Reviews

A great drama can go downhill in a second

my journey to you is one example where a superb good drama can slip downhill in a secon. damn this drama starting with a great steps imho. the character was so satisfying, the costumes is feast to eyes, and the most importan is the cinematography! it was amazing.. dark yet aesthetic, even there is time when i think that this one is drama with best cinematography as far as i can remember. so… my mistake to having a high expectation, after some episode the story getting draggy, the weak-mainlead not having character improvements at all, at first i think he was gonna becoming zero-to-hero character, but again despite all that happen in story he becoming more dull, blame the poor plot for that.

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Best so farrrr

This is my first review I've ever written..but I can't keep calm this series is fab.
I'll start with my fav sand and ray omg!!!! Acting 100 chemistry 100 they got everything what this series demand
I'm not big fan of force and book but they were also good ..and they have same typical story line but it's okay there acting made it look good.
I'm not interested in other couples but they are good.
First and khautong I hope they do more projects in future ...they look so good together.....
I'm watching this series only for them and it is worth it
Do watch
I'm gonna watch it back when it ends.

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Irrelevant to the title

When I first heard about this series, I knew I had to add it to my PTW list. I was even more excited when I saw the lineup. However, I can understand why one of the tags for Han River Police is comedy. Initially, I thought the series would focus on various situations that occur at the river, including heartbreaking ones like suicide (as South Korea unfortunately has many such cases, particularly at the Han River). I thought it would be a great idea to explore this beloved place in Seoul, where many people have experienced both interesting and sad events. I believe this could reflect reality and be an excellent way for the writer to incorporate different cases. I was thinking along the lines of First Responders, but with the rescue team being the main focus here.

However, after watching all six episodes, I am quite disappointed with the overall execution of the drama. . It felt more like a movie, and it ended the way I expected a movie to end. I also had trouble connecting with the characters because they were not fleshed out enough. Even though there were only six episodes, there was still enough time to ensure sufficient character arc. Unfortunately, the show focused too much on one particular case involving the main antagonists and some of the protagonists, leaving little room to explore other themes. It felt like watching an action movie, with numerous fights and a drug smuggling organization typical of thriller films. I watched the last few episodes and thought, "This has nothing to do with the Han River lol."

Overall, I enjoyed the show to some extent, and I must give credit to Lee Sang Yi, who played a villain role here. I had never seen him in this kind of role before, and he did an excellent job. I'm used to seeing him play goofy and friendly characters in other dramas, so it was a refreshing experience to see him go full 180 degrees in this one.

Despite my criticisms of this series, if you are a fan of Sang Yi and want to see him play a ruthless man, check this one out!

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The concept was better than execution

From the first episode Hidden Agenda felt like a improved version of Star In My Mind with some elements from Fish Upon The Sky, but it showed some potential having a lot of the situations being solved with dialogue what is something that you don't see happen a lot in those type of stories where misundertandings are the base of the plot. But soon the series became too much talk and little to no story.

The pacing was weird, some things were dealt with too fast and others too little too late, multiple arcs coming and going without a really satisfying conclusion. It is like the writers were rushing in to put all the elements that they had planned without worrying if it would add or not the the overall plot.

They carried the parents approval arc until the very last minute, making it the core of the story, but still were not able to build it up as they should. Introducing Joke's father on the second to last episode felt like there was little thought before writing, making the resolution fall flat and out of place. Zo needing two different talks with his mother to finally accept and understand his feelings for Joke and his mother's feeling for him, looked as if they had wrote two different version of the same scene and in the end decided to keep both instead of bothering to write another one.

Acting wise, it is clear that there was some improvement, Joong had some solid acting moments even if his character was underdevelopted and with little to no space to shine in more dramatic scenes. Dunk would favor himself by taking some acting classes that could help him control his expressions better to learn how to emulate the characters feelings without so obviously struggling to do so. They do have good chemistry what makes me believe that if they were given a better script with better directing they would do much better than they have been doing so far..

The story was all over the place, the second couple was criminally forgotten, the third and possible couple that actually seemed to have something interesting going on were left as a foot note and Nita was there to serve as a type of foil to Zo's character, once as the objection of his affection and later as his rival.

In my opinion the story managed to walk well for the first four episodes but after that it started to go downhill, on the last two episodes it was nothing but a shadow of what it could have been. I can safely say we are tired of this type of story being told and retold thousands of times in the laziest way possible. It's time to write different characters in different sets with different plots and then maybe we can get something good out of it.

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Here we are again...

Seing many review write about negative thing make me want to write something.... Hahaha....

After read a bunch of the review here must be agreed with some point they all wrote, 7 years in the relationship don't make them be mature. 7 years in relationships don't make them learn how to communicate or talk about thing that important in their life. Just the steamy scene become much better... Haha....

Especially agreed with what yoonthethicc wrote in their review. The biggest problem that this couple have is the lack of trust they have with each other. But sometimes that what the writer did in all the drama, they make jealousy looked like what every couple must have, jealousy mean love sort of thing, without jealousy mean you don't love....

Yeah after read a bunch of review here I also realise this season gonna be better if they just focus on make their relationship better, instead give new characters that didn't help with character development, like Fiat & Leo. Ugh another toxic to the max couple we don't need in the drama.

Like many other i also like doc & champ. Although somethimes i shake my head how stupid champ can actually be...

What i like is the end when FINALLY Type talk about the problem in their relationship. But we can't really make sure will they be mature or not cause this is the end of our journey with Tharn & Type. And in the end i really think they cute couple & just can't bring myself to lower the score even with all the toxic thing that happen in this series.

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A bunch of misfits trying their best at football: enjoyable for its last third but forgettable

This sport movie takes an interesting angle tackling on a quite unknown (at least to me) event "The Homeless International World Cup", which is apparently an annual international football event. Even though I found the premise of the film quite engaging, it certainly did not gain me immediately over. Indeed, the tone of the story was almost too comedic / satirical at first making it difficult for me to get emotionally invested in the characters. However, the last third of the movie makes it up and is pretty great with a couple of tear inducing moments.

The cast (and more specifically the two main roles played by Park Seo Joon and IU) was what drove me to watch this. I am clearly satisfied by their performances but it is is for sure not their best and most memorable work. Especially for IU, her role was too subdue to really offer her a lot opportunities to shine. Park Seo Joon has a little more room to play as his character is much more dominant to the storyline. Overall the ensemble cast did a commendable job bringing the story to life despite the writing flaws.

The filmmaking was very good: all the football sequences were rather compelling to follow as well as the more slice-of-life moments. I enjoyed the bright and colourful atmosphere as well as the soundtrack, not unforgettable but pleasant while watching the film.

I would recommend this movie to people that are looking for a different kind of sport movie. If you are fan of one of the actors / actresses, it is worth giving it a shot. Rather than really being about football, it is much more slice-of-life with a lot of misfits characters trying their best all together.

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Thai makjang ruined by bad writing of characters

Adultery based theme if done right can be very entertaining. This drama had me engaged till ep8.though every ep was filled with loads of misunderstanding, toxic ,spiteful behaviours.Story was enough makjang.dialogues were engaging apprently antagonist 2nd fl did very good acting of psychologicaly and emotionally hurt women to the point i pitied her and sympathized with her.ml's cute encounters with fl cherd had me going till ep 8.post ep 8 everything was ruined. even if fl does adultery at start of drama i thought she will redeem after first scandal with her now married ex lover.but writers had to ruin fl character to this extent that i at one point got so much irritated that i wanted to slap her.only if writers didn't show fl sleeping with her ex again even if under influence and ml repeatedly getting non existent treatment by fl i would have continued this drama.but fl was not even looking at ml till end of her drama. She was too busy taking revenge. This was biggest turn off for me .

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Short, sweet, authentically queer

Ah, but I will never get tired of stories that depict realistic queer characters facing realistic queer issues.
There's just nothing quite like that sudden flash of recognition, that moment of "Oh, that's me isn't it".
This series shows some of the realities of being in a queer relationship - the feeling of alienation, constantly being forced into constrictive hetero-normative roles, even misgendering.
It depicts all these things with great incisiveness and sensitivity, and quite honestly just seems presented from such a distinctly queer viewpoint that I would be surprised if there weren't queer people involved in this production. Which, to me, seems like a clear point in the show's favour.
If you're looking to spend half an hour watching two very likeable people fumble their way towards a romance with one another, then you've found what you've been searching for.
I would also just generally recommend this to anyone looking for a short, light watch which nevertheless feels firmly grounded in reality.

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Hauntingly perfect.

This drama was elixir to my soul.

I am drawn to dark stories, but I am also subconsciously drawn to stories where self growth and worth are paramount.

I didn’t have a great experience at school. Going to a girls school in England really messes you up on some kind of level. Permanently. Even though time does heal, which this drama showed exquisitely.

So this drama, with its roots in school and unpleasant bullying, called to my inner child (who loved seeing karma in action).

The dramas ingredients of pain, pleasure, love, hate, kindness, karma, depression, anxiety, selfishness, naïveté were simultaneously balanced and unbalanced.

So, if anyone reading this is unsure about it, give it a try. It really is healing in the regard that you are fully satisfied at the shows conclusion. That is very rare.

I felt like it helped me on a personal level work through some of my issues and regrets from my formative years. I hope it does the same for you.

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Incessant war holds little to no benefits for the common man

Li Changge, a princess well-versed in martial arts, escapes out of the palace with a vow to return for revenge. She encounters a hundred different difficulties that test her abilities, her relationships, her trust and most of all, her purpose.

Star-crossed lovers, intelligent, power couple at that with a proper thread of good, interesting plots that wrapped well on the whole and plenty of visually appealing landscapes, awesome cast and acting, and many side couples as a cherry on top - this is a brilliant production. Almost miraculous that something like this was delivered. I didn't find it perfect however. They gave everything they could possibly though - so I guess I'm being a little greedy lmaoo.

Leads - I really appreciate them as characters. I can't say all their actions were without fault, but definitely all their motives, reasoning, and purpose were commendable which made it worth watching. Their romance was okish, not bad but um.. like I said greedy me. But their action was so so good. Both actors have really delivered their very dynamic roles so nicely from start to finish.

After everything, what captured the romance department was a princess and bodyguard couple haha. To be fair, Hao Du & Leyan were excellent so they deserve the credit.

Plot - Each arc was different - in the sense some were better than others. My favourite would be the events in Louyang (I liked it a lot :)), followed by Shuzhou maybe.

MINOR SPOILERS:

While main thread held, there just seemed to be some things that I couldn't not be a little disappointed by or things that were unconvincing. In some instances, FL's abilities working so well, allowing her to move around anywhere & everywhere, escape anything, pretty much a Houdini, only she didn't even have to implement any great tricks to do it every time. Especially when she was a prisoner in Ashile. I wasn't convinced by the ML much in that one either. Not to mention, their romance which was unclear in some places and the way it sometimes influenced the leads but sometimes didn't. Yicheng giving Mimi chances over and over again after getting betrayed every time, seemed to be a classic villain weakness given to smooth things over for later. Like I'm glad about in the good vs evil perspective, but in a critical writing and story wise, not so convincing. And I guess, small things like that here and there.

Overall - 8.5/10

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This is my number one cdrama

Up until now, I think I've watched more cdramas than kdramas, and I've never once changed GH's position as the number one.

It's been quite a long time since I watched it - if I have to write a review I wait, so that I can see if it's actually worth enough to be remained in my memory - but something about it it's impressed on my mind. The plot.

I can't make huge spoilers, but the relationships between every single person inside that family are awesome. And I say relationships because they have different "stories" and connections between each others.

Li Jianjian and her father Li Hao Chao start off as a family of two, due to the loss of Jianjian mother when she was younger, but soon become a family of five. Three siblings and two fathers. And this is something that really touched me: the complete absence of a maternal figure. They didn't imply that a family can't run without a woman and I appreciated it so much.

Every mother in there had a valid reason to leave their child behind: from Jianjian's mother, who died suddenly, to their upstairs neighbour Ling Xiao, whose mother left him 'cause she was feeling overwhelmed after her daughter death - which left her with some mental instability -, and finally to He Zi Qiu's who left him to search for a job and a better life in another city. Now, everyone has their own opinions, but to me they weren't bad mothers. Apart from Jianjian's, Xiao's mom was unstable and, to be honest, if she didn't make a comeback I would've loved her disappearence; meanwhile Zi Qiu's mom just wanted the best for his son (I honestly don't remember what happened but I do know that her original thoughts were rightful).

And the presence of Ling He Ping actually proves that nobody is perfect, but together with Li Hao Chao they made great parents for their children. That showed us how it's important to find equilibrium with someone else in this life, and how this can change our positivity and our impact to the world. If He Ping didn't have Hao Chao beside him, he wouldn't have been such a great parental figure, but instead a father who only cared a lot about his child but couldn't do anything except bringing money into the family. This really really depicted the importance of looking at the bigger picture and not just the single person.

Taken alone, He Ping was a bad parent, especially at first. He then learned how to be present for their children thanks to Hao Chao, but before this milestone the series testified - and I want to repeat this - how imperial is EQUILIBRIUM.

Now, I won't talk about the acting 'cause I thought it wasn't neither exceptional or awful. It was alright, good enough to make me cry during significant moments. As for the soundtracks, they're perfect. And the morals of the series? They made me reflect a lot on what kind of life I want to live.

Overall, this is a 9.5 drama. The only thing that maybe can ruin it it's the sad fact that once you've watched it, it's hard to rewatch it. At least for me, since it had so many important details that are impactful only the first time you catch them, the second time I tried to watch it was quite boring: I couldn't focus and every little plot twist wasn't surprising since I already knew them. I wished I could watch GH for the first time again.

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Legend of Yunze, the Official Fanfic

Aw hell, this was just so much fun.
It did feel like I was reading an at times somewhat poorly plotted AU, but these characters just have so much charm and the actors have such great on-screen chemistry that I couldn't find it in me to care.
This special is quite light-hearted and fluffy compared to seasons one and two (which, let's be honest, were already quite sweet to begin with), but what it lacks in dark mysteries and epic sword fights, it makes up for with romance.
Watching this felt like someone had grabbed the romance dial on the switchboard and cranked it up to 11 and I do mean that in the best way possible. The show is full of classic romance tropes and even invents a few new ones (dramatically pretending to be injured to scare off your girlfriend's evil adoptive mum, anyone?).
It's cheesy, it's ridiculous, and yet it's somehow genuinely touching and romantic. I even found myself tearing up at one point.
So if you're a fan of the main show you'll very likely enjoy this as well. If you've never seen Legend of Yunze before you might still like this, but be aware that quite a lot of plot points won't make very much sense without the relevant background info.

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This honestly could've gone way better than it did

From the first episode, it didn't make me want to pay my full attention to it. I have to multitask with something to finish watching it. I keep putting off watching the episodes and even only finished now. It's good, but it didn't interest me enough to make me want to focus on it. Which is a bit disappointing considering one of my favorite actors is casted and I've been looking forward to it for months. And unless I want to see clips of him, I have no excuse to want to rewatch this.

[SPOILER: Storyline, Character Personality and Development talk]

And talking about the storyline, very specifically about yun jion's character, jo deukchan. Ever since the "deukchan plot twist" happened, it made me rewind back a little in my mind about how his character was written. It really made me think that halfway through, they suddenly changed the storyline that's linked to him. I've always thought he would have something to do with the mystery/crime story of the show, I did think he might have gotten his hands dirty there, but his personality suddenly made a turn. I saw him as a slightly humorist big brother figure for doha, seems to have a bad relationship with his brother, mature and professional whenever it comes to work, and a loving dad and husband. It only showed for the first part of the show. When the main conflict part happened, it seemed like they just threw all of that out of the window (and I personally don't think they did this part well. or maybe it was because I had a "preferred" storyline mapped out already? who knows)

Another problem I have, again, about Jo Deukchan, well, the actor, Yun Jion (well, not HIM. But like, this problem has something to do around him). I accepted that I might have wished for a little bit too much. While I wanted them to explore more about Jo brothers relationship to understand them more, I get it. He's not the first male lead. He's in fact, the second male lead, at least that's how it should be, considering the fact that he was always put third in social media updates, and in the hashtags. But I've been feeling weird when they had 4 main characters under their own character categories in the character profile section on their website. It was all of them except for Jo Deukchan whose character profile is under J Entertainment category. You can argue with me that it's because he's part of J Ent, which is true. But all main characters despite being part of a group, have their own main character profile sections, while he did not. And then, on naver (and even on this site) it was written that his character was a supporting role, which feels wrong and weird, considering he plays a big part in the story along with the other main leads, and again, his name is written the third among the main leads lineup, after the main couple, and before the other set of fl and ml. And yet he's a supporting role? I don't know. It just feels very off.

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