Reviews

Main reason I started to watch this drama is Song wei Long and also the only reason I continued watching after episode 10. The story goes so slowly with lots of extra characters added as it goes along. The other actors are ok albeit quite annoying. Thank goodness Jelly Lin not as annoying or bad at acting as Jun Ji Hyun in Legend of the Blue Sea which even Lee Min Ho could not keep on the drama.
Director should have cut out the many side plots and big holes from the plot (some really didnt make any sense) and focused more on developing the romance / story of the 2 main actors
Plus : Song wei long, barcelona setting, quite interesting plot line, good looking cast even though Hansen is a miscast.
Minus: Draggy script, slow plot development with too many episodes at 60 mins each episode! Stupid characters who do things that dont make any sense!
Terrible and abrupt ending.
Best way to watch if you are a song wei long fan...fast forward! If you are not, I'd give it a pass.

Read More

A true look at humanity and sacrifice --a quality show that is layered and poetic

People have different tastes. Some people like dramas with action-packed plot, heavy romance, sweet male leads who are out of storybooks, and females who are bubbly and innocent. Others might enjoy deep, emotional, character driven dramas that grabs at the heart and present characters like real people who make mistakes, are not perfect, and whose actions have consequences--a drama with imperfect people. If you are looking for a show that will make you think, reflect, and examine yourself and the characters deeply, then this show is for you.

I almost didn't watch this because of the criticism, but I am glad I ignored the negative reviews as I was immediately hooked, and my obsession did not die out as the episodes progressed, but instead my interest grew.

I can understand how this drama might not suit everyone, it is not an action-packed, romantic drama, it is not a fairy tale--this is a real story, with real authentic characters who act like humans with faults and virtues. They are likable at times and you hate them at times. Just like real people. I like how this show presents the characters as truly human, faults and all. I can't help but love this series for showing the human psych so well.

Maybe I just like shows that break my heart. Maybe because they evoke emotion and tears, which mean the actors did a wonderful job conveying their characters. Who knows, but this show is right up my alley and I think it's so well done, the costumes are beautiful, the sets, etc.

Whether you like this show will depend on your expectations.

I enjoyed watching this show so much and did not find it to have filler moments, every scene had a purpose. Every action had a consequence. Although there is a lot of talk about politics, you knows the ministers lives and follow those side characters from adolescence to adulthood and see how they grow and change. You meet so many characters, and you become interested in their lives. I cared about all the side characters the ministers, maids, eunuchs, villagers, city folk, etc. You feel an attachment to them, as you follow their lives.

SOUNDTRACK: If you liked the vibe of The Story of Ming Lan, then this is right up your alley. Some of the background tracks sounds identical to Ming Lan, they are subtle and you're not really listening for the music, but paying attention to the dialogue. It brings your attention to the characters, and does not have fanciful overpowering tracks. deep digging examinations of what drives people, good and bad. The emotional tracks that do play come at the right moment, and are artful and poetic.

REWATCHABILITY: I have already gone back to rewatch scenes.

ACTING: Everyone's performance is top tier. Zhao Zhen, the Empress, the child versions of all these characters, Hui Rou, Huaiji...Wang Kai does an amazing job portraying Zhao Zhen as he ages. His mannerisms change in the later episodes, his demeanor, and if I hadn't seen him in early episodes looking so young I'd think he was actually an older gentleman (lol!) Incredible job by all members of the cast.

I can safely say this is my new favorite cdrama, in addition to Story of Ming Lan and Story of Yanxi Palace. There are my spoiler-free thoughts. I just wanted to share and maybe urge people to give this drama a chance. I do not find it to be a waste of time, I like the setting, the politics, just watching the daily lives of these people.

**Spoilers after this point**

Throughout this show, I kept thinking that I could write a thorough character literary analysis for so many of these people. Below is my attempt to explain some of the actions of the emperor and empress, and share some additional feelings.

Regarding the Emperor Zhao Zhen, I can understand that maybe people were angry at him and hence rated the show lower because of the decisions he made. But this is based on a historical figure who made these decisions (example: deciding Huirou's marriage, ignoring the the empress, favoring Concubine Bihan.) The thing about how they portrayed the emperor though made me understand why he behaved the way he did; it linked back to his childhood traumas, his relationship with his "mother," showing us that the emperor is intimidated by strong women because they remind him of the Empress Dowager who overpowered him as emperor and mandated everything; he is shown to be weak-minded because of this, and easily manipulated/attracted to the women who resemble adolescence/are not as strong and who express their love toward him since he craves for that attention. That is why he and the empress have such discord, since she is an incredibly strong, (amazing), smart, capable, confident woman who does not need a man to protect her, but he himself is intimidated by that (like an idiot!) and there is that gap between them. She does not go to him to protect her, and he seems to only like women who need his power to "save" them. This is shown throughout by his relationship with He'er and Bihan, both girls who needed his help at some point or have outwardly shown their care for him. It makes him so unlikable as a character sometimes, but I never hated completely him since he is shown to be a generally kind, caring, benevolent emperor and father (in the majority of the drama, but after episode 55 we kinda see his lacking as a father...your heart aches for the empress, and you cuss out the emperor in your head. Their relationship is emotionally abusive, and I respect this show for not romanticizing such a toxic relationship (unlike some shows...cough cough Goodbye My Princess cough cough). The way this show portrays these people makes you analyze their thought processes and ache for them.

It has too many layers for me to capture in a summary, but here's just a tidbit of my thoughts.

Also, I can't end this review without talking about Huaiji and Huirou. These two truly broke my heart. Their love was so sincere and beautiful, and they are soulmates, but due to their circumstances nothing can come of it. There is this line said between with Huaiji and Huirou where she says she wants to be a lotus flower in her next life, to which Huaiji responds that he will be the wave beneath it so they can be together. My heart just ACHED for these two. I shed tears. Such a beautiful friendship and love story they shared.

Also, if interested here are two fan videos for Serenade of Peaceful Joy:

Huaiji/Huirou : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_w9N6oz88Q
Zhao Zhen/Danshu : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwEhpxtJFhE

Read More

What can you do when a disaster strikes and you're running out of time and resources? This drama is jam-packed with challenges people face when a natural disaster strikes and have to overcome these problems with limited resources while fighting people who are trying to bring you down.

Story: It was rare; finding this drama that focused on the event of a natural disaster and the challenges people face; especially in the medical field. Each episode left me with the 'anxiety; on the edge of my seat' feeling as problems pile on-top of each other. With the addition of a a corrupted hospital; it seemed that it would take forever for everything to be settled, but that was the fun of this drama. What i loved about this drama was that it was somewhat realistic as it showed the harsh reality of the after-effects of a disaster. It made me sympathize with the situation and understanding of the actions some of the characters chose. Although there were romance, it wasn't the main genre that was heavily focused on; which i was fine with surprisingly as I am a person who values romance the most.

Acting: The cast was fantastic! The directing, writing, graphics, etc were done beautifully as well. Both the main characters had an amazing chemistry and worked well together as you could tell from the start of the drama. Although some characters were not portrayed as nicely as I had hoped; it wasn't a major issue . I hope I can see the two main leads work together on another drama.

Music: The instrumentals are amazing; although repetitive, I was fine with it as the music was beautiful and appropriate at times. Downloaded one of the tracks within the first episode!

Rewatch: Although I would probably not rewatch some of the episodes as I find that there were several parts that seemed a bit draggy, some episodes are worth the rewatch as it shows the growth of the characters.

Read More

Time I will never get back

I decided to watch this C-drama because it only had 24 episode (which is short for C-dramas), but once I got started, I quickly realized that this could have been completed in half the episodes, and it would have made the whole thing more interesting. I felt that this show REALLY needed a different editor, there were some episodes that, once I got to the end, I realized that the entire episode was a complete waste of time. I really felt that a lot of it was like watching paint dry - boring as all get out.

I suppose the actors did a good job with what they had to work with. The problem was the script. The main character of Tu Mo was so irritating. First, she'd been liking a boy for years, and that boy was one of the most irritating characters I've seen in a show recently. Then, I couldn't actually see what Gu Wei Yi saw in her. Then, she always seemed to be mad at the male lead for something, but rather than talk to him about it, she did a lot of clomping out of the room, slamming doors, and generally not being very nice to him. She was very immature.

Overall, no chemistry between the leads, too many irritating characters, too much dog and cat sound effects, fish kisses, and multiple unnecessary scenes/storylines.

It was sad for me to realize, after watching this, that most of the C-dramas are along these lines and not, for me, overly enjoyable. Love Me If You Dare and Dating in the Kitchen are the gold standard for me, and I will continue to hope that I happen upon other C-dramas that live up to them.

Read More

Just got done watching this last night. No regrets. This was sooo much fun. Seriously, try watching two episodes. First episode is so weak that I actually considered dropping it. Ep2 is where the fun starts. If after ep2, you’re still not feeling it, then this isn’t the type of drama for you. All good. We all like different things.

There were so many things they did right here. Acting – the best all across the board including and ESPECIALLY the supporting characters. All the characters are so outrageous and ridiculous. I love them. They really put the characters into good use here. Each had a purpose and an opportunity to shine in their own ways. The way the story unfolded with just enough drama and mystery to keep you hooked wondering who did it and why.

Everything wrapped up really well by the end.

Read More

GTO 2012 has to be my favorite drama, so when I found out there was a new season I almost died of pure excitement.

The class and school is new, but our beloved Onizuka is still there, along with a few others from the first season. I was skeptical, having fallen in love with the cast from the first season, but I ended up caring about this class all the same. The storylines were sometimes lacking premise and reality, but it was still very entertaining to watch them play out. The main plot of the season being Onizukas dark past at the school, and the loss of his high school friend.
Yusuke is still his crazy self, I think we can all agree he basically plays different variations of the same character but we love him!
We also get to see a lot more of Kurosawas acting this time around, and his performance in episode 10 made me cry! (No spoilers but grab a box of tissues)
No member of the class cast really stuck our to me, they were all good, but didn't blow me away.
The music score was the same as last season, and I LOVE it, I find myself humming along. Also, they use E-girls High School Love in every episode.

Anyone who is a fan of the first season, or loves a good high school drama, should DEFINITELY give this a watch. I loved it. Left something to be desired, but still a very good drama and I will be re watching it as soon as I get the DVD.

Read More

While I'm not surprised by MDL's negative reaction to this show, I can't help but wish there was at least some love shown to this series here. But, considering this is essentially an indie film stretched into more than six hours of drama, I can't complain much, given the tastes of MDL users.

The extended shots and continuous takes evoke strong vibes reminiscent of Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien, which might make some viewers find the material a bit monotonous. But if you're a fan of Edward Yang or Hou Hsiao-hsien's films, this is a treat. I would even go so far as to say this is the best thing I've seen from iQIYI and Chinese contemporary film/television in a long time.

The direction, production, and the actors' performances (there are some seriously impressive performances here) are genuinely excellent and ensure there's always something captivating happening within the frame.

The atmosphere and mood of the show stayed with me long after the credits rolled in the final episode. If nothing else, the final half-hour or so will linger in your memory long after the screen goes dark.

Read More

This is not the usual slap-kiss drama.It’s story has a lot more to it.

I really liked this Drama. It is really not a usual Slap-kiss Lakorn. It’s story is a lot more than that.
The things I really liked about this drama were;
~This was a kind of family lakorn revolving around children and parental love.
~There were points in the drama where it was really funny..not being an all time dark drama, even there were times when a serious thing was going on ..but it made me laugh out hahaha !?
~The Most Important thing which almost all of us want in a drama is LOVE❤️. Mostly in Thai Dramas ..there is no sign how the love began or how it developed or it’s deep ness but in this lakorn u will cry seeing the sincerity of the Male Lead.How much he loves the female lead .
~The Second Couple were superrrr cuteeee!
The thing which I didn’t liked about this lakorn was The Female Lead’s stubbornness.She was very stubborn not realising how much the male lead loved her and always accusing him.But all this was worth it because in between these were sweet scenes between the couple which made it worth-it to watch.
~What most people will drop this drama for will be saying that There is Rape in this drama.I also thought like that before but when you reach into the later episodes of this u will realise that it was a kind of misunderstanding and not a RAPE .Even though, The male lead was at fault but in later episodes he repents for his mistakes and that made me cry how he was suffering.So you should look forward to watch it!!
There were many reviews saying that it was not a good drama but I decided to go for it and I don’t regret at all.It also teaches us many life - lessons .
At last, I will just HIGHLY RECOMMEND this drama and say that you will not regret watching it and It is not the usual-slap kiss drama(even though there are scenes of slap-kiss but not much)It’s story is way more than that.It will give you a new experience!!

Read More

One of the most satisfying endings I've seen in kdramas

The drama is an ode, a poem, a dedication to the relationship between Hardy and Ramanujan, full of passion and maths. The leads have a connection quite different from typical kdramas, metaphorically linked to the way Hardy and Ramanujan inspired and cheered on each other.

The first half is a lot of maths and the second half is a revenge plotline. I enjoyed the first half more, as I love maths, but I can imagine that a lot of kdrama watchers will relate to the more stereotypical second half better. The drama has one of the most well-paced, complete and satisfying endings ever, wrapping up all plotlines beautifully in episodes 15 and 16.

The acting is impeccable, especially from Jin Kyung (the Principal), Oh Gwang Rok (FL's father) and Choi Dae Hoon (the 2ML). The child actors have also done a good job. Lee Do Hyun looks absolutely gorgeous and very stylish in the latter half!

Overall, a terribly under-rated drama with consistent pacing, good OST and good visuals. I would recommend everyone to pick it up and give it a try despite its bafflingly low MDL rating.

Read More

A fairytale love story!

Story - I love the story very much. It has everything we would like to read in a novel. It contains action, drama, romance, comedy, super powers...a perfect mixture of all this things!

Tay (Punjan) came to this island to stop the illegal things going on the Namcheaw Island. There he meets Hataya (Prang) he fell in love with her. Together they decides to eradicate all the illegalities going on and wanted to make that island peaceful. Tay always use his super powers to save Hataya and other good people around them. There accompanies three beautiful love stories - Tay Hataya, Pong Gosum, Chudet Wan. You will love each of them! With all the illegal things going on there is also a comedic relief, which helps us to relax a bit. In the end we will get the answers who Tay really is and why he is doing all the things to save the island. At last a happy ending to make things even better.

Acting/Cast - Punjan did really a good job in this drama. His comedy is the only thing that keep us going on. Really love those super power action scenes of him. His intelligency helps Inspector Chudet many times to handle all this case. Prang was in a serious role as she was Jade Tigress of the Namcheaw Island. Love her acting very much. Love her determination to make the island a happy place like it was before. About Nut (Pong) I love that how intelligent he was while helping his friend Tay! Really obsessed with all the technological things he has invented to help him. Pym (Gosum) did really a great job! First as a villian then further you will know why she was acting like that. You will really sympathize her character. Felt so bad for her in the end. Also loved Mac (Chudet) and Siri's (Wan) pair very much. They look very calm and composed together. Other cast was so great. Also loved Apo's cameo as disguised Tay. He really acted so brilliantly. Love all the good and villian characters also. They really did a wonderful job accompanying the main cast.

Music - Music was superb. Well suited with the story of this drama. I love both the songs. The title song was kind of rock and pop while the ending song which was sung by my favourite actor Punjan, is a sad song. But it suits the situation very well because it has some heartbreaking scenes also. Overall both the songs are best.

Rewatch Value - This is only my second thai drama so I don't know if all stories are like this or not! But really do watch if you love Punjan and Prang. They look so cute together. I also don't mind to watch it again cause I already started to missing them since I completed the last episode yesterday.

Overall - A wonderful drama with talented actors, a beautiful storyline, a magical story!! It has less romantic scenes but I wouldn't mind either cause all they have given me is enough to cherish my Punjan-Prang ship!

(This is my first ever review, sorry if I made some gramatical or spelling mistakes)

Read More

Just Between Lovers is actually a tribute to the victims who died tragic death due to collapse of Sampoong Departmental store in Seoul in June 29, 1995. It is marked as one of the nation’s biggest peacetime disaster, killing 501 people. This kind of accident is not only brutally tragic but also leaves traumatic experiences for the victims’ loved ones. The victims who survive such horrifying incidents also live in constant apprehension for the rest of their life or need to undergo various therapies to remain fine.

Buskin styled story of this drama has the vibe of subtle serenity along with exuding melancholy since each character presented here is deeply associated with the one catastrophe took place in their lives. The longing pain, despondency and deliriousness brought the protagonists of this drama closer and deeply fell in love with one another. They had a common ground to relate with each other immensely. Their gesticulation, their shrieking cry out of tremendous pain of losing someone dearer imbued through their profound acting skills. Both Lee Jun Ho and Won Jin Ah made perfect justice to their individual role by showing exact hurting spirit. Moreover their chemistry is gullible as a reality. They were the show stealer. It is difficult to focus on the side stories when they had their astoundingly beautiful romance to portray.

On the other hand, to be very frank, I personally found building one memorial for the entire sixteen episodes were just over the top mundane and exhaustingly boring. There was no development with this part of the story whatsoever. Only interesting part, apart from romance were Gang Doo’s intense friendship with the elderly lady and an autistic young man. Despite a significant age gap between Na Moon Hee and Jun Ho, their chemistry was enchanting and the playful brotherly relationship between Kang Hyun and Jun Ho was also enjoyable to watch.

I only have praises for Jun Ho and Jin Ah. Without them this drama wouldn’t have been so better. The story seemed quite flat otherwise. However, these two characters Gang Doo and Moon Soo pulled off the show with their melting romance which was utterly rejoicing to watch. The rest were distinctively overshadowed by these two. Nevertheless all the casts did good job in playing their roles. Their acting skills were natural and commendable.

I’m thankful that the main character did not met the tragic end. A particular scene at the end episode made my heart skipped million beats. Later I was relieved. For me I just continued and finished this drama just for Gang Doo and Moon Soo. They were the main gem.

Also the OSTs are in perfect cahoots with the mood of the drama.

Overall this is a good romantic drama if skipped the side stories.

If you want to enjoy a great romance with great acting skill from the protagonists then this is definitely for you.

Read More