Garbage Writing and Bad Time Management (no pun intended)

LIKES:
Beach setting and cinematography.
Okay music.
Okay acting, considering what a piece of crap the writing/script was.
Production was fine, but could’ve been better.

DISLIKES:
WRITING
No need for the time travel bits or flash backs (since the episodes weren’t long or many).
The time travel parts just made it confusing and ridiculous.
The love triangle was all over the place without establishing why Taki was suddenly in love with the FL. And Aikawa had no chemistry with Kayo at all.
Who was Juumonji? (Other than the guy chasing FL with a camera [which was never explained] and the same guy telling her good luck on the exam. Unless he’s the one she’s supposed to end up with, this character was under used and not needed.
The time used on unnecessary characters and the time travel people/situations could’ve been cut out, so the main characters were better developed, (given the limited air time and number of episodes).

DIRECTOR
I really hated the ice cream scenes, because no one ate it, mostly it melted or was dropped on the floor. For a teen romance this had barely any romance and the delayed kisses with FL was way too long. The actors like Kamio Fuju were under used considering their talent.

FX
There were none. The time travel moments were either a bright light or a fade out, so cheap. Also every time the FL fell, she didn’t have a scraped knee or anything. The blood on her finger looked real, that’s about it.

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Writing Failed a Good Start

LIKES:
Concept of friendship and delivery people are a band of brothers.
Kung-soo’s character and positivity.
Music was okay, nothing memorable.
No real FX.
Okay production.

DISLIKES:
Dan-ah wasn’t a nice person, not to family or friends. If they were trying to make her seem strong, they could’ve done it without her constantly hitting or kicking people. Sure if it was self-defence or something similar it’s fine, but it became ridiculous and not just annoying. I liked her independence, but the rest of her character was dumb.
Didn’t feel the chemistry between Kung-soo and Dan-ah, the romance aspect wasn’t really needed.
The comedy was overdone and not funny, felt stupid.
They ruined Kung-soo’s character of being a good human that doesn’t hold grudges in order to conclude his storyline, which is simply crap writing.
Rushed ending, with too much happening in the last episode, but time management was an issue throughout the whole drama. Some parts were really boring, the romances were poorly done, to the point of being cringeworthy.
Kung-soo had a bad dose of a hero complex, he didn’t have any character growth, it was almost like the writer reversed his character at the end.

OVERALL:
It started strong and then got bogged down, to the point of having boring episodes. I barely finished it.

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Science meets investigative drama with a dose of humour

LIKES:
The writing was very well done for this and same with all the acting.
Cinematography
Location settings
The science behind each case, was based on real data.
The 3some of doctor, government official and genius parasitologist, some how works. There’s humour, emotions without romance, excitement, etc. Some of Yamashita’s best humours moments is how he can deliver some of the phrases completely deadpan and their duo brings lightheartedness to the scientific aspect. The doctor and genius have a great chemistry and make each episode and case interesting.
Showing the parasites and viruses as cute animated cartoons, worked too.
The OST was good, but nothing outstanding.

DISLIKES:
The FX, especially involving blood looked extra fake.
Production could’ve been smoother, some editing of cut scenes made other moments not flow so well. Also directing had some problems too.
Sometimes the sound effects, especially when the genius had an epiphany, started to get annoying instead of keeping an amusing quirkiness to his character.

OVERALL:
I recommend watching this if you like science, investigative dramas layered with comedic relief. I would watch this again. The conclusion or final episode was satisfactory too.

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New Concept To The Same Old Idea

I never read the manga and I'm not familiar with any of the cast, so this review is based on everything being new to me as the viewer.

LIKES:
The production and cinematography were both great. I loved the vibrancy and colour palette.
The story concept of art through fashion in a coming of age, school to work theme.
I found the acting of the FL initially a bit over the top (made me think the character was a moron) but she grew on me and I liked her more mid way.
The music was okay, nothing annoying but also nothing stood out.

DISLIKES:
The director failed during some moments with timing, having the FL taking too much time for reactions/actions.
The transformation from high school no-body to beautiful working woman, wasn't as impactful, even though the make-up was pretty.
The supporting characters storylines needed more development, I wanted more storyline from the Transgender/Cross-dresser (Isabelle?).
The high school boy love story could've been left out completely or definitely reduced, since the writer seemed to abruptly conclude it.
There were some red flag moments too, however I understood it was mostly to teach a lesson for the FL.
The family portions of the drama were very choppy, which caused them to loose their impact.
Some time should've been used for showing FL trials and becoming an adult between home and finding work. It all happened too fast.

OVERALL:
The conclusion of the movie was acceptable for the FL and ML, but not for the other supporting characters. It was an easy watch, with not much heartache or drama as the viewer. I would watch it again and recommend it.

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More Documentary, Than A Romance

LIKES:
Aaron Yan listed as the Male Lead and for what he was given, didn't disappoint.
Cinematography was well done.
Music was perfectly crafted, especially the violin parts that hit your emotions (more than some of the acting).
My favourite parts from the whole thing was the old man Hayama and his interaction with the ML/FL and his whole storyline.
The traditional Taiwanese dancing in Episode 2 was beautiful to see.
Cinematography was good.

DISLIKES:
Production tried to link it all together, but you could tell there were parts cut out, it wasn't smooth. At least there were no shaky camera situations to add drama.
Unlike the train they were designing, the drama moved very slowly and some moments I fast forwarded (like a very slow moving moped out in the country scene), that and some really drawn out moments like at the beginning of Episode 2 [no traffic]. That’s the director’s fault and maybe the writer too. A lot of time wasted on the side stories, (like the hostess club bits) instead of focusing on the FL and ML. I really dislike women like the character for the FL; indecisive, not following their heart, being evasive or giving mixed signals, etc.
The train parts felt like a documentary, more than a drama, some parts were redundant. A good chunk of it was about how the train linked Japan and Taiwan together. The “romance” of the FL & ML was under utilized and seemed like a storyline thrown together. The storyline of Hayama seemed more like the main story, after the train.

OVERALL:
Most of it was almost boring, with some interesting bits. Not well planned out. I don't recommend this and won't rewatch.

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Slightly Better Than Japanese Version

NOTE: I don’t follow Joy from Red Velvet and I didn’t read the manga, this review is solely based on the show itself.

LIKES:
Story development of FL, ML and the two groups/bands, and the CEO guy
Better character development and content for backstory, than the Japanese version.
The friends that stick together rather than go after individual glory/money concept was really well done. The cut throat music industry was well done in how it can divide artists/friends, how it is after money and doesn’t always listen to it’s artists. The singing bits weren’t dubbed, but the actors themselves singing and playing their instruments.

DISLIKES:
Directing wasn’t the greatest, because in some circumstances throughout each episode the characters waited to react, way too long. For example: Episode 6 at end/start of 7 Director had FL wait way too long.
Shaky camera, especially close up shots [it was as if the video stabilizer was removed].
The romance was slow paced and could be boring at times
Repeating music got old, but the first time I heard the song(s) it was catchy and decent in the pop genere.
No chemistry between FL & ML, more of a friends vibe, but their acting was fine.
Predictable Music-drama Fluff with typical teen drama tropes.
The plot kept switching between romance of FL & ML, among some side stories, to the story of Crude Play (their beginning, trials and future).
The writing made the FL dumb and the ML oblivious to everything around him (until maybe the last few episodes).
The love triangle fell flat and completely failed, maybe due to the childish aspect they created for the FL.

OVERALL:
Light content, easy watch, for a K-drama it’s plot was limited, but enjoyable. Kpop fans will love the OST. Better than the Japanese version, that cut content that was needed. [When I watched the Japanese version I remembered watching the Korean one, so had to re-watch to give an accurate review.] I won’t rewatch it again.

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Easy Watch, Typical Story

LIKED:
Ren by Saito Ryusei, was well performed. Acting was great by Kamenashi Kazuya as Hiroto. And Toda Erika did well as the best friend. Not as much chemistry between FL and ML as I originally thought.
Production was good until last episode; shaky camera and zoom in too close. The cinematography was well done for the most part too. No fx that I saw. Loved when Ren and Hiroto built something together using shells and ocean glass they found on the beach.

DISLIKED:
Time Management Failed: the ending felt rushed and I wanted to see what the characters futures looked like, if they cut the time used for literally running around (especially for Kamenashi Kazuya’s character Hiroto), the girls have cell phones, could call a cab, they can afford one.
More screen time for Kamenashi Kazuya at least in the final two episodes was needed.
OST Song: one main theme song that played over and over again, to the point I muted it and hoped it would stop.
The supportive friend who worked at cafe Ayuta?, had no conclusion for his character
Disliked parents of both FL and ML
Director sucked in that often Nao and Kou had WAY too slow reactions to things. To the point that it made them seem mentally handicapped.

OVERALL: It's a decent watch, nothing really emotional or fantastic to grab the viewer. Because of Kou, it could've been listed as a Rom-Com. I wont rewatch, but many would.

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Good Messages with a side of Cheese

LIKES:
OST- The cafe with the old guy by the bar, plays great rock music, like AC DC’s Back in Black, Led Zeppelin, Gun’s and Roses, etc. WRITING- The messages: Love yourself first, above what others think or say. Accepting people for who they are, not just superficial things: looks, money, status, etc. ACTING- Good character growth for ML1 Kazuya as Kyohei [showcased his ability to show a good range of emotion] and Sunako too. The kid Takeru, the actor did a great job and at such a young age too! The friendship theme was carried throughout. Some of the cinematography was beautiful. The Director did a good job too.

DISLIKES:
Right in Episode 1, shaky camera issues, like they don’t know what a film stabilizer is. The mother abandoned her son way too much, she should love her son more, he’s a smart cutie. The growth of the other characters (excluding Kyohei and Sunako), was rushed and for Ranmaru his growth due to the situation he created was ridiculous. The boarding house’s female owner had no growth or development. The special FX for Sunako’s super power were more cheesy than anything else. The supernatural events in the house, made that part of the show very lame and stupid.

OVERALL: The music and acting was the biggest reason this show got 6.5, otherwise I would've scored it 4.5 or 5/10. I had to rewatch it to leave a review, since I had watched this originally over a year ago. The parts I liked back then, were the same parts I liked now. I would recommend this show if you like campy/silly storylines.

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Good Fight Scenes, Needed More Time

LIKES:
Production was good and so was the cinematography. Sometimes time travel movies/shows get bogged down with details that don't translate to film well. This movie didn't have that problem. The writer(s) kept enough dialog to keep it interesting. The fight scenes were well done; blood/damage FXs, choreography, sounds, music, etc. The story needed more time, to develop the mystery of the man behind the conflicts, who we see a few times. This would've been better as a series with episodes, but for what they accomplished it was satisfying with the conclusion. As in any fighting type movie/show Yamada Yuki kills it. I liked his portrayal of Draken and he looks so good with a partially shaved head! I also liked Ryo's Mikey and Takumi's Takemichi. The music was good and added to the film, but no particular song stood out.

DISLIKES:
The Director in this had some faults, like how long he has some characters have a reaction in certain situations. In particular the director failed with how Takemichi handled some situations and same with Hina. I was literally yelling at the screen for them to shut up and get moving. I never read the manga, so my review is solely based on the movie itself. The actors don't look like they are teenagers. If you compare Tong: Memories cast against the cast of Tokyo Revengers, the Tong cast look more like teenagers than these guys. Also the beginning of the movie almost made me not watch it, but as I'm a fan of Yamada Yuki, I stuck with it. The beginning was dumb, but I'm glad I kept watching. I didn't feel any connection between Takemichi and Hina, their romance part of the movie failed. They had no chemistry, but she was needed as the explanation as to why Takemichi was so driven to change outcomes. The ending was barely satisfactory, but left too many unanswered questions.

OVERALL: A good watch with fun fight scenes/violence. I hope they make a sequel to expand on the storyline. I would recommend watching it and I will rewatch it just for Yuki's character.

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Rom-Com with a huge slice of Cheese

LIKES:

Cinematography (no shaking camera even during action scenes, zoom in & out well done) and beautiful landscape shots of Taiwan. Soundtrack aka OST was good and fit the mood. I really enjoyed Bii singing acapella and he contributed some beautiful songs. Theme song was overplayed. I liked the storyline of Nana and Qing Yang, and they had good chemistry. There is one part where Katie Chen’s character overhears something and misunderstands what is being said, which becomes a gut wrenching moment for Nana. It was so well done, that as the viewer I could really feel her pain. The actress did really well in that scene. I also liked the friendship and family aspect of the storyline. There is a part where Baron Chen’s character questions his sexual orientation and Bii’s character is understanding and supportive. I truly liked that whole scene and how it was handled, including the bit of comedy that was inserted too. The bare upper body shots of Edison Wang as Han Zheng, showed off how much work he puts into his physical appearance and I’m sure the female viewers appreciated it.

DISLIKES:

AUDIO ISSUES: background noise that even drowned out what the actors/actresses were saying. There is a camping scene where they are supposed to be in the mountains/wilderness, yet you hear a barking dog. LIGHTING ISSUES: happened here too, as it’s supposed to be night time away from the lights to see the stars (Nana & Qing Yang moment), but it’s like a spot light is shining on them as if they are camping on a ski hill with all it’s lights [but there is no ski hills in Taiwan. Mountain peaks get snow, but no ski hills.] Also a lot of cheese and CLICHES, but it was more funny than annoying to me. Others will probably hate it though. The WARDROBE DEPARTMENT should’ve been fired, especially how they dressed Pi Ya Nou and Xing Tian. I hated how they only gave two or three outfits to Nana and they weren’t good. ACTING was okay, but Mandy Tao was way over the top (probably the director’s fault) and her voice was annoying. The adults were mostly irritating, especially Pi Ya Nou’s mother. LIMITED CHARACTER GROWTH: FL started out as a strong character and as the show progressed she only existed for the ML and often was very childish. The rest of the characters really had no character growth, they only had semi-completed storylines. Zi Han’s supposed character growth seemed forced and thrown in at the last second. CHEMISTRY: it was lacking between the ML and FL, even the kiss scenes seemed the chemistry didn’t work. Their kisses held no romance and passion seemed to forceful. WRITERS FAILED: the reason for the FL to pretend being a man from childhood to an adult, was completely stupid. It was supposed to be the main story, but became a sub-plot to the “gangster” storyline. It was like the writer(s) got confused with what they wanted to make the main storyline. Most of the adults were annoying and added little to the plot. Even the “gangster” aspect was very low key (and a lot of cliches). Also if Qing Yang was supposed to be Zi Feng’s Enforcer or investigator, they didn’t execute it very well. The Villain was a boy playing at being a gangster, or that’s how it was delivered. Then we have the attempted triangle love story between Pi Ya Nou, Zi Feng and the vet. It was pathetic and the vet only served as a catalyst of truth for the ML & FL. Also the writers gave up on the story towards the end or maybe they just rushed it to get the series done. Either way it came across as empty.


OVERALL: It’s a decent rom-com, with some heartfelt moments and simple romance. I have re-watched it, but mostly for the Qing Yang and Nana story. I would recommend it.

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A Couple for Everyone

LIKES:
STORY: although slow with the ML and FL, was better with the Mark & Ou Wen characters. The farmer and financial adviser couple story shows you that opposites can attract. Each storyline was developed at different speeds. The supporting stories happened faster, but didn’t feel like filler and fit within the main plot. They handle a few adult themes: sexual orientation and ‘coming out’, pregnancy, divorce, marriage and touches briefly (a back story) on bullying. I liked that they were using the theory that love knows no age, financial background, education, or gender. (Except they didn’t have a racial love story). I saw a little character growth with the FL, but they didn’t show it enough with the ML. Mark had the most character growth and the financial advisor had a lot of growth too. Also some beautiful location settings and I recognized some from other dramas (BROMANCE 2015). Wu Nein Hsuan did well for his character. [I liked him in Age of Rebellion too.]

OST: was good and appropriate for the scenes, but nothing stood out, so neither good nor bad.

PRODUCTION: had good cinematography and filming had no shaky moments.

FX: not noticeable, the story and everything else was all natural.


DISLIKES:
The director kept the ML doing his scenes so slow, almost like he had a mental disorder. They played it as if he has a social disorder, but he’s a hair dresser, so that didn’t fit at all. They could’ve said he was slightly autistic, which would’ve fit better.

Backstory between FL and ML just made their age difference REALLY stand out, but as adults it wasn’t too noticeable. Also too much back story moments or flashbacks took too long, and the times could’ve been used for the Mark & OuWen couple or others.

They rushed the self discovery of Mark, but at least showed why he suddenly was into that person. I was more interested in watching his story unfold than the other couples and thought he needed more screen time.

Too many supporting actors/actresses having their storylines take up time.

FX: the pregnancy belly came on too suddenly, including the side effects of pregnancy.


OVERALL:
Good watch, not overly long and no really boring moments. If I do watch it again, it will be only the Mark and OuWen characters and their moments. I would recommend this show too.

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Commitment Issues

There wasn't much acting going on, the story seemed pointless, including the last episode. ML has sex sometimes with women, their ages vary. He can't seem to commit to anything; pets, people, jobs, etc. The details of each episode are vague and even so it moves so slowly. Some shaky camera moments where someone forgot to activate the video stabilizer. No FX to speak of. A lot of scenes in the dark, where you barely make out the actor/actress or anything.

Scenery is okay, music was okay.

Almost a total waste of time. Even with no expectations, this was completely underwhelming. Not worth the original watch, wont rewatch and wont recommend.

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Odd Housemates and Abrupt Ending

The acting was okay, but the whole show was too short, so the last episode was just barely showing character development and then it ended.

The CHARACTERS:
Tomoya seems autistic, but had no back story on his home life to let us understand why he’s expressionless and unable to share how he feels.
Taichi obviously has mommy issues and no back bone; did everything mother wanted & let her control his life, lets his work control his life.
Akari is naive, but her character is the least messed up
Aki has low self esteem and zero life direction, no back bone and is very submissive.

THE STORY:
Had so much potential to be a good drama, just needed more episodes. There also needed to be more back story for Tomoya and Akari. The intimacy moments were well done, without showing much skin. The ending was too open.

The PRODUCTION:
Smooth filming, nice cinematography/ location shots, and decent music that didn't become annoying.

The WRITING/Script:
Not enough development of concept, circumstance, backstory and little to none character development. They could have taken out her work scenes and used the time more efficiently for the 4 main characters.

OVERALL: Fast watch, not worth a rewatch and it will annoy most people.

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Had Potential, But was Just Okay

The one standout for acting (he was awesome) and made me finish the series, was Kim Won Hae, as Mr. Choi. The music throughout was appropriate for the scenes and it was quieted when the actors/actresses spoke (as it should be).

The story concept isn't new, but it had potential to be a great drama based on first two episodes, but it failed as if the writer got bored and that can make the viewer bored too. They failed with the attempt at a love triangle between the 3 dreamers; ML, FL and Woo Tak (actor Jung Hae In). Maybe it was because there was a lack of chemistry between the ML & FL or because the writing of the romantic moments sucked. During action sequences the camera was super shaky and same on closeups. It's a huge peeve of mine, because all they have to do is use a film/video stabilizer. The worst was in the beginning of Episode 13! So Production for me was a fail. The character development was barely there for the ML and the rest it was non-existant.

Overall other dramas with similar story concept have done better, but the ending of While You Were Sleeping was satisfactory. I wont watch it again and forced myself to finish it. Barely got to 5/10 for me overall, and mostly that was because of Kim Won Hae's acting!

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Decent Rom-Com

This review is based solely on the drama, as I never read the manga or seen any anime of it. But some of Sumire’s actions screamed manga moment, lol.

LIKES:
Writing:
The various facets of Takeshi’s (Momo) personality. The master/pet concept was cute and not overly sexualized. It did ring true with how pets give us so much patience and love, even though Momo was a human guy. I liked how the story showed us how broken the main characters were due to other people crushing their dreams and hopes. This realization by Sumire and Takeshi, brought about some beautiful scenes. There was no awkwardness due to the 10 year age gap, (although in 2023 American Hollywood people are marrying over 20 yrs age gap, so it’s not really shocking), because of there not being any sex between master and pet. Also Momo/Takeshi was 20 yrs old (already an adult), who had plenty of sexual experience due to previous relationships. The other sexual moments in the drama were tasteful done without over doing nudity. In some ways Takeshi was more mature than Sumire. There were many moving scenes between those two, as their relationship grew and their characters changed due to each other. Comedic moments were well crafted, didn’t feel forced or predominant. The ending was satisfying.
Subtitles:
Very well done, I wasn’t annoyed with bad grammar.
Acting:
All of the cast was well selected and brought their characters to life. Shison Jun was amazing showing the diversity of roles his character played and the emotions he had. There’s one part were he shows his anger and it meshes so well with the story. He was superb in this role and seeing his dancing was a treat. Iriyama Noriko really pulled off the naivety and introverted character of Sumire. The two of them had perfect chemistry for each stage of their relationship. Decent kissing that didn’t gross me out, for the most part.
Music:
The theme song Rainbow Rain suited the rom-com well and the other music was okay too.

DISLIKES:
Production:
Shaking camera syndrome in some scenes, but for the most part it was okay filming. Also the last few episodes felt a little rushed.
Editing:
There were some episodes that seemed choppy and didn’t flow as the scenes changed, which I think is sloppy editing.
Writing:
There were a few times that sexual intimacy was forced, especially between Sumire's Sensei and herself. There seemed to be only one time (his angry moment) between Takeshi and Sumire, but it wasn’t as cringy. The female pet didn’t fit as well and was given less time to develop, hence having no impact.
FX:
The facial wounds on Takeshi healed too quick, like they forgot to put that makeup on.

OVERALL:
I watched each episode and practically binged it. It’s an easy watch, without too much angst, but a little heavy on the characters crying. I enjoyed it and rewatched it, to leave a review, because the first time I didn’t. I would recommend it for anyone to watch.

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