Life is about uncertainties, indeed!
I wasn't ready to expect anything from this. The most recent youth dramas, especially another drama of the exact same theme that came out last year, didn't let me to anticipate much out of this. The sole reason I wanted to watch was the cast and the "coming of age" tag to the profile. But, as I finished this, a sudden realization hit me, and I was left with awe. Will explain further.Created by Studio&NEW and broadcasted on Disney+, "Rookie Cops (너와 나의 경찰수업)" is written by Lee Ha-na and directed by Kim Byung-soo. The drama is one of the five debut projects of Walt Disney Korea, as the production giant follows the current trend of K-content.
It might not seem so at first, but "Rookie Cops" truly justifies the "coming of age" genre through it's storyline, screenplay and various elements. The young first-year freshmen at Korean National Police University (KNPU), who are passionate about their campus life, strive to grow and learn while facing challenges and tackling them together, in order to become full-fledged police officers. Keeping at centre, the lead couple, this show, in actual, puts a group of students on the pedestal, which the main couple are a part of. This should be enough to gist the story, I feel.
Given the genre and storyline, I don't think I should be writing detailed character description, as the show is hugely character-driven, emphasizing on individual growth. The group of best friends at the KNPU include Wi Seung Hyun (Kang Daniel), Ko Eun Kang (Chae Soo Bin), Kim Tak (Lee Shin Young), Gi Ha Na (Park Yoo Na), Woo Joo Young (Min Do Hee), Shin Ah Ri (Chun Young Min), Yoo Dae Il (Park Sung Joon) and Seo Bum Joo (Kim Woo Suk). The lead couple pairing is obvious but I suggest you should not guess the rest till the latet half of the show, haha. There are so many other familiar faces and mentioning them will take a while so I will just leave it upto you, to go check in the above section.
Plot development is the best thing about the drama. Let me tell you that the development is not steady, that is, it doesn't have a primary goal towards which the drama is leading; doesn't that what coming-of-age mean? The way new elements come into the scenario, get flourished and finally getting submerged into the overall essence, is what I loved about the show. The pacing was good and elements weren't really consistent, given that aspects like romance and thriller come into existence in different times and during later episodes. Nevertheless, I liked it from beginning to the end.
The freshers life in the campus, that too a specialized school like KNPU, was the primary topic, keeping senior-junior culture and school bullying at centre. As the students successfully bridge the generation gap and move forward, that's where the romancs starts, but even so, I'm glad, that part wasn't obviously showcased. The soft romance (sometimes wild, haha) was engaging and enjoyable. Also, there are more than one couple and all of the relationships depicted a healthy exchange of love, warmth and affection, including friendship and elderly as well as family aspects. Moving forward, as they throw light on academia and investigation, the thriller parts gradually start unfolding and becomes obvious much later in the second half, whilst, they had been throwing shades to it in the manner of laying a background, since the beginning of the show, if you could notice. These led to drastic events towards the ending (in the last 4 episodes). Through all these, the only thing that was constant, that was comedy; the fun elements were entertaining and it involved all the characters.
This is probably the time Lee Ha Na jakkanim sets out to continue creating amazing scripts like this. Given that she's been there for almost 8 years, this should be a breakthrough in her career. Her previous works were decent pieces but this, given to it's unique outcomes, should bring her recognition, I wish that truly from my heart. The storyline, the screenplay writing, the elements used, the character arcs and their development, and everything else has been drawn beautifully. It's a mixture of genres; romance, campus, youth, melo, thriller, family, mastery, etc. The most notable fact about the show is the appropriate proportion of different elements, placed at different portions of the story; like right thing at the right time. I feel, the writer should be praised and applauded for that.
Kim Byung Soo is a master director of the industry, having more than 10 popularly acclaimed dramas in over 15 years. All these have been reflected in this particular show, contributing to it's skills. The screenplay management, organization of elements, screen-editing, sequencing of events, cinematography, etc are well taken care of. The cinematography was apt for the campus story and slice-of-life elements with bright pallettes and shining hue. The camera work during monologues and peak moments, were of particular impression. The pacing was perfect.
Osts
What i liked...
# The slice-of-life elements...
# Breaking the barrier elements... The show introduced many elements and topic that are untypical of Kdrams, thereby initiating conversation, even so for a lil extent.
# Bromance... Not just between Seung Hyun and Kim Tak, even Daeil and Woo Seok were a part though the former were the main focus.
# Apt proportion of everything at right time... This is one of the best reasons for me which led me to like the entire show. The writer is greatly aware of what the audience wants.
# The campus romance
# The character development
# The equal emphasis on side characters
What I didn't like...
# The acting of the main culprit... I didn't like. It felt like he was overworking himself to fit into the typicality of a Kdrama psychopath business
# The one last event, which could have been avoided, it was so so so unnecessary. It doesn't really ruin the drama for me or anyone else but it's so sad, I wish that didn't happen.
# There are other things I didn't like but let's take them as immature decisions by the characters. We can't really blame the writer for those bcs those events could be one of the possibilities in real life too. So I would refrain from considering them while rating the show. (let me mention them in the later half of my review.
Final remarks... The "Rookie Cops" is overally a very good drama with perfect balance of everything, and should be watched everyone. The cast could be the primary reason you opt the show but I am sure you'll be encaptured by the story, the elements, the characters and most importantly the messages, because it's worth investing your time into. MUST WATCH.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
You can come back to read this once you're done with the show.
1) Daeil's death, something you'd imagine at the very least. It was actually unnecessary. I am happy his part of story was given proper exposure but just WHY?
2) Eunkang asking SH to handover the laptop to his Father.
3) I understand the video could not be shared but even the dumbest person will make a clip themselves from a playing video, wtf.
3) SH going to Hansol to warn him about getting him behind the bar. I didn't think he'd turn out to be this dumb.
4) Hansol inviting Kim Tak to tell him about Hyunsoo's death. It was rather funny.
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First Disneyplus original Korean drama exceeds my expectations
This show is significant. It’s one of Disney+ first original Korean production, in which they aim to win market share over their competitors. They also managed to get the idol Kang Daniel who is well-known for his dedicated fan base in Korea to star as the male lead in his first acting stint.Rookie Cops has a strong ensemble cast consisting of different personalities. I found it very interesting that the MBTIs of the characters were released before the show - Wi Seung Hyun – ISTJ, Go Eun Gang – ESFP, Ki Han Na – ISTP, Kim Tak – ISFP, Yoo Dae Il – ENFP among others. It’s very relatable in that we see how these different personalities react in such diverse ways in situations and makes for a fascinating study into human nature. Go Eun Kang is very likeable as the female lead. Despite my doubts about idol-actors, Kang Daniel does hold his own in this cast. He manages to have varied expressions yet he does not overact. From the first episode to the last, I can see the improvement in his acting.
I do like the plot as well. It’s not just all fun and laughter shenanigans by students. There are some intriguing threads in this show, such as the beautifully filmed very violent death scene right at the start of episode one, and I thought they did a commendable job tying everything together in only two episodes.
I found this to be a meaningful show with its memorable lines as well as study of institutional police corruption. The show stays consistent to the theme of how friends come to the rescue when all seems impossible and it was touching when ML talked about banging their heads against the wall together.
However, it was a pity that they did not go further into the ML’s family background. There were some allusions to strained relationships between the ML and his busy police commissioner father, which was in contrast to the warm dinner ML and his best friend shared with Professor Cha. I would have loved it if more time was spent developing his backstory. Instead too much time was wasted on the FL saving the day through various small incidents, and it felt unbelievable and repetitive after a while. Like really, why does she need to be in the police academy if she already has all the skills?
I thought the action scenes in the final episode saved the entire series with the right mix of plot twists, adrenaline and humour. I love it that the squad came together with a plan. I would have wished for a longer action sequence, with Kim Tak and Kang Daniel together facing their opponent in keeping with the theme of friends helping each other.
Nonetheless, the action scenes were still enjoyable. I was impressed by Kang Daniel, since he did not need stuntmen in doing those action scenes. He also showed impressive nuanced acting in the final scene with his father. I feel he has a bright future as an actor! He’s also a good kisser (which is important if he wants to do romantic scenes). Somehow, his kiss scenes are not cringey but heart-fluttering.
I would watch this show again for three main reasons. First, the chemistry of the ensemble cast is great, not just between the male and female leads but all 8 of them are very likeable and relatable. You are likely to recognise yourself or your friends in at least one of them. Second, it has some of the most meaningful lines from kdrama imbued with positivity (e.g. “humans can do anything”). Third, the cinematography is the best I have seen in kdramas. Lush green landscape panoramic shots, gritty close-up shots- it has it all. Overall, it’s an enjoyable show.
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Two-Face of a drama
This drama has two sides/halves. It started off as your regular Campus Romance drama. But after the 9th-10th episode it changed completely. If you watch this drama you will know what I am actually talking about. It's like the second half of the drama is not even written by the same person. The first half of the drama mostly focused on the Romance and Friendship part while the second part of the drama you see our Rookie Cops coming across a psychopath killer. Who is also crazy rich and has power and connections. But the funny thing is that they did justice to both of the parts. The second half of the drama didn't seemed forced and actually makes the story more interesting.The chemistry between the ML(Kang Daniel) and the FL(Chae Soo Bin) is good not great. Chae Soo Bin was excellent as Go Eun Gang. You can see her years of experience through her acting. I wouldn't comment much on Kang Daniel as this was his debut work and he would only improve in the future. But he too was quite good as Wi Seung Hyun. The bond between our boy gang (Wi Seung Hyun, Kim Tak, Seo Beom Joo, Yoo Dae Il) was quite a sight to watch. Especially the bond between Wi Seung Hyun and Kim Tak. Seo Beom Joo the funny guy added another element to the story. And Shin Ha Ri was so damn cute but selfish. Her jealousy was a sight to behold. I am not worthy enough to comment on Kim Sang Ho (Cha Yoo Gon [Police university professor]). He is just too good.
I still can't believe that the drama that started off all bubbly became a psychopath killer drama. The writers did a great job at writing such an excellent drama. This drama leaves you hanging to the very last episode. You don't know what's going to happen till the very last episode.You need to see it to actually know what unfolds at the very end of the drama. The last episode specially was very touching. And rest assured I am sure you would love every second of this drama. So just go and binge watch it.
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Is this worth the hype?
Story : It's really great, although another drama had the same concept but this is way better and refreshing, I didn't had much expectations from this drama but I'm glad that gave this a try. Acting/Cast: It's great in my opinion, many are criticising Kang Daniel for his acting or saying that it's unfair for the female lead as she is a experienced actor but I personally think both of them are doing great, Kang Daniel might be new in the acting industry but he did do justice to the character, his character is kinda serious also he had less screen time in the first few episodes but I think his character is developing, love the cast. Music : I loved the ost, I have nothing else to say. Rewatch Value : For me I can watch this as many times I possible can, It's great, no matter how manytimes I watch it, it's still refreshing, Love it. Overall : Great one, if you are not watching this drama then you are missing out big time. Highly recommend.Was this review helpful to you?
Should You Watch This Drama? Yes and Here's Why!
First off can I just say I absolutely loveeee the theme song and intro!! I love the cast; it was well put together. As I just randomly browsed through KissAsian, the cover catched my eye. I also found a new k-pop idol to get attached to, Daniel Kang who plays a main character, Wi Seung Hyun. I personally loved his character from the first episode. And the fact that his face card is a solid 1000000 is amazingg. You know what's funny, I was actually watching A Piece of Your Mind before I stopped and started watching Rookie Cops. Chae Soo Bin plays the main role in both dramas. Her character in Rookie Cops is one of a strong, hardheaded person that will stand without wavering when she is giving her opinion about something. From the four episodes watched I can tell that her character will only develop even more, and I can't wait to see! The side characters are everything and very funny! I highly recommend watching this drama even though it's ongoing! I'm sure it's not a drama with disappointment ahead. I'm really looking forward to February 9 for episode 5 & 6!! EEKK! Be sure to watch!!:)xo,
nicki.
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An overall fun series with a great cast that stands out for their strong chemistry
When this series was announced as a coming-of-age story, I was very excited about it because it’s been years since the last time I watched one of those and I thought it would be very refreshing. Despite some flaws, the series is overall very fun, true to its genre, and delivers what was promised, a youth story about hot-blooded police students. It also exceeded my expectations as a rom-com.THE GOOD
# A cast with great chemistry and characters with diverse personalities:
‘Rookie Cops’ isn’t completely focused on Seunghyun (Kang Daniel) and Eunkang (Chae Soobin). Although there are specific moments where Eunkang is the bigger protagonist, both characters are constantly surrounded by their friends, who also have their own stories and moments, but when together they have a lot of funny and cute interactions. This makes the series mostly light and bubbly. The chemistry between the 8 young actors is the biggest factor that made me enjoy this series overall. In particular, actor Park Sung Joon as Daeil, shines through and is the glue of the squad.
# The kisses are swoonworthy:
Some of the best kisses I have seen on a series/drama in general. Kang Daniel was a very pleasant surprise for a first time idol-actor. If there is something nobody can question is that he is clearly a good kisser, and Chae Soobin also delivered although nobody was doubting her. Second couple also blessed us with some hot kisses.
# Fast-paced:
For some people the fast-paced plot might feel like there are parts of the story missing, but I think in general most people would prefer a story that doesn’t drag. In this case, ‘Rookie Cops’ has a main conflict that slowly builds from the beginning of the series through flashbacks, but side conflicts/cases are generally solved within two episodes.
# Cinematography and props:
I have to mention the beautiful cinematography and post-production coloring this series has. It’s truly a stand-out, with great locations and the right angles that enhance especially the outdoor scenes, such as when Seunghyun and Eunkang are sitting by the river after a bike ride. There was also so much attention to detail when it comes to the props, in particular episode 11 features a comic version of ‘Rookie Cops’ which was specially made as a prop for the series since this is an original story.
THE BAD
# Script with several flaws:
While I think Lee Ha Na (screenwriter) did an excellent job portraying the growing bond between the main cast and the heart-fluttering romance. And the first half of the drama is mostly fun and light, her attempts to include more dark themes to make the story more meaningful and give it more depth, mostly fall short and shallow. With two-episode conflicts involving victims of bullies or gangs, in all of them I was left with the feeling that something was handled wrong or something was missing. The coincidences in this series are also so many that you would think Korea is the size of a peanut. They are beyond the typical “destiny” moments to the point of absurdity.
I did say the story is not completely focused on the main leads. However, there are times when a big chunk of certain episodes focus heavily on Eunkang, and time is wasted on showing us her parents just bickering. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if equal time was spent on developing the male lead’s story as well, or if Eunkang was a more likable female lead. However, from the beginning Eunkang shows she is the impulsive and reckless type who decides her future career following her teenage crush. She starts to (slightly) grow once she gets closer to Seunghyun as he shares some of his wisdom and calmness with her, and not only supports her but also saves her every time. Sadly, our man Seunghyun ends up being pushed to the sidelines a lot just to elevate Eunkang. Although the main conflict involves his father and him in a way, we don’t get to see enough interactions between them to better understand Seunghyun's admiration for is father, or anything about his childhood or teenage years unlike with other characters.
All that said, I think Chae Soobin herself and her chemistry with Kang Daniel are strong enough that one can ignore a lot of questionable moments her character has and enjoy the series overall and even rewatch it, at least for all the fluffy and light moments.
My biggest problem with the script however, is related to a major event that happens towards the end, which left me with a strong bittersweet feeling. I thought it was completely unnecessary, random and brought nothing to the actual progress of the story nor the final development. This is the main reason why I can’t give this series a higher score.
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Lastly, I wanted to give my own opinion about Kang Daniel’s acting which was commented on a lot. If you go into this series expecting a dramatic performance for the Oscars, you are going to be disappointed. This is not that type of show to begin with. Kang Daniel is quite green in the first three episodes, especially during scenes that require more emotional intensity. But as the series progresses he shows much potential and delivers great chemistry with partner Chae Soobin. His character Wi Seunghyun is not one to show excessive emotions as he is the composed, responsible and righteous type. Kang Daniel is faithful to that portrayal until the end. His cute, playful or more rebellious moments happen when he is around Eunkang or Tak (Lee Shin Young). And his most vulnerable side is only shown at the very end when faced with his father. I thought Kang Daniel did well showing the sadness and disappointment Seunghyun feels but that he tries to repress. I also have to praise how he challenged himself with many physically demanding action scenes, despite this being his first acting project.
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It went downhill fast
I seem to be in a minority when it comes to how I felt about this drama. I think it had a decent start, and I liked several of the earlier episodes. About halfway through it felt like it had a tone-shift, and it barely seemed like the same drama anymore.The first half of the drama felt like a youth, or coming of age drama with a heavy focus on the police academy. All the main characters are young, playing university students. It portrayed quite well, the feeling of pride in doing what you love, and studying to become somthing you've dreamed of. As well as the helplessness and the injustice you feel when seniority is prioritized over right and wrong.
The first half battles getting accepted to the school of your dreams, youthful crushes and also. corruption within the school hierarchy. It shows both the highs and the lows of studying to become a police officer. The highs being the wonderful camaraderie developed between the student, and the lows being the abuse suffered as a new student in a highly hierarchial climate.
The second half however, completely shifts focus, from the school to real life crime. It is no longer a drama about being young, and university life. In fact, the school barely features at all in the second half. Instead, our main characters, while still being university students, go on to solve all kinds of crime outside of the school. They tackle everything from low-life loan sharks, to psychopathic CEOs.
Now, don't get me wrong. I like crime dramas, so it is not the fact that it turned into a crime show that annoyed me. It is the fact that this drama wants us to believe, that these students, who have no prior experience and are not yet police officers, go around solving crime on their own. They recieve very little to no help from actual detectives. They carry out high-stake plans and manage to solve widespread corruption all on their own. All while the actual police sit around and do nothing.
I'm sorry but I just cannot make myself believe this. So for me, this show was a massive disappointment.
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Kang Daniel And Chae Soo-Bin Are Reporting For Duty In ‘ Rookie Cops’…
‘ Rookie Cops’ is a sixteen-episode streaming series which has earned intrigue and controversy amongst watchers and drama enthusiasts alike; dispute as a consequence of its limited availability on streaming service Disney Plus, as well as fascination due to its casting choices, setups and characters.
Main female lead Eun-Gang( Chae Soo-bin- ‘ Love In The Moonlight’, ‘ I’m Not A Robot’ and ‘ Where Stars Land’) is a bubbly, optimistic and outspoken individual. Often having felt left out by her parents due to their seeming preferential treatment of her sister Go Mi Gang ( Son So Mang- ‘ Queen Of Mystery 2’, ‘ Mr. Queen’), Eun-Gang has often felt pressured to take up a career which will gain her parents’ respect.
Eun-Gang’s prayers are finally answered when she discovers that her first-love has enrolled in the academy in order to become a police officer. Determined to enter the academy in order to get close to him as well as earn the respect of her parents, Eun Gang seems to be living the dream. However, reality, as Eun-Gang soon discovers, can often be harsh.
Meanwhile the narrative introduces viewers to main male lead and Eun-Gang’s polar opposite, Wi Seung Hyun( Kang Daniel). The level-headed and reserved son of top-ranking officer Wi Ki Yong (Son Chang Min- ‘ My Fair Lady’, ‘ Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘ No Matter What’), Seung-Hyun has felt the need to uphold the reputation of his father, ex officio.
However Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang’s worlds collide even prior to entering the academy. After an awkward first encounter, Seung-Hyun and Eun-Gang are shocked to bump into one another again at the Korean National Police University.
However as the polar opposite main leads become involved with one another on a gradually frequent basis at the cadet academy, Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang and their peers soon find themselves facing dilemmas, chasing dreams, and struggling to comprehend feelings on the front line of duty…
‘ Rookie Cops’ is the creation of screenwriter Lee Ha Na. The same writer behind predominantly melodramatic productions such as ‘ Cunning Single Lady’ and ‘ The Time We Were Not In Love’, ‘ Rookie Cops’ attempted to offer viewers the best of both worlds; a lighthearted youth series through Ha Na’s signature vivid tone, as well as a moody cop drama revolving around crime and emotional dilemmas for the main characters.
Admittedly this was necessary to a certain extent for viewers. Despite a noir-style opening, ‘ Rookie Cops’ was heavily invested with giving an introduction to its main leads Eun-Gang and Seung-Hyun, as well as introduce the other key players to the scene.
In particular these reoccurring characters and fellow students of the academy included apathetic as well as studious Ki Ha Na ( Park Yoo Na- ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’, ‘ SKY Castle’ and ‘ True Beauty’), athletic judo prodigy Kim Tak ( Lee Shin Young- ‘ Crash Landing On You’, ‘ Bite Sisters’ and ‘ How To Buy A Friend’), eccentric yet passionate Woo Joo Young ( Min Do Hee- ‘ Reply 1994’, ‘ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’ and ‘ Clean With Passion For Now’), sprightly social butterfly Yoo DaeIl ( Park Sung Joon- ‘ Sweet Munchies’ and ‘ Run-On’) as well as amiable student Shin Ah Ri ( Cheon Young Min- ‘ Foolish Mom’, ‘ What’s Up With These Kids!?’ ) and principled youth Seo Beom Joo ( ‘ Voice 2’, ‘ A Piece Of Your Mind’ and ‘ Military Prosecutor Doberman’).
In addition to the students, Professor Cha Yoo Gon ( Kim Sang Ho- ‘ City Hunter’, ‘ Kingdom’ and ‘ Sweet Home’), Professor Bang Hee Sun ( Choi Woo Ri- ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ Matrimonial Chaos’ and ‘ The Bride Of Habaek’) as well as Dean Kim Soon Young( Seo Yi Sook- ‘ You’re All Surrounded’, ‘ Mother’ and ‘ Hotel Del Luna’) played active roles as the reoccurring members of staff at the University.
Nevertheless it was noticeable that the second-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ shifted in tone in comparison to the first half ; angst-ridden and with a several surprising plot twists, though admittedly a little inconsistent at times due to quick-paced events.
As mentioned previously, Chae-Soo Bin and Kang Daniel star as the main leads of the series and deliver fairly consistent performances throughout. ( It is admittedly praiseworthy to point out that despite Kang Daniel’s good reputation as a celebrity talent host and soloist, ‘ Rookie Cops’ marked the idol’s first acting debut onscreen.)
As for the main leads’ onscreen romance , Daniel and Soo-Bin’s potential chemistry is admittedly stunted at different stages of the narrative. In the first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’, shoehorned embarrassing scenarios and encounters were purposefully placed to enforce tension and awkwardness between the main leads onscreen. Yet it’s hard to deny that as plot progress, Daniel and Soo Bin’s onscreen chemistry is admittedly a lot more natural also.
Then there’s the supporting cast. Although there were admittedly several moments of overblown dialogue, the supporting cast delivered fairly solid performances. In particular, Lee Shin Young, Park Yoo Na and venerable actor Kim Sang Ho particularly stood out due to their charisma onscreen.
As mentioned previously, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is divided almost into two-halves by its tonal shift; a fairly easygoing introduction ( aside from its initial opening), gives ways to a darker second-half with several unexpected twists and revelations for viewers.
The first-half of ‘ Rookie Cops’ admittedly downplays a lot of initial tension from the opening, as well as future events to come. Instead, ‘ Rookie Cops’ fixated upon character introductions, early dilemmas for the characters and potential setups, before plunging into the deep-end with a pacy and angst-ridden second-half with varying results .
The tonal shift did help to keep viewers intrigued and intensify the climatic events of the second-half. However, this also caused some drawbacks for ‘ Rookie Cops’ also.
Although some of the intriguing counterplots of the series such as the rocky friendship between Kim Tak and Seung-Hyun, Eun-Gang’s gradual maturation as well as emotive themes such as anger, loss and love as well as focusing upon other subject areas such as corruption, peer pressure and corporal punishment, there were several subplots which were admittedly poorly fleshed-out. For example, Seung-Hyun’s estranged relationship with his father and the escapades of other side characters such as Shin Ah Ri were often disregarded during key moments.
Through the directing lens of ‘ Kim Byung Soo’ ( ‘ Queen In Hyun’s Man’, ‘ A Korean Odyssey’ and ‘ He Is Psychometric’), ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly slick and glossy production.
Admittedly early episodes of the series seemed to place a heavy- budget emphasis upon frequent cut scenes of the academy; with little variance in tone or schemes. However as the second-half dawned upon the series, ‘ Rookie Cops’ took a different approach to filming by helping to captivate through Byung Soo’s leadership, the emotional tones through gradients and palettes of the characters at different times in the series . ( In particular off-whites, golden hues and blues were frequently shown onscreen during key scenes and interactions.)
The OST of ‘ Rookie Cops’ is predominantly composed of a compilation of schmaltzy ballads and pop tracks. Admittedly with some tracks more memorable than others, LUCY’s contemplative and guitar pop track ‘ Police Class’ from OST Part 2, ‘TIME’, an upbeat song performed by singer Kwon Eun Bi from OST Part 4, as well as Kang Daniel’s adrenal-infused tempo song ‘Hush Hush’ featured on the Special OST were surprisingly ear-catching tracks .
The finale of ‘ Rookie Cops’ was admittedly dependent on expectations. Although there was a shocking twist for the audience, the execution of the sudden plot-twist felt admittedly last minute; quickly thrown in to the storyline narrative in order to add edge and surprise , though failing to help impact the characters or the falling action.
Lighthearted, angst-ridden and surprisingly profound at times, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a series which offered viewers with a lighthearted and sugary coming of age tale, as well as moody crime-drama in parts also. Nevertheless despite some brilliant acting performances and an intriguing setup, ‘ Rookie Cops’ did admittedly suffer slightly under the weight of execution by underdeveloped subplots and several overindulgent tropes. However for those looking for the best of both worlds through both sweet and darker themes, ‘ Rookie Cops’ is a fairly entertaining binge-watch also.
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This review may contain spoilers
Average
The drama was not so extraordinary or somewhat different but ya it was good for one time watch i was expecting it to be like police University but it was quite good than PU the first episodes were quite good but later it become somewhat like other dramas and tbh daeil death was not so necessary the starting was good later become foggy the end was average..The best thing about this drama is the cast the cast chemistry was on point it was Daniel's first drama but he didn't disappoint leads chemistry was also good but i like personally the second leads their story was more natural to me and kim tak and Ari should definitely have their separate drama...
The music was not so memorable
You can watch this if you don't have some extraordinary dramas to watch
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This review may contain spoilers
Better than I expected
When I found out Kang Daniel was gonna be the lead of this drama, I hesitated to watch it cause he has no previous experience in dramas but good that I gave it an opportunity. The story is not game changing, but it doesn't pretend to be one, it's interesting and easy to watch, cliches everywhere along with experiences you can only find in a police academy. The characters are growing as the drama drops more episodes, the love story is fast paced and cute, Chae Soobin and Kang Daniel have a beautiful chemistry and if you have reached episode 8 you can see it with your own eyes.We are already in the half of the drama, but I love to see more of the friends group that I wish it has more episodes.
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Best youth dramas ive seen in a long while !!
Most Youth Drama I’ve seen recently have been quite basic and predictable. especially the web youth/ coming of age dramas. this drama was exciting from start to finish. from the character development (which by the way I thought they cast each actor perfectly) to the romance in the drama was just right. I really enjoyed each character’s individuality. I watched this drama because I love Chae Soo Bin's acting, I was most impressed about Daniel Kang acting. it’s the first time I’ve encounter Daniel Kang whether in music or acting I did not know much about him but he did amazingly and so did rest of the cast.Must Watch Youth Drama, you wont regret it...
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This review may contain spoilers
I feel that I wasted my time!
The Good⌲ The main romance is alright, though there is not a whole lot of it.
⌲ The friendships
⌲ Muscular Teacher Watermelonface
⌲ No love triangles (though as I said, there is not that much romance to begin with)
⌲ Chae Soo Bin did not disappoint.
The Average
⌲ FL's family (heavy character adjustments here)
⌲ Tak's backstory
⌲ The underutilized Min Do Hee
⌲ Kang Daniel was bad, but I expected worse for his first appearance as an actor, he is not totally hopeless like Lee Minho.
⌲ The cleaning lady
The Bad
⌲ The crime/procedural part of the story is full of intelligence insulting plots. (Windows password 4 digits, copy protected video, lack of food during boot camp & countless others)
⌲ Corruption in kdramas is always portrayed in a really weird way, here it's worse than usual.
⌲ The first three episodes are about abuse by older students, this is no fun to watch, should not have wasted more than 30 minutes on that.
⌲ Assault is a crime, even in South Korea, Uhm Hyuk should be in prison not training cadets.
⌲ There is no satisfying conclusion, the ending is just whelming.
⌲ Dae Il's random romance with Hana
⌲ *'s meaningless death, I did not even feel sad, just confused.
⌲ The cadets investigating stuff.
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