Reviews

"Never have I witnessed the beauty of the world"

Zhang Yi Mou is renowned for his use of brilliant colors and vibrant scenery. In Shadow he showed he could strip it all away and lay bare the story in a gray and white world. The story that seems simplistic at first peels away layer after layer revealing desire, betrayal, and greed.

Two kingdoms have signed a peace treaty but only the Yans have control of the great walled city of Jing. The Pei clan yearns to reclaim Jing City against the wishes of their king who wants to keep the peace at all costs even if it means wedding his sister to the Yan heir. The Pei Commander has challenged General Yang to a duel, one he doesn't believe he can win with the winner claiming the city for his clan. The Pei king strips the Commander of his rank for putting the peace at risk, reducing him to a commoner. Early on it is revealed that the Commander is only a shadow named Jing. The real Commander stays tucked away in an underground cave slowly dying from a wound rendered by the Yang general. Soon the characters set up the play they wanted, never knowing if they were the puppet master or puppet.

Shadow's dark underlying mood reminded me of an emotional mash-up of Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Throne of Blood. Jing had grown up in the darkness and even in the light was someone else's shadow. Aside from the Commander's wife, was there something else he desired? The Commander (like a good Kurosawa character) had gone nearly mad trapped below ground scheming and planning. Deng Chao played both characters so well I could scarcely tell they were the same person. Madam was torn between her loyalty to her husband and her feelings for Jing. Other than his longing for Pei to reclaim Jing City, Capt. Tian's loyalty was murky at best. Was Pei's king short-sighted or playing the long game? Characters with the greatest conceit would pay the greatest price. Zhang Yi Mou took his time revealing the hidden truths beneath the characters' facades.

Zhang may have stripped his palette of bright colors but the film was no less stylistic. Though the film at first glance appeared monochromatic, he judiciously used color---patches of green on the hills, the luminous glow of skin, the golden heat from candles, warm brown tones in the Yin and Yang and of course the crimson flow of blood pooling in the rain. His use of color and architecture were, as always, a wonder.

Umbrellas are no stranger to kung fu movies. Zhang, however, took them to new heights. One scene with the army sliding down the cobblestone street doubly armed may have defied gravity but not wuxia magic. The fights were brutal and deadly. Ku Huen Chiu has an impressive track record as a martial arts director and his work here was exemplary. One fight managed to combine dangerous combat into an erotic dance. Feminine moves were created to combat masculine ones to great effect. A surprise knife or sword to the neck always works, too. The great battle accompanied by a zither duet was reminiscent of Hero and just as effective.

The climax dragged on as the endgames became apparent and who would ultimately come out on top was left up to the viewer to decide. Shadow was at its heart a martial arts film complete with betrayals, schemes, lust, and revenge served on a blood-soaked platter. Few directors could create a more aesthetically pleasing film or take an old genre and make it feel new. Zhang Yi Mou is one of my favorite directors for being able to do all that and more. Shadow's breathtaking use of color and creative cinematography was the perfect setting for the ancient story of man's pyrrhic need for power.

9/26/23

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Good acting but lacks real interesting story.

Sadly this is boring and I hate how they make it only look like a one-sideded gay mock-up. Not every gay man wants to sleep with everyone around him and all his friends. Have to say lacks story and chemistry at times. I am a big fan of all the actors and they all do amazing in acting and showing emotions, but their chemistry is off at times and I feel like the story is not going anywhere. Feels like we have seen this way too many times, and as a gay man, it is not always how it is for all of us, we all don't want to sleep with friends and lie and cheat. I respect the idea of the story but sadly comes up short on anything else. Wish the story was better the only thing it has going for it which I think is the only reason people are watching is for the intimate moments only, it is very sadly written and half the time looks like nothing is really centered for the story. Great actors but nothing else.

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Cute, but disappointing and kind of messy

Okay. This is going to be a chaotic review - it's 2am right now and I just watched the entire series at once.
First off: this isn't a bad series. It's entertaining, it can be funny at times, and it's visually pleasing. With that, here's what I liked and what I didn't, in further detail.

Good:

- Both actors are incredibly good looking, especially the younger one. It might seem shallow, but to me it's one of the factors that can save or kill a series. Even when I felt like dropping the series, I kept watching because of them.
- They're also decent at acting. I skipped most of the emotional scenes (more on that later), but from what I saw, they did an okay job.
- Good chemistry! Even if I had my doubts about their dynamic, their interactions as friends were really cute and engaging.

Bad:

- This is a VERY korean series. What I mean is, it has aaall the cliché scenes, the slo-mo, the cheesy music, the 20-second long stares, the awkward dialogue. With other series it doesn't bother me as much, but this one really irked me sometimes.
- The plot. It's a mess. There are time jumps, serious family trauma that it's impossible to address properly within 7 episodes, an attempt at a motivational message about passion, and goals in life (key word being 'attempt'), a crazy aunt, a jealous friend, and I'm probably forgetting stuff. As I said, it's way past my bedtime lol
- No kiss. At all. Which I wouldn't mind if they hadn't teased it SO much - they were constantly referencing the fact that they hadn't kissed yet, but were quick to add that 'they would eventually'. Guess what, they didn't. And I'm sitting here wondering if I just watched three hours and a half of a bromance. Seriously, not even 2gether did this.
- The main lead was a bully at the beginning. Point blank, end of discussion. I hated him. I tolerated him later on, because it was that or resenting him for the rest of the series. You're telling me I'm supposed to like him, after he framed a complete stranger for s*xual assault and almost got him expelled? Was it that hard to make up an excuse as to why he was on top of him? (maybe just literally telling the f-ing truth?? He TRIPPED) Also, messing with his bow and arrows and keeping his keychain and not returning it?
Idk, not even the halo effect could save his character for me. As pretty as the actor is, his character is a jerk until the end of the series.

I would re-watch their scenes together as friends. Not much else. I'm not fond of drama (especially not this kind of drama, where people are dying and there's a baby involved and just no), so I didn't particularly enjoy that. Other than that, though, the series is quite entertaining.

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Wasted potential

I watched this drama completely and I still don't know how I didn't drop on the way. I think I had faith that the potential he had could still be exploited, but in vain.

The theme was really interesting and offered several issues to explore.

She was pregnant but looked like a normal woman, even though we were moving forward in time (I'm talking months). They did a time jump straight to birth (botched).

The drama started well but ended up revolving around something that could have been resolved more quickly and more logically (for me). Any other issues or plotlines presented at the beginning were completely thrown into the trash. Looks like the writer forgot.

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Love this period rom-com

It was ok on the first watch but appreciated it more on rewatching. It's a simple main storyline, with a non-toxic leading relationship, great romance and comedy, great acting and chemistry, that pulls you into their love story and rooting for them. It doesn't have any CGI FX scenes to dazzle the viewers and may seem boring if you're looking for that. This drama falls all on the actors to carry the scenes - shows the director and actor's skills. The only annoying thing is the music/songs, played way too loud, sometimes even over the actor's thinking or voices - I had to mute to continue watching - the music ruined all those special moments.

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I have not watched the original

but I do want to now that I've seen this one! Ive seen people saying that the original was even more emotional and better in general, but I've gotta say this one IS GOOD! I personally loved it and am glad I took a chance on it. it's also joined a (now 3 member) club of shows that kept me up at night, this one being a first in that it wasn't the final episode that threw me out of my mind, and the second Korean drama on the list. I also appreciated how everything in the show grew on me as it went on. even if I already cared about a character, each episode made me care more (in-gyu especially ?) and the songs too! I wasn't a huge fan of them at first, I never disliked them but just eh whatever but each time they played them, instead of getting sick of hearing it, I was grinning ear to ear eager to hear it again! the only thing I wish, was for this to have been weekly updates, cause I like the anticipation of waiting for a new episode but that's okay ?

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Decepcionante...

Es malo tener altas expectativas de algo, siempre terminas decepcionado!

La historia es un poco interesante, lo malo es que nunca explican nada, hay vampiros sí, pero de donde salieron? porqué? por qué el protagonista lo toma tan tranquilo? y quién rayos es la mujer que sale? y el otro vampiro? No sabemos nada de nadie! Eso es lo malo de que los episodios sean tan cortos, la mayoría no llegan a 10 minutos :0

Los personajes principales, no me disgustaron, pero, por que no les dan más tiempo, la "relación" entre ambos se desarrolla demasiado rápida, me molesta cuando los dramas son tan cortos, no podemos apreciar ni la historia ni tomarles cariño a los personajes, todo muy a la carrera.

Me gustó el final la verdad, la decisión que toma Jun ho, me perece que le dió algo de "emoción" a la historia que hasta ahora estaba muy plana.

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That one special mark will be always for you..?

If you want lots of drama, love triangles or misunderstandings that drag too long... look elsewhere.

If I had to use three words to describe this drama they would be soft, fluffy and heartwarming.

The best youth drama I have watched this year.
I have loved this show so much that I just couldn't help myself but write a review on how good this show is! And also, I am not a native English speaker, so please ignore grammar mistakes if I've made any.

Often times when I watch any show, I just care about the main couple and don't give a damn about whatever happens to the side couple/character(s), but here, it's a completely different story. I had the same amount of interest in every character's storyline.

The friend group — I adore the strong bond that they have among their group. They are the type of friends who are so silly yet so pure, who will pull your leg at any given chance but will not hesitate to stand by your side the in times of crisis.

Their relationship development was neither rushed nor too slow-paced.

So, if you love a good romantic youth/idol drama with a good storyline and great acting or you're feeling down and want to lighten up the mood or you're just looking for a good light hearted rom-com drama that you can binge on, then this drama is definitely for you!

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It was cute, but frustrating.

This season is incredibility frustrating.

Akira is aware of his feelings, but he purposefully pushes them down until finally he admits them, and then, the writers decided to give Shin amnesia. Which I think made Shin slightly out of character. Shin is someone who is aware of his feelings, and the amnesia plot took that away.

While I agree that Akira was very immature, I don't think that the same applies to Shu. I definitely think it was slightly frustrating, but his character is simply oblivious and unaware of his surroundings. I actually kind of like his character in contrast. I think it fit, and the ending of their story line was very nice. Overall, if I were to re-watch this, I would do it for Asuka and Shuu and not for Akira and Shin.

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Favorite Cdrama

If you enjoy the following in your stories ....

◇Police & medical shows

◇Great Chemistry

◇COMMUNICATION (between characters)

◇Healthy supportive female friendships
(Women supporting women)

◇Sweet Romances (three couples total)

◇Slice of Life

◇NO TOXIC PARENTS

◇Healthy relationships

◇Great writing

◇Happy Endings (For everyone not only the leads)

I highly recommend looking into You Are My Hero!

I have rewatched this one multiple times now. You are my Hero is still my favorite Cdrama! Some have come close but none have been bale to dethrone her ? :) ♡

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Overall, good but not great. Long live the bromance and friendship!^^

Eun Gyeol is the only one who is hearing among his deaf family, he loves his family and has a passion & talent for music. One day he goes back in time to 1995 where he met his young father who is still hearing, so he wants to change the future. Will Eun Gyeol succeed and can he get back to the present?

This drama was love at my first-sight until ep 6. The story within those episodes give me a lot of typical sweet kdrama moments that first got me like first-watching kdramas. I appreciate the heartwarming family, as they have been underrepresented in recent dramas. Each character is given a strong personality that make me root for them. All-round very very good acting! Their expressions seep off of the screen and pulled my heartstring instantly. The young cast, they are so cute and perfect together. Also the emotional moments are so heartbreaking, I could cry any moment thinking about them. Everyone so good in doing sign languages, but my favorite is Bong Jae Hyun who plays the brother, the way he’s doing sign language is so cute especially when he’s angry XD

The film-editing is on-point: the band, the musical world in Eun Gyeol perspective and such... all fit perfectly with the context. The music is nostalgic and few gives 80's vibes. Storyline is easy to follow but the plot is not-so-simple; different threads and relationships are going on without them being confusing. Honestly, I didn’t know this is a timeslip show until I reached ep 2. What can be either a con or a pro, depending on your own taste, is the drama constantly being very plot-driven, that a lot of things are happening around characters and they don't have enough chances to drive the plot through their decisions.

…this part has spoilers:
So after ep 6, it fell a little flat. Even though there's no slump, the concept of wanting to change the future feels out-of-the-blue, they don’t say anything convincing that take me to be on board with this mission. How much time pass in present day while being in the past is not clear as well. They spent many episodes on lovey-dovey moments, which was sweet, but not as impactful. However, I really like how they develop Chung Ah’s character, that part makes me want to learn sign language now...

Also, the foreshadowing incident that is discussed throughout the drama is teased to our faces with a typical high-school trope, which is serviceable, but doesn’t sit very well with me personally, especially due to what really happened to close this incident arc has nothing to do with this. Another thing I was hoping to see is the conflict resolution between Eun Gyeol and present-day father in the early episodes about schooling vs music… I was curious how they handled this and we get practically nothing, so I'm a bit salty on that. The ending is good but also not explainable, it sooths our souls with happy moments but it could have been a lot more interesting had it be a bit more consistent with the premise.

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