Completed
Hidden Love
13 people found this review helpful
Jul 21, 2023
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

When your high school love turn real

Made me giggly like a high school girl thinking about her first crush. But also bawling like a girl that just breaking up with her first love.

The main couple both are sweet human being and the biggest green flags ever. Their love is so pure, and I love that they really respect and rely to each other in a very healthy manner.

FL's family is a model family with believable moral compass. I really adore this family relationship with each other.

Setting, costume, OST, and direction is so well thought. And the last but definitely bot the least, the acting! All cast working so well and looks very natural. I never watch these casts work before, but I think Lu Si and Zhe Yuan are romance monster. They are so good. Really good. Whoever has first idea to put them together should get an award?

I'm gonna give shout out to Victor Ma. He is the most believable brother in drama land. He reminds me with my own brothers and several other stories about my friends brother. And he looks like he deserves his own story, I bet he will be very charming. But the rumored spinoff will use different actor, it's okay, but I still want to give shout out to him, haha.

I'm such a Kdrama girl before. But I should say well made Cdrama are superior. I really appreciate that they not afraid of 'clique' ending and forcing plot twist. Well made clique is good. I mean, so many people living similar life, yet so different.

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Completed
Love in the Moonlight
13 people found this review helpful
by cassey
Oct 28, 2016
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Gurumi is a fairy tale. There's the dashing Prince Charming in Crown Prince Lee Yeong, who has to be the swooniest kdrama male lead character ever. Park Bo Gum has always been amazing, but he is simply epic here. Ra On is the poor Cinderella girl with a heart of gold, which made a Kim Yoo Jung fan out of me. There's the evil wizard and the evil queen with the Kims. Fairy godmother in second lead heartbreaker Yoon Sung. So if you love a dreamy romance with all the feels amidst breathtaking scenes give it a try. First half of the drama was utterly magical, though some momentum was lost on the second half because it tackled more politics. In its heart, this drama is essentially a feel-good tale about a coming-of-age story of a young prince you'll hopelessly fall for.

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Completed
Extracurricular
13 people found this review helpful
May 8, 2020
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 3.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
The problem with this drama is it was extremely boring and frustrating. The whole of this drama is made to make us question the MC actions however there are numerous SC who show us that they are wrong. First of all, the premise of this drama is that the guy is a pimp and how after someone finds about this everything just goes into a downward spiral.

There are numerous problems with the fact that this drama is boring. Let's start with one of the main problems. The characters seem to not have many motivations and are doing things for only one viable reason. This makes them appear quite flat and bland. They have little to no ambitions and the whole point of this was to make the characters be simple but their life complex. This idea sounds good on paper but when it is executed there is just a big old mess of ideas and themes they want to take up. To show so many problems make it unclear what direction the drama wants to go and makes the whole ride a bit messy.

This can be shown within the characters themselves. For example, Seo Minhee is a girl who offers compensated dating and gets one bad experience which ruins the way she views the business. She grows from this experience and views the world differently due to this incident. She becomes closer to Mr.Lee and genuinely wants to pursue a better life. Now, this premise sounds interesting and it could've been interesting however they make her a truly flat character who doesn't seem to have any motivation to do what she does. There seem to be no reasons for her offering services like that at such a young age it's just forgotten about. The only reason that is shown is that she loves her boyfriend though there never seems to be any evidence of this to follow through.

Another good example is Seo Minhee's Boyfriend, Kwak Kitae. This is the classic school bully trope who has an army of cronies under him. They show him as smart, quick, strong and an egoist. This is another example of an extremely interesting character who's gone to waste. I must admit I am a bit favourable to the actor of Kwak Ki Tae but the way they presented him was extremely one-note. He's just pure evil, there are no motivations, no ambitions. It's just that he's a bully and he's obsessed with his pride. Though he seems to have a soft spot for his girlfriend they never expand on that and instead shut it down by saying he's doing it for his pride though it doesn't expand on why. The problem with this character is that he's such a one-note bully and that would be fine if the drama presented itself as a Makjang however it didn't so this character becomes flat and boring.

The MC themselves are not people without problems and they probably have the most. While you do eventually get used to these characters, they both are extremely frustrating to watch and also have little to no motivations. They are presented as the ACE of their schools however we never see anything to back up that claim. Throughout the show, they seem to be doing extremely stupid actions that will land them in trouble. However, I did like the romance arc as their chemistry was natural and it was charming when they showed hints of their feelings. They both aren't interesting enough to carry the show or be in most of the scenes and this wasn't the actor's fault it was more of the script that gave this problem.

The ending is one of the most frustrating scenes I've ever seen as they just wanted to continue this for a new season. As almost everything is tied up but they still needed a few strings loose for a new season. It doesn't truly make sense why this happens and why they couldn't wrap up everything and make it end. This move was more to make sure this drama would renew for another season than just end it once and for all.

This drama was frustrating and missed a lot of great things it could've done. It had an interesting premise, fantastic promotions but was done badly. I wouldn't recommend you to watch this drama and wholly agree with the rating I have given!

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Completed
The Lure of the Hua Xu Song
13 people found this review helpful
Nov 9, 2015
48 of 48 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 4.0
It was so hard to give rating to this drama, I had a difficult time indeed. Why? Because I've never seen so far combination and mix of horrible effects, awful colours, low budget, terrible production and fantastic, cool and awesome female characters, amazing chemistry one of the best I've seen between all three side couples, the last two were so passionate, I loved that. So in the end I think this is maximum from me.
Main couple- Kevin was actually pretty good, I liked his character and Su Yu was the only male character here who fought and protected the girl selflessly even with the price of losing his own life but the main girl was really bad in acting and I couldn't feel a bit of chemistry between them, they seemed too fake.
Some of the supporting characters who were there I don't know why, too much of idiocy and stupid acting from them, actually drama could be better without them.
Three main couples in each part of the story- I liked all of them, I felt sorry for most of them and I felt love between all of them.
First couple Shen An and Song Ning I loved the most, what angst, passion, what extremely proud people, how they destroyed one each other only cause of misunderstandings, cowardly attitude and pride. Shen An the biggest coward ever and such a stupid man but still how much he loved her, we could see that and feel that. Song Ning- the best female character in here and one of the best I've met, definitely goes on my list dearest characters. It's so rare to see a woman like her, so intelligent, smart, brave, strong with golden heart, unselfish, simply admirable. Jiang Xin and Justin had freaking sizzling chemistry, I have to see them in some other drama together, such talented actors.
Second couple- they were the most realistic, so full of understanding, so cute and sweet while doing some trivial ordinary things which couples do, Ying Ge was such a tormented soul, I pitied her the most in whole drama and still she succeeded to fall in love and be happy even for a short while, Rong Yuan was my fav. male character here cause the man is just too great, he didn't want to hear anything, he believed in her actions, her eyes, her feelings, he didn't listen to anyone and that's why there wasn't some stupid misunderstanding coming from his side, amount of love he had for her was without limit, what a loyal and gran man he was, a real king. Also the actor is very beautiful. ;)
Third couple- personally I was too subjective cause I love the actor, he is so attractive and I love his acting, always full of passion, his character Su Heng and Murong An had the most beautiful scenes together, I loved their scenes in forest, their kisses, their conversations, he was so ambitious, ruthless and selfish cause he wanted to be a king yes but in the end he never loved anyone else beside her and he protected her no matter what. Npt that I approve his actions, I don't and I would run away sooner from him but still I could understand him sometimes.She was a goddess, how beautiful, how gracious, how graceful, a real forest goddess, i was staring at her all the time plus she was so unselfish and powerful in her mind and heart.
All these couples were destructive and in all of them male characters were most guilty for tragic ends and with less love towards their loved ones, women were giving more love, their own lives, more understanding and they were much more powerful and stronger than them.
That's why I loved this drama. And with wonderful OST, the ending song became my favourite song from Chinese dramas, it fits perfectly here with words, characters and their actions, I'm still listening song at least once in a day. Whole ost is really great with many capturing melodies, I enjoyed even more.

I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone who appreciate the most high budget production, decent effects and good acting from main characters but I'd still recommend to those who look for original idea, great chemistry and more interesting and important side couples with good acting coming from them.
In some way I did enjoy although I really couldn't stand what I already pointed out as bad, these side couples and amazing music managed to keep me going all the way till the end.

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Completed
Private Lives
13 people found this review helpful
Nov 26, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Left in a state of confusion

Poor production/directing .

The first 5 episodes were great but then i don't understand what happened next. There's too much story within a story without any conclusive consistency.

I still don't quite get what happened. It could be that my observational skills were lacking or the poor directing or both. Either way this drama was very much confusing, the last episode did not make much sense either.

However, i must commend the cast they did an excellent job in portraying their characters.
I would only recommend This drama for people who just want to pass time.

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Completed
Rooftop Prince
13 people found this review helpful
Jun 6, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
I started watching K-dramas two years ago and this being my very first maiden drama review on this site speaks volume about "Rooftop Prince" and the impression it has left on me. Three days had passed since I completed the show and the touching scenes within the show kept flashing in my mind even when I am writing this review.

Story:
At the beginning, it seems to have the making to be just a pure comedy given the ridiculous time travel element and yes, the first few episodes were very light hearted but they did a superb job in introducing the bigger scheme of things to come as well as set the stage for an epic romance between Lee Gak/Tae Yong and Park Ha that transcend the test of time and space. There were lots of heart-warming as well as heart-wrenching moments between those two. I witnessed my wife cried like a baby on several ocassions :)

Without revealing any potential spoilers, I personally like the last two episodes and I thought it was a beautiful and poetic way to end such a wonderful show even though it does leave you with a tinge of sadness. I think the message here is love will stand the test of time and to be together is worth celebrating no matter what may happen in the future.

Cast:
I can't find a single fault with any of the actors and actresses. They were totally into their roles. I like Mickey ever since I watched him in Sungkunkwan Scandal and I thought he was already very good then. In this show, he more than better his own performance. As for Han Ji Min, well, what can I say, this is the first time I ever watched her and I am already a fully converted fan of her after this show. Everytime she cries, she has the ability to make you feel really sad for Park Ha. I am already planning to watch her Padam Padam and Yi San after this show.

Music:
The OST for this drama is simply stunning especially the main theme song (not the funny one but the sad one, those who watched the show will know which one I am referring to). The lyrics brought out the essence of the entire show perfectly. If you listen to the song together with the lyrics especially during those heart-wrenching moments, it does makes u feel like crying.

Rewatch Value:
Usually I won't rewatch dramas because you already know the plot but this is one which I will definitely rewatch again within the next 3 months. It was that good!

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Completed
Shanghai Fortress
13 people found this review helpful
Sep 2, 2019
Completed 0
Overall 2.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 2.0
Finally, I watch Shanghai Fortress. The movie, which received so many poor and negative feedback from the viewer including its’ Director himself, Mr. Teng Huatao.
As I watch this movie, well, let me spell out here….. OMG Teng Huatao how can this movie failed because LUHAN? You must be crazy!! You out of your mind man!!
Now, I kind off agreed with some comments earlier from viewers from various article since this movie came out. This movie is a flop based on my review and comment! No offence to anybody, just an honest comments.
1. Opening of this movie, The Director too eager, to show-off his first time sci-fic movie. Rushing until we do not know what is happening and what? This movie supposed to be Sic-fic/Romance right? What is going on here? OMG!!
2. Yes very true the storyline is totally poor, this I must say. OMG! What a waste.
3. The Sci-fic that Teng Huatao trying to present …. Totally nothing special. Anything and everything in this movie, seen in other movie before. Bottom line… nothing to shout about. OMG terrible project you did Teng Huatao.
My question here, on whatever reason, this movie flop because of Luhan? OMG totally nothing to do with him. Totally nothing. Wake up Teng Huatao.
Let me re-cap, back in August 20, 2019. Based in one article with the headline, “Shanghai Fortress” Director Under Fire for Throwing Luhan Under The Bus”. In this article, during Teng Huatao earlier interview, he commented about one of the reason why his movie fail is because Luhan and because of this, Luhan’s fan get upset. I’m not so his fan but YES I’M UPSET TOO!! OMG. In this article, Teng Huatao commented earlier (in some other article & said):
1. He had no comment on Luhan’s acting skills. However, he also said this, “But I overlooked in difference in actor types. I used Luhan wrongly in a role wasn’t suitable for him”.

My comment: If Luhan not suitable than who suitable? Arnold Schwarzeneggar? OMG, Teng Huatao, in your movie, Luhan’s character is a 20 years old college student, who falls for an older woman. What you talking about! What about Shu Qi? She do not even have a leadership or charismatic character in her. There are tans of charismatic female actress out there and why her? OMG Teng Huatao, you blind.

2. Also pointed out Luhan’s styling in the movie might have also contributed to the poor ratings.

My comment: OMG WHAT!! You are the director of this movie, you should know this better than anybody else. But anybody never comment about Shu Qi styling? As a high rank officer, while on duty, she let go off her hair freely? Why? Why no comment about this?

3. He also clarified that Luhan’s salary for this movie wasn’t high, shooting down rumors that he had accepted the role based on his high paycheck.

My comment: This, Teng Huatao, I can say just stop the crap. Luhan is an Idol and he has so many fans in China, Korea and almost everywhere in this world. Teng Huatao, stop joking if you do not know how.
Conclusion:
1. The movie fail totally because of TENG HUATAO, one and only.
2. The movie is such a boring movie. Rating for the movie, I give 2 out of 5.
3. Rating for Luhan’s acting & facial expression, I give 5 out of 5. Because, I can see his improvement in expressing his facial compare to his other dramas & movies before. Other Directors out there, you can cast Luhan on a Romantic movie or drama after this, and I can guaranty your BOX will explode.
4. As for Teng Huatao, I’ve no comment for you except you can start planning for your retirement in this industry and maybe you attend night class and learn on basic moral education as I notice that you can’t excepted your failure.

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Completed
Big
13 people found this review helpful
by jyy
Sep 23, 2012
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
Great Expectations...and in the end....

"What the heck?" is the sentence I said after watching the last episode.
I don't know about the Hong Sister's intention concerning this drama but I somehow felt mocked after finishing this drama.
You might ask why.
Well, this drama started pretty good. The plot was new and interesting. A typical work of the Hong Sisters. But then it somehow became...well, it didn't meet my expectations.
The ending was so bad that you might get angry about that as you wasted time on this drama and just stayed till the end because of the actors.
The only good thing about this drama are the male and female lead. Both were convincing in their roles whereas the singer of Miss A...maybe it was just because of her role ( not because of her acting) that she was annoying in my eyes. Every time she appeared, I rolled my eyes and thought: "Not her again!" I guess, I like her as a singer better than as an actor.

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Completed
Hidden Love
13 people found this review helpful
Jul 7, 2023
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

surprisingly good

Having watched #HiddenLove brought back a lot of youthful memories. I remember having a huge crush on my best friend’s older brother in secret and the giggly feelings .
The story of Hidden Love is so heartwarming and lighthearted at the same time. I love the goodness shown in this drama that when you are well loved you pay it forward too. Moreover I just love the family dynamics as well as how SZ developed into a mature young lady. Both Zhao Lusi and Chen Shueyan delivered their portrayal of their respective role effectively plus Victor Ma wow what a pleasant surprise he did great too!
THE LOVE STORY! What can I say ‘chef’s kiss’ . I wish everybody can have this type of loving and healthy relationship .
I highly recommend this drama and it’s a drama for all ages????

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Completed
Dating Class
13 people found this review helpful
Jun 29, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Story :
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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Completed
The Starry Love
13 people found this review helpful
Mar 11, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
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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Completed
Page Turner
13 people found this review helpful
May 10, 2016
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 1.0
Maybe it is because Page Turner is so short or I'm too old, but I felt nothing. The music is wonderful. I play the piano and I have been in competitions and recitals in my youth. It was fun to watch them play. Beyond that, the story and acting seemed forced and inauthentic.

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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Completed
Till the End of the Moon
13 people found this review helpful
May 9, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
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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Completed
Eulachacha Waikiki Season 2
13 people found this review helpful
Dec 22, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.5
My long overdue kdrama series hehehe... I started watching this last March 2019 then I just finished it now December 2019 thanks to Netflix hehehe... For me, I still liked the Season 1 because it has the best casting, more funnier and full of craziness. The season 2 is still funny because Joon Ki (LeeYi-Kyung) is still there and the rest of the new cast is not that fit to do a comedy act hehehe... But still there are hilarious funny scenes and there are also some boring parts. And the kilig part is present of course.
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Completed
Cruel City
13 people found this review helpful
Aug 1, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
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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