Bob Trent

I don't like watching an entire drama only to have more questions afterwards than I did going in. I know they did some post production editing because of the controversy behind Yoo Ah-In so that may have been part of the problem although once his character returned to Korea he was prominent in most of the episodes. What was the nature of the research he was doing and why was it so important. What was going on at the Training Center, was it a way to get the wealthy and powerful out of Korea or was it all a front to traffic children. And, why was there so much of this in the drama, where were the children being sent. They never really explained how were things in other parts of the world and why there seemed to be safe places. We've all seen one or more documentaries about what killed off the dinosaurs, a single impact created cataclysmic climate conditions that impacted the entire world wiping out most plant and animal life. The one time they showed people escaping Korea they later said the plane crashed, did it, was it sabotage, this is a big plot point to not have any follow up on. And, then to end the drama with Eun-Jin taking revenge on those responsible for killing her students and Yun-Sang making a bomb and taking off and not explaining why or where he was going was quite frustrating for me as a viewer. I did watch the drama in Korean with English subtitles so maybe I missed a thing or two but not this many. I would not recommend using twelve hours for this drama when there are much better ones available.

While I enjoyed the drama, I think it would have benefited from a few more episodes, especially for those not familiar with the webtoon. I felt some backstory on the major plot points would have been beneficial, what lead to the class distinctions, why were refugees at the bottom of the social ladder, some more detail on the mutants, was 5-8 a rufugee or a mutant, too, what was the nature of the Ryu Seok''s illness and why did he think mutant blood was the cure and why did he hate the refugees to such an intent. They could have fleshed out the story with two or maybe four more episodes and still maintained the action and suspense.

I'm thirteen episodes in and am keeping up with the time switches from Han Tae-sul's timeline, 2020, to Kang Seo-hae's which is often shown as 2030. This is my first issue, the war starts October 31, 2020, when Kang Seo-hae is a young girl, looks to be about eight years old, then in the future scenes, tagged as 2030, she is an adult woman, looking to be in her mid-twenties, that's only a ten year difference, she would be a teenager at best. It's not until Han Tae-sul has his first face-to-face meeting with Sigma, that I understood that it wasn't the entire world that was destroyed but only the Korean peninsula. All of the future scenes are standard post-apocalyptic, everything destroyed and in ruins with marauding gangs, Kang Seo-hae's father even suggests they try and sneak out of the country. I wonder why the country would still be in ruins, appearing to have been abandoned by the rest of the world, wasn't there any humanitarian efforts, why would you need to sneak out of the country. I know it's just a television series but these areas distract me from the drama. I am hoping there is more background on what happens to the area after the war and that it's simply not explained if the war is averted. I also think they spend more time than is needed on the flashbacks and flashforwards, many of which could have been condensed and still added to the storyline. Overall, I'm still enjoying the story and the cast.

Easily one of my all time favorite dramas. All of the actors are great, the plot is excellent, you are kept on the edge of your seat from one episode to the next. There is action and a little romance and a whole lot of family dynamics. The four lead actors really form a cohesive unit and you begin to root for each of them. I would especially recommend this to anyone who has not delved into Korean dramas before, it will make you fan.

The NetFlix promo does nothing for the actual movie. I decided to give it a try and the first hour is relatively a nice sweet movie and then the switch is flipped and you are on the roller coaster ride of your life. Kudos to all the actors especially the lead actress. It has a Stranger Things vibe, terrific plot twists, tons of action and great fight scenes. Don't let the 2 hours running time scare you off, it is worth every minute especially the second half.

This is my fifth KDrama and first that does not have a supernatural element to the plot line. I am so hooked on this I purposely limit myself watching it so as to not have it end. The plot lines and the acting are top notch. The interactions between the characters are compelling and you end up rooting for the good guys and really don't like the bad guys. I cannot praise this show enough, thank you Netflix. And, for someone who has never watched a KDrama, I highly recommend this one for your entry into the KDrama realm. This can stand or even surpass any drama currently being shown on American network television.

This was my fourth KDrama and my favorite so far, the story is well written and just when you think you've got things figured out, a new plot twist is presented. I've noticed that villains in KDramas are very terrible people and the heroine must always have at least two men in love with her, Black does not disappoint in both of these areas. I highly recommend this for someone who is new to KDramas and I especially like when they are not dubbed in English as I like the sound of the Korean language.