The Midnight Studio (2024)

Shouldn't judge a drama by just 1st episode

This was worth it to watch it for around 16 hours ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ The ending is also very satisfying.??

The Midnight Studio feels like Hotel Del Luna and I'm happy SK created a horror?????☠️ close to my Genre so I can relate better.
But I was really missing beak nam-gu in the ending scene where four of them were clicking photos. I really wanted him to be there with his wife. If he was there, it would be the most perfect ending on kdrama history.
This drama literally keeps me in a hype for every episodes, The storyline is unique , cute and with perfect level of emotions.

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What I expected but not really (to be edited until series ends)

I was interested in watching this after seeing the cast cry during the script reading and it had similar vibes to "May I Help You?"(which I recommend btw) so I was interested in seeing how the theme of helping the dead safely move on to the afterlife without having any regrets was going to be tackled. Plus, it being a photo studio was already I guess unique because how are they going to deal with providing such a service to ghost customers when living people may give them issues.

the series has a solid opening. It gives basic understanding of how everything works and still leaves enough curiosity for plot development in future episodes. I enjoyed the stories of the deceased (ep3 was hilarious imo- the aespa cameo you didn't know you needed) and learning more about how our ML's family came to be cursed this way and how FL comes into play in everything especially the link to a ghost from the past. We get to meet all type of ghosts so not every story is the same/similar. Plus, not every ghost has good intentions and seeing how they deal with them ensures the interest in the story is maintained. The side character stories are also somewhat interesting, but I hope they are fully developed by the end of it all.

My problem with the series starts(?)/started(?) in ep7 when the romance plot finally takes off, that's if we can call it that. I am all for FL taking initiative but tbh it was more coercion than positive pursuit. She keeps crossing the line and not respecting his stance. My guy says no she hears try again (just because she felt embarrassed and feels like he is stringing her along which he isn't btw). We are blinded in seeing this because he is also interested in her, but oh well.

I am still struggling to wrap my head around why ML is looking for his uncle when he knows about the family curse but there is still time for clarity.

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Of Ghost and Curse and unfinished business in an unremarkable manner

Ghost/horror genre and ability of a human to see them is not new. ML has a fulltime job as a photographer of the dead prior to crossing over to afterlife. It's a cursed ability handed through generation in his family. His sidekicks are 2 ghosts (ex deskworker and ex cop) both with reasons of unfinished business and had stayed in the land of the living.

The main selling point were the episodic telling of the stories of each ghost visitor. From child to elderlies, each with their final request. ML's role, often challenging but rewarding to see the visitors have a proper closing before sending off to the other realm. This worked well in the beginning.. I cried on episodes of grandma, the child, abd the courier deliveryman. Those were stories that were touching and memorable.

Enter my criticism. Later on its fixated on the overall big baddie ghost. And sidetracked by cop ghost's story about his wife (very skippable). That enjoyable nature of diff ghost diff story was abandoned.

Next the romance between our ML and FL. In the beginning I enjoyed how ML seem a lil antihero and FL was kind of bubbly and goofy. ML was just trying to survive the curse and escape the looming death. I felt their relationship never reached the height it should. If hot is 100C, theirs is like lukewarm. Cause of this I never felt the intensity of a love thats connected to life and death.

From execution of plot to casting of the leads, it never truly fulfilled what it was supposed to. Nothing truly disastrous, but isnt remarkable either.

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reminds me of dramas from 2013 era

Can I just say the starting episodes of this drama were really good. I was hooked and emotional and the story was so nice. It began with Seo Kijoo a ghost photographer helping to solve the last wishes of ghosts who are leaving this world. He has 2 assistants and their team is very funny and cute.

I would say the first half of the drama was good but I felt like this drama would have been the best if it ended in 12 episodes. Beyond the halfway point the writer stopped the plot revolving solving of the issues but instead the focus was on one main issue.

Once the ghost issue was resolved now the writer had to think of a way to resolve the curse so the drama continued longer to fit the 16 episodes. But i feel the pacing would have been nicer if it was faster, as there were quite alot of filler scenes towards the end.

Romance was also good at the start but gradually it lost the chemistry although all the kiss scenes were good but somehow the initial fluttering moments were nicer to watch.

Overall it was still a decent drama but the production did make it feel like it was a show from 8-10 years ago. Oh! but the OST was beautiful.

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A GOOD EXPERIENCE!!

I found the series quite enjoyable, although I must admit that other compelling dramas are currently airing. Despite this, the show's storyline captured and maintained my emotional investment, and the lead actors were particularly impressive. It is worth noting that the show is a work of fantasy and not based on logic, which may have contributed to its weaker aspects. Although I do not plan to re-watch the series, I found it to be a valuable experience overall. While the thriller and crime elements of the plot could have been stronger, the stories of the deceased characters were more intriguing. It would have been even more compelling if the show had focused on these characters, but I recognize that the plot revolves around the leads' quest to lift a curse. Rather than attributing the show's shortcomings to itself, it would be more appropriate to acknowledge that the genre often follows this pattern. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for an enjoyable and engaging viewing experience.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Midnight Photo Studio '' is a fantasy romantic comedy.

The drama has many funny moments, with the side characters adding their special flair to the mix. The ghost stories were also quite emotional and bittersweet, and, fortunately, plenty.

The romance was also enjoyable, with many sweet moments between the leads, though the final episode had a cheesy twist, but, still, the couple was adorable. The side couple was a bit awkwardly handled.

The performances were, in addition, pretty enjoyable by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, six and a half out of ten.

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Get ready for a rollercoaster ride...

This drama was definitely a rollercoaster ride, for sure.

The first few episodes were boring, I did a lot of fast forwarding. This drama reminded me a lot of Hotel del Luna and a few others with similar story lines, and I had really high hopes for the drama, but like I said, a rollercoaster.

After I believe episode 9 or so is when it got better. I really did enjoyed the later episodes and how they developed the plot. I also enjoyed watching them resolve the mystery of his uncle, even though, it was already known that he had died, but it did explained how he died and how it was related to Han Bom.

I also like how he started to embrace the curse after meeting Bom instead of just going day to day without a purpose. She really did helped him see the bright side of things, even though, it was the hardest for him at the time.

The ending was not a disappointment, but it wasn't the best as well. The entire episode focused on Ji Won and Assistant Manager Go, giving us a little glimpse of happiness to our main leads.

As for Ji Won and Assistant Manger Go's relationship, I think they should have allowed him to possess someone so that she can either have a human partner or have her die so she can be with him that way. If I remember correctly, in Hotel del Luna, one of the ghost was able to possess the bully and stayed in her body, so I feel like they should have allowed that instead. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do like the idea of her being with him and pulling a Beauty Inside plot line, but I feel like they should have just made it perm for those two.

Overall, I feel like it was missing Mr. Baek. I wish he didn't turn into an evil spirit and dying. He was part of the team.

I am giving this an 8.5 just because the earlier episodes were boring and disappointing and Mr. Baek had to die, but the later episodes made up for the earlier ones.

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My favorite genre. (Hoping that we'll have a happy ending for the leads at least)

I especially love the romance genre where one of the leads can see ghosts, but I had put this one on hold because it was a bit heavy compared to the recent light hearted dramas I had been watching.

I love the ML, he is so adorable. What's more, he looks after the FL so much that even though he doesn't admit his feelings and rejects her, its hard to dislike him. The guy is sure he only has around 3 months to live, so, he doesn't really think he has much to offer. But he could at least just tell her that he is going to die. So far, I have loved episode 7 the best, despite rejecting the FL twice now, the ML was so damn jealous of her admiring another guy. Now that I have finally started the drama, I can't wait for next week's episodes.

Coming to the beautiful stories we have, each episode was created to make you cry. The deaths seem so untimely and we wish these people had another chance at life.

This drama gives me the same feels as The Master's Sun. (The romance and the ghost seeing lead (here both of them see the ghosts))

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waste of my time

This drama started off real good, with a solid plot of the main leads helping ghosts to leave for the afterlife. I was really enjoying seeing backstories of ghosts until they ruined it with unnecessary romance. First of all, there was no chemistry between the main leads and their romance was so visibly forced. I wouldn’t say the acting was great either. It was my first time watching Joo Won star in a drama but his acting wasn’t realistic at all. The scenes of him being happy,sad,frustrated- he had the same expression in each of them. He looked confused. Wouldn’t say it was one of Kwon Na-ra’s best works either. Anyways, I watched the whole drama just for Yoo In Soo. I liked his romance with the female lead’s best friend but their ending was open. Like he was a ghost and the other was a person. I’m giving it 3.5 for the sake of Yoo In Soo and few ghost stories that were interesting. I would NEVER REWATCH THIS!!!!

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This drama is stuck in purgatory

This show is not bad. The real problem is that it doesn’t know when to stop. The initial premise is interesting enough. Multi-generational curse is nothing new but it is functional. The show pushed it for all its worth though. There are plot holes here and there but the show has enough momentum to push through most of them, at least initially.

Once it gets started, it gives off a similar vibe to several other wish fulfilling style fantasy shows such as May I Help You. While other shows are more focused on the “clients” and their backstory, this show used them as fillers when the main plot needs to take a breather. The overarching plot is focused on the ML and the curse he inherited. In that sense, it is a nice change from other series where the leads tend to fade into the background and only pops up at key moments. Our OTP is definitely in the fore.

However, this is a double-edged sword. With the focus firmly on the ML, this series struggles. As the saying goes, the tank is running dry. It seems to slice and diced the same plot into different combinations and pad things out. What was novel at the beginning become rather passe by the half way mark. Several times the show seems to have reached its logical conclusion only to be dragged back into the fray just to stretch it out a bit more.

On the positive side, not only are our leads more in focus, his two ghost helpers also have their moments in the sun which is rare in such shows. I appreciate that because they are both interesting characters and they deserve some growth and attention. Deputy Go does fairs better than Mr. Baek and I'm keen to see Yoo In See in other roles.

Acting wise, the ensemble cast did a decent job with what they are given. The ghostly makeup is rather low rent though and more Halloween than scary.

The last episode is probably the most problematic. It really ties itself in knots with its own DIY mystic mumble-jumble. A case of narrative purgatory, I suppose. It all ends well which came as no surprise. The series is watchable but could have been better and tighter. If only it ended 2 or 3 eps earlier while the going was good. One time watch for me.

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A Ghost of a Good Time

I placed a potential spoiler at the end of this review.

I am a sucker for supernatural storylines and this was really up my ally. This is one of those series that has a great script that successfully connects multiple storylines and characters together. They did a great job in the beginning of the series with introducing the characters. It also had a few twists that I didn’t see coming through out. I enjoyed watching this but admit some of the sections felt rushed and the last episode was a little off. The actors were great and did an incredible job with their characters. The special effects and cinematography were awesome.



******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Although the ending was mostly happy with most of the characters, the set up was not the greatest. There is a time jump forward, then backwards, and then back to the jump forward. I know they wanted to create suspense with this but wished they did a better job with it.

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