This review may contain spoilers
Chronicle of Life started well, but ended with complete boredom. The premise of the story is good, but the execution was lacking as the story went round and round. The upside and difference in the story is that a majority of it happened outside of the palace and there was less bickering between the women than in other dramas like this. Rest assured that there is some bitterness between the courtesans and of course the mother and grandmother, but it doesn't take up the entire story. One plus is the excellent love in this drama accompanied by cheesiness and cuteness. I like those parts.I will just be real here. The ending is stupid and at that point I just didn't care anymore. I didn't feel anything for the main characters and was irritated with the writing of some of the other characters. I wish I could post spoilers, because I have some lengthy complaints. I scored COL a little higher because I didn't hate it and I love the cinematography, scenery, and costumes. Plus, the acting wasn't horrible.
I admit that I am a huge Lau Hawick fan, but I felt like he wasn't into his character as the Emperor. I also didn't feel the chemistry between him and Zheng Shuang as Lin Lang. They did have some really cute moments that made me smile. I felt more for Zhang Vin as Rong Rou and Zhang Edward as Chang Qing. I loved the characters and the actors. I felt like Chang Qing was written incorrectly at the end. His character would have made different choices for his love of family. Rong Rou was a beautiful character and I loved him most of all. The acting of the women was good also.
As I listen to the music it reminds me of a different song, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It is making me crazy.
I will never rewatch this.
I don't necessarily recommend this drama. If you like this genre, then it is an ok watch.
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On to the story. I gave this drama a higher score, because I like the premise. Genius teenage girl saves Mafia boss that falls in love with her. Besides the huge age difference of a grown man falling in love with a teenager, I thought that was cool. Even the main female lead character was annoying, because she was down on her looks and herself too much at times. The story has some great plot twists. The problem of the story line is that Stockholm syndrome is in abundance on this show. Another problem is that you have to get around the low budget scenes and the weak action scenes.
The acting is just...I don't know...over the top at times or stiff as a board. There is no natural ability that pulled me into a character. I felt like I was watching a drama rather than getting sucked in to the point that I forget it is a drama. The only person to write about is Mint Chalida as Ruthainark. She is really cute and her acting is good. I'm not even going to go into the other actors. None of them were good in this.
The music is fine.
I won't ever rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama to anyone. I would have given the drama a 1, but I liked the story line and the girl.
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This review may contain spoilers
This has a huge group of talented young people. If they are all truly playing the instruments and singing, then they deserve props for that. I'm not a big fan of high school dramas, but I have watched a few. This puts most of them to shame in the music department. The story is pretty typical for a high school drama...bullies, childhood traumas, first love,etc. However, it was directed like a musical and I enjoyed that. I can't post about the parts I liked, because we aren't supposed to post spoilers. Bummer!!! ;-)Ha Yeon Soo as Se Yi and Da Hee as NaNa were my favorites. However, I liked all the actors and I thought they all did an excellent job.
The music is outstanding!!! You should watch this drama for that alone.
I will probably rewatch this at some point.
I recommend this drama for all ages.
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Joe Chen is really cute and a good actress, but Rong Jin Xiu wasn't the best role. For her character to be smart at one point and then to make foolish decisions. Well, her character paid for those decisions in a huge way. I think she had decent chemistry with Huang Xiao Ming who played Zuo Zhen. He is an excellent actor. I like how he showed control of his emotions without being a cold person. Plus he is HOT! Kelsey Lu is also a good actress, but the character Yin Ming Zhu is one of the most annoying I have ever seen. I get her past and why she did some of the things and I felt sorry for her when certain things happened to her that were totally not her fault. The problem is that I couldn't have cared less what happened to her by the end of the show. The other male characters weren't likable to me. The actors did fine jobs at playing the characters though. At least Qiao Kimi as Xiang Ying Dong admitted his selfishness. Let’s talk about some hotness overload in Qi Ji as Maeda Ryuichi. He plays crazy really well and there absolutely no redeeming qualities for his character, but he did it so well. I really enjoyed his acting. The other actors are good too.
The music is ok.
I won't rewatch this.
I recommend this drama. It isn't perfect, but it is entertaining.
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This review may contain spoilers
This contains all kinds of spoilers...It has been a while since I wrote a review but i thought I should since this drama is getting such bad ones.
The story is well done. There are a few flaws but overall it connects everyone and everything well. If people are mad about who the FL ends up with, then I'm not sure we are seeing the drama from the same perspective.
Cha Hyung Bin helps set up Gong Ji Chul as a serial killer just because that is what he believes and NOT because of any real evidence. One murder does not make a serial killer. Who really cares that Ji Chul who was habitually mistreated kills a woman that has killed a child in his misguided attempt to save the one person who was kind to him? I don't. It seems justified to me.
Jung Ha Eun is who pisses me off. WTH? She doesn't even try to see the truth and betrays Ji Chul in the most hurtful way by calling him an animal. She is blindly in love with a man that is blinded by his own bias against Ji Chul. Hyung Bin is a know it all trying to act all righteous.
Then in the reincarnation Kim Soo Hyuk is no better. He's doing the same thing with more power. Setting people up based on his belief. The writer tries to pull it off as righteous judgment but it is just plain wrong.
Then we have Chun Jong Bum who is again misunderstood and mistreated. What a messed up family. Still he does the best he can, but Soo Hyuk tries to set him up again. Then Soo Hyuk friggin' shoots him in the head with no consequences. What kind of BS is that?
It is ridiculous to me that people see Chun Jong Bum/Gong Ji Chul as the bad guy and Kim Soo Hyuk/Cha Hyung Bin as the good guy. They both have depths to their characters and there is a bit of grey area in both but I feel Jong Bum is a way better person than Soo Hyuk.
At least in the reincarnation Jung So Bin tries harder to see the truth and finally sees both men for who they are in this life time as well as the previous one.
Personally I feel like she didn't deserve Jong Bum or Ji Chul.
The rest of the enter twining characters made it interesting.
All of the acting was good. Those boys did a really good job.
The music is good.
No reason to watch it again.
I recommend this drama. It is very entertaining and makes you think.
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I know a lot of people don't like Kim Hyun Joong as an actor. To that I say "pish posh". The stamina it took him to be Shin Jung Tae through this drama is enough for me. I have never thought he was a bad actor. He may not be the best, but he doesn't suck. Plus he is cute.
All of that being said, Kim Sung Oh as Jung Jae Hwa stole the show. His acting is stellar and I could just fall into those eyes. He needs a lead role ASAP. What is with all his supporting and guest roles? Do they not know a good thing when they see it?
I also loved Song Jae Rim as Leader Mo and Kim Seo Kyung as Aika (spelling may be wrong). They are both really good actors. Song Jae Rim's little smirky smile is as good as his fighting.
The lead actress leave a lot to be desired, but at least Im Soo Hyang as Gaya kicked some butt. I could have cared less about Jin Se Yeon as Ok Ryeon. I didn't like her in Bridal Mask and my thoughts haven't changed after watching this.
All of the other actors did well in their roles also.
I like the music a lot.
If you like action and/or period dramas, then this is definitely one you should watch.
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Although, I like the actors in this, there was no chemistry between them. It all felt forced and I really couldn't care about the characters or the romance. Krystal isn't a very good actress. I guess the age gap between her and Rain left the skinship to a minimum which left the romance between Se Na and Hyun Wook luke warm at best. L didn't have any chemistry with Krystal either, but at least Shi Woo and Se Na had a camaraderie that was believable.
The music is really good.
I will never rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama unless you only watch it to see Rain and L...it Isn't even worth it for that to me when Rain and L have been in better dramas .
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The acting was top notch. Ji Change Wook, Park Min Young, and Yoo Ji Tae were daebak as Seo Jang Hoo, Chae Yeong Shin, Kim Moon Ho respectively. There is so much I can say about their chemistry and acting abilities, but I'm going to concentrate on the supporting cast. I have always liked veteran actress Kim Mi Kyung. She killed it as hacker extraordinaire, Jo Min Ja. I loved her quirky character. Also, Jeong Gyoo Soo was scary and creepy as Kim Moon Shik's assistant. That hand covered smirk made me want to beat the crap out of him myself. For such a minor role, he made me hate him the most. All of the actors are good.
The music is really good. I have a lot of it on my play list already.
I will probably rewatch this at some point.
I highly recommend this drama.
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So Ji Sub and Son Ye Jin are excellent actors no matter what. Plus they are easy on the eyes and had good chemistry.
The music is pretty.
I would rewatch this.
I recommend this movie to people that are into love stories.
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The synopsis for this drama doesn't even begin to tell the story. It is dark, but somehow gives hope. The story is very detailed and all the characters are intricately combined. The imagery as well as the references to Dante's inferno and Rodin's Gateway to Hell etc. trigger so many emotions and elicit so many thoughts. The use of the tarot cards throughout gives answers and brings questions. I was blown away by the way each character’s story is told. The cinematography was so well done. There were so many scenes that I thought were perfectly portrayed. There are very few times in this drama when I knew what was going to happen next. I watched this ***with my sister, finally someone to watch drama with*** in a few days because it was hard to stop due to the perfect pacing of the drama. I almost felt desperate to know what was going to happen next. The ending is one of the best that I have ever seen. I would give this drama a 10 for the ending alone. This isn't a romance and there is no fairy tale. If that is what you want to watch, then this is not the drama you are looking for.
The acting is beyond great. Uhm Tae Woong plays Kang Oh Soo who is the detective of this drama. I won't try to tell his story, because it is too complex. I have liked Tae Woong as an actor for a long time, but his portrayal of Kang Oh Soo’s good, bad, and ugly emotions is perfect. It is hard not to find this character pitiful and lovable. Joo Ji Hoon plays Oh Seung Ha. This character is so multifaceted. He is cold but just by using Ji Hoon’s expressions, I knew there was more to him. There is no way that I could not be sympathetic to his character. I have seen Ji Hoon in Goong and Antique Bakery. I liked him in both, but I really had no idea that he could pull something like this off. It makes me want to watch Five Fingers next. I love Shin Min Ah. She is one of my favorite actresses. I don’t know why she isn't in more dramas. I’m really enjoying her in Arang and the Magistrate also which is airing right now. I hope she does many, many more. Her portrayal of Seo Ha In is so good. She IS the light in this drama. There are so many more characters that make this drama worth watching. Usually I get annoyed with secondary stories and lots of secondary characters, but for this drama every character had his/her place and the actors did a great job of bringing those characters to life.
Honestly, I couldn't tell you what music was played in this drama. I can say though that it wasn't annoying like some music in a melodrama can be.
I will rewatch this at some point.
I recommend this to anyone who likes revenge and psychological dramas.
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Jo In Sung can play any part he is given as proof through his enactment of Jang Jae Yeol. His character was cool, confident, and romantic on one hand, then hurt, scared, and child-like on the other. It is so great when a good looking actor is actually good at acting. Gong Hyo Job was also wonderful as Ji Had Soo. She is strong yet vulnerable. Side note: she has some long legs. I never realized that before, but seeing her standing next to In Sung made it prominent. There is also great chemistry between them...really between all of the actors. I love me some Lee Kwang Soo. He is a good actor. I some times forget that from watching him act silly on Running Man. For those of you who like EXO, D.O. does a good job as Han Kang Woo.
The music is good.
I will rewatch this...tempted to do it now.
If you like the strange and unusual, then this is the drarma for you.
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Lee Dong Gun, Jung Yong Hwa, Yoon Eun Hye and Han Chae Ah did a great job with their characters. I know that some people have problems with a few of these actors, but I think they all did an excellent job.
The music is annoying.
I won't rewatch this.
I think that if you like dramas that make you think, then this is a good one for it. Especially if you like the thought of time travel and parallel universes.
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Park Shi Yen and the writer did an excellent job balancing the strength and vulnerability of Hyeon Myeong Yi. Bae Su Bin was also good as the strange and unusual Jo Eun Cha. Their characters were the most consistent and had the best growth. The other actors were fine also. Little Dan is just too cute.
Side note: Although I don't find No Min Woo to be that great of an actor, he does strip a few times in this. Worth watching those parts. Keke
The music was appropriate.
I will never rewatch this.
This is a good drama. I recommend it.
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I like the main actors, but even the best actors could not have saved this drama. I usually hate dramas with a lot of bi-stories and unnecessary actors, but this time they were actually the entertainment to me. The detective running around winking at people and the "other" girls chasing the male leads are too funny.
The music is fine.
I will never rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama, but if you insist on watching it, then I suggest watching to episode 6 skipping to episode 15.
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