Heart Wrenching Brilliance

When I first started watching "Black", I thought ut would just be an entertaining alternative for "Goblin". To be honest, I was a little confused at first because of the flashbacks. Then I realized they were feeding me crumbs that led to intriguing, horrible, heartbreaking mysteries that would ultimately all come together. Seriously, this drama did such a great job at addressing nearly every question it popped into my head (except for when No. 444 freaks out as Soo-wan tries to feed him red bean soup...I had to look up that apparently red bean soup is a food traditionally used to ward off bad spirits, it all makes sense now...). When I eventually rewatch it, I'm sure I'll catch things I missed the first time. The ending was a bit abrupt for me. I expected a bittersweet one, but I was definitely left wanting a little more time for Ha-Ram and Joon. Still, overall this will definitely go down as one of my top dramas. It covered such an impressive range of social/human issues, and more than anything, I just really fell in love with the police characters (the good guys, that is! Rip Crazy Dog, my heart is still aching :(. ) I didn't expect another drama to move me quite this way since "The Last Empress", but "Black" made me cheer, laugh and cry. I loved it.

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Mysteries all tied up

But the ending could have been more satisfying. We were left not knowing whether the grandfather woke up and the result of Na-Na's trial. :( Also was a little disappoinged by Do-chang's date. That last scene was goofy but it didn't end on the optimistic note I'd have liked. Overall a nice follow-up to season 1. I'd love to see the team back in a 3rd season.

That one theme was catchy. I loved the mix of new and reprisal for the OST. It would have been nice if the lady journalist from s1 appeared here too but the Chief's daughter made an interesting female side character.

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Frustrating Leads, Cute Side Characters

I needed a break after watching a psychological thriller KDrama ("Tunnel"), and Tdramas tend to be lighter in my opinion. "Hello Again" followed that trend. However, I was impressed with some of social themes that came up. Debt and loan sharks are no new trope in Tdramas, but this was my first series to see a female love interest for the female lead. Granted, it was unrequited, but I really adored Zhen Yi's character, even if the way she treated Zi Jie was a bit cruel. Speaking of which, the problem I had (and I think, based on comments, that most viewers had) with this show was the way Ke Ai treated Zi Hao. I appreciate that she was flawed, but it got to be infuriating to see her treat him poorly time after time after time.

Equally frustrating was Zi Hao's enablement of this treatment. But if you take the show for what it is, it's still a cute romance story. I'd have to say the secondary characters are what made this show shine; Brother Gang, Wen Wen, Zhen Yi, Zi Jie, Daniel etc. But I don't know that I could stomach another 16 episodes of codependent Zi Hao and Ke Ai's emotional withholding just to enjoy those other characters. And to be honest, as hot as Bruce He is? Let's face it, Zi Hao's obsession with Ke Ai would have been totally creepy had he not been so attractive LOL But maybe I just prefer tsundere male leads. :) Anyway, cute show with great music (Amber An and Eric Chou!) and overall engaging if you can get past the frustrating female lead.

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