I got in a nice variety for the month of July. It was the action thriller The Manipulated, the rom-com Top Star Yoo Baek, and the Chinese historical Pursuit of Jade. Here’s how they went:
The Manipulated
The Manipulated is a mostly fun action thriller with lots of crazy, over the top shenanigans.. The pacing was fast and quickly moved from one thing to the next. It’s pretty over-the-top in terms of some of the action as well as the crazy situations the characters face. The production is slick and polished with a Hollywood feel and plenty of fun action scenes. We get a great performance from Ji Chang Wook here.
On the negative side, we don’t spend much time developing the characters or the world, and everything felt very surface level for most of it. It’s great if you want a popcorn action drama with lots of chaos and thrills but not much depth. If you just want to turn off your brain and go for a while ride, it’s pretty decent. (The Manipulated Review)
Top Star Yoo Baek
Top Star Yoo Baek was a mostly pleasant watch. It’s fairly simple and straightforward with its plot of the popular star having to go away and spend time on a remote island with its quirky residents. I didn’t have any major complaints with it, but there were a lot of things that just didn’t really hit for me.
A lot of the comedy didn’t click, and I didn’t love most of the characters. There is a good growth journey though for Yoo Baek though. Overall, it’s a decent show overall despite feeling a little flat and lacking in several areas. It was an easy watch that would be good as something lighter to watch between more serious shows. (Top Star Yoo Baek Review)
Pursuit of Jade
For the most part, Pursuit of Jade was a very fun watch, but it is an extremely difficult drama for me to rate. I would sum up my experience with it like this: the first third was amazing, the middle third was good, and the last third was meh.
The first third was a complete work of art. It was one of the most esthetically beautiful dramas that I have ever seen. So much care went into every little detail of each scene from the production to all of the sets and costumes. I loved the main story involving our couple who had wonderful chemistry and who they were as individuals. The stuff surrounding them and their past was important to all of this, but it wasn’t as interesting to watch as the story progressed. Sadly, the latter third felt like the pacing was just rushing forward without enough time, and we were skipping a lot of important connecting scenes.
But for the most part, it was a very enjoyable drama. I will fondly remember that first third that was so magical, cozy, and mysterious. It really showed how aesthetically beautiful a drama can be when such care and attention to detail is present. That will always be my main takeaway from the drama and will help me remember Chang Yu and Xi Zheng’s story as a whole more fondly. (Pursuit of Jade Review)
So how was July for you?
Happy drama watching to everyone!
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