El Velo (2021)

Intriguing, but a bit too clever for its own good in the end.

There’s a warning about the nature of memory in episode two that is worth bearing in mind. As someone who has dissociative amnesia I found that the way the show played with the individual’s experience of reality very resonant. Memory, and therefore identity, is not such a solid, real thing as we need it to be. The mechanisms of memory are also the mechanisms of imagination and are susceptible to both suggestion and doubt. The only thing we can really be sure of is what is happening right now and sometimes we are even mistaken about that.

To be honest, the first fifteen minutes of this drama did not endear itself to me. I’m not really convinced by baddies that are ridiculously evil—involving children— in the first five minutes, particularly when they look dirty and have really bad teeth just in case you might mistake them for good guys. And especially when the scene is organ trafficking, because let’s face it, if you’re selling organs on, the buyers expect uncontaminated product, not bits of offal left behind by marauding hyenas. Such a big bang beginning can signal an unnecessarily over-the-top approach that kicks you in the guts rather than credits your intelligence. But thankfully, this did not prove the case in this complex drama.

There was a lot of general psychotic nastiness in the first few episodes and some completely off the wall, over the top baddies. Had it continued unabated I would probably have given up as I’m not really a blood, gore and gratuitous violence sort of person and tend not to watch violent dramas unless they are offering significant brain stimulation as well. Which this one did. However, in an effort to alleviate the distressing effect, I took an unusual interest in how successfully the make-up department managed to convince me of the damage. They had a field day and most of the time they got the blood colour near enough, if not the consistency. Plus there were some believable after-effects on faces, even though they faded away too quickly. Something I hate is when violence is portrayed as having no visible effect. It amazes me that realistic kissing is censored on Korean TV, but hacking up bodies is fine… Something’s a bit skewed there.

I liked the way it was written. By keeping the dialogue realistic it didn’t over-explain but, in the main, moved at a pace that you could gather the thread by paying attention. And you do need to pay attention and remember. There are no throw away lines in this 12 episode drama, the shorter length has cut out the fat and each scene pretty well earns its place. Every nugget of information will be utilised. There were a few times, especially in the middle, when I did feel like I was clinging on by my fingertips, desperately scrabbling for a memory of where some tiny flashback happened and who was involved, or what some character had to do with anything. No doubt this will up the rewatch value for those who are interested enough. The cast was very large and new characters with small parts were often introduced, none of them are superfluous. (I simply love the cast list on MDL. Where would I be without it? Lost in a sea of who-the-f**k-is-he, that’s where…)

It was written as though doing a jigsaw rather than printing a picture. Things were not sequentially built over time. The disparate elements of the picture were built up individually before coming together. This may not suit everyone. It requires you to hold things in your head floating freely, not necessarily attached to other things that you have seen. So if you are someone who likes to slot stuff into place as you go this drama probably won’t suit you. You might describe it as haphazard. However, I’m OK about going with the flow and being in a state of suspended ignorance/confusion, so in the main I enjoyed the ride. But it it took off for the stratosphere at the end and I must admit, I stayed earthbound.

There were quite a few REALLY??!! YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME??!!! moments that were shoehorned in to serve the plot. You know the sort of thing: keeping someone alive when in fact they would just have been killed straight off; underestimating a known hacker; a psychiatrist spilling the beans on her client to a stranger, impossible information gathering etc. And sometimes the introduction of new threads was strangely convenient and followed no real logic. As a whole it required a fair amount of suspension of disbelief but the complexity rewarded you. I got some of the twists, but there were plenty of other things that I didn’t anticipate. In general I found if I left it too long between watching episodes I couldn’t remember the fine detail, but if I watched them close together there was no working-things-out time, so it kept me intrigued. Basically, if you like a challenge this is a good drama for you and maybe watching it with a mate would help—larger data bank to store all the information…

When the plot is the central focus, there is not really time for character depth and development, so in this genre stand-out performances are rare. This is the third drama I’ve seen Namkoong Min in and I’m beginning to realise that he plays characters pretty much the same way whoever they are. If you like his style it’s sort of comforting to know exactly what you are going to get. He is good at delivering it, but so far I’m yet to see his acting talents really stretched. He’s had a long career, maybe someone can suggest a part when he offers something different to the slow delivery, stern-faced thoughtful look. Even Hot Stove League was short on smiles. I liked what Kim Ji Eun did with Yoo Je Yi, however the script sometimes made her naive beyond belief.

There is an interesting aspect to the title and its translation. The original direct translation is Black Sun, which describes an eclipse, where something completely opaque crosses something bright and blots it out. The title, The Veil, is much more subtle implying semi-transparency. The memory loss of the protagonist is like an eclipse, but his journey of remembering is through a glass darkly — veiled. I noted that the cinematography followed the title and shot scenes of revealing secrets through “veils” such as clear plastic blinds, windows or reflected in mirrors. Often short clips were filmed from angles where the viewer becomes a covert observer.

Although I liked the music, especially the breathiness in the voice of the female singer, I’m not sure it married up well with the content. Nothing really stood out for me.

What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.

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A Promising Beginning Deteriorates Into Disappointment

The drama started off promisingly, with an intriguing and engaging storyline, but quickly lost its momentum. As the series progressed, the quality of writing, acting, and even the music deteriorated, leaving much to be desired. The performances felt outdated, reminiscent of spy dramas from decades ago. Despite my initial hope after the first episode, I found myself struggling to stay engaged and considered dropping the series after the third episode. Overall, while the first episode showed potential, the series as a whole fell short of expectations, failing to deliver on its premise and the talents of its actors.

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Great Crime Drama

I watched this right after finishing My Dearest because I was so blown away my Namkoon Min's performance as Jang Hyun that I needed to see him in something else right away. The one other drama I had watched him in was a few years ago in Wild Chives. That show was so forgettable that the only thing I remembered was NM's beautiful smile. My Dearest brought him back to me, but with several years of experience under his belt. I have seen exceptional acting from many actors, but few become their characters. NM is one of these actors. He is a chameleon and so invested in his characters, that I can only see the character and NOT the actor. This is a rare gift. With the exception of his face and timbre of his voice, there is no similarity between these two characters. In the Veil, NM is Han Ji Hyuk, the hard-nosed, mentally unstable security bureau agent fighting demons and looking to expose the rats within his organization.

The story is well-written and gripping. It is fast paced and, though a little hard to follow at times, very engaging. The best part is the wonderfully talented ensemble cast and an air-tight script. The anchor is Namkoon, of course. He adds weight to a cast of very fine actors who work very well together. From drug related cases, to organ trafficking, to espionage and secret sub-organizations, it's all here and well put together. You can't help but watch and hope that things turn out well for him and his new partner, You Je Yi, played capably by Kim Ji Eun.

If you are a fan of Namkoon Min, I recommend this one even if romantic dramas are more your style--like mine.

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Namgoong Min sizzles

The Veil (2021)

The drama's plot felt so familiar. Like a mishmash of western spy action movies like Bourne identity, Die hard, Jack Reacher etc but still so uniquely Kdrama.

Likes
1. I waited for this the whole year and was not disappointed! Very thrilling, with action and lots of guessing of whodunit, but you almost need to watch closely because it can get confusing with so many characters.
2. Hands down Namgoong Min carried the show coz he was just amazing in this role as Han Ji Hyuk. I think he didnt need to bulk up that much since there were very few shirtless scenes but he looked so good in suits and his face is fuller. 😍
2. Very early on they introduced "Baek Mosa" so i thought he must be the main villain, but then the next 6 episodes went around in circles trying to implicate the other baddies in the NIS. I guess with the amount of villanous actors they casted, they wanted to complicate things and make people guess who is the worst of them. But i like that they finally teamed up to defeat the main baddie.
3. I love the partnership between Han Ji Hyuk and Yoo Je Yi. At first i thought Jeyi was too bland and green for Jihyuk but she proved to be very smart and complemented well with Jihyuk.
4. I loved the slow reveal of what really happened that night in Shenyang. There were so many twists and turns to get to that point when Jihyuk finally remembers everything. The reveal who killed his colleagues was something i expected since they kept hinting at it. The face off between Jihyuk and Mosa was typical Kdramatic with the daughter pleading to his father.

Dislikes
1. As mentioned above, the story went around in circles and overcomplicated a lot of things. But maybe if they sropped some of the twists we will not have material for 12 episodes so not a big deal.
2. Son Su Yeon was odd. She always felt out of place and they killed her off so early!!

Rating: 8.5/10

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A total thrill

The opinions on this drama are somewhat totally opposite. The one half loves it and the other one well not hates it but wouldn't recommend it. I'm with the first halfxD Some might think why would she give 10 stars and well I thought long about what to write to explain these 10 stars, but well, it's my opinion so let's get started.

First of all, the story. The story isn't really that special like something you've never seen before. We have someone who wants to take revenge on people who made him who he is although he has no idea who he is actually taking revenge on. Our main lead is searching for a ghost. And that is what makes this story so interesting. Every epsiode you think 'ah so that's what it's like now I understand' but in the end you didn't get anything at all. I like this kind of thrill but I can understand why people didn't like the drama because of this fact. The script was executed pretty well with almost no plot holes left in the end.

Secondly the acting and characters. Well as a huge fan of Namkoong Min of course I watched it mainly because he was the main lead. And he didn't disappoint. He portryed Han Ji Hyuk to such an amazing extend that I thought he was a different actor (maybe because of his body transformation) but hell, some say he acted like a robot but that's exactly what made him so perfect for the role, since Han Ji Hyuk is almost like a robot with no feelings left inside of him. Apart from that all the other members did a splendid job as well. I was most impressed by actress Kim Ji Eun. It was her first 'big' role and she did such an outstanding job with all those senior actors beside her. As for Han Ji Hyuk we go with him through a huge character developement as he came back and did not trust anyone. He was cold and did everything on his own not taking any help from anyone. On the other hand we have Yoo Je Yi who is cheerful and tries to warm up Han Ji Hyuk, which she did successfully. He started to trust her, open up to her, and they worked together. The displayal of teamwork and partnership was the most beautiful I've ever seen.

The music matched the atmosphere of the drama as well. The OSTs were greatly chosen for certain scenes and underline the feelings of the characters in the best way. Though it is sometimes strange when the whole OST is in english and you only understand half of it but what can I say, guess it's a trend now... Still loved it

The execution of the drama was well produced, we have great action scenes, some hinted funny moments and some really touching and heartbreaking moments as well. The perfect mixture for a binge watcher. I can only recommend this drama and I will also watch it again in one go. Watching these dramas ongoing is always a great deal to add to the thrill but when you watch them again in one go there are some things you didn't recognize before^^

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A Must Watch for the Ear Wiggles

This show was very well done, a little violent but if you can get past that it's a great drama. There is lots of suspense and some huge mysteries for the viewer to mull over and some really great action scenes. The acting was ok, it weirded me out a little at first that the ML, unlike in other action Kdramas, spends so much time looking around mid conversation. It fits, however, with his PTSD and occupation, constantly scanning for threats. So even though it was distracting to watch as a viewer, I think it was a very tastefully done addition to the character's personality portrayal.

The other thing that was a little uncomfortable to watch was the ML trying to walk. Poor little dude bulked up so much it looks actually difficult to move around. He still manages agility and precision with the action scenes, but the tight suits he wore seemed to be especially restrictive with all that bulk. He ends up with a walking posture that reminds me of hardcore cowboys who spend their days on horses and end up walking with their legs spread as though an invisible horse back is keeping them spread apart.

I'm glad they branched off after the show and made a special with the Seo Soo Yeon character, because she felt a little unjustly served in this drama. All the women in this drama were badass except for fight scenes, which annoyed me a little. I would have liked to see some female characters competent in fighting, but I get that the main showcase was the ML and his aggressively bulky body. Instead of having the ML and FL anything close to equals, they went with a mouse and a lion strategy. It plays out ok, since in the end the mouse saves the lion, just like in the fairy tale...but I'm not sure it would have detracted from the story to have it be a lioness and a lion instead.

All in all, this was a very well done show with very clean and smooth visuals, decent acting, and a really well thought out storyline. The conundrum at the end was very emotionally engaging and really brought the whole psychological overtones of the story full circle. It's definitely worth a watch.

Oh and the ear wiggles...the ML, especially toward the end, does some insane acrobatics with his ears. It was fascinating to watch. I didn't even know human ears could move like that.

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Fight scenes...check!
Car chase scenes....check!
Gun battle....check!
Espionage left and right...check!
No mushy romance....double check!!!

Boy this had EVERYTHING that I love in watching a drama. In all the Korean dramas I've watched I never seen any of these that had all of the categories listed above.

Coming off a Korean drama slump I went into this blind not knowing what I was going to get myself into. I wasn't sure if I recognized the main male lead but when I did I knew this was going to be an excellent watch. After seeing him in Good Manager where he played his role like Jim Carey in Pet Detective 1 & 2 I wondered how he would play this role and it was strictly serious throughout the whole drama. He can play a bad guy, funny guy, and serious guy to a 'T'.

What's a Korean drama without political propaganda? I know people get turned off by political dramas but I did not. I was highly curious as to the main mystery behind the main character's motives. The reason is because this reminded me of the very first Mission Impossible movie where everybody was shady and you didn't know who to trust. That's how this drama is. I haven't watched the last episode yet but I now have a gist of who's who.
The fact that every character in this drama was so shady that by I got to the 8th episode I forgot who was the main culprit. I had to remind myself of how the first episode started to get me back on track. Plus by me truly sucking at names I had to keep going back to the cast list to see who was who...I can't believe I truly suck at names! Don't even get me started on these character's real names...oy!!

All in all this held me at the edge of my seat through the first 11 episodes. I don't know if I will recap my review once I'm done with the last episode because the very last episodes of the Korean dramas are usually more misses than hits. I'm truly hoping for the latter than the former.

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Overly long and convoluted

I dropped this series a little bit into the 9th episode, when I found myself simply not caring about any part of it any more - not even the "big reveal"/ending!

This series was recommended to me by another viewer here on MDL and, having never heard of it, I was surprised to find it in my region on Rakuten Viki's freeview list.
I'll skip explaining what it's all about because there are so many other reviews here already, so let's get down to it:

* * *

The first episode was very so-so and, up until the final scene, didn't spark any interest in me. Suddenly though, I was pretty eager to see more.

The 2nd and 3rd episodes had plenty of action and kept my attention throughout, however, the tell-tale signs of bad writing were in there:
- the ultra vague character interactions
- the needless flashbacks as if the writers think we're too stupid to keep up with their high intellect
- the amount of pointless characters who just took up screentime

After a certain villain who seemed like a main threat mysteriously disappeared though, this went to sh*t!
The action really fizzled out, the endless talking droned on and on each episode, characters kept coming and going yet not offering anything to the plot and even the cute female lead just became REALLY grating and annoying (she's also a terrible actress, but whatever)!
The MC kept his charm - or lack thereof - throughout, but, once this one stalled, it never managed to get a jump back to life, tossing in car chases for chuckles and endless amounts of vacuous banter like we're supposed to be enthralled by not giving a crap!

So, yeah, rightfully dropped. Really, really not recommended.


P.S. I'm sure there will be plenty of comments on how I didn't understand this or how the female lead is amazing (probably in something else - she was undeniably hammy and over-acting in this), but there was nothing deep to misunderstand. THIS SERIES WAS PLAIN DULL.

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Most shitty thing you can watch ever

there a loser who can only choke woman and call himself NIS agent, NIS agents must be lesser then man to be only capable of choking woman and asking answers
murderer is asking his saver to explain herself
and his lady partner just so eager to suck his macro penis that after she hear he killed there boss she took that man to her house.
they even try to show it like some kind of love story at end
that is incapable of love, love is for humans not robots
i am unable to think what kind of people rate this shit 9-10
there is man who lost his memory and he is also crazy but NIS give him a gun and tell him to shot any woman he find

This Drama is spitting on real NIS face, calling them Mad killers,

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Light Drama Watchers, Run away !! This ain't for ya.

If I had to describe this drama, based on the first 2 episodes, I would use one word "Gruesome". Starting from the storyline to the action scenes to the criminals' mentality, motivation and the acts perpetrated by them, I would say "Gruesome" is the right word to describe the world that's been portrayed in the show. Now, Like most of my reviews, I will start by saying that this is the initial review, and If I continue to watch this and finish this, I will update my review as the show goes on or when it ends.

Let's start with the obvious, the Cast. Namgoong Min, well, you really don't need any other name in a drama. If in Korean dramas, anyone can single handedly carry an entire show with his acting, It will be NamGoong. So, great choice by the showmakers. As far as the other cast goes, Park Ha San is obviously a good actress, I really loved her in Birthcare Center and Love affairs in the afternoon (Haven't Seen the famous "Two Weeks" yet, hopefully in the future). She plays one of the main roles, but probably not the main female lead. I gotta say though, I had difficulty recognizing her with the black wig.

Now, it seems that the main female lead in this drama, is Kim Ji Eun. She seems to be the romantic interest of the Main Lead, maybe or maybe not, as I am not sure if there is any possible romantic relationship in this drama. I have just seen Kim Ji Eun in Namgoong's famous drama "Doctor Prisoner", where she played a guest role. Now, she is playing the main female lead against Namgoong in this show. Now that's one way to upstart a career. So far she didn't get much screentime, let's see how she acts. As far as the support cast goes, the choice is, I would say, Phenomenal. You will recognize all of them, and all of them can play good, bad and grey/shady characters extremely well.

The Story is pretty interesting, dark, cruel and in some ways pessimistic. You can read the story in the synopsis, nothing much for me to write there. I will admit there were predictable elements in the story in the first 2 episodes. I generally have a low bar for storylines to surprise me from start to finish. I've seen hundreds of Crime, Detective, Mystery shows from all over the world in many languages, it's very difficult for me to really watch a show and Constantly be like "Daebak, I couldn't even think that this was gonna happen, oh my lord!!". However, there was one sequence of the story, which was something I really didn't predict in the beginning, and when I realized where it was going, I was like, "Jesus, WTF". You will understand when you watch the show.

All in all they have maintained the air of mystery in the show, it's actually difficult to understand the motivation of some of the characters. They have given us just a glimpse of the mystery, haven't given away the main dish. The story can go in quite a few directions from there. I hope they make the storyline good, as when it comes to action dramas, it can often go sideways. Historically that's been the case with Korean dramas. But, I have hope for this show. Let's see.

Lastly, This isn't a light show, By any stretch of imagination. The actions scenes are very intense and the death scenes are quite painful to watch. When I first saw this I couldn't believe they aired it on South Korean Television, that almost never happens. Finally !!! One thing I will say, this show doesn't romanticize or water down Death Scenes, like it's a simple walk in the park. It doesn't show death scenes like "Oh, he just died, it was emotional, heartbreaking and I cried". It shows death scenes/murder scenes by horrible criminals and gang-members the way it is, Horrible, Gruesome, Painful to watch. It will make you feel disconcerted and somewhat anxious sometimes. So, I will warn those who likes to watch fluffy emotional crime shows with great colorful cinematography, this may not be for you. If you decide to watch it, then, Brace yourself.

Final Edit: Well, it was a great watch, with a few qualms. I feel like they toned down the violence after the first few episodes, which was really sad, it's a type of drama that warrants violence. However, I think it may have something to do with people's initial reactions to the scenes of the show. The ending was good, not many drama can say that. I heard there's a possibility of a spin off of this drama, don't know but could happen, who knows. Anyway, there were some annoying elements in the storyline, sometimes they made the story very cut and dried, but overall, the main theme of the drama remained consistent, and the name "The Veil" really did justice to the drama.

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