Reviews

Refreshing! Amazing ending for a lakorn!

Is it a bit too long? Yes. Is it over the top sometimes? Well, it is a lakorn so yes, of course! If you are looking for an all logical and calm storyline, where everything makes sense stay away from lakorns and watch Kdramas.
I was literally blown away, that the bad guys really had a BAD ending here. This is sooo soooo refreshing!
Normally - in lakorns - the bad guys rape, steal, kill and so on and they are almost always getting a happy end with hugs and kisses, sunshine and roses....disgusting. Here? NOPE!
Story 7/10 but with that kind of ending it is a 10/10 for me.

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Very good one

I read negatives previus reviews and i am quite surprise by thoses. After having watch about 30 BL movies or series, i can say that for a BL high school series, it's a very very good one. The acting is superb, what others criticize as a confused story line is the sort we can follow in true life, things happen, good or bad ones, one after the other ... even lucky hasard. A lot happen, the intrigue is rich but it's not confused. The atmosphere of the story is very unique, romantic and intense and not frustrating at all (compare to other no sexe bl series like Together 1 season). This production is original and deals with themes others bl series don't treat, like loving someone but taking time for accepting his body. There is no stupid cliché like "top and bottom", no guitare courses lol, no jealous girls squad. Drake and Frank composed very sensitive and credible characters who just try to slalom with social exigences and the truth of their heart. It's very sweet and interesting. Give it a try !

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Not perfect, but memorable

I'll be upfront and admit I did not go into this with an open mind, AT ALL. I went into Deep Night fully expecting to find something cheap and surface-level that would make me cringe and regret hitting play. I'd probably end up rating it a 6-6.5/10 and say it was a tasteless, eye-candy watch.

Well, you know what? Shame on me!

This drama had glaring flaws, for certain. The main ones were the villain FL, who screamed like a banshee for no reason and was just plain annoying/idiotic, loud and out-of-place sound effects, and the central roadblock problem for everyone playing out in too similar a way each time.

But it also had highlights as bright as spotlights. And I'm not just talking about the amazing acrobatics, stunning performances, and intense chemistry between the MLs, oh no.

Quietly, a theme of breaking down prejudices and shifting perspectives unfolded, particularly on the part of Khem. He went on a long, difficult, growth-filled journey. From judging hosts, never wanting to be associated with the Deep Night club, and allowing his jealousy and lack of understanding of his boyfriend's career to overtake him to admiring the hosts and noticing their efforts, taking pride in Deep Night and working to make it succeed, and accepting and respecting his boyfriend's work to the point of feeling fully secure in his relationship and cheering him on without any reservations.

My own perspective shifted along with him as I found myself feeling emotional near the end, wishing the best for everyone and wanting the club to do well, not wanting to let these characters that had wormed their way into my heart go.

I wish I could explain in better detail just why I found this so worthwhile. All I can say is that I think you should give Deep Night a chance; it might just surprise you.

Note: .5 out of my score is extra just because, I really wound up loving it, dammit!

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I almost give up to watch this drama because of the low rate in the review of this drama. Anyway, we have different opinions and feelings on dramas we are watching. For me, I did not sleep for one night just to finish this drama and so far I love it. Maybe others are not satisfied since the age gap of the Han and Mido but I love them.  If I were to choose between  Mr. Han and Jae Hee , I will choose Han even though he is older. Before, I just don't understand Mido because  she cannot decide who to choose between the 2 but I'm glad in the end I know she still looks for Mr. Han.

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We had high expectations

Certainly the drama I less appreciated from our star Kim Soo Hyun. It is not about actors’ performances, I actually was stoned by Kim Ji Won’s acting. It was a very refreshing role for her. But the story itself lacks deepness… Of course if we compare this to recent works labeled as kdrama romances, you can find worst cases scenarios which actually got better reviews than this one but how can I say… maybe high expectations were awaited here. Kim Soo Hyun’s choices used to be better. In this series even main characters reach a point where they stop to evolve. And the intrigue and vilains are not justified at any point. It’s like, let’s put a vilain to get an intrigue… on a short notice, I’d like to see our boy is something very different from what he usually plays. Maybe a vilain ? Idk.
Again my review is only subjective tho.

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If you want to cry, cry for kdramas...

If you want to cry, cry for kdramas ... I think this is a good phrase for those who like me are adept at melodramas (makjangs). And that is what happened to me (I cried a lot) when watching Lie After Lie, which I think is my first drama since it was aired by Channel A. Drama that from the beginning caught my attention by the casting and the plot. After all, how can you not get excited about a drama starring Lee Yoo Ri (from Father is Strange, Yellow Boots and Jang Bo laughs), Yeo Jung Hoon (who appears completely different from Mask's villain) and having Lee Ill Hwa as antagonist? I think this is almost impossible. And in addition, we have a synopsis that gives a sample of how far a mother can go, making me ask, how far can a lie take us? Is there a lie that is not entirely questionable? Is everything that we see that is established as truth really true? Questions that for me were gradually being answered with the plot of a mother who, due to her mother-in-law's selfishness and greed, had to serve the sentence for the death of her abusive, beating husband.

Reading the synopsis, some may think that the drama has exaggerations, super dramatic situations, but despite any impression that the script may cause, we have scenes that are far from representing any exaggeration, because even Lee Yoo Ri's cry is painful, but at the same time, restrained and the pain is not shown through scandal, but through a facial expression that denotes through the look, a look associated with an almost shaky voice shows in a subtle way the protagonist's suffering. And this mother is joined by a father, a male protagonist who represents in an exemplary way the notions that have developed about what it means to be a man who is whole, generous and welcoming, in a non-caricatural way, because Kang Ji Min also hates, he is also upset, he also gets angry, however, all these feelings are expressed in a non-violent way, in a way that does not hurt and that demonstrates the respect he has for human beings.

We see in both protagonists a sense of justice in the terms established by that definition, more than anything, what Kang Ji Min and Ji Eun Soo seek and protect what they have most precious, that is, their daughter, without resorting disloyalty nor hurting other people. And all this fight for justice we see in 16 episodes, with an agile script. Perhaps some technical flaws and use of another cliché? Yes, but these are details ...

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Must Watch: Awesome Game/Sports Drama Manga/Anime Live Action Adaptation

This incarnation of Hikaru No Go is the Chinese Live Action Adaptation of the wildly successful Japanese Manga and Anime of the same name. The anime was a masterpiece that pulled all my feelings out and left me emotionally gutted, so I had high expectations for the Drama and the producers succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. Let's quickly preface that I know little to nothing about Go, but lack of knowledge about the game will not impact your ability to enjoy this drama one bit.

The characters have been slightly changed from the anime and all of the changes have been improvements. The acting by the younger and older versions of our 2 rivals, Shi Guang (Hu Xian Xu) and Yu Liang (Hao Fu Shen) is fantastic. Juck Zhang who played Chu Ying (Sai in the Anime) disappears into his role, and manages to retain Chu Ying/Sai's childlike innocence, fun and adorableness which accounts for why Chu Ying/Sai was such a fan favorite, he's just kawaii/cute beyond all imagining and I know if I were a kid I would not mind having (and hugging) a friend like him. The extremely realistic special effects constantly remind us that Chu Ying is a ghostly figure not real.

This Drama gives a richness and depth to all who interacted with Shi Guang during the time of his "go" journey. His classmates and the people who helped start the Go club at his school. The teachers and other students at his Go Academy. The fat guy who messed with him at the Go Grading Preliminary qualifiers. Brush graffiti guy! The bath house masseuse! The Go Factory guys and boss! The crazy Monks! The struggles and friendships. All of those just leaped off the page and were just likeable and relatable.

The story also had themes of times changing, and the necessity to adapt and change with the times or get left behind. They showed the slow decline of Go's popularity waning over a decade as the public lost interest in a difficult game to learn or play, less tuition centers, gaming centers closing and without the new blood or something to spark interest it will become an even smaller niche hobby than chess. For the game to continue flourishing, there needs to be new blood, which needs to be trained. The baton needs to be passed on. People choose to play or quit for all kinds of real life reasons, that are fully explored in a direct yet sensitive manner.

I can't say enough good things about this show except you should watch it. The story, characters, acting, VFX, OST (listened to the ending song all the way through every episode) all are impeccably done. At the ending I understood why the original mangaka (manga author) posted that he approved of the live action adaptation, high praise indeed coming from what is probably the world's harshest critic on this topic. He was satisfied, and having finished this, I'm also satisfied that I've watched and enjoyed this masterpiece.

P.S. I would not turn down more episodes but alas the live action ended where the manga story ends so there's no more content to adapt.

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Discovering love amidst all the insecurities of teen years.

After reading comments and reviews I wasn't so sure if Utsukushii Kare was worth watching or not, luckily I gave it a try and i fell in love with this story and the way it is told.
Hira is awkward and easily bullied, but despite appearances and his own idea about himself he is absolutely not week and has an innate pride in wanting to stay in his role of servant for Kiyoi. Based on what is socially succesful he has a low opinion of his personality and ability to deal with others, yet he pursues his passion for Kiyoi relentlessly, blind to anything else beside his wish to be around the other boy. When Hira first meet Kiyoi, the boy incarnates an ideal perfection that is so beyond Hira he doesn't even see him not a real person. Hira is so set in his way that despite loving Kiyio and thinking the world of him he fails to notice the other boy feelings and keep misinterpreting his actions.
Kiyoi on the other hand, has the perfect life apparently. He is gorgeous, he is popular and admired by all schoolmates, he sits on top of the school hierarchy and yet he is obviously drawned by Hira. Without even knowing, Hira brings forth Kiyoi's vulnerability, his need of being truly seen and cherished for who he is beyond the perfect picture appearance. His emotions towards Hira confuses him and hurts him, especially when Hira seems to only be interested in admaring him form afar while never really wanting him.
Like most teenagers overwhelmed by emotions they hurt each others because they don't know how to communicate and watch past the maelstrom of personal insecurities. The process of seeing them grown up throught their struggles is what makes this story very sweet and tender.
As for technical aspects Japan never let down when it come to quality in BL productions: directing, cast, acting, writing are all top notch creating a real gem of a drama.

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Very Boring

I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.

I usually wait for the movie version before I write a review, but this could not wait. This series was very underwhelming. The storyline used for the series was nothing new or exciting. This is not a bad thing if it had a great script. Unfortunately, this was not the case because it had too many weak elements. The main culprit is the lack of communication between all the characters. Using misunderstandings as a story element is nothing new, but this series takes it to a ridicules level. Another problem was very little to no character development with the whole cast, exception with Seon Ho. See spoiler alert at the end of this review for more information. The acting was ok, but nothing groundbreaking. The cinematography was good, but there was a weird editing choice in episode 7 that affected the mood for the next scene. It does have cool opening credits.

Random Notes:
This is one of those series you can wait to watch until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.

******Spoiler Alert******

I appreciate they did not use the “gay for you” story element. It was very refreshing that they had Seon Ho question his sexuality. After all, there are more than two types of sexuality.

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Suga Kenta gave a kind of vulnerability to the role of a sociopath Aka so brilliantly I have no words. This is a seriously f*ckd up and convoluted film with an insightful script that uses extreme violence and sex to propel the audience right inside the lives of these characters, so forcefully, just like the characters you get trapped.

The dialog is so powerful --- right from the beginning, when Aka 'collects' Dora , well technically right after, Aka says to the girl he wants to 'show Dora there's a world even lower than this' meaning Dora hasn't seen sh*t in Aka's opinion even though Dora's life is no walk in the park.

But we all know the story is only just beginning.

And then Zebra -- Powerful stuff. That's all I'm going to say without any spoilers.

And it wasn't just Aka.

The same vulnerability, Ryusei Ryo gave to Dora's character who is pretty much consistently problematic but you still see his struggles. That resistance before he does something unspeakable.

The violence in the film is brutal and in-your-face but here's a kind of insane logic to the whole story that reels you in.

So, be careful but a must watch.

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A really good time travel drama

Story wise this was a really well written drama, There were quite a few surprises they gave which I defiantly didn't see it coming. Like they made me believe I had everything figured out but they dropped those and suddenly the story became even more perfect and emotional, This was definitely a emotional roller caster, Maybe you can't feel this in the initial starting episode but when it comes there you cant help but cry with the leads. I have to tell the acting of the leads is another reason why we can relate and feel their pain. The cast really did a good job .

Personally for me the only flaw was the characters. I don't know for me I would have loved if they have a bit more to them. The characters for me was a typical and cliche characters from youth romance drama. Maybe it is if we forget the whole time travel plot then its really a youth romance drama. The characters was my only complain from this drama other than that the drama was perfect.

I have to say I really loved the music. For the music producer I have to give hats off, really I felt the youth, love and pain through the music. The music was really perfect and it went so well with the scene and made it even more enjoyable.

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Among the healthiest couples in dramaland.

So it seems that Secretary Kim is now a fangirl as well. Jokes aside, this drama was everything that I expected from a Park Min-Young drama, and a bit more. After being on my "to watch" list since its premiere, I finally decided to give this drama a shot, as I was looking for something light and fun to watch, and I was not disappointed.

So, this is supposed to be a "mature" romcom, and by "mature", they mean that the couple we follow will actually act like a real couple. And I wasn't disappointed, Ryan Gold and Sung Duk-Mi looked and felt like a real couple, that understood and supported each other in everything. Instead of unnecessary jealousy and miscommunication that lead to conflict, they handled everything that came their way as adults, with conversations.

After watching this drama, I'm scared that I'll never find something like this again, not because the story is original. No, far from that, this drama has a lot of clichés, don't get me wrong, but the way they went about it felt exciting, and they even twist some of the clichés we are used to. I believe that it will be difficult to find another couple that is healthy and mature like them, that won't create drama for the sake of drama.

This drama is more character-driven than plot-driven, because for the most part there's no plot. In my opinion, the drama is divided into two parts. The first half is about Duk-Mi's private life, and the second half is about Ryan's private life, which is good, since we get to know both parts of the couple. Also this drama is filled with amazing romantic scenes, and don't get me started on the kisses and couple chemistry, they were amazing!

The story begins with the typical misunderstanding that leads to a "fake relationship". While I initially found an odd solution to the problem, after a while I just accepted it, and yes, this kind of trope has been done a million times already, but I enjoyed it regardless.

The side characters were interesting, I really liked Duk-Mi's family and how her mother just became everyone's mother. I liked Hyo-Jin's character growth, although her existence was merely a plot device in my opinion. The Duk-Mi bestfriend was really funny too, although I didn't like her storyline very much, I think they could've done something slightly different. My biggest criticism has to be the second lead, don't get me wrong, I loved him in the beginning, until he became the typical annoying second lead. But that's not the worse part, for me the worst was that they basically presented Eun-Gi has a brother to Duk-Mi, someone Duk-Mi grew up with, and that was raised by her mother, so it was very weird to watch this man, that Duk-Mi considers family, a brother, having feelings for her, I couldn't get used to it till the very end.

Acting and Cast: This drama had an excellent cast and good acting, which made it both captivating and not boring. In addition to having great chemistry with her male counterpart, Park Min-Young was perfect in this role. No gonna lie, at the beginning I found Kim Jae-Wook to be an odd choice for this type of drama, as I saw him to match a more villainy rule, but God was I wrong, this man was amazing playing the confident Ryan Gold. And I think overhaul all the cast was really good in this drama.

Cinematography and Sound/Music: Starting with Music, this drama has an incredibly catchy intro song. Although I thought most of the OST was adequate and what I expected from a romcom, I found Cha Sin-Ahn's group song "snapshot" to be rather annoying. As for sound mixing, I think they did a good job. The way they associated a melody with the bubble paintings was great; every time I heard it, I knew one of those paintings would appear. As for cinematography, this drama looks good, I think this is something common in romcoms, they always look pretty and bright with low contrast, even with the sepia filter in the flashback scenes. They also used a "photoshoot" style editing in some cases, that fifty percent of the time made sense, and the other fifty not that much. And except for some odd effects I noticed on a particular scene, this drama looks very pretty.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably yes, I really enjoyed this drama, and especially this couple, and I can see myself watching it again when I want to watch something light and fun with a healthy couple. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you like light hearted, slightly cliché, character driven dramas, with a healthy couple who communicate and a lot of great romantic scenes.

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Story: The whole story was brilliantly written and scripted. I loved every second, from the violence and drama to the slightly humorous scenes. I only wish the drama was longer, as the episodes don’t even hit 30 minutes long. It is a very short drama, one you could watch in a couple of hours. But it is good none-the-less. Everything was so interesting, with the Japanese and Chinese mixed together. It is definitely worth watching.

Music: The music set the mood of the scenes really well, but it isn’t anything memorable in my opinion.

Cast/Acting: Fukuda Saki, who plays Shun, was just as amazing as she was in IS: Otoko Demo Onna Demo Nai Sei. I think she was even better in this drama, with all that angst and violence. There are several scenes where she has to speak Chinese and does it really well. I loved Takeru’s character. Matsushita Yuya did a great job being the comedy of the drama. There were a few moments where I didn’t really believe him, but he still was amazing.

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