The Devil (2023)

I'd say it was among the year's top dramas.

The twist in this drama continued until the very end; every episode was interesting. Just have patience during the first two episodes, where you would feel like it's slow or they have kept the main story in the background; the rest of the episodes would be just filler-type ghost cases solving, whereas this is not the case at all. After the first two episodes, there will be lots of twists and turns in the story, and it becomes more interesting and engaging after that. This drama can be watched not only by those who like horror stuff but also by those who like the crime and investigation genres.

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Humans are worse than ghosts, the moral of this drama

Revenant, starring Kim Tae-ri who is known for her acclaimed projects The Handmaiden, Mr. Sunshine, Twenty-Five Twenty-One and more, is a supernatural horror drama that questions wishes that comes with sacrifice.

Revenant’s supernatural chase has a beginning and hopefully an ending (that doesn’t end with many more deaths). The evil spirit that goes on possessing the characters is an outcome of inhumane cruelty and greed of the society which has to reap the seed it has sown. It is not just a tale about a supernatural mystery chase but a tale about regressive traditions, of unravelling the darkness that lies in being human, of denying the right to live.

Overall, the show is fast paced with thrilling and simultaneously terrifying scenes. The mystery lies in identifying the spirit while the spirit is aware of every step that one takes. And the stakes are high, especially when the professionals have been killed in the process. Needless to mention, the cast is doing a fantastic job especially Kim Tae-ri who changes into a different person in every episode.

My Rating : 9/10

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Impressive start to finish

Supernatural suspense crime thriller. I was engaged from the first episode through the last. It's not easy to sustain the tension for 12 hours but the screenwriter, Kim Eun Hee, and directors do just that. The reveals build as we follow two parallel investigations - secular police detectives and a supernatural expert - separately pursuing the 'culprit' behind a series of suspicious suicides. These two avenues collide frequently as they bump into the each other following various evidence and leads. The performance of Kim Tae Ri as the focus of the story deserves praise as exceptionally well done. Her character is both the protagonist and the antagonist.

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WOW !!!!

mba taeri gak usah diraguin si. aktingnya gila banget. terlalu bagus. aku langsung terpana. bikin penasaran tiap episode bikin pengen langsung lanjut ke eps berikutnya. kalo menurutku gak semenyeramkan itu si. ga ada yang terlalu gimana2. bagus banget. akting pemerannya juga bagus banget. ternyata bisa buat nangis juga. huhu. btw chemistry mbak taeri sm mas polisi bagus juga. kirain bakal berlayar taunya enggak heuheu. kalau di lihat dari jalan ceritanya seram si lebih ke terlalu kejam kenapa bisa ada kayak gitu. tapi semoga ini semua hanya karangan drama. ini kejadian nya kayak turun temurun gitu yaa

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Definitely worth watching

The only thing that stopped me from watching it in one go was because I had to go to work and make a living. The story telling is gripping and at 12 episodes, it packs enough meat that it never drags. The characters make you doubt your judgment; is someone really that good or bad, or is there something behind their facade? You will care about every one, including the minor characters. The acting is superb. It's a very satisfying show.

There is no romance, just hints here and there, and oh my, Oh Jung Sae, never thought I would ever be saying this, but you delivered one attractive ajusshi. At some point I was just hoping Hae Sang and San Yeong would get together. Of course, there's the young and bitter detective Hong Sae who never smiles, but I can see my younger teenage self crushing on him in high school. And then there's San Yeong who looks dishevelled most of the time. Kim Tae Ri really did well with this character; broken and cornered but still has a fighting spirit.

Overall, watch it. You won't regret.

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A must-watch for fans of horror and mystery !!

I'm not usually a fan of horror, but Revenant had me hooked from the first episode. The story follows a literature professor named San-yeong who begins to experience strange and terrifying visions after she inherits a memento from her father. As she tries to unravel the mystery of her visions, she finds herself drawn into a dark and dangerous world of demons and shamans.

What I loved most about Revenant was the way it blended elements of horror, mystery, and suspense. The show did a great job of building suspense and creating a sense of dread. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next.
The acting in Revenant was also top-notch. Kim Tae-ri gave a fantastic performance as San-yeong. She was able to convey San-yeong's fear, confusion, and determination in a way that was both believable and engaging.

Overall, Revenant was a refreshing and unique take on the horror genre. It's not your typical jump-scare fest. Instead, it's a slow-burning thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

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Humans are scarier than evil spirits

Fantastic drama! The storyline was so surreal and amazing, it will make you hooked on to your device until you finish it completely. But there are some drawbacks tho. For example, Sanyeong's mom was dumb and stupid till the very end, and I would say selfish too. She only thought about saving her daughter I agree, but in the process she endangered her. Her quest in saving her daughter was running away from every dire situation. She even concealed Sanyeong's father's family secrets and was acting like a lunatic everytime Sanyeong asked about it. She really pissed me off. Hongsae was a brat at first, but his senior's death changed him, and thank goodness for that, cuz I could not tolerate two annoying characters at the same time. He was greedy for promotion but later realised the real meaning of being a civil servant. Now coming to the evil spirit, Hyangi. Damn, she was a real tyrant, just because she wasn't loved by anybody. What I understood from her backstory was that, Hyangi didn't mind being poor, she wanted that happiness that was snatched from her by her own acts of selfishness and greed. When she said, "Why can't you love me?" to Sanyeong's mom, I felt her pain PHYSICALLY. Getting killed because of some psychopathic heiress of a business company wanted her husband's business to flourish, was seriously the most painful part, as Hyangi's teenage and the rest of her life was snatched from her without her knowing. That's why, humans are lot more scarier than evil spirits, and conclusively, this drama was super fantastic. Probably the best work of Kim Taeri.

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Kim Tae Ri does it again!

I'm reeling from the ending of this drama. I rarely post reviews of dramas anymore but here's the first one in 2023 that made me want to sit and type this out. This drama had times I was seriously creeped out, laughing, frustrated, lost and even sad. It's main theme is about greed and ultimately the price we pay for this deadly sin.

PLOT:
I didn't quite get the synopsis of the drama and even the first episode made little sense to me. What attracted me to it was Kim Tae Ri and the reason why I stuck around was much more than that. The plot is investigative, creepy and very complex. While once we get to the climax, everything makes sense a lot of times I doubted whether the writer even knew what they wanted to ultimately write about or how they would go about resolving this absolutely intricate plot. The backstories seem frustrating in the beginning but ultimately that was the favourite part of the plot for me.

CHARACTERS:
This is a character-driven story. What happens in it from the beginning to the end are all choices that characters are actively making. It also makes you question about morals, sacrifices and what ultimately humanity is. What I love about the drama is that ultimately it shows that human beings are selfish to the core and the price we pay for our actions. At the same time, it contrasts with the fact that we - as selfish and scheming we are, are also creatures longing for love and acceptance. Sometimes we make choices for love or desire or sometimes we are aimlessly chasing the material world and fail to recognize the beauty of life around us.

ACTING:
Not much to say here. Kim Tae Ri absolutely nailed her role and I also loved the supporting cast. The actresses in the flashbacks did wonderful jobs as well. However what holds the drama together is surely Kim Tae Ri's performance and I am proud of the diversity in the projects she picks for herself.

ENDING:
A rather simple but realistic ending. All's not always well even if it ends well. We still carry the pain and trauma we went through. We should be brave enough to carry on living rather than just surviving.

SPECIAL MENTION: I usually find knocking sounds quite scary and this drama just amplifies that. The props, set and the special effects were really impressive for a 12-episode drama.

OVERALL:
It's a must-watch. This drama goes beyond darkness and horror- it's ultimately about the story of humans and the way we live life. I must say it also says to appreciate the life we have and be more conscious of the way we continue to live in it. Kindness and peace goes a long way.

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Riveting and a Breath of Fresh Air!

Kim Tae Ri has done is again. She keeps proving what an excellent actress she is and I am enjoying all her projects. Revenant is a gripping thriller-horror series that is a must watch in 2023 if for no other reason then for Kim Tae Ri's performance.

The opening theme starts off with a strong and creepy vibe and the story is a slow build up of the suspense. However, the pacing is good as so much is happening in each episode. The ghostly visuals are really a unique take on horror in the form of shadows. So if you are faint of heart, this show is still enjoyable.

Folklore professor Haesang, Gu Sanyoung and officer Lee Hongsae work together to discover the identity and the mystery surrounding the evil spirit that has possessed Gu Sanyoung and is going on a murder spree. They are forced to try and solve the mystery through bits of information that Sanyoung's father left behind, along with other clues they slowly collect along the way starting with the 5 mysterious objects related to the evil spirit.

The story is captivating and the series has a high production value thus making is visually appealing. Most enjoyable was the chemistry between Hongsae and Sanyoung despite this not being a romance series as well as the final episode.

The final reveal of the spirit's story is done in the last 3 episodes. But with the evil spirit always aware of their actions, it's a race against time to get ahead.

With 12 episodes, this series is not difficult to binge. You'll enjoy every moment of it.

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The best drama in 2023

Watching this drama reminds me of the drama Pinocchio, even though it's a different genre, the plot of this drama has similar stages. This drama really has a very neat plot and minimal plot holes. With 12 episodes of this drama, it manages to present the plot in each episode very well. The story given in each episode has a very consistent quality and is not one-sided. This drama is very intense and gets more intense and gripping with each new episode.

The acting of the actors also deserves thumbs up. We have succeeded in getting into the story of each actor so that when these actors are in danger or even die, feelings of pain and sadness really feel as if we have known them for a long time. This drama is a horror genre, but I often cry when I'm watching this drama.

The message of this drama, which I think is very good. We can know that even though ghosts are evil, we can also see that humans can be even more evil than ghosts. Where greed is the real ghost. Greed is a trait that eats away at the human heart and turns it into a breathing ghost. This drama is very extraordinary depicting human greed for worldly things. Where all the problems in this drama are not born because of ghosts, but because of human greed. This drama also shows how dangerous it is if we can't love ourselves. How dangerous it is when we become people who hurt ourselves, blame, and hate ourselves. At least, among the many bad things and bad people in this world, don't let us become one of them. If the world is mean to us, at least we have to be good to ourselves.

I was really saddened by Sanyeong's character who suffered from the past, and how hard she lived all this time. How spacious her heart is to care for her mother who has severe trauma when she also has trauma. When she had been living not for himself, and when she wanted to live for himself suddenly she was diagnosed with a disease. I feel like I want to hug Sanyeong, wants me to tell him that all this time she has lived very well. I hope in the future she can walk on the flower path.

Actually, I'm one of Hongsae Sanyeong's team compared to Haesang Sanyeong. I don't know what the writer made, but for me from the beginning of the episode, I felt that Haesang was not someone who pursues worldly things. This is proven at the end of the episode by donating all of his family's assets to the community. So I think Haesang is not the typical person who wants to have a romance genre in his life. Not to mention that during my drama marathon, I avoided all spoilers, so I didn't know that this drama was divided into two teams. But my honest opinion looking at Haesang and Sanyeong, they both feel more like two unfortunate people who met each other. They both could feel feelings of sadness for each other that others couldn't easily feel. But the two don't depend on each other, more like when you fall, you will be relieved when you see other people also fall, then you laugh together. Well, at least we're not ashamed to be alone. That's how they both look to me.

Haesang is such a pitiful character, he is forced to pay for his entire extended family's sins. He seems to be forced to take responsibility for a sin he did not commit. But I think Haesang lives up to it. And another reason why I can't see Haesang and Sanyeong's relationship as romantic is that they both met because of a 'ghost' in common. Every time they met they only talked about ghosts, Haesang wasn't interested in Gu Sanyeong, but she was attracted by the evil spirit that clung to her body. Likewise, Sanyeong is not interested in Yeom Haesang, but he needs Haesang's help to get rid of the evil spirit from his body. From the beginning of the conversation, the two of them never discussed themselves with each other, they weren't too curious about each other's lives unless they had something to do with ghosts. So I feel their relationship is more like partners in crime. And that's interesting, I feel like this kind of platonic relationship must exist in the real world.

This is a little different from Hongsae, from the past, like Hongsae, he was amazed by Sanyeong, with her hardworking nature. Hongsae, who at first didn't really know Sanyeong, was able to distinguish the real Sanyeong and not at the end of the episode. We know that all this time apart from chasing evil spirits, Hongsae has also been paying attention to Sanyeong. Although I don't know if Sanyeong also feels the same way. But at the end of the episode, it can be seen that the two of them are talking about themselves, not about ghosts.

I think this is one of the hints that the two of them have started to open up to each other. When they started talking about themselves. I feel that Hongsae is interested in Sanyeong, but he appreciates Sanyeong who is still going through a hard time. I don't know what Sanyeong's feelings for Hongsae are like, but I can realize that Hongsae likes Sanyeong secretly. He doesn't need to have Sanyeong, he just wants to be someone who can take care of Sanyeong. I think this is a very interesting thing, where I can see pure love in dramas in the Horror genre. Hongsae knows that what Sanyeong needs right now isn't a lover, but serenity, so he always tries to be beside Sanyeong.

I feel this drama has a bittersweet ending. I'm sad for the character who died, but I'm also sad for the reason the spirit became an evil spirit. I can't explain how I felt when I finished watching this drama, I was relieved and happy but at the same time, I was also very sad and felt like crying. The writer really wrote this drama very well. I'm happy because the writer made this drama end with an open ending. Even though it's an open ending, all the problems in this drama have been resolved properly, so there's nothing that stands in the way of this drama. Everything is done, then we are left to our own imagination.

In my opinion, this is the best drama in 2023, the drama plot is very neat and has consistent quality in each episode. Minimal plot holes combine horror and mystery very well and are not too imaginative. It has a good story message, the story is also presented in a very interesting and not boring way. The acting of the actors is extraordinary and the feelings can be conveyed well to the audience.

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