What a freaking disappointment for an ending. Why do I feel like Watit was rolling around in his grave at the travesty!? I felt that not only did he not get any vindication but it clearly was left on the cutting room floor. This last episode could have been so much better. Besides the fact that the wasted like 2-3 episodes in the village, granted, the scenes were for them to get closer but I could think of better ways to show us that. I just wasn't a happy camper.

The chemistry that I saw in Sud Sai Pan between View and Toom was sadly lacking in this one. Maybe the scenes with the chemistry were shown when I must have dozed off a dozen times watching this. As far as the bad guys; Easy deaths and all that 'forgiveness, I've seen the error of my ways' scenes. Please!! People after their evil intent just didn't repent enough. Angkoon was NUTS!! Best acting in the drama!

Fans of View and Toom, watch if you dare. It is definitely not the worse I've watched but it had so much potential that was truly wasted. Hate that!

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This drama has been a privilege to watch. From beginning to the end, you truly felt that you were involved with the lives of the Kameyama family. This drama is amazing because it covers almost 50 years of this family; a multiculteral family during a period when marrying outside your race and culture just didn't happen. You got to witness the bravery of Elle going to a foreign country with a passable understanding of the language and morphing herself into a full-fledge Japanese woman. Catherine Kate Fox did a FANTASTIC job! I can already imagine how well she has been accepted in the entertainment community because she did such a wonderful job in portraying Elle. Tamayama Tetsuji was also sensational as a man driven to achieve his dreams of making Japanese Whiskey. The story itself makes you curious about the real people that this was based on. Even the times through World War II were realistic and definitely made you wonder how this woman AND her family maintained their strength through that turbulent time. So, the question is do I recommend it? Yes. If you are a lover of history, a great story and a beautiful romance between two people who beat the odds and stayed together until death do them part. My first Japanese TV Serial and it will not be my last! It was a labor of love to make and also a labor of time (and love) to watch!

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Epic romance designation doesn't do this justice; this was a PHENOMENAL romance and had it not been cut left and right (because of religious protests), it would have been PERFECT!! I'm not a romantic. As a matter of fact, I rarely watch them but this was a FABULOUS romance. I was totally swept into the story and loved every minute. Even though it was cut at various points, it really wasn't bad and I forgave them for it because it was beyond their control. Talk about feels! I had them in spades and that doesn't happen very often! The cast was stunning to watch. Tui Teerapat Satjakul (Sharif) was sensational! His handsome persona, commanding presence on the screen just overwhelmed your eyes! Usamanee Kwan (Michelle) is a stunning looking woman. Her character, at times will drive you nuts with the whining and complaining in the desert but simply watching Sharif will make up for it. Great drama!!

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Wow.. Mind blown. The ending, though sad, made sense. She knew that he loved him but I wish he also knew how much she loved him instead of a lie. I am hoping the last moments in the house she was decorating for Professor Chen was a testament to her true feeling; I hope. His last act made sense because how else to protect her from herself? Tong Xua just believed everyone and tried to protect everyone. This last time I wanted to slap her silly. So glad I watched this. Lau Hawick has gained a lifelong fan! Can you believe it? My first experience and it was a remarkable one.

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There is a saying at the beginning which reflects just what this drama is about; Silent Poor, represents the homeless, the sick, and others that cannot afford to take care of themselves and that is the drama in a nut shell. It is not about love, romance, conflict or anything you generally see in a drama but about a woman who is working through her grief of watching her younger brother die during a horrible earthquake when she was young. In the hopes of "giving back", she becomes a social worker. What I liked about this drama is that they showed me the distinct differences between Asian cultures and their attitudes towards the poor, sick, mentally ill, adoption, foreigners, everything! Every episode is a different story and it was those stories that I liked the most. If you have no interest in these things, I'd skip this drama. So why the lower rating? At times, it could have been better, the lead actress's acting was kind of stilted at times but thankfully she was surrounded by better ones. Overall, if you are interested in the role of a social worker in Japan, you will definitely find this interesting.

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Interesting movie; at times. The story was one I’ve seen before. Surprisingly I didn’t get lost as I sometimes do when I watch these movies deep with some historical facts. I’m a big fan of Chow Yun Fat but I admit that his movies of late tend to be uninteresting however, this movie was really about the assassins as they were bred for one purpose, to kill Cao. It was amazing to see them come to the realization that Cao wasn’t as bad as it was made to be considering the people that surrounded him. You have a King who wasn’t ruling, officials that were more concerned with themselves than the people. This was definitely a movie that points out the different levels of what is true evil. Do I recommend? Not really unless you are a big fan of the genre.

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Again, a really solid movie and cast. Now when I think of the Disney version, that adaptation is kind of shameful. The one thing about watching Chinese movies is my concern for the animals used in stunts. One thing for sure is the stunts are vivid and seriously realistic! Too realistic for my taste. But one thing I love about Chinese period movies is the military strategy shown. It is impressive. But how is it that these men following Hua Mulan didn’t realize that their leader was a woman? This is when you must suspend disbelief! Because looking at Zhao Vicki, there is no way you could make that mistake. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed the movie; from beginning to end!!!!!!!

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Everybody dies?! Damn near! Oh man! That’s why I love Singaporean movies! They are filled with stunts galore, great acting, superb special effects and a story line you may never see again! The multi-story fight between two buildings? AWESOME!! Andy Lau is the King!! I just love this man! This was my first introduction to Gordon Lam as I’ve never seen him before as well as Ray Lui as the head bad guy. This movie definitely shows you the best (and the worst) of police work. The theme of “At any cost” is prevalent in this story. It was well told, filmed and acted. I really cannot say more. No, another movie not for everyone but if you like a decent Singapore movie, try it; you’ll like it.

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This was a pretty damn good movie! But I've rarely have watched a Sol Kyung Gu movie and NOT been satisfied. This movie had action from the first minute as you were thrown head first into this cat and mouse game that poor, unsuspecting Tae Sik (Sol Kyung Gu) was playing with the voice on the cell phone.

Then to find out that the entire thing was a set up to protect some dumb politician to prevent one man from testifying! The lengths that these people were willing to take: killing innocent people, kidnapping, and most of all framing the whole thing on Tae-Sik was amazing alone. The choreography of the fight and car chase scenes were pretty impressive. The movie moves along pretty quickly to make it a very tightly shot theatrical piece. And let's give a shout out to the police department featured! Smart, intelligent and thorough investigators! It was a nice depiction to see for once!

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Great movie regardless of the sad ending! Giving a movie a bad rating because it is not your cup of tea is not a rating. I generally don't rate sad movies for that reason but I have to balance out the other rating because it really does a disservice to the movie.

Life is full of sadness as well as joy. The one thing that the Japanese do very well with sad movies is making you feel okay at the end regardless of the outcome. The acting in this movie was phenomenal. Erika Toda as Natsuki was my reason for watching and she didn't disappoint. This was my first Wakaba Ryuya experience and as Dalki, he was amazing as the autistic brother. Kato Kazuki as Sou, I'd seen once before in Hotari but didn't realize it until the end.

All genres are not for everyone but if you are a movie connoisseur who loves a good love story regardless of the ending, this is the movie for you. One thing I took away from watching this: whatever life has in store for you, live it to the fullest; don't give up and live for those around you who love you. That is the lesson Sou taught me and that is a reason to watch this. Excellent movie.

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I find it fascinating that Sou is supposed to be a cop from New York but born in Japan; however, every time he pulls out his weapon, he shoots EVERYONE! Not sure what the director/writer was trying to say, even though I might half agree, I think Sou’s portrayal is way excessive! Overall, it was a fun fare for anyone who likes Shun Oguri. Story wise, it was not a really great story. Even though it featured a different case about every episode, it did weave in Sou’s back story of trying to find the murderer of his father when he was younger. After eight episodes, I still hadn’t figured out why his father was killed in the first place. I think the writer could have done a better job in putting forth that information a little quicker so you, the viewer would care.

I think I got a kick out of the supporting characters more because they were silly and very colorful; especially Maruo (Mizushima Hiro) who was pretty ditzy to be a cop. I would kind of hate for him to be my backup as he tend to not be “with” it most of the time and would constantly argue with Sou about just everything. One thing I just couldn’t understand is how Yuki (Yoshitaka Yuriko) could be Jinno, (Sou’s father killer) girlfriend! I mean, what was she dating, a man her father’s age?

But Sou’s family were hilarious! His mother (Tanaka Yoshiko) always found the most inopportune moment to call him while he was on duty. Whether if he was on a stake-out; chasing a suspect or basically being shot at. She made it a point to shame him for complaining. But the one who cracked me up the most was Nakatani (Yoshimura Takuya). I have assume he was Sou’s sister, Karin (Kawaguchi Haruna) boyfriend. But he didn’t seem to have a home as he was forever over the Takakura home: day and night!

The romance between Keiichi (Katsuji Ryo) and Maki (Usuda Asami) was probably the most prominent romance; and they were barely on the screen! Truthfully, most Japanese dramas lack romance in my estimation but are usually better in the story development. This drama is definitely only for the hardcore, Shun Oguri fans. What it lacks in story and romance, it makes up for it with the action. Shun+Gun=Interesting!

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Condensed from my blog, I am writing this review: I cannot begin to do this drama justice. From beginning to the end, I was totally immersed into the story; wrote several blog posts and never missed a minute to watch the drama raw, live, as well as subbed.
My Only Complaint
The ending probably wasn't what any of us wanted. Our OTP should have been given more time in the last episode. We, the viewers, felt kind of cheated. I would have preferred at least one episode showing us Crown Prince/King Seong and Solnan as King and Queen; the birth of their first son would have been a nice touch too; however, we can blame that on the fact that the drama was unfairly cut in the last weeks.

I think we can all agree that 5 more episodes would have made this drama perfect in its execution. But overlooking that, I found this drama addicting and oh so satisfying. I never thought I’d watch a drama so soon after Ugly Alert that once again, exceeded my expectations ten-fold! The acting was stellar and some of the scenes are ones you may never see again in a saguek drama. Well worth the 54 hours of my drama life; wait, I think it is more because I've re-watched episodes again! Highly recommend it for the story, for the romance and especially the STELLAR acting.

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As much of a supernatural/crime/mystery fan I am, I really didn't like this. The beginning threw in a scene without any full explanation. Cheo Yong character and his ability was never explained. It starts out giving you the impression of one type of story but then it morphs into stories as the title suggests. I think it would have been more effective had it stayed that way. There were some really good stories that were here and there. Other times, I couldn't begin to tell you what the episode was about. And the final 2 episode had so much going, you had to sift through to understand. But be assured, at the end, you still have no clue why Cheo Yong is the way he is. Some people may like this but if I have to spend too much time trying understand the last hour, it's not worth the time. Season 2, I officially quit you.

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