Doom At Your Service...Has Served

UPDATE!

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Where to begin. I’m honestly not sure, so I’ll just write as it comes to me. Reminder, this updated review is based on my own personal enjoyment. It is in no way, shape, or form something professional or meant to convince others to watch because “it’s the best”. No. This is solely based on my enjoyment rate.

"Doom At Your Service" has been a roller coaster of a ride in the best possible way for me. I have been highly anticipating it since the release date was presented, and my Mondays and Tuesdays became much more enjoyable as I watched the latest episode for that day. The waiting was killer but so worth it, in my humblest opinion. This show certainly served in the best possible way! I understand DAYS is not everyone’s cup of tea (as seen from the amount of “dropped” reviews and negative comments here), but I personally found this to be one of my absolute favorite Kdramas, and below are my reasons why.

To begin, this show is thought provoking to say the least. It most certainly isn’t like any other drama I’ve seen before (and I’ve seen a lot). I believe you need to have an open mind when watching this show because it gives you food for thought. The phrases spoken, the actions of our characters, even a subtle look or tilt of their heads indicates their hidden thoughts and feelings. While the story set-up (human and non-human) is nothing new in Kdrama land (e.g. Goblin, Tale of the Nine Tail, Hotel Del Luna, etc.), DAYS has its own unique spin to it that, to me, stands out from the other ones.

The overall concept, story building, character introduction, break down, and especially development; the dialogue and inner thought processes of our characters…all of it was fresh and exciting. Let me add that the word plays, the acting, the music, and the cinematography were all so spectacular, I was left breathless on many occasions! The buildup and the reasonings for situations that at first seemed like there was no logic… it was all *chef’s kiss* to me!

Sometimes, you’ll find that the characters talk in roundabout ways where you might feel confused or frustrated because you don’t understand what is going on. I’ve been there, but it was so good because it forced me to take everything into account – what built up to that moment, what the characters went through to get there, how their dialogue played into the bigger picture. Sure, this might be something you’d pass for one reason or another, and that’s totally fine! But for me, the more the story developed and the further I got, the more it made sense. I started to see the reason behind certain things and characters. Each new revelation incited a new theory of how the story would progress or conclude.

I also want to add that in a lot of dramas, we almost always have a villain to push the story along. But in DAYS? There isn’t. The villain, if I were to pick, is the “fate” which befalls our characters and how it affects them individually as well as a group. But even so, it makes sense and just shows how realistic specific circumstances can be despite the fantasy element we have going on.

I’ll also address the comments that mention DAYS is slow because 1) they’re right…to a certain extent.

There are plenty of moments in the drama where the scenes or situations tend to drag, and you wonder “When will it pick up again?”. However, I would like to debate that by readdressing my comment of DAYS not having a villain. In a lot of dramas, the plot moves fast because of said villain to push it along. But this drama focuses on life – humans’ fate and destinies, how certain people are in your life for a reason, how living life to fullest is something we should be doing since death is coming for us one way or another. There is a quote spoken by our FL that goes like this: “You don’t need time. You need courage”. That stood out to me because our time here is limited and short. We really don’t know when it’ll end for us and we haven’t done the things we probably dreamed of doing “because we have time”. So, to me, this drama is literally about living and love and how the concept of death may not be as scary as we think. I’m not sure how else to put it.

Now I won’t say it was a perfect show. There were plenty of moments where I literally scratched my head or had a “wtf” look going on because of a cliché troupe that was incorporated that probably could’ve been left out, or when the characters made a decision that was obviously flawed and would have a drawback. There were also repetitive scenes that were included (e.g. the “push and pull” troupe between our leads) or slight plot holes that could have been better explained. I also have certain questions I wish were answered (e.g. Doom’s and deity’s background). I would’ve loved to learn more about them considering their role in the story. But alas, this was but a 16 episode show. A comment I’ve read said DAYS probably would have been better off as a book, and I wholeheartedly agree as 16 episodes is just too short for this type of story building. Hence the lower rating on the "story" section from what I had originally.

However, to kind of counterattack my above paragraph, I feel like the screenwriter did a good job tying these things up in the end. If you think about it, our characters are mainly human. As humans, we do things we think are right in the moment only to later realize how stupid it really was. That the solution was much simpler than we thought. We are constantly growing, maturing, learning, and experiencing new things. With mistakes come wisdom. Because of this, I think the screenwriter, directors, cast, and every other person involved in making this drama did a phenomenal job. It most certainly made my Mondays and Tuesdays, and I’m quite sad that is now over. I believe this ending was fitting. I personally liked it more than Goblin's ending, and I definitely plan on rewatching this drama because it has touched my heart in many different ways. It has become a close favorite of mine.

So, with these words in mind, I would suggest trying out the first few episodes to see how you like it (if you’re on the fence). I’ll reiterate that this show isn’t for everyone, but I can certainly say it’s a beautiful work of art in practically every aspect. The deeper you go, the more you learn; the more you learn, the more you feel; the more you feel, the more special it gets. These are my final thoughts.

Enjoy!

PS: I want to take this moment and just give a special round-of-applause to the actors and actresses who brought their characters to life. It really enhanced the quality of the drama and the story being unraveled. However, I think the star of this show was Seo In Guk with his astronomical performance as Doom. I really don’t think anyone else could have pulled off this character the way he did. Playing a complex supernatural being, SIG really captured Doom’s essence and brought this character to life. The number of times I’ve swooned, squeezed my pillow, screamed, and nearly cried because of him was ridiculous.

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Hysterical and an Absolute Blast to Watch!

First and foremost, I want to say that this show is being reviewed based on my personal enjoyment. It is in no way, shape, or form something professional or meant to convince others to watch because “it’s the best”. No. This is solely based on my enjoyment rate. In this case, it’s quite high. I want to add that I know the show is not done yet, but I just had to share my thoughts in hopes that it'll give someone who's debating on watching this the push they need.

Now let’s get down to reviewing. Please bear with the length.

STORY:
I am having a blast. I love the storyline of this drama. It’s nothing out of the ordinary or complicated. It’s merely about publishing houses, editors, and authors and the things they deal with daily. As a writer who thought about being an editor as well, I’m getting a glimpse of what this profession looks like. I simply love the dynamics between editors and authors for the most part, but my favorite is when our FL provides words of growth and encouragement to our doubting writers who feel they are done. On a side note, this story also follows our ML and FL being online buddies without actually knowing each other’s identities until ML finds out a few episodes in. His whole mindset changed towards her after, but I’ll save that for my characters section lol. I find this interaction positively HILARIOUS because he knows who she is and what she’s talking about, but she doesn’t realize she’s talking to ML about ML. Classic!

I also want to add that while this drama is pretty dang cliché, it does not put me off. Let me add that I’ve seen dramas that were cliché, and many watchers commented it was cliché done right, but it was quite painful for me to watch those scenes despite being a sucker for cliches. The writers just tend to make it sooo farfetched to the point it’s not really cute but cringe instead. However, this drama, in my honest opinion, does it right. They don’t toss in cliché scenes at every corner. Rather, they build it up and execute it flawlessly where I’m left squealing and grinning like an idiot rather than covering my eyes with a wince.
We all know dramas like to dramatize the moment by slowing it down or keeping the leads in that position one second longer than probably needed, but this drama carries it in a way where it’s not as long as others but there is action at the end that either leaves you frustrated or cackling like a witch. Both happened to me so far, and we’re only 14 episodes in.

Let me mention the romance aspect of the story now. The plain and simple version is, I’m obsessed.

The longer and more explained version is, I love, love, LOVE the chemistry between ML and FL. It’s so natural, so endearing, and downright hysterical! They literally act like husband and wife and I legit can’t get enough of them. I also have to give a handclap to the slight love triangle involved. Let me enforce that I really don’t like love triangles. I think they’re pointless, stupid, and plain ridiculous because it contributes nothing but headaches to a story. I can count on one hand the dramas I’ve watched that had love triangles that did not make me want to blow my top off. The reason for me enjoying it was because it was a love triangle handled RIGHT! And this drama may as well be my third drama I like that has it.

This might be a small spoiler, but I love how the FL handled the situation with the SML. They were so honest with each other, so straightforward, and they did not dance around the topic of like very long. They both know where they stand, and despite the situation, they aren’t awkward at all and can still be professional as FL is SML’s editor.

Overall, this story is so cute. It’s nothing stressful, it’s nothing suspenseful (in the anticipated way. It can be when it comes to our leads romance lives though LOL!), and it’s nothing too dramatic. I honestly see this as a rom-com done right! Definitely check it out for something lightweight.

Now onto our next section!

CHARACTERS/ACTING:
So many people have been mainly complaining about the voice of our FL. I’ll admit, it does take some getting used to because she has this type of whiny and childish tone going on, but after a couple of episodes, you learn to love it because it fits her character soooo well. While Chu Li (FL) has this pouty look going on, she is strong willed, quick witted, blunt, and actually uses her brain instead of relying on others to help her out of a bad or sticky situation. She’s so optimistic, so genuine, and really loves her job and the authors she comes in contact with. The determination of our FL to become an editor at Luan Yue Publishing House is very commendable. She knew what she wanted and went for it despite the odds stacked against her. Not only did she succeed to get the spot, but her tenacity for going above and beyond is truly admirable despite certain characters trying to bring her down. However, the way she handles herself is fantastic.

I really love her, and Esther Yu (whom I never seen act in a drama until this one), wonderfully embraces the character of Chu Li. Despite the odds stacked against her, Chu Li remains a bubble of sunshine. I honestly can’t really find a fault in her that puts me off…

As for our ML, Zhou Chuan…good Lord I absolutely love this man. I’ve watched many dramas before, and I always end up loving the male leads, but y’all, I literally think I fell in love with this character despite him being fictional. Ryan Ding completely stole my breath away with his acting of ZC, and I cannot get over it. He’s an absolute mess, and I’m living for it! Not only is he purely adorable as well as soo attractive, but he’s awkward, he’s clumsy, he’s sassy, he’s needy, he’s protective, he’s considerate (sometimes lol), and overall, husband goals, not even kidding you.

The way he interacts with our FL would honestly probably piss me off at some point if it had been anyone else or another drama, but for some reason I can’t get mad here? I laugh instead gleefully because of how hysterical it is. I really don’t know how to explain it properly other than it’s practically perfect! The way he watches out for her is so hilarious because he’s not honest about his intentions. He makes up these ridiculous excuses to get her to come over and rest, or to take a break, and it annoys the FL but he ends up being so proud of himself saying he’s smart for the way he handled it when in reality, it’s a mess LOL! Then he ends up getting jealous when she goes to SML for something he declined but was going to accept on the third try, but it isn’t annoying how he interrupts them. It’s so funny and he gets what he deserves in the funniest possible ways. I always look forward to it when he doesn’t get what he wants. However, I’m not annoyed because it’s downright hysterical!

But that is a side to him that does annoy me a tad bit because I wish he were franker and more honest about his actual feelings and intentions rather than beating around the bush. It would spare us the trouble of the slight misunderstandings that occur though it is quickly remedied, thank goodness. But, overall, I still adore this character because of how utterly adorable he is.

As for our side characters, I’ll admit that there’s only two I don’t like. The rest are pretty great or just characters I can deal with. The SML and SFL are honestly reminding me a little of the second leads from Descendants of the Sun in the aspect that they have history with each other romantically but are no longer together due to circumstances. But other than that, it’s completely different. I don’t mind getting to learn their story. Rather, I’m ready to figure out what happened between the two because they’re pretty interesting characters as well!

As for the two characters I don’t like, I literally want to strangle them because I don’t see any logic in their behaviors. It literally is just plain greed for power in the company that drive them, and because of that, they actively work against our main characters to set them up for failure. I literally can’t wait till they get what they deserve because they simply can’t get away with it. That’s all I’m saying.

Overall, I love the cast and the majority of the characters. It’s well balanced and they work well together to bring this story to life.

Onto the next section!

MUSIC:
I’m a huge music-fanatic. I typically pay close attention to music in shows or movies because I feel they make or break the show for me. I’ve watched many dramas with killer soundtracks that enhanced the show, but unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. I say the music in this drama is mediocre, at best. While it matches the theme of the story and fits in, it’s not something I’d download to listen to. If I’m being honest, this is probably the worst aspect of the show despite being only 14 episodes in so far.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
My final thoughts are simple: I’m obsessed.

I freaking love this drama, and that’s saying something because I have a hard time getting through C-dramas. I can count on one hand the number of C-dramas I completed. There is just something about them that makes it hard to go through all the way. I honestly think it’s the length of the shows. It leads to so many unnecessary situations or misunderstandings that really could be resolved so easily. It also leads to so many unrealistic happenings, and while I’m all for getting out of reality for a portion of my day, there needs to be some logical reasonings behind the actions. That’s just me though.

However, this drama is amazing. I literally laugh so hard at every episode, multiple times in fact, and I breezed through the first 14 episodes in a span of two days. It would’ve been sooner had I not been working. I’m so happy I stumbled upon this drama, and I cannot wait to see what happens next because it’s just too good!

I really recommend watching this drama if you are in the mood for something fluffy, cute, and hysterical. Definitely worth the watch!

Have fun!

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A Wholesome Masterpiece

I came across this show while scrolling through Instagram and someone had shared several clips from this show. It appeared adorable, and because I can be fairly simple-minded, I saved it so I can watch it later when I was bored. So four days ago, I started this show because the series sounded interesting, it had high reviews, and plenty of praises from fellow viewers. Now before I continue, I just want to say that I've watched plenty of dramas before, and there were a handful of shows I've thoroughly enjoyed watching, but I never wrote reviews about them before because I felt there wasn't much of a point. However, for this show, I simply had to so I created this account to share my personal review.

Now to begin, I am not an overly sensitive person. I don't often cry or tear up when watching shows, even if it is emotionally moving. But at the end of this show, I was legit crying. Tears dripping from both eyes for a little while and where I was sniffling and needed tissues kind of cry. I was also incredibly speechless as I tried to process the thought that the story was done and there were no more episodes.

Now onto the main review. While there are 40 episodes in this drama (from where I am anyway), never once did I feel like it was too long. I've tried watching other C-dramas in the past, but I only finished two (now three) out of the ones I've watched simply because of how perfectly executed and paced this story was. Not only was this show just so WHOLESOME, but it truly stamped a place in my heart about life and most importantly, family. Be it blood related family or family brought together by circumstance, it showed both sides of the story and how, no matter what happens, you always lean on family.

This show has everything from great casting and acting, excellent music, a well thought out plot, and beautiful storytelling. Not one thing was left unturned, in my opinion, and everything was resolved at a perfect pace. The cast had this undeniable chemistry with each other that I felt from my screen. It was so natural, so warm, and each character had their own story told to us viewers so you can come to an understanding about them. This drama showed me that humans are indeed flawed creatures. We are far from perfect, we jump to our own conclusions and handle situations in a way we think is best. We tend to hold in our problems or utilize it to hurt others or ourselves. However, there is room for forgiveness and redemption. We just have to want it and try to make a better life for ourselves. It is never too late to start.

If you guys are looking for a show that is realistic with the right amount of drama, comedy, grief, romance, and just wholesome content, look no further. I know my review is one out of many, but I hope this review can help spread the love of this show and how well done it is.

A huge round of applause to the directors, the writer/s, the cast, and everyone else involved in creating this masterpiece. It is truly one of my absolute favorite dramas ever, and I can definitely see myself rewatching it in the near future.

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