Ripley's syndrome

I'm adding this review only because the synopsis is vague and doesn't help you decide whether to watch it or not. The tags however are helpful. I googled Ripley's Syndrome which is described as a antisocial personality disorder where one makes up grandiose lies and believes in this distorted reality. The person feels no shame or sympathy for his/her victims. This last point however doesn't quite fit the depiction about Anna as she does seem to experience guilt and shame.

From this, you can kind of guess the storyline. I'm going to leave it here as I've only watched 2 episodes. However I will add that Bae Suzy is again the consummate actor. She has once again turned a flat 2D script into a 3D person with complex and often conflicting emotions and motivations, and really made the character hers. I look forward to watching the rest of the series, thankfully only 8 episodes in all, and will be back at the end with a deeper review.

Updated: I have now finished watching the whole series. 8 episodes cut down to 6 and I can say that the last 2 episodes were the weakest in the whole show. Clearly there's been heavy editing to fit the last 4 episodes into 2 and for no apparent reason. It's puzzling that they needed to cut; were that ratings bad? If ratings were so bad, why are they going to broadcast and extended version in August?

I have downgraded my overall rating because of these last 2 episodes. Pity. I certainly won't be watching the extended edition in August.

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Have to be a fan

I don't think this show deserves such a low rating. It is a simple story but with an innovative storyline, not the trope Kdrama or Kmovie plot that we see so much of. A Kdrama-loving Ahjumma who speaks no Korean is lost in SKorea. It's more than just a-fish-out-of water story. It deals with deeper issues of living in a big city - the dislocation and isolation that elderly parents feel - experiences that both people who live in big cities like Seoul and Singapore can similarly identify with. [Aside: I certainly wouldn't call her relationship with her son "estranged" as the synopsis describes. It's just a normal mother-son relationship in a busy big city.]

However, you really have to be a fan of Kdramas and perhaps more importantly, identify as Singaporean to really fully understand the in-jokes and appreciate the context of the movie. There's a real kick from watching a Singaporean actress, who is a household name that many of us grew up with, acting in a Korean production starring a few stars that many of us are now fan-girling. In particular, I get a real kick out of listening to Kang Hyung Suk speaking rather impeccable Mandarin for a non-native speaker.

Would I watch this again? Probably not. It was good enough but certainly not an Oscar-winning movie. It gave me a sense of home and also fun to see a linkage to my self-professed adopted culture. It is a good fun ride if you leave your heart switched on but switch off your brain. Just go for the ride.

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An epic, iconic and life changing drama

I first watched this show as a young child and it helped me become who I am now. I didn't realise it then but it soon became a worldwide hit not just around Asia in the 1980s but it subsequently travelled to non-traditional viewing audiences such the Middle East and South Americas in the 1990s. Thus I'm surprised that no one has reviewed such an iconic and character-forming drama yet.

First of all, the show was shot in the mid 1980s. As such, the scenes set in 'modern' Japan still look very dated. However if you ignore that, the rest of the show is set from the early 1900s all the way to the 1980s. Re-watching it now however, some bits that may have been acceptable in the 1980s probably wouldn't be accepted now. For instance, a teenage boy helps child Oshin out and a grown man lies naked with her to warm her up. It sounds icky but she was hypothermic. Also, there's a lot of domestic abuse and not to mention the obvious child labour. Although such scenes might accurately reflect the turn of the 20th century, I'm sure if Oshin were filmed today, I'm sure such scenes would be removed as they portray criminal acts. In this sense, the show feels dated because of when it was filmed yet ironically true to the period it's portraying.

Second, what I disliked about the show. It's in 15 minute episodes spread over nearly 300 episodes, which makes it hard to watch today in a time poor world. I know that it was broadcast in a different era and it certainly kept my dinner times busy for nearly a year back then. However, the show never feels draggy. Each episode ends exactly at a cliffhanger, that's brilliant editing! I don't expect the show to be cut but I really hope NHK or a subscription service such as Netflix would connect them into 1 or 1 ¼ hour episodes typical of these days.

Third, what I liked about the show: the story of course! It's very tightly written with no lapses in logic or loose ends. I do not like how many of the male characters treated the women but it was typical of the time it portrays. Yet in spite of the strongly paternalistic culture, the highlight of the show is the strong women characters. They not only stayed resilient despite their circumstances and what life threw at them, but were in fact stronger than their men. They were the silent and long suffering foundations holding up their men who had fragile egos. They are inspirational! Oshin in particular unlike her long suffering mother showed that she's no pushover. She knew how to tread the thin line between yielding to someone of power yet persevering and in the process, winning over her worst critics. She got through with sheer grit and hard work.

I also like the growth we see across the three Oshins. While the child Oshin was abused, naive and unconfident, the young-middle aged Oshin grew in confidence and learned to stand on her own two feet and fiercely protect those she loved. Yet it was a life lived not without regrets, and in the older Oshin we see a deeply reflective person who gives a flick to her needy and disappointing next generation. I like all three actors who played Oshin.

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Worst show I've watched in a long time

I think I'm fully qualified to write this review because so many times I wanted to give up but I soldiered on to the very end just to see exactly HOW bad it was going to be. Like many reviewers, I was about to give up around episode 6 but I watched it because I have waaay too much time on my hands, haha.

I really wanted to like this show because I really like Seohyun. She is a very versatile actress and I've watched most of her previous dramas. Na In Woo is relatively new but I could give him a chance. And Ki Do Hoon, what's not to like with eye candy. The premise too sounded interesting.

However, right from the get go, the drama was flawed with over acting with overly simplistic black and white characters. It was like watching a 2D cartoon with live action characters. In fact, I've seen 2D cartoons with better stories and acting than this.

The ending was the worst of all. It was totally unrealistic and seemed to diminish EVERYTHING the couple had gone through, and negate their growth over the past 16 episodes. What then was the whole point of wasting 16 hours of my life that I will never get back? The ReWatch rating forced me to give a rating, and so I did. However, if I could, I would have given it a big fat 0 or even negative.

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Only for hard core period drama lovers

The synopsis for this show is totally wrong. This is not a "romantic comedy" by any stretch of the imagination! Maybe for a few odd minutes in the first few episodes but the drama is dark - tragedy, double dealing, betrayal, treason, and court politics with a tinge of myster - all the elements of a wonderful sageuk.

More amazingly, the leads Suho, Hong Yeji and Kim Min Kyu deliver a performance far beyond their years. Yes they had a slow start at the beginning but around episode 7 or 8, they are starting to find their acting feet and got into their groove to deliver powerful performances.

The last four episodes were abit draggy - why was there a need to have 20 episodes when 16 would have sufficed? Those last 4 episodes seemed to go round in circles with no real further development - just to drag out the time. And yet the finale was a total mess because how it ended was unnecessary and illogical in that historical context. It seemed as if the writer suddenly realised he had to end at episode 20, and suddenly realised the drama was a 'romantic comedy' so hejust haphazardly concluded.

I seriously don't understand why the rating of this show is so low - in terms of plot twists and turns and certainly the acting of the young leads, this is in no way inferior to My Dearest - similarly, i don't understand why the rating of that show is so high. No one thought Ahn Eun Jin could carry the drama but she was fantastic. Similarly here too with the leads. And the story here is certainly far more intriguing than My Dearest which dwelled on the emotional toil of being a subservient country in wartimes rather than any real developmental plot. While this drama doesn't carry the same depth of emotion as My Dearest, the actors are giving it their darnest but the audiences are not giving them a chance to prove themselves.

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Binge watch only

I have followed Jang Geun Suk since the beginning of his TV drama career. He's had some dud shows in later years before he enlisted (e.g. the Gambler) and this show nearly bordered on that but it wasn't his doing.

To be clear, it's not the story or his acting which is bad. It's the fact that the drama was artificially cut into two, ironically with the hopes of keeping the audience hooked, but it has done the exact opposite for me. The first few episodes of Part 1 were really interesting but started to taper off by epi 5 or 6, as is normal with any 16-episoder. However, in a normal 16 episoder, there is the rest of the series will carry through usually as the mid season hump passes (usually by epi 8) when they're setting up for a thrilling finale.

However, even though Part 1 was only 2 months ago, that's forever in dramaland. I have probably have watched at least 20 to 30 dramas since. And now resuming Part 2, I have forgotten whatever happened in Part 1. And I have little interest in re-watching it to remind myself of what happened (it wasn't THAT interesting the first time). I'm faced with characters who are strangers to me and we're thrust straight into the action with a recap. "Who's this? what happened last time? What was going? Who was involved in the conspiracy?"

The 2-parter also meant that the story was going around in repetitive circles. However, it got there in the end with some solid twists in the last 2 episodes, and that's the only reason I am still giving it an 8 overall. Because of the intermission between the 2 parts, I was about to drop the series during episode 7 because it was too much mental work trying to work out who was who. If I had done so, I wouldn't have seen that the show redeemed itself in the end.

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Sensitive topic handled well

S Korea has the highest suicide rate in the OCED. It is therefore unsurprising that some brave souls have decided to explore this sensitive subject. Without pontification or moralistic judgement, the show explores the motivations for suicide and takes a sympathetic look at the personal life histories, as well as societal pressures and judgements surrounding the would-be suicide victim.

To achieve this sensitive exploration, the show takes a step back and relies on the introduction of the supernatural - not the Grim Reapers but a protection team that goes in and tries to stop the suicide from even occurring. How nice that Heaven would think of that (and this is addressed at the beginning of the series!) To do so, they delve into the victim's past. Although they're not allowed to change the past, they help the victim to come to terms with a turning point in their lives that caused great regret and thus led to repercussions for the rest of their lives.

The drama could very easily have been a pseudo time-travel cum afterlife show, and we've also seen many Grim Reaper shows where someone tries to help the deceased resolve his/her last wishes or right an injustice that cause them to lose their lives. However, this show is a fresh take on the genre of supernatural Grim Reaper/karma shows. Each episode or so deals with a different victim, so the show is kept fresh because if you find a certain story boring (some stories are quite draggy), you know that it'll end. Also, always stay tune for the Epilogue at the end of each episode.

I enjoyed watching the show because the ups and down kept me entertained. There were humorous bits that made me laugh, touching bits that made me cry, as well insightful ponderances by someone on the verge of death that left me reflecting for days about the meaning of life. My favourite episode was episode 7, about an old man who spent his life collecting recyclable junk. Without giving too much away, that was my favourite episode as it was extremely meaningful.

Kim Hee Sun has chosen good scripts throughout her career, and this one hasn't disappointed either.

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Best political sageuk of the 202Xs so far!

I love sageuks but the offerings haven't been great as of the past 5 years. I was hopeful when Lee Bang Wong - King of Tears came along but alas, it was embroiled in scandal and became dismal after; almost as if the cast and crew lost their motivation and just wanted to finish filming without any further incident so they could put it behind them and move on.

Then there was Red Sleeve Cuff and I was very hopeful. The show is great, if you like romance. And that's my biggest beef with sageuks of late - that they always turn to the romance angle, focus on the idol actors, and ignore the political and court intrigue. I liked it until the old Emperor died and then I didn't like it quite as much because it just became another idol romance drama where the king couldn't be together with the love of his life. Dullsville.

Finally we get to watch two greats - Lee Joon and Jang Hyuk. On their own, neither are good and have tended to over-act. Both ventured into sageuks in the past but neither really made the roles their own and were just sad caricatures of the characters they played. (The exception was Jang Hyuk in Shine and Go Crazy, but that's another review in itself.) This time however is different. Together, they possess a certain chemistry as a king and his nemesis. They feed off each other. Something about the whole production - the epic cinematography, the details in the costumes (never have I ever seen quilted jeogori!) tragic soulful music, even acting of the the other main leads and supporting actors make for very cinematic watching. Their acting is top notch and the show is cleverly filled with political twists and turns. It's like watching a beautiful yet mood-filled movie rather than a TV drama

If you enjoy idols and romance, give this a miss as you will be severely disappointed. There is some tragedy involved in star-crossed lovers but if that's what you crave, you're better off watching the King's Affection. However, if you (like me) have missed a great political and court drama filled with intrigue and lot of clever plotting for ends that you never saw coming culminating in clever twists and turns (think Tree with Deep Roots, Dong Yi, Yi San), this is the show for you. I've watched 5 episodes so far and I'm intrigued and very hopeful. I will be back at the end for another wrap up review.

Update: I have now finished the whole series and have a few further comments. I agree with some of the comments of the other reviewers in terms of what I liked and what I didn't.

******spoilers ahead*****
What I liked: I continued to love the attention to cinematic details - the apt and rousing OSTs, the cinematic scenery, and the well-written lines. No line was ever wasted. Often I found myself rewinding because I had missed a crucial detail that later eventuated in a major plot point. The twist and turns left me gasping at the end of each episode.

What I disliked. The development of the Dowager Queen was indeed problematic. How did she go from a star-crossed lovelorn woman to a power hungry demon who bit the hand that fed her? She had nothing to protect, no real blood-related child. Why did she end up doing all that she did? I did not see how it achieved anything in the end. She lost everything and everyone in the process and ended up very much alone. On the other hand, Yoo Jung and Lee Tae both became the people they were and made the choices they did because they had people they loved and wanted to protect. Yeon Hee learnt the same lesson and came to the same conclusion in the end. Love is an illusion that doesn't put food on the table (or protect/save your family).

As another reviewer said, the ending was generic and I totally agree. Yet another love story ending. Meh. I feel a bit cheated. But most of all, my heart ached at the romance between the Dowager Queen and Gye Won. I know it could never have been and was never going to be because they both loved different things. Hence, I wish there could have been a better resolution but perhaps that's impossible. It's perplexing.

In sum , I attribute the rushed ending to the fact that perhaps the drama was too short. That's not often a conclusion I come to. It seemed like the writers had opened up too many plot portals but didn't know how to close them and a few more episodes would have helped. The shortest saguek I've ever seen has been about 20 episodes but I think for this drama, having around 30 and really fleshing out their motivations would have helped immensely. This was a squandered opportunity because the drama was a totally fictionalised account of history. So many plot points the writers could have elaborated upon and wouldn't have incurred the ire of the Korean historical purist-keyboard warriors. The irony is that the writers didn't and resorted to the trope plot sageuks of old in order to tie up everything.

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A variety show

I seriously don't get the high ratings for this show. The first 'season' (if you can call it that) was an ok watch. I liked the characters, I sympathesized with the Gumiho, Lee Yeon, and I even liked Lee Dong Wook and Kim Bun. Lee Rang was a bit petulant and annoying but when I started to understand his back story, I was sympathetic. However, it certainly wasn't on the same level as Goblin.

I can't say the same about this installment however. The writing was patchy and incoherent. It was like watching Saturday Night Live - Korean. It was a string of disjointed skits and scenes without any real plot, especially in the first few episodes. When I started to get into this 'variety show' (NOT a drama), it was just comfortable watching because of slapstick and light laughs; certainly not full-on har-har comedy.

There seemed to be a distinct LACK of plot. A plot implies a scenario, a mission, character growth, a dramatic challenge, and overcoming that challenge(s). In fact, the only character who seemed to have experienced any character growth was Moo Young - but hello, he's not really the main character!

The only reason I stuck on was because of Lee Dong Wook and Kim Bun. At the end, I was just glad it was all over. And now they want to do a third season set in a different era? So the writers seemed to have stumbled on a winning formula - a time-travelling gumiho who gets into hijinks? Isn't that evidence of a lack of overarching plot direction aka the very definition of variety show skits?

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A daeha that could be better

It's been 6 years since KBS delivered a proper sageuk (Jang Yeong Sil in 2016) about the life of a real person, and not yet another fictional or period nonsense based on novels or web comics. Gone are the days when KBS and MBC used to produce daeha (80 to 100 episode sageuks about kings) so this 32-episode series is all we're going to get for now, and each episode has to be savoured, digested, and ruminated in full.

The story about Prince Lee Bang Won isn't new and we've seen many versions over the years. Each drama has its own interpretation of King Taejong/Prince Lee Bang Won and his motivations or the circumstances which drove him to take the actions he took. Like a familiar opera, the story here isn't important; it's watching the acting of stellar and experienced actors performing at their best. In this regard, this drama does well. The actors are all skilled crafts people, even the younger actors who acted as the princes. The only trivia I'll offer is that Kim Yong Chul who plays Yi Seong Gye (King Taejo) in this as well as My Country: The New Age in 2019.

However, the drama got off to a rough start when the production was embroiled in a scandal over animal rights. The infamous scene had the production team effectively trip a horse to make it throw the rider. Social media harshly deride it as animal cruelty as the horse eventually died. The drama was pulled off the air for about 6 weeks and the remaining episodes were in jeopardy (hence the relatively low overall ratings?) but ultimately it prevailed.

After the drama resumed, it portrayed a seemingly vengeful and paranoid King Taejong as he killed his enemies or perceived enemies to cement his power. Watch this only if you're a consummate history buff. It is relatively fast moving for a sageuk as unlike other daehas which comes in 50 to 100+ episodes this ends at 32. It is a refreshing change from yet another love story of young love (yawn).

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Watch as an appendix to Part 1

This can more accurately be described as a Part 2 rather than a sequel. It's very confusing if you haven't watched the first Believer. The movie begins with a 5-minute recap of the highlights of the previous instalment, and that's the only bit that was entertaining and made sense. After that, it is just one hot confusing mess. It seems like what happened with the first Believer was that it was such a great show, they decided to eke it out.

This movie is not a sequel because it doesn't carry on from where the first one left off. Instead, it's very weird because it tries to elaborate and explain a back story of motivation for characters in the first one and introduces whole new characters. It is NOT a movie per se but more like watching an appendix. Finally in the last 5 minutes, we finally catch up to where Part 1 left off and then it creates an ending because part 1 ended ambiguously.

I got to give them credit for being able to pull out bits of the first instalment to create a deep enough side story, and then attempt to pull it back to the main story shown in Part 1, and then tie up everything at the end. Hence my rating of 4. It's a real pity that the talents of Han Hyo Joo (who wasn't in the first part) have be under-utilised.

In essence, if you did watch Part 1 and wanted to find out what happened in the end, simply watch the first and last 5 minutes of the entire Believer 2. You can thank you now.

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Into the mind of a killer

This is a FABULOUS show., Starring three greats of Kdrama - Lee Sung Min, Lee Jung Eun, with Yoo Yeon Seok in a role that's a change from his usual romantic man lead. I couldn't wait to watch this.

The show starts off slow by delving into the backstory about the making of a serial killer. Be patient as it soon gets exciting and involves a cat and mouse chase around the countryside as the taxi driver desperately tries to save himself and his family from the monster.

If you love thrillers, this one is for you. If you love mystery and finding out who the serial killer is, don't bother. We already know who the perpetrator is from the get-go so it's more of a thrilling and sometimes gory ride along the way.

Pity about the low ratings because this drama definitely deserves way higher, but the lack of English subs is definitely hampering things. Unfortunately, except for the first 2 episodes, you'd be hard pressed to find Eng subs for this anywhere on the Internet. It's very difficult for me to watch as I have to read slowly in my second language. Other languages (e.g., Indonesian) are also available so I just don't understand why Eng subs are not available. I suspect it's probably something legal-related so we'll just have to see it pan out. Hopefully once the whole show has finished broadcasting, they'll release the English subs.

Updated: I have just finished the show. It now has Eng subs (thank goodness) and thanks to the commenter who alerted me. I feel the show peaked a bit too early. The final few episodes were a bit all over the place and felt very Dexter-esque (the American show about a serial killer that showcases his motivations and attempts to act normal). In such a short series, I wished the show had continued what was good about it to begin with - the cat and mouse chase around the countryside where you didn't know who the cat and who the mouse actually were. However, perhaps the writers needed to find a nice way to tie things up after all the horrendous things that had happened - some characters needed resolution, others needed come-uppence, and others needed revenge.. I feel let down by the writers. Nonetheless, I am still giving it a good rating because of the first two thirds of the show.

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Great watch!

Not sure why this drama doesn't rate higher. The title is a misnomer - it really is about a taxi driver for ghosts but too bad it's up against another drama currently broadcasting which has a more famous (and handsome!) taxi driver. I guess shows with supernatural themes generally don't rate as well and also this ghost show doesn't have idols or well-known actors to prop it up.

However, the acting is solid enough, the characters are fleshed out, and the stories are single episode explorations. The synopsis is predictable: ghost takes taxi but can't leave. She is inexplicably tied to him and therein lies the mystery - why or how are they tied together? Who is she? How or why did she die?

Overall it's a fun watch with some light humour, the lead characters are likeable, and the pacing is good. The whole series is short, only 12 episodes so that really helps with the pacing. Each episode focuses on one ghost passenger's story so the series moves pretty swiftly. What's not to like?

The only thing I would have liked as with any ghost story is copious crying (on my part). I have to yet to shed a tear over lmpossible love or tragic circumstances of lost dreams and what could have been. But there are still 4 episodes left so anything is possible.

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Great transition to afterlife drama

There have been several similar transition to afterlife stories. I liked the formula of this drama - they have a case of the week that our team has to solve and bring closure to the deceased. That kept the delivery each episode interesting. The 'rules of engagement' (ie rules governing how they operate together eg safe zone, Dae Ri jumping into a human host for 10 minutes at a time, etc) were established early on and stayed consistent, unlike some dramas that bent the rules just to fit the plot or to create dramatic tension or because they didn't know how else to conclude the drama.

In terms of negatives, perhaps the weakest point was the romance between the main leads. There was no chemistry whatsoever and they looked awkward together especially when they had to call each other cutesy names, or kiss or hug. The second couple had far better chemistry (at least no awkwardness) but I'd rather the drama just focus on the cases! Second, the last few episodes were especially draggy when they were trying to develop the romantic relationships rather than resolving things. Third, the OST was boring - they had one song and used that to death for everything - sad, happy, dramatic, etc. I'm not expecting a highly listenable soundtrack like CLOY or DOTS, but we're basically going back to the early 90s with Autumn in My Heart and their one song-one-hit-repetitive-wonders.

In contrast, the chemistry between the four 'team members' was enjoyable to watch. I enjoyed how they worked together with a mix of humour, teamwork, and goodwill to overcome the villians. Overall, it was entertaining and I enjoyed watching it but I wouldn't call it the best drama of the year or even of the genre, not even close.

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Another noona dongseng drama

I have not enjoyed a single noona-dongseng drama, although some have been better than others. The best was probably Something in the Rain with Jung Hae In and Son Ye Jin, another popular noona. That explored the social issue of noona-dongseng couplings. However, this drama has nothing to recommend it. The premise of why they have to break up isn't fathomable to those of us who are non-Korean, as I believe it involves some kind of social taboo (e.g., Autumn in my Heart). Gee it's sad that they can't be together but why? The characters are uni-dimensional but perhaps the highlight for me was watching her close friendships and supporting one of them through a major life transition. I watch it purely for Jang Ki Yong ( just as I watched equally boring Song Hye Gyo's previous noona-dongseng drama purely for Park Bo Gum) and that's the only reason I'll finish this.

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