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Too Serious & Not Enough Fun
I was super excited to watch this after I saw the trailer but I wanted to watch the anime first. I should not have watched the anime first! I mean I just binged watch the first 3 seasons of one of the best animes I have ever watched and thoroughy enjoyed it. Like EVERYTHING about it! and here in lies the reason this movie is just average.Unfortunately, it was just too much to cram into an 1 hour and 45 minutes. I did not like the changes to the storyline at all. Plus the movie just lost the levity of the anime which is one of the main reasons the anime for me is so good.
However, what the movie did extremely well was was casting. I loved the actors playing, Ichigo, Byakuya, Renji, Ishida, Chad and Tatsuki. I loved the costumes too except Ishida's. Where was the white Quincy outfit?? Too bad Inoue and Rukia didn't match what I was looking for. It sucks too that side character storylines were left out all together.
At any rate, I will say if you've never seen the anime this is an ok movie and worth at least one viewing and the CGI wasn't terrible either.
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Shin Ha Kyun is Excellent is all you need to know!
This is my 1st Korean crime drama, and it did not disappoint. Excellent cast, especially Shin Ha Kyun, playing Lee Dong Sik. really good plot It has me by the seat of my pants most episodes. It reminded me of all the British crime dramas I love. The tension I felt watching was palpable. Each episode my adrenaline was high, well up to the point when they catch the serial killer.The reason I'm giving the series an 8 even though I thoroughly enjoyed it is because once the serial killer is caught; the series lost some of the energy it had reeling me in and impressing me with the plot machinations and all the potential suspects.
I mean it's a really good whodunit however, in the end it was more the good guys trying to bring to justice the actual murderer of one of the serial killer's 1st victims. Not that it was bad, and we wouldn't get the excellent acting from Shin Ha Kyun without this secondary plot, I just think it was a lot of deaths and cover up that seemed unimportant. Obviously, Dong Sik needed to find out who killed his sister, but I don't know if I cared enough about that part.
I can't wait to see more show with Shin Ha Kyun and watch another crime drama.
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Smile ear to ear while watching
I thoroughly enjoyed this series.Yeong Joon's arrogance is masterclass!! Park Seo Joon pulls it off rather well!! I was enamored with PSJ before but his turn as the Vice Chairman made me love him all the more. The Vice Chairman is so obnoxious but it's hilarious. His antics would normally get on my nerves but PSJ is so likeable all you can do is fall in love with him.
Park Min Young as Secreatry Kim Mi So was such a breezy, beautiful woman. I loved her too. I usually can't stand the FL is series like this but this show really surpassed my expectations. She was compentent and gave as good as the Vice Chairman gave. I really found the 2 of them charming, likeable and loveable. The chemistry was off the charts!
The supporting cast at the office was so funny but President Park takes the cake. So funny and tried his best to help the Vice Charmain through his predicaments. The dialogue between President Park and the Vice Chairman had me on the floor most episodes.
The reason this series is not getting a 10 overall is b/c there was a small makjang plot in re the Vice Chairman's brother and a kidnapping that happened when they were children that also involved Secretary Kim.....WHAT????? Anyway, in my mind that part didn't happen!!
The Vice Chairman has some great one liners; wish I had kept more of them but these are 2 of my favorites:
When Mi So talks about ordinary he says "I've lived my whole life extraordinarily. I don't know what ordinary is like."
His friend tells him his face is full of love and he says "It used to be full of deadly attractiveness, and now love as well?"
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The positives of the series is that the friends and family were accepting of Yanuo and Zi Feng's relationship from the onset even if they were uncomfortable at first. Those aspects of the series were done really well. And we did get some comedy gold out of a lot of the innuendo and compromising positions.
Another really great part of the story was the father/son dynamic between the villian, Han Sheng and his father Wan Hao. Han Sheng was unlikeabke but you understood his motivations. Surprisingly enough I found the climax to that storyline sad but meaningful and well acted.
WHAT I DIDNT LIKE:
The Na Na character was super annoying. I guess we are supposed to like her b/c she is dying but she came across as rude and obnoxious from the onset and I couldn't even care enough about that storyline. I only watched some of those scenes b/c Qing Yang was so damn cute and that was the only way for me to see him.
I also didn't like Du Zi Han sexually harrasing Yanuo or treating Guang Chao like shit just b/c he worked for her. Then they end up together. Definitely didn't like that either not b/c she treated him like shit but b/c she "saw the error of her ways" so that makes it all better but it was just a stupid couple. Not everyone in these thing have to get together.
The soundtrack was too repetitive and the same song seemed to play over almost every scene.
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What is Happening in this movie??
The best thing about this movie is actor Fhi Fan who plays Soichi. If it wasn't for him I don't think I would like much about this movie. Hatsune Eriko who plays Kirie and Soichi's longtime friend (girlfriend) is quite good acting wise but I found her character to be too stupid for word sometimes. I also loved the muted tones used to film this movie. It harkens back to old late 70's and early 80's horror films.The movie is about a town that becomes obsessed with Spirals or Uzumaki. There is some brief explanation about witchcraft and I wish they would have explored that more so that things made more sense but maybe the point wasn't for things to make sense. It was just a bunch of random weird things happening b/c of the spirals all over the place. Soichi was trying his best to convince our so called heroine, Kirie to leave but she was too stupid to listen.
There is only once song I remember gearing in the entire film and it was played while the credits rolled by Raven called Do As infinity and it was a really good song.
This is based on Junji Ito's manga of the same name and I would like to read that and maybe I should have read it before I watched this movie.
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Fun with Food
I enjoyed the series overall. Especially the food elements which elevate the show. I could care less about the political machinations of the Royal family. It's always the same song and dance with someone feeling aggrieved and that they should be the King/Queen or in charge of everything. The show reminded me a lot of Mr. Queen even the political stuff but I still rather enjoyed this a lot.I thought the acting was top notch and the 2 leads were excellent. Yoon A and Lee Chae Min so great together! There were a few other characters that I really liked. Gil Geum, Gong Gil the jester and the King's bodyguard Sin Su Hyeok. I loved all the food too. It all looked so good. The other great thing about the show is it's genuinely funny. So many hilarious scenes but one of the funniest is in the 1st episode where Ji Yeong first meets the King and tells him she knows tae kwon do. Yoon A was absolutely fantastic!
10/4/25
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Overall, this series is meh. It could have been so much better. So many unnecessary and obnoxious characters. No one taking accountability for their actions and behaviors and blaming others the entire series. The ending was terrible as well. In-Ho was the only character with any redeeming qualities. I wished he would have disowned his sister. Nothing but a user and abuser. She should have stayed in that mental facility.
I was and still am team Jung til the end. He lacked empathy but I could understand that with the way he was raised and the father he had. The fact that he always had to be "on" would make anyone act a certain type of way. People constantly using him or pretending to be nice. So he saw something in Seol that he wanted to explore. Of course the relationship is toxic. It's practically a prerequisite in these series based on manwha, manga and webtoons. But I did like that she was trying to understand him and that he was trying to understand what is like to love and be loved for who he is.
2/16/25
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