is not big or anything alike that but is simple and so Realistic and that's is the point here, the plot is so easy to relate
Cast :
a lot new face here but trust me they all can act their character well and im kinda surprised because...
Acting:
their ACTING is very good! not all but almost, it really making me into the story
Music: is soo good! my god. i keep repeating some scene just because the soundtrack so nice and perfectly placed
Rewatch Value : damn this thing is so useful, i definitely will rewatch this again to make sure im not making many mistake in dating later in life hahaha
OVERALL VERY NICE WEB DRAMA, WORTH EVERY SECOND!
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This review may contain spoilers
YIN AND YANG
"The Yin-Yang, an ancient symbol of harmony and balance, challenges the conventional association of light with good and darkness with evil "
One is known as the harbinger of doom, a jinx, and a cunning "evil" person, but fell in love with the immortal who is the protector of the four realms.
One is kind, and virtuous and was born with an auspicious sign, but fell in love with an insidious person who will do anything to satisfy his ambition.
This makes the 2 main couples the perfect example of Yin and Yang, they complete and balance each other.
This drama has the typical Xianxia traits but with a twist, I assure you that. I'll start by praising the CGI, definitely one of this drama's most powerful traits, it looks so beautiful and doesn't look fake or tacky, especially the love bridge scene(which sealed the deal for me and urged me to keep watching) and the battle of Guixu partnered with the beautiful ost's. The 2 lead couples including the side characters' acting are natural and don't look awkward, they did a great job that I cry when they are suffering and laugh so hard when they are being funny. They left such a deep impression on me that I don't think it will be easy for me to forget them for a few years or even more. One of the things I like in this drama is that the ML is different from other Xianxia MLs who are usually cold & unfeeling, the ML here has social anxiety, awkwardness, and vulnerability, something we basically never see in a Xianxia ML. There is so much to SDYQ that looking back at the first 4 ep., having watched all 40 ep. all I can say is that he's one of the most intricately built characters I've seen in Cdramaland, not just in Xianxia.
I also like the fact that each character was given their own time to shine and doesn't only focus on the leads just like most dramas. This drama has 4 couples that are written so well and weren't rushed so you can see the development, especially for the main couple who went from always bickering and can't stand each other to a lovestruck and can't bear to leave each other even for just a few moments couple. Although the 2nd couple's relationship first started with deception, which made me not like the 3rd prince but after all misunderstandings were cleared between them, it made me root for their relationship (not interested in them at first cause it's the typical bad boy-good girl trope but this couple made me change my mind and actually made me like something that I thought is already overused).
The romance development of the main leads is not as fast as the 2nd couple, they were more of like a slow-burn type but still won't make you feel like it's draggy. The mortal realm is where the romance starts for the main couple and it's also where you see the development between the leads. While the 2nd couple started nicely with all the 2nd ML's lies so their romance development was a bit faster. The pacing is also perfect, not too rushed or with a lot of fillers, especially in the mortal arc where it usually gets draggy, but here, it's action-packed that keeps the plot moving, and also doesn't have a lot of inside dialogue.
There's not much of a misunderstanding and they were all easily resolved and didn't cause major fights between the couples when the lies came to light. Might I also add the skyrocketing chemistry between the leads and the sweet, fluffy moments that are enough to give you diabetes. There are also no love triangles (there is a pentagon though HAHA), each character has their own partners which makes it better because there's no 2nd ML or FL who turns dark after they can't get the girl/boy. I also love how this drama's ML is willing to fight against his own father, the rules he has come to know; practically everything, even the whole world, just for the sake of the woman he has come to love. The woman who told him it's alright to be afraid; the woman who fearlessly & verbally fought and insulted his father for him, the woman who risked her own life to descend to the mortal realm and painstakingly looked for him just so she could revive him. It's practically me and you against the whole world.
The FLs here are also not the usual FLs who are naïve and weak. The main FL is smart and cunning but still kind despite all the abuse she received in her childhood, she stayed strong enough to not let her past twist her into someone resentful when she had every right to be. The 2nd FL might be kind and weaker than her sister, but she has a hidden temper and knows how to stand on her own feet and take care of herself when fighting against her opponent in her own way in the dreary Void realm. I just love the unconditional love both sisters have for each other and the way were willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. I also love that they were the ones to propose to their MLs, and not the other way around.
I'm completely smitten by them and their love story. The main couple's relationship has to be one of the healthiest and most supportive in Cdramaland; actually, both the relationships of YQ & CF are, minus the fact that CF wanted to harm QK, YT, and YQ in the earlier episodes. But in the end, both YQ & CF love their women more than anything and would never harm them. Even a memoryless Youqin couldn't bring himself to hurt Yetan. His love is that powerful. The brothers-in-law even came to terms with each other for their wives and eventually became buddies, but still can't help but make fun of each other every chance they get.
But of course, it's not only the romantic relationships that I love but also the friendships the leads have with their friends: Chaofeng with his comedic & partner-in-crime Haichao, Youqin & his loyal sidekick Feichi, and of course, I will never forget Ye Tan & Di Lanjue; I absolutely love their friendship together with Manman. Di Lanjue, the person alongside Manman who stuck through thick and thin and stayed by Tan's side until the very end( I know Manman would have done the same thing, which I absolutely would have wanted to see), I love how he always protectively puts his arms in front of YT whenever he senses danger like he's ready to sacrifice his life, and basically saying that they will have to go through him first to get to Tan. And might I also add that Di Lanjue even locked the 2 Shaodian siblings up after hearing that Tan wanted the 3 shards to have their own lives, even though he knew that Ziwu had the upper hand on him by knowing a secret that he didn't want others to know and was basically using it to blackmail him. YT, DLJ, & MM grew up together; they knew what each of them was thinking without them saying it, and they protected each other even at the cost of their lives. The 3 of them are practically platonic soulmates.
I would also like to praise the acting of the actors, especially our ML who has to act out 5 different personalities that are completely different from each other. He did it so well that you can clearly distinguish who is who and can't help but feel bad for the other shards knowing there are 3 of them and when Youqin 2.0 came back to life, I was able to see shadows of the shards within him. The FL did well in making her character likable even though it's the kind of FL personality that you'll find annoying but the actress here made me love her character with all her snarky remarks and funny personality. Despite being a newbie the 2nd ML did well on acting his part that he made me hate him but also like him at the same time, same goes for our 2nd FL who was able to portray a gentle but still strong character, and let's not forget our Beast realm prince Di Lanjue; the way he cried when Manman died was so heartbreaking; he didn't sob, didn't scream, didn't make a single sound, but the way his eyes were so red with tears in addition to his facial expressions SCREAMED just how heartbroken he was; his acting was superb! He was and still is the reason why I was crying FULL ON at the coffin scene.
All in all, the acting of the cast in this drama is on point, especially in the crying scenes. I don't think I would hate a character this much or love a character this much but they made me do it.
The writers, directors, and actors nailed every single character and scene in this drama. From the OSTs to the acting to the CGI, and not a single episode dragging; side characters well built; tropes revised and reconstructed; & the awesome chemistry between all the couples; the bar is just too damn high that it's more than enough for me to say that this drama is one of the best, not just in the Xianxia genre but in the whole of Cramaland.
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The actors are some of my favorites though.
The music was the best part about the mini-drama.
I will never rewatch this.
If you want a short drama, then this one is an ok watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Most beautiful and heart-wrenching c-drama I have watched
10/10 Acting. ML spoke with so much sharpness and power and authority. FL spoke with so much passion. They truly owned the role.10/10 Costumes. They looked EXPENSIVE. Beautiful costumes. Make-up was flawless.
10/10 Top tier CGI. They truly paid attention to the details. It was so beautifully done.
10/10 Storyline. It made my heart go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Truly the anti-hero male lead that is evil and does not go soft just because of his love for FL. However it is so attractive to see him evil and love FL.
Overall, Best wuxia romance drama of the century. Beautifully done. It will be difficult to top this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
I remember telling my husband after I watched the very first episode of this drama that if there were a Kdrama I could get him to like, it would be this one. It felt that different and that well done. The directing, the acting, the music - all of it feels cohesive and unlike your usual Kdrama fare (which I love mind you, but it's refreshing to see something new). Well, not that new to American audiences, since this drama is the epitome of Noir. It is an homage to Noir right down to its smallest molecule. Over at The Vault (http://vaultofdoom.wordpress.com/) there are several brilliant reviews of Cruel City including some very insightful information about the Noir genre, and he describes Noir and praises Cruel City much better than I ever could so I won't even try to approach his level of sophistication or detail here. However, I just wanted to post a review so more MDL'ers will give this show a go.
I'll start with the acting, which is what I loved the most. Bad acting will turn me off a drama very quickly, but great acting will just as quickly suck me in for the long run. Nam Gyu Ri (Soo Min) and Lee Jae Yoon (Hyung Min) are the weak links but they are serviceable. Jung Ji Soon (Chairman Jo) and Son Chang Min (Min Hong Ki) were really great. And, Kim Yoo Mi (as Jin Sook), Choi Moo Sung (Safari), and, of course, Jung Kyung Ho (Doctor's Son) are BRILLIANT! Past brilliant! Their performances were transcendental and I will be measuring so many future acting performances against them. Jung Kyung Ho was quite good in Time Between Dog and Wolf, but in this he is better than nearly any Kdrama actor I've ever seen. Even if you don't like Noir, come from Jung Kyung Ho and stay for Jung Kyung Ho, and you won't be disappointed.
Next the directing and cinematography. I couldn't see any flaws here. The drama stayed true to its grittiness from beginning to end. It has that kind of dark cool look to it that reminded me of Vampire Prosecutor, with the muted colors (except blood). The fight scenes were excellent and early on there is a fight scene homage to Old Boy that was just so very sweet!
The writing is quite good, although gets just a little sloppy and repeat-y towards the end, but less so than most dramas. What it does best is keep the romance to the sidelines to focus on the meat of the story, never falling into that Kdrama trap of pandering to the female audience. It never loses sight of it's Noir roots and for that I really applaud JTBC and the writer. They had a vision and they let no amount of audience pressure force them to romance it up or tone down the Noir. I have found that to be why cable channels in Korea often have the best shows, since they don't bow to the ratings god and maintain more integrity and uniqueness.
Finally, I'll cover the music, which is something I don't tend to get too excited about one way or another with dramas since it's just not really my thing. I am all about acting and directing. However, the music in Cruel City is really something to be praised. I noticed right away how the music was always the right volume and the right kind for the moment. They knew when to cut it out and what kind to use to ALWAYS add and never detract from the action. It was bloody brilliant. One of the best Kdrama soundtracks I've ever heard.
Overall, this is a drama not to be missed. It's unique. It has integrity. It is exciting and fast-paced. And the acting is stellar. I will be thinking about this drama for a long time, and using it as a measuring stick against which I will judge many other dramas that aspire to do the same. For example, Shark ended the same time and I watched the finale of Shark the same day I watched Cruel City's. They were both very dark melodramatic dramas. Shark had a bigger budget and a more star-studded cast and a writing team with a very good reputation. At the end of Shark I said "meh" and went about my day. I just really couldn't be made to care at that point because I the writers and actors never really made me care throughout the whole drama. At the end of Cruel City, well..............I can't really say because it might be considered a spoiler, but let's just say I really, REALLY cared about what happened to those characters, as if they were real people. A day later and I am experiencing Kdrama hangover from Cruel City and I know that means it was great.
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Don't fool with evolution
In "Gyeongseong Creature" Park Seo Joon plays Tae Sang, and Han So Hee is Yoon Chae Ok. During the final year of WWII Korea, the setting reminded me of a mix of "Mr Sunshine" and "Song of the Bandits".The first episode rolls hard right away. Through the episodes, the leads are steadily challenged in their roles. Considering the constant threat from not just the creature but also the Japanese, there wasn't a lot of time for romance. But our leads are united by mutual agendas, and their interest in each other progresses as the plot allows. The acting and structure are great. Kim Su Hyun was also good as Lady Maeda. My favorite male actor is Park Seo Joon, but as anyone who has read my profile or previous reviews knows, I'm all about the story first. No story gets an automatic pass just because it's starring my favorite stars.
I can say, my dude Park Joon performed well. It wasn't the finest I've seen. Nevertheless, his performance still stood out, and I couldn't help but appreciate it.
As for the supporting cast, they were okay. The main villains were believable, they did the job in making me hate them. As far as the cinematography and sets are concerned, they were excellent. I was sold on the premise. Korea during 1945, costumes and cars. The prison cells and experimental wards in the lower layers of Ongseong Hospital. I thought the creature effects were okay considering the end results and the atmosphere. This dark tale highlights war's devastating effects of enemy occupation, while also exploring human emotions and relationships. In addition, there is a creature lurking around.
All in all, the series was a great watch and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good creature movie or series.
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This story is filled with so much action, despair, unconditional love, and real world examples to the legal justice faces everyday. It was the fist episode that caught me, then it was the actors, then it was the unbelievable twists for each characters role. It seems to the very end nothing makes senses. Even the moments of deep trust for the bonds formed within both sides were tested, to the extremes. I couldn't see how this would end; yet, whether good or bad I'm glad I stuck though it. So I recommend this to all who can stomach violence and heart ranching agony. Who will fall in love with the music, cast and above all the story; and reach a new understanding to the dark side of crime. Also when you reach the last episode credits, go on YouTube and play the ending song... it really helps deepen the point of the story.
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Disappointing
(I'm not a native speaker, I apologise for any mistakes).Soooo, when I write this review, 2gether has just ended and the only word that come to my mouth to describe this drama is "disappointing". I didn't dislike the show and I don't want to be rude but it doesn't deserve this current mydramalist rating (9), at least for me.
I really liked the beginning of 2gether. There were new and good looking actors, fresh storyline, nice music. Even if the story was basic it was still okay because thanks to the characters and the chemistry between the two leads. It was okay until episode 7 I think. Then, when the story of the second couples begin to be more interesting, the one of Sarawat and Tine became boring. The story became so cliché, the last episode was so useless. Nothing happened! About the story with Pam,I had the feeling it was only here to add more episodes but that's all. It was so annoying to see the leads fighting whereas a little discussion could have solved any problem. Tine didn't want to listen to Sarawat, Sarawat was doing nothing etc. The only thing that was fine, at the end, was the second couples, and especially the one with Type and Man. I really loved them! It's a shame that they didn't have that much of screen time and that their story only really began and the last quarter of the series. These characters were underdeveloped.
I just want to talk about the romance and the chemistry, and for that I will make some comparisons with SOTUS. Why this drama? Because it's my favourite BL and because I think that it's similar. By that I mean that in both 2gether and SOTUS the romance is shy : there are no much kiss scenes or intimate scenes. First about the chemistry. If there was A LOT of chemistry at the beginning, this same chemistry decreased and at the end I was just feeling....nothing. When Kongpob and Arthit are together, just when they look at each other we can feel that there is SOMETHING between then. During the 2nd part I didn't feel that between Tine and Sarawat. Maybe it's just me. Then, about the kiss scenes. I think it wasn't natural at all. Some kisses were also "fake" (like "movie-kiss") and there wasn't any real romantic kiss. There was the drunken-kiss, the kiss to say "I love you got it?" and the angry-kiss. But no actual and genuine romantic kiss scenes sadly. In SOTUS, there are a lot of suggestions about their sexual life. Here there were non. I agree they just began to date. But why are they moving together when they just began to date then? If the "can I touch your boobs" was funny at the beginning, it wasn't very subtile and at the end, I was just annoyed by that. The character development and the evolution of the romance weren't well-written unfortunately.
The end was soooo disappointing. Not even a kiss. Just the guitar, a high five and Sarawat who touch Tine's head (after one year of relationship??)... The acting wasn't bad, but sometimes Bright really lacked of natural in his expressions...
2gether is a refreshing BL. Indeed, the songs are nice and it makes the viewer discovers more about Scrubb songs, which is nice. The leads are good looking and I think that for those who are not used to BL dramas it was cool and it's one of the reason why so much people appreciated this show. But for me it's just an average drama and I feel very sad about this because I actually loved the first episodes very much.
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Jtbc must have been unconscious while reading the script and eventually approved it.
Simply trash. Wasted cast potential. Fire the scriptwriter. Should only be 3 episodes: 1,12,16.The review required at least 500 characters so...
Firstly, of course the scriptwriter. She must hate men so much that she created the most annoying female lead I've ever seen
Secondly, the directing was a problem. Too many unecessary scenes, weird angles
The acting was okay it could have been better if not for the terrible, horrible script.
Music is nice not too memorable whatsoever
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Story: Let's be honest, it's not original. I've watched, at least, one other movie where the witness of a crime is blind. It, also, falls into thriller movie cliches, which makes it ordinary, but that doesn't not mean it's not good. It's actually quite absorbing and you can't help but to give all your attention to it. Also, I love the camera work and the way they blended the world of the blind with the world of the seeing in some scenes.
Acting/Cast: I liked the acting. I thought the ways the characters interacted with each other were very good. I'll admit I had my reserves about it after watching Kim Ha Neul in "You Are my Pet". She had failed to impress me in it. But I'm glad I watched this. She plays a totally different character than she did in YAMP, and does a really good job of it. Yoo Seung Ho is quite impressive in it too.
Music: To be honest, it wasn't bad, but it's quite forgettable. But it did what it was supposed to do in the moment, accompany the actions and pace of the movie.
I'll re-watch this movie eventually since I really enjoyed it.
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This review may contain spoilers
The back and forth comparison with this drama and its first version compelled me to record my own experience.I'm jumping on the bandwagon for those who agreed the first one was better.
This one was trying to follow the same format and formula as the first one, injecting bits of mystery and melodrama in the storyline just to make it a little different but ended up incohesive and jarring.
Have a trio of girlfriends each with their own entirely unique personality, taste, and love lines - Check!
Present a broken long-term intimate relationship that had gone through an on-off even helter-skelter ride - Check!
Present a strong new love to rival the first - Check!
I think I will stop here before I ultimately enter spoiler territory.
But that gives you some of the format and formula I mentioned. The first problem I should mention is the transition. Okay, we've shown this and that, it's now the phase for realization and jealousy, so let's depict that in this episode. And BAM! Here's your jealousy rage... How about character development? I think that due to the new elements introduced in this series, it failed in managing to fit those smoothly in a 16 episodes format. While the characters are rushing through these emotional phases, I on the one hand am only just beginning to get into their involvement.
'Twas very tasking to keep in-synched with main characters' behavior, not until we reached the end with them.
There was very little I can appreciate in this drama. There was perhaps the music, the filler stories, the depiction of romance which were all at least at par with the first series. I would also agree with those who claimed that this had been casts with better male lead actors. These might all be enough for you to give this one a try or if you're just wanting to find your own comparison.
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Words aren’t enough in order to describe the cast and their acting. Both major and minor characters were given brilliant portrayals by the actors. But I’ll only be mentioning the three leads here due to time constraint. First, Park Si Yeon. She’s a decent actress, but I still feel a lack of connection with her. When I watch her act, I can’t fully receive the emotions she’s trying to deliver. It’s like I only receive about 70-80% of the emotions I was supposed to receive from her. Nonetheless, she’s good and the role suits her well. Honestly, I prefer her having bitchy roles like this than being the heroine, because she’s better as a bitch. Next, Moon Chae Won. If I’m not mistaken, I believe this is the first time I ever encountered her, but I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about her. And my ears definitely heard right. I was really impressed by her strong acting. How she was able to switch back and forth from the icy bitch Eungi to the soft and innocent Eungi was really commendable. And finally, the love of my life. Good things do come to those who wait. After waiting for such a long time, I rejoiced when I found out Joong Ki was cast as a lead in a drama. It’s been tiring seeing him as a supporting actor, because I know he’s too good for supporting roles. I’m really thankful that Joong Ki finally got the recognition as a drama lead. His acting was really really really flawless. From beginning to end, he was able to maintain the intensity of his acting. He was so passionate in acting that sometimes it felt like Kang Maru exists in real life. I felt like Song Joong Ki does not exist, only Kang Maru. Song Joong Ki really did an excellent portrayal of Kang Maru, one of the most tragic and unforgettable characters in Kdramaland.
I may not have been addicted to the music, but the music was nostalgic and suits the drama well. I especially like Junsu’s song. Just by listening to that song, all the emotions I had with Nice Guy suddenly rushes back to me.
I would rewatch this over and over again if only I had the time. Unfortunately, there are a lot of dramas waiting in line for me to watch, so until I finish those, Nice Guy has to wait.
For someone who’s madly in love with sappy melodramas, I initially wondered whether this drama could win the hearts of the people. Because let’s face it: successful dramas nowadays come from either the rom-com or the saeguk genre. Melodramas were iconic once upon a time. Then suddenly, people weren’t so interested in them anymore, and so the melodrama genre slightly turned bland. But I never lost interest in them. I'm glad I didn't, or I never would have ended up watching this once-in-a-lifetime drama. Filled with breathtaking sceneries and beautiful narrations, this drama not only brought melodrama to an entirely new level, but also left one important life lesson: Nothing is ever too late.
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Story: 8/10
It's not a plot we havent seen before.Young man has a relationship with an older woman.. Nothing new. But what made this drama greater than others is that sex was not a taboo. They spoke freely about it,something unusual for asian dramas/movies.
Cast: 10/10
The cast was very well chosen. Miura Haruma .... Well What can I tell about him-I love him! Such an amazing actor and he's soooo handsome. Ryuko is a good actress,I've seen her before. She played really well. Fujiki Naohito-I must say I adored his character . And Sakura's friends were halarious!
Acting: 10/10
In one sentence - they did their jobs amazingly!
Music: 8/10
The music was nice. :D
Rewatch Value: 10/10
I really enjoyed it and I will definitely rewatch it someday.
Overall: 10/10
The drama was very entertaining,cute,romantic,the cast did'nt dissapoint me even a bit. The age gab was totally forgotten,because of the chemistry between the main leads. It was a very good drama and I hightly recommend it! :)
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