Reviews

Sweet little 16...

I really liked this J-drama. The story was short but surprisingly intense about 4 high school freshmen who are taking their first steps to adulthood and the changes necessary for that to happen. All 4 of the leads are suffering from one type of trauma or another. One (Mei) is almost OCD when it comes to her relationship with her one and only friend, Ibuki, the female 1st lead. She's so jealous of her that some other students think they're a couple.
It was refreshing to see a female lead who was tom-boyish and comfortable in her skin. I loved the fact that she doesn't change herself (style or confidence-wise) you could see why everyone wanted to be around her. I also loved how she navigated all the love letters and confessions she got from both sexes.
I scored it an 8. I would have scored it higher but the ending is abrupt, to say the least.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a short drama to watch on the bus or between classes this is a good one.

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Rollercoaster

This is a huge rollercoaster that I won't mind riding innumerable time..
Lets Talk about the chemistry: I didn't actually understand the concept till i watched this. This going to be my "reference" chemistry marker.

Lets talk acting: Bloody pros.. No ounce of hesitation, just pure beauty, every scene, every expression, every teardrop, perfection. Even the side leads and Teh's fam did a very good job .

Story: This is the kind of story, if you decided to skip it for some reason, you would be on the loosing side.

Altho I would have liked if the ending could have been a bit stronger.. it's like the writers loosed the end in last 10mins.
But maybe it's just the calm before the onset of storm which will be part 2
Can't wait.

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Defending The Third Charm, One of my fav drama this years.

I just want to say it out loud, God, Finally, Seo Kang Joon has good drama under his resume. Finally, there is another a good and solid production who are not see him only as a mere eye candy and rely only on his looks.Finally, there is writers who believe in him to carry a good and layer character.He might be not one of the best actor. But a young and dedicate actor like him need this kind of experience. He has been trapped in eye candy / fancy roles for years, and unable him to expand his range. Well played, show, well played. (Now if Only my fav writers like Park Yeon Seon or Jung Ha Yeon cast him as a lead or only supporting haha) I should believe in you writers. After all, this is a writers who is responsible to penned a brilliant short melodrama Like A Fairy tale.


At times. Just because you want it, You will get it. you will not always got what you have been planning to. Just because you don't want how the story flow, it's make the drama bad. It's audience problem, who can't accept different execution. The vision between marketing and writers/ production often times is not the same. So you just can enjoy what writers want to present and convey, and don't judge drama based on what's been promoted.

Finding love is not about trying hard, like we always do when we are in school. In school, You get good grades and result when you try hard. Finding love is not only involving one person, but involving the other party. If one person is not in the same footing with you, you can't force them to be in the same shoes, neither you can force yourself to someone to fit idealism of your surrounding.

At times Love is come when we didn't expect coming. You are trying hard to hook to the other person, but end up with the one person you didn't expected.


People mistakenly label this drama as a romance drama between Joon Young and Young Jae. THe reason is the tittle It's self. The third charm. Just like which has been promoted, The audiences expecting It means the third time they are meet, it somehow will make their love story eventually work. But It's not . It's not about them overcome their difference.

It's also not about fate love , true love, or whatever. The tittle is misleading. The poster is misleading. It's not about their love story. It's about Joon Young's journey, or every character in this drama about find the meaning about love. I indicate that, the third charm means Is the third party as the charm. I realize how the third party always playing a big part into character turning point. Make they eventually realize about something.

People is just doesn't get used to unusual execution romance drama. Because romance drama in korean drama in general is formulaic. Only a few select drama try something different. So when some writers want to makes something different, They aren't get used to it. In SHort, I think I should warn first and foremost, this drama is not for a casual viewers who has a faint heart. Because let's admit it, It's not pure rom com. Don't fool into thinking this drama will be light from start to finish due to the silliness in earlier Episode (God, that silliness is so silly it makes me cringe. I almost drop it because of that). Because it's a actually MELODRAMA, done right. It needs for attention detail to understand the meaning behind character action, and looking for what it is. I think you should stay away with this drama if you aren't get used to a character who take unlikeable decision. WHich explain the low rating this drama gets.

This drama is well written. The character is well written and well played. Especially Joon Young's character. His character emotion is layer, has emotional depth, which is one of the reason Seo Kang Joon shine in this roles. Any good actor will shine through a good roles.

There is some flaws here and there, like the reason and background of why Joon Young love Young Jae so much. I think I agree with some people, the motivation Joon Young love to Young Jae should be more explore by the writers. . And Young Jae story should be more explore and get more emphasis. But Those element never a crucial part in the narrative, so I think that's okay.

About production, Pyo Min Soo is surprisingly doing a good job here for me. I didn't expect it, given how annoyed I was when he directed The producers. Though, at times he can manage to ruin athmosphere and like he is trying to ruin the writers intend to do. He is surpisingly can grasp the subtlety writers want to convey. Some scene is very memorable of how the way they shot and directed, and acted. THe overall performances is good. too.. Seriously, we are blessed that the actor commited to their character. It makes the drama it'self alive.

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BEST ACTION ROMANCE KDRAMA EVER!!!

This kdrama has the slowest ep 1 ever then suddenly ! BAAAM ! ep 2 onwards were INSANE and it GETS BETTER AND BETTER every episode. Just when you think the main leads can finally rest BOOOOM!!! another shitt happens and every character is so suspicious. Its impossible not to binge watch this. You can definitely finish all 16 episodes in IN JUST 2 DAYS.

Suzy and Seunggi did an amazing job potraying their characters and giving us that tiny bit of ROMANCE that was needed that made this drama even better. Every episode makes you WANT TO WATCH MORE and you end up watching it for 8 hours straight. For reference if you like K2 or Healer then you will LOVE this drama. Even if you don't ........ JUST WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!1

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Memorable watch even for fans of the manga/anime

Hikaru no Go is one of my favourite animes of all-time, so this review will focus heavily on a comparison to the Studio Pierrot version with English subs. Major spoilers ahead.

This is a great adaptation and worth watching. It stays true to the source themes and intent, while introducing new interpretations and "localization" to suit the Chinese context. Some plot lines (~20%) are altered. The relative importance of various characters + their relationships are also different. However, it's well done and this drama stands commendably on its own.

Positives
- More pragmatic than the original anime; you can see the conflict between idealism and having to live in the real world, and how this weighs on characters' decision-making
- Much funnier than expected... I couldn't help but laugh out loud in many scenes
- Beautiful use of (what I presume are) Chinese philosophies or proverbs to illustrate key messages i.e. not being aware of the situation will lead to certain defeat; these added depth and clarity to the more open-ended / subtle / context-heavy Japanese style
- Solid acting, music, production value
- Heartwarming and deep relationships between side characters, that don't just revolve around Hikaru (Shi Guang)
- Closing song a very nice nod to the anime!

Negatives
- Loose ends: Waya (Hong He) leaving professional Go remains seemingly unresolved. One of my favourite ending scenes in the anime is of Touya Meijin (Yu Xiao Yang) sitting in front of a Go board with one stone placed, as if waiting for an invisible opponent. After telling Shi Guang he wanted another match with Sai (Chu Ling), they show no resolution of this request. A bit strange.
- Akira (Yu Liang) does not "discover" that Chu Ling (the infamous online Go player) is in Shi Guang's playing; this omission was a critical oversight as it established the pair's long history together, and illustrated how well Yu Liang was the only one who truly understood Shi Guang. Similarly, Shi Guang never confides in Yu Liang about Chu Ling even when they're training for pair Go, but strangely tells Kawai-san (Cao Xu).
- Shi Guang calling out the move that would've allowed Yu Xiao Yang to win the game against Chu Ling is labeled as "the Divine Move" in this drama; I personally believe this explicit assignment is philosophically inconsistent with the idea of the Divine Move in the first place.
- The opening where Hong Kong returns to China in 1997 felt overly political, although it is a powerful way to instantly create the nostalgic feeling of a bygone era.
- Certain arcs are less exciting: the online Go fever, use of unconventional openings i.e. Tengen by Yashiro (used by a heavily adapted Mu Qing Chun) and subsequently, how little is shown on Shi Guang's gusto and creativity in responding.

Neutral / Others
- Characters are less selfish, especially Chu Ling and Shi Guang; there are also fewer morally grey depictions.
- Tone of bromance between Shi Guang and Yu Liang is muted for much of the series, but is suddenly 10x in the finale.
- When Isumi (Sheng Yi Lang) visits Shi Guang after training in Japan, this production team decided to let Shi Guang have his "a-ha" moment alone, instead of during his replay with Sheng Yi Lang.
- The period of Shi Guang's depression and angst post Chu Ling's departure is significantly shorter, which is probably a good thing.
- Chu Ling leaves in the original anime because he finally realizes the purpose of his life and the nature of Go; however, since he apparently did not commit suicide in this series and was brought to the modern world by a supernova explosion, the timing of his departure is no longer tied to his personal enlightenment; this creates a slight disconnect.

All in all, this was a beautiful drama. Please watch it and see for yourself~

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This is one of the most mesmerizing, ingenious, unique, unexpectedly interesting dramas I have ever seen. Not one moment of this show was predictable or like any other science fiction/supernatural drama or movie that I have seen before! This show is the perfect definition of "one of a kind"!

I was skeptical of Inoo Kei at the beginning (yes I've seen him in other drama's and shows before) and he made me a little biased and assume this show was going to go in a completely different direction, genre wise, than it actually did! Inoo Kei quite literally made this show insanely interesting, magical, and ridiculously exciting! This was my first time watching Totsuka Shota in anything and he may play my favorite character from the entire show; though so is Inoo Kei! The idol pair as brothers is a wonderful match!

To me, this show seems a little underappreciated. At first, I saw a big hype for it when it was first released and I think it was because of the people cast (Inoo Kei and Totsuka Shota) to play the two main characters', but even then the hype and excitement quickly died down to almost a whisper if anything at all. This show is not your typical "aliens come to earth" sci-fi drama by any means! There is so much depth, emotion, understanding; even something excitingly bittersweet and human about this "alien" series!

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " The Fabulous " has pretty colours and bright lights, but no story.

The drama focuses too much on the love story, which was boring and had no pace, while the love triangle was cheesy and cliche. And, unfortunately, it stole too much screentime that could had been used for the story between the four friends, which was more interesting and refreshing compared to the love story.

Also, the fashion industry was portrayed with too many stereotypes and never broke through them to make a more youthful, up to date, version of it.

On the other hand, the clothes were pretty and the performances enjoyable, though the leads had annoying characters.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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Unabashedly a romcom

If you are in the mood for a romcom that ticks all the boxes, then this one is for you. And any of you who bemoan the lack of satisfying romcoms these days.

An older cast of actors that weren’t familiar to me, bar one. However, experienced actors bring an ease to a decently written part. And this kdrama has most of the characters well fleshed out. Enough for a romcom at least. The characters stay true to themselves. We start with a very strong FL who sticks to her beliefs all through. Just so for the ML too. I loved their chemistry and when they finally get together, things got even better. Sometimes the story pales once this happens, but not here.
We also get beautiful friendships and a bromance that is better fleshed out than most others I’ve seen recently.

A very enjoyable watch.

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This lakorn is light-hearted, cute, and a short watch. It also had me rolling on the floor laughing XD
STORY: Pretty lacking. The premise is cute, but there are a lot of little hints that are never explained. Why Esther's character hates men so much, for example. Not one word of explanation. Or why Sean's character pretended he was a photography major... the list goes on. I didn't watch this drama for the story, only for the premise. Don't expect incredible writing or anything from it. I did, however, like how the lakorn wasn't about gay or not gay. It was about Esther's character giving men a chance, and not being preachy for either side.
ACTING/CAST: Sean and Esther. Hot men. Esther's mother. What's not to like?
MUSIC: Cute, not a soundtrack that really stood out for me, though.
REWATCH VALUE: Something fun to watch in between long/overdramatic lakorns. I watched it twice, because the humor is such that it really doesn't get old XD I watch it when I want to laugh... and watch Sean and Esther's thoroughly satisfying REAL kiss scene that's slightly more than just touching lips and calling it a kiss.
Overall, a cute lakorn that makes you laugh. Very little plot to follow, and one that is just fun.

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I came across a series by chance when I was looking for something to see. What I read about the series did not foretell such a bomb.
The drama is very good. There is a love story, we have a very ambitious woman shown who knows what she wants. This is the first time I have met the main character, who is not a nice, sweet and docile woman. The protagonist tries to cope with the past, but the past is still coming back to it. She looks for support in her loved ones, but they don't give her one. Qi Stephy played the role of Ye Fan Xing genius. The emotions that can be read from her face are so real.
As far as the plot is concerned, I am pleasantly surprised. The side threads were played very well. The main story itself had its course and was very interesting. Although at the beginning I was negatively disposed towards the heroine's behaviour, over time I was persuaded by her acting performance to the pain that the girl from the orphanage had to feel and later rejected by her adoptive mother. I have a younger sister myself so I know how it can be with my siblings, especially if they are so older.
On the other hand, we have Zuo Hang in the role of April Min. The actress brought out from this character the best that could have been. In a positive and negative sense. At first, the nice, warm and great devotee of our Ye Fan Xing, later, her character is rapidly changing.
There could have been a few changes in the series, but I was really happy to watch it. What I still like about the series is the opportunity to identify with some of the characters or their behaviour. I think that this drama is a great tear extruder.

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A David and Goliath Story

Who doesn’t love an underdog triumph over the odds story? I don’t know how this gem almost eluded me but a show that features men with beards squabbling over the technicalities of the legal code is likely not to be everybody’s cup of tea. For me however this 14 episode series is a rare combination of smart, heartwarming, hilarious and just plain fun. It has me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Moreover the courtroom drama (and there are a few) in the final two episodes of this is an exemplar of entertaining theatre.

Set during the waning days of the Ming dynasty, Zhang Ruoyun is the neurodivergent Shuai Jiamo who has a knack for figures. His obsession with the accuracy of his calculations especially in the distribution of land leads him and his best friend Feng Baoyu (Fei Qiming) down a rabbit hole of bureaucratic mismanagement and corruption. The Central Plains is a large place. The country’s capital located some distance away relies heavily on diligent and even honest officials to ensure that the people are flourishing and everyone’s paying their fair share of taxes so that the world can go on spinning. All this assumes that officials picked from the country’s intelligentsia are worth their salt and are content to humbly “serve the country”. However when the cat’s not looking, the mice get up to mischief. There’s never enough money so they collude with the gentry to defraud the uneducated peasants and increase their pieces of the pie over time hiding behind layer upon layer of red tape with all kinds of mutually beneficial trade-offs.

Ultimately the war on corruption is not fought with weapons of steel. There are plenty of weapons showcased (including a large leg of ham) but the biggest one is likely to be red tape itself. It may be used as an impediment to truth. But in the right hands it is also the salvation of the show’s protagonists. Wielded by a knowledgeable soul with conscience, it can be a tool that holds back the forces of evil to great effect.

The tragedy though is that truth and justice is the last thing that matters to most in this fray. There are fascinating modern parallels here. No one really cares that 1+1=2. In fact 1+1=2 can become 1+1=3 at the whim of a corrupt educated class determined to push forward their own agendas on an unsuspecting populace. It’s akin to Winston Smith at the end of Orwell’s 1984. If the powers that be can make you state a lie as truth, it can make you do anything.

Shuai Jiamo is the outsider in a world of competing agendas. He’s suffering trauma from an event 20 years earlier that saw him orphaned. He is the age old oak tree that stands in the midst of the storm. Immoveable. Incorruptible. A challenge to the status quo. His role in the story is to bring to light all the man-made complexities caused by a web of self-interest. His simplicity is a bulwark against the complexity. Nonetheless he can’t do it alone. He needs his friend Feng Baoyu and frenemy lawyer Cheng Renqing (Wang Yang) to help him address a wrong that has implications beyond 1+1. It is a telling indictment not just of that world but ours that the truth matters very little but boils down to how one is able to prosecute one’s arguments in such a way as to negotiate trade-offs and mutual benefits.

Without saying, Zhang Ruoyun is terrific in this and he can be relied on to pick intelligent scripts. He also has a penchant for playing quirky characters. The presence of Wang Yang is usually also a guarantee of a quality production. The other faces in this are rock solid even the youngish Fei Qiming (not exactly his first outing) really comes into his own in those last two episodes. Others will recognize Wu Gang who also co-starred with Zhang Ruoyun in Joy of Life and Zhang Fan who seems to be in every other project that I watch.

The production values are great apart from the usual obvious editing misdemeanours. It's a testament to the quality of the direction that a show that's based on palace politics and bureaucratic red tape can be as enjoyable as this.

[This review is based on one on my blog.]

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Great first half, meh second half, fantastic CP

This show most strongly reminds me of Doctor Who, which (back when it was good!) would lead us on a lot of ridiculous adventures - some epic, some absurd, maybe even straight up silly. But no matter how nonsensical the writing got, there was always the emotional throughline of the Doctor's character (and maybe his relationship with his companions) to keep you invested and engaged with the story.

So that's kind of like Guardian - Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's relationship is the emotional throughline that keeps you invested in this show. The writing really does go off the rails after episode 20 or so. After that I was basically watching for Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's CP moments - I guess that was kind of the point? They were basically the ones who injected all the feelings and intensity into all the silliness of that plot. This isn't a new insight or anything, but Bai Yu and Zhu Yilong's chemistry and their dialogue with each other saved this show. The whole show basically rides on these two men's excellent acting chops.

(As an aside, I think Zhu Yilong's Shen Wei is stronger than his Ye Zun. His portrayal of Ye Zun isn't bad by any means, but he did have these cartoon villain moments where he would yell some lines randomly or do that villain laugh that made me not take him as seriously. Maybe that's down to the writing or directing though? I can't say for sure.)

I think the show is really at its strongest when it has that episodic format, with relatively self-contained stories around different paranormal crime investigations. I was absolutely hooked during that part of the show, and if the rest of the show had that quality of writing throughout I would have rated this at least an 8, maybe even a 9. Those episodes introduced some really interesting concepts and narratives, and generally had very satisfying emotional pay-offs. Li Qian's story with her grandmother? Brought me to tears. That episode with the mirror girl and her boyfriend? Heartbreaking. Some episodes were genuinely creepy and gave me chills - see: the mirror girl episode. The performances from the one-off actors in those episodes weren't anything to write home about but it didn't matter that much to me because I liked the stories they were in. Even the Purple Hair Guy was properly creepy and intriguing until he started appearing a lot more - at that point he basically became a cartoon villain and I really couldn't take him seriously as an antagonist.

The latter half of the show is where I think censorship really impacted this production. I know something of the original setup in the novel as well as the original ending, and I think it's a real shame that such an epic-sounding story was de-fanged like this. The censorship-friendly re-work of the concept wasn't in itself a bad idea - a sci-fi paranormal setup with aliens, superpowered people, and altered genetics actually sounds kind of cool. And when the show was very episodic, that was probably quite easy to work with. But when the writers had to rework the more epic fantasy parts from the novel into the latter half of the show... that's when they ran into some problems. Based on what I know, the latter half of that story draws *a lot* on the Chinese fantasy setups of the main characters and story - you know, the censored parts. And I can tell the writers really struggled to work these plot points into their sci-fi/paranormal rework. I don't think it was impossible to do at all, and I think they should have given all these writing decisions a lot more thought. But I do sympathize with how difficult a writing task like that probably is. There were some bright spots here and there, like the episode where everyone's personality gets messed up by that mind-altering substance which was super hilarious. But ultimately the result is a second act that is convoluted, unevenly paced, and generally doesn't make sense plot-wise. I actually felt bad about how uninvested I was in the plot, but I only really wanted to see the main CP. I will say that the bromance between Xiao Guo and Lao Chu was fun and touching at times though.

The other secondary characters were fine, although I feel like I'd prefer them in their original book context. I like Da Qing, but I don't like a lot of things the writers did with him. They half-heartedly tried to give him a romance and a father figure but I wasn't very invested in those relationships because they just didn't seem to go anywhere. Zhu Hong started out interesting, but so much of her character arc was consumed by her one-sided crush on Zhao Yunlan, which was cringey and made me lose interest in her. That cute librarian couple - I always forget their names, dammit - talk about two people who deserved better. (Also why did the guy have a stutter? Is that really what happens when you're imprisoned in a crystal column for thousands of years? I mean, this person led a whole rebellion against the elites in his society - was the trauma he went through afterwards enough to make him develop a stutter?)

As for the technical issues, the most glaring one is the dubbing quality. You have these weird moments where a character will be talking and all of a sudden the acoustics of their voice will be different, like they suddenly went into a different room, switched microphones, or maybe moved away from the microphone. Super distracting. Also there's the bad CGI... but that's just kind of par for the course in Chinese dramas. It's not that much worse than the early days of the Doctor Who reboot, if you ask me.

I probably wouldn't rewatch this entire show, but just the episodes with my favorite Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan moments. However, I might be interested in a rewatch after reading the novel, which sounds really intriguing to me. Maybe it would help recontextualize a lot of things for me?

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Another with great acting but falls down on the script

I saw the iffy reviews and didn't expect much, but from the beginning the cinematography caught my eye. The camera lingered on personal details that revealed character, for example in the very beginning, the insouciant heroine sitting on the back of a wagon, kicking her feet as she and her family are forced to leave their village and move in with their grander relatives.

The family dynamics are one of the best parts of this drama, as are the ceremonies through the year. And the look, of course.

Where the story fell down, for me, was in the arc of the central romance: the writer kept going back to the irritating trope of having the two characters NOT TALK TO EACH other, creating the inevitable misunderstandings and dramatic emotional fallout, though I admit that each resolution was very sweet, and some of them quite clever. But too many times the confrontational scene would end with them glaring at each other, leaving me shouting the obvious next line that any human being would be quick to offer to someone they cared about, beginning with, "This is what really happened . . ."

So the climactic arc, which otherwise is very effective, wobbles because our hero, once again, doesn't tell the heroine why he's giving her the cold shoulder when he should know by now she's quite capable of faking right along with him. I kept thinking that if the writer had only had them communicate and then work together to solve all the outside difficulties, it would have been a very powerful drama with endless rewatch capability.

That said, the actors did the best they could, and all were terrific. Zhan Zhi's growth arc was particularly delightful, but the real heart of the drama, for me, was the utterly understated, but exquisitely acted love story on the part of Zhong Zi Yan. It's one-sided. Our prince only sees his devoted best buddy, but we know from the time Menggu tries to speak loving words to him and he listens with a calm patience that makes it clear that no woman is ever going to win him--and his eyes stray to Hanchen--that his devotion belongs solely to him. So his death was a huge heartbreak, and nearly overshadowed the (rushed) happy ending.

I think that this drama was best when the focus was not on the central couple with their constant bickering and lack of communication. The elder generation were all terrific, their stories involving. Hanchen's friends were great (and another standout short arc was the acting of the Shen pair: the growing up and final heroic stature of the brother, and the emotional fallout of defeat on the part of Princess Rong). Oh, and Congwen's quiet arc--that was another standout.

If I do rewatch it, for the marvelous cinematography, the music which suited the flow so well and underscored the complexity of the emotions, I would skim through all the stupid non-communicative arguments between hero and heroine, and watch for everybody else.

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A romance with a happy ending and great to binge as a break from the stress of this week. Not an earth-shattering, brand new story, but recognizable elements and enough romance but enough to get by.
Don’t expect it to impress you with a well-written script and an outstanding OST. It is something to satisfy drama addicts who like the elements that the show throws together to make the drama (or at least that is what they appeared to have done).
The ML and FL carried the show so romance addicts will like it. I like the facial expressions of the ML better, I felt it brought some nuance to his acting and the character in general. I would not mind watching him in something else.
The other characters are pretty much cliché as in devices to move the romance forward. At times you may think this drama is trying to be a parody or be tongue-in-cheek. But, he attempts at a serious political intrigue and plotting suggest otherwise.
I would say just approach it as a “not-well-done” historical rom-com quite appropriate for when your brain cells need break with a tub of ice cream curled up on the couch. Don't take it too seriously. No rewatch value for me.

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