Love it or hate it

I'll start off by saying I really like this drama, especially with how they used the soundtracks. I'm also a fan of the psychopath/serial killer genre and I like how the "cat and mouse" portions were executed. I just felt letdown by the pacing issues that resulted in some early episodes being a bit of a drag and the last episode a rush to tie up loose ends. Some of the writing wasn't great too, with characters (looking at you, Gi-Eun) making the world's dumbest decisions and putting themselves in harm's way repeatedly. Mok-Won's character also felt really random and underutilized, with the show taking pains to carefully carve out her backstory as a shaman, show her meeting girls in the club etc etc and all that just for her to basically not have an impact on the conclusion at all. Instead, I wished they would have tried to flesh out Fingers and Samantha more, as they had close to 0 screentime yet had a serious part to play in affecting the ending.

The acting was amazing, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the female leads are actually rookies. Kim Young Kwang was also excellent and he really embodied the character perfectly. The cinematography was next level and I really liked the arthouse vibe of it. Too often Kdramas devolve into the cliche "slow-mo" while staring at each other type scenes with the cheesy OSTs blaring in the background and I would say this drama stands out among the rest with its cinematography. The creative use of the soundtrack was also fantastic and I'm so glad to be introduced to Schumann's Vogel Als Prophet lol.

This is an extremely polarizing show and you will either love it or hate it. I can see why many have dropped it - plot that meanders aimlessly in the beginning, characters making horribly stupid decisions, excessive sex/nudity scenes, but I would still encourage thriller fans to give this a chance.

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Tango, Tango and more Tango... Oh and did I mention the bandoneon?

WARNING: This drama should only be watched if you throw all semblance of logic and critical thinking out of the window. You'll be in for a rough time if you try to take this seriously. Plot holes the size of buses, ridiculous over the top events and non-existent character development are all in the forefront in this show. I commented that the revenge plans in the other drama "Remarriage and Desires" was too lame, but Eve takes this to another extreme.

The premise is fairly intriguing: FL (Seo Yeaji) tries to take revenge by seducing a wealthy chairman of a company and causing his company to implode, sort of like the corporate version of a honey trap. However, what ensues is a lot of awkward tango, bandoneon music and cheesy talks of twin flames and what not. Sadly, 0 chemistry whatsoever during these tango scenes. Part of it due to the subpar writing, and the other part due to the ML's looks. Unfortunately, the ML isn't a silver fox/sugar daddy/DILF type of a guy and more like a normal man from the street. He doesn't have the kind of smoldering good looks that make you go "hot damn!" even when he isn't doing anything. This, together with the fact that the producers insisted on having a cold, stoic expressionless CEO results in a one expression not-so-attractive ML who just kind of glowers at everything the whole time. I hate to say it, but if they had casted someone more attractive it would have gone over way better. Seo Yeaji's acting wasn't anything to write home about as well. Her crying scenes (of which there were many) weren't great and felt so unnatural. Luckily she was able to pull off her psycho and seducing scenes or else it would have really tanked this show. Star of this show was really Han So Ra (Yoo Sun) who was really carrying the show on her back. She was the main source of entertainment and I would have dropped this long ago if it weren't for her. Her character was also the most interesting and developed out one of all. I won't even bother talking about the second ML who's existence is just purely based on simping for the FL and saving her ass.

OST was ok, but I got tired of the same old song coming on whenever there was a sex scene. Btw almost all the sex scenes felt awkwardly choreographed and bordered on comedy. Cinematography was average and I found that Remarriage and desires has better cinematography.

So well, there's that. A true makjang with its gaping plotholes, shoehorned romances and a lame ass ending to boot. She got her revenge but didn't get her guy, but its ok as she still has second ML simping for her. I wouldn't say I regret watching this series as it had its fun moments but the romance was truly off putting and the ending was really flat. Watch only if you can stomach having scene after scene of tango related scenes and cheesy romance talk.

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This should have been a movie instead

Let me first start off by saying this drama is absolutely stunning in terms of its cinematography. The framing and shots are akin to those from arthouse movies and was really giving off Parasite vibes. Which brings me to my next point: this really should have been a movie instead.

God damn, the pacing is simply too damn slow. Long closeups of the characters staring at each other, at the camera, at something out outside the shot etc ... i know its to build suspense and tension but it was really testing my patience. Tons of scenes that served no purpose at all, and plotlines (neighbour character and murdered sister plot) that were simply left hanging with no resolution. Pacing did Kim Tae Hee no favours as many closeups featured her one and only deer in the headlights expression that I simply couldn't stand after the 4th episode. Her character is supposed to be some sort of depressed housewife but 8 eps of her acting like she has 0 agency in her own life and using her dead sister as an excuse to mope around just got too much. I almost felt bad for her husband for having to deal with that for years. And what on earth were her actions in the last ep? like what??

By all means, Sang Eun wasn't likeable either but at least she's trying to get herself out of a shitty situation. Even though I'm not totally convinced by Lim Ji Yeon acting as a battered housewife, the way she's portrayed at least makes more sense than whatever the heck Kim Tae Hee's character is supposed to be.

And going back to the murdered sister plot - the show provided so many flashbacks of the Joo Ran seeing her sister's dead body, reacting to her son's teacher etc and the least they could do was tell us who the murderer is and give us some closure right? But no! viewers are left hanging till the very end. Neighbour woman too. So what was up with her being overly friendly and all those rumors about her possibly killing her husband?? And why does Seung Jae gravitate towards her?? It was not as if she was particularly MILF-y LOL.

The gist of this whole review is that as a drama, its artistic but unfortunately it's boring. Like pretty fucking boring for what is considered a thriller. It would have worked way better as a movie instead, and who knows, it might have become a hit like Parasite! If you're looking to de-stress after work with a good ol' fashioned thriller that's actually thrilling, this is definitely not for you. However, if you have time on your hands to analyze every frame of this drama to discern the inner motivations of the various characters, you're in luck!

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Bland

After watching A Sun, I had high hopes for this Taiwanese family drama. Unfortunately, this movie fell short of my expectations. At more than 2 hours long, it is long and the pacing is extremely slow. As mentioned in my headline, a one word summary of this movie would be: bland. Many dramatic events unfolded in this movie - worsening Covid situation, a mother's descent into insanity, realising you have a secret half brother etc yet it feels almost like nothing happened. The main character Xiao Jing faces these tragic events with a stoicism not usually seen in teenagers, making this film hard to believe. How many 17/18 year olds are able to stomach watching their mother succumb into the throes of psychosis without so much as an outburst or a cry for help? Not me definitely. It also doesn't help that Xiao Jing is able to so quickly flip the switch from rebellious teenager with a tenuous relationship with her mother to dutiful daughter, without so much as a single complaint. The conversations between mother and daughter feel so stilted and scripted they might as well have been reading off a teleprompter. Though strangely I felt that the only time where the dialogue was believable was during the arguments Xiao Jing and her mother had at the start. This is sad because Gingle Wang and Alyssa Chia have the acting chops to pull it off but even the best of acting cannot save the dialogue.

This movie would have been more bearable had it been cut to 1.5 hours or shorter. At the end, I'm still not sure what this film is trying to convey. How strong a mother-daughter bond can be? Resilient teenagers? Importance of mental health during pandemic times? Or would it be not to play in rivers that are prone to flooding? Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine.

P.S: I would be grateful if anyone can tell me what the sound of waterfalls is meant to symbolize,

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Strong start with weak ending

I almost never watch Thai movies; this is literally the second Thai movie I have watched in my life. And I must say that I am really impressed. Cinematography, acting and scoring are really good. The first half was set up really well - the tension in the scenes where the FL was trying to impress Chef Paul was really so palpable I was holding my breath while watching. The second half however seems to have fallen off a cliff. The film was going for the social commentary angle with mentions on inequality and social stratification but it was hastily abandoned and only picked up towards the end with some random shots of homeless people on the streets. I was expecting something like a Parasite-esque satire but it seems that the writers got confused on what was the main message of the show. The FL claims she wants to be special and she has the "hunger" to succeed - yet throws in the towel because hunting and cooking rare animals illegal crossed her boundaries. I was a little confused at this; it seemed like such a trivial reason to quit. Maybe I have watched too many fucked up movies but I wished they had provided a more disturbing reason for her to leave Chef Paul like for example, those rich people requesting for human meat.

There is also a littleeee too much exposition on the whole social commentary angle. Characters talking openly about how it sucks being poor, Chef Paul bragging in front of the cops that he would never face any consequences, literal scenes of homeless people at the end etc are all too "in your face" and I would much rather go for the "show don't tell" approach. And of course, the rather cliched ending of the importance of family blah blah. With this movie being over 2 hours long, I was quite disappointed at the somewhat flat ending. I don't' regret it though, it was still entertaining. Just wished they had managed to maintain the tension and the thriller angle from the first half

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Arguably the best thriller of 2022 (so far)

Wow... what can I say... This drama just shot up to one of my all time fave dramas. It hooks you in right off the bat and leaves you wanting more. Not a second wasted on useless filler scenes and everything that happens is pivotal to the plot. The school bullying scenes can be hard to stomach and are fairly graphic, even by western standards. But thanks to that, it helps make the revenge scenes all the more satisfying. Pacing, cinematography and soundtrack are all top notch and I dare say close to perfection. Acting is absolutely PHENOMENAL from every character and really major props to the teenage actors for being able to carry such heavy roles convincingly.

Only gripes are the strange plot developments that occur in ep 10, where no one, except Lieutenant Kang thought to investigate Kyung Min's registered properties. She waltzes in conveniently to his hideout, with all his revenge plans and diaries out for display. Despite all the easily accessible evidence, she does not call for backup and instead starts browsing through his diaries on the spot. It was truly a WTF moment because everything that had occurred so far was all fairly logical (or as logical as possible in kdrama world) and this moment truly threw me off. Another gripe was the scene where she managed to confront Jong Suk at the hospital and basically confirms that he is out for blood. Instead of trying to stop him, she brandishes a gun but doesn't do anything further. He literally tells her to stop being a busybody and leaves, leaving her looking extremely aggrieved. ?!?! Cmon girl... this is probably the lowest effort confrontation by a police officer ever. Lieutenant Kang is the show's least developed character (she has 0 character development) and her existence just serves to help the audience uncover the truth. I saw some comments that complained about her character but I wasn't too bothered by her (other than those ridiculous scenes that I mentioned above). She is the typical cold, stubborn, headstrong detective archetype in kdramas so I can see why her character was not well liked. If they had tried to develop her character more (and removed those strange scenes) I would honestly give this drama a 10/10.

Overall, this is as close to a masterpiece thriller as possible. I liked that the ending wasn't all sun and roses, with everyone living "happily ever after". The final throwback scene to happier childhood days really drove home the point of how trauma can affect one's whole life. This drama is an extremely heavy one, and the central topic of school bullying is widely relatable. There are no filler comedic scenes whatsover, so only watch if you are able to stomach through 12 episodes of almost constant violence/death. With that said, you should not miss this if you enjoy thriller dramas. It's literally one of THE best (if not the best) out there.

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Hit or miss

This is essentially the marriage version of On Children. And if you've watched that, you would be familiar with the premise of Black Mirror dystopian-esque technology impacting marriages/children in mostly negative ways. Unfortunately, budget/quality wise it does not live up to Black Mirror standards which makes the immersion hard. As its an anthology with different episodes having different storylines/actors/directors, the quality of each story differs as well.

The first story was a pleasant surprise, and I felt it started off the series on a high note. The futuristic technology parts were well integrated and fairly believable which made it more relatable than the rest. Tonally it was also more light-heartened and "fun". Acting and directing were great too.

The second story however was a major step down from the first in all ways. The element of futuristic technology was not clearly brought out and it veered into normal family drama territory with the whole technology part an afterthought. Acting was strange and I couldn't stand the ML at all. Pacing was all over the place and a serious mess.

Third story I only watched halfway but I felt that it had too much going on for such a short runtime. There were the technology bits and some random cult parts as well. The story wasn't as compelling so I didn't bother continuing.

I skipped to the last story which was about a lesbian couple having an affair. Plotwise, it is the most interesting out of all as it is a subject matter rarely portrayed in asian media (and western media too actually). The other stories in the series all featured hetero couples and this was the only one featuring a gay couple. so naturally it stood out. However the executing was lacking. I felt the directing was messy and the writing was bad. The FL that cheated tried to justify her cheating in such a scummy way and her wife just took her back despite her shittiness. It was like they were trying to shoehorn a happy ending for no reason. The LGBT representation is nice and all, but if it were a hetero couple there would be angry calls on why the woman would be forgiving such a shitty man so why the double standards? Like the FL was only sorry she got caught and only broke up with her affair partner when she wrongly believed her affair partner was cheating on her! Like WTF? That is just messed up. Not to mention they have a kid together... ANYWAY. The acting was great but everything else was meh.

Edit: I went back to watch the fourth story which I previously skipped and I actually found it pretty good, albeit depressing. The technology parts were weak and felt shoehorned in at some points though. Overall I would rate the first story as the best, followed by the fourth story and then the lesbian story.

So there's that. I personally preferred On Children and emotionally felt that it hit harder. I'll probably only recommend the first episode and the last episode (if you're looking for LGBT representation). The other stories are basically meh and forgettable.

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Chinese equivalent of Game of Thrones

I must say that this is quite a good effort for such an epic show. Plot is based on a very famous ancient Chinese novel and this film tried their best to condense/summarize the story within the limited time they have. I did not read the novel and am only familiar with some of the characters (Nezha, Yang Jian) so some of the parts regarding the immortals and supernatural beings were a little confusing. The storyline involving the mortals was easier to follow and I'm guessing that the 2nd and 3rd movies would be focusing more on the immortals plotline. Acting and cast were excellent and they really embodied the role well. I'm glad that the director chose to feature newcomers and they really are a breath of fresh air compared to the usual Chinese idols that seem to be a permanent feature in wuxia/xianxia chinese dramas.

Only gripe is the CGI is still miles behind the standards of Marvel movies. But I must say that there has been vast improvement from previous movies. This movie is really worth watching if you're chinese and are familiar with The Investiture of the Gods. Western audiences may have a harder time following but that isn't to say that it isn't worth a watch. Possibly waiting till the rest of the movies are out may make for easier watching.

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Hot steaming pile of TRASH!

if I could give this show 0 stars I would. Total nonsense plot that makes ZERO sense. Horrible writing, horrible pacing and lackluster acting. I'm not sure if this show was trying to copy the whole "news anchor with traumatic past" storyline from a similar Korean movie called The Anchor but whatever this is supposed to be did not make sense at all. I'm honestly surprised I made it to the end because holy shit, while watching I was literally thinking that this could be possibly the worst movie I have ever watched in my life. But to be fair I was stuck on a plane with nothing else to do, except sit through shitty movies lol.

DO NOT bother wasting your time on this trash seriously. Watch The Anchor instead, makes more sense and at least has some element of suspense.

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Heartbreaking

While this may seem like a Taiwan version of Black Mirror, this anthology is mainly focused on the academic pressures students face in school and at home. Compared to other Asian dramas of a similar vein like SKY castle, I found this drama more relatable and realistic even with the sci-fi elements. Each episode is standalone, just with the overarching theme of students not being able to cope with their parents expectations. One minor gripe is that the pacing isn't that good and some plot points are dragged out. Other than that the acting and production value are excellent.

Sidenote: If you have grown up in a similar environment with "tiger" parents you may feel that some parts hit a little too close to home. It is a very dark show, there are mentions of suicide, self-harm, animal abuse etc so not for the faint hearted.

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Incest-y vibes

There are other western movies that have a similar plot to this one, but what sets this apart from their western counterparts is the plot twist. This plot twist involves revealing that the the FL's adopted brother is actually masquerading as her husband to "save" her. Which gives off major incest vibes because surely there is a better solution than having to act as your amensiac sister's (adopted but still?!) husband. Yikes. Acting wise it is decent but I felt like it was a tad too fake. Like I could tell that Seo Ye-Ji is acting instead of embodying the character. Probably because she doesn't fit that "damsel in distress" image AT ALL. This movie felt really off to me in words that I can't describe and I honestly would not recommend this. Objectively, it is fairly decent as a psychological thriller if you are able to look past the psuedo incest. Thankfully I watched this on a plane so it wasn't a waste of my time but I would not recommend watching this on your own time.

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Not for philistines

Don't watch this film if you are a philistine (like me). Really, this film is only suitable for true arthouse cinephiles who can appreciate such a high form of art.../s. Jokes aside, this movie will probably only appeal to the 1% of people who can appreciate really "artsy fartsy" films. While my movie tastes lie in more "mainstream" film genres, I have watched (and enjoyed) plenty of arthouse films as well, but this film is just... not interesting, to put it plainly. It's set in present day China but shot in black and white, and the story isn't told in chronological order. None of these are bad things per se, it was just how it was all put together that resulted in a rather boring piece of work. And I'm sure that there are other black and white movies with non-linear narratives that manage to be entertaining. Nothing noteworthy seems to happen at all; if anything, it is more of a character study of a modern day Chinese woman drifting aimlessly through life. A documentary would have been more compelling (and educational).

A good film to me is one that tells a story, one that entertains people and makes them feel something. And the only thing I felt while watching this film was total boredom, so in the eyes of a philistine, it has failed.

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A hot mess

This show is a total mess. If you find certain plot points of Yanxi ludicrous, you'll find this show batshit insane. Plot makes 0 sense, character motivations make 0 sense, nothing makes sense. Not sure what's the point of this continuation even? To continue to milk the Yanxi name dry? It's only 6 eps so it doesn't waste that much time, but I would still highly advise against watching this. Acting is meh and the newbie actors aren't enough to salvage this hot mess of a show. If you crave more Palace dramas, watch Ruyi instead. Or better yet, watch Wu Jinyan and Xu Kai's upcoming historical drama if you want to see the continuation of their pairing.

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Don't get your hopes up

This show was marketed (?) as a GL drama but in my opinion it is anything but this. The 2 leads are easy on the eyes but I do not feel even a sliver of anything more than a normal friendship between them. Censorship probably resulted in having to tone down many elements so I cannot really blame the director/writers. But censorship is not an excuse for plot holes, subpar acting and strange plot developments (they kept forcing interactions between the lead and her ex bf. like why?!) Ironically, the leads have more chemistry outside of the show and their behind the scenes/interview interactions seem more like a GL drama than their on screen personas lol.
On a side note, the show creator Yu Zheng has said that a second season will only happen if the show has a rating of x on douban, which honestly doesn't sit well with me since its forcing viewers to write fake reviews. So who knows if a season 2 will actually happen.

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