Pulls the audience right into the story

"Awaken" was a well-made mystery and suspense Korean drama. It follows the story of "Do Jung Woo" (played by Nam Goong Min) and "Gong Hye Won" (played by Kim Seol Hyun) as they try to solve a series of murders tipped by an unknown personality through codes.

The story was carefully laid-out as in each episode there were numerous twists and turns to keep the audience on edge and continually guessing. This also pulled in the audience into joining into solving the ever evolving mysteries.

I also praise the actors and actresses for their superb acting. They did not come to the show as "another character to act", it was evident that they assumed the identity of their characters and lived the way they would if they were real. From being police officers to being ordinary individuals with lives and worries, they successfully invited the audience to a suspension of disbelief the entire sixteen (16) episodes.

The soundtrack was good and were placed in key scenes which created an even greater impact. Finally, the production and directing were top-notch. They did not shy away from picking the right locations, the attires, and the tools needed to present the world of "Awaken".

An overall 9.5 out of 10 stars from me. I highly recommend this show.

> **A NGM one man show**. A fantasy thriller with Interesting plot, uninteresting characters (except for #113)

Let me begin by saying I LOVE crime/romance hybrids: Flower of Evil, :kiss_woman_man:, Come and Hug Me + Cruel City, :thumbsup:. This is why I couldn't help but be a little disappointed to find not so much external romance as internal romantic motivation. Add in some fantasy/sci-fi elements, splashes of comedy, and you have all the makings of a drama tailored to my tastes, maybe yours too.

But Awaken is a drama that falls short of other crime/thriller that we have seen in the few years. The lack of good side characters makes any time that one or two actually good characters aren't on screen painfully to watch, but it's delivered a good ending that makes sense using the rules it created.

PLOT
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The plot itself is interesting. The story makes you not only wonder who are the good and bad guys, but also wonder _if there are any good guys at all_. Well. Let's agree that all the ingredients were here to make an amazing show. Potential romance, mystery, great cast overall, very Interesting and sad story, supernatural/superpowers etc...But delicious ingredients mixed up don't make a dish necessarily great plot/show.

The first 6-7 episodes are easily the most cohesive part of the drama. Even though you don't have a lot of answers, the writer feeds you enough to keep you engaged in the story. Since you don't know much about the characters, you actually care about them as they discover things at the same time as you. You never know if a character knowing certain information is actually good for "the good guys" because you're still unsure about their motivations and goals.

Now the plot starts going down hill !!!! It's not about character development. Or is it? I don't actually mind when people turn evil in dramas, or if a bad guy has a change of heart. My problem with this drama is that apart from the main lead... no one does anything... like... mentally.

One person has no moral compass but that's the only thing about her personality (she is the reason for this mess in the first place) and becomes just a side character after the second half always getting kidnapped and drugged .. Always slow in update for an elite genius profiler !!

Another discover things that would make any normal being go nuts (which is basically her entire premise), and yet she has the same bare face all the time. I honestly thought that there was more to this than it was shown, but no, the drama ended and she's still showing that same face. You could easily write the entire drama without her. She doesn't go under any development other than accepting that this is by NO MEANS a ROMANCE DRAMA. After all that happens, the character still got the nerve to say that "it's not too late". Even some of us were on denial in wiki live comments [spoiler] I expected this not to have a happy romantic ending .. as i don't see any chemistry and NGM shows generally end without romantic endings [/spoiler]

CAST
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Nam Goong Min is one of the best actors working today, not only because of his acting skill but also because he knows how to pick a drama. Just go see his past works and you noticed how diversified they are and he nails in every single one of them.Nam Goong Min brings his trademark charisma to this role. His scenes with Lee Chung Ah/Jamie were particularly entertaining as characters who understood each other well.

Jamie .... what a waste of Lee chang .. but yeah her character is so badly written that even she can't save it. Gong Hye Won is a smart and hot-tempered Officer as described in the synopsis but there is nothing more to it !! I feel sad for the actress to have picked this show.

There was no chemistry b/w the lead(s) ;[spoiler] although there is between Do and Jamie she is sidelined and revealed as his twin [/spoiler]. The romance between the characters, _if we can even call it that_, was a nice complement with the rest of the story at the start however it was clear later on that this was not going to progress into how it seemed to have looked earlier on. Again, could have been explosive but the reveal of the secret was flat to say the least. I was expecting there to have more angst in that regards but it was again obvious there was a lot more that needed addressing.

I also liked the reporter. he gets played but his character is consistent and intelligent enough and actually does something throughout the show to advance the plot.

A weakness or dislike for this drama would be the villains. There are a few and I never really found myself invested or interested in their motivations. They were generic, sometimes weak, but it is easily overlooked because I don't consider the villains, or their POV, to be necessary here. They exist as a set-up, a vehicle for the conflict, and I'm accepting of that. Would it be more intriguing if they weren't this way? Of course, but they're not so I'm moving on. That is not to say the villain roles were not played well; on the contrary, there were many standout performances, notably Ahn Shi Ha/Hyun Hui/Mad Scientist. Kim Chang Wan is always the creep even when he plays on good side but he is extra creepy [spoiler]especially to the kids [/spoiler]


The relationship between the NGM and Woo Hyun is probably the best thing about this drama. Its funny and refreshing to an otherwise tense relations


MUSIC
--------

The music is amazing. Both the sounds created for the atmosphere in what happened 28 years ago to the suspense one whenever stuff goes down for the good guys. Visual effects were also good but the music takes the spotlight here. The music will make you feel the thrill and the mystery, the sadness and the curiosity.

I have **IDIOTAPE - GRAY ZONE** in endless loop ; its uplifting and one of the best upbeat music with no vocals !!


VERDICT
----------

If you're looking for a well-executed crime thriller from beginning to end with bits of romance feels on the side, definitely give this a try. But the lack of characters makes me put it in a bar below its predecessors. It's interesting enough to keep you watching but makes you have no emotional attachment to the characters, especially everyone who isn't the main lead. In the end, [spoiler]you feel like the main lead could've solved everything by himself, which is kind of what happened here. [/spoiler]

It's a decent thriller mystery with an interesting premise and a good performance by the lead. Namkoong brought a lot of character to his character while trying to work with what turned out to be a mediocre flawed script with the usual plot holes. The pacing became problematic halfway through, as it felt sluggish and failed to maintain an engaging momentum. Its length is a contributing factor to that. The village story wasn't big enough to work with. Both female leads were poorly written and their inclusion affected the drama negatively. There was a poor attempt to force a romantic plot line which felt contrived and disrupted the narrative coherence. It would have been fine if they were to commit and go through with it rather than abandoning that. Both female leads lacked chemistry with Namkoong whether it was friendship/professional/romantic. The ending followed a typical and predictable pattern for its genre resulting in an underwhelming and unsatisfying ending. There was clearly a massive bait trying to capitalize on the "multi season" trend.

**_Pulls the audience right into the story_**

"Awaken" was a well-made mystery and suspense Korean drama. It follows the story of "Do Jung Woo" (played by Nam Goong Min) and "Gong Hye Won" (played by Kim Seol Hyun) as they try to solve a series of murders tipped by an unknown personality through codes.

The story was carefully laid-out as in each episode there were numerous twists and turns to keep the audience on edge and continually guessing. This also pulled in the audience into joining into solving the ever evolving mysteries.

I also praise the actors and actresses for their superb acting. They did not come to the show as "another character to act", it was evident that they assumed the identity of their characters and lived the way they would if they were real. From being police officers to being ordinary individuals with lives and worries, they successfully invited the audience to a suspension of disbelief the entire sixteen (16) episodes.

The soundtrack was good and were placed in key scenes which created an even greater impact. Finally, the production and directing were top-notch. They did not shy away from picking the right locations, the attires, and the tools needed to present the world of "Awaken".

An overall 9.5 out of 10 stars from me. I highly recommend this show.