blackstar_aria
313
First let me say I waited for this drama- I mean like every week for at least the first 5 episodes, and then eventually I stopped watching it (Well I finished it months later). The drama has literally one concept, just one, and that is longing/waiting for someone. The theme is repeated over and over and over again by every character.
The good: Great acting from the lead characters and some of the supporting cast. I felt like River did a lot of fan service (but he could always do more!) and Annie did an awesome job of relaying the feelings of a cautious single mother. The supporting cast made the drama funny and enjoyable especially the cute kid who seems to take forever to turn up. Is it me or is that opening song awesome?
The bad: The heart of this story is about selfish adults who are constantly in their feelings, thus I did a ton of yelling “Just tell him/her already!” I didn’t feel that the female lead was a particularly strong character, she just pretended to be. I don’t remember watching after the 6th episode because I liked the story line; I really just wanted to know who she ended up with.
The bottom line: the drama is too long to casually watch, and not funny enough to watch for relaxation. I felt like the unwed mother concept was really good, but it could have been written better. If you like love stories that have strife and/or a push-pull to them, or you like non –syrupy sweet love stories, you may really enjoy this drama. Oh and btw there are no “hot” scenes in this drama just River getting in the shower (yea!!).
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The good: This drama had lots of twists and turns, handsome male lead (Sipadun) pretty female lead (Lanta) and wonderful integration and stories for the supporting characters. I loved seeing the relationship between the two leads grow and blossom and to me they had epic chemistry. Lanta’s character was an interesting mix of the strong female characters I love and the “oblivious to the people around them” characters that I hate; however I loved the realness of her character (she even pulled a dutch oven!). The supporting female characters were girls I would want as friends and always had their girl’s back (loved that!). I also really liked their scenery and their movement to different places in the country, it was really cool to see! Not to mention the eye candy and fanservice from the male cast.
The bad: While I am here for great cinematography, I am not down with the numerous flashbacks and long stares that made the drama ridiculously long! This drama literally had each and every drama cliché that I could fathom and seemingly added new ones! If you think the main idea behind this lakorn is ridiculous just wait until you find the reasoning behind it. Loose ends and stupid evil characters annoyed me, and the writers just throwing concepts in angered me. I think I yelled back at every episode.
The bottom line: As my first foray into lakorns I found the drama to be long, clichéd and lacking serious depth. Most of the cast had great chemistry and decent acting skills, but the story line was ridiculous and the writers should be slapped. Surprisingly I enjoyed the parts I didn’t skip over so I didn’t feel like it was a waste of time, but I can not, in good conscious, recommend it.
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Pros: Acting, really good use of English, cast chemistry, great premise, and no evil character to hate!
Cons: Character development, the plot does lots of fast forwarding, and plenty of holes needed to be filled, some supporting actors are meh
I have been meaning to watch this movie because I was watching the drama and its 30 episodes long so I needed to find out where this ship was going. I like the idea of a woman getting to prioritize her career and love life in the order that is important to her and not sacrifice either.
This movie attempts to show the conflict between Du Lala’s rising career and her budding romance and they do a fairly decent job. However, everything and I mean everything is rushed; plot advancement, character development, and story line are sped up using flash forwards and flash backs :( .
I would recommend this movie for people who like strong female leads and storybook romances, but I think the drama explores how the two main leads come together more thoroughly. Lastly although the story is supposed to be about Du Lala I found myself drawn to the other characters and wanted more of them.
If you plan to watch this watch the first 25 minutes and the last 10 before you commit to these 2 hours.
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I gave this a 7; and that is a reach- it is closer to a 6.7 and I will explain. The good points are seeing a grown up Kame-kun and watching his acting improve, seeing some shots from Germany, remembering why I don’t teach (those kids were bad!), and I really liked the music.
The negative qualities are a God-awful story line, Kame-kun’s bad German, Kyoko Fukada’s acting.
I appreciated this drama once I got to the end and found that the writers ended up telling a grow-up fairy tale about love. Of course none of the actions in this drama are even plausible for normal people, but that is why we love fairy tales because things magically occur.
As for the pink elephant in this review: the “sex “ scenes make no logical sense to the plot and to be honest they weren’t hot, loving or even comical. The sex scenes seem to be there for controversy… and to show that Kame-kun has lost weight but still has a fat face.
I recommend this drama for anyone who loves a good dose unrealistic fantasy in their dramas, who is a sucker for an against all odds love story and who has appreciation for the art of dance. (Kame-kun’s stunt double was putting in some work because everyone knows Kame is not the best dancer. And his dance scenes had plenty of face only and back shots lol.)
I believe that had the characters had a better story line, more episodes to develop the story and really bring out the issues of ageism and sexuality it would have been much better. A bad story line paired with a weak premise is something that apparently even Kame-kun cant sell.
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This movie is action packed with great effects and fantastical fight scenes. All the characters were believable and acted really well. Its just that the plot is ridiculous especially for a 2 hour movie! While I am aware that this is based on a long running anime that I haven’t seen, I really felt as if the writers attempted to cram a season of the anime story line into one movie.
I gave this a 8 mainly because the cast was spectacular, Shun WAS Lupin (idk how he magically looked tall and lanky), and the action was top notch. I marked it down because the plot was ridiculous, it wasn’t funny (I remembered Lupin being funny) and they didn’t play the Lupin the Third theme music (I was totally waiting for it!)
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The best thing about this drama is Mike He! He is EVERYTHING!! I mean he is the prince, he is the pauper, he is evil and he is good. His work is incredible as two different characters and clearly uses different facial expressions for both. He played so well that I was secretly hoping for a He on He love scene (they can do that cant they??). During the last episode I fangirled out so much that got hoarse.
What was annoying was the emotional retardation of almost all of the characters. I understand that characters need to be developed but the writers put the starting place so low that there was no where to go but up. They put the female lead in one of the best fat suits I have seen in a drama, but her wrists and neck were still very thin. If you are fat don’t take what they say to heart because the call her all kinds of fat. The wardrobe person needs to be shot for this drama because everyone had ill fitting clothes and she/he had Mike He in the same clothes every episode (I was through with that blue jacket!).
All in all, this was a good watch- I fell off around episode 5 because the plot wasn’t moving fast enough for me; they didn’t bring the other Mike He into the fold till around ep10. The end was satisfying- all the ends were neat and there was so much Mike He.
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I wanted to love this drama- allegedly its part of a Happy T-drama series (Happy and Love Forever, Sunny Happiness (which was good) , and this one) that reused the same actors and built upon each other. I really loved Sunny Happiness because although it wasn’t original it was realistic and the “co-incidences” were low. Fresh off the drama high from Sunny Happiness I dove into Happy Michelin Kitchen ready for an intense drama marathon. I was sorely disappointed. Happy Michelin Kitchen also looks to be a knockoff of “Coffee Shop Prince” but there is a reason why it is always better to get the real thing.
The Good. A few handsome guys and interesting cuisine are the best points of this drama. I like strong female leads and this drama has one. There was also some really nice scenery shots and the flashbacks were at a minimum until the last few episodes.
The Bad. Its an awesome concept to reuse characters and actors from previous dramas- that way the dramas have a common thread. HMK re used characters but changed the personalities making it sooo confusing and difficult to accept and care about the new character being portrayed with the same actor, same name, same title, different personality. Speaking of characters, never have I been introduced to so many characters with back stories that I just didn’t care about. There was an overabundance of side stories and side situations that made my head spin- I could keep up but I just didn’t care. I like strong female characters, but for every strong female character there is generally one weak female character; I am okay with that – this is drama land after all. In HMK for every strong female character there is one weak female, one sick female, and one evil female (there are a lot of characters) clearly out numbering the men, and antagonizing the leads.
The one thing I dislike about most T-dramas is the tendency to go overboard. In MHK, there are accidental deaths, accidental pregnancies, secret births, miraculous healings, business take overs, plotting, a bunch of near death experiences, and heir issues. Way too much drama going on! The story line is polluted with all of the side-drama causing it to be forgettable, but it probably couldn’t stand alone anyway.
The Ugly. This drama is fashioned to initially resemble “Coffee Prince” DO NOT BE DECEIVED! I wrote this review so no more of my drama friends would be caught by this evil trick. This drama is nothing like Coffee Prince. Cheryl looks awful as a tomboy and to be honest I kept looking at her and saying “these people do not see her boobs?!”in disbelief. The costuming department should have been fired, because 80% of the actors looked like they shopped at a thrift store for people bigger than them. The hair/ makeup department should have been fired because not only was Cheryl’s wig an awful mess but too many characters looked old, shiny, or like their hair had never seen conditioner. And i saw Texas hair!! (big poofy kind of hair)
In short unless you love whiny, angry, creepy looking characters in situations where everyone is unknowingly really close, don’t watch this drama. Save yourself some anguish and time and just watch Coffee Shop Prince- or anything else. God Bless the subbers because I would have quit subbing around episode 5.
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i loved the acting. my oppa, kang Ji hwang is an amazing actor and played both the nasty looking and suave looking sides very well. The supporting actors did very well, Yuri was convincing. The story concept was realistic, however the details were not. In most stories Ji Hwangs character would have been fired before the halfway point but as the main character in the story, he could do what he wanted.
It is a comedy and it makes you laugh, but be prepared to watch some slapstick because thats what it comes down to. although there are poor jokes, penis innuendos, and other tom foolery, runway cop is chuck full of man eye candy (with their shirts off!!) so watch just for that.
As a Ji Hwang fan this is a must see! seeing him in a fat suit with great fat makeup made me love him even more. I squealed the whole movie and at the end got a bloody nose. no matter how poor the storyline was it was a worthwhile watch for me and i will probably rewatch the end a few times.
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This is one of those dramas where the main character almost always has a smile and he's got a little bite to back up his bark. Kohei (main character) was written well with complex feelings, loyalty and intelligence, very different to what hosts are usually portrayed to be. I really liked the fact that Kohei had certain standards working in the world of hosts clubs and those standards helped him survive.
I felt the story was realistic in giving an answer to "what happens to good hosts when they get old?".
Although the story is based in and around host clubs/ life this is not a romance and its not funny either. Gira Gira is a life drama attempting to shove "you dont have to sell your integrity" on its watcher with every episode. I didnt mind the message as much as i hated(i know i contradicting myself) the seemingly forced waxy smile kuronosuke always had on his face, he must have kept botox flowing. The men were much worse than the women, the men were: catty, jealous,traitors, cowardly and overly sensitive throughout the drama.
yes there is some stero typical behavior, some really bad things happen to our main character, and yes he dishes out ridiculously miraculous advice. However, even with that waxy face Kohei is endearing, sincere, persistent and you fall in love with him. I liked Gira Gira; there is a feel good ending, it stays entertaining and suspenseful, and it helps there are one or two hot guys around. give it a chance by getting to episode 2.
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I watched super rookie for Eric (why else) and honestly even when the plot bored me, when there were too many long pauses accompanied by the ost music, I still fangirled over Eric’s face and beautiful body. Even though the majority of my time was spent fangirl squealing there were other good parts too. Episode 1-9 there is a good amount of fanservice of eric and oh ji ho (another lovely specimen) for us ladies. The story line is an original one that hasn’t been overused, you know Kang Ho’s secret could get out at anytime so the story increased the feeling of constant suspense. Funny supporting characters were well developed as Kang Ho’s friends and truly brought out the funny moments (to be honest, the brother is a show stealer). I loved that Kang Ho was the peoples man, and like naruto (I am watching that right now too) most people who met him, loved him and found they were fast friends.
What I didn’t like was the antagonist roles. There were so many antagonists it was really hard to keep rooting for the main character. The Lee Bong Sam character constantly completed actions that seemed to conflict with his character, I think the writers were trying to show his development but the actor didn’t bring that out very well. The executives who hated Kang Ho were just plain annoying especially with their fake laugh, but you do not know who is the most evil until the very end.
I love Han Ga In, but I didn’t love her role. In super Rookie she pulled an ugly duckling to swan move, which I found unrealistic mainly because of the seemingly 200% expansion of her wardrobe. Speaking of wardrobe I HATED that Kang Ho through the whole drama wore the same suits, oh that ground my gears so bad!! Poor Eric had the absolutely worst wardrobe I have ever seen for a lead male character in any kdrama and it really made me long for the days of Spy Mung Wol. Eric wasn’t the only culprit, most of the “corporate” suiting looked like poorly fitted 30’s gangster suits with none of the swag. Idk why but aside from the clothes everyones hair styling (except Han Ga In) was really bad too.
This is a good watch if you are just finishing a really serious drama or a super funny drama. Although his acting talent was still budding; Eric will keep you engaged as Kang Ho who is naive, yet street smart, good at everything except staying awake on the job, and you really do begin to hope he succeeds. This has got family drama elements, preached against all odds you too can succeed, and has light enough romance that tweens could watch no problem. Yes I got bored in the middle but that’s what fast forward is for, plus the pay off at the end was good.
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Smuggler is about a freeter trying to find his way through life. True to “find your way” movies he goes through a bunch of horrible things (mainly brought on by misplaced kindness) and draws upon his one skill for help. This character is drug into the underbelly of society and has to deal with issues within his own self to fight for his right to live.
What I didn’t like is the lack of Matsuda Shota, he is on the screen for 3 minutes at the most. I also really didn’t like the supporting cast; I think they were supposed to be comical and ironic (in a very dark way) but it didn’t come across well. I couldn’t figure out was the genre was dark comedy? Action? Slice of life? Tragedy? Maybe it was lost in translation because the movie only committed to its action and fighting scenes everything else was hazy. Smuggler was wayyyy gruesome and they really over did it with the awful special effects and makeup making it unfit to eat and watch. (At one point a guy was crawling on the ceiling like in a shinobi movie!!)
The movie as a whole has some great characters, a good concept and if I understand correctly it was based on a manga that I haven’t read. The whole thing felt rushed, with the exception of fight scenes, the screenplay writer crammed as many characters and situations as he could into the mere minutes he had to let this play out. Many characters seemed to have problems and situations that really needed to be addressed but were not. The main character seemed lifeless, and though acted very well, was overpowered by other characters. I am so sad I spent almost half a year waiting anxiously for this movie to come out and be subbed only to be so disappointed.
I gave it a 5 because the actors were good, Shota had a cameo, and the concept was interesting.
I wouldn’t rewatch it, but if you are looking into this one- understand this is a rushed manga adaptation.
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The Queen of SOP is a Cinderella type story with a love pentagon holding everything together.
I really liked the strong lead female character, she stayed the same till the very end. The leading male characters were played really well and the characters evolved. Not only the leading men, but in this drama the characters were not your run-of-the-mill drama stereotypes. All of the characters were written well and there were no really evil antagonists that i despised. There were a whole lot of familiar faces from T and C dramas, giving a good dose of eye candy. (This was the first time i liked both of the leading men!)
The story itself is really so so , for them to have such great characters (and pretty good actors) there was a really typical story. There was a lot of "i loved you, now i love this person", and "I will fight for my love at all costs!" *slightly throws up in mouth* Good thing there werent too many sappy parts or i would not have been able to finish! There wasnt a lot of original ideas, it was as if they pulled out the Tdrama playbook and pulled ideas :( Towards the end there was a bit of a boredom, but they wrapped it up and finished it off.
Otherwise the scenery was great, the leading female had great hair but bad clothes, the attempts at english are awful (they could have gotten Ethan to help!), they end with a few loose ends (its bearable) and they set up the episodes so you will watch them back to back.
I will admit this is one of the best Tdramas I have seen to date. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a feel good drama with a strong female lead. A word of warning though, you will want to know just what do they do at the end of 1 episode and end up watching another 3 episodes.
p.s. I HATED the theme song. OMG! Ugggh
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the story concept is similar to secret garden but the movie's attempt to balance comedy and drama is painful to watch. there were way too many times where the scene changed, the mood changed, or a random act occurred with no prep (music, a comment, foreshadowing, anything). It felt like the story was chopped into bits, so the characters would be discussing a matter, then the scene changes to the next day. this led to constant questions of: what happened to the issue at hand? was it resolved? who gave in?.
on top of the story line confusion, the acting was inconsistent. sometimes the male lead would act like such a man that i had to wonder, oh did they switch back? i blame some of this on the writers they didn't give us enough time to know the characters before they switched.
amid the wreckage there were some bright spots; shots of comedy were pretty well placed throughout. so if the movie was getting awful a shot of comedy would draw you back with false hopes of it getting better. they did a lot of parodies (even secret garden)so those were really funny.
i wouldn't watch again, and if you love the concept I suggest you watch secret garden a 3rd time. Overall it had a great general concept, poor writing and poor execution. i gave it a 6 because they tried to capture that "secret garden magic" but didnt have enough time and the ending is waaaay better than secret garden.
p.s. i loathe group songs where the whole world is singing. beware
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the main plot was predictable. Yuriko marries a guy who isnt doing as well as she is and then she becomes Mary Poppins. She learns to cook like her mother in law, fixes everyones issues by using her heart and generally becomes a family lackey. The family members take turns in having their issues and by the end of each episode someone is feeling better about themselves.
The acting was pretty good. Matsushita Nao (main) pretty much carried the yawnable plot and the boring Inohara Yohihiko. of course Kaname Jun rocked it and with Nakamaru Yuichi, to me, had some of the best supporting performances.
I dont know if i would recommend this drama because it doesnt really make the grade of a heart warming family drama. its more of a clumsy story of cold family issues with shots of comedy. it is an easy watch though and nao does a great job.
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what i liked the most is that the movie seemed to have a message of "you can change if you believe" and "you can do anything you want to, against all odds". Although those are overly used and cheesy messages it really made me feel good to see the kids work at it. I also liked that the characters admitted when they were wrong, were focused on the goal, and made a beautiful show at the end.
I will admit that i too did not like the clothes, but that was a matter of taste. The male lead character turns out to be a hypocrite at the end (i really didnt like that). the ending was conclusive, but it was weak. the ending was told in the first person narrative, and the first person clearly did not state her end. although the focus of the story is a boy, the true main character is a girl (May); and while they show the growth and maturity of Bitto, May doesnt have that same growth. In addition Biito had a lot of different conflicts, i wish the narrative was his and not May. The supporting characters had really bad acting skills and unfortunately i think they were written not sterotypical enough. (there were a lot of things the class bully would normally never do)
Mainly this is a feel good movie about fighting against all odds to be the best you can be. no comedy, very very little romance, no bishies , completely unrealistic, but somehow i still liked it.
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