1
CherryBunny
Cherry's Corner ________…………©
As I mentioned above, the story itself isn't original and it actually doesn't follow the original My Sassy Girl that closely. In the first couple of episodes, you can recognize a couple of scenes and situations, and the main character's friends have a similar profession/hobby, but that's about it. There are also quite a few modern Korean culture and society refrences used, which had me chuckling. All in all I do recommend this drama, despite it being so similar to others. It's still a fun watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Secret Campus was actually pretty realistic. It had the guts to tackle real, actual issues that teens face on a daily basis. I could relate to a lot of the issues because when I was their age, I went through many of the same things. Most school dramas are watered down and focus more on romance and drama. While Secret Campus did water down some of the more serious issues, the fact is, it actually *did* confront them, watered down or not. Besides telling the story of a group of high school friends and the pressures of getting good grades, it also dealt with bullying, grief, suicide and homosexuality. Each character had a story to tell, a problem to face and an outcome to take responsibility for. While some of the issues were less serious (such as the crushes on the teachers), it was showing that every issue was important to the person who was going through it.
The teen actors did an ok job playing the characters. Most never went on to do much else, but two did end up being mega stars. Park Bo Young was absolutely adorable here, though she was probably the weakest acting of the bunch. Keep in mind that she was very young and that it was her debut drama, so that's to be expected. Lee Min Ho's charisma makes him stand out, showing that even in the earliest days of his career, he had that special something. Even with the 2000's hairstyle and some acne, he was easily the most handsome of the guys. Seol Sung Min was really good and it's such a shame that he hasn't done anything since 2007. I was really impressed with his acting and would like to see him now. The same goes for Seung Hyun, who played the deceased Seung Jae in flashbacks. Unfortunately, he too hasn't done much else since.
I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for a realistic Korean school drama. Just make sure you can deal with the outdated hairstyles! Also, one thing of note that really made it more realistic. All the teens actually look like teens in this. Real teens, too. There are no plastic faces and perfectly applied make up. Like I said above, you can even see Lee Min Ho's acne. I find this a major plus for the drama, but others might not.
All in all, I rated this drama 8/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
From the get go it keeps you on the edge of your seat and freaks you out with the gory and truly horrifying cinematography. It is is so lifelike that the hordes of zombies will give you chills down your spine!
In terms of acting, it really didn't feel like anyone needed to strain themselves too much. Mostly it was all about showing the overwhelming terror and I feel like everyone did their job there. I was especially impressed by the child actress who played Gong Yoo's daughter. She played the sad and serious little girl to perfection. Her character was written differently than most children are written. Instead of being the cute and helpless little kid, she was an earnest and quiet one, brave and wise for her years.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of zombies and horror. It stands out from other Asian horror movies and can rival even the most acclaimed Western horror movie. I will most assuredly rewatch it, probably many times over. 10/10
Was this review helpful to you?
The very first episode is at best, laughable, but at worst, unbelievably arrogant of the writers. We are supposed to buy that rich Korean conglomerates have that much influence and power outside of their country, in other continents and can even order around the Catholic Church and a police force in a European country?! Even Samsung doesn't have that much power! :p I was ROFL! However, I was mildly disturbed as I got to thinking. Does the average Korean who has never travelled outside of Korea really believe stuff like that? Something to ponder.
The rest of the drama doesn't get much better. It is from the same writers of Yong Pal, so even though not the train wreck that drama was, it is obvious that they were both born from the same simple and way too overconfident minds. As the story progresses, you can quickly discern the unbalanced character development. Our hero, Je Ha, should be a character with much depth and personality. Unfortunately, the writers apparently did not create him for that purpose at all. The character's sole purpose was to beat people up and to have a little love story with the main female. Poor Ji Chang Wook was totally wasted here. The whole first half of the drama, he barely has any dialogue. All he does is kick ass, kick some more ass, bleed and show his abs. The main female Anna is written so typically that she could have been plucked from any cliched K drama and just inserted into this one. She is sweet, innocent and always in distress. In fact, out of all the characters in this drama, only two show any interesting personalities, depth and growth. Those are Choi Yoo Jin and her brother. Those two characters were the only highly developed ones and I was mesmorized by both whenever they were on the screen. How much better would this drama had been had it focused solely on the schemes and manipulations of those two, instead of adding all that other crap to the mix. >_< Instead, the ending result was nothing but a big mess with an ending left with many loose ends and unexplained things.
I can't recommend this drama to anyone. Well, I take that back. I do recommend episode four. Episode four alone, though. Teehee.
Was this review helpful to you?
Let me just start off by saying that I had been waiting for this drama to air since late last year, when it was first announced. When the first of January arrived, I was excited, but then my soul was crushed when I found out that it was to be pre-produced and that while the shooting began in early January, the actual drama would not air until August. I thought I was going to die! >_<
Finally, August 29th arrived, and with it, the airing of the very first episode. I was immediately captivated and hooked. The original Scarlet Heart is one of my favorite dramas, so I was really looking forward to the Korean adaption. I was *not* disappointed at all. I stayed hooked and obsessed with this drama the entire way through.
Story:
This was an adaption, so even I was a little unsure how faithful to the original it would be. There were a couple of times I was sincerely worried that it was going to veer off course, but my fears there were proven to be groundless. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goreyo truly impressed me with how faithful it stayed to the original story while adapting it to real, actual Goreyo history. There were a couple of things it did leave out that did disappointment me, however. The relationship between 4th Prince and 13th Prince was not shown as often as in the original, at least in the earlier episodes. It made up for it in the latter episodes, though, plus, having only 20 episodes, extra things being cut down is understandable. The only other missing piece for me is very minor, but still felt like an endearing part was left out. In the original, 4th Prince had a habit of teasing the female lead by thumping her on her forhead. Here in Moon Lovers, that only occurs once, and it is a light smack on the head instead. I missed the thumps very much! :(
Cast:
I sincerely think that the whole cast was excellent. Especially Lee Joon Gi as 4th Prince Wang So. This man is my bias, it is true, but here in this role, it is easy to understand why. He is, quite blunty, amazing in this. He dominates every scene he is in. His emotions are raw and heartwrenching and I daresay he deserves a best actor award this year for this.
IU as Hae Soo was very good, as well. During the airing, a lot of netizens were putting her down and criticizing her acting, but I think she was great. Honestly, the Korean version of this character was written differently than the Chinese version. She was not nearly as strong or independant, so that is a reason in the writing, not IU's acting. I liked her here.
Kang Ha Neul as 8th Prince Wang Wook was truly impressive. I have always liked him, but he really blew me away here with his portrayal of hopeless romantic turned manipulative bastard. He really shines here, especially as he evolved into the antagonist.
Baekhyun as 10th Prince deserves a mention here too. Despite also getting a lot of grief from netizens, I was truly impressed with him and how he acted here. I wonder how many of those that shamed him had ever even seen the original Scarlet Heart or even knew what sort of character 10th Prince was, because Baekhyun was absolutely perfect! The character of 10th Prince is, frankly speaking, childish and not very smart. He is overly enthusiastic and quick to respond, but slow to 'get' things. Baekhyun portrayed this perfectly and it was not a lack of talent at all, in my opinion, but a truely legitimate rendition of the character. I say this, by the way, as someone who does not follow K Pop at all and whose only knowledge of EXO is what my friends post on the feeds here and the song that was used in this drama.
Hong Jong Hyun as 3rd Prince impressed me as well. I knew who he was before, had seen him around, but he never really stood out to me before this. He was wonderfully manipulative and evil here, plus he shows a wonderful range of conflicting emotions as his character evolves. He makes a great bad boy and looks *very* sexy in guyliner.
Music:
The music was great. I fell in love with every OST that was released. Even though it was, essentially, a historical drama, most of the non instrumental songs were modern K Pop. However, I found it a lovely paradox that fit very well, given that the heroine is a time traveller from our modern times. As the story goes on, she adapts so well to her new home in that time period that it is almost possible to forget that she doesn't really belong there. The music that plays during the drama feels like a reminder of this fact. It is like a link from the Goreyo period to modern times.
In the end, I enjoyed this drama more than any other drama this year, and more than all other dramas I have seen thus far. There are some things that I feel did not quite match up to the original, but then there are also aspects I felt were better. After thinking on it a good while, I have decided that I liked this Korean version even more than the Chinese version. For me personally, I feel I was more emotionally invested and it just seemed to hit me harder. It has earned the #1 spot on My Favorites list. It has made me feel a range of emotions, starting even before it ever aired. It has both enthralled and enchanted me. It also broke my heart. Very few dramas have ever actually made my heart flutter or truly brought me tears. Moon Lovers was one that accomplished that. Now that it is all over, I am left in a daze, not knowing what to do next, just as I was after completing the first Scarlet Heart. I do not often rewatch dramas, especially the very emotional ones, but I feel like this one will end up being an exception. It is hard to say goodbye to it and let go. For me, Moon Lovers is a masterpiece.
Was this review helpful to you?
I wasn't impressed with the first couple of episodes, honestly. However, I could feel something was there. Though it seemed episodic, like most J dramas, there was always a continuous, underlying plot that was always there. The more it built, the better the drama became, until epsisode 8 which was wonderful! I was a little disappointed with the final episode and how things ended, which is why I docked .5 from my score, otherwise, it would have ended up being an 8.5.
The acting didn't wow me at first. This is the first drama I have seen with Fukushi Sota and at first I thought he was stiff and awkward. That impression totally changed as I continued to watch. What I had at first assumed was an awkward and stiff actor is actually the character of Madoka. In fact, I am pretty certain that the character has Asperger's Syndrome, for everything about his character traits points to it. It is never said in the drama, but as a parent of a child with Asperger's, I could recognize it. Even if the character isn't initially supposed to be that way, Fukushi does an absolute brilliant job in portraying him that way. I am being very serious here in my praise of him. I was deeply impressed.
I was impressed with all the actors except Tsuchiya Tao. I thought she acted like a cookie cutter type. I have seen dozens of J actresses that talk, walk, laugh and over act in the exact same fashion. She did not bring anything original to the drama acting wise though I didn't particularly dislike her character or anything like that. The character herself was ok, though I just could never see any romantic chemistry between her and Madoka at all. I could see they were friends and co workers, but I just never felt any real romance between them.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a cute and fun J drama to watch. It's also a drama that I could maybe see myself rewatching at some point, which is rare for me. (^_^)
Was this review helpful to you?
The music was great, though I do not know why it kept being referred to as rock. It is not rock! :p It is very catchy pop. Nirvana's Nevermind album was featured and I think it was supposed to be an influence, but has absolutely nothing in common with Entertainer Band's music. That was probably a peeve of mine worth mentioning. :p
The acting was decent but nothing extremely special. Ji Sung, whom I think is an amazing actor btw, was great as usual, but he has played much more interesting characters in other dramas. I was very disappointed by Hyeri's acting in this. After her performance in Reply 1988, I had high hopes. I think she was extremely under par in this. Of course it didn't help that her character was written to be naive and rather foolish. I also thought that she had absolutely zero chemistry with Ji Sung. Not because of the RL age gap either, but because she just seemed so awkward and out of place alongside him.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a light rom com without all the stress and like good music, it's a good choice. (*^_^*)
Was this review helpful to you?
Her story is gutwrenchingly tragic and I was disturbed more about her life after the uprising than the uprising itself. There are at least three semi-graphic rape scenes and a horrible account of more sexual assault done to her by a variety of people. None of this was mentioned in the synopsis at all, so I had no idea that it would be in the movie at all. I do not recommend this movie for the fainthearted, the easily offended, or pretty much anyone but the most stoic viewer. Definitely not for younger viewers at all. I am an adult, and one who is not that easily disturbed and I still found this movie disturbing. That being said, I can still see why this movie won so many awards. It is deeply serious and brutally shows the effects of May 18th. It also shows the darker side of human nature.
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting was decent, and the lead girl pulled off looking and acting like a boy pretty well. Much better than some other actresses have done in the same type of role. There were many funny moments as well as couple of rather serious moments, too but I found everything fit really well.
All in all, I would recommend this drama to anyone looking for a light hearted, fun drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
The one and only interesting part of the whole drama is that a lot is explained about cleanliness and how to protect your food from bacteria. I at least felt I learned something despite how awful the plot was.
Was this review helpful to you?
With all that said, I ended up rating this drama pretty high, considering. That was because of the acting. Kubota Masataka was simply phenomenal as Yagami Light. When I started watching the first episode, I admit to not really expecting much. However, after a while, I became deeply impressed by him, particularly during the last half of the drama. His descent into madness was expertly portrayed, and as I watched him on my screen, he was the mirror image of the Light Yagami from the anime and manga. The one change that was made that I ended up liking was him and his personality. Instead of the sociopathic Light from the original, they made him be a normal kid. He was friendly and good at the start, but his possession of the Death Note and his obsession with creating a new world pushed him down into a spiral of madness. It does make one think. If you found a Death Note, could the same thing happen to you?
Yamakazi Kento's L, in contrast to Kubota's performance, was rather underwhelming. In fact, he was very unlikable at the start. Fortunately, as time went on, he improved. Much of that improvement is thanks to the inclusion of some of L's most poignant mannerisms. At first, none were really there. It was hard for me to see this character as the legendary L. Eventually, though, Yamazaki begin to adopt simple little things into his acting, such as L's famous slouchy posture and his wide eyed stare. Those may seem like very small things, but to me, they made a world of difference. I started to recognize the character and like him.
All of the actors did a decent job. I especially liked this version's Misa. She wasn't as weak.
My final thoughts are about Near. I have absolutely no dang clue what was up with that character at all. I am still unsure if he was still supposed to be a boy, just played by a girl ir if they changed him into a girl and the translation was messed up. I also have no idea what was going through thier heads when they made all the changes to that character. They were all stupid and pointless.
Was this review helpful to you?
So why give the drama a 7/10 and not lower? Yeah, I know my opinion on the writing is harsh. What made this drama interesting and kept me watching was the superb acting by the cast. They were all wonderful. So wonderful in fact, that I can't even choose who stood out more. Every actor was exceptional.
I can recommend this for those looking for a good, gritty action drama with great acting. Just be prepared for the flaws in the plot.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The plot was supposed to be about a girl who is very unlucky. Anything that can go wrong in a situation goes wrong for her. After being dumped by her boyfriend, she quits her job as a psychologist to begin a new career at a dating agency, so that she can help others find the true love she longs for. It just so happens, though, that a divorce agency opens up across the street. The boss of the divorce agency also happens to become enemies with her. Of course, that makes for a promising Asian drama, right? Especially when you throw in a kind, caring second male lead that keeps getting friend zoned and an ex girlfriend that just can't let go. Even though it was rather cliche, the first half was presented in a fresh way, devoting most of the time to the build up of the lead character's romance. We really got to see each step, the emotion, the reactions, the mental aspects. A great deal of time was spent on character dialogue and longer scenes, something most dramas do not do.
Then....
At first....
Nothing happens. You are waiting for the conflict to start. You know the signs, there is always a formula, right? It then happens and it's such a little blip in the story that you are left in disbelief. Instead, it is like the very distant roll of thunder right before a storm hits, except this storm is full of WTF, and I mean that in a bad way. Just a little after halfway through the episodes the story takes a big deviation. This is almost certainly due to very, very bad rewriting of the script. Suddenly, there is major conflict, but this major conflict makes zero sense, is stupid and DRRRRRAAAAAGGGGGSSS. Seriously drags on and on and on until the last episode, where it magically vanishes with a sudden epiphany and everyone lives happily ever after.
In conclusion, this drama had so much potential but just ended up being a huge, whopping disappointment.
I still heart Tang Danson though.
Was this review helpful to you?
I started this drama because of No Min Woo but the way his character was written, especially in the beginning, was horrible! I could not, at any point, see him as a romantic contender for the lead girl. In fact, I just could not see the character as a romantic partner for anyone. He came across as a child. One who has never reached puberty and likely never will. What made it so much worse was how, in the first few episodes, the writers did all they could to creep the viewer out by adding such obvious sexual inneuendo and outright blatant sexual situations meant to be comical but instead come across as cheesy and inappropriate. With the character written to behave emotionally like a 10 year old, I found myself feeling almost dirty while watching. Thank goodness the writers eventually got a clue and stopped including it. It made the rest of the drama watchable and even cute.
I still would have given this drama a lower score, though, thanks to the godawful beginning episodes, the cheesy writing and the simplistic, nothing special plot. However, what made me rate it as high as a 7 was because: 1. It did become rather cute and ended very heartwarming and 2. Jung Yoon Hak. Seriously. This guy needs a lead role now! As much as I love No Min Woo, JYH stole the show for me. I was having some major second lead syndrome going on here. His character was much more interesting and complex.
Not to mention sexy!
Bottom line. Not the best drama ever made. Mostly mindless entertainment, but is cute towards the second half. However, I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.
Was this review helpful to you?
