It was ok

The setup with ML tormented over a friends death and FL appearance were basically pointless as soon enough this settles into standard fair.

1. Pedestrian/Car accident despite all the time in the world to avoid? check
2. Love triangle where center (FL in this one) is oblivious? check
3. Mean mom suddenly overcome with grief when learning of child's hardships years too late and suddenly all is forgiven? check
5. Character disappears overseas for an extended time and returns with no advance word. check
6. Pointless breakup? check
7. Hospital visit due to gastrointestinal issue? check
8. Third wheel heroically gives up and helps main leads get back together after being annoying the entire show? check
10. Best friend betrayal to return later to allow lead to forgive to show how wonderful lead is? check

It's like there's a list that must be checked off at all costs to the story and characters. Still as formulaic as it is, it's not offensively bad.

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Great in many ways

First off, this was enjoyable to watch and is most certainly closer to dark comedy than thriller. The basic plot is an off-beat ex-cop anti-hero chasing a serial killer. In the beginning, Koo, our titular anti-hero is doing odd jobs for an insurance company fraud team led by a barely competent manager. Some guy is on the team...he's pretty much devoid of character and story line.

The first few episodes kind of jump around with flash backs and other expository elements, don't worry about it most of it isn't necessary to enjoy the popcorn goodness so to speak. Koo soon figures out that a serious of random deaths for various accidents and natural causes are the work of a serial killer who's victims of course are connected in some way. The deaths are elaborately planned and executed with the killer (who also has a side kick devoid of character) operating through intermediaries...intriguing stuff.

As we roll on it's clear that the barely competent manager is a treacherous weasel and laughably gets ousted from her job but already has a job lined up as a campaign consultant...how?? Doesn't matter the candidate and his family are corrupt scum bags that figure prominently into the machinations. Insert standard story lines for covers ups/murder here...it's not bad but it's not fresh either.

So ends phase I - despite the choppy beginning it's good. Oh yeah, Santa is now on the team. He doesn't talk - who knows what his deal is?

Phase II is brief but interesting...as Koo closes in, the serial killer (by the way played fantastically) is on the run and cut off from her normal ability to plan meticulous murders and begins to fray. And she seems to be turning into a random serial killer...it's actually kind of dark at this point. These are some of the best episodes.

Phase III is where the glaring weaknesses come in full throttle. The weaselly and traitorous manager is exposed...yet strangely still able to work with both sides. Weird. Serial killer girl is back on top, but suddenly switches from the meticulous unseen harbinger of death into a Bond villain style mad-bomber intent on elaborate and contrived plots. She also outsmarts and generally gets the drop on so many of her adversaries that her general baddassery is what keeps the wheels from falling off.

And the ending...well suddenly Koo pulls off her own insanely convoluted plan to bring us to an extended final confrontation...and like every Bond villain...serial killer girl either spends too much time talking or during a 2 on 1 fight where she consistently beating her opponents down (Koo and Santa) annoying and blatantly turns her back for extended crucial moments to allow our hero to pull out the win.

Still overall this is a good watch and worthy of some high marks.

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Not enough to redeem the tired plot devices

Standard innocent girl and jerk guy. Girl falls for guy and dedicates her life to becoming a nurse and finding him. She goes to a nursing school that apparently churns out incompetent nurses that are unable to fulfill even simple duties. She gets a job. Guy is a doctor there. He calls her an idiot repeatedly. She loves him more for it.

Soon they are dating for reasons that are mostly unclear but basically she's nice to patients and is observant which comes in handy. Still guy appears to be in pain when he's with her and repeatedly calls her idiot.

There's a secondary romance between an incompetent guy from the same school as hero girl. It makes no sense, there's no chemistry and it adds nothing.

Girl goes away for a year which takes up five minutes, then they get married. He calls her an idiot during the wedding. Apparently its now a term of endearment though he still appears pained to even talk to her.

Yes, this is a common trope but if I didn't know better I'd say this is a satirical attempt to bring a merciful end to this archetype. But no, it's just not all that good.

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Maybe on some meta level it works otherwise it fails

The first few episodes are a total fake out, they're interesting and mysterious as characters start to figure out that they're in a comic. After that, the meta comes in...if the characters are intentionally one dimensional and vapid to represent that's what a comic book character is...then success! I doubt this is the intent, and either way it makes for an excruciating watch. The FL quickly wears thin and bounces around with little logic and an incredibly excessive cute speak style while her main interest (Haru) is the most vapid character ever...basically an empty bag of air. I could go on, but why bother, it's a good idea drowned by the banal.

Added a star for the cameo in True Beauty. That was funny and almost pokes fun at the excesses in this show.

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Really mediocre at best

This seemed to have the ingredients for a good show including a sunny seaside location and good food but fails to do much with any of it. It's completely unclear what the FL even sees in ML she ends up with. Without fail the ML was a mopey jerk that was incapable of even a basic conversation. There also could have been more comic relief to break up the main character scenes that inevitably ended with someone mopily sitting somewhere staring off into the distance. Twice characters mention having had "a fun summer" too bad most of the fun apparently never made it into any of the episodes.

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Cliche overload

It's all here, "explosive indigestion" risk, meet cute, car accident, amnesia, wrist grabs from multiple angles, mean matriarch doesn't like girl, sobbing, childhood trauma flashbacks,sobbing, awkward lobby encounters where everyone stares (but really they just look bored), sobbing, a few hospital scenes, sobbing, character goes away without telling people, sobbing, left behinds mope around, sobbing, memories coming back, more sobbing. All of it crammed into every episode with repetition set on 10. It's no wonder they couldn't fit anything else like say, actual story telling. I like a good stupid drama...but this was not it.

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Plenty of other shows

It seems like it has some good things going for it, but in the end it's as if all the cliches in dramaland were thrown in a blender and pasted together in the most unnatural way. The disappearing act is a bad enough cliche...but never has it been done as poorly here (and it usually is done poorly). The dude literally acts like it's no big deal and entirely logical. Leads didn't seem well matched but at least it has Ye Ji Won who always seems to elevate her roles. The best way to watch it is to make a game out of it. When ever something is about to happen see who can guess it beforehand. Hint...just think of something tired and ridiculous and that probably is what will happen.

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Like most startups, Unicorn ni Notte ultimately fails

It had a lot going for it out of the gate, the production looks very good and the most of the cast is pretty good. Where it falls flat is, first the FL doesn't seem like a leader at all...there's no force to her personality. Instead, she just occasionally comes up with an idea and otherwise runs around flustered. She is likeable for sure, but just slightly off the mark.

Second, she is constantly doe eyed over the older ML even though you know it's not going any further than that. To make it worse, the younger ML is constantly in the background making creepy expressions. Sure it's supposed to be jealousy but he just looks like a creeper.

Finally, there really isn't anything that leads you to the think the FL and younger ML should be a couple but at the very end that is exactly what we get. Zero romance, zero build...nothing.

The portrayal of the older guy's difficulties adjusting where a bit ham handed as well. "old school" snacks, doesn't know how to react to a "give me 10" gesture. Then the constant "at my old job" scenes. Like seriously, someone's doing a presentation and he's going to make corrections and then print it and leave it on their desk!?

It's not a bad watch and at 10 episodes it doesn't drag too much . I guess the disappointment is that it could have been so much better.

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Gets lost in the wilderness

Starts with standard sad girl opening. Ok. Soon we learn sad girl is a tough girl with dreams. Even better she has a plan and is working hard. Sad girl meets misunderstood street boy. Uh-oh. Still through the first episodes sad girl seems to stick the plan. Yay. Uh-oh, sad girl's family is a boat anchor trying to drag her down. She cuts the cord and sets them adrift. Yay.

Second leads are rich girl wanting to stand on her own and rich guy who's an f-up. They're both pretty good characters. Yay. Of course, rich guy likes sad girl...but don't worry about it...you know where it's headed.

Drama stuff happens...ok so far. Then we take a hard left into the wilderness. Street boy takes over becomes incredibly righteous, starts his own business (CEO and suit time), strong/sad girl becomes more arm candy like now. Street boy/CEO becomes the leader of the neighborhood businesses etc. and we descend into war of the evil chaebol restaurant empire trying to crush the righteous local restaurants. Blah...so much promise wasted.

Still it's entertaining enough and I like the characters, but instead of grabbing the epicness that is within reach, this drama settles on mediocrity.

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A long 16 episodes for so little payoff

I wanted to like this, Shin Min Ah is very entertaining. ML is kind of vanilla and frequently kinda dumb. Dr. Emo character is an absolute farce. It's a pointless character played terribly...like look at my awesome emo hair while I read this cue card with the expressiveness of a cardboard cereal box. It's a lot of dead weight for the FL to carry...maybe the comedic relief of the B couple can help.

Nope, the B couple is a total loss...no chemistry and no comedy make for a bad backup couple. In short, there's way to much baggage for Shin Min Ah to rise above mediocrity.

BTW, FL lead character is a gumiho...a mythical creature with supernatural powers. Interesting yes, turns out no...the character plays out as pretty much a naive little mermaid character (a story that is name checked in the show).

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