A Shop for Killers (2024)

An action packed story that keeps you interested despite its flaws

Some spoilers but no specific details

This started off very nice, and was still interesting till the end although I was not fully satisfied with a lot of things, the ending was a big fat useless cliffhanger with basically all the big plots still left unanswered. We basically just got rid of some "npcs" lol. And i just could not for the life of me understand how so many of these people (even the mc) survived the sht they went through: a machine gun blasting from every corner/ a shot through the eyes, stab to the throat and a burning house/ 2 freaking grenades!!!!!! and the list goes on. And STILL they all get up with a minor scar. Just very very unrealistic and a huge pet peeve for me.

a little bit of a spoiler here:
I like that the uncle wasn't invincible, like you could see him get beaten down buy a bunch of random dudes before he finally managed to take care of them and you could also see that he got scared from time to time. At first I was like mehh it takes away from the amazingly badass mysterious vibe they set him out to be in the first couple of eps... but then I thought this ACTUALLY makes him even more of a realistic character and less like the mc with the plot armor protecting her.

All in all this was a fun watch, I really wanted ALL those bad guys, especially THAT specific one to go out very, very painfully but I am at least happy Honda got avenged, he was my favorite character :'(

Edit: Oh wait I just realized something that annoyed me in the first couple of episodes and I don't think it was answered till the end. Why on earth were a bunch of killers obligated to protect the mc? like what would force them to do that, especially since some of them just took out whatever those implants were? Not mentioned, they never even showed up lmfao xD

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Mind Blowing Thriller

A Shop for Killers is fantastic. I watched it and regretted why I hadn't watched it before. The action in this manga is truly epic and mind boggling. I hope they make a second season because I just can't wait to see what will happen next, This show is extremely thrilling and will make you want more. It kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole day. In some Korean dramas, even getting a gun is a pain in the ass. But in this drama, a pistol is the most basic weapon, while we have mercenaries with machine guns, attacking drones, and whatnot.
The negatives of this show are probably some far-fetched plot holes and pacing. Because I think some people don't watch it in one go and might forget the details with flashbacks going on and off simultaneously. But otherwise, the drama is French's kiss, with great actors and superb direction. I'm in love with characters like Minhye, Bale, and Pasin.

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A not so bad plot and a not so bad acting

A series adapted from a novel which I didn’t read so I my review will only focuses on the series.

We get a very interesting first 2 episodes with an original concept as well as in the directing and artistic approach, with an intriguing cast, intriguing because it is far from the roles we usually see them in, and if you don’t know it’s from a novel, it is also a very unique plot.

To me I am satisfied with 95% of the storyline and the acting. I especially love the scenery, this darkness around each scene and the dialogues with a lot of depth. The sign language conversation is extremely enjoyable. Vilains have some depth too even if you think the main vilain is psycho.

It is a very short series for which we can expect another season and worth watching especially since it is short.

Now I will talk about a few things that, personally didn’t work and thus, the reason why it is not a 10/10.

First of all the development of Jeong Ji An is not completed. Was it saved for another season ? We have a child version and short development of her as a kid. You must have spotted how strong JJA as a child is very brave and very intelligent. We could think her childhood affected this version of her but they showed us when Jeong Jin Man was raising her. We still see confidence, braveness, curiosity and excitement actually… The young adult version of her is quite far from the picture we got from her in the past. The young adult teenage version of her is very frail, not confident, weak also (in her way to think and physically act)… So it feels we are missing something.

Another plot problem to me is how quick some situations get resolved. I mean, these people are very smart, not easily fooled, they think… How this whole situation gets resolved is not convincing. When JJM dies it is not convincing how easy people think he died. Is it because the novel said so ? Should we blame the writer ?

Another problem is the acting. Don’t get me wrong I am satisfied with everyone and if sometimes Kim Hye Jun is questionable I think it is more a characterization problem. But Park Ji Bin could have done way better especially when he dies…

Lastly why not a 10/10. Well even if it was very entertaining and nice I think it is hardly rewatchable and they are right, the re watchable value is part of the rating. You might think because it is short it is not rewatchable but DP is rewatchable (season 1), on american series Black mirror is rewatchable. Might be very different kind of stuff but to me the rewatchable value here is lower than some other stuffs.

PS : I talked about the cons but I also mentioned the pros and of course I enjoyed it. I think LDW is pretty amazing even tho it is not his best performance.

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Dramatic, Gorey, Enthralling

From start to finish, the presentation and story-telling of the show were gripping and exciting! Both the leads - the uncle and the niece play a fantastic part in this entire series - both together and separately! It definitely makes it a MUST WATCH.

If you enjoy action, thrillers, suspense - this show has all of that. You might have to put up with a bit of gruesome gorey killing sprees along with it so "Listen Well" - watch at your own risk depending on what you are able to handle. It did get a bit much for me. Though they try to spare you a bit with the camera panning to the killer rather than the victim. The story is actually not very complicated which is a plus point. There is a bit of back and forth with episodes 5 and 6 giving important background information but never for a moment did this show lose it's pace or get boring so don't let that make you hesitant.

The show is unrealistically realistic. It doesn't make superheroes out of nobodies. People are what you expect them to be and rely on their wits and other skills. Of course there are still unrealistic aspects to the show but the series completely draws you into the world despite that.

Just FYI, the story isn't complete and although there is no confirmation as of now but there probably should be a season 2. That is the only thing I wish wasn't the case. I would have liked an extra 2 episodes and the series to be concluded. Not sure what new season 2 could hold as expectations will now be through the roof.

The OST fits the series perfectly. The actors did a good job and I'm especially happy that Lee Dong Wook took up this project. He's just the icing and cherry on top of the cake!

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What a great show. The high quality and brutal intensity of the action scenes, the production design, the colorful and compelling supporting characters and flashily demented villains were reminiscent of John Wick in the best way. They did a great job building tension and suspense in each episode, I was on the edge of my seat no matter what timeline I was in, equally captivated by the flashbacks and the present day scenes.

The centerpiece of the show, the devoted yet unconventional uncle/niece relationship, was beautifully done. In addition to all the high octane spectacle this show had a lot of emotional weight to it. I simp so hard for Lee Dong Wook his own mother would tell me to take it down a notch so I really enjoyed watching him play a character that was so simultaneously reserved yet charismatic and he did a great job being deadpan yet still expressive and dryly funny. The acting was excellent across the board.

I do wish the show had shown us what Uncle Jin Man was up to while Ji An was battling for her life. I can intuit how/why he faked his death and that he was fighting Bale (who was MIA from the protracted showdown at the house) but I would have actually liked to see some of it. Since it felt like they recycled some previously seen footage in episode 7 I think they could have used that time to wrap that subplot up more definitively.

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~One of the best kdrama of 2024~

I started watching this because of the title, it intrigued me in a way as I am a fan of thriller kdramas I was looking for something to binge-watch and I found it!! This kdrama is packed with action, relentless fighting and drama. Its definitely one of those kdramas you can watch again, the cast, the acting top-notch? The ending was expected because they wouldn't kill the ML and he had most of screen-time and he's what supposed to be a mercenary bad-ass fighter. Just one thing about this show, too predictable I basically predicted the ending and that bale (whatever) villian was alive. Personally I like shows that are less predictable which will intrigue me to watch more and get more hyped up. Besides that, this kdrama was a blast for me, I found that pyscho (the boy who locked up jeong jian) quite annoying and impulsive but his death made me fall off my sofa, fr bro has such an easy death!?
Definitely recommended for thriller kdrama-fans...!!!

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Anti hero action drama for an entertaining ride

Likes: The dark anti-hero theme, the growth of the female lead, the fun fight scenes, the distinct characters, the pace of the storytelling (for the most part)

Dislikes: The weird fade to black transitions in editing, the repeat of scenes we've already seen, MinHye's slowness with her action scenes

I think it's fitting that this aired on Disney+, as this reminds me of all the young adult fantasy books that I read where the female protagonist goes through a series of hardships when she was young that prepares her into becoming a kick ass force to be reckoned with as she approaches adulthood. I loved those kinds of stories and I really enjoyed this one too. While Jian is not Katniss or Rose Hathaway, I do see that similar thread of growth and sacrifice that is often reflected in young adult novels and it makes me really excited to see what will happen in the next season (which I assume there will be as the ending made it seem so). Hye Joon did an amazing job playing Jian.

The whole mercenary killer theme was cool and I liked all the high tech gadgets and gunfight scenes. Were some of the characters cliche? Yes, but it didn't really bother me that much because for some reason, the whole story, look, and theme felt refreshing to me. I think it's because these types of stories usually only get depicted with American actors so to see this kind of story with this kind of high quality and with Asian actors made this all the more enjoyable for me.

Lee Dong Wook was great as Jian's uncle and teacher. Jo Han Sun also did a good job playing the psychopath (His eyes creeped the F out of me and that usually never happens). I thought everyone played their role well. I was however a bit disappointed with the character of MinHye and this is no reflection on the actress. While I loved that they showcased a female character as an ultimate threat, I'm afraid the execution didn't follow through. The way the scenes were shot made her physical fight scenes look very slow and a bit weak which makes her character a bit unbelievable as a "high threat" as claimed. This is more a fault with the direction and camera work imo. But this is a minor complaint as I did enjoy most of the series and I think anyone who likes YA female lead stories and action might enjoy this drama as well.

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Fasten your seat belt!

March 2024
Wow. The brilliant Lee Dong Wook has made many action dramas and films over the years, and this is a stonkingly good addition.

From the moment he turns up at his family's home after a long absence, one just feels things might not be quite right.

Another where there is a lot of story, incorporated into a relatively few number of episodes. However, with this drama I didn't feel like there were any gaping holes. There was sufficient depth and character backgrounds (connections, experiences etc), relevant to the plot, to make it feel very solid.

It's an adrenaline, nerve fuelled blast, with totally OTT fight scenes that are off the scale exciting, but very easily bought into. I never found myself thinking 'that's ridiculous'.... far-fetched? Definitely. But totally fitting for a fictional roller coaster that's bang-on entertaining for every single second of exciting, nail-biting, viewing.

Brilliant cast, some very tough and clinically ruthless characters, and some harrowing scenes. Balanced, as I so like it, by laughs and buckets of dark humour, which never detracted from the feelings of threat.

I will definitely watch this again. FAB-U-LOUS. I stayed up all night because I couldn't stop watching and didn'teven feel tired... until after
;~D
That doesn't happen often.

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Really great drama. I loved the uncle

The drama was really good. I enjoyed watching every minute of it. The only thing that pissed me off about the drama was the female lead character. Overall, she did not make any sense to me. How could you let jeongmin fool you do you think the uncle would let some random person live under your house and watch you for 14 years if he didn’t trust him? Instead of asking questions she could’ve killed most of those people when she had a chance but instead she was letting other people make the choices for you and then you get mad when they betray you. She’s the only character I do not like tbh.
My name was way better tbh.

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