Reviews

Satifactory Ending for a Good Drama

At last we already have an ending!
I'm glad the show is finished. While there are still storylines they can add to this drama if they wanted, I think the story we have right now (season 1 and 2) is already complete enough that it's okay if they leave it at that. Kudos to the whole cast and crew. Lee Joon Gi and Shin Se Kyung did well as Eunseom/Saya and Tanya, despite not playing them from the first season. Jang Dong Gun and Kim Ok Bin continued their amazing acting from season 1. I'm not gonna be surprised if any of the cast members got baeksang nominations next year given their amazing acting, but I won't be surprised either if they didn't seeing they didn't nominated the show for season 1.
Despite cancellations, cast changes , and other problems, I'm at least glad Arthdal ended as a really good show. They ended it in a way that they can add to the story if they wanted to, but the show we have right now can stand on its own as a complete story. Kudos to the casts (both seasons 1 and 2) and crew for making a good and unique drama. (I do really miss the epic music and Saya's pretty costumes from season 1 but it did not deter me from enjoying this season). I highly recommend everyone to check out the other dramas written by this writing team. They also made Queen Seon Deok, 6 Flying Dragons, and Tree with Deep Roots kdramas. Our Tanya in this season Shin Se Kyung played the female lead of the latter 2 dramas I mentioned while she's the childhood version of the female lead's twin sister in the first drama I mentioned. Season 1 Eunseom/Saya Song Joong Ki has a pivotal cameo in Tree with Deep Roots which was also his career turning point (he was known as a flowerboy actor and it was his first known serious role).
PS:
1. I missed the dancing scenes, I was hoping to see Eunseom, Saya and Tanya do it again for this season (I also wanted to see it because I wanted to see Lee Joon Gi and Shin Se Kyung dancing together) but I guess that plot point was only necessary for season 1 in order to get the bell.
2. Genuinely surprised to see Erika Karata. She was the person I least expect from the first season to appear again here but she's back. (Those who were waiting for news for season 2 after season 1 ended should know why she wasn't expected to appear in season 2, even before the main leads were recast).

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In my opinion, the film is not quite a typical representative of the production of Pinoy gay films and it is mainly dominated by Topher Barreto (Cris). Not even the famous "nudity" here except for one scene near the end. A picture with a stronger story did not leave me completely cold, but the big shortcoming for me is the bad copy of the film and the unavailability of English subtitles ...
In my opinion, the film is not quite a typical representative of the production of Pinoy gay films and it is mainly dominated by Topher Barreto (Cris). Not even the famous "nudity" here except for one scene near the end. A picture with a stronger story did not leave me completely cold, but the big shortcoming for me is the bad copy of the film and the unavailability of English subtitles ...

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YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS DRAMA!!

I was actually 50/50 if I should watch it because I already saw spoilers about it. But watching it is one of the greatest thing I did this week, Imagine I finished it after 2 days when I'm super busy at school!! In the 1st part I don't pay much attention but as the story goes on I'm freaking hooked at it!!!The visual of the two lead is given, but their acting chefs kiss!!! Even the side characters, I really like the build-up of the characters interaction. Mixed emotion crying then getting excited for the next scene and crying again. But the ending is lacking for me, I know that those things really happen in their industry. And I think it's the real ending from the webtoon but I guess I'll just work with the next event from the last scene of the show with my imagination. But I'm very happy with their success in the show. So still a very good series in 2023 🤗

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toxic

Ok, it's true the actors are good. But. The problem is the storyline itself. I'm not sure if it should reflect the "classical" submissive women x dominant man behaviour on two pairs of men, but it might be so. The thing is, both Lian's and Yi's behaviour is highly manipulative and controling. Kuea and Lian are hiding many things from each other, so are Yi and Diao. I actually understand that Kuea and Diao are holding secrets, because if the didn't, they wouldn't be able to do anything. I admit I didn't see more than 4 episodes, I couldn't watch it. But in these 4 episodes, Lian is somehow "mysterious" and I really couldn't read his feelings towards Kuea, which might make him seem more manipulative in my eyes. I wouldn't hesitate to say, this is domestic abuse reciepe. Yi has, at least, clear reason for his behavior. Although him making Diao cry nearly every time, made me very uncomfortable. But I think, Yi has some kind of PTSD and with good therapy, this relationship could be ok.

I felt very angry just watching this and it's actually the first series I haven't watched till the end. No matter what, I always watch everything till the end, but in case of Cutie Pie, I just couldn't. Very toxic. So toxic, it made me write my first review.

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Another of the Pinoy movies didn't really appeal to me. Yes, we see that Oliver and Chito need to earn money, a warm twisted half-old man who owns a brothel makes a smile, but that's about it.

The film is not only from the gay area, Melissa Mendez is constantly shaking her tits, at first you will have to wait a long time for some plot, and mainly what bothered me about this processing was that everything was "just like" (the boy washes himself with a cup of water, including his hair, and doesn't actually wash it, the fight of the guys is just an embarrassing farce and I could go on).

Despite the fact that the story of the film is still good and I was a little interested, the other components of the evaluation are quite weak for me and I rather do not recommend the film ..

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This drama is marketed wrongly.

I hate open endings in my romantic comedy dramas.

But, this drama is not a romantic comedy like it is marketed as. As someone who never read the webtoon and only watched the trailer beforehand, I was expecting a mostly lighthearted and fun drama with perhaps a hint of "the dark side of kpop". This was not lighthearted at ALL. I even wish the romance part of it wasn't this prominent, especially later on. Certain themes like Doona's depression was just completely overlooked and we didn't actually see her overcome this, which she apparently did "off-camera". Open endings like this, for a drama that is melo like this, is completely fine by me.

Things I liked about this drama;
* The cinematography, it is beautifully shot. Every scene, every location. It feels very much like an indie hong kong movie, but with japanese and korean aesthetic.
* The acting. Suzy has done it again, she is soo good. Doona's apathy and lack of care in the beginning was very well portrayed, it made me curious about her. Even Yang Se Jong's acting, although people are not convinced by it, I am. His character itself isn't very well-written imo, but he acts the part well. The innocent, yet mature guy, who also is selfish in his own way.
* The OST, especially BIG Naughty's "Daylight" is beautiful and embraces the atmosphere of the drama.

Things I did not like;
* I don't know if the webtoon was created by a male writer, but it felt very catered to a male audience. At first, I thought, "Oh, it's refreshing to see the female lead being the initiator and the male lead being the 'innocent puppy' for once." But as the drama progressed, more and more "harem" stereotypes started emerging. Thankfully though, it subdued towards the end, but with that.. the male lead also got more subdued.
* The pacing of this drama was completely off. We have the first 4 or 5 episodes decently paced, where we explore all these themes equally; Doona's life after leaving the limelight, her trauma that shaped her, and her relationship with Won Joon. The last four episodes however, focuses mostly on her relationship with Won Joon, a little bit about her return to the entertainment industry, and a lot about Won Joon dealing with that change. It does not show at all, Doona's struggle returning to the industry regarding why she left in the first place, nor anything about her "overcoming" or dealing with her depression.
This all leads to my final point, which is that... this drama does not primarily focus on Lee Doona, but on the ML Lee Won Joon. This is about him, meeting this girl that is an ex-idol, dealing with his past relationship whilst also falling for this girl who has "a lot in her baggage".. a complicated past AND present, and him dealing with the aftermath of their relationship.

Hence, why I believe this drama (whether intentionally or not) has been marketed wrongly. It is not a romantic comedy, it falls more on the "melo" and "life" genres. Additionally, I don't think Doona is the proper main character of this drama, but rather the focus is much more on Won Joon and his struggle of dating someone that apparently is "from a completely different world".

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"Follow Your Heart."

Despite the ratings, I think this is one of my favorite short dramas from Japan. I can see why it appeals to only a limited audience -- the leading characters are definitely not the conventional ones. While I'm pretty much accustomed to seeing the 'popular smarty pants' and an introverted silent/chaotic mess, its the first time I'm coming across characters who are both calm and composed. And the overall aura of this series is surprisingly dark/unhappy.

Takizawa Kazuma has just returned from overseas and landed a job in the HR department of an advertising firm. To his surprise, he runs into his former best friend and first love Ishihara Ren, whom he had lost connection with when Kazuma had fallen ill in high school. However, the Ren he knows now refuses to indulge about his past and has changed his surname. They fall back into their old habits and Kazuma keeps his feelings for Ren a secret, even resorting to a friend-with-benefit arrangement, to keep it hidden. But, Ren seems to be hiding something much more bigger than he imagined.

The story has a plot, particularly dealing with workplace harassment. But, the entire journey is worth only for the characters alone -- if they grow on you, per se.
Saotome Ren/Ishihara Ren is one character whom I respect. Not because of how loyal he was to everyone he came across, but how pure he was in his intentions. I can practically hear my parents telling me why I should never fall in love at a young age because that's exactly what happens to Ren.
I enjoyed Kazuma's sunshine like personality; but, I do think that he a bit too naïve when he was young.
[It's lucky that Ren's instincts were correct, otherwise this would be a certain tragedy. ]
I have to say, I was satisfied with both the actors' portrayal of their roles, even if Ren's crying scenes did not have actual tears. But, then again, was it intentional?

The supporting characters such as Ryunosoke and Hide weren't just there to exist, but provided insights about the remaining characters. I liked how we were shown how both Ren and Kazuma saw each other through their own lens'.
The pacing was surprisingly good. The flashbacks from childhood that were interspersed with the current timeline managed to capture my attention and pique my curiosity. Both the child actors were excellent and well casted. I hope to see both of them in bigger roles in the future. [Loved the ending song, One Day, which seems to be more suitable for the darker theme rather than the sunny opening.]

I'm writing this review after quite a long break, so it's already a win that I'm able to recall both the characters' names and their stories. It might not be for everyone, but this was just an almost perfect watch for me.

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A longer and above average Filipino film with seven wins and 29 nominations for the film. festivals, which this time does not take place in shacks and slums, but between Manila and New York, has a stronger story dominated by the excellent Vilma Santos as Shirley, although I think she sometimes "ran away" from the role a little. But it's still a Filipino film, it could use a little editing, at the beginning it's also a lot of screaming, maddened and even hysterical.
The gay component here is indeed prominent, but in my opinion it is only a means to the film's story, however, played no less well by both protagonists Mark and Noel (John Lloyd Cruz - he collected several film awards for this role).



Delší a nadprůměrný filipínský film se sedmi vítězstvími a 29 nominacemi na film. festivalech, který se tentokráte neodehrává v chatrčích a slumech, ale mezi Manilou a New Yorkem, má výraznější příběh, ve kterém dominuje výborná Vilma Santos jako Shirley, i když si myslím, že z role někdy malinko "ujížděla". Stále je to ale film filipínský, slušelo by malinko prostříhání, zpočátku je i hodně uřvaný, ztřeštěný až hysterický.
Gay složka je tady sice výrazná, ale dle mě je jen prostředkem k příběhu filmu, ovšem zahraná neméně dobře oběma protagonisty Markem i Noelem (John Lloyd Cruz - posbíral několik filmových cen za tuto roli).

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Surprising

UMG was a really nice and easy watching series. I thought it was something really really serious about aliens and all the fiction thing, but it was a nice surprise to see it was more a comedy thing and heartwarming. The story was really interesting, credible with some plot twists. The characters are really cute and funny at the same time. Their friendship was so cute to follow

The casting was PERFECT, Sing and Drake were really fun, Milk is such a good actress and the duo Nanon  × Namtan was so good I love them together. Of course, as a Namtan fan I loved her so much in this character, she was fun and so cute and so beautiful ♡♡♡
The music was also nice, very energetic, but It's a detail.

To finish I would rewatch the series is a need to watch something fun and if I don't want to think too much.

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Unexpectedly very very good

This is not a light hearted romance comedy but a mature romance drama dealing with the topic of adultery (unknowingly by the female protagonist, who stops the relationship once she knows he has someone else), it is dealt in a very very interesting, tasteful and smart way.
So it is not actually about adultery, but about love..

For the FL, it is about healing and moving on after a 2-year relationship to the 2nd ML, who secretly gets committed to someone else (sick) during the course of their relationship , not because of love but because of greed…
it makes sense that both relationships of the second ML remain secret to the world, the one with the FL because they are coworkers, and the other because the GrandFather is opposed to it, and owns the Company they work at. Also, he doesn’t love her… We are told that he kind of had not choice in agreeing to marry the CEO’s grand daughter, but plans to keep the FL, who he really loves, as his mistress after marriage, hence the drama tittle, he hoped « she would never know »…because he knows she loves him deeply and he counts on it when she will learn the truth not to break up.

The best part of the story for me is about the male protagonist, played by Rowoon,: his story arc and genuine personality in the drama makes it one of a kind, extremely well written, directed, insightful, interesting, and … swoon worthy. As rowoon says in the drama, he wants to make the FL live the most beautiful love there is… and that’s exactly what he does throughout. He offers her an unconditional pure mature love, which not everybody is able to receive , especially someone with scars and who hasn’t been loved by her parents…
,.
We also understand that without the support of Rowoon, who told her the truth about her boyfriend, she might have compromised her integrity and accepted the situation once known to her, that’s how much she loved him in the beginning.
But ultimately, she has a strong character and manages to overcome her feelings for her ex boyfriend. And that is quite interesting, because usually, the mistress would keep hoping and waiting for her lover to choose her…

On a lighter side, Rowoon character in the drama is the perfect boyfriend material, absolutely kind, caring, charming, He brings light to the drama, like the second leads arcs., the ones of his two great sisters. What a treat to watch them interact with each other.

Rowoon wins the FL over in the end thanks to his pure personality. dedication and unwavering supporting unconditional love,

All in all, not the classic rom com,
Extremely well treated difficult topic
Very smart and well directed
With meaningful dialogs that make you reflect
Doesn’t fall into adultery unpleasant pitfalls, excusing an unhealthy / amoral relationship under the pretence of love…

And a great positive ending lasting a full episode
A beautiful love story
Rowoon is decidedly a promising actor

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Those who are a little more interested in Pinoy movies with a gay theme will see in this movie the Filipino "nudity" star Marco Morales, who has starred in several films listed here. The main role was played by Tyron Perez, known here from the movie Twilight dancers.

Although these films are enough for one "brdo" (usually the content in various variants is the sale of the bodies of the main characters to men and women in order to improve themselves), but Pipo in particular unintentionally negatively impressed me that even in the 21st century people can live in such lairs on puddles of dirty water full of garbage. I give the film a slightly above-average grade from the point of view of a Pinoy viewer.

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Simple and realistic drama yet emotionally engaging

Story:
The plot is simply slice of life and slow burn romance, around the ups and downs of advertising worker, with addition of their family relationship. Instead, it is the main interest, the realistic side of the story. Made me feel extremely connected and can't stop binge watched it.

Acting:
Gosh, I can't say a lot but imho, every actor give a top notch performance. Can't count how many times I laughed and sobbed when watching those 36 episodes. I have never thought that this drama can be tremendously emotional despite the non melodramatic story. The only negative side of this drama is Jian Bing's sister side story, it felt bland.

Overall:
Not recommended if you want to watch a passionate and sweet romantic drama. But if you like coming of age, light hearted story and spiritual lifting romance, you must watch this. And feel Sheng Yang hangover after that :)

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Good but could be much better.

4/10

-Neg:

1. Chadok Behaviour was too much.
2. The Sidecouple KhanThua was boring. There was not much showing.
3. The Kissing of the Maincouple AyanxAkk was very low and boring at the End of the Episodes. Only a few kisses were shown in the whole series of them.
4. The Rules.
5. The Teacher Dika died because of the stupid Rules. ( As far as I have understood correctly).
6. Sad that DikaChadok could not show their gay relationship in school.
7. There weren't really any Lovescenes.
8. I didn't like that the main couple kissed underwater. I imagined this in other places.
9. The Series was not implemented so well.


+Pos:

1. The Maincouple AyanxAkk
2. The Kissing of the Maincouple was in the middle of the Episodes very good.
3. Story.
4. Acting was fine.
5. It was a surprise that Teacher Dika and Chadok were a gay couple and fell in love at school.

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