Clueless

I am always sorry to see all the wasted effort actors put into a mediocre result. And they were not shy about it like in majority of korean bls. I wish only the story was more interesting instead of just being a string of clichés.

Starting with the most used and annoying one: childhood best friends who lost touch meet again twenty years later and pick things up where they left off. I wish that for once the childhood trope did not win.

Then there is the completely clueless man magnet, a former idol working as an intern and having three men chasing after him. On the other hand, he looks, behaves and has the understanding of a 12 year old. I don't really get why they would be all attracted to him. His innocence? He needs to be told straight what he has to know, subtlety is not within his comprehension. So the only man who is straight with him, wins! The other two men eventually console each other.

The other Jun, who wins, is a rich and smart individual but he looks off. There was something about him that did not sit right with me, he seemed shifty, manipulative, too smooth to be true. I am not saying that he is like that, he just looked like that. The casting was wrong: I could see that actor play charming and evil psychopath you cannot help but root for!

No one seemed to be bothered about boss/employee relationship. Sometimes I am having trouble accepting certain society rules being broken for the sake of fiction. On one hand, if the rules are not broken there would not be a drama. But what about if they are not mentioned at all? Should they be at least used as guidelines? Maybe in a perfect world! I am too much under the millennials' influence here. Vade retro !!!!

The worst was the music: annoying, soulless elevator music. The budget was tight I guess! The overall production was the ordinary korean web drama quality: cold and unimaginative though, for the first time I notice that the sound was better (no echo!) than it usually is.

It is a watchable webdrama. Instantly forgettable. Everything is a bit off here: pacing, writing, production, acting. If you need something short and not too heavy on brain cells, this is an adequate product. Nothing more, nothing less, just adequate!

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NOT for under 35 years old (in the west!)

This was funny fluffy & cute and I want more!

The main couple in this drama is probably getting the extremely negative reaction in every western country (like mine!) under the rule of diversity, equality, feminism and cancellations. I can hear the voices screaming in outrage: grooming, trauma inducing, age gap! How dare they? Followed by collective cancellation campaign for the whole cast and crew!

I loved it! The story of Takane, a 26yr old heir to a conglomerate and Hana, a 16yr old highschoolgirl. Takane is brash, rude, arrogant while Hana is smart, insightful, strong and brave. The repeatedly clash and Takane is won over by her disdainful attitude towards his wealth. They bicker constantly and it is so much fun to watch. Takane's real personality comes out: kind, generous and sweet!

I do appreciate different, original and unorthodox stories: this one was more than I expected.

The only problem I had with it is the cinematography: everything is ugly here from the weather to the clothes to the sets.

The story seems to have a sequel: it is like they did not use all of the manga because even though it is a kind of a happy ending for the couple, there are many issues that have not been resolved and certain characters have been left hanging!

Thank you Japan for being still open minded, for breaking taboos, for not submitting to the present asepticized rules of engagement which rule the relationships in the West (i.e. Europe, UK, USA and Canada). These rules are ruining western entertainment: I can count on the fingers of ONE hand the western shows I have seen in the past 3 and a half years since I discovered asian dramas. The blandness and the extreme political correctness are disastrous.

That is why I would recommend this drama ONLY to people 35 and older, people who remember what entertainment industry in the west used to be!

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Palate cleansing cuteness

Frankly, the title of the top review was scary just like some comments so I was bracing myself for the worst. And the worst did not come!

Yes it was fluffy but with fluff usually comes the superficial. So after a few episodes of fun, I stopped expecting anything profound and just enjoyed the ride. And coming off watching a korean makjang, this is just what I needed. Some predictable fluff is always welcome!

Ayako is the eldest of five children raised by loving parents. She is pretty, kind and generous and has been the envy of every women/girl she's ever met causing her numerous problems in school and at work. She faces everything with calm and a smile! Togo is her opposite: an only child of wealthy parents who put pressure on him to comply with the rules of the high society which is making him unhappy and cynical. They meet at a job interview and Ayako's words touched him so he ended up offering her a contract marriage which she accepts hoping to make her family's life a little easier with the payment she is receiving for the mariage. But Togo's mother is not happy with the arrangement so she schemes in the background in order to destroy Ayako and her family.

A few issues were raised in the comments section: a possible assault and the mother in law. The sexual assault never happened: she was just drunk and the SML put her to bed. And that's it! The mother's schemings which went unpunished were also understandable: she is someone who was forced to live the life someone else chose for her making her profoundly unhappy. Of course, this does not justify her dealings but I guess life had punished her enough.

Of course there were other issues: the drama is filled with tropes, misunderstandings, dead fish kisses, splitting up "for your own good", opposites attract, possibly evil ex boyfriend, evil mother in law etc.etc. But this is not meant to be taken seriously and if you decide to watch it just like the mindless fun it is, you are going to enjoy it. If you are looking for depth in treating issue (assault, parental pressures, rich vs. poor etc.) you should go watch something else.

The cast is excellent. The actress playing Ayako is pretty, cute and charming and she has big liquid eyes! Rather amazing!

What else? A cute, scene stealing dog, Ayako's amazing parents and siblings, Togo's father surprisingly understanding of his son's wish to be happy on his own terms.

I am glad that they toned down the manga original work: I never read it but I am fairly certain that manga has many OTT scenes and characters making faces and screaming. Just like any manga! None of that made it's way into this series. And it is so much better for it!

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For those who did not like the Thai original!

Before anything else, there are two things I need to make clear.

One, I hated the original version with every fibre of my body! It had everything I dislike: it was over the top, with overwhelming second hand embarrassment cringe and it did not know which genre it is so it went from horrible slapstick comedy, to romance, to musical to soft porn and back. I finished watching it because I was still going through my "Never Drop Anything" phase which probably ended with this series.
Two - recent koreans bls have been a string of disappointments coupled with universally bad korean web drama production values: lack of warmth (probably due to bad cameras) and bad sound (obligatory echo when filmed indoors). So I keep watching K- bls hoping for another miracle like Hwang Da Seul (director of To My Star and Blueming) but I have not seen any.

I decided to watch this when my favourite reviewer said it was better than the thai version. And it was so so so much better.

The series follows four film school students who found themselves main character of a bl webnovel (no transmigration just the writer inspiration!). Like a self fulfilling prophecy, two couples are formed. Are they real couples or have they been created because of the popularity of the book? Or is it only a coincidence? Or did the author realize before those four guys what was happening between them? Or is everything just the plot of a movie those students are filming? Theories floating around are many!

The hows and the whys are many but are ultimately not important!

The first couple were enemies to lovers: the initial antagonists became friends and then more. The second couple was unrequited love: when SunWoo's unusual appearance unwittingly piques his crush's interest, things evolve quickly. Each character had its flaws. LeeWon, the actor, looks like an immature talentless slacker but is actually a principled, fair and sincere person. JiOh is a tall, stern and cold looking director student clashing with LeeWon: pushing his buttons to get a reaction from LeeWon, he changes completely when he falls in love. Sun Woo is a hardworking poor student with a chip on his shoulder, willing to help everyone but accepting no one's help. He's had a crush on YooKyeom, his school senior, rich and generous who hides many insecurities behind a warm smile and is very lonely.

The screenplay and the execution were excellent: funny without cringe (which could have happened with the sister-writer's fertile imagination, seeing things that were never there!), good butterflies inducing chemistry especially with the second couple (I definitely want to see more of them), zero annoying characters, a best helpful female friend. Main characters all change and develop during the drama, love correcting their minor flaws. Unlike the thai original, this drama is much shorter therefore there are fewer characters and the plot is tighter, there are no wasted moments.

The cast was perfect with one notable exception (see below!). They are handsome, have great chemistry and are not afraid of skinship which is rare in a korean bl! The casting of Lee Sang Min was interesting (zero issues with his acting!) because he reminded me so much of the actor who played Zon in the original (drama twins, I swear!).

I have two issues with this series.
One - casting of Lee Jung Min in a role of handsome, pretty actor. Unfortunately he is none of those so it was a bit hard to believe him to be a main lead character. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder: so let's not argue about this. It is very subjective and it sometimes influences my viewing pleasure. It did a little bit here. Fortunately the rest of the cast were perfect!
Two - very poor production values: non existent cinematography (everything is cold and ugly), empty sets (why does an university looks like a ghost town!),bad sound recording, sloppy and boring editing.

And in spite of these two major flaws, I loved it and I will be rewatching it sooner rather than later: it has everything I need for it to become another comfort blanket drama for when I'm feeling down!

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Dense and clueless is cute?

The Story To Read When You First Fall In Love is the title of a book Harumi, the FL, throws down in anger and is really seen for the first time by Yuri.

Harumi is, by all japanese standards, a failed individual. She was a smart studios pupil who failed to pas the prestigious Tokyo University entrance exam. She failed to get a good job and she failed to get married. Now she is 32 years old working without enthusiasm as a tutor in a low level cram school.
Yuri is a pink haired 16yr old high school student who is just waiting to grow up by sleeping on the desk in the worst high school. His father, in the last attempt to have him graduate at least from high school, takes him to Harumi's downtrodden cram school. Harumi is angered by the way he speaks of his son and throws the book down while telling the father off. Yuri is impressed and decides to start studying but only with Harumi. Because it was love at first sight for him.

Harumi is a woman lost, looking for the purpose in her life. Yuri gives her that and while teaching him, she starts to change as well. But not fast enough. Basically she's a sweet but completely dense, she's always been incapable of seeing what is right in front of her. There are three (maybe four) men in love with her and everyone around her noticed it except for her. While her being so dense was cute and adorable at the beginning it quickly became annoying and I kept wondering why do the man still insist on pursuing her!. She's rather straightforward, sweet and helpful, holds no grudges and does not really see anything bad in anyone. She is oblivious of other people's feelings though she is quick to see if someone is troubled (bullied etc.) and is quick to help: she is very clairvoyant in these situations. When it is about romantic feelings, she is totally ignorant! But she still lives with her parents and a huge fluffy dog (by far the best character in this drama!), she is pretty but dresses as a 50 year old spinster who had never dated (which is definitely her case!), wearing frilly blouses closed at the neck with huge ribbons. But on feet wearing stilettos. And some strange, asymmetrical coats. Ugly! On the other hand the pink haired guy was cool. Such an odd, unlikely pairing which probably will not last long: youthful arrogance will be soon replaced by adult reality!

While I was watching this, I liked it less and less as the story progresses. I kept saying to myself, it is a japanese drama, they are usually different, they tackle taboo themes, they are weird and original, you should not judge.... Still I could not help myself: the noona romance was not convincing enough: teacher/student and mother/son relationships were what I saw. And I love noona romances and have no problems with age differences but it did not work for me here. There are too many taboos broken by this drama for it to be convincing enough: 16 years age difference, a first cousin in love with Harumi, a divorced teacher who sacrifices his own happiness for a student....no, this was so wrong!

Apart from the FL and her three suitors, there was an interesting cast of support characters. Yuri's school friends were a strange lot: on the surface delinquents but not really. Supportive and kind and fun. Harumi's best friend Miwa, a no nonsense bar owner Harumi and her cousin both confide in. The parents were there as well but they worried more about work and exams than the romance. And of course, teachers in cram schools!

The drama surreptitiously denounces the exam system in Japan and the pressure parents and society puts on the young to succeed showing at the same time that you can be successful even if you do not go to top schools. It all depends on you!

I had another problem with this drama, apart from unconvincing pairings, which was the perceived length of each episode. Let me explain. Each episode is about an hour long. There are a lot of things happening, nothing is ever boring, no useless and superfluous events. And still I had the impression of extremely long episodes, like over two hours long. During the episode I kept checking the time stamp and repeatedly being surprised by how much I had left to watch; Such a weird feeling!

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Back To The Future meets Tunnel

I start watching anything that has time travel tag. Start, mind you, not necessarily finish though! So of course I had to see this!

Year 2022: Yoon Young is an unhappy person. Her parents are a mess and she's bullied at work. One day she argues with her mother and later that evening she discovers she had been murdered. Sad and full of regrets, she wonders around and ends up in an freak car accident which takes her to 1987. There is a serial killer creating mayhem in the peaceful village and with the driver of the car, they have to stop him.

One episode was enough to see that the plot lifts heavily from both the movie and the drama. They mixed the two plots and frankly it works rather well. The plot manages to remain logical, because it stays mainly in the past so we really do not know if the repercussions on the future are more than cosmetic as it was shown in the last episode. Butterfly effect was not their priority. But characters' original unhappy and miserable lives were changed for the better. Most of plot points and characters were very predictable/cliché so I was a bit wary of the outcome. They managed to surprise me a little bit. Some of those plot points (plagiarism) were solved in a blink-and-you-miss-it rapid way.

The romance is not romancing very much though: apparently they fall in love and live happily ever after but their actions are not very obvious. They never touch each other's hands before the last minutes of the last episode. Zero kisses! Don't get me wrong, I do not need kisses and stuff in romance but this kind of restraint is so anti-climatic. The romance does not really change their characters which are emotionally stunted. It reminded me very much of Summer Strike: same kind of story without time travel!

The drama is a very very slow slow-burn mystery. I love slow burn dramas. But this one is on another level: so much so it took me over a week to go through the first half. I kept falling asleep. I almost dropped it because I was annoyed by the tropes and the predictability. But it got better in the second half. The plot was often very interesting and gripping but there are many many very long scene between the main leads, standing facing each other, five meters apart and talking with the speed of a snail (it felt like one word a minute).
Those scenes were rather pretty! Well done for the cinematography: fields, water, moonlit scenery. It was pretty to watch. The sets and costumes for 1987 were spot on. The hair was awful. It brought back some unpleasant memories! LOL

I have to congratulate the casting director: they managed to cast actors who look so much alike to play the same character in different time periods. It was uncanny! Of the rest, Kim Dong Woo was his usual self. I guess he is typecast always playing these stoic, cold, taciturn characters, men of few words. Well, if the shoe fits....Lee Ji Hyun, the actress playing Yoon YOung's mother in 2021 looks like a grandmother and she is the only miscast!

Time travel is notoriously difficult to write but they did it here masterfully. It is a good albeit a slow watch.

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Good story, bad pacing: i.e. flashbacks inferno!

I feel I need to rant about this series! What it could and should have been and what it was not! Firstly, the title has nothing to do with the drama. It is a story about a couple: how they got together, how they broke up, how they got together again, a jealous interlude and the final happily ever after. There is nothing in between here! A normal A to Z romance plot! And then there is the pacing and editing which ruined a perfectly good show!

It is a story of five close friends and their respective love lives. Two of them were secretly in a relationship but they broke up. Another one has been in a secret long distance relationship for years afraid to tell his best friends about it. One girl has a long-term boyfriend she feels getting more and more distant. And the last girl apparently has too high standards to date. The key issue treated here is communication and lack thereof in a relationship!

The group of friends are really good together, they talk a lot to each other and are supportive but secrets are many and are menacing to ruin their close friendship if not told or at least explained. The main couple are Tau and Tep who see each other for the first time one year after they broke up. They still have feelings for each other and they finally talk about everything realizing they are still in love so they get back together.

It is rather fluffy and superficial series: the most serious bit is the opening credits warning! The worst is of course the surprise! Why would people think that preparing a secret surprise is a good idea? We see it over and over again: one person wants to surprise the other one with a party or some such event and goes around talking in secret and hiding things from the other person who, seeing all this going on cannot help but be hurt and suspicious. And even when the person suspecting foul play talks and asks for explanation, his doubts are brushed away by the other person as sille. I find this extremely cruel. I've seen this repeating often in dramas and even though the person surprised forgives the stress, I find it ominous for their relationship. Here Tep even apologizes to Ri, Tau's coworker who helped him set up the surprise event, even though, we find out later, he was very much right about Ri having feelings for Tau.

Communication and honesty are the key: do not lie, hide things from your partner. It is hurtful! To gain acceptance, one needs to be truthful to oneself first and foremost and then to the people closest to you: friends and family.

So the problem with this series is not the story but the technical aspect: the editing mostly! There are 14 twenty minutes episode. Every episode is split in two parts of about 10 min each. Out of those 10 min there are about 3 min of credits, previously on and next on. Out of the remaining minutes there is about 4min of plot while the rest are flashbacks! This would have made a nice movie or a short maybe 6 episode series: there is not enough of plot for so many episodes which is a shame! The pacing is off: there are flashbacks of flashbacks, going back to past and from there further in the past but it is not often clear which past it is. The editing is confusing and you have to pay attention to the smallest details to understand which past is being told. There were also some continuity errors but silly ats that may be, it just adds to the lacking technical side of this drama.

Can somebody please edit this series? If you do that the rating will go through the roof: because there is nothing fundamentally
wrong with the plot or acting! It is a nice web drama. But that editing.....

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Other people's secrets....

...are not ours to tell! The moral of the story! Do not force your world view on others! It can seriously backfire!

Frame and Earth are close university friends. Earth is dating a 42 yr old man, Non, who is helping him finance his university expenses. The three of them often eat and drink together with Frame often taking faceless photos of the couple celebrating their love. Until one day Frame discovers that Earth's boyfriend is one of his university friend's father. He wants to tell it to Earth because he fears he'd be really hurt. Eventually, Frame realizes that Earth knows the truth already and is OK with it.

WiFi Society is a 2015 anthology series by GMM one and consisting of 27 different stories. There are unfortunately only two I managed to find subbed (in french) and they are BLs.

This story deals with secrets. Everyone seems to be keeping secrets from everyone else: closeted father, sugar daddy role, righteous conceited Frame, profiteering Earth. Secrets are meant not to be told because secrets can seriously hurt people. The father is keeping his homosexuality a secret from his family by dating a guy half his age. Earth does not care about his boyfriend's secrets as long as he continues helping him. Frame feels that the father's family is too big a secret to be kept from Earth not realizing that his friend is very much down to earth and realistic person: get what you can, when you can!

When you have secrets that can change your life if they are known, you have to accept the consequences of those secrets. Because, as we all know, secrets never stay secret for very long and there is always a "kind" soul willing to "help" by telling the secret out loud at the most inopportune moment of course. What Non is doing, leading a double life like he is, is bound to come out eventually and if he does nothing to sort it out beforehand, his whole life risks to be radically changed. Or maybe not! We never know how a person will react once they find the secret out: close their eyes and pretend they did not hear it or go ballistic!

Nous ne pouvons pas attendre que tout se passe comme nous le voulons. La seule chose que nous pouvons contrôler est notre esprit. Parfois la seule chose à faire, c'est arrêter de forcer. Et que les choses doivent rester comme elles sont censées être. Lâcher ne signifie pas que nous devons cesser de nous inquieter. Mais c'est comme ça que nous commençons à comprendre. Certaines vérités ne sont pas bonnes à dire, elles nous blessent quand nous les savons. Certaines vérités sont bonnes à dire, elles nous donnent de leçons quand nous les découvrons. Et certaines vérités ne sont ni bonnes ni mauvaises, elles sont si nuancées qu'elles doivent être gardées comme un...secret.

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Blued app short film ad

In a series of short film ads Blued produced, this one is for Mother's Day. So accordingly, this is a story about a mother coming to terms with her teenage son's burgeoning sexuality.

The relationship between the mother and her son is precious. Mother is sad because she's not close to her son as much as she used to be: she notices the changes in her son. And while her son is getting more and more distant, the mother is worried and is looking for new means of communication with her son. Realizing that he is looking to identify where his penchant lies, the mother tries to talk to him through an app.

The "difficult-to-communicate" mother/son relationship is a usual one in adolescence and focusing this film on it is an excellent idea. Through misunderstandings, errors and generosity, they manage to mend the damaged relationship. The character of the mother is someone we all dream of having as a mother: kind, understanding, open minded and most of all loving unconditionally! Her son is a typical teen thinking the adults are the enemy.

The boy uses the app to try out a gay relationship: girls do nothing for him. The person who shows up is his schoolmate. Now here is the huge problem with this film: the schoolmate forces himself upon the boy! They eventually end up having a relationship, but was the force really necessary to make the point? This short scene shaved off two stars from my ratings.

It is a really good movie if you manage to make abstraction of a hugely problematic scene. The rest is perfect!

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Acceptance

On the surface, it is just a silly romcom about people meeting and breaking up. Something seen so many times. But just on the surface. Because the moment you throw in the mix gay main characters the story gets to be so much more than a simple romcom.

The plot follows two best friends, HaNeul and Bong Shik and their relationships. HaNeul has been in a long-term relationship with a closeted man who does not dare tell his family that the person he loves deeply is a man. HaNeul finds that so frustrating and they keep fighting and breaking up repeatedly. Until one day HaNeul is kicked out and goes to squat with his friend Bong Shik. He is a youtuber who pretends he plays badminton. One day he catches the eye of a real badminton player who persist in hitting on him. Bur BongShik is does not want a relationship because he is HIV+.

The main characters are worried about acceptance, how the others see them and will they like them for what they are be it gay or ill or both. The actors are all extraordinary and the award goes to the actor who plays HaNeul, Lee Hong Nae: he is handsome, cute and so talented. He manages to bring to life the emotions and conflicts and fiery temperament. The other actors are just as good! And of course there is the staple of korean cinema and tv: the ajumma herself, Lee Jung Eun, brilliant as always.

Production values are rather low: this looks and feels like a short web movie. The kind you find loads of on youtube. But a bit longer. I guess they did not have much of a budget and the cameras they used must not have been very sophisticated because everything is so cold and clinically sharp. Because of it, I had a bit of trouble getting into the movie, I could not feel anything special about it. And then I realized I did. There is one song and it was hilarious: the guys at one point sing a silly song during their podcast and it is to be seen to be believed. Magic!

The director managed to make the film seem light and fluffy while correctly treating serious issues. Kudos! Well done!

This is a lovely movie and definitely a very good, uplifting rewatch! Go for it!

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Cute and short: perfect!

Actually there is not much to say about this short GL web drama. Between the synopsis and the coments, everything that can be said, has been. So why am I writing this review? I wanted to gush about so much cuteness in a korean drama. Definitely something new and refreshing!

It could be said that this is an office or better yet, a workplace romance. A boss/employee kind of a series. True, this year has been the year of office romance bl/gl series. This one takes place in a cafe. Not much of a budget so no customers in this café. The manager teases her employee so much that they fall in love but are scared to say anything. The arrival of the ex girlfriend pushes the relationship in the right direction.

The manager is very masculine looking: tall, thin, very short hair, dark clothing and no make up and even her voice is rather deep. People (customers) often mistake her for a man. She feels hurt because of that but we are still conditioned by certain ideas about gender that the mistakes of this kind are easy to make. In her previous relationship as well she was assigned the role of a man which displeased her immensely. Her employee is a very short, petite and very feminine girl (long hair, girly clothes, make up). In a way they look like your typical manga characters!

The drama obviously did not have much of a budget but they managed to tell the story correctly. As usual, the sound in korean web dramas is atrocious, it is cavernous and has a slight echo to it. Music is generic, probably free elevator music heard many times before.

Nevertheless, it is a cute short watch, a very good gl mini drama leaving you wishing for more but, storywise, perfect as it is. Well almost! I do not get the title: what does it mean?

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What would you do for love?

"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!"

I have a huge headache!

I should stop trying to find logic in time travel movies! It is impossible to find seeing how complex the very notion is.

I saw the series a couple of years ago, I have no memory of it only a vague feeling of total incomprehension and loss: all that travelling back and forth was headache inducing. The movie is just the same only shorter. So the headache arrives really quickly!

I think that the movie is loosely connected with the series. Again, it is a story of lovers who travel back in time, using a walkman, in order to save the loved one from dying! Eventually I realized that there were four different persons trying to change the past. Unsuccessfully!

Only when they learn the lesson quoted above (and at the end of the movie) can they sort everything out!

It is a sci fi movie so let's just leave it in the realm of fantasy and enjoy it for what it is , a fun ride! So I have no intention to nitpick and overanalyze the plot point and the travel plans.

I liked it better than the drama: it is shorter. The actors are back but did Greg Hsu sign a contract demanding to be the only good looking person in the movie? Alice was made to wear frumpy clothes and horrible wigs and Patrick a moustache!

The music was nice though if I never hear Last Dance by Wu Bei again it will be too soon! The rest was better since we heard it less!

Anyway, the movie is fun. And now let me go and get a paracetamol! My head is killing me!

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That music....

Well, I know why this movies has relatively low rating. It is definitely not for everyone and the problem is not only the content but the pacing as well.

The story follows two lonely people yearning for companionship and family. He is a bank teller and she is a teacher in the cram academy across the road from the bank. They keep bumping into each other and though she is well aware of his existence, he seems not to notice her. When she invites him out for a meal, he rejects her coldly mostly because he has a crush on an former schoolmate and a current artist. One day he is left heartbroken when the artist ran away from debts and from him. His favourite pastime after work is watching old surveillance tapes and one evening he sees the teacher on it and realized the mistake he had made. He goes up to see her immediately and slowly they build a relationship.

This is a slice of life slow burn movie and therefore its pace is really slow. The characters are not very likable: he's on the rude side and she is a kind of a busy body. The actors were made ugly with with glasses, bad hair, ill fitting suits and frumpy clothing. The costumes do change towards the last quarter of the movie when they start seeing each other. The actors, portrayed these characters as barely living, monotonal voices and stiff attitudes.
The plot, as I mentioned earlier, is centered on two people looking to get married in order not to be alone anymore and to be happy would be an added bonus. This tells a lot about the korean society and the acceptability within it. The main characters are boring characters, everyday Joe and Jane, there is nothing special about them, they are just ordinary people trying to get through life without too much pain and suffering. Most of the people in the world are like that and though the movie is well made, do I want to watch the movie about my life? No, not really!

The movie is over 20yrs old and the video I watched was not the best of quality so it is a bit hard to judge cinematography. One thing though was nice to watch: rain and shots of umbrellas from above. The rest was nothing special.

What WAS special was the music: JAZZ in a korean romance drama? Umbrellas and the jazzy score at the beginning made me think of all those great american movies. That score was so unexpected and frankly made the movie that much more worth the watch.

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A love story with a twist

Wow, just wow! This movie has been on my list forever and I only got around to it today. Why did I wait so long?

I want to talk about the movie but I am afraid I am going to spoil too much. So I'm going to go just with a few remarks.

The plot: a love story between two piano prodigies Jay and Rain, in a special music class. But the girl misunderstands an event and disappears instead of talking. Then she goes on to confide in a teacher who spills the beans to her classmates who ostracize her afterwards. Good teaching? I don't think so! And of course, who does demolition work in the middle of the night? Still, it did wonders for suspense and the scene was well choreographed: a dance between a piano and a wrecking ball! Still the plot was tightly woven and there were no holes so well done writers!

The music: classical and original piano music, variations on classical themes. Those actors are real musicians and Jay Chou is fabulously talented pianist, composer and actor. Piano battle scene is legendary.

The poster is perfect: the shadow a colonnade in school makes looks like piano keys.

Cinematography is top notch: everything was filmed in warm tones of brown, almost sepia, and combined with the music, leaving you feeling like wrapped in a soft cozy cocoon.

Acting: excellent. They have decent chemistry.

In short, a beautiful movie.

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Remembrance of things past

I am always amazed at cop shows and how the witnesses remember everything exactly as it happened. I do not remember what I had for breakfast this morning nor when I took it. I wonder how many people really remember accurately the events they took part in.

The memory is the premise of this mini web drama. It is interesting to see how people remember same events differently: the gist of it is the same but everything else is different starting with clothes, what they said, where they went....

The main characters are both in relationships with high speed controlling people while they are themselves more easy going and relaxed. When they meet, it is love at first sight and while the woman breaks up immediately with her boyfriend (who does not listen to her...), the man does not have the guts to do the same thing and keeps on lying to his girlfriend. That was actually the only problematic bit here. Other than that, this drama is cute, fluffy, interesting and easy watch. There are a lot of PPLs so I guess this must have been an ad based drama.

The actors had good chemistry and the romance was credible.

Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Hwang Chan Sung having seen him play a baddie in a drama which left me a lasting impression of him as an actor. Even here, where he is playing a cute and a bit lost guy, I keep finding him sleazy and dodgy (which was eventually confirmed when he did not break it off with his girlfriend before dating another woman!). But that's just me.

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