Reviews

A Supernatural Thriller that Surprises

Yet again a ghost story, that was what I thought!

A supernatural suspense thriller, Joo Won stars as Seo Ki Joo, a 7th generation photographer who runs a small photo studio, which specializes in storing the last memories of the dead. The camera he uses for this taunting task was stolen by his ancestor, as such it is a cursed object and the descendants belonging to Seo family line bear the brunt of the curse. They are unable to live beyond 35 years and die in mysterious ways. The overall synopsis spells the ordeal faced by our main lead on a daily basis. Imagine what he has go to through when a crazy attorney who was fired from her job is added to this mix. “The Midnight Studio” weaves a subtle romance in the midst of horror and supernatural suspense. Both the main leads have their own set of problems; Ki Joo lives from day to day hoping to survive while leading the dead souls to their salvation, Han Bom (Kwon Na Ra) is busy finding jobs while being ostracized in her own field. As each case unfolds, the storyline turns into a gripping tale of long-lost love & reconciliation.

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https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/05/07/the-midnight-studio-series-review/#more-810

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Small town, busy people

I want to give proper value to the production team because technically speaking this is a wonderfully made story, with lot of attention put into the detail. The first thing that caught my attention was the sound mixing, which easily created a slice of life vibe, set in the rural location. There's almost no soundtrack use during important scenes, choosing the surroundings over it. The sound of the ocean, the cicada, a dog barking. It all completes the story.

The characters wear barely any make up, their clothes are something any of us would wear during the summer, which goes perfectly with the lack of interest in superficial aesthetic.

The drama lives and dies with the performances. The actors are the heart of the story and they deliver on creating a close-knit society in the small town their characters all grew up.

At first, I thought I was in for a slice of life sport story about friendship, love and overcoming personal struggles but to my surprise there was a murder mystery thrown in the middle.

I understand why the writer of this drama used this troupe to point out some toxic behaviour from society, our prejudices and the damage gossip can do to a person's life. Sadly, I think the main story suffers from it and deviates of its strongest points which is the relationship between the six main characters with each other.

Overall, this is a very quiet and rustic story with some solid performances but easily forgotten among many others dramas that have done this before and better.

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so messy but quite interesting storyline

there’s so many things I wish to say about this show. mostly aren’t good ones.

good points:
- interesting storyline
- Liu Yuning song

heard that it’s based on donghua. the assemble is good and interesting.

bad points:
- cringey
there are some parts are so cringe, e.g. the father & son scenes, some scenes supposed to be serious but it’s just cringe.
- Wu Geng
yes, the main character himself. he’s one of the main reason why I’m just frustrated. his character buildup is lacking and he doesn’t seem to have his own power? after losing his colorless realm, it seems he’s relying on others to give him power. that’s why the end when he’s the mortal god of war, it’s just a disappointing moment.
- RJL’s line delivery
honestly, this is my first drama from him. and his line delivery is really poor. be it angry or frustrated, his tone is the same. and it’s his own voice (have watched F&E, now I know how he sounds like)
- Bai Cai
honestly, she’s redundant. period. had enough with her A gou.
- RJL hairstyle
why why why?
- underutilising Hei Long
dude is such a hottie, and his presence giving me Voldemort-ish. why he only appear at the start and the end? such a waste!

characters that stood out:
- Shi Xing
- Xinyue Kui
- Zha Zha and his father (their scenes were just lol)

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The actors, mostly Mew, kept this show afloat.

Tbh, if Mew wasn’t in this, I would’ve dropped it by ep2. And it feels like that’s what the producers aimed for, that Mew was enough that they didn’t need a good story. Beside the fact it took 5 episodes for the main couple to even speak to each other, their “romance” was so rushed, it was practically nonexistent. By ep10 when P’Uno left and he & Daebyeol had to reminisce about each other, they showed the exact same 3 moments cause THATS ALL THEY HAD. Like, there were not enough romantic-heavy moments for them to suddenly “be in love with each other since the moment they met.” Like, are you kidding me?? The producer woman pissed me tf off I can’t believe they decided to work with her at the end. And the part-timer that outed them, whyyyyy was he still working there in the end????? And so many plot points that came out of nowhere and then went nowhere??? For what sounded like a cute concept, the execution was done so poorly. I feel bad for Mew and the rest of the cast, they deserve a better production than this.

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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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Saved by the Cast

This is what I call a “junk show”, which is not to say it’s bad. It’s the type of seriously flawed show that still manages to entertain when approached with realistic expectations. It’s short, light, sweet and a bit ridiculous – making it a decent filler show between longer shows with much larger budgets.

I found the 4 main characters/actors to be quite likable with nice camera presence - they saved this from the dropped category for me. Can they act? I think so, but you’d never know it from this show. I hope to see them all again in better productions. The rest of the cast came from 2004 – seriously, it had a dated feel from the era that brought us Coffee Prince (a much, much better show even today).

Low budget doesn’t begin to explain some of the creative decisions that were made by the writer and director. You simply can’t over think this show.

Concept: 8
Script: 2
Behind the Camera: 2
Acting: 2 - 8
Editing: 3
Overall: 6

Would I recommend? Possibly, but only if you’re a big fan of the BL genre and you’re looking for a simple, nonsensical but sweet series with a decent cast.

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The ending ruined it

At first it was okay, the story was promising and the actors were doing their best. There were times were I felt like they skipped a few steps for example the first kiss.. I mean, where did that even come from? And how did Lu Xiang Xin know about Cheng Yi's feelings before he even thought of Ling Zi Ming like that?? The short amount of time for Lu Xiang Lin to be heartbroken and then fall in love again?? It wasn't even a minute! He found Yue Yu Zhi annoying and now he's in love with him?? Maybe if the drama was a little longer they could've added a little more.
The ending was a major turn off. There was no consent but Cheng Yi did it anyway. That kind of pissed me off because Ling Zi Ming had true feelings towards Cheng Yi, so it must have been disappointing to have the person you like do something that awful to you.
And then he just left after that?
Let's just say that this drama was not the best and you could probably live without it.

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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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Heart-wrenchingly tense but also adorable heart warming

This story is actually sooo unique, it's very different from most dramas and the story's overall plot may seem like a cliché but the plot goes so much deeper and has sooo many layers it's amazing, it's anything but a cliché. It's absolutely amazing. One thing I loved about this drama was that it wasn't biased to show who was on the good side and who was in the bad. The storyline was presented in a way that didn't justify any of the characters actions but provided insight into why. It also showed the point of view of the villains and it was quite thought-provoking on who was at fault. The story is sooo interesting. It's about a guy that is bullied by his step mother and step brother for being born as the son of his father's mistress and it's about him, growing up and coming back to get revenge, while also reuniting with his childhood sweetheart and learning to let go. It's about how he makes mistakes and faces it's consequences and learns to let go and Love instead of Hate. It's very heart warming, but the Bad Boy-Good Girl trope is to kill for in this drama! The tension between the leads is mind-blowing! Another thing I loved was the ML's character development, if showed how he always had the soft spot for the FL, but he didn't just change for her overnight, it was a gradual change over a period of time. I loved that cause it's seemed more realistic and felt natural and drew me into the story more. Also the FL's wardrobe was sooooo awesome! Like I loved every piece of outfit she wore! And she rocked every outfit! Like WOW. However the wedding dress was quite surprising cause I expected a fun, warm and cheery style but the strong, bold and elegant style totally suited Mr.Sila's wife. The actors have done such a good job in this drama! And the cast and crew! I loved watched every scene, it was totally addicting, from the bold and attractive wardrobe, to the enticing music and the amazing action and chemistry on screen it was all such a delightful entertainment. Overall, this was a lovely drama was very melancholic but realistic and thought provoking while also being totally heart warming with Amazing tension with the Bad Boy-Good Girl trope! ?????❤️‍??❤️‍????

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