This is the sequel and prequel to the Legend of Zu Mountain (2015). Before I start my review, let me state that I am not a fan of the 2015 series. In my opinion, it was a great disappointment. Hence, I was very very reluctant to watch this sequel/prequel to the 2015 series. Can a second installment of the series beat the first? You know how the second and subsequent ones tend to perform worst than the first in most series? In the case of the Legend of Zu Mountain, it is the opposite! Imagine my joy at finding that this second installment is waaaaaay better than its predecessor! I finished it last week but needed some time to digest it before writing a review.

Story: The start sets the story. A young woman fell from the sky out of nowhere. A young man dived into the lake to save her, disregarding his own life. She woke up without any memory of her past. But she was blessed with a mother and an older brother who seemed to dote on her. This young woman is Ying Nan, the female protagonist of this story. Her older brother is Ying Qi - a man born to be sacrificed so that his clan can survive. Ever since her near death experience which caused her to lose her memories, Ying Nan was plagued with a mysterious dream. In her dream, she saw the silhouette of a man. This man felt familiar. She was convinced that her dream man is the man who saved her. Nevertheless, Ying Nan led a free and happy life until one day, Ying Nan got lost in a forest while searching for her family. In this forest, she met the man who will forever change her destiny - Bai Gu Yi. He saved her from an attack and she fell in love with him; convinced that he's her dream man. Following Ying Qi in his quest to save his clan, Ying Nan ended up joining the Zu Mountain sect. What will happen when she realized that Ying Qi is not her birth brother? What will happen when the survival of the world is once again threatened and the only people standing between world annihilation and survival are the very ones who may well destroy it? Who is Ying Nan? Where did she come from? Will Ying Qi survive after sacrificing his life for his clan? Who will Ying Nan end up with - Ying Qi or Bai Gu Yi? This is a prequel in that this story happened 60 years before the events of Legend of Zu Mountain (2015). This is also a sequel because this story started and ended after the events of the 2015 series.

I love the story in this 2018 installment! There is some time traveling involved, but the 'time loop' makes sense. The story ends where it started. The love triangle (or should I say square since there were 4 people involved in it?) was nicely done. You'll find yourself either in camp Ying Qi or camp Bai Gu Yi. I also love it that a writer is brave enough to include an imperfect personality (or should I say partially evil?) as one of the main male character. I love that there's character development throughout the story. The ending was just perfect! It wasn't rushed and all events and characters explained. This is one drama where the ending created a strong and unforgettable impact. Watch it till the end and let me know if you are not emotionally affected by it!

Acting/Cast: A mix of young and experienced cast. Despite the lack of experience, young age and lack of star power (unlike the 2015 installment with well-known superstars William Chan and Zhao Li Ying), the cast did an excellent job! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao (as Bai Gu Yi).....I've noticed this young man since The Journey and The Journey 2. I look forward to see more of his work!

Music: Let me gush about another aspect of this series that I absolutely love - the music! All of the OSTs are amazing! I've saved them and am enjoying them now.

Rewatch value: I re-watched this almost immediately after finishing it. Like less than 24 hours later! Partly because I was downloading the episodes to save them into my external drive but also for re-watching some important scenes in this series that became so much more meaningful because of the ending. This is a good example of how having an unforgettable ending increases the value of the entire drama. Boy am I glad that they didn't muck up the ending!...... and yes, Bai Gu Yi, I agree.....this is the best ending!

Overall: I give this drama a rating of 9.0/10.0. Amazing story, cast and music. Enough said. Go watch it!

Read More

Story: This is a story about a man who is so good looking, women just drop like flies at the sight of him. What a blessing! What a curse! The drama has a very cliche title and synopsis, you'd think that this is just another idol drama featuring the crazy styles of Jang Guen Suk. To a certain degree, there is self-glorification of JGS happening in the drama but they were done in such a way that they provide comedic relief. When I started this drama, I had expected to dump it after a few episodes because of my bias against any pretty boy idol drama. Theya re usually catered for the young female fan market. It was the end of the year and I was bored; so I took it up. To my pleasant surprise, this drama did not disappoint at all! There is more to the drama than the cover it promotes. It has a deeper storyline than the staple love triangles we see in idol dramas. It deals with successes in the business world, family and the meaning of relationships. Expect to shed some tears and to hate someone. It has all the qualities of a good Korean drama. It somehow revived some of my faith in KDramas.. a little, not much. I am still waiting for the next big thing! But trust me when I say that your hours of watching this drama will not go to waste. The only reason why I gave the story 9/10 and not 10/10 is because of the slight discrepancy between how the drama was promoted versus how it actualy turned out. It was promoted as a test of 10 women - the first few episodes, it certainly felt like it but somewhere in the middle, things got serious and the story moved away from the "test of 10 women" to more of a melo feel. I do not mind the change in direction given that it gives the drama more depth. So, my advice is - do not base your expectation of this drama on the "test of 10 women" premise.

Acting/Cast: All veteran actors and actresses. No complains in this department. Despite all his wacky styles, JGS is definitely a more solid actor that many idol actors in the industry. He just need to select his script more carefully and really test his strength in acting by moving away from the cliche type idol dramas. In Pretty Boy/Bel Ami, he somewhat redeemed himself after so many not so high ranking idol dramas since You're Beautiful. This is again, thanks to the change in drama direction halfway through towards a more melo type drama.

Rewatch value: I am not in a hurry to rewatch this. The story and acting is good but the drama has so many twists and revelation that watching it the second time will take away some of the impact of why it is good.

Overall: A solid 8/10. Definitely worth watching but if you are expecting something that will take your breath away and stick to you mind for years after that will turn you into a rewatch maniac, this is not it. Nevertheless, it stands out as a worthy entertainment amongst all the mediocre KDrama offerings from 2013.

Read More

Story: Typical chaebol guy falling for a poor woman with attitude story, BUT with a twist. The twist? The clever dialogue, the lighter/comedic take at competition between relatives and amongst the upper class for power and of course, the unforgettable characters. Watch this if you want to see the "physical" side of chaebol power struggle (if hair pulling and catfights are not enough for you!). A little bit of dallying at the end due to the 2 episode extension to 18 episodes but not too bad considering that it gave a concrete, non-rushed ending to the story.



Acting/Cast: Excellent acting from the casts. The reason why I gave a 9/10 was because I thought a couple of the casts were not as experienced in acting and it showed, though the fault is not too serious that it ruined the enjoyment of the drama. For newbies, they did very well.



Music: Only two OSTs stood out for me. The rest are forgettable (that's just my opinion!). The OSTs served their purpose well though and went well with the situations in the drama. Conclusion: OSTs are not the strength of this drama. The story and characters are.



Rewatch value: I would buy the originals and keep them under my collections of good dramas. I will definitely re-watch it one day but not in the near future. This drama gives you a happy, relaxed feeling - high entertainment value, but at the same time, it is not SOOOOO good that you'll be going back to the episodes again and again. Keep this for when you want to re-visit good memories from the kdrama land,,,, someday in the future.....



Overall: Excellent entertainment value. Solid ending. Enjoyable characters. One for keeps but not THAT outstanding to form a following or trend that'll get people talking for years to come.

Read More

I'm flexing my drama review muscles again after a brief hiatus. First, I'd like to thank HappySqueak for her recommendation article which led me to this drama. Here goes my review!

Story: I have to be honest here and say reincarnation and time-traveling stories are a dime in a dozen in Chinese dramas to the point the Chinese authorities had to regulate it! Melding modern with ancient Chinese settings is also pretty common. Having deities, ghosts, vampires etc as characters has been done for the umpteenth time!  The strength of the story lies in the love triangle between the three main characters. Love triangle? Yeah - common amongst commons in Asian dramas! But the selling point here is......you can't really tell who's the male lead! In fact, I believe both men in the love triangle are the male leads. They are equally outstanding and equally worth your support as they both fought for the female lead's affections. So, you'll end up as either Team Ya Long or Team Si Yin. And true to Chinese drama, the romance is of tragic nature. That, however, shouldn't deter you from watching this drama because if you're like me in appreciating a good story and good characterization, you'll agree with the ending of this story. The good news is, it's not an open ending and it is one that will give you a sigh. I actually feel that after all the three people had been through, it's a fitting and compassionate ending.

Another nice addition to the drama is how first impressions may not be the right impression. Ya Long was characterized as the evil vampire - indiscriminately killing, possessive, arrogant, looking down on humans as food etc. First impression and even throughout the drama, he played the role of the vampire to a T. Then, he fell in love and didn't know what to do with it! At first, he dealt with it poorly but slowly, you start to see his point of view and before you know it, you are rooting for him! Then, at the end as his past-life story is revealed, you start to have split feelings about whom the female lead should end up with. His character was dealt at least a couple of twists! I also love Si Yin's character. First impression and throughout, he played the character of the nice guy who sacrificed all the time for the female lead. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him when it slowly became clear that his is most likely gonna end as an unrequited love. Then came the twist and you start to question if the female lead actually did feel something for him! She has many touching and loving moments with him. Just as you think you should switch your loyalties, his past-life story revealed a different character and you'll realize that Mr. Gentleman-Good Guy ain't Mr. Gentleman-Good Guy after all! There is a reason why he out of the three of them, got punished in the worst ways throughout all his reincarnations! And lastly, our female lead's character is pretty standard in most Asian dramas - bright, bubbly, innocent, bumbling, sometimes incorrectly street smart....she provided the bulk of the comedy in this drama. However, you'll find out at the end of the drama that where female leads are concerned, you'd prefer not to be in her shoes. Without giving too much away, I can summarize her character by saying she is the comedy and the tragedy of this drama.

There are also clear indications in this drama that the author of this story is influenced by both eastern and western beliefs and culture. Ya Long is very much a western vampire - with his sensitivity to sun, silver and the wooden stake. You will also be treated to some popular western myths re. creation such as the creation of a woman from a man's rib. I will not comment re. the author of this story (Vivibear - she's Chinese-Swedish which explains the western influence) and her fame as the Queen of Plagiarism. I'll just leave my review of the story at this: it's interesting enough to capture your attention and is worthy as a drama marathon material, BUT it is not outstanding! Hence, I rate the story at 8.5/10.

Acting/Cast: It is not often that we are treated to two male characters who are equally deserving as the male lead. Both Ma Ke and Fu Xin Bo shone through the drama. They embraced their characters to perfection! The female lead, Zhou Yu Tong, though not the prettiest and most outstanding female lead, adequately portrayed Ye Yin - a modern 18-year-old at the cusp of womanhood but still very much a little girl at heart. When you watch the drama and realize that the female lead is just 18-year-old, you'll understand why Yu Tong had to switch from being sometimes a girl and sometimes speaking and behaving like a mature woman. She's very much a modern teenager in ancient times! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao as Fei Niao (Ye Yin's senior). For a newcomer, he's doing really well. I hope to see him in a main role soon. The rest of the cast did an excellent job too! Hence, I gave the acting 9.0/10.

Music: The OSTs are worth downloading. My personal favorite is the ending OST by A2A. "....the happiness I once had, has come to the end of the road...your love is too blinding... what I wanted I cannot stop...in the end, there is only loneliness......love becomes a burden...." The lyrics aptly described the story.

Re-watch value: It took me 2 days to marathon this drama. I will not be re-watching it anytime soon but I think there will come a day when I become bored and unmotivated with the currently available dramas (aka Drama Slump) and this drama may serve as an adequate reprieve to that sort of boredom.

Overall: This is a drama worth watching but it is not a 9.0 and above sort of drama (if you get my meaning!). My only beef with this drama in terms of the production is the poor visual effects. I understand that it's not a big production like Eternal Love or Novoland, but the special effects can be better. However, if you can grit your teeth and turn a blind eye to the poor visual effects, the story will shine through. Overall, I rate this drama 8.5/10.

Read More

Let me start my review of this version of Full House with a statement that I was not particularly impressed with the original Korean Full House (starring Rain & Song Hye Kyo). I am also pleased to finally see this in MDL; having searched for it to write a review after I finished watching this drama around 2 months ago. So here it goes, my review:

Story: The story follows the basic story as per the Korean original Full House, but with much better credibility and elaboration of story sequences. More is invested in exploring the development of relationships - be it between the main leads, between the male lead and his family, between the leads and the second leads and so on. Everyone has their story told adequately which made each scene progress with better logic. The ending is so much better too - well explained and not rushed. Of all of the Full House versions, I must say (to my utmost surprise since I would never expect this of a Thai lakorn!) that this Thai version of Full House is the best ever made to date!

Acting/Cast: Perfect cast and better acting all around. When I say 'better', I refer to comparisons with the original Korean Full House. Although this Thai version uses young Thai idols, I must say that they can act better than many Korean idols out there who only relied on their looks to pull through their stiff acting! There can be no better combination of leads as these two leads in here. Super cute, super sweet and very compatible! The chemistry is so much more believable than the chemistry between Rain and Song Hye Kyo! Plus the female lead in this one is so adorable and definitely not annoying like Song Hye Kyo's character in the original Full House! And the kissing scenes (especially the ones involving a certain ice cream!) will change the way you view an ice cream forever! I also like how they cleverly incorporated Korea into the drama; thus acknowledging the story's origins. The sceneries in Korea featured in this lakorn are also beautifully filmed.

Music: Melodic and sung by the male & female leads. I am no fan of Thai music, so I gave this a 6/10. I know many young women/fans out there who will be rating the music as 10/10. It's all a matter of preference.

Rewatch value: Extremely high. This lakorn thrives on funny, sweet and scenic scenes that you'd love to re-wind to again and again, and because it is such a light story to watch, it does not require much brain power to just sit back, relax and fall in love all over again.

Overall: For a light romantic comedy, it is a great honour for it to be able to achieve anything from 8 and above from me as I am very picky when it comes to storylines and the dramas/movies that get high scores from me have very good storylines. Since the storyline of this lakorn is to-some-extent-, a "recycling" or "re-telling" from the original one, I gave it a 8.5/10. I really enjoyed this lakorn.

Lastly, I would like to appeal to the powers that be in MDL to please include more Thai Lakorns in here. There are a couple more lakorns that I can think of from the top of my head that have very good ratings, besides the Thai Full House. I am more than happy to write reviews on them. :)

Read More

Story: A simple love story about finding love again in a world that values practicality and achievements. This is one love story suited for a mature audience. There are parts in this drama where you would curse the female lead for being such a blockhead and parts where you would cheer her on. This is life and the reality of relationships. The drama ends with simple phrases to depict the wisdom of love. Story-wise, it certainly has a better storyline than its previous predecessor (I Need Romance 2) and could rival its first predecessor (I Need Romance). It has less sexual scenes than I Need Romance and focuses more on the chemistry and struggles of relationships.

Acting/Cast: No complaints whatsoever in this department. Aesthetic wise...I thought the female lead could have been a prettier actress but having said that, the male lead is no flower boy either... so, I suppose, that's ok.

Music: Sweet OSTs. Makes you wanna snuggle up to your loved one.

Rewatch value: I actually think this one here has a pretty decent re-watch value. It is not a difficult or complicated watch. It has plentiful of sweet moments and moments of tension between those involved in a triangular love situation. I certainly can see myself kicking back on the sofa with popcorn and coke in hand for a relaxing holiday re-watching this.

Overall: If you are looking to find that love feeling again - that sweet fluterring of your heart and that soft sigh that brings a smile to your face, try watching this. It has a mature storyline that does not bore. With INR 3, the INR writers redeemed themselves after a rather disappointing INR 2 that could not rival INR. I give this drama nine sweet potatoes out of ten! :)

Read More

Story: This drama has a unique storyline. It started off with a 2-3 episodes introduction to the four main characters of this drama:- each character and their back stories introduced in 3 episodes per character. Each story is interesting and at the later part of the drama, you get to see how the stories overlap with each other just as our four main characters finally meet and banded together to tackle the mysteries surrounding the disappearances and murders of ppl around them. The tag line of this drama "There are no ghosts in this world but in every person's heart lives a demon".

Each of the four main characters were approached online by an 'entity' that identifies itself as the 'demon'. The 'demon' promised to fulfill their wishes but they will never find happiness. The main characters agreed to what the 'demon' offered and signed a lifelong contract with it. In return, the main characters received special powers that at first came in handy to help them but turned into curses that they slowly regretted. One by one, people around them disappeared or died and all of these crimes were somehow related to this 'demon' website. Through a series of circumstances, the main characters meet and after finding out they were all 'contracted' to the 'demon', started to band together to solve the mysteries. One by one the puzzle pieces are fitting together as the 'demon' prepares for a showdown with the world in what can be traced back to the mass murder case from 15 years ago.....

This drama is the perfect blend of mystery, action, sci-fiction, medical fiction, investigation and paranormal. There are some comedy as well when things get a bit too intense - which was a welcomed relief. The story started out with the 'demon' but towards the end, it makes you wonder about the opposite side of the 'demon' - the existence of 'good'. There was even a mention on the concept of Gaia at the final episode which totally delighted the sci-fi cum religious fiction geek in me! At the end of the day, you are left with a sense of wonder about human nature; just like what one of the main characters kept asking in the final episode: "Are humans naturally evil or good?"

Watch to find out! The ending explains everything - no loose ends left!

Excellent special effects and good acting. This drama is available in Youtube in HD and with English subtitles hard-subbed; so you never have to wait for Eng subtitles to watch it. What more are you waiting for?


Acting/Cast: Mostly new faces but they can act, so you won't be disappointed with the acting.

Music: Not much of music but the beginning and ending OSTs perfectly reflected the mood of this drama.

Rewatch value: I would say that this drama is split into five main parts:- Four parts on the stories of the four main characters and the final part begins when they meet and started to investigate the mysteries together. Hence, you can re-watch the parts or episodes of the character that you like. However, all of the parts are connected -which you will realise once our characters meet. Personally, I like the part when they meet and start to band together; that's when things start to come together and bits and pieces from the back stories of our main characters start to make sense. And of course, I love the ending! I am glad they extended this drama to 17 episodes to give us a perfect and unhurried ending. Well done!

Overall: If you haven't check this drama out yet, you should! This is an unexpected and delightful gem for year 2016! What a wonderful way to end the year and just two sleeps away to Christmas! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2016 everyone!

Read More

I was in the pit of my drama blues when this came to me. Contrary to its plain storyline and non-idol cast, this drama surprised me. The result? I stayed up all night to finish watching it in a drama marathon! The outcome? Horrid horrid day the next day when I have to work (due to lack of sleep!). Not very smart of me to start a drama in the middle of a work week - but I seriously thought that this will be a boring fare with me stopping at 1-2 episodes! How wrong I was! Therefore, this drama should come with a warning: Do not start watching unless it is a weekend and you do not have to wake up early for work the next day!

Story: It is a simple story. Boy and girl grew up together. They are as close as close can be - BUT, they never fell for each other. Girl turn 30 and starts to mourn the lost of her youth. Suddenly, she realised what a waste her life had been - living with her mum and sister and writing stories that never get to see the light of the day. So, she made a life changing decision. She decided to move out of her home, but hold on..! She is too broke to afford a place of her own. At times like these, can't we all rely on our BFF for help? Likewise, she turned to her best bud - who happens to be a man with commitment issues. Due to a bad first relationship, the bloke lost faith in love. So, he spend his days flirting with women. When she approached him for help, he refused but later, due to some 'monetary issues', he allowed her to move in and live with him. Surely, there will be no harm - despite societal perception of a single man and a single woman living together.. right??? After all, in his eyes, she is a 'man' and she never regarded him as a man. How wrong!!! They fast learn that being BFF and knowing everything about each other does not equate to harmony in a live-in situation. Suddenly, there are things about each other they never knew - like what a pedantic clean freak he is and what a irresponsible sloth she is! Oh, sure... they knew about that long ago... but to live together and to endure such traits...God help us all! Soon, BFFs are turning against each other!
You may ask - how is it that this is a romance drama? This is for me to know and you to find out. *wink*
This drama reminds me a lot of the TDrama "In Time With You" and since this drama came out first, I am not surprised if In Time With You got its aspirations from this drama. The difference? In Time With You has a much serious tone to it while this one, despite its mature storyline, does contain some funny moments.
This is a very realistic drama and even the funny moments are realistic/natural. If you are tired of "highly processed and manufactured" idol-infested dramas with unrealistic storylines, this one will provide the relief needed and bring you back to what a solid romance drama should be like. Watch it and find out!

Acting/Cast: No complains. It is not an idol drama, hence no great lookers. Acting is top-notch!

Music: Not a highlight here. Appropriate music for appropriate moments.

Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch dramas, so a 8/10 from me means this is a keeper for the times when the offerrings are meagre and you just want to indulge in dramas. Rewatch and re-live real love.
Even my husband likes it - him, a non-drama person. We will re-watch this together for a quiet evening with wine together. :)

Overall: Go watch it! A good one to teach youngsters what real relationships are like least they forget; what with all those highly 'manufactured' romance dramas out there nowadays!

Read More

Chocolate (Sang Sattawat) is an unique movie about an autistic girl out to beat up some guys so she could get some money for her mother's hospital fees and medication. It is a 100% action movie that features some very cool Thai kickboxing styles. Being a life long wuxia fan means I get my kicks from watching action movies and this one here is a gem! The female lead even acted out all of the action scenes herself. People called her the female version of Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan!

The story is fairly simplistic as in most action movie. Mother and father met, they had some 'happy times' together, she was conceived and father got kicked out of the scene. So, she was born autistic and raised by her mum alone. Growing up, she is fixated with Thai kickboxing and all forms of martial arts. Being autistic, she learned all of these martial arts very quickly. One day, mum got sick and she found a list of names of some very dodgy people owing her mum some money.... hence the action begins!

For those of you action freaks out there, this is a MUST WATCH. When this movie first came out, it made history with Jacky Chan himself caught saying he would like to collaborate with Yanin (the female lead) to film an action movie together! We sure hope that would happen soon!

Overall, an 8.5/10. Dig in, peeps!

Read More

Story: An aspiring, happy-go-lucky man (played by YSY) leaves Korea in search of his father in Hanzhou. He got recruited to work at the Hanzou Noodles Restaurant; a place with 100 years history as the best noodles restaurant in China. This sets the story of family feud, business struggles and human greed as this young man grow in his skill as a noodle chef and mature in his life perspective. Along the way, he found love. I categorise this story as in the same genre as Baking King, Kim Tak Gu. To be fair to the story, the storyline is different than Baker King's, though the genre is the same and instead of bread, we have noodles now. True to Chinese style of drama, each character has their own story and they are well explored. In the middle of the story, things dragged a bit but not too much. The story is told in an acceptable pace.

Acting/Cast: 10/10 for the experienced cast and acting. Despite the language barrier, everyone did well with expressions and their acting. YSY is dubbed but there are times when they allowed his real voice come true when speaking in Korean is needed. There's also another character in the drama who is a Japanese and occassionally, they allowed his voice to come through too; for the Japanese speaking parts. Being a veteran in CDramas, I do not mind the dubbing and multi-lingual premise of the acting, though I can understand how some ppl might find the dubbing annoying. Second male lead's a hottie as well and I spotted a few more hotties in there (for those of you who value aesthetics). The female lead is pretty and contrary to the noisy annoying chinese actress syndrome, hers is a very solid, mature character- no unneccesary screaming and shouting.

Music: Mediocre but suited for each scene.

Rewatch value: The part that hold me back from giving it a high rewatch value is the sheer number of episodes this drama has. 40! It is not one for a quick rewatch. It does not have memorable scenes that you will want to keep rewatching as it is more of a WHOLE drama than a SNIPPETS drama. Although YSY is the male lead, everyone gets almost equal air time and their stories are told well.

Overall: This is somewhere between 7 and 8. I decided to give it an 8 because despite its often tauted image as being "same as Baker's King, only China version"; the storyline is actually quite different. Good on YSY for landing himself a good chinese drama! I love all the scenic places in Hanzhou.... makes me want to visit Hanzhou! The restaurant and houses were all so grand looking! All in all, an ok drama if you are in the mood for a family, pseudo-melo (at certain parts) type drama.

Read More

When the story of finding your body parts gets old...

Story: I will start my review by saying that I love the novel "Heart Protection" of which this drama claims to be adapted from. Keyword - "claim". The drama started of well with around 70% similarity to the novel. But somewhere from Ep 5-6 onwards, things start to skew and the drama ended up being an entirely different product. I do not mind changes from novel to drama - provided they are done well. In this drama's case, the changes actually weaken the story and slowed down its pace, because they mostly ended up being fillers to drag the drama into 40 eps. And after so much fillers to keep the timer rolling, we are then treated to a rushed and brief ending in the last 3 mins of Ep 40.

Although the introduction of a new character played by Riley in this drama was a nice touch, the dilution of the FL's character reduced the enjoyment somewhat for me. It is rare that we get a xuanhuan novel with a woman as the main character. Yan Hui in the novel is one such character. The dragon is merely her love interest. The story is about her. She's the main character with genius abilities and OP powers from start to end. She's the one who rescued and helped the dragon and others. Basically, the novel's hero. But in the drama, Yan Hui needed rescuing. She's slow with cultivation. In the drama, the dragon becomes the main character and she becomes his love interest. With a male-focused main character, this story has turned into one that is similar with 90% of the xuanhuan novels out there. Why they decided NOT to portray Yan Hui as a strong and independent character who is the main protagonist of the story? Your guess is as good as mine. But the main weakness of the drama is not the weakening of Yan Hui's character per se - it's the use of fillers upon fillers which ended abruptly with a short ending that left viewers feeling cheated and wanting their money (and time) back. Many have defended the changes by saying the author herself is part of the screenwriting team, but I would argue that there are limits to what a novel author can do when she has already sold her rights to the novel plus a good novel author does not equate to a good screenwriter because book to screen adaptations is a whole different ballgame altogether. So, at the end of the day, the novel author being part of the screenwriting team has more marketing value than actual practical value.

Acting/Cast: Casting is done mostly well; from a visual point of view. Both the ML and FL have good looks and this drama has definitely garnered them a stronger fanbase. However, acting of the leads left much to be desired. They started out quite stiff, though they do slowly warm up towards the end, but it is still obvious that they lacked acting experience. The second male lead, Riley, actually acted better - mostly because Riley is a more seasoned actor. Chemistry between ML and FL is so-so. They gave off a "little girl and her best friend dragon" feeling. Minimal skinship and kissing. The "kisses" are polite pecks. Even the hugs are pretty stiff. Very chaste. So if you are after more deeper kissing, more skinship and off-the-charts type chemistry, this is not the drama for you.

Music: Nice OSTs that reflect the mood of the story. No complains in this department.

Rewatch value: Despite the butchering of the story with unwarranted fillers and unsatisfying ending, this drama has a pretty good rewatch value. Why? Because of the "magic" fast-forward button. There are episodes and scenes in this drama that are worth rewatching. If we can cut and paste them together, they probably form around half the length of this entire drama, but they are scenes that are the essence of the story without any fillers.

Overall: It's a pretty decent drama with eye candies to keep you going. The story-telling is a let down due to the many fillers but if you are after a drama that does not require much brain cells and only require your eye cells to ogle at good looking people, then this is the drama for you. But if you are after a more solid product with excellent story and acting, turn around; this is not the drama for you. You are better off reading the novel - which by the way, I highly recommend. Therefore, I rate this drama an overall of 7.5/10.

Read More

Story: One word:- ACTION! I like the premise of this story. Depending on how you feel about issues such as intelligent AIs, human overpopulation, world pollution, the power of humanity etc; you'll either love this drama or give it a "so-so" rating. For me, I love it. There is only one blemish in the plot of the drama (hence the 9/10 rating) and this is for you to find out and for me to know. The love story is told in the right dose and I dare say, this is one of those rare gems where the action, background story and romance balance out each other. If you are expecting a lovey dovey story with romance and love triangles as the main theme (you know like Zettai Kareshi), you will not find it in Ando Lloyd. Instead, a more mature telling on what is love was offered. The action and special effects are commendable and you get action and special effects in every episode (oh, yes! feed the action freak in me!). There is enough English in this drama to appeal to the International audience. Having Hindi and Indian actors casted lends credibility to the drama. Yes, it is quite logical to assume that India will one day be the technological hub of the world (we can already see India's potential in this area now!).

Acting/Cast: No complains in this department. They are all wonderful and experienced cast. Kimura Takuya is brilliant in his double role as an android and a super-nerdy human scientist. These two roles are almost opposite of each other:- one a cool looking, killing machine with minimal expressions and conflicted in many ways (an adroid struggling with his identity and later his developing human emotions); another a shy, passionate nerd with numerous comical expressions who knew exactly what to do and what he wants. Kimura shone in this drama. Shibasaki Kou (the female lead), however - I cannot comment much on. Her role is adequate to pull through the story but limited due to the many premises the story aims to address. So, yeah - she's the female lead but her role is not over-powering that the main story did not come through. In short, she was... there. The rest of the cast - two thumbs up for them (Reiji style!) *grins*

Music: Love the theme OST. And btw, it's in English! :)

Rewatch value: In my opinion, a gem for rewatch. There are not many action, futuristic, romances out there and those who are available are either overrated, a manga live-action or lacked in the storytelling and action parts. In Ando Lloyd, you find a balance.

Overall: A solid 9/10. Highly recommended if you are like me who values storyline (NOT the typical love triangles type storyline that appeals to the young female audience!) and get your kicks out of seeing handsome men kick butts admist tonnes of special effects! Yes, I am referring to all you closet "Matrix-ees" out there! :)

Read More

Story: One word - TYPICAL. Rich man meets poor woman, rich man treats poor woman badly, rich man in denial he fell for poor woman, rich man realised he fell for poor woman, then he loses his memory, gained it back and the poor woman has to leave one episode towards the end just to prove to the audience that she has backbone and can live independently; only to be reunited when she comes back from being away, with the man and voila! you get your happy ending.

Throw in an average of one ghost per episode (there are more ghosts in the first few episodes but the number drops down to one per episode as the drama progresses), a second male lead who does not get the poor girl but ended up with the bitchy rich girl who was eyeing the male lead first and you get Master's Sun.

Did I give away spoilers? Nope. You cannot consider standard storyline as spoilers.

Suffice to say; there's nothing in the storyline to get excited about.

Acting/Cast: Seasoned actors and actresses. I find no fault with acting except that I do find the female lead's performance quite like her performance in "The Greatest Love". Even the chemistry between her and the male lead was similar. The ghosts in the first few episodes were scary. You get them jumping out at you at various times but as a seasoned horror movie viewer, I kind of know when they are coming; so was well prepared for it.

Music: Nice music but nothing to get excited about. Suitable for the mood of the drama.

Rewatch value: Not in a hurry to rewatch this one.

Overall: Passable entertainment for those of you who are bored out of your mind but not a stellar piece of work. This is not a drama that sits at the top of your list if you have other better ones to go to. Expect all the usual KDrama characteristics.

Read More

Finally, I found the time to finish watching this drama that everyone gushed about! Here's my review:

Story: A masterpiece! Although 18 episodes long, the story was told at a nice pace- you will nto realise 18 eps had come and gone! What I like to the storyline is the multiple layers it has. What I meant by 'multiple layers' is the writer & director's ability to incorporate a few storylines into one episode. There are many detective/investigative/law type dramas created and most of them follow a typical "one case per episode" line. This drama follows this time old formula but to a less obvious degree. It incorporates a few storylines happening simultaneously. There are also instances where the main characters need to deal with more than one case per episode while dealing with their personal issues. I love it when a story is able to pull off such complexity without confusing the audience or killing the main storyline in the process. The comic relief throughout the drama is a welcomed addition. It is tastefully done without unneccessary exaggeration. The characters' reactions and rationale are very believable & realistic. It is a mature and well thought off story! One of the best and natural ending from a drama. You will not be left with a rushed ending or feeling as if something is missing. In other words, a complete drama! Therefore, I give the story a very solid 10/10! My heartfelt congratulations to the writer & director!

Acting/Cast: All good actors & actresses. No complains in this department.

Music: A couple of ear & save-worthy OSTs.

Rewatch value: Whilst it is very addictive in the first watch, I doubt I would re-visit this drama again in the near future. The thrill is in the finding out but once you already know what happens and the ending, it will not be as addictive. Unlike purely romantic dramas, this one do not have many memorable scenes you would like to rewind to....unless you get kicks out of re-watching verbal courtroom battles or ppl acting out the crime. This drama is more of a whole package thing. The most memorable quotes (and repeated throughout) is one from the female lead's mother about "an eye for an eye; if you live that way, then the whole world will be blind..." (something along those lines). The main impact of this drama for me is the moral learning (or reminders) that it gives to the audience. I love it when a drama teaches ppl good things!

Overall: If I am to rate this based on story and acting, it is a solid 10/10. However, considering its lower re-watch value, I'd decided on a 9/10. If you had not watch this piece of gem, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!

Read More

I do not usually watch melodramas. This drama, however, is an exception. For some unknown reason, it has become one of my favourite re-watch drama (especially during long winter nights with a glass of red, a warm blanket and a working heater/fireplace). If I do not watch re-runs of the black and white movies from the bygone era on those nights, this drama is a prime candidate for entertainment then (short of reading Wuthering Heights for the umpteenth time, that is!). Perhaps, I imagine Goo Soo's character here as my very own Mr. Darcy?

Story: This is a story that follows a pair of lovers since childhood, their personal struggles and the dilemma of those around them. True to the spirit of melodrama, you should expect bucket loads of tears for this one. Should I even bother to elaborate? Nope. Watch it and find out yourself. It can be rather draggy in the middle (and normally this is the part where I doze off on the coach!) but it picks up in the last 2 episodes towards an acceptable ending. Suffice to say, there is nothing exceptional about the storyline. If I must put my money into it, I'll bet on the cast.

Acting/Cast: This is one good example of how you do not need to have superstars to make a good drama. The stars just aligned for this one where the cast is concerned. Great acting from everyone. Great chemisty between the leads, and if I am honest with myself, I'll admit that it is the good acting that make me want to re-watch this drama again and again.

Music: Mediocre to say the least. Good sleep therapy material.

Rewatch value: A keeper for those long, cold winter nights.

Overall: Watch it if you have the patience and stamina for a good melodrama. Otherwise, skip it and go for comedy.

Read More