正義女神

哇！！《正义女神》昨夜 大结局。过去几个星期周一至周五我准时八点半守在电视机前等着这部瞪眼剧，好久好久没为了看剧这么自律了。呵。

《正义女神》着重于犯罪被控上庭的少年罪犯，编剧还非常有心地给言官很多苦口婆心的台词，算是比之前的《一号皇庭》系列有所不同，也让人认识到青少年犯罪往往不只是青少年本身的问题，他们的父母，学校环境，交友状况，任何一个或超过一个环节都可能是问题点。

佘诗曼这次的角色与以往的不同，我也觉得她瞪眼的表演要比陈炜更有层次。绝对是这部剧的一大看点。

我觉得不足之处有：

• 整部剧不见爷爷奶奶外公外婆的角色，挺不写实的。
• 直到最后一集最后半小时高大状的仔才被定罪，而且证据竟然是高大壮发现，（良心发现）后快递给言官当呈堂证据的。若没高大状这举动，警方查无有利证据，高大状的仔岂不罪名不成立？编剧这么写，让我瞬间穿越到戏说台湾，想大喊举头三尺有神明啊！！剧末曲的第一句 “Late, but never denied“ 在昨夜的大结局就很牵强了。
• 我知道以真正的青少年来饰演少年罪犯是不可能也不道德的。但演员的实际年龄与他们饰演的角色的年龄可否在十年以内啊？有些饰演少年犯的演员从电视屏幕透出的过分降龄演出时尴尬的。
• 我不知道选角的要求是什么，但整个大台就没有一个年轻男演员可以胜任高成彬的角色吗？非得用个女演员反串？
• 黄庭锋的角色到底是个警察还是言官的私家调查员？只见黄庭锋频频向言官汇报进展，却不见他向警队里的上司汇报进展。

戏剧创作虽是虚构之作，但是否就能太过脱离现实？

大台女艺人

最近上了大台女艺人网页，照片放大了，可觉得。。。好一些女艺人的照片看起来。。。是灯没打好还是妆没上好？脸与脖子明显是两个颜色。。。照片的exposure不均匀，明显是不同时期、手法拍摄的。有些女艺人只露脸，有些是半身照，胡定欣的几乎是全身照。。。为何？

林夏薇、康华、张文慈、庄思敏、江欣燕、张文慈、姚嘉妮、谢芷伦的照片让我认不得她们。。。

陈婉衡撞脸钟嘉欣！

有些照片还是模糊的：区蔼玲、陈靖云、詹可琳、何婉盈。。。

觉得若这些是portfolio照，公司是否不太上心？

若纯粹以妆发造型打灯的好看度来看，以下女艺人的照片会让我停留稍久的：

吴幸美、陈善渝、糖妹。

发现女艺人还分经理人合约女艺人和女艺人。。。差别在哪？

经理人合约女艺人的portfolio照大致上还拍得比女艺人的好一些。

妆发造型打灯好看的有：

樊奕敏、傅嘉莉、庄思明、邓佩仪、邓美欣和朱千雪。

===============================================

看了大台男艺人，来看看大台女艺人。

认得脸认得名

• 陈炜：《法证先锋IV》里的Queen, 外型挺适合饰演霸气的大姐头。在《刑侦日记》里与姜皓文饰演夫妻不搭。
• 朱智贤：若不是与莫已婚男艺人的绯闻，我还真不知道朱智贤是哪位。
• 车婉婉：女二/三。《大酱园》里的二太太，《牛下女高音》里的Anita。样貌可能不是典型大台会捧的那种，但有辨识度。
• 郑裕玲：镇台阿姐。
• 陈凯琳：郑嘉颖妻子。
• 陈滢：《黄金有罪》里的水敏婷。起初我以为该演员是发胖了的陈法拉。感觉上被捧， 但是与资深男一/二搭配时演技上的不足就明显了，处非资深男一/二愿意配合她。最受不了大台将她与马德钟搭配。
• 张曦雯：《白色强人》里的Yan。感觉上被捧。样貌有辨识度，感觉上身高挺高的，有些与她搭配的男演员好像比她矮。
• 朱咪咪：资深配角。
• 张文慈：《解决师》里的Madam Ma，《木棘证人》里与韦家雄的搭配意外地有喜感。荧幕中是有存在感的。喜欢她再《跳跃生命线》里的造型。
• 陈敏之：好像很久没换发型了。感觉饰演过的角色因造型变化不大而模糊成一团。Chi Chat意外好看。
• 蔡思贝：短发造型是好看的，觉得她在《踩过界II》里演得太过用力了。
• 陈自瑶：以前觉得陈自瑶只是路人甲，后来发现她的演出不出彩或许因角色不对，造型不妥。
• 樊奕敏：大浓妆造型其实配搭她近来夸张的角色意外的搭称，与李成昌在《杀手》里的搭配也很出彩。
• 冯素波：资深配角。
• 冯盈盈：感觉上是被捧但演技还不太到位的女一/二。
• 傅嘉莉：外型靓丽有辨识度。
• 古佩玲：认得脸与名纯粹是看了2020年的港姐比赛。
• 康华：感觉上一直是大浓妆状态。
• 韩马利：资深配角，出场稍不注意就把那些年轻的男一/女一们显得好像是她的配角。
• 江美仪：近几年好像都是短发造型，感觉上好像大台为了把小花们捧上女一/二而退到资深女二的位置了。
• 郭少芸：饰演女一的角色是没问题的，《丫鬟大联盟》里众多小花们一个都显不出郭少芸的架势。
• 糖妹：长空闪令令自由系列代言人。
• 龚嘉欣：《大酱园》里真正的女一是龚嘉欣吧。看过她参与的几部戏剧，觉得努力是有的，天分或许还比一些所谓的女一还多，与不同男艺人的配搭在戏中的默契也是不错的。相当期待龚嘉欣的演技更上一层楼。
• 高海宁：高Ling不是每个角色都能胜任的。《C9特工》令她大减分呢。
• 李佳芯：外型靓丽，但对我来说没有辨识度。我常常得花五集以上才认得出李佳芯。没凭《智能爱人》得视后我觉得是可惜得。
• 卢婉茵：资深配角。
• 罗兰：非常资深配角。
• 吕慧仪：《一屋老友记》里的三嫂，与张颖康的搭配挺好笑。
• 赖慰玲：《反黑路人甲》里的大姐是出彩的，其它角色就路人甲了。
• 刘佩玥：辨识度高，外型现时比演技强。
• 马蹄露：配角。
• 麦玲玲：玲玲姐何时签为大台艺人？
• 薛家燕：资深阿姐。
• 汤盈盈：我不看《爱 回家》系列，汤盈盈对我来说是钱嘉乐妻子。
• 滕丽名：《陀枪师姐》系列里的陈三元，滕丽名是难得古装与时装扮相都不错的女艺人。
• 唐诗咏：有辨识度，但不知怎么的，唐诗咏饰演的角色都没让我留下很深的印象。
• 汤洛雯：马明女友。
• 谢雪心：资深配角。
• 谭凯琪：外形靓丽，是那种可演奸忠角色的。
• 黄心颖：可惜啊。。。
• 汪明荃：镇台阿姐。
• 黄翠如：感觉上演技普普。
• 姚嘉妮：是很reliable的配角，饰演比实际年龄小的角色并无违和感。
• 姚莹莹：《洗冤录》时的姚莹莹比现今的小花们美多了。
• 姚子玲：外形靓丽有辨识度，与陈山聪在《同盟》里很搭。
• 杨卓娜：原来是杨怡的姐姐，怎么被分配到的角色常常是可怜妇人？

认得脸不认得名

• 蒋家旻：《反黑路人甲》里的水姐是挺出彩的，之后的戏就路人甲了。角色与造型是挺重要的。
• 赵希洛： 路人甲。
• 程可为：资深配角。
• 张嘉儿：《陀枪师姐2021》里宣萱的闺蜜。
• 姜丽文：好像饰演过女警，《解决师》里的女警。
• 庄思明：杨明女友。
• 叶凯茵：路人甲。
• 简淑儿：《反黑路人甲》里王浩信的pupil，样貌有辨识度。
• 黎燕珊：路人甲
• 刘桂芳：路人甲。
• 刘温馨：路人甲。
• 刘思希：《丫鬟大联盟》里的
• 罗冠兰：资深配角。
• 林淑敏：路人甲。
• 吕珊：资深配角。
• 麦皓儿：路人甲。
• 马海伦：资深配角。
• 文雪儿：资深配角，外形有辨识度。
• 孟希璘：《十八年后的终极告白》二手包包店的女店员之一。
• 吴香伦：配角。
• 孙慧雪：《杀手》里陈查理的妻子。
• 邓佩仪：《机场特警》里的女ASU。
• 谢芷伦：路人甲。
• 尹诗沛：挺面熟的，但不太记得她饰演的角色。
• 于淼：《大酱园》里军阀的妻子。
• 袁洁仪：路人甲。

Boyhood 소년시대 [Coupang Play] and Pyramid Game 피라미드 게임 [TVING]

 私はクーパン・プレイの少年時代とTVingのピラミッド・ゲームを同時に見ていたが、両方の韓国ドラマがいじめという同じテーマを扱っていることに気づかなかった。

両方のドラマは設定が約40年離れているにもかかわらず、同じことを扱っていたため、私には非常に非現実的に感じられ、韓国の学校でのいじめ問題は進んでいないように感じました。  むしろ、いじめの悪質さが増しているように見えた。

それでも、両ドラマのキャストの選択は興味深いものでした。

少年時代には、学校で毎日殴られていたぎこちない十代の少年を演じるために、ボウルカットとおそらくブロンザーで変身した経験豊富な俳優が主役を務めていました。『ピラミッド ゲーム』では、お互いの年齢や演じたキャラクターに近いアンサンブル キャストが出演しました。

以前、時代劇やバラエティー番組で見た記憶がある『少年時代』の男性主人公の変貌には、かなり驚きました。  この俳優は間違いなく色白で、『少年時代』に登場したほどずんぐりしていなかった。

『少年時代』の主人公の両親はどちらも比較的色白だったので、ブロンザーの必要性には疑問を感じますが、私は男性主人公の演技を楽しんでいると言わざるを得ません。パフォーマーが演技スキルを磨き、自分の能力を披露するのに役立つさまざまな役を引き受けるほうが、間違いなくより興味深いものになります。

牛车来去 [公视]

 不太看时代剧，因觉得题材、人设、故事往往太沉重。看一看心情都郁闷了。

看《牛车来去》是被卡司中的游安顺吸引。再来也好奇安心亚与米可白如何在时代剧中诠释与自己不同的人设。

《牛车来去》绝对是诚意、资料搜集满满的作品。光是日据时代的农村人家光着脚丫这细节子已令我对饰演蔡家诸位演员相当佩服。要知道《戏说台湾》中的穷苦人家都不是光着脚丫子的。 台湾光复后本是兴高采烈庆祝政权回归中国人却又频频发生外省人与本省人的矛盾冲突、剧中角色还说出日本人做政府时比较好之类的话，让我开始有些理解为何李登辉说自己曾是日本人 、 杨子仪的角色不就认同自己是日本帝国人民吗？

二二八事件的描述我还是在戏剧中第一次看到 - 因为我之前不看时代剧。

之后剧中各要角陆续迁至高雄，故事开始有些拖拖拉拉了。许家姐弟经济开始好转应该是发生于蒋经国年代吧。高雄的故事好像没什么当时的重大事件来依附。

《戏说台湾》中出现过的演员也参与了《牛车来去》的演出，演技收敛自然了不少。不同层次的演技是应导演要求吗？

觉得《牛车来去》剧本的不完整来自于蔡家儿子的故事自大嫂迁至高雄就断了线。我还挺想知道台南乡下在蒋经国执政后有什么变化呢。

Duty After School 방과 후 전쟁활동 [TVING]

Duty After School is a 10 episode military sci-fi thriller broadcasted on TVING on Apr 2023.  The first 6 episodes were shown on 31 Mar, followed by 4 episodes on 21 Apr.  I have no idea why this was done, but it was certainly quite bordersome to wait for the last 4 episodes after a rather cliff-hanger ending for episode 6.  To make the last 4 episodes really last for me, I took 4 weeks to finish them (as if it mattered, as detailed recaps were on the internet before I watched the final episode).

This rather ambitious production (with all that CGI aliens and probably quite a bit of blue screens) narrates what happened when mysterious purple spheres in the skies start to fall.  High school students preparing for the SAT exams were lured into fighting the spheres with extra credits.  While adult characters appeared in the first 6 episodes, they were absent in the last 4.  In a world where high school students were left to fend for their own survival, the different personalities (and development of personalities) made for an interesting psychological study.

There was no blatant romance, but hints here and there of infatuations and likeings.  Some of which were obvious, some were blink-and-miss, but the parallel universe ending kinda confirmed that I did not miss those blick-and-miss.

The obvious infatuations include Doo Soo-cheol and Kim Chi-yeol both liking Lee Na-ra, with Lee Na-ra liking Kim Chi-yeol.  Kim Deok-joong liking Yoo Ha-na one-sidedly.  Kook Young-soo liking Cha So-yeon one-sidedly.  Cha So-yeon's very obvious infatuation with Lt Lee.

The blink-and-miss were Wong Tae-Man always seeming to defend Kim Yoo-jung.  Jo Young-shin looking out for No Ae-seol, whether she was picked on by Yeon Bo-ra, or rescuing her when the spheres fell in the school grounds.  He was also the one who pre-empted Ae-seol of the group's plan when she was captured in the prison.  I thought I was mistaken when Young-shin went to check on Bo-ra after she was injured trying to rescue Ae-seol.  Perhaps he liked Bo-ra instead.  However, in the parallel universe, Young-shin was ribbed for nominating Ae-seol as the prettiest girl in class by the other boys.  So it seems that the other boys did notice Young-shin standing up for Ae-seol.

I don't know whether I should be surprised by how Duty After School ended, or even to think that the screenplay deliberatly chose to make a certain point about students from different economic classes.

爱上我的衰神 [TVB]

《爱上我的衰神》是大台2021年末播出的时装奇幻爱情10集剧。男一是胡鸿钧，女一是个我没印象的小花 （正被捧吗？）实际年龄、外型都挺般配的。 

《爱》的镜头很怪。男女一出现时常常是很长很长的镜头，有时还是closeup。有时还没台词，只是男女一各自在忧郁。第一集时我就想弃剧，郑子城，马贯东，麦美恩和C君是让我看下去的理由。还有一个我不知道名字的男演员，饰演麦美恩的client。

《爱》的故事桥段熟口熟脸的。人生管理员与client前世必有关联 - 《49일》。变态杀手画家 - 《우월한 하루》。

三位人生管理员与他们client的故事是有吸引力的，但编剧偏偏给了男女一太多无谓的戏。我第一次看剧竟然每逢男女一出现就跳过，觉得配角的戏比主角的戏好看。自己都觉得傻眼。C君的角色挺无谓的，但他每次出现都让我开心了一下。

麦美恩是第一次与马贯东搭配吗？效果不错。《爱》竟然拉上了N年前的《封神榜》。我没看过大台的《封神榜》但《爱》编剧把《封神榜》里纣王的角色写进《爱》，还让郑子城饰演历尽多次转世的纣王，还痴痴地等待妲己，是在埋下另一剧的伏笔吗？世人早已唾弃的纣王妲己，可否借戏剧漂白一下？毕竟《史记》里的故事是真是加了汉代一些政治正确元素则不得而知了。

The Good Detective 2 모범형사2 [JTBC]

The 16-episode 2020 JTBC 'The Good Detective' was quite an interesting drama, thus naturally I was inclined to watch season 2 of it which was first broadcast in 2022.  

The cast returned, and it was enjoyable to watch the camaraderie among the actors.  Otherwise, the plot was quite a drag, because the wrong person was sent to jail again.  I mean, why do this team of detectives keep repeating the same mistake?  Or is sending the wrong person to jail a central theme of this series?

Eventually, the real murderer was caught, but she was so deluded and twisted that I don't know whether to feel happy that justice had once again prevailed, or sorry that she should be receiving psychiatric treatment instead.

火神的眼泪 【PTS】

火神的眼泪是PTS2021年首播的职人剧。短短10集，但比大台20多30集的职人剧更让观众投入其中。或许因剧末那场KTV大火与2020年台北林森钱柜大火同样让人揪心。

火神的眼泪有偶像剧演员，也有台剧演员，台词有国语和台语，消防员们职场故事、个人故事，感觉都相当接地气，我觉得是相当有诚意的作品。

后发现火神的眼泪其实是2020年3月拍摄完毕的，比一个多月后发生的钱柜大火早一个月。我原以为剧末那场KTV大火借鉴了钱柜大火，原来不是。但相似之处真的让我久久揪心。

很不错看的剧。

Tale of the Nine Tailed 구미호뎐 [tvN]

This is the second kdrama I watched with the Gumiho as the main character, the other being the 2021's My Roommate is a Gumiho.   Well, actually 구미호뎐 is a 2020 production, so My Roommate is a Gumiho could be riding on the success of 구미호뎐.  I must say that 구미호뎐 was a better production than the later kdrama, both in terms of the story and the cast.

The male lead in 구미호뎐 had a wider range of emotions displayed compared to the rather one-dimensional male lead in the other drama, and the plot was more substantial too, with the inclusion of other mythical creatures who now ply their trade in a cultural village.

A highlight for me from 구미호뎐 was Lee Kyu-hyung, who was cast as one of the other mountain spirit.  I enjoy his performance, as thus far he has appeared quite different in all the dramas I've watched with him being cast.  

What was disappointing was the incomplete story arc of the female lead's parents.  They mysteriously disappeared when she was a child and the male lead helped to locate and release them.  There was quite a bit of elaboration on the female lead constantly seeking to find them, and yet when they were found, there wasn't explanation of what happened to them during their disappearance and they were relegated to background standees.

Season 2 of 구미호뎐 will be released this year, and I will be quite looking forward to it.

List of mythical creatures in 구미호뎐

• Gumiho and half-blood gumiho
• Taluipa - guards the Samdo river
• Hyunui-ong - husband of Taluipa
• Snail bride
• Imoogi - serpent spirit
• Spirit of Darkness - prays on people's greatest fear
• Village Guardian - protector of village
• Mountain deity
• King Odo - judge of reincarnation

青春不要脸【TVB】

原本没想看2022年初播出的青春不要脸的。一堆我认不得脸又认不得名的群演。但想想才15集，就试试先看个5集再说。后来把整套剧看完，觉得还不错看，尤其像点名个别演出亮眼的演员。

男一丁子朗绝对很用功诠释角色，比对另一男一更让我入戏。饰演女一的女演员我不熟悉，但感觉得出她也很用心。香港原味道男主持群似乎都在青春不要脸中出现。我原以为个子挺小的林正锋意外的在青春不要脸中相当高大。是对戏的女演员个子娇小造成的视觉效果吗？

大台地戏剧常让较资深的男一“带”资浅的女一，资历差距太大看了挺辛苦。青春不要脸众多群戏是资历相仿的年轻演员，看了较舒服，资深的配角们似乎都很克制没抢戏。

青春不要脸中最最让我惊艳的是戴耀明的演出。我在其它剧中看到的戴耀明往往造型夸张，演技浮夸。这次的戴耀明没有夸张的造型，没有浮夸的演技。演技收敛却有张力，比一些在线的男一强多了。原来戴耀明不止有一种演绎方式。是因为角色人设的要求吗？期待可以看见戴耀明多变的演绎方式。

A Superior Day 우월한 하루 [OCN]

우월한 하루 – eine OCN-Produktion aus dem Jahr 2020, ist ein ziemlich albernes Drama und zum Glück nur 8 Folgen lang.

Wie der Drehbuchautor das, was in 24 Stunden passiert, in 8 Episoden ziehen kann, ist einfach überraschend.

Also entdeckte die männliche Hauptrolle, dass seine Tochter entführt wurde und er war gezwungen, einen Serienmörder aufzuspüren und zu töten, um seine Tochter zurückzubekommen.  Warum der männliche Hauptdarsteller nicht daran gedacht hat, zur Polizei zu gehen, und wohlgemerkt, seine Frau ist Detektivin, ist einfach rätselhaft.

Ich denke, dies ist das erste OCN-Drama, das ich gesehen habe und das meiner Meinung nach ziemliche Zeitverschwendung ist. Das Drehbuch war einfach unglaublich.

Rose Mansion 장미맨션 [tvN]

I had previously watched Class of Lies with Yoon Gyun-sang as the male lead and thought it was not bad, so I was quite expecting 12-episode 2022 TVING drama Rose Mansion to be interesting too.  I mean, to be able to narrate and close a kidnapping case within 12 episodes seemed challenging and I was looking forward to a short snappy drama, but NOOOOO, the 12-episode Rose Mansion opened so many story arcs with almost all not resolved by the finale.  If TVING decided that to leave the audience with so many ??? at the finale is okay, I would be quite disappointed.

Baring the rather irrelevant opening scene and the irritating rain scenes - Hometown really takes the cake for the incessantly long rain scenes - Rose Mansion started off with a relatively straight forward story: the female being called home from Busan by her father when her older sister went missing.  

What started out as a kidnapping case became a stalking case quite intertwined with the impending redevelopment of the estate in which the older sister disappeared from.  And like every korean dramas, there are odd characters living in the estate which the female lead seemed to take fun in accusing them of being involved in her sister's disappearance.  Yoon Gyun-sang as the male lead played a detective who seemed way too concerned about the female lead's wellbeing - which of course in TVING's world meant that there was something off about him, which indeed it was so.

If I am looking forward to a season 2 for the outstanding story arcs to be resolved, another reason would be the supporting cast who made Rose Mansion so much more tolerable.  The actress who acted as Han Hong-joo, Jung Ae-ri who acted as Charlie's mother - this is so different from the other characters she had played, and the actor who acted the part of the butcher (seemingly) in Charlie's supermarket.

This is probably the third korean drama I watched that featured a supermarket quite prominently, the others being the hoot-worthy Pegasus Market and The Killer's Shopping List.  Charlie's supermarket has to be the darkest and chilliest supermarket so far out of the three.

Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation 번외수사 [OCN]

The 12-episode 2020 OCN drama Team Bulldog: Off-Duty Investigation (Team Bulldog) is an enjoyable crime drama lightened up by the comic personalities and interactions among the main characters.  I'm looking forward to a season 2, not only for the easy chemistry among the main characters, but also for uncompleted story arcs like the story of Detective Jin's father - why was there always mention about Detective Jin atoning for his late father's mistake, more fleshing out and profiling for the last serial murder case and obviously one of the serial killer escaped - so there looks like more work for Team Bulldog.

As compared to other OCN crime dramas, Team Bulldog is considerably more light-hearted, although the crimes committed were admittedly mind-boggling.  I've come to a little realisation that while korean crime dramas may definitely be dramatized, the real crimes on which the dramatizations were based on were no less horrifying and unbelievable.  Such as a seemingly kind-hearted man who goes around fixing heaters for poor elderly for free, gains their trust and murders them with the twisted belief that poor old people are useless and do not deserve to live.  Or even a psychotic nurse in a welfare home who gets away with murder simply because society found it easier to cope with poor or disabled people hidden away from sight in so-called welfare homes that deaths in them just didn't raise any alarm bells.

It was interesting to see a different side of the actor cast as the profiler in Team Bulldog.  I remember him as an insipid and constipated editor in JTBC's 2020 The Good Detective, so his comic turnout in Team Bulldog was a relief to see that the actor could actually take on a role with more facial expressions. 

Class of Lies 미스터 기간제 [OCN]

Class of Lies is a 2019 OCN drama that revolved around the murder of a student at a private high school.  But of course as an OCN drama, Class of Lies is not merely about the murder of a student but so much more.  There was (the usual) corrupt prosecution and police who took orders from a less than scrupulous politician who was a president-wannabe, people from the upper class who think that they are superior and above the law and behave in a manipulative manner.  What was new in the story arcs for me was the attempts to weave in concepts such as いじめ in school, school administrators conspiring to give fictitious awards to a select group of rich students, and a high school girl who dreamt of debuting as a girl group idol instead of working towards college.  There was also the rather uncomfortable but fortuantely not graphically presented theme of minors/females being exploited by men for benefits.

Class of Lies was gripping, but because the screenplay tried to cramp in so many different themes, not all received sufficient airing or dissolution, or perhaps it just wasn't in the korean minds to consider some of the themes serious enough to warrant a proper dissolution.  Such as the topic of minors/females being exploited, or sexual assault in school committed by a student against another, or even the いじめissues.  Many of the concepts simply melted away, overshadowed by the main story arc of the male student accused of murdering his female school mate being vindicated.

There seemed so many unfinished story arcs that a second session would be in order, especially with the bizzare ending of the male student who was murdered by a hooded figure.  

The editing of Class of Lies was tight enough to overcome some lazily convenient characters and story arcs.  Like how the male lead had a hacker and private detective of a side-kick, which made a lot of investigation work easier for him.  And like how, it was quite bizzare that many of the cast acting as students were in reality about the same age as those acting as teachers.  I call that the power of combed-down fringes and school uniforms.

Nevertheless, Class of Lies is an engaging enough drama that almost did not rely on any ounce of romance to get through 16 episodes.

Missing: The Other Side 미씽: 그들이 있었다 [OCN]

미씽: 그들이 있었다 is a 2020 OCN drama that I think fills the gap quite nicely where Hotel Del Luna's universe did not cover -  what happens when a person die but the body is not found.

So, in the world of 미씽: 그들이 있었다, those who died but their bodies are not found - usually victims of crime or circumstance - their souls get transported to a village where they continue to live agelessly until their remains are discovered.

The two male leads had a strange connection with the souls in the village and were able to see them, and took up the responsibility of seeking the remains of the souls so that they could move into afterlive.

At 12 episodes long, 미씽: 그들이 있었다 combined crime, tragedy and was heart-warming with Thomas' character - a youth who drowned in a river when he fought for Korea's independence.  His selflessness is caring for the souls that arrived after him made for a very good ending when his remains were eventually found about a century after he arrived at the village.

Watching 미씽: 그들이 있었다 made me feel that somehow, everyone would be found someday.  And somehow, that feels hopeful.

Season 2 of 미씽: 그들이 있었다 airs today on tvN, and hopefully I'll get to watch it soon.

Sageuk Timeline

[Updated 15 Dec 2022]

Sageuk losely refers to period dramas or movies in South Korea.  They could depict historical figures or periods, or use historical figures and periods as a backdrop while filling up the gaps with fantasy or time travel or soul swaps from the modern era to certain historical periods in Korea.

Recently I came across this website the talking cupboard, which helps explain on korean culture depicted in sageuks.  There was a sageuk timeline, which the webmaster last updated on 21 Feb 2021, that lists sageuk according to the timeline of Korean history.  I found this really helpful, not being familiar with Korean history and being baffled by the sageuks.

Based on the list, I'm also listing the sageuks [I think they are considered more as fantasy sageuks than serious sageuks] than  I've watched so far, to try and make sense chronologically of what had happened during the different periods in Korean history.  I'm stopping my list at the Joseon dynasty, and perhaps start another list for sageuks from the Korean Empire.

Across dynasties

Ruler | Title                   | Drama/Movie | TV station | Year of broadcast | Male and female leads

x        | Hotel Del Luna | Drama             | TvN           | 2019                     | Yeo Jin-goo and IU

Goryeo Dynasty

Ruler | Title                                                         | Drama/Movie | TV station | Year of broadcast | Male and female leads

x        | Guardian: The Lonely & Great God       | Drama | TvN | 2016 | Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun

x        | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days | Movie | x | 2018 | Ha Jung-woo 

Taejo | Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo           | Drama | SBS | 2016 | Lee Jong-gi and IU

Joseon Dynasty

Ruler               | Title | Drama/Movie | TV station | Year of broadcast | Male and female leads

x                      | The Moon Embracing the Sun | Drama | MBC | 2012 | Kim Soo-hyun and Han Ga-in

x                     | Rooftop Prince | Drama | SBS | 2012 | Park Yu-chun and Han Ji-min

x                     | My Roommate is a Gumiho | Drama | tvN| 2021 | Jang Ki-yong and Lee Hye-ri 

x                     | Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist | Drama | tvN | 2022 | Kim Min-jae and Kim Hwang-gi

Yeonsangun    | The King and the Clown | Movie | x | 2005 | Jeong Jin-yeong and Lee Joon-gi

Jungjong         | Monstrum | Movie | x | 2018 | Kim Myung-min and Kim In-kwon

Gwanghaegun | The Tale of Nokdu | Drama | KBS | 2019 | Janf Dong-yoon and Kim So-hyun

Gwanghaegun | Masquerade | Movie | x | 2012 | Lee Byung-hun and Ryu Seung-ryong

Gwanghaegun | The Crowned Clown | Drama | tvN | 2019 | Yeo Jin-goo and Lee Se-young

Sukjong           | Queen In-hyun's Man | Drama | tvN | 2012 | Ji Hyun-woo and Yoo In-na

Sunjo               | Love in the Moonlight | Drama | KBS | 2016 | Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung

Jeongjo           | The Fatal Encounter | Movie | x | 2014 | Hyun Bin

Jeongjo           | Royal Secret Agent | Drama | KBS | 2020 | Sung Yi-gyum and Kwon Na-ra

Cheoljong       | Mr Queen | Drama | TvN | 2020 |  Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun

Well, it does seem like I've watched quite a number of sageuks, most of which are on tvN and of the fantasy genre.  I'm still not quite recognizing most of the leads, less so of the actors who acted as court officials (they resemble each other with their bushy beards and mustaches.)  Now that I've done some sorting, it makes a bit more sense why the costumes of the actors in Moon Lovers deferred so much from those in Mr Queen - different eras altogether!

There are quite a number of articles on Joseon culture in the talking cupboard.  Coupled with the sageuks, I think I might be on my way to learning more about korean history without having to resort to textbooks!

Blind 블라인드 [tvN]

So I've completed the entire 2022 16-episode 블라인드, albeit with some delay.  What can I say?  I'm still a little overwhelmed by the screenplay, up to the last episode.

블라인드, as the translated title suggests, is not simply about trying a murder case by a public jury, but about how people simply turned a blind eye to the abuse of children sent to a welfare home.  블라인드 would have made for an interesting "case study" discussion in psychology class, where Freud's psychoanalysis theory might have had a good airing.

From the screenplay, I had sorta guessed that the male lead's older brother was a little odd, yet the hurtling at the last episode of the magnitude of the truth behind the murder cases was still rather shocking.  And I won't have been entirely surprised if the screenplay contained some elements from actual cases, given that some actual criminal cases had been mind-boggling when they were revealed in the mass media.

The screenplay of 블라인드 certainly didn't try to be overambitious, however, there were still some story arcs that seemed to been conveniently forgotten in the explanation of things.

Boy 11 was a teenager at the time he decided to take revenge on the adults who abused him and the other children at the welfare home.  How was he able to identify all the relevant parties and their children to carry out his plan?  To be able to perserve at his plan would take a huge mental toil.  And why did he have the habit of self mutilation?  That seemed to point to some psychological stress he experienced.

Is boy 13 a psychopath since he was a child?  The interactions between him and the other boys around him when he was at the welfare home certainly hinted at that.  And how was he and boy 11 able to manipulate that bingo system to pick out all the relevant parties to make up the jury?

I'm not sure what role Jo Eun-ki played in 블라인드, her character seemed rather unbelievably righteous, compared to the more nuanced character personalities of the other characters in the drama.

There were some familiar faces in the cast of블라인드, so it was interesting to compare their performance across different dramas.

The corrupted police chief was also a negative character in Military Prosecutor Doberman and had a very different character as the female lead's deceased father in Secret Garden.

The primary abuser of the children was a police in Voice 4.

The psychopath killer was Fish in The Killer's Shopping List.  It was interesting to see how he portrayed 2 entirely different characters.  However, I guess his appearance may limit the roles he might receive in future.

All in all, the topic of the screenplay was certainly very heavy, and surprising that in 2000, there were abuse cases in welfare homes that authorities turned a blind eye towards even when the children sought to publicize their plight.

=======================================================================

I'm at the half-way mark of the 16-episode 블라인드 that is currently on tvN and so far the screenplay has been keeping me interested and in suspense and guessing what exactly is happening.  There are certain parts of the screenplay which does not seem quite relevant, but I'm waiting to see how it all comes together at the end.  

So far, it does not appear as if the screenplay would be over ambitious like Mouse, or too bizzare like Hometown.

Poong, The Joseon Psychiatrist 조선 정신과 의사 유세풍 [tvN]

조선 정신과 의사 유세풍 は、2022 年にリリースされた 12 話の tvN ファンタジー サングクです。

 主人公の男性は精神科医と思われますが、この朝鮮時代の精神科医が現代の精神科医と同じかどうかはわかりません。とにかく、 조선정신과 의사 유세풍 は、私にとって都合よく朝鮮を舞台にしたフーダニット犯罪ドラマのように感じました。

最初は『조선정신과 의사 유세풍』は2019年の『왕이 된 남자』以降のヨ・ジングとキム・サンギョンの再会だと思っていたが、違う、『조선정신과 의사 유세풍』の男性主人公が本当に似ているだけだった。激しさのないグー。

どのように 조선 정신과 의사 유세풍 が終わったことは確かにセカンドシーズンを非常に強く示唆しており、ストーリーが強化されることを願っています.

『왕이 된 남자』でのキム・サンギョンの強烈な演技を見て、キム・サンギョンがコミカルな役を演じられることに驚いた。そして 조선 정신과 의사 유세풍 は、サポートキャストがリードよりもはるかに興味深く堅実なパフォーマンスを披露したドラマの1つです.

把关者们 [TVB]

2021年播出的《把关者们》是一部相当典型的TVB制服戏剧。有新进学员受训的桥段，学员们之间的暧昧桥段，进入单位后学习长进的桥段，还有邪不胜正的桥段。

饰演学员的卡士有两三个被捧上位的小花小生，其余是路人甲认得脸不认得名的演员。单位里的师兄师姐就比较大卡，如袁伟豪、黄智雯。

刘佩玥见了短发不错看，外形与饰演她丈夫的黄庭锋也不错，但就是感觉不出他们是相爱的。演的痕迹挺大。刘佩玥与陈家乐的搭配就演的痕迹更大了。

比较自然的搭配就是袁伟豪与黄智雯这组，但C君与陈自瑶的搭配意外地让我很期待他们的出场。

海俊杰饰演的彭生，气势不足，反而有点儿滑稽。倒是郭子豪视觉系的装扮比较抢眼，但觉得演的痕迹也不小。

《把关者们》的剧情稍显老套，又有说教味，但因有海关的协助，案件与场景的真实感加分不少。这点得给个赞。

异搜店 [TVB]

异搜店是大台2021年末播出的20集奇幻悬疑剧，讲述男一拥有特异功能，能够看见旧物的“灵魂”并从中知晓旧物与其主人的故事。

异搜店由四个故事组成：公鸡神像，网络奇缘，儿控与回忆失格。男一为何广沛，女一为陈晓华，并由众多资深配角“带”男女一，感觉有点儿"伙计办大事“。虽标榜奇幻悬疑剧，但我觉得编剧似乎没把故事的逻辑创造好。尤其男一揭露父亲死亡的真相似乎与整套剧中其它的故事逻辑是完全跳tone的。

男一或许因为人设感觉一直很萎靡。女一存在感很低，之前看过女一参与的“迷惘”，一直觉得换个女演员会不会就较自然。这次也是。女一的人设好奇怪，怎么老是要与男一一起共事？除了男友以外，女一似乎没其它朋友。

看完20集的异搜店，觉得有点儿浪费时间。若不是李成昌与陈自瑶的演出，真的会弃剧。