort of like a part of me is in that world until the drama’s over. So, I’m glad I wasn’t in that world for very long. 8.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10. There’s a lot of violence and gore. It feels over-the-top at times. The topic of suicide is really tough to navigate, but I like the fearlessly aggressive approach, even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything. I don’t like it when drama creators are too afraid of the audience to do anything risky. It could have really used a badass OST though…

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Strong Foundation But Still Managed To Lose Its Footing

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I really had high hopes for this one. I love Rowoon (로운); I think he's a great actor. I saw some short clips of this drama that highlighted his portrayal of a quirky character in an unfortunate but comical situation. It seemed very charming. So despite my dislike for the female lead, I decided to give this drama a shot...

Acting/Cast: This is going to sound so harsh...honestly, the only positive in this category is Rowoon (로운), the male lead...and even he struggled. I don't know if it's his fault or the writing or the direction or all of the above, but he couldn't hold the character. It was such a unique character, too, with an extremely distinct personality and it just...fizzled away as the drama progressed. I would catch glimpses of his former self here and there but it only served as a depressing reminder of what once was. Jo Ba Ah (조보아), who played the female lead, wasn't any better. I had really disliked her after watching her ruin Tale of the Nine-Tailed with her horrible acting. At least she had improved in this drama. I was surprised that she wasn't the reason this drama failed. The villains - all three of them - are lame. The side characters tried so hard to be likeable and they just couldn't pull it off. Oh, I almost forgot about that poor 2nd male lead... a K-drama pet peeve of mine -- disrespected 2nd male leads. 1/10

Writing: I'm so sick of the "we loved each other in a past life" trope. It's so over done. It's seriously becoming another huge K-drama pet peeve of mine. The writing and plot started out strong. It was an interesting premise with a dark, ominous undertone. Unfortunately, this all goes away pretty early on in the drama and it just becomes a boring, typical romance...with a stalker cliche. I think it fizzles out around episode 8 or 9. Ugh...the beginning was so good...I'm so disappointed... 4/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama does have good cinematography and production quality. This is definitely the strongest category. The OST is decent. Direction though, I did not agree with. Going from unique, quirky, cute, with some creepy and even adult vibes to a cookie-cutter romance. I forgot the ending. It's only been a few days and I already forgot. That's how unimpressed I was. 6/10

Entertainment Value: Getting through the 1st episode wasn't quick for me. I don't know if it was the drama or me. However, after the 1st episode, I really got into the story. I was excited to watch it. I really loved the male lead's character and the dynamic between the 2 leads. I thought the plot itself was very engaging. Then, I reached the 2nd half of the drama and as I continued watching to the end, I experienced all the hope within me slowly shrivel up and die. 4/10

Now I'm sad.
Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10 due to the complete disregard for the solid foundation that had been established in the beginning of the drama.

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Learning to Shine as Ourselves

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

A charming drama with a great message. I'm so glad I didn't pass this one up.

Acting/Cast: This drama has a great cast with acting that feels very natural. My favorite is probably Choi Hyun Wook (최현욱) and his portrayal of his character, Ha Yi Chan. I loved watching him on screen. He is such a strong and unique male lead - he's pure, joyful, passionate, tough, caring, and childlike. I keep thinking of that scene where he randomly starts spinning around and yells "TORNADO" for no reason. His character was such a breath of fresh air - no angst, all fun. His chemistry with Yoon Cheong Ah seemed so organic and the way his relationship with Ha Eun Gyeol developed felt realistic and heartwarming. I would say Choi Hyun Wook is this drama's MVP with Seol In Ah coming in at second. The entire cast just seemed like they were really enjoying their time while filming this drama and watching them have fun made it so much more fun for me. However, I would say the weakest link in this area would be Ryeoun (려운) who plays the male lead, Ha Eun Gyeol. While his character was written well, his acting was noticeably weaker than the other lead actors. He didn't have that effortless, natural feel to his acting that I felt while watching the others. Fortunately, this did not hurt his chemistry with Ha Yi Chan. 8/10

Writing: The characters are extremely well written and developed. The plot is interesting. Because it wasn’t predictable, it kept me engaged. I don’t think I’ve seen a drama with a plot and characters quite like this one. The story had a good progression of events and good pacing. There are only a couple issues I could point out in this area: One is towards the end of the drama - there is a scene that shows what had happened in the original timeline of events, but it feels a little jarring and I had no idea what was going on at first. I thought I had skipped an episode. The other issue is the ending itself – it went in a direction I did not expect, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I felt it was like an alternate or fake reality because it seemed like too much of a change and more on the unrealistic/idealistic side. 9/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This is definitely a well-produced drama. The special effects were good, the music was good, the art was good, the styling, even the name of the band. Like I mentioned above, there was a scene toward the end that felt jarring. I would have shot it differently, like with a filter and effects to indicate that it was a different timeline of events. There was also another scene toward the end that involved a bad case of staring that I felt didn’t fit or feel authentic to the situation. However, these are just minor gripes. 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: A binge-worthy drama for sure. The fantasy aspect gives it a bit of mystery and the characters are so well written and acted that I just wanted to keep watching them. The fun vibe of this drama also makes for a fairly stressless watch. The ending though, caught me off-guard (like I mentioned before) and caused me to feel some kind of disconnection with the story. 8/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8.5/10 due to my issues with the acting of the main male lead and the ending. This drama has a wonderful message about family, friendship, life, and self-acceptance. It’s very encouraging and healing while being entertaining. Also, I love the sign language aspect of this drama and how integral it is to the plot. I really like the direction they went with it.

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Subtlety is Key in This Drama's Synergy

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Surprisingly, the many different interplaying facets within this drama work extremely well together and make for a highly enjoyable watch.

Acting/Cast: The acting was probably the strongest aspect of this drama. The male lead (played by Yoon Gye Sang 윤계상) quickly became a likeable and endearing character for me. The acting of the cop (played by Park Sung Hoon 박성훈) also stood out, which didn't surprise me because I had recently seen his exceptional acting ability in The Glory. As for the child actress (Yuna 유나), her acting felt very believable given the circumstances of her character. The cast had great chemistry together, as well. This was especially important for this father-like kidnapper and daughter-like victim plot. It was fun watching the interactions between the "kidnapper" and the "victim" with their opposite and exaggerated personalities. 10/10

Writing: The plot is right up my alley - a little bit sci-fi, a little bit hostage situationy. It's not just another cliché filled rom-com with an emotionless male lead, so, personally, it's a breath of fresh air. The writing balances out the different themes in this drama extremely well. The plot itself is very dark, involving child abuse, but the writers manage to keep a lightness about it that doesn't feel as though they are minimizing the seriousness of the plot. They were able to do this through humor sprinkled throughout the drama - just enough to break the tension and to keep things from getting too dark. It made for more of a fun but dangerous action hero adventure vibe rather than a terrifying and hopeless vibe. The corrupt police in cahoots with the villain cliché (or completely incompetent police cliché) is something that I have been sick of and this drama unfortunately has that. However, the writers kept my frustration at bay by writing in a good cop character that isn't undermined at every turn, as well as a team of good competent cops backing him. I really liked how the ending was handled by the writers. I was worried about it since the beginning of the drama, but I think they were very fair with all of the characters' fates. The court scene at the end packed quite a punch as well, which is something that was missing from Mother (a drama with a similar but darker themed plot). I felt satisfied after completing this drama as opposed to how I felt after I had completed Mother. Another thing that I was worried about was the possibility of the highly intelligent child character coming across as irritating, condescending, obnoxious, and just overall unlikeable. However, she was written extremely well; she seemed like a typical kid while also coming across as intelligent and dignified. The writers and her actor did well portraying these different facets of her character. Now for the negatives: The mystery aspect of the plot is barely there; it's pretty predictable. Instead, the real focus of the drama is the relationship between the two main characters, the importance of love and family, and healing from childhood trauma. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but because the mystery is weak, the villains are as well. I mean if you think about it, the real big baddie is disposed of in the very beginning. Another complaint I have is that I feel as though some subtlety was beginning to be lost towards the end in regards to the portrayal of the unusual relationship between the "kidnapper" and "victim". The interaction between them became a little overdramatized when in the presence of the cop character, which made it begin to feel a little cheesy. 7.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: No major complaints here. This is definitely a well-produced drama. I can say that the music didn't stand out to me personally. I thought it neither improved nor hurt the drama. A strong, distinctive OST would have made this drama even more memorable. 8/10

Entertainment Value: I began watching this when it was still airing, so I couldn't binge it. If I could, I would have. Watching the relationship develop between the two main characters was fun and the humor was great (and unexpected). There was a nice small twist in there that I really liked as well. The mystery is pretty obvious though and doesn't add any suspense to the drama. Also, the lack of a really intimidating villain doesn't do any favors for the entertainment value either. 9/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8.5/10. It was a very entertaining and unique drama with great acting. I wish that one of the villains (I won't say who) had more of a character arch/ redemption arch because I thought he was an interesting character that could have had some complexity to him. I think they kind of did him dirty.

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Great Story, Weak Female Lead

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Its unpredictability due to its unconventionality saved this drama. As I watched this drama, I negatively assumed a lot about how the plot would unfold, which caused me to lose interest at times. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Acting/Cast: I decided to watch this because I know the two male leads are good actors. They did well, as expected. There were some side characters that also did well. In particular, the casting for the umbrella murderer was perfect - very crazy and scary facial expressions. My main issue in this category is the female lead. The only drama I had seen her in before was Bridal Mask, wherein she also played a damsel in distress. Simply put, her acting skills were just not up to par with the males leads'. She would often go into these monologues where it seemed as though she would change her voice, as if she were trying to lull me to sleep. It annoyed me every time; It was grating on my ears. This could be more of a directing issue though. Her two uncles were over-the-top with their acting. They literally acted like cartoon characters. Actually, most of the characters felt more like manga characters than actual, realistic people. That comic book type vibe is a legitimate directing style, but it's not for me. I prefer watching more realistic characters on screen. 4/10

Writing: For me, the plot saved this drama. It didn't go where I expected it to. It ended up being very different to what I've seen before in Korean dramas. I like how the redemption arcs played out. However, the terrible female lead really dragged it down. I can't even say that it would have been better with a different female lead because the character itself was so poorly written. She was simply a damsel in distress. She was constantly confused, constantly fainting, giving random unsolicited opinions, and doing stupid things. Just because a girl has a weak heart, doesn't mean she needs to have a weak personality, too. She was an extremely one dimensional character. Even after finishing the drama, I still don't know who she is and why these guys are so in love with her. She may just be a Mary Sue. On a positive note, however, the other characters were well done (aside from some minor side characters) and I liked the ending. It showed that all the seemingly random things the female lead would say was actually meaningful to the story, even though the way she would say it made me cringe. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The music annoyed me. I take notes when I watch dramas and I wrote "this music needs to CHILL". It was loud, repetitive, and sometimes didn't really fit the scene. This makes me think the issues I had with the lead female's voice was a directing issue as well. It was as if she had too much gain? The mic was too close to her? I'm not sure. Like I've stated previously, the characters also had more of a manga style to them, which I'm personally not a fan of. Also, I got secondhand embarrassment watching prosecutor Kim Soo Hyuk miming in public for such a long period of time (pretending to be hit, shot, stabbed to death). I was thinking "is anyone seeing this?" I get it, it's part of the story, but why did it have to go on for so long? Flashbacks are part of the story, too, but it wastes so much time. 1/10

Entertainment Value: The beginning was great. Very fast-paced. A lot happened in just the first 2 episodes. I feel the first half of the drama was better that the 2nd half in this regard. I would lose a bit of interest here and there when I would get too frustrated with the female lead or when I was worried the plot was going in a cliché direction. 5.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4.5/10. For me, a weak female lead can do a lot of damage to a drama.
By the way, does Jang Ki Yong play a main role in anything where he's not the son of a murderer?

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At Least It's an Ending

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I loved the previous seasons. This has been my crack drama - even this season. This review and rating will reflect this season only and not the drama as a whole.

Acting/Cast: One of the major aspects of this drama that had made it so great in the past was its amazing cast. The two leads, the two other leads, and all the side characters had been phenomenal. The acting of the two main leads were undoubtedly top-notch. Watching them as their families are slaughtered and as they're dragged away into slavery was heart-wrenching, but captivating as I rooted for Eun Seom and Tan Ya, on the edge of my seat, to find a way to save everyone. Without their amazing performances (Kim Ji Won 김지원 & Song Joong Ki 송중기), this drama could have easily flopped before it even really began. When I heard that both of these lead actors were being replaced, although the story was already established, I was afraid that it wouldn't be the same without them. Then, when I saw the actors that were taking their places, my heart sank. The female lead was being replaced by one of the worst lead actresses in Korean dramas (actually...she may be the worst in my opinion) and the male lead was being replaced by an actor I've only seen one other time (Moon Lovers). But, I knew just the change in the female lead could single-handedly ruin this season (having seen Shin Se Kyeong (신세경) in many dramas and never liking her performances but continuing to watch her dramas anyway). On top of that, one of my favorite characters was also being replaced - Nun Byeol. Way to kick me while I'm down. At least Yang Cha made it back. That being said, the change in the leads wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was going to be, but that's not saying much since my expectations were basically at nothing. Lee Joon Gi (이준기) was decent as Saya, not as convincing as Eun Seom, but overall he was alright. As for Shin Se Kyeong (신세경) - it wasn't her worst performance; I could tell she gave a little bit of effort, but not enough to warrant too many close up shots of her facial expressions. A comparison could be made between how her scenes were shot versus how Ta Gon's scenes were shot. However, the casting, to my surprise, was not the biggest problem this season… 4.5/10

Writing: While watching, I felt as though the writers were trying to write out the characters whose actors had been replaced because they knew their performances would not nearly be up to par. So, they made Ta Gon and Tae Al Ha the leads this season. Saya’s character in particular changed a lot from the previous seasons. He used to have this alluring, mysterious aura about him. He had been in isolation for most of his life with the intelligence of an Igutu, giving him this innocent vibe which also felt very dangerous at the same time. Sadly, in this season, Saya didn’t feel like a threat at all. He no longer seemed cunning and conniving (which is where he needed to excel in order to compensate for his lack of physical strength and skill). I even thought that he seemed pathetic, which is such a disservice to a once uniquely captivating character. The same thing with Nun Byeol – the previous season had built her up as an amazing swordsman Neanthal sleeper cell badass, but then her actress was changed so the writers said “nevermind” and basically wrote her into a nothing burger. Yang Cha (another favorite of mine) previously had this unique and interesting relationship with Tan Ya - being her protector and the only one who really knows her, as well as the only person he can genuinely communicate with. Unfortunately, this season, the writers immediately threw away this engaging dynamic. In return, they gave him more of a storyline, but it felt cheap or cheesy... They should have just left him alone and let him stay a badass. Overall, the writing had a completely different vibe from previous seasons. It wasn’t dark at all and not as serious. It was even “comical” at times (or at least tried to be), which just felt strange and out-of-place. I would say that the writing started off decently and then worsened as the drama progressed, becoming more predictable and boring. It felt lazy and rushed as if they just wanted to give the audience some sort of conclusion to the story. 2.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Not only did the writing have a completely different vibe from previous seasons, but the directing did as well. And just as the writing was, the direction, the special effects, and overall cinematography felt cheap and cheesy. Instead of a dark, gritty, and intense atmosphere, it now had a bright and light-hearted feel. The special effects were so terrible that the only explanation is that the budget for the season must have been drastically reduced. Right away, there’s a scene where Eun Seom jumps into the air and freezes to shoot an arrow. There’s another action scene toward the end that does this same corny freezing in the air technique. They are also apparently unable to fill in crowds with green screens or CGI. There were multiple shots that were laughable, especially in context with the dialogue – characters talking as if there are a multitude of people and then the camara angle showing a crowd of around 50 people at best. The music is definitely one of the stronger aspects this season. 3.5/10

Entertainment Value: Despite all of the disappointment, I still really enjoyed this season. It still had that crack drama vibe for me. Maybe it's because I'm so attached to the characters and invested in their world. I hate how this drama gets me rooting for child murderers. It did in the previous seasons and I still found myself rooting for them this season. I think even the characters in the drama forget that Ta Gon and his people are all child murderers. But, I think that's a testament to how well the character and world building was done from the beginning until now. 8.5/10

Overall, I gave this season a 5 out of 10 stars. It probably deserves an even lower rating objectively speaking, but I still really enjoyed this season. (In order, I had given the previous 3 seasons or parts a 6.5, a 9, and an 8.5.) Although inadequate in many ways, at least this season was able to provide some closure to this epic tale. A special thanks to the Momo tribe.

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Accidently Developed An Obsession

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I was excited for this one. Lee Dong Wook (이동욱) is one of my favorite Korean actors because of his ability to play all kinds of characters. I loved his role as a villain in Strangers From Hell. In A Shop For Killers, he's playing a darker role too, although not exactly a villain.

Acting/Cast: I love the cast and their acting. I think Ji An, the main character, has become one of my all time favorite K-drama characters. Min Hye is badass, too. I also like Brother, Pasin, and of course Jin Man. The only casting I didn't like was Ji An's childhood friend. I'm glad he didn't have much screen time. 9/10

Writing: I love the plot and the characters. I like the way that the story unfolded using the "잘 들어 정지안" (Listen well, Jeong Ji An) pattern. It gave the drama a certain kind of charm. I normally hate flashbacks, but these flashbacks were done in a way that felt artistic -at least the Ji An flashbacks did. There was a portion of the drama that had long flashbacks that I felt were unnecessary. They were scenes that the audience had already experienced, but more detail was being added in. I didn't need the extra detail. I liked the mysterious vibe that the scenes originally had. It was as though we were in the same boat with Ji An not knowing what the hell was going on and we were uncovering the mystery with her. But, because of these 'retracing our steps' scenes, I felt like I was watching the same scenes twice and I got bored. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The best thing about the drama... This is how I accidentally developed an obsession. The camera work, the production value, the weapons, the choreography, the MUSIC - it's all so good. It was a bit reminiscent of John Wick (and John Wick is one of the greatest things to exist in the world of artful cinematography). I finally got all the songs I wanted from this drama on my mp3 player. I haven't been this into a soundtrack since...maybe Strangers From Hell? Well, the Doona! soundtrack was pretty good, too. By the way, the music played during the gas mask scene is called Minhye Action. I was looking for that one for a while. 10/10

Entertainment Value: This obsession really snuck up on me. I didn't think I was enjoying it that much. It was because of those repeated scenes that I mentioned earlier. I just wanted to get back to the action with everyone at the house. Don't keep me holding my breath. After the drama ended, I couldn't get it out of my head. I liked it more and more as time passed. This is the same thing that happened to me years back with Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. I gave it a 6 or a 7 upon finishing the drama, but I missed it so much once it was gone that I ended up putting that drama in my top 10 and increasing its score to 9.5. Anyway, I'm not usually one for sequels, but this drama needs one. I actually think that not having a second season will hurt this drama in the long run (unless the second season is terrible of course...Sweet Home...Strong Girl...send help. 8/10

Overall, I ended up increasing this drama's score from a 7.5 to a 9/10.
See, this is why I don't write reviews immediately after completing a drama. I have to give it some time to sink in so I can sort out my feelings.
By the way, I made a YouTube Short featuring Ji An. The title is "Ji An | A Shop For Killers | Little Girl Gone" and my channel name is The Enablers.



murthehelp

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A Fun Ride With A Likeable Cast

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I normally don't like heist plots , but I love hostage plots. I finally decided to give this one a shot. By the way, I haven't seen the original, so I can't compare them. Also, I'm reviewing both parts of this drama as a whole.

Acting/Cast: Overall, I love the casting choices. Park Hae Soo (박해수), who plays Berlin, is an especially strong actor. I've seen him previously as the lead role in Prison Playbook and I loved him in that, so I knew he'd kill this role, too. Right when Berlin was introduced, I knew he'd be my favorite character; he has such a powerful presence about him. The rest of the crew was great, as well. Even the team members that didn't get as much screen time really grew on me. I'd say the only character I really had an issue with was the main female hostage, Yun Mi Seon played by Lee Joo Bin (이주빈). She has this "deer in headlights" look the entire time. Her character was pretty badass technically, but I don't think the actress conveyed that very well. 9/10

Writing: The plot was engaging. I liked the way that they laid the story out so that the audience wouldn't be sure as to what was really going on until it was revealed. I'd say the narration was unnecessary though. Maybe that's just me - I tend to dislike narration. The first half of the drama had red herrings that I think worked very well for the story and made it more exciting. However, in the second half of the drama, the red herrings came to be expected. In consequence, they lost their effectiveness in garnering strong emotions from the audience. Again, the hostage Yun Mi Seon played by Lee Joo Bin (이주빈) nagged at me in this category, too. Her character was strange - it just didn't make sense to me how she was so hung up on gross ass Peter Pettigrew and then she quickly screws another guy she just met. In my opinion, sex scenes never help a drama (and by sex scene, I mean the full-bodied, lingering sex scenes) and that's what happened in this drama. It came across as trashy, not romantic, and it just made me dislike her character even more. Actually, her entire plotline was annoying to me. There's one more sex scene in this drama, but it's not quite as risqué (although I still think it goes on for a little too long). The ending was good - I just wish there was a bit more closure for some of the characters. Throughout the drama, there were some scenes and dialogue that felt a bit cheesy, but whatever, I had fun. That being said, I couldn't help but compare this drama to Snowdrop. There are plot points that are eerily similar. However, Snowdrop has a much more dark and serious tone. I will say that overall, Snowdrop is the stronger drama out of the two and it was able to leave a lasting impression on me as opposed to Money Heist: Korea. 7/10

Direction/SFX/Music: I love the music, the costumes, the mask designs. The drama looks well-produced - good special effects, good camera work. The 'director of the mint' hostage...they did him so dirty with the camera angles. It was hilarious. I will bring up the cheese factor again in this category: There were some really cheesy and unrealistic scenes. I'm particularly referring to the scenes with a lot of gunfire and nobody is getting shot. Then, there was one scene where someone was shot, but instead of dragging the person away from the firefight, they just stayed there and cried. It caused a bit of disconnect for me because it was so contrary to how someone would actually react in a situation like that. 7.5/10

Entertainment Value: Binge worthy for sure. I stopped watching my other dramas so I could binge this one. To be fair though, the other dramas that I was watching aren't an exciting genre like this one. In any case, with this drama, I was dialed in the entire time and I did have a smile on my face a lot while watching. I definitely had fun. However, like I said previously, I would have liked less of an open ending for some of the characters. 9/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10 mainly due to some cheesiness, my issue with the sex scenes, and my issues with the Yun Mi Seon character in general.

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Primarily A Healing Drama

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

When viewed strictly as a "healing drama", it's pretty good. It's all about dealing with grief and guilt and learning to accept the bad things that happen in life, to forgive, and to love yourself again. I think it gets this message across well. If you expect a romance, it's disappointing. This drama really isn't about that and it takes a major back seat to the main goal of the drama. This is a bad thing and a good thing - bad because I wanted a cute romance with 김영광 (Kim Yeong Kwang) and good because the two leads really didn't have enough chemistry for a romantic relationship.

Acting/Cast:
I watched this solely because 김영광 (Kim Yeong Kwang) is one of my favorite actors and this is another drama that shows the reason for that. His acting and his character carried the drama. He did so well in his portrayal of a cute, innocent, carefree, goofy young adult that his good acting only made the poor acting of other cast members more noticeable. Most notably, the female lead's acting was...stiff and strange. I'm not sure if it's the actress (since I've only ever seen her in Mystery Queen, which I really liked) or a directing choice. But, whatever the reason is, her "acting style" became increasingly annoying as the drama went on. I'll just give a quick example of what I mean: Someone will tell her something emotionally heavy (like a confession/apology) and she'll stare at them the whole time they tell her. Then, immediately after they've finished speaking, she quickly says something like "that's ok I forgive you/not your fault/etc." while still staring at them without any change in facial expression. It's as though she's just waiting to read her lines. But also, the lines don't even feel very natural as to how someone would actually respond. I also don't feel as though the female and male leads had much chemistry. Especially, when you compare the male lead's chemistry with his dad, his minion, and even with the lunch ladies. I even think the female lead's younger self displayed better chemistry with the second male lead. 4/10

Writing:
Like I mentioned above, some of the dialogue from the female lead specifically, didn't feel authentic. The writers may have been going for a super feel-good story where everyone has super awesome communication skills and can understand each other as if they can read each other's minds, but it's not realistic. And really, I think that taking out the realism--using the characters to model healthy behaviors for the viewers--ultimately takes away from the healing message of the drama. It won't feel like something that's obtainable to the viewers because none of us are nearly that perfect in real life. By the end, I started getting bored...I felt like I was watching an episode of Full House or Barney or an after school special. Regarding the fantasy aspect of the plot, it remains a mystery - there is no lore, no rules, that can help us make sense out of the situation. That's ok, the story isn't really about that either, it's about the healing. But, I wish we could have just made peace with that right away instead of being given the run-around in the beginning, thinking we can figure out what's going on. The focus should have only been on her younger self's purpose for showing up in the future instead of wasting time on how she can go back. 3.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music:
Like I said before, I don't know if some of these issues are directing choices or bad acting. I want to blame the direction. Music was nothing special. Regarding SFX, no issues stood out. OH YEAH...this bothered me...So there's this scene in the beginning where the female lead is outside in the sun, in nature, around wild flowers taking photos and she has her hair in a long, single braid over her shoulder. She also had these freckles that go well with her look. I'm sitting here literally thinking about how beautiful her hair looks. And then, later on, she's basically told she's ugly...so she gets a makeover, cuts all that pretty hair off, and replaces it with a short, flat, predictable hairstyle and covers her freckles with concealer. I was so annoyed. Actually, now that I think about, that's when my interest in this drama started declining. It's like that was a metaphor that signaled that they were removing the personality out of the drama. 3/10

Entertainment Value:
It was a rough start, but the male lead single-handedly kept me from dropping this drama in the beginning. The younger self character and her relationship with the female lead grew on me and helped me keep interest in the drama. In the end, surprisingly it was Anthony (the second male lead) and his story that kept me interested in finishing the drama. So I guess, the baton was handed off a few times during this race. Ideally, everyone should be running together and crossing the finish line at the same time, but at least I was able to make it to the end. I was pretty bored through those last few episodes though. 3/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 3.5/10 mainly due to the weird acting/dialogue in the second half of the drama, the lack of chemistry between the leads, and the lack of interest I had toward the end. However, I think it had a really good message as a healing drama.

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Thank You For the Scary Villains

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

It was a suspenseful story that had me hooked until the end. Although, after it was over, it didn't stick with me like other dramas I've really enjoyed. I've spent some time thinking about why that is before writing this review.

Acting/Cast: This category is going to be where my biggest issue with the drama lies. I held off watching this drama because I really dislike the actor that plays the male lead. He seems very stiff and emotionless in everything I've seen him in. I even dropped Hotel Del Luna because of him. Let's just say, after watching this drama, I still feel the same way. However, there were times in this drama where he showed a little bit of emotional range that surprised me, but that's not saying much. The female lead actress is fine, but when comparing her character with other female leads in dramas that I fell in love with, I realize she is lacking the charm that those characters have. It kept me from really connecting with her. Similarly, with the male lead, I didn't even care to try to connect with him. I think that if just the male lead was switched out, this could really have been a top tier drama. It's a shame... That being said, the rest of the cast was great. I think the highlight of the drama is Shin Jae Hwi who plays Lee Jin Geun (the stalker). I smiled every time I saw him on screen. He played an unhinged psycho so well. It's been a while since I've seen such a good villain. 6/10

Writing: Very well done, suspenseful mystery that kept me guessing. Satisfying ending as well. While watching, I did get vibes here and there of Kill Me, Heal Me -- definitely a top tier drama -- which is why I say that Link had the potential. But, in regards to the writing, my only gripe in this area would be the Noble Idiocy...which became even more annoying when they kept going back and forth with it. Oh, and now that I think about it...there were multiple times where the female lead thought, for some reason, that it was perfectly ok to walk alone at night in dark alleys when there's a stalker on the loose. That didn't make sense to me, especially since the female lead has trauma after being attacked in the recent past. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: My only complaint here would be a particularly severe case of "frozen-in-time staring contest". The OST is decent, too. 8/10

Entertainment Value: Once the characters were established and the main mystery with the refrigerator started playing out, I was hooked. 9.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10 mainly due to my issue with the casting.

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Enjoy the Downward Spiral

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

After reading the synopsis, I was hesitant to watch this drama because I didn't want to see minors in sexual situations and engaged in very serious criminal activity. I was worried it may glamorize these kinds of lifestyles. Once I finally decided to give it a try, I almost dropped the drama after the 1st episode. It just didn't grab my attention and I felt the male lead's character and his motivations were boring and typical. Eventually, I gave it another shot and watched episode 2 and from then on, I was hooked.

Acting/Cast: I think this is my 1st time seeing most of these actors... at least in major roles (except for 남윤수 Nam Yoon Su). They all did a great job. Watching the male lead's personality unfold, stood out to me the most. I also liked watching the interactions between the female lead and her mother. 9.5/10

Writing: This category can be broken into 2 parts - character writing/dialogue and story writing. I feel that the character development was the strongest aspect of this drama. The psychological genre is my favorite when it comes to Korean dramas because of their ability to write compelling characters that grow or change in realistic ways during the course of their experiences. This drama is great example of that, especially in regards to the male lead's character. Unfortunately, with how great the character writing is, I felt the actual story writing was lacking in comparison. There were storylines that I was really interested in learning more about (mainly more about the female lead's mom and that industry and about Mr. Lee's background), but they were left unexplored. The ending was also done in a way that seems as though they were setting it up for a 2nd season, which would make sense as to why some major details of the story felt unfinished. Regardless, I'm typically not a fan of endings like that. It feels incomplete and I'm left wanting more. If they're not doing a 2nd season, then 10 episodes weren't enough to really flesh out this story. On a positive note, the things that I was worried about before even beginning the drama, turned out not to be an issue. However, I could see some potential for criminal activity/prostitution being glamorized (for instance, prostitution didn't seem like a big deal until it was an underage girl doing it.) But every time the characters started to seem "cool" or too much like protagonists, something horrible would happen that would put everyone back where they belong. That reminds me, It was difficult watching a drama with no real protagonist. I felt bad rooting for anyone. I would just feel resigned and I would say "well...that's what you get for engaging in criminal activity." I'm not going to feel bad rooting for Mr. Lee though. 7/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The production was great; it felt very high quality. There were some clever dream sequence scenes that I really enjoyed. They didn't feel like your typical dream sequence. I usually can't stand them. The music really added to these strange scenes, as well. I don't care about music so much, but I do take notice when it heightens the experience for me (or worsens it). I think the OST played a huge part in giving this drama a very captivating vibe. 8/10

Entertainment Value: After I got past that 1st episode, it was a crazy ride. It was like watching a train wreck (but in a good way?) So much anxiety...very unpredictable. A fun but scary, stress-inducing ride. I don't want to say anything more about it because I don't want to give anything away. 8/10

It was difficult to give a final rating for this drama - it's either an 8/10 or an 8.5/10. I chose 8 more for personal preferences, which I don't want to expand on because it may be a bit of a spoiler.

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A Lot of Writing Issues but Still Watchable

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Detective dramas are one of my least favorite genres to watch. They tend to be formulaic and, therefore, boring, but every once in a while, I’ll give one a shot. I decided to watch this one because I was in a drama slump at the time, so I was picking up various dramas from different genres to try out.

Acting/Cast: The male lead was clearly the most interesting character. There was really no other reason to continue watching this drama other than maybe for the slow burn romance between the two leads. If you’re not a fan of Ahn Bo Hyun (안보현) as an actor or if his character is this drama isn’t appealing to you, then you probably will not like this drama at all. The cast is good and the acting is good…it’s just that the male lead takes up way too much of the focus; everyone else just feel like side characters. The team members did have decent chemistry though. 6/10

Writing: It was formulaic in the first…6 episodes maybe. There were also weird cases involving hypnosis and ghosts…So this drama isn’t the most realistic (which is strange for a detective drama). I almost dropped it, but I saw comments saying that the drama gets better as it goes. That turned out to be accurate; this drama does get better each episode. The case involving the female lead and her father’s backstory was the point when it really became interesting for me. Once that plot point was wrapped up, however, I felt like the drama lost some steam. The male lead’s plotline just wasn’t as interesting to me. It was too predictable. Also, the dark and mysterious plot surrounding the male lead from the beginning turned out to be overly dramatic nonsense. The writing (especially for a detective genre) isn’t very intelligent. It didn’t feel as though a team of smart detectives were solving crimes together -- it was more like technology doing it for them and the male lead using his fame, money, and connections. So…not much brain power going on (actually, the male lead made the detectives seem like a joke. How did they ever solve cases without him?). I did like the lightness of this drama, however. I could watch 15 minutes here or an hour there whenever I felt like seeing the team again. However, it became a little too dark in the end, which was a bit off-putting. It was also weird how certain characters treated the male lead like he’s a ticking time bomb because he has childhood trauma. They should be the ones to know that simply having childhood trauma doesn’t necessarily make someone evil (especially when the male lead is repeatedly shown to be a good person). 1.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This drama felt well produced, although cheesy at times. It had good, choreographed fight scenes, which is always a plus in my book. It has a unique OST, too, which adds to the charm of the drama. The music has a cartoony or comic book detective feel. 6/10

Entertainment Value: Like I said earlier, I almost dropped this drama after episode 6. The rich, famous influencer solving cases gimmick just wasn’t quite compelling enough for me. Maybe, it’s because the drama was a bit too ridiculous in the first half. Maybe, it’s because solving the cases didn’t feel like a team effort. However, it did get better and characters began to grow on me a little bit. It took me a long time to finish this drama because I would just watch a little here and there while waiting for more episodes of other dramas to air. 3/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 4/10. For me, a score anywhere from 4 to 5.5 means that I wouldn’t recommend this drama, but it is still good enough for a one-time watch (meaning, I don’t feel like I wasted my time watching it). It seems like they’re planning for a second season. Would I watch it? Probably. Would I expect it to be good? No…but it does have potential to be better than the first season.

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Great Acting, But For What?

I don't like the categories for rating on here. My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

Although I don’t really like crime dramas, I decided to watch this one because I like both of the male lead actors. I particularly love seeing Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) in action roles. He’s amazing at it and it’s been a long time since I’d seen him do action.

Acting/Cast: Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) did not disappoint. His fighting sequences were not only exciting, but his acting was too real. I could feel all of his emotions throughout the entire drama. I think this could be the best performance that I’ve seen from him. Everyone else did great for the most part. The female lead’s acting was probably on the weaker side as well as the side character cops. 9.5/10

Writing: The psychological aspect of this drama was well written. However, that’s about it. The actual plot was not very interesting and didn’t make much sense realistically. The female lead really didn’t have much of a role. She was just the driving force behind the motivation for male leads. All she had to do was exist. After finishing this drama, I felt confused as to what the purpose of the drama was. What’s the message? You must become evil to win against evil? Or that you shouldn’t do that? Or that we are the choices we make? If it’s that last one, then, I feel like the heroes are almost worse than the gangsters. The heroes had done something that was so completely heartless and shameful even by the gangsters’ standards. Maybe the mixed messages are intentional. Maybe the characters in the drama are just as confused as I am. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Since this is a genre that I’m not particularly interested in, I didn’t think it would be able to keep my attention. However, the fight scenes would force me to bring my full attention back the screen. This drama definitely has a high production quality. The pacing is good. The OST didn’t stand out to me. 7/10

Entertainment Value: The action scenes were great. That's the only thing that kept me watching. However, the plot just feels pointless to me. I could predict what was going to happen a lot, too. I'm also not a fan of tragedies. This drama reminded me of Heartless City. Except, in Heartless City, the characters grew on me as I watched. The opposite happened for me with The Worst of Evil. 4/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 5.5/10. It might just be due to my own personal tastes - I don't usually like crime dramas nor tragedies. Amazing acting from Ji Chang Wook (지창욱) though.

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