Muneeza22
Pakistan
Questa recensione può contenere spoiler
I deliberated quite a lot whether this drama merited a full 10/10 rating, and I decided that the minor cliches and bloopers weren't important enough to put even the slightest dent in my utter love for this drama. I completely enjoyed every second, and this drama has soared to the top of my most favorite list.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I'll admit that there are certain minor things you will have to overlook (like characters recovering from brutal torture and whipping within a day or two), but once you do you will agree that this drama deserves a 10/10. Here are a couple of reasons why:
MIND-BLOWING ACTING SKILLS:
This hasn't happened for a long time, but I ended up developing a crush on Joo Won for his superb acting skills. His crying will make you cry, and his smile will put a smile on your face automatically. The scenes involving his mother and brother's deaths, and his torture were utterly gut-wrenching. Joo Won has given his soul to his character, and one rarely gets to see such dedication. He completely blew my mind. He definitely deserves the awards and accolades he got for this role.
Other actors such as Park Ki Woong (Shunji) and Han Chae Ah (Ueno Rie) were remarkable as well, and very very convincing. I don't even need to mention how good the senior actors were, because that goes without saying.
COMPLEX CHARACTERS:
This is what I always look for and don't always find; dynamic characters with complex inner lives, making them seem very real and human. Lee Kang To's inner struggle and tug-of-war with his Korean loyalty and his need to earn money for his family's survival, Shunji's conflicting thought processes when he must either pick being loyal to his Japanese roots or being compassionate to fellow human beings regardless of nationality, Ueno Rie's similar dilemmas and other examples are all what contribute toward the greatness of this drama. Characters make difficult choices, regret their actions, project their own faults onto others, delude themselves, break down, and pick themselves up.
HISTORICALLY MEANINGFUL AND ENGAGING STORY:
Set in the 1930s, the story charts Japan's imperial dominion over Korean peninsula and Korean people's rebellion against this imperialism. It touches historically sensitive topics such as the shipment of Korean comfort women to Japanese soldiers, and the sheer brutality that the Korean people faced. I learned that the story is an adaptation from a manhwa, and that makes so much sense because while watching I often felt that the drama was much like a manga. I always have a high opinion of manhwa adaptations.
WELL-EXECUTED PLOT:
Apart from a few minor hiccups that can easily be overlooked, the plot is well-executed. There were no glaring plot-holes, and the pacing was excellent, making each episode entertaining, thrilling and entertaining. I can't recall a single episode where I felt bored or felt the plot was dragging. The ending is satisfactory and realistic.
As a rule I don't rewatch dramas, because there are so many new ones out there that I want to watch, but I'll make an exception for this one and will rewatch it sometime in the future. That should tell you how much I loved this show.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I'll admit that there are certain minor things you will have to overlook (like characters recovering from brutal torture and whipping within a day or two), but once you do you will agree that this drama deserves a 10/10. Here are a couple of reasons why:
MIND-BLOWING ACTING SKILLS:
This hasn't happened for a long time, but I ended up developing a crush on Joo Won for his superb acting skills. His crying will make you cry, and his smile will put a smile on your face automatically. The scenes involving his mother and brother's deaths, and his torture were utterly gut-wrenching. Joo Won has given his soul to his character, and one rarely gets to see such dedication. He completely blew my mind. He definitely deserves the awards and accolades he got for this role.
Other actors such as Park Ki Woong (Shunji) and Han Chae Ah (Ueno Rie) were remarkable as well, and very very convincing. I don't even need to mention how good the senior actors were, because that goes without saying.
COMPLEX CHARACTERS:
This is what I always look for and don't always find; dynamic characters with complex inner lives, making them seem very real and human. Lee Kang To's inner struggle and tug-of-war with his Korean loyalty and his need to earn money for his family's survival, Shunji's conflicting thought processes when he must either pick being loyal to his Japanese roots or being compassionate to fellow human beings regardless of nationality, Ueno Rie's similar dilemmas and other examples are all what contribute toward the greatness of this drama. Characters make difficult choices, regret their actions, project their own faults onto others, delude themselves, break down, and pick themselves up.
HISTORICALLY MEANINGFUL AND ENGAGING STORY:
Set in the 1930s, the story charts Japan's imperial dominion over Korean peninsula and Korean people's rebellion against this imperialism. It touches historically sensitive topics such as the shipment of Korean comfort women to Japanese soldiers, and the sheer brutality that the Korean people faced. I learned that the story is an adaptation from a manhwa, and that makes so much sense because while watching I often felt that the drama was much like a manga. I always have a high opinion of manhwa adaptations.
WELL-EXECUTED PLOT:
Apart from a few minor hiccups that can easily be overlooked, the plot is well-executed. There were no glaring plot-holes, and the pacing was excellent, making each episode entertaining, thrilling and entertaining. I can't recall a single episode where I felt bored or felt the plot was dragging. The ending is satisfactory and realistic.
As a rule I don't rewatch dramas, because there are so many new ones out there that I want to watch, but I'll make an exception for this one and will rewatch it sometime in the future. That should tell you how much I loved this show.
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