This drama was such a mess. While the first half was still somewhat enjoyable and interesting, the rest of it went downhill nonstop. Compared to this I enjoyed “Man to Man” way more, and that one was already a nutcase.

So, where to start…
If you look at the basic story alone, it’s actually a quite interesting case. I was really curious about all the new revelations and how things were connected. But the writers messed up the whole concept of “keeping suspense”. There was none. And if this wasn’t enough already, it felt like they were going backwards with the thrill and make it even more boring.

First of all, there was the constant power struggle between the bad side characters. It was chaotic and obscure to a point where it reached the level of a sleeping pill. It made you unable to get interested in all the schemes they were weaving whenever it was needed. And what made it even more tiring was the acting in those cases. It had such a monotone tune without even one attempt to accelerate the intensity or change certain expressions in the characters to make them more dimensional. I would have been happy about some independent single cases to loosen that grey, depressing atmosphere of the drama and get the drama back to life.

Secondly, the main characters. Even though I liked that bit romance they had added to the story, I was not satisfied with the rest of their behavior. Choi Jin Hyuk did a good job with his acting, but I was not always fond of his character. I liked him during his private time when he was not working at some case. Those times he was enjoyable to watch. But whenever he was doing some prosecutor stuff, he got on my nerves because he was always picking a fight with his supervisor, was disobedient and got in trouble all the time.

Baek Jin Hee… I liked her so much in Missing 9, but here she’s rather a disappointment. Her acting was boring and could have been way more expressive. She looked like a wet puppy most times. At the same time her eyes seemed uninterested in the surroundings and the dialogues and it felt like there was a child doing some grown-up stuff (nooo, not what you guys think). Her character seemed out of place. She was timid and without any confidence. There was always someone who cut her short and she obediently let it happen. At times she was like a child and very stubborn when it came to her own case. Her approach to solve that one was in no way clever and the most ridiculous thing was that she and her team displayed the whole progress on a board in their office room for everyone to see.

Choi Min Soo… He was great. I liked his acting a lot and his character was seriously interesting. He made mistakes in the past and tried to hide them, it was never sure on what side he was on, but deep down you knew that he had some good will roots. Sometimes though, he was a bit exaggerating and acting too extreme. He was on the verge of the abusing his power towards his subordinates (most of all whenever he was angry with the female lead he invaded her personal space to a point where it should be called “harassing”). That was the only thing I hated about him.

I also like the veteran supporting actors, i.e. Kim Na Woon who played the mother of the female lead. Or Son Chang Min who was equally entertaining as Choi Min Soo. Also, Choi Woo Shik was a funny character as well. He was not without flaws and it was fun to see him trying to escape the “going up against my superiors”-road every time.

Also, the father of the female lead. I didn’t like the actor in “King of Baking”, but here he was very impressive, even though his screen-time was very short.

On the other hand I was not happy with the clothing of the females in this. Call me prude, but it was totally inappropriate for them to wear extremely short skirts and do the “I’m too sexy for this job”-dance.

Overall a drama with a good start and an interesting idea. But failed pacing without suspense, bad placed revealing of secrets and a consistently grayish atmosphere made the drama a tiring journey.

But most of all: Why the hell are people allowed to prosecute cases they are involved in themselves?! And then the ending… What was that?

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After having this in my cw list for almost 6 months now, I finally managed to finish this. That doesn't necessarily mean that it was boring. Quite the opposite, even though I still have my issues with some things.

If there's one thing the drama has in common with Italy, it's the fact that it ripes like a good wine. The start was okay but never knocked me off my socks, and therefore paused it for awhile. After some time I continued, and suddenly I was carried away by it. It's one of the few dramas that actually get better with the second half.

It's an old trope, trying to fight against a big corrupt company, revealing all the evil deeds, discover more corruption and so on. It's pretty exhausting, I don't even know why I always watch that stuff. It's no different with this one, yet I felt pretty entertained at the end. And that's because of this unique cast and very well written characters - not just one or two but a huge bunch of those. And because of the balance between good and evil. It was mostly 70/30 for the good ones, but the villains' counterattacks had deeper impacts, if only for a short while. I also loved those posing entries whenever Vincenzo's group was about to attack. I never felt more satisfied then watching their stunts being successful.

Managing such a large group of supportive characters is probably not that easy, but the drama still pulled it off somehow. And that without a detailed background story for everyone. There was always enough information of each of them to draw enough of a 3D image while the respective actors and actresses did the rest in bringing them to life. The result is a fantastic and highly entertaining side cast that carries a big part of the story. And I'm just talking about the residents Vincenzo gets aquainted with.

The villains in this experience slow but impressive character changes throughout the story - they either become darker or have a change of heart. Except for one. I don't mind that though because he was who he was, there was never a hint that he would change, and that was more than enough for me.

I don't think that everyone needs some kind of development whatsoever. If the character is written well enough, I only care whether he or she acts in-character, because that alone can be fun as hell if done right. For example the female lead. She does have some huge development jump in the early episodes after a certain incident, but after that she gets her stand and never budges. I must praise the actress here, because damn, she got the most natural performance I've seen in a long time. It was pure enjoyment watching her very being, her charisma was electrifying.

SJK aka Vincenzo... Well, well. I liked his performance, no question. He did a decent job and I enjoyed his scenes alot, and there are even one or two scenes which he played out quite impressively. But in the end I never felt a real Mafioso vibe around him. No matter how many seemingly cold-blooded, yet passionate scenes they put him into. I don't even blame the accent. I know it wasn't the best. Espescially since he played someone who grew up in Italy, it wasn't convincing. I don't speak the language but I'm quite familiar with it, so I hear the difference. But I never blame foreign accents in kdramas. I'm already pleased when I see that they try. I just think that his ~Italian aura lacked alot. It was missing density and didn't feel as intimidating as it should have.

Nevertheless, one of the few dramas, I enjoyed alot because the WHOLE cast was outstanding (excluding the few foreigners who appear one of two times).

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This drama was so disastrous that all its ridiculous elements became somewhat entertaining again. Somewhere along the way it seemed like it didn't take itself serious anymore.

First of all the drama went way too long. Even for people who'd marathon this, they would still forget the first half or feel like it's been ages since they watched the first couple of eps.

The biggest weakness is this really, REALLY flexible storyline. Depending on what was needed, it happened. Regardless of its realistic possibility or moral value, or topping one stupidity after another.

The more ridiculous it became, the more fun I had with the side characters. Their weird behavior was entertaining at times and drew in the focus while the leads lost a lot of importance.

The "best" part was how this drama turned into a makjang. And that actually made me stick with it, even though it was still way over the top. But in exchange some of the hidden side stories were really interesting. I was even willing to give this a 5.5, but then the finale happened and destroyed more of what I thought wasn't possible anymore. People who should be clever, quick-witted or whatever, became the opposite, got stupid and blindly followed a messed up script. Not to mention the result of Kim Jong Sam's falsely judged imprisonment.

I wouldn't recommend this, not in a million years.

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I don't even know where I should start praising.

Well, first of all the combination of zombies and Joseon dynasty was definitely worth while. Haven't seen that kind of drama before and also don't know of anything like this. They integrated your usual sageuk theme quite well into the zombie genre.

You can see that they had a high budget on this and it paid off. Of course, there's also the "Netflix"-touch (or let's call it the Western touch) to it. Scenes/editing/cinematography feel different. I mean, really good sageuks have this certain serious aura. This one as well, but it's still different. And yet, it maintains its historical Korean core: the conflict between politicians and the Royal family.

Do you know what's really satisfying in this drama? Whenever you get annoyed by corrupt characters in a sageuk, you'd almost pull out all of your hair, you want to punish them yourself and it takes an eternity until they get what they really deserve. But here you don't get bothered at all because you just know that there's a higher/stronger instance that doesn't care for Joseon politics and that defines a new order. Its pure existance threatens the whole system whether it's noblemen or peasants. And no one can escape.

The cast in this is simply amazing. I wouldn't expect less either. Here are stellar actors and actresses assembled, each of them doing a fantastic job. Maybe it's the editing but it feels like a whole new level... or a different level. It's hard to describe.

The only character I couldn't become comfortable with was the queen. I don't really think that the actress was the right choice for this. She was the weakest part of them all even though the character itself is actually quite important. She never warmed up to me. That's my only complaint about this.

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Way better than expected

First of all, the poster of this drama is totally misleading in my eyes (it was one reason why I hadn't started this already earlier). The Tale of Nokdu is not as happy as you might think.

I admit that I was pretty much turned off after watching the first episode. A lot of scenes felt a bit overdone, they tried too hard in building up tension, the comedy was not to my liking either and they didn't succeed in stirring my curiosity at all. I wondered why the drama had such a high rating. Jang Dong Joon's well done cross dressing and an MDL's friend's advise to be a bit more patient made me continue. Well, I'm glad I did.

The first half of the drama was kinda spinning in circles and the story didn't move forward. But the comedy got alot better, while the story gained ground and became steadier, so they didn't have to try so hard anymore in convincing me. And then after the first half it felt like a tornado went through and turned everything upside down. Everything suddenly became 100 per cent more serious. By that time I already developed a certain attachment for one or two people other than Nokdu.

As the story went further I got seriously invested in the side characters and their circumstances. Whether it was the king, who was intimidated by his own status while being overwhelmed by the fear of losing it, or the Muwoldan group, who had an honorable reason to fight but got tangled up by the higher-ups power struggle. Or Cha Yoel Moo with his unrequited love, always helpful, always patient and almost becoming a fool for playing the second fiddle at some point. There's more to him than one might expect though.

I started to care for all of them, whether they were good or bad. The story managed to show more than one side and therefore made their decisions somewhat more reasonable. Sides shifted, re-groupings took place and made me utterly eager and anxious at the same time, for I couldn't foresee the next steps.

I think Nokdu was the most pitiable person among them all. His sole existence put everyone around him in uncomfortable positions. He had no say in who he was, yet people started to assume things and used him for their own selfish desires. But he never gave up, he never let himself get down. I was extremely satisfied with how well he managed to pull through all those obstacles and always stood true to himself.

Nokdu's sword fighting skills were a pleasure to the eye, it was beautiful and deadly at the same time. He was exceedingly well trained. He never sought the battles out himself, so I was glad that he could defend himself like that. Confrontations like that were unavoidable on his path. But he never looked invincible either. When he was hurt, he wasn't able to fight that well three days later. When a group outnumbered him, he was bound to get hurt badly.

Though the romance was nothing special to me, it still managed to stir my emotions at the end. Dong Ju is the girl who wanted to take revenge and who's rock solid decision got shaken up by Nokdu. Well, I've seen more captivating ill-fated couples than this one, but I was not bothered either. I was fine with it because they didn't add baseless tearjerkers. And they had some really nice moments as well.

Nokdu's brother was the weakest piece in my opinion. They tried to explain his motivation but it never touched me enough to actually care for him.

Certain details of the finale were... unexpected but I still liked it. If I had one regret though, it would be a certain realization of the king and with that maybe a different outcome. I had anticipated it so much, that I felt a somewhat unpleasant letdown regarding that. But maybe that's just my selfishness.

So, if you feel the same as me before about starting this, I advise you to try it out. It's better than what it might look like ;)

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Despite its colorful poster the story itself was quite... sorrowful. Of course, the middle part that regards the "100 days" was a lot of fun and served many laughs. But those moments were always spiced with the right amount and with a sober sub-flavor. Nothing over the top, always in the right context.

Plus, acting was entertaining and praiseworthy as well. Esp. Do Kyung Soo who won over my heart with his performance. Kinda reminded me of Kim Soo Hyun and his portrayal of the Crown Prince/King in The Moon Embracing the Sun. But not as an imitation, he created his very own Crown Prince here. Without him the story would have been a lot less impressive and not as resonating. His character was the mainstray. (This might give me an idea for an article... )

That ending almost ruined the 9 that I intended to give since a while ago... Why? Because first of all they overdid the very thing I praised throughtout the whole drama: The comedy. And there were some characters left untouched as if they had been saints all along. Secondly, I just can't stand the excuse of an "ill-fated past" that keeps the protagonists apart. Like, are you writers serious? I wouldn't mind if it had been explained well. But here it felt like a lame and shallow try to prolong the inevitable, and was so NOT needed. So, 30 min of the drama were definitely a breach of style. Those few points made that heaviness they had built up during the whole story almost crumble.

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I'm sorry if someone feels offended because they actually liked this one. The basic idea was indeed a good one, but the whole execution/writing/concept was nonsensical.

The sceneries looked quite fake here and there and the lighting felt wrong. CGI was well done sometimes, and bad other times.

For a postapocalyptic environment they displayed not enough desperation of the people.

Without getting into too much detail, the backstory was too short (there was just too less explanation of everything), the introduction of the characters was almost nonexistent, which made it quite hard to get their motivations - just a bunch of stereotypes colliding - and the action scenes were all over the place. There were too many action scenes and even though the fighting itself looked good, the shaky cameras and blood/body parts flying everywhere turned it into a bad rollercoaster. A lot of "deaths" were totally exaggerated.

If they made the movie a bit longer, put more effort into the backstory and its characters and created a more logical rescue mission, this could have been an enjoyable movie.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but don't waste your time on this, guys.

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The story telling was always steady, the tension always only rose tiny bits without any big showdowns. The finale itself was calmer than I expected but still worthy and in the end fitting the overall vibe of the drama.

It's one of those dramas that lives from its characters as there were many multi-layered ones who drove the story forward and whose cast did really good in portraying them. It's rare that I don't look for flaws in at least one or two actors/actresses. I just enjoyed all of them, the leads, the second leads, the side characters, the villains.

I often have concerns when it comes to characters pretending to be the other gender. And even though I started doubtfully, Park Eun Bin convinced me otherwise. She did really well in portraying someone that had to hide her gender for years, starting to feel more comfortable in men's clothes and acting way tougher than one would expect, so that it would lead to a natural rough behavior. In the end I found it somewhat funny but totally fitting that in her developing relationship with the ML, she was the strong one while Jung Ji Woon was the softer counterpart. She took the initiatives while he followed. And he definitely cried more than her, lol. BUT he never felt unmanly or something. Rowon achieved a good balance between his character's soft side and his strong/brave moments. And he was a good equivalent to Park Eun Bin.

At some point in earlier episodes I started to wonder why she continued to pretend to be someone else, since it was such a toll on her. But later on I realized that everyone just wants to live. And don't always need an answer to everything. Sometimes things are just like that without any deep reason.

One thing I'd complain about would be the part where people from Ming were visiting. They hinted so much to another back story that I actually expected them to make use of that in later episodes but they never did, which is quite sad. I would have loved to see as to what that part might have led.

And the music... In my humble opinion, I thought it was too weak and didn't support important scenes well enough. But that's just me.

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A Pool of Delicacies

I think this was one of the most comfortable watches I've ever had.

It was a pleasure watching all the characters interact with each other. Everyone was unique. They differ so much from your usual drama stereotypes, that I was always excited to see what they were doing next. I never got frustrated about things and there was not one boring moment. Why? Because every character had an interesting approach towards their acting partners, whether it was the ML with the FL, or the ML with the SML, or the FL with the SFL or the SML with the SFL. Or with everyone else who showed up, for example, the FL's best friend/colleague or the secretary of the SFL. I was able to sit back and relax and wait for new fun moments.

Especially Ki Seon Gyeom. Im Shi Wan gave him such a special touch, that it feels difficult to see anyone else doing it. He's always so pure and looks innocent, but when it comes to face serious situations, he shows an unknown backbone and strength.

Shin Se Kyung. I know she's an either hate or love actress for many people. Well, let me tell you that she was lovely in this. Her acting was harmonious and well balanced with Im Shi Wan.

My secret favorite though was Kang Tae Oh (SML). Damn, that man. I'm in love. I've never seen someone as charming as him. I can't even describe how much I looked forward to his scenes. Whether it was with his love interest or Im Shi Wan or... well, anyone else. He was the light in every scene.

The sole a*** in this, the only one, you could possibly get angry with was the ML's father. Well, someone had to play the devil, right?

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8 is "good" and good means I liked it. 8.5 is "good +" or B+ which means I enjoyed it a bit more than "just" good. So yeah, this is definitely not a bad drama.

Having an airport as the main stage is a nice change of scenery. It felt refreshing to see how life of those workers looks like. Though the focus changed in the second half of the drama.

They tried to cover a lot of backstories with only small dialogues here and there which I liked that way. You don't always need a multi-paged essay about everyone and every connection/relationship people have. Sometimes dropping some words on the sidetrack will also inform you about the whole thing, so you don't have to complain about distractions.

I also appreciated that they displayed 3-dimensional side characters with the help of small side-stories which again were kept short. It made those characters more likable and got those actors some small time to shine as well.

The love story was really sweet and got even quite heartbreaking towards the end. The development was well done, it felt real and pure. And Chae Soo Bin and Lee Je Hoon... oh well, they nailed it. There was chemistry, there was magic between those two. Their intimate moments felt natural. That special charm between them made me so damn emotional at the end.

It was also nice to see familiar faces in smaller roles, for example Choi Won Young (I Remember You), Nam Da Reum (SFD and many more, this boy has just too many "younger version" roles, lol) and Park Hyuk Kwon (the make up and swords master of SFD :p).

Lee Dong Gun's role was the one I despised the most. I wanted to punch him so many times, my knuckles were itching all the time. Of course, k-dramaland had to give him some excuses for his behavior. But it didn't change the fact that Seo In Woo was one detestable fellow for me. But I guess he doesn't care much about my opinion.

As for the secret of the male lead... During earlier episodes I thought that it wasn't necessary to make it extra special for the drama because the normal version would have served enough story already and I didn't see the purpose behind the way they put it. But right after finishing I had to look that part up and get a bit smarter about it (I also misunderstood parts of that secret in the beginning). I came to the conclusion that it's alright. How they told that part of the story, why they chose to do it that way and that there is indeed not exactly a "normal" version of it in real life either. There are similar things but nothing would have worked for the path the writers had in their minds. Although I have to say that they shouldn't have bothered with that action finale. It was too much and the story would still have worked out fine. They did follow that certain thread right from the beginning, so it wouldn't alienate in the end. It was still unnecessary.

So, yeah, quite an enjoyable drama that tells its story slowly but without getting boring.

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Re-wording a saying to: "Live as if it's your first day."

I think that would be quite accurate.

This was such a lovely, heartwarming and captivating story. The poster doesn't give away a serious vibe. But when you get to know the story, it actually fits perfectly. It captures the tragic theme and still remains somewhat happy. The further you watch, the heavier it gets, and yet it doesn't weigh you down. Even though it makes your heart ache, it keeps its joyful atmosphere and spark of hope. The tragic that lies beneath only seeps in with small drops, and only at the end you feel its heavy scope while it wrenches your heart.

Amnesia is one of the most hated tropes in dramas, but Devilish Joy made it its main force. I'm not that much against memory loss in stories, but I admit that I was skeptical in the beginning. They tried to explain how it worked for the main lead, yet I didn't completely understood. And since I work in the medical field, it shreds my heart into pieces when they use words like "atrophy". It's as if you cross the ocean with a small boat and forget your paddles at the beach. Later on I could somewhat grasp a rough sketch of the big invisible "monster" without getting too many details that would might have confused me eventually. In the end though, it doesn't even matter if you know the smallest cogwheel because other more important things come to the fore.

So, despite my initial doubts, the story cast a spell over me. So much that I desperately wished for a wonder to come. The cast lashed out and comforted me at the same time. Most of it a big hug though.

The music, the side characters and most of all the main leads played a big harmonic part in the story and turned the drama into something precious. I'm glad the focus stayed on that one important relationship facing that illness. The leads were plain great here. Their acting felt very natural and nonchalant, their relationship felt mature and sensual, yet fragile.

Who would have thought that this drama became one of my absolute favorites. One of the better surprises in a long time. For the sake of a composed and touching story, it made me overlook tiny irregularities and small makjang elements.

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Man, how I had wished to give this a 10...
I mean this was such a great story, almost perfect. There actually didn't "happen" that much, if you look closely at it, but the interactions between each person were enough to keep you glued to the screen. I mean, every single character had a grounding of their own which let you connect with and like them to bits. I loved every single story. Gang Doo's sister and Moon Soo's boss kinda annoyed me though.

Of course, the most endearing and compelling part was Moon Soo's and Gang Doo's growth and their struggles to overcome their past. And how they completed each other, eventually. The actors were just... magnificent, especially Jun Ho (and I'm glad they never changed his hair style in this drama like they do in other ones, because.... damn his messy curls~).

I preferred the first part over the second one. The characters were steadier in their decisions and actions, and never budged. In the later episodes there were some things that looked like the writers didn't know how to push the story forward, so that they started to use old standard methods.

And this is also why I only gave a 9. Because the final plot twist rubbed me up the wrong way. It was totally unnecessary and felt like an emergency solution because (again) the writers had no idea how to wrap up the drama with a smooth and deserving ending. I mean I didn't even ask for an explosive finale at all. I would have been completely satisfied with a calm one, too, instead of this... dispensable add-on. Or they could have at least changed the reason for the last event.

The drama still deserves the 9 because of its many strengths, a well put together atmosphere, strong characters with noticeable development, and a significant background music, which all put together create a heart wrenching but also warm story. It's one of those dramas that will touch your heart in a special way and stay with you for a long time.

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Because this drama got me quite addicted, I completed this within two days.

The rating was pretty easy on this one even though I  thought about giving this a 9 even. But there were still some things  that bothered me, so 8.5 is pretty alright for this drama. Also, my  rating is partially biased by enjoyment. It would be way lower if I were  only judging in regards to writing, cleverness etc...

I think the best way to describe this drama would be "average makjang"...
Imagine  reading your favorite fanfiction packed with your favorite clichés. All  the things that are happening in the story have the only purpose of entertaining you and keep your excitement up. You don't even care whether all those incidents make sense or are possible in reality. One convenience/coincidence is hunting the other and timing of certain twists doesn't add up either.

But because you like it anyway,  you won't nitpick. That's how I felt about the story. The whole story was all over the place, started many twists in the beginning and worked through them one by one. Because it didn't really follow realism, everything was possible and every character seemed to be  capable of whatever was needed - because neither of them had a  conscience (and because the story needed them to act that way).

Even though I had temporary hair loss in the first half because the female lead kept making me angry with her trance-like attitude and visible discomfort regarding the situation she was in (if you agree to play a  role, you should play a role and don't make it obvious/show your real emotions on your face), she got alot better during the second half (even though her change was a one-eighty,  as if she had switched personalities). It still made me happy because  her scenes got more enjoyable and I loved listening to her conversations  with the male lead throughout the drama.

Therefore half of my whole enjoyment were indeed the leads. I've never seen either of them before  but they grew on me. Their acting had a warm aura and made me feel comfortable. They also had really good chemistry between each other. I  loved their skinship. It was not exposing but it was nice to watch, it delivered the right feelings and was very sensitive <3 (But dramas  already get me with a caressing gesture or a tight hug anyway :P)

Especially Jo Ji Hoon (the male lead) got me quite good during this show (probably his deep, relaxing voice played a part as well... seriously,  it was such a pleasant sound~). I don't think he's one of the prettiest guys out there but I liked his acting very much, it was warm and made me feel at home in the drama. He also had some really interesting, subtle nuances in his facial expressions that made his scenes very touching and unique. And his role was the most intriguing one. From all flawed characters, he was probably the most authentic one.

The  second leads had a quite dysfunctional relationship that was bad from the beginning and just got worse (I mean that in a positive and enjoyable way). I didn't really get their change of hearts in the last episodes, but well... The drama didn't care much for explainable developments from the start. I was also a bit disappointed that everything constantly resolved to whoever had the better evidence to blackmail and constant threatening (or the evil ones had a sudden enlightenment). I was also a little sad that they didn't clear another lose end that was mentioned in the early episodes...

But overall:
Pure satisfactory, superficial entertainment that I enjoyed a lot nonetheless~
The  charm of the older dramas, the simpler cinematographic touch, the  development of the romance, and even those ridiculous twists and turns.

And  did I say that there were also many scenes that surprised me because I  didn't think they would get me in a certain way? Throughout the drama,  there were always some pretty... striking moments regarding mood and other things.

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Man, now I really want to put on some red lipstick, too.

As expected I didn't quite get all the details after having that forced break from part I. But I remembered enough to get into the story again. Thank god.

And I still love the whole story. The concept, the storytelling, everything was well planned, well written and played out almost perfectly. I loved the methods the FL used to get her revenge, the people she approached, the way she made them dance at her tune and how everything was slowly unraveled. The characters were well crafted and every actor/actress did a great job with their performing, because it made the story so much more enjoyable.

I don't know why but the husband got some special attention from me. I just wanted to hug him all the time. At the same time he had a strong demeanour which attracted me quite alot, and it only slowly crumbled piece by piece. I really liked his encounters with the FL and it's a pity, that he didn't get more screentime. The only thing I couldn't agree with was his last act. That just didn't fit his character and would have been better to be left out.

The ML was also some interesting character. Being the headsman of the FL worked well despite his bright personality most of the time. Though I do think that the actor could have put some more darkness into his ego, make him more branded. The one thing I couldn't comprehend at all was the love story. It felt forced, I didn't feel the passion. Every bit of intimacy felt out of place, even though I liked the concept of them supporting and using each other.

Definitely something worth re-watching.

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Yet another review, I know... I just need a bit room to put down my thoughts about this drama that seems mainstream but holds some precious moments as well.

What I liked esp. in the beginning was that despite the story not being really deep or heavy, it does have basic approaches to trigger thoughts like what does it mean being "human"? How can you compare these things? Where stops the logic and where starts the "heart"? When can you call something an object and when a person (with that the character Seo Ye Na became quite the annoyance which lasted till the end). Is it right to treat something that looks, acts and "kind of feels" like a person, still like an object (is it right to treat it any way you want to)? What does it mean to love it? It's makes you think of those people that marry their dolls or cars or... whatever they feel bonded with. Who is the crazy one?

For a while the story follows a similar path as the movie "Bicentennial Man". So, you might get a clue of what will await you. The approach of a robot to understand human emotions? Trying to feel them, too? Nah, it's nothing new, but still a luring treat, right?

Just awhile ago, I wanted to say that Shin felt a bit too human sometimes. But then I remembered James Cameron's "Aliens" and the android character in it. Everyone thought he was human until... well, until it was accidentally revealed. Seo Kang Joon did a good job with portraying his character. Repeating certain habits that made you recognize him right away, i.e. the subtly awkward blinking or that stiff smile.

What I thought was scarier than a robot imitating a human, were the company projects. I mean with every new thing that is being developed for humans' safety and longer living and eventually avoiding death... Call me cruel, but I'm always thinking about global overpopulation and further consequences.

Even though this drama has a mainstream plot, it's still an enjoyable ride. I'm thankful that it stayed consistently good and didn't change between good and bad periods. The plot was predictable like certain details you anticipate to see on screen. It even surprises you sometimes. Most of characters' motivations are relatable and if they are not clear enough, it's due to the actor's good performance and his ability to stay grey until the right time comes. Yes, I'm talking about Lee Joon Hyuk. No matter the role, he keeps impressing me.

I'm a bit sad that they didn't explore the relationship between the real Shin and his secretary a bit more. There was so much telling within their acting in those rare moments, that it made me wish to know more about their past. And in the same breath it's a shame that they didn't show more of the real Shin's growing-up either.

Towards the end when a certain step within the story was reached, it became a bit TOO predictable and I kind of wished for another ending. The funny part is now, I actually wished for this ending regarding the basic concept. But because of HOW it happened, I would have been much happier about a different path. It just became TOO k-drama-like for my taste. The grand finale was well done regardless and a real tear-jerker. The characters grew on me so much that they turned me into a crybaby after all.

Yet there's one crucial point to be mentioned: The finale is constructed on a major plot hole. It makes me wonder if I'm the only one who noticed it or if it was just because I marathoned the drama and therefore didn't miss it.

The OST is really nice listening to, and fits the story well. And as being one of the newer dramas out there, this one also gets a place in the "visually beautiful" row.

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