#Twelve mini review

‼️ contains spoilers‼️

Despite so much fanfare and publicity when it premiered, #Twelve ended quietly, living up to the conceptual idea that angels are messengers of divine silence.

There was so much hype, attention and great expectations when Disney+ announced this K-hero fantasy series, with a star-studded cast line-up with no less than #MaDongSeok (or Don Lee of Eternals, Train to Busan, The Roundup, Badland Hunters) and #ParkHyungSik (whose Buried Hearts’ finale closed the season with a nationwide viewership rating of 15.4%), in his villain era. 

The show draws on Eastern zodiac mythology, following 12 angels sent by the Light to protect humanity from evil. It is a high-concept action-hero series that unfolds a universe from ancient times to the present day. Losing 4 angels, the surviving eight angels also lost their powers when Hellmouth, a supernatural portal to hell, was sealed, along with the power of evil. They began living on Earth as ordinary people (loan sharks actually), with Marok, a human with special abilities, but are forced to fight the awakened demonic forces, this time in the modern world.  

As a Park Hyung Sik (PHS) fan, I was confused why after 6 episodes, I still wasn’t connecting with the drama, for the life of me. Usually I get affected a lot, cry at the sad scenes, sympathize with the characters, rave about it most especially, and wait for the next episodes like crazy. I stopped and thought, why wasn’t I feeling anything? 

How can it go wrong? The cast included #SungDongIl who is literally everywhere (The Art of Negotiation, The Tale of Lady Ok, Han River Police, Curtain Call) and #SeoInGuk (Doom at Your Service, Reply 1997). Is it bad acting? Slow pacing? Too much CGI? Lack of character depth? Wala akong emotional investment kahit na andami nang episodes, and I can’t think of just a single reason. Maybe a dozen? 🤔

Looking at the other “angels”, I don’t know why I couldn’t find them fascinating. I’ve seen the actors in other dramas, but they didn’t seem to have chemistry, despite their being together for many years.  I didn’t like how they were exchanging lines with each other, so awkward and unnatural, the girls were not killing it; plus, the worn-out approaches or effects na showing their powers one at a time, hindi ba pwedeng sabay sabay na lang na lumalabas yung weapons nila hahaha and yung mamatay-matay na halos sa pagtakbo yung “victim” tapos yung humahabol na villain or evil eh cool na cool lang naglalakad. Typical. And then there’s Mirr, played by #LeeJooBin (Queen of Tears, Divorce Insurance, Money Heist Korea), who had the soul stone that the fallen angels wanted, for greater power. But all Mirr ever did in the final episode when they were supposed to be battling the evil spirits, fighting for humanity and saving the world, was to lie unconscious, oblivious to everything. Sayang lang hahaha Siya pa naman yung dragon angel. Naging jowa lang siya ni Ogwi (PHS). Nagising na lang siya nung tapos na hahaha

And here I am, writing a mini review (when I couldn’t do it for some of the dramas I have watched and adored like Mercy For None), dami ko nasabi for such disappointment.

Angels are supposed to be messengers, the medium for divine and spiritual communication. But...did we ever get the message? 

All 8 episodes are available for streaming on Disney+ PH

#BuhayKPam