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I first got into MARS because of Meteor Garden, which also starred Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the two of them. Meteor Garden was their first acting gigs, and I figured they didn't have the experience yet to be truly great. Boy was I wrong (and gladly!). The amazing depth with which they imbued their characters left me wanting more in the subsequent dramas I watched. Sigh...
Music/aesthetics wise - this drama was waaaaaay back in 2004, when taiwanese dramas had terrible funding, bad fashion (at least how we would consider it now), and different filming styles. Don't expect amazing packaging or cinematography, and expect most of the boys to wear their hair long. In this case I feel like MARS doesn't suffer from it however, since the character's personalities are the most appealing and strongest parts of the drama. There are two songs that are particularly gorgeous, but most of the other tracks were instrumentals and easily forgotten. Not that that's a bad thing (I'm looking at you Almost Paradise!).
A word of warning however - this drama deals with dark issues, and may contain possible triggers. I'd suggest looking up the summary before watching it, because I know that personally I watched it better knowing the general subject and plot.
Now where to find the next drama up to par with this one?
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This review may contain spoilers
This show is amazing due to the acting of the main's, but it really needs another season due to unanswered questions and her not returning home yet. One of the best parts is the fact that the lead actress doesn't act weird through the drama but actually grows and learns. I say it like that because I watched Cinderella Chef and the lead actress whole personally was a hot mess... Luckily this one doesn't disappoint being hot lead men, or even the lead actress personality which I thought at first was a little dramatic when she first met hot guys but she grew in the story so much.. I really liked the chemistry that the leads had but also all the other characters. Like I said before it's not finished by far and the ending is HAPPY so far lol. If anything watch it for her funny moments which were mostly at the beginning of the show. Was this review helpful to you?
But back in 2001, it was bold and different and unlike any other series that came out in Asia. It was fresh and really hip. The F4 was cool and trendy with their hair and outfits. It was the usual Cinderella storyline, but it was done in a funny and heartwarming way that managed to endear most of my friends and family and literally, it stopped time back in the days. It was a phenomenal series. It literally stopped traffic and launched a "Meteor Fever". We had to go home in the afternoon early just to watch this show on television. Streaming wasn't available then. A lot of people fell in love with Shan Cai and Dao Ming Xi's love story, and how they fought against all odds to be together! The F4 characters alongside Shan Cai's friends were a good supporting cast and Dao Ming Xi's mother was convincing with her portrayal as the villain to the relationship. Dao Ming Xi's transformation from a spoiled, rich brat to a caring boyfriend was something to watch for, and gave us all the "feels"! Buckets of tears were shed.
Looking back, I was watching old clips of this series, and yes it felt like a trip back to nostalgia lane! Yes, I agree that Meteor Garden looks dated, fashion-wise and production wise. It paled in comparison to the drama series of the current. But, nothing can take back the memories! This series has spawned two popular remakes which had become huge hits as well. Lee Min Ho's Jong Pyo was made to look like Jerry Yan's character too, I've noticed and now he is such a popular star. I might be biased with this one, but this first and original version is always the best! :)
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The lead characters come from a place of great trauma and carry dark shadows within them, but the feel of the drama is far from gloomy or sad. It is the beauty of the characters that they find happiness and comforts even with a background of pain.
I really liked the character graphs of Chen Ling and Qi Lou. The actors too were perfect for the roles. Every other character in the drama too is well written and real. There are no fluffy or pointless characters.
The drama handles many serious issues in our society and characters with mental instabilities/psychological problems, and it does so with great sensitivity and care.
I liked the music, because I felt it was used appropriately and enhanced the beauty of the scenes. The happy moments had a track that made you feel the happiness, whereas in the more tense scenes, the background score completely stopped, adding to the intensity.
The first half does remind you of Devil Beside You- probably because of the character of the male lead and having been shot in the same campus, but MARS is definitely more intense and on a broader canvas than DBY.
I can't think of any drama that I've as completely appreciated as MARS. It took me in completely, and I will happily re-watch it any number of times.
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Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area - Part 1
30 people found this review helpful
Must read the review!!
when I judge a series or movie I looked for what happen next. Since I didn't watch the original and I don't have any series to compare with so I have a high expectation to this, to be honest 1st until the last episode, The excitement wasn't gone. The HALF of this drama exceeded my expectation. I've seen a lot of suspense series Like VIP and Designated survivor and they all like the same of how the story goes but guess what those 2 series is a great drama. Looking forward for the part 2 of season 1. hopefully the reviews of those basher just because they don't like korean series doesn't affect the series.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best things is that until about episode 5 the gender roles are reversed. Instead of the "innocent girl" falling for the "bad boy," You have an innocent boy falling for the girl everyone hates.
The casters did an amazing job with casting Show Luo as the main lead, seeing as he's a giant piece of eye candy. Rainie, who played an innocent girl in "Devil Beside You" did an amazing job with an opposite role. Together the two of them will have you wanting to cry at sad moments and yell at the screen as if they can hear you.
This is my all time favorite drama. I've re-watched several times and will continue to re-watch it. At first I had given up at episode three but curiosity took over and I started watching it again. At first you may seem disappointed, watching a dork when you want to watch a hunk. But it's all worth it.
You won't regret watching this.
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Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area - Part 1
15 people found this review helpful
Not completely satisfied, Just Okay
First of all a complete let down. Apart from the cast and some story deviations, there is nothing particularly different from the orginal version. Some sources said it's a continuation of the main heist happened in Spain, like a spin-off i mean a heist that happening from the inspiration from the main heist, but it's all are fake. Because to be honest it's just a scene by scene copy like an exact remake which we usually see.Lets talk about the positive side, i already mentioned earlier about cast. It looks super cool. If you're a regular kdrama viewer then u can enjoy the show differently from others Because of the cast. Another thing was the story was moving really fastly without much dragging. May be they aware of the fact that it's already a hit show from Spain so better avoid unwanted dragging and make everything smooth and fast to ensure a better watching experience. But it's very disappointing for me because that's not something exciting, all the scenes were just okay. Quality making is also a plus point.
I thought of a different version here. But it's different only with some changes in the situations also the back stories of the characters etc. Not recommending to anyone. If you interested then try it that's all.. S02 and more will be coming later for sure....
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The acting was amazing! Especially on Ming Dao's part. He played both Junhao and Da ou so completely well that it actually made you believe they could be different people. The female lead... made me want to throw my laptop out the window and never turn on this drama again. HOWEVER, when i did warm up to her after a few episodes she became one of my favorite characters and most of the reason i continued to watch.
The music was not the best but it fit the mood. I think they had like two tracks, one sad and one happy where they would play each episode at their respected parts. I found this amusing more then anything else. reminded me of bof and 'almost paradise'.. XD
Despite there being 30 episodes to this drama, I enjoyed every single one of them. At episode 15, i remember thinking what could they possibly add to this story to fill 15 more episodes? But they somehow magically did! watching the last few episodes I felt so sad knowing it was ending and wishes there could be 15 more.
I would definitely watch this drama again. I'm not the hugest fan of Taiwanese dramas either because I don't know the language as well as Korean and Japanese but this one surprised me :) I would definitely recommend it ^^
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It goes from being a typical drama in the first few chapters to something so much bigger than that afterwards. It is like an onion(Shrek, too much?), it has many layers and you only discover more the further you watch it.
It is a love story, a family story, a story about forgiveness, a story about being true to yourself and your feelings, but it is also a story about treason, about the two sides of the story, that not everything is what it seems at first sight.
The characters are really well written, each has a hidden depth that you see little by little. The drama pushes you to watch more for you to understand the story, it doesn't lays it out at simple sight like most dramas do.
I saw this when it came out in 2009 and I remember being super impatient all week waiting for the next chapter to air. Since then I've watched it two times. I have the OST on my computer, and the MV of the theme song.
Taiwanese dramas are always being underrated because of the acting, but anyone who watches this will be really impressed with it, and if I have to name my favorite actor, it definitely is the little boy, he's just so cute and adorable, yet mature.
If you are reading this is because either you haven´t watched it and you aren't sure if it's worth your time, or you have already watched it and want to see if anyone feels the same way about this drama that you do. If you are in the first category, let me tell you that yes, it is worth your time, this is a brilliant drama by any standard, and even if you don't like love stories (very unlikely because you watch dramas) you won't be able to deny that this is genius. And if you are in the second category, yes, I think like you, this is genius and it is one of my favourite dramas. If I had a flavor of the week of "sucker for romance dramas" this one would definitely would be in there. Either way, I hope you find this review helpful.
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Obviously, I love the story. It has everything, interesting and unique characters with very complex pasts/personalities, amazing character development, and a great ending that leaves the audience not only satisfied but also inspired!
The only annoying part is the fact that for some strange reason they tried to make the characters 2-3 years older! which creates huge inconsistencies, since the whole story would only make sense if they were underage! so yeah, I basically ignored the whole college-grad school references and thought of them being in high-school, going to college!
The acting was good and the main characters had good chemistry!
I would say other than the stupid age shift, this drama had two other problems: bad cinematography and excessive repeat of the music! The lighting in many scenes was off, and the song, even though I LOVED it, was repeated so many times that it kind of annoyed me!
Let me just say this one more time, the story is AMAZING! It has many deep psychological elements to it that makes it one a kind! Although at a first glance it might seem like every other drama, but it's very unique. Give it a shot, I promise you won't regret it!
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Of course, like a lot of Asian action/romance dramas I've watched there was a lot of overly exaggerated "gotta be cool" fight scenes that came off almost silly and a lot of situations and problems could have been solved to easily or weren't logical so it made it a bit dumb in somethings.
Also the feelings didn't always touch you the way I think they were supposed to which would have made the re-watch value for me higher, but I smiled so much through this drama I didn't mind the not so great parts. I just smiled away through whole scenes, not just funny bits but the sweet, cute, bring a tear to your eye cause I wish that would happen to me though it's cheesy as hell, kinda smiling.
Also, there was trust and understanding for the most part between the leads, though, as usual, there are communication issues, but it was overall very likeable, fun, cute and super sweet.
Not high on physical romance, lots of hugging but not so much kissing or set you on fire type stuff but still very romantic and sweet, also I liked that the couple were together as a couple before the end of the drama. The writer did do a good job of keeping the couple together while trying to overcome outside problems.
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Anyways, back to the drama - WHY DIDN'T I WATCH THIS SOONER?! WAE WAE WAE??? This is just amazing. The plot is so intriguing. Not just the romantic parts but also the stuff about mental illnesses and stuff. It's very thrilling. I LOVE VIC CHOU! I seriously cannot believe he didn't win the best actor award for this drama. Same for Barbie Hsu. I mean, their expressions (once again I'm not talking about expressions of love and longing.)were just so beautiful. Gave me goosebumps the whole time.
The kind of characters they built for this drama really impressed me. Ling is the most perfect guy in the most imperfect sense possible. His shades of his personality and different layers of his character, the laugh, the tears, the past. It just moved me, I don't know why. Same goes for Qui Luo. I love the way her character developed after Ling came into her life. I loved their little shack that they made for themselves. I loved the music of the show. I have most of the songs on my phone.
Coming to the rewatch value, I'll definitely give it a 10 because I already watched it twice (no kidding) and I am definitely going to go watch it again for sure. Especially a few favorite parts for which I even remember the episode numbers now (lol).
I'd say if you are an Asian Drama fan, don't skip this one!
PS- Still can't believe Vic Chou didn't win the best actor award for this. My faith in the world of righteousness is shattered. But I'll try not to dwell on that.
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The drama delivers on the story. The characters are interesting and even those we come to dislike are shown to have a different side to them.
Through most of the series, you feel sorry for the male lead, for what he goes through. But, in a gratifying sense, when he figures it all out, his reaction and the questions he asks are the very same ones that's been running in our mind until then.
The kid is very cute and has been used to obvious advantage throughout.
Another character that leaves an impression is that of Guang Xi's mother who is antagonistic from the beginning but gets a 180degree change in character later on.
The one problem I had with this drama is that I didn't like the character of the female lead for almost all of the drama. Most of the time, Mu Cheng acted like a damsel in distress, like she needed saving from someone or something. There was some level of sincerity to the character in the first part of the drama which is lost and I couldn't recover it in the latter half. I think all the lies and denial got to me.
The actors (save for the female lead for lack of expressions) are pretty good. The photogenic moments they show in the OST are beautiful but aren't really very significant moments in the drama itself.
The drama in all is very watchable for the situations and overall feel.
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First what I did like; they used pretty handsome people in the cast, there were also some really cool special effects incorporated in the story. However, I hated that they had Park shin Hye with a voice over, I could never get used to it! I don't know if she was lost in translation because her acting was awful here. I kept thinking Maria should have been the female lead.
I don't know if the episodes were just long or boring. I found myself skipping episodes, and just watching the very beginning and the very end.
I didn't read the manga so maybe the story line in the drama is closest to the original, but I liked the anime way better. I think the drama had trouble staying true to the story that it was based on while trying to update it so it would be realistic and a hit. Maybe some things should never go live action.
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