Chrysmas
United States
I was debating on giving this show a 7.5
But decided to rate it a 9...solely based on Gav's Monica's reference...what does a Generation Z baby from the Philippines know about Monica???I was shooketh!...when he said Angel of Mine...I was hehe'ing...thinking he unknowingly made a Monica reference but when he said Monica's version...I was like WHAT???
(And yes, I did catch Ariana Grande reference's too but she is the most listened to artist globally so not surprised there)
Anyway...to the review:
This was the first time I've seen a drama like this, where almost every scene had a social media tie to it...it was interesting to see. The pacing was pretty decent...as well as the character building, despite it being such a short series. I wanted to know more about Gav's character...but the focus was mainly placed on Cai. We know he's a gamer, have siblings, a mother, and even small details about the foods he enjoys. We know about Gav's tragic past, but what else? How was he able to send all these gifts to Cai??? Every time he bought something...I was wondering how he was able to afford it.
The story-telling is relevant to the pandemic we are going through and I like how it shows the impact such a pandemic has on people...and it briefly tackles subjects such as mental health, social distancing, mandatory quarantining and other related topics.
The reason I would give this a 7.5 (which I didn't because of the Monica reference)...is because although the story-telling was relevant, it was not compelling enough to warrant anything higher. If you take away the BL element, this story may not be rated so high. Like most cliche stories in Asian dramas we have 2 leads in love, the two second leads create conflict, a period of misunderstandings, and the eventual reconciliation. The physical distance element did add more to the conversation...but it did not deviate from the typical setup of most dramas.
(Just a side note...Gav's dimples..enough said...I have them too so I know what a smile can do to transform a face)
Just some thoughts
I'm from an older generation (Early Millenial)and this kind of thing is actually scary...just imagine years down the line where people only form relationships online...this pandemic has everyone communicating through technology and as a communication graduate, I remember learning that there is some sensory information that we are missing when we communicate in such a way...leaving out the necessary stimulants that will make us form a bond.
Was this review helpful to you?
Speak for five minutes on your last breath
No Boundary was a fun watch, especially the second half of the show where more action takes place.Plot: The plot was detailed, and you can tell they put a lot of time expressing a complex story
Music: Not too bad, I really thought the music of doom was pretty funny actually.
Pacing: Here is where we have a major problem. Some scenes were unnecessarily drawn out like a blueprint for a stadium. There would be times where I was keyed up from a scene just to be let down when someone would die and start talking for five minutes as if they just didn't get stabbed fatally in the heart with a sword. Pacing is extremely important to me, and I would have rated this a seven if I didn't binge both seasons.
Flashbacks: Oh boy, there are a bunch of flashbacks that I feel like I traveled back in time. Luckily someone invented the skip button otherwise I would have been highly disappointed in this series.
Overall a reluctant 8 for this show...I would not be re-watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
I didn't read the synopsis...
...before starting this drama. I went in not knowing what to expect, but I was up to my head with watching horribly written plots and bad acting that I was desperate to try anything. I was more than pleasantly surprised to stumble across this gem.Plot; This plot was well thought out, nothing was questionable, no plot holes to be filled, everything flowed at a steady pace, and there weren't too many flashbacks to draw out the scenes.
Characters: Each character was fleshed out, even the main villain wasn't one dimensional...as an audience we can even empathize with him to some extent. If I would have to question anything about the characters, it would be about the ones in Yung...but since there will be a part two, I wonder if they will go into more details about those characters and what their motivations are.
If you are like me, someone that's watched a bunch of dramas and seemed tapped out, this may be the one that can get you going again.
Was this review helpful to you?
Short enough
If this was a 12 episode drama I would have lowered my score to a 3. To be honest I am not sure the point of this drama, but it was short enough not to get upset about it.The next is a very short sum of the synopsis...no spoilers...because...really there is nothing to spoil here.
Girl meets boy at a hair salon. Girl is busy with work all the time and never have time for boy. Boy likes that girl is busy all the time. End of the story. To be honest, this could be summed up in one 45 minute episode, but I really like the leading Male so I will rate a tad bit higher than suggested.
Was this review helpful to you?
New Title, Loving you like a crazy person
This show was FUNNY! I am not sure if it was meant to be that way but I binged watched it and had many belly laughs. I read some of the reviews of this show on Viki and on here and I disagree that this show was bad. The pacing was on point and each scene contributed to the plot.Everyone and I mean everyone on this drama is Bat Chick'n Crazy. What surprised me in the reviews was that Kota was getting so much sympathy and I was expecting an all around good character that never did anything wrong to be betrayed...boy, I was wrong. Instead, you got a man that went from sane to insane in a couple episodes, doing unthinkable things in the name of saving his love. His overexaggerated expressions were funny as heck and I would not consider it bad acting but a way to make the audience chuckle at the ridculouslessness of it all.
Ran was also an absolute nutcase, willing to do anything to trap and keep her man...sometimes doing things to hinder herself.
I would not recommend this to anyone who is expecting a realistic...idea plot...this story is not for the light hearted because it deals with many sensitive topics.
Was this review helpful to you?
Another Cross Dressing Drama
Going into this with an open mind and an 8-month hiatus from watching any Asian Dramas I will say that my rating is due to a high tolerance level for nonsense. Here we have another story of a leading lady that starts off quirky and lovable before making all the wrong decisions and having no backbone or purpose.Plot:
There are plenty of cute moments in this series...however, this is not a plot focused drama unless you call "finding out the moment when he learns that 'he' is actually a 'she'" a plot. Of course, that point alone takes 2/3rd of the series before the male lead has his AHHA moment.
The mystery behind the villain is obvious and the big reveal was so underwhelming that not only do I deserve a refund, I need free tickets to future admissions.
Cast:
This was a young cast and therefore there is not much to say here except there is room for improvement.
Music: It could be better, nothing too catchy.
Costumes/ artifacts: Many repeated outfits, but not too cheap looking. Weapons this not look fake (that is my pet peeve)
Pacing
There were plenty of disjointed moments and I will have to give the credit for the mess up to the editor... seems like they were aiming for something and missed by several miles.
Overall: I would give this a watch but don't expect anything compelling...you may get a few chuckles here or there and if you are into angst and drawn-out points...this one will be for you!
Was this review helpful to you?
What I liked:
I really enjoy revenge plots and this one serves up revenge with all utensils on deck! Like I mentioned, the pacing of this show was just right and there rarely are any fillers in this drama, it is completely plot focused. The cast was absolutely outstanding, and one of the main villains played by Jeon Gook Hwan, was extremely convincing in his role. Although he was evil, he had his reasons and it was difficult not to laugh at some of his parts. Ha Ji Won, our main leading female was also outstanding and her thirst for revenge was completely justifiable to a point. Her character development was interesting to watch, especially during the last arc of this drama. When I watched this the first time (years back...) Ji Chang Wook was my favorite character, because I love a crazy, possessive jealousy male and he played the part without fault in this, but after a second watch Ha Ji Won really took the cake here.
The music is also amazing and one of my favorite vocalist is on this ost (Junsu) so I was really spoiled here.
The costumes and set was amazing.
What I didn't like: Actually there isn't much I didn't like about this drama...the reason I did not rate this a 10 is because there was a slight struggle with the pacing when a character dies off, but it picked back up. Also ( there is a looooong, angst-like situation for our leading lady that took too long to get resolved in my opinion) but other than that...I would definitely recommend this drama. (I had to re-watch this on tubitv because my streaming sites no longer host this drama)
Was this review helpful to you?
What I liked about this show: Gong Yoo is my bias so whenever he is a drama I am blinded by this actor and his amazing talent. Even so, he did a really good job portraying a tortured, eccentric immortal that wants to end his existence once and for all. The entire cast did an amazing job and I do not believe that this drama was overhyped.
What I did not like: I don’t want to put a spoiler here, but there is something about Korean Dramas that have a similar ending that I just cannot enjoy. I give all drama props for not using this textbook like ending, unfortunately this drama ended in such a way that makes me sigh with disappointment...but overall it was still a good watch.
I did re-watch this...so it does have an amazing re-watch value, considering I never like to glance at dramas twice.
And the music is amazing and I had it on my place list for a couple years now.
Was this review helpful to you?
What to say here
I rated this an 8 because it takes a lot of plot focus to get me to rewatch anything. However, I love the concept of the female lead getting pulled into her own script via a dream and having to deal with the world she had created. There were many points made in this drama about the power dynamics between males and females.Let's get into it:
The female lead did a wonderful job, I loved her here better than in Love Better Than Immortality. which shows growth from this actress. She was quirky in the right moments and she did not fall in love instantly, which is a huge plus for me.
The male lead: I have never seen him in anything else before, but he does a good job as well...he could be stiff on some parts but his romantic scenes are adorable. I would like to see him again in a future project.
The cast was complimentary to the leads and no one outshines over the other...I love a well-balanced cast where everyone has their unique talents highlighted.
There was one pair in this that I absolutely adored and wished had more scenes and that was the 1st princess and SuMu...we need more inter-able romances.
Was this review helpful to you?
For the review:
The time travel plot works really great here and I love each time Ye Yin (our female lead) gets to go back in time to interact with different characters and try to fix the past. I also love how quirky our female lead is and her laugh is so infectious. She really stole this show in my opinion...I would consider her a strong female lead in a roundabout way.
I love Ya Long and his love for her is just amazing. I won't go in to details and ruin the plot but his scenes with our female lead our re-watch worthy.
I heard that this was low budget? It sure didn't feel like it though, although you can tell in some area's the cast and crew sure made up for it for it to be low budget.
The only reason I did not rate it a ten is because I want the story to continue, so here is hoping for a season 3
If you are wondering where to watch this, all 24 episodes are on Daily Motion in Eng subs.
Was this review helpful to you?
It's not all that bad
Sometimes the reviews on here will have you believe that if you start watching a drama, hands will come out of the screen to choke you or something.After reading the numerous negative reviews of this drama, I just had to see what this train wreck was all about and...it wasn't that much a disaster that I thought it will be.
I admit...it felt that between episode 10 and 11 there should have been another episode in between explaining what the HECK was going on, which threw the entire show...but I guess I've watch enough dramas to fill in the blanks not to be bothered by it much.
Also admitting, some OST's are so outstanding that they just stick out against non-emotional scenes. I found myself smirking numerous of times while beautiful music played against a scene that did not match the mood of the song.
Someone on here complained about the kiss scenes, and although I never really talk about these in my review, the complaint stood out so much it was hard not to notice the kisses between the main leads while watching this show. They were not all that bad...I've seen a million times worse...okay since you are curious on a scale of 1-10 I give the kisses a solid 6.
Now my major complaints
... from having a powerless villain...He was evil, but was really stupid in the long run...and to be honest, the actor was so good at playing such an evil character, I felt bad for him in this role.
...to having "so what" characters, like the prime minister, that really had no real role and took up too much screen time. And the little boy and his yo-yo, who should had more of a background to his story instead of a 5 second montage of nothing.
...I always give time travel and multiple universes a pass when story-telling because although it could be confusing and accepting things without question can be hard for some people...it all boils down to imagination.
So overall: I give this drama a solid 7, if you like your story tied up in a nice bow at the end...this may not be for you...you may be left scratching your head at the end, wondering...but, what about this??? What happened to this character???
Until my next review... I'll be watching another drama.
I'm out.
Was this review helpful to you?
