Makjang done right

So, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had seen a bunch of edits on tiktok and when I tried watching episode one it felt very... cheap (im just being honest). It just felt like a very basic weekend (50 episodes) drama. So I basically gave up like 10 mins into the first episode. Idk what drove me to pick it back up but I'm so grateful that I did.

It may seem very makjang like but I began to love it. The cast was phenomenal and the story was just so fun and exhilarating.
I'd advise anyone who's looking for a short and sweet revenge drama to check this out. Because revenge is totally served in the end and it was very satisfying, especially seeing Yoo Ra's demise.

Speaking of characters...
One character I really disliked was the father. Yi Joo's father pissed me off. I hated how she was harsh on her mom but not harsh or disrespectful to him. He basically saw a child get abused for YEARS and did nothing. It shouldn't have to take him being her "real" dad for him to notice the wrongs and mistakes made over the decades. I hated how it was just brushed under the rug when everything came together. To me he was the worst villian in the story. Much much worse than Jungwook and Jung Hye. Because if he didn't provide Jung Hye with that much authority over the household then all the shit that took place wouldn't have happened.

Going off course...
ALL the dads were jerks. Because Do Guk and Jungwook's dad wasn't much better. He favoured Jungwook sooo much and hid all his wrong doings. He didn't even apologize to Do Guk for all the hurt he had to face. He is one of the factors that contributed to Jungwook being the way he is.
Moving on to the other dad... Yi Joo's grandfather. If he hadn't messed up his son's relationship and cut Yi Joo's mom off when she was pregnant none of what took place would've happened (again). So basically all the men in this drama except Do Guk, Sun Kwon and Jaeho were jerks. Everyone of them expect for those 3. And anyone who wants to say that you missed Jaewon, the cute Secretary guy..
NO, I DIDN'T. He was an ass to her when she was living in the future. He literally tried to frame her for everything then, because Jung Hye told him to. Yes, he had his own agenda and that may have been the best way to go about it but I don't forgive him. Even if he redeemed himself when she was transfered to the past. He wouldn't have helped her unless he benefited... which he did.

But anywho....
Yes, it'll be a journey and you'll start maybe disliking characters and feeling like ripping your hair out, as it is a makjang but it'll all come together.
Give it a try and you will not be disappointed.
So yea, that's just my tiny review. Nothing in depth or extensive
One of my fave of 2023. Totally on my top 10 list.

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Butterfly Effect

Talk about the butterfly effect.
I know everyone has written a review on how good the drama is and how the actors have embodied the roles. However, can we talk about just episode one.
Everything in Yi Jae life would have turned out much better in a sense if he hadn't witnessed that man's death. That one thing was what literally spiraled everything out of place. Because he became traumatised he messed up in the interview.
It was almost like a bad omen. Everything after that kept going wrong. And we can literally see that DEATH was gripping unto Yi Jae since that scene. The dying man's grip on his blazer was soooo strong and felt very ominous to me at least.
So yea, everything after that one encounter with death set up the events that occurred after.
Which had me thinking what if? What if he hadn't encountered death that day? What would've happened? So that was just something I found very very intriguing.

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Wtf did I just watch?

LR's sacrifice made no sense whatsoever. The dude had just found himself and happiness and then all of that was taken in a nanosecond. Why tf would you build such a beautiful character to just destroy him without a proper scene? His death was so short. Even NJA's friend had a drawn out death ( and she didn't even die) and you're telling me that the writer's couldn't have waited until Rang got to say his farewells? I'm not here to saw that Rang wasn't a POS at the beginning however, his character gradually grew into someone beautiful and selfless. Moving from Rang, why couldn't NJA be sacrificed? I mean...she'd be reincarnated either way. Why did so many innocent civilians have to die for LY's love? This brings me to the Granny, ummm....she was such a beautiful character until the writer's made her deviate from her strict laws and values. She didn’t save her OWN son, why would she save Yeon? I get that she doesn't want history to repeat itself but why did the writer's make her seem so strong and full of integrity if she was gonna throw all that away to save not only Yeon but Ji Ah, the girl she tried to kill two episodes back? Make that make sense to me please. I totally enjoyed the drama up until it started going into the two digit episodes and it can be a fun drama if you overlook all the loopholes and unexplained plot twists. By the way, what was that ending with Yeon? Did he lie about losing his powers? Or does he only get his powers back during the night? And how did Rang get reincarnated as his younger self who is around (9-11) if he died a few months back? I ain't no guardian for the underworld but i don't think that's how reincarnation works. Anywho, it's a fun fantasy drama to watch, very comedic. Awful ending but it was somewhat fun nonetheless. That's to me anyways.

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Mid Story-line with Great Actors?

Mid story with hella plot holes. I still can't get over CW (idrm the character's name, only the initials) dying in Ji Hyuk's flashback but then being alive in the present storyline. Idek if they addressed it. The back and forth memory loss thing was so draggy. Like yes, I get that's the premise of the drama but gosh. Namgoong Min's acting was as elite as ever. Never failed me before and never will.
The whole Sangmuhoe plotline was kinda shifty as well. There were like 6 different stories that were all intertwined which on a large scale makes sense if done CORRECTLY however that was the writer's downfall. They had all these storylines which made it difficult for them to keep track of and follow. Additionally, I spent the whole time trying to guess wbo the main villian was and when you find it out it was just meh. It wasn't exciting because the villain is exactly who you expected the villain to be. Yes, they tried to do a plot twist with Ji Hyuk being the one who killed his team mates but tbh I saw that coming a mile away.
Anywho, speaking of keeping track, I genuinely cannot name 5 of the characters. This was my first time watching and drama and not being able to list the main cast characters. There was soooo much happening that I was never able to slow down and build a relationship with any of them.
Going more in depth, Jae Yi's story with her dad was actually really touching and could've been a scene stealer if much focus was placed on their relationship. When we figured out who her father actually was and the story behind it all, it would've been really nice to be given flashback (seeing as the drama was literally built on going back in time to recall one's memories). The only really touching scene we get is in episode 12 when they're on the roof top after that bomb scare.
Another thing worth mentioning is Ji Hyuk's childhood. Why did Director Lee have the info regarding his parents death and kept it hidden for so long? He had trauma because of that incident and his trauma could've been relieved if even a tad bit of that information was shared much earlier. While we're on this topic... What was the purpose of his backstory? Like i get that it's to build a solid character and show that his trauma stems from something greater but looking at it his backstory was only shown like 3 times. There was not depth to it. So, that's that as well.
Finally, I just wanted to just say that the drama is a fun watch. Minus all the plotholes ofc. The action in this is one of the best I've seen in kdramas. It's literally on par with k-movie such as dare i say, Man from Nowhere. The hand to hand combat and the stunts that were pulled by NGM was top tier. The make up team did amazingly well, too.
So, if you're looking for action and want it mixed with a lot of CORRUPTION this would be best for you. Plus, you won't even have to look hard because the villians are literally right in front of you. So mid drama with elite acting.
7/10

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Perfect Marriage????

The drama was actually pretty fun in my opinion. Yes, it being a CDRAMA meant that there was a lot of filler scenes and unnecessary dialogue. Nonetheless, I really liked it.
The FL and ML had good chemistry and even though it was a "fake marriage" they were able to make it look so realistic. In other dramas I've seen that utilized the Contract Marriage trope the couples always found it difficult to hold hands, give smooches or just be in each others presence. This was the opposite in this drama. The leads hugged, they communicated and they actually started to fall in love while married.
The only thing I really hated was just how the antagonist and the FL boss was always there causing problems. Like obvi, that's the antagonists duty but it got highly frustrating at times.
The ending was also MID. The ending was what made me rate it so low too.

Give it a watch though and don't just take people's opinion for yourself.

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A Must Watch Drama

This drama is for someone who's in a desperate need for something...anything. I was in a drama block for about 2 months not being able to find anything to suit my taste. After desperately searching I came across Switch-Change the World |to be honest i had started the drama before but gave up because I didn't like the female lead| and i began to rewatch the drama from epi one and i fell in love and i warmed up to the female. The characters are amazing and the casting couldn't have been better. Anyways I'm not good at reviews but i had to write something for this drama as i just finished it a moment ago and in tears. So yea....go and give it a try and trust me if it seems boring or not like you at first give it 3 episodes |30 mins per epi| and trust me you'll fall in love trust me with either Sa Do Chan, Sung Doo or In Tae...who's to tell maybe even Manager Kim Hyun Wook.

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Do Kyung and his messed up family

Let me preface by saying, I am not trying to justify any of Do Kyung's actions. This is simply an analysis on his character. Yes, he's done bad things and should face the consequences. With that being said, I hate how his mental health is being handled in the drama. Not the way it's written per se but how a few characters handle it.

His Dad
Literally all of what Do Kyung is facing right now stemmed from how he was brought up. Having to be perfect at everything and putting on a facade for the cameras. His dad showed NO interest in him beyond his "offerings." An example being: "is he good enough to be my heir?,"is he good enough to commit such a crime?" He has also had to prove himself in his own family and that can cause a person's psyche to become altered and disrupted. His dad to me is also a victim and I'll expound later in Chairwoman Jo's paragraph. Him calling Do Kyung a monster is quite ironic as well. Who could've created such a monster, I wonder? Let me guys know if you ever come up with an answer.

His Mom
She's a victim as well. She's very submissive and lacks agency. Her helplessness and naivety is actually quite scary as this makes her a tool that the father can use at anytime. Her scene in the prison where she visited Do Kyung actually had me tearing up. That was what led me to even start writing this. Just her one statement, "You disobeyed your dad." That just showed how she herself can't do anything without approval from the dad. I don't even think she realizes the damage she's done to the poor child. Her also just moving on with her life after seeing her son breaking down infront of her just goes again to show how disconnected she really is. And even at the funeral, she looked like she had so much to say but she just wasn't able to. Her entire marriage all she's known is serving her husband and being a "good wife" of course nothing else will come before that. Not even her son.

Do Kyung
Do Kyung making such a choice is understandable to say the least. As someone who has struggled with mental health. Such a method has always been seen as the way out. Notice I didn't say easy. Because such a choice is NEVER easy. Poor guy wasn't even being treated while he was locked up in prison. Everyone putting the blame on him for EVERYTHING was so unnecessary and unfair as well. He was a jerk, evil and downright nasty but no one with mental health issues should be placed in such an environment. Especially without proper medication and care.

This is dedicated to the worst character of the show in MY OPINION.
His Doctor
Ohhhhh I was fuming when he called him a psycho. I was so annoyed. Do Kyung was a patient. He was actively seeking help in an environment that ostracized mental health issues. Yes, he may not have been the nicest, or taken his medication all the time but he was still trying. He was doing the best he could in an environment that wouldn't allow for much growth. And for someone who he was supposed to trust and tell his entire life to to say something like that was just downright nasty. No matter if he was a psycho or not. If the doctor had felt that he was a threat, then he should've reported him to the necessary authorities. Disrespecting a patient is never the right thing to do. I was so elated when Do Kyung beat his a** up. Leaped from my chair in joy.

Final Character
Chairwoman Jo
This is kinda hmmm. Like I think everything that we're seeing and all the characters in the Noh family all have their respective issues due to her. In a flashback we could see that she treated Suk Min similarly to how he treated Do Kyung. Talk about generational trauma. Of course Suk Min would've replicated what he was taught. In this specific scene she was talking about sending Suk Min to prison for a crime he had committed because he had gotten away with "too much." This literally shows that she had been sweeping all of his wrongs under the rug as she wanted someone picture perfect to take over her beloved company. Suk Min was never enough for her, similarly to how Do Kyung wasn't enough for him. She didn't care much for them.
I think that she saw an opportunity to right ALL her wrongs through Do Hee. Do Hee to her was a new slate. All the things she did with Suk Min and Su Ahn could've been "erased" by raising Do Hee in a less restrictive way. As she was able to do all this she decided to give Do Hee the company. I think that was very wrong. Of course Suk Min didn't create the company and it isn't "his" looking from it at a more Western perspective. As Chairwoman Jo built it from the ground up however, she had Suk Min training ALL his life with only one thought in mind. Him owning the company and carrying on her legacy. And for her to throw such a curve ball of course he'd be upset and pissed off. This is not me justifying all the rubbish he's done though. I'm just saying I would be very upset if I were in his position. As such, I think Chairwoman Jo is kinda the biggest villain in a sense. Because all these "monsters" were created through her training and teachings. Plus episode 12 ending kinda proved me right in a sense.


So that is that. My little two cents on a few characters and why I think Do Kyung isn't the biggest of villains. Poor kid needed love and that wasn't given to him. Still he was disgusting jerk but he needed love. If he was given that care and Affection maybe he would've been different. If Suk Min, his dad was given more love and care and approval maybe he would've been different as well.

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CULTURAL APPROPRIATION PRESENT

so no one's gonna talk about the dude wearing the dreadlocks? that's cultural appropriation and I'm a hundred percent sure that they have no understanding of what it signifies. If you wanna education yourself on this topic... search up the origins of dreadlocks and rastafarianism. It's crazy how when koreans or white people wear dreads they are considered beautiful and bold however, when us black people wear them they are considered "unprofessional" and "dirty". We looking past these simple yet huge things in dramas can lead to a greater damage. Please re-evaluate yourself if this dosen't affect you slightly.

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