Trouble-chan
United Kingdom
This review may contain spoilers
Acting of Kim Bum & Joe Cheng make this worth watching!
Here's my review of this pretty good drama.STORY - The ending is really what's less this whole drama down; sadly, the writers didn't only slap the face of the viewers, they spit in them too. The ending is a tragedy on so many levels. If you don't like sad endings, DON'T watch this - it's not sob worthy sad, but it is scream and throw things sad purely because the whole damn final couple of scenes were so rage inducing. The ending could've easily been better written, could've easily had a better outcome too. I cannot find the words for how angry that pointless ending made me. Yes, I watched it raw and yes, my mandarin is limited to yes, no, sorry, what and I love you - but the ending is seriously self explanatory on what happens.
ACTING - The main male leads, Kim Bum and Joe Cheng, are brilliant in this - they really are underused in the industry these days; especially Kim Bum and their acting skills are really shown well in this drama. Claudia Wang also does give it her best shot; she can't help it that her character was so pointless and uninspiring that you're left wondering HOW she would have two men in love with her and one of them willing to go insane trying to keep her.
MUSIC - okay, nothing too memorable.
REWATCH VALUE - usually these intense dramas are worth a rewatch; but this one's ending is terrible. However, if you watch to just BEFORE those final few scenes, and imagine a change in who's with the Claudia Wang's character near the door, then just stop watching (leaving yourself with the more satisfying imaginary ending).....it makes it a WHOLE better drama!
OVERALL - 8.0 - JUST because of the ending....those final scenes are just rage inducing. EXCELLENT drama, BRILLIANT acting all let down by a boring Female Lead Character and the last 4-6 mins of the film.
Was this review helpful to you?
Go Sung Hee really plays her character well and you so want it all to turn out right for her. Yoon Hyun Min is as brilliant as always and plays both Go Nan Do and Holo to perfection.
If you can find it subbed, or have access to Netflix UK like me, then please be assured, it's REALLY worth watching; so much so it'll be near the top of my favourites re-watch list (that's why I gave it a 10 on re-watch value). :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Story - okay this is why I'm low marking. The beginning was okay. But it quickly fell apart and became a complete chore to watch. I would mark this in minus numbers for the story. It was a mess of an ending with a ridiculous and unnecessary twist. The twist was what had me hurling abuse at my laptop. This story had so much potential (as the first half showed), sadly it was all squandered and for NOTHING. So for me this is 1/10
Acting/Cast - The cast deserved 9.5 maybe even 10 because they CARRIED this rubbish on their backs. Their acting was the ONLY reason I kept watching and the ONLY reason I'm giving this a 6 overall. Most notably Higashide Masahiro as Baku / Ryohei. The three main leads really gave it their all, but the writing and story itself completely let them down. I hope to see more of the three main lead actors, Higashide Masahiro, Seto Koji and Karata Erika (in that order).....they worked so hard to make a mess of a story watchable, and for that I can only thank them.......and hope they get better projects more worthy of their talent in the future. 9.5/10
Music - It was okay nothing really memorable. 4/10
Rewatch Value - there is only any rewatch value if you truly adore the the cast, especially the main leads, and can't find anything else with them in. However, if there are even adverts they've been then watch those - it will still be better than this. 3/10
Overall Score - As I've already said, the acting of Higashide, Seto and Karata is the ONLY reason I kept watching and the ONLY reason I'm giving this a 6 overall. so yeah, 6/10. (though it is still better than the all time worst of the worst 'Miss in Kiss' - though watching paint dry is still better than THAT mess).
Was this review helpful to you?
STORY - Pretty good story. Basically no one is safe, there is no real 'hero' or ;heroine' that you can say the start "oh yeah they're the survivors"; that trope is abandoned here. For me that's a good thing, because it means you don't really know who, if anyone, will still be there at the end. The horror is pretty average; there's the usual ripping neck and throats out that ALL zombie movies have, with the accompanying blood. There is the usual dry Thai humour through this which helps in some of the bloodier moments. (I give it 8.0)
ACTING/CAST - Most of the cast was really good. Maybe the zombie extras left a bit to be desired, but certainly overall it was really good and the main cast were very good. Although the guy with the pudding bowl haircut that was crying and the noise he made for his clearly fake crying drove me nuts by the end. I kept begging for zombies to eat him, you'll have to watch to find out if they do. (Another 8.0)
MUSIC - music was okay but not really anything to write home about. (a midrange 5.5)
REWATCH VALUE - I have to admit there isn't much rewatch value. Once you've seen it, that's it. A zombie film is a zombie film and there's not really enough going on for you to go back and view it again. (only 5)
OVERALL - I think it's pretty good. Typical Thai horror and that's not a bad thing. Certainly worth a watch. (I give 7.5)
Was this review helpful to you?
This movie is really lovely - and definitely brings home the old saying "you never miss someone until they're gone...." We often don't appreciate those we love the most until they're no longer around. The ending is a cliffie so be prepared to hurl abuse, tearfully or otherwise (mine was very tearful but very definitely annoyed too). I hope there's another movie where she perhaps helps another set siblings overcome their differences without ending up as she did or something - so that way we at least know if the end......changed the cliffie (sorry, I don't know how to word that without spoilers....so take what I offer and run with it).
So now to the usual review stuff:
STORY - The story was pretty good; very much along the lines of what I think many siblings wish for when not getting along. The beginning was very funny. I laughed a lot and I thought the female lead would immediately regret her decision, but she didn't. The last ten minutes or so were very bittersweet - unless you have heart of stone, I mean it, you WILL cry though it's not really an unhappy ending......just...open,
ACTING/CAST - the two leads playing the siblings were EXCELLENT. Seriously they were really good; especially Peng Yu Chang who played the older brother Shi Fen. That young man is destined for great things you can see that already. The rest of the cast were pretty good too - the mum was played well, and the actor playing her boyfriend was very goo in his role as the bumbling but earnest stepfather to be. But Chang Peng Yu was the best of the whole lot, with Zhang Wendy as Shi Miao a solid second. The last scene will tear your heart I swear and you'll see why I'm praising these two so highly.
MUSIC - that's a straight 8 all day. Not terrible, but not memorable either; though it did really play well with the final scenes.
RE-WATCH VALUE - ooh that was a tough one to call; for me it was a definite 9 because I would definitely watch this again AND make all my bickering cousins sit down with their siblings and watch it too. But others might feel differently.
OVERALL - for me it was a 9.5 because the message was clear and simple - be grateful for who you have in your life because when they're gone you'll miss them and it's often to late then. It's a simple message and one that too many movies and dramas overdo; really labour the point, thereby making it a lot more complicated than it should (or even needs to) be. This movie however, kept it simple and the more touching because of it. The message remained the same, but more simply told and therefore all the more moving because of it.
I think it's also a movie that parents who leave older siblings as the younger children(s) caretaker/babysitter/entertainer, etc should watch. YOU have kids because YOU want them, so DON'T make the older ones the 'parents' to the younger ones so that you can have a social life/career - you should've thought of that BEFORE producing offspring.
Finally, I would say this - really, give this movie a try........you won't regret it.
Was this review helpful to you?
I'm not going through the review list stage by stage - there's no point. I gave the actors 2.5 because they did the best they could with a dire script. I wouldn't even watch this once if you can avoid it, so it has ZERO rewatch value but the review won't let me do that, so 1 it is. I can't believe how bad this was to be honest. It wasn't even one of the 'so bad it was good'....it was just TERRIBLE.
The plot had a LOT of promise and could've been something really thought provoking - sadly the director had other ideas.
Was this review helpful to you?
So for me this resonated a lot, even though my crushes were never teachers and many moons ago now (I'm 52 and happily married), I can still recall the feelings of being faced by the person I liked so much and being overcome with shyness and nervousness. Sometimes people can hurt you without even realising and other times they do it knowingly because they believe it's 'for your own good' ( I HATE those words in any context). I can't say much more as I don't want to spoil it.
This was really adorable, don't get me wrong; as all the ones I've watched so far have been - but this definitely brings a lump to your throat where the others didn't.
At least with me it did; especially as, once again, you know it really happened to someone. I've watched them all raw and can only hope one day someone subs them for the rest of us....they deserve to be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible. It's at times like this I really want my grasp of Japanese to hurry up and get better so I can start subbing....
So here's the overall stuff:
STORY - VERY good; it was a nice take on the old 'teacher/student' trope (and one that's currently being done a LOT right now). It was entertaining and engaging from start to end. For me it was definitely 10/10.
ACTING/CAST - Right on the nose. They really made you care about them; especially the younger ex-student who was still genuinely in love with her 'Sensei'. Both actors who played the main leads were excellent - so much so I will be looking out more of their work. The only reason this part got what it did was for the way some of the narration got a bit clunky. Okay, my grasp of Japanese is rudimentary to put it mildly, but even I could tell it was a bit stilted in places - though that could be more down to the script and my interpretation of what was being said. I won't know for sure until it's (hopefully) subbed. So it gets a 9/10.
MUSIC - This was the worst part of it; it was just like background noise.....the sort of music you expect to hear in a lift as you ride up and down a shopping mall, not as the soundtrack to an really cute, sincere and engaging drama. So hence it's 6.5/10.
REWATCH VALUE - This is really high as it's one of those little dramas that's engaging enough that you enjoy it and short enough to slip it in to any short viewing window you might have; the story sticks with you and you will want to watch it again. So far I've watched it twice.....there will be more times too. So it got a full 10/10.
OVERALL - so overall I gave it 9.5/10 due to the musical let down and the little bit of stilted moments and narrations along the way. But it's a well deserved 9.5.
Was this review helpful to you?
STORY - As I said - it was good. Engaging, entertaining - funny in places and also had it's more sad moments.
ACTING/CAST - VERY good; they really made you care for the two main characters. The more peripheral cast were a little more sketchy - mainly the actors playing the bad guys who were just lacking moustaches that could be twirled. But the actress playing the sister was very good too. Overall the two main leads were completely believable to the point if you saw them in the street then you'd not be surprised if they were holding hands. That kind of believability is rare in BL/gay dramas.
MUSIC - Sadly this is where it was let down - the music wasn't great. A lot of it was the type you'd expect to hear in lifts (aka elevators) and the rest was just utterly schmaltzy and forgettable.
REWATCH VALUE - Actually pretty high because it was well acted and a good story. I would certainly watch it again.
OVERALL - so overall for me I gave it a 10/10 - it deserved it. Sure the peripheral cast were a little OTT in the acting and the music was bad, but the story and the acting by the lead couple was brilliant and on point. The run up to the ending is NOT what you think either, so don't worry.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sure it was indeed slow in places because it didn't have the usual 'girl runs, man chases her and slaps/kisses her into submission' sections and, despite everyone saying they were speaking their minds to save misunderstandings, no one was actually doing that with anyone right up until the end. Lies and deflection seemed to be the order of the day; which will drive some viewers mad as you scream "for God's sake just TELL <insert name> the TRUTH!!"
The 'villains' were annoying to the point where death was too good for them. Even their insults were lame compared to the lead female and her grandma (who I ADORED) As the elderly villains went in this I'd have just thrown them under the bus so hard I would've won a prize LONG before the end. Having said that there was so much plastic in their faces you could've just stood them next to an open flame, hell even a lit match would've worked, and watched them melt like the Wicked Witch of the West.
As to their seeming teflon coating when it came to get rumbled, I know families love each other, blah blah, but come ON! there's a limit to how far familial loyalty will go (especially these days) - if my mother in law tried to ruin my daughter's life, rest assured she would be supporting a new patio in my garden in a more literal way than she should. I do get that Lakorns have to be angsty - I get that adult kids have to be tortured by parents/grandparents/older or younger siblings/ or even just insert random person who wants revenge here for the story; but really when the parents are supposed to be 'protecting' their tortured offspring, then they should DO that not just pay lip service to it before pressing on with tweets of '#worried' to everyone. I also loathe the Second Lead in these (usually the female who is NOT a villain) who just wafts around a with a 'kicked puppy' look. In this drama that girl had that look NAILED - seriously, there are puppies out there as we speak taking lessons from her it was that good....sadly, though I just wanted to slap her silly, shake her so hard her teeth rattled and then tell her to GROW.A.SPINE. She is a grown woman, running a business; NOT a 2 year old who's just been told her favourite blankie has been put through a woodchipper.
The music is pretty good and the theme song is nice too. The re-watch value isn't awful because you know which bits to avoid, but it's not a must-see. Overall, this isn't as bad as some people say and I'd give it a solid 8.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I LOVED this - the story was brilliant, not too much drama and 'death, doom, destruction' that usually accompanies such dramas.STORY - the story was very good. There was an age gap of about 11 years and a child from a previous relationship for the character Shi Yi Jie (wonderfully portrayed by Jiang Chang Hui - aka Steven). He also had an ex-wife but, without adding spoilers, I can't say much more on her. The younger character Fei Sheng Zhe (played by the very cute Zhang Xing - aka Hunter) was the right balance of emotionally damaged (due to traumas at high school) wariness and desperate to love, nurture and be loved in return soft-heartedness. His relationship with Yi Jie's daughter, Yo Yo, was wonderful too. It had a happy ending and never left you feeling disappointed. the last scenes definitely made me smile...but a teary one of happiness.
ACTING/CAST - here's why I only gave this 9.5.......the KISSING. Seriously, I know that Hunter was the young and inexperienced student, they're straight men in RL and all that - but guys come on, kiss PROPERLY. They're supposed to be besotted with each other and yet the kisses (on hunter's part to be fair to Steven) was just VERY tame. Hunter seemed determined to keep it to the always disappointing 'lip bumping' no matter what Steven tried to do to make it more realistic. That is the ONLY reason I gave it a 9.5; the wife's character was a nutjob anyway, so any overacting there can be forgiven. The storyline was a lot for a little girl to take on and understand, so a major pat on the back for the little girl who played Yo Yo; she did a really good job. The other two characters who were Sheng Zhe's student friends were also well portrayed.
MUSIC - the music was good; the ending song was the best. It didn't have the catchiness that the songs from series one did - but they were still good and I liked the ending song in particular.
REWATCH VALUE - well, I've already watched the last three episodes three times so I can definitely say that it's 10/10. What I did like a LOT was the hugging, little touches, affection and cuddling that was included - I have a gay cousin and I know she's like that with her partner; it's not always all sex and passion. the LGBT community have the same companionship and affection side of their love as we do,and it was so genuinely nice to see it properly portrayed for once. It's one of the reasons for me rewatching the last three episodes almost on repeat.....it made those episodes the cutest of the eight.
OVERALL - although the little indicator above suggests 9.5 as an overall score - for me this has to be a 10. Sure the kissing was a bit tame (especially in the bed scene), but other than that it was such a well acted, beautifully cute and low drama story that to not give it a 10 would be criminal. HIStory: Right or Wrong is a MUST WATCH for any BL fan.....in fact anyone who loves a decent love story and can look past the bad kissing.
Was this review helpful to you?
The story was believable, but sadly I can't say much without spoiling it. So all I will say is that given what is done to the children, the consequences are understandable. I didn't find the 'Mysterious Man' a monster in the real sense as he was only doing what was wanted of him.
The acting was first rate - the entire cast gelled very well together and all were convincing in their roles. However, for me at least, Takizawa Hideaki stood out as the main protagonist; an almost childlike figure lashing out at those he held responsible. It showed children can be remarkable in coping with a horrific life and finding allies in the most unlikeliest of places.
The music added to the story and certainly the organ grinder style music was creepy. The final few frames with the child at the door, organ grinder and the little doll were unsettling but also strangely satisfying. I would love for there to be a sequel.
Even though I know the ending, I did watch it raw and, only having a few sentences of Japanese learnt, I would like to watch it again with subs and see if I was wrong in my assumption that the 'monster' wasn't really a monster, just a being existing for justice for those unable to seek it themselves. I would watch it more than once, or even twice, that's for sure.
Overall, it wasn't too scary and certainly a nice film for a winter's evening with a mug of hot chocolate and some marshmallows. A real campfire story really. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and will give it 10/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
The music was okay; nothing special or memorable but not horrible either. But the rewatch value, for me at least, is very high. I liked it so much - just not the ending; I really wanted it to be just a slight little bit different to make it happier for everyone - but it still raised a smile. However, that's why it wasn't a 10 overall for me.
This are my scores -
Story - 9.5/10
Acting/Cast - 10/10 (especially Ikuta Toma, who wound the dial all the way to 11)
Music - 5/10
Rewatch Value - 10/10
Overall -- 9.5/10 (just because of the ending).
Was this review helpful to you?
Okay, so that covered, let me go through the list above to explain my marks -
Story:
it's really good. No, seriously, it is. The actions taken by a certain girl, although horrible, are kind of understandable. Love makes us do horrible things; but eventually good people take the right path. The main couple are adorable; both hurt, both scarred, both fighting to make their own way in the world and ultimately relying on each other. So when Fate plays the dirty trick it does your first reaction is to yell "oh come ON!! REALLY?!!" at your screen. I think the ending IS happy - I think it's also utterly believable. For that I'm thankful on too many levels to count. 10/10
Acting/cast:
what can I say? ALL of them were BRILLIANT - really - there was NOT a bad actor amongst them. I think that's what made it SO watchable. Obviously Cheung Julian as 'Man Cho' and She Charmaine as 'Chuk Kwan Ho' were the best, but also Chen Jo as 'Ki Ki' (so sad too) and Sit Nancy as 'Chu Sai Kui' were epic too; but so was all the cast - the shady cousin (who wasn't all bad), the other taxi driver who looked and acted tough and smoked like a chimney, but she actually was kind too. ALL had their roles down. But in the name of full disclosure I will admit that Cheung Julian held my attention the most - he hurt my heart through movie and then broke it with that final scene. 10/10
Music:
Music was okay - nothing to write home about, but fine. It fit the movie and, though none of it was memorable, it was good. 8/10
Rewatch Value:
Well that's obvious as I've already watched this movie SIX times and counting. It's just such a warm and wonderful movie - even given the sadder moments. so an obvious 10/10
Overall:
Again this is kind of obvious - given that I adore the whole movie, the cast AND I've rewatched it a LOT it would be weird NOT to give it the best marks possible. so 10/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Zhang Vin as Yi Mu was PERFECTION - but you really do feel he is wasted as the second lead. I think, having seen him as the cool, quiet and calm KO (who also had a warm heart) in 'Love O2O' he could've EASILY played Bai Hao instead and REALLY made it believable. The whole problem here has been that that we fans ship Yi Mu and the female lead, Hui Zhen, TOO much and it goes beyond the usual 'Second Lead Syndrome' - they just have INSANE chemistry in EVERY scene and Sheng Peter pales into the background if he has to share the scene with them. You HONESTLY see Bai Hao as the second lead and not the main love interest - whereas, even if he WAS the main lead, you're REALLY rooting for Yi Mu to be with Hui Zhen..
Sure there were differences between the original Kdrama ('She was Pretty') and this Chinese version - sure there was some things the Kdrama original did better, the male lead played by the always wonderful Park Seo Joon is an obvious choice. Another is that Go Joon Hee as Min Ha Ri certainly played the 'bad best friend' with a slightly more sympathetic air than the Chinese version, Xia Qiao, who is played (rather lack-lustrely) by Li Sierra.
BUT, and it's a big one. there are also MANY things this one did BETTER than the original. The Kdrama had the better LENGTH, however, this one has the better STORY because it also does at least have time to flesh out the characters a bit more; so the bullying main lead you REALLY despise, the BBF betrayer (or 'Female Dog Friend' as I called her, lol!) was MUCH worse in this one and so the hate we felt was much more real too. I think Sheng Peter should be patted on the back because a LOT of expectations are on this role and he did his best. I REALLY think we'll be seeing a LOT more of Zhang Vin in the future - the man was EXCELLENT as KO in 'Love O2O' too.
I think overall BOTH versions are very good and one is not worse than the other; they're just different. I give this 10/10 because it deserves it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Of course Kamiki Ryunosuke is brilliant too - I know him most from Studio Ghibli character's he's voiced and the voice role he played in the brilliant anime movie 'Summer Wars'. Like Nagase, he showed he could act in this movie - the roles they both played were utterly bonkers; but it's just a shame the film was a total mess.
They can't be blamed for the fact this film was complete nonsense and self indulgent trip for the writers and director - Nagase and Kamiki did the BEST work they could in roles that anyone else would've walked away from shaking their heads; the failure of the overall movie is down to the seemingly tiny budget, bad writing and awful directing.
I'm giving this 3.5/10 ONLY because of the sterling work by Nagase Tomoya and Kamiki Ryunosuke.
Was this review helpful to you?
