What a messy plot and waste of good actors/actresses

I was really looking forward to this drama due to Seo Yea Ji performance in former drama's and was totally disappointed. May be makjang is a genre but even there I expect a more or less good or plausible plot and some character developement.

The good things:
- Yoo Sun's performance being an ultimate bitch
- Seo Yea Ji was okayish, but not as good as before

The bad things, so many plot stupidities, just a selection mostly addressed to the writer and director:
- Romance of FL and ML almost no chemistry, not plausible, the church scene, so dumb
- One sided Romance of SML to the FL even less plausible from him
- The ML is a passionate Tango lover ? Are you kidding me ? That whsipering robot with one face all the 16 episodes !?
- In the final two episodes where were all the security dudes from before in the most critical times !?
- Why did the main leads have kids at all ? They seem to be an obligatory accessory in the show with no almost active role in the drama.

I could go on and on. My note to myself: Next time if makjang, wait for the end and read some reviews before waisting your time. And please all you actors and actresses: Don't spend your energy on such a messy thing. There's tons of other dramas to choose I guess. Especially Seo Yea Ji should try another style.

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Not only a gender mind game...

...this drama actually does much more than using the little SciFi element for gender switch. It especially raises questions and addresses issues about human behaviour you have in any kind of relationship, independent of gender and makes you question yourself in a good way.

The acting and character development was shown in a slow but needed pace and done very well by all actors. Still it delivered with some unexpected turns and twists to keep you going and lots of thoughtful dialogues and shared thoughts of the protagonists. The Theme song was nice, rewatch value not too much regarding the story, but good to catch up on some thoughts here again once in a while.

Just, I'd say, how things are resolved felt a bit too lightly. E.g. as I think affection between people is also partly created by visual aspects of the persons involved I'd guess in reality it won't be that easy going like shown here.

But nevertheless the drama can be seen as a very valuable and carefully crafted pleading for an open mind especially regarding any relationship between any gender. There's not too many gems out there like this, and more are needed.

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Came to learn about aromatic/asexual people, learned much more...

As said in the headline I wanted to watch that drama to learn about aromatic/asexual people...in the end I even learned much more about myself, whatever sexual or non-sexual orientation or any relationship behaviour and about dreams and desires in life in general. They covered so much in little time of that drama in a decent way, it's quite amazing.

The cast and plot was very good, my only minor complaint is the character Matsuoka Kazu. The way he went from one extreme to the other I didn't find plausible and more like a construct to make the plot more pleasant.

It's a very good rewatch I'd guess, as there are a lot of conversations that would make you reflect on yourself and reflect on the decisions of the protagonists and furthermore how the society and family member react and evolve also. It gives you an insight especially in the emotional level of the aromatic/asexual people in a very deep level. I don't know if there's any other drama that ever achieved that before. As I read from the other reviews it seems quite unique and good.

So another praise for superb Japanese drama writing and acting it is ! Ganbatte kudasai next time again !!!

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Superb drama writing, cinematography and acting

My main praise for this drama gem is definitely the writing and the cinematography along with the focus on all the details in every scene. Especially when it comes to the impact , or you could even say the relationship the FL has got or is building up with the paintings in the present and past. The several encounters with the paintings are accompanied by an intriguing soundtrack which makes it even more impressive, not to mention the careful acting of the FL.

While the drama is continuously raising the tension throughout the 5 episodes also the different paintings made and shown enhance that tension along with the story perfectly. Coming from a small nature flower type to a bigger one, ending up in a painted fire hell for the one who deserves it. If that isn't enough yet, the pregnancy and final child birth works very well as a metaphoric journey to the new beginning. In addition I guess there's no other city in Japan which would fit better to the setting than Kyoto, if you can, visit and dive into all the shrines and walk around Gion.

The only mild criticism is that douche bag of a husband, which for me was a bit of a too stereotypical old school dude and the story with the mother regarding that "The Graduate" incident. I can't explain why, but to me that theme should stay with that 1967 American movie :-p It looked like they made those two especially evil so the story could reach that kind of ending, that I really liked, by the way.

But of course that got nothing to do with the actors and actresses. All of them did a stellar job in my opinion, at first to mention the FL and the villain painter, which you want to be punished by all means the first minute you recognize how he treats Shirane Tatsuru.

Now go and watch ! 5 hours very well spent !

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Good contribution for more movies on those topics

This review is based on just watching the movie, not knowing the webtoon, what I see makes quite a difference in rating.

I didn't know what to expect, but I think it handled that multifaceted topic BDSM quite in a good way, as far as I can judge. Especially they've done it with respect and care of the protagonists. So in that sense it gives a strong statement to respect and accept people having different desires, especially the ones not being generally accepted by "normal" society and to have an open mind and awareness to that. So many people lacking of having that mindset still. That awareness worked very well throughout the whole movie for me and made me rate it that high. Also the FL and ML were acting perfectly well I think. I hope they'll do more in the future. Also the other cast was very good.

Of course some aspects were a bit fast paced or not covered much, like their background or the transition of their relationship. That would have needed more episodes than just a movie and I wouldn't mind seeing a sequell covering that. I read that the webtoon provided more detail. But on the other hand to drag that into a 16 episode drama would've been too long and led to the usual plot problems of lengthy dramas.

So why not see that movie as a good contribution to do more stuff on such topics in society ?

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Beautiful nature...but could've been more than that...

I basically like that with Jirisan there's a drama where actually the main star is nature itself with all it's beauty and dangers, which are definitely explored here beside the supernatural induced crime story. The shooting of the nature aspect was flawless in my opinion. I guess one can hardly find dramas similar in that aspect (proove me wrong). For me it would even work as a South Korea travel advertisement, knowing that not all scenes are actually from Jirisan area.

On the other hand, the expectations one could have from knowing the screenwriter and director are some of the industries top people in the last years were kind of disappointed. For the screenwriting I could sense some similar strategy like done in Signal, but nowhere close living up to that level of tension done back then. Also the direction was confusing at points and often let me think, why did he choose to do it like that, while I was okay with the jumps in time. A similar aspect used in Signal.

For the acting I generally liked the whole cast, especially the ML Joo Ji Hoon with his friendly and nice attitude and the rookie ranger Go Min Si. Regarding Jun Ji Hyun I thought in this particular drama she couldn't really shine, may be also due to the role itself, as of course it's not her usual one. She couldn't carry the show sometimes and her expressions in general felt a bit pale...may be another actress could've been better. It seemed somehow they tried to make sure all positions are filled with well-established stars, not to take any risk.

The crime story was okay, had some nice twists and always tried to connect to the aspect of the rangers and the mountain. At the end kind of predictable. I would have wished for some romance, so it's just subtle, but knowing the author it couldn't be expected easily...

Though overall I admit it's complaining at a high level and I recommend the show especially to everybody wanting to look at an entire drama set in a nature environment. Somehow it just couldn't live up to the hype. So some good opportunities wasted here for such a setting...may be next time...

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Weather, Physics, Nature, Friendship & Family

My first Asadora ever and I really liked to watch it. The 120 episodes went by actually very fast !

I liked especially how they went to detail with a holistic approach to cover the basics that "form" our weather and of course especially the regional aspects in Japan with the typhoons. That was very well incorporated within the struggle of the FL how to overcome the shadows of the past that actually were caused by extreme weather since even her birth and continue to have a major influence, on e.g. the fishing business. Also the weather forecaster office in Tokyo, the TV station and how they tried to make new business I thought was totally realistic, simply Japanese detailedness at it's best, also regarding the tree/forest business at the comminuty back near home at her first work place, all places filled with heartwarming likeable people.

Then of course there was so much ongoing while she was working in Tokyo, becoming a weather forecaster finally showing of her personal strengths finally while still not losing the connection to her home town. All the other family and island members were also covered nicely, though the only cast member I didn't like was Nagase Ren, didn't fit in my opinion. All people got struggles due to the historic events and everybody tried to help out making a better life. That lets you reflect on your own how to grow as a person, not to be to hard to yourself and how difficult it is to find your own path, keep or lose focus and allowing try & error also.

My only complaint was about the romance of the FL and ML. They seem to have such long times not seeing each other and I think the travel distance wasn't that far to meet on some weekends or so. Then I felt a lack of physical affection and as a couple I'd think you'd just would long for spending more time together somehow...talking once in a while on the phone isn't just enough. That's just my perspective and if they are okay with that, it's of course all fine by me, no offense and not me to judge...it just felt like it's lacking a bit while the subtle romance was nicely displayed. So I hope in the future they find a way to have a family and a better work&life balance :-)

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Important drama plot

While many Kdrama's focus on the process of falling in love and the struggle how to become a a couple and all the tension coming with it, that drama deals with the burden and obstacles that come up when you don't see everything through the rose-coloured glasses any more, become a couple, marry,...

So stress at work, loss of a relative, lack of time, growing old and getting a long with it will be something everybody has do deal with at some point and when everything becomes to much and none of the partners can escape from the vicious circle it can end up how it ended up here in the beginning. And while raising a child will give you a wonderful experience it's also a huge task to fulfill and to fulfill it especially to the level you want it to be fulfilled. All of that is kind of addressed in the show in some aspects more or less.

Though of course in real life nobody can go back in time and do like the FL/ML but that's what this drama in the end is there fore. It makes you clearly reflect on your own behaviour in the past and how sometimes things just get out of hand and in the wrong direction. It teaches us to reflect on our own, to talk more and take more care of each other, not only in a relationship sense also in general and that's what makes this drama so valuable.

It's also covered very well how the FL and ML deal with their previous crushes in their university time. The special story between the FL and her mother is addressed in a very heartwarming way and of course how the FL and ML missing her child.

The music is quite memorable, when it comes to that melodramatic piano tune. I'd say it's also a good rewatch value for some scenes. My only complaint is that the ending and resolving is a bit rushed and bit to easy, as normal life won't be like that, but you can say it's something to look forward to, of course. And in some scenes you really want to smack the ML for how he's talking/baving to the FL.

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Homage to film making

Whoever liked the movie 13 Assassins from 2010 or the original from 1963 will also like this one even if it’s something completely different. But not only in respect to the Samurai theme, to me it works as a kind of homage to cinema and film making in general.

The enthusiastic teen protagonists pay a detailed attention to those Samurai action scenes and I think it covers the best broom-sword-wanna-be-fight in cinematic history 😉

That time machine thingy is a bit weird, but if one can see it as critique to the recent short-clip-tiktok-crap, why not…just it seems men have long hair again in the future 😊

Enjoyable summer vibe movie, good and fun actors all over. I liked how the rivals come together finally for their cinematic work for the higher goal. And yep, some small romance there also, while not being the main focus.

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A must watch not only for teenagers & parents

I can’t really praise this drama enough. At first I was thinking, is this a government financed sex education program, but even if it would be, it’s just perfectly done. It’s something that I would recommend anybody, especially teenagers and parents to watch and I would’ve been glad if such shows were available in my teenage time.

Due to only 9 episodes it can’t cover all topics, but it cleverly touches some of the most essential ones, like early pregnancy, STD’s, and of course the general misunderstandings in love and romance and the needed communication with the parents/friends/lovers.

I can’t recall a single scene that felt out of place or wasn’t done carefully in respect to the topic or persons. Yet it sounds educational it’s perfectly enjoyable, fun and tense also. The pace with the 30 min episode length is totally good.

So my only complaint is: Where’s the second season :-) ?

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Training School Fairy Tale

While one can say this kind of fairy tale plot set in a carpentry training school is cheesy, foreseeable, full of cliche, moral philosophy, I might say, why not once in a while ? Aren't we all up to something like that once in a while when it's done well ?

Yes, you have your usual loveable 'good' characters, coming with all kinds of family and friends, tragic issues from the past and presence, and you have your 'evil' company & school superiors. While in the end some of them switch sides to the 'good' ones, contributing to the happy ending, especially also for the main two couples.

So all in all this could be set in any era, still I really liked the calm evolution of the plot and the continuous revealing of the events in the past. The cast was all good, starting from the three main couples, the grandfather and family members. Especially I would like to see more form the two main couple actors/actresses being the main cast in a more grown up setting as of course they'll grow up ;-)

Soundtrack was subtle but memorable.

Special bonus from my side for the carpentry aspect. It could have been explored a bit more in detail, but it was descent enough. All kind of handicraft work deserves a better coverage and attention nowdays as it's often underpaid work.

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When you feel that the cast had so much fun shooting this drama :-)

I can hardly call another drama that was so much fun to watch. You could sense that the cast was enjoying shooting this a lot. I kinda hear them laughing after doing some scene's or when they got take a second shot I guess they were laughing so hard and couldn't continue filming the movie ;-) The cast in total, even the side characters are so well chosen and had enough airing time to be covered decently, even the villains.

The chemistry especially between Kim Nam Gil and Kim Sung Kyun was perfect. Also newbie police officer raping girl Seo Seung Ah appeard so cool. Besides the slapstick comedy there were some serious parts of the story covered in a good way...and while a bit repetitive the constant beat em up contest between the good and the bad turned out like crazy.

The plot might be nothing too new (corrupt politicians and police) and sometimes a little dragging, but overall enough story to keep you going. Music was well chosen, lots of scenes to be watched again...but in the end this drama shows some of the best cast of Korea and how good it worked out with and for all of them. Everybody watching this one I guess is eagerly waiting for a second season...which is quite rare in k-drama-history.

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Not a single minute of boredom

I didn't gather any information if the problems or bullying within the korean army are as severe as displayed here, but I guess incidents like these will happen in any order-and-command structure with men trying to be superior of others and dealing with the power struggle. In the end drill in an army is about to give up your own willpower in subordiantion to follow what your leaders want you to do and so the shit begins to happen in one way or another.

The two ML were perfectly chosen for their part in the drama. You get the funny one, you get the more silent one, carrying their own history within life and the army along. Also the other army fellows and leaders fit very good, all acting quite flawless. A thriller and suspense story at the highest korean drama/cinematic level. It's something the Koreans are best since decades. Any minute worth to watch. You'll binge it once you start and as it's only 6 episodes...

One could argue there are some of your usual cliche bad and good guys but if it promotes the message here I can live with that. It's very interesting and diverse to get to know the different reasons and background of the deserters. Hopefully they keep the high standard in the second season as it's not often I would call out for another seasons for dramas in general.

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Hilarious Manga-ish TV station fun

While I didn’t read the original manga that this drama is based on, once you see the FL in action you’ll truly think of those fun manga slapstick elements. And that craziness of her shines throughout the whole show and totally works for me. So much baka fun 😊 …and while they treat her as the “baka” one she pulls it off like no other in the team because she's so dedicated to her job.

Besides the outstanding FL the other freshmen/women in the TV station are also well chosen, each one being a different character and while they cover each other’s work specialty you’ll even get an insight in the different steps and departments of creating daily TV content. I can imagine that it’s similarly stressful in real life, hunting for relevant news, making them interesting to broadcast while keeping your audience rating at a high level and pleasing the commerical department.

Also to be mentioned is how they don’t only focus on the main story, also lots of other elements, like that one superior who constantly eats whatever while he’s in a scene, then you’ll also get some authentic local Hokkaido food porn, e.g. Jingisukan (I ate when I visited there).

So overall to me a fun drama in a style only the Japanese can pull off and as I see that the manga is quite long, I’ll demand more episodes !

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A sad but also heartwarming story about family and live

At some point I thought, how much sad things can happen in a family, isn't it too much here, but if you see it as an approach to show the value of family, humanity and friendship in general it was all okay for me.

The story was well paced, lots of plot twists that keep you entertained for the two hours. While all actors were really nice, I want to give a special credit for Sugisaki Hana, who plays the teenage daughter here. Her acting is so good, so many perfect facial expressions in all the variety of moods she had to cover, just wow, especially for her age. Somebody to check out for her other works for sure.

Definitely a movie that deserves a wider recognition.

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