Reviews

Lets be generous…

This did not have a well written or constructed story. It had alot of good-almost clever-ideas that were badly-sometimes offensively-executed. Case and point the title directly references the very not humorous attempts at sexual assault the female lead commits against the male lead. I guess because she’s a cute girl they thought it was funny to make her the aggressor while the boy screams. It really wasn't. Not for lack of comedic timing on the part of either of the actors. It was just poorly set-up and we had zero understanding of either of their motivations. Why was she so gung ho to bed him? Why was he determined to stop her?

Answer: as only the synopsis explains prior to the sort of reveal in later episodes, her spiritual root is damaged and every-time she kisses him she charges up her magic. And he really has no reason to like her or want to be intimate with her. Even when that fact changes it is not in any way supported by the encounters written for them so far. It only worked because our male lead sells it. He’s given nothing and he still sells it.

All the actors in this are better than the story they are playing in. The weakest is probably the female lead. However, weaker does not mean bad. Her comedic timing and willingness to throw herself into the zaniness of her scenes made them almost hilarious. Its just the jokes weren't good. She also did very well in the more angsty scenes. Our male lead is a very good actor who is still developing and growing. The rest of the primary cast delivered as best they could in the framework they were given. My favorite was the actress playing the princess’s maid.

I recommend this if you are okay with the choppiness that comes with most short dramas, enjoy angsty love stories with twists and turns, don’t mind underdeveloped stories, and get a kick out of very dumb jokes that rely on the humor of reversing conventional gender rolls. If this show had gotten that last one right more than it failed, I’d rate it a-lot higher.

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REVIEW

For me one of the best dramas i have watched. A well-crafted scénario. The topics are very interesting. I think it kinda shows many bad and immoral sides of humans. because the purpose behind the show and the characters as well is definitely not to paint virtuous people that we will appreciate. I really liked how the series was constructed and the direction that the story has taken bc for me the ending was unexcpected and i really wanted to see how this whole thing will end. Im glad that they didn’t make a simple and boring end. (but i still need a season two !) The acting was also perfect and the characters were well developed. And i think every scenes were important, i would definitely be able to rewatch it a second time.

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xu linglong carried

i cried when xu linglong got rejected

i love xu linglong this series would not be it w/out her

ep 22 xu linglong was so real

cheryl lin is so gorg


besides that, i really liked it. chem was good, and zhang miaoyi is so cute omg. i think that it was sad that they dropped zhu wen yu's storyline and i felt really bad for yin zihan. that's part of the good part of this, it really drew me in.

i didn't like:
jun is pretty good at acting, but it still didn't match up to miaoyi's.
also eps 1-10 were mildly subpar.
and again, xu linglong's ending sucked

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a bit flat but...

not entirely happy with this...I really liked 'my liberation notes' (same director) and I normally like both leads, Lee Min-ki particularly.
That said, this one has some weaknesses for me. Han Ji-min not only has the same haircut as in 'the light in your eyes', she also plays the exact infantile way . While it made sense in the mentioned other drama due to her just looking much older than she was, it doesn't make sense to me here.

So the character here lost her mum at a young age, had a tough time then, still managed to become a vet which must have been tough, very adult environments to get through, her character is now 35 and steadily acts like a 6 year-old girl, why? With her history there is no room for her being like that. Also her character being steadily dressed like a toddler (really, it looks like toddler's clothes adult size) - It's bearable, but at times just too much.

Main problem is, the main characters stay quite flat. The vet is childish and rather annyoing, and there is not any other sides to her. Lee Min-ki's role is a broody, upfront officer who is pissed he was transfered to that little weirdo town. His acting is good as always, but also his character is thin yet.
I don't care for any of the side characters. And it's just a lot of slapstick that is not to everyone's taste.

I'll keep on watching after having seen episode 3, where the story improved a bit and got more substance, and Lee Min-ki is enough to keep watching anyways - at least for me =D

(and I couldn't disagree more with another reviewer here: yes, it's the same director as 'my liberation notes' - if you liked 'my liberation notes' for its rather philosophical and melancholic storytelling, you might particularly NOT like this new drama, which is the total opposite.)

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Wonderful law show

I love romance shows and this wasn't one. However, it was so well-written, full of interesting characters, and one that I got completely engrossed in. The actors were all wonderful. Go Ah Ra and Sung Dong Il were especially effective in this. I saw this a few years ago and realize I had never rated it, maybe it's time to go back and watch it again. I do remember wondering why they all kept their coats on when they were at work - they must keep the sets really cold! I usually don't have a problem meeting the required word count, but here, I'm at a loss.

All I can say is, take a chance, I think you'll really enjoy it.

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A cute, short drama somewhere in between True beauty and Extraordinary you

Overall the drama was great: I’m a sucker for a high school romance and it was addictive, I loved the enemies to friends to lovers trope of their romance as well as the fact that they still maintain the enemies aspect even when they’re in a relationship. I would’ve rated this so much higher if not for the fact that, A. there is NO KISS (unacceptable), and B. the ending was so confusing - this may be intentional so the viewer can decide how they believe everything ended as well as the dynamic between the two worlds but I’m just simply confused because I have no imagination (although I’ve just read some other reviews with good theories so I’ll probably go with one of them). :) But definitely worth the watch!

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Someone said obsession?...Ready to watch!

Recently I keep coming upon series where the main theme is obsessive love. Well, this one is in a class of its own!

Double Mints is a story of two men with a same name who cannot live apart no matter how bad they are to each other. We know nothing about the two characters: what is known is their relationship: toxic, codependent, raw, addicted, obsessive, damaged.

They met in high school where one becomes the owner of the other one calling him "the dog". Every time "the dog" tries to break free, he is pulled back into the weird relationship. So much so that "the dog", even adult, has no will of his own before his master. But when he realizes that his master is someone else's dog (in this case, he has become an errand boy for the local yakuzas), he starts to change. They are still addicted to each other but the erstwhile dog decides to become equal. And they understand that they are the two halves of the same . Soulmates sounds too fluffy for this damaged relationship. But that is what they ultimately turn out to be! Unhealthy it may be but they need to stay together.

What is it about these toxic , obsessive relationships that is so fascinating?

The movie is dark. The cinematography is appropriately black and bleak. The acting is perfect: the actors managed to portray complex feelings through posture, voice and facial micro expressions. The cello music is ominous and rather scary not allowing for a glimmer of hope in this world filled with cruelty. The editing is a bit messy: the timeline seems stunted and it is difficult to understand how much time has passed between the scenes.

It is a hard watch, long and draggy at moments with minimal dialogue. They did not need to say anything, everything was crystal clear from the way they walked and behaved.

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Business Focus with amazing chemistry between Qin Lan and Wang Yang

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

“Stand or Fall” is very similar to other female-centric dramas about women in their 30s. However, this one has a very strong business focus and a majority of the time we follow Guan Wen/Qin Lan (FL) and Ding Ning/Wang Yan (ML) through their ups and downs at work. The main attraction of this drama for me is the strong chemistry between Qin Lan and Wang Yang. They are two of my favorite veteran actors and they did not disappoint.

Recommendations:
1. Fans of Qin Lan and Wang Yan
2. Fans of Business dramas
3. Fans of sisterhood of women in their 30s

Qin Lan has a similar role in “The Rational Life” where she plays a very successful businesswoman. What differs in “Stand or Fall” is her character’s strong, assertive personality and no BS approach to work and life. She was a lot mellower and calmer in “The Rational Life”. I quite like seeing Qin Lan in a more feisty role. On the other hand, it took me a quick second to see Wang Yang not in a villany, gray role. I’ve been so attracted to him/ his characters in “The Rebel” and “Lost in Kunlun Mountain” that it’s quite fun seeing him in love and jealous. He is still as charismatic and attractive as always, playing the successful counterpart to Qin Lan’s character. The two of them have so much chemistry and their bickering and outsmarting each other are the highs of the drama for me.

The other two female leads have a decent amount of screen time. They are both fun characters and the trio’s sisterhood is fun to watch. However, the supporting romances lack chemistry and their careers' storylines are not as interesting. ML’s BFF appears here and there to provide work gossip and support. But he is quite a one-dimensional character.

As I mentioned earlier, there’s a lot of business talk in this drama. If you are not interested, you might be bored. The dialogs are fast with business lingo yet Qin Lan and Wang Yang are experienced enough to make it seem natural. The drama is not dubbed (thank god coz I love their real voices) and you can hear the live recording with some post-production corrections here and there. I also love all the business attire at work. Qin Lan has quite a nice collection of business suits, shorts, dresses, and skirts. She looks so beautiful and I love her new short hair cut. Of course, Wang Yang doesn’t look too bad himself in formal suits and casual attires.

“Stand of Fall” might not be a solid 8.5 but I have a great time watching it. It met my expectations of Qin Lan and Wang Yang and how amazing they are together.

Other Random Observations:
1. Glad to see Qin Lan not afraid of getting dirty or having lipstick drawn on her beautiful face. But she's way too skinny though.
2. Why would a mother goes into a sleeping child's room and turn on the bright light?
3. For once a mother spoils a daughter and not a son.
4. When people in their 30s fall over each other, it's not a slow mo romantic scene but of them hurting their backs. LOL
5. Love the unique relationship FL has with her brother.



Completed: 8/19/2023 - Review #341

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İt's so perfect that I watched it 3 times ??

the whole thing in this drama is perfect but no lie I loved VegasPete more ...
I wish they had a seperate drama for themselves ?
yet it's so worth your time, I'm even gonna watch for the 4th time, NO REGRETS


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Superficial entertainment at most

I liked the poster as it suggested fantasy and maybe interesting relations between the ML and the different women, so I watched it on a whim. Well, I was disappointed somewhat, because the poster as well as the title are rather misleading.

It is too short to introduce fleshed out characters, the ML and the female antagonist are probably the best among them as they have a relatable backstory. The rest does not have much explanation as to who they are and what made them that way. There is scarcly any development either (just weired fluctuations)
The FL was pretty annoying in my opinion. There is no consistancy in her behaviour, she seemingly randomly does stuff without much justification or explanation why she suddenly acts that way. Constant fundamental changes in character that need a lot of goodwill and thinking off-screen to sort-of explain. I don't like having to fit together the story myself all the time. She is also always in need of being rescued, whatever she does on her own, usually doesnt end too well. The other females would have been so much more interesting, but we learn only little about them. In the end, they are just mainstory supporting steppingstones.
Some scenes are riddiculous, like the dress up as males.
World building is sloppy and does nothing to establish some framework. Everything seems random.
There are massive plotholes and whole storyarches missing that would offer some connections between different ideas. The fun of the first scene ends there and is not picked up. It could have just been deleted and no one would know. I really don't think the title fits the story, it is really not about the Chief of Thieves at all.

Acting was okay but nothing stellar. As I have watched much worse recently, I might be biased. Costumes and Set are well made and fit the story, that's a strong point of the movie. The martial art scenes are okay with quite some CGI that is so-so. Music was okay but not memorable.

All in all I feel the movie stays superficial in all aspects: romance, inititial storyline, character development, world building,...

I will not watch the movie again.

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Why R U so all over the place?

What did I even watch? It’s all over the place! The plot is a mess. There are too many characters to really keep up with all of them. And I feel like I watched the same two scenes about ten times each. The plot had a nice set up at first, maybe a bit too dramatic for my liking, but it was interesting. But then it went up in flames. The idea that all that happened is due to the bet between Zon and his sister quickly became a side thing. Instead, the series tried to keep with a bunch of couples and completely failed at that.

The cinematographic aspect was not the best. Some shots were very strange and with certain scenes constantly repeating, it felt like they did a lot of that just to fill in the time. The series could have easily been a few episodes shorter. Included less couples. The background sounds were all over the place too. I felt like they exaggerated with the comic sound effects.

Fighter & Tutor: they are both idiots. At first, I though only Fighter is an idiot who should just sit down with himself and decide on what the hell he wants. Or doesn’t want. His hot and cold attitude was not cute. The way he treated Tutor throughout the series (except for their cute and in love phase) was not okay. Tutor was doing okay at first. He was a bit confused, but he knew where he stood. And then he decided to keep secrets. To make decisions without his partner. To make an even bigger mess of things. That, however, does not excuse Fighter’s behavior or actions. It was how he handled things that made me absolutely hate him. I think both Zee and Saint are great actors, and they did good with intimate scenes and had great chemistry, I just don’t like the characters they played.

Saifah & Zon: I thought the two were supposed to be the main couple. But they got less screen time than the other main couple. At least it felt like that to me. They had me confused most of the time. Zon is dramatic. And Saifah is flirty. Together, they are a hot mess. I don’t think the switch in Saifah going from possibly hating Zon to being completely enamored by him makes sense. It happened in a second, which made me confused if he is simply messing with him or if actually likes Zon. There was a lot of back and forth between the two, but I also feel like nothing much happened. They sang, played the guitar, flirted and denied flirting. I don’t mind low-drama couples, but with everything else going on, they kind of faded into the background for me.

There were a few other couples – Japan and Thantai, Dew and Blue (with a sprinkle of Champ), Natee and Zen, Junior and Soda, Daw and Hwahwa. None of the mentioned (possible) couples got proper story development nor enough screen time to really round off their stories. I think they just added to the confusion.

There’s also Zol, Zon’s sister and the author. What happened with that plotline? I know it was supposed to be a way to start the story off, but it was never addressed if her writing came true or if it was just a coincidence. I feel like that just faded into the background. A similar thing happened to Zon’s parents and their role in what was going on.

To be honest, I did a lot of skipping. I also watched a lot of it on double speed just to get through it faster. I am just happy to be done with it.

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