Cody Kwok

This is such a deceptive work of art. The first episode led you to believe this is a drama about office politics and some kid getting the short end of the stick, and it was uncomfortable to watch IU getting beat up. Other reviews have already mentioned how wonderful it was to see their relationship grew and the unshakeable bond they have towards the other, that touched the very core of our beings. I want to point out the many deep threads that upon rewatching it may be worth more thoughts, such as the juxtaposition of the monk's wisdom and his own personal struggles, ML's pristine good personality ending up hurting himself more and was not worth as much as he thought, and how he and IU grew together through all the struggles. I personally thought some of the threads didn't work as well such as the struggling actress who seemed out of place in terms of reality of the drama, but they don't detract from the soul of the drama. They even spend time developing powerful characterization for secondary characters. The grandma, she conveyed so much and everytime she's on screen it's a gem. The bully started out as a cardboard villain, kicking IU was unbearable to watch. But the back story they crafted for him revealed deep conflicts within himself, even though it was in service of a plot twist, it was still believable. This is a very powerful human drama and one of the most meaningful experiences I've had in watching any drama.

Having shades of Count of Monte Christo, this relentless drama is well paced and scripted and ultimately satisfying. Many notable acting here made the characters very sympathetic. the strength doesn't only lie in the drama's portrayal of the wheel of karma, but also the many touching moments when human kindness were remembered and rewarded at the end. There are some twists that I didn't particularly like because they were forced and we were told partial truths, but the story is mostly flowing logically and causalities are well explained. Each episode felt really long in a good way because so much was happening, and details were not thrown away plot devices. The only show I looked forward so much for part 2 and it did not shy away from heavy punches. Excellent, excellent show.

I wasn't really interested in the plethora of superheroes and the show seemed like yet another one cashing in the latest trend. However it seamlessly blended a number of usual Japanese cultural elements (high school, tournaments, stereotype characters) with a pretty unique backstory that made it interesting. The pacing of the show is good and avoided a lot of potential plot pitfalls so far. I enjoyed it and looking forward to season 4.