Reviews

A swing and a miss

I really wanted to like this show and I'm kind of sad that I didn't.
There is potential in this story and in this cast but the final product fails to live up to it, which is a shame.
I feel like the series is stuck in the unfortunate limbo of being enjoyable as an actually good show and being enjoyable as a silly, self-aware rollercoaster ride.
It's too nonsensical and off-beat to be truly taken seriously, but it also takes *itself* just a bit too seriously to be a fun thrill-ride like this year's Why R U was, for instance.
The overall production quality is very decent and there are a couple of genuinely good scenes, but that's about all the show has going for it, unfortunately.
If you want something simple to turn your brain off to, this might do the trick. There simply also happen to be a lot of better shows you could be spending your time on instead, just saying.

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WELL.... THAT WAS NOT BAD

but not good either.

mahiro takasugi really has this puppy, younger brother aura that made him so non-threatening and in line with chihiro character. I love him in 'cursed in love' and 'kakegurui'. but what made me really stay tune to this drama is Akamine and Kaoru lmao. Nimura Sawa has this flair and flamboyance that NONE of japanese actress has able to pull and instead of being an annoying character, she felt very genuine and endearing. When I saw both of chihiro's brothers, i thought "wow, they really won the gen pool lottery" cos all of them are so fucking HOT!!!!! but Furukawa Yuuta as Kaoru was the one who caught my eyes. i love his extravagance and funny support to chihiro. I look forward to both of these stars work in the future!

aside of the actors' portrayal, the plot itself try to sell "breaking the societal norm and gender role" trope, but i feel like the screenwriter keep going backwards about it... it was pitiful to see how hard chihiro going for honoka in the first half of the episode. also there are a lot useless love triangles here and there. i can't say i enjoy it, but i don't hate it.

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So close and yet so far

This show was so close to being actually good and enjoyable but then it tripped and fell flat on its face just before the finish line.
To be clear: I didn't expect this show to be a masterpiece by any means, but I was hoping for a romance drama that, while shallow, would be just charming and self-aware enough to spark my interest. And for the first few episodes that's what I thought I was getting. Sure, there are some fairly obvious flaws with the series even early on, but all in all the first half of the show is still entirely watchable.
But then, instead of slowly improving on the main characters' dynamic, the show inexplicably starts spiraling, sidelining its lovable supporting cast, introducing strange conflicts that go nowhere and an antagonist who sees zero consequences for her actions, before ending on an incredibly strange note that feels nothing like the satisfying happy ending it presents itself as.
I admit I'm being fairly harsh here, but I suppose I'm just annoyed at the wasted potential. This didn't have to be some queer epic, but it could have at least been a pleasant, if slightly silly, food romance. It's just a shame, is all.
If you're just looking for a show that's easy on the eyes and requires absolutely zero brain cells to follow you might like this fine. But even as far as mindless entertainment goes, there's better series out there, in my opinion, and you'd probably be a lot better off watching one of them.

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Stunningly beautiful but frustratingly slow.

If you're in the mood for beautiful artistic 9th century style, long takes and a complicated story in a slow film, then The Assassin is probably your cup of tea. If you want to see a cool martial arts movie - Watch something else.

When you see The Assassin you are faced with the age-old question: What makes a good movie? Some prefer a strong story, others powerful effects. Here, a story that arouses no great interest is combined with an artistic style that is unlike anything else.

For those who follow the story, it is about a female assassin in 8th century China. Like many assassins on film, she is faced with the classic dilemma of having her loved one killed or failing her duty, something that meant slightly greater consequences at the time.

If you are looking for a juicy story, you need to have both a lot of concentration and patience, because the director Hou Hsiao-hsien is hardly someone who prioritizes pace, forward-looking lines or clear character development. We're talking sometimes forever-long takes, extremely sparse or no dialogue and scenes that work more like art installations.

Undoubtedly, it is a stunningly beautiful film. The environments, the scenography, the costumes - Almost every single frame is like a painting or the most delicious photograph you've seen on a cinema screen. One could practically watch the film without sound and admire the impressive work of the film's creative team.

With that said and the cool visual style aside, it's a frustratingly slow film to get through. As a contrast to the often overly clear film narration in, for example, American cinema, this becomes almost incomprehensible and unnecessarily complicated.

The fight scenes are the highlights - Not because it's exciting but because of the quiet and calm style. But it's still one of the most boring martial arts movies out there. It is a perfect example of "see but not feel" - Gentle on the eyes, but you leave the salon with a slightly empty and unsatisfied feeling.

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It's the journey that matters the most, not the destination

It's a musical which consists of 15 beautiful songs, very well written according to the scenario and witty too. It's an open end if you take it one way and it's a closer if you take it the other way. The main protagonist, an elite banker who got demoted to a village branch, acts as a catalyst to unify two separated people. He might have lost, yet he won in a way. His self-discovery of what it takes to be happy in life, makes the movie interesting.

Recommended only if you like musicals and open ending (though it's a closer for me). The journey matters most than the destination, it's that kind of movie.

It's a LA of Manga of same name.

Ratings:-
Acting - 8/10
Direction - 8/10
Music - 10+/10
Cinematography - 10/10 (The fisheye camera works were amazing)
Dialogues - 7/10

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I FEEL IT LINGER IN MY HEART.

Im speechless. I am.

This piece of tale will help you realise how gentle this emotion called love is. The story is so warm, so warm that it does not require any other explanation. You slip in the tale of time, and you experience love.

When I began I was not sure what I was looking for. But this series is made with such perfection that you are going to be part of it before knowing. Every little piece sits perfectly. Every other character leaves their mark. Every turn tells a new story.

Together they make a little universe where you learn to hold onto those you love. Which makes it far more than a show. Far more.

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Disappointing compared to the prequel

Soundtrack #1 had a beautiful couple growing from friends to lovers. It felt sweet and delicate.

Soundtrack #2 on the other side has a dislikable emotionally immature ML, still very much in love with the FL but also wanting revenge for the breakup pain he suffered, the poor boy. But his love is of course stronger than his hate, for now at least. I don't want to witness what happens once there is some discord between them in the future.

There is also a weak ass love triangle, with the second love interest baking out without even putting up a fight. I really wish she would have ended up with him, instead of the immature ex.

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Lesson Learned: be honest and be courageous; face it head on

This series is surprising. I got lost the moment I thought I understand the story. It was fun, loveable, and painful at the same time. I laughed and cried a lot watching this series. I felt her when she said, "3 times". If I were in her place, I really would have felt lost and unsure of what to do. There were moments where I felt frustrated and didn't agree with their choices, but I guess it is the concept of the drama. It is a drama full of life lessons wrapped with bits of love story. Anyway, the story contains so many twist that you should watch until the end.

The actors did their part so well that I can actually feel the pain that each of them went through. It made me realize that each person has their own situation that led them into making certain choices. The story portrayed life issues more realistic than fictional. There is of course a touch of fiction since it is about going back in time, but the problems and choices that they make is somehow relatable. It makes you think of what if you were in their situation, what would actually be a better choice. Seriously, it puts you in a dilemma. There were so many moments while I was watching that I also had to think of what to do.

I would recommend this drama if you are someone who is open minded because I'm sure it will help you a lot in life. It can help you realize a lot. The most important thing I learned in this drama is to be honest. no matter how bleak the future will be, honestly is still the best choice.

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Nice To Meet You is a drama that had a good premise of fated lovers facing obstacles and promising to always love and trust each other but the plot and leading characters could not live up to their promises because of the antagonists’ constant plotting against them and their failure to be completely honest with each other. This drama could’ve been better if it had about 30 less episodes since the story dragged and became repetitive. The leading couple had some nice interactions and romantic moments but, because of so many instances of doubt and push and pull from the lead female, their chemistry didn’t flow naturally. The supporting cast did well but there are too many evil acts and very little consequences. Overall, the drama could’ve been better but it is not that bad.

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Money, Money, Money....

...How funny, in a rich man's world!

Often compared with Black Mirror, this short series is pointing to the absurdities of contemporary society, focused on money. What would you do, how far would you go, how much does it take?

The main character of this drama is just such a person, a super rich man, bored and conducting a social experiment in order to answer those questions. The series tells stories of six people, on surface not connected but whose lives cross paths in crucial moments.

A women finally gets an office job but the work is absurd, mind wrecking and pointless. So she resigns. Her coworker decides to spend an afternoon with his daughter(who found out he was not her father) but while on the phone his car with her inside gets stolen. By a pyramid scheme salesman looking for money. While on a crossroad, the women from the beginning jumps into the car. Down the road they are stopped by a fake policeman who is trying to win money on an internet game led by a righteous justice warrior the salesman's mother was part of. After letting the car go, he hears a police call for a possible murder taking place in an abandoned office. The man there offers him a choice: a meaningless well paid job or the righteous justice.

Each story, with the exception of the last one is left without ending: do their action have repercussions? Probably, logically but we never find out! The stories are well written: succinct and to the point. The acting is excellent: particularly the little girl. The music, jazzy with 70's overtones, is perfect for these dark stories.

We might take umbrage or disapprove their choices but how would you behave in similar situations? I think that the answer depends on your age: the young people would probably revolt, stir the masses on the internet and move on to another crusade of the week. More mature adults would probably weigh the pros and the cons reasonably!

Whether we like it or not, we are all controlled by money. The question is how much?

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Not my Cup of tea

Bad on my part, but this is serving as my first Taiwanese BL of this year that I'm seeing, and luckily, I thought this was good. Not great, personally, because these types of series are just not my cup of tea, but, the men are beautiful, they know how to do physical well, and the acting isn't all that bad either.

Let's Dive In.

I had heard so much hype about this series that I knew I had to hop on the train and see what this was all about. Now, I think generally, a lot of series that portray on a scale of mild to super toxic relationships outshine series that portray healthier ones (for reasons being above my understanding), and I would label the same thing with these characters as well. Homeboy definitely has the case of Stockholm's syndrome -- falling for the person who turned his life into a living hell, This is fictional, so I'll look past the, 'he-needs-therapy-to-get-over-this' mumbo jumbo, Yes, his captor turns out to be a good person, just some ill intentions in the first half. The only thing I think needed a little more time was Zong Yi'a falling for Ze Rui. It feels very out of the blue. One day he hates him, the next he's trying to bake him a cake and confess his undying love, on top of being a minor (geez-la-wheez). it just felt rushed in my opinion, even if Zong Yi needed that companionship or someone to care for him, what we get before he falls just isn't enough. Now moving on to their actual relationship, cute! But again, something about them doesn't work for me, maybe it's because of the age difference, but I'm usually a fan of that, so I don't know what it is about this couple that just doesn't sell me all the way. After about episode 10, I started skipping over their scenes cause I just really could care less.

Moving onto the secondary couple -- again cute, we have a little bit more fun with their dynamic, but again, and this is just for me, I just don't see it working out. One, their brothers, albeit not blood-related, but still they grew up together as siblings. Two, both of them seem too hot-headed and too quick to want to throw a punch or force each other into something. Again, just a very toxic couple that works for other viewers cause they're hot and can kiss (I'll give them that).

As individual characters, I really liked them all. Especially Zong Yi's family dynamic and the things he goes through to save his dad. Along with the cunning friendship between him and Ai Di. The cameos were nice, Wayne does a great job at being a bad guy, and looks great doing it. As I said before, I just don't think this was the series for me because I think too hard about relationships and don't see how they come about or how they'll last, especially when they're built on a rough/toxic path.

Sadly, my favorite part about this series was during the last episode, we see the behind the scenes of the cast and crew, and it just puts a smile on your face regardless of how you feel about the series because it just goes to show all the hard work everyone put behind this series. End credits get me all the time (sigh).

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Lots of it I skipped through by Episode 10 cause I wasn't really invested in any of the couples and just wanted to see their outcome and quickly. The beginning is nice though, a very intriguing starting point, and then it just kind of wanes for me. Not bad, but not the best.

Acting: 9.5/10 - They could all cry when need be! Great! Zong Yi's actor did the best for sure.

Music: 4/5/10 - Again, not my usual taste in music, so it's kind of loud and a bit hectic sounding. It distracted me so much that I actually paid attention to it.

Recommndation Value: 6.5/10 - I can see the appeal in the series and the reason why it was so hyped around. Great acting and a great story if you're into tropes/plots like this one. Not the first Tawinese BL I'd recommend, maybe the 8th, but these men are beautiful so there's that.

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Bitter, sweet, fun

Like most who watched this, I enjoyed it. I watched it with my wife, and we both laughed a lot throughout. We've been married nearly as long as the leads have have been alive, so the OTT rage was genuinely funny for us. Sveral have commented on the chemistry between Jeong So Min and Kang Ha Neul, and there's no question that was central to the movie's success. Both delivered very good performances, and Jeong So Min especially cemented my high opion of her as an actor. The first thing my wife said when Jeong So Min first appeared on screen in this movie was"she's really pretty". and obviously I can't disagree. But her range even in a light romcom like this was impressive. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting an uncomplicated and genuinely funny romance

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The "SHE" Power

I've always been a fan of dramas with amazing female cast and if they're badass? Even better. This drama served that well.
The drama is about two women Jung Seo Hyun and Seo Hee Soo who got married into a chaebol family; Hyowon family but try to break free amidst lies and deceit and strive to overcome whatever stands in their way to achieve what they truly desire.
They storyline is quite unique. Although dramas about powerful families and marriages are common, it is rare for daughters-in-law to rise against their husbands' family. Also, it is rare to see daughters-in-law team up together. Rich powerful women in most dramas like to abuse authority, take advantage of low class women, exhibit bad parenting, etc but this drama takes a different approach. This drama has mothers acting against injustice, overcoming the impossible and fighting to tackle prejudice. Above all, it projects how fearless a woman could be and the extent to which she can go to achieve what she has set her mind to.
The drama also questions the idea of true happiness in a life of glam, connections, privileges and wealth. The Hyowon family is an extremely powerful family,one could easily draw the conclusion that being married into such a family would be a dream come true. It is not as rosy as it seems as the couples in that family are not genuinely happy. What they put out is just a facade to uphold the family name. Things happening behind closed doors like not allowed to speak with the press, not allowed to wear certain colors to family gatherings, early separation between a mother and her child by sending the latter to a boarding school abroad etc. was a problem for the women married into the Hyowon family. Most powerful families have rules and regulations one needs to follow and this drama captured that.
Apart from the plot, the fashion game of the characters is top notch. They literally served the best elegant looks, especially the leading duo. Their taste in clothes and accessories dominate Evert scene. Luxury labels such as Bulgari, Chloe, Bottega Veneta, Dior, Prada, Hermes etc could pass for the sub theme of the drama. For a family that needed a golf cart to take them around the house, spending a few billions in clothes was no problem at all.
One admirable trait about the leads was their strength, determination and strong will to cut ties with a life of secrets and lies packaged with galamour. The zeal they had for fighting injustice and standing for what they believed in was remarkable and inspiring.
The drama ended on a good note as Jung Seo Hyun and Sao Hee Soo achieved what they truly wanted. It was rewarding and satisfying.
Hats off to the cast for bringing the characters to life with their acting acting. They portrayed diverse emotions really well.
For a drama that tells women to recognize themselves and what they truly deserve, live their best life and stay true to themselves even when they're dominated by men and the odds are against them, it's a solid nine out of ten for me. Nine because I had a little issues but I highly recommend this drama.

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