This Is How You Make A Show!
Not a SINGLE dull moment! Loved Crash Course In Romance from start to finish! The only flaw, so to speak, is that this is a mixed genre show with A LOT happening and that might not be appealing to everyone who love pure Romance or Rom Com dramas. But there is so much realism and amazing (as well as toxic) relationships and a wholesome storyline that you will be missing out on if you skip this drama.What I loved:
The main plot revolves around a 30s-40s couple, their connection, their enemies to lovers journey, and their supportive nature towards each other. It's a couple that is perfect for each other. It's a bit of a slow burn romance.
The female lead's relationships:
- First with her sister's daughter who was abandoned and has been raising her in such a pure and loving way. And that upbringing has made her daughter a strong person.
- Secondly, with her brother who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. He works in the store along with her best friend. Again, it's such a supportive and understanding relationship. One can imagine how she would have had to also raise him after their mother passed early on.
- And thirdly, her friendship with her amazing and supportive best friend who runs a side dish store with her. Both are super-caring towards each other and this is a friendship we all wish we had. The best sismance!
We also see the daughter's friendships and how much they care for each other. But we also see insecurity because of the unusual family she has and has been judged in the past for.
The rivalry to bromance between the students was heart-warming.
The crazy competitive education system and how it drives students but especially their mothers bat-**** crazy.
The mystery element and the whole back story. It's a tragic one.
Normally I would write about what I disliked but I genuinely can't think of anything wrong with this show. I don't know what to criticise which is RARE. Maybe more romance would be my only expectation.
The show is a 10/10 for me! I would definitely rewatch and recommend to others!
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Sweet couple with lots of family politics
Since I found the English subs, I thought I should add a review. The drama is cute. I enjoy dramas where the female lead is strong, intelligent and capable. The chemistry between the male and female leads is sweet. Although the story is not ground-breaking but it is still enjoyable to watch. There are many twists and turns due to family politics. The male lead has remarkably expressive eyes. I enjoyed his character quite a bit. The female lead has also done a wonderful job.The drama also has a few flaws. Both the husband and wife are hiding a secret. The female lead gets very angry with the male lead for his secret. That aspect didn't make any sense to me considering she has her own. There is also something both are investigating but nothing comes out of it. I don't know why that segment was added in the show and then forgotten about. It is not dealt with in the second season either.
These are the only reasons why I have deducted from my total score. Overall, it's an enjoyable watch. Very engrossing.
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Surprisingly good
When I read the title, it had immediately caught my attention and curiosity but watching some promo clips made it feel very cheesy. I thought it isn't something I could possibly enjoy. But because I've liked the Male lead (Dylan Wang)'s work in the past, I decided to give it a go and binged the entire show in 3 days.The story isn't very complex which is a good thing for first timers like me being introduced to a new fantasy world. A devil (Dong Fang Qing Cang) is held prisoner by fairies for 30,000 years. An ordinary orchid fairy unintentionally gets locked in with him. The fated meeting results in both escaping but unable to part ways. Thus beginning the journey of their love.
The opening theme has stunning illustrations with hauntingly beautiful music. The wardrobe, sets, CGI, all add to the beauty of this show. The work gone into producing this shows. The cast have performed brilliantly especially while varying their emotions and depicting different personalities. The male lead did do the superior job in this regard. The second Male lead is also astounding. The plot moves fairly quickly and the episodes are edited to cut off at a critical point in the conversation or story which makes you want to jump from episode to episode.
The OST is wonderful. The only issue being that it's hard to read the lyrics and the dialogues at the same time. There are a few points where the story slows down considerably for effect and I had to forcefully move it along due to my impatience.
I don't have experience with this genre in cdramas but I definitely want to give more a chance thanks to Love Between Fairy and Devil.
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Epic journey
Someday or One Day was a surprise watch as I went in with little expectations or idea about the show other than it being really good. It exceeded my expectations.Time travel is more complicated than one might think because of the unpredictability of the travel and return as well as the outcome of interference. This makes it easy to mess up a good plot. Fortunately this Taiwanese drama manages to neatly take us on this journey and add a new dimension to the story telling through the concept of "body swap" or perhaps body inhabitation would be more accurate. Everything is connected and intricate.
I loved the complexity of the show but also the simplicity and unpredictability.
Though some might consider the show to have a slow start, I was hooked from the start and didn't feel that. Most of the questions that I had were answered or I figured them out as I watched. The sequence of events are fairly easy to follow despite time jumps because you are prepared for them.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and each contributed to their own perception of the world which I loved. Getting a glimpse into each person's lived experience and being allowed to understand the characters is what attaches you to them and feel what they are feeling.
If you love time travel shows with mystery and romance and don't mind tearing up a bit then this show is ideal for you.
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Special in every way
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is one of the most unique shows I've seen in recent times. It is certainly not your ordinary law drama.Depicting the imaginative world through the eyes of this bright rookie attorney obsessed with whales was insightful and brilliant. She is more than her diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Along with sharing the perspectives of caregivers and other relations she develops, the show dares to challenge the ableist views society has towards such individuals in an innocent and honest manner. The animation of EAW adds an element of fun to what could have been a very serious topic.
"Though my life is unusual and peculiar, it is valuable and beautiful."
If you are looking for a heartwarming drama which also presents how attorneys deal with moral dilemmas in cases of social justice then this is certainly a drama for you.
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This review may contain spoilers
Second chances, revenge and intrigue!
If you were given a second chance at life, what would you do differently?Kim Hee Woo is a talented lawyer with an immense sense of justice working at the prosecution office. His desire to bring criminals to justice lands him in peril when he decides to take on a politician, Cho Tae Sab, who sends his personal hitman to end his life. As fate would have it, Hee Woo is brought back to life by a grim reaper for one purpose - take down Cho Tae Sab and make his life hell on Earth. This is where the real story begins.
A lot of people have given a lot of different takes on this show which can be confusing so let me share elements that might help you decide wherher to watch or skip.
What you can expect from the show:
- A methodical and driven main lead working his way to bringing down his target. The story is following him most of the time and his target as the contrast. These two are the main leads.
- Lots of plotting and how these play out.
- Fast pace. Even though the episodes are over an hour long, there is a lot happening and time flies.
- Endearing characters and positive moments.
- Time-jump. You'll also see some back and forth berween the old timeline and the new one. I like how it was done to make the story easier to follow along with.
- Action. The male lead was a boxer in his past life but still no match for his killer. You'll see a lot of martial arts training and fights throughout the show.
- Mild humour. As its mostly a revenge drama, there are not a lot of funny moments but you might still find yourself smiling.
- Lots of famous faces. And a lot of names to remember! From the good to the bad. It was a bit hard to follow since I was watching weekly but might be better if one watches at a stretch. Even when the names were hard to keep track of, enough evidence was given to help you recall or the person was shown in the next instance so one can keep following along.
- A certain amount of realism towards the end. I personally enjoyed it.
What the show lacks:
- Other than the way in which Hee Woo is brought back to life, there is no other fantasy element to the show.
- Romance. If this is important to you, you may not enjoy the show as it is mostly serious.
- Bromance. Though friendships are explored, this is not the focus of the show.
- For a law drama, you won't find moments in courts. It jumps from evidence finding to final result.
- Some prefer a picture perfect ending but that is never how real life works and neither will you find it in this show.
The reason I rated Again My Life a 9 is because every episode was enjoyable. I wanted to keep watching which is what every director aims for. It was interesting to see how the characters were working together as a team towards the same goal. Hee Woo had the advantage of his past life to know whom to bring on board to help him and the lives he can change. Not just his own. Thus making some powerful allies along the way.
There is not a lot that bothers me about the show. The things that do are major spoilers so I will skip them because they are fine within the realm of a show. It also shows that people can be unpredictable. There is some product placement which is a bit funny and awkward at times.
The ending was not disappointing, in my opinion. It was different. And I can appreciate it for what it is.
I hope people give it a shot.
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This review may contain spoilers
Spicy but Silly
If you want to watch something with a lot of steamy kisses then this is a great show. But it depicts a toxic relationship and there isn't any romancing. Just brute force which amounts to sexual harassment. There are so many things that I found aggravating and non-sensical about the plot in general as well. I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking, "this is dumb" quite often.So why have I given this a 7.5? Well there are 2 reasons:
- Despite the show having so many cliches, the mystery kept me intrigued and I did like the main couple but I kept hoping they acted more normal. Especially the male lead. He was a bit more gentlemanly in the beginning and later he had so many contrasting behaviours that I wasn't sure if I hate him or not. At one point the female lead does finally slap him and he deserved a lot more so I was pleased for her. All of this made me want to keep watching and see where it would lead.
- The more important reason is the second couple that you see later in the series. It's an older woman younger man trope and they have a much more normal relationship. They are nicer to each other. They look great together. And the female lead is mature. I get turned off when female and male characters that act childish. Fortunately neither act like that. I just wish they had more scenes together.
The thing that would have improved the series would be if the main leads actually communicated with each other. That among other aspects were bizarre. I also felt like the male lead treated his friend far better than he did the female lead who he is supposedly protective of.
There is one particular OST that plays at the end of the episodes as well that I quite liked.
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This review may contain spoilers
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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Great Start Then Dragged On
The first 10 episodes or so were quite promising. I like my FLs strong and she was until she wasn't. Not sure why they took that away from her. Is it because she was outshining the ML's character in action scenes? Because we got some incredible ones of her. Even General Luo Mei has some great fight scenes and was a strong character with high morals and they ruined that as well. It was just frustrating to watch.The show has love triangles and love squares that get a bit annoying. The anti-hero/villain character of ML's brother was done well however the downright disgusting tactics of him trying to get the general to fall for him were too much for me. The leads' chemistry was good in the first half. Later in the show, I got a bit bored. I liked the second ML as well and his character also got ruined. Still one can understand him even his methods were terrible.
The FL really had 9 lives. And that is a bit funny once you watch it even though it's not supposed to be.
The ending was fairly realistic but to be honest I was already bored of the plot by then so I couldn't even appreciate things I normally do like the action sequences and the romance and some of the emotional scenes. I was too detached to care unfortunately. I just wanted to get over with the series.
There were some plot holes and terribly unrealistic aspects to the show. But it could have been ignored if the show entertained in other ways.
The OST was okay. Not really to my taste. Overall the show is a bit better than average. The actors portrayed their characters well but the plot let them down.
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Good but not satisfied with the ending
Note: There is a post-credit scene after episode 7.I did enjoy season 2 especially for the action but there were a few things I had a problem with. First, the show takes away from the monsters. The results were also very different for the same process which wasn't explained. There was something new that was mentioned but no details regarding that either. There are several plot holes and the female cop's actions don't add up. I did not see the reason for her character as she contributes nothing to the plot and the male police officer could have easily performed those scenes. His actions also don't make sense in the beginning after watching the final episode.
I enjoyed this season for entirely different reasons that I liked the first season but this also feels like a very different show. And not just because it is set in a different time period but we don't really understand what happened all those years in between that we skipped over. We only get the update from a short period. I enjoyed the mystery, intrigue, longing and the battles despite feeling confused at times and questions being left unanswered.
All the leads have performed wonderfully. I had hoped that we would see some justice for the original victims by the end of this. Alas.
I am assuming the story is not quite over but I don't think the writer will be taking it in the direction that I had hoped.
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Strong start average finish
4Minutes actually started out great but the last 2 episodes were not impressive. There are a few unanswered questions and the final episode has a few confusing moments which don't make sense unfortunately or at least they were quite ambiguous and just leave the audience to fill the gap.I ended up starting the sultier version and it is definitely graphic. There is partial nudity especially involving a minor (at the time of shooting) so it is good that there is a censored version as well. Watch whatever you are most comfortable with.
I rarely watch BLs but the plot summary and title were what intrigued me. I enjoy mysteries and it was definitely fun trying to decipher the clues in each episode before the clarity of the situation finally hits. So that's where it started to be less enjoyable. There are a few editing issues that didn't make sense but don't affect the plot. I was still surprised these things weren't caught.
The show really was a 9/10 for me midway so I expected a strong finish but sadly they were unable to deliver. I felt disconnected from some of the characters by the end because their actions/reactions seemed strange. And some characters don't have the chemistry we were expecting so it feels unbelievable. It is sad because they really could have done well if they covered all their bases and hadn't skipped crucial moments and elaborated things further. I feel disappointed because I had higher hopes but it is worth watching for the suspense.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unique Story Needed Better Execution
I enjoy stories related to mental health and the fantasy genre. This kind of combination was definitely unique. What it lacked was in execution because I seem to have missed the point it was making with their ending.Though this series got a lot of flak, it isn't so bad. I'd say it's above average as I was curious enough to want to finish it. I just feel like the writers did Ak Hee dirty in the process and that didn't make sense to me.
I enjoyed the portrayal of the two personalities of the ML. The FL was all right. A bit stiff. I haven't seen her in other roles so I'm not sure if it's because of the character she was portraying or not. The supporting cast were all quite good.
The show is best watched at 1.5 - 2x as the pacing felt slow to me.
The biggest question I have is - How can one's illusion impact others? They messed it up with this aspect. Otherwise I didn't feel like dropping it at any point. Just feel a bit disappointed but other than that the ending was good. Even the way they wrapped up those creating trouble makers was fine.
It's okay for a one time watch.
The OST is quite nice and soothing.
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Disappointing
I watched both parts back to back and when you compare this movie to the former, that seems tremendously better. No doubt, the first part was a good movie so I don't understand how they could drop the ball so badly with this one. It only gets better in the second half.My main issues with The Witch Part 2:
1. Confusing start. We are not given any kind of explanation on the timelines of when exactly this movie takes place or what exactly is happening so I was completely lost for most of the movie.
2. Unnecessary characters. Some of the roles were probably filled just to attract the audience perhaps but there is no meaning behind those characters. There are also two groups fighting and there is no explanation as to who they are and what is going on with them. Or where/how did they get their abilities. But it doesn't matter I guess because they'll be dead anyway.
3. Poor translation. That added to the confusion though it would have not made too much of a difference since the story was so ambiguous from the start.
Somewhat entertaining:
1. The fight sequences. There are only 2 fight sequences that I really enjoyed and both involved "the girl". It's nice to see some incredible superpowers in action. The one in the van looked like terrible CGI and almost cartoonish. Plus we don't see anything happening inside.
2. The girl and the son bonding. It was cute and the floating animals was funny. Also, the part where she discovers food in the supermarket. Too bad there weren't more of such moments.
3. The ending. That's when you finally understand what is happening. It still doesn't explain who most of the characters are or who they are working for. But at least you finally understand how this movie ties in with the first.
I'll probably watch part 3 because I am curious about the third character introduced. Hopefully the directors can fix the mistakes they made with this one. I just hope it doesn't take another 3 years to release.
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A bit of a Drag
The only reason I wanted to watch The Law Cafe was because of Lee Seung Gi. I loved his work in Mouse and Vagabond. But The Law Cafe is a total let down.Although I can feel what message the story writers wanted to send and that the intention was good, the execution was pretty poor. To the point that I took 3 months just to finish the drama. It was hard to get through even when it got interesting. The final take down was not the least bit exciting. If anything, it was quite non-sensical.
As for the romance, I didn't get into the chemistry of the leads to begin with or rather, I felt that they had no chemistry. If you enjoy bickering couples then this might be a show you could enjoy. What I did appreciate is the talk of consent and that the female lead was strong and motivated. Male lead was kind and supportive. I also liked the secondary couple - the policewoman and her husband but not much of their story is explored.
The cases were okay but mostly the plot was forgettable.
I feel bad for rating this low because the actors all worked hard but I had to speed up the last 3 episodes just to finish the drama. The show was decent around episode 8 but I just could not connect deeply with any of the characters. It will be a bit more appealing if you love slice of life or melodramas but not as a romance or law drama.
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Nice and chill with a hint of thrill
I don't have great complaints from 'Delivery Man' but it isn't a super unique or exciting show. It has borrowed elements from ghost, crime and suspense dramas and created a mash which is nice to watch.The series is about the son of a female taxi driver who was murdered so he takes over the taxi service. He has the ability to see ghosts and starts helping them fulfill their last wishes in exchange for money. One such ghost is the female lead and her story is the main background plot as she doesn't remember her past. She's also his first customer.
What you can expect:
- Mystery surrounding the identity of the female lead
- Mystery surrounding the death of the male lead's mother
- New cases every few episodes
What you shouldn't expect:
- Fast paced action drama (that's a different Taxi Driver ;) )
- Extraordinary CGI - barely any in fact despite it being about ghosts
- Romance (there's a hint of it but nothing to write home/MDL about)
The main leads are nice and their chemistry is sweet. I enjoyed seeing some of the flashbacks of the female lead. The other characters I liked were the grandmother, and the other female taxi driver. There are flashbacks of the ML's mother but it's a very small role.
The few complaints that I do have are mainly limited to episode 11 - poor judgement on the ML's part and police's inadequacy.
After watching the final episode's last moments, I felt that if it had more of that energy, this would be a far better drama. It missed the excitement and left it all for the end. I would actually like to see a spin-off or a second season from this point.
Delivery Man is good for a one time watch.
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