Ghost/Phantom Review

Ghost/Phantom (2012)

Genre: Crime/Action/Investigation

Episodes: 20

Cast/Synopsis

Review:

“Don’t become like me. Become a great….cop.”

Alas it is finally over, and with that I feel a little pain in my heart, for the fact that I won’t be seeing anymore new episodes of this drama. Right off the bat I knew I was going to love this drama, because it wasn’t your stereotypical drama, but a crime/thriller/action drama, which I personally love, and think there needs to be a whole lot more of. But when it comes to it, I think this drama is probably the best drama I have seen of its kind. I know that City Hunter may be people’s favorite crime/thriller/action drama, but I personally think this blows it out of the water; it doesn’t stand a chance up to this drama, in my opinion. (Even though it is good as well.)

I want to start off by saying that this drama was pretty much amazing. From the story line, to the characters, to flashbacks, to the action, to everything, it pretty much was done with grace and precision and with a lot of artistic flare when it comes to the flashbacks. This drama will have you on edge, and make you question the people in it, the things that are happening, and maybe even cause a premature heart attack from all the anticipation and intensity. I know all dramas, for the most part, have flash backs, and sometimes they get super annoying, but with this drama, the flashbacks really held a lot of meaning. From the way they were shown, to the information you receive in them, they are important, because there is usually a sign in it, a trace of evidence or unheard conversations in them, that make you either confused, or help you along with the main story, the main investigation and over all they were pretty important pieces to this show.

I have to put in a little insert here to say that I loved the sound track to this drama, and to those who thought the Phantom of the Opera music was unnecessary, well it wasn’t, it went along with the theme and well…Phantom of the Opera is classic, and I loved every moment of it, and the BLOCK B song was great too.

The actors and actresses in this drama were pretty great as well, from the main characters to the side characters, no one seemed to lack in the acting department, and they played their characters well, even if their characters were sometimes or maybe all the time, annoying. I had never seen the main lead male, So Ji Sub, in a drama before, though I have wanted to see one that I hear is pretty good, Cain and Able. Lee Yeon Hee seemed to be a decent actress, though I didn’t like her character all that much, but she did seem to be better than when she was in Paradise Ranch, which I watched an episode or two of, but didn’t catch my interest. And can I say, I loved Uhm Ki Joon in this as well, a totally different persona than he played in Dream High and Scent of a Woman. There are a lot of seasoned actors and actresses in this, and even G.O. of MBLAQ for those Kpop fans. They all did a really great job at their characters.

I think there are a lot of good points to this drama, but I want to discuss the main bad guy for a moment and where I think he went wrong, which is simple. I think he went wrong, when he decide to take revenge. Revenge can never really come out good, because it takes you over, and you may have been a cute innocent teenager when it all started, but with a revenge like that, it can turn you into a deep, dark, disgusting, horrible monster of an adult as time goes by. With revenge only on your mind, you lose the most precious ones around you, and you destroy your life, even if you never thought that would happen. And that’s why I usually love stories of revenge, though tis not the MAIN focus it is one of the more important plots in this drama, and I like to see how and why a personal develops into the kind of person they are, all because of revenge.

Now I want to make a point before I end this up with how I felt about the ending, and my recommendation. I am so glad that they did not have a real romance in this drama. I know there were a lot of people looking for it, and hoping that it would come, but I myself thought it would have been unnecessary for the main actors to have a romance/love line, though I am okay with the minor characters and their love lines. But if this drama would have turned down that direction, with placing a strong love line within the main leads, I think this drama would have not been as great as it was, because it would of taken away from the drama. The main characters, as in So Ji Sub and Lee Yeon Hee, did not need a romance, though they were partners of the opposite sex, and there were hints that Yeon Hee’s character had a thing for him…(or other him?), the writers did not act on it, and that is good. Because we needed both characters helping each other, without awkwardness, and anything else blocking their minds from the main focus of the story. But in short, I just want to state that there doesn’t always need opt be a love line, like in a drama like this, with a strong plot and characters, there isn’t any room for such things, and its unnecessary, and without it, the drama is still as amazing as ever.

As for the ending, I never saw that coming, to be honest, though some people said it right before it happened, I didn’t think that was what was going to go down, but I like it. It worked, the ending complimenting the beginning of the drama, and something about that makes it seem like we have come to a full circle with the drama, and it doesn’t leave us with unanswered questions, or wondering what else was going to happen. We pretty much got a straightforward answer to what will happen, what had happened, and how the case closed and they went on with their lives, and for that I am grateful. I truly think they should make a second season, but I don’t exactly know what it would be about, but hey, I would watch it, just to watch it, because I am a fangirl for this drama.

Over all, I enjoyed this drama and I think it may be my favorite drama thus far in 2012, and that is saying something because we have had a lot of awesome dramas thus far in 2012. I recommend this to most people, but I do not recommend it to those who can’t go with a steady paced story, that doesn’t get you hooked until episode three. The 1^st two episodes are important pieces for what will happen from there on, and therefore the backstory is necessary, so don’t skip it and pay attention, take notes or something.  I also don’t recommend it to those who like to skip around in dramas or those looking for romance, you have come to a dead end, and therefore don’t watch the drama if you’re interested in those two things. But for those who can watch an amazing drama with a great plot, lots of twists, and a lot of exciting WTF moments, you are in for a treat, and I think you should really give this a try.

Rating: