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PrettyCarEye
Brother Beat tells the story of a Tokyo housewife and her 3 sons. After her husband passed away she was left to raise 3 rumbustious boys all on her own, but after the kids reached a certain age this mom hung up her apron, leaving all the household chores to the boys.
The boys carried out their duties with varying degrees of dedication, but still, men doing house chores in Japan is a novelty to me so I appreciated their efforts with awe.
Mom was an offbeat, carefree character & while you're likely to see her face if you look up the definition of slacker mom, I actually think she did her sons a service by teaching them to be self-sufficient at home and not leave all the household chores to her or their future wives. To date I have never seen a Japanese man help out his wife/girlfriend in the kitchen (or lift a finger around the house). Granted I haven't seen that many Japanese dramas or movies but it was nice to see this occur in Brother Beat.
I'm no feminist, but I'm certainly for mutual respect and equal treatment between the sexes & here in this drama I think a fair balance was achieved in so much as can be achieved in a traditional, patriarchal society like Japan.
Moreover, the girlfriend of one brother in particular may strike you as your typical docile Japanese belle, seen but not heard, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I liked how she stood up for herself when he passed his place. It gave me the confidence to believe that in a traditional relationship the woman need not be a doormat.
Brother Beat was just an overall great slice of life drama, man. A revolving door of themes were explored, from lighter stuff to more heavier fare, but it never got dark. Everyone played their roles really well. That positive, upbeat, feel good vibe was maintained throughout the series and that's why I loved it. I almost couldn't believe I was watching a Japanese series. Usually melancholy, sadness, depressing worldviews are staples in Asian cinema, particularly Japan's, but not this time around. This was just pure enjoyment and escapism. The episodes flew by in a jiffy, leaving you wanting more.
It was refreshing to watch a drama where young people acted as you'd expect them to. Especially when it comes to young men, you know they're having sex and they didn't skirt the issue in this drama. This is something the Japanese is decidedly better at dealing with than the Koreans who tend to frustrate me with their innuendo and allusions when it comes to sex. It's like the big pink elephant in the room no body wants to acknowledge, lol.
As usual, though, the lack of kisses was a disappointment. They were pretty much non-existent and when they did occur it was your standard frozen kiss. No passion, no engagement, no nothing, just ... blah. Sigh. Aside from that, though, this drama was flawless entertainment, but I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Brother Beat to anyone. It's the best family drama I've seen to date. The Sakurai family is a wild, but great bunch. Mom put a wonderful spin on the typical Japanese housewife archtype and her rough housing with her sons is quite adorable to watch. Last but certainly not least, female viewers will be particularly pleased with the brothers. They're certified eye candy, esp the older two. I mean seriously. THEY.ARE.FINE!!! :-)
If you don't watch this drama, you're really missing out!
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Movies are like card houses. All pieces must fit perfectly together for the house to stand: story, performance, production values. Take away one or the other and the house falls down.
This is pretty much what happened in Helter Skelter.
What started off as an interesting premise for a movie -- namely a character study of a lost and broken young woman's longing for human connection -- meandered off into bizarre twists and turns that could have been cut to make the movie more effective.
Many people think this movie is about the protagonist's addiction to plastic surgery, but to me the PS is just the effect, not the cause of her downward spiral. If you factor out plastic surgery this girl is battling some pretty serious personal issues stemming from her childhood and the potent influence of a callous, almost sadistic mentor. But while the plot may have been dubious at least there was some story there, so check.
What about performance? Well, it felt very stilted to me, as if the actors rehearsed the scenes to death, one too many times. For a movie so dark and edgy to have any impact at all on it's audience the acting has to come from an organic, natural place. In my opinion, that didn't happen in Helter Skelter.
With all that said, though, the thing that bothered me the most was the production values on this film, or rather ... the lack thereof. I didn't believe the story being told to me. The direction lacked vision and purpose. The production design and cinematography were tacky and amateurish. I mean animated, fairy butterflies in a world of darkness and deprivation? Come on. Moreover, where was the glamour of Lilico's world? After all, she's a major superstar, isn't she? Japan's own Cameron Diaz. We should have been totally immersed in her glamourous existence by the movie's tone and mood so that we, the audience, can better appreciate the toll fame and fortune has had on Lilico's psyche. Instead what you got were set designs akin to a tacky porno movie rather than a bird's eye view into the lifestyle of Japan's rich and famous.
After spending 2 hrs watching this film I came away from it thinking what the hell had I just watched? And not in the good sense. I doubt I'll be seeing this again, ever.
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Where the original Story of Chunhyang (and earlier film adaptations of the folk tale) tells the story of the beautiful courtesan's daughter and the handsome nobleman who falls for her, in this retelling this classic love story takes on a new dimension.
Bang-ja has worked in servitude to Mongryong for many years. He's satisfied with his existence until one day he encounters a woman who changes his life forever. Both master and servant fall for the beautiful Chunhyang at first sight. However, due to his lack of status, Bang-ja is convinced he doesn't stand a chance against the aristocrat, Mongryong.
I have to say this retelling of the original folk tale was quite moving to watch.
Where Chunhyang (2000) is an upbeat, pure love story with likable characters all around, The Servant is a poignant story of long-suffering and sacrifice. It puts a more mature spin on the original story, and solicits a deeper emotional investment from the viewer.
Both films are great for different reasons. In Chunhyang I loved the feel good story of young lovers discovering each other for the first time as well as the skillful direction of the film by Im Kwon-Taek. In The Servant the hero's strait journey to be with the love of his life is what touched my heart.
He was a very sympathetic, worthy, if tragic, hero, portrayed superbly by actor Kim Ju Hyuk. Though powerless & trapped by his low class Bang-ja revealed himself to be the true noble, a man of honour, wisdom & sound character who, for the sake of love, suffered through much humiliation and hardship. A number of the supporting cast put in notable performances as well, in particular Oh Dal Su's In No, Bang-ja's compatriot & mentor. The Servant was also surprisingly modern in tone and mood. It took on a somewhat tongue-in-cheek approach towards its handling of sexuality. It may seem a bit contradictory to the period in which the film is set, but it worked somehow with the overall arc of the story.
In closing, I'd say both films are well worth a watch, though it's not mandatory to see one in order to understand the other. I'm giving The Servant a 10 (as I did Chunhyang) for its story & Kim Ju Hyuk's performance. The ending was beautiful and bittersweet. Just an overall enjoyable watch that I'd recommend to everyone.
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The story has been dramatized many times on film. Besides this version, released in 2000 by director Im Kwon-taek, there was also a retelling of the story in the 2008 film, The Servant. Another version from 1968 exists. It stars one of South Korea's most well-known veteran actors, Shin Seong-il.
In the Story of Chunhyang as depicted by this film, the young nobleman, a scholar, takes an interest in the beautiful daughter of a courtesan at first sight. As custom dictates that a courtesan's daughter is also a courtesan the young master orders his servant to fetch the girl, thinking she'll be an easy lay. To his amazement she rebuffs his advances & reveals she’s no light skirt, but a scholar herself, gifted in art and poetry. This makes him fall for her even more and so begins their story.
And a beautiful, simple, upbeat story of love it was. I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters featured in this film are younger than those featured in The Servant (2008) & Chunhyang (1968). And ahh, the wonders of young love, new love. I never get tired of it. Never.
The film turned out to be so unlike what I expected. I had no prior knowledge of the folk tale so I thought this was going to be tragic & indeed there is this Romeo & Juliet feel to it, but that’s about where the comparison ends.
The acting was reasonably well done considering this was the acting debut of both leads, and the chemistry between these two love birds was sizzling. They made a very cute couple. I could watch them frolic & dilly-dally around all day. Female viewers can look forward to serious eye candy in the form of Cho Seung Woo. Though he's really young in this movie (around 19 I think) the guy is a distraction, perhaps THE most photogenic South Korean actor I've ever come across. You know who's gonna be stalking him from now on... LOL
Strong themes of duty, everlasting love and loyalty make up The Story of Chunhyang, as well as class differences and the role of women in pre-modern Korean society. It was all quite fascinating to watch. I felt like I gained a deeper insight of Korean culture & history.
But more than anything else I'm giving this movie high scores of 10 because this is what I consider a filmmaker's film – where a good balance of both creative & technical excellence was achieved to create something artistic & unique. I don't know if I'd go as far as to say it's a masterpiece, but there's a strong sense of the director's voice here. And I liked that voice. It was captivating. It pulled me in, made me smile, made me wonder what would happen next. The story is told with traditional linear narrative, but with an unconventional twist. I suspect audiences who are not appreciative of movies as an art might find this a bit off-putting simply because it is different & not what they might be used to.
Personally, I think director Im Kwon-taek deserves props for this unexpected, but refreshingly original unveiling of the story. I won't reveal exactly how or what was done, except to say you've probably never seen a movie narrated quite like this in a long time, if ever at all.
The OST is a wonderful mash-up of old Korea sounds that were always beautifully matched with interesting, pleasing to the eye pictures.
I thought it was pretty well done.
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The best way to describe this show is that it's a 19th century period drama playing dress up in modern 21st century clothing. I mean you had 40 yr old virgins who had never kissed a man (and the very thought that she would do so with a man she isn't married to was a form of high treason), women being referred to as maidens (or whores), women so conservative they balk at the idea of wearing lingerie because it's too revealing (even in the marriage bed with your newly-wedded husband) and on and on and on. Several times I had to stop my viewing to double check the date this was released. I was shocked every time. It was indeed 2009 ... a mere 4 yrs ago.
Gender roles were extremely pronounced, and some of the messages preached to women were quite infuriating & incredible. I have nothing against gender roles in and of itself. Heck, when I have a mind for it I wash, cook, clean & iron for my Yobo too. Nothing is wrong with traditional gender roles as long as its right for those involved. What I had a problem with was how this drama dealt with serious issues such as infidelity and divorce. As a woman, I was greatly offended by a lot of its preachings in this regard.
I decided to watch the show because I thought it dealt with a mature, interesting topic, but how the story played out was a disappointment. The beginning and end were a grievance, both being terribly melodramatic with particularly bad, exaggerated acting from some of the older cast members. Instead of being touched I mostly heaved a sigh and rolled my eyes during these parts, if I didn't skip them all together.
The middle was okay for the most part, but again this too was ruined by a heroine who was as interesting as a wet noodle. This woman went through 55 episodes with a horrible woe-is-me, defeatist attitude that made me want to reach into the show and chuck her off into the Han River myself. Not only that, her ENTIRE behaviour defies logic. I can suspend belief when the circumstances call for it, but there was no earthly reason under the sun for this woman to behave the way she did 9/10 times.
She had NO backbone whatsoever, she bent over this way & that to please all the wrong people, she treated a perfectly good man who worshiped the ground she walked on like dog crap, her first instinct when life threw her a curve ball was to crawl into a hole & die OR hide her problems from those who can help her and lie, lie, lie to cover it up. I mean why on earth would someone lie when the truth works better in their favour? Moveover, why on earth are we born into this world with a family, why do we spend most of our lives trying to find a partner who will love us if not to depend on them in our times of need? How am I to root for a character who gives up without even trying? Who has no fighting spirit? Moreover, I can count on one hand the number of times this woman smiled for 55 episodes of this dratted drama.
On the other hand ... in complete contrast to her, you had a hero who has a great personality and an optimistic outlook on life. He's a modern man who takes charge of his own life & doesn't bow to every wish & demand of his elders. He loved his family & showed them respect as any filial child would, but he made the final decision about what course of action to take regarding his life. But most of all he was the type of man every good woman deserves, but a man like Kang Ho was wasted on a woman like Eun Nim. I have NO idea what he saw in her or why he loved her so much. He was everything Eun Nim should have been, but wasn't. I'm pretty sure if the elders told that woman to cut her own throat she'd do it without question.
By the end of the show I really didn't give a damn whether she lived or died. There were moments involving her when I should have been moved, but I just snickered. I wanted her to go hang herself and leave Kang Ho to find a woman who could face life with him head on, guns blazing. I felt pretty convinced she & he were incompatible and that in the long haul their relationship would not last. This is the first time in my life that I, perhaps the biggest romance junkie ever, did not want the main couple ending up together.
The secondary story arcs were good. I enjoyed them a lot more than main story line. They were also well cast, though horribly acted by the older cast members who had a tendency to exaggerate and overact. Furthermore, I can't conclude this review without expressing my complete & utter disdain for Kang Ho's hyung Sae Hun. He had a beautiful wife who loved him & yet he was insensitive and cruel toward her for more than 3/4 of the show & not once did I hear him apologise. It seems as though he was considerate of everyone else's feelings but hers, and would resort to despicable means to get his own way. I pity Seon Young for the long life she has to look forward to with this prick.
All the other characters were flawed and very human. I fluctuated between liking them and hating them, but mostly liking them. This is a good thing because it's probably the only good thing this drama had going for it. The characters, except Eun Nim, were all very well crafted. Many of them felt so real you're bound to see a personality you've encountered before in your own life. You had grown adults acting like big babies; neglectful, high-strung parents; selfish, lazy primadonnas; territorial children and the list goes on. I liked it. This, however, is not unusual for Korean (Asian) dramas -- most of them excel at crafting characters we can relate to so this doesn't win LYATT any points, as far as I'm concerned.
Overall, I mostly disliked this drama. Sadly. It had a reasonably good story, but for such a long drama an engaging lead character you can root for is paramount to its success. The drama failed for me due to an heroine I had difficulty identifying with. She was weak, unlikable & her behaviour was ridiculous & illogical. Moreover, the drama created a mountain out of a mole hill about things that had very straightforward and simple solutions, even a baby could figure it out ... but I guess that's melodramas for you.
It would be unconscionable of me to recommend any reasonably intelligent person to invest 55hrs of their life to watch this drama. It's not all bad, there were some good scenes, a bit of comedy here and there & some characters that will make you smile, but that constitutes only 10%. Therefore, the investment isn't worth it. And for heaven's sake if you're a feminist stay the hell away from this drama. Watch Ojakgyo Brothers instead if you're in the mood for a good family drama with likable leads and a heroine who acts like a normal human being & has gumption. Trust me, you'll be saving yourself a major spike in blood pressure.
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Narimiya Hiroki and Kaname Jun without their shirts on, getting their love mojo on ... a vision!
Anyway, getting to the actual review, this is an anthology film consisting of 4 shorts which explore the theme of romantic love. Each film looks at different types of love: unrequited love, first love, forbidden love, love at first sight, framed by different circumstances.
I'll comment individually on each:
LAST LOVE:
Narimiya Hiroki was pretty gorgeous here, and boy can the man kiss. His love story was interesting. It left me wanting to know more about his relationship with his woman leading up to the Sweet Room. (7/10)
BIRTHDAY:
My favourite of the four. Romantic, sweet, it depicts, in my opinion, love in its purest form. (8/10)
TRIANGLE:
Perhaps my least favourite of the four. The dramaturgy was a bit off. The story felt too big for a short format, and so it lost some of its impact as a result. I was left with a feeling of ... huh? at the end. That's never a good thing. (5/10)
ROOM SERVICE:
Started off a bit slow and for well over half of it I was pretty sure I didn't like it, but turned out that I did. The ending was great. I loved the cinematography too, especially those shots of our male lead in the hallway. (6/10)
Overall, this did not leave as big an impression on me as it's Korean equivalent Five Senses of Eros, but I still liked it. If you're in the mood for romance, and not the watered down kind you see in your average drama, I think you'll enjoy this. Plus you get to see some pretty fine looking Japanese men in compromising situations. What's not to like? Throw in the Korean version while you're at it too. Eros explores the erotic whilst Sweet Room is more romantic, the perfect balance. Enjoy!
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The movie is appropriately titled because living the life of a gangster is indeed dirty business, and the film neither sugarcoats nor glamorizes this lifestyle (as other, especially Western, gangster flicks are wont to do). Once you become entrapped there are few, if any, routes of escape.
It's a cautionary tale about an underbelly of society that's dog eat dog, where karma is a real bitch. Trust and betrayal thread a very thin line and losing your humanity becomes the only modus operandi to ensuring your survival.
From where I sat the film was brilliantly executed both in terms of story and plot. The pacing was taut, there was never a dull moment that I can remember. You're kept fully engrossed by a stellar cast who made their characters seem real and very convincing.
Jo In Sung, in the role of charismatic, but conflicted Byung-doo, puts on a memorable performance. Byung-doo is a young man whose life has become twisted by fate. A filial son, and still possessing a shred of conscience despite the violence that surrounds him, I was able to sympathize with the character even while I was appalled by the brutality and ruthlessness fueling his actions.
Considering previous events, the big boss singing a cappella in one of the final scenes really struck chord in me. That's pretty much all I remember about the music, but it was effective enough in that moment to warrant a 7.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I wouldn't have minded if certain things went down differently, but I appreciate the film for its realistic portrayal of what I imagine that world and the people who live in it to be. I doubt fans of the mob genre will be disappointed.
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Some stories were better than others in both content and acting ability. The first two were quite enjoyable and philosophical. They asked deep, thought-provoking questions that I pondered appreciatively.
My favourite of all 5 was the 2nd story. Very poignant, but also a very sweet manifestation of (erotic) love.
The 3rd and 4th stories were a bit bizarre. Think murderous wives, blood sucking vampires and lesbian loving. I liked the 3rd story the least. Though darkly comedic in parts, I found it boring and uninspired in others. The theme of Eros was not very well conveyed, in my opinion, and the acting was off.
The 5th and final story about partner swapping could have been interesting, but the narrative was somewhat nonlinear, making it difficult to keep track of who was really boyfriend/girlfriend with who.
If I had to rate each story individually:
Story 1: 9
Story 2: 10
Story 3: 3
Story 4: 5
Story 5: 6
The average comes out to about 7 so that's my overall score for this anthology. I enjoyed it while it lasted. This movie is suitable for mature audiences, but nothing about it felt gratuitous. In fact a lot of the sexual encounters were pretty PG. I'd say it's a good date movie to watch with your long term partner, if you have one.
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The show gives us a peek into the lives of 5 friends, all college students on the cusp of becoming contributing citizens to society. Some have dreams they want to pursue, some have dreams they've had to let go and some are still trying to figure out what next. Their stories are all relatable and poignantly human. Inevitably you'll find yourself reevaluating your own life and wondering if you're on the path you set out for yourself.
Orange Days is also a sweet love story. About a beautiful, talented girl who lost the thing she loved the most, who was without hope and angry at the world because of her misfortune, and the boy who healed her soul with his kindness, his patience, his gentleness, his understanding, and most of all, his unconditional love. Kai, our hero, has got to be one of the most compassionate heroes I've ever come across. Massive kudos to the actor for bringing him so impressively to life!
Kai manages to be both masculine and incredibly sweet and sensitive at the same time and let me tell you it was pretty darn sexy to watch. Sae is one very lucky girl. All the while I kept thinking, where the heck was my Kai when I was in college? LOL I enjoyed every minute of watching these two on their journey to find themselves and each other.
Both leads were standouts, but the supporting cast did a fairly good job too. I was drawn to Shohei who projected an air of infallibility, but was really just a lost kid searching for the love he never got from the most important woman in his life. I really liked him and wished his story had more development. He had a weird sense of fashion, though. I don't think young men wore such ugly-ass clothes, even in 2003/2004. LOL
Orange Days did not avoid the usual Asian drama clichés -- the ever present love triangle, the mandatory separation and what have you, but somehow it wasn't over played to the point where it got annoying (as is the tendency in a lot of other -- for eg Korean -- dramas). Issues were resolved quickly so that the characters' growth as people remained the focus.
All in all, what made this show an absolute joy to watch is that it's a great slice of life drama about overcoming grief and savouring the precious moments we have with the people we love. But it isn't pessimistic in its message. There's an undercurrent of hope that permeates the stories of each character. You get a nice dose of reality but not so much that you're unable or unwilling to escape into their world. It also reaffirms the fact that no matter where we're from, no matter our gender or our ethnicity the only race that really exists on earth is the human race, and we all share the same hopes, dreams and fears about finding our way in this life.
I don’t usually take notice of music, but I remember the music in this drama because it was so simple and yet so effective. Unlike the theme song in Autumn's Concerto (Taiwanese drama) that literally almost drove me mad, the music here served its purpose of evoking all the right emotions at the right time. Even though the same instrumentals were repeated throughout the drama, it didn't feel repetitive because it wasn't overdone to the point where it grated on the nerves.
I think anyone who watches Orange Days will come away with a joyous feeling of having just watched something great. And like me you'll probably be sad that it's over.
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With corporate espionage, insider trading and other back stabbings, the story picked up tremendously in the second act. By episode 8 I was finally invested. Valuable life lessons were learnt (by both us and our leads). Our prodigious but arrogant hero grew as a person and as a businessman, and it was hard not to like him then. You come to realize that under that gruff exterior he wasn't such a bastard after all.
The acting was convincing, perhaps a tad overdone by our heroine, but she had some mad on-screen chemistry with the hero. They reminded you of an old married couple who loves to bicker and swear at each other, but feels lost when their beloved isn't around. Very cute. And although a bit juvenile and silly at times the actress did a good job of portraying the adorable klutz next to the hero's gruff, cantankerous persona. She may also come across as somewhat of a pushover, but it was, for the most part, a very effective front she used to manage Hyuga. After all, you catch more bees with honey than vinegar, don't you? I wished more time was dedicated to developing their love story, but unfortunately this was sidelined to accommodate other characters and purposes of the plot.
I felt the role of the second female lead, Yoko, was redundant. A perfectly decent character she was, but she served no true purpose whatsoever. I’m pretty convinced the drama could have gone on just as easily, and more effectively, without her. Why are Asians so obsessed with these blasted love triangles I don't know. It gets really old really fast and has no real dramatic effect if all second leads do is confirm the attractiveness of our lead male/female. Give them a more substantial purpose or leave them out entirely.
I did not care for Asahina. I wanted the resolution of his story arc to be completely different. Without giving anything away, here's why: I understood his feelings very well & even sympathized with him to a point, but his actions toward someone who was essentially like a brother to him were despicable, vicious and totally unforgivable. Therefore, to my way of thinking you don't give people like that a second chance to wedge the knife deeper into your back.
Anyway, if you’re into technology and the machinations of the business world (with a smattering of romance), you’ll likely enjoy this series. This was like The Social Network adapted for the small screen. I wanted more from it, but in the end what we got was okay, I guess.
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In most dramas the first few episodes are usually a dud for me. I suffer through them until something happens to grab and hold my attention (often around the 3rd or 4th episode). This drama, on the other hand, had me the moment Gong Yoo's Choi Han Gyul stepped out of the shower in EP1! :) What can I say? I'm shallow when it comes to my drama men. I want them to look damn good and in that department Gong Yoo sure didn't disappoint! Besides that the lead characters and main story lines were introduced with a bang. As just one example, Eun Chan was a great character from the start. She was a girl just trying to make the most of the hand she was dealt. She had spirit, she had gumption, she wanted to be self-reliant and make something of herself.
I didn't waver in moving on to the next episode for a minute. I haven't seen that many dramas so with Coffee Prince I also experienced a lot of firsts: first time seeing second leads kiss in a K-drama, first time seeing authentic intimacy between the characters in a K-drama, first time seeing (and coming across) a drama which tackles the risque topic of homosexuality in a K-drama. It was all unexpected, but wonderfully refreshing.
I found the main premise of the story to be a bit far-fetched given that the girl was clearly a girl & situations and circumstances in the drama should have alerted the hero to her rightful gender. But to go on this sweet, romantic journey with a pair of very likable leads is to suspend belief. Coffee Prince was otherwise delightful in its cuteness. I enjoyed the side story of Han Seong & Yoo Jun, even if Yoo Jun worked my nerves with her often selfish, manipulative ways.
The acting for me was not top-notch, but it was acceptable. From behind the scenes footage I understand that this was the lead actress's first major role. I could tell because at various points I felt she struggled with her character. She wasn't able to lose herself completely into the role and it showed. I loved Gong Yoo's interpretation of Han Gyul in the first several episodes, but somehow in the latter ones it felt like his character transformed. He became juvenile, a bit whiny even.
Overall I give Coffee Prince a 7 because even while I enjoyed it, there were a few significant flaws I couldn't overlook. First and foremost, Eun Chan & Han Gyul's relationship, though sweet, had a very strong teacher/student/sister/brother vibe to it. There's no denying the chemistry between them, but it waned significantly after they went steady (the final episode being the only exception), and their interactions, from where I sat, lacked the passion of two people in love.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the show dragged in more than a few areas. There was a lot of meaningless exposition, (filler) scenes with characters who had little significance to the plot. I had to fast-forward on several episodes just to keep myself interested.
My third and final complaint is that I didn't really like how the men were portrayed in this drama. Pretty much all of them were in a state of distress over women who treated them poorly. There was a lot of unreasonable behaviour from the women going around (Yoo Jun, in particular, but even Eun Chan took her deception to point where I began to question how sincere was her love for Han Gyul when she saw how he was suffering & did nothing to ease his distress). This is a general issue I have with female led productions no matter where in the world they're made. There's a tendency to reduce the men to pathetic chumps. Some women may enjoy this, but I'm not a fan. Male or female, I just can't stand to see characters act like doormats, esp in love.
I'm satisfied with this drama, though. I don't know if I'll watch it again, but I'll certainly remember many scenes with fondness.
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This review may contain spoilers
Autumn's Concerto had all the hallmarks of an epic romance novel. Rich, larger than life hero, sweet innocent heroine, the adorable love child, scheming parents, the ever present love triangle, grandiose declarations of love ... yeah, the whole nine yards. It SHOULD have been wildly entertaining, the type of love story to sweep any and every romantic off their feet. Sadly, it just did not happen. Not for me. In fact, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had it been a novel rather than this TV show.
The story had enormous potential, but fell apart under the weight of crappy, disjointed writing, dubious casting and uninspired direction. I can’t have much respect for a drama when things happen to suit the writers, rather than the circumstances they’ve placed their characters in. I can’t have much respect for a drama when things aren't consistent.
Couple a bad script with a not so great lead actor and you have a bit of a hot mess on your hands. I know I'm about to raise the ire of many a Vaness Wu fangirl, but I'm sorry, it has to be said: the brother cannot act. At least not in Autumn's Concerto he couldn't. There were times when he seemed really into his character and other times when he literally seemed to have lost the plot. He just did not embody that charismatic stage presence required to bring alive a larger than life character like Guang Xi. I also didn’t find him attractive enough so not even brownie points for being man candy could save him. Lead actress An Andy came across more natural and a lot more comfortable in her skin, however given the horrible material she had to work with her character didn’t amount to much. She had a good start, but not much later she morphed into a bland, uninteresting shell of what she could have been. She pretty much spent the entire drama after the first 6 episodes being frustratingly passive.
Thank goodness the supporting cast were decent. I liked President Fang even though she seemed to have ice running through her vains. She was an intriguing character who I felt strangely sympathetic toward even though I couldn’t tell why until the end. The villagers of Hua were a wild, hilarious bunch. I was particularly taken with second lead, Hua Tuo Ye. It was very easy to like this guy. You know the saying ‘what stays too long serves two masters’? Well, this pretty much sums up Guang Xi and Mu Cheng’s relationship to the point where Hua Tuo Ye started to look like the better catch simply because he was PRESENT in Mu Cheng’s life, taking on duties and responsibilities that should have been Guang Xi’s. Yet another indication of shoddy script development if your audience spends most of the drama wishing somebody else gets the girl. Last but not least there’s Guang Xi and Mu Cheng's son Xiao Le. The kid’s a show stopper. I loved him, but for a 5 yr old, little man sure had some ridiculously grown up lines and was too wise beyond his years. I didn’t buy an ounce of it. Another failure of the script? I think so. Lousy direction? Yupp!
Finally the music choices in this drama were atrocious. They played the grating, high pitched theme song literally every 10 seconds throughout the entire drama. When the theme song wasn’t on, random use of different genres of music were tossed in. There were a couple scenes covered with medieval tunes which had absolutely NO relevance to said scenes at all. I mean, WHAT??? Did an amateur compose the score?
And it doesn’t end there. Constant flashbacks (which slowed the story down to a snail’s pace), disruptive cut-ins to repeat a scene that just played or to show spoilery future scenes ran rampant. Imagine, just when you’re getting into story … BAM! You’re pulled right out of it by these ridiculous machinations.
I don't know what the producers were thinking. It had a great premise, but was executed with catastrophic results. While I was still able to enjoy it somewhat, watching this drama gave me a major headache. I can't give it more than a 6, and that's being quite generous, considering...
It's okay to watch Autumn's Concerto, if only for the few romantic scenes. One thing I did appreciate about this drama is that it showed intimacy between the characters quite realistically without compromising the virtue of the actors. The Koreans could learn a thing or two from Autumn's Concerto in that regard.
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Every once in a while, though, I come across a show or movie that makes the creative in me sit up and take notice. You start to wonder how your colleagues behind the production got the results they got & how can you do something similar but with your own spin?
My first viewing of Pride consisted mostly of me fangirling over Kimura Takuya like an idiot. For a guy who generally isn't the type of man I’d go crazy for I was just consumed by the sheer beauty, sexiness and utter magnetism of the man. I really couldn’t pay attention to anything else. But on my second viewing, Pride offered up the type of creative epiphany I mentioned above.
The show isn't based on the most stellar of scripts, but where it had its moments of mediocrity (or your standard drama fare, if you will), there were also moments of pure genius that really gave the actors great material to work with. Forget about plot. What this drama got right was exceptionally well crafted characters, brought to life by performances so natural and understated you'll get that feeling of being a fly on the wall eavesdropping on the lives of REAL people. The chemistry between Halu-san and Aki was ridiculous. Sparks flew every time they were on-screen together.
Aki surprised me a lot throughout the drama. At first glance she's your typical Asian female lead -- sweet, dutiful, uncomplaining & from all indication emotionally stable enough to be the perfect helpmate. But Aki, unlike Halu-san, is not really all that meets the eye. Where Halu often speaks of his vulnerabilities Aki keeps so much of her true emotions under wraps that your initial impression of her -- that she's this pillar of strength Halu can lean on -- is severely challenged. There were times when her actions baffled me. I was pretty convinced the writers just wanted to drag things out and frustrate the audience. However, as the show progressed her character unfolds with remarkable depth. She slowly reveals the true Aki, the woman she's kept hidden away from everyone, including us, the audience. Her unfortunate experience in love has shaped her behaviour for the worse, but no one knew to what depth her insecurities ran. When I understood, I got her.
Kimura Takuya's performance was sensational. He's a great actor who took your standard tortured hero and made him quite layered and human. Halu-san is a man of deep passions. He's among those type of people who live by a strict moral code. He's prideful, fiercely loyal, protective of those he cares about, but with an undercurrent of ruthlessness to his character that both excite and scare you. But still Aki was the stand-out character for me. How she's presented at the beginning of the show to what she becomes is just remarkably well written and actress Yuko Takeuchi did a brilliant job of portraying her.
This definitely turned out to be a great character portrait of two people dealing with issues of abandonment and a potent fear of rejection. Pride was a strong theme throughout. Having pride in the pursuit of a dream and having too much pride to pursue what REALLY matters, love. What fascinates me the most about this drama, not just as a viewer who wants to be entertained, but as a creative who wants to write good scripts and attract great talent to my work … is the question of how can I write characters of equal depth and layers? Even if this script wasn’t 100% perfect if I can achieve such moments of pure genius in my own work I’d be well on my way to becoming the filmmaker I want to be.
I can say without much hesitation that Pride is absolutely one of my favourite dramas. I gave it an overall score of 9, instead of 10, because it wasn’t a masterpiece. After 9 episodes I felt like an otherwise appropriately paced story was made to drag a little. I’m satisfied with how things turned out, but not how we got there. The last two episodes toyed with the audience unnecessarily, leading us on a wild goose chase that stressed me out a little because I thought everything was going to fall apart for characters I had invested so much in. I would have preferred being spared the hassle, especially since the story did not benefit from the added drama. They could've wrapped up the whole thing at 10 episodes or choose a different path to the end. But I guess Asian dramas ain't Asian without all the angst.
I also did not care for the theme song, Queen's ‘I was born to love you’. The lyrics are very appropriate to the story, but for a relatively “young” drama it seemed an outdated choice. Pride was released in the early 2000s, but there's nothing remotely 80s about it in style or content so I didn’t like the song in the context of the show.
Overall, I loved this drama. Pride will always have a special place in my heart and I’ll re-watch this for years to come. I’m also never gonna get tired of looking at Takuya-san. Sooo excited that I have all his other dramas to look forward to! Big shout out to Elisabetta and NinaJade82 who “introduced” this beautiful, talented man to me. Now if only I could get a hold of him in real life…! :)
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I enjoyed the cross cultural elements of the film. There was a time, in my ignorance, when I thought all East Asian cultures were more or less the same. I have since broadened my horizons, but it was still quite interesting to see that China was just as much a cultural novelty for Dong-ha, a Korean, as it would've been for me, a Westerner.
What's more interesting is that a great portion of this film is in English because Dong-ha doesn't speak Chinese and May doesn't speak Korean. I must admit it was a bit weird for me to hear them speak English so I muted the sound and simply read the subtitles. It's not that their English was poor. Actually, they were as good as anyone can speak a foreign language, but their accents were really heavy. I found that it distracted me from the emotion of the story and the performances.
I'm thankful this movie wasn’t too emotionally draining. The few times it reverted to more somber themes, those were quickly overruled by one comedic scene or another.
Dong-ha and May had mad on-screen chemistry. There were some very steamy kisses in this movie, and May was a full participant in all the action! No shocked, open-eyed reaction here. For once I can't complain about the intimacy between the characters being fake. My only wish was that those kisses were more frequent and longer! haha :)
Overall, I have very few complaints. This was a simple, but satisfying story with good, subtle performances from a pair of very attractive leads. I doubt I've ever seen Jung Woo-sung look so handsome on screen, not even in A Moment to Remember (and let’s face it, the man was pretty darn hot in that movie!). The ending was unnecessary. I would have preferred a different outcome, one that was a bit more straightforward and less open, but it didn't spoil the movie for me. It's clear that the director just wanted to be a jerk and yank our chain.
I highly recommend Season of Good Rain as the perfect date movie. It’s a light romantic drama that’ll make you reminisce about when you first met your love, give you many reasons to make out and offer you something light-hearted to debate about after it’s done. Enjoy!
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Basically what I disliked the most was its message that a woman's worth is determined only by her beauty.
The story, about a selfish, cocksure playboy architect who falls for an "ugly" woman due to a temporary vision impairment, was pointless and shallow. The hero was a jerk for most of the movie. He did little to endear himself to me, and the supposedly "ugly" heroine was anything but. I think if you're gonna make a movie about a playboy falling for an "ugly" woman don't cast a woman who looks like a supermodel, put fake buck teeth in her mouth and pass her off as ugly. That's just weird, disingenuous. Cast someone plain then at least the movie might have acquired a little authenticity, if nothing else.
I was surprised to learn that Kang Ji Hwan who I recently saw and liked in LIE TO ME was the male lead in this movie. His acting was okay, but I didn't like him in this role. There was no growth to his character. He started out being a shallow bastard who takes advantage of women and pretty much remained that way 'til the end.
I've heard a rumour that South Koreans are unusually fixated on looks. If there's any truth to that I guess this film isn't so far fetched. Nevertheless, I couldn't get over the blatant objectification of its female cast members.
I try not to judge East Asian culture through the prism of western ideals, and for the most part I don't mind that they adhere to traditional gender roles, but it's hard to suspend belief or maintain a laissez-faire attitude when certain liberties are taken. I worry about what lessons impressionable South Korean girls (and boys) will draw from this film.
I wouldn't recommend it. Watch My Little Bride instead. It's a lot sweeter, funnier and the hero is a decent guy who appreciates the heroine in all her adorable quirkiness.
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