So, it took me forever to finish season one of this show. Not due to any fault of the show itself (beyond the episodes being normally over an hour! And there being 16 of them.) (Also, I think I figured out that we can have gifs as pics on here. Hopefully it posts the way it looks to me in editing.)

The creepy looking dude up above is essentially the season big bad. Cheong Sin. And what a spectacular big bad he was. But I do have some issues with, well stuff. It doesn’t impact my rating, but they are little nitpicks that I need to voice. And as this is the second part, I am going to deep dive into spoiler territory here.

I loved that Cheong Sin is actually the one who killed Mun’s parents 7 years ago. Made a delightfully creepy twist. The episode where Ha-na goes into Mun’s memory to unlock the night of their death was the most heart wrenching thing I have seen in ages. And also intense as hell, because they actually interacted with events of the past and fought Cheong Sin. That was wild! But it created a problem. The rating scale of Demons is wonky as hell. The way I understand it, anytime someone murders someone it is because they are possessed by a Demon. And through killing, a Demon levels up. Level one is basically they killed someone. Level two seems to be they have killed again. Level three is mentioned as the height of their powers. It seems to me there would be almost all level two and three Demons then. And Cheong Sin has been out there doing this for years.

Which introduces us to a new thing. He is level four. But I thought three was the height. And the storytelling seemed to just be like “ignore that we said three was the highest.”

As a level four, they need help from Yung (the spiritual realm where their powers come from. It’s a lot more than just that, but I assume it is cultural and too much to try and delve into explaining it all, as I don’t know it.) From Yung they are given 4 staffs that will create a barrier to decrease the powers of the Demon, but the ones with the staffs are going to be focused purely on maintaining the barrier. This seems like a terrible concept as you only have to disrupt one to disrupt the barrier. Which is how it plays out.

Throughout the season, Mun has been trying to find who killed his parents because their spirits are trapped inside that Demon. Because Demons devour the souls of their victims. For some reason though, Cheong Sin hasn’t actually consumed their souls yet, although it seemed like the reason they devoured the souls was to gain power from consuming them. I likely misunderstood this, but going back to rewatch isn’t an option. Exorcising the Demon Cheong Sin will save the souls of Mun’s parents, freeing them to enter Yung and the afterlife. But at some point a timer has gone off and they only have a few days left before his parents are permanently consumed and can never enter Yung.

I hate that as a plot device. After all this time, suddenly there is a timer. Reminds me of End of Days with Arnold. The Devil is coming to NY and things will culminate at midnight an new years eve. Such a strange device. Why did the Devil choose to have his plan culminate in NY? Why at midnight?

Anyway. So there are multiple plotlines that are racing forward in the show. Which is always exciting. And this show is so engrossing that I was completely in for all of them. Especially as Mun’s powers keep increasing.

It does create a problem for season two though. When you have gone big in season one, you have to go bigger in season two. Power creep in movies and shows is a problem. As Mun grows in power, the threats in season two have to grow to challenge him and the team. Don’t get me wrong, season two is out and I am stoked to start it. In November. For reasons….

Also, I would love for them to explain more about what “The Territory” is. All we really know is that the Counters are stronger there, and the Demons are weaker. Although the start of the show had Cheong stalk and kill a Counter in the Territory which is what led to Mun becoming one.

I know, this review is full of bitches and nitpicks. But I really have enjoyed this show. If I am going to watch a subtitled show, I choose this series. Each of the five main character Counters is really well developed and played. The four entities in Yung that are possessing them are fascinating too. Beyond that cast, three of the bad guys are really interesting as well. And the cast of Mun’s private life are well done as well, between his high school and home.

This show remains an 8 star series for me. I really enjoy it. And can’t wait for starting season 2 (in November, for reasons!)

(NOTE: There was another major point I wanted to discuss, but between thinking about this and actually writing it, it has eluded me. If I remember what it was, I shall return to add it in.)