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asinensis

Drama Heaven

asinensis

Drama Heaven
Completed
Shinzanmono
15 people found this review helpful
Jun 20, 2013
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
To be a detective who not only solves cases but helps the victims and their families move on. This sums up the philosophy of the main character, Kaga, a new detective (shinzanmono) in the police department of a fictitious town.

Like most mystery story leads, Kaga is a genius who solves all mysteries that comes him way. However, what makes this drama unconventional is how each mystery and its characters are interwoven together to the main plot and how they all tie together into one long emotional journey that tugs at your heart. I enjoyed watching each episode for not only solving the mystery but also its believable characters who all have their own realistic reasons for their actions.

Another aspect I liked was how the drama plays with the setting which is something I rarely ever see in mystery dramas. Each mystery/episode was like a small trip down one of the streets of this fictitious town. Toward the last episode, I felt have explored the whole town with Kaga learning about the ordinary yet moving lives of its inhabitants living on each street.

While you don't learn much about the backstory of Kaga, I feel this doesn't take away from how great this drama was. This drama injects its own brand of quirkiness and creativity in its unique way of storytelling that is so different from the mystery dramas we are used to seeing today.

Overall, I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who is getting tired of watching mystery dramas with essentially the same set up and is looking to try something new.

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Completed
Black & White
10 people found this review helpful
Jun 13, 2013
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I really enjoyed this drama. For me, what captures my attention first was the compelling storyline. You start out with a simple drug case that unravels into so much more. The writer who wrote this knew what he was doing and definitely spent quite amount time working on the nuances. I was engaged from start to finish and wished they made a second season. Definitely watch this drama if you enjoy a well written mystery/crime story.


Honestly, I was never a fan of Zai Zai in terms of his acting. I always found his acting to be stiff but this drama totally changed my perspective of him.

Both leading actors did a great job flushing out their characters. Not only were their acting superb but their individual storyline makes sense making their individual choices in the drama realistic and believable. There were a lot of good bromance between Zai Zai's character and Mark's character which made the drama even more enjoyable for me.

The leading two ladies of this drama were also quite close to my heart. These ladies are not your average, weak, princesses in distress. No, these ladies know how to handle their own which I couldn't have asked more. Overall, I don't think I have ever enjoyed the chemistry amongst this leading cast than any other dramas I've watched so far.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. This will probably my favorite Taiwanese drama so far. Would recommend this to everyone who enjoy a complex storyline, good acting, well written, believable characters, and a pretty cast.

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Completed
Winter Sonata
11 people found this review helpful
Jun 13, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This was one of my first korean dramas I was introduced, the first being Autumn in My Heart. I remember when it first came out and how I would watch it with the family trying to stay up marathoning through the episodes. And years later and with many other korean dramas under my belt later, I can say this is quintessentially the essence of a classic korean drama. Amnesia, birth secrets, car accidents, unrequited love, childhood lovers, tragedy: all of these elements seen in today's korean dramas are all found in this one.

What for me made this drama so great was how visually beautiful it was. A tale of an eternal love in the backdrop of winter, everything was visually stunning. Obviously korean dramas today are almost all visually stunning but this drama was made a decade before.

Looking back at it now, I don't think this drama is the best written out there. It's definitely flawed as most melodramas are. But, I would still recommend this to anyone who want to watch a classic korean drama that led the beginning of the hallyu wave.

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Completed
Bad Guys
5 people found this review helpful
Jun 4, 2016
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
A story line that keeps you at your toes at the end of almost every episode, this is an action packed thriller that I cannot believed I missed during its airing. I admit I first started watching this drama for Park Hae Jin but I left this drama having a greater appreciation for not just him but the entire main cast and their amazing chemistry. This is a drama where all the cast members shine ---- each have a meaty backstory that reminds you these characters are not actors playing stereotypical roles but three dimensional people each with their own agenda however flawed it may be. Like the title suggests, this is a story about "bad" guys, people who walk a tight line between law and crime. I like how the story explores the boundary between what is right and wrong through its characters and questions whether they are truly "bad" as society condemns them to be.

Acting here is phenomenal especially Kim Sang Joong who plays Oh Goo Tak, a morally ambiguous cop who would do just about anything to avenge his daughter.

Even though it has only 11 episodes (shorter than most korean dramas I've watched), the director really manages to make every scene count. The drama is not perfect but it is one of the better dramas I've seen in a very long time. Definitely give it a go if you like thriller crime stories with an amazing cast and killer bromance.

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Jun 27, 2013
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
There hasn't been a drama quite like this one in my long journey with Korean dramas. The deep psychoanalysis of love, hate, fear, trust, betrayal, and most importantly: is evil bred or innate?

This drama constantly questions nature vs nurture of evil in this drama and gives multiple answers. I like how the drama is able to keep this question relatively open ended and leaves the answer for the audience to choose.

The storyline is very well written. I absolutely love almost all the inner monologues spoken by the characters. Notably, there is really no "minor" character. Each character in the cast has their own back story. Despite only having eight episodes, almost all the characters in the cast were fleshed out and their inner psyche fully explored. I have to give the writer props for being able to maintain such a large main cast while still being able to develop all of them so well.

Overall, definitely give this drama a go if you enjoy exploring the human psyche and like mysteries. Be warned, this drama is dark and does not provide all the answers tied together in a nice bow. Go in there with an open mind and strong heart because most likely you will be shocked multiple times throughout the drama as I was.

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Completed
Confession of Murder
6 people found this review helpful
Jun 13, 2013
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I have always been a fan of crime/mystery stories and I was very excited to watch this one. In some ways, this movie is quite a success in its organization and plot. I felt especially connected with the characterization of the main character, the police officer. The actor did a great job flushing out the personality of his character and I found myself more emotionally invested by his journey than the actual mystery.

The movie also did a good job bringing some questions we see in society. Such as stature of limitation, our perception of beauty and how it may influence our opinion of a person. The character PSH plays is especially highlights some of the issues the movie tries to showcase.

However, on a personally level, perhaps I have been watching too many mystery stories but I found the ending/surprise to be quite predictable. After finishing the movie, I was left with a feeling of wanting more. I was looking for more nuance, more suspense which I think the movie did a great job in the first half but failed to do in the second half.

Despite the lackluster ending, the movie itself did a great job keeping me engaged from the get go. I find myself unable to turn my head away from the screen and wanting to know what unfolds despite having a good idea of what the ending of be.

Overall, this is a great movie for those who are looking for a good mystery movie. However, I have to warn those who are mystery buffs that you just may be disappointed by the ending.

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Completed
Devil Beside You
8 people found this review helpful
Jun 13, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
Like most Taiwanese dramas I watch, I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. On one hand I absolutely love the chemistry between Mike He and Rainie Yang but on the other hand the whole story plot is such a mess that I can't give it a high score despite my love for the main couple. I often find myself being mesmerized by Rainie's numerous charming hairstyles than paying attention to the storyline.

Overall, don't watch this drama for the plot but for light-hearted, cute chemistry between the main lead or you just might be severely disappointed.
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Completed
Nine: Nine Times Time Travel
4 people found this review helpful
Jul 3, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
After so many recommendations I finally bit the bullet and marathon-ed through this drama. And to put bluntly, this drama did not disappoint but instead exceeded my expectations. Usually, I find most Korean dramas to be draggy and slow but this drama really pulled me in. I could scarcely believe it when I got 20 episodes and wanted more.

From the same writer who also wrote the popular time travel drama, Queen In Hyun's Man, I really applaud him for utilizing the time travel trope so well. This drama has to be the few dramas if not the first in my opinion that utilizes the idea of time travel so realistically and brilliantly. I walked in expected that I've seen everything with time travel, but this drama kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

I also applaud the writer for writing such realistic, intelligent characters. Most kdramas concentrate on main characters leaving side characters one dimensional and often times, dim-witted. In this drama, each character has his/her own motivations, are consistent in their actions, and just overall believable. I'm also glad that writer wrote with the mind that the audience are not stupid and instead actively engages the audience's mind, curiosity, and imagination.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this drama for its intelligent plot and engaging characters. I would recommend marathoning at least the first four episodes of the drama though since the first few episodes are slow paced as the writer tries to paint the storyline to the audience. Once you got over the first few episodes, buckle your seats because I guarantee you you're going to embark on an awesome ride.

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Completed
Kill Me, Heal Me
2 people found this review helpful
May 18, 2015
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
I like most people during this show's running was absolutely enamored with this drama. I was absolutely charmed by Ji Sung's charisma and wonderful acting ability. The leads had crazy chemistry and were absolutely a treat to watch on screen.

I also loved the female protagonist. She is not your conventional damsel in distress sort of lead, instead, she is brazen, out-spoken, and at times un-lady-like. Some may be turned off by the female lead's over the top acting in the beginning but the actress really grows into her own as the drama progresses and I didn't find her acting to be a hindrance to the drama.

Now looking back, it is not a perfect drama but it certainly tugged my heart strings. It had flaws especially relating to the accuracy of the depiction of someone with DID and how the male lead was able to recover from it. However, these are minor flaws to what I felt is one the best dramas I've seen in a while.

Ultimately, watch this if you like strong female leads, rom-coms, electrifying chemistry, and a great soundtrack.

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