Mouse (2021)

ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE

NOTE: Not an easy watch. Prepare yourself mentally before you start.

There is psychological thriller.
There is psychopathic thriller.
There is crime thriller.
There is murder mystery.
There is urban thriller.
There is science-fiction.
And there is dark genre.
Then there is Mouse which is the combination of all of the above.

MOUSE IS THE PERFECT THRILLER YOU'LL EVER WISH TO WITNESS.

As I said, MOUSE (마우스) is the combination of many genres, unlike other crime thrillers, where they either stick to unveiling only one case or they try solving several cases, Mouse had particularly one goal from the beginning but in later episodes, they introduced few other murder cases to fill in the blanks created by the basic event of story. So, the basic plot here is not exaggerated rather they introduced new events which worked like connecting plots in between to fit the ending goal.

Have you watched the Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Specy starer 1995 English movie SEVEN? Mouse is the exact opposite of that movie. The 7 serial murders were directly related Bible and the psychopath killed people because they were actual sinners acc to him in the movie. But in this drama, they altered the concept. The killer is killed "Innocent people" who were completely opposite of the 'seven deadly sins'. Plus, the intertwined the 'sins' with 7 different popular Korean tales (which were actually written on the basis of the 7 deadly sins of the Bible) meant for kids.

Standing ovation for CHOI RAN jakka-nim for this most intertwined and most confusing script that traumatized all of us to the core that we almost ended up in psychiatric hospitals. Twisting, turning, connecting, unveiling, revealing, utilizing, etc. everything has been done very well.
And at the same time, stirred up our emotions, obviously. Applause for the 2 brilliant PDnim-deul Choi Joon Bae and Kang Chul Woo for the outstanding direction which made the drama even more intriguing.

WE ARE THANKFUL TO YOU THREE PEOPLE.

ALSO, what an amazing cast! Each and everyone did a very good job at their respective characters though Jung Ba Reum (Lee Seung Gi) is the only one with a definitive character development. I am kind of disappointed that Oh Bong Yi (Park Joo Hyun) didn't have a development at all rather she turned even more childish but that's understandable given that she didn't even feel like a main character. Special mentions to Ko Moo Chi (Lee Hee Joon) for his acting skills. I hope he gets nominated as a supporting character next year and win them. Choi PD (Kyung Soo Jin)'s character was fierce too. In fact, in the finale she was the real MVP.

The FINALE episode isn't a super-dramatic one as 90% of us would expect it to be, but I assure you, it's a very satisfactory one. It was rather kept simple but I see the writer's intentions of pleasing the audience who have been traumatized all along the entire process. So, it's like a masterstroke played by her.

MOUSE IS A FREAKING MASTERPIECE. WATCH IT OR REGRET, TOTALLY UPON YOU.

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You are most likely going to get a stroke watching this.

If your planning to binge-watch this drama then good luck!! cuz calling this drama intense is an understatement. You are most likely going to get a stroke watching it. The story is very detailed with multiple things happening in one-time frame so at times it's even overwhelming to keep up with how fast this drama spans out. This drama basically is about uncovering the mentality of a psychopath, the topic is deep, and if your too empathetic you're most likely to end up feeling like a psychopath yourself at the end of the drama.
The drama focuses mainly on the mystery and chasing after a psychopath, so there is no romance to talk about. although at one point they give us a taste of romance it's taken away unceremoniously before we can even enjoy it.
And a friendly piece of advice, while watching this don't try to guess who the psychopath is from the beginning, because whoever you think it is is probably not the one, and even if you do, the story is not gonna unfold the way you think it will. This is one of those dramas where you can't predict what's going to happen next because each and every plot twist is more creative than the one before.
The acting, production, and quality of the drama are top-notch.

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An absolute masterpiece (for me at least)

I have been watching korean dramas for quite some time, a long time in fact. And I've been through almost all the eras, the CEO romance, the chaebol romance, the historical dramas, slice of life ones etc, and I have loved many. But when asked- what is your favorite k-drama, I could never bring myself to answer because I could just never narrow it down to one.
But this one. What do I even say? How do I even describe it? This drama picked me up slowly, it pulled me in like a venus fly trap and then it dropped me, it dropped me so hard not before shaking the bejeezus out of me. Every second in this drama had me in a flurry of emotions, to the point I started questioning them, I started questioning myself, my morals, everything I know and have known till now. This drama will grip you and you will start thinking like an actual killer. An actual psychopath. The acting was stunning it was superb, I wasn't expecting much tbh, as I'm not really a fan of Lee Seung Gi, but this drama just proved me wrong in so many ways, and I am seriously in love with his acting. (SPOILER) Yo Han, that poor sweetheart. I just want to hold him tight and just whisk him to somewhere far away and never let him go. He Did NOT deserve all that he went through, he deserved the world, something he never got (SPOILER). This drama will be the first and hopefully not last to receive a 10 star from me.
We're nearing to the end- just one more episode left and I am truly not ready to let go, 2021 has been THE year for psychological, crime dramas and I am loving every second of it. I really hope this convinced you to watch Mouse.

Monsters and evil are not born, they are made. They are made evil, made into monsters by the ignorant society, their loved ones and their own family. Inside all of us is a monster birthed by the people and society around us. We are all lab mice being tested by them, and once that monster lying dormant inside us springs out, they will shun and throw us away.
We are all mouse and we are all capable of doing great evil and destruction.
We often blame the devil for the wrongs that we do, but is he really at fault?
In Dante's work, the Princes of Hell bring out the sinful desires of man. Desires they already had, and that's how chaos ensued.
So tell me, who exactly is at fault here?

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MASTERPIECE? MY ASS

Mouse is absolute Flop for me! I finished this drama without dropping so where's my award? I deserve it, there's no reason other than Yohan's justice for me to continue watching this never ending drama, finally it ended ✋🙄 those stupid special Episodes were so annoying. I loved the drama till ep 6-8? Well before they did brain transplant and killed my love. Istg I even re watched ep 1-4 while it was airing because I was so into the theories but they had to ruin the whole thing. My main problem is that I couldn't love main leads at all, I loved Yohan only because his character was the best thing they did 😭 he was the only one who used his brain while others are just plain dumb and I couldn't like at all. I wouldn't even mind killing them all here lmaoo I just don't care. And the "love story" between the main leads was not a good move, from beginning I was like bitch foucs on your studies you are still high schooler and stop being so annoying.

The whole oz makes no sense to me, like wtf they passed the law? Are they high or what and still no one complaining and giving this 10/10? This drama has way too many plot holes and they just dragged it too much. Also the plot twist are just so boring and no surprise. We predicted so much of it already. I was just so bored. All I can say is I expected so much from this drama but it went downhill so fast. Also if I told anyone to watch this drama when I was at ep 1-4, please forgive me and if you wanna watch then just don't. It's waste of your time

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Lee seung gi 's Dark intense thrilling series

The best psychological thriller with detail explanation without any chance of typical clichés.
Cinematography, writing ,direction and music are on point.
Writing was just perfect without any deviation they are giving every single detail and every character is connected not only the main leads even a supporting character is connected with lee seung gi.
This is a next level drama which raised the bar for psychological crime thrillers.
Lee seung gi and other leads actors did a fabulous job without any predictability.
This drama is not a typical kdrama with routine twists and plot.
This is entirely a thrilling ride
thanks to lee seung gi for doing this kind of next level QUALITY DRAMA.

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INCREDIBLE TWIST!

I really enjoyed watching all episodes and can't wait for episode 20. The story is unique. Not your typical crime series. It will activate the detective in you, lol. You will find yourself thinking about it after watching each episode. Trying to guess the story behind each situation, reasoning in your mind why did it happened and what could happened. In short, it will blow your mind away! Luckily, I'm that type who wants series like this. If you're planning to watch this, pay attention to every details cause if you don't, you will just get confused like the ones who wrote bad reviews here, lol. If you're the type who's watching while scrolling on your cellphone, forget watching this. This needs your full attention. I even rewind it on some scenes I want to fully understand. This is the only way that you will get to appreciate this kind of series. One last thing, the actors are very great. Lee Seung Gi played with my emotions. You really are a versatile actor. Whatever happens in the ending, I won't regret that I watched this.

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a once in a lifetime drama!

i never expected myself to be as invested in a drama as it happened with mouse. Maybe it helped that i started watching it with zero spoiler and zero expectations when only few episodes aired. Thus i could enjoy the drama at the fullest, Now its being really hard for me to move on!
From the very first scene from the very first episode, i was hooked and very much ready to sign up for the whole journey that was coming.And yes it did not dissapoint and went far far beyond my expectations.I was in complete awe of the brillance of this show,its writing,its acting and everything in between!A special shutout to the the writer, Choi Ran for coming up with such an unique,unprecedented concept which was able to be executed to the utter level of briliance thanks to the showrunners.
No word are enough to praise Lee seung gi,undoubtedly the captain of the ship! When his peers are busy being typecast in repetitive roles,he took a risk at the peak of his career and turned it into the performance of a lifetime! I hope he achieves unparalleled success in the coming days and without any doubt,he will.The other cast- Lee hee joon, Park ju hyun,Kyung sujin were brilliant as well.A+performance from each of the cast members and they deserve every praise in the world!
In conclusion, MOUSE is a drama that comes once in a while and should be celebrated with pomp and grandeur every once in a while!

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The best way to describe this is ‘engaging’

This is not a show that is extremely realistic or logical, however it makes you think a lot right until the end. Each episode is thought provoking, interesting and delivers right in terms of emotions.

Our main characters are not ‘good’ humans at all times, but one can empathise with each at different points. However the two leading men, Lee Seung Gi and Lee Hee Joon steal the show in their own ways.

Even the support cast add a lot to the show and no character feels unnecessary. They even try their best to tie up all plot lines toward the end and in its 20 episode run no episode feels like a filler.

The drama has a different feel after it’s halfway run and that turn might not sit well with all, however one can’t deny it doesn’t make it less interesting. Once you tune in to watch the first episode, you’ll surely be hooked and enjoy the ride!

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The gift that keeps on giving

This is literally not only the best k drama that I have ever seen, but also the best series.
It made you think and took to to all sorts of places. I don't want to give out any spoilers, but if you haven't watched it, you haven't lived!! Brilliant acting from Lee Hee Jun and Lee Seung Gi, brilliant script and writing and of course the direction.
I would recommend that you take notes though because I had to!!!
It's dark, dangerous and atmospheric- I was really impressed by Lee Seung Gi's acting- and I am really looking forward to his next acting project after this because I did not know that he could do that!! Good move to pick such an unconventional role- it really sets him apart from his peers.

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This review is more to vent and appreciate all the aspects of the drama for my own purpose

From the beginning till the end I was hooked. like a fish out of water, each episode was like oxygen I needed. I could not stop and I would have binged the whole 20 episodes in one go if the normal human body allowed it but useless instincts took over at times. Pathetic human bodies am I right?

In the beginning, I was doubtful. The first 2 to 3 episodes were a clash of scenes and characters. Random killers and families and pregnant women. For me honestly, it was like an information overload. I still loved it though, no doubt there. As that random person on Rick and Morty said, "this information will be important later." Now, the story sticks to its plot of 'what if psychopaths' genes could be detected before they were born. A creative idea worth exploring. The plot is interesting and the avenues they explored to showcase the pros and cons of such an unrealistic idea were entertaining. I say unrealistic because let's face it, as someone in the science department the number of flaws, ethical regulations, and whatnot even pertaining to this idea is insurmountable. But lets not get into the semantics of science.

This drama revolves around the consequences one single step can induce. Every single episode was a whirlwind of emotions and questions that really made me think more about the moral obligations we face every day. In terms of pacing, the drama deserves a 9/10. Simply because I believe they could have wrapped it up nicely in 16 episodes. At some points I found the dialogue to be tedious and some scenes to be unnecessary. Like that scene where Seung Gi stands in front of the cross and declares that he's diety. I realize that that scene might be the ultimate act of sinning; the act that showed how monstrous he is but DAMN the number of times I had to see that scene nearly made me want to punch a wall.

The storyline cleverly shows us two halves of the same story and at the first half, you see scenes that make you think you've figured out everything but then comes the revelations, and when you finally understand you've been duped, by then you can only appreciate how they've managed to hook you line and sinker, even though half of it is a lie. As the story unweaves itself you realize that the information, in the beginning, was indeed important for later. Scenes that make you go "ahhh" and "ohhh" and *gasp* are my favorite scenes and there was a surplus of this in the drama.

In the end, this drama left me feeling emotionally drained in a satisfying kind of way. Not every character got the ending they wanted but in my eyes, it was the ending they needed. The only ending I feel conflicted about was *cue gasp* Lee Seung Gi. Yep, I said it. Why? okay so hear me out, he was a psychopathic killer I agree but this was before his brain transplant. Prior to his transformation, he put on an act. To the normal eye, he was an adorable, kind of air-headed, and a naive young officer who was a goody-two-shoes who was actually a psycho serial killer. Okay. Now after the transplant, he developed emotions right? and the kind act he put on actually became his persona. He came to believe his act and that in turn became his memories. This brings me to the question, is he the same person as he was one year ago? No.

Just like that question where if we replaced all the old planks of an antique ship with new planks, would it still be the same old ship or would it be a new ship? The planks in this case are his memories. I might be going way off course here but imagine if something like this did actually happen and the killer never regained his memories of being psychotic. If he was judged, you would have to judge the person he was before the incident. This new person has no recollection and hence would hold no accountability in my opinion. Of course in reality, the said person would be convicted of his crimes nonetheless but it still got me thinking and in turn, I had conflicted emotions. I do not disagree with the end Seung Gi met. Looking at it from a logical point he has to be held accountable for his actions and rightly so. I disagree with the ending the non-psychopathic Seung Gi met.

Every character in the drama was complex and important. Except for the two useless detectives. Sheesh, sometimes the police were so useless istg. The acting was top-notch and the soundtrack was grade A.

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Astonishing thriller story with incredible plot twists

First of all I gave the rewatch value only 7 because I personally think It would be a boring thing watching it again because you know all the incredible plot twists. In many reviews about mouse some people thinks there is some unwanted scenes. I completely disagree because you need to see and understand every little details to enjoy the full story. Mouse has than more twists than it's episode number. Just kidding. But it's true that there is some amazing plot twists. Some of them were completely unthinkable and some of them were I think it could be guessed? Mouse is a drama that will keep you at the edge of your seat until it ends. Every episode ends at a certain point that you can call cliffhanger. Each episode ending is so unexpected. Undoubtedly it is one of the best dramas I have seen. This is an absolute masterpiece for me. If you are thinking about watching it then do yourself a favor and watch it. You will not regret it.
I think mouse deserves more fame & popularity. Every thriller lover should watch this at least once in their life. Those who look for romance in every drama. Mouse is not for them.

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