ChaiTae
After giving the first season a high rating (9.0), I was hoping that I could give Busted 2 a similar rating but no. And here's why:
(I'll try to keep this as unspoiler-y as possible)
* The Stories/Cases: The Cases were nice for the most part but a bit repetitive like how they used the same premise twice for different cases. There also was SO MUCH DRIVING. I don't mind if you send them different places but all that effort and then they only solve 1-2 puzzles at each place? What a waste. Also, they had a whole season culminating in a honestly thrilling finale only to basically never mention it again after Episode 1. Yes, some people get "recycled" or have some kind of impact on the story but still.
* The Cast: (Here's where they lost the most points)
I already knew that Kwang Soo wouldn't be part of it, so I am not subtracting points for that. My Main Problems are two in particular - while I know that everyone has a role to fill, static roles get boring REALLY fast. Sadly I have seen very little change in their respective roles. Jong Min is the Stupid One, Sehun is the Competitive One and Jae Wook is the One that should but doesn't (if you know what I mean) - and that's exactly what leads to problem number 2. Min Young is intelligent, she's clever, everything fine and dandy. But her being seemingly the only clever one does a serious disservice to the rest of the team. At nearly every puzzle she is either the one to solve it or the one that gets called when someone gets stuck. It gets boring and annoying really REALLY fast and doesn't put her in the best light. Another thing that kind of irked me was the fact that, although doing very little himself, Jae Suk was nagging the others whenever he got the chance - about Jong Min saying something dumb, about Sehun being competitive, about his own perceived intelligence, he always found something to nag the others about. Also, Busted 2 is an especially LOUD show this time around - every time something unexpected happens, the ladies (and some of the gentlemen) screech or shout into your ears, giving you tinnitus.
* The Ending: Oh My God! Please, let's not talk about the ending. Apart from it being pretty obvious how it all is gonna end, it was just unsatisfying. I was hoping for some twists and turns and while there were twists, they couldn't soften the bad decisions that were made regarding that ending. The Ending could have been stellar, sadly it was more like a soft fart in a tornado just to keep the door open for a potential season 3.
All in All it is a fine show but I simply expected more after season 1...
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A very disappointing third season - very sad
Everything within this review is MY opinion, so please keep that in mind - I am not looking for a fight.So now we ended up here, the third Season of "Busted". After really good marks for Season 1 (9 / 10) and mediocre ratings for season 2 (5.5 / 10), we are now confronted with this mess. It has the lowest rating to date with a mere 4 out of 10 and the season I am, understandably, most disappointed in.
As already criticised in Season 2, the cast once again was strongly pressed in very rigid stereotypical roles. I had the feeling that this time they were split in "completely hopeless" (I don't want to say useless), "pretty helpful" and "detective-material" which made it pretty boring to watch after a few episodes since you already knew what to expect from each of them.
The cases felt lukewarm at best, like they saw them being pulled off successfully somewhere else and just added them to their own show to fluff out the season. Nothing felt innovative or even remotely new, even though it did have it's interesting moments - not gonna lie about that. But those moments were few and far inbetween. There were things that kept happening over and over and over - like self-locking doors trapping someone somewhere, which became predictable and boring REALLY fast. Especially when it was used multiple times in the last episode.
And now let's come to the biggest fail of the season - the ending. Once again the ending is what ruined everything for me. After a really interesting ending (season 1) and a meh ending (season 2) the ending of this season is just a joke. Unoriginal and pretty predictable. They sadly seem to like rehashing old concepts since every ending so far has gone for shock-value more than actual decent story-telling and finishing a story. Yes, the ending episode referenced the previous seasons but like I already said in the review of Season 2, it was more a "thought and gone" moment. It seems the show forgot how to write good, interesting endings after season 1. Once again the ending was highly unsatisfactory.
Season 3 felt like melting down Season 1 & 2 and picking out random pieces before watching the result. The end of the last episode gives us reason to assume that there might be a season 4, so I guess we will see if they can get a better rating next time or if they are damned to end up in 1-star territory
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I would have giving the drama a clear 2/10 rating but I had to add the 1.5 Star bias-bonus for Sean Xiao, so 3.5/10 it is.
It's nice that I watched it, just because now I can say I watched it, but I probably won't recommend it now or probably ever.
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One thing I have to say is that this is the first movie where I felt most sorry for the main character but for his pet. Actually, the main character was pretty much my least favorite part. While I understand that he was in a difficult situation I felt him to be kind of unlikable. What especially infuriated me was the preferential treatment he gave to one of the cats while the other cat was kind of just there until almost all the way to the end. Also, his inability to understand "Cats ≠ Humans" made him look just plain stupid. The cats were cute though xD
The conclusion of the movie was nice, although they certainly could have done more with it, but it's definitely not a movie I will re-watch or recommend any time soon.
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We all know this feeling when you're head over heels for someone but you're not quite sure how or if to tell that someone. This nervousness you feel every time you are around them and the warmth you feel when they smile at you. The heartbeat you feel when they call your name, setting in motion a whole army of butterflies ready to turn your stomach upside down. All this and more I felt while watching this drama, on the edge of my seat to not miss even a nano-second of this masterwork.
I really adore the story and the portrayal was spot on. 10/10 - would recommend in a heartbeat
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Given that the beginning was a bit slow, I didn't have high hopes for this even though it had a top rating (I learned not to rely on the rating TOO much). But then I got into the story and blossoms bloomed. It is a beautiful story about young love and how the things we don't say shape our interaction with others. I am absolutely in love with this drama and would recommend it to anyone I know who watched this genre in a heartbeat. Great watch, highly recommended.
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I will recommend it, since it is a nice piece of further information but it would be at the bottom of the list about which order to watch all the parts in.
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Dropped after 3 Episodes
I wanted to enjoy this series, I really did. But I just couldn't go on after watching the first 3 episodes. The storyline is all over the place, the characters are barely believable and the one established couple that existed had so little chemistry that I didn't give a hoot when they broke up. It's also pretty obvious who they are trying to pair up with who and I am seriously unsure why a story like this even needs couples?!? I mean, the story itself is about the school, those students and hidden secrets - adding unnecessary love stories would just muddle the water.Glad when others enjoy the series, it's just not for me.
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Reason #1: While I am certain that Choi Kang Hee and Lee Won Keun are more than capable actors, their characters were just rubbish. I am not entirely sure why Officer Hong (Lee Won Keun) helps the female lead (Choi Kang Hee), I was highly annoyed by his portrayal. He broke pretty much every single rule a police officer has and he doesn't even care (or notice). The female lead was SUPER ANNOYING with her sticking her nose into things that are really not her problem. She might have read some thrillers or whatever but that doesn't make her Ms. Marple. She also has no concept of personal space. In Episode 4, when she took the male leads phone against his will, he should have just arrested her - plain and simple.
Reason #2: I know that mother-in-law-s are often portrayed as nosy and overbearing but this character took the cake. She constantly was behind the female lead, checking on what she was doing and if she couldn't get to her, she was calling and asking if she had to come over. If that were my mother in law, I would file for divorce.
Reason #3: I think I already said it. This whole dynamic reminded me a bit of the US-TV Show "Castle" where a Non-Cop works with Cops to solve crime. Big difference, even if Castle is an integral piece in the dynamic, it is always quite clear that he doesn't do it alone. Here, in this drama, they make it seem like "Castle" (the female lead) does all the work while "Beckett" (the male lead) is just sitting around, twiddling his thumbs and blowing spit bubbles, waiting for "Castle" to solve the case and explain to him what has happened. Really not my kind of drama, sorry.
All in All I give the drama a solid 5/10 since there were still some enjoyable bits even though I sadly had to drop the drama to save my sanity.
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