Completed
Moon Embracing the Sun
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 14, 2021
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Too long for what it serves

I like k dramas and some with historical stories. I don't know much about Joseon period or the way beliefs, chinese characters, confucio's philosophy, social classes, religion and mysticism were viewed in that era.

STORY - I don't know if the the plot is coherent, if things must be like in this plot. Even so, i think is not so great. The intrigue, the active and passive players, the way a ruler has to act within the laws, etc., i didn't like it. It was boring for me, more if i compare with other dramas with this kind of plots in Joseon... A king that can't act, a king's brother so selfish that thinks being a prince or a king is awsome and can do whatever he wants to protect her lover...

ACTING - the best part of the story. The young cast is amazing. Congratulations, specially, to young: Lee Hwon (Yeo Jin Goo); Heo Yun Woo (Kim Yoo Jung); Yoon Bo Kyung (Kim So Hyun); Seol (Seo Ji Hee); Jan Shi (Jo Min Ah). But, overall, most of the adult cast was great.

CHARACTERS -

Heo Yeon Woo / Wol - The moon that had a Shaman who kills her to protect her. Go figure... Why do we need enemies with such friends? She was intelligent, beautiful, wise and with great dialogues and philosophical conversations in the begining. After that, she was only a talisman and then the future queen. Would like to see her qualities explore more, as well as his brother's. But maybe is because i find that kind of dialogue and philosophy with the prince appealing.

The prince / king Lee Hwon was a person stuck in the intrigues and the obstacles of being the leader of the nation... Never loved anyone but Yeon Woo. Also wise and fair...

Prince Yang Myung - can't like this character. Selfish, envious, didn't care of Yeon Woo's and his brother's feelings but his own. He lived well, lots of party and fun and... Don't know if a guy like him could be so ignorant about the way the royalty had to be (like his father). How can he accused his brother and tell him that he would give up everything??!?!?!!

Queen Yoon Bo Kyung - Selfish and with the desire of power that she mistook with love for the king.

Princess Min Hwa - naive, with a love obsession for Heo Yeom. She was used to "kill" Yeon Woo, but only later she understand that...

Like Seol and Jan Shil.

Mother Queen - awful as she would have to be. Not as clever as other queens in different dramas.

Shaman Jang Nok Young seems strange. Was really that the only way? Don't think so...

OST - fine but not great for me.

REWATCH - never. Too stressful where nothing happens in some episodes.

ENDING - Too cheesy for me. I will miss the three girls being together.
I didn't know that Joseon had awful military soldiers. Lots of the king's elite guards died in the hands of fat middle aged politicians!

5 stars for the acting.

Volta Mr. Queen que estás perdoado(a)!!!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
I Told Sunset about You
5 people found this review helpful
by Kuroe
Nov 26, 2020
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Maybe ke yi will be our always

Once again, I decided to watch a drama for the hype, and this time I was not disappointed. I hardly cry with TV shows but this one made me catch the feels a few times. There was just so much rawness.

Story:
Most dramas about the mundane world tend to bore me because I like a healthy sense of escapism. However, this drama had my attention from the very start. I love childhood friendships, and I love when friends stick through thick and thin with each other. That's why I was absolutely torn when Teh and Oh Aew had so many ups and downs, being friends in one moment and then resenting each other in the next. Teh is imperfect - he has seemingly many flaws but he also has a good heart. Honestly, I related to Teh on so many levels because of this. I could understand the reasoning behind his jealousy, regret, fear, desperation, and sacrifice. Friendships are difficult to navigate with such emotions, especially as a teenager. However, I can also understand people's reasoning for being upset with him. All of this negativity festering within made him hurt everyone around him. He made Oh Aew miserable because of his inability to be honest with himself. There are just so many implications as to why Teh acted the way he did. Regardless, friendship was a huge takeaway from the series for me. I loved all the playfulness and little jokes between Teh and Oh Aew, and their relationship with the other boys was pretty admirable as well.

Now for the romance part, it was very suspenseful. They turned something so innocent from their childhood like back scratching into something very different. I felt embarrassed to watch some of the scenes they had together because of how raw they felt, and they didn't even do anything too bad. But seriously, the change in their relationship was so slow and subtle that it makes you sit on the edge of your seat. Probably the most disappointing part to the development of their romance was their treatment toward their secondary love interests. Both Tarn and Bas were angels to Teh and Oh Aew, comforting them despite being rejected. I sympathized with Tarn so much because it hurts to have someone pull away from you and not give you any clear reason as to why. These two characters honestly made me question why Teh and Oh Aew got together in the end.

As an aside, I loved the incorporation of Chinese culture into the drama. It was hilarious to see the boys watch a cheesy historical Chinese drama and emulate the sword fighting and play. The cultural element really helped to suck me into the drama.

I don't have any other critiques for the story other than the fact that episode 4 was not on par with the first three. The melodrama was amped up, and this was the episode where a lot of the petty stuff happened.

Acting/Cast:
The acting is excellent. I very much believed that these characters were actual people. I was heavily invested in Teh and Oh Aew's friendship while it lasted. There was a lot of ugly crying, something that is extremely rare for dramas where the actors are meant to look perfect at all times. I was unsure of PP's acting at first, but I quickly grew to like him in his role as Oh Aew. His expressions were everything to me and he was very gentle.

Music:
The OST is everything. It added so much to every and wasn't too overt at any point. I enjoyed the music box version of "Skyline" a lot, andI'm honestly just weak for historical OSTs. The ballad/Billkin's love song was lovely. The composition of the song just really sets the mood. I really hope they release the whole soundtrack (including the instrumentals) on spotify.

Overall:
The director, screenwriters, cast, and crew did not come to play with this one. They brought it all. This series just felt so magical yet real at the same time.

Ke yi ma? Ke yi.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Are You Human Too?
5 people found this review helpful
Aug 8, 2018
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
Are You Human Too has been a fun summertime drama, most noteworthy for not one but two brilliant performances from Seo Kang Joon.

STORY

The plot was surprisingly weak for a pre-produced drama. The pacing was a little off, and the final episodes in particular seemed to suffer for it. What should have been satisfying conclusions were reduced to off screen deus ex machina, and emotional beats were glossed over rather than allowed to resonate.

Still, I definitely enjoyed the drama overall. It’s beyond easy to fall in love with Nam Shin III, and his antics and changing dynamics with the characters around him are in itself a great way to spend a half hour, each episode.

ACTING/CAST

As mentioned above, Seo Kang Joon is the glue that holds this whole drama together, and he could carry it alone, honestly. But fortunately, a number of the supporting cast also had interesting turns in their own characters. Lee Joon Hyuk and Park Young Kyoo in particular were great to watch.

I liked Gong Seung Yeon, but have to admit I agree with what others have said before that her acting wasn’t up to par for this role. It leaves me wondering how much more I would have loved the drama in the hands of a more believable female lead. I’m sorry to say it, but yeah.

MUSIC

The score was appropriate and supported the plot without drawing too much attention to itself. And a couple of the tracks from the OST have even made it into my regular playlist rotation, which is just about the highest compliment I can give on this front!

CINEMATOGRAPHY

It was beautiful, just gorgeous. So many sweeping, memorable moments and interesting framing.

REWATCH VALUE

Not very high. It was a fun ride, but I’ll likely only revisit scenes to make gifs.

OVERALL

Maybe worth noting: this drama didn't do much delving into the theory of robots, or even too heavily into the themes of what impact there may be to humanity when artificial intelligence exists, which are so predominant in other AI stories. I'm on the fence as to whether this made the story weaker or stronger, but I lean towards the latter if I concede that this show never really seemed to aim to such lofty concepts in the first place. If you're looking for that, then maybe you'd need to look elsewhere.

Basically, I recommend this one for anyone who loves Seo Kang Joon and/or wants to fall deeply, desperately in love with a fictional robot. :) Good luck!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Dec 26, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

If the heart eyes emoji was a show, it would be this one.

This was one of the sweetest, purest and fluffiest BLs I've ever seen. The story was easy going, light and so cute. If you want to watch one the most quotable series full of heart eyes, rainbows and a little angst, this is the show for you.

The acting was great and the entire casts are lovable and likeable.

Loved the opening theme.

Will definitely be re-watching this one.

Overall this was the best thing that came out of the shit storm that was 2020. You will always have the biggest smile watching this series.
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
I Told Sunset about You
5 people found this review helpful
Dec 27, 2020
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A Cinematic Masterpiece!

This review will not be able to truly emphasize how amazing this series is because you have to experience it yourself to fully grasp the majesty that is ITSAY but I will try. It encompasses raw emotions, youth, yearning and learning about oneself like no other show I've watched this year. I wouldn't even consider it a BL to me it's a beautiful coming of age and love story. BKPP at their best! superb acting, they made you feel those emotions coupled with one of the best OST Billkins beautiful voice and PPs soft tender voice. All the writers for the story should feel proud with this amazing story they created P'Boss, P'Goy P'Naron P'Karakade! P'Boss is a genius director you wouldn't have what itsay is if it wasn't for his directing. Cinematography made it feel like a movie and not a series the way they use the lighting and environment of Phuket allowed for beautiful scenes that enhanced the experience. When people started commenting that it was one of the best bls ever I didn't want to watch it. I didn't want anything knocking down my number one (Tharntype) so I held off, I was hesitant, in my mind I was saying "nothing can replace Tharntype" then I watched it... sorry Tharntype you are no match, no bl is a match for this series, now don't get me wrong I still love Tharntype, and I consider it at the top of my list, but itsay shattered my preconceptions of what a bl series should be altogether. It is what it is a Cinematic Masterpiece. Go watch it!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Love in the Moonlight
5 people found this review helpful
Feb 10, 2021
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Perfection

I started watching because everybody was ranting about Park Bo Gum... At this time I was very new to the world of KDrama. Love in the Moonlight was my second! So I started watching and OH MY GOD!!
I've discovered the Joseon era! The costumes! The intrigue! the plots! And I finally understood why they call Park Bo Gum Korea's Prince Consort! He embodies royalty and I discovered a great actor (shame he's doing his military service and we won't be able to see him for a while).
After Moonlight I watched another of his title, Encounter with the Queen Song Hye Kyo and he nailed it again.
This actor is a national treasure and this drama is a must watch and rewatch!!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Oct 23, 2017
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
I had fun watching the drama!  A typical jdrama that is short yet fast paced. I actually loved the drama and advises the chef gives and that the important point of the drama is what Tachibana realizes herself. I get many wouldn't liked how it turned out but I think it was perfect, except that it's only 10 episode drama. The actors were excellent;  Nakatani Miki is soo pretty, the chef is great in giving advice's and yet... Seto Koji's portrayal and chemi with the lead was great, it was okay unlike other May=December pairings I've seen.
Overall,I  enjoyed watching the drama and didn't have any too much expectations at first since I can't relate to Tachibana's dilemma cause I'm not in that age yet so I just watch the drama with lightheartedness, so I recommend others to do so.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
A Tale of Thousand Stars
5 people found this review helpful
Apr 5, 2021
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Worth it

My 2nd best drama bl of this year so far... good story.. good acting... good soundtrackk oh my godd the flute thingss iss soooo relaxingg.. i love it all... and then it doesn't have so much NC scene but i love it... its on a good portion.. just on the end and it makes the ending so satisfying and soo sweet i love itt too... the chemistry of them together.. oh my godd like tom and jerry... not really different from earthmix and puphatian... its worth for waiting more than a year... if you dont know they worked really hard to make this series.. they really go to mountain bringing all the camera lighting and everything.. obviously that was hard to bring ... and the result is nothing bad... my favorite scene was phupa and tian kissing on the peak of mountain.. the scene is beautiful.. the kiss is beautifull not lustfullll kiss... love it love it love itt.. you guys should watch it... and the genre thooo different from other

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Apr 6, 2021
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Available on JTBC Drama Youtube channel

You can find this in JTBC Drama YouTube channel.
Initially there are 6members playing the fun game but later there is a surprise guest that is Han so eun who played young jung da jung
The first part of game is to choose one of the two options for each question thrown onto every member.
With every question and answer there is some amazing conversation and opinions about the real world.

When the guest arrives the twins respect, for Han so eun and Do hyun is amazing.I love how the si-ah and si-woo still call her as EOMMA and Do hyun as APPA outside of the drama. They were so joyful to meet her.
Infact other than Do hyun nobody had scenes with her so it was first meeting for all of them.

There is the second part where a lie detector is used. The cast is given a yes/no question and they have to answer while placing their hand on lie detector. This part is also very fun to watch.
Hwang In Yeop literary keeps the atmosphere more vibing with their his statements. And yes he is actual 18again person.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Amidst a Snowstorm of Love
5 people found this review helpful
Mar 12, 2024
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

It is very good

I loved this drama. It is pure romance drama.It's story is not so deep but viewers like me who doesn't give shit about story will love it. I definitely recommend u this . I will not provide any spoiler because just enjoy it ? yourself. I watched it when I was giving my final board exam ?. I personally love the romance part of the drama and the female lead was ??. So just give it a try it is available in YouTube for free give it a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Kularb Rai Kong Naai Tawan
5 people found this review helpful
May 9, 2017
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers
I'm relatively new to Thai dramas. The previous drama I completed was I Wanna Be Sup'tar, and after that I gave up on Thai dramas, until the adaptation of Princess Hours came and I decided to get myself accustomed to the Thai language while waiting for the episodes.

I shall be completely honest; I watched this drama purely for Davika Hoorne (Mai). Imo she's arguably the most attractive Thai actress currently active (not that I've seen many though). The main reasons that kept me off Thai dramas previously were my general distaste for the male leads they pick [1] and the ridiculous tropes they employ [2]. I'm happy to say that the male lead was fine in this instance (exactly why I decided to try it) and the two of them have great chemistry but unfortunately the second half of this drama was riddled with typical Thai drama cliches.

Did I mention that Davika Hoorne is unbelievably gorgeous? She looked stunning in every single piece of clothing she wore; the drama was like her individual fashion show. She was absolutely hilarious as Rosalin. It's not the first drama I watched her in actually. I vaguely remember dropping a drama where she was being tortured by every single character in it and I thought then that she was a pretty bad actress. This drama changed my mind. She has great comedic timing and great gestures as well. I mean, some actors have awkward hands when they act (like they don't know where to put them and what to do with them), but perhaps playing such a flamboyant character makes things a little easier. On the other hand, Kan who plays the male lead... Well, I'd say that he was average? He didn't really shine, but he wasn't bad at all. I guess I just didn't remember much of him. The triad boss character did leave an impression though, in that he was so stiff that even I took notice. The other side characters were all decent. This drama is essentially a comedy, and I think they did the comedic parts pretty well.

SPOILER ALERT

The drama started out great actually. There were a couple of cringe-worthy staring-in-each-other's-eyes-for-longer-than-necessary moments, a couple of super-fake-fall-to-initiate-skinship moments, but they were tolerable. I mean, when the comedy was there, I can still neglect those. It not as if this is a Thai drama problem, Chinese and Korean dramas have this sort of interactions as well. However, following that, everything went wrong. I was expecting it though. They pretty much exhausted everything they could in the farm, and they had to pull all the tricks out of their hat to extend the story to 15 episodes (mind you, each was ~1h 30min long). What happened next? Well, they had a misunderstanding, he explained but the evidence was accidentally destroyed, she refused to listen, then the second leads came out to wreck havoc. It doesn't stop there though. There was this cycle of her getting injured and him getting injured, and those little moments of intimacy to appease the viewers for delaying progress (my assumption, that is). How many times did Rosalin get injured? I think about 10 times. By the time I got to episode 10, I could barely take it anymore. Then they played their last hand by using the amnesiac plot point. Faaaantastic.

There were more than a few moments where I was on the verge of pulling my hair out. Some parts were really incomprehensible. Like how Rosalin's grandfather claimed that he was totally not forcing her to marry Tawan but actually trying to help her. Typical dramaland bullshit. We all know that it's drama for the sake of drama. They should really stop using such weak excuses, but just brush over it. Why highlight your own flaws? And how Tawan objected to Rosalin modelling because it wasn't "meaningful"? *sigh* There's also Tawan's feud with the triad boss (his father killed his father) which was so lame. Additionally, towards the end where they encountered the thugs and he got off his car to check them out, I was shouting in my heart for him to just drive away. It was simply too illogical for words.

SPOILER END

I gave a passing mark for the story solely because of the first part (the second half should be forgotten). The acting was 8.5, on account of Davika Hoorne's acting as well as the cuteness of some of the secondary characters. I swear it's completely unbiased. The music was so-so. The drama actually has rewatch value, if someone is willing to cut off parts in the second half and end the drama where it should have ended. Overall it's not great, but compared to other Thai dramas where I was turned off by their synopses immediately (or by the cinematography in the first episode), I think this can actually be considered "refreshing". Just skip to the last episode when things get bad (or end it after their first kiss [3]).

-- Footnotes --

[1] I think some Thai actresses can be very beautiful, but in comparison the Thai actors are less appealing. They also tend to pair someone I like with someone I just don't get a good vibe from on first glance (I call this a lack of audience affinity but it may be just me). I've seen pairings with HUGE age gaps as well.

[2] Thai dramas also tend to sway towards the makjang end.

[3] On the topic of kisses, it's really weird that the only real lip-on-lip kiss in this drama is in the first episode.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Detective Samoyeds
5 people found this review helpful
Jan 24, 2018
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 10
First of I have to say I first started watching it bcz I am am fan of detective dramas and a fan of the actor Xu Joe. The cases are quite interesting for a historical drama as a scientific explanation is given in every case. As for the major story line,  I think it lacks  as they give much more room for the cases they solve, not to the major story line going on.
As for the characters, I like every characters specially Samo and Siniang. I really loved the comedic aspects as well. As for Li Zi, I don't know whether it is the actor or character, but he seems lack of life and too stiff.
CG is not so good and music too.
I will definitely re watch again.  If you are a fan of Xu Joe, I totally recommend it as u can see a cute side of him in this drama. If you like detective stories, you will probably enjoy it too.
A good Chinese dram that I enjoyed

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
iKON TV
5 people found this review helpful
Apr 27, 2019
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
If you already love the boys you'll have a blast watching their daily lives and getting to know them better. And if you dont then i think this show is the best way to do it. Bobby's lovable, endearing appeal and how he just wins you over, Hanbin being sweet and full of anxiety about random stuff, Jun being both emotional and hilarious, Jay being adorable, Song being gorgeous and savage, Dk being cute and entertaining, and Chan displaying his different sides. I liked that this show wasn't just comedy but deep and serious. I think it's the best way to define ikon 7: sweet, lovable, deep, sensitive but most of all extremely talented and hard working.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Hidden Agenda
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 21, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 3.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

A disappointment.

This show is so disappointing. for start, I had liked the pilot, especially the activist plot that the side couple seemed to have, and the final product ended up being anything but what the pilot offered.

the acting are meh the ost is meh the story is all over the place and doesn't seem to be cohesive at all.

The relationship between Zo and Joke started with good communication and then it didn't because they needed drama between them. (at least they have chemistry, but a what cost?)

The side couple is the most painful thing about this show, criminally wasted potential, they went from having what seemed to be a promising subplot about a public and activist couple to the trope of a closeted soccer player and their screentime was nonexistent, so sad.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Idol: The Coup
5 people found this review helpful
by Merci
Dec 20, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

A Unique Piece

First of all just to give you guys a little heads up, this is my first review so it might be a little rusty.
IDOL has a typical genre that is present in most of the kdramas in the past. However it has a rather unique tone to it.
I personally have watched a few Idol based series that mostly just focused their story line on romance. This isn't a bad thing per se but I think for a series to be truly successful and consistent it needs Drama. The drama shouldn't be just a simple story line that can be easily thought of in a minute. No, but it should have depth and meaning.
Honestly the drama in this series is phenomenal. I was hooked to every episode and sad that it had come to an end but even the number of episodes they had were suiting (to the story line). I loved how the story wasn't unnecessarily dragged and how they tried their best to be as realistic as possible. Then ofcourse there is the music, which was really good and I can tell they did put a lot of effort in it after all the series is centered around music.
I actually did learn a lot about the kpop industry and also about life in general. The things that these girls go through are quite relatable and the way they face and resolve their issues is quite commendable. There were moments where I was thinking to myself " how are they gonna solve this problem?" But later on seeing how they came up with their solutions made me notice their growth and experience over time. In addition to that all the actors in this show did a good job especially the girls. They truly pulled off the emotional scenes.
Now to sum it all up, I highly recommend watching this series it's worth it. If u are a romance junky like me please don't pass it off just because the romance present is what some would call " slight romance ". Love is visible in a lot more relationships than lovers and trust me you would appreciate the love u will see between these girls.
P.S: expect a lot of sad and happy tears.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?