Reviews

Great cartoon to live action

One of the best examples I've seen for a live action remake of an animated series.

Honestly, I watched it for Neo Hou and so I wasn't really that interested in what the MC was doing and what the whole plot was besides what Wang Ye was up to. I did get sucked into the drama and was pleasantly surprised. But I think my favorite aspect of this show was the fight scenes. An amazing adaptation. This is what I want to see when they do cartoons into live actions. It was campy and cringey and had a lot of playful comedic expressions and movement as it is intentional for a good adaptation of what happened in the cartoon. It doesn't take away from the plot or the serious moments at all.

And the fight scenes were incredible. This is what I want to see when incorporating martial arts into magic/bending! Every ATLA adaptation can take notes!

The show was good overall, and I will definitely go back for a rewatch, especially of the fight scenes.

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You're hearing, I'm deaf. We're different... Then I'll be deaf for you.

This is truly a wonderful movie!

I waited so long to watch this as it was not available for the international audience until two weeks ago when they released it on YouTube.

From the beginning to till the end you are going to feel a lot of things that you have never felt before. Because if I be honest I would say we, who can both hear and talk can never truly feel what a deaf/mute/ mute & deaf person really feels. We can try to understand but its far from being felt like one. The mature people can decode the silence but when that silence becomes your life then it's hard to understand spoken words. Which is why this film excels in portraying the message clear and loud. They made you feel those complicated emotions with silence and stares.

Now the most important thing that holds everything together is the leads acting and their insane chemistry. Oh my my I could feel the love from the screen! From hesitant gaze to slow stare I fell in love with the characters. Their chemistry was chemistring >.<

The OSTs and the music just hits the spot! I can definitely listen to them all day. They're so melodious and meaningful. From the trailer it's the first thing that made me want to watch the movie.

This movie is highly recommended if you want to let go of stress and those pent up emotions, then this is for you. It has fluff, a bit comedy, romance and a door to the wall of silence.

After finishing the movie now I can understand why is it named "One More Time. With Feelings"!

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Not a typical vampire drama

Oof— first of all, I'd like to state that if you're here for some spicy, fiery vampire romance, this isn't it; its the most family- friendly BL I've ever encountered and they make it work so well. This drama isn't perfect, its main flaw being that it failed to make it clear that its a satire . This drama is a Satire y'all. It may not be your kind of drama, but its right down my alley- I'm easily pleased and I loved every single second of it. Why? Here's the reason:

Plot:
The synopsis pretty much gave it all away. That's it. The synopsis is basically the only thing the story is about. Nothing to add, nothing to take.

Cast/Acting/Characters
The acting was awkward, which can be kinda anticipated as they are mostly newbies. The cast was....not misplaced. The cast did exactly what they had to. (Almost) Every character plays a noticeable role in this drama and has some kind of depth that makes them who they are and makes them appealing to the audience (at least to me).

Pun (Shane)
I initially started watching this for Shane as I had just completed "My Engineer" by then. He does a great job embodying the character Pun. He was charming, as enigmatic as this vampire could be and... very beautiful. That's not all there is. Pun is a very dedicated pers—, I mean vampire. He has a heart of gold and a smile that warms your heart. His dedication and appreciation for whatever is done for him is through the roof and makes him an extremely loveable character.

Yo (Opal)
Opal is a newbie actor. He plays the character of Yo quite well. His acting was quite awkward at times maybe due to that fact, but the character Yo is, I think, written as awkward. Beneath that awkwardness is a very determined person. He sticks to whatever he has interest in and makes it his topmost priority to know more. Plus, the actor has a very cute birthmark which they managed to incorporate into the story, which, I think was really cool of the writers.

Mild (Kamsai)
Mild has already been in a project, but is practically still a newbie. Kamsai is what I like to call the "big sister" of the whole group. She is a thoughtful person. She is another determined person who chases after what she wants head on and looks out for the other members of the group.

Luktaan (Jam)
She plays Yo's sister. She is mostly a one faced character, only showing a few expressions. However, she is a very smart person. She speaks very few words but observes her surroundings very well and is hood at reading the room.

YourMOOD (Shin)
Loved by many, YourMOOD is the comic relief you crave in a drama. His comedic timing is perfect and just like his name, he's a whole MOOD. Shin is a very down-to-earth character and one who aims to please the people he wants to please. It was never a dull moment with Shin around as he was bubbly, bright and was practically a happy pill throughout his time on screen.

BigBoss (Somchai)
Ugh—the actor is handsome. His character, a very annoying and frustrating one. The urge to b*tch slap him everytime he was on screen was a very huge one. BigBoss did a good job making everyone hate Somchai, even when he did the bare minimum. We hated Somchai when he spoke, when he smiled and even when he just appeared on the screen. That's got to be one character I even wish would abruptly stop breathing.I've got to hand it, Somchai did bring some action and tension by just appearing.

Jomjam (Janja)
Another character who did nothing but managed to be a good enough villain. She didnt have much screentime, but I disliked her anytime she was on screen, until ep 12 maybe(?).

The Friend Group.
The only thing I can say is, they were moral support when necessary.

Nosy Auntie
I dont know her name, forgive me. She is more than your typical nosy neighbour. I loved her even though she didn't have that much of a significant role; her only role being to gossip.

Yo's father.
Not much to say about him also. Except he was the second most supportive dad I've ever seen in a BL (the first being Pete's dad from DBK). He encouraged his son to go for his man. You dont get this kind of dad everyday.

Pork Blood Soup.
Ah— the real MVP. The cupid that brought our main couple whose destiny had been leading them together. Pork Blood Soup, you'll always be remembered. The clutches of Pork Blood Soup cannot be escaped by anyone who watches this drama. Its impact is huge as it brings our couple together.

Music:
The right songs were used in the right scenes, in my opinion. These stood out to me a lot:
1. The opening music- It was cute.
2. The Superman song - It was so ridiculous, yet oddly addicting.
3. There was a song in ep 12 with a guitar riff that I thought was so beautiful and cool.
Overall, the music is very good compared to some other soundtracks I've witnessed.

Other aspects:
The aesthetics are pretty and very visually appealing. This and other factors such as build up are similar to "I Will Knock You", as they have the same Screenwriter/ Director.

The story is more character driven than plot driven. It runs on character development and not plot development, which I loved in "I Will Knock You" as well.

The styling of the actors was on point, especially Yo and Pun. Their styling really stood out in the drama. Pun with his signature umbrella and 90s styling was really good to look at. His wardrobe combinations was one that made me want a wardrobe tour so badly. Yo's accessories were to die for. The little accessories were on point each time.

This drama had the sweetest and cutest wedding I've ever seen; both in works of fiction and in real life. That's a plus for me.

The ending— that ending was absolutely beautiful. This is the cutest last episode I've ever seen and I'm not even exaggerating.

Rewatch Value:
I'd actually rewatch this when I want something cute and easily digestible to watch. No worries about unnecessary drama; just a cute drama of 12 episodes that are easy to swallow.

With all the above, here are cons to this drama I thought to point out.
- The 1st epispde failed to grasp me. I mean, the first episode has to have some kind of flair that pulls you into wanting to watch it right? The first episode for this drama did not hook me in, on the contrary. I would've dropped it if I only gave it one episode to impress me. This, I think isn't a good thing as the first episode is where a lot of people gave up on the show.
- In the 1st and 2nd episodes, Yo's behaviour felt a bit stalker-ish, which could be a turn off for some people.
- They practically wrote off the whole friend group at a point and brought them back at another. The back and forth made them look like extras. Poon not making an entrance anutime after the beginning episodes may be because he's in another drama which maybe was shot at the same time as this. But they should've addressed it better than just making him disappear.
- There was a ghost whose story I wish would have been explored.

I don't know, these were the only major flaws I found. It could be because I loved this so much so my judgement may be a bit clouded.

The Satire:
I mentioned earlier this is a satire. The question is... what is it satirizing? In my opinion, its mainly the vampire stereotype.

We know vampires to be scared of sunlight. Well it doesn't happen here. Apparently, vampires are burnt by holy water, but in this case, nothing happens to them upon contact with holy water. Accordingly, vampire hate garlic and can't stand crucifixes...well...you guessed it. It doesn't apply here. There's also the blood drinking. While some vampires here drink blood, one doesn't and prefers other things (which I won't mention cos I want this to be spoiler-free). There's also the talk of vampire fangs, and right! A vampire here has no fangs, due to their removal by choice. And these are just the ones I was able to catch. Just think about what I wasn't able to notice.

I think villains are also satirized here to an extent. The typical villain is a person who does ruthless, unforgiveable things and tries heaven and earth go bring down the lead character. Here, the villains do practically... Nothing. They just annoy watchers by their existence and thats that. There's no crossing of any line by any villain.

That being said, this show is one that you either like or hate; there's probably no in between; it's just a matter of preference. Maybewith this review, you'd be able to tell whether or not its your cup of tea. I'd however suggest giving this a chance before you decide you hate it. I'd suggest not to pay attention to the ratings and negative reviews before trying it out because who knows?...you may like it.

Overall, I'm bummed this has ended and I can see myself rewatching it occasionally until I get tired of it. This is the kind of drama you'd watch after a stressful day when you need something lighthearted to take your mind off your problems of the day and it's such a big bummer a lot of people hated this so much, but that could be my utter bias speaking here.

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One of the best stories ever written.

I'd like to note that I studied to become a writer. I wrote novel, short story, mainly thriller. I consider myself lazy to write this kind of thing, never wrote a review, but now here I am. I want to encourage writers and authors to watch this movie and learn from it. The Call, for me, one of the best stories ever written. So well made.

In literature especially for thriller, there's a concept called "stake". Basically, it means that the protagonist, who has a goal, encounter the antagonist who disrupts the goal, and the antagonist threaten the protagonist so that the protagonist has no choice but to pursue the goal.
This may sounded complicated, but listen. Most of the stories out there forget this thing. They write the protagonist need to pursue his/her goal because it's the goal, some sort of ambition. Wrong. Writers need to set the stake, for example, if the protagonist fails to reach the goal, they will die, or somebody die.

One thing that I'd like to note about The Call is there are no scene that useless. I hate this kind of useless scene. Most writers often uses scene for a simple "dramatic effect" that actually so silly. They fails to realize that those scene are garbage.
A scene must have one important key, "progression". Something yearns to progress. Either a new information, character development, relationship, etc. Two types of scene: action scene and reaction scene. Not trying to be a nerd with this but I analyzed everything in The Call, and it followed the basic theory of 27 structure.

This is how you write a story. All of the directors! Writers! whatever, watch this thing. Watch this. Learn.

"Oh, that concept of time paradox is very common."
Bro, shut up. I don't care about the theme. I'm not talking about the theme. If it's mainstream, so be it. I don't care. I watched lots of movie with great concept, big potential, but ended up as a waste, a dogshit.

Good or bad writing in movie is a preferences. But, correct or wrong writing in movie is a fact.

Spoiler:
It's just that police's death that felt off to me. That probably the only one plot hole nonsense in the story. Also, I felt it silly when the antagonist manages to avoid getting caught, somehow. I mean, starts from she killed her mom, especially when she killed the strawberry guy, it obvious that the police should know about this. However, they didn't. And it made the police looked dumb, disappointing the viewer and also insulting the viewer.
I think what should be done is the writer should create the antagonist more organized, not impulsive like that. This made the antagonist appeared smart, and the viewer would respect her and more scared to her. I mean, seriously? She killed the strawberry guy like it was Tuesday and the police really that one of an imbecile?

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Third class .. bogus

I hold it till episode 13 to give this show a fair chance but honestly I regret wasting my time on this crap ... Everything from story to acting sucks ... specially the female lead her character is moronic on top her acting made is even more cringe ... I cant point a single good thing about this show ... Unnecessary conspiracy tracks and misunderstanding between the leads ..to keep them apart ... Full of over acting and over reacting ... The storyline must have written by some eight grader taking in consideration the entire plot is so childish ... Boring and pathetic

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Series which deserves its very high audience rate!!

With Kim Soo Hyun (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) as beautiful, talented, moving as always.

PLOT:
The couple formed by the rich heiress with a difficult character (FL) and her husband "Peter Tsu", perfect, handsome and intelligent, is struggling. The ML wants to divorce, but he learns that his wife only has 3 months to live (brain tumor). In addition, events will change his point of view (plot against the FL family, arrival of a slightly twisted rival, etc.).

PROS:
+ a great CL, endearing, moving, with Kim Ji Woon and Kim Soo-Hyun (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
+ a well-balanced balance of emotion, anxiety, humor, mystery.
+ endearing 2ary characters, brought to the screen by talented actors.
+ a more or less credible story.
+ well-adapted OSTs, which amplify emotions accurately, including one sung by Kim Soo Hyun himself, “Way Home”.
+ a comforting ending (welcome after everything we suffered with our "heroes" (｡◝‿◜｡)).

CONS:
### story a little too "dramaland" at the end: I'm fed up with Machiavellian Villains, super intelligent, super powerful, ... and who benefit from hellish luck and who "by chance" come across the items they can exploit ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლી. The actor is great on this point: we hate him!

**************************************************************************************
Avec Kim Soo Hyun (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) aussi beau, talentueux, émouvant que toujours.

PLOT:
Le couple formé par la riche héritière au caractère difficile (FL) et son mari "Peter Tsu", parfait, beau et intelligent, bat de l'aîle. Le ML veut divorcer, mais il apprend que sa femme n'a plus que 3 mois à vivre (tumeur au cerveau). De plus, des évènements vont venir changer son point de vue (complot contre la famille de la FL, arrivée d'un rival un peu tordu,...).

PROS:
+ un super CL, attachant, émouvant, avec Kim Ji Woon et Kim Soo-Hyun (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
+ un équilibre bien dosé d'émotion, angoisse, humour, mystère.
+ des personnages 2aires attachants, portés à l'écran par des acteurs talentueux.
+ une story more or less crédible.
+ des OST bien adaptées, qui amplifient les émotions avec justesse, dont une chantée par Kim Soo Hyun lui-même, "Way Home".
+ une fin réconfortante (bienvenue après tout ce qu'on a souffert avec nos "héros" (｡◝‿◜｡)).

CONS:
### story un peu trop "dramaland" sur la fin : j'en ai marre des Villains machiavéliques, super intelligents, super puissants, ... et qui bénéficient d'une chance d'enfer et qui tombent "par hasard" sur les objets qu'ils peuvent exploiter ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლી. L'acteur est génial sur c point : on le déteste !

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SECOND LEAD >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

AH! I actually LOVED the story and plot BUT the main leads were SO SO :(

I honestly enjoyed more of the second leads' love stories more than the mains LOL

Overall - story is fun! Love the traditional sa-guek setting and of course all the drama with the injustice and imbalance of power for government/monarchy etc etc.

Overall a fun and good watch - nothing crazy... love the value of friendship, loyalty, and honestly the courage each character imposed!

The antagonist was also a great plot twist at the beginning and a great great actor! He really sold the show.

Not bad watch - would recommend!

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“Some people time gives them sand, and what did they give back is pearls.” Xue Yi Ran

This series has taught many things, The importance of stay calm and relaxed, To not give up on your goals and to always be positive. And no matter how destiny comes at you, always race against it. Running like a shooting star made me get up and to continue chasing my dreams. It gave me so much positivity and made me feel the value in friendships and goals. It felt like I wasn’t watching an ordinary sport “bromance” but it was such a masterpiece to watch. I always thought that dreams and goals are just a come and go, but after watching this series it made me realise that dreams aren’t like that. Not only it does it give education in Sports like shot putting it’s not a popular sport some people might never know about, but it also teaches psychology and the golden treasure of friendship. It gave me a lot of advices, and I learned a lot.
This series is Must watch, you will feel the positivity and the comedy in it, and the bromance in it is a whole new level. I would rewatch whenever I feel like I need some “cheering up” and would most probably rewatch it when I have exams. The old wang is just a person to learn from, And it is not your typical sport drama this is way better than any sport drama.

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Cityless Behaviour

Initially, the drama was captivating with its picturesque setting, charming characters, vibrant village life, and delightful slice-of-life moments. The dynamic between the village people created a lively and heartwarming atmosphere. Each character brought something unique to the table with lots potentials and the slow burn romance between the leads was a highlight, initially. However, as the focus shifted to the romance between the leads around episode 11, the vibrancy of the village dynamics began to fade and the the drama lost some of its spark. At that point, the drama turned into a very long compilation of cheesy uneventful dates sequences while neglecting the small-town dynamics and community interactions that initially drew me in. Their interactions became more unbearable as the drama went on and the male leads supposed problems were an additional let down. Anyway, it wasn't perfect to begin with, Yeong Guk & Hwa Jeong triangle and story was the weakest link in the village and borderline ruined many scenes. The drama could've definitely used more people in the village and more stories, even if it were to add more sidekicks. Moreover, many of the stories from the village started and ended within a few scenes/episodes. I really wanted to see more investment in the Pub owner rather than Yeong Guk triangle. Eventually, the resolution turned out to be just acceptable. While the drama remained enjoyable overall, the overall decline in quality after the leads got together was a really big disappointment.

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Money, innit?

The veteran actor, Lee Sun Kyun, delivered a powerful performance that anchored the show, as expected. It's really heartbreaking to lose such a big talent. Rest in piece. The drama didn't exactly break new ground with its plot or characters, but it managed to hold one's attention through its well paced narrative, occasional power shifts and a few unexpected twists thrown in. The cast does their thing, but some of the characters feel a bit like cardboard cutouts, lacking some life in them. While the drama dipped into melodrama sometimes but it struck a balance between suspense and storytelling. Overall, it's a pretty decent drama around corruption and power struggles.

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Bloodless Behaviour

It's a decent short drama but far from perfect and too many problems held it back. Although it was meant to be on a lighter tone and considering its short format, the drama was passing through a lot of social and workplace problems too quickly despite the drama establishing depth to some of the characters. It created some disconnect and cohesion problems along the way. A possible easy fix to the problem is having it turned into a full 12-16 episodes regular drama. The characters and their archetypes were well established and fit well in their respective roles. There was a lot of potentials to be had in the first place. Another victim to its shorter runtime was the last stretch of the story, in particular the last 2 episodes. It presented the final points of tension and jumped to the resolution very quickly and abruptly. Although it's a decent watch but at the end it was a wasted potentials.

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Budget China Town

The drama had a rough start to assemble some attractive elements for the hook but everything boiled down to its nature being bilingual and bicultural. The story itself was bland through and through, and it kept playing it super extremely safe until the end. The cast was good enough given the material they had to work with. Its excessive length didn't help its case. Despite that, the romance was somewhat brief and unremarkable, the language barrier was clearly showing. The leads chemistry was quite questionable, it came off as forced more often than not, I've seen better efforts from Kim Jae Won. Han Chae Young went through a lot, her character got robbed off, playing a secondary lead didn't fit her well. All in all, the side plots were definitely the weakest link, none of them fit well, nor were they appealing and they contributed little to nothing.

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"Heartwrenching and captivating"

I just finished this series and I m literally crying ...More Than Words" is a series that truly lives up to its name, delivering a narrative that goes beyond mere dialogue and action, delving deep into the hearts of its characters and its audience alike. Throughout its episodes, the series masterfully weaves together a tapestry of emotions, leaving viewers simultaneously moved and captivated by its heartwrenching storytelling.My favourite character was Makio.Makio's character is a poignant reminder of the power of storytelling to touch the soul and leave a lasting impact.I m sorry i believe not every viewer will agree with me but I really hated "meiko ejji parents and ejji the most(most hated).they didn't even try to search makki and lived a happy life with their child in that period makki was alone in his room ...I know makki ran away but ejji didn't even search or tried to contact him .....it was all perfect till episode 6 but after 7..I didn't stop crying because I felt so bad for makki ...The most cheerful character just became so ...😔 Ejji choose child and meiko over makki ...but I m glad makki was not alone in the last episode .I really hate Ejji or what he did to makki 😭 and Meiko (in my opinion she was really jealous of makki from the very first episode.
I m literally writing this review to relieve my anger and hatred towards Meiko and Ejji but its only becoming more and more hatred and anger😡.. obviously I will never watch this series again ....😭
❤️Makki (the most pitiful character. Get hurt by the people whom he love,care and trusted the most.I m really glad that in the end the writer decide to give us some clues that makki is trying to move on ..)
Ejji (I just hate him..I don't even. Want to write about him)
Meiko (the 2 hated character....she was just jealous of makki .makki was present in her hard time and look she payback to makki ...)Exclude the parents ther are just awful😡

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Maskless Behaviour

The story started with a big 'who done it' type of plot where every single person on the screen was a suspect. It kept this momentum for a few episodes before abandoning the idea and the 'masks' plot half way through to shift to something else. There was no coherency in this mess and the writer was improvising the story as the episodes went on. Instead of working on the mystery, it took the lazy way at every corner, it pushed most of the weight onto just showing the incident. It revealed the mystery through the brief snippets of the incident at the beginning of every episode. The character Kang Hoo was in particular problematic to the narrative and was handled poorly throughout. The cast was good but that's it, and the supposed sismance came off as forced more often than not, even during its high moments. The entire drama was a really big mess.

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