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A high school girl, Rika, has lived her entire life shunned, villified, and verbally abused by her mother. Her mother is disturbingly mentally ill and openly unable to love Rika. This mistreatment all stems from the fact that Rika's mother only sees an ulgy iguana when she looks at her. Rika grows up entirely convinced that she is actually an iguana and that everyone will shun her when they find out the truth.
The story mostly follows painfully shy Rika in high school, finally coming out of her shell, making friends and falling in love. Her mother attempts to sabotage progress at every turn and is quite easy to dislike.
This show very clearly shows its age, is based on a ridiculous premise and has some aggravatingly oblivious and over-simplified characters portrayed by blunt actors. However, it does have its strong moments. Highlights include clear, consistent character growth and an unexpected level of tradgedy. It's a wonderful example of the incessantly victimized heroine of shoujo manga. It's an easy, engaging and entirely bizarre watch.
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STORY: Very well done. I applaud the writers on their brilliance in this one. The drama was fast-paced (unlike most lakorns) and engaging. The romance was adorable, the characters well-developed and believable,. The mystery never lost its intrigue, and I was fully convinced that any one of the people in the drama could've been the murderer the whole time. I was shocked when the big reveal came, though it was still believable, and didn't come out of the blue at all.
ACTING/CAST: Pop was so adorable in this one and such a pra'ek guy. He was funny and cute with good morals, but he still had his flaws. Pop did an awesome job at keeping his character consistent, even when Thi wasn't so cute and became more angsty. Bua did a great job too. Her Sina and Siriya had distinctly different personalities, but still had depth as characters. Sinna acted strong even though she wasn't always so strong on the inside, while Siriya was kind and sweet, but she didn't allow herself to be a doormat for the people around her.
The supporting cast was great too. The Sutharaks made a believable family, and the villain was downright amazing in their role.
MUSIC: Very enjoyable. I especially liked the song that sounded like the songs that used to play in old superhero TV shows :)
REWATCH VALUE: Now that I know who was behind everything and the whole evil plot, I'll definitely be watching this one again to look for clues. I'll also rewatch the romance because Bua and Pop were so great together.
All in all, this drama was an awesome watch for all 31 episodes. It has a bit of everything, from romance to comedy to action to drama. Plus, it has a strong female lead who ISN'T a damsel in distress for once. I highly recommend this one.
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Story: This drama centers around the honor of old samurai families. The way the families were presented gave off more of a Yakuza vibe, but that was one of the things that drew me in. There is an unfortunate love triangle that just KILLS me because we really didn't need that. It was just... sad and heartbreaking.
Acting/Cast:The good characters were angels and the bad characters were downright unforgivable. Aiko was TOO much! But, like any good 'villain,' the plot line would have been so boring and gone nowhere without her. And, even though I went into this drama really interested in the main couple (Seiko and Takeshi) the supporting couple (Mayumi and Ryu) were solid too. (Glad they'll be focused on in the sequel)
Music: Good. Whenever a drama's OST allows me to recognize the drama instantly, I can't really hate it too much.
Rewatch Value: No. Although I love watching Lakorns, the 2 hour runtime is a bit much to sit through the first time around, let alone a second time when I know exactly what is going to happen and when. Especially when it comes to the ending that only wrapped up for our main couple in a happy ending. Most everyone else got a bad ending, and anticlimactic ending or no ending at all. I'll give the writer/director/etc the benefit of the doubt that it was left like it was in hopes that the sequel would cover some.
Overall: I'd recommend it. This isn't something that is easily marathoned like other dramas. As I've said the runtime is a bit much for casual interest. But if you're interested in dipping your toe into the Lakorn pool, this isn't a bad place to start.
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A comedy-thriller with Seo In Guk? Count me in!
"Café Minamdang" is a kdrama that does double duty. It's a super silly comedy and a revenge thriller centered around the extremely versatile and talented Seo In Guk. He plays an ex-criminal profiler turned conman shaman on a quest to solve his best friend's murder. I am a huge Seo In Guk fan and I love how easily he can go from dark and serious to over-the-top humor. He is perfectly cast as Nam Han Joon and his antics got me hooked from the very beginning. I think the concept is pretty clever too, since most "psychics" are master profilers, but just know that this drama never takes itself too seriously and takes the humor to ridiculous levels.The cast is full of fun characters, but I was biased towards the main trio. Kwak Shi Yang & Kang Mi Na are great as Han Joon's Café Minamdang ride-or-die team and they match his craziness well. Baek Seo Hoo is pretty funny too, or at least cute. I really liked all of the main characters except for one, and sadly that was the FL Oh Yeon Seo as Han Jae Hee. It's not that I disliked her completely. I loved that she was strong and determined, but I hated how frustratingly stubborn she was. It just started to feel one-note for too long. I also didn't feel like she was an even match for Seo In Guk when it came to romance or comedy. There was no chemistry, so even in scenes played up for laughs their romance felt forced. They were decent rivals but any attempt at butterflies fell flat to me. I also couldn't take their character's supposed age difference seriously. She looked older than him to be honest.
Seo In Guk had better chemistry with Kwon Soo Hyun who was great as straight laced and awkward Cha Do Won. I enjoyed their rivalry more than the romance. One thing that everyone did well was balancing the funny moments and the genuine crime-solving moments. The jokes didn't distract from the intrigue, it just kept the story from ever getting too heavy, even during sad moments.
Would I watch this again? I'm not sure. I did enjoy watching it week to week but didn't have the same kind of excitement I had for other on-air dramas I was watching. The story was pretty predictable, but the twists were well written and didn't feel thrown together. If the main romance was stronger I would probably feel differently about rewatching this drama but knowing how each mystery gets solved would take away most of the fun I had watching. I could also watch other dramas to get my Seo In Guk fix, but I admit just watching him outsmart everyone may be entertaining enough if I'm in a certain mood. Knowing certain twists ahead of time may make earlier scenes more interesting duringa second viewing too.
Overall, this is good but not great drama. The crimeand corruption stories get a little convoluted and hard to follow at times but it all makes sense and comes together by the end. The revenge story is less "old boy" vibes and more "scooby doo", but know the subjects touched on are not childish at all... including murder, abuse, & rape. Still, I found this drama to be lite and equally corny and hilarious, so if you're not laughing at the cast's hijinx it will be hard to enjoy this drama. As for me, this drama wouldn't make my favorites list but if there is a season 2 (which is totally possible based on the last episode) I would definitely watch.
I will miss Han Joon's knowing smirk, fan waving, and thinking man pose, at the very least.
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This review may contain spoilers
Quaranthings of feelings
This review is intended to share a subjective opinion. In no way is this meant to sway anyone from watching it.This drama from the Philippines follows the story of two boys "quarantined" in their shared apartment becasue of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we have been sort of saturated with multiple BL/GL stories from the Phillipines with the COVID-19 backdrop as a main story point, I am grateful that every single one I've watched has exceeded my expectations.
Quaranthings may be the one that seems to have the lowest "production budget" amongst all of the BLs that have come out recently, but that doesn't mean they suffer from bad script or story.
I personally love the complexity of Judah's character and the nuance that the actor brought to him. Many viewers may dislike Judah and dimiss him as a brat, but his range in emotions and his development throughout the story is quite refreshing and relatable.
Rocky's struggles with his sexuality is palpable through some of the scenes.
Honestly, there were some things that could have been left out (like Glenn's scene at Judah's place) to give more time to develop Rocky's story IMO.
Overall, this is a good drama to watch.
The title is aptly named Quaranthings, because these boys Quarantine more than just their bodies from the pandemic,they also Quarantine their feelings.
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ONE OF THE MUST WATCH LAKORN BL!
Honestly, I’m really surprised that this series exceeded beyond my expectations like, all the characters, music and the story are almost perfect. You will never get bored to watching the lengthy episodes (tbh, even the 1 hour and 5-15 minutes is still insufficient for me and also the number of episodes, they should’ve add more) and you will madly await for more episodes every week 😭.I love how each characters had a visible character development and the LOVE STORY OF JIU AND TIAN IS SO 😭✨💜 (can’t be expressed by words alone).
Honestly the funny part of this that almost every episode had the BLUE LIGHT BEETLE POISON. 😆
But for over all, the series is CLASSIC and OUTSTANDING. ✨🎉💜👏🏽
WAITING FOR SEASON 2/ PROJECT FOR JAM AND FILM 😭🙏🏽✨💜
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This drama is about love lost, love found, and regret over missed love. Behind all the pain there is a wonderful mother daughter relationship that warms your heart.
Please don't let subject matter of AIDS make you miss out on this gem of a drama.
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The story, which is competition between a no-name school and a high ranked school, with some ex-friend, sorta rivals is nothing new to the genre. It's pretty see though with some fun moments exploring relationships AS FRIENDS and RIVALS, growing up, and competition. If you're looking for yaoi, I'd stick with the BL movies since this one has none of that going on. A sports story that actually sticks to the sport, with a surprising amount of technical lingo and improvement.
Acting, most of these guys are stage actors, which is why a lot of people commented about the 'over emoting' or 'over acting'. It's a hard transition but overall most everyone did a good job. I didn't have any really emotional moments, and no one really stood out to me. I fell in love with Taira (Ozawa Ren), since the development of his character was rather rushed but he had some major turn arounds in emotion that were pulled off fairly well. For as much as the main cast was cute and fluffy, they didn't have as much pull for me. Nothing comment-able, aside as much as you think Harumi (Akazawa Tomoru) is going to be the annoying character; he's not that bad.
What a killed this drama for me was the ending. It was not satisfactory AT ALL. We get the competition we've been waiting for, but no closure. You're holding your breath waiting for an ending, and it doesn't come. Although this is being carried over into a stage play, I'm not happy as just a drama watcher.
The music, ending theme is actually sung by a few members of the cast (they come from musical actors after all) is pretty cute. Otherwise, nothing standing out. The rewatch value is low because of the ending, but at the same time it's short enough and cute enough I wouldn't mind spending 4 hours of my time watching again.
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This review may contain spoilers
And it was going so well...
...and then, in the last couple of episodes, it just completely flew off the rails. Sigh. Of course, "Enchanté" is one of those series that depend on the chemistry of the two leads - and they've got that in spades, but the entire plot is just too nonsensical to take seriously. Once the entire set up of the series is revealed in a later episode, you can't help but think, "Huh...?"The acting is okay. Nothing too great, but neither of the two lead roles are particularly taxing. And I'm fine with that - "Enchanté" is RomCom 101 and the demands on any actor is never too much. The four Enchanté guys are effective enough, but - once again - the plot is so dumb. From the first episode we meet Akk and Theo - childhood friends who've been separated ever since Theo left his family behind and headed Paris to be with his grandmother. Again...huh? For a story about someone who believes in true love (and his parents' love for him and each other are supposed to be "ideal love") yet he never questioned the fact that they just sent off their only child to live almost 10,000 km away in another country? Wait...what?
The last couple of episodes are just manipulation on top of manipulation. I sooo wanted to love this series that I was willing to get past all the plot holes - holes you could drive a truck through - but, ultimately, I couldn't. The ending is just too forced and, above all, fake and dishonest. Disappointed. These guys deserved more - and I would be surprised if they don't get more from GMMTV - but I hope the next time they'll get a sturdier vehicle for their abundance of charm. Oh, and we clearly need more houses for these series. Theo's house was in "Don't Say No", "Baker Boys", the interior of Lian's home in "Cutie Pie", and I was just waiting for Phob from "Something in My Room" to show up in Akk's house. Also, final add - the "Baker Boys" shout out in the final episode alone almost makes up for the messy plot - almost.
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THEY DELIVERED !!!
First off, this is Jun Ji Hyun's comeback after 5 years and she did not disappoint. Her acting is so on point and she is so perfect for the role.This spin off is somewhat disappointing for so many because it's only 92 minutes after a year of waiting. But don't be mistaken, this is worth the hype and wait. It has told how the plague really started.
I love how they took their time to tell her story. The pacing is great because it the story has escalated beautifully. You'll understand why Ashin did what she did. The production is top notch, you can't ask for more. Knowing that this will only be shown on our small screens but they did not disappoint.
This spin off is just worth its hype.
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An amazing fun drama that brings to many smiles
It's a delight!
It's funny cute and adorable!
After a long time i have finally enjoyed a drama to the core.... With all the recent ones I have been skipping my way through the episodes but this one is just amazing.... I didn't fast forward even for once!
I usually don't enjoy shin ha kyun dramas( his beyond evil is a must watch though) but here he is just amazing, his acting really brings out the character amazingly..... He is over the top but definitely not cringe and makes the scene feel alive when u watch him!
I have always loved won jin ah ( my first kdrama heroine, her just between lovers is out of this world) and she definitely doesn't disappoint!
I was very surprised by how amazing lee yoo jin was here.... He definitely has a long way to go! Even though this isn't a romance drama but they definitely have great chemistry!!
Special shoutout to Carol Phillip jessi and all the other characters ❤
And the supporting cast is just as amazing with all having well written characters!
The direction, the bg score and in fact the opening sequence of the drama is just so fun to watch!!!
This definitely is a must watch drama..... Highly recommended.
U definitely will enjoy this series... A light hearted comedy with adorable characters!!!
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In some ways this drama has a theme of trying to get over or break away from the past, which I thought was a big impact.
I personally thought the actors portrayed the characters well. Some characters I found dislikeable, but not enough for it to ruin the show for me.
If you like darker themed stories, this could be up your alley.
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I rated some things a bit low because of the unfinished storyline and the false sense of more to it.
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Anyways... the main reason I watched this drama was because of Sandara Park. I've been waiting for so long to find a drama in which she will be the main lead after watching that CM she had with Lee Min Ho. I was thinking perhaps she will finally have a break... and she did. Even if it's just in a web based drama, I'm still glad they were able to cast her as one of the main leads. Acting wise, Dara still has room to improve but she has definitely improved a LOT from the last time I've seen her act which was years ago (Not including her CM with LMH). As for Young Kwang, he definitely did evolve somehow. Or maybe it was just the character portrayal?
Story wise, this drama was a bit absurd. Don't get me wrong because I loved the characters even the supporting ones, but I just couldn't get the gist of the story. Maybe someone has to explain it to me again or I have to re-watch it to actually understand what happened. I'm still quite confused as to what is the real deal with Dr. Ian and that other guy. For me, there were unresolved issues for the doctor. The story between Dr. Ian and So Dam though is quite amusing, however it lacked a bit of substance. After the show I was saying to myself, "That's it? That's all how it's going to be? Mission? What kind of mission is that???", watching the relationship develop for these couple is frustrating. It was all about cinematography-crying-talking-crying-cinematography-insert music, angst and a few sweet moments.
The music was good and I have no complaints on that, I just couldn't get over the fact that the story line was just up to that given that it only had 9 episodes and 11 minutes run time. It was short and a bit disappointing. I honestly believe this web drama could have been better but as an audience, I had to take it as it is and enjoy it as delivered.
Thank goodness I loved seeing Dara and Young Kwan on screen that my disappointments are skewered by these actors.
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