Enjoyable Shorts

Cool Doji Danshi: Bokura no Koibana is less of a spinoff and more of a special. They're 4 shorts (about 10 minutes or less once you take out the themes and preview) of new content. It's almost like a set up for season 2. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but I have hope.

Motoharu-sensei has a 30 second love encounter that makes him decide to write a love story. Just one problem, he needs to gather research. What better way to gather research than to interview his 4 closest male friends. You see where this is going right? Through these mock interviews Moto starts to realize (as if he hadn't already) that his 4 friends are pretty clueless when it comes to the ladies. Though it's not said it appears to me that he decides to switch gears on the subject matter of his next book. This is why it seems like a setup for season 2.

The acting and cast are all good just as they were in Cool Doji Danji (feel free to see my review on that page). There are no changes in music and the re-watch is nil.

I would advise anyone who enjoyed the 12 episodes of the series to find these 4 because they CCD to a nice end.

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Adorably Dimwitted

My introduction to the Cool Doji Danshi story was through the anime which I loved primarily because I've done so many of the same absentminded mistakes that it seemed like I had found my people. shut up! Don't judge me. :D

CDD is initially about 4 attractive males of close but different ages and stages in life who become unlikely friends. The 5th is added a little after the story begins. The one thing all 5 men have in common is their absentmindedness, misunderstandings , and their ability to shrug it off and keep on moving as if nothing happened. Not only do I know people like this I am apparently also like this. Raise your hands if you've ever lost your glasses on your head; kept losing your pencils at work or class only to find them later in your hair; put your phone down to look for your phone; lost something only to find it on your person; etc. Nobody? Just me huh? Oh well you're just not cool enough. No matter, the CCD guys have you covered. The production and direction were solid, although, they did cut out a few things like the guys trip to the beach.

We start of with Hayate, the embarrassed played by Yuta Nakamoto, who has no idea that's he's attractive and that girls are attracted to him. He actually seems to believe he repels them. After Hayate we're introduced to the eldest of the original 4, Takayuki Mima, the misunderstander played by Dori Sakurada. Mima is kind of like an idol to the younger guys. Someone to look up to. While they remind him of his youth (he's only 27). This brings us to Shun, the unfazed played by Maito Fujioka, who pretends all his mistakes are intentional without ever "letting them see him sweat." The last of the 4 is Souma, the giggles played Takumi Kawanishi, who faces every blunder head on with a smile and giggles. All 4 actors were cast perfectly and did very good jobs. They showed the characters fun and vulnerability without ever making them seem like fools. Lastly, is Motoharu Igarashi played Toshiki Seto, Mima's childhood friend, who is a little more worldly than the others, but equally as absentminded. Seto did a fine job as the writer who sits back and analyzes realizing that the other 4 are somewhat odd and embracing his oddity as well. You totally want to hang out with these guys, but don't catch a crush because they'll never notice. They're too dense.

The music was good. I really liked the start of the ending theme, Sunny Road by NCT127. I believe it may be the first time I ever heard a male sing Bibbity Bibbity Bobbity Boo. I don't rarely re-watch, but I have decided to move on to the manga to finish.

Overall, Cool Doji Danshi was fun to watch. It won't win any awards for production or acting, but that wasn't the goal. The goal was to bring smiles to the faces of the viewers and hopefully a few laughs and it succeeded.

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Not for Non-JoJo fans

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable is the 4th manga in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series. It ran from 1992-95 while the anime adaptation was in 2016. I mention this for a few reasons. One: I don't remember very many details so what was omitted or added, is lost to me. Two, while the JoJo's have their own stories, there is a running theme, which is not explained in each installment. Therefore, those that know nothing about the world of JoJo, will lack a fundamental understanding of what's going on. Truly, I don't understand why they chose Diamond Is Unbreakable to adapt as opposed to one of the previous manga installments.

Ok on to this movie! In an exclamation... eh!
It was dull. Not the content, the film quality which is the exact opposite of the JoJo world. I have been complaining about the dullness color of Japanese film for decades. There's no reason for it. I don't know why they film through colored lenses that make their movies almost sepia toned. Their movies look cheap. There are few films that works well with this poorly accepted technique. Movies from 30 years ago have better film quality than J movies today. Only a select few producers and/or directors are afforded the budget or maybe just the ok to actually have color. Miike is usually one. So I'm surprised that JoJo is dull, especially since the anime and manga colors are so bright. What I find perplexing is that J dramas don't have this trapping. It's very weird. They probably should've adapted JoJo as a tv series as they did Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, a spinoff of Diamond is Unbreakable.

Even the costumes were lacking. Josuke's school uniform should have had a hint of blue or purple. I did appreciate that the Josuke wig had purple/blue tones to it. Koichi's hair should have been grey or blonde (I honestly don't remember).

Usually, I talk about music at the end with 1 or 2 lines, but the music in the move was unbelievably disappointing. One thing that the animes have is killer music. If they couldn't use the one of the themes from the anime, Miike should've used energetic music throughout. And why for God's sake did they film the one JoJo that was set in Japan, in a European city? Of all the anime adaptations they screw up and don't film in a Euro looking town (or the desert), they take one set in Japan to Europe. WTF?!? Might as well had filmed the 5th JoJo who is Italian. To sum up the production, disappointing. Disappointing for Takeshi Miike. Par for the course for any other director.

What was good?
From what I can remember the adaptation of the story was good. There was no mistaking Jotaro (the previous and most popular JoJo) or Josuke. I was shocked to see Iseya as Jotaro, but he's one of Miike's go to actors and probably the only one that speaks English with virtually no accent. Yamazaki Kento is a cutey and was a great Josuke. He believably played an unbelievable character. While Koichi didn't look like Koichi, Kamiki Ryunosuke played him perfectly. He was definitely Koichi. Same with Mackenyu's Okuyasu. He was a perfectly dumb guy with a good heart. I would love to see the end of the story with this trio's friendship. Plus, they're damn easy on the eyes. Of course the vets like Kunimara Jun and Iseya were great as were the rest of the cast. The special effects were pretty good, too. I like the depiction of the Stands, especially Star Platinum.

Re-watch is at a 0. I rarely re-watch anything, but never say never. By Hollywood standards, the movie bombed, but in actuality in japan it didn't. It's grossed over 920 million yen (roughly $620,000), which is common for most shounen adaptations (Ruroni Kenshin being a large exception). If they do a part 2 (please pick up the pacing), I may skim to remember what was covered in part 1, which, if I'm being honest, wasn't much.

So, would I recommend this? Nah. I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone who doesn't have a foundation or at least some knowledge of the story. The script sticks to the manga/anime in that it does not explain what you should already know from previous installments or seasons. If you're a diehard JoJo-ster like myself, you don't care if I recommend this or not, you know you're gonna watch it. Everyone in between? Eh! Go watch the anime.

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Very Entertaining

I will watch anything with Lee Kwang Soo and Yoo Jae Suk together or separately at least once. I love their chemistry. The only times I've ever seen Yuri are guest appearances on Running Man. What stands out is the episode where it was 8 vs 1. I thought she was charming with a good sense of humor. I'm on the fence about her in The Zone. She was bossy, sometimes funny, and at others a little boring. She took the fun out of some scenes. At times it felt like a light bulb went on and realized she had to entertain. However, I do realize being the third wheel on the YooLee (bogosipeo) wagon is a tough job. She handled it well.

The concept is putting mankind's representatives (Yoo, Lee, and Yuri) through 8 challenging simulations in which they had to survive for a specified number of hours. The base time was 4 hours, but in some zones they could accrue or cut their time. If they survive until the end they are given Z coins for a reason we are never told other than it tells you who is winning. Basically, it's the 3 stars against The Zone and each other. They have watches that allow them to quit at any time. Quitting ends the simulation for everyone, but 2 of them need to quit.

The Zones themselves weren't exactly imaginative, but I felt most were presented creatively. Were some Zones more entertaining than others? Heck yeah! I was even bored with one, but that didn't deter me or change my opinion of the show overall. It's just that watching people gamble just isn't fun to me. The best (hands down) was the haunted house because Scaredy Yoo and Fraidy Lee are hilarious when they're scared. Episode 8 is a War Zone, which was edited really well. The tension was great. My zone ranking from best to worse: Z4: Safety, Z3: Virus, Z8: War, Z1: Eye, Z5: Brain, Z2: Water, Z6: Money, and Z7: Fire.

Since it's not a drama, there wasn't music per se. There's an ending theme with our threesome "dancing," which is fun to watch. It has a very high rewatch as I've already rewatched the haunted house.

Personally, I really enjoyed The Zone: Endure to Survive (or Survival Mission). I hope it comes back for a season 2 with the same intrepid trio.

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Lost Steam Towards the End

Law School game out of the gates like a prize winning horse that nobody could catch. It was fast paced, witty, interesting, and mysterious. In a word.. THRILLING. Then somewhere around episode 12 it started losing it's way and failed to cross the finish line. Set in a prestigious law school and Korean court this drama gives us and the students of Hankuk University Law School some classroom and practical lessons in Korean civic and criminal law.

It just so happens that all the students that have past trauma caused by 1 man (whether they know it or not) are all in the same classes and taught by 2 of the professors who also have trauma. Ok that's farfetched, but you go with it because it's fun. Every thing is fine and dandy until you realize the drama has no intentions on addressing some points they brought out earlier in the show. One student has a major emotional reaction to a visitor to their class in episode 1 or 2. I spent the next 14-15 episodes waiting to find out why. The drama is over. I'm still waiting. I'd like to say the writing was great, but nah. Only one person is credited with writing, but it seems like 2. The writing is stilted and disjointed. The production is very good with great sets and camera work.

The cast is a good one. I think most of their talents were underused. I wonder how they talked Woo Hyun into taking his role, but I'm glad he did. This is my first time seeing Kim Bum since he finished his military service. I feel like his talent was underutilized. The obvious attraction between his Han Joon Hwi and Ryu Hye Yong's Min Sol-A was left smoldering on the ground. I enjoyed the entire cast. They were very good. Moreover, I liked their characters and would have liked to know what paths all the students took at the end.

The theme song was driving me ah crazy. I couldn't stand it. I would have loved it had the singer not sang "it's driving me ah crazy." Honestly, I know where the song writer got it from. It's misappropriation of the African American vernacular. That in and of itself ticked me off. So, yeah, didn't like the theme and I don't recall any other music. I'm not a rewatcher. Very few dramas get me to take a 2nd look. This will not be one of those dramas. Rewatch value is honestly 0.

For me Law School started fantastically. I love it when I get to learn something about another culture and how their law and politics work. I really love it when I don't have to find my entertainment around an utterly unnecessary and pointless romance. High 5 for Law School!! Had it not started to rush leaving questions unanswered, it easily would have gotten a 9-10 from me.

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Possibly the beginning to an answer

This is a step up from the previous Mystic Nine web movie starring the Hong Er Ye character. This had some inkling of an interesting story and gave some background on Xie Jiu Ye, the head of the Xie clan. His character was hard to really understand in Mystic Nine. They gave you very little information on him, except that he was one of the nine. All you knew is that he had money and was lurking in the background behind Fo Ye someplace.

The movie begins with the murder of the 8th Xie master, Jiu Ye's father, making Jiu Ye the clan leader. It is up to Jiu Ye along with the help of Lt. Zhang to unravel the mystery behind a series of murders plaguing the Xie clan. In and of itself the story was good. The execution? Not so much. The graphics were mediocre at best. I excused them because half the time they were illusions or dreams brought on by "medication."

The acting of the lead actor was pretty bad. Yang Zi Jiang, who plays Jiu Ye, has a limited filmography. Many times that means the person is a stage actor. In his case I think it's just because he's not good. If everyone's performance was bad, I'd blame the director. Fortunately, I can not do that. They weren't fantastic performances, but they were good enough.

The music was ok and the re-watch is 0, but most things for me have a 0 re-watch value. I don't even factor that into my ratings.

If you watched Mystic Nine, you probably want to be sure to watch this and possibly the 2 movies that follow, as I believe we are getting the answer to who the mysterious old man Fo Ye and Bai Ye met in MN.

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Not that bad

To be clear it's not that good either, but it's still not that bad. Honestly, none of the Lost Tomb stories have been that great. I'm watching them in order and so far none of them make me want to recommend them. Chronologically, I couldn't tell if this was before or after Mystic Nine. They didn't mention any years that I can remember. Perhaps that was on purpose.
As in the others the action here is good. The tomb is nicely done albeit small and they're not in the tomb for very long.

While Mystic Nine wants to drill in how horrible the Japanese were (like the Chinese are any better ..ok I'll put my sociopolitical pov away), this side story bashes you over the head with it. Quite frankly, it's annoying. The writing is lacklustre. The acting is just ok. No one is winning any prizes here. The production could be better, but I don't think this was a theatrical release, at least I hope not. I will say I liked Er Ye much better here since he wasn't screaming Ya Tou every 3 minutes.

The acting...wait was there acting? Like I said above no one is winning any awards although I did enjoy the performance of Mo Yuan Di, who is an actual Chinese opera theatre actor. I found the voices of the 2 main Japanese characters annoying. It's rather hard to judge acting when most if not the entire movie has been dubbed and this one was obviously dubbed probably from Canto to Mando. (Most English subs are done on the Mandarin dubs.) Anyway, many times the voices and mouths weren't synced.

Generally speaking, I don't do re-watches of dramas, but movies I do. However, I will not be rewatching this one. I have no interest in seeing it again. The music suited the movie.

Overall, it's not bad to watch on a Saturday afternoon movie binge, but don't make this any kind of highlight. If you do, you will sour.

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The special effects were amazing, but...

...unfortunately not much else was. The story itself was unremarkable and very commonplace for fantasy lovers, especially if you watch anime and/or read manga. Girl told she was crazy her entire life because she claimed monsters were real meets someone who can see them, too. blah blah Evil person. blah blah wise one with the answers. blah blah roll credits.

I'm a monster lover from waaay back so I decided to give Monster Run a go. It barely kept my attention. It's boring. How do you write, produce, direct, edit..etc a movie with CG monsters and make it boring?? The only light, the only saving grace are the effects. From the monsters to the fight scenes they were superb. Paper and Yeti were my favorite characters and Yeti doesn't speak. He's just so cute...when he's not trying to freeze you.

So, behind the camera was eh, what about in front of the camera? They were double eh. Well, I didn't say boring. The actors seemed bored. Their boredom comes through the screen. I have no desire to see either of the 2 leads ever again. Admittedly, Shawn Yue was much better than his female counterpart. If the Academy had an award staring, she'd win that golden statute hands down!

The music was pretty good except one song. It is quite probably a good song, but it's use just added to the monotony of the movie. Re-watch is 10 out of 10. JUST PLAYIN'!! You'd have to pay me to watch Monster Run again.

I know I over used the word boring/bored, but I wanted to save calling it an exercise in tedium until the end.

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An Utter Disappointment

There is a young witch. Her name is Kiki and she does deliveries, but ...THIS IS NOT STUDIO GHIBLI'S KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE! Other than what I have mentioned it bares no resemblance to the masterfully animated and told classic. Takashi Shimizu should probably stick with horror. For the first time I will include all my separate catergory ratings in a review. The separate ratings are what I felt about the movie I just watched. The overall is for this supposedly being Kiki's Delivery Service. If you've never watched it animated, go watch it. If you have and loved it, consider this your warning.

Shimizu, the writer and director behind Ju-On (The Grudge), got it in his head that he could write and direct a live action of KDS. This movie proved he could not. This movie is loosely based upon the classic. A young witch whose only magic is flight leaves home to complete her training. She settles on a delivery service. Aside from the ability to fly, you would never know this was supposed to KDS. Her tell tale large red bow is missing for one thing. I think Shimizu thought he was giving Kiki a backstory. Something no one asked for. This Kiki doesn't have the original's self confidence. She has her own, but she falters. Perhaps she's more like a 13 year old should be, but this isn't a slice of life. It's fantasy. There was something or a lot of somethings missing in this movie, but it's hard to narrow down. I want to say it's heart, but there is some. Perhaps that's it. There's only some. Some heart. Some confidence. Some spunk. Some of this and some of that but not all. The writing fails. The cinematography is dull. There's an island and several ocean shots but they are drab and washed out. That's a complaint I have with many Japanese movies. Their movie quality is cheap comparatively like they can't spare the money. It's a simple story and production. I give it 6 stars.

The cast was good enough. There was one extremely annoying character ( at least to me), but that's not the actor's fault. They did their jobs well enough with the material they had. 8.5 stars

The music was pretty good. There was a character that sang. I don't know if it was her voice or if she was lip syncing, but I liked the songs she sang. 7 stars

The rewatch value is 1 only because we can't give 0's.

Overall, I'll give it 4.5 stars out of 10. I'm being nice. This was no Kiki's Delivery Service. Far from it. The overall for the movie I watched comes out to be 5.5. Watch the animation. Forget this crap.

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I've been a fan of Dr. Doolittle (the original musical from the 5o's or 60's) since I was a little girl. It took me a minute to warm up to the Eddie Murphy version. I have to say I enjoyed this Dolittlesque Korean version. NIS Agent, Joo Tae Joo (played by Lee Sung Min), hates animals. It's revealed he has a psychological scar and just can not stand being around them. He awakes after having hit his head with the ability to talk to animals. Unfortunately for Joo, the only witnesses to the kidnapping of the envoy he was protecting are animals. His main witness is a military dog named Ali (voiced by Shin Ha Kyun) who has PTSD.

This movie is silly. I didn't find myself laughing (or booing), but I did smile and chuckle. It's entertaining. Any film where a man talks to animals will be compared to Dr. Doolittle, especially if the animals talk back and, boy, do they! The animals that know something won't give up the info for free. They've learned too well from humans. The production was done well. The CG fits right in. The writer/director did a good job putting a new spin on an old story.

The main cast is mostly voices. Each animal had a distinct personality and the actors did great jobs bringing those to light in the few minutes that most had to do so. Shin was perfect job as Ali. Initially, I was hoping that Lee Sun Kyun would be Ali, but his voice was perfect for the conniving black goat. You know what, I just realized I was mistaken. I did laugh. Not at anything done or said in the movie, but just at hearing Lee Soon Jae's big distinctive voice come out of a tiny hamster begging for help. You hear his voice before seeing the animal. I hadn't checked the entire cast so I wasn't expecting it when they showed the hamster. When he said about being on his wheel for 3 hours and having heart problems, I cracked up. I also giggled when I heard Joon Park's voice as the bald eagle. Lee Sung Min did a good job leading the human portion of the cast. I'm sure very often he wasn't acting with anyone, but you wouldn't know it. Bae Jung Nam played bungling agent Man Shik who has a knack for showing up in the right place at the right time and being of zero help.

The music was good and fitting. There's one song especially that you assume is being played due to the situation until you see the singer. I'd only watch the entire movie again with my 11 year old niece if she were interested, but I'd rewatch some of the animal guest scenes at anytime. Aside from the hamster, goat, and eagle, there's the gorilla and tiger that are standouts. This is definitely a family movie. I think children 8 and up would be fine.

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It's heartwarming and yet I sit here heartbroken with tears in my eyes (not an easy fete trust me on that). Miracle In Cell No. 7 is a heartwarming story about a intellectually challenged man who is separated from his young daughter who he is alone. Lee Yong Goo (played wonderfully portrayed by Ryu Seong Ryung) is wrongfully accused of murder and then railroaded by the police. His now adult daughter (Park Shy Hye), Se Young, becomes a prosecutor who goes to trial to clear his name. In lieu of hearing testimonies, we see the past via flashback which thankfully make up most of the movie. In the flashbacks we're introduced Lee Yong Goo's cellmates who become his friends and young Se Young's (played unbelievably by 6 year old Kai So Won) 4 uncles. The story is as much about reuniting father and daughter as it is proving his innocence.

The production is fantastic. It doesn't try to go for artsy with interesting angles and shadowing. It just is what it is. There are beautiful cinematic shots of a sunset near the end that is probably augmented by CG. Still, it's quite moving. There were apparently 4 screen writers for this movie, but you wouldn't guess it. It's quite cohesive. Thankfully, it only had 1 director.

Again, the cast, chock full of veteran actors, was brillant. Aside from Ryu and Park, there are many recognizable faces like Oh Dal Soo, Jung Jin Young, and Jung Man Sik. There was also an adorable little little face that held her own up against these actors. That beautiful little face belongs to Kai So Won. She was excellent. She's one helluva talent and I hope she is treated well. I saw her as a pre-teen in A Korean Odyssey and teen in Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP. I am now definitely a fan.

I can see myself re-watching Miracle in it's entirety and watching my favorite scenes whenever. I may even buy it. The OST was pretty good. Admittedly, I wondered a few times why they were playing the songs they were playing during the scenes in which they were played, but they were good songs. It warms your heart and soul. If you were holding back while Park Shin Hye does her tears thing (does she cry in everything? hmm), you might crack like I did during the very last scene as she looks up at a beautiful blue sky with tears in her eyes. Heart...BROKEN! It was so poignant. Overall, this is a wonderful movie but not meant for children.

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A Dynamite Family is not a comedy not even a dark one. It does have a couple of humorous moments, but overall it is no comedy.. It's a murder mystery. If I had to pigeonhole it, I'd say it was a quirky and thrilling family drama.

Four estranged half siblings with odd personalities come back home to a small town after the disappearance of their parents. The parents each had 2 children when they married. Each set of siblings did not care for each other before their parents marriage. The only thing they have in common is they care for their teen aged sister. The older siblings begin to look into the disappearance and stumble upon what seems to be a serial killer. Their attempts to catch the killer brings them closer together and matures them as individuals.

The cast makes the movie. They are an excellent ensemble. It looks like an indie movie, but the production is done well. I watched it a couple months before writing this review and I don't remember the OST. I do remember not being annoyed by it, which is good. I may decide to watch this again. I guessed the murderer correctly, but I wonder if their were clues that I missed. If i do rewatch it, it won't be anytime soon.

If you like murder mysteries and trying to guess whodunit, solid acting, and/or family dramas with odd ball characters, I'd give this movie a looksee. If you need some kind of romance in everything you watch, give it a hard pass.

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Yes, it took me 4 years to finish The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop. Have you ever gotten bored with a drama, especially one in the 55 episode range, and decided to take a break for whatever reason? That's what I did. I kept telling myself, I'll get back to it. If you were to ask me, I'd say it's been a year to 18 months. I had no clue it's been 4 years!

I started Wolgyesu because the idea of a tailor shop interested me. "Every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man." I was praying for wonderfully tailored looks and some fashion hijinks & espionage as opposed to the forced relationship between boring and uncharasmatic characters that I received. There was hijinks & espionage, but very little in tailored looks imo. Don't even get me started on the women of the main family (the Lees). Your husband is a master tailor, but you look like you pick cabbage for a living. Huh? The support family (the Mins), had great clothing perhaps a little wacky, but great overall.

Wolgyesu started out interesting enough. The story seemed interesting. Lee Man Sool, the Master Tailor of Wolgyesu and the patriarch of a hodgepodge familial unit, disappears one day. He basically goes on a walkabout without any notice. His biological son (the man seems to acquire children), Lee Don Jin, divorced from his wife. the eldest daughter of the Min family, and forced out of his job at Meesa Apparel by his ex-mother in law (who once worked for his father) and brother-in-law, decides to take over the operations of Wolgyesu. The problem is he can't sew, let alone tailor. That's where Bae Sam Do, a master tailor trained by Lee Man Sool, comes in. Bae is like a son to the Lees so he and his wife, Bok Sun Nyeo, move into an apartment the Lees have on their property. The apartment has 2 bedrooms and the 2nd room houses a down on his luck singer named Tae Pyung Sung. He is wooed by the Lees black widow daughter, Dong Sok. Na Yun Shil, a sad pathetic excuse of a character, is an employee and eventual love interest for Dong Jin. Let me just say for the record that they bored the heck out of me and are the main reason why I stopped watching. I just couldn't take them any more. Na's story line is as idiotic as she is pathetic. I despise pathetic female characters that can't do anything for themselves but run and cry. The other couples are fun to watch, but the lead couple, not so much. The cast is rounded out by the Mins and Kang Tae Yang. The Mins are rich and own clothing line, Meesa Apparel. The youngest Min is naive and somewhat annoying. She falls in love instantly with Kang Tae Yang, who is the childhood friend of Wolgyesu's Na Yun Shil. He's a very honest, caring, and likable character. He was deeply hurt by his ex and has no interest in romance.

The Wolgyesu cast is very strong, especially the supporting cast. Choi Won Young was fantastic as Tae Pyung. He looked great in his clothing and totally embodied his character. Choi and Park Joon Geum (Ko Eun Sook, Min family matriarch) were the highlights of every episode. Both, Tae Pyung & Eun Sook, were quirky and entertaining. I also really enjoyed Cha In Pyo as Sam Do & Ma Mi Ran as Sun Nyeo. Both characters were interesting and entertaining. Since the first time I saw Lee Dong Gun in When It's At Night, I thought he was a D-lister with little acting ability that was forced into lead male roles simply because of his height and looks. Wolgyesu didn't do much to change my mind, but I did come to find his acting passable mostly when he shared scenes with Choi, Cha, and Hyun Woo, who played Kang Tae Yang. The 4 of them plus Shin Goo, Lee patriarch, are considered the gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop.

The music was passable. There was nothing great about it. Wolgyesu has absolutely 0 rewatch value. Overall, I'm giving it a 6 because I truly did enjoy most of the cast and characters. Without them I'd give the drama a 4.5 - 5 at best. The big problem is the storyline(s) I disliked happen to be the one(s) that were at the forefront of the drama.

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A Hideous Waste of Time

One of the oddest and rarest things for me to do is to drop a drama. Even when I am thoroughly bored and annoyed, I keep plugging along. Almost, if not all of the drops in my stats are because the fansubber or streamer was a failure. This year has brought so many firsts and it includes the first time I just gave up. Honestly, I couldn't take it any more. I told myself at ep 5 to just get to 8. At 8 I said 'you're halfway there.' At 10 I thought I was close. But I just can't do it any longer. You may think it's only 4 episodes, but to many it's my precious time. Plus, I fast forwarded through most of the last 3 episodes and I simply refuse to go back.

This is one of the worst pieces of hot steamy garbage I've ever seen. It's poorly written and the directing is amateurish at best. The main story is too idiotic for words and the production isn't good enough to make me want to believe it. The journey isn't one I wish to go on. There's a disturbing age difference in my opinion. The lead couple is being shoved down your throat like a bitter pill. The ML is highly unlikable. He's selfish. He's a consummate liar. He's arrogant. And, sorry but in my opinion, he's unattractive. It's not a face I really want to look at. Go Ara's character is just stupid. I mean she is STUPID! If this was from Hollywood, she'd be blonde with big breasts, the stereotypical airhead.

This marked the first time I anticipated a Go Ara drama. Usually, I stumble upon her and enjoy her performances, so I was excited. I will not anticipate her work ever again. I imagine the director just told her to go stand and make her eyes as big as possible while either pouting or smiling. The scenes where she ate were supposed to be funny, but I found them disgusting. Her jaws poked out with food to show she's hungry. Really?! The rest of this talented cast isn't used much better. They were all wasted except for maybe the lead actor (I'm not even interested enough to look up his name) who was sub-par. It almost seemed as if everyone was brought down to his level instead of he rising to meet theirs. The one shining spot was Lee Soon Jae, but, um.... HE'S LEE SOON JAE! That's like saying the only good actor in the cast of an American tv show is Morgan Freeman. You don't have to direct that type of experience. They already know.

There's way too much music. A sign of a really bad director and editor is to overuse music even if the entertainment company is pushing a song. Go's character is a pianist. There's a lot of music being played. The last thing you need after a terrifically long scene of Brahms and Mozart is more freaking music and, yet, that's what happens. In one episode I swear there was a song every 2 minutes It was maddening.

I would require payment and copious amounts of wine to even think about finishing this craptastic piece of dung. There's no way I'd ever re-watch it.

I don't care about this drama. I don't care about the characters. I was actually routing for the death of at least one character. When I say I truly hate this drama, I am not exaggerating.

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The Worst Drama I Have EVER SUFFERED THROUGH

Like one of the other reviewers I watched this drama some time ago, so I do not remember any details. I'm only writing a review because I don't see how anyone could rate it any higher than a 1. I don't care if you're a fan of one of the actors or not. I watched this because at the time I was really into Ella. I had just finished re-watching Hana Kimi and Down With Love. A friend and I thought we'd watch another one of Ella's dramas and she picked The Rose. That was over 10 years ago and I have never let her pick again.

While the story is interesting, it is poorly executed and the acting, especially that done by Joe Cheng was horrid. Absolutely horrid. It don't remember anything about the music. All I truly know is that I loathed it. It took me the better part of a year to finish this drama. That's how bad it was. A year to watch 26 episodes. In contrast I just finished a 100 episode drama in a week. I wanted to make it the first drama I ever dropped, but my friend kept begging me to stay with it. In the end she blamed me for letting her choose such a horrible drama. This drama is just...I just... Seriously, it's bad y'all. Really Really Bad! Suffer at your own risk. If I could score it in the negative, I would.

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