Creatively this isn’t a bad script. I personally would have preferred a different structure to the story because EVERY Japanese drama with a romantic arc kind of follows the same trajectory. I can think of veeerry few exceptions. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but let’s just say I would have loved it if the relationship had a stronger foundation before a certain key event occurred. Anyway, while audiences may be moved to sympathy and anger on behalf of the female lead, the pacing begins to plod around episode 6 or 7 and I found myself growing impatient with the repetitive nature of Mæ’s plight. This is neither the fault of the character nor the actress portraying her. Rather it’s the writer who just doesn’t know when to give sh-- a rest.
As for the acting, Tokiwa Takako does a fair job most of the time (when she isn’t in full ægyo mode), but she always seem to accept these scripts that make her character come across as whiny and irritating at some point or another in the drama. I had a similar reaction to her in Aishiteru to Ikketure, though thankfully that feeling dissipated a lot quicker here than there. Mostly I felt a deep sympathy for her because she really could have been any woman, me or you or someone we know. I also have to say she has an amazingly beautiful and radiant smile though a great beauty she is not.
What this show does well is that it shows that rape doesn’t only have one victim. The tentacles of evil will touch many lives, almost just as cruelly as the victim's. To be honest I didn’t really like Oda Yuji’s acting here. His interpretation is gimmicky and cartoonish, and you could easily tell this is one of his very first roles. Nevertheless, I really liked Naoki. I found him genuine and sincere in his efforts to lend support and understanding, in spite of making a few mistakes along the way. Moreover, he is such an average, ordinary guy with no spectacular talent or pedigree. He really could have just walked right out of your life. And that’s why I love Japanese dramas because they’re so authentic. They tell the stories of REAL people. Awesome. The supporting cast is well placed, never feeling arbitrarily thrown in just to take up space (or annoy you). Instead they enhance and help to move the story forward, as supporting casts are meant to do.
Finally I want to take a moment to comment on the music. Now I’m not a very musical person. I’ll leave the squealing over a drama’s OST to people who have a better appreciation for the art. Usually I hate theme songs that play over and over again like a broken record -- at best they give me a headache, at worse they make me feel like I'm losing my mind. But I loved this TV mix of Swing Out Sisters’ Now You’re Not Here. Very fitting. It’s been stuck in my head for days. In a good way.
If you’re not put off by the topic, fans of the genre will like this show. The story is moving, the chemistry is there and their connection is so sweet. It’s very easy to root for these two.
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Cast:
I decided to watch it because I believed in the acting of Zhang Ruo Yun, Li Qin, and Xiao Zhan. But then as I watched more and more I really have to applaud for the entire cast!! Very very very phenomenal acting by everyone.
Story:
I went into this drama blind and with no knowledge about the original novel, but that’s ok because the story was logical and easy to follow. I’ve never watched a drama with this many plot twists and turns, but I liked that each event followed after another in a logical way. I am not a fan of political dramas, but this one was an exception. The politics were the most intriguing parts of the story and tbh the main leads’ love story was the most boring lol (no offense to Li Qin but I did not find much significance to her character…but perhaps she will become more important later on, idk). The ending left me hanging and I have so many questions GAH!! I’m tempted to read the novel to find out but at the same time I would prefer to learn the secrets by watching it acted out so I’m conflicted…
Other notes:
-The fight scenes are SO GOOD!!! And there are so many!!! I especially love that our protagonist is good at everything haha
-I LOVE the humor. Unlike humor in other dramas, the ones in this drama actually made me laugh out loud. Being a native Chinese speaker, I had the advantage of getting the humor straight on, instead of through translation. It may be hard for non-Chinese watchers to get the humor since there are a lot of word plays and homophones.
-My only critique would be the lighting and overall visual look of the scenes aren’t very good. There were times where I had to turn my brightness to max and still couldn’t see what was happening. But technical flaws for me aren’t very important when the story is good.
Tldr, one of the highest quality dramas I’ve watched in terms of storyline. I am really looking forward to watching the next seasons. For anyone who hates plot holes and cliff hangers, don’t watch this until the next season comes out lol. It is filled with unanswered questions.
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Watchable, but unremarkable
I don't really pay much attention to hype surrounding programs, I just watch them if they sounds interesting. I was just compelled to contribute my own review after changing status from "In Progress" to "Completed" and seeing all the 9/10-10/10 reviews.I won't rehash the premise (the MDL synopsis is pretty good, but makes it sound a lot more interesting than it is, lol), but I will say as the backstory unfolds through to course of the program, it's pretty convoluted. The pace is quite slow, there's too much time spent focusing on Korean political machinations (which I don't find particularly compelling) and the show drags on a few too many episodes (which, as your know, is par for the course!).
Most of the cast were fantastic, with a particular mention to Ha Kyun Shin, I really think he anchored the whole show. It's no mean feat to be able to get you to hate a character and find them creepy, while winning them over through the course of the story (while still having them wonder the whole time if he could be a killer).
Jin Goo Yeo I thought was just OK, although admittedly I didn't really like him in "Hotel Del Luna" until toward the end of the show. I'm not sure if this is because his character here was written as stiff, blank and unlikable; or if he as an actor just takes a while to settle into a role.
Of the minor actors (who, as I said, are mostly fantastic) Sung Eun Choi as the feisty but sensitive Jae Yi was a standout for me - I hope I get to see her in more programs.
I usually hate when a show gets bogged down in romance, but I have to say it would have improved the show here if there was some..... it's a bit sad that all these people are single at the start of the series, and in the finale "one year later" flash forward they're still all single?
Oh, and don't be fooled by the other reviews stating this is a great bromance - there's hardly any bromance here either :P
All in all, I don't regret watching it, I just wish it had been more to the point, easier to follow, and had more character development (beyond just revealing the character' back stories).
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Felt like my bright eyes were in the dark.
Honestly, this felt like such a waste of time. There was love, there was a “break up”, there was a build up and…nothing! This is more of a documentary than a drama. The drama is terribly flawed with hardly anything concluded. He’s a firefighter, she’s a dancer and that’s that. They connect until they don’t. Of all the firefighter dramas this year, this was is very low on my list. I really did enjoy it and was anticipating the ending but the last set of episodes that was released all in one go felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over all the “warmth” created in the former episodes. There’s very few dramas that I would say is bad but this is one of them.Was this review helpful to you?
My reflections on the reception for this dorama's age-gap story.
Once I completed this dorama I looked at the comments on MDL and I was disappointed to see how people freak out about the relationship between the two characters, reacting at as something nasty that has nothing to do with the present story's intent and message.Although romances with age gaps, especially if an underage person is involved, must undoubtedly not be treated unconsciously, Chugakusei Nikki is very delicate about how the characters' feelings for each other come to take place, and fully presents the difficulties that the teacher, as the oldest of the two, faces from both herself and others.
Criticism of their rather innocent and contained romance as "gross" thus seems unjustified to me because the series makes an effort to show how their love is entirely based on their wish to support each other, without any moral ill-intent whatsoever. If Kuroiwa were still within childhood that'd be different, but he's aware enough for that not to be the case.
It's particularly beautiful that their attraction emerges from them looking at each other as who they are beyond social positions or obligations, and how despite this the story is received from such a negative perspective makes all the sentiment of rejection which appears in the series very strong and real.
This opinion aside, the dorama wasn't as satisfying to watch as I could've expected because the two main characters' individual feelings aren't explored as closely after the first episodes. On one hand the series wants to arrive to the most mature decisions possible, which is praiseworthy, but on the other it gets stuck on all the obstacles that the characters face. Which is why from the middle onwards Chugakusei Nikki turns into a series of problems one after the other, and is much less engaging to watch.
This tiresome side was partly compensated by side characters that are interestingly well-defined and peculiar. I was especially drawn to Haraguchi for being such a resolute and extremely insightful woman, though I noticed she's not seen in a positive light by all watchers either. To me she was a really a unique character and with her onscreen, unexpected things could happen (and she always sped up everyone's pace and re-steered development, which I appreciated!).
All in all, it was still rewarding to see how the plot endeavoured to give some things to learn from, and especially how it succeeded in making of the events the basis that allowed the characters to grow to become better people.
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What for me made this drama so great was how visually beautiful it was. A tale of an eternal love in the backdrop of winter, everything was visually stunning. Obviously korean dramas today are almost all visually stunning but this drama was made a decade before.
Looking back at it now, I don't think this drama is the best written out there. It's definitely flawed as most melodramas are. But, I would still recommend this to anyone who want to watch a classic korean drama that led the beginning of the hallyu wave.
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Mission Accomplished
More than thorough enjoyment, I appreciated the unique world and full-rounded story they brought to fruition here. The game aspect made for highly creative and fun as well as stressful "mechanics," the use of harsh sound effects and "errors" in particular lended well to this.Love for Love's Sake managed to toe the line between light action/almost horror and comedic school romance in a way I don't think I've seen before. And the banter between the two MLs allowed some levity in times when the world went dark.
Particularly, I want to highlight how they fully utilized the potential of Cha Yeo Woon's character, managing to hint at his desire as well as fear to be vulnerable and his shyness in expressing his interest in someone (Tae Myung Ha), all within a few episodes. And his actor plays his sulking moments and hesitancy very well.
Also, I would be remiss not to mention Tae Myung Ha's character; the quiet depth he had in a story that wasn't supposed to be his. And the complex expressions he had astounded me. Especially in moments he had to put on a happy face as well as convey that he was barely keeping it together.
I am so glad I didn't miss this surprising masterpiece.
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What caused it?
Many cursed Lim Soo-Hyang's appearance as Han Gye-Jeol, one of them with the sentence: A 30 year old woman who acts like a 12 year old, dresses like an old woman, is very clumsy and a bit stupid - very annoying
I'm so sorry, Lim Soo-Hyang?
Lim Soo-Hyang is not a newcomer. The actor Kang Mi Rae in the Korean drama ID: Gangnam Beauty and Mo Seok-Hee in the Korean drama "Graceful Family" won the Best Actress award at the 2020 MBC Drama Awards and Excellent Actress (daily drama) at the 2017 KBS Drama Awards. Lim Soo-Hyang's proof has had enough of the bitter and sour sweetness of acting.
So both Lim Soo-Hyang's fussing and sulking acting and his old fashioned clothes must have been according to the director's wishes.
I agree more if the bad rating is aimed at the entire production. The storyline is going around and around, the number of shows that should be enough for 10 episodes only stretches to 16 episodes. No wonder many stop watching in the middle of the road.
It seems that the screenwriter wanted to make a drama similar to the Korean drama Goblin/Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, but with additional slapstick scenes, such as the scene where Ok Shin and Gak Shin's lips meet. Not kisseu, because only lips that "accidentally" meet, and that's really annoying!
The plot is bad, the scenes are cliche, and there are many holes in the story, compounded by shooting that isn't really good. Like when Han Gye-Jeol found a magic mirror and was in Cinderella style, the shooting angle reminded me of the 90s.
It's not wrong for a screenwriter to be inspired by another Korean drama, but the results have to be better than their predecessors. If not, no matter how good the main character's acting, the audience's ratings and votes will be punishing.
What about Kim Jung-Hyun's acting?
The acting of King Cheoljong in the Korean drama "Mr Queen" always satisfies his fans. You could even say, Kim Jung-Hyun became the savior of the Korean drama "Kokdu: Season of Deity".
You can imagine how disappointed Kim Jung-Hyun was with the ratings for the Korean drama "Kokdu: Season of Deity". After successfully rocking South Korea with a rating of 18.554% (Mr Queen), now his drama only gets a rating of 1.3%.
The next review can be read here: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2023/03/kokdu-season-of-deity-review-drama-korea.html
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Sweet and simple
This was just like a nice piece of candy, some drama but not to much and a very simplified way of showing the struggles of trans girls trying to live in stealth... Without showing the whole messy process of actually transitioning...At first I felt that it was a tad problematic but seeing how the story progressed I could put my mind at ease and just see it as a way to convey some of the common fears many of these girls may have. All put in the form of a really sweet high school rom com, with friendships, love triangle and all... without the drama taking over.
I loved the main lead, she was such a sweetheart, and probably broke some stereotypes.
I love the fairy, I honestly wish every trans girl or person struggling had a fairy of their own... He was just cute and sweet as a button (very handsome too) .
The cousin and friendships where just sweet as candy and well so was the mom, not to mention that older sister... The male lead is not bad either... But is actually not the main attraction of this show.
Also, never, ever, ever, out someone! Just do not do it!
Not a masterpiece but definitely extremely easy to binge, only lovable characters and did I mention it was sweet?
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This review may contain spoilers
WHAT THE F*$K WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAITED TWO YEARS FOR THIS!
"If you can't be with the one you love, be with the one that is nice to you." That is basically what S2 of Love Alarm was about. I have no idea what everyone else is talking about, but Jojo should not have been in a romantic relationship of any kind until she unpacked the trauma she endured from her parents suicide and from the mistreatment of her aunt and cousin. The drama didn't even pick up where it left off for one, for two Jojo broke up with Sunho because she felt she was cursed, so why did she enter a relationship with Hye-Yeong?Also, this whole "Jojo liked Hye-Yeong all along", is complete nonsense because she didn't even know he existed until she started dating Sunho nor that he had feelings for her until the very end of S1. Also this whole, "Hye-Yeong has loved and been there for Jojo all along", UM NO HE LITERALLY WASN'T SUNHO WAS, HYE-YEONG WAS A COWARD WHO DIDN'T EXPRESS HIS FEELINGS AND THEN WHEN HE DID, IT WAS AT THE EXPENSE OF HIS BESTFRIEND, IT WAS UNDERHANDED AND DIRTY! He knew how much Sunho loved Jojo, Sunho asked him repeatedly if he had feelings for her, and Hyeong DENIED IT EACH AND EVERY TIME! He's the worst kind of friend! AND IT IS FITTING BECAUSE HYE- YEONG LOOKS LIKE THE WEASEL THAT HE IS!
But I digress, moving on... Three, Duk-Ju and his partnership with the CEO/ Face of the company was not properly explained nor did it make sense why Love Alarm would not comply with the police in order to catch a literal serial killer.
Four, speaking of serial killers, the homicide/ group suicides were not discussed enough, actually it was barely discussed at all. Neither was Jojo's parents suicide/ homicide attempt. Five, the chemistry between Jojo and Hye-Yeong is still giving brother/ sister/ bestie vibes, not lover vibes, those "I love yous" sounded more like "I care for you", which is sweet but it's very different. And if she's over Sunho then why is she still so emotional over him every time she sees him? If it's really her choice not to love him then why still rely on the APP still? Both Jojo and Hye-Yeong relied on the APP to tell them their feelings just as much as Sunho did, yet Sunho is the only one that was honest about it.
Six, Duk-Ju and Jojo's heinous cousin, that story line also made no sense and neither did the sudden dynamic flip between Jojo's aunt and cousin. Seven, I don't understand why Jojo still lived with them when it's clear, she could have afforded her own space and how she claimed that she wouldn't run anymore yet, she was still running away from her problems and chose the safe choice which is Hye-Yeong, who she again, should not have been with in the first place (romantically), if she felt she was so undeserving and cursed.
So it's ok to potentially kill or ruin Hye-Yeong's life but not Sunho? Doesn't that kind of drill in the fact of who she actually loves and wants to be with but is just to cowardly to be with? I think it does. Eight and final point. S2 was a complete, nonsensical waste of time. Truthfully, all Jojo did was settle which made Sunho settle and to me that is far worse, dragging two innocent people into toxicity because you're too cowardly to fight for the life you want with the one you truly love.
Love Alarm S2 was a complete joke. I sincerely hope this is some type of dumb alternative ending or a dream sequence and that it gets renewed for a S3. Even if she does end up again with Hye-Yeong in the end, make it make sense. Make it be endearing and not like Hye-Yeong is some afterthought, second choice, safe choice, stand in and the same goes for Sunho's rebound. Because both deserve better than that. This season was heinous, I heard the webtoon ended the same, which for some reason upsets me even more. - Dassit.
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Underwhelming.
I gave this series the benefit of the doubt but the story fell flat. It started out good but as it progressed it just became monotonous and uninteresting. The conflicts were trivial and unjustified and I just cringed through most of the scenes. I was hoping that it would make me relate or even feel for the characters but sadly, it did not. I couldn't see the intimacy between the two but merely two close friends being cute to each other. What's with Tine almost always fainting or having a medical emergency every time something happens? Didn't even explain these random medical situations.Surprisingly, the climax was anti-climactic. I skipped through side couples’ scenes as this has become a trend to most BL series and I rarely find these side characters alluring. A lot of their soccer practices were unrealistic, their clothes were always clean or they tend to look fresh even after practice.
As for the acting, it was not bad but also not good. I wasn’t invested with the acting but I still finished it. Like most of my friends say, they like this because it’s a light story, nothing too serious or dramatic. I agree that it is light but the writing could have been done better and the acting could have been improved. The series had potential but it altogether is disappointing.
The ending was underwhelming.
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This review may contain spoilers
Zee Deserves Better
I decided not to watch this series as it was running and just binge watch after the series ended, Im so glad I did! My FF button worked overtime every episode. My main reaction, Zee deserves a better series than this, NuNew is not a bad actor but there was zilch chemistry between the two, Zee was working extra hard in the intimate scenes but NuNew did not hold his own (a few kissing scenes he had an “ugly face look” outshining the kiss) Im dumbfounded that I couldn't stay focus, my mind wandered from boredom and I began to watch the 2nd couple more even though there wasn't much between them. If there was chemistry between any of the cast it was between NuNew and his best friend, I found myself wanting a twist in the plot where they became a couple. The ending.. WTH just.. WTF was that?? Smh. We can do better for Zee!Was this review helpful to you?
Lacked detail and depth
It felt rushed, especially the relationship between Soo Yeon and Yeo Reum. It didn't seem like there was any emotion connection or struggle then bam, they're in a relationship. Im honestly left wondering the entire time, what does Yeo Reum see in this guy? Their whole dynamic is very awkward.The resolutions of day the day storylines within the airport are also fairly disappointing and a bit boring. Apart from the episode with the foreign actor, a lot of the airport cases were very textbook kdrama and didn't make use of the airport setting well.
I wouldn't really bother with this one.
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Narimiya Hiroki and Kaname Jun without their shirts on, getting their love mojo on ... a vision!
Anyway, getting to the actual review, this is an anthology film consisting of 4 shorts which explore the theme of romantic love. Each film looks at different types of love: unrequited love, first love, forbidden love, love at first sight, framed by different circumstances.
I'll comment individually on each:
LAST LOVE:
Narimiya Hiroki was pretty gorgeous here, and boy can the man kiss. His love story was interesting. It left me wanting to know more about his relationship with his woman leading up to the Sweet Room. (7/10)
BIRTHDAY:
My favourite of the four. Romantic, sweet, it depicts, in my opinion, love in its purest form. (8/10)
TRIANGLE:
Perhaps my least favourite of the four. The dramaturgy was a bit off. The story felt too big for a short format, and so it lost some of its impact as a result. I was left with a feeling of ... huh? at the end. That's never a good thing. (5/10)
ROOM SERVICE:
Started off a bit slow and for well over half of it I was pretty sure I didn't like it, but turned out that I did. The ending was great. I loved the cinematography too, especially those shots of our male lead in the hallway. (6/10)
Overall, this did not leave as big an impression on me as it's Korean equivalent Five Senses of Eros, but I still liked it. If you're in the mood for romance, and not the watered down kind you see in your average drama, I think you'll enjoy this. Plus you get to see some pretty fine looking Japanese men in compromising situations. What's not to like? Throw in the Korean version while you're at it too. Eros explores the erotic whilst Sweet Room is more romantic, the perfect balance. Enjoy!
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This review may contain spoilers
I HAVE QUESTIONS
I loved ep1. Like it was so enjoyable to watch but the person that made me watch it was jun oh actually... he is such a brat and made me watch the whole thing having fun because of his funny spoiled personality but now that he died and the old spirit took over his body, is jun oh completely gone and is it just gonna be the ghost inside him? because I feel like its gonna make the drama boring for me since I didnt realize any funny/adorable charachter that makes the drama easy to watch beside the actual jun oh so im a bit scared the show wont be as enjoyable as ep1 if we completely lost jun oh. so please give me some feedback as you guys watch , im only gonna watch if jun oh isnt completely gone or our ghost turns out to have similar personalities to himWas this review helpful to you?
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