Korean Superheroes! I think that is one of the biggest draws to this project. But there's also some heart and humanity to it that can make you relate to or care about the characters. I think there is definitely some realism to it because if this world existed, for governments would have these kinds of projects and units. Parents would be protective. It's all very realistic and grounded in that sense.

You can definitely see the foreign streamer effect and budget. I could definitely be wrong but I don't think this level of violence is/can be shown on Korean channels (even Mouse which I think aired on a paid channel featured alot of blurring). There is also some creativity with violence which people sensitive to violence won't like and say they can't/won't watch.

For me, it was an *extremely* slow start but for others, it works. The actor playing Bong Seok gained weight to look more like the webcomic character and I think his look is supposed to make him even more endearing. He has this kinda teddy bear, childish optimism and positivity appeal.

The parents, in my opinion, are the real standouts. Maybe it's in part cause they are veteran actors vs the kids who are basically rookies. The parents/adults can give nunaced looks or emotionally affecting performances (I'm thinking of Ju Won crying and the NK guy's reflective/contemplative vibe).

I think some plot threads were just left by the wayside but it probably doesn't impact the overall story.

Seems to be a sequel hook but who knows what will happen.

Sidenote: Was Han Hyo Joo the youngest of the parent actors in real life?! I hope she doesn't end up typecast as moms cause she did a good job here.

Extremely violent, gore-y, profane and has practically nothing in common with the traditional k-dramas thats we all love..... with one notable exception (family) .

This is largely a story about mothers and fathers who are willing to go to hell in order protect their children, its the single most compelling reason to give it a try.

The cast was fantastic and the story itself was a beat for beat adaptation of the popular webtoon of the same name.

I really liked it...... but i must admit i really dont want these types of dramas to become commonplace in Asian dramaland

It's a really refreshing show.
It's style is different from what we're used to, but it has the same foundation as any tradicional show.

If you ignore the superpowers and politics (it isn't that hard to do actually), it almost feels like any other family drama. The most important aspect is the relationship between the characters (and the characters themselves).

The characters are complicated but the story itself is that strong, that's it's flaw. But tbh, you ignore all the flaws in a bingewatch, I don't think they'll be noticeable if you watch it without breaks.

—Action ⚠️. If you can't handle guns or punches, blood, etc., you're gonna have to ff a lot or just skip the whole show.
—Romance. Cutter than you would expect.
—Comedy. On point.
—Science fiction. Okay? Idk much about visual effects. I liked them most of the time tho. The powers are cool and all, but they feel more like part of the plot than part of the characters? Idk if that makes sense lol.
—Drama. On point most of the time.

+ Acting and soundtrack 10/10
Directing 9/10
Writing: story 6.8/10, characters 9.9/10

It is the drama of the year for me.
I got in a little reluctant because of the super powers issue but got hooked right away. Instead of a drama focusing on supernatural powers, people and family relationships are the heart of the drama. The writing remained consisted and for once a drama really stuck the landing.

I actually don't like superpower stories, but it was more about families and relationships than superpowers. The strength of this drama was great characterization and spectacular casting. I will miss them.
But given the high expectations I had, the ending was underwhelming and the story's pace was slow.
Also violence is too much which didn't bother me much 'cuz I use ff and looking away techniques!
Overall it's definitely one of my top 3 dramas of 2023.

Didn't love it and didn't hate it. Some actors were better than others and earned every penny. I felt that Jo In Sung and Han Hyo Joo dropped the ball on key emotional scenes: the flashback to how they met and fell in love and started a family, and the reunion scene at the end. Their facial expressions lacked intensity and depth. Both are very telegenic and I can see why they were cast. But if I were the director, I would look for actors and actresses who can carry emotional scenes. For example, someone like Jun Ji Hyun. Fortunately, this was an ensemble drama with many other solid actors and actresses.

A superhero show for people who don't normally care for superhero stories or comics or Marvel movies, "Moving" was a huge surprise for me and definitely one of the most carefully crafted dramas and narratively satisfying drama of the year with truly distinctive and memorable characters and storylines.

What it Does Well:

--Although the narrative style, heavy on flashbacks, is not for everyone, I still found the weaving together of all the many character threads to be incredibly thoughtful and obviously well planned out. At times the story appears fragmented but it always comes together in a deliberate and logical way.

--With the exception of the bus driver dude, all the character backstories are incredibly compelling, even ones towards the end when all you want is for the fighting to be over already.

--There are fun surprises and little twists throughout that reward a patient viewer.

--The adult love stories are a) very different from one another and b) beautifully done. The teen love story isn't as large a part of the story as I assumed it would be, so it's arguably undeveloped, but what we get is still sweet and unique. Our teen hero is also incredibly loveable and refreshingly atypical in looks and manner.

--I see below that some were unhappy with two of the actors, but I have no such complaints. In fact, I thought everyone did strong work, a lot of it very subtle and nuanced despite the fantastical premise.

What Bothered Me:

--The violence is excessive and very gory. The show also puts forth the idea that violence is a kind of weakness and often a necessary component of exploitation, but nonetheless seems to revel in it. The violent choreography is accomplished, but it's also so relentless that at best it gets boring and at worst it engenders a kind of complacency as the show goes on.

That's really my only criticism.

I'd also say that this is a kdrama for people who may not think they like kdramas, and that if it had aired on Netflix, it's quite likely it would have exploded in the same way "Squid Game" did.

Sometimes less is more. Unfortunately, the show failed to get the memo. From the vast cast to excessive fights which getting boring by each ep, and endless flashbacks.

The Parent-child relationships are wholesome, plus the cast is great overall, I agree. But, I don't need to watch that much violence and countless fashbacks just to enjoy them. It could've been a regular 16 ep instead of 20 with better editing.

Moving is certainly, in my book, the best drama in 2013 - and probably the best mega budget production since Netflix and the like ventured into kdrama production.

I was doubtful to start this drama initially, then liked Ep 1-7 having impressed by the younger cast and their stories, but turned into loving the drama once the parents back stories kicked in. What set this series apart from others in the same genre is the theme on parental love and superheros being human. In the end, it is an anti-hero movie as we can see from the ending. Heart and soul is what Moving stands for.

The gore and violence do not bother me as it’s part of the game in this genre and there’s always ff button. However, I appreciate how one Beanie observed in the Ep 18-20 recap that the violence shown esp in the last two episodes between the two super monsters (who eventually became fried chicken mates) is to demonstrate the point of the stupidity of violence.

Why it’s worth the best drama title? It excels in every department:
- The writing: lean and on-point adaption by the webtoon creator although I question his wisdom in adding Cha Tae-hymn’s character, himself being a CTH fan.
- The directing and editing - tight pacing and weaving so many plot lines and characters almost seamlessly. It’s like an anthology of movies yet all interlocked. Ep 1 - 20 are three seasons worth materials: the younger generation, the parents, and the North Korean squads. Yet, each episode is between 40 min to less than an hour which is quite a feat when so many dramas drag onto one hour plus without limit these days. The director and editor have demonstrated great restrain as I’m sure they had shot 50 times more footage than what’s shown to us. While there’s criticism on the many flashbacks, I applaud they do not present the story chronologically as what they did made the whole series much more interesting and intriguing.
- the set design and make up are wow and wow: there are so many finer details you have to watch carefully to see and feel the impact of the minute details ranging from the yellow and purple colours to the make up. I had so much fun in discussing with another Beanie on our able to see each pore on Jo In-sung’s face - which we believe is specifically done to highlight what he had gone through. The glasses and mommy look of Han Hyo-joo is worth another para or two.
- the music: can anybody tell me where I can find the music piece at the end of each episode, please? It is reason enough for me to watch the end credits every single time. Of course, the epilogue after Ep 20 which seems to pave the way for S2 is such a big bonus.
- finally, the acting: I cannot find a weak link here. I’m sure the the three main young cast will have a bright future ahead of them. Bong-seok and Gang-hoon are equally impressive on the opposite spectrum. I’m never a fan of Han Hyo-Joo but she finally impressed me in this. The romance between her and Jo In-sung here is...

Moving My 2023 Kdrama of the Year

At first glance, this looks like a superhero show with a big budget that uses special effects to cover up a paper thin plot and terrible writing mixed with underdeveloped stereotypical characters.
That’s what I thought going into this.
I was wrong on all counts.

The writing is impeccable.

”I got rid of every trace that could lead to me and everything I ever had and left with my daughter.

I left with my everything”

Moving episode 14
Hui-Soo’s father, Ju-Won

Folks- this is writing perfection. 🥹🫶
Those words, the metaphor that “everything” is not all of your material possessions - instead “everything” is just his precious daughter and nothing else.
This scene and those words were so powerful and moving. The biggest hero moment of this super physically strong hero had nothing to do with physical power, but with giving up all of his physical belongings to protect his daughter while regretting nothing.

“Empathy is what real power looks like”
Mother Mi-Hyun mothering her little boy as he deals with his extraordinary abilities.
Another perfect line. This is a show about superheroes and yet the focus is always on human empathy.

Moving (adjective) producing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy.

Yup. I was confused on the title at first, but it makes complete sense here - mission accomplished.

It’s about parents who love their kids and would do anything for them.
It’s about complex character development of an ensemble of unique characters that are connected.

This show has an amazing ability to portray a deeper romance in 2 episodes than most shows do with 16 episodes.

This show has the amazing ability to fully develop close to 10 characters while other shows struggle to fully develop more than 2.

Yes, there lots of action and lots of violence, but that’s not the core of this show (I think the dramabean demographic tends to be more sensitive to the violence). The core of this show is the love and human connection of parents and their children. Unlike almost all other Kdramas, the parents here aren’t toxic- just the opposite actually.

Finally, props to Han Hyo-Joo as Mi-Hyun and Ryoo Seung-Ryong as Ju-Won. Those two had performances of a lifetime.