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Left me confused
I have to admit, Grid started off really strong but towards the end, it lost it's steam and the ending was just confusing. I'm all for mysteries but the audience should have some understanding of where the plot is going even if you want to end on a cliffhanger.Grid is an electromagnetic field around the Earth created to protect life from harmful solar winds. The mystery surrounds a "Ghost" woman who appeared out of nowhere and created the shield just in time to save humanity. However, in the process, she left a man dead by burning him with a futuristic device leaving his minor son in trauma. Decades later an Administration Bureau is created to monitor and maintain the grid. Behind the scenes, the team has also been investigating the "Ghost" and trying to capture her throughout the decades whenever she emerges.
This series is slow-moving for the most part with the story being revealed in bits with every episode and revealing more about the Ghost. By the 8th episode, the story starts moving at great speeds but fails to explain a lot of things by the finale leaving you to come with with theories about what could be happening. In a normal mystery it is fine to do but in the case of a sci-fi, time travel story, you, the director, have to provide at least some clues to build a basic level of understanding for your audience. Instead I am left with more questions and confusion wondering if I missed something because of the incorrect translation or if it was the series itself. If I find a satisfactory explanation, I might upgrade my review.
Just a plus point to the story were the visuals which is what attracted me to the show to begin with. I also enjoyed the acting of the main cast overall. The problem more or less lies with the progression of the show. I hope season 2 will release soon and will redeem this series.
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Charming, great acting, an exciting journey!
Despite having watched the kdrama and knowing the entire plot, this was quite entertaining and fun to watch. That should speak for itself. The story moves pretty quickly right from episode 1 and also builds each character up quite well.Every actor performed well and personally I found the Japanese version quite charming. The female lead was quite impressive with the two different personalities she portrayed. The female in the negative role also performs exceptionally well. There are moments where you can feel her pain as well and what led to her being the way she is. This is important since not many villains get a backstory but it adds so many layers to a character and why they act the way they do.
So even if you have watched the Korean version, it's well worth your time to give this a shot as well. Plus it is always fun to see a woman stand up for herself and her happiness.
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Crying Fest
From episodes 3 through 6, I have just been crying so much. So if you have lost someone close to you or know what that's like, this might hit you hard as well.I had been waiting for this for a while now and it certainly didn't disappoint. I didn't really read much about it and just let it take me on a ride with it's storytelling. If possible, try to do the same. For that reason I will avoid getting into any details.
The leads had great chemistry. I genuinely loved the female lead. The show sets a great contrast and the female lead portrays it so well especially her past and present.
There was something I was curious about and I think they left us hints and that makes me a bit sadder.
Overall, I really loved how they not only depict the main leads but also the supporting characters and insight into their experience. It's not an easy watch if you are an emotional person but it's certainly worth it.
The OST is quite beautiful too.
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This review may contain spoilers
Strong Start Average End
I had a lot of expectations from this plot but it disappointed me a bit. A queen from the Joseon area forced to drink poison ends up in the modern area and in a historical drama shooting no less.It started out so great and slowly the weakenesses started to reveal itself. She started off struggling to understand the world around her in the first episode but by second episode she had already adjusted herself to the clothes, tech, and general world around her. Even the elderly can't adjust this fast and they've had years seeing it introduced. No one was teaching her.
For a woman with no money, she gets the best phone and and get dressing style? Where is she fitting those clothes in that apartment?
The grandfather and villain step brother were very boring characters. Sisters were useless. The male lead and her had decent chemistry and some cute moments. The best side character was the shaman.
They tried to resolve the problem of 2 women in the same body and I did like that part. But when does she leave? And when she returns she has time to get fully dressed up before going to meet the male lead? Maybe I'm nitpicking but the drama was not as exciting as I thought it would be. Not many twists. Could have been magical.
Overall it was nice but I just had higher expectations that it didn't meet. Still worth a watch.
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Main Lead is an Abuser
The story starts with a ML who has amnesia for the last 3 years. He is married to the FL (not explained how this happened) who he was in love with but forgot all memories of her. He thinks her father tried to kill him and another girl who is obsessed with him saved him and is his true love.It is one thing that he cannot remember the person he was in love with but he actively physically and even sexually abuses his wife who is mute btw. He introduces her as his secretary in front of clients and allows them to disrespect her. Even their staff bad mouth her at home.
When the show depicts their flashbacks, he is supposed to be this kind caring man. But now suddenly he is an abuser and nearly rapes his helpless wife. It is only after 3 years of torturing her and using her as a blood donor he realises he's being too harsh when his client drugs and nearly rapes his already weak wife.
They should have given him brain damage if they wanted us to believe in such a personality change. After what he put his wife through, there is no reason to root for this couple. Plus there was a decent SML who cared for the FL and never tried to pressure her or act inappropriately. That would have made for a better ending. Not create a story where a woman forgives her assaulter.
The story is terribly misogynistic but the developments held my interest. I was just sorely disappointed with the romanticising of a toxic person.
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Gets Progressively Worse
Disappointing is an understatement for this series. It starts off interesting and you enjoy the bonding of the 4 main characters but slowly you start to lose your patience. It became hard to watch and I had to leave half the episodes for the end to binge which I watched on 2x and it still felt too slow.There really isn't much for me to say about this show. It doesn't have comedy but maybe a few moments that make you smile. Romance is barely there. It's best not to pick up this show for that reason. The mystery isn't really worth watching for either. There aren't any extraordinary fight scenes. The leads are charming. The only other good thing is watching their friendship and bonding in the first few episodes of the show.
The ending was okay. I wasn't blown away by it nor did it redeem the second half. The chips just coincidentally fall into place.
The OST is alright.
There is a suggestion that there might be a second season but I really hope they don't bother. There is nothing left to be told that would be of any interest.
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Under Awful Circumstances
I have seen Win in F4 Thailand and Enigma but this might be his worst body of work. The dialogues were cheesy and clichéd. The acting was pretty bad from both leads. It somewhat gets better in the second half but only for a little bit. I was really not buying their chemistry. I couldn't understand why Parin was getting drunk instead of looking for his mother. And what kind of hotel has a suite but does not have a concierge service? Or at the very least, a male staff should be the one to assist a drunk man to his room? And expecting your female staff member to take care of a drunk guest and be at his beck and call all by herself is not only unethical but also putting her at risk of harassment. No wonder they are understaffed. Who would want to work in such conditions?I'm not sure if this was a low budget production or it was just so bad that it comes off that way.
The ending is also very clichéd and disappointing. I found it pretty boring to watch. Clearly it wasn't a movie for me.
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Worth The Watch
The title was what caught my attention at first since I enjoyed the kdrama Sell Your Haunted House. Haunted House For Sale has some similar elements but it's not the same story. If you'd prefer some details on the similarities, I have added spoiler free ones at the end.This series is about a woman working at a real estate agent who is asked to work on selling stigmatised properties (places where a death has occurred). The male lead who is undecided on what to do in life decides to join her team. One thing he doesn't mention is that he can see ghosts.
The series has a decent mystery element introduced along with multiple cases attached to each property visited. As a horror, the show is very mild. The CGI effects are alright. The main selling point is the plot and the characters. The leads do a great job portraying the characters. Didn't feel bored at any point. The OST is lovely. There is some romance but it is not the focus of the show. Don't let this be your main reason for watching or it might feel disappointing.
If you'd like to know how it's similar to Sell Your Haunted House, the female lead in both are the main character and both are the serious type, the male leads are more jovial and the mediums, we learn about each ghost and in both series there is a mystery surrounding a parent of the FL. There is also a similar CGI effect in both which I found interesting. SYHH is probably a bigger and better production so it's definitely a better show in terms of CGI and horror as well as the plot development but HHFS is quite entertaining and hopefully the kdrama fans will enjoy this one as well.
Whether you've seen the kdrama or not, I hope everyone gives this series a shot.
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Slow-moving and sparse
Lies Hidden In My Garden started off on a strong note. It even had a good build-up when it came to the suspense and a couple of decent plot twists. But when you look at it by the end, you are left feeling underwhelmed.The story begins in a luxurious home where the husband is a doctor, the wife is a house-wife and they have a teenage son. They moved from the city into a suburb because the wife is unwell due to her dealing with her sister's untimely death. One day, the wife starts to smell a strange stench which her husband denies smelling.
On the flip side, there is another wife who lives in a shabby apartment with her abusive husband. She is pregnant. Her husband decides to take her to the doctor's house one day and meets with his wife. One the way to the house, she notices a phone in her husband's car with a bejeweled floral case that he attempts to hide. On arrival, from the car, she notices that both she and the doctor's wife wear the same scarf.
The issue with the plot began when it started to drag it's heels midway. There are literal moments of silence and slow responses and just staring. The reason being, there isn't much to the story. And despite that, questions were left unanswered such as the scarves both wives wore and the doctor's wife's sister's death. Why was she killed?
The ending was not amazing though the cinematography is. But visuals alone do not make for a great drama. I feel a bit misled. Still it has it's good moments and there is character development shown with the doctor's wife. I also enjoyed the mother and son's relationship even though it wasn't explored in great detail. I also appreciated the neighbour's character and the story behind her husband's death. All the actors also portrayed their characters well and created the much needed drama.
It's an intense series yet lacking. Good for a one time watch.
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Pulls at your heart strings
A slice of life drama that almost doesn't feel as one so it's perfect for those who dislike this kind of genre or feel like it won't appeal to you. You'll be surprised!The story is about a mother who first loses her husband and farm and raises her son alone is then forced to look after her adult son all over again when an accident not only debilitates him physically but also sends him into his childhood mentally. This plot might feel depressing but the beautiful way in which it is presented, it actually has more light moments than you would expect. And one of the reasons is the naughty twins and their little interaction with Kang Ho. The series is not trying to get you to cry but to show how people live and enjoy life despite their circumstances. We also get two unlikely funny characters that work for the bad guy and their scenes make you laugh.
As the title suggests, there are many moments where you feel that Kang Ho's mother is horrible to her son, both during his childhood and when he is unwell. But you also understand why she is the way she is. And with their interactions you understand the bond between these two characters which you fully feel towards the end of the show.
There is also a revenge plot taking place but it is not the focus of the series. It's just enough to keep you hooked till the end. Though there isn't much romance, you certainly won't be starved.
I picked up The Good Bad Mother for Lee Do Hyun and am glad I did. The show is quite uplifting and beautiful. I have not yet been disappointed by the project Lee Do Hyun picked that I chose to watch. He manages to become each character in such a perfect way. A man of many many talents! So if for no one else, watch it for his portrayal.
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Magic, mystery and plenty of music
The series reminded me of the musical Mary Poppins but instead of a nanny, Yoon Ah Yi meets a mysterious magician who keeps trying to get her to believe in magic whenever she's at her lowest thereby alleviating a little bit of her misery.Yoon Ah Yi is a highschool student struggling to look after herself and her younger sister after her parents abandoned them when they were children due to debt. Ah Yi is a meek child who longs for the return of her parents or to grow up. Due to having no guardian in her life, she is forced to work odd jobs while trying to do her best at school. In trying to pay the rent and provide for herself and her sister, she lands herself in trouble and makes uncomfortable deals.
The positives:
- Her classmate and also the topper, Na Il Deung, begins to have feelings for Ah Yi but finds it difficult to express them. Those moments and the ups and downs of their relationship is interesting with cute moments.
- The magic depicted has both stage level magic and fantastical elements. So when the magician asks, "do you believe in magic", you want to believe him.
- The mystery element added as a side plot is intriguing.
- Unlike Mary Poppins, there are some very nasty natures of people depicted and it's very realistic and a contrasting element.
- Several good messages are shared throughout the series especially the end.
The negatives:
- The story slows down several times throughout the show. Some episodes have a lot happening and are enjoyable but other episodes seem to be dragging.
- I generally enjoy the soundtrack of shows. Unfortunately didn't enjoy this one as it's quite slow and brings the story to a standstill many times and I had to skip ahead.
- The idea that parents can simply abandon their young children and leave them to fend for themselves in their home is infuriating. There is no explanation how Yoon Ah Yi survived all these years. She seemed under 10 years of age and her sister might have been 3-4 years old. It was bizarre storyline.
- There is no explanation of what happened to the mother.
- Bella, the parrot. Watch till the end to understand why.
Overall, I liked the drama but with so many dramas releasing, I would probably not come to this one except maybe to parts of the last episode as I enjoyed some of the dialogues. Very meaningful.
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A complete package!
I loved watching Undercover High School so much! It was an absolute delight! The entire cast did a fantastic job and not just the main leads. I always love me a strong and smart female lead and Sua is definitely one along with being a compassionate person. Haesong is just too cool in every way. He has managed to portray action, comedy and deep emotions spectacularly. The team was just a delight. The students were also talented and bring life to the show. Loved the bromance and sismance. The chairwoman's character is also wonderfully portrayed and made a great villain.The most enjoyable moments for me were the action and comedy scenes. It is rare that I truly enjoy the comedy because everyone has their own niche preference of what makes them laugh. I believe Undercover High School's comedy would have mass appeal. It's subtle rather than over the top. There is both physical comedy as well as dialogues that will make you laugh.
The plot itself is simple yet perfect. An NIS agent is on the mission to find the rumoured hidden treasure at a high school. In order to access the premises, he has to disguise himself as a student and face challenges that other students also deal with in high school. They do not waste time with him solely building inter-student relations. It very much revolves around his mission and introduces various characters in the process.
One can also get a taste of multiple genres like mystery, horror, historical, youth, besides action and comedy. As for the romance, it is mostly in the form of acts of service and bucket loads of chemistry. I would hope people still watch it for the cuteness of the two leads.
The show has great pacing and not a single moment is boring. I would probably watch this show all over again which is extremely rare for me to do!
Perhaps the OST is the only thing that didn't stand out for me (maybe because I was so immersed in the series) but I didn't dislike it either. So overall the show is a 9.5/10! Highly recommend it!
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Action, Rage and Friendships
What a powerful series! I heard of it only a week prior to it's release and when I started watching, I couldn't stop. I binged the whole show in one sitting!Don't be put off by the bullying and high school storyline. This is more than the average revenge drama. There are many layers to our 3 main characters. The story revolves around 3 students, one is a studious kid, the other sleeps through most of his classes and an excellent fighter and the last a transfer student. The three end up forming a deep bond over the harassment by their class bullies. I found myself cheering for them with every obstacle that they encountered. The action scenes are incredible. Some are a little gruesome. You really have to wonder if bullying in Korean schools really as bad as the claims are.
The show is not all dark. It has it's sweet moments as well as moments that make you sit at the edge of your seat in excitement.
I genuinely loved the series but I have to deduct 0.5 simply because of what happened at the end. It was extremely frustrating and upsetting for me to watch.
The acting of all the actors (including bullies) is simply top notch. Although there were a few times when I felt like the storyline defining the characters was a bit extreme. I didn't pay much attention to the music but whatever I did hear, it was quite enjoyable. I hope people give this series a try and I hope you will be pleasantly surprised just like I was.
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Not much content in the story till the end
When I first started watching, I really enjoyed the show. Finally a couple that was more mature and not acting silly. Then they introduced the second couple who started acting like children. Can't stand them together. Also there doesn't seem much to the story. No progress episode to episode means they have left everything for the last or last 2 episodes.To be honest, I don't really care much for the main couple's slow burn romance either. I do like all the cast members as individuals. However, the romance is not depicted well. Only the last few episodes of their romance was decent.
Another frustrating aspect was that the detective brother keeps preventing the female lead from remembering anything or doing anything. Nor does he do anything. I didn't understand why. The female detective is so underutilised.
I'm glad this is only 12 episodes long but perhaps the story could have been wound up in 6 - 8. After the first 4 episodes, it would be better to just skip to episode 10. Story picks up from there and gets a bit interesting.
The drama is okay for a one time watch.
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The Journey To Boredom
When I started this show, it was the second most popular airing cdrama so I had high expectations. I enjoy wuxia dramas a lot and can even binge in 3 days but this one, I struggled to complete ,taking a month!The series starts off well with the ML, a writer, who ends up in the story he was taking "inspiration" from. The system that drags him inside refuses to let him use cheat codes to gain strength and he has to complete certain steps first. Initially, ML and his friends added fun and humour to the drama when they were travelling places and dishing out justice to members of the power gang. But soon after everything went to hell starting with ML's parents being in danger.
ML's older brothers were the most annoying characters in this drama. I literally wanted someone to punch them hard in the middleof the series. They were dragging the plot of breaking down the ML and making him suffer for several episodes. And I just couldn't give a damn. There was no emotional connection formed with any of the characters. At some point in the show, ML also destroys the system that pulled him in and defeats the whole transmigration purpose of the story. It just becomes a regular historical fantasy. That took away all the potential for fun as the ML also forgot or stopped caring that he was just inside a story and the story became overly serious.
The other characters were merely existing. The FL was good and had chemistry with the ML but they wouldn't let her shine too much because the show had to revolve around the ML. I was starting to love another grey character - Liu Sui Feng and they made him utterly useless as well. The whole time I was curious about the ML's doppleganger and wondering if they were the same person and again, that angle was just so boring. The director just wanted to find ways to make the ML shine and in doing so, all other characters fell flat.
Initially the show introduces the power gang which is terrorising the martial arts world and all the people and were thus the bad guys for harming so many innocent people. But by the end, they made the power gang's leader and the other main lead the real good guys who were just trying to do things a different way. This 180 degree turn made no sense. Why were they harming so many people, stealing everyone's money, surrounding the ML's house and trapping them inside knowing they might starve, etc? Suddenly the leader (ML's other role) was said to be a good guy who never wanted to kill.
Also there are just so many characters who are introduced as powerful and just die soon after - again so that the ML can get their powers and be the ultimate baddie that no one can defeat. There is a scene where 8 masters are transferring their skills into the ML and the scene is so comical and not at all awe-inspiring. Made me wish we could download and upload knowledge the same way in real life.
The drama simply isn't worth watching unless maybe if you are a fan of Cheng Yi but I don't know if even his fans can enjoy this too much.
There are some great fight choreography scenes which normally I love but the show was just too boring for me to truly enjoy it. Fighting alone cannot save a show. Even the finale was not interesting and I actually fell asleep watching it. Had to wake up and start over in 2x. The ending was ok but by the end, I just did not care.
The OST is good but very repetitive.
Final conclusion, just skip it.
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