What a long ride this has been

I first started looking forward to F4 Thailand when they first announced in 2019! That's how long it has been lol. Then in late 2020 was the cast announcement and first trailer. But then there was a whole another year of waiting because of covid delays T_T Just saying, I and a lot of other people have been very patient.

Anyway, after watching F4 Thailand, I can confidently say that this is my second favorite version behind the Japanese version ofc. I would also venture to say that it's the best written version out of all of them. It managed to avoid a lot of pitfalls the series has without making it completely toothless like Meteor Garden 2018. There's themes and symbolism and sooo many details that you'll catch during rewatches. The cast is absolutely perfect. There's great chemistry between the leads and the double K couple. I honestly cannot praise it enough.

My favorite episodes were "The Glass Mask" (ep 5) and "The Atonement" (ep 10). I love the way this version handled all of the side characters. Hana and Talay, in particular, are my favorites. I also adored Lita and Glakao. Jan's character in MJ's story managed to shine, despite her relatively short screentime. MJ's KFC ad (lol) was one of favorite parts. I looked forward to it so much each week.

Now some complaints: I love Tia, but I wish she was given more of a background. In other versions, we get to know her a bit more. Also, Kavin and Kaning, is a big one for me. I liked how their relationship was handled in some parts, but not others. Kavin's episode "The Rooftop of Tomorrow" (ep 13) was a highly anticipated one for me. But.... I kind of fell flat. I know where they were going with it, but I really thought we were going to get to know him better than that.

Overall, I really enjoyed F4 Thailand. Like versions before it, there's the good and bad. None of them are perfect and I could pick each one apart, even my favorite one! I recommend this version in particular because of the more modern route it took with the story. I will dearly miss watching it every Saturday T_T

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"Hana Nochi Hare" is a sequel to my favorite drama, "Hana Yori Dango" (2005). It is also based on the manga, "Boys Over Flowers Season 2", which I've been avidly reading since its beginning. Though I know most of the people who watched "Hana Nochi Hare" probably aren't familiar with the manga, please bear with me. The drama takes very few liberties with the story. The biggest change was probably taking the story from three years after F4's graduation to ten. "Hana Nochi Hare" surprisingly managed to respect both the manga and its parent drama.

Hana Sugisaki and Taishi Nakagawa as Oto and Tenma were brilliant together. I'm convinced Taishi only took the second male lead in order to work with Hana again. Sho Hirano was charming as the male lead Haruto, though his acting was a little on the weaker side. The supporting cast were also fun and did a reasonably well job. I was a bit conflicted about the "friend group" thing between Oto, Konno, Airi, and Megumi as this does not happen in the manga. It felt a bit unrealistic to be honest, especially for Megumi.

The highlight of the series were the cameos [I cried when Tsukasa (Jun Matsumoto) appeared]! I was a little disappointed by the ending. They are obviously hoping for a second season since it only covers seven volumes of the manga. "Hana Nochi Hare", while not as good as "Hana Yori Dango", will hopefully delight old and new fans.

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A lot of reviews compare "Meteor Garden" to the other "Hana Yori Dango" adaptations, which I don't think is really fair... Not only was MG the first drama version, it was made on a pretty low budget. Producer Angie Chai bought most of the F4's clothes from local thrift shops and had a hard time getting funding for some of the scenes. Nevertheless, Chai had a vision and it paid off. "Meteor Garden" is considered the first of the popular "idol drama" trend and launched her career as a prolific producer. The drama made household names out of Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Ken Chu, and Vanness Wu. All went on to have good careers, though to varying degrees of success. It also introduced the sweet and popular Rainie Yang.As an adaptation of "Hana Yori Dango" (or "Boys Over Flowers"), MG is probably the most faithful to the manga. MG combined a few characters (notably Makiko and Sakurako [Li Zhen] and Seinosuke and Junpei [Xiao Shun]), but I was pleasantly surprised to see Matsutaro (Ah Song, played by Wallace Chung) and Amon (Ya Men, played by Blue Lan). Neither of the latter characters have been featured in any other drama, not even the Japanese version. Additionally, MG follows the manga almost scene by scene, only skipping over about one arc. It's unfortunate that the manga was not finished yet, so the writers had to make up an ending. I was not really a fan of the last episode, besides the very last scene.For fans of the manga, I would say this is a must-watch, despite the low production values. Barbie Hsu's (Shan Cai) and Jerry Yan's (Dao Ming Si) chemistry was also on point. It's no wonder this version was so popular at the time that it aired. A popularity that endures to this day. I'm very excited for the upcoming remake since Chai has promised to make another faithful (but updated and flashy) rendition.

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Very draggy

"Nabi" is my first lakorn. The first few episodes start off well. My only complaint in the beginning was the ML constantly grabbing the FL and dragging her everywhere. A few times would be okay, but I could've started a drinking game with the amount of times he did it. Towards the middle, the show quickly became draggy. The cause, I think, is likely the writing. They obviously had to stretch a simple storyline to 22 episodes and it was tiring at times. I didn't help that what happened to Nabi's sister and Kawin's mother was revealed so early on...

So why did I stick around? Two reasons, really. Fah and Joss had great chemistry and I genuinely like the cast. They were all doing the best with the script they were given. Nat, especially, was able to carry most of the show. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to carry it through that terrible ending. I mean, are you kidding me? Half the characters took stupid pills towards the end and you cannot change my mind on that.

To improve "Nabi," I think the writers should've incorporated more flashback scenes. I really enjoyed the ones they did show and thought it added more depth to the characters. Nabi and Kawin's were particularly touching. Also, more time should've been given to Luke and Jan's characters who ended up being glorified extras. I guess that also goes for Wa and Sirin, who were basically forgotten, despite them being the mystery of the show.

I was entertained for the most part but I was not satisfied with the ending. I will likely never watch "Nabi" again, though I look forward to the cast's other projects.

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Overall a nice time but mixed feelings about the ending

I picked up this drama randomly since I wanted to watch something currently airing at the time. I wasn't too sure about it at first, because I don't really watch fantasy dramas too much. But, I was hooked by the end of the first episode. The premise seems odd at first: Momay is cursed to live forever and now 2000 years later wants to die, but it can only happen if she falls in love. Intermixed with this is a mystery plot involving a string of strange murders.

Almost immediately I was captured by the lead actress, Aom. I'm definitely looking forward to her next drama. I also liked the male leads Toy, Off, and Fiat who I was already familiar with. I was particularly torn between Momay picking Moo Tod (Toy) and Khawin (Off). By half-way through the drama, it was pretty obvious tho T_T. The supporting characters were great too. They provided just the right amount of comic relief and seriousness when the situation called for it.

[Ending spoilers!!]
I think a lot of people have mixed (or confused) feelings about the ending. Honestly, I enjoyed it at the time but when I thought about it afterwards I was like: Wha??? I was happy that Off's character got so more screentime in the last two episodes, but disappointed that he turned out to be the baddie. Nevertheless, his character turned out to be the most interesting and I would've liked more episodes dedicated to his character arc. Also, the reveal around Kam Pan (Fiat) was confusing. I can only guess that he is the reincarnation of Thawin's brother. Last thought, I liked Momay and Moo Tod together and I thought their ending was fitting, but I would've liked to see a romantic moment between them first.

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Chinese version of Big Little Lies?

On YouTube, I saw YoYo promoting this show as the "Chinese version of Big Little Lies." Watching 'Goodbye, My Love,' I actually got 'Big Little Lies' vibes off the overall mood of this. However, in terms of plot and story line, there aren't much similarities. Instead I found myself comparing it to Showtime's 'The Affair," one of my all time favorite shows. It has infidelity, set near the beach, and told from multiple points of view.

Back to 'Goodbye, My Love,' the story of a husband cheating on wife is nothing new really, but it manages to keep this tired old plot interesting. There are so many twists and turns. And refreshingly, I didn't see them all coming like usual. The acting is on point, especially by the lead actress. Her character goes through so many emotions and stages. I think that was what I appreciated most about the drama. Nothing was black and white and all the characters had shades of grey. Even the characters that were seemingly the villains were flushed out.

Lastly, a warning to those who don't like open endings. Though I personally liked the ending of this show, a lot of people probably won't. Also, a special mention to the music. The opening and ending theme songs perfectly matched the tone of the show.

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Often considered a masterpiece of cinema, Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story" is a slow-paced, slice-of-life story. An elderly couple visits two of their grown children in Tokyo. However, their children are busy and have no inclination to make time for their parents. This part of the story really broke my heart, especially considering how close I am to my parents. The only person who actually spends time with the couple is the wife of their dead son, Noriko (played by Setsuko Hara). Hara had my favorite scene at the end and her character was hands-down the best.

Ultimately, the story is about how children grow apart from the parents and how they can thoughtlessly hurt them.

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This film is a nearly four-hour epic by the masterful director, Edward Yang. Despite its length, the film does not drag but actually leaves you wanting more. 'A Brighter Summer Day' takes place during a turbulent time in 1960s Taiwan and follows a student named Xiao Si'r. It's interesting to see how his character develops throughout the movie, starting off a quiet bookworm, who eventually becomes involved with the street gangs of his neighborhood.

The movie has a sprawling cast and each character gets a fair bit of screentime. My favorite was Si'r's friend Cat, who sings Elvis songs. The English title of the movie is taken from a mistranslated line of Elvis's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". The movie's Taiwanese title "Youngster Homicide Incident at Guling Street" points to something more sinister, so fair warning. Overall, the movie is a good watch and I would recommend it to anyone, especially fans of Taiwanese movies.

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Surprisingly addictive

I picked this drama up randomly when I saw it on the front page. I don't usually watch J-dramas as they are airing since I usually prefer to wait until the whole thing has been subbed. However, I liked the poster and saw that it was being subbed by Blitz. I went to the website and just clicked play. Before I knew it, I had watched three episodes in a row which is rare for me. I'm sure I would've watched all of it in a day if I had waited until now to watch it.

Regarding the story, it takes a lot of the standard shojo tropes and clichés and twists them. A lot of the time the story didn't work out the way I expected, which is refreshing for a revenge drama. It really makes me interested in reading the manga. Especially after learning Natsumi Ando is the author. I recommend her series, "Kitchen Princess" and "Arisa." Watadou is on a whole other level though! If the manga is as good as the drama, I'm happy to see Ando-sensei come so far.

In conclusion, I enjoyed every minute of "Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru" (what a title lol) and it is definitely one of the best and most interesting J-dramas I've seen in a while. The chemistry between the leads Hamabe Minami (my new favorite actress btw) and Yokohama Ryusei is on point. I absolutely loved seeing them together and will be on the look-out for their other projects. This is a good drama for both old and new fans of J-dramas, highly reccommended!

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"So long and see you again!"

I originally wrote this review after reaching the mid-point of "Tora ni Tsubasa," which is the 13th week. I've returned to rewrite this review now that the drama is over. When I finished "Tora", it became my 19th asadora. However, when I started watching it, I had only seen five. As such, my opinions on "Tora" slowly changed while being exposed more and more to the format. The ultimate result being that I was highly impressed with it by the end. This asadora really understands the format, but it feels very revolutionary in the choices that it made. "Tora" will definitely be an unforgettable asadora for anyone who watches it and I hope it becomes the first asadora for many viewers.

Ito Sairi plays Inotsume Tomoko ("Tora-chan"), an aspiring lawyer during a time when the laws in Japan were very patriarchal. Ito deserves a lot of praise for playing the heroine. She was so expressive and over time it feels like you know exactly what's she's thinking just based on expressions. Tora-chan, of course, isn't the only great character in this asadora. There are countless great characters in this drama. One of the standouts is Doi Shiori playing Yamada Yone, Tomoko's friend during law school who dresses in men's clothing. She faces discrimination for her choices but chooses to stay true to herself. Ito and Doi have some nice chemistry and I'd like to see them in another drama someday. I could be here all day naming characters I liked tbh, but I'll just say that you'll probably end up loving everyone lol.

Hats off to the writer of "Tora ni Tsubasa.' That being Yoshida Erika, whom also wrote one of my fave dramas "Hana Nochi Hare." Her writing for this asadora is very tight. There are no "filler" weeks, which is common with asadora (though I'm necessarily opposed to "filler"). Also, there was not a single week that I was bored from start to finish. Almost every week actually had me crying. Not in a bad way exactly. As with most asadoras, the weeks taking place during WWII are sad and will make you cry. But, I teared up a bit at nearly every week before and after that. "Tora ni Tsubasa" seems to have this power to move you even if it's not some big event. Yoshida seems very familiar with asadora as she hits all of the usual beats. However, the way it is written feels so different from other asadora. I feel that this has the potential to appeal to a very wide audience because of that.

The themes of this asadora are women's rights (and equality for other marginalized groups are touched upon) and family. I think there can be an argument that most asadoras are feminist, but "Tora ni Tsubasa" is very explicitly so. Though it does it in such a realistic way that it doesn't feel so much in your face. It quite literally just deals with the problems women face at different stages in their lives and particularly focusing on a (still quite) patriarchal society. Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom. The asadora clearly shows how things can slowly change which can be frustrating but these sometimes small change are still important. Now for family. Tora-chan goes through several different changes of family. I love how the drama shows essentially "blended" families learning to get along and thinking of each other.

The last thing I want to address is the music. Yonezu Kenshi's "Sayonara, Mata Itsuka" serves as the theme song. This is one of the first times I felt that the song really fit the asadora in tone and lyrics, instead of being just a pretty song to put the credits over. [Don't get me wrong, I love most asadora theme songs lol.] This was the reason I chose to put the English translation of the title as the lead-in to this review. I could listen to this song over and over. The instrumental version they put over certain scenes is also nice. A+ just for the music.

I changed my initial rating for "Tora ni Tsubasa" from a 9 to a 10. I really believe it deserves that rating. This is one of the best asadoras I've watched and I anticipate putting it very high in my asadora ranking.

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A true soap opera in every sense

Gets a seven on pure entertainment. Everything that can happen, happens in this show. Literally every week I came back to ride this crazy train and I was still surprised by the storyline.

First, the story. It's entertaining but... not very good. Storylines are only there to keep you watching. There's nothing deeper than that, even though some of the topics are actually quite heavy. As for the characters, only a handful are without sin lol. Most characters you switch back and forth from liking to not liking. The women playing Tawan and Orn were perfectly over-exaggerated for this kind of series. The grandmas, Rut, and Cheewin were also good. For the young people, I'm on the fence. They did a good enough job, but they don't seem as natural in these kind of roles tbh.

Now on to the music. Krist's vocals for the opening song are nice, though I'm not sure I'd listen to it outside of the show. I enjoyed Aye's ending song better. To me she's the OST Queen and I love all of her songs. Absolutely beautiful vocals.

To conclude, this is not the kind of drama I would watch again. Once you know what's going to happen, it's not fun anymore. I do recommend it if you're in the mood for something just absolutely crazy even up to the very end of the final episode.

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A Story of 'What-ifs'

This is the first Filipino movie I've watched that I really noticed the cinematography, set dressing, and costume design. Honestly, the film was so beautiful in so many subtle ways. The storyline is very slow-paced and relaxed, which I liked. It's also the third film I've seen starring love-team Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil. They were great in 'Just the Way You Are' and 'My Ex and Whys,' but I have more mixed feelings towards the storylines of those movies than 'Alone/Together.'

Enrique takes a backseat in 'Alone/Together,' really allowing Liza to shine. She is really great at showing all those subtle emotions. I appreciated how her wardrobe and hair/makeup changed during the three different points of her life. As for the storyline, it was kind-of a retread of films like 'Starting Over Again' and probably a dozen other movies. Liza and Enrique play lovers that meet again some years later and wonder about the "what-if," you know the story. However, unlike a normal rom-com, 'Alone/Together' focuses more on Liza's character development and feeling fulfilled in a career as well as your love life.

Ultimately, I feel 'Alone/Together' is a very good movie and shows further promise for Liza and Enrique in the future. Next, I guess I'll have to watch 'Everyday I Love You' since that's the only film of theirs I haven't seen and maybe 'She's the One.'

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Just an average rom-com

I absolutely love rom-coms, which is drawing me more and more to Filipino movies. I watched "You're My Boss" because I loved Toni Gonzaga in "Starting Over Again." Her acting ultimately saved this movie for me. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. It's just...average. It's the same rom-com you've seen fifty million times (i.e. it's full of cliches). Though this is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you like predictable rom-coms. As for me, movies like this are my guilty pleasure so I enjoyed it.

To quickly summarize the plot: Albert, Georgina and Pong's boss, goes on vacation and leaves her in charge. Georgina wants to redeem herself after an embarrassing viral video and will do anything to save the company's biggest account. This includes having Pong pose as the boss in order to win over Mr. Najimoto. Side note: was Mr. Najimoto supposed to be sexist? He just assumed Georgina was an assistant and wouldn't talk to her. Another note: I'm assuming the actor wasn't actually cause his English accent was over the top at times.

The second half of the film shows Pong and Georgina really falling in love. For this part, I would definitely say this is worth a watch. They are so cute together, especially the way Pong looks at Georgina when she's not paying attention. One last complaint: the ending was wrapped up too easily! I can't be the only one who thought this. Anyway, I would still recommend this to rom-com lovers even if you aren't seeing anything new.

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Cute and Fluffy

I've only watched a handful of Chinese dramas, but I've noticed an overall vibe from the ones I've seen. They're what I would describe as "cute and fluffy," meaning they make me smile and relax. Of course, "Count Your Lucky Stars" like any drama has its share of emotions. However, for the most part, the drama was just a nice escape. I would also recommend not going into this drama with too high expectations. It doesn't take itself seriously and you shouldn't either or you'll probably be disappointed.

Jerry Yan and Shen Yue's chemistry was amazing! Honestly, when I heard they were going to do a drama together, I thought they were cashing in on Meteor Garden's popularity. I was pleasantly surprised. (P.S. I don't mind the large age gap, but you might. Fair warning.) I also enjoyed the side romances, though Ruru and Bao were dragged on a little too much while Wen Xi and Mu Yang happened at the snap of a finger! The second male lead was so wholesome. I really hope he gets a main lead in a drama. Another warning, Shen Yue's love rival was so annoying!

That's it cause I don't want to give away too much of the story. I recommend this drama if you're fans of Jerry Yan or Shen Yue. But remember to keep your expectations low! This isn't some revolutionary drama. It's just a cute, light drama to relax to. Also, it's very suitable for binge-watching.

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"Meteor Rain" is a side story to the popular drama, "Meteor Garden". Each episode focuses on a different member of the F4 (excluding Vic Chou who was busy to for a whole episode). Only Xi Men's (Ken Chu) story is based on the manga "Hana Yori Dango"; the other two are original. I loved seeing the F4 again and enjoyed the tone of the series. However, I still found the whole thing unnecessary, which is not something you want to think about anything related to "Meteor Garden".

Mei Zuo's episode: takes place during "Meteor Garden", after Dao Ming Si and Shan Cai break up. I've always had a soft spot for Mei Zuo (Vanness Wu), so I loved seeing him as the focal point. In the episode, he meets a Japanese girl searching for her grandmother. He helps her search and gradually finds himself attracted to her. The story was very cute and my heart melted at the last scene.

Xi Men's episode: anyone who has watched "Hana Yori Dango 2" will remember Sojiro's storyline, this episode also covers that topic. Unfortunately, the second half of that story had not been written yet in the manga, leaving a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion in "Meteor Rain". In this episode, Xiao You (Rainie Yang) returns from Canada to see Xi Men. After he tells her about his first love, she decides to help ease his regret.

Dao Ming Si's episode: Si's story, which is sometimes split into two episodes, may be the most unnecessary of them all. My main problem with it is that it causes continuity problems. It is set before "Meteor Garden", but Si's hair is straight and he is not a complete a**. In the story, Si is on the run from the police, when he is found by a young girl. He stays with her and her father and forms a close bond. The series cannot be forgiven for the horrible ending to this story, but I'll leave that for you to watch yourself.

Overall, I think the series can only be appealing to die hard "Meteor Garden" fans. If this does not describe you, I would probably avoid it. I'd like to give a special mention to the music. The songs were all taken from F4's debut album and are still very catchy, despite being over fifteen years old.

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