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2 days ago 9 of 9 episodes seen 4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Kami no Shizuku

by SeRose
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 6
- Story 6
- Acting/Cast 8
- Music 7
- Rewatch Value 4
The heir to a world famous wine collection battles his rival in a challenge to discover his father's “Seven Apostles” of wine. His only weapons are the written descriptions of each vintage, his own memories, and an inborn taste for wine.

Sound awesome? If you have a thirst to see KAT-TUN’s Kame and/or you want to learn something about wine (and the eloquent prose of wine critics), then this is the drama for you. If you’re also in the mood for a slow, sentimental story with a ‘feel good about family and friends premise’, then this drama is for you. If you get slightly bored by mostly plot-less dramas, overly characterized side characters, and a subdued main lead, I recommend a skip.

Kami no Shizuku plods along at a pace that is just unhurried by anyone, and seems almost to take itself too seriously. I love reading a good wine description, but it’s mostly for the humor value. Hence, I got a lot of comedy out of what’s not exactly a comedy. The story is honestly not that intriguing, but it’s only 9 episodes! And I was in it for the wine. Too bad I won't ever get to taste any. The going price today for some of those vintages are between $100 and $1100! Bet they were sampling Welch’s grape-cranberry juice for this production.

Getting back to the drama, each “apostle” represents a memory or value of our hero’s father that in all-due-cheesy-fashion, our lead has to figure out. There are some nice filler stories per individual episodes, a little bit of a romance between Kanzaki and Shinohara, and a properly strange mystery over the connection between Kanzaki and his rival Tomine Issei. Mostly though the guy crept me out with his wine-gurgling “oohhhhhhh”. Can’t tell if overacting or he just had a really dry throat after all that cranberry juice.

Conclusion: It’s not a re-watch, but I enjoyed learning something about wines and vintages, a little of how they are made, and what natural or seasonal changes can affect the production. I also learned what a sommelier is and appreciated seeing some of the tricks of their trade. Especially with Kame as the model. read more
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2 days ago 11 of 11 episodes seen 3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Taiyo wa Shizumanai

by NemiMontoya
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 9
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 9
- Music 8
- Rewatch Value 8
Since no one else has written a review for this drama, I might as well, since I think it was excellent and deserves some recognition.
The overall feel of the story was something like a family tragedy drama, with elements of a John Grisham novel thrown in. We have the the heartless wealthy foe, and the "small man" - in this case a teenage boy - going up against them with a young lawyer from a tiny firm (with their office above a pachinko parlor, no less) as his only help.
Takizawa Hideaki did very well in portraying a grieving son desperate to find out the truth about his mother's death, and Matsuyuki Yasuko was quite impressive - and I must say, very cool - as his confident, driven, but also very kind lawyer. Additional performances were, for the most part, very good.
Music choices were well made, and the use of Elton John's "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road" as the theme song was a nice touch. It suited the mood of the drama well.
Handling of story was excellent. From the moment the suspicions of malpractice arose, to the final courtroom conclusion, I was dying to find out exactly what had happened to Nao's mother in the hospital. The friendship between Nao and Kirino the lawyer was a delight to watch, and the romance between Nao and Ami, the hospital owner's daughter, had a lovely bittersweet quality to it.
This is a drama with many elements: family, friendship, tragedy, mystery, romance, and it all blends together beautifully. I warmly recommend it. read more
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2 days ago 36 of 36 episodes seen 4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Gye Baek

by pinifloti
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 9
- Story 9
- Acting/Cast 9
- Music 9
- Rewatch Value 7
"Gye Baek" is, overall, a great drama.

I will start talking about the story. The drama is set during The Three Kingdoms Period. It tells the story of General Gye Baek of Baekje, which is a very well-known hero of Korea.

The story is very interesting, never boring, and the actors did a great job, but I couldn't help but hating some of the main characters. I didn't find a love story which was interesting enough to catch my attention. Perhaps that's the main reason I can't give this series a global mark of 10 points.

The music is quite nice also. When I was watching the drama I didn't notice it very much, but after finishing it and listening to some of the songs included in the soundtrack, I was surprised with some nice songs.

I think it has a high rewatch value also. The main problem is that it is quite long, so I wouldn't watch it again right now, but probably in future I would feel like watching it once more. read more
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2 days ago 20 of 20 episodes seen 8 of 11 people found this review helpful

Arang and the Magistrate

by Mssankacoffee
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 10
- Rewatch Value 10
This was a great drama! I was not expecting to enjoy it as much because as a romantic, I had a problem with the main female lead being a ghost and the male lead was human, so I thought how much romance could there be in that? Was I wrong! The female lead was for the most part a joy because she had a very strong, independent character. Admittedly that did lead to me being frustrated with her at times but she was still wonderful. Shin Min Ah did an excellent job of portraying this character.
The Magistrate, Eun Oh, played by Lee Jun Ki had everything going for him. He was gorgeous, brilliant and a master fighter. Sounds like over the top descriptions but they are apt, and when you watch this drama you will see they fit him perfectly. Lee Jun Ki was fantastic in this role; he played it with credibility and sensitivity, and was totally believable.
The other secondary characters were also very interesting and well developed. The writing for this drama was very good, as the story kept you hooked and had a number of surprising devlopments. It kept you guessing at 'who' was Arang's killer. It was also very well paced so you didn't have a lot of those moments where 'nothing' happens and you got anxious for the plot to advance. The writers made every moment count in that something interesting happened or there was a revelation of some sort .
The music score and sound track for this drama was outstanding! It was a lesson in how to lead the audience to understand the mood of the scene...they were spot on with the music. Most impressive was the flawless blending of the orchestra musical score with the contemporary rap or romantic ballad;
All the actors for this drama put on a superb performance; I feel I must single out in addition to Shin Min Ah and Lee Jun Ki, the actress who played the Magistrate's mother 'Kang Moon Young'. She did an outstanding job in portraying two different characters.
Finally there was a really good mix of humour, drama, mystery and horror all rolled into this one story, and the director very expertly phased them effectively.
What were the bad points? There were none of any consequence because overall this was a very good drama which was well written and brilliantly made. BEST ENDING EVER! I would recommend watching this as well as re-watching it. read more
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3 days ago 39 of 39 episodes seen 4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Palace: The Lock Heart Jade

by sternchen
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 9
- Story 9
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 8
- Rewatch Value 3
Chinese dramas are often neglected in this whole kdrama wave. But this one really deserves attention.

I have to admit 39 episodes are somewhat of a challenge. But after ep1 the director made very efficient use of cliffhangers. Hence, you'll just watch on and on and the 39 episodes just fly by!

Story: A beautiful Chinese time traveller story. Qing Chuan gets zapped back to the Qing dynasty. And we follow her meet the great Emperor and his numerous sons. The story is full of love, hate, revenge, intrigue!

While the emperor's sons struggle for favour in court and for the position of crowned prince Qing Chuan is right in the middle of it all.

I loved how all the Princes were portrayed with different characteristics, worries, goals, dreams, faults. Over the course of 39 episodes there was room enough to develop every character. And while we start out hating some and liking others, the story convincingly takes us to other perspectives, different problems and we may just change our minds about some of them or at least find it harder to judge them in terms of black and white.

The actors were doing a great job. Every single one of them did a brilliant job. Yang Mi (Qing Chuan) was probably my favourite character. She was able to portray Qing Chuan so well with all her different facets.

Feng William and He Mickey were just unbelievable. Playing the two may male leads (8th and 4th prince) they excelled at playing intrigue, ambition, hate, cruelty, love, cold heartedness, softheartedness ... the whole range really.

But the Royal Consorts, Princes, Ministers, Eunuchs, Palace maids ... deserve merit as well. This drama was huge. Not just cast wise. But also as far as locations and sets were concerned and the costumes were so detailed and beautiful. The directors and producers put a lot of effort into this drama and the result truly reflects the passion they must have had making this series.

Sometimes the scipt was just a bit lengthy. And the intrigue was getting slightly out of control. In some episodes you can really feel the artificiality of the script. With the Qing Chuan Doppelgaenger, I really feel that was not a necessary episode.

Anyhow I thought all the tiny side stories of some characters were well interwoven with the plot and made the whole drama richer and more complete.

This was my first Chinese historical drama and I had to get used to the difference after being used to historical k dramas. All in all I think i like chinese traditional clothes better than the korean but that hair ornamentation... phew must have been really heavy. I also liked that the females here were all far away from being silly, naive and spoiled. They were all very believable characters.

A must watch for every one who enjoys historical dramas!!! read more
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3 days ago 16 of 16 episodes seen 6 of 9 people found this review helpful

Cheongdamdong Alice

by mysecretsoul
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 10
- Rewatch Value 10
"Cheongdamdong Alice" has been fluttering around my mind ever since I finished it, which is usually a good sign a drama has done its job. There are already several reviews regarding the quality of this show; however, none of them addressed exactly what I felt was worthy about it, and none who completed it seemed willing to score it the way I'm inclined to. Coupling these facts with the fun I had watching it, it seems only natural to write a review of my own.

It's easy to discount "Alice" as another Cinderella meets Prince Chaebol. But press on and you find instead a mature fairy tale with dark tones, concealing a morality lesson within its fantastical twists and turns--just as a fairy tale was meant to do. What is refreshing about the lesson, even though it has to do with the tired subjects of money and status, is that it allows for the typical sentiment that most lead characters employ (money is evil/love trumps money/status is overrated) to be questioned. Is it wrong to want money? Is it wrong to want it more than love or dignity? Is it wrong to want it all at once? All angles are explored, and while individual characters make judgments on right and wrong, the drama never becomes preachy--allowing the viewer to decide for themselves.

"Alice" is still a romantic-comedy despite this unique approach. The romantic portions often made my heart pound and I found myself laughing to tears more than once. Had Park's scandal never occurred and the drama received the attention it lost as a result of it, I'd even say some of the scenes would have been considered classics. The dark undercurrent the conflicts create in the plot line enhances these moments and causes the viewer to cherish them. Funny moments grow a little rarer in the last five episodes than in the first half, but the timing of them is perfected by the time they do come. The two big lies that drive most of the plot line might drive some viewers crazy, especially with the comedy toned down near the end. But the tension is actually delicious in a hair-pulling way, especially since you might find yourself hoping the lies can be perpetuated forever.

As far as characters go, the most compelling are the three gold digger "Alices" who fight to win (or keep) a place in "Wonderland (Cheongdamdong). Se Kyung, Yoon Joo, and Tommy Hong are as beautifully written as they're portrayed. These are not what one would commonly describe as good people, and before you know the full scope of their personalities and motivations, it's not hard to hate any/all of them. The drama drains all of that hate out of you as it slowly makes you understand, and even root for, all three, though you may still disagree with their previous actions wholeheartedly. My reason for grouping them in this section the way I have is because they are mirror images of each other at different parts in their journey into Cheongdamdong. They've been burned by life in almost every imaginable way and their struggles parallel each other. This adds a deep beauty to their interactions, especially late in the game. Yoon Joo, by the way, is one of my favorite secondary female characters in any drama, and I found myself caring about her fate as much as that of the main couple (as intense as their chemistry was). She's absolutely complete and fascinating, so kudos to So Hi Hyun.

Male lead Seung Jo is great in a different way, but also definitely deserves praise. This is a unique love interest--he's not arrogant or aloof like your typical rich guy. He's been scarred by love, but still wants the ideal fairy tale version of it; he wants to be the prince and have his princess, high or lowborn, as long as she loves him "purely." Combining this with his crazy personality (he accounts for 90% of the comedy in "Alice") and deep vulnerability, I'd say that he represents the "sweetness" of this fairy tale, while the "bitterness" comes from the other three leads. This is a character you don't want to be hurt in the same way twice, especially once he finds a way to live in his fairy tale again. It's an interesting dynamic which really makes the drama what it is. Park Shi Hoo plays Seung Jo with equal parts sizzle, heart, and hilarity. His physical aptitude for comedy is on display here, and I must say it shows an amazing diversity in his acting range.

A huge plus was that the characters communicated with each other. Misunderstandings in this drama were rarely accidental. Everyone had reactions proportionate to the situation as well; for example, I always felt when tears came that they were warranted.

Musically, "Alice" hit all the right spots. Every track was suitable and memorable, making the OST more than worth buying. The vocal pieces have some of the most beautiful and fitting lyrics ever. I came away from this series replaying K.Will's "Love Like This" hundreds of times, but the real stand-out is Baek Ah Yeon's "Daddy Long Legs". Talk about a perfect representative musical piece.

Re-watchability is always tricky. For the casual viewer, the comedic and romantic scenes are easy to fast-forward to and find. But if you were taken in by "Alice" like I was, there's actually a lot to analyze. Many of the characters are ciphers and can also be compared to characters in the actual fairy tale (I've seen people compare Seung Jo to The Mad Hatter and In Hwa to The Red Queen). Like a good book, it'd be worth re-experiencing more than once... if only to gather your thoughts. I'm actually considering re-watching it for pleasure at the moment.

"Cheongdamdong Alice" is a refreshingly thoughtful piece that asks you to think as well as feel. So many dramas deal with money and social status, but this is the first I've seen treat the subject with such mature candor. With the right injection of fun and fantasy added into the mix, I have to say this is a perfect watching experience. Try it if you like smart and full of heart. read more
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3 days ago 13 of 13 episodes seen 1 of 7 people found this review helpful

In Time With You

by WonByungHoon
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 9
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 9
- Rewatch Value 10
omg ok lemmie break it down for u. first of all u have to finish this drama then ul understand my feelings, dont let the first 15 minutes discourage you, it gets better from there. the prognosis is can a man and woman be bestfriends without love getn in the way. theres this beautiful journey with this awsome guy da ren and this bossy girl you qing. he loves her but swears not to so as to keep the friendship. the whole like half of the show u r rooting for the two to finally be together and nothn seems to change ur mind till ex-boyfriend li wei shows up. hes smooth and can sweep u off ur feet with his charm, swag and tattoos. hes very tempting that u tremble and start having second thoughts far far away in ur mind. dont worry, everything works out and the very last episode is just just perfect i rewinded and rewatched it twice. soo cute i wanted more. and the kisses were just random and endless *smily face* read more
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3 days ago 13 of 13 episodes seen 4 of 7 people found this review helpful

In Time With You

by rheabiel
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 10
- Story 10
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 9
- Rewatch Value 10
you will definitely wont regret watching this drama! my top list has been shaken by this drama. you will feel the love, heartaches, depression, happiness, all the smiles, and wanting to have a best friend.

i have seen some posters about this drama awhile back but never paid attention to it since it was a taiwanese drama and never had a good impression in any taiwanese drama except for meteor garden and fated to love you plus the fact that i know taiwanese dramas tend to be very lengthy. then i came accross some sites wherein some users recommended this, then i read the synopsis. it didn't end there since i dont want to waste my time starting a drama and dropping it only after finding its not worth ti (i've been doing that a lot lately). i've explored more and read a couple of comments and reviews on this and then bang!, i said OK, im gonna watch this. i downloaded the 1st 3eps to see. i was smiling and having so many feels on this drama. and i downloaded everything in 1 go. i finished this drama in 1day (1 whole night and 1 day). That's how i feel moved and excited for the feelings of the main characters to evolve.
Li Da Ren's character has become my ideal - guy and friend. really!
the actings of the main character is so real that while watching it, it feels like ts really a true reaction from them, feels like "yes, i would acted that way if it was me", no wonder they have won both the best actor and actress trophy.
the drama is so realistic. you will be touched by the whole story - family bonding, great friendship, career love, forgiveness and moving on.
on the note: this is a taiwanese drama thus its quite lengthy but sure you wont mind it. after awhile, i find a drama worth to keep. read more
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3 days ago 16 of 16 episodes seen 9 of 10 people found this review helpful

That Winter, The Wind Blows

by jediprincess
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 9
- Story 8
- Acting/Cast 9
- Music 8
- Rewatch Value 9
I finished this stunning, stirring and affectionate “I pretended to be a long lost brother to a blind heiress because I needed money to continue to live only to find myself waking up wanting to protect my fake little sister every single day” in between anti-histamine and sleeping. Given the drama bucket I’ve piled in the past few years, making me stay sitting on a drama was a feat hard to achieve, and this year, “That Winter, The Wind Blows” was the first one to notch it, and no candy crush nor any other distraction can compete with Jo In Sung oppa for my attention. *wink

This is how a melodrama should be done, enough emotional scenes to stimulate the heart and tear ducts, but not bordering to weep fest. This spectacle was like Innocent Man, but what was half-achieved by the former, was strongly fulfilled by this winter romance show.

Loving someone when you are literally blind takes faith beyond reasons, and finding a reason to live because you love someone takes bravery beyond faith. These are the two love lessons I have learned from Oh Soo and Oh Young, and so far this year, they are my favorite love couple.

A tale of not really brothers and sisters who were entangled by fate, unexpected fondness, blind trust, and true love, this drama blew me away on the early episodes and the intense scenes when the revelations were surging up. It took me a while to be convinced on how the lead girl’s firm grasp of things disregarded how her hero abnegated his own happiness because he got infected with the love he was feeling for her, but as I realized, I without disability have insecurities and would really feel awful if I will be betrayed, how much more for a blind girl like her. It always help to step on the character’s shoes to see through their perspective.

Since a lie started the web of deceit, the swinging of how to keep it up moved to degrees of annoyance and appreciation to me because I got a heroine who was frail but not gullible at the same time. I have always liked Song Hye Gyo, and this is her “I’m sorry abby for making you watch A Reason to Live peace offering”, I supposed. When the illness-dying twist emerged in the story, I was shouting, “why is she in the brink of death drama scenario again?”, but I was appeased with her superb portrayal showcasing a vulnerable character who has learned when to turn off her protective bubble to bring the best of her and to reconcile with the idea that bravery can also mean trusting people wholeheartedly without a hint of hesitation. But, in the finale episodes, I detested her stubborn self, I mean, “hell I know you are blind, but stop being proud! and just live happily ever after with Oh-Soo oppa!”

I have slight issues with how In Sung oppa exaggerated his acting sometimes, but given his hotness and knee-crumbling appeal, I let it slide and because at the strong scenes he was seamless in nailing it. He was way beyond Cullen or Grey or the rest of the fictional sexiest man alive list. He smiled.. he smirked… I fainted. His every move in the camera was a justification of my korean drama addiction. *hearteyed

I would be honest that there were dallying episodes after the mid-part of the story and Young’s indecisiveness which you have to tolerate because of her disability was the minus factor in the story. There were inconsistencies in her character that were just salvaged because she was blind, but since I grew tired empathizing with her, I disliked how she saw through her visual impairment and felt how the people around her move to please her so as to gain favor from her, only to not rely on her instincts when it was needed. All throughout she was in a battle of who-to-trust-and-not, and had she not submitted to weighing the twinge of trust properly, I would have been disappointed because the building of this drama was impeccable, but the fulfillment should be at least satisfying.

I almost had an asthma attack in Oh Soo’s breakdown scene and how he was blaming himself on not just playing the con he started instead of making love complicate all things. It was such a strong memorable moment that sent me to weep island, and will be on top of my favorite scenes this year on kdramaland.

It was a safe ending. It was not a happy-yey!-ever-after closure, but at least they were together. And I’m happy about it. There were hanging questions that were not explained and karmic justice that were not served to some of the characters like Mr. Kim and So-ra, and they only focused on what the ultimate yearning of the love couple was — for Young-i to see Soo oppa. So they ended it in her quarter-blindness, it was like… “Okay, blind girl, you can be happy now, but don’t jump!” Other than this puny finale episode sulking, I really loved this drama because it didn’t give me the satisfaction of getting a fairy-tale ending. And because at those scenes that really mattered I was able to feel for the characters and the struggle they were hurdling. It drove to the path of how Oh-soo and Oh-young’s self-contemplation on what they have to offer with each other to be worthy of each other’s love. Oh-soo who has never saw meaning to his life has found it when he met a woman who was also sharing the same sentiment as his. Sometimes it’s really the pain that makes the love so worth it, because without it you can never differentiate if you are willing to let go or to love the person.

“That Winter, The Wind Blows” was a poignant love drama that will make you remember how you were scared to start a love you were unsure of, and how you took the odds to claim it. This was a cure for people with “trust issues” and its delightful and piercing romance take will definitely appeal to people wanting to love… wanting to be in love and wanting to be loved back. It was a splendid romantic drama ride for me. It was not perfect but it was emotionally astonishing.

-jediprincess ^_^ read more
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4 days ago 11 of 11 episodes seen 2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Minami-kun no Koibito 2004

by amyboomerang
Other reviews by this user
- Overall 9
- Story 9
- Acting/Cast 10
- Music 5
- Rewatch Value 10
I feel like this show is likely to be a hit-or-miss show for most people. Its one of those unconventional "pure love" stories about a pair of high school sweethearts who are faced with an impossible set of circumstances.

For me, the story was precious. Completely and utterly adorable. I loved it. I laughed so much, and had some tears, and yelled at the characters sometimes--signs of a wonderfully balanced drama for me. I watched this entire show within two days. I thought that the two leads were both precious, their families were well cast, and our villainous female was just obviously manipulative enough you disliked her early on, but not so much you completely discounted her feelings as they were unraveled. Everything was kept at a relatively believable (as much as it could be, I suppose) level for two people put into this situation, and the characters developed nicely as the story continued.

Now, I will specify right now, that the special effects are not amazing. If you are a stickler for awesome quality, then the green screen merging will probably drive you nuts. I think they did very well considering the sort of budget a television show would have to do it--it would be one which would be great to see remade even now, nearly ten years later, just to see how much better the ability to merge the two "worlds" on that sort of budget would be. Furthermore, I did find the music amazingly unremarkable. It was complete unmemorable. Fortunately, the show was memorable enough on its own.

Finally, I foresee that a lot of people will have conflicting feelings on how the show ends. I personally thought that it was a somewhat apt solution all things considering, but I did wish that it had been different. But I found it to be beautiful ending, even if it wasn't the fairytale end I was expecting.

So, with those things in mind, I would recommend this drama to anyone who wants a relatively light, cute, romantic comedy, and who will get lost enough in the characters and plot to be able to forgive the shows weak points. read more
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