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  • Last Online: Jan 5, 2024
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: North America
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  • Join Date: February 25, 2017

Nicki

North America

Nicki

North America
Completed
The One and Only
0 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Feb 28, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
A sauna scrubber with brain cancer, an influencer with lung cancer and a middle aged housewife with another type of cancer that I cannot recall right now all walk into a bar…. er.. hospice… Let’s be honest, on a good day I wouldn’t have willingly watched a drama that I know would make me sad, umm but I haven’t been having good days. The best way to describe this drama would be to say that it was a slippery slope to sadness, but in the end the morals is what stood out the most.

This drama is a shit show when it comes to actual plot and development. I struggled to get through the last five episodes or so because well, I did not give two shits about this murder mystery. In actuality, I am quite pissed because it wasn’t what I was promised. How much cooler would the story of three serial killers be verses this whole whodunit nonsense that very clearly points to who did it. I have always had a hard time with dramas that show how much power and money influences the ability to have justice get its proper diligence especially when this is not what I went into it to see. All that aside, what this drama strived with is showing the dynamics of a friendship forged over a circumstance. The best part of this show was when it focused on the hospice and their life stories. I didn’t enjoy the writing in terms of plot, but I LOVE LOVE the truisms and dialogue in this drama surrounding life and death.

Our trio of women were a sight to behold. Ahn Eun Jin, the woman you are. The ACTRESS you are! Pyo In Sook was certainly my favorite character of the brunch with a character development that was lovely to watch. I immediately enjoyed her from the very first frame of her in the sauna down to the last one. She was the type of character that even when she was doing something foolish, you knew it was not because of her selfishness. On the opposite spectrum, we had Mi Do played by Red Velvet’s Joy, who was a lot harder to root for consistently. There were deep deep moments of annoyance and frustration, but at her core, you saw the broken girl who didn’t love herself and was afraid to be alone. To my gay queen, Se Yeon, I just wanna hold you. I felt for her almost all this show. I also enjoyed our male lead because he is a puppy and I really don’t care that he killed people. Sorry to you all.

Speaking of Woo Cheon, I LOVED THEIR LOVE STORY. I am sorry it really was so beautiful. This is what I want from a drama that has heavy romance and has the romance as the foundation for the shenanigans. I want to be rooting for these characters and their happiness. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t find the childhood love connection to be a bit much. I truly believed in this love story which is a testament to the actors chemistry because even though it wasn’t jumping off your screen and in your face chemistry, it was so sweet and held the reverence of a first love that I was in it. ALL THE WAY IN IT.

Overall, the good outweighs the bad with this story all things considered. There are a bunch of glaring plot holes, but if I view this drama as just a story about finding yourself, friendships and love while navigating terminal illness then it leaves me feeling better. Very low rewatch value on this one.

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Completed
Be Together
6 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Aug 14, 2021
35 of 35 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Now listen idk who I pissed off while making my request for a drama with Sun Yi and Vin Zhang, but clearly they said “fuck you!” And served me up some hot garbage instead. I am so pissed off. This review is coming in fresh and hot off the finale. I could tell IMMEDIATELY that this drama was written by a man. I don’t want to see them pen any “sisterhood” drama ever again because this was the furthest thing from that we could’ve gotten. The women were constantly fighting in ways that made me wonder if they actually liked each other.. now I’m not saying that friends don’t fight but I think the writer missed the mark entirely in trying to portray the authenticity behind female friendships. This is just one of many flaws with this story.

I actually enjoyed the first few episodes of this drama that I watched (let’s say about 10ish) because it was entertaining, ridiculous and was giving the makjang vibes but something became very apparent once the episodes continued and it was that although the top billers for this drama were Vin Zhang and Sun Yi, they were going to receive the least amount of screentime. This wouldn’t be a problem in an ensemble cast, but when the poster for the show is these two stars AND they are front & center in group shots, you would expect that we would get more of them, but instead we’re stuck with the cheating ex boyfriend for a majority of the time. And yes, I am aware that they are the catalyst for a lot of the drama, but they're also not really seen much in the same token.

I suppose the best romance was Han Shuang and Ma Ke cause they actually got to kiss each other and experience romantic woes that didn’t involve exes. I’m happy for them, truly, but I can’t help but think of how much was wasted with Vin Zhang and Sun Yi.. it annoys me. We got such few cute moments from them and if they were in a domestic scene it was mainly a breakdown of company drama like jfc .. I honestly skipped through Dr and her boy but the nice exploration vacation with the horrible green screen was not lost on me. Won’t even speak on Xiao Lei and Lin Hao.

Tbh by the end of this drama I effectively hated almost everything about this show. Never thought I would give a drama with my husband this poor of a rating, but you know what? Fuck this shit because the only thing that I liked was probably the earrings and fits that Han Shuang and Xia Yan wore from time to time. Skip it and save your time.

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Completed
Cheat On Me, if You Can
1 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Feb 3, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Kang Yeo Jo is the babiest baby who ever babied and we deserve a season two with her and Soo Ho.

Unedited review posted on Unbothered Unnies.

This drama was nicely done and very entertaining. I am still reeling off of the last two episodes because I am sitting here but wait! I think the charm of this drama is that it asks you to believe in the improbability of certain things happening or not happening and is filled with red herrings. I can understand for a lot of viewers how this can be frustrating especially when it moves at a slow pace in a circular movement. However, as someone who enjoys these type of shows, I didn't find it frustrating at all. Once we got to episode three, I was basically like anything that happened where it seemed like she found out her husband cheated or is the killer is not true. I also did not expect them to reveal who the killer was until the end. There are complaints that the ending was rushed but I really don't see it as such. Another complaint is that they didn't understand the various side characters and the points they served to the story, but it is quite clear that everyone served to tell Kang Yeo Joo's story. It made sense to me that the entire premise of this show wasn't her finding out her husband cheated on her and trying to exact revenge. One of the things about the story that I had a hard time understanding was why with all of Kang Yeo Joo's intelligence did she never pick up on him cheating on her. However, I think that the final episode really honed in on her temperament. She really loves her husband and was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all she spent more than half their marriage telling him what would happen if he did cheat on her. Also it could also be interpreted in an entirely different way, but either he way he got stabbed and I stan that. KANG YEO JO HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG EVER IN HER LIFE.

Naturally the standout acting was done by Cho Yeong Jeong. She was able to deliver the unique charm of Yeo Joo and tapped into the nuances of her character. Sometimes it was just the little ways that she tilted her head or squinted her eyes which delivered that strong emotion behind it. I would say that the weakest was Yeonwoo and I am not saying this because she is an idol or was one, but rather the kind of unnatural way her delivery was. I understand that Go Mi Rae was supposed to be a timid character, but even her transformation into the "bolder" version still wasn't really much of anything. I felt a disconnect to her story because of that.

As for the music well needless to say I stand by my belief that all of Suran's OSTs are better than any of her original stuff since Walkin' Ep. I really enjoyed the three songs and their composition/lyrics. I thought it fit aptly with our story at hand. I also enjoyed the way the director shot various scenes even with the terribly obvious product placement.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama. It is not one without flaws, but it kept me entertained and guessing all the way through and honestly what more could I ask for? Well besides, more shirtless scenes of Kim Young Dae! I would definitely recommend!

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Completed
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
3 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Aug 9, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Grab a box of tissues and be prepared to be emotionally wrecked.

I may have cried non-stop from episodes nine to sixteen. I may be crying right now as I write this review. When I heard the plot of this show I was excited and nervous about what the outcome could be. It isn’t the first time that we have had healing romances in a Kdrama not to mention the backdrop being at a psychiatric hospital and people with mental illness. I was afraid that we would have “love” magically cure everything. I am proud to say that this drama did a really good job in its portrayal and the incorporation of these topics. This wasn’t a drama that glorified mental illnesses or romanticized it, but rather it explored how some mental illnesses you are born with and other can be a product of your environment. The intricacy of this story and they way they wove the tale made it worthwhile to watch the way our main trio evolved throughout these sixteen episodes. This drama may have one of the best story telling I have witnessed in a Kdrama in a long time. The little things always matter and connected so well. After every episode there were so many theories of what could and couldn’t be and I loved that this drama provided me with this because it really has been a long time since a Kdrama has done that for me.

This drama was so beautifully shot and the cinematography and symbolism behind everything was very polished. I was especially fond of the animations for the fairytales that were told and I loved the way they all connected to the story or theme of the episode. I enjoyed that these fairytales were all twisted and dark in some senses because it provided the life lessons that we needed. I will never forget when Moonyoung said she always makes her witches beautiful, as it is so often we see in society that the prettiest/shiniest things are not always good. If I had to pick my favorite tale from the bunch that were told it would be Zombie Boy with a special nod to the story told during the Father and the Two Sisters.

It goes without saying that the acting in this was superb especially that of our three leads. I was able to connect with each of the leads in different ways. I have always talked about how outstanding I have found Seo Yeji to be ever since I saw her in Save Me, it is therefore no surprise that her portrayal of Ko Moon Young was magnificent. Now, I do not know on a personal level what someone with antisocial personality disorder behaves like, but I think she did a good job showing us her interpretation. This is also by far the most attractive Kim Soo Hyun has ever looked to me and I always wanted to cry whenever he did. The person who I have a new found appreciation for though is Oh Jung Se. This is now the second drama I have completed with him and he did a phenomenal job of portraying someone on the autism spectrum. It didn’t feel like a mockery or exaggerated in the least. I want to watch more of him tbqh.

The soundtrack for this drama was sensational. I am not familiar with the curated or distributor, but I do know is that they did great with gathering the voices. I haven’t enjoyed an OST this much since Hotel Del Luna’s which is funny as that is a drama that this drama is always being compared to. The songs amplified the scenes to a level that would not have been achieved otherwise.

I strongly believe that I could go on and on (and I probably will on my podcast) about this drama because it is truly something special. I have always enjoyed found family tales and this drama is no different. Yes, Yeji and Soohyun have AMAZING chemistry, but it was more than that for me. I truly felt like I was going on a healing journey myself. Please don’t miss out on this drama, it is very highly recommended.

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Completed
Abyss
8 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jul 23, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 4.5
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Felt like three separate dramas and none of them made sense.

I feel like I am being generous giving this drama two stars. It really should just be 0 stars and listen I am not someone who is easily turned off by shows, but I cannot think of any charming points of this show other than it had actors I liked in subpar roles and one good song. I laughed in some parts but just at the sheer idiocy at everything this drama had to offer. People are excusing this drama's piss poor nonsensical plot because it has their favorites, but it is okay to admit that this drama is a dumpster truck. I can not see anyone genuinely giving this drama more than 5 stars in anyway. The writer constantly wrote themselves into a wall then decided to fix shit very stupidly???? The characters did not make sense and would clearly only do things because the writer wanted them to so that the story could progress. Also at no point in time did I feel an ounce of romantic chemistry between the two leads. I am happy to have seen Ahn Hyo Seop had improved from this in Dr. Romantic 2. This drama was textbook doing too much and trying too hard. Such a pity to see an interesting concept wasted like this.

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Ongoing 1/1
The Enchanting Phantom
6 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jul 2, 2020
Ongoing 0
Overall 6.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 5.0

Shuangshuang and Xiaoqian should've been lovers.

This is yet another remake of the 1987 Hong Kong Original film, A Chinese Ghost Story. I’ve never seen the original so I can’t do a comparison in that sense, but I can and will judge this movie as it’s own product.

First things first, the story is not unique as it’s a remake, but even in this aspect, it still fell very flat imo. I think that the romance was severely underdeveloped between Cai Chen and Xiao Qian and that’s supposed to be the entire selling point of this movie. I don’t know when or how he fell in love with her, I don’t know why she fell for him. Honestly, nothing made sense in the story overall. I wish that there was some explanation as to why the Heishan Demon was so adamant in marrying her? Like she ain’t all that. The only thing I know for a fact about this story is that Shuangshuang is 1000% a lesbian and deserved to have been with Xiao Qian instead.. The chemistry was so good.

Story aside, the cinematography and cgi were also not the best in the beginning and overall I thought that was done a bit poorly as well. I think the scenes that are the best with the cgi are the ones when the lesbian ghosts (yes that what I’m calling them) were in that nether realm. Even the big climatic end of seeing the demon, all I could think was that it was mega Groot. It truly looked so cartoonish. An upside to this movie would be the delivery of the actors, but unfortunately wasn’t enough to save the entirety of this. I really think that if Eleanor has more chemistry with Oliver that it could’ve been better, but it was drier than the Sahara Desert up in here.

So like overall, it’s an okay movie. It’s not painstakingly terrible, but it’s not good either. I think that if they had killed Cai Chen at the end, everything would’ve been worthwhile. I mean lesbihonest, Shuangshuang and Xiao Qian were the better love story. GAY RIGHTS!!!

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Completed
Extracurricular
13 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jul 2, 2020
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Terribly stupid execution and awful characters all around.

This is a short review. A more in depth review will be posted on my blog.

I cannot in good conscience recommend this drama to anyone. I would have absolutely dropped if I wasn't buddy watching it. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. The concept behind this drama was so intriguing and would have really been great, but I kid you not when I say that everyone in this show is fucking stupid. EVERYBODY.

The show, although well acted and directed, is actually completely illogical. No character growth, no flow of story. Nothing.

Episodes 1 - 2: Fine
Episodes 3 - 8: Stupid
Episode 9: Interesting
Episode 10: Irrelevant

Skip it. Thank me, later.

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Completed
Hot Stove League
8 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Feb 17, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
Hey Alexa, wait—I actually don’t have Alexa. Hey Google, play Nao’s Saturn because I need my emotional support album STAT. I can’t believe that this beautiful show has ended. I am in awe of how much I really enjoyed this. I don’t like Baseball—it is my most hated sport. I just find it so draggy and boring that I thought for sure I would despise watching a show centered on a baseball team. However, for a drama centered around Baseball there wasn’t many times that I felt lost in the narrative. Matter of fact, I may even go as far as to say that I have a new found appreciation for baseball.

At the surface the story seems very simple this failing baseball team gets a new manager that will help their performance, but it was so much more than that. We were introduced to a variety of topics that were dealt with in such a delicate and believable manner. All the adversities that this team went through, I felt so connected and like I was going through them as well. This story is told with a lot of small problems getting resolved with the overarching issue. This type of storytelling helped with the connection to the characters as the characters that I hated in the beginning I grew to love. There was a stretch of episodes that I cried for every time. I felt a strong connection with each character, while many dramas make it hard for you to even like the leads. The only thing that I would have liked to see more of in the story would be a deeper exploration of the women’s lenses in this drama. I do feel like we could’ve used a bit more cohesive development for our female lead.

The acting in this drama was very well done. Namgoong Min is a great actor. He does a really good job no matter the character. Pair that with a strong script and you really couldn’t go wrong. I decided to watch this drama initially for Park Eun Bin because she is someone who I enjoy a lot. I thought she did a good job with what she was given. Oh Jung Se was also quite believable with his character. I felt the range of the emotions that he gathered whether it be humiliation, shame or a bruised ego. The side characters all did their job very well, but naturally, my future baby daddy Chae Jong Hyeop, stole my heart with his dimples. I LOVE YOU BOO.

There is no romance in this drama. At least not in the traditional sense. So if you’re in the mood for something romantic, this is not the drama for you. Instead, if you want a truly heartwarming and diverse story that explores themes of nepotism, disability, loss of a child and more then give this a try.

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Completed
Kuzu no Honkai
2 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 28, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 5.5
I happened upon this drama because it was the second drama suggested to me on Viki after Coffee and Vanilla. I decided that this one sounded better than the other as I have long been a fan of fake dating relationships. I went into this drama thinking at the very least that I could get some cute moments. Needless to say this drama was not at all what I thought it was going to be and I kind of liked that about it. I find that often with Japanese dramas I stumble upon the really innocent and sweet ones or the very raunchy ones as there is not much in between. This drama is more on the raunchy/mature side which I admit did make me a little uncomfortable from time to time, not because I am a prude or anything, but the scenes felt a little soft porn like in nature. School girl kind of raunchiness always makes me feel like that.

The plot was interesting because it totally wasn’t what I initially expected. Instead, I found that it had a very mature way of telling its story. It showcased a way in which teens are dealing with their first loves from various lenses. The actions of the characters themselves were a bit childish from time to time, but the narrative that it followed wasn’t. I think it was this progression that allowed every choice that each character made to be one that seemed logical and realistic. I was a little disappointed at the ending just from the perspective of what I initially thought I would get, but like I said, it was logical and it made sense. I will admit that this sparked a bit of my curiosity to see how the manga had done its storytelling and if it was in a similar vein.

The acting was nothing to write home about, but they did the job that was required of them. They were believable in their performances. Since a lot of them are young adults, it didn't feel as weird or inauthentic. None of these characters were particularly likeable, but it was nice seeing the diversity with the perspectives of dealing with first loves, unrequited love, manic love, etc. The only issue I find that I consistently have while dealing with Japanese/Asian content like this is the premise of having someone pursue someone who is very clearly a different sexual orientation and convincing them otherwise. I also didn’t like the insinuation that it was just a phase that Sanae may have been going through.

This drama is filled with a lot of love lines and so much happens in the course of the episodes, but I think everyone received a deserved ending. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this drama as something to watch because they are better pieces out there that deals with similar content. However, you wouldn’t be losing anyways if you did decide to check out. Just be weary and certain that this is the vibe you’re looking for.

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Completed
Lucky's First Love
1 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 25, 2020
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers
This was a very cute, sweet and uncomplicated drama. The story was extremely easy to follow with no major issue lasting more than three episodes. I actually believe that this story had so many parts that I don’t really think was necessary for the development of the story, but it is what it is. The idea of Xing Yin needing to experience romance in order to do these game instances was comical to me. My favorite moments were when Xing Yun would scold Xia Ke about how as a couple they shouldn’t keep secrets and communicate with each. I feel like the last four episodes were a bit unnecessary and the issue of the investment was very drawn out. Matter of fact, I know I don’t know much about business, but like he’s filthy fucking rich as we are told in the later episodes, could he not invest his own money?

Story aside, we had a range of typical characters, but we had a cast that did wonderful in making you enjoy each of them. I admit that this is my second time seeing Zhao Lin, but I don’t have much comparison because in the drama I first saw him in, his character was very similar. However, Xia Ke, as stubborn and egotistical and patriarchal as he was, still had his cute moments; namely whenever he was around Xing Yun. Xing Yun, was a sweet, headstrong woman and I didn’t find her irritating at all. Well actually that one time she tried that self-sacrificing and fake dating bullshit. I thought his sister was sweet and the actress reminds me of Bai Bai He and I think they should be sisters in a drama. He Yu was kinda annoying if I’m being honest, but still cute. I LOVED Yao Qing!! I loved that she was this bad ass bitch and she knew her worth and what she stood for and that even though she love Xia Ke, she never tried any dirty underhand means to get him. I also liked Xing Yun’s female coworkers because I adore female friendships. I liked that they played a sort of devil and angel roles in offering advice to her.

Highlight of the drama was the romance. We had Shen Qing/Chu Nan, Yao Qing/He Yu, and Xing Yun/Xia Ke. I didn’t really care much about Shen Qing and Chu Nan’s because like Chu Nan treated Xing Yun as shit and I don’t play that so..NEXT. Which brings us to Yao Qing and He Yu! Like I said, I found Yao Qing, extremely likable and to be honest, I saw her and He Yu becoming a thing, happening from a mile away. Seriously what is is with cdramas and having the second leads suddenly fall in love with each other? Anyways, I didn’t think they were necessarily believable as a couple and probably would’ve been more charming had they gone the “let’s just hook up continuously and see what happens” route vs He Yu suddenly loving her. Yea Yea, apparently he just never noticed until they hooked up. Whatever. Moving on to XIA KE AND XING YUN. I’m going to be honest, I enjoyed them a lot and they’re literally the sole reason I will likely rewatch this drama. I like that we saw how much Xing Yun had changed Xia Ke. I appreciated their cute moments. And even when they got together, I wasn’t bored and thank God we didn’t have them break up from a stupid misunderstanding because lord knows there were a lot of them. My heart almost dropped when I saw her about to walk away with the cat incident, but when she turned around and took the keys!!! SLAY QUEEN!!! It’s a good thing that Xing Yun is so loyal and also a petty queen. We HAD TO STAN. The only thing I really disliked about the romance other than Bai Lu’s crappy wig, was them having a joint wedding with Yao Qing and He Yu. I WOULD LITERALLY NEVER. I DON’T CARE THAT SHE MADE AN OATH IN THE TEMPLE. FUCK THAT NOISE. OVER MY DEAD BODY.

So anyways, if you’re in the mood for something sweet, nonsensical, light. fluffy and binge-worthy then give this a go. I genuinely would recommend this as a pick me up after watching anything very angsty or if you’re in the mood for romance. If nothing else, you will definitely stick around for the kisses and skinship! Hehehhe.

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Completed
Extraordinary You
1 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 25, 2020
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers
Let me preface this review by saying that the writer of the comic book (in the show) is a little bitch. I have a theory that the writer is Kim Eun Sook cause who else writes female characters so shitty? Yes. I went there. Moving on, the plot of this story was surprisingly well done. It was romantic, cringe, suspenseful, angsty and repetitive. Oh so repetitive. Repetitive to the point where I literally did not even care in the slightest when the final four episodes came around and Dan Oh lost her memories. Matter of fact, throughout those last four episodes I was just like ARE WE DONE YET?

I will say that I did find a few things very confusing, like I don’t understand how things allegedly went back to its place once the stage was set but then somehow they’re able to keep other trinkets and stuff like the shoes and books and what not? I dunno.. I also did not understand the writer’s (comic book not drama) purpose for introducing dried squid’s lover from Trumpet Creeper?? I also was annoyed by how petty the writer was too, like how you gonna be petty and lazy? Didn’t even bother drawing new characters.. Using the same dusty names? Wack.

The characters were very fun and there was something for everyone. I actually didn’t dislike a single character and wanted each of them to get the happy ending they deserved. I was surprised to see that Do Hwa became my favorite at the end of the day because he was so absolutely endearing. I literally wished with all my heart that he got the girl, but he was so content with his story that I was just like uwu. Shoutout to Ju Da for saying she wanted to date Do Hwa on MWF, Nam Ju on TTS and be by herself on Sundays. LOL. I liked Dan Oh a lot, not so much when she tried to hide things from Haru, but I liked her throughout because she was so darn cute. I actually liked Kyung more than Haru, please don’t come for me!! I know I am an adult and Haru is by far the better guy in every way: tall, handsome, sweet, respects women, wasn’t a bully. But fuck, Kyung was so pathetic and lonely and I wanted to give him a hug and all the love. That being said Rowoon could still very much get it.

The romance between Haru and Dan Oh was the catalyst for the entire show and I loved it. They were beautiful and sweet and truly honed in on that whole “soulmates” thing. I mean they found their way back to each other during every memory loss and story. I mean if I were the writer I would just stop drawing their asses, but Kdrama gotta kdrama so what do you do? Heheh. While I am talking about ridiculous behavior why do guys get to wear full coats, trousers, pants and women still have to wear a skirt and jacket? Like I know Dan Oh’s ass was freezing on that date with Kyung by the beach. Speaking of that date, I will admit that it was cute seeing Kyung happy, even though Dan Oh had lost her memory and wasn’t aware of herself. I shipped them a little bit! I can’t help it!! I guess Ju Da had the tea about wanting to date both. Hhehe.

I guess overall this was a pretty solid and enjoyable watch. I would likely recommend this as a good drama to watch to kill time. I am not sure if I would rewatch it, but I think it has a decent rewatch value. I will say that I am a little bit curious about that other story where they met again because Dan Oh’s bundles were popping!

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Completed
Monster Hunt
2 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 25, 2020
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
I think I came across this movie when I was searching through Bai Baihe’s filmography and I saw that this was one of the highest grossing films in 2016 next to The Mermaid. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the premise but I went into it anyways with no expectations beyond probably knowing for sure I’d be saying wtf.

The movie starts off with us meeting the monsters that are actually kinda cute and could make very cuddly toys. The next scene was then of our hero who I must admit was kind of entertaining. The storyline after that point pretty much flowed exactly as you would expect it to. I found myself laughing out loud at 1am because there were some genuinely funny moments in there. The plot twist could’ve been foreseen, as I had long assumed that was the case from earlier in the movie. The only thing that gave me pause was the fact that the humans were eating the monsters. Hypocrites much?

The acting performances between our two leads were mediocre at best but still thoroughly enjoyable. I forgot how charismatic Bai Baihe can be in comedic roles. I loved how she smiled. I also enjoyed seeing the kind of role reversals switch that they had. The man was pregnant and gave birth. LOL. The chemistry was more friendly than romantic though. The only kiss that happened was an accidental one and then they were in love and getting married. LMFAO. I’ve yet to see Jing Boran convince me that he’s attracted to his leads.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would and there’s also a part two so duh I’m gonna watch that too. Wuba is so freaking cute and I want one. The best way that I can describe the overall feel would be kinda like a Shrek/How To Train Your Dragon situation. Anyways I’d likely watch this again. It was entertaining af!

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Completed
Boy for Rent
6 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 25, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers
I have never finished a Thai drama, actually that’s not true, I have finished Oh My Ghost, but that was partly due to me not having finished the original Oh My Ghost and thus did not find it to be as atrocious as anyone who loved the original had. Also I don’t count remakes because you already know what’s going to happen and you keep watching to see how this version chooses to do it. So like I said, I have never finished a Thai drama.. That is until Boy For Rent.

You all must be thinking, what possessed me to even start watching this shit and honestly I was just bored one Sunday afternoon, saw the title and decided, “fuck it” and twelve episodes later here I am writing a review.

This story is just incredulous to say the least. So many plot holes and inconsistency and I don’t just mean with Liz’s hair that literally goes from brown to black in every damn scene. I mean we know that scenes aren’t film in a continuous sequence but could they at least tell home girl not to die her hair during the middle of filming?!?! It was so distracting! But anyways story is straight up on crack. This is story is about prostitution, yes point blank, plain and simple, this is prostitution. They pay money to rent these boys and then they are basically their properties until the contract is up. So that is why I was not surprised to see that almost every episode had some form of fucked up shit in it? We had Smile almost getting rape at least ten times, and no I am not exaggerating. We had scenes that were quite questionable when it comes to consent. The twist at the end was just straight what the actual fuck and made me wonder if everything was going on over at GMM ONE studios.. Like lmfao y’all tried it.

The characters.. SIGHS. Okay so let’s start with Smile. I don’t like naïve leads, not that there is anything wrong with women who are kind, and sweet, but listen.. Smile was every bit that childish girl that Kyro said, I literally wanted to reach into my laptop screen and smack the dumbass a few times. I don’t think she really developed character wise in all honesty. It was like she went from a nerd to a nerd with a boyfriend. Badz, bless his soul, was your typical handsome male lead. The problems that he created with Liz could have been resolved by COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND. He does have a banging body though (pretty sure it was in Mond’s contract to take the shirt off every episode and I am not complaining.) Liz was a dumb bitch, but not in the dumb cute way that Smile was, but like a proper dumb bitch.. Once again all her issues with Badz would’ve been solved had she just communicated.. Just think for a while, your girl says she saw your man with another girl and you don’t confront him? You’re just like “uhh cool, let me rent a prostitute to cheat with then” like nah girl, first we confront his ass and then we fuck his best friend. Kyro was the caricature of a bad boy who finds a woman that changes him with daddy issues.*yawn*

At this point you’re probably wondering how it was possible that I finished it and if I was hate-watching like I tend to do sometimes, but the truth is that I am in love with Badz and Smile’s chemistry or I guess Mond and Fon. I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to see them at all times and watch them be absolutely fucking moronic with each other because they were so freaking cute. I legit skipped all Liz and Kyro scenes cause I could not give any less of a fuck about anything either of the two did. I eagerly waited on my subs just so I could watch these cuties and I don’t regret it all. Matter of fact, if there is someone out there who can just cut all the Liz and Kyro scenes from the drama and make the show solely about Badz and Smile, I would very much appreciate it.

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Completed
Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency
21 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 25, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers
I started this drama because I was missing Kim Min Jae. Yep, that was the reason I decided to give this drama a chance. The plot didn’t particularly sound appealing but I’ve been so lost in the Chinese historical drama world that I decided that this Korean drama could be a welcome change while still feeding my hunger. LOL IKR WTF WAS I THINKING. I thought that with Min Jae, I could make it through anything, even if I didn’t make it through Goblin, Hit The Top, or Tempted. Mmm maybe he picks shitty scripts? I dunno. Add Seungyeon as the lead and I thought at the very least, the acting would be decent because they’re both very capable young actors. Thus, I set out on my journey with this drama.

While I didn’t find the first few episodes to be atrocious, I did find them a tad boring and not like what I thought this drama was supposed to be. That being said, I wasn’t immediately turned off and kept watching. This was also due to my innate need to be petty and continue this drama because all the Seo Ji Hoon stans were mad that Min Jae was the lead. Ji Hoon did look sexy as fuck as the locksmith, so I can understand.

However, after those first 4-6 episodes………..

I have said previously that I am a fan of messy plots as long as they are entertaining. The problem here isn’t that it is necessarily a messy plot, but rather something that manage to be stagnant and arduous. There was the overarching theme/storyline that we know is there, but we’re riddled with so many other things that even though it all connects, I am just left with a feeling of why should I give a fuck. And sure enough a fuck I did not give. It sucks to say, but this is straight up fifteen episodes of buildup with a shitty unsatisfactory payoff. The tensions of the political aspect was never felt. I never felt like there was any fear in anything and I felt that maybe the writer wanted there to be more than sixteen episodes? There was this idea of “a marriage case per episode” that I found interesting, but then that disappeared. It was like everything was expected to be serious and not serious. But honestly, that is to be expected considering they literally had a scene where they played ‘It’s Me (Pick Me)’ and the women were ‘auditioning’ to join the crew.

I am having a hard time figuring out what the saving grace for this drama is. A part of me wants to say it is the romance, but I am not completely convinced. Like in the moment the scenes were all great and romantic, and I think it was due in part to the chemistry between Seungyeon and Min Jae, but it wasn’t particularly memorable. I also didn’t like the constant miscommunication between them. To me, it was so contradicting to see Gae Tong, not just tell Ma Hoon, “Yo! I wanna be a noble lady for my brother, not Soo!” I know that she didn’t tell him sooner cause she thought he would send her home, but like that was definitely contradicting to what we’ve seen of her personality. Oh silly me, I forgot that women become timid, fragile, babies when we fall in love.

Since it’s not the romance then surely it must be the characters, right? RIGHT. Yeah no.. Definitely wasn’t that at all. While everyone did a good job with what they were given, I cannot stand dramas that try to come off as modern and progressive with their female characters because that ends up being the complete opposite. We have our female lead who got coerce into this marriage with her childhood sweetheart simply because he was there and like family. She then moves on to fall in love with a guy who was nice to her, maybe four times. There was Ji Hwa , who honestly could’ve been so much more than they designated her to, and I even thought they were going to do that, but talk about zero character growth. And of course, the Queen Dowager was a moron and the palace maid who died for no reason, but to increase Soo’s man pain. I won’t give a thesis lecture on the issues with the portrayal of the females in this drama, but like if you wanna be tropey, stick with being tropey and don’t try to do something else because it comes off as insincere.

I suppose now we’re left with the music and I mean, that was about as expected. A few songs stayed in my mind after each episode, but that’s because of stockholm syndrome. After completing all sixteen episodes, I just felt relief that it was finally over and maybe I can see Min Jae and Seungyeon again in something else.

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Completed
Angel's Last Mission: Love
2 people found this review helpful
by Nicki
Jan 25, 2020
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers
~ Review originally posted on unbotheredunnies.com ~

I truly do believe that a state of mind can affect how you view a piece of work. For me, I just went into this drama thinking I needed something easy to get through and this seemed simple enough. At time of me watching this drama, I wasn’t really drawn to any of the actors. I thought Myungsoo was okay, and I have never liked Lee Dong Gun’s acting in literally anything I have watched. The biggest reason I didn’t want to watch though, was Shin Hye Sun.. I held a lot of resentment towards her from My Golden Life and unfortunately could not separate the role from the actor. I knew it wasn’t her fault that the character was written the way she was in the drama or what the viewers were saying about the other actors/characters. Eventually, I just went for it and I am glad I did.

The storyline of this drama wasn’t anything new or profound that was added to KDRAMALAND. If you’ve been a long time viewer such as myself, you already know how this goes and what the end will look like. The pacing of this drama was faster than I expected and this prompted me to think of the storyline from two angles: conflict and romance. I don’t know if I have mentioned before, but something that I appreciate a lot of is when there is a good and interesting central conflict that keeps me engaged. Often with traditional Korean dramas that is not the case, but there are elements that will make up for it. I can highlight two major conflicts of this drama which is her becoming a ballerina again and taking back her parents’ company, and the relationship between her and Angel Dan. So now going back to the pacing of the drama, all the smaller conflicts were resolved quite easily.. She gained her sight back within two episodes of us being introduced to her. She started walking and moving on her own again within two episodes of her getting new eyes. She got back in shape within a week even though she was BLIND and didn’t dance for THREE YEARS. I don’t care how much of a ballerina genius you are that shit is not possible. The problem with the fast pacing though, is that it made the major conflicts a bit weaker. From my perspective, it would have been better seeing her have these struggles for a little longer because it would have made the romantic aspect a lot stronger.

I hated the romance. I hated the romance. I. Hated. The. Romance. The reason I hated the romance was because I was unable to determine why they fell for each other. I didn’t understand why Yeon Seo liked Dan. I didn’t understand why Dan liked Yeon Seo. I didn’t understand when or where Kang Soo started having feels for Yeon Seo as Yeon Seo and not the doppelganger of his ex. I understood that this is a sort of fated and destiny type of drama, but thing was that everything was just way too coincidental that it was just inauthentic. If they had maybe shown us how Yeon Seo and Dan really started to care for each other, I would have been more compelled to believe and actively root for this couple and want them to survive the relationship conflict. It was because of this lack of showing that had me like “well k…” about all the other relationship conflict that came up between them. I never felt like they were in this desperate/defying all odds type of love. This is why the ending didn’t even make me bat an eyelash either way.

Now with all that being said, you’re probably wondering why I said I was glad that I watched this drama. The answer is simple: Shin Hye Sun. This woman won me over completely. Her acting as Lee Yeon Seo was so layered and intriguing that she was the sole reason I watched every part of this drama. I was rooting so much for this character. I could not turn away from the screen whenever she delivered her emotional lines. The dances were so powerful because of her facial expressions. Everything she did was so believable that I ended up being just completely stunned. Yeon Seo was a flawed character. She ended up an orphan at the age of seventeen with an aunt and cousin that despise her. She lost her eyesight and tried to commit suicide. She had her loyal butler who stayed by her side through everything and then he ended up dying and donating his eyes to her. She had so much loss in her life that it was insulting to say the least that we diminished it all down to “all she needed was love.” A character like this who was being called arrogant, cynical and abusive was such a perfectly flawed character that I couldn’t help falling in love with her. Maybe that’s what Dan saw lol.

So even though the story became sloppy midway and the other character’s and their development were done a huge disservice, I would still recommend this solely so people can see Shin Hye Sun give a spectacular performance. As of this moment, Shin Hye Sun has lodged herself permanently on to my favorite Korean actresses list.

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