SUCH A GOOD MOVIE — A MUST WATCH

Tabi Suru Sandwich HAS MY WHOLE HEART IN ITS PALM because OH MY GOD.

I had originally thought it would be a slow-paced, simply movie that I could watch in my down time but as soon as it began, I was a fan. I was dedicated to this movie that seemed to be so down-to-earth and so simple that I felt like I was there, living in it. It was a realistic movie and portrayed two young girls traveling Japan and making sandwiches for the people. They make speciality sandwiches and make these specialities on the fly. It’s nothing special but YES IT IS.

I walked into this movie with NO EXPECTATIONS. I walked out crying, smiling and wishing I could watch this all over again for the first time! I even have it saved on my drive because I know this is going to be my go-to movie every time I go on a road trip or just need a quick refresher. It’s not even long enough for you to not have time to watch it!

I had originally thought that there would be romance and I thought I’d be disappointed but I WAS NOT. I, personally, prefer if there’s a romantic aspect but in this movie, I was completely content with the way they ended the male and female’s interaction. Their experience with each other was just what it needed to be. Not every happy experience ends with romance and this movie displayed that perfectly.

THIS MOVIE IS A TOTAL MUST WATCH!

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Refreshing and Simple

I’m going to be honest, this is one of the first if not the first review I’ve written and I’ve got to say this drama deserves the review! I simply picked Fanletter, Please because it was only 4 episodes and was completely hyped because of Choi Sooyoung. Her acting and character selections always have me leaving the dramas she’s in happy. However, this drama was a short one so I was honestly quite unhappy so I read the earlier reviews and god knows I was super extra extra happy they were all good.

I’m also not going to lie, the premise of the plot is simple (I mean it’s 4 episodes AND in a rom-com format so I wasn’t expecting too much) but it’s also complex enough to be deemed worthy of the stars given to it! It was refreshing and easy to watch, there were no scenes that needed to be skipped. There we no unbearably dramatic or cheesy scenes so it was an all-around easy to watch show!

The chemistry was absolutely beautiful and as soon as I recognized the ML, I was swooning. Completely swooning. The two looked amazing together and their actual in-story characters were beautiful together considering the coincidental, only in a rom-com situation they found themselves in. Watching them regrow onto each other was completely amazing and the scenes with Bang Yu Na were SO CUTE. I think I’m a complete Yu Na stan but I digress.

When it comes to the actual story, I have got to say I was honestly surprised at how bad Kang He’s life was and how realistic it seemed after everything that happened to her. She was going through trauma, as I’d expect any actress/idol/celebrity to go through after all her experiences and everything seemed to be going downhill but I thought it was incredibly realistic given her image at the beginning of the drama.

If I have to state my favorite thing about the drama, it had to be Yu Na’s hope in Kang Hee. A fan’s undying support can really help a celebrity come out of their situations and help them thrive and I found that absolutely stunning. I know that’s not the super big “moral” of the story but I thought it stood out the most :)

If you got all the way to the bottom of this review, I hope you really do give this drama a watch! It was completely worth my time and I think it’ll be worth yours as well!

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I Want To Run Away

This series genuinely made me want to up and move to a coastal town. It was so simple yet so powerful to me. The way the series was taken to the leads’ interactions and traumas to the cozy setting had me wanting to run away and experience an experience just like it.

This drama started off so lighthearted and became something so much deeper. I was honestly not expecting the things that happened later on. I won’t go into detail because it’s something you should watch instead of asking questions about. This drama genuinely WAS a true summer story, though.

The delivery was so romantic and was genuinely exactly what I would expect from this type of drama. I realize I’m repeating myself tons of times but this drama was SUCH A GUST OF FRESH AIR STRAIGHT IN MY FACE. I watched it a few months earlier because of Siwan and Seolhyun but I was so surprised. Both of them looked amazing together and apart, they were almost built for these roles. I loved seeing Siwan display his versatility once again in his unique character this time, too. And Seolhyun? Seolhyun lived her role with everything she had and brought her to life. If I wasn’t straight, I’m pretty sure I would have fallen in love with her too. The romance in this drama is minimal, it’s there, but it’s kept at a low and I think I appreciate that. It shows how two introverts fall for each other and I live for it.

I genuinely think that this drama is a must-watch. I couldn’t explain it much because of the hidden complexity but there were just so many different things to learn from this drama. It isn’t the rom-com it seems to be and hides a multitude of morals and surprises under its masterful guise.

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Simple and Real

Yes, I realize I called a time-travel, alternate-universe drama REAL. First of all, hear me out. This drama was not phenomenal by any standards, I wasn’t completely astonished by it and it certainly didn’t make my 2022 complete but it was a drama that I liked.

I went into this drama with 0 expectations because it was still airing. I’m not sure why I had no expectations but it did certainly surprise me. It was good, no overreaction. I mean sure there was a little, but for a j-drama, the overreaction level was strangely low. It was taken slowly and well, portraying the story and characters as best as it could. The scenes and quality were nice and showed a pretty scenery and the actors in their best light. The actors acted out their characters best they could.

I don’t remember being especially impressed with any of the plot points but I did appreciate the friendship between the main female lead, the second female lead, the first male lead and the second male lead. They were a funny little friendship square and I enjoyed every moment when they exhibited friendship rather than romance. I also appreciated Kaoru and her minimal appearance acting as the second FL’s friend who was jealous of the first FL. It was a real-ish portrayal of how old friends feel about their best friends’ new friends.

The music was nothing special, it did fit the drama though so no complaints in that department. I’m going to be completely honest though, I wouldn’t rewatch Seishun Cinderella. The ending was the only part that I actually thought was impeccable. Everything else was normal.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad drama but I don’t find it especially good either. It was just a normal drama and I appreciated the slow flow (not slow burn) but wished it was paced a little better and that it didn’t feel so…dry.

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Simple and Easy Watch

The Fabulous: Simple yet Over-Hyped. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed the Fabulous until it ended but only because I enjoyed seeing Chae Soo-bin and Choi Minho on a screen together. It felt like a sensory overload seeing them on one screen and as “exes”.

I’m going to be COMPLETELY HONEST. The plot of the Fabulous was more about the sexual tension between the leads than the struggles of the fashion world. Even though it was short, I skipped most of the scenes without Chae Soo-bin and Choi Minho together. Other than the scenes where Joseph and Esther were together, everything else was completely skip worthy. I would honestly just watch again for the chemistry between the leads and the pure visual of the two. I honestly wouldn’t have watched if it was anyone but these two.

The cinematography was good, the execution was good and so was the acting/casting but I genuinely think the thing that killed made the Fabulous unfabulous was the pure fact that there was no actual content. The plot was empty and there really wasn’t much going on anytime. So much time went toward the FL’s relationship status and the frustrations and her suitors and less time went into the point that the Fabulous was TRYING to preach.

If the Fabulous had spent more time on the struggles of the fashion industry instead of focusing on the romance, this drama would have been a sure fire hit. Sadly, it was missed and opportunity and misplaced potential because whoever wrote the script and the drama itself missed the mark on what points to hit the hardest and what points to keep minimal.

Again, not a horrible watch but if you want to watch this drama without hurting your expectations, just pretend thst this drama is about the leads trying to get together. That’s quite literally what it is.

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The Best Short Drama Ever

This. THIS. THIS! I cannot even BEGIN to describe how surprised and hopelessly in love I was with this. I honestly started to watch because I saw that Hyunsuk was in this and I am a major CIX fan. Putting Hyunsuk aside, THE LEADS??? Like, yes, Nana did phenomenal but the ML??? If you can’t already tell, I’m screaming and kicking my legs in the air, it was so good for this type of drama!

I’m not going to start in the plot because it was typical, girl reads a book and falls into it somehow as a villain character, but I am going to say I LOVE the way the directors USED the plot to make this drama distinct. It wasn’t well known and is still a short idol-studded drama but MY GOD, IT WAS SO GOOD. I don’t typically expect much from these dramas but I was waiting for the next episodes to release every week like how I had with other full-length actual dramas. That’s how much of a hold Fall For You had on me.

Do not even get me started on the OSTs. They’re so simple but they fit perfectly when they come on! The scenes, scenery, etc. was shot beautifully and the styling was adorable. I have to say, whoever actually wrote and shot this drama made it seem like it was a full-length hour-long kdrama and I lived for it. Fall for You was my life for a while and the OSTs were the only thing I listened to for days. I don’t think any other short drama will have this effect on me.

I can’t say anything was surprising or out of the ordinary but the way they showed the romance and chemistry between the leads was absolute perfection. I also adored the way they showcased Nana’s trauma even while she was still in the book. I like the way that she grew as a person and that she actually tried to give herself a solution instead of leaving it be. Absolute perfection and easy, quick watch :)

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Bittersweet to the Very End

God knows how much I love this drama and how big a place it holds in my heart. I quite literally spent 2 whole days doing absolutely nothing but watch this drama. I pine after it still and it’s been a month. I don’t think I can ever get over this drama and that’s gotta be something because I’ve never felt this way about ANY drama.

Plot-wise, it’s nothing too extraordinary, dense or complicated. It’s a simple plot yet it’s executed extremely well. Every single scene was made so beautiful that it was a shame to skip anything at all. I’m a big skipper and to say I skipped no scene in this drama, not one! Everything was so aesthetically appealing, Xu Ruohan and Jerry Yan included! Both of together just made me want to cry because I know they made me feel single. The two’s chemistry and acting was so on point that they looked like they were actually in love with each other.

This is a note to the people who were frustrated with Xu Ruohan’s character: keep in mind that she was sheltered, spoiled, knew nothing of the world and was hardly 20. We can’t expect complete maturity from someone who hardly knew what she was thinking either. Her character was portrayed exactly as she needed to be — naive and self-centered but also immature and a young girl so helplessly in love that she’d do anything for the man she loved. Her character is real and perhaps that’s why so many people reject her but it’s also why I love her. She is who she needs to be and was portrayed beautifully. Props to Xu Ruohan for bringing her role to life :)

And OH MY GOD DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON JERRY YAN. That man’s character made me want to cry. He was so unbelievably perfect and was everything, I REPEAT, EVERYTHING he needed to be. A bad-boy older man who has a gentle heart? I could not stop myself from swooning over that man! He also portrayed his character perfectly, it almost felt like he WAS his character. His acting when it came to romance scenes and pining over Xu Ruohan had me kicking my legs in the air. To see him on the screen was so exhilarating.

The actually story tugged on my heartstrings more than once and I honestly don’t think this review can be complete without at least one spoiler. I can’t figure out whether I want this drama to end happily or not so in MY mind, Xu Ruohan got therapy and lived happily with Jerry Yan for however long she lived but the ending was so ambiguous that there was no end. Most people lean towards the fact that she did, in fact, pass on when she and him were in the snow but I know my mind didn’t like that ending (I fell asleep sobbing that day).

I typically don’t finish sad dramas because of their endings, Youth of May and Uncontrollably Fond being some of the ones I just dropped before the end came and left the battle field almost unscathed, but this drama, I watched to the end. It only felt right. It deserves so much more attention because OH MY GOD. This wasn’t a drama, it was an experience.

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