lost its charm at some point but still enjoyable

when I first started this drama I was SO HOOKED, I couldn't wait to watch the next episode. Survival shows are really my thing and aib's concept is very intriguing and gets you on board immediately, also all the characters I'd seen so far (up until ep3-4) were likeable and had something to offer to the story and to their team.
The thing that made me lose my initial excitement though was *SPOILERS* the death of 3/4 of our main characters in only the THIRD EPISODE. Those 4 were the characters we've been following from the beginning as we were still only getting introduced to others ( like usagi & chishiya) so , naturally, I was shocked to see almost all of them get killed off so early and all at the same time.
Despite my disappointment I kept watching and even though I never truly got my initial excitement back, I was able to enjoy the drama for what it was. The games are really fun to watch and I think they should be the focus of the show instead of all the beach drama.(which was still okay because of some new interesting characters)
Overall I would recommend this show to action/dystopia lovers because it's still entertaining and it's universe and concept are extremely intriguing. If they had went a different direction after ep3 this would have been easily in my top 5. Will be tuning in for season 2!!

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My beloved drama couple<3

The main characters have very clear characterization and motivations, making them feel more human and thus made me feel more invested in their relationship and their well-being. I loved how they worked as each others'foils and how crazy fun the flashbacks of their relationship were. ( I rewatch these scenes twice a month💀). The second lead was likeable enough but wasn't as compelling to have that much screen time, same goes for nj.
The two best friends were adorable, I liked them as much as the main leads!!
The only thing I'd change in the drama( which I think would fix every problem) is the length of it. Had it been 4 episodes shorter, the story would have played out faster, cutting filler/dragged out/ repetitive scenes .
Overall a great feelgood romcom with really well written characters and lots of entertaining moments! It will always have a special place in my heart

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Wish it was longer

Im fully aware that there's a second season, so my headline doesn't make a lot of sense, but i don't think I'll be able to watch s2 after the cast changes, it's too distracting to me.
With that being said, lets get into the review:
The first episode, at the beginning at least, didn't excite me as, I felt like the girls all represented a female stereotype and were kind of annoying. Having watched the show now, I realize that the choice of stereotypical characters was intentional because every girl's personality gets expanded and the stereotypes the represent are there to be deconstructed for the most part.
All the girls feel very human, they're not perfect by any chance but they seem like real people that form a genuine friendship that, ngl became my favorite part of the show.
The drama is very easy to watch, slice of life tends to get called boring by many( sometimes im one of them) but in this case its done really well and never makes me skip any scenes.
My biggest 'complain' if you can call it that, is the stort runtime of the show that left me with a gap in my heart and rushed the progress of some storylines. The romantic arcs are the ones that suffered the most from this so they all kind of fell flat in my opinion, but it's nothing too jarring considering they don't take up a big amount of screentime. Some more important storylines also got a faster resolution than expected due to the short time, like Yina's arc but i won't spoil it for you.
The mystery aspect of the show is not quite what i expected and im glad for that, because I truly don't think a Sherlock holmes-esque mystery would be a suitable fit for this drama. I liked how they embroidered the mystery aspect into 2 of the girls' backstories and showed how these experiences shaped them the way they did. I'm also glad that the ghost thing is not that apparent and that it represents each girl's own struggles and things that ' haunt ' them.

The ost was quite memorable and catchy, which i find very unusual considering the songs rarely stick with me. I'll admit its a little out of place sometimes though, like we have a gut wrenching scene one moment and then the happy go lucky song lmao

Anyways totally recommend it, its a very simple and sweet watch!!!

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A great season( fight me!)

I seem to be in the minority here, but i fervently believe that this was an improvement compared to the last season.
Season one was entertaining enough and the concept was really good but I felt as though it didn't quite tap into its potential (The games were not that interesting and not that many and there was a pacing issue imo).
Season two was packed with very dynamic action and fight scenes and a plethora of very fun games that had me at the edge of my seat. Its been a while since I had so much fun watching a show/drama!
I also liked the characters much more this time around, they had more time to develop and they all grew on me ( with certain exceptions).
I wish some scenes were handled a bit differently but overall it was such a great watch, I'm already considering re-watching


SPOILERS!
The ending was a bit unsatisfying, in that they didn't remember anything but the last shot of the card makes me hope for a 3rd season! Go watch ittt

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wasted potential

As someone who almost always prefers shorter dramas/shows in general, I can't believe im saying how much I WISH this were longer.
The premise is pretty basic, your classic revenge story where the main characters vows to avenge a loved one's death, you can never go wrong with this! The begining of the drama was exceptionally good, introducing a set of intriguing characters and bad-ass action and fighting sequences( these stayed consistently great throughout the show) that only got me more excited for what was coming next. The middle and ending never quite outdid the begining, they didn't even do as much to reach it but my main problem lies elsewhere.
Even though this was an easy and enjoyable watch, I think both the story and the characters had so much potential to elevate this even more had they had a bit more time to develop. The relationship between the main leads was rushed and came out of nowhere, meanwhile we only got to see each character's one side and get a full grasp of who they really are ( except maybe for jiwoo). This problem to me is most obvious when looking at the character of gangjae: we were already familiar with and what he can do from the very begining, he had solid motivations for his actions and he was -to me- a great villain with a seemingly good plan to take revenge from mujin and jiwoo. But he was so underutilised and only was a threat for 3 episodes? The show had to get rid of him so fast because they didn't have more time.
Had this been 10 or 12 episodes long, I believe would have given all characters more depth and thus each big plotwist, a character's death and every other important event would have bigger impact.

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Very entertaining yet frustrating at some points

Watching this for the first time was such an entertaining experience! I loved most characters and I felt that the balance between comedy/ heartwarming scenes and action/crime scenes was nicely done but at the same time it felt like there was no cohesiveness?
Our characters would jumb on a new quest each episode to dig more dirt on the villains or overcome the next obstacle the latter throw in their way but it never feels like it's all part of a bigger plan( apart from the episodes leading to the first court) , so in the end when all they 'bad guys' get killed by vincenzo it feels kind of unearned. It feels like more like an act of revenge ( due to the recent loss of his mother and other innocent characters) than the result of all this time's work COMBINED with the revenge both vincenzo and chayoung wish for.
In my opinion they should have made the characters have a clear plan from the start which, in the end, would lead to the villains finally getting arrested and losing everything which I believe would be a much more satisfying ending.
Despite that, I still rated the show highly because it has a special place in my heart and If I ignore the ending I can still enjoy it for what it is

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