A take on an ancient folktale that doesn’t resonate with the original as such. Instead of bringing much anticipation that most carried, it makes huge efforts to focus on just the added romance aspect which brings utter disappointment. Not only that, the main purpose of the drama is made unclear as well. Huge lifesavers of the drama are definitely the side characters, as well as the evident character development with our leads.
Hello and welcome back to the blog! I’m bringing to you all the much awaited review of A Korean Odyssey, which has been something that I’ve been following for the last 2-3 months or so. This drama has definitely taken me on a ride, for all sorts of reasons. Not only did it bring me a little hit of nostalgia, but it also kept me invested to see and follow these handful of characters who I certainly rooted for eagerly. So now, let’s finish this once and for all.
Hello everyone! I am back with a couple of posts lined up, starting off with this one. There has been a number of dramas that I’ve been curious to check out and start off the year with, and this one has definitely been on my radar for a while. There is only really two reasons for this. Number one: It is Seung Gi’s comeback drama (god how I’ve missed him!) and so I’ve been meaning to see if he’s still got it (which he has most definitely not failed to do). And number two: the drama is based off a classic story that I’ve grown up watching and reading for as long as I could remember. Journey to the West has been something that every Chinese kid has grown up with, simply because it’s just been around for that long, and the story always gets a remake every couple of years. Some have been fantastic, while others most definitely fall short. And so, when I heard that this drama would be based loosely on the classic, just set in a more modern setting suited for our time, I was most definitely curious to see how this would go. Also, it doesn’t hurt that this drama is a Hong Sister’s creation xD
And here, I will share with you my thoughts on how this drama has been going for me, and what I plan to do next. So…let’s get on with it.
Hello everybody, and welcome back! As the title clearly illustrates, I am bringing to you all my current trek as well as my first impressions of the current topping-the-rating-charts K-drama “Doctors”. I was very VERY interested in checking out this drama for a while, especially after seeing its first teasers with an ass-kicking Shin Hye and a sweet-smiling Rae Won oppa~ Now that it is finally being broadcasted, a simple statement that I can make right now is that I was extremely impressed initially, and not disappointed in my decision to pick this one up. However, what this post will inevitably discuss is whether or not I should continue pursuing this drama, and finish it to the end. So, without further ado, let’s begin this damn ‘current trek’ post already before I spill everything out in just the introduction!
An emotionally-investing rollercoaster ride that only lived up to my expectations too soon…and ended with the ride stopping 2/3 in, leaving me hanging upside down with no way out.
Hey everyone and yes, I know what you are all thinking…WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN HYUNNIE?!
Trust me, that super long and boring excuse will be expressed later on in the future but for now, let us focus on the review at hand – “Cruel Romance” (otherwise, I will literally just rant and go off-track for ages -_-”).
So, about this drama…I take back some of what I said before…towards the end of this precious drama, the drama embarked on a path in which I was dreading to follow, and as I knew from my personal experience with dramas, this sudden change in activity usually never ends well.
And what do you know? It didn’t.
Oh believe me, the drama drew out the feels and emotions that they were so determined to drain out of me, but if I placed my emotions aside and viewed the drama solely based on its plot, then I can’t help but see all of the plot holes rise to the surface. It is as a fellow commenter on the drama stated “Even a toddler can see all of the plot holes this drama is filled with”, or something roughly similar. Which is a really huge shame, since there was so much potential. But of course, one main reason why this drama became so bad by the end of it, was because it had cut out a potential 4-8 episodes from its original expected broadcast.
4 episodes! That is almost 3 hours worth of content cut out. If it followed it’s 8 episode broadcast, that could have been a possible 6 hours worth of content. 6 HOURS! No wonder so much was missing and the plot didn’t flow well at all towards its race to the finish. It is really disappointing to know that this drama could have covered and explained so much more, it really is. But, what ended up happening was just a pile of mess that just couldn’t be resolved. I am just so frustrated the way this drama concluded…so bear with me if this review ends up turning into a rant of some sort; I just need a place to express this “betrayal” that I feel. *
(Update made after watching the newer Jiang Xi Version)
…Adding 4 episodes didn’t make any difference, plot-wise.
None whatsoever.
I mean sure, there were roughly 3-4 scenes added that really drove my fangirl feels for our main couple but in terms of a progressive plot, nope. Nothing changed it dramatically.
Nothing at all.
And it’s just made me even more disappointed about this drama; before watching the newer version, I could of just convinced myself that they cut out all of the important bits therefore the drama didn’t progress well. However, after seeing that only a couple of scenes (which I guess were worth showing btw) were added that did nothing to change or push the plot forward, I just felt betrayed and hopeful for nothing.
Writers, I hate you guys so much right now. So much….
Alright, so here’s the thing; this drama wasn’t ever meant to touch my radar. I knew that it would just be a terrible idea to even think that I should start watching this drama. And yet, here I am, writing my current trek for it. One reason why I shouldn’t be following this is because uni has started here in Australia, and they have certainly not been forgiving. I’ve got assessments due already in a week’s time (and it’s only week 3!), tests and quizzes to revise for and on top of that, I’m looking into getting another part-time job to support the family a little more. So in advance, I do apologise for any future lack of activity on the blog because, I can’t possibly continue following numerous dramas at once without sacrificing work, which at the moment I can’t afford to do (despite how tempting it is to just dump all this work and just marathon a drama for my personal enjoyment kekeke) However, the main reason why this drama is much more dangerous to take on is because it releases two episodes every day (kind of; I’ll explain it below later). And the drama is 48 episodes long…Yep, screw uni work!
*Clears throat* So, which drama is it that has gotten me so twisted and torn to the point where I am spending hours trying to search for answers without spoiling it for myself? It is in fact the Chinese drama Cruel Romance.
Asia Reviewer Maniac 