addicted2dramas
India
Kim Tae Ri does it again!
I'm reeling from the ending of this drama. I rarely post reviews of dramas anymore but here's the first one in 2023 that made me want to sit and type this out. This drama had times I was seriously creeped out, laughing, frustrated, lost and even sad. It's main theme is about greed and ultimately the price we pay for this deadly sin.PLOT:
I didn't quite get the synopsis of the drama and even the first episode made little sense to me. What attracted me to it was Kim Tae Ri and the reason why I stuck around was much more than that. The plot is investigative, creepy and very complex. While once we get to the climax, everything makes sense a lot of times I doubted whether the writer even knew what they wanted to ultimately write about or how they would go about resolving this absolutely intricate plot. The backstories seem frustrating in the beginning but ultimately that was the favourite part of the plot for me.
CHARACTERS:
This is a character-driven story. What happens in it from the beginning to the end are all choices that characters are actively making. It also makes you question about morals, sacrifices and what ultimately humanity is. What I love about the drama is that ultimately it shows that human beings are selfish to the core and the price we pay for our actions. At the same time, it contrasts with the fact that we - as selfish and scheming we are, are also creatures longing for love and acceptance. Sometimes we make choices for love or desire or sometimes we are aimlessly chasing the material world and fail to recognize the beauty of life around us.
ACTING:
Not much to say here. Kim Tae Ri absolutely nailed her role and I also loved the supporting cast. The actresses in the flashbacks did wonderful jobs as well. However what holds the drama together is surely Kim Tae Ri's performance and I am proud of the diversity in the projects she picks for herself.
ENDING:
A rather simple but realistic ending. All's not always well even if it ends well. We still carry the pain and trauma we went through. We should be brave enough to carry on living rather than just surviving.
SPECIAL MENTION: I usually find knocking sounds quite scary and this drama just amplifies that. The props, set and the special effects were really impressive for a 12-episode drama.
OVERALL:
It's a must-watch. This drama goes beyond darkness and horror- it's ultimately about the story of humans and the way we live life. I must say it also says to appreciate the life we have and be more conscious of the way we continue to live in it. Kindness and peace goes a long way.
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Is this worth the hype? I say YES!
'The Glory' has been sitting on my to-watch list since it was announced and the synopsis wasn't too clear to me. There were only hate comments and trolls commenting on yet another age-gap drama that Song Hye Kyo was going to star in. That too a Kim Eun Sook drama! I'm so glad this drama is so good that it rocked everyone's socks off and no one will talk crap anymore because this is the type of drama that leaves one speechless.PLOT (+trigger warning: bullying):
I thought this drama would be filled with bullying scenes but thankfully majority were restricted to ep 1 with snippets every other episode. I know how brutal bullying can get in Korean dramas / films and don't always have the stomach for it. But since I heard the incident in this was based on a real-life victim, I decided to sit through it. I must say nothing felt forced or exaggerated. It was very realistic and the writers have done an amazing job of building up the story and the characters.
ACTING:
I must say this is the best stuff I have seen from Song Hye Kyo. This is a nice, mature role she chose and seems to be more challenging than some of her previous works. I am not very familiar with the supporting cast but so far all of them have entertained me with their acting - especially the crazy bully adults.
OVERALL:
Since we are just 8 episodes in, I am invested but also doubtful of how this drama will pan for rest of the series / Season 2. My experience with Korean dramas has always been great build ups leading to unsatisfying endings (Penthouse & Reborn Rich - I'm looking at you). I hope justice prevails and the main protagonist gets her revenge and happy ending. It would be unfair to let the bullies get away.
If you're looking for an intense, gripping watch then look no further.
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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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A pleasant surprise - the black horse of 2022 Cdramaland
2022 is at its peak right now when it comes to Cdramas. The ones with all biggest names and budget have been airing with little gap between premieres and to stand in between all the action is a feat in itself. While I had no clue that something starring Dylan Wang / Wang He Di and Esther Yu would be "struggling" in any way, it seems like everyone had low hopes from this drama including the cast themselves. But they exceed everyone's expectation with it!PLOT:
Although this was marketed as a Xianxia, I beg to differ. This drama for me is just a fantasy one where a Fairy literally falls in love with the "Devil". I was lowkey hoping for a dark romance but the drama has been quite light since the beginning. The first episode was a bit weird and I couldn't really get into it till ep 8 or so. I must say I was writing it off as a silly romance based on its initial episodes and the cutesy and ditzy FL. The ML was also serving as more of a comedy element than a character with actual depth. However, this drama has surprised me on more than one occasion. Every time I thought the plot was juvenile or too cliché - it just kept surprising me and was on a roll.
CHARACTERS:
I have seen some good Cdramas but I must say this is surely one of the better written ones. The characters in this are all well-rounded and their growth is natural. Nothing felt forced to me in the drama. Usually the transformation of a positive character to dark or vice-versa seems like a one-off thing than a natural progression of plot. Here most of the things that happen make sense. The naïve FL grows and the ML is also not one without flaws. The characters all make mistakes, get hurt from some assumptions but in the end manage to pull through. The supporting characters are also fleshed out well and even the villain(s) seem to be morally grey in some areas - which was quite an interesting take.
ROMANCE:
I think the reason Wang Hedi catapulted to fame (although he was already getting there) is owing to the romance in the drama and his Romeo type character. Most people watch xianxia / fantasy romance dramas in hopes of watching a good romantic plot. I must say this drama delivers well on that front. The FL falls for the dark ML and he's so completely devoted to her! The unwavering love the leads have for each other is what progresses the plot and remains the centre. Although I didn't feel like Dylan and Esther had too much chemistry, they looked good together and kisses were ok too (BTS clips were better). The romance will definitely a big pull for the romance genre lovers.
ACTING:
I admit to brushing off Esther as a bad actress, she did a decent job here. I do think someone else dubbing for her would have been a better choice but the different phases for her character were really believable to me. I would say the same for Dylan. While his acting wasn't groundbreaking- he did it well too. The reason I'm most glad for picking this up is because I discovered Zhang Ling He from this and now he's straight to my favourites list. Man can act fine and he's such a beauty! I also liked the other supporting actors and there was no one who was "ruining" the drama for me.
OVERALL:
While I would have been fine with a simpler ending, few things were made complicated for no reason. It does end happily so it's all good. I think the drama is worth investing time in- however, I do not think I would ever rewatch it again.
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S1 + S2 = Wholesome drama
Review for Part 1 + Part 2:When 'Love like the Galaxy' was announced, I thought it was one of the coolest Cdramaland pairings ever. I was not wrong here at all. Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei are the best possible actors for their roles in the drama.
Owing to the new rules on restriction on number of episodes for airing dramas, I thought this drama would be split randomly. However I was wrong and it does seem like two different seasons of a larger narrative.
PLOT:
I would argue that the drama is more centered on the FL rather than the supporting characters or even the ML. We literally see Niao Niao from her younger, isolated days to her journey in life. This drama reads more like a character sketch and the events that unfold are plot devices leading to the growth of the character. Of course, there's family, friends, betrayal, lessons, mistakes, love and all of that along the way. This drama is really about a modern-thinking woman trapped in the ancient patriarchal society which was an interesting perspective.
CHARACTERS:
Niao Niao was not the kind of FL I usually like. She's incredibly flawed and yet I couldn't help but root for her despite her shortcomings as I, as a viewer, knew that she isn't a bad person deep down. She was more selfish than I could count and was definitely dealing with trust issues stemming from her childhood hardships and abandonment. Her parents loved her but her relationship with them was so strained. I loved the conflicts between her and her mother but the Season 2 plot focused on other aspects.
I loved the ML owing to the amazing performance from Wu Lei. I sympathized with him and he also frustrated me like Niao Niao at times. However the bond they had with each other was lovely and very realistic.
Among the supporting characters my favourites were Niao Niao's father, her siblings, the Emperor and his wives and a few others. S2 is largely amazing owing to the Emperor whereas S1 was more fun due to Niao Niao's smart wits. Her smartness stays constant and I loved that she never wanted to be rescued by a man and instead preferred to look out for herself.
ROMANCE:
While I expected some epic romance, this is a wholesome drama and mixed with many genres. Romance is not the key focus but a somewhat important one in Niao Niao's journey to maturity and womanhood.
With whatever little Wu Lei and Lu Si had to make it work, they absolutely rocked it. They literally seem like a perfect match which I never would have imagined! Their BTS were too cute and I hope to see them reunite once more.
WHAT WORKED BEST:
-Solid writing, great cinematography and the big budget in the drama were very evident
-It's got one of the best acting I've ever witnessed by such a large cast in a Cdrama
-Amazing leads!!
WHAT COULD'VE BEEN BETTER:
-The ending : it was okay but it was the biggest flaw of the drama
-More skinship : I'm a sucker for WL-LS pairing and some more lovey-dovey moments would have been great
OVERALL:
It took me a while to finish it and I admit to skipping couple of plots but it was one of the best dramas I've watched till date and arguably the best of 2022 among all Asian dramas.
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Romcom of the year!
I was sad when this drama kept getting pushed back on its premiere and now I am sad that it's over. While airing, this drama has managed to put a smile on my face every week. This is a perfect combination of comedy, romance and old -school kdrama tropes. It was fun to remember the elements that me love kdramas and to have them replayed on a more lowkey level for me a more 'aware' audience (e.g. now I hate plots where the heroine is shamed for her poor status or that of evil Mother-in-laws - which this drama parodies on so many levels).PLOT:
It's a typical CEO falls for poor girl plot only that no one is sitting around crying about their problems. Kang Tae Moo and Shin Ha Ri were very refreshing together and the process of them falling for each other was a lot of fun as well. I like that there are no major conflicts in the plot and for the most part everything was set up and wrapped up neatly. However the secret scene stealers here are the secondary couple. I loved their chemistry and how they fell for each other in the most cringey way only to confess to each other almost at the same time. I swear they could have had their own drama and I would have still watched it.
CHARACTERS:
The characters in this drama are delightful for most part. I think I enjoyed everyone's role except Min Woo and the chaebol girl who spoke English all the time (never seen a more pointless character before). The relationships between Tae Moo and his grandfather and Ha Ri and her family were precious. They always argue but I could see everyone being genuinely concerned for each other. I also loved the friendship between Ha Ri and her best friend and Tae Moo and his secretary/cousin(?). It was super wholesome and loved the parallels between the main characters! For most part there were not many annoying people in this drama.
ACTING:
I've been a fan of Ahn Hyo Seob and while he isn't the best actor, I think he did fine here and did make me laugh a lot. His acting was eerily reminiscent of Park Seo Joon's from Secretary Kim. I'll admit I thoroughly disliked Sejung as an actress in her past drama but she was more than tolerable here. In fact she matched her character and was pretty cute overall. I liked most of the cast and didn't have any issues with the mediocre acting because I watched this to have a good time and not to critique them.
OST:
I cannot recall more than 1-2 tracks from the OST but they were more than fine. This was not the drama's strongest department.
OVERALL:
This a light, fluffy romcom that did a lot of things right by keeping it a short and enjoyable ride. The laughs were plenty and this drama was a fun escape from reality while it aired. I think the ending was still a bit weak but it was much better than loads of nonsense endings I've seen in kdramas in the past. I highly recommend this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
When the promos and posters of 'Twenty Five, Twenty One' came out I assumed it was a noona romance. I was so surprised on knowing the actual premise and age of characters that were in the drama. Like most people I started this drama with very high expectations. Kim Tae Ri is one of the most gifted actresses of Korea and with the praise she got in her last drama I thought this would be worth a watch as well.I think this was overall one of the better dramas that came out in recent times. However, I kept having issues with certain characters and sub-plots. While there were wholesome moments I kept feeling like something was missing. By the end the drama delivered on a lot of ends but the ending fell awfully short of making this drama into a near masterpiece that it could have been.
PLOT:
I'd compare this drama to Reply series but without the love triangle. However what they still have in common is the nostalgia of the 90s, friendship, parent-child relationships and memories of first love. This drama carries all the essence that one might expect from a drama set in the somewhat older times. There is innocence, youth, dreams and experiences that all people might have gone through one or other point in their lives.
CHARACTERS & ROMANCE:
I really admired Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin for the people they were. They both went different kind of struggles, had breakdowns but never gave up in the face of difficulty. I couldn't really see any chemistry between the actors and the age gap was a slight cringe, but their interactions had a lot of heart in them. I really enjoyed all supporting characters in this and only had a definitive love-hate relationship was with Ko Yu Rim and Achorwoman Na (who I cared less for). Yu Rim was pointlessly rude at times but we as viewers know that she isn't the villain here. People respond to bad situations in life in different ways and Yu Rim had hers. However I really like the group and their friendship stayed strong till the end.
OST:
I like the songs sung by NCT's Taeil and Twice's Jihyo. Other tracks were either fine or forgettable.
MAIN PROBLEM OF THE DRAMA: The villain i.e. timing
One thing I really loved about the drama was the realistic portrayal of how everything in life is about timing. That's the true villain in this drama along with the circumstances that come with it. After all, isn't that what life is all about? It becomes a little hard to accept an ending where the leads do not end up together, but I know plenty of people who didn't try hard enough with their past or failed relationships. Sometimes people are right for each other but they either give up or move on. That's what this drama portrayed and UNPOPULAR OPINION alert- I feel like there were clues all along.
I admit it did seem like the drama was setting us all up for a sad ending but some dramas do the reverse towards the end. This might be the first time where everything was clear and there were clues all along but the viewers kept theorizing about the possibility of the leads ending up together. For starters, the title of the drama is a dead giveaway.
ENDING:
For me the true shock related to this drama was that the writer was gutsy enough to do her own thing. I am sure she will receive loads of backlash but I'm always in for creative surprises. My real issue with the drama was us not getting to know how Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin lived after their separation. We have no clue about Na Hee Do's marital status and how Baek Yi Jin looks like now. I felt cheated with the lack of details. I wish they hadn't included the present time at all. It could have been a story set between 1998-2009 and us never having to meet their present selves at all. I think the ending is what ultimately takes away a major point for my overall review.
OVERALL:
I'll still recommend this drama due to the stellar acting from the cast, the slice of life elements and the very nostalgic aura it gave me as a viewer. Just be prepared for a bittersweet ending (because heck Kim Min Chae is cute). :)
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Charades with ghosts and doctors
'Ghost Doctor' is the first kdrama of 2022 that I've religiously been keeping up with every week. What attracted me to it was the premise of ghosts and comedy within a hospital setup with Rain and Kim Bum as the leading stars. While this drama just screamed funny to me looking at the poster, I admit I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated while not having much expectations from it. The combination of Rain and Kim Bum didn't strike me as interesting upon first preview but the bromance is what hard carried the show.PLOT:
The plot was pretty straightforward and predictable in the sense that I could sniff Cha Young Min's redemption journey from the very first episode. It's basically an opposites meet premise only that here there's a rude professor "haunting" his kind student Seung Tak - both while alive and unconscious. The first half of the show was pretty funny and I would just keep laughing out loud for majority of the times. Here the ghosts in the hospital are used as a comic relief rather than as a horror angle. There was also a deeper side to things that showed that even dead or half-dead people are ultimately humans and all of us struggling in ways others might not know of. I did like the emphasis it placed on compassion and friendship for people we even choose to dislike. While the drama maintains its light tone throughout, the supernatural angle itself was very inconsistent. The drama lost a lot of direction in the later half which left much more to be desired. The ending wasn't the worst but it was very dragged and the mystery of Cha Young Min ever waking up stopped mattering to me by ep 13 or so.
CHARACTERIZATION:
One of the weak points of the drama is the writing itself and while it set up the first half wonderfully, a lot of subplots started going stale and forced very quickly following ep 10. There were a lot of repetitive scenes and some of the potential character development just didn't happen. Go Seung Tak's development was IMO one of the key aspects of the story but it was done very half-assedly. Cha Young Min's plot was mostly fine but the strong bro vibe I felt between him and Seung Tak was quite weak in the later half. Other than that the female characters served little to no purpose sadly. The supporting cast of ghosts was quite okay but they got more screentime than I thought they deserved. There were few brief episodic cases which I found to be fine. The baddies in the plot seemed unnecessary and very unconvincing to me most of the times.
CAST:
I thought Rain and Kim Bum were well-casted and I also enjoyed Sung Dong Il's performance in the drama. I really think comedy is Rain's strenghts when he acts. While neither of the main male leads are strong as actors, they were fine enough for me to continue watching. Uee and Son Na Eun's characters didn't have much impact on the drama but I thought they did alright. Na Eun has improved a lot from her previous roles. I liked the supporting cast who played the ghosts and their emotions were very much believable to me.
OST:
It was alright. Not many memorable tracks for me from this drama.
OVERALL:
I recommend to watch this drama without much expectation because the comedy is really well done. While the plot itself makes no sense most of the times, it was still a light-hearted drama to watch in one's free time. It had the potential to be much better but alas it missed its marks in many areas. I don't regret watching this and did enjoy some moments from even the worst episodes.
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A daring theme but lackluster execution
Right from the day the trailer premiered on Youtube, I had high expectations from this movie. Looking at the cast was the biggest surprise because who ever thought that Seohyun and Jun could ever be in a movie which has a risque and BDSM theme?! I was expecting a lot of naughty scenes and some nudity but this movie was tamer than I thought. While the focus on the playing part is quite evident, I expected a more daring scenes like 50 Shades which this movie is definitely not.PLOT:
I liked the first half of the plot better than the events that followed towards the end. It was slow and not as funny nor deep as it was trying to be. While I did like that this movie attempts to educate general viewers on BDSM and to show that kinks aren't always shameful it also misses its mark in a lot of places. While the set up is quite fresh, I felt like this movie missed out on a lot of its potential. Not to mention some clichés towards the end that just made my eyes roll and the ending was also a bit lacking for me.
CAST:
While Seohyun really, really tried to come as a cool and mature woman to me she still has the same cute face she did years ago in SNSD. Knowing her real life personality, I appreciate that she must have really worked hard to seem believable in this role an d I'm glad that she is someone who is ready to take on bold projects. In spite of it all she still lacks a lot in the acting department and should stick to side roles. Jun is decent but again- I only ever enjoyed his acting fully in his past dramas. But I could tell that the cast really worked hard for their roles which was good but the acting wasn't the best (although they were really easy on the eyes).
OVERALL:
While I was super excited to catch this movie on its premiere date, it fell terribly short of my expectations. It could have been shorter, deeper, better acted and better written. It does have places where it worked, especially with breaking stereotypes on BDSM and dealing with embarrassment and trying to hide it from others, it still had a lot to make up for. Now I am not sure if the movie was worth the wait and excitement I had over the past weeks. This isn't a movie to recommend but fine if you want to kill time watching something chill over a weekend.
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One of the best slow burn and slice of life kdramas in recent years
This drama had been on my radar ever since they started releasing promos and teasers and I end up picking it up while it was airing. To be honest, I wasn't completely sold on the drama initially. It seemed funny but I was unable to relate to the characters a lot. This was the case till I found myself totally obsessed with it after ep 5. This drama was very light in tone for most part and while not a perfect one, for me the viewing experience was a memorable one.PLOT:
It's about a group of friends with the main couple being a bickering will-they-won't-they one. It comes with a twist because they have history together and the drama's narrative poses questions about their true feelings, intentions and scenarios. For me it was enjoyable watching the leads rediscover their feelings, or accepting the fact that the feelings never left. While few things in their history as a couple were off they did manage to mature and be better versions of themselves with each other. I really liked the direction in which we see same things from two different perspective. It's like how memories in real life are. The brain records the dominant feelings in the situation or how we were feeling but many a times we unconsciously discount the struggles other might be going through at the same time. There were some interesting aspects to Yeon Su and Woong's relationships.
I really think the strength of the drama lies in its main characters and the interactions they all have with each other. The side characters are equally strong and while they are flawed, they all had a struggle I could relate with. Being a kdrama, it doesn't shy from undertones of melodrama but thankfully nothing majorly tragic ever happens. I swear I would have rated this drama much less if that were the case.
CAST:
It's a wonderful cast with strong performances from almost everyone. Choi Woo Sik and Kim Dami made really good efforts to seem natural and comfortable with each other which I really appreciated. There were also some new faces for me who made a good impression on me and I'll be excited to check their future works also.
OST:
The OST fits the mood of the drama. No need to say that BTS V's single is already massively popular. It was cool of him to lend his voice for his Wooga squad friend after 2020's Itaewon Class. We love it.
OVERALL:
I would categorize this drama as more of a slow burn with elements of comedy, friendship and slice of life. While it has its flaws and I had minor issues with its writing in a few places, it still remains to be a strong drama that is quite worth a watch. I think anyone can enjoy it and the ending is quite fitting as well. It left me wanting S2 and I'd be up for it if they ever made a sequel to this.
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A poetic, coming-of-age narrative BL
I have been pondering about this drama for a while and its title had me intrigued. To start with, this isn't necessarily a fanservice BL. ITSAY is a coming-of-age story dealing with first love that one experiences as a teenager, friendship, society & peer pressure and exploring one's sexuality. While it's a drama, it feels more like a long movie the way it's narrated.In the beginning the drama was a bit too slow for my taste and also at times a bit immature. However, I did appreciate the writer and director's efforts into making it as realistic as possible. The main leads Oh-aew and Teh aren't the most mature nor aware people in the room. In their core they are just a couple of teenagers who were best friends but were alienated from each other for a long time. I really digged their friendship, falling out and how they reconnect again just for things to go south again. It was funny how the characters took time to figure out their own feelings while I, as a viewer, could see what they felt for each other was as unlike friends as it could have been.
I really appreciated some themes that this drama didn't shy away from. Life isn't as magical or as easy as some BLs make it seem to be. Coming to terms with one's sexuality, the constant confusion and difficulty of accepting one's own self while being conflicted and feeling somewhat shameful was perfectly captured in the drama. At times Teh was awful as a person and Oh-aew seemed to be on the verge of pathetic - but these were feelings anyone can go through. The journey Teh and Oh-aew were on was never smooth and they were their own challenges and their own villains in each other's life. However, deep down they were the only ones who could bring about happiness in other's life.
I must say I am impressed with how this drama chose to approach two guys getting together in a restrictive Asian society. It made me question how or what people go through in real life when they "choose" to not be heterosexual (quite similar to Teh's choice over his longtime female crush). Of course, being a drama it did deliver on keeping the viewer entertained and very apparently have a sequel to this story (which reeks of fanservice to me).
ITSAY is strong as a one-off drama and I would have accepted any sort of ending for it. For me it was going to be another BL drama but the depth and finesse that was apparent in the way was filmed blew me away. I think this drama is poetic and has more life lessons than one might give it credit for. It deserves to be taught in film school and analyzed by literary and art directors. The symbolism, filters and mood all ought to be understood and dissected in minute details. Also, if the right demographic viewer watched it, it might deliver some life answers and I hope people only take the good from it and aren't afraid to be who they are and to love whoever they wish to.
Highly recommended. Do not miss out on this show.
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PLOT:
There's no plot. At least it never materialized to what it was setting out to be. A girl gets cheated on by a longterm boyfriend cum fiance only to fall for the "wrong guy" or "bad guy". I suppose their initial connection was strong and it was fun to wait for the leads to get together. However the editing and pace of their progress as a couple was all over the place. The ML has an unexplained obsession and was at times crossing the boundaries. The girl was indecisive and at times felt like she was emotionally cheating on her boyfriend as well. Their relationship dynamics were really lacking. The worst part in the plot are the secondary and tertiary couples which were just not even worth the effort of skipping over. In the second half the story was more focused on them than the main couple.
CAST:
Now here is literally where I cannot rate the drama super low. Liu Xue Yi did a decent job but Yuxi was quite lacking in the acting department. However I appreciate her chemistry with the ML as their interactions never felt awkward.
WHAT WORKS:
-The leads and their chemistry
-Not many misunderstandings after they get together
WHAT SUCKED:
-All supporting casts
-The unsatisfactory ending
OVERALL:
I'll give this one a hard pass unless what you're looking for is just eye candy because the leads were super easy on the eyes.
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A forgettable "epic" story
I have never seen any of prior Novoland installments but heard that one can watch these without much knowledge of the universe so I picked this up anyway. Of course, my biggest attraction towards the drama was due to William Chan and Yang Mi. They are both good looking actors and I'm a big fan of William Chan's acting in whatever capacity I've seen him. Plus, I am still waiting for Yang Mi's next TMOPB successor drama. Alas, this drama falls short of what could have been and ends up being a skippable one if one asks for my opinion.PLOT:
I understood their world but there wasn't enough fantasy and magic for me to be intrigued to check out any other Novoland dramas. The first episode was solid but the rest of the drama was a compilation of highs, lows and very frustrating hair pulling / facepalm moments. I have to say that the main couple had a lot of potential but the slow burn just dragged on and on till the spark was almost on the verge of extinguishing out. The secondary couple however, are much more complex and interesting than the main one. But if I had to be honest I gave enough crap about Shifu-disciple and evil emperor-abused wife plots to hang around. The court drama was also written well but for me the two couples always overshadowed the true purpose of the plot.
CAST:
I have to say that I was very much pleased with William Chan's performance. His character was like a mute wooden statue and he ended up pulling even that. I liked Yang Mi's portrayal till it got super boring with her as a crossdresser and she was just flat most of the times. Xu Kaicheng played the emperor well and I'd love to see him and Tilan in another drama in the future. I think with a bit of improvement, XKC can become one of the better actors in China. The rest of the supporting cast was also fine but I didn't give much heed to them.
WHAT WORKED:
-Performances of William Chan and Xu Kaicheng along with the Tilan actress
-Slow burn of will-they / won't they
-Baixi and the poison plot
WHAT SUCKED:
-Yang Mi's crossdressing
-Poor communication between main leads
-The abuse emperor posed upon Tilan till he did a 180 degree
-The Ending
OVERALL:
I liked this drama and was always looking forward to the next episode. I liked the mermaid and war-talk but the ending just didn't work for me. This drama was too brutal and isn't even a real story so I fail to see why the writer couldn't have written a better ending. The ones who suffered were doomed from the start and it was like there was nothing to look forward to anymore. Some plots dragged on forever and the fantastical and romantic elements that could've been explored more just underused. I swear this shows that in spite of S+ class budget, Cdramas need better scripts and do some fanservice at the same time. This drama has too many shortcomings to make it to my list of favourites from this year like The Long Ballad (which was much, much better).
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An underrated gem - you're missing out if you aren't watching this
Upon a friend's recommendation I decided to pick up this drama called "Kotaru Lives Alone" just because I was bored of most dramas lately. The synopsis seemed nice but I started watching it without much expectation. But I was blown away with how good this drama was! It made me reminisce about my early drama watching days when I watched only Jdramas and nothing else. This drama seems fit for a late 2000s or early 2010s Jdrama quality.PLOT + CHARACTERS:
Honestly, it is ridiculous. It would never be legal, much less- posssible for a 5 year old to live alone and much less having a law firm or random people looking for a random kid. Were it a real scenario, they boy would be taken away by social services and they would have done as deemed fit by them. This drama reaffirms every episodes that it is a fictional set up which was sort of funny.
It's about a 5 year old who rents an apartment and how he navigates his life all alone. Of course, the neighbour steps in and from there on they go on from barely tolerating each other to forming a deep parent-child relationship. Also we have some lovely side characters thrown in and what I loved about this drama was how it was about kindness and helping others in need. The main adult character is a tsundere but his growth was pretty believable. I love how he never condescends the child and instead tells him how even an adult can learn lessons from a child. Honestly- their relationship had me very emotionally invested. We also meet a female hostess who is being abused by her boyfriend. I loved the fact that for the first time in a Jdrama, they called the police rather than trying to solve the problem on their own.
ACTING:
The main child star steals the show. His dialogue delivery was on point and he must be a smart kid because it was no easy feat! I also loved all the side actors and their interactions with each other were very natural. By the end they did seem more like a family than random people who came together. Kudos to the cast and the director who made sure that the viewer is able to feel this side of the story rather than us brushing it off as some comedy.
OVERALL:
I can understand that this drama isn't a conventional genre and Jdramas are even less mainstream among international viewers. However, it is a drama not to be missed out on as it has a fresh plot, comedy and some great characters. Like all Jdramas, it also teaches us the importance of kindness and giving others new chances. I honestly wouldn't mind a Season 2 because there is still a lot of story left to be told. Kotaru-chan's innocence lives on and I truly want him to get his real happy ending.
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A romcom with a good message + one of the most creative endings ever
The Day of Becoming You was a drama that I knew I'd like just based off its teasers and promotional pictures. Usually my gut is right and this was no exception. I think this drama is a perfect mixture of fantasy and slice of life. Liang Jie and Steven Zhang proved to be one of the best drama pairings in Cdramaland yet.PLOT:
I was stoked to watch a soul-swapping drama because when done right, they can be quite fun to watch. This drama started off a bit confusing but for most part nailed its comedic elements. Although it seemed like a trope in a drama, the soul swapping had a much deeper meaning by the end of it all. Jiang Yi and Sheng Sheng both misunderstand each other and we as viewers can feel the same. They are compatible in ways they are not aware of but are really nice people deep down. I loved the chill vibe of the drama and minus a few boring parts, it was well made. It's no revelation that Cdramas are often longer than necessary and I thought it was the case here as well. It could have been shorter to maintain quality but it wasn't too terrible.
ACTING:
I think Steven Zhang was hilarious as a female and Liang Jie was super likable as the guy. I loved how well Jiang Yi blended with Sheng Sheng's family and never tried to do anything annoying. It was very funny seeing a guy experience the pain of females and for him to understand how painful our bodies each month can be. The leads really stole the show but I liked most of the side characters as well. All of them did a good job.
ROMANCE:
One of the factors for which I started the drama was the romance but for most part I loved their skinship. Their chemistry was very believable and the kissing scenes were great! I think it's because of the actors themselves who always manage to have real chemistry with all their co-stars. They were very well matched and their acting wasn't cringey at all.
ENDING:
I know that not everyone liked the ending, but I loved it. It's a good message for people to think from other's perspective or to get to know people better before passing judgement. In this case it helped the leads fall in love and in real life, it could just give some comfort to a suffering person or one could find friend in someone unlikely. It was a nice ending and yay because it also passed censorship. I hope this writer writes more dramas in the future. If this is where Chinese dramas are heading, I'd be excited for them to be more layered.
OST:
Nice, chill and something to listen to during the rainy weather.
OVERALL:
I highly recommend watching this drama even if you don't like Chinese dramas or romance. It's got some nice messages and it's most depth I've ever seen come out of a rom-com.
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