Ange
Australia
When it comes down to it though, the writers have done an excellent job in making the story interesting by balancing their numbers game with drawing viewers into the cat and mouse thrill of the chase of money. Everything falls into place, everything makes sense and there is a great twist at the end, so look out for that.
With Ryu Jun Yeol and Yoo Ji Tae, you really never know what you're going to get in terms of story line because they both choose pretty decent roles that they know they can challenge well. The cast exceeded my expectations and even the supporting cast held their roles well. We see the differences in Cho Il Hyun and Jun Woo Sung as they grow separate in their job roles and friendships and the divides money can bring to friends, colleagues and family. The acting was done well. Also let's be real, we have stellar and experienced support role players here with Jo Woo Jin and Jung Man Shik - most of us know their faces even if we don't know their names. They're pretty great dudes.
The music was above average, though thinking about it now it's been about 15 minutes and regretfully, while I know I enjoyed it, I don't remember much of it, much less a standout piece.
Overall I rated a 9 because I feel it's hard to make the stock exchange interesting and though I expected to be comparing to Default (also excellent) or Wolf of Wall Street, I found myself not. Money also held my attention where usually I stray and multitask when viewing movies, but I was sat on the couch telling the ghosts who was screwed. I wanted to know how it ended. The ending was also super satisfying. While I couldn't see myself re-watching this in the near future, I can ultimately in about five to six years just because it's interesting. It was an interesting movie that I feel is worth a shot even if you think you won't enjoy it. There is the chance that you might even learn something too. Who knows?
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The dialogue is witty - even the very few boring bits to tie up specific plot lines, are so well done and there is multi-level, clever humour laced and nuanced throughout the whole drama.
There are so many points where My Fellow Citizens! could have gone wrong or ended poorly, but it is easy to see that the writers, cast and production crew and staffs have put 10,000% into bringing this story and its characters to life in a humane way despite their backgrounds, right down to the smallest of details. So much so that the writers have made sure it has an appeal to a wider audience of Asian drama lovers with an even spread of romance, humour, politics and crime.
The cast are competent, well rounded and dynamic, including the support roles who are able to carry their own sub-plots with relevance, and memorability and the music only supports their high energy enthusiasm despite their often precarious situations. This brings me to another thing that I loved about My Fellow Citizens!, which is that all of the characters are relatable at some point and their growth as people is believable and unpretentious. Even Park Hoo Ja, who was a very smart and very strong but albeit formidable and quite evil antagonist learns a thing or two.
I have not felt this much complete adoration for a drama since History of Salaryman - which let me tell you, My Fellow Citizens I can safely say that I liked it a little bit more given the more current underlying issues between the jokes and laughs.
My Fellow Citizens! is a great drama for anyone and everyone - highly recommend.
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Firstly we are presented with a (handsome) young man, Junichi, who likes to have sex but maybe that's how he feels he can relate to the women he encounters? We don't know. To me Junichi is a complex character who, like most people, hides a lot of himself from others and understands that real connections with people are hard to make and they can be quite scary despite his bold and upfront desires. He is likely comfortable with himself at this level. We get to learn more about the women he sleeps with who have their own stories and they all seem happy to use him sexually for their own purpose and largely likely due to his allure, availability and willingness to get down. In each episode though, we learn a little more about him. He is emotionally elusive and appears to like his life that way. It is a very modern way of thinking and comments on society with a brutal honesty.
I feel like at the end though, it's less about his libido and the porking and more about how he and the characters learn more about themselves as the story unfolds.
What I loved was the acting. It was simple. It was honest. And there was less dialogue to lead viewers in a pointed opinion towards each specific issue presented in each episode. I appreciated this greatly. It does also help that Shison Jun is just so gorgeous. Forget that he is jarringly thin, when you get to see his eyes and his lips there's something there that even I would have a hard time not giggling like a fool if presented to me.
The music was simple. There were lots of moments without music that made each scene more relatable because in life there is often no background music. But it was effective when employed. I enjoyed the nature sounds a lot.
In all honesty, I probably would not re-watch this unless I was craving me some Shison Jun. But it was an enjoyable watch and an interesting story.
Overall Junichi is the kind of drama I personally enjoy watching. It reminds me a lot of a summers' afternoon with a gin and tonic and cucumber, or a pineapple, mint and apple juice over ice with perhaps a splash of vodka or white rum... It's been hot and dry all day but then that sea breeze hits and that is Junichi. In a nutshell. That is the feeling that this drama gives me.
I'd be interested to see if anyone else felt similarly on reflection after finishing this drama, please drop a comment and let's chat.
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What I loved about Tourist was the acting is subtle, the characters are real and bring their own unique charms and downfalls and they are so human that you can't hate them, because they're relatable. These characters could be someone you know and they're all trying to find answers to problems or face issues in their lives to help them move on. The story itself is quite solid, with great cast and acting. And through the actions of each encounter we are able to understand more about the characters than is said in the dialogue, just as you would if you were to interact with someone new in the real world.
The music fit well and the opening theme sequence was well done and fit the drama well.
While I probably wouldn't watch Tourist again in a hurry, it is one of the better short dramas that I have enjoyed for its simplicity and understated storytelling, and one that I would recommend to a drama fan who was feeling a little lost with what to watch and wanted to understand themselves a little better.
Personally, I rated it an 8 because these are the kinds of stories that I like. Short, sweet and to the point and I see a lot of myself in Miura's character. There is also something to be said for the Japanese way of storytelling - it's always so unique and there is always an element of relatable humanity.
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Story: Do you like/love Monsta X? Do you love dogs? Do you love Wonho in sequins and curly wigs? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you will probably enjoy this particular MX variety. In all seriousness though, this was about them having fun with puppies and showcasing their collaboration with Twotuckgom for the characters and purchasable items inspired by these characters (they're pretty darned cute). And the episodes are about 10 minutes each which is a great bite size for those lacking in data (this is watchable on YouTube) and those running short of time.
Cast: Monsta X members feat. bichon frise fur children = 10 episodes of pet care, fun and people we love, loving animals! No spoilers here, but naptime is the cutest!
Music: The soundtrack is mainly Monsta X songs feat the song that they did for the show called Breathe For You, I love it, think it's great and if you haven't heard it yet, it's streamable on most platforms.
In terms of re-watchability, I can honestly say though I loved this and probably would watch it again, Monsta X-Ray and some of their other appearances have made me laugh more and hence this has a lower re-watch value for me personally. But everyone is different and this is still worth watching at least once.
Overall I rated this 9/10 because of the cheesy but necessary final episode. I'm not too interested in the Twotuckgom line but I can see how excited the guys were about it. And having it all in the final episode that it felt like an advertisement kind of cheapened their puppy day concept a little. Like we are here to play with puppies and relax but mainly to advertise this product. They gots to get paid I know but I felt like it could have been done a little more subtly. Other than that, I love and appreciate Monsta X just as I have done for years and probably years to come and am grateful that they're doing so well and got to play with these cute little pups. Puppy Day was an enjoyable watch that made a couple of really long weeks a lot better and I'm sure it will have a similar effect on most of the people who choose to watch it.
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The cast was pretty simple. They played their characters very true to honest human life. Though I have only really seen two other roles that Sota Fukushi has played so at present for myself, this one is the most touching. Nana the cat was super cute. Lastly, Noriko, played by Takeuchi Yuko, was believable and well played.
Regrettably while the music fit the film well and enhanced the emotions/scenes and was nice to listen to, it was forgettable.
Overall, I can see myself watching this movie again. Mainly because the story really touched my heart. My cat changed my life, he is a great comfort and joy to me and to see that similar relationship translated so beautifully through film really tugged my heartstrings. I loved the scenery as well, the use of flowers and the sun was nice and the traveling scenes portrayed the journey that Satoru and Nana have both been on and what they have yet to go on. These moments are transferable/relatable to absolutely anyone who is living.
Traveling Cat Chronicles is definitely worth a watch.
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He is Psychometric is slow moving and romance based to begin with but speeds up around halfway once the depth of the relationships between all of the characters has been established. It also somehow manages to maintain its emotional depth despite this sudden plot speed increase. Arguably the romance could have been omitted but we would have likely been left with fickle 2D characters who had revenge as motivation and probably also a six-episode intense crime only drama, irrelevant characters and too many plot-holes - which is made abundantly clear in the final episode that this is not the story the writers wanted to tell.
Plot-wise for me it also became a bit too obvious about halfway what was going to happen next EXCEPT there is one question about Sung Mo that maintained the suspense until the very end.
Overall, the cast, plot and music was all delivered solidly, the messages were portrayed clearly and there left a lot of room for insight and personal interpretation. This team delivered a piece of work with a lead cast of anti-heroes which I really loved.
Music-wise – the music fits well with the drama, no complaints here.
There wasn't much I didn't like.
Would I re-watch it? Probably in around 5-6 years when I want to be reminded of just how differently people deal with their emotional scars.
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A good way to end a KDrama Funk
What better way to get back into watching KDramas than with A Business Proposal, which had me laughing out loud more than once and was the perfect length for anyone currently going through a KDrama funk like I was. It had two definite winners (in my opinion) with male leads, Ahn Hyo Seop and one of my personal favourites, Kim Min Gue (?Kyu ?Gyu) and honestly I was so happy to see him in my first drama back. But let’s not forget about our female leads who held their own as well, comedic genius Kim Se Jeong and the gorgeous Seol In Ah. What I loved the most was that these two characters were developed, and their friendship didn’t come across as forced for the screen which really helped this drama A LOT.I 100% agree with Catherine’s review in that another godsend was that this hetero rom-com went just deep enough to stay lighthearted without falling into the convoluted early-mid 2000s ick traps, where deliberate ignorance and stupid misunderstandings were our main bae and instead, we were served a modernized supportive and educated friend and family network relevant to todays’ societal standards. Even the workplace teams seemed more like teams instead of frenemies.
For me there was no standout music track, but I can’t be mad because there was nothing to detract from the story or the characters.
While I probably wouldn’t watch A Business Proposal again, I stand by my opinion that it was funny and worth a watch if you want something short, sweet, and comedic; and I will remember it with fondness (and Kim Min Gue).
All in all, A Business Proposal is refreshing with its modernized clichés that hit right while still giving viewers that penultimate traditional love story ending. At 12 episodes, I didn't have to commit a great deal of time and attention to viewing either, which was a large part of its appeal to me personally and I do not regret spending my time watching it.
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At first glance it feels like a rock climbing action thriller with hints of bioterrorism. And it was. But it was so much more than that. I laughed - A LOT - and felt for the characters. The plot is as simple as described in the synopsis. But it's so complete. It is what it is and it is done simply and effectively - ah the wonders of modern science. And you're not left wondering what the hell that gas is made of because you're so focused on the lead cast, willing them to survive. Even the conclusion of the film is so simple and satisfying. It's set up nicely, executed effectively and concluded with few plot holes. I loved it. There is no heroism, just human honesty, resourcefulness and the desire to survive or die trying.
It also seamlessly tied in the dated trope of large-scale-disaster with the perks and ingenuity of modern technology. With the use of drones operated by people of all ages to make it a community event, these people no longer became individuals, but a larger whole and by inclusion showed the propensity for human-kind to help each other survive despite not being intimately involved. It was an ingenious choice to include this and gave the story a breath of fresh air.
Im Yoona and Jo Jung Suk were so perfectly in sync and chemistry that I find it difficult to imagine any other two actors that have the sense and experience enough to fill these roles. Seeing her and Jung Suk perfectly bounce off each other without awkwardness or pretense, nothing felt forced, it felt largely natural which is a great compliment to the filming crew as well. Excellent.
Music - Loved it. It fit well though not super memorable despite the special choreography MV released with Yoona and Jung Suk.
Overall I would definitely re-watch Exit every now and then for the laugh out loud moments and it will probably stick in my mind as a highly enjoyable comedy action thriller that was done right.
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