Reviews

Honest review ! I have included info about the alternate endings too!

A heart wrenching drama that teared my heart into pieces but stil kept me watching.

I am a sucker for happy endings so I struggled and hesitated. I struggled so bad that it physically hurt. So I didn't watch it. I procastinated and only watched it recently.

Anyone who is like me will actually understand. It's difficult for some people to watch sad endings because the reason they watch such dramas in the first place is because they feel the need to escape from their everyday life and watch something that genuinely makes them happy.

Now I'll come to the review. It's a very honest review. And has spoilers. So keep that in mind and proceed.

As much as you can say, it is an ambitious drama. And it might not be for everyone as it can be extreme at times. There is a lot of jealousy and possessiveness. Some might have a kink for that and some might not. There is good romance.

There are a lot of things that will make you tear up. And things that will make you smile. Be prepared with some tissues. But you know what? It is a once in a decade drama. That kind of thing. I'm not exaggerating. It's one of the best historical dramas out there.

Do not be afraid of commitment. It's good. And make sure to watch the behind the scenes after you have finished with it. It really just cheers you up looking at them getting all giggly with serious scenes.

Lee joon gi and Kim Ha Neul are TOPS. Baekhyun too. I can't believe how well he acted given it was his first real role in a drama. Nam joo hyuk was very impressive.

All the princes impressed the hell out of me.

Some questions I have of the drama:
(THIS IS SPOILER SO YOU CAN SKIP THIS PART) 🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅

> What was the deal with Jin Mong? Or rather. Which world does he really belong to?

> At the end, did they really have to keep their daughter a secret? I mean I do get it. But I wonder if Wang So knew it was his. He did see the similarity. He felt something. But oh well.

> What was really heartbreaking was the fact that at the end, everybody left him, Baek ha being the last one. He wasnt called a bloody monarch now that Have Soo had managed to change that fate, true, but he did , in a way end up lonely. Did it have to end that way? Lol.

Spoiler ends 🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅🙅


ALSO. THIS IS SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION. THE DIRECTORS ACTUALLY FILMED TWO VERSIONS OF THE ENDING.

THEY DECIDED TO GO WITH THE SAD ONE AFTER MUCH CONSIDERATION. HOWEVER THE HAPPY ENDING WAS FILMED AND IU EVEN UPLOADED IT ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA. IT WAS BLOCKED BUT YOU CAN SEARCH GOOGLE TO KNOW MORE. YOU WONT GET THE VIDEO BUT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET THE SHOTS OF THE SCENE.

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This was okay...

This short film has it´s moments, it is not really bad, not really good, it has very little new to bring to the table and the guy that is not PP Krit mr Nine looks a bit like a buff Billkin knock off and feels kind of cringe. He is a bit snake like and could use a lesson or 30 in acting. PP krits character is also kind of meeh the delivery is good so I can´t really blame PP Krit.

I am not sure if it is the lack of process that stands in the way of getting close and feeling stuff with the actors, or the turn of events that is just not relatable to me that keeps me from giving this a higher score. The cinematography is pretty, the art artsy and the leads look good together...

I guess to be perfectly honest it is not that interesting,... PP Krit or Not...

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Very Special BL

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Tol
T (Doctor)

Beginning: T is an ER doctor and is living a normal life until B comes to his ER after a horrible accident. T tries to save him and fails and for some reason he finds himself reliving that day again. An angel appears and tells him that he has to save B's life im order for the cycle to end. At first T is confused as to how to save him when he could only return to a few hours before B is bought in and by that time it's too late. But then the angel lets him know he could choose to go back in time further, which is something he chooses to do. B and T's relationship start off rought because T tries to warn B he is about to die but B doesn't believe him. This frustrates T to no end.

Middle: At first T thought the reason for B's death is drunk driving but after B does again, this time with no alcohol in his blood, he knew that something was up. He decides this time he needs to get closer to B. He decides to dress up, approach B and try to learn more at his side, he even become B's tutor. In order to save B, he become closer to his friends as well, even saving two of them. He soon discovers that B actually had a heart issue which explain some of this death. As they grew closer, more details sorrounding the hospital T works at start of surface. It is revealed that the hospital had a doctor who was doing illegal organ trafficking business and B's girlfriend at that time had a mother who was also a victim and some of B's friends have been victimized by this business. To keep B alive, T has no choice but to investigate this problem. In his investigation, he also discovers B's girlfriend is only dating B because he could help her mother and she actually had another boyfriend. This leads to B breaking up with her. With each loop, B and T gets closer and finally they kiss.

End: Before they could have their happy ending, B and T decides to attend a conference that might help them in their investigation. But in a shocking turn of events, T is shot and dies. Stricken by grief, B doesn't know what to do until he remembers T telling him about the angel. He goes to find the angel who agrees to give him a chance to bring T back as long as he makes him fall in love with him in 5 days. With no choice, B agrees but making T like him in 5 days is not easy. However B realizes that if he could solve all the problems T had been trying to solve and do the right thing, he could still succeed. He eventually do and passes the test and the series ends with T coming back and then kissing.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT
- Very nice writing. Although there are a lot of cliche and predictable plot points (such as hospital being front for organ trafficking or the girlfriend of ML betraying him so he had a reason to break up with her, etc), they are put together in an interesting way that keep in interested. The concept is very interesting and well executed, done in a way that doesn't make things over complicated.
- Very nice and likable characters. T was calm and collected but had his own trauma and flaws. B was adorable at the end and truly care of T. Although there aren't many intimate scenes, they show their affection through action and grief. The characters do have chemistry and seeing them together is really satisfying.
- I love the idea that B get to experience the loop at the end.

WHAT I DIDNT LIKE ABOUT IT
- The ending was too short. I would have liked to see them together because getting there has been very difficult.
- The plot can get a little plain. There were some plot twists that surprised me but overall, the mystery is predictable and cliche, and seen multiple times before.
- The acting can get a little...unnatural in scenes where the actors have to display strong emotions. For example anger and grief aren't exactly that well displayed. In general the acting is fine and there aren't many cringey scenes.

**Conclusion**
Interesting ground hog day type of BL that should be watched.

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Alternative title suggestion: How to Feel Sorry for Drug Dealers

What a mixed bag this drama was. While the quality of acting and special effects was outstanding, the ultimately weak, far-fetched plot was what really dragged this show down. A twist on the trope of the whole drug dealer/undercover cop scenario, this story's angle shone the spotlight more on the lengths that the 'good' guys will resort to, to get what they want or achieve what they consider 'right', regardless of the means used or the collateral damage.
I found the ending a huge disappointment; by the final episode you're really glad to be finally finished with Ji Chang Wook's character, who was an ambitious, selfish, jealous little toad from the outset.
Supporting male characters were excellent, particularly the knife-wielding lunatic Chief Seo, but as usual the female characters were weak pitiful creations, designed only to support the male lead. Shameful writing.
Really glad to be finished with this one and move on to something hopefully better.

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original

A thousand years since the battle between the demons and heavens took place, the souls of the Star of Mosha and the God of War are sent to the mortal realm to serve penance.

In the mortal realm, Chu Xuan Ji, daughter of the Shaoyang Sect Leader, is deprived of her six senses. At a tournament, she meets Yu Si Feng, a skilled disciple of Lize Palace who was born on the same day as her, and the two develop a friendship. Promising to meet again, Si Feng returns to his sect, where he is punished for breaking the rules and forced to wear a mask that could potentially harm his life, while Xuan Ji leaves her home to train in martial arts.

Four years later, their destinies intertwine anew. While traveling together, recovered memories from their past lives surface, revealing secrets and conspiracies involving themselves and the three realms; demon, heavenly, and mortal. These revelations have a profound impact on their relationship, creating an imbalance in all three realms.

(Source: linfifi8 at MyDramaList)

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Too punch drunk to know it's not drunken

In 1980, Kung Fu of Eight Drunkards attempted to capitalize on the success of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master. Unfortunately, they did so without the martial arts skills of the former or the charismatic performers and were left with a below average kung fu flick.

Chang Fung (Mang Fei) took some time off of working at his uncle’s restaurant to train with a drunken master named Wu Sing (Lui Ming). At first it doesn’t appear he’s learned much but a chance encounter with a mischievous Monkey (Wu Ma) reveals to the world that he has learned Wu Sing’s style of fighting. Word gets back to the Four Bandits, the biggest and baddest played by Chan Sing. The bandits are determined to end Wu Sing for causing problems with an old deal gone wrong. Lung Fei, Henry Lu, and the Gold and Silver Tigers go up against the newly trained kung fu artist to their detriment. Ultimately it will come down to Mang Fei confronting Chan Sing. As always, it’s all fun and games until Chan Sing takes off his shirt to show he means business.

There were numerous problems with this movie, but primarily Mang Fei was too stiff to even mimic the drunken style. Lui Ming came across as incoherent bypassing sloppy drunk altogether. I kept waiting for Mang Fei to use the drunken style but most of the fights were more kung fu posing than anything. The choreography was lacking in any creativity. The fights were already slow enough but then the director added slo-mo to a couple of them making me wonder if he was trying to go back in time. The deadly confrontation with Lung Fei was filmed in the dark hiding most of the action. Chan Sing can always be counted on to bring it even when he’s only briefly in the movie. Other than his fight in the finale, only Wu Ma with his moth-eaten wig brought any life to this lackluster movie.

Kung Fu of Eight Drunkards made the cardinal sin of a kung fu movie---the fights were uninteresting and bad. Also, if you name a movie after a particular style, it darn well needs to show up in it.

11/20/23

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A glimpse of the mental world

This isn't your average medical kdrama. This drama addresses and delves deeper into mental health issues and disorders. It captures and sheds light on the diverse ways mental illnesses occur. Each episode tackled a different kind of disorder. What is even more rewarding is the fact that the drama portrays medical practitioners being prone to mental illnesses as well.
The drama is educative, enlightening, heartbreaking, heartwarming and comforting.
It's a solid 10/10 for me.
Hats off to the actors and the entire team for bringing the characters to life. It was worth watching and I highly recommend it

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I love my GMMTV boys. Messy perfection.

My advice to new BL watchers, OR new to GMMTV BL's, don't start with this one. I think what made this show so amazing, was being in love with all these characters/couples already and watching them in a whole new light.

This was everything. The couples were amazing, the situations were messy, realistic. My heart hurt, my heart healed, my anxiety went through the roof!

My favorite couples are Mew & Top, I really felt and loved both of them. My second runner up was Ray & Sand, their story was very interesting, touching, and deep. Also Nick, I felt so much for Nick. I want to see Mark(Nick) get a happy series as a lead role.

I also want to see Mond (Boeing) as a lead in a BL. He was so naughty in this one! And honestly I loved it. I am glad they didn't drag out those issues for to long.

Overall, I can't say one bad thing about this show. It was messy perfection.

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Great acting, heavy message

This film is a testament to the incredible talents of both actors, though I admit, Leo Wu drew me in initially, only to be pleasantly surprised by Zhang Zi Feng's remarkable acting prowess. Their on-screen chemistry was great, enhancing the already amazing performances. The movie boasted not only superb casting but also stunning cinematography, complementing its fresh and innovative storyline.

As an avid fan of Leo, I can see his exploration of an unorthodox character, showcasing his versatility and dedication to his acting career. It's clear he's a professional pushing the boundaries of his acting range.

Initially I’m seeking a light-hearted comedy, but stumbled upon a seemingly simple movie that carried a profound message, catching me off guard. Although it wasn't precisely what I anticipated, I highly recommended it to movie critics and enthusiasts who value depth and craftsmanship.

This film is precisely the type I envision producing if I were to step into the role of a producer. While it might not be my cup of tea at this moment, its quality performances, innovative concept, and thought-provoking themes make it a noteworthy addition to the cinema landscape, sure to be appreciated by those seeking substance in their movies.

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It was a little off and then IT WAS ON !

The plot seems a little tacky and clumsy at first when there wasn't enough background info (intended; yet didn't do a good job to secure the audiences' attention and understanding) and the way Pisaeng developed affection for Kawi was too easy (but that's how love works). Despite that, from around episode 4 onwards, the plot made total sense and was very logical (if the audiences are logical and empathetic enough to undersand the writing). It became real, sympatheticable and understandable.
I especially love how the series targeted multiple points of philosophy and humanitarianism. It was just right (not overdone), impactful and digestable. I was given a chance to look at multiple new aspects of life through the writing. Also, the couple's progress through friendship and love was so interesting and so cute. They actually built a realistic and believable love progress, no big gestures, no going out of boundaries and I absolutely respect that because love stories in real life aren't majestic.
However, the only plot hole I find to be brain-itching is the time traveling of Pisaeng. On episode 12, He traveled back to the day he first turned the globe in Kawi's room when they had just received acceptance from Pisaeng's mom. So on his first try with the globe, where did he go ? What did he experience ? How did he feel ? Did he affect anything in the past and the future ? So...that took down a point.
Despite all that, i praise the two main actors heavily ! They kept it real and made it lively. I fell in love with the chemistry between them and cried for them when they fell apart. The two really delivered a prominent yet dilemmatic love.
All in all, this series will probably not be the best of this year but will definitely feed your soul well so i recommend you watching it.

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Drunken style vs Thunderleg!

Drunken Master reunited Jackie Chan with much of the cast and crew from Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow from March of the same year. This time Chan played a mischievous Wong Fei Hung who much against his will was forced to be the student of Drunken Master Beggar So/Sam Seed. He was finally motivated to improve his skills and become serious with his training when confronted by Hwang Jang Lee’s Thunderleg!

Wong Fei Hung seems to make or find trouble wherever he goes. His exasperated father calls upon Uncle So to train or break the young man before he causes trouble he and the family cannot get out of. At first WFH doesn’t take the training too seriously until he is humiliated by the deadly Thunderleg who considers him unworthy of killing. The requisite training scenes follow along with a couple of test fights before he’s finally able to face Thunderleg in the grand finale.

The beginning of the film dragged with Uncle So only showing up around the 45-minute mark. That’s not to say there weren’t entertaining fights in that time. Chan had a memorable fight with Tino Wong in the market place and then later against his toady in the Wong school. The real highlight was when Wong put the moves on a girl in town and her mom schooled him in kung fu and manners. Linda Lin Ying was a delight to watch sparring with Chan. There were a couple of “comic” scenes and fight scenes that didn’t serve much of a purpose though. The story kicked into gear when Uncle So arrived and showed Wong his weaknesses. A 66-year-old Simon Yuen really found his hallmark role with the drunken master. Still nimble and energetic he held his own against the kung fu clown. Hwang Jang Lee’s Thunderleg was properly menacing and he showed why he was the most feared kicker in Hong Kong. At least he didn’t accidentally kick out one of Chan’s teeth like he did in the previous film!

The best part about movies like this was that there was almost no wire-fu. Utilizing wide angles and long takes you could watch people who actually knew how to do the moves and weren’t faking it with lots of editing and closeups. There was also no kung fu posing. The moves were relatively fast and fluid with each fight showcasing different skills. Yuen Woo Ping and Hsu Hsia provided the fight choreography. Hsu made an appearance as the King of Sticks fighting both Yuen and Chan with, what else, a long stick.

This was not a movie with much plot, not even a secret book or list and nary a rebel to be found. Most people, including myself, don’t worry about the plot much as long as the fights were entertaining and Drunken Master succeeded in that goal. They were well choreographed and shot. Although it had comedic moments it wasn’t over the top slapstick as some kung fu comedies could be. I liked this movie quite a bit better than Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow. While Wong Fei Hung could be cocky and annoying at times, he also faced consequences for his actions propelling him slowly but surely into being a better fighter and human being. Drunken Master ran a little long but the inventive fight sequences by compelling characters more than made up for it.

11/20/23

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It was weird

It felt like a japnese anime like those hrem type with pace of storyline put at Max and still make sense why because it's funny and enjoyable. It felt like something that is too non sensitical that it becomes funny or most to most entertainment. If it had more length of episodes and budget then I can surely say that it would have been nominated for "Best comedy drama of 2023" but still it can or I think it should atleast get famous for best mini series. For it to make such a enjoyable drama for just one sponsor and gosh I don't know low of budget it till gives a one heck of a ride.
Overall it's good as a time pass and more than that at your point of view so in my recommendation if you even have little bit thought or feeling of cheking this series out then do it, I can surely say that you are not gonna waste your time.

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What a shame

I tortured myself till episode 12 because I didn't want to believe that this drama could get worse and worse. I love Bai Lu, she's a superb actress and she even tried to give some facial expressions to this disappointing role. It's embarrassing to watch her in such a self-depreciating story. What a shame. An actress of her caliber should be able to choose her roles. The main lead Wang Hedi carried the same expression - his Godfather-like mafia boss nothing can touch me face - throughout all episodes trying to sprinkle in a slight movement of half of his lips probably symbolizing a smile, usually when his character had trapped the FL in one of his misogynist plots. In general I can see a slide in the new modern popular C-dramas towards more powerful men, just being rich and vengeful and more and more FL roles giving the impression of being very youn, inexperienced, cuuute, dependent and dumb. Once again what a pity !!!

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