elle
One of the best dramas all-time, a k-drama veteran verified thriller masterpiece!
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OVERALL
I really enjoyed this drama, i think that any other thriller fan will enjoy it the same. If you're someone that has begun watching the drama but the earlier episodes don't suit your taste, just hold on as it changes as time passes. It gradually picks up pace as the drama goes on. This is definitely a must watch and probably one of the best k-dramas.
STORY
As a person who immerses themselves in various cinematic and dramatic media, I would say that I am somewhat hard to please. I tend to find myself being very critical towards any type of content I engage with. Having said that, I loved this drama. I have watched many thriller k-dramas and "Blood Free" (BF) takes a place amongst the top ranks. I've seen many people mention that the drama was quite slow especially in the early episodes. However, I felt that I was enticed from the first episode itself. The first episode was almost too uncomfortable to watch and it was gruesome but it was that explicitness that conveyed the emotions in their message of advocacy. I do have a very small attention span and I get bored quite easily, even-still I was fully engrossed in the drama. In my opinion the drama was well paced. The more I watched, the more I wanted to watch. From scene to scene, the story kept me on edge, waiting to see what would happen next.
The concept such as of BF's feels very new and novel. There have been many before BF that have had their attempts at creating an advanced world in the near future and most have failed in their execution. BF did very well in executing a large combination of elements: medical, sci-fi, thriller, power-play, and drama.
With all the appreciation that I have for BF, I don't think that it was completely perfect. The earlier episodes took a path of storytelling where advocacy for environmental protection was tightly intertwined in the dramatic elements. However, mid-series that advocation aspect disappeared and it began more of a typical (still well written) power struggle. I would have appreciated the drama keeping its consistency and bringing in a stronger element of advocacy into their storytelling. That would have kept this series unique throughout. There were other loopholes that I had noticed while watching the drama but they aren't gaps that most would notice on their first watch.
The characters were all very interesting but I wished that there was character building that was done, somehow their backgrounds and foundations felt incomplete. This could be the writers intentionally keeping information in order to reveal them in a later season. However, the characters felt slightly surface level. I loved the main character (the female lead - FL). I thought that her personality and mannerisms were quite unique and interesting. I hadn't come across many FLs like that, she was different in a good way.
The drama left so many unanswered questions that it practically requires a second season. I am very excited for this new season that hasn't even been announced yet!
ACTING & CAST
The casting choices were on point. It was the cast that elevated this series from average to exemplary. The phenomenal acting by the cast brought the story together. From mannerisms to speech, it felt that the cast had truly embodied their characters. Han Hyo-Joo and Ju Ji-Hoon rightfully stole the show as the main characters. Ju Ji-Hoon exuded a mature aura to him. He was the textbook definition of a hot bodyguard. Han Hyo-Joo played a more complex role, Hyo-Joo had lived her character in even the smallest mannerisms.
To me, Han Hyo-Joo stole the show with her acting skills. She truly proved herself as a versatile actress. Ju Ji-Hoon is talented in picking characters and dramas that suit his style of acting, he delivers every role with perfection. Over time, I have felt that the characters that her employs are all quite similar at their base. That does not change the fact that he plays his roles phenomenally or that he is most definitely one of the top actors out there.
When it comes to Han Hyo-Joo I truly feel that she is underrated. She is very popular and well known but she still deserves even more recognition. She has played roles which are vastly different to each other. Spunky and sassy characters, cute and lovable characters, badass and strong characters, Strict and model characters, adventurous characters, played mothers and daughters, physically fit to intelligent geniuses... she has acted it all. She deserves more global recognition for her talents.
CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITING
Honestly, i didn't love the editing and cinematography. There was this specific cut where it's a tour through the hallways of the BF company building in a spiral motion and it felt so out of place to me, it did not match the serious and warmer undertones of the drama. The colour grading was good, but i felt the cinematography could have definitely been better. If it was better, the drama would have been even more exceptional. Even though I say this, the cinematography wasn't horrible or even bad, it was good - better than most.
Thank you for reading my review!! <333
o(>.<)o
OVERALL
I really enjoyed this drama, i think that any other thriller fan will enjoy it the same. If you're someone that has begun watching the drama but the earlier episodes don't suit your taste, just hold on as it changes as time passes. It gradually picks up pace as the drama goes on. This is definitely a must watch and probably one of the best k-dramas.
STORY
As a person who immerses themselves in various cinematic and dramatic media, I would say that I am somewhat hard to please. I tend to find myself being very critical towards any type of content I engage with. Having said that, I loved this drama. I have watched many thriller k-dramas and "Blood Free" (BF) takes a place amongst the top ranks. I've seen many people mention that the drama was quite slow especially in the early episodes. However, I felt that I was enticed from the first episode itself. The first episode was almost too uncomfortable to watch and it was gruesome but it was that explicitness that conveyed the emotions in their message of advocacy. I do have a very small attention span and I get bored quite easily, even-still I was fully engrossed in the drama. In my opinion the drama was well paced. The more I watched, the more I wanted to watch. From scene to scene, the story kept me on edge, waiting to see what would happen next.
The concept such as of BF's feels very new and novel. There have been many before BF that have had their attempts at creating an advanced world in the near future and most have failed in their execution. BF did very well in executing a large combination of elements: medical, sci-fi, thriller, power-play, and drama.
With all the appreciation that I have for BF, I don't think that it was completely perfect. The earlier episodes took a path of storytelling where advocacy for environmental protection was tightly intertwined in the dramatic elements. However, mid-series that advocation aspect disappeared and it began more of a typical (still well written) power struggle. I would have appreciated the drama keeping its consistency and bringing in a stronger element of advocacy into their storytelling. That would have kept this series unique throughout. There were other loopholes that I had noticed while watching the drama but they aren't gaps that most would notice on their first watch.
The characters were all very interesting but I wished that there was character building that was done, somehow their backgrounds and foundations felt incomplete. This could be the writers intentionally keeping information in order to reveal them in a later season. However, the characters felt slightly surface level. I loved the main character (the female lead - FL). I thought that her personality and mannerisms were quite unique and interesting. I hadn't come across many FLs like that, she was different in a good way.
The drama left so many unanswered questions that it practically requires a second season. I am very excited for this new season that hasn't even been announced yet!
ACTING & CAST
The casting choices were on point. It was the cast that elevated this series from average to exemplary. The phenomenal acting by the cast brought the story together. From mannerisms to speech, it felt that the cast had truly embodied their characters. Han Hyo-Joo and Ju Ji-Hoon rightfully stole the show as the main characters. Ju Ji-Hoon exuded a mature aura to him. He was the textbook definition of a hot bodyguard. Han Hyo-Joo played a more complex role, Hyo-Joo had lived her character in even the smallest mannerisms.
To me, Han Hyo-Joo stole the show with her acting skills. She truly proved herself as a versatile actress. Ju Ji-Hoon is talented in picking characters and dramas that suit his style of acting, he delivers every role with perfection. Over time, I have felt that the characters that her employs are all quite similar at their base. That does not change the fact that he plays his roles phenomenally or that he is most definitely one of the top actors out there.
When it comes to Han Hyo-Joo I truly feel that she is underrated. She is very popular and well known but she still deserves even more recognition. She has played roles which are vastly different to each other. Spunky and sassy characters, cute and lovable characters, badass and strong characters, Strict and model characters, adventurous characters, played mothers and daughters, physically fit to intelligent geniuses... she has acted it all. She deserves more global recognition for her talents.
CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITING
Honestly, i didn't love the editing and cinematography. There was this specific cut where it's a tour through the hallways of the BF company building in a spiral motion and it felt so out of place to me, it did not match the serious and warmer undertones of the drama. The colour grading was good, but i felt the cinematography could have definitely been better. If it was better, the drama would have been even more exceptional. Even though I say this, the cinematography wasn't horrible or even bad, it was good - better than most.
Thank you for reading my review!! <333
o(>.<)o
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