AbztractIsight
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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Dumb Title, Decent drama
The premise of the story was pretty standard. The acting was decent. The music wasn't annoying and production was okay too. I watched this because of Dori Sakurada and he didn't disappoint. I liked Yoko Kita as Reiko Usami.DISLIKES:
I really didn't like the FL until the very last episode.
Although adultery is a crime, the title didn't fit the drama.
Too many episodes of rehashing the same stuff, just to give us FL's point of view and then ML's point of view. Because of this, it just dragged on, where as they could've shown POV from FL & ML within maximum 2 episodes if that. POV wasn't needed, as it was pretty obvious anyway.
OVERALL:
It was an okay watch, some mature content, but nothing as some of Dori's roles in the past [for example Scum's Wish]. I wont rewatch it, but if someone does a clip compilation of just Dori's parts, without the POV, I'd watch that. 5.5/10 because the FL was good at her job and for once that was refreshing to see and because Dori was great.
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Good Start to Car Racing Movies
If you have never watched any car racing/street racing movies, this is a decent one to start with. The cast did well with acting. The story was interesting enough; mysteriousness mixed in with superstition. Beautiful cars and city scape. Good camera work, especially showing what the drivers' feet did and shifting of gears, when racing.However they tried to make the Blue Z car like Steven King's Christine (the DEVIL aspect) and failed. Also the green screens used for just driving down the street, not the racing portion, were super noticeable. Leaving the parking lot and even some of the street racing, they just sped up the film and it looked extra cheesy. Decent FX at the end of the movie, but the wounds of the young driver looked like ketchup. Adding the Female teacher wasn't needed and could've been left out completely. The music often didn't fit with the scene, I ended up muting some of it.
It's an action movie, so I didn't expect any character growth or serious development. It was fun enough and great car engine sounds. Maybe this movie inspired some of the Fast and Furious franchise movies.
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Good Friendship Show with Great Cast.
I enjoyed this drama, because of its relatability to real life. Each episode's story was good and had connectivity. I'm a fan of Yamashita and I liked Karina in this too. The ending showed some character growth and was satisfactorily concluded.The title didn't fit to the story and they tried to explain it when Asahi is talking about the summer. It should've been called Promises. LOL. I don't mind a slow build to romance, if the chemistry is shown or at least hinted at in a more obvious way; burning looks, accidental moments, touches, closeness, things like that. Or even if we were given some good kiss scenes, hinting at the chemistry. None of the couples really had that, including the owners of the cafe and restaurant on the beach. Their chemistry was on level of middle school kids and not adults. [Even in real life, if a guy or girl is as unreceptive or cold as these couples, we loose interest and move on.] The writing just wasn't strong enough beyond friendship and life trials. I would've given it a higher rating if the romance part of it was stronger.
A little too much time was spent on the teen romance, which wasn't even needed. The "Ricky" character and everything involved with him, was just dumb and felt like useless filler, when it could have been used on the ML 1 and FL2 (Asahi and Natsuki). Also the billboard part was too drawn out and repetitive; like they were beating us over the head with it. Twice was enough to make us understand Asahi's dependancy on remembering promises.
The production was good for the most part and the scenery was nice too. The music was decent, but nothing really memorable, at least I didn't have to mute it like in a lot of other dramas. There wasn't any FX that I can remember. Overall a solid 6.5/10, but I doubt I'll rewatch all of it.
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Good Story and worth the time.
All the characters did well with their acting. Great performance by Sano Hayato as Kota. The story was bitter sweet and predictable, but I love cherry blossoms and like that magical connection between past-present-future that was presented. Everything was well concluded at the end, so it was satisfying in terms of storylines.What kept it from being a 10/10 was how they wrote the FL character Mei. I felt myself thinking she's a moron and was constantly waisting time. My mom died before xmas of 2021 and if I had a chance to meet her again, even in my dreams, I would be hugging her and telling her how much I missed her! I didn't like how Mei and Kota spent so much time avoiding their true feelings. Maybe in the first or send episode, but all the way through, it just felt ridiculous.
Overall it's a good watch, great production with decent FX and music. Worthy of a rewatch too.
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Not As Good As Season 1
I never read the Manga, but I did watch Season 1. Miura Haruma, Narimiya Hiroki and Satoh Takeru gave fantastic performances. The music was okay, but could've been better for adding suspense to some scenes. The story concept was good, but the writing and execution had too many holes. The Hornet vs The Falcon wasn't as intense as it should've been. There was enough suspense and action to keep me interested and watching all the way to the end.However, like many other Japanese dramas/thrillers the production is not good and the director is lacking. Throughout the season no camera stabilizer was used, so the film is shaky and took away from the watchability of the show. It gave me a migraine, it was that bad. It didn't matter if the camera zoomed in or was out , the whole thing shook like a person who had too many Red Bulls or Coffee. Also there were scenes where the evil doer was trying to be all stealthy, but they didn't use a silencer on the gun? That's just stupid and amateurish. Also bad directing is that guns were pointed way to close to the other person's face. The point of using a gun instead of a knife, is so you can kill from a distance. Either you are a terrible shot or you've never used a gun. This all should've been caught by the director. With such great actors, these mistakes kept the show from hitting a higher overall score, hence 6/10.
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Disappointing and Too Long
This had potential and fell completely flat. The writers failed. The story of a female programmer trying to make it in an all male code programming company was sometimes ridiculous. I had hopes that the FL would be shown as having not just a strong personality but intelligence too. The ML was supposed to be similar, but with some emotional past issues. This story line has been done before and much better. When the FL was dressing like a male, why keep the makeup so female and not even in the femboi category; mascara and eyeliner. They didn't even try to make the male part believable. Then later in the story the ML is supposed to be some super smart guy, but he doesn't even catch on to the female antagonist's tricks. Also the sister of the ML is so idiotic that mid way through this drama I had to fast forward or mute her parts. She showed no character growth, even in the end. Same with the FL's best friend; annoying and written like a moron. The parents of the FL were exceptionally annoying too, they were written terribly (supposed to be protective of their daughter, but was borderline verbally abusive). Her parents should've been supportive at least by the middle of the drama. I fast forwarded their parts too, because of how much they contradicted themselves. The theme music made me mute it all the time.I did like the message of how females can conquer a male dominated industry, like code programming. The ML's best friend (Chen Yi Ming -actor: Yi Da Qian) was one of the characters I liked, until the end. The cinematography and locations were very well done, (with the exception of the in car green screens for the windows).
Overall the story is old fluff, that wasn't well executed. I wont be watching it again. 5/10
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Great Conclusion to the Series, Awesome Fight scenes
I have loved all the Rurouni Kenshin movies. The scenery locations, sets, clothing, makeup, etc. was all fantastic. The fight scenes were phenomenal as always. Favourite fight sequences were those with Mackenyu Arata's character. Both Takeru Satoh and Mackenyu were awesome in The Final. [I would love a spin off movie with Mackenyu's character.] The other actors/actresses that we saw in the other movies, came back for their rolls and they were all great too. Some new ones, as expected and everyone gave their best performances.The only reason this movie didn't get a 10/10 from me is because: 1) there were re-caps/memories from one of the previous movies, that seemed too long, 2) Karou and Kenshin's partnership lacked growth and romance and 3) I wanted more screen time for Mackenyu's character.
I have rewatched this so many times, that I have bought the entire series (DVD set)!
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Great Fight Scenes
I read the manga after watching this show. The fight scenes were very realistic and so were the FX (bruises and knuckle damage, blood, etc.). The acting was awesome and believable. I've rewatched the fight scenes a few times! Good story, great production, appropriate music, well done all around.There was a touch of female interaction, which could've been left out or should've had a little more. I hated the ending, because it felt like they were going to give us more seasons and yet we got nothing. For these two reasons it only gets an 8/10.
If you like fight scenes it's worth the rewatch!
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Some dark content but worth the watch
Everyone did a great job with their acting. You could actually feel the chemistry between Mackenyu as the dancer Masaaki and FL [Yuuko] Nana (maybe that's because they've been in other dramas together). Their kiss scene with the gyoza was hot (and I was happy to see Nana knows how to kiss). Sure his character was a super big jerk, but it forced her to mature too.This drama is on the darker side for how FL is treated, however I did like the ending (once it got past the boring drawn out part). The OST was not annoying, but nothing special and nothing stood out for the visual effects. It dragged on in some parts, which is why it's only an 8/10, but it is rewatch worthy!
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Too Cute
I got sick of hearing the word "cute" as it was over used in this drama. Also having the FL constantly call the ML by his last name was dumb, by Episode 2, especially when they are alone. Sakurada Dori did the best he could in the role of Hiroto, but there was no chemistry with FL (Fukuhara Haruka) Risa. However she was better in this drama than in Good Morning Call. Drama's like this that have the FL as extremely incompetent and clueless, take away from the overall watchability. They could've had her learning self defence with Yuki or something. I felt more chemistry between Hiroto and Yuki, lol. And Risa had more chemistry with Tsubasa (Ogoe Yuki). The FL's childhood friend was under utilized and fell flat. I rate it 6.5/10 overall. It's a good watch for someone just starting to watch Japanese dramas. To be cheesie: The Vanilla overpowered the Coffee.Was this review helpful to you?
Low Key Sci-Fi Sweet Movie
The cat is a cutie. The humanoid robots (the actor and actresses were fantastic, especially the receptionist ones) are decent. This should've been a show and not a movie, they needed more time to really get the Sci-Fi part better. I was happy with the acting from everyone. The "villain" wasn't dark enough, but still worked. I was pleased with the ending.The OST wasn't anything special, but at least it didn't annoy me and I didn't have to mute the TV due to it.
I will watch again. A solid 7.5/10 overall!
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Failed in Delivery
The storyline had potential and there was some cast that could've added to it, but the directors and writers failed. High school students that are athletes at the very least understand strategy and use the strengths of the people they have. But that was ignored. I watched the whole thing, but even the impossible odds didn't show much growth for the student characters. The action was okay, but overall was disappointing. Not worth rewatching. Even the "special effects" to show the time change, were completely lame.Was this review helpful to you?
Gentle Romance
The story is the typical j-drama romance formula. From the start we know that the female lead is terminally ill, so we can figure out the ending easily. It’s a simple storyline and focuses on the innocent romance. In some parts of the movie it moves very slowly and I think they could have used that time instead to show more of the dates that Yusuke and Miyuki go on, to help establish their relationship more. It felt abrupt at how the trip to Finland for them both occurred. Given the limited script they were given Hiroomi Tosaka and Ayami Nakajo to a great job of creating chemistry. But to really create the warmth of love, I felt that was lacking, with no fault of the actor and actress. The scenery of Finland and the Northern Lights are beautiful. I liked the moments with Yusuke’s family (brother and sister), and how his glass making was tied into the whole storyline too. There was so much potential within the storyline, but it fell a little short. There could’ve been more emphasis on her illness and how she hid it from him, so that the ending had more dramatic impact. Overall, I still enjoyed it.Was this review helpful to you?
