addicted2dramas
India
Sometimes it's good to let it loose and enjoy a no-brainer for an hour or so. I watched this movie when I had nothing to do and so ended up quite enjoying it. It's a run of the mill boy and girl fall in love story with a question of will-they-end-up-together-or-not question looming over our heads during the entirety of the film. Most of it is silly and pointless at times but the random cheesy romantic sequences were heart fluttering at best.
I have wanted to watch Kris in a proper role where he plays a character closer to his own age and I got that here. He isn't a great actor by any means but I thought he was better than a lot of idols who are venturing into acting. A couple of scenes were really cringeworthy (e.g. The Church scene) but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Like I said, the romance was cute and the film served its purpose of entertaining me. Plus he is a rather good kisser so it helps. ;)
Sometimes the story can get confusing and so I gave it a 7. I feel like a lot was tried to condense in a hour and a half whereas this story would have been better off as a short drama. It definitely had the potential and the cast was great so maybe that would have been better. Another reason I liked it but didn't LOVE it was the ending. The ending was not very clear and I think it would be better if they made a sequel to it add another couple minutes to it for a special edition DVD or something.
Anyway, give this a try if you don't wanna use your brains too much. But the leads can get quite frustrating so consider yourself warned. :)
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I am not going to be negative about the actor and actress because come on- they're actually kids. They have plenty of time to grow. I just found it terribly boring and it was painful to get through even the first episode itself. The other two episodes got worse, and not better by a mile. I hardly laughed at the jokes and didn't find it cute.
But I suppose since so many seemed to have enjoyed this, many more people would like it. So whoever wants to, can give this a try but I am definitely not recommending it.
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PLOT + CHARACTERS:
The plot was very interesting to me. Most dramas revolve around childhood lovers with tragedy. Here it had to do with misunderstandings and giving your old friend/ lover another chance. There were times this drama was too cool and other times when it was laughable. Our ML is an all-round perfect guy and the best dramaland boyfriend that can exist. Yuan Shuai is good at everything and loves selflessly. There were times he needed to grow and that is where this drama both hit and didn't hit the mark. However our leads have a very natural chemistry and remain somewhat stable after getting together which is the highlight of the drama. The supporting cast was good but I'd like to mention Qiao Na here specifically who started off as a jealous 2nd FL but grows and becomes one of the best characters. In fact there were times when the FL was not that fun because she was a basic girl. However, I like the fact that she wanted to make herself into a successful person and worked hard.
ACTING:
Leo Luo takes the spotlight here. He was immensely charming, good-looking and displayed the emotions quite right. He has been deserving of being a ML for a while and I am glad to see him shine here finally. Bai Lu was cute as usual and I loved her chemistry with Leo. It kind of made me forget her chemistry with Xu Kai lol. Rest of the cast was alright but Riley wasn't that great. It's my first time seeing Kido Gao here and he was okay but maybe not the best.
ROMANCE:
Watch this drama for romance! The stares, holding hands, kisses - lots and LOTS of them gave me butterflies in the stomach. I have not seen such great skinship and natural interactions between the leads in a modern C-drama. It was awesome and raised the bar for other dramas for me. Everything from the first meeting to the "first time"- everything was downright perfect.
OST:
It was a nice OST and the songs blended well with the mood of the drama.
REWATCH:
Very much rewatchable. The leads are legendary for me. <3
OVERALL:
Don't let the corporate side or the silly "disability" of the heroine put you off. This drama is a modern romance gem and I don't think any other drama will live up to it for a while. I had a few issues with certain side characters or sub-plots but all was forgettable because the good and funny parts are THAT good. The comedy was a main factor and that helped the drama retain its light mood till the end. I highly recommend this drama and this is coming from someone who is very choosy and critical of romance dramas in general.
Hope you give this drama a chance.
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This drama is a MUST WATCH for hardcore romantics. I happen to like Kdrama romance but this one has SO much of it that I wanted them to stop. They honestly include all romance cliches possible in the story and to just keep entertaining you episode after episode. The main couple were cute as hell.
Jaekyung is so pretty I could keep staring at her forever. I don't blame the guy for falling heads over heels for her. I also liked his brother and wish he gets his own spin off because he was so cute. Plus, the little animals featured in the show are also a treat to watch.
The soundtrack isn't the best because it doesn't even require one. Anyway, I highly recommend this drama to everyone because it a short, harmless piece of fun and you'll come out thoroughly entertained. Enough said. Go and watch it NOW.
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I really like the premise of the movie. Movies or dramas that go back and forth in time all have a similar concept. I rather enjoyed the way it was shown. The two main characters- the younger and older versions were both wonderful.
This movie very accurately depicted the feelings and innocence when it comes to first love. The best part about it was its realistic ending. Had it ended in any other way, it would been another one of those cheesy chick flicks where every thing is a fairy tale. It's nice to see a movie which is both heartwarming and realistic. It's hard to find movies like these.
It was really well shot and the cinematography was done well. I also loved the cast of the movie. Han Ga In was awesome and looked very pretty. Her character wasn't perfect but I found myself smiling at her behavior and occasional antics. I have seen Uhm Tae Woong in a couple of movies before and he was okay in those. It was hard to believe how old Lee Je Hoon really is. He was perfect as the 18-year-old in love.
I would suggest this movie to those who like realistic endings. I myself enjoyed this movie very much and would not hesitate in watching it again (maybe).
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I prefer this part of the story than the first. By this time, the build up phase is over and we are well acquainted with the characters. Finally I grew to love Makino's character. I wasn't a fan of hers in the first one because I had a hard time understanding her. But she improved this time around. Her feelings and actions were clearer to me. I was very happy with the characterizations of each character. I loved F4 and the best character was that of Domyouji. He really grew a lot. Also, there was enough emphasis on Akira, Rui, Soujiroh and Yuki. The characters of Hana Yori Dango are all very captivating.
This season kept me hooked till about the last few episodes. By then the breaking-up/getting back together thing tired me. And the amnesia plot was ridiculous. Other than that, it was written wonderfully. The direction and execution of the show were also wonderful. The ending was also good.
I believe it has a decent rewatch value. And since the first was a 10 according to me, this one deserves a strong 10 also. So if you liked the first season, then definitely watch the second.
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It has mostly light moments and some of them really make you laugh. While I am not happy with the romance in this, it still gives some very unforgettable scenes between Nakatsu and Ashiya. While gender bender scenario was funny here too, in spite of that almost all the characters fell flat. Sano had no character development at all except for one point which was that he started doing what he used to before. Other than getting inspired and jumping, he really provided with no entertainment at all. I wasn't that big a fan of Ashiya, but her strong determination wins her points. My favorite character was of course- Nakatsu. He is colorful, loving and funny at the same time. He is probably going to remain one of my favorites from jdramas forever. Almost all memorable scenes I recall from this show have Nakatsu in them. His unconditional love for Ashiya till the end really moved me because it was so sweet. He was always there for her no matter what.
However, if you would want to watch this show- only watch it for the comedy. The romance was disappointing. Maybe if I had liked Sano I would have loved his relationship with Ashiya too but as I said- I like Nakatsu all the way. And I don't know what to rate the soundtrack because I cannot recall any tunes from the show.
Anyway, the rewatch value is still intact because of my favorite Nakatsu and Ashiya moments.
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However, I do think that majority of the people enjoyed it. I would recommend to all Hyun Bin's fans. The lead actress was pretty but this show's gender bender arc was not at all engrossing. I think investing my time in a drama that I would enjoy would be wise rather than criticizing something that I did not enjoy.
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The premise is cute (minus the dog statement). The cast is cute and definitely passes off as teenagers to me. I am only familiar with the main actor but I liked them all. It's got usual shoujo manga tropes and there's not a lot of depth to the story. Sometimes it is hard to condense the story in a two-hour film so live actions will always let down in some or the other ways. However, it was very funny and had a good amount of LOL moments.
Only those who are into shoujo manga/anime/films will love this film since it comes across as silly at times. I also had good second lead syndrome in the last hour of the movie and the main lead was a plain hurting jerk a lot of times. I was okay with it because he wasn't exactly 'abusive'. He was nice to the girl and cold the moment.
Watch this film if you're a fan of the manga or just looking for something cute to pass your time. It was worth my time.
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I think the plot was really creative and woven very nicely together. The entire sequence of events made sense by the end and there was literally nothing that went unresolved. That, is the power of a good writer who would know just what to do with the characters and situations. The mystery never felt like a cheap plot device and it was definitely depicted well even if it was slightly predictable.
The cast put on some memorable performances. Thanks to this drama I am now introduced to a band of new actors who I am definitely interested in now for future watching purposes. You would suspect literally everyone at one time or the other and even the most random things in the drama tie up well together.
Being a Japanese drama, it had to have its dark moments. By dark I mean things like deceit, abuse and murder. Nobody is a good guy here, which I feel is daring thing for the writer to do. The characters are all a blend of classic nice people with anti-hero/heroine traits and the villains are just.... selfish lol. For me the most fun was when we get to know how the villain has done whatever the villain pleased and destroyed everyone in the process. I mean, the revelation was super fun.
I kind of liked and dislike the presence of a love triangle in the story. I think while it could have done away with any romance, since it was there it should have been better. As in the heroine should have been with the one I wanted her to be with. :P That brings me to the ending. Like I said, everything is very neatly resolved but I dislike one thing towards the end episodes which sort of ruined the ending for me. I didn't think it was necessary but wasn't against it either since things end on a satisfactory note for every one.
I have to mention the music once. I really loved the songs and the background music was well done. Each music piece suited the situations and the editing was fabulous.
Go ahead and watch this drama if you want an actual plot, some good performances and mystery.
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Same-old KBS Weekend drama
KBS has a knack for either making memorable weekend dramas, some really meh ones or some just plain forgettable. I'd pin this somewhere in the middle of all those categories. I have to admit I picked up this drama expecting some realistic slice-of-issues that people in their 20s/30s/40s deal with in regards to dating and marriage. The initial noise and marketing of the drama was all about that - a generation that doesn't believe in marriage, etc etc.PLOT:
What started off as funny and promising was a big let down for me. Knowing some past works of the writer I wanted to keep my expectations low but I couldn't ignore the POTENTIAL the fresh premise had. Don't get me wrong- it started off fine. The characters were all a bit unusual and the initial interactions of the 3 main couples started off really well.
For most part they all came from good loving families instead of the very melodramatic, toxic families that tend to be rampant in many Kdramas. But I feel like the writer couldn't keep up with the challenging of status quos and instead almost all characters did a 180- they either "gave in" to marriage or started behaving erratically to create conflict and to give in way to cliches. I felt like that was rather pissy of the writer to please the audience with the usual crap they are used to watching.
CHARACTERS:
I loved almost all the characters in the drama till no one remained likable till the end. The focus on Mi Rae's mom was horrible and almost all characters behaved in the exact same way from beginning to end. Apart from Soo Jae (who I heartily disliked), none of them had any real growth. The silly conflicts were not convincing enough for me to warrant them under "character development".
ACTING:
Yoon Shi Yoon is a phenomenal actor and the biggest pull for me to check out this drama. Boy- I was so wrong! He was incredibly dull and flat here. I'd blame the writer and director more than the actor himself. His leading lady was the stiffest actress I've ever seen and which is also why I think the elder couple had more screentime. At least they were funny and could emote a bit. But never have I seen such mediocre acting from a cast ever in a weekend drama. It felt a bit tryhard to achieve a sitcom-y feel or there were forced emotional scenes where I could sense no depth. Overall it was totally lacking in this department.
ROMANCE:
I didn't care for it much. I shipped Na Yu Na with her boss most and no other couple was remotely exciting for me. Yoon Shi Yoon's kissing skills were totally wasted in this drama.
ENDING:
It was cheesy and horrible. Reminded me of very terrible 90s Bollywood movie endings and that is NOT something to be copied from. I literally hated it so much lol.
OVERALL:
Started off well but overall a meh drama. There's nothing "fresh" about it. It's a regular drama with the regular tropes like birth secrets, faux incest, sick parent, scams, annoying in-laws and with a message that everyone should be married. There's nothing revolutionary about this drama and it was same-old. So if that's what you prefer- go for it.
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Slow but satisfying watch- one of the best endings ever
I super happy I gave some time to this drama because it was worth it. No matter how different it was from Season 1, I'd still consider this Go Go Squid 2 although here the "Squid" has little to no importance. The story still has heart, the characters are incredibly nice, the cast fits well and the romance got even better.PLOT:
It's fairly simple. It was fairly refreshing to see Wu Bai chasing Ai Qing as S1 was all about Tong Nian pursuing Han Shangyan. I did skip some gaming sub plots but other than that the drama was pretty consistent. It was less comedy and more drawn-out, slow burn romance. But this version was undoubtedly more romantic in some ways and the main two couples complimented each other. My favourite part was the ending because it gave a good closure to S1 and 2 both and I was elated to see Tong Nian and Han Shangyan make appearances again (yes!).
ROMANCE:
It was both the best and also somewhat flawed part of the drama. The romance took me some to get into because it was very, very slow. The long stares and gazes were somewhat boring but because Wu Bai and Ai Qing were so serious about each other- they made it work. I wanted to drop this but glad I held on because they had a genuinely sweet relationship. At times I favoured the second couple more because their chemistry was more natural and the interactions were more fun. The romance wasn't what I usually like but the actors made it work.
ACTING:
Everyone did a decent job but for me the star was Li Yi Tong. She played her part with a lot of poise and made her character seem very chill and mature. Hu Yi Tian wasn't ever in my list of good actors but he did great here. I also want to mention Wang An Yu because this role suited him a lot. He seems youthful and playful and he got the perfect role here. I also like Ai Qing's sister- she was very likable too. I'll also mention Li Xian and Yang Zi doing their cameos well and still being as interesting as they were in S1.
OVERALL:
I did skip some boring game talk but it was handled better than some other sports/e-sports dramas I have seen. This drama could have been shorter but in a way the slow burn is satisfying to watch. Maybe it would have been best for a 24-28 episode drama but since we get the perfect happy ending for our main couples for S1 and S2, I cannot complain.
I recommend this to people who have time because it is a very slow-ass drama and even seems draggy and pointless at times. But if you like the leads, it's probably worth it.
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"Being powerful is better than relying on those in power. "
Story of Yanxi Palace is one of the best-known dramas to have been produced in Mainland China. I was scared to pick it up- there were too many episodes, sounded too dramatic, bald guys, controversies, etc. I have never watched a drama with harem politics so this was completely unknown territory for me. I'm super glad I gave this so much of my time as this drama is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.PLOT:
It's complicated as heck. I was rooting for the female lead- Wei Ying Luo right from the get go. It reminded me a lot of Empress Ki in the aspect of a palace maid becoming the Empress of China. However, here the focus was more on her survival than the journey to royalty itself. The female lead is one of the best I have seen in any drama and she was badass, smart, witty and fearless. She's a modern woman by mind stuck in an older era. It was amazing to see how she navigated grueling circumstances and braved the storm. She has a cold heart as she values herself over others but possesses a keen sense of justice and her own way of viewing the world. Her character was deeply complex and it was interesting to her many sides. She was a protective sister, a loyal servant, a calculated lover and a fierce friend. I loved her relationship with Fuheng and also with the Empress, Empress Dowager and the Emperor himself. I couldn't hold back celebrating every time she triumphed over evildoers. She is really never scared of anything nor does she run away from any challenge.
CHARACTERS:
I've already described Ying Luo quite a bit. My next favourite characters were easily Ming Yu and Fu Heng. Ming Yu had an excellent development from evil to a supporting friend. Fu Heng was typical second lead and he succeeded in making me feel sorry for him the end. The Empress is a saint but a fool, however I loved how much she valued our female lead's service to her. The Emperor was funny at times but he was always authoritative and manipulative. I couldn't really get invested in the love story as him bedding several women made me uncomfortable as heck. I've seen Concubines in other dramas too, but never as many as in this one. The other enjoyable characters were Consort Gao and Xian- who were wonderfully wicked and never fell short of tricks to play.
ACTING:
The cast all did an excellent job at their roles. I'm super impressed with Wu Jin Yan as she played Ying Luo with perfection and no one could have done better. I was surprised to see Charmaine's role being major in this drama. She nailed the emotions and many sides to her character also - especially the twisted one. Xu Kai was lovable as Fu Heng and I'm glad he shot to stardom with such a good role in the start of his career. The others were also quite good- including the Emperor, Empress, etc.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
I know this is a historical story, but the portrayal of women in general was a little heartbreaking. They portrayed everyone as evil in the harem and there was a dialogue about self-interest being the only interest in the Forbidden City. The women are all cunning, scheming and ready to backstab each other. The Emperor treats women as object of desire and eyes our female lead as " has to made attainable by any means". Thankfully, the female lead manages to find people who give her comfort but it shows those times very bleak. It was also inspiring to see a woman stand up for herself and gives a good message about being independent and standing tall among men. It's a very feminist take on the historical times. The creative liberty the writers took clearly shows. I wish Fu Heng didn't go through what he had to because Er Qing was an evil witch. He and Ying Luo come out most memorable out of this drama.
OVERALL:
I cannot convince anyone to pick up a drama of 70 episodes. However, this is fast-paced, there are always twistsand the plot keeps progressing every episode. It became repetitive after the 58th episode and it could have done without the last arc of the new Concubine. I also wish the drama focused a bit more on the female lead as the Empress, however it continued to be about her survival in the crazy world of deranged Forbidden City inhabitants. I am quite impressed at how it maintained its quality and came out as a top-notch drama. It was well worth my time and effort.
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I have seen widely different opinions regarding this drama and I am on the extreme spectrum of LOVE for the drama. I know the story isn't perfect but it's pretty damn close because the best parts outweighed all flaws. Plus, it was super entertaining so I couldn't help but give it a full 10. This drama was sheer perfection when it comes to the romance and the beautiful leads. It's been ages since a drama affected me this much.
Our heroine starts off as ditzy and naive, and remains (frustratingly) so for majority of the drama. But her initial dense version was super cute. I was super skeptical about the male lead Xu Feng because it was hard for me to buy his crush on Jin Mi. I honestly was not very interested till the first 4-5 episodes when it started to make more sense.
The things Xu Feng did for Jin Mi initially seemed like no big deal but as the story went on and his actions started making sense - OH MY HEART. My heart kept on breaking for the entire duration of the drama. I think the 'Unfeeling' Jin Mi was drawn out longer than necessary but it gave way to loads of angst which was my favourite. Their mortal realm romance was nothing short of epic. The ending of their mortal realm had me so emotional.
I will give a lot of credit to the actor who played Xu Feng because he did a great job. I thought it would be run of the mill cheesy drama, but the actors made all the difference. The actress who played Jin Mi was also quite good. She was freaking adorable the entire time and when it came to the emotional part, I think she did it well. Plus they make a beautiful pair. :D
There were a lot of interesting side characters also. The evil mother and 2nd female lead were predictable as hell, until they weren't. One particular evil deed of theirs was a game changer and was something I couldn't have guessed.
I think I know the theme of C-dramas now where the leads always keep dying and coming back to life. I would prevent certain cliches if I could but I've come to accept that this is the formula these dramas work with. In short nothing much can be done about it except get over it.
I think I have seen a lot of comparison with Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms for this drama, but they are honestly so different. Like I said, the formula remains the same but looking back, I didn't feel anything like this while watching TMOPB compared to the feels I had with this one. It was all round perfect!! Some struggles towards the end got resolved too quickly for my taste and I wish the Demon Realm plot was longer. But it was highly enjoyable and will stay as the one of the most memorable dramas for me.
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The story starts off a little weak and it takes the entire first episode to suck you in, but it succeeds. The story was cliche although the main characters were a bit different from what we usually see. The main guy- Hiro is very strange looking but Mika is the typical girl-next-door. Though it was sort of a mini-series than a regular length drama, the plot went on smoothly and whatever the duration of the show was, every character developed but I found it to be boring.
At times, the story is difficult to stand and I found myself struggling to stay interested. I think all the actors showed their emotions well on-screen. I especially liked the actress who played Mika. The worst side plot of all was the teen pregnancy. I was annoyed by the whole episode. It all seemed a little too farfetched. The only thing saving this drama is that although it is supposed to be a 'tragedy' not everything ended badly. For example, I would have hated if the parents would have got divorced. Thankfully that didn't happen so +1 for that.
This drama could have been shortened by an episode's length because the ending was obvious after episode 4. I had to just glance through Hiro's struggle for survival and it wasn't at all interesting to watch. People everywhere on the internet advice to keep a box of tissues before watching it, but I wasn't all that moved except for a rare few scenes. I am all used to it because of watching Bollywood and so it ended being an overrated cliche for me. For those who aren't very used to Bollywood or only watch comedy might be touched by it.
During the entire course of the show, I was very happy with the direction. Some terribly boring parts were able to be portrayed well so that means the director is quite talented. Even the cinematography was quite good throughout but when they kept shooting in the same places, it got tiresome. And as for the music- there was only one song being played repetitively in every episode but it was a very good one. It sounded good and even the background score was done well.
But this show has no rewatch value. It is depressing to watch and isn't something that would provide you with entertainment. My biggest complaint is that the show was dull throughout and hardly had any light moments for a quick laugh.
So- if you are up for something different and aren't afraid of trying out new stuff then this is definitely the one for you.
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