Wonderful and kind of hot mini-show with a nice revenge plot
This is a wonderful mini-show. The storyline might not be new but the show is really entertaining.Character wise we have this nice and capable FL who runs into this strong and powerful ML. Not knowing their previous connection FL is drawn into the MLs net when she is in need of help to avenge her unfaithful boyfriend and his mistress.
Acting wise this is actually very good with little or no cringe acting. The chemistry between the couple is way better than most mini-shows. Often this is a bit lacking due to the short format - but not in this, LOL.
Anyway, if you love a sweet (and kind of hot) romantic mini-show - with a nice revenge plot - this is well worth watching.
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The special concept itself was a great idea, all about discovering oneself and having a dream, specially the age we're dealing with. I find the grade schooler story having much more effect on me, and much deeper meaning. I gotta say wasn't too crazy about the teenage sob story, and didn't like the whole "all is forgiven" attitude (that I've seen in so many j-doramas). There was also a certain surprise wasn't much of a surprise, and I didn't like how it came to be revealed.
What I love the most is the relationship between Ayami & Yuiko, Ayami's evil tendencies, the school nurse brings a welcomed comedy and the whole dream interpretation. I love Keike's interpretation of Ayami's character, specially now that her character doesn't hide her feelings. I like the confidence she exude as a teacher as well. I also like the actrice playing the nurse although I hated her in her previous dorama (her acting was actually really good but I just hated the character she played :P) but she shows a whole different personality that wou can never mistake the 2 ;)
Overall an enjoyable watch, so I sure can't wait for the movie!!
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Questionable Casting
So, it's kind of ridiculous how highly praised this drama is. I enjoy the lightheartedness of the show. Lighthearted shows are my favorite kind. There something to not take too seriously, you can just relax and watch as the story unfolds. My headline is "questionable casting" because lets be honest, Lee Sung Kyung looks nothing like a weightlifter. She's slim, tall and gorgeous so whenever she's eating or lifting weights it just takes me out of the show.I understand that the main point of the show is to be seen as a woman no matter what career path they may go down but at no point can I look at her and not think of her as a woman. If they had cast someone who actually looks like someone who lifts weights I would have enjoyed the show more. If you can look past the casting you'll enjoy it a lot more than I. Her character doesn't add up either, during flashbacks of her childhood she's fat and seems to only have an interest in food. So how she becomes skinny and tall doesn't make sense. Her character isn't really overly feminine, she's not particularly girly or anything but at times she can be over dramatic in my opinion, she cries a lot. I guess that's how they decided to display her femininity.
The side stories felt like filler mostly, there was no real reason to care about them aside from the ex-girlfriend. Her problems seemed a lot more serious in comparison to the female lead. Other characters didn't really get much screen time and weren't fleshed out but I think that's a good thing. There's quite a few characters, too many I think, so much so some were pointless.
The romance between the two leads is the best thing about the show. That's mainly because Nam Joo Hyuk plays the perfect boyfriend. When he pursued Lee Sung Kyungs character he wasn't obsessive, he just cared for her and was always there for her. It developed naturally and there was chemistry between the two, the romance is the biggest strength of the show. So if you love romance then I suppose you can ignore all it's flaws and just enjoy it for that.
There were moments I found funny but there were very few of them, the "what" was a nice addition. The music was okay, sometimes it was noticeable other times it simply wasn't. I don't have much to say in this regard what I can say though is that this drama doesn't have the a crazy amount of montages so many dramas do sometimes.
I made an account and wrote this review because the ratings weren't justified. There are much better drama's with a lower rating. If you only care for the romance though and can ignore all the flaws I mentioned then you'll enjoy like many others have.
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A Bright Historical! Instant classic
This is an Incredible Historical C-Drama!The pacing of the story is indeed slow, because there is the
introduction period to the world and the characters.
The story is not fully focused on Ming Lan only also,
other characters are given the necessary screen times.
The first 30 episodes were slow, so if you find it difficult watch it in 1.5x speed etc. That helped me.
73 Episodes are definitely tough to watch all at once.
The story is about Ming Lan and the characters around her, how they affect each other.
There is also some elements of politics and palace intrigue in this Drama.
Both the leads did a fantastic job. I was happy to find they were married in real life.
I really liked the way Ming Lan and Gu Tingye both developed.
From being distant to being a loving happy couple.
Both leads had a really good chemistry. And were a great match!
How Gu Tingye was patient and loyal to Ming Lang.
How Ming Lan was strong, sensible and observent of people and events.
They worked on their trust and fought for each other and their values.
They both became a intimidating team together.
The acting was great by everyone. I also liked the villians roles.
They acted well enough to sympathise and be irritated with them.
The music is Great! The ending song is good.
But what is more amazing is the instrumental OST this drama has.
From the great opening one and the themes played throughout the drama.
Listen to the Instrumental playlist!
Overall this is an Incredible Chinese Historical
With memorable characters and a bright plot.
That teaches about the importance of family and forgiveness!
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Must watch mature and realistic drama for those who left their hometowns for another city
10/1/2021 - 9.75 ratingAt the time of this writing, the MDL rating for this drama is 8.2. How could this be so criminally low? Is it because it's not an idol drama, no good-looking cast, not a fluffy romance, not produced by a big tv network? Objectively speaking, this is an excellent drama. Subjectively speaking and on a personal level, this is a near perfect drama. Thus, I am giving it 10.0 (rounding up from 9.75). This is the first drama I give a 10. This drama needs to be talked about and recommended more.
"Remembrance of Things Past" is about the lives of four women who moved away from their small hometown for college and stayed in Beijing after graduation to make it big and have a new life. As a transplant in Beijing, life is not easy and they encounter different hardships in romance, work and just trying to survive.
I have very similar experiences as the female leads - moving away from home, relying on friends to survive in a new city, only reporting happy news to family, long commute to work because housing is cheaper when farther away, loss of a loved one, single woman walking home at night, parents sacrifice for me, etc. Aside from all this, this drama also covered peer pressure at work and at home, marriage pressure for women in their late 20s and 30s, physical and mental health concerns, suicide and attempted suicide, workplace rivalries, materialism, physical beauty, renting vs buying a house, saving money vs living life, money scams, etc.
Episode 1 hooked you right in! Not knowing why a close friend committed suicide is a central plot in the drama. Her story is told through flashbacks, but the guilt is so very present within her friends. Each episode has a theme and an epilogue that narrated by the female leads which make you really stop and think. I love these thought-provoking epilogues. The last 15 minutes of Episode 10 was the most intense for me. The series of events happening at the same time with the three female leads and their subsequent big fight were explosive, intense and heartbreaking.
Romance isn't a main focus of this drama, though each of the three female leads has their own storyline. Maybe except for the romance of Xu Yan & Zhen Zi Chang. The struggles of their relationship is the central storyline, and it's also my least favorite of the three romances. I feel that it's somewhat repetitive and I really dislike Xu Yan and the way she treats her boyfriend. I am glad there's character development, but we don't see a better version of her until the very end. I wish there's more to Xu Yan storyline than about money and her boyfriend. I enjoy the shyness of Jian Yi Fan when he's somewhat courting Qian Xi Chen. I am a sucker for a quiet man who shows love through quiet actions. He seems like a different person when he's so shy and reserved, yet he's such a boss at work (calm and mature). I quite enjoy the banter between Xi Chen and Yi Fan, and they make a cute couple. Ji Nan Jia & Ou Yang's relationship is the sweetest. I love LOVE what Ou Yang said to Nan Jia about having children and raising children in a loving family. How could you not want to have a child with him after that? Ou Yang appears immature, but he's actually quite the opposite. The talk that Nan Jian had with Ou Yang's mother is also excellent. Those two don't seem like a good fit together, but they actually complement each other very well.
Of course, the best part of the drama is the friendship between the four women. I doubt they can survive in Beijing without each other.
Other notes: I watched this drama on YouTube and another site-that-shall-not-be-named. MangoTV YouTube videos blocked some of the music and the sound quality wasn't great. It really did affect my viewing and I couldn't really listen to the OST. The English subtitles also suck. Maybe this contributed to the lack of popularity. I wish this drama is shown on Viki, as I think the subbers would have done a much better job. I also found the accent of the actors quite hard to understand (with my conversational Mandarin skills). Maybe it's a very thick northern accent? Or I am just used to the voice actors these days, which is kind of sad but also why they have voice actors to do the dubbing.
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Very cute story
Dorama are often a fresh and weird way to spend time. I'm always curious to find everything new about the Japanese culture. Their view of life is quite different from western mentality, sometimes is hard to understand their choises, often they are funny.This story was so cute and sweet even if the main subject was the suicide. Great chemistry in the main couple, amazing playing. I loved the OST, happy and entertaining.
I preferred to see them as a real couple after the graduation but this ending was nice and hopeful.
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But that's not the only reason. The drama offered much more than just a representation. It gave me humane characters who make mistakes and learn from them and becomes better. Most of the dramas I see where the protagonist has a mental illness or something is that they try their absolute hardest to make you feel bad for the character and make you think that our protagonist is an absolute angel with no flaws other than their illness . While the drama did introduced our protagonist as a person with VERY kind heart, it did not in any way possible showed us that he has no flaws other than his illness.
The drama introduced to us a normal humane character who's personality was not like an angel. He had his own flaws despite the fact that he has autism. Did he overcame them? You have to watch the series to know that haha but that's the point of the story! Every character is as normal as our protagonist, every character has as much as problems as our protagonist. The drama unlike other dramas of its same genre did not made the drama only for the sole purpose of the protagonist being autistic. They told us that a person with autism is as normal as a person who doesn't have it! And I think that's a beautiful way to portray autism.
Now let's talk about the characters, omg did I got attached to all of them ? The character that I found annoying in the beginning...well yes I started loving the heck out of her and that is what I call great character development! Like I said every character is humane. They all are just like us and that's another thing I love about this drama. You may get frustrated or annoyed at their decisions at some point but don't worry, they will definitely receive character development! The drama can be called a character-driven one cuz I was so immensely attached with the characters. I cried with them, I laughed with them, became angry with them. Basically did everything with them. I got super attached with their fictional life as if I'm loving in it and that's the power of this drama's simple yet beautiful script. It defines that simple things can be heartwarming and enjoyable plus it has some great dialogues that are probably forever gonna stay in my heart.
If you start talking about the acting then god I can't praise it enough. Everyone literally everyone is SO good. I am not a big fan of tor and have only seen him in hormones and even though he wasn't bad in that one, he didn't necessarily impressed me either. But this series. Goodness he has developed IMMENSELY. I was always aw-strucken by his performance of a person with autism. The little movement he did were so amazing and needed. Definitely has increased my respect for him as an actor!
As for sky, I didn't expected him to be that good when he's not the person playing gym. Usually in dramas like this, the people who are around the protagonist are either for supporting their illness for bullying them because of their illness so the actor's acting skills are rarely present to impress but my goodness he has done his role so brilliantly that I loved his acting as much as tor! The little movement his face did wheather it was crying or honestly any moment was so well done! He has improved very much from hormones too lol
The child actors of Gym and Dong are very brilliant too and all the others ones too! Honestly nobody disappointed me on the acting part! The music was surprisingly good enough and suited the series greatly.
Overall, this drama is a masterpiece in my opinion. If you want to watch a drama that'd make you cry, definitely watch this one! If you are not into sad dramas, avoid it since I've never met a person who didn't cried at this one.
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THE STANDARD THE BLUEPRINT!!
yall when i say this is the best show ever i MEAN IT! like i dont mean best bl ever NO i mean best show ever in television history worldwide. i have watched plenty of kdramas, cdramas, western shows and bad buddy has been by far the best show ever created i am not even exaggerating one bit.pat and pran are the most healthy and cutest couple ever and the actors ohm and nanon did a phenomenal job bringing them to life. the side characters have meaningful growth and come so far and it all feels natural and realistic. the conflict is established rly well and the angst hurts sooo good!
i got so many butterflies from watching patpran throughout the show. i was audibly squealing and kicking my legs in the air. ive never been this whipped for two ppl before other than the leads in hometown cha cha cha.
this show breaks so many stupid stereotypes bls have placed in the past in such an effective way! i hope future bls take notes for real. this is a new era for quality bl productions i think.
the music slapsss!!! normally im not always too fond of the music in thai bls but this show got literal bangers. every song hits even the background music in the rooftop scene in ep 6 T_T
words cannot explain how much this show means to me. i think it transcends cinema and media in general. it is its own category. a true masterpiece that is fun, witty, swoonworthy, and charming. i would recommend this to locals who dont watch asian shows bc its that good!
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This review may contain spoilers
First of all, I do like the acting and chemistry of the two main leads Weiyoung and Tuoba Jun. They look good together.I have not seen the novel but I think the main issue in this drama is that the characters seem to lack dimension. The good are just pure good. The villains are pure bad - Chiyun Rou, Chiyun Nan, Li Changle, Tuoba Yu. Their decisions are pretty predictable and you can't really see much conflict in their choices. The most interesting character would probably be Chang Ru.
The realism of the production also is a bit disappointing. Characters escaping a fire scene unscathed with perfect hair and no dirt o soot on their face or clothing. One of the main supporting character charging out to a serious battle scene with a broad smile on his face (wot?!). A background calefare maid (no agenda) in a serious scene smiling broadly as if posing for a camera. Do they not vet the scenes? O.o It is also the first time I've seen a merrygoround torture for a historical drama lulz
Acting wise, Tiffany Tang and Luo Jin did great in their roles. It feels like they can handle better more complex characters. However, it feels like some actors are overacting like Li Changle and Tuoba Yu. It feels like they are just trying to act the role. When good actors do it, you would feel they are the character they play and not just acting. The acting in Goodbye My Princess was way more impressive despite having a somewhat cliche plot and using relatively unknown lead actors.
There are much better palace historical dramas out there with more depth and interesting characters - Empresses in the Palace, Yanxi Palace, Rise of Phoenixes, Legend of Mi Yue. This is something decent to watch if bored.
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Awesome! But what's with the ending?
Wow the actors are really talented- not to mention the script writers. The whole story played out so naturally, sometimes it seemed like a real high school experience. It's the classic love story, comedy between friends and unrequited love. Luckily, though there was some one sided feelings, a love triangle didnt really happen which i was happy about because damn do they get old. Overall, the drama was perfect though the cringe is definitely there sometimes. I'd definitely recommend it. SPOILER AHEAD I was really hoping for Min Ji and Kyung Woo to get together. Also the ending was really weird- it felt like there was supposed to be another episofe after. I'm really rooting for another season but there's not really been any talk about it so we'll seeWas this review helpful to you?
The story was mind-blowing! A plot twist upon the plot twist. Everything is connecting like pieces of puzzle in a very smooth and brilliant way that you cannot foresee, but it makes absolute sense. Most of all, i liked the fact that both the protagonists and antagonists are so clever, outsmarting each other every single time. No complaint when it comes to plot, just perfect. On top of that, their high intelligence makes you question their real motives.
The characters were the most enjoyable part of the journey. I saw character development and great character arcs in every protagonist. They were slow, gradual and epic. Even the "weaker" and more "idiotic" characters, that kept the comedy part alive, had an outstanding growth. They became the best versions of themselves. I do not wanna dive in the details, because I am afraid of giving spoilers.
The romances were also a sub-part of the series that keeps you on your toes. They are unfolding as slow as the personal characters' development, but they worth it. Both of the main ships were charming in their own way.
All in all, it is a relaxing drama, comedy, historical web series that intrigues you in every episode and at the same time offers a good laugh. The only thing I would say that annoyed me is the extremenly open ending. It hinted a season two, but nothing came up for now.
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Story:
5/10 - The story was actually nothing special. It was funny and the characters were even more hilarious, but I have to say that it didn't stand out one bit. It's basically about a family and its many internal struggles. The drama touches upon a lot of topics - mental illnesses, weight problems, an old couple's struggles, puberty etc.
Acting:
9/10 - The acting was great. All of them did a phenomenal job. The reason I didn't give it 10 however, is because one of the actresses annoyed me way too much. I won't spoil, but if you listen to the way she speaks, you'll know.
Music:
7/10 - There really wasn't a lot of music and the two songs that were there, were okay. I gave it a seven because the one Seulbi sings is actually quite the song.
Rewatch Value:
8/10 - I'm going to be honest and say that I was up late and that it was the reason why I decided to watch it. By the end of it, the drama did get a little repetitive, hence the 8.
Overall:
7.5/10 - It's worth watching. The characters are fun and the story, heart warming. If you're having a bad day, this is a good pick!
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rape is not romance.
Shades of sexual assault. A traumatic past rape of the female lead, with someone trusted. Later, kidnapped by one of the most toxic male lead characters ever created; She is then chained, imprisoned, and raped by him. Who incidentally, just happens to be the female lead's first rapist's brother-in-law (ML). What kind of karma is that? In this drama, the romantic choice would have been 'second male lead syndrome' - it doesn't change the outcome by yelling this at the screen though. I tried. Obviously, rape in all its shades of criminality is not romance, and does not belong in the romance genre. Avoid.note: Avoid this original, watch the remake.
(source; read; My Custom List "Rated One")
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In simple words... Overrated.
To start off the story has major potential.I loved the Sang siblings relationship. Their relationship is what kept me hooked.
I personally think the ML's acting wasn't that great. I couldn't really feel the emotions that he was trying to portray. I felt they had a good opportunity to make his character have depth but they didn't.
The entire story revolves around her being madly in love with the ML, which is understandable considering the title. But I felt there should have been more scenes that show his love.
It's almost like the writers and directors had enough of female chasing male, so out of nowhere the ML falls in love. How did that happen? When did that happen? Why did it happen? None of these questions are answered.
I personally love Rosy Zhao but this was the most annoying character she ever played. She was trying to hard to be childish and it came off as weird and strange to me. It made her more unrelatable. Though the situation the FL is in, I think a lot of us has gone through similar emotions (I personally have been in similar situation). But most of the time the FL was so pathetic about it that I didnt feel sympathy but anger.
Once the ML falls in love with her, he barely chases her and starts teasing her because he figured out he was her crush. He also kept standing her up. Yes, he had legit reasons but he never once explained it to her. The main couple never talk, they never have the real convos.
The most unrealistic part was how none of her friends were angry with him for constantly cancelling on her. Women/girls are not like that. If my friend's boyfriend would do that to her I personally would have gone to him and given him a piece of my mind.
A lot of videos list this show as "girl falls first but guy falls deeper", which I personally feel is totally untrue. Even if the last few episodes she runs to the airport to his city again to tell him how deeply she feels for him by showing him the "folded stars". Throughout the story she is proving her love for him. Yes, I will agree he takes some major steps for their future but I personally feel it's too little too late. By that time I am already convinced that "he is just not into her".
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A story about human people
Everything contributed to make this drama a must watch for me. Not an easy one, I was prepared for that, but definitely a worthy one. The rating reflects it.Well, when I say everything, I mean the cast and the topic.
The cast :
I came here for Kohinata, and I was first disappointed to see him play a politician, once again if I may say so. But who can say he is not good in this kind of serious, introspective, sometimes bursting with anger and helpless at so many other moments, mean and somehow inhumane roles ?
I was also very curious to see more of Yakusho Koji, recently awarded in Cannes Film Festival for his role in another movie. If it’s not my first drama with him, it’s the first time I’m watching one where he has such a prominent role. As expected maybe, I was not disappointed by his performance. He carries the whole story, and I’m under the feeling he gave justice to the man he has incarnated on the screen. The calm and comforting force emanating from his character, Yoshida, somehow helped me continue watching the show, as the man might have helped all his co-workers in this unheard situation.
If I’m not the kind raving about Takenouchi Yutaka, as I’ve never fallen under his charm, I have to admit his performance is perfectly fitting the character.
Overall, the entire cast did a pretty good job portraying those characters, giving life to people who were only disembodied shadows seen from the other side of the world. Most of all, their interpretation is giving homage to the hard work those people have done in such a critical time, a work we had no idea about at the time while watching those air images of the nuclear plant at the time.
The topic :
Indeed, the topic itself interested me, I can’t say personally because I have no relation with the people in the area, yet in a very inner way. Allow me an almost off-topic digression about this event.
I remember very well this day on March 11th, in 2011. I had started watching Asian (and when I say Asian, I mean solely Japanese) dramas for several months at the time, and it has overtaken my life to the point that it was the only thing I was watching at the time. At the beginning of 2011, I was starting to dream about visiting Japan, though I felt like I would never dare to do so. But I have already said my co-workers that I was interested in Japan. That day my boss came at the office at around 9AM and said to me, almost casually because at the time we had no idea how strong the disaster was, that a big earthquake had occurred in Japan. I had the possibility to go back at home during lunch time, I watched the news and discovered the big damages due to the earthquake and the tsunami : at that time it was the tsunami that stroke me the most, mainly because it was what was mostly filmed by people in the area. I still have strong remembrance of certain images. The next days, I followed the news, and mostly the ones coming from the nuclear plant in Fukushima. It had become the primary source of worries for the whole world. I remember all the speculations about the consequences on the Japanese territory and the whole world of this nuclear disaster. I remember also, that we never really knew what was happening in the plant at the time, the comments were on par, more or less, with what is shown in the movie. I remember vividly also, my colleagues and family telling me that going to Japan was not a good idea anymore. That was it, for months…
Back to the drama. I was eager - that might sound a gloomy, unhealthy idea, but I was eager to see what happened inside the plant at the time. I was expecting difficult times, difficult events, and the story, while unfolding, fully shows them. But with a gravity, and at the same time, without any over-dramatic effect, that gives them the solemnity required for such a tragic event. The performance of the cast, as said above, plays a big part in that. But the cinematography does a good job, conveying through the lightning and some effects, the feelings and experience those people must have had at the time. The music is beautiful, yet I can’t really describe it. Because it’s here, everywhere, underlining the tragedy, yet never overshadowing the reality of the images.
I guess there were a lot of CGI for recreating the nuclear plant, but at least things felt real.
While the situation may have felt suffocating for the people working in the area, confined in their protective suits and in small areas (control room, disaster center) - and we are somehow understanding this feeling while watching the drama - we are nevertheless lead by a more comfortable feeling : the solidarity between the teams on the site (not talking about remote centers in Tokyo), which is truly beautiful to watch.
And that is the strong point of that drama : despite its theme, despite all the tragedy we are witnessing and guessing, because we know they are condemned sooner or later, this is a beautiful story. It pays homage to the courage, mental strength, commitment, and sacrifice of the people who were there, by chance, unfortunately we may say, and that stayed and gave their best. Entangled in a disaster they did not have seen coming, that was unprecedented in some of its aspects, they managed to try again and again, endlessly it seems, against all the obstacles that came ahead, one after the other. They might have wanted to leave, they might have wanted to give up, but they gave their utmost to overcome the situation. Those people were ordinary people confronted to the extraordinary. Being able to respond to it, is something that has always felt amazing to me. I bow to people who are able to do so.
It was an important drama to me. Not an easy watch, I said it, and I sometimes came reluctantly because I knew it would be overwhelming. It was, I shed some tears (which I generally don’t in realistic dramas), especially at the end of episode 7, that I found heartbreaking. I won’t describe those scenes, but they somehow describe so well, without any proper explicit word, all the feelings people might have felt in such a time. I’m also keeping with me the beautiful gravity of all the feelings that passed though that red phone line between the disaster center and the control room : the silences between Yoshida and Maejima said more than any word. It was, truly, a story about human people.
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