Nostalgic

This was such a great little drama. I had never heard about it before and I'm glad I came across it.

The drama features good acting, story, cinematography, and OST which pairs well with the story. The story is not told lineally and uses flashbacks as one of its main storytelling devices. I greatly enjoyed it in this show because all the regulars got a backstory and it showed how characters developed into who they were in the present. The ones who did not get a fully fleshed out background story, still received a little attention in the future. This was one of my favorite things as it really helped me care about each and every one of them. Even the most hateful one had my sympathy, for about 2 seconds, but still had it.

It was also interesting for me to see similarities in the way the characters grew up, going to the corner store, getting cheap candy and thinking it was the best, and playing in the streets with friends. The traveling grocery van Jun Long came up with is especially nostalgic. It brought back memories of "la guaguita del pan" from my childhood. Its main product was the bakery bread, but it was like a traveling grocery store. We would all run to the corner while yelling, "we we we", so it would stop when we wanted to buy something. The prerecorded message was similar too.

My main complaints are that, even though I enjoyed the flashbacks, they repeated some of them one too many times, some closures were half arsed, and that extra scene after "the ending" was unnecessary. Especially, if there is no season 2, even almost 5 years later.

Read More

What If?

When this show first came out, I had planned to watch it, but ten years later had passed and I hadn’t. I have loved Kaku Kento since I watched him in Asuko March, over ten years ago. It had been a while since I watched anything with him and after watching House of Ninjas, I decided to watch a few more dramas he has done in the past. So, Testimony of N finally made it back on my radar.

I should start by saying the drama is very slow paced. However, it is a steady type of slow pace that kept me engaged throughout the show and made me feel like I was traveling right along the characters throughout their journeys. The acting and emotional portrayal of the characters was great and that along with the mysteries and the heartbreaks they experienced along the way kept my attention. It was truly an emotional roller coaster for me. The drama had complex relationships where they experienced trauma, hardships, laughs, secrets, sadness, understanding, even betrayal, and lastly, forgiveness.

The drama also is not told in a linear timeline. It constantly switches back and forth between multiple key years. This storytelling method is one I usually detest if the whole show relies on it and, while Testimony of N, used it through the entirety of its story, I felt it made me appreciate the story more and made me want to stay tuned to know more.

The OST was decent and the songs felt, for the most part, adequate. For me, an OST can help make or break a drama. Especially when it’s one of this kind.

I cried throughout the drama in different parts, like when they portrayed the struggles of Sugishita Nozomi, Naruse Shinji, and Masato Nishizaki with their families, and probably for the last episode and a half. Even after I watched its last scene, tears were still falling and the feeling of longing, of “what if?”, has stayed with me even as I write this review many hours after finishing the show.

Read More

Terrible Overall, Easy to Watch

You are on the highway and see ambulances and police cars, possibly even a fire truck. You know there's a car crash and that you should look away. After all, you will only have yourself to blame if you see something terrible, maybe even gory. But you just can't make yourself look away from it. That is exactly how I felt about this drama while I was watching it.

Despite terrible acting, terrible kisses, being full of cliches, it's a super easy watch with some moments I found cute sprinkled here and there. This is my personal opinion and it's not meant to dissuade others from watching the show. If the show is something you think you will enjoy, try it.

Read More

A Short & Fun Watch

I watched three shows about serial killers/murderers back to back. So, of course, a zombie drama was the perfect show to unwind. Although, the show is set during a zombie outbreak, it's not really about the zombies, it's about the people. This also means that although zombies are shown multiple times, they are used for comedic effect more than for horror, except for one event in the beginning.

This drama had it all; comedy, friendship, bromance, girl love, first loves, toxic relationships, insecure attachments, codependency, and even one effective, at least for me, jumpscare. The selfish nature of human beings is also highlighted throughout and it's especially noticeable through an event just before the last scene. Some of the characters, two more than the others, irritated me so much, but, overall, it was a fun watch with a quirky OST.

Read More

Decent But Flat

The story is one we all know by heart by now and it was executed in an okay way. The acting and look of the drama had a full length drama feel and the way it was edited didn't leave that choppy , "what in the world is happening?" feeling. I also liked OST. However, by episode 9 I was bored, possibly because their infatuation... I mean, their precious love seemed to blossom too fast. Some of the characters, like the female main character, were also initially irritating. Also, watching this on Youtube did not help as they tend to do weird things to the audio or remove it altogether for extended periods of time. I have no idea if Youtube does this automatically or if someone does it, but how are you going to remove the sound in key and climax points?How am I supposed to feel excited with garbled sounds or no sound at all? I wasn't moved at all by any of the events and there are both happy and tragic events that happen as the story moves.

In short, the drama was actually decent, but I did not enjoy it. This is my personal opinion and it's not meant to dissuade others from watching the show.

Read More

Cellphones Do Not Have Silence Options in the Only for Love World

Okay…

I started this despite not being a fan of modern/contemporary Chinese romance dramas because these usually feature nonsensically convoluted plots and too many misunderstandings. However, I like both main leads and wanted to watch something with Dylan since I will not be watching his other dramas from this year. I thought that having other cast members, like Bai Lu, Wei Zheng Ming, and Lui Dong Qin, all of whom I also liked even if I didn’t fully enjoy the shows they were in, would make it more bearable. It did not. I never expected a masterpiece, but had hoped for a decent story with relatable characters or at least characters who would allow me to live vicariously through them. This, also, did not happen.

The premise of the show was all based on a misunderstanding which dragged on for too long. On top of this, there were other couples whose dynamics were fun at first, but later entered the realm of toxic and stalkerish. As if having already three dysfunctional couples wasn’t enough, at around the 20th episode yet another couple was added.

Another part that bothered me was the romance between the main leads. I usually like slow burn romances, it gets me excited for when the fire finally consumes them and they cannot “fight that feeling anymore”, but for the love of all sacred monkeys, this wasn’t even a slowburn, it was almost no burn and the damned cell phone ringing was the main character, as one of the watchers so aptly commented. Someone wanted to clarify something, the phone rang. Someone wanted to confess, the damned phone rang again. Someone was about to kiss, you guessed it, the phone rang. It’s as if they didn’t know phones have silence options.

On top of this, some scenes that looked like they were finally going to get things rolling ended too abruptly. For the first kiss scene, I blinked and almost missed the kiss. There were too many filler-like scenes which featured their workplaces, business dealings, conferences, introduction of new antagonists, and talking about things I had no desire to listen to, or more specifically read about since I read the subs, especially in Shi Yan’s case. So I fast-forwarded these scenes or, in later episodes, just watched the drama as background noise. This leads me to another issue, this is a romcom. This drama is 36 episodes and personally, I believe romcoms should not be this long. This drama would have probably been a lot more tolerable to watch than it was if they had focused on less, because sometimes less is more. The addition of all those unnecessary subplots made it draggy and boring.

I don’t remember the OST and I do not plan on rewatching or recommending this to anyone. I added .5 because despite the drama being terrible, I still like Dylan Wang , Miles Wei, Lui Dong Qin, and Bai Lu.

Read More

Light & Heavy at the Same Time

This drama had been on my plan to watch list for a while, but I had been putting it off because I was worried the comedy would be too in your face or forced, which usually makes it unfunny for me. However, and even though I was watching/started quite a few dramas already, I decided to add one more to the list on a whim. This was because the ones I really wanted to watch had entered their multiple day breaks and the other ones I do have episodes available to watch aren’t keeping my interest.

During the first episode, or at least the first 30 minutes or so of it, I thought I would end up dropping this because the beginning of the episode wasn’t appealing to me and the comedy did feel a bit forced. But this soon changed as I kept watching.

For me, the comedy handled the comedy aspects of it well. Even when the comedy was too far out there, it had the right amount of angst, mystery, action, and seriousness to balance it out. This for me worked well because they didn’t overdo it on either the comedy or the tragedy. Another issue I encountered was a bad case of second lead syndrome. Don’t get me wrong, the king was endearing in his own right, but I felt the second male lead was better as she would have never have to guess what was in his heart. However, in the last episodes, I am glad he didn’t do what I was yelling at him to do and get what I wanted because the female character introduced then was perfect for oorie second male lead. She was as gentle, honest, protective, and fierce, in her own way, just as he was in his. I would have honestly loved to watch a few more scenes with them interacting, but I am glad they didn’t give him a miserable ending, of dying, becoming a villain, or eternally longing for someone who didn’t love him back, as they sometimes do in other dramas.

This drama was light and fluffy, while also being angsty in the right amount and at the right time. I enjoyed watching a grand queen dowager who, albeit trusted the wrong individuals, was not a raging evil plotting monster. I also enjoyed watching that the king’s main court lady and eunuch were loyal and never betrayed him. And most of all I loved that everyone received their just desserts at the end. The OST was nice and for me this is worth rewatching.

Was it a masterpiece? No.

Was it what I needed at the moment? Definitely, yes.

Read More

Terrible Acting Which Had Me Cackling

I watched this on a whim as nothing was keeping me interested. I have to say these shorties get away with so much. This had more kisses than the last regular length romance C-drama I watched. The ending was better than most dramas with similar themes too, but the acting was so cringe that it had me cackling all the way through.

I did like the potential the story had and the OST was nice.

If you are not picky about what you watch, or are bored and want to laugh at bad acting, or just need some background noise, I'd say watch it as it's less than one hour long. I will not be rewatching it though.

Read More

We Are Family

I love the type of shows where I go in with very low expectations because of what the trailers show and because I may not like one of the cast, but by the end, I am satisfied and feeling slightly nostalgic because the show and the watching experience were completely different from what I was expecting. Romance on the Farm is one of those shows. And to think I almost did not watch this because of the main lead actress.

However, I decided to still give it a go because of Joseph Zeng. I became a fan after his role in Mysterious Lotus Casebook. I said to myself, “At worst, I would end up dropping it. At best, I would enjoy it and add it to my ever growing completed list.” I almost did end up dropping it like 8 minutes into episode 1 because I could not stand the family. But then Shen Nu came into the picture and I forgot all about dropping it. In fact, I enjoyed it.

This is probably the first drama I have watched with Tian Xi Wei where her character didn’t bother me to the point of yelling at the TV. I attribute this to the Lians. I was too busy hating all of them to even focus on her. They let them get away with too much because "they were family" and they just had made a "little mistake". The worst of them all were the grandma and Shouren's family, his wife, Madame Gu, and daughter, Hua'Er. If the transgressions these made were little mistakes (according to the grandfather) I would hate to see what they would have considered big ones. They were definitely an intense gaming experience.

Additionally, although the character the main female actress portrayed did lack some sense in some things, and the male lead kept coming to her rescue, it wasn’t as terribly lacking as the characters I have watched in previous dramas. I still feel she is typecasting herself, and wish she would take more challenging roles, but I managed to be moved by her in some parts of this show. Around the midway point of the show, the male lead leaves to take care of some things and I was somewhat bored without him around. I was battling myself to stay awake without the Lians being as prominent as they were in previous episodes. I thought I wouldn’t even say this, but I kind of missed their toxic existences.

Despite its title, there is not much romance but we have the pleasure of witnessing cute and heartwarming moments between different couples and on the occasions when the main leads kissed, they were REAL kisses. *wiggles eyebrows* I also loved the OST. Usually using contemporary sounds in a mostly period piece feel awkward and out of place, but not in this one. Plus, Joseph Zeng sang an OST and it fit the story and scenes perfectly.

Although the show doesn’t delve deeper into some issues post-game, as it ended almost immediately after she came out of the virtual experience, and I am still curious about how long she was in there, I am satisfied with all the endings, both the in-game one and real life one (even before the special) as I felt they were fitting. I can see myself rewatching this show, even the initial episodes when the Lians were stabby hand gesture worthy.

Read More

Average But Watchable

I really liked the first six episodes of the show, surprisingly enough because of the male lead's cringe-y lines, and hoped it kept its momentum. However, like most dramas of this genre, it hit a speed bump and it felt draggy and boring after the sixth episode. This is not to say it did not have highlights afterwards. Episodes 13 and 14 were amazing, with episode 14 being my favorite in the whole series. After this episode, I wished the drama had taken place in the Joseon era setting and that it would have the same tragic ending that their characters had in that time. I felt the acting in the past life segments was great and the story was more compelling than the one taking place in the contemporary world. The last two episodes were mostly boring and the ending was lackluster. I found the characters to be neither special nor unique. They were pretty much the basic characters you can find in most dramas. The story had a lot of potential, but it was wasted. It's a watchable drama, but a very forgettable one that I will not be watching again.

Read More

Should Have Ended at 20-24 Episodes

There might be spoilers, read at your own risk

It has been a while since I have written a review and this will be more like a short commentary than a review, but here it goes.

I love fantasy dramas and I really like these time-space travel types of shows. I love watching the character’s reactions and how they try to navigate a completely unknown location and time. However, I felt robbed of that in this drama, especially since the male lead learned to figure out technology faster than many people who have been living in contemporary times their whole lives.

The drama was mostly light, cute, and funny at first, although it was sprinkled with some seriousness here and there. I even thought misunderstandings would be solved fast as the situation with her coworker, I cannot remember his name and cannot be bothered to look it up, was resolved pretty quickly. I was so wrong. About halfway through the show, it became boring, nonsensical, and repetitive. It was so repetitive that I kept thinking, “Really?!?! How many times is this dude going to be on his deathbed and how many times is she going to break up with him?”.

Once the Zhou Wei (?) villain situation was “resolved”, I thought “finally!”. But no! The drama had more plans in store for us. *Obsessively in love with female lead brother enter stage left* This arc was hard to watch. It was frustrating, it was dragged, and felt like some form of ancient torture. When they finished the brother arc, it wasn’t enough. So for the last two episodes we are subjected to Zhou Wei again. Only he is in the contemporary world and does better at finding free clothes, learning tech, and entering places, which I would think would high security, than I ever could dream of. All of this, while hurt.

The drama is full of the usual cliches like long drawn misunderstandings, break-ups, third wheels obsessed with main leads, and… well, I won’t mention the end. If you have watched this type of drama before, it will not be surprising.

This drama would have stayed pleasant if it ended at 24 episodes (or even less). For me, it went from being a delightful watch to being tedious and almost feeling like it was a chore to watch the show.

I am never rewatching this and would not recommend it to anyone, but I also think that if watchers are hesitant, they should watch it for themselves and form their own opinion.

Read More

Lack of Chemistry

The story concept seemed interesting to me since these days a lot of people turn to online dating to meet others. I liked the idea of this type of virtual dating. If it was available right now, I would do it since I wouldn't have to leave my house.

I really wanted to like the show, but it was not enjoyable for me. It is shot well, the idea behind the story is great, and it has some really amazing sights. I also liked that they liked each others virtual selves despite those not being a "mainstream look", this was probably my favorite part of the story. I also liked the friendship between Siwon's and Ahn Se Ha's characters. As well as that of UEE's and Kim Han Na's. Yet, it wasn't executed well enough. It lacked that something that would have hooked me and left me wanting more at the end of the show. Once it ended, I was glad. Another issue I had was that I felt UEE and Siwon lacked chemistry and it made for a hard watch.

If another drama was shot with this concept, but longer and with a different cast, I would watch it. As it is, I would not rewatch this even thought it's only around 40 minutes.

Read More

Production could have used time more wisely.

I started watching this show despite not being a fan of the main actresses since the concept really attracted me. I love witches and I love the occult and it's difficult to find decent Korean dramas with those themes.

Despite not liking part of the cast, I was really enjoying the show. For once, I felt Song Ji Hyo had chosen the perfect role and had it down to an art. Even Nam Ji Hyun didn't make me want to pull my hair out, or at least not constantly. And I really enjoy
Chae Jong Hyeop 's acting. I really wanted to give the drama a 10 because it started with a strong foundation for the story it had to tell, but there was a big problem. It seems to me that the production team forgot they only had 8 episodes to work with. I felt the pacing of the first 6 episodes of the drama was more suited for a slightly longer show, although not necessarily a 16 episode one. It also didn't help that the episodes were so short, some barely making it to 40 minutes. This translated to a rushed ending which dampened some of my initial enthusiasm for the show.

While these behind the scenes happenings did affect my viewing experience at some level , I still loved the story , enjoyed the dynamics between the actors, and was satisfied with the ending.

Read More

English:

I found this on Netflix and decided to watch it since I am quite fond of horror/comedy fusions, one of my favorite movies is "Chilling Romance" after all. Sadly, it wasn't what I was hoping for and I am disappointed even though I told myself not to expect anything from it.

This was basically just a silly movie, with silly acting, and not really horror (unless you are a lightweight). If you are into this kind of genre or you just want some light "horror", you will probably enjoy it, but for me the cliched horror/comedy elements in this type of fused movie fell flat. I had hoped they would make more of the theme than what they did. If I am honest, it boring since even the humor in it didn't even as much tickle my humor much less made me laugh. Although, the story did have potential they didn't know how to make it work.

Español:

Encontré esta película en Netflix. Decidí verla ya que me gusta mucho este tipo de películas con los géneros de horror y comedia mezclados, una de mis películas favoritas es "Romance escalofriante". Lamentablemente, no era lo que esperaba y estoy un poco decepcionada a pesar de que me dije que no esperara mucho de ella.

Es básicamente un pelicula tonta, con actuación tonta. Tampoco es horror en realidad a menos que seas un peso liviano y te asustes hasta de tu sombra. Si este tipo de película es de de tu agradado o simplemente quieres algo con "horror" liviano, probablemente te guste, pero para mí no supieron hacer uso de los elementos de los géneros y me pareció bastante sosa y aburrida. La historia tenía potencial, pero en realidad no supieron como ejecutarla.

Read More