Reviews

THE BEST OF THE BEST

No doubt this drama get number 1 everywhere. Its really awesome. Still can't move on with LAR, need 70 episode for this drama hahaha. I like the storyline very much, sometime in other drama u find a boring episode, but in LAR all episode is perfect. You will be presented with their adventure start from in their younger till they get married. This drama tell us about not all demon were bad and the opposite, the love sacrifice and how true love can break the hatred in someone heart. And for the act they really can potray their character very well, therefore i always think if the story actually happen in real world :D. I like the CGI too and the soundtrack of course. And for the one who casting the actor and actress i must give you an applause. They're match from heaven, Sifeng x Xuanji, Linglong x Mingyan, Wuxiqi x Zizhu, Tengshe with xuanji and xuanji's colleauges, and many more. Trust me it value to watch or rewatch LAR and they will bring your soul in to LAR world :)

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Unexpectedly great

I had my eye on this ever since a news article came out about introducing the cast and a basic reference to the concept, that it would take place on an island. The trailer looked intriguing, so I clicked right on the show, when it came out (and to my surprise, only two episodes per week, damn!). I had great fun with this, it was very refreshing an entertaining.

To sum New World up, it's a variety show with very immersive elements and a concept that adjusts by days. The members are basically on an island vacation for six days in exclusive accommodation that had been designed to fit their preferences. They meet every day and a holographic box informs them on the main event of the day and they react accordingly. Depending on what is happening they get more or less competitive with other, they forge and break alliances and basically, just wreak havoc around the island. Their goal is to earn prize money that makes their life on the island easier, they can afford stuff (they even pay for food with it) and in the end, they are allowed to transfer their balance into real currency.

The quests or events the show is based on are excellently put together. There is a nice balance of competitiveness because the members organically forge different alliances which makes sense for the day. Because the cast has various experiences in variety shows it is also very interesting to watch them approach this. Sometimes they even play against the game instead of against each other which is very refreshing. The show is also edited in a way, that viewers are invited to pay more attention because not everything is shown as it happens and there are a lot of surprises.

The members, as mentioned, are very well chosen. This was my first time watching something with Kim Hee Chul as a full member (I usually see him as a guest in something or in clips) and damn, he was hilarious here, I totally enjoyed his chaotic presence. Lee Seung Gi and Eun Ji Won as veterans were also great, but I feel like their thunder was stolen quite a bit by the rookies. Jo Bo Ah was fantastic! I really enjoyed her approach of taking a step back and evaluating the situation for herself, she is also very loyal the her (true) allies and when in doubt, uses her amazing acting skills which made her a really strong contender. Kai was also really great, I loved how he "levelled up" by quickly observing his senior members and slowly building his position by sharing when necessary and cooperating with people who benefited him. Park Na Rae is no rookie, but I was surprised by how innocently she approached this show. She worked really hard and went all in, it was nice to see. She also a sort of centre of the members, she often hosts them and takes care of them. All of them has also great chemistry overall and often treated each other well, like when it came to food and snacks.

New World is overall well balanced, even when a daily challenge might be less interesting, they edit in an episode with something else or do the above mentioned trick with not exposing everything and fill it with a twist. My favourite episode is hands down the third one and from then on the show gains momentum, stakes get high and it grabs your attention. I was looking forward to new episodes every week and was very interested in it. I also really appreciated overarching elements through the whole show like the items, or hinting on something mysterious. There is a great potential here and I hope that the show will be successful enough to have multiple seasons. It was also edited really well and you had a genuine feeling of them being on the island by themselves - a lot of it is shot by automated cameras.

Now for things I didn't really like and this is highly subjective and my opinion only. As a show/concept it's really great, but when you think about watching six quite wealthy people in real life competing for fictional money and mentioning jokes about being poor. I don't know, it just rubbed me the wrong way in the first episode and then I got over it. It's just a show, not a social commentary after all. The other thing I did not necessarily like was one scripted part with and extra (I'm trying really hard not to spoil it here). I get that it might have something to do with an overarching story/element they wanted to introduce, but it was quite random and ruined a high paced part of one quest.

I really enjoyed New World and I would love to have more episodes to watch. If you have some spare time, I think that you would enjoy this a lot too.

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I just completed it!

I've been a fan of Korean historical drama. This show did not disappoint me. I enjoyed the romance part, and the character development of each. It wasn't forced, and entertaining to watch.

I'd probably re-watch it after a year. Also the cast were quite good and delivered well.

Congratulations to the CAST & CREW of this series! Thank you for the wonderful production!

Been a fan of Jumong, Empress Ki, Jewel in the Palace, Six Flying Dragons, Queen Seon Dok, Dong yi, Sungkyunwan Scandal (I prolly mistyped some of the titles) and more!

In this particular one, I loved the lighter story, and pacing was fine. Enjoyed the romantic part as well ;-)

Enjoy to those who are planning to watch this. For those who have similar likes of mine, please message me some recommendations of Korean Historical Drama I should watch!
Next in my list to watch is Tree with Deep Roots, and Arthdal Chronicles.

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Argh this drama is such a mess that I don't even know where to begin. First of all, the story is incredibly disappointing: predictable, filled with plot holes, conveniently lucky at times to save the protagonist, and overall filled with frustrating pacing.
The characters that began with promise quickly lost their luster, with probably only Hwa Gun becoming an actually well-written character by the end. Yoo Seung Ho is an outstanding actor with both talent and heart-melting looks, but his character is inconsistent, annoying, and stuck in a plot that doesn't seem to go anywhere until the end. Same with Kim So Hyun- I absolutely adore her in her previous works, but Ga Eun is written so blandly that I really could retain interest in her. As for L (Myung Soo), he actually exceeded all expectations in his performance, but again- his character had many inconsistencies in writing to be of interest.
THE SOLE REASON FOR WATCHING THIS would have to be Hwa Gun. Now, Yoon So Hee isn't the greatest actress out there- she does need some work on her annunciation and just more experience in general. However, she did a great job as Hwa Gun and certainly improved from her past roles. It seems that all of the character development that was supposed to happen to everyone else just poured into her instead. Solidly written and developed, Hwa Gun is a character balanced in virtues and flaws who becomes vital to both the story and the audiences attention. One of my all-time favorite characters.
Dae Mok began as an interesting villain, but quickly fell into the category of antagonists that I like to call "Fire Lord Ozais". [Note: If you've seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'd know that the overarching villain is Fire Lord Ozai. However, throughout most of the story, Princess Azula is the truer and much better antagonist with clear complexities and motivations, reducing Ozai to more of a figurehead.] Dae Mok does get some backstory, but it's vague and undeveloped, making him a simplified figure of evil that our boringly righteous protagonists may fight with.
There may be solid actors in this drama, but not even they can save poor writing. The music was amazing, but it's not particularly memorable nor surprising for a high budget sageuk.
If you enjoy overly dramatic sageuks with actors that are easy on the eyes, go for it if you have 20 hours to spare.

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Lack of chemistry

The story had everything to work out but the lack of chemistry between the main characters is undeniable.

I didn't know actress Jeon Do-yeon but I don't think this was her best work.

Her scenes with actor Jung Kyung-ho were sooo cringe, not to mention that she looks much older than her age and ate the end I didn't understand how old she was supposed to be. I understand that the goal was for her to look like a less sophisticated with less financial resources but who chose those clothes???

For me this drama was as bad as Encounter. It has some fun scenes, touches on some important themes but I think the murder scenes are too forced.

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This film alone made Sawajiri Erika one of my favorite actors of all time. She was marvelous!
On the surface this movie is a story of a girl who gets eaten up by her own vapid/shallow desires. If you're willing to take a deeper look it's a comment about society. The film-makers and actors have crafted a masterpiece of a psychological thriller that explores the darkness of a world where the lights are always on but, no one is really home. The world of Helter Skelter is a place where everyone is a villain and yet everyone is a victim.

A word to the wise this is not for people with delicate sensibilities.

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This show had such a good start that I expected it to follow up until the end...it didn't. Let's first get that out of the way.

When it comes to the story, it was quite the interesting premise with decent amounts of romance, comedy and murder. However, whereas in the first ten episodes it flowed well, in the last few it just got so hasty and rushed that they've accumulated gaping plot holes that just blew my mind with how stupid they are. It's kind of disappointing if you figure out the ending few weeks before the drama is over. Writers, come on. We're not that slow.

The acting was good, I liked Park Yoo Chun in this role, nothing too stellar about it, but his character had a cute personality. Shin Se Kyung did okay, albeit a bit bland but I guess she had to fit into the confining outlines of her very limited character. I liked Yoon Jin Seo's acting and especially her character because she executed her well. But, all of these pale in comparison to the main antagonist because his acting is very chilly and I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't him enough justice, I think he was far more complex than the few scenes they gave him as a form of character exploration. The supporting cast was good, though I mostly didn't get the point of the comedian unit...it just faded off into background at some point and I forgot about it until the end of the show.

Music was okay, nothing was timed too awkwardly and I liked the dangerous undertones of the serial killer scenes, though I think it was a bit showy in the dun dun dun way.

Personally, I would not watch this again, "mystery" has been resolved pretty soon and since that was the main point of this drama I don't see anything I'd like to rewatch here.

There's few commendable things to point out here, from a great villain to a pretty fast and natural romance, quick murder case solving, comedy breaks; it really had a great mixture of things to offer. But, it also has a lot of writing mistakes. They undervalued the antagonist, especially in last few episodes; it felt like they suddenly dumbed him down. The police unit was far too lax about everything and relied on unarmed civilians to complete stuff for them while getting them in danger too. Main couple had little chemistry and was far too cheesy, especially in last two episodes...I kind of caught myself thinking if it's the sama drama or have they changed the script writer because that was really weird to watch.

I was really conflicted while watching the last episode because I found myself thinking that a show that I happily waited for each week suddenly felt like a chore that I had to complete. Bearing all of this in mind, the rating is as it is mostly because of first ten episodes and though they very obviously rushed the ending I generally enjoyed this drama.

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Heroin is such an interesting BL Drama. It is not your typical series but I really into it. Overall Thailand has the most great gay dramas, but Heroine is the top of my list. I cannot describe the feeling that I feel when I watch this series.

Timmy (Zhou Zhou) is a very handsome young man that does really good at acting, despite being the first time acting. While Huang Jingyu also a new actor, but he completes the series. As for the other characters, there are some minor problems here and there but overall they did a great job.

The story is so touching. I am not the type that will cry over a drama or series, but if I do cry then that series is so good. Well, you have to watch it to find out how amazing the story is. But I must say that sometimes the stories are quite jumbled and cannot be comprehended so it is taking a longer time for me to understand the flow of the story.

For music, it is perfect. When they cue the background music just like Brokeback Mountain's music, I was getting chills up my spine immediately. There's so much aesthetic here and there, so the music just completes it all.

I already rewatched it three times, so I really recommend this series for you. But you will regret watching this drama because the story just end on episode 15 with a confusing plot. It's all because the series was discontinued and banned by the Chinese government so it was quite sad. I really hope they would continued the series with the same improved style, same music, same actors and actresses.

All love to the people who were making this series. We fans love you all and we hope you can make other great content for us to watch.

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REALLY WELL WORTH WATCHINGGGG. I REALLY LOVEEEEEE IT!!

Finally, I have finished watching it even without subtitle. There's some part I can't understand but overall anyone can understand the story. This film deserves more recognition and is well worth watching. I really recommend it. For people who can't wait the sub.. you can just watch it. I literally cried sobbing while watching it. It's really sad. There's a plot twist that will make you more sadder. As an international fan, I'm really shocked by the full movie goes beyond the reach of the movie trailer that we all watch. because I think this story about Ri Ae is a woman who had everything but could not fulfill her dream. Cheol Woo is a man with a genius talent but is not lucky. Ri Ae bought the painting of Cheol Woo who she met by chance, and they decided to complete the last work by borrowing each other's names. unknowingly the two of them have actually been acquainted since childhood. that's what we all know just from watching the movie trailer but there's something different. Maybe it's just me who feels like this but whatever it is I REALLY LOVEE watching it. 100/10 ^~^ I'm gonna repeat watching it until there's eng sub. I REALLY LOVE JEON SO MIN. She is indeed good at acting in characterizing the character. I fall in love with Jeon So Min acting for the million timesssss. JEON SO MIN FIGHTING!! CHOI JUNG WON FIGHTING!! THE NAME MOVIE FIGHTINGG!!

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Sometimes It's Best to Let It Go

I found this drama meaningful and deep. I can understand the fact that this is not everyone's cup of tea but for me it was perfect. I loved every second of it, I loved the fact that everything was happening slow and so many quotes made me think of my life that was it worth it to live like this or should I change my way of living.
When this drama started I also found love and when their relationship ended mine also ended, so I found so many similarites with my life. The fact that we can talk about so many things but we just can't because just because we talk doesn't mean the ending can change.
This drama shows sometimes we just try so much to hold on but there are something we need to let it go.
I know that it can be boring for many people because every subject in the series is handled in a very deep and mature way. But if you want to watch a slow-breathed, deep series where you can make sense of every word, I think you should take a look.
When a person feels too much, after a while he starts not being able to feel anything or starts talking with his eyes, not reflecting what he feels.
The pain of the protagonists was evident in their eyes, they could only show many things with their eyes without expressing them with words. I think that was very impressive. I think the depth of their love and the value they gave to each other was very beautiful.
People are so accustomed to making sacrifices for someone and giving up on themselves that it may seem selfish to us to see someone living for themselves. However, the normal thing is to be able to live for ourselves and not give up on ourselves for someone else.
Someone always enters and leaves our lives, this cycle will always be like this, the important thing is to take care of ourselves.
Even when we lose ourselves, we have the courage to find ourselves again.
We think that we have lost our love when the person we love leaves our lives, but in fact, love is a feeling that is inside us, so it is still inside us. This feeling is not just about the other party, so we can feel it without it.
I hope this drama will be a hope for people to have the courage to be themselves.

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Almost the greatest most comforting show of all time

Honestly, this show had everything going for it. The cast was phenomenal and their chemistry was unmatched. The soundtrack is one for the record books. The story was simple but heartfelt and engaging- young people fighting for each other’s dreams despite ‘the times’ and the world seemingly all against them. There was a time jump involved in the storytelling with the daughter not having the same last name as the love interest from the main timeline, so there was also mystery involved, which was exciting. Despite the last name confusion, the style of storytelling was very hopeful, leaving you thinking that perhaps there was a clever trick played by the storyteller. The kind of trick that would make you go ‘aha!’ At the end and breathe a sigh of relief and joy because of course- of course! Na Hee Do and Back Ye Jin are still together, why wouldn’t they still be together when they fight for each other and support each other and love each other again and again and again, despite all odds. So so so despite the confusion, we watched this show with hope and excitement for the end but whoops we were fooled- the ending was not happy. Well, technically it was “happy.” Supposedly the characters are healthy and happy, but the viewers experienced the breakup just 20 minutes ago and so a ‘happy ending’ just isn’t sitting well when we haven’t had years of grieving and learning and growing and falling in love again with someone new like the characters have. We weren’t given any of that so the “happy ending” feels false and cruel. I’m left wondering why why why were they not able to work through the final problem like they have all the others? Why?? Yes, I understand that people break up and some people are in your life just for a season, but I don’t want to watch a show about relationships that are like ships passing in the night, there’s enough of that in real life. I want to watch a show about people who make it work and fight for each other and keep fighting for each other so I can see that it can happen and I can have hope.
Anyways, enough of my ranting and sobbing. I’m just really disappointed at the over-romanticization of youth that happened in this show and I wanted more of a romanticization of all of life. But i didn’t find it in this show and I’m disappointed.
Besides how it ended, this show is absolutely gorgeous. But now I don’t want to recommend it to anyone because that ending was a whole lot of . . . Bleh.

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Dull and Disappointing

Sometimes a total disaster of a series, like Unforgotten Night or So Much In Love, can be more entertaining to watch than a thorougly mediocre one. Coffee Melody aspires to be the most mediocre it possibly can without falling over the line into being bad. There are many things that can be individually critiqued, but the quality of this series that most stands out is its dullness.

Part of this is the limp script. Nothing really happens. The main pair meet and like each other and enter into an unearned relationship, there are a couple of minor bumps, all externally driven, and everyone lives happily ever after.

But even then, a featureless script can still create a series that's entertaining - but this production lacks any passion. Was Benz even playing a character, or just being himself? Pavel Naret was apparently neutered, given bad hair, and then directed to be as blandly nice as he could possibly be. The style department couldn't even be bothered to make Titnuea's hair a consistent color - one moment it's deep red, the next it's light pink. That's almost certainly because of the filming schedule, which is based on location, not the story's chronology, but that's the sort of sloppiness that's endemic to this series.

It's largely about musicians and music, but there isn't any until past he halfway mark, and it was underwhelming when it appeared. The sound editing is poor - sometimes the music drowns out the dialog, and other times you can barely hear it. Nobody could be bothered to write or obtain decent background music, so the just played easy-jazz piano Christmas carols.

In the end, this story has nothing to say. Even the difficulties of maintaining a long-distance relationship is papered over by having someone move abroad, and then move right back 5 seconds later. Presumably time has passed, but it was so poorly set up that it came off as unintentionally funny, and his boyfriend reacted as if he'd merely been on an overnight business trip.

There were a few positives: whoever wrote this has a love of coffee that came through, Palm Veerapat who plays Jean was adorable and engaging, and some of the ad-libbed scenes, mostly with Duean Yi's parents, were quite charming.

This isn't terrible. But it's so-so in the most boring way possible. I can't recommend it, and it saddens me, because I was excited Pavel got a role, and I hope this doesn't damage his chances of geting another one.

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