Jeaniessi
here
It wants to be a slice of life of four girlfriends trying to find their way after college but it gives you no real story trajectory and no one to really identify with or root for.
I see the conflict of four girls sort of drifting apart after college but I never got a clear picture of why they felt bonded in the first place or what there reasons would be to fight for their friendships. The writer gives you nothing tangable to hang onto. The angst seemed forced and unreal. The girls each had real problems but the way they were presented to me made their reactions to these problems seem petty and selfish.
The acting wasn\''t bad but the story was uninteresting. If I pause a movie to go wash the dishes...something is very wrong. I am not sure why I finished actually.
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When I first started this drama I actually did NOT like it. A lot of the humor is very wacky, comic book, slapstick. Which makes sense since it is based off a manga. It is definitely a drama that, at first, doesn't veer far from a manga style, unlike other live adaptations of manga that do not follow a graphic novel format.
I felt, while watching these early episodes, the style just wasn't for me. But as the episodes progressed there was tangible character growth. Especially from Nodame whose crazy, childish personality grated on me. As she grew and as I got to know the story and characters, that feeling diminished. The main leads and secondary characters all have growth! With the different concerts, orchestras forming and school year progressing, the plot moves along and doesn't stay stagnant. I didn't expect to come to like this but I did. Very Much!
Also, in spite of the cartoonish beginnings which lowered my expectation of content and writing, this also proved untrue. There are some scenes, especially in the latter half that have real depth and unexpectedly smart and mature dialog. I wish I could expound on this but let me just say the characters say and do things that are atypical of how dramas normally handle standard scenes and the relationships contained within.
The music is what this show is all about. Beautiful classical pieces are played through out and in the background making Nodame Cantabile pretty unique in the drama world. I gave the music a well deserved 10.
I am finished now with the 1st season and moving onto the first special. A week ago I almost dropped this. If you are like me and slapstick, comic style manga's aren't usually your thing, I recommend you stick with it and just maybe you will come to appreciate it like I did. If comic manga adapted dramas are your thing, Nodame Cantabile is Perfect for you!
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All around, I think that acting was stellar. Kim Sun Ah was wonderful as Yeon Jae. I loved the progression of her character. She went from a frumpy office punching bag to a woman awakening to life to a serious, proud, sad woman, determined to live her life the way she wanted. There were countless moments while watching this where her emotions came across and just blew me away. Lee Dong Wook; he was rather stiff at first and that stiffness was obviously more than his character's chaebol, "all dead inside" persona. But I expected that because the man has been away for two years. As time went on, that stiffness went away and I breathed a little sigh of relief. Uhm Ki Joon (Dr. Poopy Suk) was probably one of my very favorite characters in this drama. Watching his character growth, watching his steadfast friendship as Yeon Jae's doctor was joyful and heart wrenching. All of the side characters, Yeon Jae's mom, her best friend Hye Won, the Tango class crew...Her friend Hee Joo...They all had meaning to her life and to the plot. Well done.
My only nitpick is Im Sae Kyung. I'm not sure if it was Seo Hyo Rim, the writer or both, but her character was a one dimensional terror of a witch. I wish they would have helped me have sympathy for her. I know they tried to give her that in telling her history but for me at least, they mostly failed.
This plot completely revolves around her diagnosis of fatal cancer so I'm not giving anything away. Knowing that is your starting point challenges the writer to fill in the questions of what now? What will and must your character go through? This show had some very heavy moments, and it should have. They were dealing with death. But those heavy times made the small triumphs, the happy moments and the love connections, both romantic and familial that much deeper. The writing of this was so smart. It seemed so realistic that this is what a person would go through when told they have cancer and not long to live: The denial, hope, determination, heartbreak, panic, desperation and anger; Yeon Jae and those whose lives she touched felt them all. Every phase of Yeon Jae's journey felt right to me. It was hard to go through with the characters in points but necessary and didn't drag out too long.
The cinematography was beautiful. I loved the music; the love theme for Yeon Jae and Ji Wook was lovely. I liked the light "French inspired" soundtrack during happy times and many other songs too. They all seemed to fit well with the story. I loved the color palet and design of the sets especially Yeon Jae and Ji Wook's homes. I want to hang out at the Tango place. Also, I want Yeon Jae's wardrobe! She had some awesome clothes.
The message of this drama is simple: To live your life to fullest and to be true to yourself. To find happiness for yourself and those you love and most of all; finding hope, even in the face of death.
I recommend this! You will laugh. You will love the passionate moments between the two leads as well as the light comedic moments. But you MUST have tissues handy!!
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1) I do not like it when a woman blindly and stupidly follows a man that mostly could care less and treats her like crap on a regular basis.
2) I do not like it when a teenage girl is portrayed as completely without sense and is kind of a stalker.
3) Even worse when she is encouraged by said boy's mother! The mother helps her stalk her own son! I liked the actress, I did but that's just too much for me to wrap my mind around.
Maybe I am too old for this one. I did not like the message it sends. I am all for going with a story. I can forgive a lot because I have a ridiculous romantic side to me but this one left me wanting to yell at that girl and shake her out of her blind stupidity.
Here is what I did like: The boy kind of redeems himself toward the end and she wakes up at the last minute...kind of. ..but not enough.
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My reviews most always start with the story, or writing because without that, even good acting can't save a drama. Ghost started out with a bang in the first two episodes and I was excited. The plot line was thrilling and I was totally surprised by the twist we received right out of the gate. Then for a few episodes after that things settled in, became episodic and just a little uneven. Not bad, just a little meandering. Thankfully that did not last long and Ghost started revving it's engine. The clever plot, continuity and smart writing kept me watching and kept me thrilled to see what would happen all the way up until the VERY satisfying ending. Some Kdramas start strong and just can't keep the momentum. Ghost rushed out of gate, stumbled for a step or two then ran it's heart out and won. I loved that!
The acting was great all across the board. There was a great balance of suspense and some really funny moments. My favorite characters became "Mad Cow and the Cyber Crimes Team" !!! They had some really great moments and tons of chemistry together. The writers gave them each their own personalities and they bounced off each other so well. I liked Lee Yeon Hee as Gang Mi. It was so fun and refreshing to see a lady cop right in the thick of things, solving cases and running after the criminals. She wasn't placed in the damsel in distress category (maybe once?) she was the badarse lady cop! Daniel Choi's brief stint Gi Young was incredibly charming and cool. So Ji Sub did a good job. I wish he would have been more expressive, but over all, I do love him so and I was rooting for a good resolution for his character. Even the creepy baddies and lesser menacing characters really made me believe. (Special Mention to Lee Won Gun...face of an angel but really NOT! ...good job)
The music was well done. There isn't a catchy pop tune that stands out or that I take away from this humming or looking up on YouTube, but I don't think this drama is meant to have a take away OST. Every part of the score fit the mood and scenes just right and the Phantom of the Opera theme creeped me out! In a good way. Nicely done.
Again, Procedural is not really a genre I gravitate toward watching more than once. But I am giving the re-watch value a high score because I feel it deserves it for those who really love this type of genre.
Overall, I was completely entertained and satisfied watching this show. It has actually made me want to give other shows of this ilk another look. (Sign and Brain are two examples) I highly recommend this. I had a lot of fun biting my nails and sitting forward in my seat watching Ghost.
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This show is funny. It is a complete parody or 'send up' of every whodunit caper; whether the origin be book, television or specific character. Everyone needs to "know their place" in the framework of a detective story and act accordingly. It's so weird! But funny!
Matsuda Shota plays "The Great Detective". Only he's a hilarious, spoiled, eccentric mess. He pouts and sulks when things don't go his way or when the Captain doesn't playcate him. Matsuda Shota is great. His knack for physical comedy and his rubberlike facial expressions cracked me up.
The blatent and kitchy way they spoke about the viewers, ratings and audience expectation was original to say the least. This show was entertaining but I'm not quite sure how to catagorize it. I came away laughing for the most part. It isn't a perfect show but if you are a fan of Shota, you'll like this because he's a natural scene stealer.
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For the most part I am not a sporty girl. I do not go for watching many sports dramas, movies and television shows. I do not watch sports on television and the only time I EVER turn on Golf is for the gentle and quietly soothing vocal tones of the announcers that will surely lull me to sleep during my Sunday afternoon naps. That being said...I actually ended up liking Birdie Buddy...until the last 2 episodes. (insert annoyed growl here)
The writing was pretty solid all throughout. The story started out nicely. The acting was solid. The characters were engaging and as time went on you got to watch the stages of Mi Soo's development; her successes and pitfalls were entertaining. Her family life and orbiting friendships were interesting and sweet. Her meet/cute with her future coach was kind of delightful actually and her introduction and further learning by Teach was kind of cool. Then the story started ramping up with an unexpected plot element thrown in that picked up the pace of the drama and I sat back thinking...Oh! Here we go!
And it did go! That plot element was played out nicely right up until episode 22. And I was on board the Birdie Buddy train. No! I was on the 17th hole with a 3 under par! (I just made that up, but I think it's very good) But then, something happened...That twisty plot element ended at episode 22. It landed in the metaphorical sandpit and the writer just couldn't seem hit it back on the green.
I wish I could describe to you here why this ending failed for me. I felt as if somehow the story ended but they just had to keep filming so they threw in a scenario that wasn't necessary and it really made the ending fall flat for me. I'm still going to recommend this drama. I know it sounds strange but this is a darn good show and maybe the ending that I didn't like, others won't mind. It just simply didn't work for me.
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For about 9 episodes of this drama I was completely drawn into the puzzle of how Wakaba was going to change as well as being drawn to watching both her and Shota learn to find some middle ground and find some way to come together. The writing was good, the episodes plotted out fairly well until the last few.
They spent so much time driving home the point that Wakaba was damaged and tough and Shota was meek, complacent and overly kind, by the time we got to the end of its run they rushed the couple's big moment. It should have felt more natural. I have only watched 3 Jdramas and so I understood they were shorter than Kdramas. The shorter length didn't seem to hurt them so I knew it could be done. Not so with Zenkai Girl. I ended up enjoying it but the pacing was off and that mistake cost this drama the ranking of being something more than 'just okay' in my eyes. It simply could have used another episode or two.
But..I liked all the characters, even Wakaba and she was tough to take sometimes. Shota was a sweet loving character and the children were delightful. (if a little too adult in their wisdom and reasoning) This show is enjoyable and I liked the episodic conflicts that were solved pretty quickly and the lessons learned. Zenkai Girl is not hard to follow and can be a lot of fun. It is simply too short for the wrong reason. The viewer should feel a drama has ended too soon because they don't want to see it end. A drama shouldn't end with the viewer thinking "Wait...you haven't quite finished the story!"
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There is the central theme of the Gil Dong legend running through out, a series long plot to restore a displaced king and lots of love triangles all around. (love quadrangles?) In the mix, there are several short plot stories and baddies for Gil Dong to fight as he gathers his "band of merry men", rights the wrongs he sees, tries to protect those he loves and begins to suss out the worthiness (or lack thereof) of a future king.
The fusion sauguk element is fun. I wish I was even a little adept at Korean language and culture so I could truly appreciate the popculture and slang built into the language of the characters.
It's swashbuckling, over the top and a lot of fun. The writing is clever with some twists you just don't see coming and game changers that keep you moving along with the 24 episode tale.
I recommend it very highly.
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It is by turns silly and touching. After all, the stories are set every week at a Child Welfare center and they involve stories of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Those working at the center take their jobs very seriously but the situations are handled sensitively and with a light touch with emphasis on the help the children are given.
There is also the very comedic "Freaky Friday" like situation of the two main characters switching souls. I, like most was wondering...do those two scenarios even fit together? The answer is yes, they do. Because watching a timid, by the book earnest social worker switch bodies with a hardened gangster with a reluctant heart of gold turns out to be a surprisingly winning combination.
Let me also say that Matsuda Shota is turning out to be a talented chameleon-like actor who can pull off amazingly dramatic moments while also having a real talent for physical comedy. You can see it if you watch Meitante No Okite, but in Don Quixote, he perfects the skill. His 'old Gangster in a young man's body' persona had me in stitches. He curses and grumbles and gets dragged into situations he absolutely does not want to be in and that is comedy gold!
The supporting cast was great. I loved all of Shirota's co-workers at the Child Center and I loved the quirky family like loyalty and atmosphere of Sabashima's crew. They all had their own personalities but weren't over utilized and didn't take away from the main story lines. I liked the episodic feel of the weekly situations and problems solved at the Child Center.
This show is dramatic but not overly so with tender and touching moments. There are moments I laughed out loud and actually rewound to watch and laugh again. At 11 episodes it didn't drag on and was just the right amount of time for a story of this nature. If you haven't seen Don Quixote, I really recommend it. It is a charming drama about family, friendship, honor and doing the right thing; both for those you love and for those in need.
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The writing is what actually hooked me because anyone who has the mind to think up those twisty games and work out the puzzle of solving them is pretty clever...and then place those different game solving methods into the minds and mouths of their characters. Sometimes I was sitting back thinking...Who thinks up this stuff? 1 + 1 = 2...that's all I know! Crazy smart.
The other thing that is great about Liar game? It is a twisty, mind bendy fun ride. The set up of the games and the way the characters not only puzzle them out but the way personalities are revealed is highly entertaining to watch; especially the subtle growth in trust and dependency of the two main leads.
There is a certain quality to the way Nao and Akiyama relate to each other; the way his attraction to the true honesty in her manifests itself in his own personality. That is all I'm going to say about those two...When you watch you will understand and if you decide to move on to Liar Game 2 and finish with the movie...this element becomes even clearer.
The side characters are over the top and almost cartoonish in their portrayals. I do not use the word 'cartoonish' as a negative word. They are important to the plot and are very entertaining in their own ways.
To simplify...Liar Game is fun! Fun Fun Fun! I did not expect that when it was over, I would be so eager to watch Liar Game 2...but I was and before I knew it I was finished with the movie. Watch and Puzzle and Enjoy.
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Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score - Part II
11 people found this review helpful
The continuation and deepening of both Chiaki's and Nodame's talents and relationship are the focus. And they both have to decide what they want and what is important. The story is told in the same funny, silly and charming way the whole series has been told. This movie is the best of them and usually with sequels, you can't say that.
More of my thoughts are expressed in the other review and I'd only be repeating myself too much.
The music is a 10. I can't give it any lower. I think I am more of a classical fan now.
I give the re-watch a 10 because I just got done watching a 2nd time.
I recommend the whole series highly.
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The thing that makes this drama so special besides the amazing writing, which seemed fully formed and not a slapdash patch job every week, was acting done by the cast of quirky characters we got to know during the last 16 episodes. Each had their own distinct personality and each character had a steady growth and relevance to the main story line. The interactions of friends and family whether tied by blood or tied by choice were so lovely and funny. Eun Bi and all her Flower Boys made this drama so fun. I've read some people don't like Eun Bi...But I loved her. She was silly, serious, not always sure of herself but...she always stuck up for herself and I could definitely relate to her for those qualities. ♥
Another thing that made this drama great was the tongue in cheek handling of the typical drama tropes you see in every Kdrama ever. There was makjang! But FBRS dared to ask the viewer, “Is this really makjang? Or is it purity?” There was a typical chaebol falling for a plucky average heroine but this drama dared to ask the question, “Who really needs saving here?” and “Is it really better to only eat caviar and steak instead of experiencing all the wonderful flavors of ramyun you could be missing?”
Every episode was delightful and didn’t drag the show down. The technical aspects of lighting, cinematography and most especially the directing were excellently done. The editing was particularly creative, with almost every episode having a scene that would partially play out but then we would go back and revisit to see full conversations or replaying a scene to explain someone’s actions. Stellar!
Jung Il Woo as Cha Chi Soo…or was it Dog Chi Soo? Or rather, Dong chi Soo? Anyway, Jung Il Woo stole every scene. I have to admit, for me , he rivals Hyun Bin’s Joo Won for messed up crazy chaebol with his performance of Chi Soo. I think because Chi Soo was so delightfully pampered and sheltered he had no filter and absolutely no self awareness other than his outward appearance. Watching him fall for Eun Bi was by turns completely hilarious and also very heart tugging.
This drama has so many little moments, little details that make it exceptional. If you are looking for a good drama to marathon, to savor, to make you want to eat some yummy Ramyun while you laugh and cry and sigh…Flower Boy Ramyun Shop is the drama for you! Don’t miss it!
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Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score - Part I
15 people found this review helpful
This show and particularly the movie, are so much more than just your average drama. I have already reviewed the Jdrama Nodame Cantabile and I would only add one really important thing you should know. Nodame and Chiaki live in Paris and their journey is set in a much more adult world past college into apprenticeship and learning to become Pro. They have a new group of friends, harder challenges and also a deeper, more mature place in their relationship.
But trust me, it hasn’t lost all of its comic book slapstick and silliness. I think the way the writers made both Chiaki and Nodame grow up is very smart of them and cool for us viewers. This movie is a fun. Because Nodame is still sloppy and she still has all of her core craziness intact. Chiaki is still a stuffy, cranky commitment phobic but he is also still tender and kind of a sucker for Nodame. They have become in my mind eccentric because they are genius and geeky, not because they are comic manga characters with no depth. Again, the writers of this show/manga are smart.
Of course the cinematography is great. They are in Paris! Everything looks great, all the time. (Accept Nodame’s apartment.)
The music is a 10. It’s Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Revel and on and on.
If you haven’t watched the Nodame Series, you should give it a try but
I suggest definitely watching before you watch this movie. And when you do, you’ll think this movie is the best part of the series.
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