I've watched enough dramas in my life at this point to know that they have a habit of falling apart, and the longer they are, the more chance there is of that happening. It's part of why I've always avoided longer dramas. I can't handle that level of investment if it's all just going to end in disappointment. I was wary going into Legally Romance, as 33 eps is way longer than what I typically am willing to watch. (16 or less is what I tend to stick with.) And at various points while watching, I was unsure how well the writers would be able to handle the story they had created. There are a lot of moving parts to this drama and a lot of elements that have to be done just right for the story to succeed.

And I'm happy to say that not only does Legally Romance succeed, it's also a damn good drama. Consistent from start to finish with absolutely wonderful characters, a use of law that actually makes sense (I mean, I understood the things they said, so that's already a plus), a very moving plotline involving family and loss and grief, two SWOONworthy romances, literally laugh-out-loud comedy, and so much cute I feel like the little girl and her stuffed animal from Despicable Me, I really can't offer up any complaints. I was unsure how they were going to make the transition from Qian Wei's dream world back to her real-life, as we spent a really long time in her dream-world, and if the story were going to fall apart somewhere that would definitely be the place for it to happen. Thankfully, they handled the transition very well, and you don't feel like you're suddenly watching a different drama.

I will admit that once we were brought back into the modern day, non-dream world, I had to make more of a conscious effort to stay invested in the story. The dream-world and the real world have very intentionally different tones, and I LOVED the tone of her dream-world. Qian Wei's dream-world is very colorful and fun and almost straight comedy. There's a lot of cute bickering and romantic development and character development and situational comedy, and it's all just so deliciously pleasant to watch. Her modern-day life, however, is a lot heavier with a lot of focus on law/business machinations, Qian Wei having to reckon with the fact that her dream world was only a dream world and her real-life could use some TLC, and some genuinely emotionally wrought situations. I do prefer Qian Wei's dream-world, but only because it was just so much fun. Both parts of the story are equally compelling and tightly plotted/written, and my preference is just that, a preference.

Speaking of law, it really felt like the laws they referenced and discussed were real laws in China. Whether they are actually followed or enforced is another matter, but they were realistic enough for me think the writers might have consulted with actual Chinese lawyers. I also couldn't help but wonder if the writers were subtly trying to raise Chinese citizens awareness to Chinese law, something I really appreciate if it's true.

And one last note, but I'm very surprised this drama got by the Chinese censors. There were so many references to foreign pop cultures, even a Japanese pop culture reference! I don't know how the writers got away with it, but they were really fun little asides, and I'm glad they put them in.

This is definitely a 10 out of 10 drama, and if you're curious to check it out, I would highly recommend.

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What a moving movie this was, a story about the impact a mother has on the people around her, from her daughter to her estranged husband to a lost child to all the other people the mother meets on her journey. There are multiple different characters in this film, but for all intents and purposes, the three women of the family, Futaba, Azumi, and Ayuko, are the main characters and the ones whose stories the film is really trying to tell.

I found Futaba herself to be the sort of woman I wish I could be. Tough, resilient, refuses to quit or back down. And she could quit. She could give up, and you would completely understand why. As you discover over the course of the story, life has not been easy for her. But Futaba never quits. She has a determination that pushes her and pushes her and pushes her and that pushes the people around her as well. It's ultimately her perseverance that moves this movie along and makes you want to invest in the characters lives and well-being.

I appreciated all of the little ways Futaba worked to teach Azumi how to be brave and bold and courageous. First, she lead by example with the way she lived her own life. Second, she pushed Azumi when she needed to, sometimes thrusting her into the deep end where she had no choice but to swim. When Azumi stripped down to her underwear in the middle of class to reveal the new underwear Futaba had given her 'for that special moment when you need it', I was proud of her courage. I was also kind of uncomfortable. I certainly understand Why she did it, and I can admit that it was ultimately very affective at getting her point across, but I will never be totally comfortable with very young actors/actresses stripping down for the camera. There's just a feeling of exploitation that I cannot shake.

Regardless, the lessons Futaba had been teaching Azumi up to that point were clearly sinking in. I think the only thing Futaba did that I found disappointing and somewhat upsetting in her effort to teach Azumi to be more resilient was the way she revealed to Azumi that she was adopted. I was initially confused and somewhat turned off by the plot twist as it seemed like not only overkill for the story but a rather cruel approach. But it was handled in an interesting and ultimately positive way, and it was clearly set up to happen from the beginning of the story, so I can't say that it was poorly written or planned out. Now that I'm a few days away from having watched this film, I'm not as bothered by the twist as I was, and I think I've almost come around to it, but it might take another viewing for me to feel truly comfortable with it.

Futaba's easy acceptance of Ayuko is another particularly impactful part of the film. The way she embraces Ayuko into the fold of their family so naturally, not making a big deal out of it or making a point of it, but treating it like it's just a normal thing, 'Ayuko was an orphan, and now she's not. Could you please pass the ketchup?,' this could feel a bit insulting to us westerners, because we like to acknowledge the unfairness of the abandoned child's situation and openly discuss it so as to give the child the space to express their own feelings. And I won't lie and say that I Like Japan's non-response way of dealing with difficult situations like this one. But in a culture like Japan where so many things are often left unsaid and left unaddressed and just flat out ignored, I do think it was the most thoughtful and appropriate way of dealing with the situation if you're Not going to bring it all out into the open and talk it through.

Now, throughout the movie, you think Futaba cares so much for Azumi and Ayuko because she's just a deeply giving and loving person (and I think that is still part of the reason), but you discover towards the end that there's another more secret reason, something that connects her to these two girls in a deeply emotional way and makes her all the more determined to give them the best chance in life they can get.

And that is that Futaba was an orphan herself.

What's particularly impactful about this reveal is that you can see how easy it would have been for Futaba to say 'these kids are not my problem.' We see in many other Japanese films and dramas, etc. that being an orphan in Japanese culture is not exactly accepted or understood by broader society, and those who are orphans or from deeply broken homes typically hide this fact about themselves from others once they get older. But another, equally unfortunate, aspect of this is that those who are/were orphaned, etc. often refuse to associate with anyone else who was/is orphaned as well. The shame associated with being an orphan, and the reminder it can give you of your own shame, can be particularly potent in many societies like Japans.

This is where Futaba's unwavering commitment to her own principles shines the most. Not only does Futaba refuse to do this to Azumi and Ayuko, refuses to abandon them like she was abandoned, like they have both already Been abandoned, she instead goes above and beyond to provide them with all of the love and encouragement and instruction she can. Those kids are going to have a decent chance in life if she has anything to say about it.

Of course, Futaba has her own struggles, her own inner demons, and we eventually get a glimpse of them towards the end of the film. Her desire to be loved and accepted by her birth mother, her deep-seated anger with Azumi's birth mother for abandoning her, her own fear of being alone/abandoned by those she loves, all tied into her experience of being abandoned, orphaned, unwanted much of her life and all pushing her to work twice as hard to make sure those around her don't go through the same thing.

I will be honest here and say that I do wish that the reason characters in Japanese films or dramas are so sacrificial and willing to just accept others with difficult backgrounds wasn't always because they themselves come from the same or similar backgrounds. I would like to see more of these stories show regular people who maybe haven't experienced the level of heartache the three leads in Bathwater have doing the right thing simply because...it's the right thing to do. But when a story is as compelling as our three female leads, I can accept that maybe this just wasn't the right movie for that to happen in.

Now, before I end this review, I want to address the elephant in the room of this movie, that being Futaba's husband, Kazuhiro.

Kazuhiro is a big, fat coward.

While I'm glad she tracked him down and brought him back, because he's ultimately the one who should be responsible for Azumi (and later Ayuko's) upbringing, boiiiiiiiiiii does he piss you off. His reason for leaving the family has got to be about the dumbest thing ever, and I want to smack him upside the head a few times just to release my frustration. A woman shows up at his house and says 'this is your daughter because we had sex together once,' he just assumes she's telling the truth, and instead of sitting down with his wife and talking the situation out with her....he just up and leaves to go live with this woman and her daughter whom she has not proved is his in the first place. On the one hand, I'm extremely glad he did it, because Ayuko probably would have never found a family of her own and possibly could have ended up in a much worse situation. I'm glad that through his dumbass idiocy, Kazuhiro and Futaba and Azumi were able to become her family. But boy if he didn't have to take the dumbest route to that outcome. Credit where credit is due, he does come back to the family once she tracks him down, he does make an effort to be involved once he gets back, and by the end of the movie, I felt pretty reassured that he wouldn't run off and abandon his family again. But oh my GAD, was he stupid.

There are a couple of other characters who play a valuable role in this film, namely the hitchhiking kid and Azumi's birth mom, but Bathwater isn't their story. It isn't Kazuhiro's story. Futaba, Azumi, and Ayuko are the heart and soul of Bathwater, and it's story was theirs and theirs alone.

And for that, I'm grateful that this film exists.

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This movie is incredibly goofy and sometimes dramatic but also unexpectedly charming in it's style and execution. The young actors give stellar performances, and the story has a genuine heart at the center to ground it's more over-the-top elements.

The main conceit of the film, May's condition, is very well handled. While completely made up and unbelievable, it's very well used to explore the nuances of not fitting in or being unable to connect with your peers and feeling heartbreakingly alone and different. And May herself is extremely likable, so you automatically feel for her and the struggles she faces.

Pong, while extremely likable and well-written in his own right, is unfortunately also the source of my least favorite aspect of this film, as the first half has a number of plot points (of his own making) involving some unnecessarily perverted and degrading humor. I very much could have done without that or even have been willing to accept it if the behavior had been followed up by some form of appropriate consequences or punishment. And while some of the characters are rightfully angered by it, and he does attempt to write the wrongs, it's never fully dealt with, and I didn't like that. (Especially in a film aimed at a young audience that is extremely impressionable.)

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the film is the animation. You don't expect it when it first shows up, but it quickly becomes a vital addition to the storytelling. The animated sequences are not only superbly done, they're also incredibly creative and a lot of fun and serve as an important tool for exploring our characters and who they are. I loved seeing Pong's imaginative stories come to life on screen (minus the perverted parts).

And I guess my final thought about this film is wow, does the last third of the movie have a lot of twists. They're well-utilized and heartfelt, but they also sorta keep coming, and you start to wonder if they're ever gonna stop.

So yeah, this movie is really cute and enjoyable, and I kind of want to immediately watch it again, lol.

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This is a cute little movie that will make you smile and laugh and maybe squeal a little at the adorableness. I liked the past-day couple more than the present-day couple, mainly because we spend so little time with our present-day couple getting to know them and I have a soft-spot for innocent teen romance stories, but both couples are pretty easy to root for. I also didn’t find the dramatic bits of the story, the secondary female leads illness/the subsequent break up of the past-couple’s relationship/the eventual reunion of the past-couple as adults, all that compelling or interesting, because I honestly just wanted to see them together when they were young, but this isn’t a movie requiring a lot of investment/commitment to that part of the plot, so it’s not too hard to overlook. At the end of the day, this movie is meant to be fluffy and fun and easy to watch, and it succeeds in every respect.

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This movie is really sweet. It treats mental disability kindly and thoughtfully, creating a character who is more than 'disabled' but a fully interesting human being with talents and gifts, a person worth getting to know.

I was disappointed that she couldn't be with the guy in the end, because I would love to see more stories about those with disabilities living average, normal lives like those of us without disabilities (because it's a real thing that's possible, folks), but I'm doing my best to temper those feelings with the knowledge that it was more realistic and honest for her not to in this particular story. And even without romance, she still goes on to find her own independence in a way that is best for her.

This will make you cry a few times, as there are a few sad things that happen, but it will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful and happy, because the female lead is living a good life doing good things. This is a good movie, and I suggest giving it a viewing.

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While I don't know that this drama will leave a lasting impression on me, I enjoyed watching it. It's sweet and funny and tender hearted with a wonderful set of characters, and I even ended up enjoying the setting.

But while I think the leads were well suited for each other, and I don't have a problem with the pairing at all, my second lead feels were very, very strong. I don't know if that's because I wanted him and the lead together, or I just wanted to see him find someone too, but that boy was just too cute for his own good, and I honestly could watch an entire drama just about him finding a girl of his own.

My only complaint is that the romance is not fully resolved at the end, and I hate unresolved romance. Like a lot. Still, I think it's worth watching.

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With dramas like this, I don't know how useful it is to critique them based on any sort of serious metric. True Beauty was never going to be deep-thinking or artistically minded or particularly focused on it's writing, and you're setting yourself up for disappointment by taking it too seriously. So while it ultimately doesn't have very much depth, I'm not upset about it. I just wish I'd been able to finish the drama with the same level of enjoyment as when I started.

Unfortunately, the reality of dramaland is that for some dramas, the first half feels one way and the second half feels another, and you don't know how to feel about the drama as a whole, and that's definitely what True Beauty was like for me.

The first half was my jam. It wasn't stellarly written, by any means, but it did all of the things I wanted it to with a cast of likable characters, and that was enough. But the second half was equal parts plodding, occasionally frustrating, and sometimes even boring. The theme of confidence and self-acceptance and what beauty really means really takes a backseat. There are a number of genuinely moving moments, but the drama ultimately doesn't do a very deep, or consistent, exploration of these issues. And then the last two episodes not only have very little to do with any of this but they also focus on secondary issues that don't make sense being so far in the forefront of the story.

If you want a drama that broaches it's topics with thoughtfulness and some level of depth and consistency, you're better off watching a drama like My ID is Gangnam Beauty. While not perfect, ID understands it's subject matter and commits to it while True Beauty mainly uses it as a means of getting it's leads together. If you're not concerned with any of that and just want something fluffy and teen-angsty and cute and pretty, then by all means, watch this drama. You'll probably like it well enough.

Ultimately, True Beauty is a surface-level teen drama, and it knows it and does it well.

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I was so hype for this drama. I'd just finished Age of Youth and was on a Hye Soo high. I loved, loved, loved the story idea. Shy, insecure characters are super relatable to me, and I love Love stories where the love interest builds up the shy, insecure character and helps them gain newfound confidence.

I wanted this to be good.

I was very disappointed by what it turned out to be.

Like most everyone else who watched this drama, Hye Soo's character went a bridge too far for me. The first two episodes were fun and light hearted, and while the female lead was very over the top, I still enjoyed her as a character. Her antics were a little ham but still understandable and relatable. In eps 3 and 4, her character took a real nosedive, and her personality went from initially over the top but fun to downright exacerbating. Her behavior resembled an Elementary school playground fight. It wasn't cute or funny anymore.

The writers realized, after eps 3 and 4, that the audience was Very disgruntled with the character, and they did what they could to tone her down and make her less annoying. And I think the changes worked. But I never regained the enthusiasm for the drama I had initially and ended up dropping it not far from the end.

I won't recommend this drama, but I won't tell you not to watch it either, because the missteps might not keep you from enjoying it like they did me. But go in aware.

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It's really, really short, and honestly could have used another episode or two to really flesh out the story, but it's sweet and light and the leads are quite likable, so I ignored the stories imperfections.

Kai's acting alternates between Really Terrible and eh, he's not too bad, but honestly, none of us are really here for his acting anyway. He's a cutie patootie, and I wanted him and our female lead together.

I'm not ever going to rewatch this, but it was an enjoyable watch, and you'll probably enjoy it too.

(Music is 1 because I don't remember what the music was like.)

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Oooooh Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. The promise you held, the promise you made, the promise you did not keep.

This drama is crazy popular, and I admit it. I understand why. It's filled with fun and interesting characters, an infinitely fascinating premise, superb acting, and some Very attractive male leads. I fully accept that I am in the minority with my opinion, and that's ok. I'm glad everyone else was able to enjoy this drama. But as interesting and fun and superbly acted as it is...

A terrible script it was. Great acting and interesting characters and story premises often lift many a terrible script, and I unashamedly admit to loving stories that are terrible simply because everything else was so well done. I think that has a lot to do with why so many people love this drama so much.

But those things just didn't do enough to compensate for this dramas writing for me.

First things first:

The rules of her superpowers were never clear. The first episode portrays her mother losing her powers because she was abusing them to make money off of people. I expected that to serve as a clear indicator of what was acceptable and what was not. That was apparently not so. I spent the rest of the drama (as far as I watched) trying to figure out just what the rules were. What exactly counted as using her abilities for ill and using them for good? Surely beating up bad guys and defending the weak would be considered using your powers for good, right? Wrong. Or maybe not wrong? Bong Soon frequently held herself back in situations where she Clearly would have been in the right to act and intervene, but then at other times, she just let herself go, wailed on bad guys left and right...and still didn't end up losing her powers. So what was the barometer? Helping this defenseless person is ok but helping that defenseless person is not?

As for the romance, Park Hyung Shik is endlessly charming and witty and charismatic and has looks that go on for daaaaaays. He's almost immediately smitten with Park Bo Young's character, and you're always gonna get a happy viewer out of me when a male lead falls first. But damn it if he wasn't super manipulative and uncomfortably controlling! It didn't help that Bong Soon gave him into his demands Far more often than I liked. I wasn't against her having maybe a more mild, and maybe even shy, personality in comparison to her abilities, but she gave in in situations where there was no reasonable justification for her doing so, and it INFURIATED MEEEEEEE. She didn't have to fight back with her powers. I was fully on board with that being considered using them for ill. But she sure as heck could have used her words sometimes and said NO.

I dropped this before the last two eps, so I cannot comment on them, but I heard a few things went a little off the rails at that point, and I'm glad I bowed out when I did. This drama did not follow through on the things it promised me in the beginning, and I just want my trust back.

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I've read the first two volumes of this manga and really enjoyed them. My Happy Marriage is every bit of a Cinderella story, which is a trope/theme I enjoy when done well. So when I saw there was a movie version, I was immediately sold. And all I have to say after watching it is WOW. This movie is phenomenal.

The filmography, the music, the visual effects, the acting, the story, there wasn't anything I was dissatisfied with. The movie had my eyes glued to my screen in rapt attention from start to finish.

Now, I can't say for sure if reading the first two volumes of the manga aided in my ability to follow the story in this movie or not, but I can admit it's possible. From what I can tell, there seems to be an even split between people who understood the story without interacting with any of the other versions and people who didn't understand it because they'd never interacted with any other version, so I would be aware of that. But I do feel that even if you go in blind, there is a lot to be impressed by with this movie.

For my part, I'm even more pumped to keep reading the manga (which I definitely recommend people read) and maybe even the light novels, which is saying something, because I don't really read light novels.

Also, that bonus scene after the credits setting up another movie. I want, I need, I mUSt hAvE!!!

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It's taken me a while to finally sit down and write a review for this drama, which I guess makes sense, because it took me awhile to finish watching the drama. I think this is a fairly popular drama, and I personally liked a lot of things about it. But there is one reason (well, two problems that compile together to make one big reason) you might not want to watch this drama. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from watching it, because I think I Don't Love You Yet has a lot to make it worth watching. But this one reason creates a lot of frustration when watching, and it's a common complaint about the drama even by those who love it, so I'm just going to lay it out for you and let you make up your mind from there.

If you hate the Love Octopus (my term for love triangles/squares/hexagons/trapeziums/parallelograms/the part of the drama that so often sends you into spiraling despair) ...you will not like this drama. There is a love square, and one side is particularly infuriating. The first half of the drama is fine. The second female lead provides moments of irritation in her role as part of the love square, but she's more like a fly that's gotten inside your house and likes to buzz around your head every so often then a wasp/bee that's actively trying to sting you to death. But the second half of the drama spends an obnoxiously long time in the Love Octopi territory with the worst example of an 'ex comes back' trope I think I have ever seen. Yes, the female leads ex-boyfriend comes back, and he is the Literal. WORST. He is so incredibly controlling of the female leads life when he's around, trying to manipulate and maneuver her to suit his own desires with no regard to her wants or needs. He's basically the stereotypical male lead jerk but who never grows or changes except until the Very End, and by that point, it's completely unbelievable seeing him as a nice guy and it would have been better if the writers had left him a jerk.

That's enough of a problem for the story on its own, but it unfortunately leads to a separate problem that makes the Love Square even more difficult to bear. Once the ex-boyfriend returns, the female lead becomes (almost) unendurably frustrating. I guess I can't say it's she's truly unendurable, because I obviously did endure it in order to finish the drama, but the female lead puts up with a lot of nonsense from a guy who once utterly wrecked her and whom she may not even be in love with anymore. He was incredibly selfish when they were first together, then he broke her heart out of nowhere disappearing into the night to go focus on thinking only about himself some more, and since then, the female lead has created a life for herself including a career she loves and a dawning recognition of her feelings for her best friend. And yet, Mr. Attack Wasp comes back, and we're supposed to believe that what they once had together is so valuable she would be willing to overlook his egregious behavior.

Maybe this could have worked if I had been able to relate to the female lead and her complicated feelings for this man. Old relationships like theirs can be very hard to get over, and even years later, you can still experience the pangs of hurt and disappointment and pining. But the female lead is already a bit of a frustrating character without the added torture of her terrible ex. The truth is, she is very self-involved. She's not mean or demanding or spiteful or anything like that. But she's very clearly been ignoring the poor male leads feelings for her for a long time, and truthfully, she's kind of taken advantage of those feelings. That and it's just patently obvious that she shouldn't get back together with her ex and there's no strong feeling on her part to suggest she would even want to to begin with.

So if you hate the Love Octopus, if you hate when the ex-boyfriend/girlfriend comes back, if you hate when one of the leads is a little too self-involved, you will definitely hate those things here. The reason, however, I still say this drama may be worth watching, is because I like literally everything else about it. There's no denying the actors are basically perfect for their roles, and even in the face of the female leads selfishness, I like both of the leads and I like them Together. I also think the finale is basically perfect, and watching it Almost erased my previous frustration with the story. Almost.

But the Love Octopus puts in a very valiant effort at strangling the life out of the story, and it had no right to do that.

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Ahhhhh, what a delightful special that was! The original series was a charming, more realistic take on the marriage contract trope, and this special was a heartwarming 'where are they now' that touched on a number of issues such as the 2020 pandemic, becoming new parents, and juggling your responsibilities in life. All of our favorite, likable characters are back, and they're all as likable as ever. And what's even nicer about this special is that (pandemic aside), it isn't a story built around melodrama or high stakes but rather the every-day, real-life challenges you face. A character discovers they have cancer and subsequently goes through a major surgery to remove it, a couple we came to love in the series ends up not being together anymore in the special and that's okay, our leads demonstrate to the audience how they found the best way to divide and conquer the household chores and tasks while still appreciating and valuing and supporting one another in a way that is fair and giving. It's a low-key yet very impactful special that reminds you not only of how lovely the original series was but makes you wish the whole thing would just never end. I only have one other drama special in my Favorite Drama's list, but this one is the definitely the second.

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