1
BbalanceD
A bushland outlook in the Sydney region
It is okay to be a little selfish
Wow just finished One Spring Night and I loved every aspect of it.I struggled with the internal moral dilemmas.
I am Australian and have not been subjected to those societal/parental restrictions. This made the drama even more fascinating.
The people depicted were very real and relatable so kudos to the whole ensemble. There is a lot of side stories to the main couple and each one was interesting and contributed to the whole drama.
Flawed humans dealing with attractions and the consequences of their choices;
The romance is a slow burn and very poignant. The ex boyfriend is incredibly self centred and justifying of his stalkerish actions that stem from his own lack of belief in his worth.
The parents share their concerns and ways of dealing with societal expectations and this too fills out the context of the conflicts.
Overall a very well made drama with a terrific OST that sets the scenes up wonderfully and allows there to be periods of no dialogue.
Enough depth to be rewatchable.
Was this review helpful to you?
Irresistible Compulsion
Have you ever had an obsession, a craving or an addiction where you know, logically, this is not good for me but the impulse over rides the thought? This drama explores, from the FL point of view, how she becomes ensnared by the handsome ML. The attraction is intense, illogical and all consuming - when she is with him. There is a comment she makes about missing his smell that leads me to think pheromones are in play here.On the surface Yoo Na Bi, played ably by Han So Hee , is attracted to handsome fellow artist Park Jae Eon (Song Kang whom I loved in Navillera) and he gives the impression he is interested too.
Where the drama gets interesting, for me, is in the psychological disparity between the actors intentions and actions. We learn very little about the motivations of the ML and are privy to the turmoil generated in the FL by her accepting the relationship limits.
Lots of good secondary relationships keep the story padded out in a good way. The 'hot' scenes are passionate and for their age context very realistic. There is some bad behaviour but then these are typical, flawed humans.
I found the drama mesmerising and even agree with the ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is like a guilty secret.
It will make you laugh at very inappropriate times. This act of laughter will lighten the scary darkness at the heart of a psychopath's killing actions.Our hero/anti hero is a protagonist wanting to be nice and do good in the world. (Protagonists’ secret weapon is their purity of intent. Generally speaking, they are motivated by a sincere wish to do the right thing rather than a desire to manipulate or have power over other people). This stance means that others view Dong-Sik as weak, a pushover and at the start of the drama it drives him to consider a desperate act. The consequence is the setup for the black humour that follows. Using his love of murder movies for reference we get to watch this playful, puppy eyed, sweetie slip into murderous role play. The acting is terrific and the shift in facial and body response is something that keeps the entertainment level high.
Our true baddie, Seo In Woo, is likewise a complex character who initially sees Dong-Sik as a worthy soulmate and imbues him with skills and intelligence that are more projections of his idealistic self.
The two ML's are polar opposites in personality and family dynamics and when Seo In Woo realises his mistake his focus on Dong-Sik becomes a murderous cat and mouse game.
Neighborhood police officer, Shim Bo Kyung, has aspirations of following in her successful, detective, father's footsteps and here too the reality lines are blurred as she believes she is getting encouragement and clues from her father when in actuality he is a projected hallucination and her skill set and lack of martial arts is severely lacking. Some of her actions and responses annoyed me and I had my fingers crossed that our ML would not choose her for a love interest.
The black comedy may not suit everyone as it relies on absurdist humour creating awkward and hilarious encounters and reactions. It shows up regularly in every episode and I was grateful for this as it was a counterfoil to the truly horrible planned murders from our handsome and urbane psychopath, Seo In Woo.
I do recommend Psychopath Diary it has shades of the strange film Seven Psychopaths (2012) where that plot spins around the idea of dog nappers and spirals out of control.
Was this review helpful to you?
The FL's are rivetting
The two FL's in this drama are terrific.Zhang Nan as Xu You Yi gets most of the screen time which is unfortunate as Annie Sun playing Yan Wei is striking. **Perhaps this will be balanced out if there is a second season - fingers crossed.
For only 12 episodes I felt there was just way too much that the writers tried to cram in and way too much that was not explained **
The GL aspect is there if you want to see it but sadly the cultural censorship restrictions have whitewashed this couple.
Liu Zhi Yang plays You Yi's husband, Zhou Heng and is thoroughly dislikable as the obsessed, treacherous villain who justifies all his evil deeds as being caused by others actions. His father may have influenced him here and his mother has set him up on a pedestal so no blame is ever attached.
Set in the Republican Era, the plot is focussed on Zhou Heng’s infidelity. He is seemingly accountable or involved in all the murder and attempted murder cases that You Yi’s is suspected of.
In the second half of the series when the two women begin cohabiting their is light humour as their two disparate personalities adjust. Yan Wei dotes on You Yi and is willing to provide whatever she perceives will make her life and pregnancy easier.
The colouring and the lighting of the scenes is very beautiful and adds to the romance. Unfortunately the ending is confusing **
Overall would watch again and maybe skip some of the unnecessary parts. bring on season 2 so we can perhaps showcase Yan Wei.
Was this review helpful to you?
Blind revenge is not pretty
This drama kept popping up on the trailers so I eventually got around to watching it. I think culturally this story was a mismatch for me there were more character traits that I disliked than what I liked.From the smiley faced poster I was expecting a lighter story but it kicked off with bullying and went darker as we progressed.
Our hero has some strong caring characteristics but is also quite paternalistic and so focussed on revenge he became unlikable.
His long suffering love interest swung between keeping him interested, reporting him to the police and just blindly following nasty instructions of her boss.
The feisty female lead is fixated on trying to win over our hero who blindly ignores this much younger colleague but is very happy she is helping him in his revenge dream.
I like the transgender character there was so much more in her character that had strong, proud vibes.
The evil elder brother is well played for the weak moral person.
The father has no redeeming features and is nasty to the core.
My cultural background had me shouting at the screen I wanted to shake or slap someone around the head so this reaction made it a drag to finish.
Was this review helpful to you?
Worth the wait
BOT had a great review from AvenueX but at the time there were no English subs so I put in my plan to watch.***So very glad I had rechecked.***
This show is first and foremost funny, quirky and has a type of teenagers take on humour.
Sometimes the sets are excellent and other times they remind me of earlier Dr Who shows.
Consistently surprising episodes that kept me interested whilst the individual characters gradually get fleshed out to reveal their 'monster' forms and personalities.
There is a slow burn love interest by the two, excellent, leads that is also given a complication worthy of this off beat drama. They carry the show and the supporting cast give more depth to the narrative. What is surprising is the directors and screenwriters are not very experienced yet manage to put in many layers and the dialogue pacing is good.
I feel this is a hidden gem that gets better as you persevere with each episode. I really got to like and care about the characters which, for me, shows off the skill of the actors.
Was this review helpful to you?
Lovable OTT comedy
This is a comedy where the actors play exaggerated characters, dress in colourful costumes and lay on the cuteness.Our male lead comes across as sweet, effeminate and earnest with a tricky nature. The FL has taken up the running of the family business and is very comfortable in being a decision maker and has a masculine authority that is appealing to our two MLs.
I loved having this drama as a counter play to watching other more earnest dramas. It is light, fluffy and funny.
At first I was at a loss to understand how our FL would fall for this dainty ML but there is a slow build up and the 2nd ML just is over the top full of himself and ends up trying to bully his way into the marriage.
Suspend belief take it as light entertainment and have a giggle.
Was this review helpful to you?
Refreshingly adult comedy with sex
Take two beautiful female leads combine them in a sex toy business and get set for a hilarious movie. I loved their friendship and how they both powered off each other to turn the ailing business into a thriving. award winning success.Cho Yeo Jung captures the business entrepreneur persona and is fearless in her exploration of her new found erogenous zones.
Clara Lee oozes sexual confidence in a wholesome way and is the expert in sexual toys.
The explicit antics are hilarious with some very laugh out loud moments. It is raunchy yet the director manages to inject an innocence into the scenes. I loved seeing Ra Mi Ran as the housekeeper and Bo Hee's mother (Kim Bo Yun) is terrific for normalising what most daughters can't handle - their parents sexual activities.
All the women are the star players including the world weary young daughter and the men have various levels of supporting roles. Go Kyung Pyo as the laughing policeman attempting to be a robot is excellent.
I think the atmosphere on set must have been a hoot and how they kept straight faces during the shooting the scenes is another story - a blooper reel would be a treat.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Opposites attract
First and foremost this drama is about relationships the CTF setting is just context so if you thought this was a gaming drama you will be disappointed.There is enough contrast in the two main leads to add the uncertainty of how will they ever get together and if they do how will the maintain a relationship - but they do and the story is well told.
Tong Nian played by Yang Zi is bubbly, generous, smart and well loved by her family, friends and most who meet her.
Hang Shan Yan played by Li Xian is aloof, controlling, outcome driven and we learn later very lonely.
Both characters have a terrific ensemble of family and friends surrounding them and we are given enough exposure to make those characters add substance to the story.
I think this strange pairing works because the people surrounding Shan Yan want him to be with someone and have more than just the team and the goal of China winning the championship in his life.
Yang Zi has enough bravado/chutzpah to keep turning up in an effort to win him.
Despite there being 41 episodes time flew by for me. I never needed to skip or even feel bored the pace was good and even.
Music is also very apt.
Was this review helpful to you?
Be the best version of yourself that you can
Just completed this drama last night and loved it.The description 'charming' came to mind.
This BL manages to gender neutralise and focus on the sweet angst of a couple starting to love. What I mean by gender neutralise is there are no specific BL tropes the story could be about 2 boys, 2 girls or 1 of each it works because it is about the couple. The whole story focuses on their gradual coming together.
There is enough depth of character building, despite the shortness of the drama a lot is contained as the back story is revealed. Honestly the 11 episodes flew by and I watched from start to finish engaged all the way.
The actors are very natural in their responses and the 'human-ness' of their love is beautiful to watch at the end I sat for a while just recalling scenes. Kang Eun Bin and Jo Hyuk Joon did an incredible job depicting the leads in a realistic and restrained way that emphasised the naturalness of their portrayal. the OST and cinematography were lovely and added to the experience, especially the use of tinted lighting (blue for blueming).
XXX
Was this review helpful to you?
A wild supernatural ride of a drama
The cast of this drama are varied and interesting. The fantasy is that the majority of main leads are either from heaven (deities) or demons. mix in some humans and ghosts and then the plot takes off at a gallop.There are other sub plots, a snappy bromance, a slow burn romance, a fairy sharing her brothers body in a male female swap, an idol who is actually a demon pig who falls for a zombie and let's not forget the black dragon that could disrupt the world unless the FL sacrifices herself.
It is a fun mish mash of ideas held together by the cunning and charming monkey Son Oh Gong played marvellously br Lee Seung Gi. His romantic feelings for Jin Seon Mi / Sam Jang are triggered by a magic bracelet that binds his heart and weakens him. There are many manipulations that often backfire and evil doers flourish but not too scarily.
I didn't warm too quickly to the FL until the zombie is taken over by an evil spirit who then manages to swap souls with the FL. The transition from a fairly staid person working as a real estate agent into a femme fatal was an eye opener. She transformed her body language and voice and was very believably a dangerous evil woman.
20 episodes packed with plots, back story, great visuals and sometimes weird CGI meant I was never bored and the OST is lovely too.
Was this review helpful to you?
This over the top action, black comedy spoof was my cup of tea.
I loved how Vincenzo Cassano coolly handles all that is thrown at him whilst sporting bespoke Italian suits. From airport muggers, cooing pigeons, betraying partners, corrupt officials ....... the list goes on.He seems an unlikely thug with his neat appearance yet he handles the fight scenes with aplomb. Using his Mafia savvy he outsmarts and out fights his way whilst plotting how to remove tons of gold from under a building.
His running mate is thrust into her role and it is a radical about face for her after her father is is murdered. The role is tough and she pulls off the about face realistically. Together they make a formidable team.
There are numerous excellent actors in the ensemble and scary violence is juxtaposed with slapstick humour, this may not appeal to all, I liked it. I was pulled along by the rocking pace and unexpected cliff hangars that were resolved with quirky twists.
Expect lots of laughs, murders, violence and law breaking it is a hell of a ride.
Was this review helpful to you?
The 10 participants had their own unique personalities and watching them adapt, struggle, confront and accept their emotional responses to their past relationships and the potentially new relationships was mesmerising.
Season 2 outshone season 1. Some of the tasks were the same, however, the addition interviews gave more depth to the individuals POV. The ex's room was a roller-coaster of heavy feels and it was as interesting to note those who were willing to face this and those who avoided it. The locations were excellent and Jeju island looked amazing.
The support and friendship offered by all the participants demonstrated their maturity. The banter and careful one on ones helped when the emotional struggles threatened to derail them.
As an audience member I got to review my own actions in past relationships so some therapeutic insights were a bonus to me.
A superbly produced show with attractive participants and hosts all willing to open their hearts to us the audience.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Kpop exploitation explored.
NB If you choose this drama because it has a comedy genre I think this is misleading. This is not a fluffy romance. It explores the very unhealthy actions of the victim rescuer dynamic.
This drama highlights what happens when a young girl, who due to earlier neglect by her money grasping mother, decides to become an idol. She is groomed by her manager and eventually becomes a money making product. Along the way she begins to experience crippling anxiety. This is conveniently ignored by her manager until during a concert she collapses. He then bundles her off to live in an apartment that is part of a shared household.
An insight Doona gets later in the story is that the managers deliberate ghosting of her during this mental breakdown is to force her to suffer loneliness and isolation and drive her back under his control.
FL Doona is an emotional red flag mess.
she has no close friends, anger issues, abandonment issues and severe anxiety and depression. She acts out aggression in very inappropriate ways (using glass bottles as a weapon) and has never experienced love.
ML Won Joon enters the story as a student studying for his engineering degree who moves into the share house to be closer to college. He has left behind his single parent mother and a chronically ill younger sister. He has also had an unrequited love with a former childhood female Jin Joo whom he perceived to be out of his league due to her families wealth.
The story depicts the initial misunderstandings and then eventual curiosity and attraction between the two leads. Both actors represent their characters excellently.
The ending is left open for us to choose what happens next and this is very suitable after all the angst each character has faced in this relationship.
One thing I felt was that these two people needed to meet to help each of them to grow and heal. Both show more maturity and better boundaries in the end.
Was this review helpful to you?
Be patient
I loved the two main characters and I felt invested in their outcome. The reason I lowered the score has to be the directing.A lot of the shots are muted, almost as though gauze has been added to the screen and like the opening scenes of shadows the story is not too clear.
Yes there is an easily understood revenge from a girl who was heart broken when her father left the family for another woman. Her pain is exacerbated when she tries a confrontation at his funeral and then, as details are revealed, she becomes obsessed with payback revenge.
Unfortunately her target is the woman's son and the story gives a good build up to how he is being targeted by her and a very viciously jealous ex boss.
The complex cultural need to lump a families wrong doing onto other members of the family is hard for me to fathom. The gap of a year before her sister lets drop the information that the man our FL has fallen in love with has actually been accepted by her mother beggars belief. On that note why does the ML also not share this gem of information but instead wanders off for a year?
I was exhausted by the last episode as the director dragged out the slo-mo movements and ML leaving then coming back with flowers. It felt too contrived and less logical.
Was this review helpful to you?
