Black (2017)

Elements of and potential to be a 9.5/10, but execution and complications make it a 7/10

I really enjoyed the story concept-- plenty of drama and detective/mystery content, a little romance, and a little supernatural. I also enjoyed our main characters (444 and Ha Ram) and thought the dynamic was decent, though as per usual I wanted more of their unique relationship...but it's also not strictly a romance sooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My biggest issue was identified pretty early on, which was the over-complication of the plot, which made following the story arduous at times and then just plain frustrating. I don't mind thick plots, or even thiccc ones, but this was way too all over the place for my taste. My second complaint is about the ending, and I'm not sure if this is a valid argument or if it's just my personal taste BUT I always feel cheated when dealing with time gaps at the end. In this case we get all that build-up in the last two episodes, very fast-paced, action and clue-catching, we're finally putting the puzzle together and I'm getting excited for either a tragic ending that begs for a sequel or a bittersweet one that tugs on the heart strings. Instead, we choose to erase all memory of 444/Han Moo Gang/Kim Joon, fast-forward literal decades to when Ha Ram is ancient and now dying and THEN we die happily ever after...meh :/

Essentially, I think the writers could have taken a different route, left the door open for a sequel, and rounded out the romance/mystery/supernatural aspects, which I think would have bumped up the ratings. But they didn't, and I still enjoyed everything on a whole, and would definitely recommend this drama....but probably wouldn't watch it again.

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Black (2017) - having seen the trailer on our local television network ABS-CBN before, with tagalog dubbed , I was quite curious why they get the drama, which usually they chose love stories/romance genre as the main genre. The trailer did not really have a big impact to me, but people around me keep recommending this one to me. I am not a fan of both leads especially Ara so there is no main reason for me to watch the drama. Since the theme of the drama is dark, and I like the genre that is not romance I did like it eventually. At first, I was not really into the special effects, I find it awkard and unbelievable but as it progress it gets better especially with the storyline and the actors/actresses did really well, I was hooked. I think the ending is satisfying, the questions were answered but I was still confused.

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I wish the story was better executed

I have to say that I really enjoy the story in the beginning, but somewhere a long the way, I start to notice some inconsistencies about the plot and uneven pacing. The last episode is just a disaster. I hear that it was supposed to have 20 episodes, but it’s been cut down to 16 and then they decide to extend it to 18, no wonder you could really feel the unevenness of the pacing in the last 4-5 episodes.

I love the messages they try to convey, that changing fate doesn’t always lead to a better ending, every decision we make have consequences and also that a single person lives have a lot of impact in this world, no matter how small or insignificant they think they are. Ha-Ram try to save everybody lives, even when they suppose to die, some times this bring happiness to a lot of people, other times, this lead to a lot of heartaches. We cannot play god, by changing fate as we like them. There are consequences for every decision we make. Some times we could see the consequences right away, but sometime it take years to be visible.

I love Kim Joon or Black, he’s character is well written, but I really wish they went for a different ending. It feels like a cop out, like they just don’t want the ending to be a sad one and force some unreasonable event to make it a happy ending. I really don’t understand what the director’s thinking by making him hide a really important fact from Ha-Ram, if he only say the truth, I’m sure they could come to an understanding. It’s probably not a happy ending, but I think it’s still a much better ending than the one we have. Why is most Korean movies that I have watched loves to hide the through for some inexplicable reason? I get that miscommunication is a really good way of developing plot and exploring character, but sometimes it’s just cannot be explained.

I think all the actors portray their role really well and the story does a good job in developing the character of most of them. A lot of the side character end up having quite an important part to play in the overarching story even when you think they are not connected to one another.

I really love the twist and turn in this story, but near the end, I think they put one too many. They try to be smarter than they are, making it a bit too much. But overall, I’m happy with this drama, if you exclude the last few episodes. I love the opening and ending songs. The music fit the tone and mood of the story.

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Black is a good grim reaper crime drama! At first, I was put off in the first ep by that (too long) slapstick hospital gown scene of Song Seung Heon (Black), and Go Ara's (Haram) hysterical plane scene. But after that things picked up, and it became a substantial riveting watch. (Warning, this drama contain triggering content like rape, suicide, and child prostitution, among others.)

Writer Choi Ran presents you this big puzzle, giving bits of clues here and there, slowly letting you earn and piece together a few at a time, and get a clearer picture with each episode. Even that early standalone episode about the 2 kids, ugh, I'm still bothered and outraged by it. If I have one hangup, she goes overboard with her twists, it's one too many for me. Twists keep things exciting but should still be reasonable within the story.

I was also initially misled by misconceptions about Song Seung Heon and Go Ara's acting. Yes, SSH may struggle a bit with melo scenes, and Go Ara can go overboard at times, but SSH really suited Black, he is the classic k-hero we love with a supernatural twist and oozing with charm. Black is that standoffish, arrogant, unfeeling Reaper 444, just collecting the souls of humans who just tragically died, without any pity at all.

It was such a delight to see his cold heart gradually melt, and it's not only because of Haram, that turning point when he saw the heartless way the husband and wife (who lost their kid in Mujin Mall collapse) were killed. He tried to keep distant but cannot stay as casual observer anymore. SSH also has good comedic chops, it was a hoot to watch Black trying to resist his growing empathy, and even falling for a measly human he used to look down on.

I wished SSH and Go Ara had more romantic chemistry though (Mr. Director, those are the most awkward kdrama kisses ever!), but I like how the OTP's friendship grew. Go Ara also surprised me, she has quiet crying moments that were heartfelt. But of course, this drama cannot escape that trope of the heroine putting herself in danger for others, and Black will be in trouble because of it. The supporting characters were also mutifaceted, memorable, and tragic.

Supernatural dramas are right up my alley, and I'm happy to say Black satisfied those buttons. Yes, it has less supernatural elements than more big budget grim reaper shows like Along with the Gods or Goblin. But the way Choi Ran presents the best and ugly, very ugly faces of humanity, it will touch and hurt you at the same time. The story and life lessons of Black, Haram, and their world will stay with me for awhile. As they should.

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Top notch narrative! Marred, if only by a little, by the infamous ending...

Black had an intricately woven plot with each plot point slowly unraveling the mystery in a manner possible only if the story was based upon the supernatural. The way the show was presented was some of the best tv I have watched among kdramas until now. Anyone contemplating about giving it a watch should go ahead and do so. Performances were top notch, especially Song Seung Hoon (ML) and Kim Won Hae (Crazy dog!). Music was apt for the atmosphere of the drama, but nothing game-changing (except maybe for the opening score). Special hats-off to the writer Ms. Choi Ran for thinking of such a uniquely entertaining concept! But my score of 9.5 stands because of the ending, and that too, the last 10 minutes or so (which I am choosing to ignore and consider my own personal ending as head-canon). In spite of that, the story stands strong and is definitely worth a watch.

P.S.: I watched the drama Mouse before Black, and I loved watching the scenes in Black where Mouse was referenced (fore-shadowed?) Can't believe the writer sat on that gem of a script for 3 long years! (Mouse is a hot favorite of mine!)

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Funny and Entertaining

Black was great. I though it was funny and entertaining with enjoyable characters. The only issue I really have is the ending. I feel as though thinking to hard about it makes it harder to understand and messes up the rest of the show. Despite that, Black is a great drama and totally worth watching. I liked the story and the characters. The plotline of Moogang and his brother was crazy and incredibly intriguing, one of the coolest plotlines I've seen. I thought Haram was a strong female lead. All in all, while Black is not my favorite drama, I still think it's great!

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Black is a great series but it has a lot of twists and turns. Every time you think you've figured something out in this series, there's a turn. You'll definitely be kept on your toes. That's one of things that made the series so great. Every time something new was learned, I became more and more interested.
There were a lot of suspenseful and serious moments in the story but they did a good job adding comedy in at the right times to lighten the mood.
The reason I didn't give Black a higher score is I did skip through parts when I was watching. I think there were some parts that weren't really necessary for the story. It could have been cut down an episode or two in my opinion.
I will say I was happy with the ending though. I know there were some people that thought it was worse towards the end but I think they ended everything well.
Overall it's a great watch!

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I personally think this drama chooses its audience because of the unique story line that the writer chose. If you're not into the mystery solving and critical thinking, I think this drama is not for you. This drama makes you think a lot especially when you reach episodes 15-18. It will really blow your mind once you get there. But before you get there, you'd feel bored, annoyed, confused, whatsoever. In my experience, I got bored while watching the middle episodes. I lost interest in watching the drama to be honest. But the first few episodes were good actually that's why I managed to cope up until episode 8. But starting from there, the progress went slow and it took me a long while to finish the drama.

As for the acting, I still don't like Go Ara's acting ever since I've watched her in Hwarang. I don't know if it's her character or what, but her facial expressions doesn't buy me. Instead, I was rooting for Lee El's character to end up with Seung Heon's character. That's one of the reasons why I disliked the middle episodes. After reading some reviews after the drama ended, I gained some encouragement again to continue watching the drama. True enough, the episodes 15-18 reveals everything. The plot twists were crazy, it really blew up my mind. That's when I realized that this drama chooses its audience because the flashbacks are real. You have to pay attention in all the details every episode because it will all connect at the end.

If there is an award for the Best Plot Twist, I would want Black to receive that award because the plot twist was really insane. You can never trust anyone that easily. Despite my annoyance with Go Ara's acting, I still give this show a 8.5/10 rewatch value because of the amazing story they got here.

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Bad direction

Even though having 18 episodes ,it had many plot holes and unanswered questions . Is ha ram , immortal , as she is half grim reaper ? Her other told she cannot be taken even by a grim reaper . Ha ram should have known the truth with her father , mother , moo gang and everything , the story should have been shaped after her knowing all this and how she reacts and live .. Does ha ram saving lives cause any future issue , like the old blind man told her ? The grim reaper side should have been shown and explored more .. Instead of confusing viewers , should have shown the past as first episode , so that the whole series would have a good base .

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I liked the dramatic opening. After a slow start in episodes 1 and 2 , where it was very unclear where this was leading, I found it riveting - as much for the characters as the mystery, plot and supernatural interest. I also liked the way it still managed to inject comic moments into what was basically a very dark story. I have rarely come across a story with so many twists. Just when you think all has been revealed another twist arrives. I am still not clear who was the ultimate villain. A very unexpected ending, nice but illogical in view of the fate outlined just before. I think the main (or perhaps only) reason I would re-watch a series is not for the story but from feeling for the characters - and this is high on my re-watch list for that reason. Highly recommended for anyone who likes supernatural mystery with some romantic interest without it completely dominating the drama.

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